Make+Do: The Craft Blog {from Canadian Living magazine}

Probably one of the oldest print magazines in Canada for women is Canadian Living. I have a personal connection to this magazine, as my own mother worked for them for a number of years when I was a teenager ( a long long time ago ). I've had a connection to them ever since!

I frequent their website pretty much weekly, and today I just discovered that have just started a craft blog! Make + Do: The Craft Blog was just launched yesterday, written by Canadian Living's resident craft expert, Austen Gilliland.

image from Canadian Living

This is so exciting, I can't wait to see what Austen has in store for us all!

Anthropologie is OPEN in Toronto!

I have been waiting for this all year! Anthopologie just opened their first Canadian store here in Toronto, and the new gorgeous Shops at Don Mills. My first visit to the store (in person) was just this past fall while I was visitnig family in Colorado, and let me tell you it was LOVE at first sight.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the press preview opening last night due to a staff meeting at my day job, however, i'm hearing that it was well worth the drive.

Hmmmm. Guess what i'm doing this weekend? :-)

all images above copyright/courtesy of Arren Williams

Link Love {paper*crown}

YowzA! Major eye candy alert!

Enter Sarah Ahearn, blogger at paper*crown, (and my e-course classmate) and mixed media painter extraordinaire! You have probably seen her work before on other design blogs, and maybe even in some craft/art magazines out there?

all images from sarah ahearn

You can find Sarah, and her work all over the place.....start visiting.....NOW! tee-hee.

Etsy Shop
Nahcotta Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
Artstream Gallery, Rochester, NH
Paper N Stitch
Decor8
Real Simple Simply Stated
CLOTH PAPER SCISSORS magazine
Studios Magazine
Squam Art Workshops
Flickr

Sarah, you're a busy bee aren't you!

do ya love it or what???

OK, so I've been meaning to do this for like EVER. I have created a new header for DecorAddict. What do you think? Be HONEST!!!!

Hugz!
Trina

Brooklyn Flea

I’ve had a fantasy for about the past 15 years about living in a foreign city. A lot of people have this same dream, but most dream of a Paris Apartment, or a beach house in Thailand. My international residency would be in New York City. Not that I could ever afford it, so I think Brooklyn would be more manageable. Not to mention isn’t Brooklyn THE cool place to be these days? Affordable housing (compared to Manhattan), cool new restaurants, and just an edgier hipper vibe than NYC.

I’ll often visit local websites/blogs written specifically for residents of NYC and the neighbouring boroughs, just to peek into the culture and the lifestyle. Yes, the city that I live, Toronto has it’s own vibe to it, but I must tell you, there is NOTHING like standing in the middle of times square at midnight, any day of the week. There is this energy that I just can’t compare to ANYTHING else.

I was made aware of a new staple in Brooklyn this week, the Brooklyn Flea. An urban outdoor market that takes place every Saturday & Sunday from April to December. The market was launched last spring by friends Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, who also author the Brooklyn real estate/renovation blog, Brownstoner. With over 150 vendors offering everything from vintage clothing, antiques, collectibles, new jewelry, local artisans, and amazing food, this market is truly one of a kind, unlike any other, anywhere.

image from Brooklyn Flea

Lucky for us, some of their vendors are available online, so we can virtually visit portions of this market any time we’d like, all year round. I will make it to Brooklyn one day however, I surely will.

Kumquat Cupcakery
website, blog

images from Kumquat Cupcakery

LOOK AT THESE! Besides from being absolutely adorable, they are delicious! Or so I hear. The next time someone from the GTA is in Brooklyn/NYC on a weekend, please grab me some (this means you Stephanie!). I must try these! Yummy!


Alison Tauber
website, blog, Etsy

image from Alison Tauber

The perfect chance to meet an see an Etsy seller up close and personal. Alison screen prints her own fabrics transforming them into handmade pillows, crafts, and clothing. She offers custom work a well. Gorgeous!

image from Alison Tauber

Not enough eye candy for you? You can visit the full vendor list of the Brooklyn Flea here.

Arren Williams {stylist extraordinaire!}

You've probably heard of Arren Williams, Canadian Stylist extraordinaire? No? Well, be prepared, he's already taking the country by storm, who knows where he'll end up next.

Arren describes himself as a freelance stylist, editor and trend reporter, his work appearing in many Canadian publications such as Flare, Canadian Family, as well as being a regular guest expert on CityTV's CityLine.

His "style" is so eclectic, appealing not only to the jet-set uber crowd, but also to the more common everyday family. Here is a brief selection of some of his work below:

Magazine: Home Depot Dreambook
Art Director: Brenda Van Ginkel

Magazine: Style at Home
Art Director: Susan Rogers
Photographer: Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Magazine: Flare
Art Director: Tanya Watt
Photographer: Donna Griffith

Magazine: Home Depot Dreambook
Art Director: Brenda Van Ginkel

Magazine: Canadian House & Home
Art Director: Maarten Sluyter
Photographer: Angus Fergusson

Magazine: Chatelaine
Art Director: Caren Watkins
Photographer: Luis Albuquerque

Arren, if you're out there reading this, can you come to my house? Please? ;-)

Phew. {more Link Love}

Happy Friday everyone!

