Guest Post | Would you wear your rug? (Lindsey from Recreated)

We have another fabulous guest poster here today! Lindsey from Recreated is popping over for a visit and sharing her interpretations of how fashion inspires decor (and vice versa!). Lindsey has a great eye for fashion and is always wearing an outfit I want to steal when I see her. She's also a very talented re-upholsterer. I recommend checking out her blog if you haven't already for regular decor, fashion, and furniture inspiration!

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Hello all! Lindsey here from Recreated. I'm happy to be here today visiting Interior Groupie for one of my favourite blogger peeps Heather while she is taking a well deserved vacation. I'm a big believer that design/decor for your home inspires your wardrobe and vice-versa. You don't often find someone with very classic/refined home decor but with a very eclectic wardrobe...your personal style generally tends to follow you in all aspects of your life. Today I've put together some examples of where different flooring options inspire an outfit....hmm, or maybe the other way around.

The bright pops of coral and pink in this combo just make me smile....

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Hmm, some stripey grey goodness...love than dress.

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Holy herringbone....someday I will own a home that has herringbone hardwood floors. They look so freakin' fab.

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Ok so I chose the outfit photo below not just because it had the lovely teal and yellow from the rug, but also because that model looks an awful lot like the gorge Miss Interior Groupie herself, no? Hello, doppelganger. Does anyone else see it?

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I enjoy a pretty tile, and the colour combo of this one is unexpected and lovely.....and that burgundy leather skirt makes me weak in the knees.

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Thanks, Heather for having me! Happy to come by and visit any time!

XO,

Guest Post | Taking a dip (Barbara from Hodge Podge)

Today I am thrilled to have a guest post from Barbara at HodgePodge. Barbara is the blog maven behind the "So Canadian, Eh?" series that is oh so successful (and that I was honoured to be included in). She is also a master sewer, DIYer extroadinaire, and busy west coast mom. If you don't know Barbara yet I highly recommend a visit to her blog.

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Hello everyone. So glad Heather trusted me with her blog  while she is on vacation. She gave me carte blanche to write about anything I want! Brave girl :)

So what shall I humour you with? I think I'll talk about what I see as being the next rage around blogland, heck I am even going to try my hand at it since I LOVE me a great DIY!

 Dipped furniture and fabric!

There is something so whimsical and fun about it. You can dip just about anything. Table legs, chair legs, baskets, drapes, even clothes!

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Design Sponge

Dans Le Townhouse

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Martha Stewart

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I LOVE the drapes and I have a few pairs of those Ikea drapes kicking around my house. And I have a set of knock-off Bentwood chairs that are getting the dipped treatment too.

Anyone else out there try their hand at dipping? I can see it becoming addictive!

Thanks for having me here Heather. Hope you are having a great vacation!

Hugs,

Barbara

Guest Post | Beautiful BC (Kerry from First TIme Fancy)

Today I have Kerry from First Time Fancy guest posting. I met Kerry at my first blog meet and greet, but felt as though I knew her long before that from reading her blog. She is super sweet and also SO good at responding to people when they comment on  posts - I love that! Kerry did an amazing job renovating and updating her Toronto home and she has since moved out to B.C. to a new place to apply her project skills! Make sure to check out her blog for all of her latest adventures and projects!

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Hi there Interior Groupie readers. I'm Kerry from First Time Fancy, and I'm so happy to be taking over for the lovely Heather today. Normally, I would love to share with you one of the many projects we've worked on for our new rental on the West Coast, however, we haven't really worked on too many projects lately, as we've been far too busy exploring our new surroundings. With that being said, today I wanted to share with you some of the beautiful places we've experienced out here on Canada's West Coast, so why not come and explore with us?...

When we moved back in April, we were anxious to get out and start taking in the sights and first on our list was Whistler. How could it not be? Only about 2 hours from where we were living, it was high on our to-do list, so early one Saturday we packed into the car and made the trek out there. Even with the weather not being the best, the Sea to Sky Highway did not disappoint...

And neither did the sights at Whistler resort, or the marine parks on the drive back home...

Seriously, how did we get so lucky to live somewhere so beautiful!? That's not even the tip of the iceberg, either! We've spent a good amount of time exploring, and showing visitors around Vancouver - visiting Stanley Park, Granville Island, Cypress Mountain and the Vancouver Aquarium (just to name a few places)...

Our favourite adventures are still in the great outdoors, and of course there is a ton of that to see out here. Not too far from home we've taken the time to explore the beautiful town of White Rock, and have only just started to scratch the surface of the majestic Golden Ears Park...

Other adventures have taken us further, like the day we spent out near Hope, visiting Hell's Gate and the Othello Tunnels. Thankfully, the rainy weather will never deter us from exploring somewhere new...

Having the opportunity to live and explore the West Coast is more than we ever expected, but we are loving every second of it! Have you ever visited the West Coast? Where should we go next? What are some of your travel tips for B.C., Alberta and Washington State? I'd love to get some great suggestions from other travellers!

Thanks Heather, for having me stop by and share our travel adventures with your readers! It's always a pleasure to stop by. 

Friday Faves - 2012 Olympics

Do you love the Olympics? There is something about it that gets people talking, and gets people watching and loving sport. Nothing like a little patriotic fever to get people together, right?



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I am partial to gymnastics and diving events, but I'll also be trying to catch tennis and swimming (swimming is always exciting!). What's your favourite summer olympic event?

Guest Post | Painted Ceilings (Carol from The Design Pages)

Hello all! As I mentioned, I will be having some lovely guest posters popping by over the next little while, and one of them is Carol from The Design Pages. Carol is a talented designer who is a kindred spirit! Somehow we found each other in blogland and have emailed back and forth since...we have similar tastes in books too - Carol is my partner in Crime for the Blogger Book Club. Check out some of Carol's insight below and her blog for a regular dose!

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Hello to all of you Interior Groupie readers.  I"m so happy to be here today at one of my very favourite blogs.  When Heather said I could write about anything I knew immediately that it would involve colour.  This trend may not be new to you or maybe it is but it's one that I adore and have plans of my own to incorporate into our home.

PAINTED CEILINGS - Say What???

For years and years I've been trying to convince clients to be brave and do a bit of colour on the ceiling instead of just plain white.  White ceilings tend to draw the eye up but by adding either a tint of the wall colour or a shade lighter than the wall colour it becomes invisible, which is really what we want, right?  We really don't need to emphasize the ceiling, right?  Well now I'm seeing a brand new trend.  Painted ceilings.  I don't mean a little bit of colour but I mean an actual paint colour.  

This brave homeowner added a big punch of colour but I love the way it connects with the colour down below in the print.

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Blue is the most popular ceiling colour right now because of the feeling of the sky and the connection to outdoors.  If you live in the west coast as I do you have a need to see blue sky even if it's indoors.

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If you're really daring you can attempt something amazing like this

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This ceiling was gold leafed which creates a light shimmery effect.  Maybe a great solution for a dark space.

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I love this kitchen.  What a great way to distract from the dated, cramped space with all the drama.

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SOOOO, what do you think?  Are you brave enough to add some colour to your ceiling?

Gimme a break...

I will be taking a blogging break over the next few weeks - don't worry, I have some fantastic guest posts lined up for you over the next little while!
The Mr. and I have had a lot going on lately - some fun-summer-busy stuff, some not-so-fun-at-any-time-of-year stuff. Serious stuff can take a LOT out of you, so we are going to take the next little while to refresh and recharge.

Our plan is to kick back, relax, and turn our brains off. Catch ya later.

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