Friday!

Gosh, the weeks are just tearing by! I painted my bathroom this week. A bit like my mini kitchen reno, this was one of those projects that makes me rue living in a building with "character" (read: 1930's crumbling walls). Two days of prep and 6 coats of paint. My bathroom is probably smaller as a result of the extra paint layers, but it still feels nice and clean.

I made some headway on my other projects too and should be able to share something soon enough. And I had lots of fun writing my guest post for From the Right Bank. I've never been south of NYC, so attempting to tap into Atlanta style was fun and I was chuffed to get the nod from real Atlantans!


Around the blogosphere this week: I found wedding gowns that I actually covet (yay for sleeves!) And Remodelista did it again with another perfect-for-me abode. On those walls, I would definitely hang some of these laser prints, spotted over at For Me, For You. I'd also display this 1876 solar system quilt. And on the table, I would place these pieces from the new Alessi collection - isn't the photography reminiscent of William Bailey's artwork?

I don't have much planned for the weekend. I might try out a recipe from Babycakes (inspired, as always, by Anabela). But, enough about me! What are you up to? Regale me with your plans for epic adventure and conquest!

Image credits: 1. peaches, 2. oh baby spoons, i love you., 3. fresh bed, 4. Untitled

Filippa K

I ask you: What's not to like about Filippa K? I expect you'll find there isn't one thing. Not an iota. These are clothes we want to wear!

Book report: Ordinary Thunderstorms

William Boyd's Any Human Heart is one of my all time favourite books. I laughed and cried over this book and shoved it into the hands of many book-loving friends and watched them do the same. So, when I was in Ireland and saw that Ordinary Thunderstorms was already out in paperback (the book isn't released in Canada until February 2010), I picked it up. (And about 9 other books too.) I hate to say a book disappointed. But it did.


Maybe I'm not fully appreciative as the thriller as a genre, but this book seems to continue down the same path as Restless. It makes me wonder where Any Human Heart came from. Was it a fluke? What a beautiful fluke it was. I still remember the pain I suffered when Logan Mountstuart suffered. I felt none of that empathy for Adam Kindred, the hero of Ordinary Thunderstorms. I think that was my problem. I really didn't care what happened to Kindred. I only read on to sate my curiosity. But once I knew, I promptly forgot about him. And, surely, in any genre, that is a problem.

But, what about you? Is it important to you as a reader that you are able to get behind the hero of a book (even when he behaves idiotically?) Can a story survive for you without characters who reel you in? Is plot alone enough?

Four Etsy faves

I was going through my list of favourites on Etsy last night, looking for some Christmas shopping inspiration. Alas, I saw only things I want. I'll have to take off my selfish hat when I really start shopping. Because, unfortunately, my budget does not extend to two of everything... Maybe I'll just buy that cushion first though?


Product info: Hold It / Customizable Destination Bus Roll / Wire Bread Basket / Lines & Arrows cushion

From the Right Bank

You may remember Ally's lovely blogging space, which was recently featured in my Where we blog from series. Or perhaps you spotted her amazing house tour over on Design*Sponge. Well, the latest exciting new is that our Seattle-based, former Parisian is on the move again! Ally is, as I type, preparing to move to Atlanta.

I'm so excited to see how she incorporates Southern charm into her already impeccable design repertoire So, when she asked me to guest post, I couldn't resist a little fantasy shopping on her behalf. Hop on over to From the Right Bank to see my suggestions for Ally's new Atlanta abode.


Image from Atlanta Homes Magazine

Graf & Lantz

I stumbled upon Graf & Lantz when I wandered into the Gardiner Museum shop yesterday. Their felt Christmas ornaments are completely adorable.


When I hopped on over to their site, I discovered more treasures...

Shepherd England

Boy, I love a good scarf. And I'm equally susceptible to a nice blanket. So, a blanket-like scarf is bound to be a slam-dunk. No wonder then that I adore the voluminous scarves from Shepherd England.

The simple things

Christina of the beautiful blog Soul Aperture came up with a list of her favourite simple things in life and invited any other bloggers to create a similar list today. I love listmaking and I love Christina's soulful and at-ease approach to everything. Her writing all calms me and talks me down from my more highly-strung, frantic moments (I have many of those). See the list of other participants here.


My list is an old one. I wrote it when I was in Ireland, waiting to emigrate and trying to capture the kind of life I wanted to live. Whenever I'm feeling full of doubt or that I've gone off course I go back to it. It's my touchstone. The me I imagined when I had complete freedom to imagine. I tweaked it a tiny bit for today's post. But surprisingly, six years later, the vast majority of it holds just as true as the day I wrote it...

Water, horses leaning into the crook of my neck, wet earth & sweat pea, walking, galleries, shopping baskets, friends for dinner, markets, Beckett, clean sheets, old university campuses, solo dance parties, coffee pots, darkroom evenings, park benches, cookbooks, blankets, errand lists, ink and paper, housekeeping, musty bookshops, leaning my head back, magnolia trees, being kisssed on the mouth, bathtime, kitchen utensils, herb pots, smiling dogs, cracking the spine of a new book, fairy cakes, curling my toes with laughter.

Image from my Flickr

Where we blog from: Nibs

Anybody who has been blogging for a long time will know there are times when it gets tough. It truly takes a lot of work to do what we do. And though many deserve it, it's the tiny minority who are able to make a living off their blogs. Nibs was one of my favourite blogs for the longest time. Then Martha stopped blogging. We stayed in touch even after she shut up shop. Because that's what blog friends are like; it's a crazy supportive group.

There's no bitchy killer instinct in our corner of the blogosphere. Maybe it's a female thing (though I'm reluctant to exclude the (few) guys who I count as my blog friends too). Whatever it is, I think that means that we create highly individualized and uniquely inspirational blogs. Sure, we have a lot in common. But we sing in our own voices. Martha's voice was one of my favourite. And so it made my day when she reopened Nibs. This is where Martha blogs from and what she has to say about it.


Initially I began writing 'Nibs' in our attic family room, but we had some work done on the sheet rock and I ended up having to move into the small guest room. A table was already there just right for my iMac. A wooden trunk holds the printer. It's a tight fit, but thankfully I'm not disturbed by the other members of the family... except for maybe Jasper (our dog) who likes to sleep under the table. The repairs were made in the attic months ago, but as you can see, I haven't bothered to move back.

In case you're curious-
a. & b. I love wallpaper. Here the walls are covered in two papers- a vintage Laura Ashley floral (top) that I bought when I worked for the company and the other (below chair rail) that mimics stenciled leaves.
c. A drawing my mother did in art school.
d. Grandma's framed needlepoint.
e. I can't stand spending money on something when I can do it myself. I made both the fabric-covered shade and...
f. ...the all-fabric roller blind using Stiffy.
g. This is just the 'tip of the iceberg' with my magazine collection. The rest are stored in the den and basement. God forbid when we have to move!
h. Jasper refused to pose. His mid-morning nap was more important.

Thanks Martha!

Simple Home

I'm a huge fan of Bailey's Home & Garden and loved the book Recycled Home. But, I suspect I'll love Simple Home even more. I found some images over on this blog. Don't they just whet your appetite?

Update: I did purchase the book yesterday. It is extremely beautiful. Definitely one to look out for!