gray and pink nursery

Friends of mine recently shared the happy news that they are having a baby girl! So exciting (congrats I&K)! She really likes the gray and pink colour combo and is looking for inspiration for a room that will fit into their farmhouse but also be modern and, you know, adorable. I love this colour combo (ok I love any combo with gray) so it was fun finding these great rooms. There are so many great shades of pink to consider. Number 4 and 5 are my faves. Yours? 

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great repurpose/DIY project

change the blue to gray...

a pretty design she can grow into

small space hacks

When I moved into my small condo (see more here) I knew I would need to get creative with what stayed, what went, and how I used the things I kept. Jenna Mahoney's book Small Apartment Hacks provided some good advice to keep me on track. Among her many tips was "use baskets and trays for collecting, organizing and displaying like items." I've always loved baskets, trays, bowls and other vessels for storage, and I've used plenty in my new space. 

If you haven't checked out the book its worth a read. Happy small space hacking! 

simple no-cost art and organization

I recently moved into a new condo with the goal of spending absolutely nothing and bringing nothing new into the home that I didn't already own. You can read about it here. So when it came to figuring out how to organize my jewellery and bags, and also decorate my bedroom walls, I concluded that simply hanging my stuff on display would accomplish both needs. 

I simply hung my necklaces from the tiniest of nails on the wall as an 'art installation'. 

Bags went up on door-knob hooks. 

And the rest of my jewellery is displayed on my dresser in a mix a modern and vintage vessels. 

top ten stylish ways to store firewood

We're heading into firewood season. Why not bring the natural beauty inside and store it in a way that adds to your home's style?

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stacked!

Whether its blankets, wood, dishes or books, I love the way stacking objects provides texture and dimension. 

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the nothing-new-move experiment

Yep, that's right. I moved last weekend to a new 700 sqft. rental condo and purchased absolutely nothing new. Not a lamp. Not a rug. Not a hook. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. And I'm here to say that decorating and organizing a new home can be done very successfully with no budget. 

The purpose of my move was to downsize, save money and simplify my life. So I made a pact with myself that nothing new would be purchased when setting up my new home. Oh it was tempting. IKEA called. But I held out. In fact, in addition to not consuming new products, I even increased the amount of money in my bank account and the goodwill in my karma account. I held a yard sale and made $500 from furniture and decorations I really didn't need. I also donated two carloads full of clothes, bags and household items to local causes. I gotta tell you it feels really good to simplify and only bring things into my new home that are useful and that I truly love. 

So here's how it turned out. 

I started with a beautiful blank slate of white walls and high ceilings. Insert some black, gray and more white, my mid-century modern vintage pieces, some natural wood, greenery and rustic pieces from 'home' in the Maritimes, and I've created a comfy home that reflects my desire for modern serenity. 

How-to's for the reclaimed and diy projects throughout my home are here. Hope you are inspired to live a simple life without consuming quite so much! 

UPDATE: I've since made some simple furniture moves and art gallery walls to refresh the space. Check it out here.