I’m a big fan of Jordan Ferney and all of her creative ventures over at Oh Happy Day. She and her husband recently moved back to San Francisco after living abroad in grand Paris (lucky, non?!) and settled themselves into this charming 500 sq ft apartment. Did I mention that they have 2 young sons and that, ahem, this space is only five hundred square feet? After some renovations and more than a few gallons of white paint, the Ferney residence is fresh, fun and functional…the perfect combination!

(At the request of Jordan, only 2 photos can be shared here but please visit Oh Happy Day to see many her entire house tour, including more before and afters of each room)

Photos by Heather Zweig for Oh Happy Day

Confession, I struggle with being content. Always have and probably always will. It’s just my nature to always be thinking about the next project, plan or to-do on my list. (It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with what I have, quite the opposite in fact, as I feel blessed in so many ways in my life…I just always seem to be thinking ahead to what’s next). We live on pretty modest means and it’s easy to dream about spreading out in a bigger home at some point along the way so this apartment was a great reminder for me this week, proving once again that the actual square footage of a home means a lot less than how one actually uses the space. Minimal doesn’t need to look sterile. Surrounding ourselves with what we love and paring down to the items that we actually use and need will make even the tiniest abode function better and feel like home.

 Photos by Heather Zweig for Oh Happy Day

Touring through Jordan’s house tour inspired me to think smaller, purge the unnecessary clutter and  focus on how well our home functions rather than on the square footage it might be lacking. Does looking at other people’s homes (or lives on Instagram and other social media, for that matter) leave you feeling envious and discontent with your own space or does it inspire you to tackle future projects and DIY’s? I’ve been reading some interesting discussion on the subject and, personally, I wouldn’t be blogging about interiors if viewing so many spaces made me feel bad about my own home. I’m a dreamer and thinking ahead to long list of projects on my wish list (and believe me, it’s very much a wish list!) somehow keeps me going, despite the realities of our minimal budget. And I sincerely hope that the homes I share here make you feel just as excited and motivated for your own “one day” projects 🙂

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!

Well, hello friends and hello Friday! I’ve come to grips with the fact that I’ll likely never tackle everything on my weekly to-do lists but some weeks seem to hustle along a lot faster than others, don’t they? This was one of those whirlwind weeks for me yet I’m somehow still feeling inspired and motivated to tackle important tasks at hand, several of which are more daunting than others. Like getting healthy, for example. It can be pretty discouraging to realize how fast things can slide (especially at my “vintage” age of 33…) but I decided to stop pouting in my closet and do something (anything!) about it. I’ve been eating clean, walking every day and drinking green tea all week and I plan to step up my workouts over the weekend. There’s never enough time in the day but I really have no excuse not to fit in at least 20 minutes of cardio in somewhere. How do you juggle fitness goals in amongst work, family and life in general? I know some people love working out but unfortunately I’m just not one of them, are you? Wait, I don’t want to hear it if you are…just kidding 🙂

Kwestia Smaku

That’s enough talk of fitness (yawn!), so here are some other pretty pics that inspired and motivated me this week. I’ve got some continuing organization to tackle around my house and it’s due for a good Spring cleaning too. My poor house has been somewhat neglected since the shop opened up but I’m starting to get excited (rather than overwhelmed) at the thought of a few small-ish projects.

Rue via Camille Styles

Amanda Catherine Designs

The Design Files

Janis Nicolay / Pinecone Camp

Emily Henderson

Tulipina with SF Girl by Bay

I’m off to work now but enjoy this rainy weekend and I’d love to hear more about your own Spring goals, if you feel like sharing!

If you haven’t guessed it already, I have a huge design crush on Emily Henderson. Sure, she’s cute and she’s funny but it’s her style that kills me every. single. time. She just gets it right. An effortless mix of vintage + new, colour + texture, with a generous dash of natural materials + lush plants add up to liveable, personal spaces that look real. And Emily touches on trends without ever coming across as trend-y…much harder to accomplish than one might think! Well, I know I’m gushing so I’ll stop and just let you see the home that she recently styled for HGTV. Emily was lucky to start with good bones, designed by architect Eric Olsen, and together they brought this family home back to life. Be sure to pop by her blog for plenty of before + afters too…

Emily Henderson for HGTV. Photo by Victoria Pearson

Style by Emily Henderson. Photo by Bethany Nauert.

