Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Is it Friday again? Where did the week go?! We’ve had a flurry of interest in our fall market and are so excited by all of the applications that have been pouring in for Fieldstone! Our new market website should be ready any day now and we can’t wait to start sharing our plans with you all. It’s going to be big…we’re talking really big! But now it’s time to step away from the computer screen and recharge a little over the weekend…

Rue via Haute Design

Design*Sponge

Pinecone Camp

What are your weekend plans? I’d like to finish painting my front door, maybe bake something, and hopefully get together with friends at some point. Have a sunshiny weekend, wherever you are!

I have plenty of fond memories playing outdoors as a child.  We were lucky enough to live near forests, fields and bush and we wandered freely as long as we were home in time for dinner.  We also picnicked, canoed, hiked and camped as a family which was always fun.

Vol. 25

Playtime outside is so important and I certainly notice it when my girls haven’t spent enough time in the fresh air.  They sleep better, eat better and are the happiest when they’ve reached their outdoor quota.  We are blessed to live next to a ravine and in the past 6 months, they’ve grown brave enough to explore it and lose themselves in their play.

Judith Neeham

Birdie Blue

NYTimes

One day, sooner than later, I would love for them to have some sort of fort down there but they’ve never actually asked for it.  What do you think of these?

1. & 3. NYTimes 2. Traditional Home

ohdeedoh

ohdeedoh

Smart Playhouse

For now, a sheet and some clothespins will have to do and I’m guessing just as much fun.

Many of you are living with sweltering heat and probably can’t remember what a chilly day feels like! Well, our sunshine lasted a whole day this past weekend before heading back your way. Not really sure what’s up but we’re hoping that it means we’ll get a long and gloriously warm Autumn for Fieldstone Vintage Market in September! Rachel mentioned yesterday that applications are now open and we’ve been very busy bees handling all of the encouraging responses that we’ve received from potential vendors. Definitely a good start for what’s sure to be a fabulous day in the field!

A strange fact for the end of July…we haven’t eaten outside on our deck at all this summer! Well, we tried once in June but everyone was whining about how cold they were so we moved it on inside. Very sad! I’m in dire need of new patio cushions but think I may try to get the last life out of mine until next year…unless I can find some great end-of-season sales, that is! When the warm summer evenings are finally here to stay, here are some outdoor spaces where I would love to sit and enjoy a glass of wine…or two…

House Beautiful

Elle Decoration Germany via bluepoolroad

Red Online

Dwell

Desire To Inspire

Now, the rest of you may be longing for something a little bit more refreshing. Cocktails poolside, perhaps? Or better yet, lakeside…

Lonny

Dwell

Art & Decoration

And when dusk falls, what better way to linger on warm summer nights than with strung lights…and some mosquito repellent of course!

Apartment Therapy

Decor8

If you’re anywhere but on the West Coast, are you keeping cool outdoors? On another note, we’ve had some recent submissions from readers that we can’t wait to share. Feel free to send us before & afters or photos of your spaces anytime to birchandbird(at)gmail(dot)com. We’d love to see what you’ve got in the works!

Phase 1 of my long list of things to paint this summer is complete!  My girls’ rooms are now pink and purple with crisp white trim.  It took much longer than I had anticipated but really, I should have known better.  Next time, I will start small and push my completion date out about 2 weeks.  Now, I’ll spend the rest of the week, placing furniture, reorganizing their toys and clothes so I can move on to the fun stuff like repainting furniture, hanging art and curtains.

1. Better Homes and Gardens 2. Design*Sponge

I picked really pale shades for their rooms because our home tends to be fairly dark and with all the girly clutter, I didn’t want to be overwhelmed by bubble gum shades of pink and purple.  While I was painting I started to get concerned that I had gone too conservative because both shades appeared white and actually still do at some angles.  Since stripes are so popular right now, the thought crossed my mind that by adding some horizontal stripes I could bring in more of the colour that my “clients” were looking for.

Living Etc.

Now that the rooms are finished and their beds are all made up with their pink and purple quilts, the colour actually is “just” enough for me.  And considering the length of time it’s already taken, I think the stripes will have to wait…forever.  Now on to repainting the doors, their beds, a bedside table and a desk or two.  And once that’s all done, I’ll be sure to snap a few photos to share and then take a nap.

Design*Sponge

Apartment Therapy

mixr

What do you think of the stripe craze?  Do you love it?  Or would you rather pass?

Apartment Therapy

Just in case you haven’t heard, vendor applications for the Fieldstone Vintage Market are now available.  So, if you would like to join us for an outdoor European-style market featuring a collection of all things vintage and handmade, please stop by the Fieldstone Market blog for details.

Hooray! Warm sunshine and summer days have finally arrived to our corner of Canada! It felt so great to sit out and soak up some sun and to finally enjoying a BBQ with friends over the weekend. We also dropped off our son for his first overnight summer camp yesterday and I must admit that I got a little sentimental (as I organized his clothes in his bunk drawer, sniff sniff!) about how grown up he’s becoming and how precious these next few years will be. He’s only 8 but the teen years are fast approaching and soon enough he’ll be busy with sports, school and friends and it will take a lot more effort to enjoy those special family moments. At least he’s only gone for a couple of nights but, my oh my, how they grow!

On a different subject entirely, I seem to have far too many house projects on my to-do list for this summer. So many, that I’m having trouble deciding where to start and I’m struggling to find some motivation to check off at least a couple small projects before July turns to August. I did make the important first step of buying paint and primer the other day but I took the weekend off to enjoy the sunshine. For now, I’m happy enough looking at these inspiring pictures of some gorgeous kitchens with open shelving. I love the idea of having everyday dishes within arms reach, don’t you?

Traditional Home

A Country Farmhouse

Now, we all know that I have a major thing for white kitchens, but I recently came across this rustic space and fell in love. That stone wall, the woodgrain and colour of the wooden cabinets, and the open island shelves make this a modern country kitchen that I would be thrilled to cook in…

Nuevo Estilo via Delight By Design

C Design via Desire To Inspire

Design*Sponge

Everyday dishes, serving ware, collections and even artwork can be displayed and changed with ease on open shelving. Organize items by like colour or style to keep things from looking cluttered. With a neutral background, almost any accent colour can be added to brighten up your space…

Laure Joliet

Better Homes & Gardens

Style At Home

Elle Decor

Cote De Texas

How was your weekend? Have you accomplished any summer projects around your house? I’ll be painting my front door and dining table this week and will be sure to post some before and afters. Happy Monday!