The universe is talking to me...

Yes it is true...the universe (via pinterest) is talking to me.

In this, the last month my business is open, the universe had this to say to me today:

via my pinterest

via my pinterest

Both messages so very appropriate for me at this point in time and very befitting how I feel at present. I feel strong and powerful for letting go of that which I have worked so hard to achieve and maintain, but that I also feel it is time to move on from. I am also very thankful for all the lessons learned over the last four years and very ready for what the future now holds.

And as I prepare to finish this post the radio starts to play...'have a holly jolly Christmas...it's the best time of the year' and yes it is. Here is to a great December and a wonderful New Year!

Of days gone by...

Oh how joyful it is to watch your kids grow up. My wee girls are both in school now, the youngest in Junior Kindergarten. OY!

Time is flying and we often feel the need to record every moment because the things that they do and say are so very precious we are terrified we will forget them.

Some of my favorites...

Lilah asking if she can sit 'benext' to me or if we can go on a b'venture. Even more precious was Lilah saying the other night 'I miss the old days...I miss being three...being four is hard'
Or Izzy when she used to sing 'Kwinkle Kwinkle' Little Star.

Then there is Lilah and her wiggle dance that she does...primarily when she is naked...or 'nakey' as she calls it, and Isobel talking with her hands like what she is saying is the most important thing on earth...which it is!

They grow up so fast and before you know it they are getting their first raise (like my oldest daughter Cait). Take the time today to put down the phone, tablet, newspaper...close the computer turn off the TV and watch and listen to your kids...today will be tomorrow before you know it and there will be so many yesterdays you wish you could get back. Sing  to them, read to them, dance with them...play with them. they need you more than they need anything else and the most precious gift you can give them is time...and it is really all they want.

Looking for some more parental inspiration? Check out this post over at A Cup of Jo and then read anything over at Hands Free Mama.

My favorite time of day is bedtime when I crawl into bed and sing to each of my girls...three songs each and then I give them snuggles, kisses and say goodnight...I always say 'I'll see you in the morning'...and they always say 'not if I see you first'. It doesn't matter what has happened that day, how frustrated I have been with them...it always makes me smile.

I can't wait until bedtime...you?

Monday Musings...

Happy Monday!

It has been a few days since my revelations and realizations took hold, but let me tell you that the shift is palpable...and welcome...and wonderful...and joyful.

I'm not completely there yet, accepting myself wholly and fully is going to be a process but I can see it happening...feel it. This morning I walked down main street and where I normally look at myself in the shop windows and think negatively, today my inner dialogue was different...it was more accepting and appreciative, it liked what it saw.

All around me the world is changing and the direction is a glorious one primarily of acceptance and appreciation how can one not help but be happy? When you are happy those around you are happy, and supportive and appreciative and loving and generous and kind...it really is true...the energy you put out into the world is the energy you get back.

I stumbled upon a new to me blog last week and today's' post was a good one. Over at Marc and Angel Hack Life they are talking about the 9 Things you Do NOT Need to Be Happy. Check it out, it is worth the read and will have you realizing how true this list really is.

And because every post needs a photo I thought I'd share something from my 'Beautiful Inspiration' board on Pinterest...

via my Pinterest

Happy Monday! Hope your day holds beauty love and laughter!

Been awhile...

I haven't disappeared literally, just figuratively I suppose. Healing and recovery are going well, but not being out in the world is becoming difficult. I am struggling with motivation and inspiration...I should say I was, because over the last few days things have turned a corner for me.

