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?

I won't bore you with the details...

So by now everyone has probably seen a recap of BlogPodium and IDS somewhere, so I will simply say I attended and here was my take...

My day Friday started at 5:30 am driving an hour (which actually ended up being an hour and a half with the weather) through awful conditions (snow/freezing rain) only to be late for the train...late as in just late, as in I pull into the station turn the car off reach for the door handle only to see the train pulling away from the platform. And that about sums up the days direction...just a little off track for me. I took the next train a half hour later and in another hour and a half I was in the heart of the city and hightailing to the convention centre and sneaking in the back just in time to hear the start of BlogPodium discussions. (Side Bar...Go Transit has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced!)

BlogPodium was a great event, well attended and with a great discussion on blogs and media, but I found it did not really apply to me; at this point in time, I do not consider myself a design blogger, rather a lifestyle blogger and so the discussion surrounding getting published and press coverage for your blog on Design TV or in Design Mags, was in the end a bit beyond the purview of my blog. No matter it was a great discussion with a wonderful panel of 'media mavens' and I enjoyed listening in and took away a few really great pointers. I look forward to the next discussion which is to be about monetizing your blog...something any blogger can relate to I suspect.

As far as IDS is concerned, while I may be the only designer to say this, I never fail to be a bit disappointed. Having been absent from this event for several years I guess I expected to be blown away by the new and exciting, and I was not. Don't get me wrong, I saw some great things, but nothing that knocked my socks off. What surprised me most was that I had no intention of wearing my 'Gallerist hat'.  I had intended on simply representing my blog and my newly conceived design business (Your Muskoka Design Assistant), but by far the best of the show for me was Studio North and Prototype where I met some wonderful product designers with...get this...wonderful product! (which I'm not gonna share at the moment until I can secure it in the gallery).  The best of the rest of the show for me personally was not the best because it was the most innovative, or groundbreaking, but the best because I just personally like the style.


I can so see myself soaking in this tub by Native Trails



Perfect winter cabin look from Up Country and the ode to the British would make my hubby feel at home.



This metal chest from Elte is an organizers dream.



These Vista Teak chairs in a bright apricot from Andrew Richard Designs brightened my whole day.



And because I'm a mom, I thought these indoor play gyms; Rhapsody by Cedarworks were to die for!

 I was supposed to meet my oldest daughter after the show for a bit of downtown shopping, but her bus from Kitchener was late and so I trekked to the Eaton Centre and back alone (and empty handed...my heart just wasn't in it). She made it just in time to catch our train north back to Barrie where she was going for the weekend to see friends. We had a wonderful visit on the train ride, but not what we had planned on.

I was back in the gallery Saturday for a quiet day as the weather was not good, and Sunday was spent trying to get the laundry room and bathroom closer to completion. The extent of the chaos from not having the laundry room functional is getting to me...an update on all that later in the week.

There you have it...my take on things, for what it's worth.

Happy Monday...or Tuesday as I've posted this a bit late.

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!

In my household of late...

Good Day everyone in blogland...oh how I am missing you. I have tried to keep abreast of what is going on out there, comment when I can but time is tight these days as many of you well know, and some things just fall to the bottom of the imaginary list...not today!

I downloaded some pictures off my camera this morning and thought I would share all that has been happening in our household of late.

The tree is up and trimmed. This is my favorite thing to do getting ready for the season ahead. Nothing starts until the tree is up for me. My husband tries to hold me off as long as he can, but this year he did a wonderful thing and surprised me with a tree... Or he would have, had I not looked at the bank account and noticed a transaction that did not make sense. Still it was a nice surprise that I totally needed. More important...he knew I needed it. I could love him for that alone.

Last week I came home to find this wonderful craft that my daughter made at school, it is her handprint on a glass ball with the fingers made into little snowmen (I'm sure you've all seen versions of this on pinterest) but it was so nice to receive it along with it's little poem about how fast she will grow up...not gonna lie, I cried...yup it was a nice gift to receive and hang on our tree.

 My tree is steeped in tradition and memory. My family growing up was not big on following the same traditions each year, there was never a right way or a wrong way to do Christmas, but the one thing we always had were our ornaments. The same ones went up every year, I always had my favorites, and I still do today. the ornaments have been passed to me, and for that I am thankful. Each year I realise just how much these simple little things mean to me. I am not one to hold onto things for sentiment, so these things that I pack away every January and dig out every December bring me great joy.

Another thing I try to do each year is to build a Gingerbread house. One year I even made my own gingerbread...only one year because ugh that was a chore, and a frustration to beat all frustrations...so now as un inspired as it is, I buy a kit. The girls and I did this one day last week, it was fun, they enjoyed and I let them...meaning I did not take over too much, try too hard to control the outcome wanting perfection, these moments were perfection enough...

 

A self portrait by Isobel...I couldn't resist :o)

So this is what has been up in my neck of the woods in my moments at home with the girls...the rest of the time I have been in the gallery where I am happy to report that people are shopping local and buying handmade.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each of you!

2 Days until my big girl comes home...

2 More Saturdays to shop...

10 Days until the big day...

YIPEE!

Still finding my legs...

I am a new blogger...I have been blogging for several months now, but I still feel new, unsure and have yet to figure out where all this is going. I think I knew when I started that I would not be able to focus solely on one thing and that I tend to like to comment on whatever is on my mind at the moment and thus the name of my blog 'In Corners of My Mind'. This post is a perfect example, it is not what I had intended to post on this morning, but I happened upon Jen at Rambling Renovators post this morning about her new venture Blog Podium, and here we are.

