Boom. Just like that, another week bites the dust! Anyone else wish that time would slow down just a tad this Fall? My days are full (we’re talking full) to the brim with kids/work/driving/life and I’m definitely counting down these final 8 days until Brad gets home from the wilds of Manitoba! Here’s a little roundup of some links I’ve loved this week but I didn’t quite make it to the usual 5 for Friday as I ran out of steam by number 3 😉

1. I love everything about this gallery wall and eclectic bedroom spotted over at The Everygirl yesterday:

The Everygirl | Michelle Lange Photography

2. Um, how flipping adorable is this Maria costume?!? I love The Sound of Music (I mean, who doesn’t) and think this is the most darling idea ever. See how to make this cutie and an astounding amount of other sweet costumes over at Oh Happy Day:

Oh Happy Day | The Sound of Music Maria Costume | Photo by Paul Ferney

3. I’ve wanted to make homemade caramels forever (I think since reading about Laura making pulled taffy in The Little House on the Prairie books when I was little…anyone else remember that?) but never have for some reason. These salted butter confections look too decadently delicious not to try:

Salted Caramel Caramels | A Beautiful Mess | Photo by Emma Chapman

Any exciting plans for the weekend happening out there? Mine’s looking fairly quiet, other than being surrounded by my brood, but it’s always a treat to take a break from the schooldays routine and put my feet up…like, before 9pm 😉 Cheers to the weekend!

It’s no secret that green is my favourite colour but when it comes to saying which shade or tint of the hue is the peak of perfection, I’d be hard pressed to decide! While I love a good emerald or leafy green, the colours of the sea may be the ones that call to me most but there are so many variations (not to mention colour combinations) that I could never settle on just one. The best part about green is that it honestly goes with just about any decorating scheme. Don’t believe me? Nature is always the ultimate colour guide and green never looks out of place…

 Kinfolk Dinner | A Daily Something

Photo by Tia Borgsmidt | Styling by Mette Helena Rasmussen | via Nordic Design

How awesome is that Choose Your Own Adventure print? I hunted it down and it’s available here, along with some other awesome artwork and home decor…great site! Anyone remember reading those books? I loved them and think this quote (which just happens to be one of Brad’s favourites…he’s got a lot of one-liners 😉 is a good reminder that we’re all capable of changing the course of our lives, one decision at a time.  Here’s another amazing print from Blacklist:

Don’t Give up the Ship print by Blacklist

Honeydew Basil Spritzer | A House in the Hills

 Mm, that cocktail looks refreshing doesn’t it? Mondays should always require an early happy hour start time, just saying 😉 Cheers to a good week ahead!

Happy Friday! Sorry I skipped school here on Wednesday but this week has been a blur of work/packing/family and I imagine the next couple of weeks will be more of the same and then some. I’ll likely be pretty sporadic around here until moving day (and shortly after) but I’ll do my best to keep you posted and you know you can always find me on Instagram (I’m addicted, I admit it)! On a side note, did you know my shop, Spruce Collective, is on Instagram too? It’s true, find us here. Brad + I have been stocking up on closet organizers and storage solutions for our new townhouse and, of course, if anyone knows how to tackle storage and living small, it’s Ikea! Here are some great Ikea finds spotted this week:

1. Loving all of the minty greens popping up at Ikea lately (we have a couple of these green FABRIKOR cabinets for jewelry at the shop), including this HOLMSEL chair and LERBERG desk. Using stacked vintage books as the other leg is pretty darn genius too, if you ask me! (You know I’m a sucker for vintage books and you can’t imagine the hoards we have in our vintage rentals):

Livet Hemma via Poppytalk

2. Can you believe that this stunner of a home in Lakewood, WA used Ikea cabinets? And that island. Seriously. Such a dream:

Dwell

3. Love how these two Ekby Gallo wall shelf systems are stacked on top of each other for a shared kids’ room. Might just have to do the same in our girls’ new room:

A Merry Mishap via Apartment Therapy

Well, of I go to a field trip at the bowling alley with Sadie’s class before getting the last of our junk organized for tomorrow’s garage sale. Swing by Green Avenue if you’re local, starting at 9am until whenever! No early birds, everything must go 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!

