These Things

Friends, how are things?  So really, how did we ever live without instagram? I honestly love it...and am constantly refreshing the screen to see what everyone is up to.  So, I thought I'd share a little recap via instagram (you can find me by the way under the name elliven) here on the blog:

1- the lovely drive over the bridge, on our way to the beach

2- dreamy skies

3-one of the best things about July, three birthdays in our house = lots of yummy cake

4- new couch + old pillow. the living room, a work in progress

5- supplies have been purchased, time to tackle the kitchen drapes!

6- we can all use a little cuddle time

7- fab pillows found at Homesense aka my second home

8- so happy someone loves the rug in it's new place

9- had I seen this amazing console before we moved, I would have purchased it without hesitation.  But, we don't have a special place for it, so I left it behind.  Another Homesense find by the way.

And that's that.  Are you on instagram?  Aren't you loving it?

Cheers,

Diggin'

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Jen Ramos' work.  She's one talented lady.  So when she shared via twitter that she was now selling iPhone cases adorned with her signature Colors I just had to have one.  Yes, had.  This little gem is on it's way to me.

I'm mean seriously, right?  found here

As I mentioned, I'm tackling making my own drapes for the living room.  I've been scouring online resources trying to determine how to calculate how much fabric I will need to make pinch pleated drapes.  Upon my scouring, I stumbled up on this great post over at Megan's blog.  Better yet, Megan happens to have a shop on Etsy where she sells gorgeous hand-dye painted silk tanks.  They are gorgeous I say, gorgeous!  Just have a look:

~source~

~source~

She also makes and sells scarves:

~source~

Seriously, right? Just beautiful pieces!

Cheers,

Dressing Windows

I'm trying to get the main floor finished first.  That includes drapery.  I have to admit that I'm not very confident when it comes to sewing my own drapes.  It's tricky because there is just so much fabric involved.  That being said, we need longer than average drapes and I want a specific fabric and finish, so finding what I'm looking for won't be very easy.  I'd most likely have to have something custom made.  So I'm taking it upon my self to make the drapes for the kitchen and family room.  Then it will be time to tackle the living room and dining room.

Here are a few pics of what the family room currently looks like:

we originally planned on hanging the tv above the fireplace, now, we're not so sure. love the stone!

pillows I recently picked up from Homesense and I found some beautiful linen pillows to place behind these for extra comfort

setting it up (those are the old pillows)

another Homesense score, love the detail on the top

hoping to purchase this table (or something similar) to place at the end of the couch in the next little bit.  can be found here

I ventured out to a local fabric store today in search for a beautiful solid linen, which is what I want to use for the family room drapes.  To me, linen is natural, soothing and organic.  I really want the family room to be a comfortable, relaxing room and feel that linen drapes will help create that type of environment.

I spotted this fabric and immediately fell in love:

To boot, it was on sale, only $8 a meter!  I'll be heading back there tomorrow to see if they have enough now that I've plugged all of the numbers and know how much I'll need.

The style?  I'm planning on going with pinch pleat, wanting it to look something like this:

Traditional Living Room design by Portland Interior Designer Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

Traditional Living Room design by Atlanta Interior Designer Niki Papadopoulos

These ones are pretty full, I probably won't make mine as full, but it gives you an idea as to the style I'm going for.  I may also add some sheers, but we'll see.

More sneak peeks to come!  I can't wait to share the final reveal....but it will be a while before we're all done!

Cheers,

Dining Room Table

I'm very excited to get started on the dining room.  It's not right off of the entryway, but you can see the dining room soon after you walk into the house.  So I definitely want to have a table that will grab your attention and make a statement.

I've long been in love with this style of table and am thrilled to have found a company right near our house, that will handcraft one especially for us.

-source-

This is important as I really wanted the top to be one solid piece of wood, without any leaves.   This may come back to haunt me when/if we move again if we don't have a dining room that is the same size as our current one, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.  We're planning on having it made to sit at least eight people, perhaps ten and we'll go with a nice dark stain.

