Almost In Tears...

...That's what a beautifully sung rendition of "Ave Maria" does to me - almost reduces me to tears (along with giving me chills). Pavarotti's version is perhaps one of the best. I also enjoy Bocelli's version. And Josh Groban's...

I've never taken the time to look up what the song, translated, actually means. Part of me doesn't want to. I like the mystery of it...

Have a great weekend

More Lonny....& I'm Loving It!

As the entire blog world probably already knows Issue No. 2 of Lonny Magazine is now available...and I have to say - I'm LOVING this issue.

The first issue was awesome but this one just really takes the cake. So beautifully photographed and SO many great ideas. I can't wait to get home later to really sit down and go through it page by page.

However, look what I did notice while taking a quick (virtual) flip through it. On page 84....

What's that saying about great minds?

Enjoy Lonny here.

ETA


Now that I've had a chance to flip through the pages more thoroughly here are some images that really caught my eye. Into my inspiration folder they go!

Ugh. SOooooo many great images. Make sure you give the entire issue a read. It's 174 pages of goodness I tell ya!

I Promise I'm Not Weird

I have a confession to make.
You must promise not to laugh.
I'm really baring it here folks...
Okay. Here goes....
I'm kinda, slightly, obsessed with planning my wedding.
"What's so weird about that?" you might ask. Well, you see, I'm not engaged.
I don't even have a boyfriend.
LMAO. Does that make me a loser? Insanely weird? Or all of the above? Oh well. There it is. I've said it.

Maybe it's the planner in me. Maybe it's the detail lover in me. Maybe it's the creative aspect. But I'm absolutely smitten with wedding planning. Yes, I'm THAT girl that occasionally buys Martha Stewart or InStyle Weddings. I'm THAT girl that in addition to reading all of your blogs reads blogs like 100 Layer Cake. I'm THAT girl that bookmarks good wedding ideas when I see them because I don't want to forget it. And yes, I'm THAT girl that rushed out to the bookstore and bought this and this when they first came out.

Any readers left? LOL.

But I can't help it. And it's funny because as a child and growing up I was never THAT girl who thought about and pictured her wedding. I guess it didn't start until my mid-20s when I started to think "Hey, is this ever gonna happen?!" And maybe I'm jinxing myself buy even writing this and sharing it with you all but I can't WAIT for the day (actually more like the weekend...more on that another time). Seriously, it's gonna be pretty freakin' awesome if I do say so myself. So, here's fair warning that occasionally you may see a wedding related post or image here. And it start's right now...

Some of you long time readers may recognize these images but I thought I'd share them here for new readers. Don't fret. This will NOT turn into a wedding blog! Obviously. I mean - that would just be weird of me ;)

So let's start with The Dress. 

I've had this image ripped out of a magazine for 5 years now.

Hellooooooo perfection. It's Roberto Cavalli and I love it. Naturally, I'll want it in white.

And while I've seen other dresses I like they have the same silhouette.

No matter how much I think I see something better every time I see this image I inhale...

It's GORGEOUS.

Next up The Canadian Ceremony area. 

That's right. I said CANADIAN - implying there may be a NON Canadian one.

This little church is SO charming and would need very little decoration on the inside.

But...I think I've decided that I'm gonna go the destination wedding route.

Yup, I'VE decided. LOL.

I've already found the place too...

Next up...The Invitations.

So chic. So simple. So me.

BUT I've seen something else that's pretty cool too.

And since it will be a destination I have another idea that may be more fitting...

Okay. Now that we're all caught up next up: The Cake. Yummy.

invitations from linda + harriett

Not All My DIYs Work Out...

...at least not on the first try. But this is one I'll definitely be attempting again. Least you all think that all of my DIY projects turn out half-decent or blog-worthy on the first shot I decided I'd share one I just worked on (as in last night & this morning) that didn't quite go so well (but has loads of potential I think!).

Ions (or is it Eons?) ago, I spotted a black & white chevron tray that I thought was fab! I'm pretty sure it was Oscar de la Renta which means it was totally out of my budget but I've kept it tucked away in my memory since I really adored it.

