Merry Christmas!

Well, we've had our first meltdown of I'm sure many to come over the next couple days. Lack of sleep, excitement and too much sugar! I wouldn't change a second of it though. My daughter, Isabella, said to me last night "Mommy, this is a very special time" and she's so right. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

Dining Room Inspiration Board!

Only 5 more days until Christmas! Wow! We're very excited over at our household. My 3 year old really "gets" it this year and my hubby and I are thrilled to celebrate our baby's first Christmas. We spent the weekend making a gingerbread house and celebrating with friends and family. We hope to squeeze in a couple more Christmas outings before the big day. Our favourite one is going to a famous Vancouver garden that is filled with lights, music, hot cider and usually a visit from the main man - Santa!

Okay, now on to my post. Back in the summer I put together a design board for a friend's dining room. She kept her existing table and recovered the seat cushions in the fabric below. My favourite part is the rug. I'm not normally much of a fan of a rug in a dining room but this space was separate and we thought it could work. I hope she is enjoying her new space for entertaining this holiday season. Enjoy...

Gwen Stefani at Target!

I fully admit - I love Target! I know some people may snub their nose at it, but every time I go there, I don't leave empty handed. I love that they are doing designer lines for less. Their recent line by Gwen Stefani for kids was amazing. Unfortunately, most of the items I got are not picture online. I scored some of the cutest kids clothes I've seen for my two little gals. Here are a few pics. Enjoy...

What a perfect  Christmas dress!

I wore this on my baby the other day and got tons of comments on this little panda suit!

So unique!

I LOVE this coat!!

Over the top but adorable...

Presley's Nursery

I have been wanting to post this for about 4 months! Presley is now 3 months old and I had finished the nursery about a month before she was born. The problem is trying to get good indoor photos. My girlfriend and I took a photo class last week and thought that might help, but I need more practice. Anyway...here's what I've got. Decorating Presley's nursery was so much fun for me. We didn't know boy or girl so decorating gender neutral was an interesting challenge. I wanted it to be bright, happy and playful. This was my inspiration board post. I thought I'd add more girly things now that she is born, but I actually like keeping with it's fresh vibe. I also set myself a budget for this room and was able to come in under with some great finds and "vintage" pieces. I'd like to add a bookshelf and maybe a mobile. Here are some shots of Miss P's pad! Enjoy...

On her door

The first item purchased was that ottoman - love all those fun colours!

Vintage dresser - little white paint, cute knobs...voila!

Found these fun turtle knobs with great colours

Our cuddle zone :-) I'm not a fan of the rocker, but a sheepskin and funky pillow help.

This was one of the last items in the room but probably my most favourite

The carpet was in my office but fits perfect here

My daughter and I made those little paper wall animals...

So Charming!

I found something I love and wanted to share as I think it could make a great Christmas gift (or a gift to oneself!). While browsing in one of the best stores ever, Anthropologie, I noticed these great chains and charms that you can customize to create your own necklace. I love this idea of having a trendy piece of jewelry that's also personal. They have lots of choices - below are the one's that I chose for my special necklace. Enjoy...

Start with a simple long chain

Add a little bling...

And of course an "I" and "P" for my two little babes!

A Craft Room?

Okay, I admit, I'm not that crafty. I admire all those wonderful DIYer's in blogland, and aspire to get a bit better. This leads me to "the craft room." While watching my favourite show on TV right now, HGTV Sarah's House, she and Tommy created a craft room in one of the spare bedrooms. When they first mentioned the idea I thought it could be a waste of a room but by the time I saw it done, I did a complete 180 and now I want one! As Sarah (Sarah Richardson that is) said: why not make an extra room for the family? Offices can only be used by one person and guest rooms rarely get used. The more I thought about it, the more I agree. With two daughters, I see crafts and rainy day projects as part of our future. How fun would it be to have a space they can use, I can also use with them and alone for my own creative ventures. I think this might go on my 2012 "to do" list. Have a look at my future craft room - maybe? Enjoy...

Clever wall storage

Love this basic piece that was painted to add some charm

And voila...here it is...kinda dreamy right?

Living Room Design Board!

Life is busy! Feels like a long time since I've posted. I have so many ideas and have started making a list, the hard part is actually sitting down to post them. Well, here is one off the list. Back in August, I reconnected with a friend who I have known since we were kids. She moved into her beautiful Vancouver home over a year ago and since then welcomed her second baby boy and had little time for decorating. She asked if I could give her some thoughts on her living and dining room and this led to two things. The first being we have had so much fun getting to know each other again and have been able to get together with our little one's and secondly we embarked on a fun adventure of decorating her living and dining room. We were on a tight timeline with my baby due 2 weeks from when we started...yikes! So here goes...she had an existing couch she was keeping that was neutral in colour and has a sort of damask pattern to it, so we built the rest around that. Here are some ideas I came up with and she has been having fun putting the items together. Enjoy...

Oh To Dream...

