Not your ordinary nursey...

Have you ever seen anything sweeter? Forget bunny themes or Disney characters, why not push the limits when decorating your little one's nursery? Gone are the days when all we had to choose from were the matching crib sets laid out in the pages of the Sears catalogue. There is no better place to glean creative, modern inspiration when decorating a child's space than Ohdeedoh.

If you've never been, you should. Ohdeedoh is fun, and fun is good!!

I couldn't resist...

(above pics) photo source, Ohdeedoh.com

(above two pics) photo source, House to Home.com

Take a Bow Tuesday

It's that time again, and there's no need to waste time with words, so get your link button firing and go check out this week's round-up of great ideas to either inspire you, or as some would say, make you feel bad about all the unfinished projects you have on the go:

Now, I know many of you have seen Just a Girl's amazing mudroom makeover before, but just in case you haven't let it be my gift to you!! You know how I love a great mudroom!

Now, many of you know Melaine, at My Sweet Savannah. If not, you are missing out on a great blogger who is so dedicated she updates her blog at least once daily, often more. I bow down to her dedication and the inspiration you get there is always top drawer. Not only is her blog great, but her Etsy shop is sooo much fun. And she keeps that stocked plentifully, too!!

Remember my penchant for a retro fridge? Seems I'm not the only one, but I am not as enterprising as this blogger, Jane of Out of the Crayon Box. She hates her old fridge and is bound and determined to pretty it up! This is just one of the reincarnations of her fridge. Check out this timeline of changes, in her mission to get what she wants. Right now it is one giant chalkboard...so cool!! Jane, if we ever get our pretty blue retro fridges, we can celebrate together!!

I have shared my love for camping before, and pretty campers are right up there on my list of things I like to drool over. Well, if you are like me, get ready to drool: here is another beauty to peek into. I cannot describe how cute it is. Have a look-see for yourself!

It is things like this that set Mrs. Limestone apart from the pack. If I ever thought I made creative invites, well...that notion just went out the window! I refuse to berate myself, however, and simply remind myself that she has mad talent, and runs a stationery design business, too.

Check our these fantastic bachelor party invites she and her hubby designed and executed.

Your jaw will drop...

By the Pool Transformations...

Remember this little treasure? Found at a real, bonafide junk spot? Well, look at it now, doing serious lifeguard duty:

The handyman was busy, too, building a changing area so wet feet don't have to track through my house. This is the before photo:

And the after:

Need to see it up close?

I made this little light holder, junk style, because I was trying to copy Ki and her infinite creativity:

Oh, and I gave a make-over to this little beach chair. It used to have Bratz fabric on it (ick!!) so I removed it and sewed up this striped Sunbrella fabric and painted the frame. I also picked up the vintage cooler for $10 at a thrift shop. It is my favourite shade of blue:

I will be unplugged for a few days while I enjoy some summer family time, and will return any emails as soon as I can. I want to thank everyone so much for the kind wishes and comments you gave me with regards to the new magazine. Ki, Matthew and I are overwhelmed and thrilled with the outpouring of support and excitement over this endeavour. Flea Market Style magazine will not fail to please, I can guarantee you that!! We will bring you more updates and answer any questions you have once the blog is up and running...we are aiming for mid-August.

Watch for it!!

On the Cover of a Magazine...

Well… not exactly, but I do have news that is so exciting I could pinch myself (if only I could find an inch…hah!).

Now, let’s make this clear: this is not news that affects just me, but also all of you – especially those of you who love the following:

a)vintage style

b) flea markets, thrift shops, occasional sales, salvage shops and yard sales

c) Matthew Mead and Ki Nassauer

d) magazines and

e) all of the above plus recognition for bloggers like you - finally recognized for the inspiration you so willingly share with your peers and the online community!

Without further adieu, I happily announce (as I squeal inside with excitement) the wonderful news that Matthew Mead and Ki Nassauer have pooled their incredible talents as style and junk experts, respectively, to produce and create a new magazine titled,

Flea Market Style – a 144 page newsstand magazine, chock full of vintage-style decorating, projects, collecting tips, special features and more - to be released in early spring, 2010. The magazine cover (at left) is a mock-up and the actual cover will be revealed when the magazine is released!

