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…
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!
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 🙂
Hello there! It feels like I’ve been away forever, I suppose since I was offline for most of the weekend, but I’m back and feeling very refreshed and ready for the week ahead. How was your long weekend? We headed off to Science World on Saturday with Brad’s side of the family for some early-Christmas fun. on On Boxing Day, his brother’s family is making the journey from Kelowna to Australia for a one-year teaching exchange…how cool is that? We’ll miss them and their kids over the next year but are so excited to hear about their adventures Down Under! So instead of rushing around and getting presents organized early, we all decided to go spend the day together instead…memories are so much more meaningful, aren’t they? While I was out and about, things were bustling at the shop during our first drop-in class of the season. Thanks to all who joined us and we’ll definitely be doing more so stay tuned for more classes this month!
I promised you some more pictures of the shop decked out for Christmas so here are a few that I took on Friday, with more to come…
I missed a visit from some blogging friends on Saturday but am so happy that this vintage Canadian Pacific Hotel blanket found a lovely new home…
Yesterday, we were closed in honour of Remembrance Day but that didn’t slow us down. We were busy moving Trove Vintage Rentals into our newly rented basement, after having new mugshots taken of each piece by Level6 Images. I don’t know if Cristal knew what she’d signed herself up for but let’s just say the U-Haul was packed to the gills! Many hands make for light work but it was a full day and I think we’ll all be a little sore tomorrow. How was your weekend? Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I’m feeling pretty far behind on that but thankfully we’ve decided to keep things simple this year. Have a great Tuesday 🙂
So, we’ve been talking a lot about getting organized, purging the excess and reducing the clutter around our homes. But what to do with the knick knacks, mementos and sentimental items that you really love? Rachel and I both take pleasure in displaying our vintage treasures wherever possible….on our mantles, credenzas, table centerpieces, and more. But at what point do our “displays” become clutter? I suppose it comes down to personal opinion. To some, less is more but to others more is never enough! I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the middle, slightly to the “less” side. When redecorating, I like to empty the mantle or surface that I’m rethinking and start from scratch rather than adding more to what’s there already and I definitely lean more towards symmetry and balance.
Geninne Zlatkis is an extremely talented artist living in Queretaro, Mexico in an amazing home built by her husband, Manolo. I love her watercolor paintings and how effortless she makes the process look on her blog…I highly recommend that you take a look! She also has a lovely Etsy shop that she’s currently taking a little break from but I can’t wait ’til she opens up again! Her birds and other paintings are simply gorgeous. But back to her home….it’s a combination of modern lines with natural wood and materials that I am really drawn to these days. And what’s not to like about this open floor plan and soaring ceiling? But what I love most about Geninne’s home is how she’s managed to display art, found items and plants in such an easy and uncluttered way. Subtly and with a light hand, she’s managed to bring personality and splashes of colour into every room of her family home…
Whether you lean towards the “less” or “more” end of the scale, there are plenty of ways to display your trinkets and collections without allowing them to take over your space entirely. Containing art, books or other collections to one wall, cabinet or surface, for example, makes them a focal point and keeping the number of pieces to a minimum prevents individual items from being lost in the crowd. Rachel and I both constantly edit and rearrange our homes throughout the year and keep any out-of-rotation items stored away out of sight. Once again, these vintage crates would be perfect for such storage and easily accessible too…
I’m a big fan of collections, and while I don’t have many on the go myself, I love seeing them displayed in other people’s homes. Rachel recently put together a lovely post about how to display collections here. Natural history and found objects are a big, not to mention economical, trend right now. My kids love collecting feathers, seashells and rocks from any of our holidays or excursions and covering them with a glass cloche dresses them up from treasure hunt find to scientific specimen, don’t you think? Hindsvik has so many fabulous vintage finds in their Etsy shop….
Rachel gave me Sibella Court’s book, Etcetera, for my birthday last year and I was so happy to add it to my book collection! Sibella’s style is definitely rooted in the More is More approach, and while I couldn’t live amongst it all myself, I really do enjoy looking through the pages of all of her amazing treasure displays and undone rooms. Walking into her home or store would be like entering a museum! I found a few pictures depicting the opposite ends of the display spectrum…which do you prefer? The white pantry and open shelving are organized perfection to me!
Of course, I’m a strong believer that vintage finds can be added into any room. I love the industrial shelving mixed with milk glass and other finds in this bathroom vignette. Simple, crisp and far from cluttered. If you’re unsure of how to add vintage objects into your own home or fear it will look like Grandma’s basement when you do, I recommend starting small with framed wall art. Vintage paper goods or art, like these blown-up Canadian stamps, look wonderful framed. Choose a frame that will compliment your room decor and, voila!, easy and affordable art for your walls!
There’s no need to go out and buy all new accessories to freshen up your space. Sometimes all it takes is a quick shuffle, swap, and a splash of creative thinking to make your old treasures shine like new again! Think outside the box and you’ll be surprised by the many ways you can decorate with what you already have!
All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.
All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.
All photos by Janis Nicolay. Spruce Collective in Canadian House & Home.
Photo by Andrea Westbrook…thanks Andie 🙂