Found a picture! Chevron print tray by Oscar de la Renta

Anywho, whenever I'm at the Dollar Store I notice these thin un-finished wood trays that they sell for $1.25 and I finally decided yesterday to try and recreate the chevron print on it.

I started with the unfinished tray:

And painted it white:

Not bad at all...

When I couldn't remember where I'd put my painters tape I knew this would end up being a trial run but still had high hopes for it. So I used masking tape and attempted to tape out a chevron print. This is MUCH harder than it looks. Note to self - find a chevron stencil for the next attempt!

Then I painted it black:

And after about 10 minutes (I was totally impatient) I removed the tape and voila:

Now, in the above photo it might not look too bad & in-person from a few feet away it's not. But get in close and you notice where the black paint seeped under the tape in some spots:

YIKES!

Yup. I just posted that horrible DIY pic. Proof that I'm not the Queen DIYer - but that doesn't stop me from trying! (and it shouldn't stop you!) All-in-all, despite that pic, it's not too bad. I may just touch it up with some white paint but the perfectionist in me knows I'll just do it again. It was easy and quick...and cheap. $1.25 people! And for those of you wondering where you might use it - because the wood is not that strong I wouldn't use it for heavy stuff - but you can use it anywhere where you need to keep small things together. Like on a console near the entryway for keys, iPods and glasses. Or on top of the toilet with a nice candle and bathroom stuff, or on your coffee table for remotes, on your desk with a nice glass holding pencils/pens and other office-y stuff...tons of possibilities!

Wish I'd Thought Of This

This wreath is SO beautiful. A simple DIY made of circle pieces of felt shaped like ruffles.

Definitely making this at my first excuse to hang a(nother) wreath.

Click here for the super easy, detailed how-to.

As seen on Design Sponge via Domesitfluff.

Leopard Print, Zebra Print & Bows.

Wow! I have to start this post off by first thanking all of you who answered my Monday question of "What do you do & do you enjoy it?" It was so interesting to read about the various careers & fields that you, my readers, work in. I was in awe that there was such a variety of backgrounds and - just as I suspected - I have some of the coolest blog readers on the 'net. What I noticed though was that many of you, us, feel slightly...uninspired at work and are craving a creative outlet. I was surprised by how many of you commented that you would love to do soemthing more creative - I guess it's the tie that binds us! And hence so many of us have blogs that allow us to indulge in that creative side we all share. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing! And if you didn't share but would like to click here to go to the original post.


I thought I'd do a 'lighter' post today on interiors & items that are inspiring me right now as well as a mishmash of other things that have caught my eye. Enjoy!

Currently inspiring me:

Maryam's Home

Black walls. Long time readers will know this is a slight obsession of mine...

which led me to painting a small wall in my kitchen black.

But I want MORE!

I must get a copy of 'I Married Adventure' onto my coffee table.

The zebra print cover is fab-u-lous.

Certain elements of this room I'm not crazy about...
but I love the overall feminine quality and feel of it.

Things that have caught my eye...

I don't remember where I first saw this image of Dakota Fanning blogged:

It was for Teen Vogue I believe and besides thinking how beautifully she has grown up I was in LOVE with her dress. Now, I'm not normally a leopard print kinda gal but this one is just nice.

I've since found out it's part of the Rodarte for Target line hitting stores Dec.20 - Jan.14.

I must find a way to get this dress in my life. (We don't have Target in Canada).

I've never been a headband kinda girl but this one is too cute.

Maybe it has something to do with my sudden interest in dressing more feminine & girly.

And what's more feminine than a headband with a bow? I would just go ahead and order it, especially since it's currently 30% off. But (apparently) I have a big head. I also have really thick hair - I'd love to try it on first. Perhaps I'll buy it and if it doesn't fit give it away on the blog?

Available here. 

Well. I think that's it. Anything specific inspiring you...or that you have your eyes on?

It's Monday...

...and most people are going back to work this morning. Which makes me wonder & ask...

(1) What do you do? & (2) Do you enjoy it?

