Decorating With Pink

What comes first to your mind when you think of decorating with pink? Try this: girly, old-fashioned, country, shabby chic, romance, glamour...I bet you are  already preparing to run in the opposite direction! But hints of pink can be very modern and set  warm and soothing points of interest in your environment. The most important thing is to find a balance and to mix it with other colors such as grey, cream, brown, even white or black. Pink can look good in all rooms - even kitchens and bathrooms - if you don't overdo it. Here are some pictures from my inspiration file:

Decorating With Pink

Living as a couple in a foreign country

I just got back from the local radio station where I was invited for an interview. The hostess prepares a mini-series about different aspects of immigrant women's lives in Quebec. She wanted me to talk about what it meant for my couple to live in Quebec in comparison to our country. This was not my first interview on the radio and it wasn't live so I was not so nervous and it all went well. On my way back home I continued to think about other things that I could have said or expressed in a different way. And then I was suddenly overwhelmed by so many memories, so many challenges life gave us, I could have filled hours and days talking about it. Our life was changed drastically several times, we had to flee from danger, learn foreign languages, cultures and customs, change professions, overcome numerous other obstacles. At the same time, we tried to live as normally as possible in order to offer a happy childhood to our children. No, I won't cry, but seriously, i have to fight tears writing this. Yes, it was difficult, but I was more than blessed to have to do it with the man on my side who never stopped holding my hand since we were 19...

And even if so many things changed in our life as a couple, that was the one true thing that remained the same throughout all the experiences. And  for that I'm grateful...
Back to the radio interview: if you are by any chance interested to listen to  this radio program, tune in on radio CKIA on the  February 24, 2010 at 1 pm Eastern Time (USA and Canada). The program is called 'Égalité: genre féminin' and it's in French.

P.S. I love you!

Living as a couple in a foreign country

Colorful Interiors Against Winter Blues

Don't know about you, but I desperately need some color as I start to feel a bit sluggish this time of year. Here is a bit of eye candy from Spanish decorating magazine 'Nuevo Estilo':

Here is another one from Home Pic Photo Blog:

The last one is from MadeByGirl:

Don't you feel energized by this striking colors? I could jump for joy! On the other side, I'm convinced that already a little splash of color could do miracles on a winter day. A vase here, a pillow there...go with pink, red, green, yellow...anything will do!

Colorful Interiors Against Winter Blues

Taking Pictures Inside Stores

First thing first: I did it only once and I felt awful during and after. As if I was a thief... It happened spontaneously, I didn't plan it, I was just looking for some color inspiration for my second bathroom. There were some lovely combinations and since I take my digital camera everywhere with me, I decided to take some pictures instead of writing down  the ideas. Just the fact that I looked around to see if anyone is watching me can  tell you for sure that I knew I wasn't supposed to do it. And, I didn't use flash on my camera either to avoid capturing attention of the sales people. Sneaky little...blogger!  Did you already do it? Do you find it awkward taking pictures inside stores? Tell me about your experience or tell me what you think about it. Anyway, here are some of the pics I took that day:

Taking Pictures Inside Stores

Chandelier recycled and saved from garbage

I found some other pictures of a DIY that I'm very  proud of. So here it goes: almost 2 years ago, my coworker Melissa, wonderful young girl btw, gave me the old brass chandelier that her mother was about to toss in the garbage. She remembered that I mentioned  how much I would love to have a chandelier for my bedroom so she brought it to me for free, just like that! I love that girl! It was somewhat stained with white paint, several  "candle holders" were partly broken and some of the christals were missing. I wasn't quite ready for a DIY action at that moment but I was very happy to have it. Can you believe that I was finaly so lazy that I bought a little chandelier from the store for my bedroom? I'm so ashamed, but if it can be an excuse - it didn't really cost that much. Talking about karma! It wasn't meant to be my chandelier. Then my daughter moved in another apartment and she needed a ceiling lamp for her bedroom. What was she supposed to do? Poor thing, she had one of this "breast with nipple"-like ceiling mount lamps already fixed in her bedroom. So I took pity on her and offered to restore the chandelier that I was saving for my bedroom. The result is simply breathtaking, for me anyway. See how it looks in front of her charcoal gray wall:

