The shoes on my feet - I bought it

Oh Beyonce would be so proud of my shopping escapades this weekend! (and no it's not a coincidence that the title of this post is a line from "Independent Women")

I've had a lot of really great luck lately when it comes to shopping/thrifting. Perhaps I'm cashing in all my good karma at once (although I'm a bit freaked out to think about what may happen if it runs out).

This weekend most of my purchases ended up being clothes for spring - which is strange because it was snowing outside. However I did find some fantastic stuff for my place and will now take a minute to brag...

 I found this gorgeous royal blue ceramic pot which I plan to put in my living room (with a plant in it - duh Calli). I have a nice medium sized tropical palm (or something similar) in mind, but I want to wait for it to warm up a bit so I don\t shock the poor thing just getting it home.

Also, I finally (finally!) found an area rug that will work (for now) in my entryway. My entrance is narrow and long and then mostly just stairs up to the main floor. I've had so much trouble finding a runner that is modern and colourful - so I gave up (not exactly what I was taught to do growing up but it worked!). Until I am able to find a runner I picked up this multi-coloured gem for cheap and will just 'make it work'.
 Anyone else automatically think of Tim Gunn from Project Runway when I use this phrase? - Anyone wondering what the heck I'm talking about?.

I actually got two rugs - one for the entrance and a second one for the master bathroom. I haven't painted the bathroom yet (yes, it's on my very long to do list) and I had been thinking of a nice blue/turquoise for the walls. I'm hoping to use this new rug as a bit of a jumping off point and will let you know if it works out.

I also picked up this fantastic little wire basket. When I saw it the words magazine rack immediately popped into my head so I decided to bring it home with me. It was kismet - the little thing looks adorable with my magazines all piled up in there AND it frees some space up on another shelf where my magazines were before AND the whole thing fits amazingly well under my side table.

On another note - the side table is one of the zillion gorgeous pieces that have relocated (by themselves!) to my place from my grandma's basement... no I didn't shake anyone up or take advantage of anyone's age/memory to get these pieces to pick up and move (and yes I will post about this soon).

And because bragging is so fun and feels soooooo good... this one is just because I can.

I found this beautiful orange Nine West bag at Winners for a steal! 

It is leather and oh so soft - also the silver hardware is the perfect complement to the colour and shape. My poor other purses are probably going to become Vitamin D deficient from a lack of sunlight (but it will be worth it...).

Happy Monday!

Enjoy,

Calli

My design meets basketball weekend

I will be heading to Kelowna early this morning to do some shopping and take in a few senior high school boys basketball games - yes I have a team to cheer for and am not just some fanatic.

Last night my wonderfully cute friend Megan asked me to come over and pick out a colour palette for her bedroom... we spent some time looking at paint chips and she is thinking chocolate browns, natural burlap, and some punchy accent colours. I know it will be AMAZING and I can't wait to see everything come together. 

HGTV

Fingers crossed that if I behave and regularly attend our gym dates she may let me post some updates!

Weekend well wishes to everyone. Enjoy it because it will fly by - I know on Monday I'll start counting down to the weekend all over again. 

Enjoy!

Calli

Happy - like eating whipped cream from the can

Fridays make me happy. 

They make me toothy grin, sparkly eyed, beaming kind of happy. 

Cupcakes also make me happy.  

Crisp clean sheets kind of happy

Laugh until you cry kind of happy

Skinny pants fitting kind of happy.

So when I put the two together last weekend... absolutely 100% mind boggling!

These are some cupcakes I whipped up for Valentines Day - then took them to work so I didn't over indulge.

If you are inspired to bake up a storm this weekend - or try your hand at piping icing - I found the recipes at JoyofBaking.com

Have a great weekend!

Calli

Need, Want, What's the Difference?

It doesn't get much better than small town British Columbia - gorgeous landscape, numerous outdoor activities, close knit community feel... but when it comes to interior design and furniture options Kamloops is limited - especially if you are looking for affordable options that aren't your run of the mill cookie cutter pieces.

I spend a lot (A LOT) of time perusing my favorite stores online. Mostly daydreaming - if money were no option... if I had a bigger place to fill with gorgeous finds...

Here's what I am lusting after right now:

This gorgeous industrial style desk from Anthropologie would look amazing in my bedroom. I am thinking of putting something long and narrow against the wall adjacent to my bed in place of a nightstand. However, the price means it isn't meant to be and I'll have to come up with a DIY project (luckily I have some other ideas).

Oh if only I had more room... and a bigger budget. I'm really on an industrial kick right now and this gorgeous Gymnasium Storage Shelf from Urban Outfitters is fantastic! I really like how they didn't over crowd it and let the wire structure show through. Also that little stool to the right is to die for! I heart the lush plants used as well (another thing I need for my place).

 I have been lusting after this Garvey Chair from Anthropologie since I first saw it. The sleek lines of the wood frame... the New York Subway Station print upholstery... so lovely. I know that I will never own it - but if by chance a miracle occurs and one ends up on my door step I know exactly where in my place it can live - forever.

Finally - to go with the vintage, distressed, industrial look is this beautiful jewelery display from Etsy. I think that the wood has so much character and really shows off the jewelery well. Plus I really admire people that can see a different and unique purpose for something.

