Co-owning a home decor has already been a dream come true. If I had to come up with another dream, it would have to be seeing said store featured in a national magazine and, guess what? Spruce Collective is the shop feature in the February issue of Canadian House & Home!!! Ironically enough, I seem to be the last subscriber in Canada to get their copy in the mail and I’ve been stalking my local grocery store for their stash (which should be on shelves today, by the way). My mom read me the article over the phone last night though and I’m pretty much freaking out over the whole thing, in a very good way! Janis Nicolay was amazing enough to coordinate the shoot and to take the stunning photos of our shop. She’s always been such a great cheerleader and supporter of this blog and all of our endeavours here at Birch + Bird and I can’t thank her enough! Without further adieu, here’s a look at Spruce through Janis’ lens…

All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.

One funny note about this shoot, we had literally just decorated the entire store for Christmas the week before we heard word about the feature so we had to un-decorate (and then re-decorate again) overnight! Our storage room and even our washroom were packed to capacity with Christmas trees…using the facilities was just like being in the forest 😉 But it was well worth the effort…my new partners and I couldn’t be more thankful for such an incredible opportunity, especially so soon after opening our doors in September!

My lovely friends Aprille and Nancy even popped by to practice their modelling skills and try out our line of CeCe Caldwell’s chalk & clay paint…nice work ladies!

All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.

All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.

Andrea, one of our fabulous customers, was kind enough to send me a picture of our spread to share with you all…

Photo by Andrea Westbrook…thanks Andie 🙂

Well, I’m headed back to the grocery store to clear their shelves of the new issue before going into work…hope you enjoyed a peek around the shop! I hope to see you there sometime soon but in the meantime, have a wonderful Wednesday 🙂

 

We’ve got a special Before + After surprise for you all today, submitted by our friend Jayme Lang. She is a local photographer who’s work we’ve featured before and she’s also shot a number of amazing photos sessions for my family over the last couple of years. Jayme and her husband Sean recently purchased their first home and undertook a remarkable renovation in an extremely short amount of time. I was lucky enough to help with the kitchen design and I think that you’ll all agree with me that the final results are pretty fantastic…

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Here’s a brief overview of the Lang’s project and a mini “interview” with Jayme:

What was the timeframe of your renovation? We had two weeks from closing until we moved in, and then another month of living in the reno. So about a month and a half. What was the approximate budget? The budget for the kitchen was $10,000 and the budget for the whole house was $20,000 (this included all new flooring throughout…bye bye orange shag carpeting!). What is your favourite room? I think its a tie between the kitchen and the living room for me. What was your design inspiration? The two main inspirations for our kitchen and the entire house were Dwell Magazine and The Brick House. I love a simple, clean, Mid Century Modern look. We spent a lot of time looking through issues of Dwell and reading Morgan Satterfield’s blog. 

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme and Sean were super resourceful when researching their options and had a clear vision in mind for their townhouse, right from the beginning. They were also lucky to have a roster of helpful family and friends eager to help out and Brad and I even joined in on the demolition party…there’s something very therapeutic about smashing old tiles off the walls! While the kitchen is fairly small and had a few “hiccups” (we weren’t able to take down the wall between the kitchen and dining room…of course, every possible electrical wire, plumbing pipe and vent just happened to go through that 4 foot section of wall!), we did manage to squeeze quite a bit of storage into the new space. It helped a tonne that we were able to borrow space from the double hall closet to tuck the fridge back, out of the way. Modern white cabinetry by Generation Cabinets, concrete counters, rustic wood shelves by Tack Woodwork & Design and my favourite double farmhouse sink from Ikea took this little kitchen from outdated pink and beige to white, modern and fresh!

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

This before photo was taken at night and just doesn’t quite do the original orange shag carpets justice…they were spectacular ! But they really couldn’t stay and now Jayme’s mid century furniture shines against a neutral backdrop of white walls and mid-tone hardwood floors. Tack Woodwork & Design built the custom fireplace mantle with the rustic bark edge and Jayme was lucky enough to win the gorgeous Moroccan pouf from a recent giveaway at The Cross…perfect timing!

Jayme Anne Photography

 Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

Jayme Anne Photography

I really love the calm, clean lines of their home and think Jayme and Sean did an amazing job, especially for first time homeowners on a tight budget! It just goes to show how much of a difference some good planning and a lot of elbow grease can do for a space. And it was a lot of fun playing with different kitchen layouts again too, something I’ve missed a lot since working for Generation. As certain people can attest to, I may or may not have a bad habit of pushing new kitchen plans onto unsuspecting friends, whether they ask for them or not! What can I say, I love kitchens and making them work as efficiently as possible is always a fun challenge. What “must have” elements would your dream kitchen include?

Only three more sleeps ’til Christmas! My shopping is finally done and now I can get on with the fun business of wrapping, wrapping and more wrapping! I still haven’t sent out Christmas cards and am debating between a festive email with lots of photos of the kids from over the fall and winter (although it somehow seems so impersonal) or just sending out Happy New Year’s cards with a couple of recent photos inside. An email will definitely be easier than the written word…what do you think? Is a newsletter totally tacky? Or can I get away with it for just this year? We did just get our family photos taken with my parents, sister and brother-in-law last weekend so I’ve now got some more great photo options now, thanks to Jayme Lang…I’m wearing the purple coat, in case you’re wondering!

Speaking of wrapping, if you’re looking for easy yet creative packaging ideas and printable gift tags, look no further! Here are a few of my top picks for the season, most of which only require tidbits from around your home and a little bit of time and extra care…

Sass & Peril

Love vs. Design

Heather Bullard

Creature Comforts

Scout’s Honor Co.

I came across this amazing vintage portrait wrapping idea from Martha Stewart’s Craft Department last week and I am so in love with the results! Wouldn’t it be perfect for a birthday or bridal shower as well? Or picture vintage children and infants for a baby shower…so sweet!

Martha Stewart: The Crafts Dept.

Better Homes & Gardens

Please to Meet via Copy Strands

Man Made

Made

Lowes Creative Ideas

Gatherings via Decor8

Mini Eco Co. UK

Ikea Home via Mia Linnman

There are so many wrapping options, many of which you can find from around your own home. Kraft paper, book pages, fabric scraps and children’s drawings are some of my favourites and it’s nice to use recyclable options. I love Heather Bullard‘s evergreen embellishments and think I’ll definitely be borrowing that idea in the days to come! Rachel will be posting our last holiday post tomorrow and then we’ll be taking all next week off to spend with our families and friends so you won’t hear from me for a bit. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas filled with loved ones and we’ll see you in the bright and shiny New Year…Cheers!