I used some silver spray paint, didn't even bother to prime it, we found some nice fake bling-bling in the dollar store to replace the missing christals - you can barely tell the difference. I was somewhat worried about the solution for the broken "candle holder" parts but my daughter wanted me to let them uncovered and to just spray paint them. So I did it her way and guess what? It looks just lovely, it adds a little surprising industrial touch to it.

BTW, it looks a bit yellowish in the picture but it's really silver painted. We were so busy that day that I completely forgot to take the  before pictures. Here is what it looked like approximately before the upcycling:

Chandelier recycled and saved from garbage

Red Instead of Boring

OK, I presume you know it already, I'm color obsessed right now. I'm not obsessed with one particular color, I love them all (all right, some MORE than others) as long as they are mixed with some neutrals and beautifully done. So I decided to start with the color red today.  What can I say about red? I love it! Of course...Still, I use it sparingly, like a hot sauce. It’s a color of life, joy, sensuality, strength and love. Please, don't live in a beige painted house...

For more inspiration in red visit my Red Instead of Boring online album.

Red Instead of Boring

Power of Words - Words of Power

Sometimes I don't know what I'm getting myself into. Like today, I just wanted to talk about this cute little online gagdet that I discovered lately. Its name is Wordle  and you can create word clouds from any text or internet address you provide. This is what I got with the address of my blog:

And as I was thinking yesterday evening, trying to fall asleep, about writing this post I became aware of the importance and the power of words in our everyday's life. Rest assured, this is not the first time I thought about it, as I learned the hard way that words can leave emotional scars, sometimes for the rest of your life. Real power of words can transform life, help, inspire, heal or encourage but also can bless, make fear or angry. Any emotion can be inspired by words. They're not only words, they're powerful tools or even weapons. As I did a little research on the Internet I noticed that  I'm not alone preoccupied by this subject. Try to google 'power of words' and you'll see for yourself, so many people smarter than me said beautiful things about the power of words and about words of power - not the same thing at all. So I decided that instead of trying to say something new and smart about it, I'll bring up the inspiring quote by Marianne Williamson from her book: 'A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles'. To be honest with you, I never heard of this author before today but even if I'm not overly spiritual or religious, I found this words beautiful and comforting:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

I dedicate this post to my two lovely children.
Have a nice day!

Power of Words - Words of Power

On Color Again

I knew I needed an excuse before presenting the today's subject! And guess what? I found the perfect one:

Phew, I can proceed now, merci Monsieur Léger! This is exactly how I see it and feel it too. What I wanted to show you today is a glimpse on the November issue of Burdastyle. As you already know, I'm a hobby sewer, a very good one I must add, but more about it later. For practicly all my projects I only ever used German sewing magazines with patterns, Burda and Neue Mode (the latter is no more published). So even if I now live in North America, I wanted to feel the joy of receiving my Burda each month so I subscribed to it, more precisely: it was my DH's present for my birthday - he only wanted me to stop wining, really. So now I get to enjoy each month the newest Burda in German language. I received my November issue last week and as I was about to take it out from the envelope something shiny blended me. I couldn't believe my eyes: it was the most beautiful and the most kitschy (I love kitschy!) Burda cover ever! Everything was in red and gold, shiny and glossy, very smooth to touch. I stared at it for the moment, reluctant to open it, fearing that the beauty of it would vanish. Only after a minute or so of staring with my mouth open (I'm easy to impress) I came to my senses and could browse it. Ah, everything in red, plummy blue and purple...

Now I only have to find an occasion for wich I should make one of those fiery beauties. Any suggestions? Or maybe invitations? I'm waiting...

