[ kitchen lust ]

EVERY SO often I come across a space that makes me pause while I soak in all of its goodness. Today it's this kitchen...

Isn't that floor fantastic? Like something out of a bistro in Paris. I love the long narrow island, the 2 colours for the cabinetry and of course the marble. While I'm usually a white kitchen kind of gal, this one could convert me!

lisa

[via fleaingfrance.tumblr]

[ happy weekend! ]

FIRST, have I told you lately how awesome you all are? Your sweet comments on my Penguin painting really made my week! After the bumps I kept hitting along the way, it's nice to know that it was all worth it in the end. Thanks so much! :)

Can you believe the weekend is upon us again? Is it just me or do all the days seem to be flying by quicker and quicker nowadays? Well, no real plans here ~ just hanging out with my guy...

Here's hoping yours is filled with good times!

lisa

[gayana danilova]

[ my penguin DIY ]

I'VE ALWAYS been fond of Penguin Books and I've been seeing some great examples of covers used as art ~ like these orange prints by Alanna Cavanagh or the creative interpretations by Harland Miller...

I've had a canvas kicking around for a couple of years just waiting to be painted so I decided to make my own Penguin art! 

I started by Googling the Penguin Classics catalogue to choose a title and I couldn't have found a more perfect one for our seaside-style home: The Beach by Alex Garland. I found a pic of some old Penguin covers and decided to choose a colour from there ~ a pretty turquoise green...

Here's what I did. 

Let me start by saying that I decided to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the letters out of vinyl to use as a stencil. This is the first time I've done this and a word of warning... the vinyl does not stick to painted canvas. I wish I had known this before I had already cut everything out. You'd be better off using the carbon paper tracing method like I did for my other canvas painting DIY here since all of the letters will need touching up with a fine brush anyway.

I marked off the areas with masking tape and painted the coloured bands on the canvas. Once dry, I used a rag dipped into watery grey paint to get a muddier tone since my paint was too bright. While this dried, I planned my layout and cut everything out of vinyl with my Silhouette...

Next I printed out the penguin and logo on paper and used carbon paper to roughly trace the shapes I would paint cream. Once dry, I applied {or tried to apply} my vinyl. The transfer paper was much stickier than the vinyl so I had a hard time removing it. Eventually I got it off and even though the vinyl wasn't sticking to the canvas, I pounced my paint on anyway with a stencil brush and hoped for the best. I removed the vinyl and smoothed around all of the text with a fine brush and black paint...

Once I had all the text painted on {don't drink too much coffee while you do this!}, I used some cream paint to make the edges slightly irregular and rubbed on some watery brown paint around the edges to dirty it up slightly {I didn't want it to look too rough}...

Done!

Despite the difficulties I had with the vinyl stencil plan, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I think it provides a lovely splash of colour to our living room...

Do you love Penguins as much as I do?

lisa

[via shannonsoutlook.com; Elle Decor; Covet Garden; via gatherlove.tumblr]

linking to:

The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

DIY by Design

Jennifer Rizzo Friday Linky Party

[ happy labour day! ]

I HOPED to have my DIY project ready to reveal today, but I encountered a few glitches along the way. Needless to say, there was a lot of cursing going on and the fun factor was dwindling {don't you hate that?}.

Anyway, thought I'd post a thought for the day instead...

Hope you're having a lovely long weekend! I'll try to make some progress on my project!

lisa

[Sarah SaturDIY] 

[ happy weekend! ]

GOT ANY exciting plans for the weekend? Nothing too exciting here...we'll probably see a movie and maybe go out for breakfast.

But I do hope to finish up my latest DIY project involving this...

and this little guy...

Hopefully I'll get it finished so I can share it with you on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone!

lisa

[ pokin' around ]

ARE YOU all familiar with poke cakes? I had heard of them but have never made one until today! I decided to try my variation of The Country Cook's Banana Pudding Poke Cake...

I don't tend to make many desserts anymore since I've had to change my diet but sometimes I want to surprise my guy with something yummy.

All you need is: a yellow cake mix, 2 boxes of instant banana pudding and some whipped topping.

{I decided to add 2 mashed bananas to my cake mix and I used sugar-free vanilla pudding since I couldn't find any banana pudding here in Dubai}.

Just bake your cake according to the box and after it has cooled for a few minutes, poke holes all over it...

Then mix up your pudding and pour all over it so it trickles down into the holes...

Spread the remaining pudding over top and refrigerate. Then add a layer of whipped topping {CoolWhip or real whipped cream}. You can top with some crushed vanilla wafers if you like.

Done!

For more detailed instructions click here .The Country Cook has all kinds of delicious southern recipes so be sure to check out her blog here. 

What have you been baking lately?

lisa

[ muskoka majestic ]

I'LL ALWAYS have a soft spot for Muskoka and this cottage is just another example of why.

I love the statement light fixture, white beams, grey accent wall and log storage...

white slipcovers, sisal rugs, white walls and planked ceiling...

industrial stools, a big island, farmer's sink and simple pendant lights...

the vintage door leading to the charming pantry...

aqua metal chairs with a rustic table, 3 pendants and an incredible view...

So many things to love about this place ~ so cool and crisp yet cozy at the same time. Heaven!

lisa

[style at home]

[ boothbay harbor ]

AS PROMISED, here's a little peek at what we saw on our trip {it's taken a while ~ I took way too many pics!}

I'm sure most of you know that Maine is known for its lobster and everywhere we turned, there they were...

Of course I wanted to try a lobster roll and heard that Red's Eats in Wiscasset was world-famous for them {and after waiting in line for well over an hour with no sunscreen, I looked like a lobster!}

Verdict? hmmm... ok, but kind of bland ~ not really crazy-good to make it worth the wait {maybe better luck somewhere else}...

Boothbay Harbor is filled to the brim with cuteness ~ shops, signs, homes...

and along with lobster, it was blueberry season ~ blueberry buckle, pancakes, pie, cake, ice cream, syrup...

We saw the cutest tiny seaside cottages...

and some pretty big ones too...

A walk along Ocean Point had incredible views...

and after all that exploring ~ time for a bite from the general store...

We went on a boat tour of the islands and saw so many cute lighthouses and boats...

A swing bridge let us through...

And when we had had our fill of seafood, a lovely Italian dinner on a terrace...

So, what did I buy? Well, it had to fit into my suitcase and not exceed my baggage allowance...

some perfect beach house art...

and of course a lobster buoy!

Well, that's it! Our trip to Maine in a nutshell! Of all the travelling we have done, it was definitely one of the best trips ever. Thanks for following along!

lisa