Style by Emily Henderson. Photo by Bethany Nauert.

Emily Henderson for HGTV. Photo by Victoria Pearson

Emily Henderson for HGTV. Photo by Victoria Pearson

Emily Henderson

The exterior is just the icing on the cake, isn’t it? I can just picture kids running across the lawn! Do you have a “crush” in your industry or trade? What would you say or do if you met them in real life one day? And did you have a happy Easter? We sure did…the sunshine was divine! Couldn’t get enough of the weather but now it’s back to cloudy skies and reality but the kids are back in school, hooray 🙂

The monumental rainfall appears to have ceased temporarily (knock on wood!) and the sun has come out to join us, just in time for the weekend! The Spruce girls and I are putting together a Summer look-book for Trove Vintage Rentals next week so I’ve had flowers on the brain. We’re off to a local barn with our photographer this morning to scout it out as a venue for the shoot…fingers crossed that it will be the perfect rustic space! One of our lovely consigners, Kari of Confetti Floral Design, dropped off several stunning bouquets yesterday and I just had to share a little glimpse with you…

Confetti Floral Design at Spruce Collective

Ahh, Spring in all her glory, right? With blooms on the brain, here are some other beauties that brightened my week…

First Snow Fall

DesignLoveFest

Santa Barbara Chic

Bonnie & Bell

Green Wedding Shoes. Photo by Katie Pritchard.

Perpetually Chic DIY Garland Tutorial

We’re off to Vancouver this afternoon for a weekend of family fun and we’re all pretty stoked to get out of dodge! We’ve got trips planned to the aquarium (for the kids) and The Museum of Anthropology (for us), with lots of beach time and people watching mixed in between. What are your plans? Hopefully they include lots of warm-ish sunshine! Enjoy 🙂

It’s Friday, yeah! And better yet, I’m making a run for the city, double yeah! I’ll be hanging with a couple of friends tonight for an impromptu girls night out before meeting up with my  Spruce girls to set our vintage rentals on display at the Hush wedding show on Saturday night…the perfect mix of work and play!  Despite the never ending downpour outside, I thought I’d get this weekend started off on the right foot with a dash of glamour and what could be more glamourous or on trend than gold! If you’ve met me, you’ll probably recognize this necklace (I’ve been wearing it longer than I can remember) which was given to me when I was 9 by my Baba and Dida (Croatian for Grandma + Grandpa). My sister has one with her name on it too and I plan to get similar ones made for my girls when they’re a little bit older…

My namesake necklace

I fell in love with this kitchen some time ago and haven’t been able to look at chrome hardware in quite the same way ever since. I know, I know, it feels like you just finally purged the ’80’s out of your kitchen and it’s all come full circle, right? Ah, but so it goes and I’m loving the revised clean lines and minimal take on warm metals this time ’round…

Matthew Williams for Dwell via Camille Styles

West Elm Martini Side Table

Rue via SF Girl by Bay

Lovely Indeed

Emily Henderson

Luna Lighting

NY Times via Automatism

Although some may cringe, I’m a big fan of mixed metals too…no matchy matchy for me! Worried your new stainless steel appliances will clash with burnished bronze accents in your kitchen? Don’t be. They’ll warm it up and add character in no time! Enjoy your weekend…I know I will 🙂

Despite my positive thoughts to encourage warm Spring sunshine to stick around, the weather has been pretty manic lately. Pouring rain, beaming sunshine and even a random hail shower all made regular appearances over the weekend. Needless to say, it’s hard to know how to dress each morning! I know that it’s still February for a few more days but I wonder if March is getting a head start…In like a lion, out like a lamb, as the saying goes. Hopefully that means milder temperatures will get a head start too! In the meantime, here are a few more bright spaces to cheer us all up on this soggy Monday morning…

Country Living

Lovely Life

Pencil Box

West Elm

Wood & Wool Stool via SF Girl by Bay

A Beautiful Mess

The Design Files

I’ve got a busy week ahead, how about you? We’ve had an exceptionally busy start to the year at Spruce Collective and I don’t feel like I’ve had many moments to catch up. Definitely not a bad thing but I’m hoping to settle into somewhat of a routine at some point soon. It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been open for 6 months! I’ll be sure to share some pics of what we’ve been up to at the shop with you soon. Have a great start to the week!

