Abandoning perfectionism

Setting up this house has been a bit of a process for me.  As I wrote a few months ago, I found the modern design and aesthetic of the house intimidating, and I have been struggling to "make it mine." Many of my things have been easy to place, and I am happy with how they go with the house.

Others just don't match up in my mind's eye - usually older pieces that I have moved from house to house and never really looked at, if that makes any sense.  The bed, for example.  I have always loved wrought iron beds, something about the deep black colour with soft curves and curlicues.  I even did a post about them in 2009 (before I knew anything about referencing images, obviously).  When I bought my bed way back in I-don't-even-remember, my only real sources for furniture were my parents' house and Ikea.  Since my parents didn't have any extra queen beds kicking around, it was off to the that big blue and yellow store, and I came home with this:

(I went to find it on the Ikea site, but apparently it is no longer available - which means I must have bought it a while ago!)

It isn't too bad, but there are a few things that bug me about it:
- it is so obviously from Ikea
- the curved line on the top of the headboard - I wish it was straight like the footboard
- those round curly flower things - not sure what it is about them that bugs me, but I think they just seem too cutesy and busy.

The poor bed bothered me in the old house as well, but when we put it in the master bedroom in the new house, it just didn't work for me at all.  I feel like this room is begging for a big upholstered bed.

Now it would be lovely to put all the stuff that bugs me up on Kijiji and go out and buy exactly what I want, but sadly, they forgot to plant that money tree in our new back yard.  So instead I used some West Elm gift cards I had for the Steven Alan euro shams and long grey pillow, and splurged on an Ikea linen duvet cover and wool pillow from Winners.

Aaaand I still don't like it.  And there still is nothing over the bed.  And I am debating about curtains. And I still don't love the colour. I feel like this room will never be finished. (Cue the violins!)

However, it finally hit me this weekend that if I wait to share photos until the rooms are "DONE", I will never blog again! So instead of beautifully-styled rooms that I am proud to share, you are going to be getting a lot of photos of not-quite-there-yet rooms that I am not yet happy with. Maybe just posting the photos will spark a moment of genius and I will figure out what the heck to do. Or maybe you guys can give me some suggestions.

Either way, I am just going to have to decide to be OK with the bed, the sofa, the colours, and the bookcases in the basement. I am going to have to be OK with living in a partly-finished house. Which means, I am going to have to be OK with having a blog that is a chronicle of making this house my own, warts and all, instead of a fancy portfolio of my impeccable style. While I would love to post about putting a room together from scratch, that just isn't realistic.

Insert deep comment about embracing the imperfections in life, then post inspirational tee photo.

T-shirt $30 at Tees in the Trap

Thanks for sticking with me folks! :)

Back in it with Waterlogue

So, my Blogger dashboard tells me that I last posted December 9.  That's a while ago.  I won't go into too much about why, where I was, or what I was thinking - there are some great posts that sum it up so well by Grace Bonney, Jen Flores, and Janice.  Suffice it to say that it became a lot of work, a big time investment, and I was just not that into the new 'direction/professionalization' of blogging for myself.  I like to just throw stuff up that I think is pretty.  I include photos of my kids.  I don't really fit in a niche, and, having tried, I don't really want to.  I was all set to "take this thing to the next level" with a new Word Press site, fancy hosting, plug-ins, SEO, bla bla bla... and then I just stopped.  Stopped writing, stopped reading blogs, stopped spending all my waking hours looking at the computer.  I have read a LOT of books in the mean time!

But I kind of miss it.  I say 'kind of' because I don't really miss all the techie stuff, much as I liked it. And I certainly don't miss looking at my numbers, that stresses me out.  And I don't miss all the emails asking me to review things, blog about things, let other people write on my blog, etc.

I miss having a place to post stuff I like in a more thoughtful way than pinning it on Pinterest (which I still love).  When I post things here, I am forced to ask myself why I like it, and what about it speaks to me.  And here I can post about design, products, apps, crafts, colours, fashion, environment, music, you name it - it's my freakin blog!

So if you are with me, awesome, I love you, and I am grateful for your company.  If you are no longer feelin the love, that's cool, carry on, I'll be around if you change your mind.

But now, on to the main event, the reason I opened up this posting thing again: Waterlogue.

I know it's cheating, but hey, so is Instagram.  I know I am not actually a fabulous watercolour painter artist-extraordinaire, but I get to imagine how awesome I would be if I had the skills.  Just like with Instagram, I get to feel like a real photographer, capturing magical moments in time with just the right je-ne-sais-quoi. (On that topic, you must watch this hilarious video: http://youtu.be/5i9wUa8ofvE)

You will see from my heading at the top I have a huge love of watercolour.  Watercolours happen to be very "hot" right now - the loose impressionistic aesthetic is similar to the current rage for hand-written fonts over structured typefaces.  The artistic, the individual, the one-of-a-kind is refreshing in a world of cookie-cutter everything.

