His and hers

In the master bedroom, his & hers dressers, instead of one long dresser.

When we transferred the furniture into the new room, we placed our existing dresser on this wall. It looked too small. I was nervous to try twin tall dressers because I couldn't find examples online. Well, here you go, Pinterest*. It works! Maybe I will pin this to kick things off.



*now worth $11billion? What!?

ps. I IG'd the dressers ages and ages ago, wanted to get it up on the blog
pps. My big idea over the bed is done! but I just can't share it online. I don't have a thick enough skin. I might change my mind.

Big Idea

After walking through Moma, I want large art!

Take a look at Cy Twombly's Academy (1955).  It's massive, crazy, beautiful. I was hit smack in the face when the electronic guide said he took a cheap drop cloth and house paint and pencils to create ART. He called it Academy because it went against what he learned at Art School. Cheeky.

I have an idea.

It could be horrible, but I see it in my mind and I want to take a shot at creating it. The first step will be to buy some canvas (from Deserres). Then build a stretcher...then go for it.

Ohhhh butterflies. I see it. I see this thing in my head. It's not scribbles - so I am convinced I'm not copying... it will be a throw back to a tapestry I created in high school, and for all I know is still hanging in the chapel (but not even that and maybe I am bringing up high school art class to convince myself that I can be original?!! That was a long time ago!)

I will use the same medium, paint and pencils....what does it mean to be inspired, or to C-O-P-Y?

"For Twombly and for every other modern artist, what mattered was to come up with something original that did not look like all the painting that came before it."  Right??!!!! RIGHT?  

Thought I'd share. Because now I have to do it! Who am I to create art? Let's see what happens. It's just for my room so as long as I like it, right? It's not even groundbreaking or anything guys...maybe a little campy...but I can see it, and it has meaning to me already!!

What do you think of this scale?




ps. poor poor shabby bedding, your day is coming too!
pps. I don't want to build it up too much...you will probably roll your eyes at it when it's done...so simple

Moved the truck photos, now the curtains seem too light

I love the truck photo wall! I grouped the pictures by colour, using a level here and there to check the lines. We have a backlog of 100 or so photos my son wants to print. Actually, 155 more pictures, I just checked. I will have to negotiate that number down a bit, or we need to swap some out.

A handful of photos have my sons in them, posing beside or on the trucks (the science center car, the jeep at the LA children's museum, the zoo trucks, centreville ride, etc...) Really great memories!! I can't believe how small my older son was when we started this!

Oh and new pillows! I bought the blue DKNY Euro Shams for $9.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond Clearance at the beginning of summer. The NYC pillow cases are from Urban Outfitters - I had them in the basement for a time. I brought them out today because mama (that's me) and ba (my husband) are going to NYC for two nights while they spend time here with their grandparents.

What do you think about the curtains? Too light now? They are silk from west elm - at least five years old. I am not bold enough to dye them. Or am I?  Hmmm.... Any thoughts?

Moved the boys into the old master bedroom

All the rooms upstairs have been shuffled. We moved out of the old master into the new master. I moved the boys furniture into the old master bedroom (second largest room). The toys went into the boys old bedroom (third largest room, no closet) and the toy room became the new office.

I was dreading this reorg because I thought it would force me to buy new furniture. This room is good! It makes me very happy.

We will transfer the truck photos from the boys old room to the wall behind their heads. Big job! There are a lot of photos!

I have (non matching) bed frames for both boys, but they roll out of bed. They also jump on the beds like monkeys. I could get bars to hold them in but why not just leave the mattresses on the floor I say! Easy...and looks good to me!

The light fixture is vintage, bought it at the 400 market last year for $128. It looked way out of place with my old master bedroom furniture but I like it with this room set up!

The mirror wall hasn't been touched.  I will leave the mirror in this room and raise it 3-4 inches. The family photos will need to come down.

ps. the next job is cleaning the closets and moving the clothes.

  

Ikea Lisel Fabric - on sale!

 

 

 

First I thought "eek!", then "yum!", then "cute!", then "maybe?", then "yes!"

then I bought four metres

Ikea's Lisel fabric - right now $4.99/metre


UPDATE: 50 MINUTES LATER

I wanted to make a pillow out of this rug...and I had a little extra fabric...so I hand stitched them together and this is what you get:

I need to buy proper stuffing to make it puff up! (A king pillow insert should do the trick!)

New Art Upstairs

Last Thursday, I picked up the framed photos and paintings from the Nikola Rukaj Gallery.  They did a fantastic job!