I thought I'd keep today's post sweet and simple today, since it's the start of the weekend, and everyone is winding down and getting ready for a relaxing weekend (hopefully!).

image from Design Evolution

Is the weather starting to get nice and warm where you are today? It's a balmy 20C here in Toronto today, the first real "shorts & sandals" day, and I'm thinking a nice long walk after dinner will be in order tonight, as long as it's not interfering with Prison Break (tee-hee).

image from Luxe Earth

You all know that I've been participating in an e-course on blogging for the past 2 weeks, right? Well, I just have to say that this has been the most AMAZING experience for me. Not only have I listened to myself, my true self, I've listened to others, and I'm meeting some fabulous people along the way.

image from fresh 365

I've already talked about some of my fellow classmates this week in my Link Love series, and I hope that you have enjoyed these new blogs as much as I have.

image from Visual Notes

I feel as if I'm a bit over saturated at the moment, with all the information from our class, and all the new friends and blogs that I'm finding, that I thought I'd let you explore some of these new blogs for yourself! Not all are design blogs, but all are worthy nonetheless.

The Red Thread

Luxe Earth

fresh 365

Design Evolution

Visual Notes

I hope you all have an amazing weekend, get some rest, as I will, to get ready for another exciting week here at DecorAddict.

image from The Red Thread

Colour! {mood board}

I absolutely LOVE this bold colour scheme. I found this via the ColourLovers site. Have you ever visited it before? It’s tres cool, with sooo many colour palettes to choose from that are created by it’s members or by the ColourLovers staff. Absolutely delicious and yummy!

image from colourlovers

Raspberry sorbet anyone? Tee-hee! That is a GORGEOUS colour!

IF and I mean IF i had the guts, I would absolutely apply this colour scheme to my own home. If I wasn’t expecting in 12 weeks, I would be at the paint store now deciding on one or maybe more of these to paint our apartment.

Too bold you say? Hmmm. Maybe this will make you think again:

image by decoraddict

clockwise, from top left; lanterns-Anthropologie, India ink curtains-Anthropologie, spine wood bookcase-West Elm, fiery dawn rug-Anthropologie, trollsta sideboard-Ikea, Jules side tables-Crate and Barrel, cascara coffee table-Anthropologie, fruiteria lamp-Anthropologie, Martine sofa-Crate and Barrel, sui generis frame-Anthropologie, bird-Anthropologie

I'm not sure which of these 5 shades I'd go with ultimately for the walls. Because it's so saturated, I'd probably choose 1-2 feature walls and go with 1 or 2 of the 2 brightest shades, the remaining walls a nice bright white. This will make these gorgeous brights pop!

Sigh. Maybe I'll have this guts this fall to take the plunge. Hmmm....now I'm thinking I just might.........

What do you think? Are you scared of colour? Do you use it sparingly, or wherever you can?

Getting Organized {3 easy tips!}

I don't know about you, but 99% of the time, I'm totally unorganized. I usually think that I can keep track of everything in my head, without even writing it down. I think I know where everything is, then when I go to look for it, I can't find it, or I'm scared to look for it with the fear that I won't be able to find it. For example, my passport. I know I keep it in a particular place, but I'm scared to look to make sure it's there, just in case it's not there, as if it's not there I will totally freak out, go ballistic, and literally turn into a puddle of tears.

With our bundle of joy on the way in less than 12 weeks now, (OMG!), I'm terrified I won't be able to even find the diapers in the chaos of those first few days/weeks, so, I'm going to stop procrastinating and am going to start doing! Our home office could use some help too.

Here are a few organizing tips that I find useful, and thought that I'd share with you today.


1. Look Up! Before my husband and I moved into our current 2 bedroom condo, we lived in a tiny loft, with no doors. The only place we had to put our stuff was up, or on the walls! If you lack floor space, or have simply run out of room elsewhere, look at wall shelving, or tall furniture items. Don't forgot that spot on top of your armoire or kitchen cabinets either, it's a great please for items you need to access on a not-too-often basis.

image from Dwell

2. Sizable options. If your living room is tiny, don't buy an overstuffed 3-seater sofa or sectional. If your living room is HUGE, buy a larger than average piece. But your furniture to match the size of your room. Small spaces = condo-sized furniture. Large Spaces = multiple pieces.

image from Style At Home

3. Hidden space. Under the bed, or under the sofa are awesome places to store out of season clothing, board games, the kids toys, or anything that comes to mind that can be flat packed. These spaces are easily accessible to the kids as well.


Do you have any simple and easy organizational or storage solutions at your home? Please feel free to comment below, I'd love to hear what everyone has to say, and hey, we can all learn from each other, right?

Link Love {Gathering Spriggs}

Don't you just love it when 2 or more people collaborate to create something? This is the case with today's blog, Gathering Spriggs. "An artistic collaboration between Eve Peach and Heather Spriggs Thompson". Don't you wish your name was Eve Peach? Adorable.

Gathering Spriggs is one part online shop, and one part online gallery feature. I'm so happy I found this blog via my e-course! These 2 beauties gather inspiration from nature to create new re purposed handmade items for your own personal environment. They have also created a sense of community at Gathering Spriggs drawing together artists, customers, and crafters together by showcasing works of new artists and crafters at Gathering Spriggs.

all images above from Gathering Spriggs

I was peeking at their Flickr page as well, and Heather has uploaded some pics of her home, absolutely beautiful here.

Did you know that Heather also runs her own faux finishing business entitled Heather Thompson Faux Finishing? I'm not talking chicken's, roosters, and sponge painting here. I'm talking elegance and old world style at it's best! Where does she find the time?

all images above from Heather Thompson Faux Finishing

A few years ago when I was looking for a job change, I once applied to be a "faux finishing apprentice". Unfortunately for me the job was filled very quickly. Hmm...wonder what could of been?

Last but not least, Eve Peach is a very talented accomplished fibre artist exhibiting and working in Nashville, TN.

all images above from Eve Peach

Is everyone enjoying my new finds this week? Let me tell you that I'm continuing to be totally inspired each and every day by my classmates. I hope you are being inspired by my new friends as well!