 Enjoy!

Calli

Cookie Cutter Condo

When buying my first place I decided on a condo. Condo life agrees with me - less maintenance, full garage, and most importantly the affordability to do all the other things I love to do (besides sit in my condo). 

What doesn't agree with me is the cookie cutter condo design of each complex. The wonderful historic homes of downtown have so much charm and character - unfortunately my condo looks the same as all 50 others in the complex. From the outside friends have trouble remembering which one is mine.

Excuse me while I daydream about a gorgeous New York Brownstone.

So my spec home lacks any sort of architectural detail, and yes, if you forgot which one was mine and walked through my neighbour`s front door the bare bones would look exactly the same. But to me this is kind of exciting - because I now have the opportunity to make the inside of my home completely unique, quirky, and oh so me. 

If you think about this, turning a run of the mill generic condo into something very non-generic, may be harder than doing so in a home oozing character and architectural elements. To make my condo stand out in a crowd of identical twins I can`t rely on lovely arched entryways, original crown molding, or exposed brick walls. Instead, I have to get creative with paint, furniture, and fabric - a challenge I am fully committed to and oh so excited about! 

Here are some "before" shots of my blank slate - you'll have to stay tuned to see how I make it my own. 

 Enjoy!

Calli

Soul Mates

It seems that most of the time I get an idea for a DIY project and then it gets filed away in the back of my head until I find just the right tool, fabric, or in this case, piano bench to bring that idea front and centre again.

And this is exactly what happened with this little bench/jewelery storage (nee sad, plain-jane, piano bench). I had been thinking about jewelery storage after being inspired by this gorgeous shot from Martha Stewart. Yeah, yeah, joke away - but the lady doesn't do anything half-assed.

Also, my jewelery collection has at least tripled if not quadrupled since my friend Stacey started making absolutely gorgeous pieces (but that's another story).

I wanted somewhere to store my jewelery that was pretty but also functional and, as I don't have room in my bedroom for a full dresser let alone a dresser with one entire drawer dedicated solely to jewelery (in a perfect world maybe...), I needed something a little smaller and less conspicuous. Then I remembered my grandma's piano bench and how the seat lifts up for sheet music storage...

The idea went to the back of my head - forced there by newer ideas and inspiring pictures - until one sunny afternoon when I "happened" to stop into Value Village for a quick look around. As soon as I saw her I knew we were meant to be together - I mean what are the chances that I had a killer idea waiting for someone like her to fulfill it?

By the way, this is my definition of soul mates. I'm not big into the whole idea of people being destined to be together and all that - but furniture destiny - bring it on!

*As a side note - I can, will, and am soul mates with many different pieces of furniture, all at once, and no, they don't seem to mind.

Back to my gorgeous bench... I was even more convinced when I saw the price - $7.99!! So much potential... so cheap... I whisked her away (actually wedged her into my Honda hatchback) and we haven't looked back.

Check her out now - with a new coat of white paint, fantastic deep turquoise upholstery, and a little something fun, just for me, under the seat.

And because I love her jewelery - and I will not say I love something unless I really, absolutely, overwhelming love it - here is some eye candy courtesy of my friend Stacey.

Enjoy!

Calli

It began with a horse...

My dad’s mother was the craftiest woman I’ve ever known. When I was a child I would go over to her house and spend hours downstairs beading and glittering anything I could get my little hands on. Her craft room was the size of my current kitchen, dining, and living area and stocked full of every kind of paint, bead, glitter, glue, and paper imaginable – a crafting oasis!

Being such a talented and hands on lady, my Nana made me many toys. One I still have, gently tucked away in storage, is a broomstick horse named Strawberry Roan that she whipped up out of some yarn, a work sock, and some batting. Strawberry Roan was the perfect play companion - as a modern day princess I needed my own horse (just in case prince charming flaked).

Strawberry Roan and I had many magical adventures. The name, both perfectly practical and whimsical, was another of my Nana’s brilliant ideas – combining a real horse breed with my love of strawberries and the colour of the sock used to form my pony’s head. Being so young I made up many variations of the name, including Strawberry Rome – how confusing for the poor pony!

Unfortunately we lost my Nana to cancer about 10 years ago. Although I lost a wonderful role model and crafting influence, I haven’t lost the desire to craft. My Nana lives in each painting, sewing, and upholstery project I take on and my first home, purchased a year ago, is providing tons of opportunities to overindulge on DIY projects and crafty ideas.

I firmly believe that everyone needs a creative outlet - even if crafting isn’t your idea of a good time – and we can’t always get this from our day jobs. My solution? To start a blog, named in memory of the craftiest lady I’ve ever known, dedicated to all things design, DIY, and delicious – my own little brag book of sorts.

Yes, this blog will probably primarily revolve around me and my lust for DIY projects. However I will also try to sprinkle in all the other creative projects I love – photography, music, recipes, gardening... As well, I am constantly realizing just how creative the people around me are and hopefully this can translate into some future posts!

So feel free to stop in every now and then or snuggle in and stay a while. I hope you all are as excited as I am!

Calli