[ weekend wisdom ]

HOPE YOUR weekend is a happy one!

lisa

[via pinterest.com]

[ 5 min lampshade update ]

I BOUGHT a couple of Pottery Barn lamps when we moved into this place last June. And although PB does have some pretty patterned lampshades available, I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to pattern and didn't want anything that I would tire of easily so I opted for their simple off-white shades.

 A bit blah, huh?

I looked through my ribbon drawer and found this pretty linen ribbon I had picked up somewhere {Ireland I think} and thought the muted blue stripes would be perfect.

Out came the glue gun and this literally took 5 minutes...

I held the glue spot until it was set, then pulled the ribbon taut around the shade, clipped it to the proper length and dabbed another spot of glue...

No need for glue all the way around and this way, it's easy to switch out later on if I want a new look...

Even though I had enough to add a line of ribbon around the top and bottom, I like the simplicity of the single stripe. It adds some pizzazz without drawing a lot of attention to them.

Have you dressed up any lampshades with ribbon lately?

lisa

linking to Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

[ a new pillow addition ]

NOW THAT I shuffled things around and placed my big beach art over my console, I had to find a new home for my big painting. I decided that over the storage bench in the entry would be an ideal spot. Once it was hung, I realized that it was crying out for something...

I didn't want anything too obtrusive since we go in and out of that bench constantly {we hide a ton of shoes in there}. So I thought one long pillow would be perfect to fill the spot and make it feel less bare.

Off to my fabric stash...

I found a piece of this pretty Amy Butler Nigella fabric leftover from a handbag I had made and thought the colours would pair nicely with the painting. I bought a cheap pillow form for about $8...

found a bit of fabric for the back {since I like the option of flipping it around for a different look} and some buttons for the closure...

a bit of white piping and I was all set! {I love finding everything I need right in my drawers!}

It didn't take long to put it together and I love how it turned out...

A little flip-a-roo...

I think it does the trick! A little bit of pattern and personality to an otherwise bare spot. Now I can cross that off my To Do list!

lisa

linking to Good Life Wednesdays

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

[ january blues ]

FEELING A little blue? Why not make the most of it in this cozy bedroom with blue panelled walls to wrap you in warmth?

I love panelled walls and while my favourite is usually white, this gorgeous shade of blue is so welcoming. Paired with the white ceiling, linens and drapes, the feeling is still crisp. And who wouldn't love a walk-out like this?

lisa

[house beautiful]

[ happy monday! ]

HOW WAS your weekend? Mine seemed to fly by. First I'd like to thank all of you for your sweet comments on my big beach art! I guess I'm not the only fan of these big beachy prints! It's fun taking a close look at all those people working on their tans - it was only after I picked up my canvas that I noticed a girl on the left lying there topless! I guess it shouldn't come as any surprise - the beach was in Nice afterall.

I'm planning on continuing with my To Do list and hope to have some progress to show this week. But for today, how about a little bit of fresh romance?

I love that this bedroom could easily be in a beach house or a pretty, traditional home. I could just plop onto those pillows right now!

lisa

[better homes and gardens]

[ my big beach art ]

I'VE BEEN seeing some fabulous big beach art in spaces...

...and so I decided to create a bit of beach art myself using a pic I shot in Nice on our trip in August.

Rather than frame it, I decided to have it printed on canvas {since it will eventually need to be shipped when we move}.

I gave it a slightly "washed" look in Photoshop and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I think it will form a good basis for the beach gallery wall project I'll be tackling on my "to do" list.

lisa

[stevegambrel; luxeandlillies; abodelove;

amberinteriordesign; houseandhome]


linking to Good Life Wednesdays

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

[ bob's antique museum ]

TODAY I visited the most fascinating place - The Antique Museum, known as Bob's after the lovely man who runs it. Not a museum at all, but a vast, dusty warehouse of tiny passageways overflowing with treasures from across the Middleast and Asia.

Looking for an enormous camel or elephant? Bob's got it! A pretty Turkish lantern? Yup! Handcrafted table linens, curtains, pillow covers, bowls, tribal drums and masks, unique carved furniture, inset boxes and nesting dolls... it's a treasure trove of goodness!