The irony of this is that you are no doubt going to see Waterlogue used EVERYWHERE now - your Instagram feed is about to go all David Milne.

This is my son at a recent Toronto Symphony Orchestra student concert (field trip).  I am just so blown away by the treatment of this app, the fidelity to real watercolour techniques and effects.  The photo above looks like it could be an illustration in a kids book.

So there you go: Waterlogue.  Best $2.99 I have spent in a while! :)

Thanks for reading. xo

BlogPodium 2013: Why Canada's Design Blogger Conference Blew Me Away!

This weekend was the big BlogPodium conference that I have been looking forward to all spring and summer - heck all year!  I was lucky enough to work with the amazing Jen Flores of Rambling Renovators on the marketing of the event, and not only did I have a blast and learn a bunch, I also found so much inspiration in watching Jen take on this huge project and knock it out of the park.  That girl is a quiet dynamo.

Jen and her team, photo by SmugMug

All the things I love about conferences happened at BlogPodium

• I spent the day hanging out with people who immediately understood why I spend way too many hours writing, editing, styling, photographing, photoshopping, tweeting, instagramming, and web-surfing.  No explanations required, no rolling of eyes in my direction.  These were my people, and there were almost 300 of them.

• Everyone was as happy and excited to be there as I was.  The mood was celebratory, the smiles contagious.  It was an amazing day before it even started.

• The speakers and panelists were inspiring.  I filled my iPad with quotes and ideas, and had many 'AHA!' moments, nodding my head with all the other bloggers in synchronicity.  These guys knew their stuff, and our stuff to boot.  I have a resulting to-do list that is for sure going to light my blog on fire.

• It was like a big ol' family reunion.  The nature of blogging means that many, many of my friendships and relationships are built online, through comments, tweets and instagrams. I talk more often with these ladies (and Tim) than I do my friends down the street, and as a result, I feel like I know them just as well, if not better!  So it is a joy to put faces to Twitter handles and be able to back up blog comments with great big hugs. (I'm a hugger.)

As an added bonus, I got to feel a real sense of accomplishment as I looked around at the sea of grinning faces.  I am under no illusion that my efforts brought them all there (the name 'Sarah Richardson' might have had a little something to do with it) but it felt kind of awesome to know that I was able to use my non-blogging skills to bring in a table or two of tickets.

My biggest BlogPodium take-away

The best part of the experience, however, was seeing a beaming Jen Flores floating around the rooms.  Unlike most conferences I have attended, I had watched the organizer work her tail end off with passion, poise, and purpose for months on end building up this experience.  She arranged the speakers, booked the venue, scheduled the sessions, oversaw the menu, brought in the big name sponsors, coordinated the blog contributions, and oversaw the marketing, social media, website development, event coordination, and all logistics.  Jen threw herself into this day with everything she had; refused to get knocked down by any of the setbacks or disappointments that arose; diligently worked through meetings, emails, conference calls, presentations, and every other task required with inspiring determination.

Through her vision and effort, Jen created an epic day that will fuel and inspire not only the 300 people in attendance, but their readers, clients, and colleagues.

To have been able to watch all this happen was the biggest gift of all, and was to me more inspiring even than Sarah Richardson's amazing keynote speech (which was awesome!).  Through this process, I learned from watching Jen that having a vision is just the first step.

If you truly believe in something, and are willing to invest yourself completely into making it a reality, not only will it happen, it will be a massive success.

Jennifer Flores Photography by Annawithlove

Not surprisingly, this philosophy seemed to be thread running through the day for me.  I heard it in Sarah Richardson's beautifully honest, sincere, and motivating keynote address.

I heard it in Margot Austin and Rhonda Riche's articulate contributions to the lunchtime keynote panel.

New, Old, and Online Media panel, photography by Annawithlove

"I learned everything on the job, by being willing 
to pick up new challenges and work hard." Margot Austin

"When shelter magazines were shutting down 

we saw an opportunity to make our own fun, in the way we had always wanted but couldn't do before. " Rhonda Riche, Covet Garden

I heard it in Keka DasGupta's charming and energizing session on working with agencies, and I heard it in Karen Bertlesen's frank and hysterical session on monetizing your blog.

Keka DasGupta, photo by Annawithlove

"State of mind matters.  Be confident, be sure. 

Recognize what you are bringing to the table!" Keka DasGupta

Karen Bertelsen, photography by Annawithlove

"Creativity is the key to success - 

when you can do whatever you want and have fun doing it, 

you will be your most authentic." Karen Bertelsen

All in all, it was a thrilling Saturday, and I am exhausted!  I met so many amazing people, doing so many amazing things - I wish everyone could have that kind of soul-enriching experience.  I can't wait to see what other great things Jen can dream up for next year!