I'm a tad curious to know what you - my readers do for a living and if you enjoy doing it. (3) If you could switch paths or fields - would you...what would you do instead?

Of course, I'm asking so I'll be the first to answer.

hmmm...

(1) I went to school for Public Relations and was lucky enough to land a great job out of school. So my background is in Entertainment PR. I was laid off around this time last year so since then I've been doing contract/freelance work in the same industry.

(2) Overall, I do enjoy it. I mean, it definitely has a 'cool' factor and has its perks but I would enjoy it more if I could pick my own clients. It's kinda hard to promote something when you're not 100% into it - but you make it work.

(3) Right now, I'm trying to switch over into the International Development field - I'd love to work with a large international organization in something like Program/Project Development but I'll likely have to start off in Communications since that's my area of expertise. I feel like it would give me an opportunity to combine several of my passions (humanitarian issues/travel/photography) into one - and isn't that what the ultimate career would allow you to do? However, in 10 years from my dream is to be living in Egypt and building/renovating my own guesthouse (much like Maryam is doing in Marrakesh). I can totally envision it now and know what I want to do--employ Egyptian natives as cooks/drivers/guides, sell beautiful goods, give authentic & intimate guided tours, provide a safe/chic & affordable place for adventurous souls to stay...but I'll leave that for another post...

So - now it's your turn. Don't be shy!

My Holiday Decor...& a Very Sparkly Tree

Earlier in the week I promised I would share some of my decorating DIYs so here goes - I didn't do very many. I stuck to 2 or 3 and did lots of those ones. I can't stress enough how much of an impact having a tree has made. I carved and bought one, my original plan was to do small vignettes, but nothing says Christmas like a sparkly well lit tree - so no regrets.

I picked out J-O-Y wood letters at Walmart (craft section) for $1.47 each (though I later saw them at the dollar store for...$1 each) and painted them white (leftover paint).

Then casually propped it on my bookcase. Total cost = $4.41. I think I'll be picking up 4 more letters spelling NOEL for the bathroom.

I also found these thin wooden words at the dollar store. It came in a package of 4 for $1 and I picked up the packs Hope, Peace, and Noel (total 12 pieces). I didn't know what I was going to use them for but decided I'd find SOMEWHERE to use them.

Again, I painted them white and used 2 to dress up my potted plant.

Then after I bought my tree I decided to use the remainder as ornaments. I bought gold ornament balls for the tree and in the pack was gold thread so I just used those on the words.

Next, the feather boa. I planned to buy a foam wreath from the craft store but it was something like $16. Uh, I'm super frugal on some stuff so I kept looking. In another aisle I found hay wreaths for $6 that had a bigger circumference. I figured I was going to wrap it anyways so who cares if it was hay? When it scanned it was 50% off. So I grabbed another one and got 2 for $6. Score! (sorry no pic but it looks like this one)

Then I bought 4 feather boas from the dollar store ($2 each) and wrapped one wreath (using straight pins to make them stay in place). The end result....

The picture doesn't do it justice. Really, it's quite 'wow.' I didn't know where to hang it so I put it behind my door and tied a white bow on the top. Easy peasy. Seriously, anyone can do it.

I put some of the gold ornament balls and small sparkly pine cones in my anthropologie bowl and put it on my coffee table. Very pretty (sorry, forgot to take a picture but you can see the small pine cones above with the painted words).

Next the tree. I wanted to use hot pink balls but when I went back to the store they were all sold out :( so I used gold. Very simple and kinda glam. Now for a gazillion photos of my tree because I love it.

Ooohhh sparkly!

Flat coloured gold balls...

Glittery gold balls...

Sequined gold balls...

Shiny gold balls...

I picked up a hot pink feather ball ornament and decided to use it as a temporary tree topper (whoops! gotta take the tag of it since I think it'll be a keeper)...

The entire tree...Please ignore the temporary drapes. I got the fabric at Ikea to test out how I would like it as curtains but I've since decided I'll be going with plain grey curtains. Now to find some!

