Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Lily and I spent yesterday afternoon, scouring our favourite source for shop inventory and for The Old School Market.  And boy, did we come away with a haul.  We managed to fill my truck yet again.  I think we might have to go back one more time for a few things otherwise I think our shop is stocked for some time.  It was a good day.  Wedding season is upon us and I thought I’d break through some of those rain clouds that have opened up on us for the past couple days with some sweet and sunny vintage wedding finds.

photographed by Ohana Photographers and designed by Rock Paper Scissors Events

There has been so much creativity in the air since the beginning of this new handmade movement.  I appreciate that people are breaking free from the strong hold of mass marketing and taking back creative control.  And a wedding should be no exception.   From the wedding favours to the cake topper, all those little details will make a wedding your own.

1. invitation 2. buttons 3. dress 4. cake stand

5. cake topper 6. poster 7. feather 8. suitcase

1. purse 2. silhouette 3. headband 4. number cards

5. dress 6. cuff links 7. ashtray 8. invitation

I’ve been married for quite some time now but I have a little envy for the newly engaged.  I really enjoyed the creative process of planning our wedding and I’d go through it all again in a heartbeat…with the same man, of course.  I love this wedding for all it’s vintage charm.  It is so simple and comfortable yet still so very pretty.  I’m sure a good time was had by all.

What would your dream wedding look like?  Would it be as grand as William and Kate’s upcoming wedding?  Or just a simple affair?  A mix of both?

photographed by Otto Schulze Photographers via Style Me Pretty

I think I’d take a quaint destination wedding over a big production, myself.  Now, that I think of it.  A quiet holiday with my man would be just fine.

Spring is barely here and already I’m dreaming of summer holidays and sand in my toes. It must be the warmer temperatures getting to my head! Over the last couple of days, we’ve been talking with friends (including Rachel’s family) about renting a beach house somewhere on the Oregon coast, sometime this summer. We’d originally talked about camping, but I was pleasantly surprised to find more than a few affordable rentals out there, especially when the cost is divided between a few families. And let’s face it, with 11 kids between us, a house will be much more enjoyable than a sandy tent or camper!

All this browsing for a beach abode made these enviable coastal homes catch my eye. There’s just something about weathered wood, natural fibres and watery colour schemes that gets me every time. My mom grew up in Orange County, California so we spent many childhood holidays with family at the beach there as well as at our favourite camping spot at Nehalem Bay, Oregon. We’re very blessed here in British Columbia to have a gorgeous and lush coastline and some of our most treasured family memories, so far, have been our island getaways and time on the beach closer to home. I can almost smell the salty air now…

Coastal Living via Hooked On Houses

House Beautiful

I love how this modern home was designed to withstand the coastal elements and rising tides…built to stand the test of time in a harsh environment.

Dwell

Coastal Living via House of Turquoise

Canadian House & Home via Anne Sage

Canadian House & Home

Country Living

Skona Hem

Looks like I’m not the only one proud to live on the West Coast…check out all of this Left Coast love on Etsy!

1. Redstar Ink 2. Bo Peep Baby 3. January Jones 4. Alter Designs 5. Going Underground 6. Here My Dear

Are you thinking about your summer holidays yet? What’s your favourite place to escape to? Beachside, lakeside or  a stay-cation in your own hometown…all it takes is sunshine, long summer days and a cold drink in hand to let the relaxation begin!

Have you read The Happiness Project yet?  Lily mentioned the book in a post just after Christmas and I was immediately intrigued.  I’m slowly working my way through it  and it has inspired me to focus on what really matters.  It might be the combination of  Spring Cleaning season and the book because I’ve been in a clean and sweep kind of mood. In the first month of her project, Gretchen went through her home tossing anything and everything that was cluttering up her life.  Then she did it again.  All she was left with was what she needed and really wanted. How good would that feel?  I went through my bedroom closet a few days ago and did the big toss.  You should see my closet now.  I have a tonne of new space to fill up again.  I didn’t stop at my closet either, my dresser is all neat and tidy again too.  It felt really good to drop off 3 boxes of clothes at the second hand shop.  Our bedroom is officially tidy.

How does your closet look these days?  Does it need a little makeover?

photographed by Mark Burstyn for Canadian House & Home

photographed by William Waldron for Elle Decor

How grand would it be to have a dressing room?  I was trying to have a conversation with Lily the other day on the phone with my girls hooting and hollering in the background and foreground.  I mentioned the idea of a phone booth but I think I would like a dressing room instead.  A dressing room pour moi.  I could get used to that.  Yes.

photographed by Jean Allsopp for Coastal Living

Made By Girl

Dreams aside.  My husband and I share a standard sized closet and thankfully, neither of us has too many clothes and it really is just fine.  My side of the closet is similar in size to the one below except this one is so much prettier.  I’m all over wallpapering the interior of closets even if they are of the smaller variety.  Our closets are one of the first things we gaze into in the morning so it may as well be lovely.

jaboopee

For those of you dealing  with no closet space to speak of, why not put your clothes on display?  These crisp white rooms show off an unexpected pop of colour from these clothing collections.  What do you think?

