 |
| over here.... |
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Alyssa
My new genius Graphic designer, blogger and blog rehabilitator Alyssa went to ALT Summit in Salt Lake city Utah. She is such a star . Of course she got blogged about at the Sundance festival .
I have engaged her services to bring my blogging and the look of my blogs into this century. You will be the first to know when we launch. :)
I have engaged her services to bring my blogging and the look of my blogs into this century. You will be the first to know when we launch. :)
 |
| Alyssa |
Friday, January 21, 2011
handmade is beautiful
I posted photos from this master bathroom renovation project on my flickr stream a few months back, but the real beauty of the custom oak pieces I commissioned for the client was perhaps not evident in the images. So I went back in there the other day to shoot some details of the stunning tallboy cabinet I designed. It looks great now that the clients have fully "moved in" and started using the space. My client bought herself colorful towels which I really like.
My cabinet maker Stuart really outdid himself. I asked for a single locking interior drawer to hold any prescription drugs etc. as the clients have small children. The large drawers below hold a great deal of linens and beddings. The vanity was also made by my cabinet maker to match. I traveled to the wood supplier with the cabinet maker to choose the wood pieces. We loved the grain in these sections. The vanity has the same beautiful details. I wanted to design a piece the clients will treasure for a lifetime. I have included a photograph of myself in the room to help with scale. It's tall. The room has such great light and I wish it were my bathroom.
My cabinet maker Stuart really outdid himself. I asked for a single locking interior drawer to hold any prescription drugs etc. as the clients have small children. The large drawers below hold a great deal of linens and beddings. The vanity was also made by my cabinet maker to match. I traveled to the wood supplier with the cabinet maker to choose the wood pieces. We loved the grain in these sections. The vanity has the same beautiful details. I wanted to design a piece the clients will treasure for a lifetime. I have included a photograph of myself in the room to help with scale. It's tall. The room has such great light and I wish it were my bathroom.
 |
| just completed |
 |
| just completed see more of this project on flickr |
Saturday, January 15, 2011
the bob
I have been having my hair cut into a bob every few years since I was a wee child. I have been considering cutting it again for ages now. I love my long hair though, so my hair stylist gave me a quick loose up-do for the evening. Like a bob without the commitment. In the meantime, I'll keep mulling it over.
I'll take opinions, my husband is sitting on a fence.
I'll take opinions, my husband is sitting on a fence.
 | |
| me (on left) mom and my twin sister |
Update- I have decided to keep my hair long. I really appreciate all your input!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Brand New Guest bath
 |
on flickr |
After many months, the downstairs guest bath is complete! We completely tore the room apart in order to remove the tub and move some plumbing around. The Shower is brand spanking new and glossy white. The newly tiled floor is now comfortably heated, new vanity, new light fixtures, and a new wardrobe to store linens and dry laundry (that door in the right corner of the back of the room houses the washer and dryer). I decided the room needed seating so I picked up a lovely new wishbone chair from my favorite shop- Kit Interior Objects. The room is all ready for guests. I think they are going to like it. The Before photographs were taken before we actually moved in to the house. It was pretty grim. Next up, the Rumpus Room!
Tile- Kensington Carpet One
Mirror, shower glass and shower door handle- Crystal Glass
Light Fixture- Flos
Vanity- Roca - Long Island Vanity and shower hardware from Art of Hardware
Wardrobe- Ikea
Wishbone chair- Kit Interior Objects
Saturday, January 8, 2011
three things I plan to do this year
Things I plan to do this year.
Ok, I'll call it what it is.
Three New Years Resolutions that I made-
1. Learn some conversational Spanish. To that end I have signed up for a course already with Calgary Continuing Education
If you were wondering why Spanish? Well, I'm headed to Cozumel, Mexico in a few months for a little vacation with my dear girlfriend and her lovely authentically Mexican husband! It is only polite that I should have a few words to converse with them as they are putting me up in their home!
doesn't it look nice in Cozumel!
2. Um, and since I'm going to the beautiful beaches of Cozumel in a couple of months. One of the other things I am working on is getting my Canadian winter figure whipped into bikini shape. I am on a very enjoyable gluten free eating plan that SHOULD get me there. My genius nutritionist friend came up with the plan for me. I hope to convince her to make this her full time career once her little one reaches school age. Also, exercise, and lot's of it. Wish me luck!
3. My final plan for the year is to record at least two songs. I have been writing lyrics for years but now seems like the right time to put it all together and make some actual music. I intend to involve my most talented and beautiful musical genius friend of course. She kinda knows about it. Maybe not the part where she is involved of course. It may require a trip to California by me to convince her. That will be fun even if she refuses!
and those are my goals for the year.
you?
p.s. there is one more but it involves needles and ink and probably another fainting episode so I'm not totally convinced I will do that one.
Ok, I'll call it what it is.
