Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

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!

I’m late posting today but so it goes sometimes 🙂 The weekend is officially here and although our sunshine is apparently going to disappear for a little while (boo!), I’ve got some bright inspiration and link love to share with you today:

1. Loving the combination of vintage and modern in this colourful vignette, not to mention that beautiful painting :

2. Laundry is my least favourite chore but how fun is this cheerful utility room? Check out the DIY vinyl tile flooring tutorial over at  A Beautiful Mess:

DIY vinyl tile floors by A Beautiful Mess

3. Nothing says “party” like a good garland and these giant paper beads are pretty darn great…I don’t think I’d ever take them down actually :

4. I love a good colour punch in an otherwise neutral space and these bold yellow chairs are no exception…they remind me of a modern take on old Sunday school chairs, no? :

5. It’s happy hour somewhere, right? This trio of summery cocktails look too yummy not to try and I’m intrigued by the watermelon jalapeño comination:

We don’t have many plans this weekend but will be hanging with some friends and hitting the beach (if the rain stays away) before bringing Gabe to camp on Sunday. What about you, any exciting getaways in your cards? Happy weekend!

Happy July to you! The sun is shining and it officially feels like summer here on the West Coast, hooray! I’ve been laying low  the past couple of weeks while recovering from a surgery and I must admit it’s been a lot harder being home and doing nothing than I thought it would be! I’ve read a couple of books as well as 3 months worth of magazine subscriptions, have caught up on all my favourite Netflix series’ and streamed several others but my brain is feeling slightly numb from an over-indulgence in entertainment news and a serious Instagram addiction. Brad took time off work to help me out (thank goodness) and he’s not one to sit still so got a great start on open shelves in our living room and backyard landscaping but it’s been pretty frustrating to just sit back and watch!  I’m resting lots and feeling more mobile every day and although  I’ll still be taking it easy for at least a few more weeks, I’ll hopefully start phasing in a day or two very soon. Have any of you ever been physically forced to come to a full “stop” in life? It’s been very good for me in a lot of ways and I definitely have a renewed appreciation (not to mention a very grateful heart) for good health. I have had plenty of time to browse for decorating inspiration for our new house and I can’t wait to bring in some potted plants and florals, especially now that my get-well bouquets are starting to fade. They bring so much life to a room, don’t you think? Here are some great floral looks, perfect for summer or all year round:

Artist Laura Jones’ studio | Photo by Rachel Kara for The Design Files.

DIY hanging shelf | Vtwonen via Poppytalk

Pretty, right? I’m off now (slowly!) to meet up with my Spruce partners for our weekly meeting (which never feel like work, by the way!) before a couple of good friends come over for a quiet girls night tonight, can’t wait! Being home so long with the family has been great but I’m definitely ready to shake off this cabin-fever and get back into the social swing of things! Hope you’re having a great week so far and I’ll be back to chat on Friday 🙂

Happy Wednesday! I’m sharing some link love early this week as I’m heading in for surgery first thing tomorrow morning and imagine I’ll be pretty groggy for the next few days. It will be very strange to be out of commission and in recovery for the next couple of weeks but it will also give me time to finally plan our Summer holidays and I’ll have a chance to catch up on Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black! Not to sure when I’ll feel up to blogging but here are some links that have inspired me this week:

1. This photo simply feels like summer to me, as does much of Joanna Henderson beautiful photography:

Photo by Joanna Henderson via SF Girl by Bay

2. My recipe “file” is a complete mess and it’s high time copy my favourite dishes onto pretty cards like these… they’re free to download here!

Printable recipe cards / Blank cook book by Co Corrina

3. I’m so in love with the photos that Mikaela Ruth Photography snapped of our extended Spruce family last week and you can see more here on our shop blog, if you’re curious about more of the story behind Spruce Collective:

The families of Spruce Collective | Mikaela Ruth Photography

4. Emma’s new baskets are a genius idea for storage…now to find fishing baskets from Madagascar for my own home!

The Marion House Book

5. Are you following Cartolina stationery designer Fiona Richards (fionacartolina) or her husband Doug Jones (riderjones) on Instagram? If not, start now because they’re in the midst of an absolutely incredible renovation of their first retail store in Nelson, BC, transforming a dingy Chinese restaurant into a heritage dream of a storefront…the before pics are mind-blowing! I cannot wait to visit later this Summer when we make the trek out to Brad’s family cabin in the Kootneys…road trip!

Cartolina retail, opening July 2014

That’s all for now! Wish me luck (and hopefully a speedy recovery!) and I’ll be back to chat very soon 🙂 xo

Well, I’m officially beat. Last week and this weekend totally kicked my a$$ …3 parties at our house is just a little too much for this mama, especially with Brad away camping all weekend, but I survived and I’m ready to attempt another busy week ahead. The schools are on full strike now so all working parents in BC are in extreme juggling mode but so far I’ve got childcare somewhat lined up…I think. Despite the juggling act and sad moments that school got cut short (as in ended suddenly…we didn’t even get to say goodbye!), it does feel good to ease into Summer mode and less driving is always a good thing. My nerves are feeling somewhat on edge after organizing events, schedules and babysitting and I could sure use a peaceful moment, how about you? Now you know I love a good home conversion (see here, here and here) and I can’t imagine a more serene home than a church! This Australian church was originally built in the 1800’s and was operational until only 10 years ago before being converted into a cozy family home, full of vintage treasures and modern conveniences:

Photographer: Sean Fennessy, Producer: Lucy Feagins, Source: The Design Files via Domaine

Photographer: Sean Fennessy, Producer: Lucy Feagins, Source: The Design Files via Domaine

Photographer: Sean Fennessy, Producer: Lucy Feagins, Source: The Design Files via Domaine

On a personal note, I’m going in for surgery on Thursday and I’m feeling pretty nervous about the whole thing. It’s not serious (as in it’s not a medical emergency but all surgery is fairly serious I suppose!) and I won’t go into details now but I will be in recovery-mode over the next few weeks so you might see a lot less of me…or more, depending on how bored I get! Despite the recovery side of things, it will be nice to put my feet up and finally read that stack (as in 12!) of magazine subscriptions that I haven’t had a chance to read yet, not to mention getting in some serious cuddle/book reading/movie watching time with my kiddos. I’ll be back to chat on Wednesday but have a great start to your week 🙂