I draped a piece of zebra print fabric I have (still gotta make a floor cushion with it) around the base of the tree as a tree skirt...

Howard looked very unimpressed by all my picture taking....

But he quickly got over it. Within minutes of this photo he began sniffing the ornaments balls within reach. So that is the majority of what I've done. It sure doesn't sound like a lot but along with the white ceramic reindeer on my bookshelf, twine cones, big sparkly cones, lights hung at the window, and the other things seen in the first post - it's just enough.

So what do you think? And how's YOUR decorating coming along?

3 Songs...

...I just had to blog about (lest you think I now only listen to Lady Gaga). AND I just realized all 3 artists have something in common...anyone care to guess?

1. When I hear this on the radio in the car I turn it up and sing at the top of my lungs. It's impossible not to feel happy, smile, and want to skip to where ever you're going when you hear this. And the instrumental break at 2:15? Love it. (small confession: I may have a new little crush on him. I've seen him in some interviews recently and he's SO endearing, humble, and funny.)

This song is not exactly new but it's getting lots of radio play here still and I imagine will continue to get lots of play...maybe even more - since it's recently been named the official song (a remixed version) of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. So happy! I think it's a great song that has global appeal and the ability to cross borders. Whenever I hear it...I dunno...I almost get chills. Really listen to the lyrics....

I love hearing when talented artists (whose music have a caribbean/african influence) who aren't really singers try to sing (like Wyclef). I just love this song. It makes me think of global issues and puts me into a more appreciative state of mind. I've blogged this artist before (I told you - don't sleep on him!). He's awesome live. If you have a chance to check him out do so.

This is something kinda different, no? Originally heard it months ago when it was used in commercials to promote a Canadian reality series. When I hear this I get an entire story in my mind...I picture a James Bond-esque woman in a trench, in a dark club filled with cigar smoke and guys checking her out...and she's looking for her 'suspect' but looking very alluring while doing so...What an imagination I have, eh?

Okay. What 3 songs (or 1) do you think I should give a listen? And what do you think of the songs I shared above?

Happy Weekend! I'm gonna try and get some Christmas shopping done.

One-on-One With...Mrs. Limestone

I am SO excited to debut a new feature on my blog called "One-on-One with..." It's something I've wanted to do for months now on my old blog and since I knew I'd be taking a blogging break I decided I'd make it happen when I started blogging again. So here it is!

I know many bloggers do interviews with other bloggers - and I love reading them and learning more about my favourite bloggers but I wanted to do something slightly different. I wanted it to kind of feel like the back page of InStyle, or the interview feature in Canadian House & Home...or any other of those quick, fun, interviews you read in lifestyle mags. I wanted to ask seemingly random questions about lots of different things (not just decor if they are a decor blogger for example), fun things - things we, hopefully, don't already know. My only requirement - for them to have fun with it! So back in September I sent of a few emails to some of my favourite bloggers and was thrilled when they responded positively. Every. Single. One. Needless-to-say there are some awesome One-on-One With's coming up! Starting with Mrs. Limestone of A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress.

The lovely Mrs. Limestone

A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress was one of the first blogs I really began following. Living in Brooklyn with Mr. Limestone, they bought a dilapidated Limestone and went about renovating it from top to bottom. Call me weird but that is one of my dreams....to renovate a Limestone. In Brooklyn. So of course, I couldn't NOT read along. Now that the majority of the renovating is finished Mrs. Limestone is decorating her home in a classic style that makes me "oooh & awww" every time she posts pics and updates. She's a DIYer who in addition to blogging decor is a master entertainer (check out what she did for Halloween) and is a woman of my own heart who takes these fantastic whirlwind trips (we're talking less than a week!) to places like Alaska, Bali, Hong Kong, and Russia. And she beautifully photographs it and blogs recaps upon her return!

Mrs. Limestone's photo taken in Hong Kong

Ummmm...I love it. Love it all. Okay, I won't say anything else except if you haven't read her blog you must. So without further ado - my first "One-one-One With...Mrs. Limestone" (remember, she kindly filled this out for me in September!)

