Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

This week has been a bit bumpy so I’m really glad it’s Friday again! I feel like I’ve been fighting off a head cold, which makes sense since my kids have been alternating sick days, and a foggy head on top of my usual work load and the dreaded tax season (seriously, why do always leave it so late!) add up to some serious brain drain. But I’m shaking off the cobwebs and heading into the city tonight to meet some girlfriends for a night out, the perfect remedy! On an exciting note, a Hallmark movie will be shooting on location at my store, Spruce Collective, starting on Sunday! We’ll be closed for 5 days while they take over (I can’t wait to see how they transform the space overnight, literally!) and it’s a fun little burst of fame for our block in Downtown Abbotsford. I wonder if they need any extras?? Here are some links I’ve loved this week:

1. I’m feeling the urge to learn a new skill and calligraphy is right at the top of my list! I’m super jealous of anyone with hand lettering skills and have been craving a hands-on creative outlet so a class like this one (held in San Francisco recently) looks pretty top notch:

Photo by Angie Cao for Petals and Penmanship (led by Kiana Underwood and Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls) via SF Girl by Bay

2. Speaking of new skills, one of my big dreams (I have many, it’s a problem!) for the shop is to have a big studio/event space someday. This one in the UK would be perfect! Now if only I had a magic wand:

Light Locations

3. There is so much natural light flooding into this Belgian home. That combined with layers of texture and vintage furniture make it such a warm and welcoming space, especially the main living room:

Elle Decor. Photo by Richard Powers.

4. I enjoy baking much more than I do cooking (might just be the stage I’m in with the kiddos, skeptical looks and “ew!” is pretty common when I try new dinner dishes. Muffins and cookies are always a win!) and would love to expand my horizons with that skill set too. One of my favourite movies is It’s Complicated, especially that scene where Meryl Streep teaches Steve to bake chocolate croissants (so romantic, right?!) and I’ve wanted to learn how ever since. This Knead and Know croissant making class looks absolutely scrumptious:

Knead and Know via A Daily Something. Photo by Rebekah J. Murray.

5. It’s no secret that I love concrete floors but I’m generally drawn to the honed or Acid-stained variety.  The high gloss floors of this Danish home are so striking though, aren’t they? They become such a focal point for the space and almost look like water. Very cool:

What’s a weekend without music? Here are some new additions to my current playlist. Cheers 🙂

Living on the West Coast, we’re no strangers to wood. It literally surrounds us in live forests and is one of our most used building materials and resources for export. While I would never balk at painting out dated finishes (like those weird bleached pink cabinet doors of the ’80s or that shiny orang-ey oak of matching dining sets or lacquered cherry anything) I’m definitely a big fan of highlighting exposed wood throughout the home. It brings so much natural warmth to a space, especially when balanced with other finishes and textures to keep it from looking like a hunting lodge (not that I wouldn’t enjoy a good hunting lodge, especially with a roaring fire and hot toddy in hand but you get my drift). Our own ceiling (which you can catch a glimpse of here and here) are original circa 1969 cedar tongue + groove and were the selling feature when we first walked through the front door 6 years ago. I love them just as much now as I did then, especially when it rains. We have no attic and it really feels like we’re cozied up in a cabin in the woods (or possibly a hunting lodge) with raindrops (and often pinecones) pattering down overhead. Here are some great spaces made even better with the addition of natural wood accents:

Domino. Photo by Brittany Ambridge.

Better Homes & Gardens

RTL WoonMagazine

How genius is the above bench? Seriously, such a great idea especially for entertaining when it can just be tucked out of site or pulled out in a pinch. I also love that the designer chose a different wood colour than the floor to make it stand out. Not a fan of anything matchy-matchy, can you tell?