Anyhow, I'm just so excited to replace our current table which we purchased from Loblaws when they first came out with a furniture line.  It's time to replace it and that's being kind.

notice the lovely chunks of wood missing on the edges...oh dear

Once the table is in the room, we can then hang our large mirror (leaning on the wall to the left) and I will then look for a buffet.  This one from West Elm has caught my eye.  It may be a tad too small...if only it had one more set of cupboards:

-source-

And that's the dining room!

Cheers,

Backsplash

There are a few things that need to get done in the kitchen before it's complete.  One of these things is the backsplash.

I was almost certain that I would go with some type of marble, something similar to the counters which are quartz, and perhaps I still do, but I just haven't found the right one.  Here's a picture of our counters:

And here is a picture of the fabric for the window coverings:

I have to say that I've only just begun sourcing out backsplashes and that I plan on taking my time to find the right one.  That being said, after stopping at a local store, I feel as though I don't really know what it is I want.

I spotted these gorgeous glass subway tiles.  First, I thought one thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want subway tile.  Second, I didn't want glass.  Well, this tile threw both of those thoughts out of the window.

top row, tile in center

Then I found this picture on Houzz.  A kitchen with the same counters are ours and practically the same cabinets with a white subway tile.

Kitchen design by Other Metros Kitchen And Bath Keith Fennelly

I love the look of herringbone backsplashes, but think that I'm too simple for that.  I suppose what I've discovered is that I do want simple and non fussy.  Something that won't take away from the counters and that won't stand out too much.  I want a relaxing, soothing kitchen.

I absolutely love this kitchen, found again on Houzz:

Traditional Kitchen design by Boston Kitchen And Bath Cathy Stathopoulos, CKD

However, I don't know that I can get away with a marble tile unless it has a lot of white because our counters are so busy and the two together wouldn't look right.  If our counters were marble, then it would be easier to match.

A few more that I spotted:

tile on right (sorry for the sideways pic)

stone. beautiful.

So, let the search begin.  I have a feeling that this is going to take a while.  I'll leave you with a few more inspiration photos:

Traditional Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath Rebekah Zaveloff

Traditional Kitchen design

Traditional Kitchen design by San Francisco Interior Designer Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

Contemporary Kitchen design by Toronto Interior Designer Shirley Meisels

Contemporary Kitchen design by San Francisco Interior Designer Michael Merrill Design Studio, Inc

Cheers,

Snippets

Friends, I'm back.  Let's see if I can keep this going.  Thought I'd share a few photos of the new place.  Just a few snippets....

I think this will be the fabric for the windows in the kitchen

love, love, love the dining room light.

great thing about moving mid summer is that you can cash in on sales at the garden centers.  purchasing hanging baskets and plopping them into your own pots (after taking them out of the plastic containers them come in) with extra dirt will give the exterior of your home instant curb appeal!

entry

"the" console I was totally excited about in it's place!

my lovely new Jen Ramos print on "the" console

fireplace

ceiling detail in the living room

 counters going in!

sink & faucet

and it is now time to search for a backsplash....found this at a local store

absolutely fell for this bench. still considering purchasing it for the living room.  I'd use it as a coffee table and extra seating when needed

speaking of the living room....our new couch arrived! see that rug? my husband's parents purchased it in Turkey years ago, I'm trying to incorporate it in the new living room.

and...lastly, one of my favourite things to do is to sit here to watch this.....

That's all for now!

Cheers,

We Made It!

My dear friends, how are things?  Yes, I'm alive.  We made it to our new place and are settling in.  It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks, trying to get things done and organized.  We are getting there...slowly but surely.

I apologize for the lack of posts and hope to be back and to have my blog up and running soon.  I want to get some type of organization back here, weekly posts, etc.  Once we have all of the "important" things that need to get done when one moves to a new province, I will take a seat and fill you in on all that has been happening...including pics.

We are enjoying the beauty that surrounds us....I will leave you with a pic of what I mean.  It's so nice to be so close to amazing beaches....that is all.

Cheers friends, I hope the summer is treating you well and I promise to be back soon!