Category — Art

Well, I’m wiped from the weekend. I’m not sure what’s more exhausting…corralling 11 ten year olds in a public place or hosting 14 combined family members under our roof, phew! But we had a great time and Gabe is blessed with such a loving family and some truly great friends.

I’m a longtime fan of gallery walls (as you may have seen in my own home below) but, despite my somewhat Type A personality, I’m drawn to eclectic salon style arrangements far more than the more orderly, symmetrical versions. There definitely needs to be some sort of balance to the collection but matching frames and too much of a theme make me yawn a little bit. Don’t mind the odd crooked pic in my own home and scroll down to see more inspiring examples of well thought out gallery walls…

My bedroom. Photo by Janis Nicolay for HGTV

My daughters’ shared room. Photo by Janis Nicolay for HGTV

The Apartment via Style Me Pretty

Like the look but not sure where to start? Thrift stores are hands down the most affordable place to find art that you love and most of my favourite pieces have been found in one junk barn or another. Etsy is my next best bet (pour yourself a coffee and prepare to browse for awhile) and I’ve seen some amazing pieces purchased at local art schools in friends’ homes too. And of course, family photos always add a personal touch. But my best advice is to simply buy what you love! Why would you want to look at anything else?

Land of Nod

The Selby via SF Girl by Bay

Old Made New

A Beautiful Mess

Vogue Living via SF Girl by Bay

Hitta Hem

Do haphazard frames and artwork make you cringe or are you of the quirkier-the-better frame of mind? Either way, gallery walls are the perfect way to feature growing art collections all in one room. Afraid of moving things around and potential nail holes? Don’t be…nothing a little hole filler and leftover paint can’t touch up! Have a great start to your week :)

Mad Men Season 6 premiered last night…did you tune in? I sure did! It was interesting to see the shift in styles, wasn’t it? Longer sideburns, ripped jeans, scruffy beards…must’ve been quite the jolt to society back then. But I must say, there’s something to be said for polished up-do’s and sleek suits. Every time I watch Mad Men, I can’t help but wish I put a wee bit, ok, a lot more effort into my appearance each day. But then, I wake up and happily slip on my jeans and worn in leather boots and can’t imagine wearing heels and party dresses to work or to the kids’ school. Here are just a few of my fave mid century looks…

Mad Men

Handz

Mad Men

Cast & Crew

Mad Men

Rock the Custard Prints

Mad Men

Leigh’s Art

TeamArt

What did you think about the big premiere? I enjoyed it but it did feel like there was a lot to catch up on after such a long break. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unravels…have a great Monday!

After such a fantastic weekend away, fate would have it that I promptly came down with a stomach bug and two of my three kids came down with croup, go figure! We were cooped up for the last couple days and there wasn’t a lot of sleep happening for any of us between the symphony of coughing fits. After a relatively healthy winter, I can’t really complain but it was definitely quite the shock to the system after several blissful days away. Sigh. We all seem to be on the mend now and I thought this lovely Dutch farmhouse was just the antidote for any mid-week slumps happening out there. I think I’d even be ok hunkering down for a sick day or two in this lofty barn conversion, designed by Utrecht-based design firm Viva Vida….

All photos by Viva Vida

Layers of pattern and texture bring personality to the neutral backdrop of reclaimed wood and concrete and I absolutely love the liberal use of bright artwork and unique lighting throughout the space. With such dramatic ceilings and beams, it could be hard to make such an open space feel like a home but I think that the design firm accomplished the task amazingly well…

All photos by Viva Vida

All photos by Viva Vida

All photos by Viva Vida

Aren’t the kid’s rooms darling? I want to crawl into the one cubby and close the doors, yawn! I’m back at the shop today after a few days off so better get to work. Enjoy your day!

Did your weekend fly by as quickly as mine did? A little bit of work and a little bit of play with a good dose of sunshine thrown in for good measure…no complaints here! This week is sure to be busy so I thought we should start it right with some colourful blooms and a bright studio tour. Laura Jones is a still life and portrait artist in Sydney and I couldn’t help but be drawn to her boldly brushed paintings when I came across them at The Design Files last night. I think you’ll agree that they are bursting with life and I just love the intense colours and heavy brush strokes…

Laura Jones Studio via The Design Files. Photo by Carine Thevenau.

Laura Jones Studio via The Design Files. Photo by Carine Thevenau.

Do you have a busy week ahead? We’ve got lots of new and vintage product arriving almost daily at the shop which will keep us occupied. I also really need to get more organized on the home front. My hall closet is constantly overflowing (so frustrating) and I should really work on some realistic meal plans, to name a few specific things. Looks like it’s time to start some new lists…if only there were a couple of extra hours in each day!  Have a great Monday :)

Hello, it’s the weekend! What are your plans? It’s a long weekend here in British Columbia to celebrate  BC Day and its supposed to get nice and toasty. We’re going to take the kids into Vancouver to see the fireworks and do some wandering around. Our good friends are out of town and are letting us stay at their place just up from the beach in Kitsilano, which will be such a fun treat. It’s usually me escaping to the big city on my own so the kids are really excited to get in on the action! If you’re looking for some outdoor inspiration, come visit my guest post over at Poppytalk but otherwise I thought I’d leave you with some dreamy Etsy finds to get the weekend started off right…

JPG Photography

One Eyed Dog

Emily McDowell

Burnish

Laura Frisk

Eine Der GutenCarococo

This week has been crazy, in a very good way, so I’m looking forward to the beach, some sunshine and maybe even a little sleep. I’ve been teased more than once about all of the late nights I’ve been pulling…is there a way to encrypt Facebook and Pinterest to cover my tracks in the wee hours of the morning? Please fill me in if so :) I’ll be back next week with a big announcement and another exciting kitchen collaboration that I’ve been working on. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

Birch + Bird elsewhere this week:

• An interview with us over at the Brazilian magazine Casa e Jardim (in Portuguese!) 
• Guest post over at Poppytalk