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Friday Finds: Garden Guilt
2May 24, 2013 by Amie M
A couple weeks ago I caved. On a supply mission to Canadian Tire, I picked up a small flat of pansies, potting soil and compost. I got to work on the front beds at our apartment. They were looking really sad, and I wanted to do some yard work on the lovely days we were having. Out went the weeds, and in went the pansies, all nicely planted into their oases of compost.
But that’s all I’m doing for the apartment. I have to make sure I don’t buy anymore plants or plant my usual vegetables out there. It’s hard, man! Really hard.
As hard as it is to stop gardening where we are now, it’s just as easy to dream about our to be yard at the house. But the part that sucks about getting it the first week of July is we won’t be able to have a vegetable garden, or do much yard work before the wedding week/end comes crashing upon our house.
But I can dream.
First things first, we will need a lawn mower. Our yard isn’t big, so a reel mower will do. I’ve cashed in all of my Aeroplan miles for Home Hardware gift cards. That will make lawn mower and small purchases much easier when we get the place.
Then I can dream about patio furniture. Paul and I both like the resin wicker sets we’ve seen in a few places. This one is from IKEA.
There is already a clothesline at the house, but I’m picture other things to hang. Like a hammock.
For the garden, when I can eventually get around to it, I plan on getting most vegetable seeds from Cubits. And labelling their location with these awesome plant stakes. The garden will be in raised beds, and done square foot style, à la Karen. But I promised Paul not to take over the front yard with a vegetable garden. He’s worried kids and neighbours might steal our tomatoes.
We also have for other areas of the yard, like rain barrels, fence up-keep, a cherry tree, and tearing down the eyesore of a giant garage.
These are just little things to help me keep dreaming of the big picture.
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Too Much to Pass Up
2May 23, 2013 by Amie M
Paris plans are in full preparatory mode. With the wonderful suggestion from my cousin and his wife to pin places …
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The Evolution of Picking Bridesmaid Dresses
2May 15, 2013 by Amie M
One of the first things I decided about our wedding was the colour of the bridesmaid dresses: a pale yellow. I loved the soft, cheery colour, and kept picturing them in a garden. The deep greens of shrubs and ferns and giant trees would really go with yellow dresses.
Photo: Jessica Ames, via Bridal Musings
Then I started thinking of style. I love vintage, and lace. And I saw lovely weddings that had bridesmaids in mismatched, but same hued, vintage dresses.
via simplicityisbliss on Etsy
Then the dream of my six ladies magically finding vintage pale yellow dresses on Etsy or in thrift stores starting blooming. I would have moved mountains if they all found old yellow prom dresses.
They didn’t all have to be 50′s-esque with full skirts, tulle and brocade. They could have been lovely in mid-century modern sheath dresses. Just as long as they were yellow and vintage.
Then practicality prevailed. The likelihood of all six ladies finding dresses, in their sizes, or needing minimal alterations and in good shape was slim.
Photo: Delbarr Moradi via Ruffled
So then we moved onto light yellow and vintage inspired, like these ladies who sourced theirs from ModCloth and J. Crew. Then my mismatched yellow gaggle of girls became much more of a reality.
So we scoured ModCloth, Ruche and other online dress sites for pale yellow dresses. All of this was over the winter, when pale colours weren’t really in season. The girls had to make a decision: to risk it and wait for light colours to come in for spring, or to be safe and get dresses from a bridal salon.
We played it safe. And I am glad we did. Looking at the stores now, there aren’t a lot of pale yellow dresses that my ladies would have been satisfied with, and it would have been too close to August to order in dresses for them.
So we went in little groups to a bridal shop in town and picked out pale yellow dresses with soft or vintage lines, perfect for a garden wedding.
Without giving any girls’ dress away, picture a couple of them strapless, a couple with deep v necklines, some sweatheart, one illusion, some lace, some chiffon, some dupioni. I am in love with the variety of textures they picked out, and the different shapes. Each of their dresses are wonderfully suited to the lady wearing it. Their dresses are starting to trickle in now, and I am excited to see them all in them!
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House Colour Palette
2May 14, 2013 by Amie M
Paul and I have been in house planning mode. One thing we are very keen on is painting. The current owner is on a beige kick, and that will go! We would share the photos of the house from the listing, but feel it is important to maintain the current owner’s privacy.
We are also aware that our decision to paint the original wood trim will spark a lot of gasps. But once we move in and we show you what the trim is like, you will see why we want to paint it all. There are large knicks, cracks, and messy patching jobs in the high traffic areas. And the look we are going for is much more crisp and calm throughout. The colours we have chosen are all by Behr. And Home Depot is having a sale on Behr paint this week. We may just have to hit that up for the colours we are absolutely sure about.
As you enter our house (eek! our house!), the pale blue with a touch of purple hallway is very inviting. With trim in frost and eventually chair rail and wainscoting we are going for a traditional look. We want to go a little more saturated in the Living Room and Dining Room. A teal and a green will warm things up, but they are still light enough to not suck in all the light. The muted green in the kitchen will warm up the white cabinets and work well with the butcherblock counters we are planning.
The Sonata blue downstairs hallway will carry up the stairwell and into the upstairs hallway. The master bedroom will be a calm neutral grey, well accentuated with white bedding and whatever strikes us for colour pops. Paul wants a moody, musical room where his instruments are going to be the standouts. I want a cheerful craft room, a place where my yarn and fabric stashes can be on display. The bathroom currently has black and white floor tiles, a little aqua will calm the space down.
But one of the first things we are going to do to make the house ours, aside from clean, is paint the front door and put up new house numbers. We are picturing a deep teal, warm and following the colour scheme inside. Eventually we might put shutters up in the same shade.
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Friday Finds
1May 10, 2013 by Amie M
I’ve been a busy bee lately. I took out my Christmas stockings that were left unfinished for Christmas, and finally charted out our names for the tops. Maybe they will get done in time for our first Christmas in our house!
I took out a book from the library, one I’ve been debating buying. It’s Colette Patterns first pattern book. I am excited to go through some of the tutorials, and constantly renew it, until I make a dress out of it. Then I will buy the book. I need to branch out of kids clothes and quilts.
I’ve also been finishing up a rather large quilt top. I will post photos soon. I need to learn I don’t need to post photos of only finished projects, intermediary posts are good, too!
In the meantime, here are somethings I have found, and loved, in the past while:
An adorable letter from a Junior Ranger. Leave only footsteps, take only pictures.
Mila Kunis is flipping awesome! Notting Hill much?
This page is bookmarked, pinned and well-viewed for honeymoon inspiration.
Gollum covering Taylor Swift. ‘Nuff said.
And a WWF camera has caught on film the elusive snow leopard! These stills are fantastic.
Wait, I want to add another. You will pee. I promise. And them you will fall even more in love with Jim. I mean John.
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