Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Happy long weekend to you! It’s BC Day here in British Columbia and Brad’s got the next 5 days off. We were hoping to head down to the Oregon Coast but waited a bit too long to book anything and thought we’d enjoy our local beaches instead. We’re heading into the city to check out a skateboard competition (Gabe is over the moon) and the fireworks and will very likely see some of the Pride Week festivities while we’re at it, fun fun and more fun! What are your plans? I’m liking little getaways closer to home more and more these days…less travel time and more family time…how about you? Here are some links I’ve loved this week:

1. What’s a long weekend without a cocktail or two? Pretty obsessed with all things lavender + honey these days so these look just perfect:

Freutcake

2. I’ll always be a sucker for vintage books, especially ones with covers like these:

Better Homes & Gardens

3. Mmm, fresh popsicles! Just in time for the sun to come out again:

Katie’s Pencil Box

4. Our basement tenants are moving out and we’ve decided to take back the whole house, yay! That means the girls won’t have to share a room anymore (Gabe’s moving downstairs) and Lilah’s got her heart set on a rainbow room, of course! Loving the watercolour look of this wall:

Design*Sponge

5. A fresh lick of paint can make even the chippiest old piece happy again. This yellow chair is pretty fun:

Oh My Little Dears

I’ll be enjoying the long weekend with ma familia and some good friends, hope you’ll be doing the same. Enjoy the playlist and I’ll be back to chat on Wednesday 🙂

I love fresh flowers (I mean, who doesn’t?) but I find our local grocery stores sorely lacking in the bouquet department. Dyed blue + purple mums? Um, no thank you! But if you live in my neighbourhood, you’ll very likely see me snipping away at my lavender, sedum + succulents before company arrives…at the last minute, of course. I planted hens + chicks this year and they bloomed the most amazing neon yellow “trailers” that are perfect for plucking. You can see a few in this bouquet…

My backyard blooms

Skona Hem

Once Wed

Poppytalk

vtwonen

Eva Juliet

Martha Stewart

I love having greenery on our table and near my computer…makes even the most mundane tasks just that little bit more cheerful! What are your fave blooms? Do you grow them yourself, buy them or “borrow” from a friendly neighbour? I’m very good at cutting my plants but maybe not so excellent at weeding…ah, well! Have a bright Wednesday 🙂

How was your weekend? Mine was fantastic and we spent most of it outside, soaking up this endless summer sunshine. It didn’t hurt that I got a head start on the weekend with my friend Julia in the city and we had an amazing night out. She truly is the hostess with the mostess and put together the best patio/pub crawl…we paced ourselves very well…and I’m thinking she should start a blog, non? Funny enough, she’s the one who inspired me to start writing this little blog! I spent the rest of the weekend with my man, lots of friends and our kiddos (of course!). After two days by the river in Yarrow, I must admit that we’re all dreaming about the country life, just a little bit! But city or country, with weather like this I think just about everybody is doing what they can to spend most of their time outdoors. And I can imagine plenty of sparkling conversation happening in these fresh air spaces…

Habitus Living

Skona Hem

Magnolia Rouge

Design Love Fest

The Design Files

Domaine

What outdoor fun have you been getting up to this summer? Brad’s got 5 days off coming up and we’re hoping to make a last minute beachside getaway happen. If we can’t swing it (I was far too tardy on booking a vacation rental, doh!) I’m pretty sure we’ll be equally happy with beachy day trips closer to home. There’s nothing quite like British Columbia in the summer! Enjoy your Monday 🙂

I wrote this post early and am currently off enjoying a little beach time/overnighter with good friends in Kitsilano. Nothing like ocean breezes and margaritas to get a head start on the weekend! How was your week? I can’t get enough of this sunshine and it truly makes everything better, doesn’t it? The kids have been playing outside until dusk while Brad + I chill on the patio, we’ve had friends pop by several evenings and are even heading out to a bonfire tonight…all the best ingredients of summer! Here are some other good things that I’ve come across this week:

1. I’ve been doing a pretty decent job of eating healthy and walking the dog every night this week. This salad looks fresh + delicious:

Tracey Ayton Photography

2. In love with this adorable Captain’s Mirror DIY…if only my handwriting was so neat!

Melissa Esplin

3. Nothing says “party” like a well stocked bar cart! Loving the industrial lines of this one:

Camille Styles

4. Loving the Scandinavian take on this Ontario cottage:

Kitka

5. This London renovation is super inspiring…can you believe it used to be a public restroom? Seriously…check it out:

Apartment Therapy

My good friends know that I like to give out mixed tapes and I thought tonight’s bonfire/BBQ was the perfect excuse to put some one together. These are tunes on my current playlist and I’ve shared most on the blog at some point but here they are all in one happy place…enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

It’s no secret that I love bright pops of colour against a neutral backdrop but it’s hard to say when too much colour is, well, enough. It definitely comes down to personal preference and I don’t think there is any right or wrong dose of colour, it just comes down to how many hues you can live with in your space without feeling overwhelmed. A great way to add interest and diffuse any stark contrast between colour choices is to add layers of texture. Pillows, rugs and throws are always a great place to start…

Apartment Therapy

Anahata Katkin via SF Girl by Bay

Camille Styles

Feliz

Elle via Design Indulgences

Fresh flowers and greenery add colour and texture and bring life to a room, wouldn’t you agree? I rotate my throws and toss cushions seasonally to keep things from feeling stale. What tricks do you have to keeping your space bright without breaking the bank? Hope you’re having a great week so far!