The joys of technology are unending

Hoo boy you guys, I am up to my nostrils in blogging muck, trying to move Wicked & Weird from Blogger to Wordpress.  I am doing it super slowly, mostly because I don't have a clue what I am doing and have to find a youtube tutorial for every step.

However, it feels like a step forward towards having a business of some sort.  I have registered the domain lisamackaydesign.com and am hoping to move the blog to lisamackaydesign.com/wickedandweird.  That leaves the main site for building up a brand, sales pitch, pricing, and um... maybe some sort of a product to sell!

It took me AGES to decide on a wordpress theme (I ended up going with Salient) and now I am trying to get it to look the way I want - which is more or less like my blogger blog.  Anyway, I will give you some warning before I press the red button and officially move everything over (or lose it forever, perish the thought).  Until then, I am heading back into Confusion Land...

Watch this with the kid

Hooray!  I have finally stumbled across something in the internet that I was compelled to share - just like in the old days of this blog.  Somehow in the last few months I seem to have gotten all confused about why the heck I was doing this blogging thing, and who I should be writing for, and what I should be writing about, and if it should be tied into an imaginary business I have not yet started or even fully narrowed down... and so I just didn't write anything.  That and I have been so, well, not really crazy busy, but just not online.  Some days I don't even open the computer (which is bad cause then I don't look at my email or calendar and that's just not proper adult behaviour).

Anyhoo, here's the thing I loved so much I had to share*: This blog The Kid Should See This.  This blog is an incredibly diverse compilation of cool, inspiring, and educational videos that were not created specifically for kids, but that make for wonderful and imaginative viewing for kids as well as adults.  There is an excellent article on Design for Minikind about how mom Rion started the blog after trying to find an example of jazz scat for her son.  They were both thrilled with the 1969 video she found of Ella Fitzgerald doing it like no one else can (holy MACKINAW she is good - it is super hard!), and when her son spent the rest of the week scatting everywhere he went (such an unfortunate homonym...), she knew she had to share it.

The videos are grouped under Science, Technology, Space, Animals, Food, DIY, Art, Food, Music, and Animation, and forget the boys, I could spend my entire day on here.  The world is just so damn full of cool and interesting people!  If that isn't a great lesson to learn when you're young, I don't know what is.

I especially love the art category, but they are all amazing.  I am including a couple here, and had to post the Oliver Jeffers one because I love his books and he's so dreamy...



And considering the amount of hours Will and I have logged watching films on space and the planets, and my obsession with Chris Hadfield, I thought I would add these as well:



Seen anything cool online lately? ;p

Anybody out there?

Holy Sweet Mother Of Pearl, switching internet hosts is not for the faint of heart*.  That goes double when you are originally on Blogger and don't actually know who is currently hosting your blog!  (It is eNom.com by the way.)  Trying to remember all my passwords (with a special character? without??), requesting unknown hosts to unlock domains, having secret codes sent to you by both hosts - I don't know how people get away with all the crazy stuff they do online when you have to navigate the cryptic-undercover-secret-handshake back alleys of the internet just to move a design blog.  Add to that the fact that all my recent online charges got my credit card blocked (which of course landed me in a whole other realm of security shenanigans), and you have the recipe for one confused and frustrated blogger, with a blog lost in the ether.

But lo and behold, here I am - I guess if you are reading this you found me!  And thanks to everyone who sent me panicked emails and texts wondering what the hell happened to my blog, it made me so happy to know you guys got my back. :)

I am still on Blogger for now, but with Bluehost.  I am planning to move over to Word Press eventually, once I get a business going, but I don't want to let go of this design I worked so hard on, at least not yet. :)

*Apparently you can pay people to figure this crap out for you, if you aren't cheap (and ignorant) like me...

Bright Bobbie Burgers Colour

It has been a while since I have done a proper blog post.  You know how you miss a day or two at the gym or skip a few runs, and it isn't so hard to get back on track?  But when you miss a week, suddenly you feel guilty for not going, but don't go.  Then it's another week and you aren't sure how to ease back into it without hurting your knees, so you don't go. Then people start to say things like "remember when you used to run?"  Yeah that's how blog posting has gone for me lately (and the running thing may or may not be personal experience...).  But here I am, ready to get back at it.  Perhaps it was this gorgeous room in the weekend's Globe and Mail of Bobbie Burgers's living room that did it.  I love it SO much, especially that incredible painting.

My soul-soothing escape from reality

Hello all, as you may have gleaned from my last post, I have been stressing more than just a bit lately.  Not really actively stressing mind you, rather ruminating - my mind chewing over what if's and to-do lists and schedules and such - in a constantly increasing and incessant way.  The timing could not have been more perfect for a trip to the Caribbean to visit my parents.  They built a house there years and years and years ago, but for some reason I have not made a point of going down.  I was too busy, it was too expensive, I couldn't afford the vacation time, yada yada yada.  