Let me explain...before the surgery and the cyst that precipitated the surgery I was active and in the middle of my weight loss journey. I had lost 40lbs and had about 40 to go. When the cyst was discovered I felt fine and continued to live my active life, but not long after the diagnosis something happened that left me in pain, a lot of pain. A trip to the hospital to a deaf audience it would seem and they felt it was a bladder infection though there was no pathology to support this. No-one wanted to hear about the cyst and no diagnostics regarding it were done. We know now that if they had they would have discovered that the cyst had moved, and twisted, a torsion cyst, which can be quite dangerous. I suspect that if that had been discovered, the surgery would have happened long ago and recovery would be a thing of the past, but c'est la vie. As it was I left the hospital with antibiotics and went about my business. The pain receded and we presumed the 'infection' was gone. I started to exercise again but again was met with pain. I stopped exercising and waited for a few days then tried again to the same outcome, so for the six weeks leading up to the surgery I did not really exercise. This ended up having a very negative effect on me both emotionally and physically. I gained weight and the tiredness I experienced pre weight loss returned. Now my recovery has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, in that while I physically feel good, I am so very tired much of the time, and I still cannot do much activity. I always thought I hated running, but did it because it was the best way to burn calories...turns out I miss it so very much and now that the weather is turning I am dying to get outside for a run.

source

Anyhow tired, lacking inspiration yada yada yada...Then last week a friend of mine posted to Facebook about a tough run she'd just had and how she ended up walking half of it. She was disappointed in herself and I thought why is she disappointed she got up a 5am, got out the door on a very windy cold wet morning and ran 10k...ummm hello...hero? So as I sat here that morning thinking about her post I thought 'by jeez if she can do that then the least I can do is lace up my runners and get on the darn treadmill'...so off I went and walked a half hour...I realized I had been stuck in a mode where I felt that if couldn't do what I wanted to do (run, yoga, weights) then why bother with anything at all...silly really but that is in the past.

Then on top of the wonderful motivation my friend unknowingly provided me (I did later message her a thank you and some encouragement) I caught a segment of Ellen interviewing Tom Shadyac a Hollywood producer and director. I didn't see all of his interview but caught that he was promoting a new documentary called Happy

source

During the interview Ellen asked Tom about his move from his Hollywood mansion to his mobile home...this caught my attention and while I was then distracted by a child in need, when I had time I settled down with my laptop and Google'd Tom Shadyac, what I came across was a documentary he made called I Am. I watched it last night and highly recommend it ( It will explain the move from the mansion).

I have once again found my inspiration, in the people around me and the world at large and cannot wait to get on with things.

I hope your weekend is full of inspiration, love, happiness and health!

Happy Weekend all!

I'm Back...

Hello all! How've you been? I am here 4 days post op...home and doing well. Struggling to sleep comfortably, but with the ability and expectation to nap during the day it's all good.

I wasn't sure when or what I was going to post when I got back to it, so I spent some early morning hours thinking about it, and settled on sharing some of the things I missed on Pinterest while I was out of the loop...
The biggest thing is that they have adjusted their terms of service which I am happy to report. Not gonna lie, I was worried I would have to leave this shangrila and thrilled that the powers that be listened to the concerns of their users and worked to allay their fears.

As I scanned recent pins this morning I came across this pin from Rue Magazine

via my pinterest, original source

This chair would be of such comfort to me right now...absolute perfection...I love it in white!

Then there was this beauty from ModCloth

via my pinterest, original source

I am down ten pounds since the day I went in for surgery...crazy, but soon enough I might like to try out this sweet vintage vibe for myself.

And finally...some words of wisdom to leave you with...

via my pinterest, original source

Happy Monday all...enjoy the beauty of each day...but most importantly the day that is before you!

Happy Wednesday!

Wow..time flies and here we are at Wednesday again.

It is a good one out there in Blogland people! Full of colour, design inspirations, and art.
If you haven't already check out these posts;

Check out the stunningly delicate work of artist Diem Chau over at Designwali here's a peek, but head over to see more of this beautiful work.

source

Jen over at Rambling Renovators once again manages to inspire with a great shot of the bathroom...the door is amazing...go look!

Elizabeth over at Mustard Ceiling had her husband Alfred post today about their kitchen remodel. A small change here has made a big difference.

Shannon Fricke has some wonderful inspirations for using colour in the home...wish I was so brave...I chicken out every time...fingers crossed I carry through with the turquoise in the powder room.


It is Surf's Up with Kerri at Driftwood Interiors as her husband has added to his collection of surf boards and her daughter is coveting a new one as well...I think they are perfect decor pieces, fun and funky.