1. Necessary extravagance.....Fresh fruit. A good peach is priceless.
2. Dreaming of.....My birthday celebration this year. I try to ignore my advancing years and do something special to celebrate.
3. Shopping fix.....Where else? Target. You can buy anything there.
4. Listening to.....Kids playing outside my window.
5. Best gift you've ever received.....Mr. Limestone managed to get me all of my childhood photos that I hadn't seen in 20 years. (long story) He is a fabulous gift giver but pretty sure that can never be topped.
6. My husband likes to buy me.....Really lovely presents (see above).

7. What is your home like.....This is probably a question better answered by others but I'd like to think it's classic.
8. Inspired by.....Oh, too many people to mention here. That's why I love to read blogs - so much new inspiration every single day.
9. My last three purchases.....A Halloween skeleton, razor blade refills and bananas.
10. What always goes into your suitcase when you travel.....Softlips chapstick. I'm addicted to it.
11. If you could blink and be anywhere - your eyes would open on.....Even though I love to travel, my favorite place is always home so I don't think I'd want to be transported in a blink anywhere this minute. How about a time travel? 1 week ago so I could play the winning mega millions numbers. I'd be a much better blogger if I didn't have to be bothered with the mundane tasks of supporting myself, doing chores, etc.
12. Your best tip for someone traveling to a major destination with limited time.....Obviously, short trips aren't 100% ideal but I strongly feel it's better to go somewhere for a short trip than to not go at all. And let's face it - we all have limited resources and free time so short trips allow a lot more globetrotting. My best tip would be to plan ahead so you can see as much of what you find interesting as possible in the time you have. And then to let go the rest - you can't do it all no matter how much time you have.
13. Can't get enough of.....Martha Stewart Halloween ideas.
14. What makes you get out of bed...Coffee!
15. Happy I bought.....Anything for my camera.

A big thanks to Mrs. Limestone for participating! 

(all photos from A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress)

A Peak at My Holiday Decor

The bookshelves are sparkly...

Monkey is dressed (I really must name him)....

The twine cones are out...

And the poinsettia is dressing up the dining table.

The hot pink feather boa wreath has been made & hung...

I even bought festive dish towels (keeping to my accent colours of course!)...

And dressed up my potted money plant...

Now all I have to do is hang the lights at my window...

And finish decorating my tree (yes, I caved and bought a tree...and I couldn't be more happy)...

And my holiday decorating will be complete! Pictures and DIY details coming...

My Gallery Wall - It's Almost There....

Here's some updated photos of my gallery wall. (You may remember it last looking something like this). It's not quite finished - I have a large Ansel Adams print to go at the top and some of my travel photos and other mementos (I'd like to also include my Panama hat I bought in Panama) that I'd like to add.

The black and white photo on the left I won from Mrs. Limestone of the blog Adventures in Decorating a Brooklyn Limestone (she takes the most amazing travel photos which you can buy here). It's was taken during her trip to paris. The necklace in the middle I bought at...Macy's. But I like that it has an ethnic tribal feel. It reminds me of something a Masai Mara tribe member might wear.

These framed butterflies I purchased at a market place while in Panama. I loved the colours - so vibrant.

An ex co-worker brought me back this necklace from Kenya (where she went on assignment). It's made of dried beans.

These photos I took from a travel calendar (see here for my original DIY). They used to hang in the bathroom but when I wallpapered it I decided to move them. Now that they are hanging on this wall I'll be switching them out for black and white photographs.

Originally I only had photographs hanging on the wall. But I was inspired by Maryam of the blog My Marrakesh to add actual pieces (jewelry & other things to come) to the mix. It makes it much more interesting I think. Here's two photos of Maryam's wall.

Now THAT'S a gallery wall! Don't you love it? It just looks interesting...like it tells a story, no? I want to ask about every single piece on her wall. "Who's that?" "Where'd you get that?" "What's that?" "Ooooh, what does that do?" That's exactly the response I want others to have when they look at my wall too. To see more of Maryam's gallery wall click here.

Gallery style walls are quite popular now - do you have one? or planning on doing one?

