Fall/Winter Bedroom Makeover

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter and darker, my DNA seems to be pushing me to hunker down and get cozy.  My crisp white bedroom wasn't quite doing the trick.  I dreamed big dreams of getting this bedding from West Elm:

However, after a short and sweet discussion with the hubster, we decided groceries would take precedence.  Being a true Taurus, I did not let this financial fluff interfere with my vision, and instead purchased a couple of boxes of RIT fabric dye and attempted my first dye-it-in-the-front-loader.  After the basement disaster and the pipe fiasco, I figured that if things came in three's, wrecking the machine would at least end our streak. (I did not share this methodology with my husband.)

I grabbed a white Ikea duvet set we had on hand - my go-to white cover before the lovely West Elm one entered my life - crossed every conceivable extremity, and began pouring the inky black liquid into my defenceless machine.  It worked!!  It did turn out darker than these photos show it, although I certainly could have done with another couple of boxes of dye.  But overall I am pleased as punch.

I draped these Afgani pillows from Aunt D over the frame of the bed to help warm it up a little more.  I McGivered them on with my handy office clips so they wouldn't slip off every time we moved.  I put a spare rug we had over the foot of the bed, but it's the wrong colour and I kind of wish I had noticed and taken it off before I took the photos. I also took off the white bed skirt to show more of the rug.

Someone's camera-happy kid needed to get in the shot...amazingly with no funny face.

The Buddha is a very recent Value Village find - after paying the plumber for the pipes I needed to so some stress-relieving thrifting! He was a sad, peeled and chipped dark red colour for $4.99, and was just crying out for the my gold spray paint. I am very happy with the way he turned out, and he reminds me to just BREATHE. :)

Now I really want to change out the art for something richer... and maybe see if I have any darker curtains squirreled away somewhere...  But so far I like my bedroom change-up, hopefully it keeps the chilly weather at bay.  What do you think?  Any ideas for art?

West Elm & Etsy Pop-Up Shops

West Elm and Etsy have been collaborating on these pop-up shops at West Elm locations all over North America, and I was so excited to see one happening in Toronto, and curated by the fabulous Anabela Carneiro of fieldguilded.  My friend Karen and I met up and had a ball perusing both West Elm and the amazing etsy shop owners they featured.  I loved how everything was merchandized amongst the West Elm items - the West Elm people certainly did a great job in choosing etsy vendors who share the store's aesthetic, every display looked like it belonged.  I didn't get a chance to get a photo of all of them but here are the ones I loved the most - some of which you may recognize if you have been following this blog!

Sugarbush had a lovely display of vegan skincare and fragrance, all of which is handcrafted by Jennifer Krukowski in Toronto.  It was so affordable and beautifully packaged, and others must have agreed - her tinted lip gloss was almost gone in the first hour.

I featured Opelle Creative here recently and it was fabulous to see the bags in person - they are gorgeous.  If I didn't already have 100 million bags..... one of these would have FOR SURE gone home with me.

I also have a bunch of photos of Nicole Tarasick's stuff from the Interior Design Show in January, but looking back at my round-up I see I didn't add them - so I am happy to do so here.  Her stuff is so cool and so Canadian. I love her YYZ pillows, and although I hadn't seen the prints before, I really like them too.

Probably my biggest temptation was Big Tinsel, who had really beautiful and funky jewelry for ridiculously affordable prices.  In fact, there was one I loved (you remember the one Karen!) that I didn't get, thinking it would be in her esty shop, and alas, it is not there.  Ahhh well.  :(

Of course Scout & Catalogue's wares were divine, and beautifully displayed.  I think I have a scarf problem... and I just got one more last week at Virginia Johnson... so I maintained my control (even though that blue one almost got the better of me).

Ack, just look how cute Sandi from Dead Weight is.  Her stuff is amazing - I should have taken more photos, but she was in the middle on a conversation and I intruded enough to take this one. :p

It was a pleasure to see Cameron of Offcut Studio there.  I have also featured these on W&W (here) and may I say, they are even more beautiful in person.  Kinda wish I'd nabbed this one above...

Foe and Dear had a beautiful display of some funky jewels - I really thought Karen might end up with a bullet necklace. :)

Barbara Di Lella of Sparrow Avenue was so sweet and I have such a weakness for humpbacks, I think I should be congratulated for resisting her gorgeous printed totes, and especially coasters...

I LOVED these amazing alphabet prints from photographer Charlene Serdan of Under a Blue Sky and would most certainly have picked one up, but she didn't have W there, and I can't get just C, so... WAHHH!  :(  Honestly, how cute are those polar bears???

The lovely and gracious Arounna from Bookhou was also there present with her fabulous array of pillows, tea towels, boxes, alphabets cutouts, and the bags I drooled over here.  Such. Gorgeous. Stuff.

Oh and throughout Mildred's Temple Kitchen had set up these delicious stations, and they were not only beautiful to look at, but the staff was charming and they were sooo tasty.  Buckets of cookies? hell yeah.

It was such a great event - I would love to see more of them.  And such smart marketing on the part of West Elm to align its brand even further with the popular handmade aesthetic, promote local artisans and a sense of community, and bring new shoppers into the store.  The carefully curated vendors were all beautifully in step with the West Elm look, and I think were of incredible quality and artistry - and not just cause I picked many of them to highlight here! :-p Bravo Anabela. Of course, because they know their marketing,  they offered a 20% discount on their merchandise during the event, and I can only say that it worked on me!  I finally got the organic pin-tuck duvet cover I have been lusting after for years (literally, years) that never goes on sale.  Wahoo!