I had, what I might call, a perfect afternoon last week. I visited our local Lottery Show Home followed by a tapas lunch at one of my favourite restaurants (and my littlest babe slept peacefully the entire time!). This show home is across the street from the water and was designed by the amazing Kelly Deck. The pictures almost don't do it justice - so if you live in the Vancouver/White Rock area it's a must see! The kitchen is a total dream for me and the master bedroom and bath is out of this world. I'm not much of a homebody but if I lived in this house you could never get me to leave! Here are some dream worthy pics of what I've been drooling about. Enjoy...

Master Bath - the marble, the tile, the chandelier, need I say more! Oh yes, all with an ocean view...

This is the master bedroom - I could live in just this space!

The elegant dining room

The kitchen - I'm so in love. I'm imagining cooking here with my favourite people relaxing at the Island...sigh!

Another shot...ohhh, that marble!

I love that there are 2 seating areas, one for TV watching the other for entertaining, so smart!

Another angle - lots of grey, cream, brown. Sophisticated and comfy!

My Lack of Blog Posts!

Is due to these two little cuties! Being a new mom to 2 little girls has been exhausting and all consuming but this past 7 weeks has been the best time of my life! I feel so lucky and can't wait to watch these sisters grow. Thanks to all our amazing friends and family who have brought us food, looked after our kids, cleaned up our kitchen and have been so excited to get to know our newest daughter.

Weekend Agenda: a visit with one of my favourite gals and her little ones, pizza making with my daughter and my girlfriend (might attempt to make homemade dough, we'll see?), some pumpkin carving (that will be on my hubby's agenda), a baby shower and hopefully a few things around the house (have some good blog posts on some fun new items soon!).

Have a wonderful weekend...Enjoy!

Fairy Party!

My girlfriend (for over 23 years - wow, that makes us sound old!) is the queen of party planning. Our birthdays are 6 days apart and we used to hold our Sweet 16 and 21st birthdays at her house. Now, we are both moms to 3 year old girls and she recently hosted a fairy party for her daughter that was not to be forgotten. There was balloons, flowers, poms, a tea party (where she actually served the kids with real china - brave!) and the best part of all -  a 'real' fairy who visited the party to dress up the kids, paint their faces and of course sprinkle some fairy dust on the birthday girl. Here are some pics of this amazing party. Enjoy...

No need for the Martha Stewart poms - all homemade

Sugar for the tea party with handmade edible flowers

Delicious cupcakes

Treat cup at each place setting

Adorable birthday girl getting her face painted

Magical visit from the Fairy!

My own little fairy princess who perked up after a bit of sugar! :-)

Designing for a 3 Year Old...

via designers attic

I have a 3 year old daughter, Isabella. She somehow has caught the decorating bug and goes around our home rearranging and "decorating" as she calls it. We recently moved her into a big girl bed and are now in the process of decorating her room. I haven't gotten very far because anything I do she seems to not like and rearranges it to her own taste (yes, it's true!). Anyway, while on blogland - I found a picture that gave me some good inspiration. I have a large white frame like this one and love the idea of framing one of her little dresses. Her room is very shabby chic and I think this would work well.  Let's see if she approves? Enjoy...

Baby Girl!

We are thrilled to welcome a little girl into our family! Presley Amelia was born on September 1st. She is tiny and precious and we can't get enough of her. We feel so lucky. As a dear friend said to me - our house will be now filled with the 'squealing delight' of two little girls filling our home! Here is a pic of my little love. Enjoy...

Kyla Baker Photography

A New Fall Bag?

So, I'm thinking of treating myself to a new bag this fall. As I won't be buying many new clothes until I loose the baby weight, I thought I a new bag might help me feel at least a little stylish. Here is the one I'm obsessing over at the moment. Sort of that boho look that I hear will still be popular for fall. What do you think? Enjoy...

JCrew

Sofa Table Style and A Pic to Love!

Yesterday I was given a challenge. My mom bought a sofa table (at her go to place - Homesense)  and came over to look after my daughter for 1 hour while I went on the hunt for things to accessorize it with. Being 9 months pregnant, I wasn't sure I was up for the challenge - but took it anyway! Within 1 hour and 3 bags later I returned. My mom is what some might call picky or let's just say not shy to hide her opinions. Well, I'm happy to report that of all the trial items there is only 1 thing going back (a wicker basket which I'll probably keep for my place). Here are some fuzzy i-phone photos of what I came up with along with a picture I found that really has nothing to do with sofa tables but I just adore the look of this living room. Enjoy...

New brass pulls to be added...

One of my favourite items I found for the sofa table - at Indigo book store!

I'm obsessed with this pic. I want to find somewhere to add a desk like this.
Image via pintererst

Owls!

My love. I have never really collected any sort of animal. That has changed. Now, I know the owl is a popular bird these days, but original or not, I still love him. I started collecting him when we moved into our house last summer. I'm trying not to go overboard with our love affair. But, here are a few of my favourites. Enjoy...

My lovely owl vase at my entry

My silver owl 

Camomile tea from my owl teapot - perfection

A little owl bling (necklace)

An owl print purchased in Montreal

My favourite owl of all (is dressing up my daughter as an owl means I went too far?)