Snow day, anyone? After the warm sunshine of last week, our little blizzard this weekend (although anyone used to real snow would probably laugh at our West Coast idea of a blizzard!) was quite the surprise! The snow won’t last long but it sure is pretty. Despite the snowfall (and a very early 4am wakeup call to watch the big hockey game, GOLD!!!), Brad and I took the kids to Victoria yesterday where we attended a memorial service for a family friend.  It was a very sad reason for a trip to the Island but we were so glad to be able to attend and celebrate a life well lived. We had hoped to walk around the city in the afternoon but the weather didn’t cooperate so we decided on a whim to go visit the Royal BC Museum and it turned out to be the perfect way to spend a snowy afternoon as a family:

(Excuse the iPhone pics) I hadn’t been to the museum since a grade 6 field trip but it was awesome! We all loved exploring the exhibits and brushing up on the history of our great province and they just happened to have a number of extra creative things going on for the kids during our visit too. If you’re planning a trip to Vancouver Island anytime soon, I’d highly recommend a visit! It was a looong day and despite some very sad moments, it felt really great to get out of town and do something fun together.  Sometimes the best family times are the ones least expected, aren’t they? Life is so funny sometimes but I’ll take little doses of happy anytime I can get ’em 🙂

The past several weeks have been insanely hectic (to say the least) and although it’s Friday and I’ve got a fun weekend ahead (it’s our last weekend of The Urban Market and we’re headed to an Ugly Sweater Party on Saturday night), I must admit that I’m really (like, really) looking forward to Monday. Not like there’s anything exceptionally special about Monday, there’s just nothing on my calendar for Monday! Odds are good that it will end up being just as busy as any other day but sometimes you’ve just got to have a visual goal in mind to make it through the busy bits, right? Works for me 😉 We’re officially halfway to Christmas Day and here are 5 festive faves that caught my eye this week:

1. Loving this Scandinavian table, especially the sheepskin chair covers:

100 Layer Cake. Photos & concept by Loft Photographie & Anne Marie Photography.

2. This DIY marquee lighting pretty much sums up all things Merry & Bright:

A Beautiful Mess

3. I’m super envious of anyone blessed with beautiful hand lettering skills (ahem, yes I’m talking to you Jessica!) and Lindsay Letters has some fabulous prints for the Holidays and beyond. (But seriously, I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be my great talent, I just got missed somehow)

Lindsay Letters

4. There’s no excuse for wobbly card tables over the Holidays, not after seeing this adorable kids table:

100 Layer Cakelet

5. I have no idea when I’m going to get any Christmas baking done (maybe when the kids are out of school?) but these Peppermint Chocolate Crackles look pretty darn delicious:

Peppermint Chocolate Crackles by Say Yes to Hoboken

Ok, off I go to run the kiddos to school and get things set up for The Urban Market but have yourself a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back to chat on Monday (ah, glorious Monday ;)! Cheers!

This week got away on me once again and here we are at Friday already! I’m off to work now but thought I’d leave you with some Valentine’s inspired DIY’s to start thinking about. We’re far behind on getting a class schedule up this month at the shop (still recovering from the bustle of our first holiday season!) but have a number of fun and crafty workshops in the works. If you were to take a hands on creative class, what type would you choose? I’d love to know!

Oleander & Palm

Delia Creates

A Beautiful Mess

The Proper Pinwheel

A Subtle Revelry

Delighted Momma

Photo by Alice Patterson forThe Sweetest Occasion

We’ve been enjoying plenty of cold crisp sunshine in these parts and there’s more in store for the weekend. I’m looking forward to a rare weekend off and lots of time bundled up outside with the kids. Wishing you bright days wherever you are and I’ll be back to chat again on Monday 🙂

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!

My weekend just seemed to keep on going…you should see the mountain of laundry I need to catch up on after the busy past few days! I had a great weekend in the city with some friends and the weather cooperated just perfectly. I even managed to pop in for a quick browse at Make It Vancouver and Stepback on my way into and out of town and wish that I could have stayed a little bit longer to do more browsing! It felt great to get away overnight and to catch up with some dear friends while enjoying lots of sunshine by the ocean. Last night, I got on the highway once again and headed out to the new Ikea Richmond media party. I wasn’t sure what to expect but ended up having a really fun time chatting with fellow bloggers and friends and it felt a little surreal wandering through the quiet store with a glass of Prosecco in hand! The new store is fantastic and opens to the public this Wednesday. I came home with a few small purchases as well as one of the fabulous gift bags that they handed out on our way out the door. Thank you Ikea!

