Souvenir Foto School

I am very excited to be partaking again in Miss B's Souvenir Foto School!  I had so much fun last year and learned so much about my camera and especially photoshop.  The other students are super-creative and talented people who help to critique your work and make it that much better.  I am not sure how many spaces there are, but you can sign up here (cost is a mere $30!).  Let me know if you will be joining too!  I will leave you with a few amazing photos created by Miss B of Besotted Brand Blog (she is so good!):

Salvage Interiors

Check out this amazing before-and-after Renee posted by Salvage Interiors.  It blew my mind.  They are old elevator doors, and the result is just so one-of-a-kind cool!

IDS12 - Cherish Auction & Exhibit

I am really excited to attend the Interior Design Show (IDS) this year.  I went last year and although my feet hurt for days afterwards, I was just amazed and inspired by all the creativity on display.  It was like all my favourite blogs come to life in one big, huge room (and indeed I did chat with lots of Canadian design bloggers while there!).  There are many reasons I am extra excited this year - one big one being BlogPodium, which happens on the Friday, and another being the Opening Night Gala party, which I have never been to.  This year, the DJ is designer-extraordinaire Karim Rashid... I KNOW, RIGHT?!

During the Gala, there will be available for auction designer re-imagined Julian chairs by Magis (pictured above).  I love the idea of starting with such an iconic and cool children's chair and having well-known designers try to make it their own.  All the proceeds from this auction go to benefit the ONEXONE Foundation.

The chairs above are the creations of (L to R) Joe Mimran for Joe Fresh, Alfred Sung, and AKB (Atelier Kastelic Buffey).  Other designers taking part include Arthur Mendonca, Bruce Mau Design, David + Glenn Dixon, Debbie Travis, Donna Karan, Arren Williams for HBC, Giannone Petricone, Philip Sparks and Piero Lissoni, among others.

It should be quite a night.  I have bought what promise to be ridiculously painful (but obviously otherwise fabulous) shoes to wear with an LBD.  If you are going, please let me know what you are wearing!  Tickets are still available here, I think, in case you haven't got yours yet.  See you there!

What $25 Million will get you...

I love perusing the real estate section on 1stDibs.com - the homes are so outrageously ostentatious that I am simultaneously shocked and amused at the things People With Money will do.  However, there was recently a home in East Hampton, NY that made me wish I had a spare $25 million dollars.  The historic home is a lovely mix of traditional and a more easy-going casual style - not something you see a lot of in million dollar homes!

From the listing: HISTORIC CHARLES H. ADAMS ESTATE  A piece of Hamptons heritage and a stunning example of Queen Anne architecture, this 11+ bedroom (seven en-suite) home blends the best of modern luxury with the culture and romance of times gone by. Designed at the turn of the century by Carnegie Hall architect William B. Tuthill, its definitive tower, statement terraces, sweeping bay windows and huge wrap-around porch are finished in quintessential Hamptons shingle. Lovingly restored to their former glory, all the original features - lead-glass windows, parquet flooring, wood paneling and decorative moldings - are pristine. In perfect harmony with the home's 14,000 SF+/- foot open-plan layout and the galleries of windows that flood the house with light, it's these touches that give this spacious property such warmth and character. It's rare to find a renovation that manages to preserve the poetry of its period and so successfully meet the ideals of modern living. But throughout the property and beyond to the gunite pool, three-car garage and 2.2 acres - from each hand-cut shingle to original door handle - this is where quality meets history, at its elegant best. 

Gosh, that woodwork, that ceiling, floor, pocket doors...sigh...

This photo above is what made me click over to the real estate site - that ceiling, with that bay window, is the stuff dreams are made of.

What do you think, you ready to call your banker?  Just think: 11 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, 2.2 acres of land, a pool, a 3-car garage, an exercise room... They have a handy mortgage calculator on the site... :)  I could house-sit for you!!

All photos from Corcoran Group Real Estate, via 1st Dibs.

Found: One Wooden Stool

My brother was cleaning out his storage locker last weekend, bringing some stuff to our house (hello sandwich maker!), some to goodwill, and some to the garbage bins.  This wooden stool was standing next to the garbage bins, and he knew I would love it. SCORE! It needed a LOT of oil, and has a pretty big crack in it, but it is so handy and so pretty!  Makes me want to hang out by more condo garbage bins...

Patterns From Above

Although I can't remember how I got there, the other day I stumbled across Brent Yaggi and Sarah Hicks's photography site.  They have flown over much of North America in their little Cessna to find patterns in the landscapes below, creating doubly-interesting images that are both representational and graphically constructed.  They are very eye-catching, as well as affordable.

A Mix of Styles near Madrid

Mixing antiques in with modern surroundings and pieces is one of my favourite decorating techniques.  It is not always easy to do, but for me it has more personality (or maybe personalities?) than an all-modern or all-traditional home.  I love mixing the clean lines of newer pieces with the depth and texture of antiques.  This home outside Madrid does it nicely, in my opinion, and that grey wall grounds both styles of furniture.

Oh it is nice to look through a house with this much light on a dreary day like today...

All photos from Mi Casa.

Delicious Bread

I received this book for Christmas and have been religiously perfecting my bread with this recipe.  I am still on the basic boule, but have discovered that my super-fancy (& overpriced) oven is 25 degrees under temperature, that parchment paper works better than cornmeal for me, and that muffin tins make great water trays.  I also re-discovered how amazing bread in the oven makes the house smell!

It is a good thing I am running, because I have been eating a LOT of bread.  Damn good bread, if I do say so myself!  I look forward into branching out into some of their adaptations, like olive bread.  Yummmm.

Wanna be on HGTV?

Hi guys, I recently got an email from the folks at HGTV who let me know about an open casting call for a new show they are working on.  It is called May The Best House Win and looks like it could be really fun.  I think these are the same guys who produced the Canadian version of the British show Come Dine with Me, as it seems a similar concept.  Have you ever seen that one? I love it!  Anyway, here are all the deets - let me know if you are thinking of applying!

Sun Room Re-Arrange

While everyone was out the other day I re-arranged the sun room.  Although it isn't the ideal arrangement for the space, I wanted to move the sofa from in front of the radiator so it could warm the room better.  Plus it is always fun to have a fresh perspective without buying new stuff!  I like how the photos turned out with the clean winter light, although I could have styled better by taking out the phone and the wedding photo... Ah well, it's all practice.  (For what I have no idea...)

Although it is cooler than the rest of the house (it is over the cold room in the basement and has all those windows), it is my go-to spot for coffee and blogging - it is so bright and cozy. :)

My Happy Palette

I think one of the things that attracted me most to the Fjäll House in Austria was the gorgeous palette they used throughout.  I love beige and white together, and throw in a nice warm grey (or greige I guess) and I am a happy camper.  This palette is the perfect foil for blond wood accents, soft table linens, and wooly warm textures in blankets and pillows.  It is at once cozy and calming, like a warm mug of milk tea. Do you agree or do you miss colour in these photos I put together?

All images are from my Pinterest, please check for sources.