This year, as always, my mom said please come down.  I said yeah... maybe...., as I always do.  My Prince Charming of a husband, however, said this is nuts, you insane woman, and made it happen.  He booked the flights, took vacation from work to look after the boys, arranged a babysitter for the days he had to work and pretty much threw me on a plane.  All the while I was thinking what am I going to do down there?  What if I drive my parents nuts (and vice versa)?  I brought my computer to catch up on the all the work and projects that I needed to be doing, all the blog posts I haven't written, and of course my ongoing debate as to what to do with the rest of my life.

I did none of it.  I can hear you all saying "duh...!" but for some reason I did not foresee how AMAZING this week was going to be.  I am not going to go on and on about it because, well, I know how sick everyone is of winter, and, um,  I don't want you to hate me.  The major points: *first time away without the kids for so long, *first vacation by myself (i.e. without hubby) in about 15 years (this was also part of my reluctance to go - I love traveling with him) *first time hanging out with my parents by myself in around 20 years *being spoiled by my folks *warm sunshine *bright colours *green green green *warm sunshine *didn't make lunch or dinner once *rum and ginger ale on the porch *yoga and swimming *wonderful parents *warm sunshine...  OK, done.  No wait, there's photos:

So there you have it.  I honestly feel like a different person.  It really shook things up for me, although I didn't realize how much until I got home.  After the requisite grumpy back-to-winter blues, I feel great, calmer, less stressed, more centred.  I cannot thank Chris and my parents enough.

All of the "taxis" (i.e. mini-vans crammed with people) down there have slogans running across the top of their windshield, and the one I that stuck with me was "Too Blessed To Be Stressed."  Amen Mr. Taxi Driver, AMEN.

Thank you also to all of you who commented on my last post, and emailed me encouragement.  It meant the world, it really did.  I have been reading and re-reading them ever since.  I think I am starting to figure some things out, which I will of course share with you - cause that's what I do.  Blogging is kind of a strange beast, part confessional, part public diary, part scrapbook, part PR machine... but the community that comes with it, the feeling of connecting to people, is so strong and heartfelt it sometimes surprises and delights me.  MOOAH.

What the HELL do I do now?

*warning: long post with no pretty pictures*

When it comes to hobbies, I am not unlike a magpie chasing shiny objects.  Graphic design sounds like fun - I am going to sign up on Lynda.com and watch a million hours of video on how to lay out a magazine!  Photography is awesome - I am going to take a photoshop course and spend hours on the computer tweaking levels!  Interior Design has always been a passion - I am going to launch an online design business even though I have no training and little experience!  Then there's yoga (which at least I am consistent about), knitting, painting, reading, BLOGGING.... there are times when I get an hour to myself and am actually at a loss for where to start or what to do!

After quitting my (pretty awesome) job at the Symphony a year and a half ago, I have been really enjoying spending time with my kids.  Sure, there are some monumentally frustrating days, but generally it has been a crazy blessing to be able to tell myself "this is my job and I love it."  Read books with them, make them lunch, watch them play cars, break up fights, listen to them talking to each other, do crafts - the days fly by.  I have thrown myself into this time completely, grabbing these precious days with both hands and wringing out every sweet hug, funny face, and paint-covered high five.

Now, on the horizon, I can see the end coming.  An end, and of course a new beginning.  In September, both my boys will be in school full time (9 to 3).  This doesn't mean I don't get hugs and hang-out time anymore (God forbid!) but it will definitely be the dawn of the new era for us all.  It is only February and I have many more months of boy-time ahead of me, including those awesome summer months, but I feel like I should be preparing for my own reality now.

My sabbatical from Making Money (since it certainly isn't a break from WORK) has been fully supported and encouraged by my whole family - I definitely couldn't have done it without everyone's sign-off.  But a was conceived as a sabbatical, meaning eventually I would return to work away from the boys and start putting money back into the bank account.  Right now, I can't imagine going back to life the way it was; I am a different person than the girl who did marketing for the Symphony.  Ideally, I will be able to do something part-time, during the school hours, and still be able to walk the boys home from school.

But WHAT??!!??  I am pretty confident I know how start up a start-up.  I have read books, blogs, watched videos and am fully inspired to build a successful business.  After all, marketing was my line of work - I can direct-mail-social-media-conversion-rate-advertise-promotions the hell out of this business.  I can network-leverage-collaborate-media-SEO-customer-service with the best of them.  But first I have to figure out what the hell I will be selling!

In the past few months I have done logo work, website work, marketing consulting work, graphic design work and tried my hand at interior design.  The problem?  I loved ALL of it!  But I have to pick one thing and do it well, right?  So now I am feeling lost and directionless.  I feel like I have to pick one and get much better at it before I can launch a business and charge people money for it.  Right?  But as soon as I start with one, I am crippled with indecision and doubt - maybe this is the wrong one.  I should go back to that other one.