Design*Sponge

Brad and I are at a bit of a crossroads with our home. We’re at the point that we need to decide how long we see ourselves living here and whether or not we should start planning the upgrades that it will soon need or if we should simply spruce things up and start looking for a new home that will suit our growing needs even better. It’s a tough call….moving is no fun and I’m pretty picky at this stage of the game. I picture our next house being our “forever” home, you know, the one the kids will come home to visit with their families when they’re grown. But budget is a huge issue and we chose to live in one of the most expensive housing markets in Canada, too bad for us! The most pressing dilemma is how to provide some more space for the kids to play and stretch out in. After the market later this Spring, we’ll get started turning our unfinished basement rec room into a playroom and then I’ll be able to focus on reconfiguring the kids’ bedrooms with more efficient toy storage and study spaces. I’ve been collecting some inspiring kid’s rooms, where the designers have worked hard to think outside the box…

Desaccord via Apartment Therapy. Photo by Simon Wardavoir.

Miluccia. Photos by Julien Fernandez.

CWB Architects

 Photo by Petra Bindel for Elle Interior via La Maison d’Ana G

Decor Pad. Photo by Mark Lund.

Jenny Wolf Interiors

Lincoln Barbour

The Marion House Book

Jen Loves Kev

VT Wonen via Meet Me At Mike’s

I love seeing children’s rooms and nurseries that can grow with each child, don’t you? I’ve never been one for themes, despite the chorus of pleas for Disney princess bedding each time we venture too close in a department store (mean mommy, I know!). I find spaces like these much more timeless, not to mention more affordable than redecorating after each passing phase would be. Do you have any tips on storage solutions for growing kids? We’ve got a couple of closets literally bursting at the seams, despite my regular purging. First things first though, I’m off to tackle my laundry…have a wonderful Tuesday!

 It was nice to step away from work and do some visiting with friends and family this weekend.  The time seems to be ticking faster now and I’m feeling more anxious and excited than ever.  So much to do and so little time.  On Saturday night, Lily and I had one of our classic work/sleepovers at our place with our girls which is always fun.  The plan was to tackle our taxes but somehow we were distracted by Pinterest and started working on the details and logo for our upcoming Spring market instead.  It’s funny how that happens.  But we’ve got something really pretty going on and can’t wait to see the final product.  We are working with our friend Jessica, from Trove Vintage Rentals & Handmade Affairs, she also drew up our logo and print work for The Old School Market and both of the Fieldstone markets.  She’s been fabulous to work with, and always seems to read our mind.  For inspiration and “research”, we often use Pinterest and we’ve been admiring the business cards that Ez collected from the Alt Summit.  There are some beauties out there.

 Creature Comforts

Pretty, right?  We hope to attend the Alt Summit next year so our business card needs some freshening up if we want to stand out in that crowd!  It’s always good to keep things on trend especially when it comes to your business.  First impressions are key.  The Rifle Paper Co. is a favourite of mine and I especially love the custom portrait calling cards.  Their studio happens to be in Winter Park, Florida and I will definitely stop by for a visit.  Mommy calling cards are great idea too, don’t you think?

Rifle Paper Co.

111 Creative

Antidote X via Beast Pieces

 Pink Olive

 Hazel Wonderland

Ink & Ivory

Hopefully, we’ll at least get a good head start on our taxes this week.  It’s so hard to start the no-fun tasks but it always feels so good to get it behind you.  No.  More.  Procrastinating.  Here’s to a sunny and productive week!

Well, that was a productive, yet exhausting weekend!  With The Old School Market just around the corner, Lily and I spent yesterday getting our displays in order.  I’m so thankful we did this.  It took us…oh about 6 or so hours from start to finish.  We won’t have that much time for set up at the market.  I can just imagine our stress levels if we had just waited until the market to set up with no prep.  I think we dodged a bullet.  It was about this time last year that Lily and I were gathering ideas for logos and banners and business cards.  You know, all that fun stuff that gives a company presence.

1. Perch Papiers 2. MaeMae Papier

We searched high and low for inspiration.  Thankfully, like most things so far, we were on the same page with what were hoping for in a business card.  Inspired by vintage apothecary labels and lovely letterpress wedding invitations, we came up with quite a pile of examples to go from.

Oh Happy Day Letterpress

We then turned our pile of inspiration over to the talented Amber Mabe, who we happened to come across on Etsy.  Yes, you can also get help with logo design on Etsy.  Who knew?  Through a few emails back and forth, she was able to get into our heads and come up with several sketches right off the bat.  We then adjusted a few things here and a few things there and voila!  our very own business card.

1. Oh Hello Friend 2. Mint 3. Babel Design via Simple Pretty 4. Under Consideration

There are cards you can plant and they will bloom flowers.  Or cards that act as handy dandy screwdrivers.  What about edible cards for chocolatiers or bakers?  Mmm.  I love cards with an extra special touch like a little envelope or ribbon tied neatly in a bow.  Your business card reflects who you are and it should be just as unique.  Plus you feel quite grown up when you have your own business card.  I highly recommend it.  Happy Monday!