Friday faves - toasty toes

Happy Friday! I don't really want to admit this, but we are in NOVEMBER...therefore approaching holiday season, and with that - gift buying. So, for those of you crazies prepared people who have already crossed things off your to-buy list, or for those of you realists who are saying "Woahhh....way too early!" here's something I STRONGLY encourage you to add to your idea list. Maybe it's an idea for what YOU want from Santa this year, or maybe it's something you can buy to have on hand for that friend that is impossible to buy for...either way, each and every one of you should be buying these this year:



Restoration Hardware - Foot Duvets

(a) They are called FOOT DUVETS - how can you go wrong? I have had mine for 3 years now and I can vouch for their duvet-heaven-ess

(b) They are $25. Seriously??? Some people blow that on coffee in a given week. They are arguably the most affordable and useful piece in any Restoration Hardware.

(c) They are DUVETS for your FEET. What more can you ask for? They have a super-soft lining and the outer material is exactly like duvet material, but in a variety of colours. Need I say more?

You're welcome. Enjoy.

 

DIY bar cabinet

This weekend was a productive one - along with Halloween prep and festivities, a visit to Waterloo, and a bunch of running around - we managed to get some projects done!

Remember this cabinet I found on the curb in the summer?

You can read about the find and some of my initial inspiration here.

Here's what we did with it:



I removed all the existing hardware / decorative hardware, and then mixed a custom colour of paint from a few that I had lying around and a deep gray I got from the Habitat for Humanity Restore, aiming for a light gray colour. The Mr. cut out part of the cabinet front so we could use some extra wire mesh from our rad cover project. I distressed the cabinet by lightly sanding random areas of it, and the knobs were Anthro finds from our September Chicago trip! Here are some more photos and my attempts at styling:



Giveaway - WINNER!!

And, the moment you've all been waiting for...

The winner is...ANNA! Here is her winning comment (selected at random using random number generator...):

What a beautiful piece!
Her shop is full of gorgeous pieces! The very vintage necklace is my fave! Thanks for the chance to win!

 

 

Congratulations Anna! PS - if you haven't checked out Anna's blog In Honor of Design, you simply MUST - it's one of my favourite reads.

 

Thanks to everyone for entering, following, reading, and playing along! Make sure to check out http://www.blushbeads.com/ for more pieces and great gift ideas (for yourself or for others, right?).



Trick or treat & Last day to enter the giveaway!

Happy Hallowe'en all! Hope everyone has a goulishly good day. I'll be waiting for all the kidlets in their costumes to come and collect some goodies!

While many of my neighbours in my neighbourhood decorate their houses for Hallowe'en, I'm holding out for the holidays. We do have a pumpkin though (we're not complete prudes). Here are some great Hallowe'en decor ideas that are much too late for this year, but maybe I'll get inspired to do something next year! (who am I kidding...I'm just not that much of a Hallowe'en gal...but I do like these!):



via I heart shabby chic

via Apartment Therapy

 

With all the Hallowe'en excitement, don't forget to enter the giveaway for this beautiful bracelet from BlushBeads:



The draw closes tomorrow, November 1 at 5pm EST - make sure to enter so I can meet my entry goal!!
See the original post to enter: http://interiorgroupie.blogspot.com/2011/10/giveaway.html

Friday faves - giveaway!

YAY for Friday everyone!! Thank goodness it's here. Now, I know that everyone likes to take it easy on Fridays and the weekend, but I've got homework for you.

Enter my giveaway!  It is my first one ever and I know you will love the bracelet from BlushBeads:

I have some goals for how many people I would like to enter....and unfortunately I'm not close :( So come on people, free stuff is good stuff (and who doesn't like a little surprise in the mail)! Slap a comment on the post here and get in on the goods. *Open to US and Canadian shipping addresses.

Have a great weekend!

Heartbreak

This past weekend, I fell in love with some furniture. I haven't gone furniture shopping in a long time (other things have gotten in the way - a new car, kitchen plans, etc.)...but on Sunday it was such a nice day that I wanted to wander a little bit....so we went down to Leslieville, went into Hardware and I bee-lined to these:

Be still my heart.

Picture them with a punch of colour via lumbar pillows or a throw, and an orange-brown-leather couch (yet to be found...).

Ok, back to love at first sight. Nturally I took a picture, drooled over them, sat in them, gushed with the store owner about them. Then I went home, got busy with some other stuff, and kept them in the back of my mind. Last night before going to bed, I looked at the photo I had. You know, so I could have dreams of them being in my living room and all.

Then, heartbreak.

My beacon of reality (aka the Mr.) piped up and said....I don't know how well they will fit in our room. {insert the sound of my mind spinning to MAKE them WORK here}. We moved around some of our current furniture to see how placement would work. It was hard to get things in the right place because the pieces we were using as fake chairs seemed a bit big where I wanted to put them. Then, I took out the measuring tape to measure the existing items.  That's when heartbreak set in. The existing items that looked too big were 4" smaller (in depth) than said chairs. The chairs are DEEP (36" deep....that's a serious seat). 

Sigh. I don't think they're going to work.

Now I am on a mission to find similar chairs that aren't quite so big (I know I should have a floorplan on here to help you guys visualize....but I don't....maybe soon so I can poll for layout suggestions). I found this one at West Elm:



Sweep Upholstered Armchair via WestElm

These WestElm chairs are only 32" in depth. But...they're not the same. I miss the cushion backing as opposed to the basic back that the WE ones have.

Do you have any suggestions?

If you are in the market for chairs, go to Hardware and buy my beloved chairs. Run, don't walk. Let me know that they've gone to a good home.

PS - Want another way to help me feel better (and in return get a chance to win a fun baubble)? Enter my giveaway!