For those who, like me, enjoy those kind of things I prepared a teeny-weeny preview (in purple) of the December issue. Enjoy!

On Color Again

Blackboard spray paint labels DIY

Curiosity is my middle name, really. I love learning new things, that's why I love navigating the Blogger Sea: there are so many talented people out there! Just yesterday I stumbled upon Sonja's blog and  found the idea for my next craft project. She used blackboard spray paint to transform her tins and jars - simple and stunning! She was nice to allow me to present her work on my blog. Here is the picture of her storage cans with rewritable blackboard labels:

Lovely, isn't it? I can imagine it would look very nice on the glass jars also. Sonia had another idea for the glass jars:

 

 One thing is sure: I have to find this blackboard spray paint subito-presto, I have some very nice glass jars waiting behind my back...

You can find the instructions when you click on pictures, or find those and many other nice projects on her blog at craft-werk.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Blackboard spray paint labels DIY

For the rainy Saturday afternoon

I love creating with my hands, it gives me enormous satisfaction to see the finished result. There is not much crafting and DIY that I don't like. Exceptions : crochet (plain ugly, in MHO, with place for exceptions but for some reason I can't stop thinking of those horrible crocheted bathroom sets), knitting (waaay to long to see the result). Surprisingly, I'm not a scrapbook girl either even if I enjoy seeing some of the work out there. And quilting is not my thing neither even if I like sewing very much (why would someone want to cut the fabric into pieces only to sew it back together? Quilto Mazo?) Sorry girls, I didn't mean to be mean, it's just that my (sometimes) twisted sense of humor can be persistent like a fat stain. Believe me, I know what it means to love to do something, I have several addictions of my own...
Where was I? Oh, I remember: i just wanted to show you some little things that I plan to do on this rainy Saturday afternoon (the fist snow is almost completely gone). Here is the picture of the things I found in different corners of my home and that deserve attention :

Some are new (Dollar store though, I'm born on the frugal side) some are trifted. I have 3 simple white frames for my main bathroom. I would like to find some cute prints or just photos for it. The clock was on my patio last sommer and the thing in it got warped, paper I suppose. Then I have 3 little cute trifted frames with angels, hearts and lines (sometimes I can't resist kitsch but I'm definitely not a shabby chic fan). Those demand some cute family pictures. There is also a lamp without shade, I have to think of something. Fabric? Paper? Wallpaper rest? We'll see... I'll post finished projects next week

For the rainy Saturday afternoon

Everyday Schmuseday

Do you know what "schmusen" means? Yeah, I thought so! It's one of the German words that I conserve in my personal Love Dictionary. Just so you know, German isn't my mother tongue, but I've studied it and I love it - after all, it is the language of Goethe... To translate it in English words like cuddle, snuggle or smooch are used. Attention: not to be confused with "schmooze" even if it does have some connection with "converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make social connection" as in "cuddling" yourself in a conversation.

More than a word itself, I like the mindset behind it, smoothness and goodness, rarity of the moment, emotions and aftertaste of it. You can "schmuse" with your lover, your husband, your children, your mom and dad or other person you love tenderly. You can, you should even "schmuse" with your animal, especially dogs and cats are very big Schmuse-Fans. Even if "schmusen" (pronounced shmoozen,) implies body contact, it never means very intimate relationship, but it implies deep relationship between two beings. You really don't need much to schmuse : just a moment of time and the person you love near you. Schmusen should be prescribed by the doctors, it'so god and beneficial for all involved. Shouldn't we proclaim every day of the week "Schmuseday"? It would be a self medication of sort, no more need for antidepressants. It is free, green, benefits two or even more persons at same time. Start today, start this weekend: proclaim your own oficial "Schmuseday" at home. Make it twice a week after that and you will wonder how it affects you and those near you. You could even create a poster to display it at your place telling everyone that it's your "Schmuseday" holiday. From there, it is literally just one step to the official national "Schmuseday" holiday!

Everyday Schmuseday

Cute (and scarry, brrr...) Halloween decoration

When little French children await impatiently an event like Christmas or Halloween they often count time left in "dodos" - how many times they got to sleep till the day "X". Encore 3 dodos, encore 6 dodos... in our case, "encore 9 dodos" till Halloween. Well, there is plenty time left for both, parents and children to craft something scarry for this day. I stumbled upon a lovely Cathie Filian blog "How To Be Domestic" and found a cute little Halloween project just for you :

Cathy creates, produces and co-hosts the popular lifestyle show Creative Juice on DIY Network and HGTV. You can find her project, and many others, at this link : Halloween: extreme glitter skull

Happy crafting !

Cute (and scarry, brrr...) Halloween decoration

Simple inspirations

Do you sometimes have a feeling that someone said something just the way you thought about it? It happens to me all the time and I love it. For today, I'd like to present you little inspirations found in the Woman's Day magazine (click to see enlarged view):

Smile (you just did, didn't you?) and have a nice day !

Simple inspirations

My froggy's birthday

My bébé celebrated her birthday yesterday, a very important one for me, like every single birthday since the day I looked in her eyes for the very first time. I looooove being mom, especially her mom: she is so beautiful, loving, intelligent and strong. I dare to think that I helped a little making her that way (well, ok, her father contributed too...in so many loving ways). She now lives in the big city 300 km south of her nest. We drove this weekend to see and to hug her and to give her presents and of course her special birthday cake. Here is what it looked like:

And before you even ask me, here is the answer: the frog is sitting on the cake because I call her "froggy". Yes, I'd like to think that I'm a good mother but I admittedly call her names, in many different languages: frog, froggy, froggilein, frosch, grenouille, fröschlein, žaba, žabica...

I don't even remember why I gave her this nick name but we all love it!

We really managed to surprise her with this cake - she had tears in her eyes and she asked  What on earth did I do to deserve this?! Well, sometimes we ask ourselves too: What on earth did we do to deserve YOU?! We love you soooooo much, bébé!

To create this little frog I was inspired by the lovely book 50 Easy Party Cakes from Debbie Brown:

I don't know if the frog survived this weekend, I'll keep you posted on this one...

My froggy's birthday

Decorating with (Love) Letters

The Apartment Therapy website is one of my preferred interior design sites and I read it daily for inspiration. In one of their October posts they presented decor inspired by old letters, postage stamps etc.

I immediately thought of my old letters that I framed in a shadow box and decorated my bedroom wall with it. Those are my long lost young girl letters that my sister sent me to my birthday last year. What a surprise it was ! She found them in the attic of my parents house, carefully hidden behind one of the wood beams. The letters were bound with the red ribbon exactly as I left them there long time ago. And even though I was very curios to read them again - I somehow couldn't do it. And there is also my first love letter ever among the others...

So I took the letters and put them carefully in a shadow box that I had for another project :

Decorating with (Love) Letters

Before and after : my cosmetic drawer

What you need to know about me beforehand : I am not a messie but I'm not a neat freak either. I'm somewhere in the middle, but I can have my days more in the one or the other direction, it depends...

Last week I had my pointer moving in the neat freak direction so I finally saw the cosmetic drawer under my bathroom sink for what it was : a major MESS ! I am so ashamed of it that I can NOT show you a big picture of "before" nor can I show you the complete "before" drawer in its messy gorgeousness, sorry...

Here is the picture of the left side of my drawer before I put my "neat freak goggles":

 To find a cheapish solution I went to the dollar store of course, my wallet isn't comfortable around the designer stores ;-) This is what I found :

 

That is what I call cheap: 3 containers for 1 $. And lovely colors to... Talking about recession design !

And just by chance they fit perfectly in my two drawer compartments. I started with the right side of my drawer and what a difference it made immediately :

Before and after : my cosmetic drawer