[ happy weekend! ]

THANKS for the pep talk everyone! I guess the thought of searching for a new place, packing everything up and trying to interact with movers and utility people that don't speak English isn't something I'm looking forward to next June {if what we dealt with when moving in was any indication!}. 

But no point dwelling on that right now ~ we may find something quite awesome for the year or so we'll be in it. And on an optimistic note, maybe our next place won't have a woman upstairs who clip clops in heels at 4am or drags her chairs across the floor! There's always hope!

Have a great weekend everyone and to my fellow Canucks, Happy Canada Day long weekend!

lisa

[ bummer news ]

SO JUST as we were renewing our lease for another year and paying our year's rent up front {the entire year has to be paid at once here in Dubai!}, we got a notice from our Iranian soccer-player landlord that he wants the apartment back when our lease is up next June.

I'm pretty bummed out. Wouldn't you know that the one time we actually like our place and want to stay, now we're being evicted. I decided to look for any other listings in our building right now just for curiosity and it appears that the 2 that are available now are already over $200 more/month than what we're paying now. I don't imagine we'll find anything for the same price as what we're paying when we need to search next year.

It certainly puts a damper on my gallery wall project I've been assembling. By the time I've got it ready to hang, it will be time to take it all down again. I wonder if I should bother. The joys of being a renter.

lisa

[ cool stripes ]

SEEMS THAT there are a few heat waves happening right now. And nothing helps cool down a space like some blue summer stripes...

Ahhh... I feel cooler already! Are you rockin' any stripes in your home this summer?

lisa

[better homes and gardens; house beautiful; via bluebedroomideas.com; 

via southernpiphi.tumblr; via habituallychic; via absolutelybeautifulthings; 

via pinterest; coastal living, via apartment therapy; 

elle decor; via apartment therapy]

[ fab find ]

SO I did a little shopping this weekend and I scored a fab find inspired by these...

Great inspiration huh? I've always loved a Chanel-inspired jacket ~ so versatile and it really elevates a simple pair of jeans. I love them with or without frayed edges. I happened to be rummaging around in Zara {huge sale going on} and I scored this...

I love the cream colour ~ goes with anything ~ and because it's such a light bouclé, it really is a year-round jacket {ok, maybe not during the sizzling summer in Dubai, but in the rest of the normal world!}. I haven't decided if I'll leave the sleeves long or shorten them to a 3/4 length. What do you think?

lisa

[via fashiontoeat5; burdastyle; polyvore; unknown; via chocolatecookiesandcandies; 

via elementsofstyle; via buscut; asos; via fashionworship.com; 

via wendyslookbook.com; asos; zara]

[ happy weekend! ]

AND happy start to summer!

lisa

[via positivelypresent]

[ laundry miracle ]

I DON'T get too excited about laundry, and maybe I'm late to the stain removing game, but this is an absolute miracle!

Does anyone in your household have white t-shirts that get those awful yellow stains from antiperspirant? Well, here's a recipe for a stain remover that actually works! I tried it yesterday and I couldn't believe my eyes!

When I stumbled upon Jillee's blog talking about it, I was skeptical since I had tried everything and nothing was working. She mentioned using blue Dawn as the dish detergent but they don't sell that in Dubai so I just used my lemon scented Fairy liquid because that's what I had on hand.

I just mixed it together in a bowl, dipped in my scrub brush and scrubbed it on, waited an hour and threw it in the wash. It worked like a charm! I can't believe I'm actually excited about laundry ~ I almost want to stain a bunch of stuff so I can use more {ok, maybe not quite!}. Happy stain removing!

lisa

[ my studio tour ]

SO TODAY I thought I'd give you a little glimpse into the room I seem to be spending WAY too much time in nowadays ~ my studio, aka office.

I'll warn you now ~ don't expect to be blown out of your chair or anything ~ I haven't really done all that much to it!

It is a fairly bright room, with no direct sun but a nice big window to look out of. I can watch 'pacing man' come out onto his balcony a few times a day to pace back and forth, or 'underwear guy' who comes out in his whities to talk on his phone.

Yes, I know, these are fakes but hey, at least they add a bit of pretty in here.

I love my numbered boxes from Pottery Barn and jar of antique thread spools.

A view from the doorway ~ notice all the IKEA finds. Cheap and cheerful! I store all my fabrics and sewing supplies in the drawers ~ keeps things nice and tidy.

My matryoshka dolls and big clock that I can't seem to get mounted up onto the concrete wall without screwing in a hole.

A view to the other corner ~ this room's pretty small.

My embroidery hoop art that definitely gives the pale walls some personality.

And of course the junky area. Obviously I've still got some projects to tackle someday!

But for now, it's working just fine. I wonder who's down at the pool...

Ok, back to work! After completing my character outlines, my plot outline, my chapter outline, I've got to submit my first actual chapter tonight. Hope you enjoyed the mini tour!

lisa

[ happy monday! ]

HOPE YOUR weekend was a good one! I'm making some headway on my writing which is great ~ I just need to remember to take a break now and then ~ all this sitting in front of my laptop is giving me a certain type of glow!

Here's to a happy start to the week!

lisa

[ happy weekend! ]

SO WHAT awesome plans do you have for the weekend? Hopefully some fun and relaxation! Sadly my guy has to work all weekend ~ I guess that means lots of writing time for me.

Wish I was doing it somewhere like this instead of stuck in A/C! But heck, at least we have A/C in this 108F/42C heat! Have a good one everyone!

lisa 

[better homes and gardens]

[ all natural ]

I REALLY like all the natural decor in this room...

woven baskets, sisal rug, wicker side table, wood coffee table, twig on the wall. It's nice paired with all the white ~ it really warms it up. What kind of natural decor do you have?

lisa

[housetohome]

[ cottage dreaming ]

WHEW! This writing course is really wearing me out! Weekly assignments and online chats at 4am (due to my time zone) ~ I'm living and breathing my character! Time for a little cottage dreaming...

I love this farmhouse cottage in Muskoka...

There's just something so calm and casual about this place ~ can't you just hear the crickets and the loons on the lake? Ahh... I feel relaxed already!

lisa

[cottage life]

[ introducing jameson ]

LET ME just start by saying that my guy is fun to shop with. Especially when he has a purpose. Bag shopping with him this weekend was an absolute blast!

We headed to Dubai Mall, straight to the Fashion Avenue area, that wing of the mall where I might pop my head in to drool over Hermés or Chanel or Louis Vuitton to kill time on a hot afternoon. Going there to buy something was giving me heart palpitations.

[lee abbamonte]

I hadn't slept the night before ~ too excited and weighing the pros and cons of what type of bag I would choose ~ something small and cute? Maybe a larger casual bag? Perhaps something for travel?

After a lot of browsing and comparing, I finally settled on a Burberry Jameson tote...

I was lacking a good sized tote and knew it would be perfect for travelling. Love the dark orange leather accents...

But my favourite part? Clip the two sides together...

And voila! A completely different bag! Two bags in one!

I love that it morphs into a bag suitable for use anytime ~ making it the perfect bag to travel with too ~ tote your stuff on the plane, then use it as your purse. It fits my iPad and camera with plenty of room to spare. It's classic, will never go out of style and durable. The perfect bag. Now that was fun!

lisa

Thanks for all of your lovely anniversary wishes - you're the sweetest! :)