Now that the US presidential elections are over, it is time for Barack Obama to get down to business. He needs to be prepared come January in order follow up on his large promises!! So I picked some places fit for soon to be president Obama, or in Canada's case, our newly re-elected Prime Minister, Harper. Pull up a chair, you two have a lot to think about....

Both of the above are taken by photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo

Sam McAdam

Warren Smith

I don't have a say.

I'm not commenting on who I would vote for...I just like these posters. Besides, I live in Canada so I don't have a say.... Although the Economist would like to know what the world does think.

You can vote and see the results from "If-the-world-could-vote-dot-com" here. You can also hear the creator of this website (Bragi Thor) on Has It Happens a great CBC radio show.

Curved legs, full pillows and thick throws

What do curved legs, full pillows and thick throws have in common?
Lundberg Home
Their pillows and throws look so luxurious! And I love that they are all shown on elegant while furniture. I am not too sure if the chairs are also for sale (it isn't in English) - I would buy them too if I could!

Via Purple Area

These images remind me of how much I love the curved leg. For all my aspirations of being a modernist, really at the core, I am just an old fashion girl!

Boobo

And not the Halloween kind.

I had a little accident on my bike while out enjoying the fall. (no pun intended) I'm a little rattled (hence the lack of posts) but nothing is broken!

I am very thankful for my helmet, and promise to never take them for granted again, even if they aren't the most attractive accessories and mess up my hair! Maybe these will encourage everyone to wear helmets!

Via yakkay

Happy November

The last of the leaves are falling here. I had a wonderful bike ride today through the treed streets of Vancouver, the leaves lofting their way to the ground.... I hope you are all enjoying the last days of fall....

Via Spirit Mountain

Why don't I...

Carry out one act of kindness....? ...a day?

Remember the Magnets

I love great magnets - they are useful and beautiful! And, if on your fridge, they are inevitably viewed (along with all the photos) by all of your guests!

Via Marimekko

Below are the magnet creations of two Etsy artists....

Marajane01

panAsh

sjrr4

Ticklebuttons

Although with all of the ideas for magnets, I would have to have a fridge like this one by Vodafone, which is outside the Heathrow airport.....

Via Cherryflava

Sharpie Creations

can I use sharpies on a daily basis at work, how lucky am I?!? I would have to say they are probably my favourite writing tool...Below are some more creative ideas for sharpies.....

Revamp -

My friend had a pair of black boots that were looking kind of tired, then a few days later they looked amazing! I ask her what she did and she said "sharpied them". Apparently she just took a sharpie to it and spruced it up a little! The key is to evenly cover the whole boot and then apply some black shoe polish to make it look more natural!

Refinish -

I just love this armoire by Anne James, as seen on Haute*Nature, and since I love black and white, I thought it would be great to do this to one of my pieces at home but with just a black Sharpie - I would make sure to get ones with different pen tip thicknesses in order to mix it up!

Via Haute*Nature

Wall art -

Who needs wallpaper when you have a sharpie? As seen on Design*Sponge, you can create your own wall texture with just a flick of the wrist, or rather several flicks! It would work great with a stencil, since you won't have to worry about it leaking and ruining the pattern!

Via Design*Sponge

Shirt options -

Since sharpies don't wash out - they are great for making shirt designs - you can create your own drawing on a plain shirt, add a little something (such as an environmental slogan) to an already designed shirt, or try this modern twist of TieDye.

Via about.com

Sleep the day away

I am so looking forward to upcoming two weeks off... I am going to catch up on a lot of things - most importantly is sleep! Ah what I would give to jump into this bed right now!

Via Elle Decor

Jackie Kennedy Onassis

In the spirit of the US presidential campaign, here's a historical White house tiding....

Jackie Kennedy has always been well known for her amazing style - the pin cushion hats, the suits, the hats, and those large glasses. But did you know that Jackie Kennedy also painted and sketched?

Jackie and Caroline

She also restored the White house, making sure to fill the rooms with historically significant pieces and initiating safeguards so that they will be there for many of presidents to come. Such an inspiration to be creative - even if it isn't going to be a legacy in the White house, it still makes a difference!

Heavenly coffee break.