Little Feet...

Yesterday's shoot with my friend, her hubby & their newborn baby girl is definitely one of my favourites to date. I haven't yet gotten her permission to blog any of them so in the meantime I'll leave you with just these two...my heart seriously melts...please click each photo to see large.

I Take Pictures of People...

...did I ever mention that here to you guys? I don't think I have. You see, I'm a bit...protective of it. 'It' being my picture taking. I started really taking pictures for people during my self-imposed blogging break. And I really enjoy doing it...

I promise to share more about my picture taking later. Yes, I have a name and website for it and everything! (though I have yet to register the name).

This afternoon I'm taking pictures of one of my college buddies (I really only had two - both of who I still keep in touch with) new born baby. I haven't photographed babies yet so I'm really excited. My friend said people are starting to think that the baby doesn't exist (a la Suri Cruise in the beginning) since it's been 2 weeks and she has yet to reveal any pics! I'm super flattered she has that much faith in me to allow me to be the first to document this precious time in her life. Perhaps I can share some here? We'll see.

Have a fantastic weekend!

I'm Thankful for Maxwell...

...for a number of reasons including:

1. He's outright gorgeous in a mature man-ly kinda way.
2. His sexy deep (who woulda guessed it?) speaking voice.
3. His incredibly soulful singing voice which gives me goosebumps.
4. His soprano vocals...beautiful.
5. How modest and humble he seems to be. I love a modest man.
6. The way he looks in a suit (mmmmm). I love a guy that can wear the hell out of a suit.
7. His sense of humour. I love a funny man.
8. The fact that he sounds INCREDIBLE live.

*Obviously I'm thankful for other things too...but I wanted to talk about Maxwell. Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the U.S.!

The Yellow Wallpaper Stays

Thank you all for all of your input on my yellow wallpaper dilemma. I read each and every comment that's left on my blog and appreciate all of your suggestions/comments. I really thought the majority vote would be to get rid of it so I was very surprised when the overall consensus was to keep it and implement some of my original inspiration board ideas into the space.

Because everyone said to keep it I really thought hard about what it was that wasn't working for me. I stood in my bathroom and forced myself to put my finger on it. And whaddaya know? I figured it out. I love the wallpaper and I love the shower curtain. I did NOT love them together. It was like a competition between the lacey print of the curtain vs. the print on the wallpaper. The each could work but not together (at least not for me). Luckily, I had a brand new solid white curtain with a simple border that my sister gave to me just sitting in my linen closet. So I hung it and that did the trick.

(I realize in the last post I didn't have a pic showing the curtain with the wall so here's an overall room pic). Before:

And with the new curtain:

It's really hard to photograph the yellow and white accurately so my bad these aren't the greatest photos. But believe me when I say it's much, much, better! But I didn't stop there. I was on a role. I always liked the faux plant that I had on top of the toilet but I didn't like that the green seemed to make the wallpaper look more green. So I did some changes...

before...

almost there...

I agreed with the comments that said to bring in some of my original idea and I remembered that I had bought some picture frames on sale for $5.99 from West Elm (originally $34.99) and thought that would do the trick. I also thought to take the matches out of the box (seen right in front of the orchid in the above pic) and to put them in a glass bowl. The tips of the matches are a vibrant pink which I thought would be fun.

So here's how my bathroom looks now. All I need are some gray hand towels and proper black & white photos in the frame and it'll be 'done.'

So again, here's the before:

  

And the after:

I really, really love it now and am so glad you all helped me to see that it had great potential. The Ikea rug I want for the living room will have a bit of yellow in it and I think the two spaces will hint at each other really nicely. Oh - and I just wanted to let you all know that the wallpaper is easily removable. It peels right off - which is how it was also marketed on the packaging. When I was putting it up I did a quick test and it peels off leaving no trace at all. So I didn't even ask my landlord if I could put it up because it comes down easily. If you're in a rental and want to inject some pattern with wallpaper - look into the kind that peels off ;)

Oh! Speaking of yellow you wouldn't BELIEVE the yellow find I found at the thrift store this week...