A New Beginning

Wow.  Less than 3 weeks on the market and I sold my house!!!  I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how quickly everything has happened.  If I may brag for a moment...dang! I'm so proud of myself for getting the house ready to put on the market, leaving it spotless on a daily basis and for what may seem simple to others- keeping my sanity!  And guess what?  No tears.  YAY for me.

Time to get down to business.  Notice I choose to ignore the boxes that need to be packed and the things I need to get rid of.  I would much rather focus on how I'm going to decorate mine and Luce's new pad.  

Since I've decided to rent for now, I've been torn between finding a house or a condo.  After looking at several run down and smelly rental homes, I've decided on a condo downtown.  It's going to be a brand new lifestyle and I'm psyched for me and the Luce.  Everthing is new, floor to ceiling windows, subway tile in the bathrooms, hardwood floors and tons of wall space to hang my art.  A terrace where we can sit outside, a gym, garage parking and I get to buzz people up when they come to visit. 

I'll say that part again... I get to buzz people up. 

(doesn't that make you want to sing the theme song from the Jeffersons?)

I think my furniture is going to look and fit really well in the space.  However, with a new place, there are always new things you need.  Here's what I have in mind:

Round table from IKEA that has a leaf to seat 6 when needed.

I already have 2 ghost chairs, will need two more.

Coral chandelier for above the table. 

Parsons desk, suppose I'll need to get a groovy laptop.

Armchair with casters to go with my new desk. 

Have always wanted an upholstered headboard and with this bed,

no dust ruffle to mess with.

 

Have about 6 weeks to prepare for my move.
Wish me luck!



How Cute is This!

One of the very first blogs I discovered, Absolutely Beautiful Things,
is written by Anna Spiro- design extraordinaire from Australia.
She posted this chair today and I absolutely love it!!!
 

 
This was a small vintage chair she found and painted black.  She has two sons and the older helped Anna decorate it for his younger brother that was turning one. 
She used plain white canvas, fabric felt pens
and suggested ironing it after it was dry to seal the ink.
Absolutely darling.  

Funny How Life Happens

What was it, a few weeks ago and I was crying because I decided to sell my house?  Don't get me wrong ...I am still sad and pretty sure I will fall apart when I tape up the last box and close the front door behind me forever. 
You see, over the past few years I've suffered through many life-altering events. 
Separating with my ex-husband, going through a divorce, becoming a single mom, dating, deciding to sell my house and dealing with depression. 
During this time I've had to realign my ideals on how my life would be.
 I needed to know... how does one drag themselves out of the bed they've
been crying in for days on end... get from point a to point b?

For me there were tears, therapy, good friends/ family, focusing on myself and the most difficult part- TIME.  But then one day, I woke up and felt.. different.  Better.  Optimistic.  Dare I say happy?  I never thought I would say I am getting excited about what the future has in store for me, but I am.  I spent a lot of time dwelling on the negative aspects of my life, when in reality, my life is pretty good.

I'm proud to say I made some positive observations about myself:

I have endured a lot and I am OKAY
I am a strong woman
I know when to ask for help and am aware of what I can or can't handle on my own
It's okay to be sad, it's okay to cry
I am beautiful
I am loved
I am a good mother, daughter, friend, sister, niece and girlfriend
I am funny
I have learned how to take care of myself, both physically and emotionally
I've accomplished a lot of things I never thought I could
Instead of taking blame and feeling guilty, I forgive myself
And I did the one thing I was really scared of, starting a blog. 
And I love it!

I've been looking at new places to live and it's helped me see that this move is a GOOD thing.  I will get out of debt and believe that as much as I love my house, starting over without the zillion memories I have here, this is what I need.  For now.

Of course, with an impending move, I have a ton of
design ideas swirling around in my head! 
Can't wait to post them.

Have a good weekend everyone!

How to Decorate a Staircase Wall

The idea of decorating a staircase wall can be daunting.  

More than likely it is very large and to make things more challenging...on an angle. 

As an 'amateur' photographer, I generally lean towards a picture wall.  

However! It's not you're only option.

Art, prints, photos...love this.

Imagining this took forever to hang, but it looks great.
Especially with the runner.

You could hang 4-6 framed prints, same size, same frame at an angle in your stairwell.

Frame and hang your children's art.
And I love the children's photo's in color.

Lot's of small framed art.

Stunning.

Classic.

So unique, love that the frames are touching one another.

Mixture of art and b&w photos.

Large silouettes!!

Tons and tons of art.

I think it would be fabulous to have 10-12 large silouttes framed and hung together.

Framed wallpaper!

Inexpensive way to fill a big space.  Hang the wallpaper and frame it with molding.

Love this.

Antique frames filled with wallpaper for art.

matchbook magazine

Stumbled across a new online magazine:
matchbook  'Field Guide to a Charmed Life'

Premier cover done in watercolor:

matchbook is a lifestyle publication that seeks to inspire women 

around the globe to design a lifestyle they adore.

Peonies...

I do not consider myself a gardener.  

As a matter of fact, I really don't enjoy it at all.  

All that bending over to pull weeds, getting dirty 

(not that I mind getting dirty, just not from working in the yard).  

It seems like there is always something to pull, plant, cut or trim.

For me, the best part of having a garden is the the plant that takes the longest to grow and once it blooms those two short weeks in May, 

doesn't last nearly long enough for me to enjoy.  

My all-time favorite flower: the Peony. 

I have about eight peony bushes and only have one that has bloomed 

(another has one bud).

I love the yellow center.

Kitchen Island.

Bedside.

These beauties make me OH so happy.

New Lonny!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently.  

Been trying to sort some things out in my messy little life.

The new issue of Lonny magazine is online!

Enjoy!

 

The Details of Everyday Life are Powerful.

About eight years ago, I tore out and have carried around an article that best explained why I do the things I do.  Not the big things: jobs, schools, vacations or how I should be saving money.  But the hundreds of tiny things I do for the people I love and weave into their nests day in and day out.

This includes cleaning.  I love keeping house; it is through cleaning that I really understand my house and how it works.  It matters to me that the closets aren't crammed with junk (although they certainly get that way).  It's true- I find vacuuming therapeutic, it forces me to focus on the task at hand and I like to see the trouble disappearing so easily.  It matters that there is order, if only because it gives me a sense of security and control.  I can hold the chaos of the world (or in my head) at bay when I look around me and the floors are clean and the shelves neatly arranged.  

I don't see it as false security, it's just simple security. 

It is the smallest gestures that contain the greatest love.  

Brewing coffee and baking cookies.  

Making the bed in the morning and turning it down at night.  

Snuggling my daughter with warm towels and lot's of hugs and kisses after a bath.

A bouquet of fresh flowers.

A warm fire.

Drawing a bath and stacking the towels on a stool.

Surrounding ourselves with things that are meaningful.

And at night, pulling the curtains just so and clicking on the night light. 

These gestures become ritualistic and I do them as a way of expressing affection.  

Surprise is great, but so is reliability.