Where is the summer of 2017 going?  I can’t believe it’s almost the end of July! Next week I will be sharing some tips that are making these fast-flying summer months easier on our household, but today I want to share one of my favourite designers with you.

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Patrick Sutton is a Baltimore-based interior architect and designer who perfectly marries timeless style with a fresh, inspired spirit. Patrick’s designs feel both classic and original; innovative, yet familiar. He and his team are equally skilled at creating the most beautiful residential homes and the most jaw dropping hospitality spaces.

Residential

I love how these homes are refined, quiet and harmonious while still reflecting the personality of the homeowner.

Hospitality

These public spaces are inviting and warm but at the same time have a vibrant energy that make guests feel they’re somewhere special.

All images are from patricksutton.com

I hope you’re as inspired as I am by the work of Patrick Sutton. These designs have me indulging in serious interior envy. For more beautiful interiors from Patrick follow him on Instagram at @patricksuttondesign.

Happy Hunting!

The plan was to work busily all spring so that once summer arrived we would have the perfect backyard to enjoy with our friends and family. But you know plans- they have a way of getting out of hand and changing without notice. Plus it rained. It rained all spring. I mean all spring. So here we are into July and we have finished maybe half of what we wanted to do. So this post, which was supposed to be the big “After” reveal, has been downgraded to more of an update. See all the before pictures here.

This is what we started with. It really wasn’t bad. It just needed a few enhancements. (And I don’t mean that in the same way that your Aunt Rita uses that word when she goes away for her “spa weekends” and comes back with her cheeks pulled up around her eyes.)

And here’s the not-quite after.

From a distance it looks the same, except with more people wearing less clothes. Here’s what we have done:

Paint the pool shed.

Before

After

The trim is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy. It looks like a lighter blue here in the blazing afternoon sunlight, but it’s actaully a dark navy. Most importantly, the brown is gone!

I had planned to install these lights from Wayfair, but the price of each sconce was $150 and we wanted 2 of them. I couldn’t justify spending $300 on lights that would only get used during pool season. Instead, I was able to find the ones in the picture above at Home Deopt for $35 each. They were similar enough in feel and finish and I can always remove the cage and globe around the bulb for a more exact match.

Last year’s hammock didn’t even make it through the first pool party of the season. This innocent looking place of relaxation is actually a giant swing where children are hurled through the air and upside down while screaming madly. I hope hammock number 2 can live up to the challenge.

The view from the hammock

and at night.

Here’s the garden by the pool before – I am so good at growing weeds.

And after

and at night

I had hoped the sitting area by the shallow end of the pool would have been finished by now, but it’s not so it still looks like this.

The ugly air conditioner is still visible along with all the venting pipes and the garden hose. The plan is still to build something to cover all this up. The inspiration for my plans can be seen here. But it’s just so much nicer to sit by pool and enjoy the summer rather than work on a project!

I haven’t even mentioned the other gardens in the yard. Seriously, there are  too many gardens. The good news is tree debris (and rat village) has been remeoved so we can start thinking about doing something in that corner of the yard.

I have to keep reminding myself it’s okay that it’s not picture perfect and that our projects have been sidetracked by life. Despite my strivings for backyard utopia, not one single person has mentioned that they might have a better time if only the yard looked a little better. So, if you need me, I’ll be in the backyard – probably laying right here, ignoring the weeds in the garden behind me.

 

 

 

This super quick and easy DIY is 100% inspired (um, more like copied) by the amazing Tanya from Dans Le Lakehouse. Several years ago Tanya posted an art tutorial using framed agate rock coasters. Here’s what she did:

Gorgeous! I tucked this away in the back of head knowing some day I would have the right space for something like this.  Recently I was trying to find the perfect birthday gift for an agate-loving friend when I remember Tanya’s post.

I found my agate rock slices from the Etsy store, The Hollow Geode. This little shop has so many beautiful rocks, it was difficult to choose. I ended up selecting these:

and because I also wanted to make something for myself I bought these:

I picked up several of these frames from IKEA

and just attached the rock slices to a some white card stock and slipped it in the frame. Tanya’s instructions are so much better so please follow hers – I only snapped a few iPhone pics as an afterthought so the quality isn’t great. You can also see I took the easiest route to attach the slices of agate – double sided tape.

Here’s the ones I made as a gift:

and here’s what my completed project looks like:

(I never know what to do with the happy hour corner of the dining room, so I keep changing the artwork up)

This project turned out to be unassuming but full of character.

The pictures aren’t perfect; but let’s blame the lighting, not the photographer, okay?

I made four frames but I felt three was enough in the dining room so I put the forth in the bathroom.

This project was really easy, I worked on it while I made dinner. All six took me maybe 10 minutes. I promise the most time consuming part was unwrapping the frames!

Happy Hunting!

 

 

 

I’ve been seeing Fusion Mineral Paint everywhere and been wanting to try it. I was given this beautiful campaign dresser which was just the right size for our front hall and the perfect opportunity to try out the paint.

Just for the record, I am that person who will take others people’s cast offs, go out of my way for a garage sale and slam on the brakes (often causing my coffee to spill) for a roadside find. This little guy came from a friend so no coffee was spilled for this project (but it was spilled on it – read on).

I follow Fusion Mineral Paint on Instagram and the makeovers they post are so amazing that I just had to try it. Plus it seemed super easy, which is just about my skill level. Every review I read said the prep was minimal and that the paint goes on like a dream.  So I was excited to try it myself. I was tempted by the colour Seaside but I ended up going with Midnight Blue. The colour collections can be seen here.

I did a light sand of the entire dresser, but I’ve read that if the surface isn’t too glossy you can paint right over top of the original finish without sanding. I’ve been painting furniture for lots of years so I just couldn’t bring myself to skip this step. The hardest part of this entire project was taking off all the brass box corners and the 38 tiny nails that held them on, plus all the pulls and knobs.  Once they were out I was afraid I would drop them and lose pieces so I wrapped each box corner and its nails in plastic. My inner David Suzuki was very unhappy at the wastefulness of this, but since clumsy is one of my more dominate traits it had to be done.

The paint really did go on so beautifully, it is easily the nicest paint I’ve worked with. My kids even helped with the painting and their uneven strokes just blended in once dried.

Yes I did watch paint dry. . .and photographed it. (in our garage with really poor lighting)

This is the finished dresser with only two coats of paint.  I did wait 24 hours in between each coat even though it was dry to the touch in about an hour. The paint dried to a gorgeous matte finish that is wipeable- I know since I’ve already spilled coffee on it.

I’m so happy with the results – I’m already looking for something else to paint!

 

 

 

Mother’s Day is this week and if you’re like me, you want to give your mom (or that special mom-like person) something that shows you really care. I always struggle at Mother’s Day to find that perfect something that says “you’re the best, sorry about my teen years, thanks for helping me become a decent human and all you still do for me even though I’m a grown-up”. Somehow a bouquet of flowers or a gift card just doesn’t cut it. So I’ve rounded up a few goodies that I think will be loved by all the kinds of moms in your life.

needs-some-self-love mom:

Sarah’s Soap

Small batch, handcrafted soaps, body butters, balms and lotions from pure ingredients. I love this line of body products and have some serious feelings for this and this.

bag-lady mom: Grace Bohemian Bags

Hand sewn shoulder bags, clutches and pouches made from  Moroccan, Turkish & Peruvian carpets and cowhide leather.

mom and her mini-me: GIFTOLOGIE Cuffs

Matching aluminum bracelets. Available in custom designs.

loves-to-share-photos-of-her-kids mom: LePapierStudio Silhouette Jewelry

Custom silhouette art and jewelry.

keepsake-loving mom: Marguerites Main St Printable Art

Downloadable DIY Dandelion Fingerprint Art. Also perfect for the last minute shoppers. Just print this and have your child finger paint the pods.

great-sense-of-humor mom: Just for Keeks Glassware & Clothing

Customizable cute and cheeky quotes on everything from wine glasses to socks.

needs-to-be-caffeinated-to-function mom: Parachute Coffee

This subscription coffee service delivers fresh roasted (in Toronto) coffee right to your door. The idea of not having to get out of your pajamas to get amazingly fresh roasted coffee is a gift that gives back. Imagine how much more cheerful and on her game your caffeine loving mama will be with this gift.

home-body mom:

Mother’s Touch Candles

Soy candles infused with pure essential oils.

An finally for the has-it-all mom: a tattoo

What mother wouldn’t be proud of this!

Happy Mother’s Day!