Finally head over and see why Sue at The Zhush is inspired by Swedish design...who wouldn't be?

source

Hope you've enjoyed your Wednesday in blogland as much as I have.

Happy Wednesday all!

Late to the game...

I might be late to the game here, but I just read the January issue of House and Home (thanks BlogPodium for the copy!) and just have to say WOW! to Tommy Smythe's spread.



House and Home

 We all know and love Tommy as Sarah Richardson's sidekick, but not often do we see Tommy's own design work.  In the January issue he is front and centre with a stellar Victorian Makeover. If you don't have or can't find a copy of the magazine, check out the House and Home website for the photo gallery.

The kitchen above with it's three tone cabinets, and wonderful pops of red (look at that lantern!) is perfect for the home and the family living in it. Do I need to say anything about that floor...OMG!

While I am not a fan of it all, the zig zags on the walls in the bathroom are bit out there for me, much of the rest of the house is a study in tastefully bold as far as I am concerned.

House and Home

What do you think? Should we be seeing more of Tommy's work, or he destined to be Sarah's right hand man?

The art of buying art...

I am a gallerist...I own an art gallery, a bricks and mortar art gallery in Muskoka. I love what I do, I love my gallery and the artists I represent and my clients. Recently I have been a party to a couple of discussions surrounding original art from different perspectives, one from the perspective of the artist seeking representation and another from the perspective of the client. I want to address the client end of things here, but if you are an artist interested in learning how to best approach a gallery, feel free to email me, or comment below.

The client end of things was spurred by a post on the marion house book, where Emma was introducing her readers to Art Bomb an online daily art auction site, you can read her post here.  In her post Emma spoke with an artist who is selling his work through this site. Francisco Gomez had this to say "As an artist he realizes that buying art from a gallery setting can be an intimidating experience".  This single comment is the reason for this post.

Borrowed Book and One Orange by Laurie Wonfor Nolan

I am not an artist. I am a designer with what I like to think of as a good eye. My husband and I spend a lot of time and effort curating a solid cohesive collection of work that we know will appeal to our clientele and in so doing be saleable and benefit the artists we represent. Above and beyond that, our role is to facilitate the purchase of art. Sometimes that means discussing at length an artist his background or her inspiration for the work. Sometimes it means sitting back and letting the client come to terms with a piece, being available, but essentially leaving them alone. And then there are times that my role is to make the client feel comfortable in the gallery with the art, and how they feel about it. I am sure you have heard it many times before, but art is subjective. It has no boundaries but only those that are held in the eye of the beholder, be it the creator or the viewer. Art is meant to evoke a reaction, visceral sometimes, emotional at others. It can make one feel alive, frenetic, or calm and serene. What piece evokes these feelings in one may not in another. Some artists will say to me 'tell me what sells and I'll paint it', I repeatedly tell them it does not work that way. An original work of art needs to be a piece of the artists soul.


Red House Glimmer of Sun by Kate Grigg

There are many different kinds of art buyers. Some will walk into the gallery and react to a painting and buy it on the spot, others will react, but need to let it simmer. Often they will walk away and return several times before they decide to purchase. Some walk away and if they cannot stop thinking about a piece they will be back to purchase. Sometimes this can be within hours or days, other times it is months. Then there are people that buy art for it's value, as an investment, for them it is about the artist and the probability of their work rising in value. Yet there are others who are buying art to match a room, a particular colour scheme, shape, shape, size or style.


Endurance by Scott McKay of Strongarm Forge

There is no right or wrong way to view, to feel or to buy art. It is always my recommendation that one buy original art where their budget will allow, but not all budgets allow.

My point in all of this is to say that if a client feels intimidated by an art gallery they are not in the right gallery. The same is true for the artist, if you are being represented by a gallery that you feel is intimidating to the client, then you are not in the right place. 

Farmland I by Michael Scott

It is my hope that no one ever feels intimidated in my space, to me when you walk in my doors you are walking into my living room.