Now, normally this would be enough to send bubbles of anticipation through me (I love a great magazine), but here’s the icing on the cake for me: Ki and Matthew have invited me along for the incredible ride, and entrusted me in the role of Editor-at Large!! In fact, as I hinted, I will be in charge of bringing the point of view of the blogging community to the magazine and shining the spotlight on some incredibly talented bloggers, on-line shop owners, and Etsy artists. I will also be interviewing and featuring some of your favourite design celebrities to get their take on vintage/flea-market style and more. Matthew and Ki are also pleased to have the immeasurable talents of Heather Bullard on board as a contributor. Heather is a talented stylist and photographer whose work has been featured in a variety of publications, and many of you are familiar with both her beautiful blog and boutique.

Now, I will need someone to lean on for a second as I process this last detail: Matthew and Jenny Mead will be visiting yours truly this summer to photograph pockets of my home! I am beyond thrilled to not only be a part of such a wonderful magazine, but to be able to be a fly (probably a pretty pesky one) on the actual wall of a magazine photo shoot. It is almost more excitement than I can bear!! The only thing better would be if Ki could come along, too!!

Now, lest you think you will have a long wait until you hear more about this magazine, you should know me better. Matthew, Ki and I will be creating a new blog devoted to the making of Flea Market Style Magazine, where you will be invited to follow along on - via snippets of photo shoots, junking adventures, Ki’s Junk Bonanza, and the overall production process. I am so excited to be part of a magazine for home-owners who strive to decorate on a budget, using and repurposing items that are just waiting to be rediscovered and given new pride of place in their homes. I am also excited to fully engage this wonderful community of bloggers I have become part of and I hope you will follow us along on this exciting journey and feel a part of the finished product. We hope to have the blog up and running by mid-August, and we will let you know as soon as it happens.
Ki, Matthew and I truly hope you are as excited to have this new magazine hit newsstands as we are!

Check out their announcements here:

Matthew Mead's blog

Ki Nassauer’s Junk Camp and at Heather Bullard's blog.

Summertime...

Busy day, lots to do, sun is out...finally! I thought I would just share some of my favourite summertime photos to remind ourselves that it really is summer!!

By the way, check back tomorrow for my big announcement!!

photo sources:

image one: my house

image two: Anthropologie.com

image three: Katrin Cargill.com

image four: Canadian Home and Country.com

Take a Bow Tuesday

It seems there an awful lot of creative folk here in Blogland. Don't you people ever rest??!!

Lucky for us, there is still a lot going on this summer. Maybe it's all this crazy rain that keeping us cooped in and thinking up projects.

With birthdays on my mind (my son's), here are a few party ideas and some other creative home projects for your enjoyment:

Check out Wendy's Lego party for her little boy. Sweet and simple, but oh so fun!

A fun (yes, fun!) tutorial about how to hang a chandelier. Kind of reminds me of my own chandelier hanging fella...

She's at it again! The lovely and talented Heather, over at Splaneyo doesn't let the fact that she has four kids (one being a new baby) stop her from creating some of the the most beautiful cakes

I've ever seen. Check out this beautiful 3-D lemon cake she made her mum for her birthday. Can you say, Cake Boss??!!

Speaking of parties, this fellow Maritime blogger (from Prince Edward Island) shares a beautiful tea party she had in her garden. Can you even imagine anything so pretty?

This blogger shares an easy, fun wall art idea, originally found on House and Home magazine's website. Check out the rest of her blog for some inspiring posts on decorating and more!

One last party link: Shannon has the most amazing party ideas blog I think I've ever seen. If you have kids, or just want to drool, head on over!!

Ladies, Take a Bow!!

A Rose, by any other name...

Remember a while back when I revealed this wanton desire? How hot envy stabbed at my heart in a most unvirtuous way after seeing this veritable round-up of perfection? How could a girl not be envious? It seems everyone had one. Jen had one. Jerusalem had one. Heather`s was divine. Ki had a really cool one...of more ample proportions...a real renaissance girl. Margo showed hers off, bejewelled and lovely. It was more than I could bear.

The hunt was on.

Which was a bit of a joke, really, if you knew what I have to pick from for vintage shops and the like. Treasures like that don`t come `round these parts too easily.

But Rose had other ideas.

By the way, have you met Rose?

Yes. Rose found her way to me, ever so humbly, on my most recent trip to my favourite antique shop. I almost missed her. She was hiding in the dress-up corner of the shop, under a long, black coat. I rescued her. Yes, I did..for the sweet tune of $40.

It made my weekend, yes it did!!

Oh, and her name? Well, Rosie would be the name I would give to another daughter, if I lost my mind and decided to have another child (which I won`t!) Of course, Rose just fits better for my dress form. Now I have the perfect spot to display my large collection of vintage aprons.

Believe me, they look way better on Rose than me!!