9 Saturdays...

I don't know if you count or not, but I do and it is 9 Saturdays until Christmas.

via my pinterest

I love Christmas, I love the lead up to it, the change of the seasons, the cozy feelings that come with that and the planning and build up to the big day. I love the anticipation of young children and the reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' . I love the decor, the yearly argument with my husband about how soon we can put a real tree up, the planning to get the outside lights up before the weather turns too cold and we freeze while doing it. I love it all. And while for many it is too soon to even start thinking about it, this year I have added reasons for having Christmas on the brain.

You see this Christmas will mark the end and the beginning for us. Our little gallery here in Muskoka will be closing at the end of the year, and so this year Christmas marks the last time I will see many of my loyal patrons and it marks the end of this remarkable journey, and the beginning of a new stage in our lives.

It has been an excruciatingly difficult time deciding to close this business we have dedicated ourselves to over the last four years, and that has been a fixture in our community for 15 years, and while we are trying to sell it, we have also had to plan for the possibility it won't and we needed to put a date on things to move on. So it is that we decided to call it a day at the end of the year and go out on a Christmas high.

via my pinterest

We have been blessed and though being a small business owner is harder than most would understand, with much less monetary reward than many think, we have loved it, but realize now that this is not the time in our lives to be doing this. With two young children we need time to be able to spend with them. Weekends, Holidays, vacations...we need those things. As we move forward I am excited to be returning the world of Interior Design and will be working with some wonderful people who have been extremely supportive during this time. I'm not gonna lie, I am also looking forward to a regular pay cheque and two days a week off. That will be heaven to me!

At the heart of it, we are returning to simplicity where we can refocus on ourselves and our family and put that first above all else. My husband and my three girls that is what it is all about.

So as I count down the last 9 Saturdays until Christmas I face many things that need doing, but I know that at the end of this mountain of work lays a wonderful new road ahead and I am grateful and excited and sad and nostalgic all at once. but above all else, I am at peace and I am happy.

Jo

*note* If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing a wonderful art gallery and gift shop in the heart of Muskoka please contact me at art@silverbridgegallery.com

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.

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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?

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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?

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!

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!

Enter through the back...

Happy Monday...it is a beautiful but very cold morning here in Muskoka. Last week saw the snow storm as predicted, and I would guess we did indeed get the 10 cm they were calling for...perfect snowman snow.

Alas it warmed up considerably and the snow is all but gone, and our snowman is looking a little worse for wear. I have reassured the girls that was just the beginning of the snow.

I was a busy little beaver over the weekend working on the rear entry to our house. This is the door we use daily, many times a day. It leads to the driveway and garage, but it is a small space that is perpetually untidy with coats, shoes, boots, umbrellas etc. It is really just a landing with stairs up to the kitchen and down to the apartment.

Some of you may remember some of my before photos of the house...this one of the hall shows the lovely (note the sarcasm) carpeted walls...yup carpeted...glued to the wall, and glued well. It has taken me three years to get this space as far as it has come. I'll tell you now there are no after photos just yet...they will come in the next few days.

We started three years ago by pulling the carpet off the walls, however it was foam backed carpet and every...and I mean every, square inch was glued to the wall. The carpet came away, the backing did not. We toyed with the idea of re-drywalling, but the hassle of it all seemed too much to deal with. So with chisel in hand I scraped away the backing...then sanded the walls, but it still wasn't enough...so we decided to use a bead board panel over top...that was completed probably two years ago...but left unfinished, unpainted trim, unpainted panels. So this weekend I sanded all the nail holes, and painted away...of course the rest of the walls needed a coat of paint as well which has been done as well as the ceiling. Now we just ave some touch ups to do...and by we, I mean my husband, as I do not do ladders...not past the third or fourth rung anyways...so once that is done and everything back in place I will post some after photos...until then enjoy my before...go ahead laugh...I do.

Just know that if I could I would have an entry way (front or rear) that looked more like this:



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 Or perhaps this:

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But these would require a whole new house...and that is not happening any time soon.

Have a great week everyone! Once again Happy Monday hope your weekend was a good as mine!

Snow is in the forecast...

We have had a very mild November here in Muskoka...I'm not complaining, just stating facts. However it appears we are in for our first major snowfall of the season with over 10cm forecast for tomorrow. We'll see it the weatherman is right.

Monday I posted about my planned adventures in decorating the gallery for Christmas...well I'm done...I think. I am always receiving new items from artists so it is a completely evolutionary thing that is never quite done. Regardless all the Christmas paraphernalia is out and it looks pretty...I have even had Christmas music on to get me in the mood...or mode really.

Anyhoo...I thought I would share the fruits of my labour with you. So here are a few pics of the gallery at the moment...soon the art will be switched over but I need both my husband and I in the store to do that and that can't happen until my parents return from their trip in early December. So until then here it is.

Okay...that was a bit more than a few :o)

Happy Wednesday all!

Aesthetically confused...

Let me first say that I love the blogging world. It has opened up so much to me that I cannot imagine why it took me so long to begin this exploration. Having said that, it has also left me confused.

Before I embarked on this blogging journey and started exploring others' blogs, I thought I had a clear vision for my home, and it's design and decor, I am after all an Interior Designer, but every day I see something else that inspires a new and utterly unpredicted direction for where I want to take my still fairly blank canvas of a home.

In my defense, I am primarily a corporate, retail, restaurant designer, that is what my background is, tho I did move to Muskoka to do cottage design...which I did but do not do anymore. Also in my defense, I am a Libra and we are notorious for being indecisive.

My choices for my home have always been a little sedate and neutral, which is strange because I love colour!

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I would love to have this in my home, and yet my kitchen is neutral as seen here. Now don't get me wrong, I love my kitchen (well if I could afford to reno it I would but all things considered...) but as hard as I try I always end up choosing neutral...and not white neutral, beige neutral. In my living room I have this Ektorp sofa from Ikea. Again I like the sofa; it was inexpensive, comfortable and slipcovered, but it is, at the end of the day, beige.

Which is why I want to add this area rug to the living room...

But cannot spend the money on it right now...so I have ordered something more along these lines...

Anyhow I digress...I am all over the map when it comes to design these days.
I love white rooms and I often say I dream in white...


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I love the simplicity of this (above), and yet I also love this (below) for it's ordered chaos and colour...


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 There is this...

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And then there is this...

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Sigh...I just don't know which direction to take...sometimes I think I over think and when I do that I get overwhelmed and then it is just easier to do nothing (and it is cheaper too).  So as I sit here doing nothing I will continue to ponder which direction to head...and hopefully after some more blog reading and more 'pinning' a trend will emerge and all will become clear...fingers crossed.