How and where do you buy art? Do you like the comfort of your home and buy online, or are you as affected by the texture and presence of a piece and prefer to see it in person before you buy?

Happy Wednesday!

So it is mid week, and once again I thought I'd share where I visited and commented in blogland today!

First up we have the baby bump update from Janice over at Life Begins at Thirty Right? And in case you missed it earlier in the week Janice shared some super exciting news (second to her pregnancy)...go here to read all about it and be as excitedly jealous as I am.

Christine over at An Eclectic Life is having a design dilemma as she compares her current gallery wall to this one:

from An Eclectic Life via

Pop on over and weigh in with your opinion...I'm sure she'll appreciate the feedback.

Erin at His & Hers never fails to make me smile...and quite often laugh out loud. If you have not checked out her blog, you should! Today she and her hubby created a corny vlog as a precursor to their next home improvement project...do you think you know what they are eluding to?

Lisa Roy of a designer obsessed... is celebrating her 2 Year Blogiversary! YAY! Congrats Lisa!

Any Beach Cottage girls out there? Poor Mrs. BC was bitten by a spider and the sweet Mr. BC posted for her...she is resting and we hope she gets better soon...but her Good Life Wednesdays linky party is still in full swing!

So there you have it, my virtual vacation for the morning...guess I ought to get back to work...good thing I'm my own boss!

Happy Wednesday all...been anywhere interesting today?

Updates...

Happy Tuesday one and all!

So I realised (thanks to Lisa Roy) that I never did follow up to my what to wear post...so I thought I'd share a quick photo of what my shopping trip garnered...which ended up not really being anything like any of my inspirations, but a great outfit none-the-less.

I finally found a pair of high boots that would go around my apparently large calves...woot! I have been looking for a dogs age and was happy to find a great deal on a pair from Sears of all places! I ended up choosing the blouse and purse (both at a great price) from Laura. It was funny because neither my mom nor I really liked the blouse on the hanger except for the pop of colour it provided, but once I put it on I knew that was it. I looked good, was comfy and above all else felt good. I wore it with a pair of leggings, a scarf, the boots (of course) and some wooden bangles.

So that's it...that's what I wore...sorry no pics of me in it...maybe that's a god thing ;)

Anyhoo...

On to other updates...the laundry room and adjoining bathroom reno/update is in full swing and wreaking havoc on other parts of my home...namely my kitchen...

In the laundry room the washer and dryer has been moved and thank heavens is functional even if the rest of the space is not. The ceiling, trim, and doors have been painted (by yours truly), and hopefully I will have some time this week to paint the walls that are being painted. Once all the painting is done I can wallpaper and once that is done the men can converge and put up the shelves. 



picture the ceiling and the trim white...honest it's been done...just no photos

As you can see I have ended up with one little bit of that fake stone panelling that needs to stay, so the decision was to paint the whole room (what is being painted) white because of the multiple surface issue. The turquoise will go in the bathroom...yikes!

In the bathroom, my wonderful husband and father have stripped the old mirror and tile, and the sink has been removed...the toilet comes out this week and the new bead board goes up, I will then paint in a hurry so the toilet and sink can go back...with two young kids (one of them potty training) we cannot be without the main floor bath for too long.

So those are the updates round here...what's up in your world? Any exciting projects on the go?

Happy Tuesday!

Blog Podium...IDS 2012 et al...

So this is the week of all weeks...I am excited to be attending Blog Podium this Friday, my first ever Blogger event. I have no idea what to expect, I am nervous and excited all rolled into one. My only worry is that I am awaiting a medical appointment that is beyond my control and just hope it won't be scheduled for Friday...fingers crossed for me please!

I spent the weekend exploring new blogs, and I am struck by the number of bloggers who sell their services as designers. Many have no formal education in Interior Design but have a knack that they are now basing a business on. I have no real problem with this other than it can be somewhat irksome when I spent a gazillion dollars for my formal design education which I am still paying for. None the less, there is a lot of talent out there and that talent deserves to be shared. It got me thinking though about the validity of formal design training, and the term 'Interior Designer'.