Three New Years Resolutions that I made-
1. Learn some conversational Spanish. To that end I have signed up for a course already with Calgary Continuing Education
If you were wondering why Spanish? Well, I'm headed to Cozumel, Mexico in a few months for a little vacation with my dear girlfriend and her lovely authentically Mexican husband! It is only polite that I should have a few words to converse with them as they are putting me up in their home!
doesn't it look nice in Cozumel!
2. Um, and since I'm going to the beautiful beaches of Cozumel in a couple of months. One of the other things I am working on is getting my Canadian winter figure whipped into bikini shape. I am on a very enjoyable gluten free eating plan that SHOULD get me there. My genius nutritionist friend came up with the plan for me. I hope to convince her to make this her full time career once her little one reaches school age. Also, exercise, and lot's of it. Wish me luck!
3. My final plan for the year is to record at least two songs. I have been writing lyrics for years but now seems like the right time to put it all together and make some actual music. I intend to involve my most talented and beautiful musical genius friend of course. She kinda knows about it. Maybe not the part where she is involved of course. It may require a trip to California by me to convince her. That will be fun even if she refuses!
and those are my goals for the year.
you?
p.s. there is one more but it involves needles and ink and probably another fainting episode so I'm not totally convinced I will do that one.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
stolen moments
My favorite moments behind the lens in 2010
from left-
1. Snowshoeing Black Prince on a magical day. January is still full of hope.
2. An evening photo shoot in the skankiest bear costume you could ever possibly rent. hilarious.
3. Playing in the horse shelter with my mom. We took turns posing with that pitchfork. Mom is always such a great sport.
4. The first warm day of the year, feeling the sun on my skin was restorative. I spent hours out in my lone tree field this day.
5. The first long bike ride of the year. We rode for hours to the furthest parts of the city. This was taken overlooking the Glenmore reservoir, our drinking water supply.
6. My birthday. A day trip to Drumheller ensued. It was a beautiful and fun day with buckarooken.
7. 16 days on a private rafting trip down the grand canyon. Life altering and life affirming experience. You have no idea. It was exhausting, so hot, so challenging and yet so much fun. We slept out under the stars. We bathed under magical waterfalls. We each conquered our own fears.
8. A trip to Moraine Lake in Banff National Park with a visiting flickr friend. That day was perfect.
9. A solo trip to grasslands national park. Quite possibly my favorite place on earth. My first solo camping experience. It was a very beautiful and positive trip.
10. Finding beauty where I could not see it before. The barn has fallen and is no longer my wistful
muse but on this day with a flickr friend I found a way to accept it.
11. Rainbows. This year I witnessed many rainbows. Each one I saw was more spectacular than the last.
12. Winter again. Snowshoeing with buckarooken and his brother. My bil and I ended up spending a good deal of time together this December and it was good. we connected.
view on flickr
from left-
1. Snowshoeing Black Prince on a magical day. January is still full of hope.
2. An evening photo shoot in the skankiest bear costume you could ever possibly rent. hilarious.
3. Playing in the horse shelter with my mom. We took turns posing with that pitchfork. Mom is always such a great sport.
4. The first warm day of the year, feeling the sun on my skin was restorative. I spent hours out in my lone tree field this day.
5. The first long bike ride of the year. We rode for hours to the furthest parts of the city. This was taken overlooking the Glenmore reservoir, our drinking water supply.
6. My birthday. A day trip to Drumheller ensued. It was a beautiful and fun day with buckarooken.
7. 16 days on a private rafting trip down the grand canyon. Life altering and life affirming experience. You have no idea. It was exhausting, so hot, so challenging and yet so much fun. We slept out under the stars. We bathed under magical waterfalls. We each conquered our own fears.
8. A trip to Moraine Lake in Banff National Park with a visiting flickr friend. That day was perfect.
9. A solo trip to grasslands national park. Quite possibly my favorite place on earth. My first solo camping experience. It was a very beautiful and positive trip.
10. Finding beauty where I could not see it before. The barn has fallen and is no longer my wistful
muse but on this day with a flickr friend I found a way to accept it.
11. Rainbows. This year I witnessed many rainbows. Each one I saw was more spectacular than the last.
12. Winter again. Snowshoeing with buckarooken and his brother. My bil and I ended up spending a good deal of time together this December and it was good. we connected.
view on flickr
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Completed Living Room Project- family home
I loved this project. The home belongs to clients who have young children and a lovely little dog so it had to be tough enough to handle the demands.
I redesigned the fireplace, changing it in the process from wood burning to a fuel efficient gas insert. I used a little asymmetry in my design which is unusual for me. The new smaller hearth is honed slate, the tiles are 1x1 faceted mirror tiles (from Icon Stone and Tile) . I designed the new built-ins for the existing alcoves. We did them in glossy white and they were economical that way. Both sides of the built ins have hidden under cabinet task lighting. The carpet was torn out and replaced with Bamboo hardwood. The ceiling was taken down and replaced so that we could use halogen pots and get rid of the old textured ceiling.