I really love interior design, but I have absolutely no confidence there.  People go to school for this, intern, apprentice, yada yada.  Who the hell am I to equate putting a mood board and layout together and thinking I'm a designer?  Graphic design is really fun and I think I could be really good at it.  But the learning curve on the programmes is STEEP guys, and there are so many graphic designers out there - would I even find work?  Marketing is where I feel confident, maybe I should stick with that and offer consulting for creatives?

Photo Credit Andrés Þór

Anyway, sorry to dump all this on you guys, but this lack of direction has somehow bled into my blog as well - what is my niche? what do I blog about? - and has kept me from posting for a bit.  I am hoping that this soul-dump will at least break through my writers block...

Resolutions on Style at Home

Good heavens, I am so out of it these days that I didn't even realize I was up on Style at Home.com again!  Their web editor-extraordinaire Elaine Song emailed me before Christmas asking if I had any home resolutions for the new year, and I had to think on her question for a while.  I of course have my endless wish-list of projects and transformations, but I wanted to focus instead on my attitude towards my home.  I find I am so frequently inspired by my fellow design bloggers, that I am always dreaming up new ways to style my house, arrange my furniture, and paint my walls.  I need to simmer down a bit and put the brakes on my consumerism, second-hand or no!  Stuff is stuff, and I have too much.  Admitting it is the first step... right?

Anyway, head on over to read my and my fellow bloggers' home resolutions for 2013.  But before you go... I am so curious - do you have home resolutions for the new year?  And do you ever feel overwhelmed by STUFF?

Happy New Year: a fresh beginning

Yes, I am a little late with my wishes, but I still hope you have a wonderful 2013!  It has been a slower start to the year here - my in-laws left for Alberta yesterday morning (they are driving with their dog) and we took the tree and decorations down.  Although I am always sad to see the Christmas tree come down, there is something so cathartic about packing it all up, vacuuming up all the needles and dusting all the little nooks and crannies that had been hiding under the garland.  In all the mass cleaning, I ended up moving all the furniture again, and replaced our tired-looking white rug with an old rug from my house in New Brunswick. Today, after taking my eldest to school, I came home to a clean uncluttered house and felt like the new year was finally underway, fresh and full of promise.

I have been reading all of the amazing resolutions on everyone's blogs and can feel the optimism for the new year. Usually I would have my own list, but for some reason it just doesn't seem appropriate for me this year. I am less inclined to set goals and more of a mind to be open to whatever life brings for a while.  Maybe it's laziness, maybe it's zen. :)  Whatever you call it, I am looking forward to seeing what 2013 has to offer!  I hope it holds wonderful things for all of you. xo

Rambling Renovators' 2012 great reads

I am thrilled to be on Jen's round-up of blogs on Rambling Renovators.  I am in amazing company too - I have found a ton of new blogs to add to my reader... Thank you Jen!

It's time to get personal(ized)

I recently got an email from notonthehighstreet.com, a British online marketplace for beautiful, one-of-a-kind personalized gifts.  I quickly looked over the site... and 5 hours later... I had a basket full of gift idea for everyone I knew (sorry guys, I did the responsible thing and decided to blog about it instead of buying it all!)  They kindly offered me a gift from the market - or should I say shrewdly, since of course I love way too much on there, can't decide what to get, and am going to blog about it!

Started by two women, Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker, notonthehighstreet.com is a place where over 3,000 independent artists and craftspeople can sell their products.  It is kind of like Etsy, only the products and artists are carefully selected and vetted for quality and dependability, and for the most part they maintain a certain vibe.  I am not sure when it was started in relation to Etsy (I suppose I could do some research, huh?), but these ladies have been racking up awards like crazy as the site has grown.  It is definitely as addictive as Etsy, that's for sure!  But on to the good stuff; here are some of my favourites from the site.  I was going to do one board, but there is just so much good stuff on there, it kind of got out of hand!

Thank you Apartment Therapy!

Despite the less-than-stellar quality photos, The fine folks at Apartment Therapy did a feature on the birthday party I pulled together for Will (the same week as the Steven and Chris taping).  I love that they are always sourcing their stories from their readers, it's what makes the site such a great community!

I mentioned that the cupcake wrappers I used were ordered from Spaceships and Laser Beams, and they also did a feature on the party on their blog.  If you are in the market for party ideas, you really should check out this blog - the imaginative ideas on there are constantly blowing me away - their staff must have SO MUCH FUN at work!

Thank to both blogs, and welcome to their readers!! :)

The Steven and Chris Adventure

How did I suddenly end up showing my home on Steven and Chris?  That is a mighty fine question.  About a month and a half ago, I got an email out of the blue from their Senior Decor Producer (awesome job title BTW) asking if I would be willing to do a tour of my house for the show.  I responded enthusiastically (i.e. many exclamation marks were used).  There was no set timeline, so I got my butt in gear to finish off a few things, like the photo wall in the dining room.  Then suddenly, while I was at the ROM with my kids and visiting Mother-In-Law Diana, I got an email on my phone asking if maybe they could come the next day???    Wowzers.  I like to think I remained calm, but I have no doubt my mother-in-law would argue otherwise.