Interior Designers (in Canada) have graduated from a 3 year Interior Design program at an accredited college or a longer degree program through a University, and have had rigorous training in structure, building code, life safety, drafting, space planning, programming, budgeting, lighting, millwork design and detailing. The fun stuff, the 'icing' as I call it comes later and is as much innate as it is learned. We cover off colour theory, history, learn about fabrics and finishes, but what they cannot teach you is style...you either have it or your don't.

Interestingly in the province of Ontario only members of the Association of Interior Designers of Ontario  (ARIDO) can legally use the title 'Interior Designer'. On their website they note that "the Association will take all necessary legal steps to protect the title "Interior Designer" and ensure non-authorized parties do not use this designation or "ARIDO" behind their names." So for me, I am not registered with ARIDO (for financial reasons) and even though I have paid a gazillion dollars for my Interior Design education (graduated from an accredited 3 year program with honors) I cannot call myself an Interior Designer without the possibility of penalty. I am okay with that. The basis of the law is to protect the consumer. And though I have all the formal training, there has to be a governing body to ensure the consumer is protected.  I question how many consumers understand the difference between a designer and a decorator, and how many know of the law meant to protect them. Did you know that as an Interior Designer you can be held accountable if a project you worked on has any failings and causes bodily harm? Yup. Did you know that Interior Designers carry liability insurance to protect themselves and their clients?

My question is this; with the world of design blogging exploding, is the line between Interior Designer and Interior Decorator becoming fuzzy, and does that fuzzy line put the consumer at risk? Or perhaps it is that design bloggers have opened the flood gates even further than HGTV did originally to enable the DIYer on a whole new level. Have they negated the need on a residential level for Interior Designers and Decorators, or are they bolstering the industry?

It is a very interesting time where everyone and her brother seems to be in the industry and when you come across a website where the 'designer's' credentials are noted as having watched a lot of design programs and read many design magazine's and books, you have to wonder where the line in the sand should be drawn, and by whom?

Let me just reiterate; I love design bloggers, and I believe they are changing the world of design for the better. I feel personally that they generate a dialogue never before seen, and a community in which to share ideas freely and without prejudice. I fell out of love with design for a while, and through this world that has opened up to me, I have fallen in love again, I feel energized, inspired, and invigorated by all the possibilities and promise. Most of the design bloggers I have come across are intelligent, articulate, and extremely talented. I trust that those who have created a business with this talent only offer services they are qualified to perform, and that where necessary they seek the professional services of an Interior Designer or Architect. Those that do not and the people that hire them need to be aware of the consequences.

So it is with excitement that head into this week, where I get to attend Blog Podium, listen and learn about this wonderful world of blogging, and I get to attend The Interior Design Show all the same day!
Here's to a wonderful week, of inspiration.

Happy Monday all!

Happy Wednesday!

Hellooo!
Yes it has been another while...and yes I am sorry. I am still trying to find the time to sit quietly and post my thoughts, and struggling with what thoughts to post.

Today it will be short and sweet. I thought I would share with you where I commented today, because today was filled with some great posts from across blogland.

In no specific order, I recommend checking out the following blog posts from some of the best bloggers out there.

House of Fifty is getting ready to release their latest edition next week.
Emma Reddington from the marion house book is excited to be in HGTV Magazine and Today's Parent Magazine.
Over at Driftwood Interiors Kerri is getting ready to redesign her studio.
Jen at Rambling Renovators is on her way to the Alt Design Summit.
Lisa Roy made a darling pillow to link a hall bench and painting (which she also painted herself).

Lisa Roy a designer obsessed...

Carol at The Design Pages talks about being an organized shopper.
And finally Anne Marie at 10 Rooms shows us the fruits of her creative labour.

It was wonderful to take some time to read and comment today. Perhaps I'll do this every Wednesday.

I am off to do some more year end bookkeeping and to try to plan some time to tackle the laundry room, for which all the supplies have been purchased.

Happy Wednesday all!