Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

I must admit that I’m feeling a little blue this week. It could be from anticipating the 55mm of rain that is expected to fall steadily  today but it’s more likely due to the reality of the moving trucks that were in Rachel’s driveway yesterday. I’ll soon be seeing a whole lot less of her and her family, a fact that I’ve been trying hard not to think about it for a very long time, and it’s suddenly becoming very real. It’s not often in adulthood to make such a strong bond with an entire family. We already miss her husband Aaron very much and my girls’ have been writing endless friendship/love letters to her twin daughters, ready to pop in the mail. I think it’s going to be heartbreaking all around! Now, I know that we’ll see them soon, at the end of May in fact, but the thought of not having Rachel just around the corner to meet for sushi, an impromptu junk hunt or our sleepover/work nights with the kids, is making me very sad. Our friendship and business partnership has just been so easy and I’ll miss her even more than I think I can imagine. They’ve become that special breed of friends, you know, the ones who feel like close family…but without the drama! I’ll lighten the mood now with some Spring-inspired colour…

Lesley Unruh

The Wheatfield

Valkoinen Harmaja

Anthropologie

Photo by Robert Caruso for Chatelaine via Poppytalk

Angela Hardison

Weekday Carnival

Photo by Jemma Keech. Flowers by Amy Osaba.

Petra Bindel. Home of Helle Hogsbro Krag.

Dahlhaus

Thankfully, our work is based almost entirely online and there is great technology like Skype and FaceTime available to help make the distance feel less broad. And it will just make our future times together all the more special, especially with somewhere as hot and sun-filled as Florida to visit! I am so happy for Rachel and her family, despite my mingled sadness, and am so proud of them for embarking on such an amazing adventure together. Bon Voyage dear friends!

Another Monday!  We are on the home stretch now with only 4 more days as Canadian residents.  We will miss our family and friends dearly but I have to admit that I’m looking forward to going “home”.  Florida has been a long time coming and it will feel good to be together as a family.  We will have been apart for about 6 weeks and it’s been tough, that’s for sure.  I’ve found myself dreaming of lofts a lot lately now that I’m über organized and our belongings have been whittled down, I’m wondering if we could make the adjustment from house to loft living.  Who am I kidding?  Of course, I could.  I can’t get enough of these sun soaked spaces with soaring ceilings.  I especially adore this one, it has a great mix of industrial finishing and vintage finds.  Modern, relaxed and it feels like home.

 micasa via Desire to Inspire

Today I need to do some last minute sorting.  Clothes, toiletries, important papers, school work and a few toys for the plane.  Absolute necessities, kitchen items and the girls’ belongings to be taken off the truck before the rest goes into storage until we find a home.  The movers are scheduled for tomorrow to box up all our belongings and they will pack the truck on Wednesday to start the big trek across the continent.  Now more time to waste.  Enjoy your week!

We opened up the application for Scout Handmade + Vintage Market yesterday and we are beyond thrilled with the excitement that is already brewing.  Thank goodness for modern technology because I’m feeling more than a little anxious about not being as hands on for this market since I’ll be thousands of miles away as of next Friday.  I’m already dreaming of market day and can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.  The space where we will be hosting the market has a real industrial feel to it with floor to ceiling windows, polished concrete floors, and high, open ceilings.  A blank canvas to showcase the vendors’ fantastic handmade and vintage wares.  Wasn’t the loft Lily featured yesterday fabulous?  It had me dreaming of my own lofty space to call home.  The simple backdrop of wide open industrial spaces give endless design possibilities.

Jenna Lyons via Habitually Chic

Design*Sponge

vtwonen

Interior Design Ideas

Apartment Therapy

via Miss Design

Carouschka Streijffert

Marie Claire Maison

1 Kind Design

Desire to Inspire

Does loft living suit your lifestyle?  Or would you rather a cozy little house?

What a week! This mama is tuckered out and I’m very much in need of the weekend getaway ahead! The last few days have been filled with birthday party preparations and yesterday our house was filled up with 11 (yes, eleven!) very excited little girls to celebrate my daughter Sadie’s 6th birthday. It was my first time hosting an after school party and I must say I really liked the timeframe…short and sweet! We had a tea party (although all the little ladies opted for hot chocolate or lemonade instead) and plenty of cake, candy, and itty-bitty sandwiches to go around. And at the end of the day, there were plenty of sticky finger prints everywhere and one very happy six year old!

EST Magazine via April & May

My daughters are both big fans of pink and, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I figured it’s the right time of year to showcase some bold hued rooms. Both red and pink can easily be overdone but I think each of these spaces have injected just the right pop of colour to warm things up…

SF Girl By Bay

Country Living

Thuss + Farrell via Hank & Hunt

Homelife via Dust Jacket via Creamy Life. Photo by Warnes & Walton.

The Marion House Book

House to Home via You Are My Fave

Hus & Hem

Rie Elise Larsen via Stylizimo

Bonnie Tsang for Rue Magazine (Bri Emery‘s loft)

Little Miss Lollies

Unfortunately, the clouds darkened our sky (and my house) and these were the only two blog worthy photos of our party yesterday. Sadie and I made a brave attempt at our first layer cake (a rainbow one at that!) and, if you squint your eyes and stand waaay back from the screen, I think you’ll agree with me that it turned out okay! Alright, so I’m no baker but at least all of the little girls were impressed…

Do red or pink make regular appearances in your home decor? I generally prefer red but I’ve been coming around to pink, if it’s less bubblegum and more of the coral variety. I’m off to the gym and then out for lunch to celebrate my good friend Aprille’s birthday, not to mention nullifying my workout! I might even get a chance to put my feet up this afternoon before getting the family organized for a weekend without me, although it’s not likely. I’ll save the R+R for Seattle…see you next week!

With all the rustic wood touches, crisp white walls and carefully curated decor, this lovely home has a great vintage, modern feel yet still feels comfortable and homey.  I’ve never taken the full tour until now and I could move right in.  Now, that I’ve paired back our belongings to only things we love, I hope that I can similar focus while collecting pretty things for our home.  I think this home is a good example of what I’m after.  What do you think?

 All images for Skona Hem

With our girls getaway only days away, I need to get back on task.  Enjoy the rest of your week!