I ventured over to the Blog Podium website and perused there, and as I read the bios of the three creators, and read about the purpose of blog podium I started thinking about it all. Who am I in this world of blogs, what kind of blogger am I and where do I want all of this to go? A lot of questions and only I have the answers, I just haven't figured them out yet. So...I already have my trade day pass for the Interior Design Show where Blog Podium will have their inaugural discussion, I will await registration for this discussion and plan to attend, maybe participating in this will help me define who I am and where I want to go with it, maybe it won't but I believe with the wonderful bloggers behind it all I won't walk away disappointed.

Now as for today's post, I had intended to apologize for my lack of posts last week, the week just slipped away. However the back hall was finally finished with my old window pane frame, and my driftwood sign (both DIY I completed last week and hubby hung last night) so without further ado, here are the after photo's...which are just taken with my little Sony point and shoot...I am realizing the merits of a really good camera...maybe in the new year.

The driftwood coat rack was a DIY creation of my husband's several years ago; a piece of driftwood, and some iron hooks found at our dollar store and for less than 5 dollars we have this! 

There is still some finishing to do, a little bit of trim work, but it is far more complete than it was a week ago, which means I am far more happy. Now all I have to do is decide which project to tackle next...hmmm

Happy Monday all!

A change is better than a rest...

For all of my followers  (yes all 8 of you ;) you might have noticed my blog change a couple of times in the last few days...or maybe you didn't.  I thought I would check out blogger's new dynamic templates, not realizing that I would not be able to get back to where I started if I didn't like them. I didn't like them...

So I played with the standard templates trying to come up with what I had originally but no luck there. I settled on something only to view my own blog the other day and realize that everything was amiss. Anyhoo here we are now with something that I think works. (let me know if I am wrong)

I am still new to this blogging thing and must come clean, there is much I still do not understand like RSS feeds, and how to customize the blog layout beyond what blogger gives you, and is the whole AdSense thing worth it...to name but a few. What I do know however is that the blogging community are a good bunch of people and it is a joy to be a part of it.

source

Everything else I will figure out in time. In the meantime if any of you have any tips to share on successful blogging I'm all ears...well eyes really but you know what i mean ;)

Happy Tuesday all!

Imitation; the sincerest form of flattery...

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
I am struggling with this today. 1: because I fear I have been one to imitate in the past and 2: because I am the one who has been imitated today.

Okay so when I say I have imitated before I am really referring to what I consider being inspired by others and moved to act myself. Primarily I have done this in my young blogging life where I am trying to create content that is interesting, and important to me. Often times I have been inspired by something I read or saw on anothers blog and have always linked back to that blog for reference. Is this imitation? Is it flattering?

Now as the one who was imitated I am trying to decide if I am flattered or frustrated.
As some of you may know I own an art gallery  (Silver Bridge Gallery) in the small town I call home up here in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Two weeks ago I started a Christmas advertising campaign called '12 Saturdays Until Christmas'...it is something I did last year and am doing again. Each week on our Facebook page I post a gift idea from within our gallery which features original art and artisan made products. Just about everything in my gallery is handmade and it is my way of featuring the artists and artisans while possibly giving someone a light bulb moment for that hard to buy for individual. I digress...

I had a customer in the gallery late last week who was from an artists collective two hours north of us. We spoke about our businesses and I expressed a desire to go north and visit her in her business. As we discussed the importance of buying handmade I spoke about my little ad campaign and how it helped draw people in last year and I hoped it would do the same this year.


Here we are! 12 more Saturdays until Christmas...Time flies, so why not get ahead of the game?
Each week for the next 12 weeks, we will provide a gift idea for all the special people in your life.
This week we will start with wonderful jewelery by Adea Chung of Billy Would Designs.
Each unique piece is handmade using recycled and reclaimed hardwood.
Rescuing exotic hardwoods from various local woodworkers and factories
where the size of the wood is no longer usable for them.
Come in and see our selection of Necklaces and Earrings.
Silver Bridge Gallery...two rooms full of beautiful things.
Shop local...Save on gas!

 Following our exchange of information, I 'liked' her business on Facebook. I then logged into Facebook last night only to see a post from her business noting '10 more Saturdays until Christmas'. Now, by no means do I own the rights to this phrase, nor the idea , but I just felt it was a little obvious, and I felt a little sting when I read it. Kinda like a 'hey that was my idea' sting, a 'give credit where credit is due' sort of sting if you will.

11 Saturdays until Christmas...still lots of time, but why not get ahead this year!
This week we will focus on Potter Antje Gagne. Antje used to live in
Port Sydney and though she has moved to the Midland/Penatang area, we still claim her as local.
Antje's pottery has a refined rustic quality about it.
She creates amazing forms which are at once beautiful and functional.
From mirrors and birdhouses to vases and trivets to pie plates and serving bowls,
Antje has something for just about anyone on your list. Come in and see her great selection today.
Silver Bridge Gallery...two rooms full of beautiful things. Shop local...Save on gas!

It is of little consequence as her business is not competition for me, nor would it serve the same clientele so at the end of the day I have decided to be flattered that my idea is so good someone else decided to use it.

But it got me thinking and wondering am I causing a sting to someone else when I use their blog post as inspiration for my thoughts or opinions? I sincerely hope not. What do you think?

BTW...only 10 more Saturdays until Christmas. Please consider supporting your local merchants this Christmas, or choose to buy handmade, either way you will affect someones bottom line...and it won't be Wall Street's.