Apartment Therapy + Decor8

And for the little ones if our lives, here are some ideas that might help get all that toy clutter under control or at least make things easier when clean up time rolls around.  One closet isn’t a closet at all, just a regular Ikea bookshelf.  I love the little girl’s closet from Domino, it’s inspired me to add a couple closet makeovers for my girls to my project list.

1.  Better Homes and Gardens 2. ohdeedoh 3. Real Simple 4.  Domino via mscott218

So, where’s the best place you’ve found to hide clothes from your husband?  I promise not to tell.

How was your weekend? Ours was busy with family and friends but we got a lot done too. My hubby had 4 days off and finished a landscaping project he started a couple of weekends ago. This is our front yard. As you can kind of see, we’ve got a U-shaped driveway, which I love for driving into the carport (hard to see, but it’s in the centre) on damp West Coast days. We have tenants in our basement suite and having an extra vehicle in one half of the driveway was hampering my drive-through style so we decided to sacrifice the end of our lawn (which is completely dead by mid-summer anyway) and add a gravel parking space. Brad did the hard work digging it out, with the handy help of our neighbor and his Bobcat, and building the fence.  This weekend we hit the gravel pit for rocks and bark mulch and even had time to visit a local greenhouse and nursery. We planted a Japanese maple in the middle, flanked on each side by dogwood, dracaena, lavender and another Japanese shrub that I can’t remember. And some little crocuses too. I’m sure I’ll add more eventually but each of these should do well in our climate and won’t need too much maintenance by me…perfect!

Has Spring finally arrived where you are? The weather was nice and mild all weekend here, with a good amount of sunshine mixed in, and I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to sit outside and read a good book. Brad built a small deck under our front windows last year (a handyman, I know!) and it’s the perfect spot to sit with a coffee and watch the kids play. Many of you likely live in more urban areas than I and some pretty city patios have caught my eye lately. Here are a few of my favourites…

Lonny

1. Du Cote de Chez Vouz 2. Steven Gambrel via No. 19

Style At Home. Photographed by Janis Nicolay.

Alvhem

House To Home

Elle Decor

I don’t know about you, but when it comes time to haul out our patio furniture, I like to use colours and patterns that are a little bit bolder outside than the ones inside my home. I’m in the market for some new cushion covers this year and I’m leaning towards something with wide stripes and a bright pop of colour, maybe yellow or green with white. Vintage accents are something else I’m always on the hunt for. Our friend Andrea scored a fantastic gnome, similar to the ones below, on our Seattle trip and I think the old faucet nozzles would look great mounted on the wall or even framed in a mudroom…

1. Sushipot Parts 2. Stiletto Girl 3. The Vintage Supply Co 4. Bright Wall Vintage

I lost a few of my ceramic pots to windstorms over the winter and will soon be looking for replacements. I do love simple terra cotta pots, especially when they’ve become weathered and a little mossy, as well as old metal buckets for my patio. This wooden vegetable box is the perfect size for smaller patios and would be more than enough space to grow your kitchen herbs and lettuce in. And you know how much Rachel and I love vintage crates…aren’t they lovely when used as containers?

House To Home

Design*Sponge

Studio Choo on Design*Sponge

Do you have any big plans for your outdoor spaces this spring? Please share…

Spring Break is nearly over for us and one hand, I’m a little sad about it.  It was really nice not to scramble to get everyone ready for school in the morning, to be off schedule for the most part and just be at home.  On the other hand, I have to say it wasn’t nearly as relaxing as I had hoped and our days were jam packed from top to bottom.  I’ve found myself gasping for air the past couple days.  Do you ever feel like that?  I think I need a little escape.

The New York Times

Do you have a meaningful place you like to visit?  Or do you have a hobby that allows you to turn off your brain for awhile?  How do you escape from real life?

La Princesse Endormie via sfgirlbybay

via nom nom nom

via My Favourite Books

Dedon via dornob

image: isphotography

This charming little hunting cabin was brought back to life by Sandra Foster.  To make this dramatic transformation, she carted all the materials and the goodies inside, across her property, over a running stream and then up the hillside.  And she even did all the carpentry herself.  A dreamy getaway from real life, don’t you think?

The New York Times

I hope you find a little time this weekend to take back for yourself.  Some time to just be.