The leather Wingback sofa and matching 5 foot ottoman is from Montauk, the cute little slipper chair was the clients own and I had it refinished in black and reupholstered in chartreuse bouclé. The gorgeous yellow Knoll Bertoia diamond chair was ordered through Kit Interior Objects as was the authentic ghost chair and the Marimekko fabric for the toss cushions & the Fat Boy bean bag chair. The clients artwork is by artist Bratsa Bonifacho. Everything was painted in my fav Benjamin Moore color- Oxford white.
You can see all the after photos on my flickr site
Here are the before photos-
Sunday, November 21, 2010
10 cent Holiday Gift Guide
Inspired Tea Towels from todryfor
MacAusland's Woolen Mills Canadian made wool blankets
Norwegian wool felt slippers from Topaz Norway
Bertoia Diamond Lounge chair in sunny yellow wool felt!
Florence Knoll Credenza in white lacquer with a marble top
Live Bike from Globe
Modo Chandelier from Design Within Reach
Set of 8 Socks Rolled Down Tumblers from Marimekko
Jets by Jessika Allen bikini
Chan Luu's intricately embellished red leather, 14-karat rose gold-vermeil and dyed red quartz wrap-around bracelet
A Rocky Mountain Rail trip through the beautiful Rockies and all the way to the coast
Icebreaker Ladies Olympia Crewe
Lululemon athletica running top
Buff Tubular headwear in Black
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Details that mean something
I don't really believe in accessory shopping for my clients. Occasionally, this frustrates the client a bit, but I believe quite sincerely, that any objects in a house should be there because they have personal importance. The client is encouraged seek out items on their travels and to purchase items that they have a strong attraction to. For clients on a budget I often suggest that childrens artwork can be framed, a travel snapshot can be blown up, family memorabilia can be displayed, and student art can be purchased. With some of my clients who might have larger budgets I will encourage them to start collections of art and objects. I have introduced more than a few clients to my favorite local gallery SKEW and any of the iconoclastic items available at Kit Interior Objects will be treasured for years.
Personally I love handmade objects. This summer I purchased a set of these hand hammered copper bowls from a craftsman during a street fair in Invermere BC. I love the way they refract the light and I can't wait to show them off next time I serve a nice Indian dinner with friends.
The hand thrown white ceramic bowl was purchased in Val Marie Saskatchewan, a tiny hamlet just north of Grasslands National park. I love the weight of it and the smoothness of the glaze. Come to think of it, I also purchased a fabulous small painting at a gas station in rural Alberta (the owner is a painting hobbyist).
Throwaway trends and accessories simply don't make sense to me. It's not environmental and it doesn't add any real sense of place or personal history. I understand the sense of urgency many clients have to "complete" their decorating but I encourage them to allow the decor to complete itself in a more organic way. I suggest my clients save up and buy the items they will want to keep for a lifetime. :)
Personally I love handmade objects. This summer I purchased a set of these hand hammered copper bowls from a craftsman during a street fair in Invermere BC. I love the way they refract the light and I can't wait to show them off next time I serve a nice Indian dinner with friends.
The hand thrown white ceramic bowl was purchased in Val Marie Saskatchewan, a tiny hamlet just north of Grasslands National park. I love the weight of it and the smoothness of the glaze. Come to think of it, I also purchased a fabulous small painting at a gas station in rural Alberta (the owner is a painting hobbyist).
Throwaway trends and accessories simply don't make sense to me. It's not environmental and it doesn't add any real sense of place or personal history. I understand the sense of urgency many clients have to "complete" their decorating but I encourage them to allow the decor to complete itself in a more organic way. I suggest my clients save up and buy the items they will want to keep for a lifetime. :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Colorful Doors
My current fav project included painting out all the bedroom wing doors in cheery, glossy colors. The new black marmoleum floors really help to set off the bright colors I selected. Yellow, orangey red, bright apple green, turquoise and finally one soft gray door. The client loves it. I think I love it even more. Makes me long for a hallway of doors to paint actually.
The reason for the colors? While it would have been in the budget to replace all the existing doors (which are likely reaching the 50 year mark) , I declared it non environmental to do so! Originally, I had ordered up new modern knobs for the doors but it turns out that 50 year old doors do not have the same set backs as new doorknobs require so we ended up using some inexpensive knobs from the hardware store. no matter! with those spectacular colors the knobs just add a tiny bit of sparkle. If you would like to try this yourself, make sure you sand and prep your doors first. You can use a roller with the glossy paint. of course, you will need to take the door off the hinges to paint it. and wait, patiently between coats. It will take you at least 3-4 coats to get this saturation.
The reason for the colors? While it would have been in the budget to replace all the existing doors (which are likely reaching the 50 year mark) , I declared it non environmental to do so! Originally, I had ordered up new modern knobs for the doors but it turns out that 50 year old doors do not have the same set backs as new doorknobs require so we ended up using some inexpensive knobs from the hardware store. no matter! with those spectacular colors the knobs just add a tiny bit of sparkle. If you would like to try this yourself, make sure you sand and prep your doors first. You can use a roller with the glossy paint. of course, you will need to take the door off the hinges to paint it. and wait, patiently between coats. It will take you at least 3-4 coats to get this saturation.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