When we worked with a designer (four years ago now!), she had several pieces of art framed using warm silver wooden frames. The gallery told me this is called germanic silver.  I went with germanic silver on the salvation army water colour (now hung in the office) and the open book photo (hung in the master bedroom). I used white frames to display my son's splashy square painting and the more subtle blue and yellow water colour (hung in the office below the bookshelves).

The abstract print (green, blue and yellow; below the water colour in the office) is a page taken from a book and stuffed into an ikea frame.  I want to hang more of these "Abstract Art Patterns and Designs" (that's the name of the book). Vintage (well, 1988) and fantastic!  Hmmm...maybe too much of a good thing? Perhaps I should list some of the best pages on Etsy? You like?     

ps. this is a two-part post! You could say I want to stretch this content for all it's worth (I do!), but mainly, I don't feel like taking photos in the basement today. 
pps. Added back the polar bear pillow onto the lucite chair ...for Tim, Natalie, Cathy Ficsher, Rosa Pearson, and Michelle!!

Do over: Master Bedroom

(good bye decorative vases)

After we added new mirrors in the master bedroom, the room felt too cluttered. I felt it in my bones every time I walked into the space.

Then I started to let things go. The blankets were just dumped on the bed in the morning, clothing piled up on every surface, there were shopping bags on the floor and folded towels stacked sky high on the dresser.

While reading Tim's blog I came upon this post.

I immediately tidied up. Twenty minutes later I pulled out the camera to take these photos.

ps. giving away vases from dresser // no throw pillows on the bed // putting tall light somewhere else // rainbow books moved to office // clutter removed from tray on dresser // kleenex box moved to shelf under nightstand // alarm clock (with the wrong time, and never used) put away // humidifier that I rarely turn on moved to the hallway //moved my 100 day workout calendar to behind the door from beside the nightstand

pps. I am going to remove the pink figurines (from my grandmother, they are on the dresser).  Orange, jute, cream, white, purple, grey, blue, black and pink is not a colour palate. 

ppps. say goodbye to the polar bear pillow too!

pppps. a creamy beige knit cable throw blanket on the bed would really tie the room together...I love my afghan though...maybe the same pattern but creamy white? What do you say mom?  Let me know if you have the time to take on another project!!!!

UPDATE: 

 

New mirrors!

Yesterday, Mt Pleasant Glass & Mirror installed two mirrors on our master bedroom closet doors.

I love them!!! The light bounces around the room...they really open up the space...it changes the entire room...blah blah blah...

More importantly: I can look at myself, from head to toe, whenever I feel like it! If you think I am only going to check myself out in the morning when I get dressed, why, you don't know me at all! 


ps. yes, I am vain...no, I can not pass a mirror or reflective surface without looking at myself. I am operating under the impression that this is completely natural!
pps. I did a little jig in front of them last night!  

BEFORE:

 

Laundry

I am tempted to slip under this mountain of clean clothing and read a few chapters of a Clash of Kings while the baby naps...

Folding granma's table cloth rug over the headboard

My grandparents on my dad's side were from Holland (my dad moved to Canada when he was very young).  We have a few things of my grandmother's tucked away in the bins in the storage room.  I have wanted to use this tablecloth* in my home forever!  I considered nailing it up to the wall in several different apartments over the years, but never executed.  Finally, finally, it has a home. 

*yes, it is like a rug, I am assuming if you have dutch grandparents, this is very familiar to you? 


PS...I desire a wall of narrow built in bookshelves along the entire wall behind the bed (not going to happen) and custom mirrors inset in the closet doors...the mirrors could happen...I have had two quotes in the past, but $500 seems excessive...my hairdresser's husband is a glass guy but I quit my hairdresser.  Maybe I will call for quotes right now instead of goofing around on the computer!! 

Bedside table clean up

Certain corners of my home spiral out of control.  Junk moves in and stays forever! I have no idea how this happens!!!*...I tackled the bedside table today and sorted it out!  Much better!

At night, my hair do-dads get tossed together into the big box in the drawer...I can't be bothered to sort them (elastics, clips, bobby pins).  When we lived in the condo (sooo long ago now!), I used to whip off my bobby pins and throw them at the dresser on the other side of the room (it wasn't a very large room).  Needless to say they NEVER hit their mark...I think this system is a huge improvement!

ps. I have 10 more books to read before the end of June to hit my goal of 50 books in 12 months...I am not so sure I can make it!  I went on a second-hand book buying spree yesterday...I am reading the skinniest on the pile, Cosmopolis (Hi RPatz!)
pps....moments after the photo, baby pooped up to his arm pits...

*cheeky

Before: