Well, we made it...what a whirlwind of a family trip we've had. 

I literally don't even know what day it is. Tuesday, I believe? Yes. Tuesday. My goodness.

My trip started July 19th when I flew out to Atlanta to visit family.

It was sort of a retreat for me as only my youngest, Grayson, accompanied me. 

Along the way I hoped to visit family in Alabama also but with only three days to pack it all in, that didn't really happen.

I also hoped to have coffee with my new friend Kelli from Restore Interiors and, unfortunately, we had to plan for next time.

I WAS able, however, to squeeze in a few fun things while I was in Atlanta.

This was one of them...Lewis & Sheron Textiles,.

When I say this place was PACKED full of every textile to fulfill a designer's dream, it doesn't even begin to describe how excited I was to enter the doors of this place. Ahhhhh-mazing!



And, before I really begin sharing here...may I please ask forgiveness for the horrible pics?
In my scurry to get everything packed and out of the house for our trip, I neglected to pack my nice camera. Luckily, as usual, my handy dandy phone came to the rescue.

This guy really enjoyed shopping with me that day...

And by the end of the day, he was pooped. Way too much fun...

This was his posture on our way back to the ATL Airport. He must have known he would need rest as we were hitting the road with the entire family after our five hour flight back home for what would be the family vaction on steroids. Literally.

We returned from Atlanta on Monday at 11:50p.m. and hit the road to California with the whole fam at 11:30a.m. Tuesday morning. Yes, you read that correctly. I barely had time to "repack" and shower before we hit the road for a summer family vaca. 

My awesome hubby had the whole trip planned. 

We would drive down to Cali from WA, to Black Butte, OR and back to Seattle. All in 7 days. Did we do it? You bet we did!

This is Mr. RHI. He was pretty serious about the schedule and driving. Can you tell?


It took us a total of 16 hours to drive from WA to CA. We split up our time driving 8 hours each day and arrived in Cali. But the reward was great!

We reached our destination.

And these guys couldn't have been more beside themselves...

And this guy had his first mint julep (non-alcoholic, of course)...and he actually drank it straight from the straw. Ladies and gentlemen...I think we have a genius on our hands! Hee,hee!

And he decided to drive us back North to Oregon. 

Just kidding...but he did make for a sweet photo. 

We had a 12 hour drive ahead of us. After a stop in Bakersfield, CA to visit friends that we haven't seen in over a year since our move from Hawaii, we made our way up to Black Butte,OR. 

Boy, were we ever in for a treat. Unbeknownst to us, Black Butte is one of the Pacific Northwest's best kept secrets. I guess it's not now though since I just let the cat out of the bag! 

We would only be there for two days but those two days literally changed our lives. Forever. 

We arrived shortly after midnight the same day that we left California so we were pooped and took no time to look around at what surrounded us. 

To our surprise the next morning, this is what did...

We spent our time equally between Sisters, OR and Black Butte Ranch, OR...both are only a few miles away from one another. 

Sisters was full of quaint little shops and recreational activties. Black Butte is a town within itself that boasts activties from golfing, to horseback riding, canoeing...the list goes on.

 It was absolutely amazing. 

We had some really close friends of ours who were staying at the Ranch. We are now committed to a family trip, every summer, at Black Butte Ranch. It's just that good. 

Of course, I found time to do a little junkin' with my older two and my mother in law who was so brave and traveled with us on our marathon of a trip! 

But not before I spent some time with the hubs.

We went for a bike ride on Monday morning together. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. 

This stream literally sprang "out of nowhere".

And the birchwood trees were everywhere. I found these especially appealing. 

I named them "Friends". Don't know if you can tell from the pic but it seemed as thought they all grew from one root. Pretty amazing. 

They also seemed to carry a bit of memories and history with them. I liked that. 

After our morning ride around the ranch we spent some time at the pool and then...

I got to go junkin! For an hour! Whooo, hoo! While I didn't get to fully experience all that Sisters had to offer in this area I did make it to Sage Antiques where I saw a few lovlies...

Some of the vendors had sweet little vignettes in their spaces.

And glasses and bottles. My weakness. Some of them had to come home with me.

And I thought this naval pillow was so cool.

So, there you have it! The past 12 days of my life. And now we're home.

Thanks for traveling with me!

I didn't think I was going to watch much of this Olympics, but here I am in the wee hours of the morning reliving my childhood horse passion, and cheering on the Australians in the Equestrian team as the horses power through the cross country.  So a suitably horsey post to suit my mood.More pattern than horse (above via Design Sponge).  I might be able to get away with this one at home.  
What would Lucinda Green say about this crazy dive (below).  What I really want to know is how the horse got up there!  Vintage photo from Indulgy
As a horse obsessed teen I would have given an arm and a leg for a horse inspired room like this one with the painted horses bed linen. 

Round up clockwise from left: HGTV & Elements of Style, Stephmodo & Build House Home

Are you finding yourself getting sucked in by the Olympics too?

After getting inspired a couple of weeks ago, I finally tackled my first paint-dipped furniture project! It's a super easy and inexpensive way to transform a boring piece of furniture into a piece you'll love.

I started with an old Ikea dining chair from our basement and bought a CIL paint tester in Dramatic Coral from Home Depot (I think it was around $4-$5).

Supplies:

• Chair
• Paint
• Painter's tape
• Foam brush

After cleaning off my chair, I measured and taped off the areas I didn't want to paint.

Over a few evenings after work, I used my foam brush to apply several coats of paint. It took about five coats to get a really solid finish, but you could always prime first and use less paint. When your final coat is dry, peel off your tape and you're done!

I originally planned to use this chair in our guest room (now that the nursery's done, the guest room is next), but I've decided to steal it for our bedroom instead.

Psst...have you entered my giveaway yet? Click here to make sure you don't miss out! 

I love the look of Fiddle Leaf Fig trees. I've been craving some greenery in our home and had my mind set on a fig tree. A few weeks ago I found an assortment of large Fig Trees at Sheridan Nurseries,  With great excitement I purchased one (it was quite pricey) and had it loaded into the car and my Mom and I drove away. I kept turning around to look at it where the tree lay in the back seat - It was gorgeous. It was also huge. Within us driving a few blocks, reality started to sink in about how big the tree really was.  With great disappointment and embarrassment at my inability to judge size, I realized we had to turn the car back around and return it. There was no way it was going to fit in my house.

Last week I was walking by my local flower shop and I spotted a small little potted tree that had a handwritten sign: "White Fig Tree, $10". I walked back later that night and bought him and carried him home. He's perfect. :) Although the leaves are a little different (not as rubbery as the Fiddle Leaf Fig) it still gives me the look I wanted, was easier on the pocket book and small enough for our house. Success! Let's see if I can keep him alive.

We had a little celebration tonight at my Mom's, one that required a cake. I purchased this cake from Knead Bakery that is in our neighbourhood. This is your classic neighbourhood bakery - Small, and tucked off the main road, it has the most delicious breads and sweets. The cake was so gorgeous that I felt as though it was worthy of its own post. I have yet to see a cake ever decorated like this before. Even if you can't visit the bakery - you may find this photo as inspiration for your own cake decorating adventures. xo Lindsay

I am thinking that flames in winter, in the garden, would be good.  In fact I am a little obsessed with the idea.  I have red hot pokers in the garden beds, how about real flames on the pool deck.

Would be awesome to sit out there in the evening and still be toasty.

Images via John T Unger Studio, Lambley Nursery, Paloform

The orange and blue of flame and water is really dynamic.  Would go well with my lantern and pool colour.  I saw an amazing Kadai fire bowl, hmmmm, wonder if I could diy it into a giant fire pit.

Well I think this funny.  Discovered these fire bowls called the Brad Pit (left) and the Angelina (right from Chiminea).

This is the only time I have ever liked an Ikat print, yes I know that makes me a trend heathen but I just don't like it, except for this one time.  What I like even more is the bedside tables and lights being different, the rumpled bed, the bedside objet.  Usually I feel I need to edit my rooms, this makes me feel I need to add more.Both images via Number NineteenI have just discovered Number Nineteen and I am in love with Mia's aesthetic.  I love the contrast, the tones of light and shade, the way plants pop up everywhere.  I can see that most of the weekend is going to be spent browsing through the archives.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Click here to make sure you don't miss out!

Although we're not moving, I love looking at real estate listings in my area and mentally renovating and redecorating my favourite fixer-uppers (please tell me I'm not the only one). Recently, I spotted a house with tons of potential in Halifax's Hydrostone area and fell head-over-heels for the bathroom's original mouldings and black clawfoot tub. Since then, I've been daydreaming about transforming it into a gorgeous black and white bathroom. Here are a few of my favourites:


source: Domino magazine

  J. Crew's Jenna Lyon's gorgeous bathroom. We all love it, but I've always wondered how she showered without getting water everywhere...


source: houseandhome.com

source: Lonnymag

source: Pinterest via

source: decorpad.com

source: elledecor.com

source: Pinterest via

I wasn't able to find the original sources for a few of these photos, so if you know them please share in the comments. Have a great weekend!

Its funny how sometimes things just come together.  Last week I placed an olive tree and my old Mexican lanterns in the garden around the pool deck and everything suddenly made sense.
Finally I know what we need to do in this space.  Another olive on the other side of the deck will frame the seating area and add the height we are missing.  The fence needs to be covered in this gorgeous blue flowering creeper (Thurnbergia Grandifloria photo by Jean Pawek), or perhaps wisteria, or maybe both.  That will be a great starting point.  Sometime in the future I can add daybeds, cushions and other nice to have bits.  Wouldn't a fire pit be great! 
Can't wait for summer to arrive so we can enjoy with family and friends, cold drink anyone?

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to lori_r8 who loves the owl backpack (her daughter already has the matching lunch bag). Email me to claim your prize!

Thank you SO much for all your sweet comments about my nursery reveal! You sure know how to make a girl feel good :)

To help you decorate your own child's space, Mortimer Snodgrass is offering one of my lucky readers a $50 gift card to their online store! Fun fact: the Montreal-based store is actually named after the owners' dog. Their store is loaded with cute and quirky stuff (including lots of non-kid related decor items). I've rounded up several of my favourite items below.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

Hooded kiddie towels get me every time and that owl backpack is seriously cute, non?

But enough about me, let's get to the good stuff!

PRIZE: A $50 gift card to Mortimer Snodgrass
HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post with the words 'MORTIMER ME!' International entries are welcome!
BONUS QUESTION: Visit Mortimer Snodgrass' online store and tell me which product is your favourite.
DEADLINE: Enter before Thursday, August 2nd at 9:00pm EST. One random winner will be announced Friday, August 3rd.

I'm not holding back "reveal" photos of our kitchen on purpose ... we're really still working away on it! :) So I'll keep blogging showing you the steps that we're taking to really make our big box store kitchen look custom. For example...we're tiling an entire wall in white subway tile. I was a little nervouse taking the leap to do this but I'm really glad we did as it shows off our tall ceilings and really adds great detailing. It reflects light, and makes this once dark corner sparkle. Can't wait to show you the "after"!! Eeek!

Ps., Looking for some inspirational "wall of tile" pins from Pinterest? Check out this, this (although it's a bathroom) This photo from The Home Depot "Dream Book" was inspirational too.

I'm still around...

Still doing things....

But mostly enjoying the summer:-)

One more month of having all three of my boys home.

Then I have to send our oldest off to kindergarten:-(

I'd better go enjoy some more....

Piet Oudolf is the master of soft textured block planting.  Love the tonal blend through the flower heads and into the grasses - an edited meadowscape.

Our house is very square and very black.  I need the landscape to soften up all the hard lines but still deliver colour, texture and drama.  
I have the main structure, a  backdrop of lilly pilly hedge, a row of gorgeous pear trees for height, seasonal colour and privacy.  I want the beds under the plum trees to be fat with grassy textures, with wild looking flowers adding seasonal colour.

I need to bring the garden close to the house and blur the edges.

One thing you won't see when I reveal the kitchen is this hidden outlet. In order not to break up the backsplash with an outlet but also because this wall is concrete (it's a shared wall with our neighbour) we didn't (and couldn't) install wall outlets along this one wall. So a plug was hidden on the base of our upper cabinets- out of sight but easy to plug in things when you need to use that blender. Here is a nicer shot of how someone else did it over on Pinterest.

Ps., The backsplash is still being worked on so excuse the unfinished tiling backdrop.

Lucky number thirteen!!! Congrats to Northern Cottage! 

I'm officially ready to call the nursery finished - or at least as finished as it's going to be before baby gets here. You've seen most of the pieces so far, but here they are all together:

The crib was painted with Rustoleum's Painter's Touch spray paint in aqua. The crib sheet is from Serena & Lily and I found the crib skirt on Kijiji. The art above the crib is a DIY project.

I lengthened an existing pair of curtains by adding new fabric panels and added ORB handles to the window. The basket, which holds baby's growing collection of books and toys, was a HomeSense find.

Adam had this mirror when we started dating, the lambskin was a shower gift and I purchased the chair from Wire Home Furnishings. Adam installed a dimmer switch and replaced the old outlet with a new, bright white one - small changes that make a big difference.

I installed these floating shelves from Home Depot myself and filled them with both new and sentimental items. The numbers print is from Penny Paper Co. and the giraffe art is from The Paper Nut on Etsy.

We maximized the storage space in this tiny closet by adding some inexpensive shelving and then had some fun with a potato stamp project.

The changing table was a hand-me-down that I painted and the alphabet wall decal is from DeSerres.

Oh, and just for fun, here's what the room looked like before we started: