[ here we go! ]

IT'S HERE! Time to fly back to Canada to visit our families and then head to Maine to chillax at our cute cottage rental. This will be so weird ~ I'm going to completely unplug {apart from reading digital mags on my iPad} which is sort of freaking me out! But we're looking forward to a little bit of normal life in North America for a while.

I'll share some pics of our trip when I get back. See you in mid August!

lisa

[via prettystuff.tumblr]

[ type type type ]

TIME SURE seems to be flying by! Can you believe we're approaching the end of July already? I'm desperately trying to wrap up my writing course before we leave on our holiday. It's been a fun, though challenging, course. Now all I have to do is get back from our vacation and finish writing my novel! yikes!
Ok... break's over.... time to get back to work!

lisa

[ ramadan ]

WELL, it's that time of year again, the holy month of Ramadan. A month of Islamic fasting and reflection where no one {even us expats} is permitted to eat, drink {not even water}, smoke or chew gum in public during daylight.

Last year was the first time I had ever experienced it and found it so strange that all restaurants and cafes were closed until after sundown when they would reopen, many with huge buffets and Muslims would break their fast by eating late into the night. Even though I'm not muslim and I could eat or drink in the comfort of my apartment, it was still a very awkward month to go anywhere. We later discovered that a select few places were granted special permits to offer well-packaged takeout only during daylight, but had to have all of their windows completely blacked out so no one could see inside.  

Many expats escape the heat of Dubai for the summer and luckily we leave for Canada in a week so we'll avoid a couple weeks of it. I feel for the construction workers, landscapers, gas station attendants and high-rise window cleaners who are stuck in the intense heat and can't even sip some water.

lisa

[ framed ]

I'M ALWAYS on the lookout for interesting ways to accessorize a space and I love this idea for art...

Framing a lovely scarf is such a great way to add a splash of colour and pattern. I remember once seeing a space filled with cushions made from vintage Pucci scarves she had inherited from her grandmother. Now that's one fashionable grandma! I'd love to inherit some fabulous scarves... but I'll have to settle for scouring vintage shops or eBay. 

Have you used scarves for anything around your home?

lisa

[via girlathome.tumblr.com]

[ beach industrial ]

THERE ARE so many things I love about this California waterfront home. Along with the gorgeous white cathedral ceiling and panelled walls, I'm in love with all the reclaimed bits and pieces throughout.

A coffee table is made from an old piece of marble fitted into a frame made of old nautical chain.

One of a pair, this 30" pendant is made from a gigantic buoy cut in half.

Love the old picture window repurposed to create a frame for a gallery of flea market nautical paintings.

How cool is this mantel made with all sorts of pieces of moldings and frames? Love the weathered signs.

This pair of pendants from the Urban Electric Co. fit right into the industrial theme. Love the use of vintage French linen simply draped from rings on the window and the quote painted on the wall.

This kitchen is so charming with its industrial stools and vintage fridge and stove. The ceiling lights are a fun change from recessed halogens. Love the chalkboard on the island.

These coffee tables are so cool ~ old industrial baskets turned upside down.

The galvanized metal chairs continue the industrial feel outdoors with more vintage French linen for a tablecloth.

Love this pass-through with it's counter that continues from the kitchen. The paned windows are both functional and charming. Tolix stools line the counter. Of course what beach house would be complete without cedar shakes.

Isn't it a great place? I'm just loving the mix of industrial with curvy furniture and all the white. I'm always so inspired by cozy spaces like these. This one makes me want to go out rummaging for old stuff ~ one of my absolute favourite things to do. 

lisa

[house beautiful]

[ trip dreaming ]

DON'T YOU love having a trip to look forward to? I'm so excited, I'm counting down the days! Aside from seeing our families, whom we haven't seen in about a year and a half, there are so many other silly things I'm looking forward to after living in Dubai for over a year now...

Driving along green, tree-lines roads {instead of beige sand}

Enjoying our favourite hometown pizza {one we've never been able to replicate in all the places we've lived}

The smell of grass

Stopping along our trip in Montreal for a smoked meat sandwich

Maybe getting a bit lost along the way and discovering great places

My guy would love a decent hot dog

And breathing in the sea air while we chillax in Maine

There are oodles of other things I can think of but just these little things make me so anxious to get on that plane! What are your favourite silly things about planning a trip?

lisa

[ travel plans ]

SO AFTER a lot of consideration, we've decided that we'd like to incorporate a bit of a road trip into our getaway plans at the end of the month since we can't do much of that here in Dubai. We'll fly to Canada to visit our families and then hit the road to drive down to the cottage we've rented on the coast of Maine.

Here's the little gem we'll be relaxing in...

Isn't it cute? I feel so relaxed already just looking at these pics!

Anyone familiar with the coast of Maine? We'll be driving from Toronto to Portsmouth,NH before driving north along the coast to the cottage. If anyone has any suggestions of places to go, yummies to eat or things to do, please pass them along! The countdown starts now!

lisa

[ happy monday! ]

HOW WAS your weekend? Ours was, well, hot as usual. The humidity has been brutal and at one point they said it was 44C(111F) with a humidex making it feel like 52C (125F)! Needless to say, we're spending a lot of time indoors, wandering around the malls, checking out the big summer sales and going to the movies.

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen Rock of Ages, Snow White and the Huntsman, Chernobyl Diaries and Spiderman. Movies take longer to reach us here and many of them never do. Which is ok I guess, since it leaves something to watch on the plane when we travel.

Speaking of travel, we've been working on some plans for a getaway at the end of July ~ time to pay the folks a visit and get some downtime. I'll fill you in our plans soon. How about you? Going anywhere?

lisa

[ pops of happy ]

I'M LOVING all of these white rooms with their pops of bright colour...

They just feel so happy, don't they? What pops of happy have you added to your home?

lisa

[via indulgy.com; 2,3,8 better homes and gardens; via kellywestover; 

countryliving; via mylittleapartment; via elementsathome; houzz]

[ red white and blue ]

IN HONOUR of all of my American friends, here are some pretty red, white and blue spaces just for you...

Happy 4th of July to you all!

lisa

[via do8urself.blogspot; house beautiful; via paigesofstyle.com]

[ writing inspiration ]

I HOPE all my fellow Canadians had a wonderful long weekend! No long weekend for us since my guy has to take local holidays here instead, but it did mean fewer emails from his Canadian office which was nice.

I've been plugging away at my writing course and I'm really enjoying it. Each week we're submitting a new chapter and we all read and offer feedback as we go along. It's so interesting reading each other's chapters ~ everyone has their own writing style ~ some very descriptive, some hilarious. I find myself reading books in an entirely different way now, looking for conflict, subplots, studying dialogue. Sheesh! This is a lot like school! What have you been up to?

lisa