That evening I cleaned like a MOTHER... so many things were stuffed into drawers and closets that have yet to be re-discovered.  Then, as I checked my computer, thinking of everything I had left to do before they came, I realized that the next morning I had parent duty at Cam's nursery school until 11:30.  They were coming at 1.  Swear words were uttered.  To say I was a little distracted while setting up the kids' snack would be a bit of an understatement.  

Luckily, I got another email that morning saying that they would have to reschedule.  THANK YOU UNIVERSE.  By the time they came the following week, I even more time to stash away the clutter and 'style' my house (as in, I made my son's bed and put the toaster oven on the back porch).

I wish I had taken the opportunity to grab some good photos of the house that day, because Lord knows it will never, ever be that tidy again!  However, I was a busy bee for the 3 hours that the producer Barb was here, discussing wording, trying to remember the wording we discussed, fussing over every object in every room, doing voice-overs and on-camera takes.  They did the whole house, although the segment on my bedroom was cut and we discussed many, many more items than were shown!

After Barb left, the videographer Ved stayed for another 2, almost 3 hours taking shots of all the details in the house.  I think he did an amazing job.  The fabulous Diana was thankfully still in town and took the boys out for the entire afternoon (I have no idea where!).  There was no way I could have done this with them in the house - there is no way they could have been that quiet for that long!

Diana was a little surprised to see the cameras and equipment still here when they got back at 5pm.  The boys were great about not making a huge mess in the rooms Ved hadn't shot yet.  We asked him to shoot the kitchen first so that Diana could start making dinner (yummy knedliky!) before the boys lost their minds.  Below is may favourite shot of two professionals hard at work.

Then off they went, and I think before Ved had even finished pulling out of the driveway Cam had emptied a bucket of cars all over the living room floor and Will had an armload of trains dumped on the sofa.

Then Diana left, and my parents came, along with Chris's brother Dave.  (Did I mention that during this I also had William's birthday party - two days after the above scene - and Halloween, and had enjoyed visitors for about the last 5 or 6 weeks, starting a few days before my brother's wedding?)

The great news is that Mom was able to come to the studio with me to tape the "live" interview with Steven and Chris.  When I was in the green room, they asked if I thought she would mind being mic'ed as well - and I thought it best not to tell her in advance and make her freak out.  So just before the taping started, they gave a very shocked Barb Mackay her mic!

Photo courtesy of Flora Di Vetta

We had a lovely time and I was so glad she was there. It was really neat to see how they put the show together.  For example, the banana ice cream they showed at the end actually took about 15 minutes, and they were having a fit about it.  Also, the interview with the singer was done in front of a totally different audience, and we did not actually watch the entryway segment either!  Plus they actually asked me a few more questions, but I guess my nervous blathering responses needed to be cut in the interest of time. :)  But I am glad they kept the part with my mom - although she later confessed that she had no idea what they were meant when they asked her if she DIY'ed. :P  (She does by the way - she has recovered many chairs, sewed many curtains, and done more than her fair share of painting; I come by it naturally.)

So there you have it, my whirlwind adventure with fame.  It was a blast and I am hungry for more! They may have created a monster - I am crafting reality show pitches as I type. :)  WELCOME to anyone new who came from the show and actually read this whole thing - I would love for you to stick around!  And thanks to those of you who have read from the beginning - you are the wind beneath my wings. Don't worry, I won't forget the little people. :)

Lil' Ol' Me on National TV

Hearing the sound of your voice on the answering machine is strange.  Watching yourself give a tour of your home on national television in the middle of a live studio audience is... surreal.  Today the house tour I filmed a couple of weeks ago and the "on-air" interview I did last week finally aired.  Well, I shouldn't say finally - I am actually sort of stunned by how fast this all happened!  I have only watched it once - my neighbour kindly lent me her keys so I could bring the kids over to see it as it aired.  They weren't even home, but we don't have cable,  and the boys were thrilled to see their rooms on TV.

I will post more about it tomorrow, but I leave you with the link: http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2012/11/lisa-mackays-wicked-decor.html

Gosh, my palms are starting to sweat just posting that image!  Thanks to everyone at Steven and Chris, they were so sweet.  The videographer was fantastic, the producer kept me calm and succinct, the senior producer had it all organized perfectly, and Steven and Chris were charming and kind.  It was a fabulous experience - one I never would have thought I would be blogging about - and I am so happy my mom got to be there too! Sadly the online clip doesn't show the studio segment with my mom and I, (neither of us had any idea they were going to mic her!), because she looked great. :)  Oh, and in case you are wondering, no - my house never, ever, ever looks this clean.

Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes sneak peek

Last night I had the pleasure of visiting my future home in Oakville.  I know, I never thought I would move to Oakville either, but when I saw this lovely home designed by Lynda Reeves, I was suddenly won over by suburban life.  The funny thing is, I have never actually met Lynda, but she clearly designed the place with me in mind.  The earthy neutrals, marble kitchen, linen drapes, and ethnic-inspired accessories were all right up my alley.  The way she and her design team combined them with those large black modern doors and windows, the sleek floor-to-ceiling patio doors that fold open onto the terrace, and the exquisite landscaping clearly reflected my love of combining modern and well-worn aesthetics.  I love that she gave me an AGA stove, although I have absolutely no idea how I will whip up my mac and cheese on it... No detail was overlooked in this place, and I really appreciate it Lynda.

You can go ahead and buy a ticket for the lottery if you want - in fact you really should, because it is in support of the amazing Princess Margaret Hospital - but I am pretty sure I have this one all sewn up.  I made sure to rub Renee's arm raw.  She is an amazing good luck charm (just ask Aleksandra below, who won the massive 3D HD LG flatscreen tv just by standing next to her).

My horrible iPhone pics don't really do it justice, believe it or not.  You can find out more about my home HERE, including the names of all the amazing suppliers who provided materials for the house pro bono and the design team that met needs I didn't even know I HAD until now (sadly, there is no going back...).  There is a virtual tour online, but I really recommend going out to see it yourself.  I mean, of course I'll have a house-warming party, but you should probably check it out sober too.

Thanks so much to the lovely folks at House & Home for the good time and blogger reunion.  And the ride home - that was awesome too. :)

"Going Home" Guest Post from Jennifer of Rambling Renovators

Well, my stay in New Brunswick is winding down, but I still have a few more Going Home guest posts for you!  Today I am happy to have the famous and fabulous Jen from Rambling Renovators here to share her thoughts on going home.  Those of you who know Jen know she is an amazing designer and blogger, co-founder of Blog Podium, and one of the most kind and generous people out there.  This girl is a giver, and a do-er!!  Take it away Jen...

Hi Wicked & Weird readers. I'm happy to be filling in for Lisa today while she's on her trip back home. I've been following along on Lisa's east coast adventures on Instagram... canoeing, biking down gravel roads, hiking through lush forests, I've been getting a sense of what Lisa's lovely New Brunswick home means to her.

What does going home mean to me? That's a little harder to pin down. I grew up in Georgetown, Ontario for the first dozen years of my life. It was idyllic and a little like growing up in a Norman Rockwell painting... my parents were part of the PTA, we knew all the kids on the street, and Halloween meant trekking out for hours on end, just me and my sister and our pillow cases. Years after we moved away, I still visited old friends and we'd reminisce about playground crushes and riding our bikes down Hungry Hollow. Even now, if I find myself out that way, I'll make a detour and drive down the streets of Georgetown to see what buildings and houses I still recognize. It still feels comfortable and familiar, a lot like a warm hug, still a bit like home.

Our Georgetown home, circa 1980.

After University, I moved to the Philippines. Though I didn't speak the language and barely knew the relatives I came to live with, it felt like a place I'd known my whole life. Life there couldn't be more different than what I was accustomed to in Toronto - pollution, extreme poverty alongside extreme riches, devout Catholicism, overcrowded streets. But there was something in the people, in their kind hearts and generous nature, that made me feel welcome. In that hot and steamy Asian climate, this Canadian girl found home.

Old and new(er) architecture at Intramuros, Philippines

In the years before and since, Toronto has been home. It always will be. I can't imagine living and raising a family anywhere else. These days, home is...
... around the table at Sunday dinners at my parents house
... at the annual street party, where kids spend the day riding bikes and learning to use the fireman's hose while parents lounge on each other's lawns and marvel at how lucky we are to live on this street
... in our basement, building and painting and renovating, alongside my husband
... at the cottage, watching Chloe swim in the lake her dad learned to swim in when he was a boy

I've learned that home isn't a place, its a state of mind. Home is a place filled with memories and dreams yet to be. Its where your shoulders relax and your breathing slows and a smile is brought to your face. Home is the loveliest place in the world.


Wow Jen, you really have a way with words.  I think you hit the nail on the head (and it sounds like you have awesome neighbours).  Living in the Philippines must have been quite an adventure - that is such a great photo. And by your definition, I guess it makes sense that one can have more than one "home" - it is a feeling as much as an environment!  Thank you Jen!

If you missed them, here are the other posts in this series:

my original post,

Barbara from Hodge:Podge,

Kerry from First Time Fancy, 

Sarah from ReDesigning Sarah, and

Brooke from Pure and Noble.