And though you may be rummaging around in a jam-packed warehouse, you are greeted by friendly staff handing out a sturdy bag for shopping and presenting drink refreshments on a silver platter to keep you hydrated during your hunt. Step through the heavy carved doors into one of many dark, overflowing rooms. You could easily get lost in this place but a lovely man escorts you from one large room through to another and another.

Photos weren't allowed so I don't have much to show but I will share the treasures I went home with...

Once we were finished and were ready to pay, we were all shown to a comfy Arabic sofa to wait, given wet wipes to clean our hands and treated to Arabic tea, biscuits and dates. Definitely the most hospitality I've ever experienced in a warehouse! Needless to say, I'll be seeing Bob again!

lisa

[ getting sh*t done ]

OK, SO it's that time of year when we're all trying to get our act together, right? For me, finishing up projects I've had on my mind is a biggie. And rather than have these thoughts rattling around in my brain, I've decided to make a list and hopefully by writing them down and crossing them off as I go, it will help keep me motivated and on track.

And so far I've already gotten started on a couple of them! How about you, do you have a project list?

lisa

[ antique doors ]

I CAME across this lovely exterior door installation on Home and Harmony and I had to share. This is a "new" antique door they have installed as the entry of their farmhouse and it was instantly love at first sight.

The detail on it is incredible and painted in that beautiful Coventry Gray (BM), it really makes the entry feel so welcoming.

I love the idea of refurbishing an antique door for an entry and we did just that on our old 1850 stone home back in 2005...

The front door when we bought the home was in pretty bad shape, completely deteriorating along the bottom and in desperate need of replacing.

Rather than just pick up something from Home Depot, we went on a hunt at architectural salvage places for a "new" door that would be in keeping with the age of our home.

I don't have any before pics {this was before blogging} and this isn't the greatest after pic either, but you get the idea. It was a door from an old home in the late 1840s and we stripped it down, resized it a bit, filled in all the gaps and holes, sanded, primed, painted and fitted it with antique hardware. It was a lot of work, but it became my favourite feature of our home {I especially loved how the warm red really popped}. I want to do this again on our future home - it gives the entry such personality and I love to wonder who owned this door before and what kind of life they lived.

If you don't want to go through all the effort of installing an antique entry door, how about using one inside to inject some vintage personality?

as an entry mirror...

a pretty backdrop to a vignette...

or as big art to fill an empty corner...

Have you used any antique doors in your home?

lisa

[first pic: homeandharmony; last three: fixingitfancy; houzz; flickr]

[ happy monday! ]

MONDAY mornings are tough sometimes, aren't they? Why is it that your bed feels so much cozier on a Monday morning than any other day of the week?

Well, to kick start this week, how about a pretty room?

I love the aqua walls paired with that citrus colour of the chairs and drapes. And the little hit of fuschia in those flowers is like a pretty dab of lipstick.

I think having a room like this to welcome me every morning would make Mondays much more doable ~ how about you?

lisa

[via stylebyemilyhenderson]

[ holiday stop: phuket part 2 ]

THERE ARE so many things to see in Phuket and we decided to take in a tour of Phang Nga Bay, on the north-east side of Phuket. After a short bus trip, we boarded a tour boat and set off.

The bay holds some beautiful scenery, with spectacular islands and massive rocks rising from the sea.

We made our way to see the most famous Thailand island, James Bond Island ~ the distinctive spot where The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed.

The area is surrounded by caves that you can travel through on the boat {very cool} or rent canoes from floating boat rental locations on the spot.

After we squeezed through one of the caves {it was high tide so it was a little tight}, we made our way to the old village of Koh Panyee.

Built over 200 years ago, this village was built entirely on stilts on the water, likely during low tides when water levels would be shallow enough to stand in.

Fishing has been its primary industry but tourism here has picked up and many of the buildings hold handicrafts made by the locals.

But look past the craft stalls and you will see the everyday life of the residents.

We travelled by bus back to Patong Beach and took in a bit of the sights along the way...

shrimp farms...

grand gateways...

shops and food stalls...

motorbikes and tuk tuks...

What I loved about this stop was that it was filled with bits of interesting everyday life in Thailand. Definitely a trip to remember.

Thanks for following along! Have a great weekend everyone and see you Monday with something pretty.

lisa