Sugar & Cloth

Manhattan Nest

See the last picture? It’s a fabulous reno of a formerly hideous space (so rude, I know but you really have to see the entire transformation to see what I mean!) and I love how Daniel painted out the original wood floorboards (gasp! don’t worry, they were in really bad shape) before building a natural wood desktop and floating shelves. What do you think? Well, I’m off to the shop now to sort through the vintage treasures that my partner Jessica and I bought yesterday (we went on a mild spree South of the border!) before a creative brainstorming session with the rest of my Spruce girls. Have I mentioned before that I love my job? Because I do 🙂

I’d hoped to feel rested up by today but somehow I’m not. No good excuse either! We were homebodies for most of the weekend, which felt great in a way but had it’s frustrating moments, including refereeing squabbling children. I feel like we’ve got so many projects that we want to do around our house but I’m holding back (or stuck) for a couple of reasons. A) Funds are tight and we just can’t tackle the big projects like flooring, kitchen, etc anytime soon and B) I’m just so freaking tired these days that I don’t know if I have the energy to finish even a little project! But I know that the latter is just a mildly lazy excuse and I’m perfectly capable of organizing a closet (or three) so I think I just need to make an actual goal list for the week to get some momentum going. Small projects, even simple ones, can make a world of difference and I’m the type of person who thrives on project planning. Thankfully, my store is the perfect creative outlet when I’m in a rut on the home front and we’ve got a few exciting projects in the works that I can’t wait to share. In the meantime, to coax Spring out of hiding here’s a collection of spaces + products featuring my current colour crush, aqua + green:

Oh Happy Day | Photo by Paul Ferney

Oh Joy! for Target (available March 16th)

“Swim” by Janis Nicolay | Pinecone Camp

Cartolina (also available at Spruce Collective)

Yvonne Ellen

Isn’t there an old saying, “together blue and green should never be seen”? Well I totally disagree, obviously 😉 Enjoy this soggy Monday!

Hurray for the weekend! I’m feeling a little low on the energy scale this week, you know that feeling when you’re moving in slow motion and start several tasks without finishing any? Yeah, that’s me. But the weekend is here so I’m hoping to reboot and recharge before jumping into several creative projects, both at the shop and at home. Speaking of creative, my Spruce Collective girls and I recently filmed our first YouTube video (totally out of our comfort zone, fyi!) and I thought you might enjoy a little look behind the scenes in addition to some other links I loved this week:

1. Our first YouTube video for Spruce Collective!:

2. Although our own basement renos have slowed to a snail’s pace, I still love living vicariously through other peoples renovation adventures. Can’t wait to see the end result of Sarah‘s home and here’s a glimpse at her DIY studio in the meantime:

Smitten Studio

3. Winter can be a little lonely, can’t it? Especially when temperatures drop, brrr!  But I can’t think of a better way to come out of hibernation than with a communal dinner like this one, attended by Shannon Eileen and hosted by Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle Et Vanille:

Happiness Is

4. A big kitchen reno is high on my wish list but isn’t remotely realistic at this point in time (wah!) but I’m hoping to come up with a few creative and budget friendly tweaks to make it at least a teeny bit happier. Loving the concrete counters and open shelves in this small Dutch kitchen:

Fantastic Frank via April + May

5. I love a good motivational quote and absolutely love this DIY “wallpaper” by blogger Marij Hessel! So awesome and sooo easy too, my kind of project!

My Attic

Off I go to attempt at least somewhat of a productive day, wish me luck 🙂 And have yourself a fabulous weekend too!

What a crazy burst of weather we’ve been having! Blizzard conditions on Monday turned into sunshine + bird-chirping Spring, total switcharoo but I’m definitely not complaining! I’ve got Spring cleaning on my brain and, inspired by our recent “freshening-up” over at my store, feel ready for a few bright + de-cluttering changes around our house. Considering my mild addiction to discount rug websites (like this one) and the endless quest for the perfect living room area carpet, it’s no wonder that this home tour on SF Girl by Bay caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. Layered with subtle pattern and texture, natural wood accents and bright pops of colour throughout, it’s hard to believe that this home was dark + dated before designer Natalie Myers got her hands on it:

Photos by Amy Bartlam via SF Girl by Bay. Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs.

Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs. Photos by Amy Bartlam.

Photos by Amy Bartlam via SF Girl by Bay. Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs.

Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs. Photos by Amy Bartlam.

Photos by Amy Bartlam via SF Girl by Bay. Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs.

Photos by Amy Bartlam via SF Girl by Bay. Design by Natalie Myers | Veneer Designs.

 So bright and classic, isn’t it? I absolutely adore the layered rugs in the living room and the vintage furniture + accessories used throughout the space. That bright turquoise door is pretty awesome too! I generally tend to paint doors out to match the walls but why not trick them out in a bold accent colour? Could you live here? I could.