The photo below caught my eye on Facebook the other day and when I checked out the rest of the space, I knew that this home was far too good not to share! Shot by Vancouver photographer Tracey Ayton (whom I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with at several local blogging events!) and designed by the talented duo over at A Good Chick to Know, this family condo exudes light, personality and all-around perfection in my books! It’s currently featured in the new Seattle-based magazine, Gray, for good reason. But don’t take my word for it, come see for yourself….

Tracey Ayton Photography for Gray Magazine. Design by A Good Chick to Know.

I just love all of the vintage touches and layers of pattern and colour that have been combined together to create this liveable family home. Set against a backdrop of crisp white walls, the result is effortlessly young and fresh without feeling trendy…not the easiest look/vibe/feeling to achieve but Jennifer and Megan have done it oh so well! Be sure to pop by their blog to see more of Tracey‘s fab pics of the space…

Tracey Ayton Photography for Gray Magazine. Design by A Good Chick to Know.

Tracey Ayton Photography for Gray Magazine. Design by A Good Chick to Know.

Tracey Ayton Photography for Gray Magazine. Design by A Good Chick to Know.

Ah, now I’m even more inspired to tackle some of my own design projects! Brad’s back from Florida and is putting the finishing touches on our tiny ensuite bath so I’m excited to share some before and afters very soon. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

It’s been a while since I’ve featured any kids rooms on the blog but after getting a glimpse of this perfect space last night, I just had to share! A collaboration between Sharon Montrose (you’ll probably recognize her adorable baby animal photographs), Morgan Satterfield and Laure Joliet, this darling nursery would be a dream to rock any baby to sleep in! What I love most is that, with the exception of the crib, this room could be for a child of any age…or an adult for that matter. And it’s the perfect example of how little you actually need to put together a creative and stylish space. My sister is due with her first baby in a few weeks (yay, I get to be an aunty!) and we’ve had this conversation a few times along the way. It seems like everyone has their opinion about what you must have for your newborn but the reality is that they really don’t need all of that stuff. By baby number 3, we’d nixed just about everything, including the change table! Natural light, vintage touches, graphic pattern and just the right touch of whimsy puts this nursery at the top of my “best ever” list. Oh, and if you live in the US, you can enter to win a number of ingredients to this amazing space here…

The Animal Print Shop Nursery, designed by Morgan Satterfield and Sharon Montrose. Photo by Laure Joliet.

The Animal Print Shop Nursery, designed by Morgan Satterfield and Sharon Montrose. Photo by Laure Joliet.

What are your plans for the weekend? Mine is already filled up with work, pumpkin carving with the kids, a girl’s night and a Halloween party with young friends…busy busy! I never did get a chance to try painting those pumpkins at the shop but will see if we can squeeze at least a couple in over the next few days. Have a great weekend!

Brad and I are finishing up our beach time with the kids and friends in Birch Bay right now but I thought this would be the perfect time to introduce you all to a new company with our first sponsored post. Rachel and I have hesitated featuring any sponsored products until this point but we hope that you’ll agree with our thought that Fashion for Home would be a great fit with our readers. Although they are based in the UK, they do have an American eshop (with free shipping in the US!) and customers can buy direct from the manufacturer, keeping price tags very affordable. The main challenge with decorating on a budget is always finding well designed pieces that are built to last. Fashion for Home’s key concept is to build made-to-order pieces (this skips costs associated with storage) sustainably and to fit every budget. I love finding companies who are thinking outside the box and making good design available to everyone! But not just good on paper, their furniture is what really caught my eye so come take a peek at a few of my favourite looks from Fashion for Home….

I’ve fallen pretty hard for the Grand Sofa in the last picture and can picture curling up in it as we speak! With plenty of modern and more traditional designs to choose from (and some great nods to Mid-century classics too) , I really like how versatile Fashion for Home is for all decorating styles. Any pieces that caught your eye? And how is your week going so far? Hopefully you’re soaking up some sunshine like we are! The Spruce girls and I pick up the keys for our new shop tonight and I cannot wait to get inside and start planning the layout, etc. I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to get very busy! With Rachel on a break, I likely won’t be blogging every day and it might take me some time to get settled into the new routine…please be patient with me 🙂

*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Fashion for Home. Birch + Bird will only feature sponsored posts from shops/products/services that we would share with you all anyway. Anything we feature will always be because we truly enjoy the way it looks and we will always disclose when we have been paid for a feature. This is our first sponsored post.