"Going Home" Guest Post: Brooke from Pure and Noble

Hi guys, this post is a bit delayed due to a sad lack of internet here in paradise! Another "internet" friend, Brooke of Pure and Noble is here from Texas to give us her take on going home. Brooke and I met over email eons ago, and although we are at different ends of the continent, we somehow formed a true friendship over email and blogging. Someday I hope we get to meet in person! Brooke has a great perspective on our topic, since she is currently between homes as her new place gets renovated (it will be the stuff of legend when it's done, I have NO doubt).

Hi you guys! Brooke here from Pure and Noble. I am so excited to be here at Wicked and Weird today. When miss Lisa asked me to do a guest post for her while she visited home I was over the moon and completely humbled. I have been reading W2 for a long time and just love everything that Lisa shares with her readers. I’m pretty convinced that she and I would be fighting over lovely things if we ever lived closer to one another and shopped together. For now, I’ll be grateful that we are separated by miles and borders - because it means that I may one day get to visit her amazing home and sit in that awesome nook of hers to drink coffee and chat for hours.

home

When I think of home I’m not reminded of a place or of material things. I don’t know why that is, and trust me I’ve thought about it a lot in preparation for this post. Perhaps it’s that my folks have nothing other than old photo albums from my youth. Maybe it’s because we moved at pivitol times in my youth. I’m not sure really. But honestly it makes me a little grateful because the things that remind me of home can be experienced anywhere.

dogwood

When I was little, we lived in North Carolina. Beautiful trees, amazing weather (with actual seasons - four of them!) and that white stuff that falls to the ground, ummm... snow. Nestled in my front yard, right out my bedroom window, were two of the most amazing trees - a dogwood and a cherry blossom. Any time I see one of those trees I am instantly reminded of home.

texas

In the fourth grade, we moved to Texas. To me, Texas is home and I have come to embrace Texas pride. I love my state and the “little things” that make it home - Tex Mex, lakes and road trips. Texas summers are hot. I’m not talkin’ August heat wave hot. I’m talkin’ all the time, throughout the whole Summer - HOT. Because of that, I love margaritas, especially when they’re accompanied by a patio and a bowl of chips and queso. For you northerners, Tex-Mex queso is a bowl of melted cheese with spicy chilis/salsa mixed in. I could pretty much eat it with a straw. I also love lake life. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve gone fishing with my Dad. He’s a fishing guide here in North Texas and when he fishes... you. catch. fish. It’s so much fun when he finds that honey hole and the fish practically leap into the boat. But I can also remember sitting in a boat for hours with my Dad, poles in hand, waiting for “the big one.” It was boring then, but now I remember those times so fondly.

Lake life isn’t just about fish, it also involves floating for hours with friends (just to cool off), jet-skis and tubing (being pulled on a big inner-tube behind a boat). Nothing compares to a weekend at the lake. Nothing. And because Texas is big enough to be a country (and sometimes we think it is) road trips can lead to all kinds of wonderful adventures... Tiny towns that almost seem forgotten, weekend trips to Austin and day trips all over, it’s awesome.

Since having littles, I have to admit that the Texas heat gets to me. When I was younger the heat didn’t bother me because I was working during the hottest times of the day and then “play” at night with friends when it was cooler. Having littles in the dead of summer can be a chore, but we are slowly learning how to manage our summer days and make the most of it. Ironically, this summer has been the greatest challenge regarding schedules and the like because we have NO home.

Yup, I’m writing a post about “Home” and we have been nomads for 2.5 months while remodeling our new house. This summer, my little family and I have lived in 6 different houses. Six. Packing and unpacking. We are weary to say the very least. This reno business is tough stuff. (I pray that we never move again.) There have been challenges at every turn from city push backs and permits to new cement floors and moving walls. And everything affects the next thing. There is no jumping from point A to point C and then going back to B, without a lot of headaches and more money. If this remodel has confirmed anything, besides the fact that moving and remodels suck, it’s that home is not a place. Home is where your family is - period. And this handsome little group of guys is my home, no matter where we are.

I hope I haven’t bored you to tears today. I wish I could have shown you some amazing interior shots of my home or some precious keepsakes that make you say, “awww” and “ohhhh” but my house is in shambles and our keepsakes are all packed up. If you’d like to check in on our progress and see our journey unfold as we make our house a home, you can visit me at Pure and Noble. I’d love to have you pop by and say “hi”.

Lisa, I can not thank you enough for having me here with your sweet readers today. I wish Canada were a little closer so that we could share decorating tips in person and salivate over amazing jewelry and rugs together. But since I don’t plan on moving again - ever - I will have to be okay with reading Wicked and Weird every day and catching up via instagram and email! xo

Wow, you have some amazing photos of your family Brooke - funny how home seems to always come back to the people we love! Thanks so much for sending this along, I cannot WAIT to see your gorgeous new digs (although I have a feeling your anticipation may be a tad greater than mine...) :)

If you missed them, here are the other posts in this series:

my original post,

Barbara from Hodge:Podge,

Kerry from First Time Fancy, and
Sarah from ReDesigning Sarah.