Keeping in the rustic theme I started on Friday, I just wanted to post about this adorable coffee shop in Coleman Alberta. Where is that? Well, for most of you it is middle-of-no-where Southwestern Alberta; but for those who ski, it is just after Frank Slide on the way to Fernie from Calgary. I usually associate Coleman with slow speed limits and fueling options, that is, until now! As I rolled into Coleman I noticed this large sign - Blackbird Coffee. Since I am obsessed with birds right now, I had to pull in, to check it out. And while I don't get why it is called Blackbird, it doesn't make a difference because it's great! On a whole, it is simple and eclectic and down to earth. The serving bar area is open, allowing you to still feel the space of the church with the high ceilings and stained glass. There are stellar antiques in the back, including some really well kept 1950s stainless steel items. The seating is a merry mismatch of chairs, couches and tables. I was almost sad that this was not next to a university since it would have been such a great hang out for students. The lady behind the bar was super friendly, and made up for the fact that they didn't have any skim milk. I just loved how quaint and cute this place was - I couldn't hear the road from inside, and all the details could have kept me there for hours! Unfortunately I had to move along...Next time, however I will make sure to have a few hours to spare for a snack and a browse. I hope they do well and stay there long enough for me to return!

Easy Eco Mondays - Phantom Energy

To follow up on my post on charging stations, I wanted to address the issue of having chargers or electronics constantly plugged in. It is arguable as to how much Phantom Energy is used by leaving chargers plugged in, however I am still a firm believer that every little bit counts! Below is a list of ways to combat this from easy to moderately involved.

1. Unplug the power cord for your electronic or charger from the wall every time you are not using the product.


2. Before leaving on a long trip, unplug all electronics and chargers.


3. Add an on-off switch to your wall socket. They cost about 15 dollars from Home Depot and work wonders. I think their main purpose is for rooms where you don’t have an overhead light but you want to be able to turn a lamp on as soon as you walk in the room. However it would also work well if you had all your electronics plugged into one of these. You would just switch off the outlet when you leave the room.


4. Smart Strip Power Strips. (As introduced to me here by Beth) They have three different types of outlets; one is the Control, some are Automatic, and some are Constants. It works like this: You plug most of your items into Automatic outlets, then you choose an electronic to control the power to your Automatics and plug that into your Control outlet. Whenever you turn off your Control electronic, it cuts the power to all your Automatic electronics. You also have some Constants which are not affected by the control electronic. I think this would make sense the most in a home entertainment unit.


5. Have your outlets wired so that the power to them can be turned on and off by a switch on the wall. This would work quite well for the room you have the TV and stereo in. One flick of the switch and all of your electronics would be turned off!

Hopefully one of these ideas gets you unplugging!

Buy less, DIY more.

I am feeling rather uninspired these days and not from lack of inspirational material; Desire to Inspire, and Apartment #34 have been posting some lust worthy items fore sure! It is just that maybe it doesn’t feel right to lust with the economic turmoil. So I tried to remedy this by looking for some fun DIYs and before and afters on Design*Sponge. And so it is a few DIYs that have started to lift me from my inspiration dry spell and I will share today. Hopefully these can be incorporated into my imaginary living situation to be described next week!

So enjoy these DIYs

The wood clock from Design*Sponge

Design Sponge

I love how this rustic clock can still look crisp clean and modern. I would probably put more numbers on the clock than just 12, but I just love the idea.

The log candle holders - here and here

This idea originally came from my mom, who found a log on the side of the road and dragged it back to our cabin. She explained to me her vision – to have the log standing on its end, and to have 3 large diameter candles sunk into the the top of the wood (by drilling out holes). She would then leave it outside as and light it when we had guests coming over.

Gathering Moss

Unfortunately my dad, not knowing this idea threw out the log, and so the project was never completed. However it had me thinking, has anyone else done this? I searched a bit online and found these two DIYs; they aren’t quite what my mom had described, but still a great idea!

DIY Network

The rustic chandelier

The Chandelier Blog

This appears like it could be a made for minimal effort and skill (which I like!) but still have make a great bold peice! I wonder how it would look with branches that still have the bark on them? And what would it look like with LEDs? Or with fern leaves hanging outside? The posibilites are endless!

Do you notice a trend with these DIYs? They relate to a post I am working on for next week... stay tuned!

Sweater Season Re-Purposed

I just couldn't help but post about these cute items by plytextiles on Etsy. These were just posted on Apartment Therapy today, and it just seemed fitting since I am back at work in the cold arctic! If only I could have a pair of those Favourite Mittens sent up here!

And look what colour combination I found! I love how two different shades of yellow were used, they really make those cubes 3D!

Real Fall Colours

I am sorry that I have been soooo absent! I was hijacked by life! Here are a few photos of the fall colours I have experienced as of late!


An early October weekend in Alberta Canada!