Interesting home in Oak Park, Illinois

Okay, okay - we went to Chicago a few weeks ago and I have to admit, we stayed in Frank Lloyd Wrights old stomping ground - Oak Park. We went on some beautiful walks, oggled the houses - one of my favorites being this one:


No, it's not a Wright House. It is cool as all hell though - and check this out, an addition was added to the back:


Imagine what kind of work went into that roof line!

Art deco drains

I know, I know. These have been everywhere in the bloggggosphere but I love them!! From California Faucets.

Indoor swings

Swing inspiration via this home tour featured on Apartment Therapy.


The homeowner has a blog, as well.

Garden planning and pool redesign

So it's not news that our backyard is ugly, ugly, ugly. I mean, it goes with the rest of the house. We have a big in-ground pool (blah) that was set to the left (yay for not being in the middle of the yard!) - it gives us enough space that we can create a separate yard and pool area. All that said, we really lack in the lighting department. Right now, the backyard is illuminated with motion sensor lights. The motion sensor is to the outside what the fluorescent light was to the inside. They are everywhere...Ah!!! Needless to say, we are working on way of eradicating the situation.

Anyway - a few months ago, my hub kindly recorder 17 again (he would be so embarrassed that I posted that) - the movie was interesting enough but in it, there's a garden. A beautiful, beautiful garden. I wish I could find a picture of it all! I found this one, it shows you what got me - the lighting - they had used these types of lights to illuminate the entire backyard:


(off topic, is it wrong that I envy the woman in this movie? I so have a Zac crush. He is charming!) Image found here.

The best comparable I've found so far are these:


Gorgeous, no? Wouldn't that be beautiful over a pool??? I wonder how they would hold up in winter (would I have to take them down and put them up every single year? blah)

Found here.

There's also a great post here from apartment therapy on the subject of outdoor lighting..

Check out your local archives...

I was oggling some vintage posters on Wall Blank when my archival training kicked in and I found this: By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943

Very cool! I thought you crafty types might enjoy the vintage advertising.

A lot of people don't realize how easy it is to get images from an archives that can then be reproduced (while respecting Canadian copyright!) - it's simply a question of going and chatting with the archivist about the images you are interested in and finding out what would be required to get a copy. There is typically an admin charge associated (though this isn't crazy expensive). The key is finding images that are no longer under copyright protection (this does expire!).

Anyway - in case you are curious, our local archives include:

• The City of Ottawa Archives
• Library and Archives Canada

The Archives of Ontario is obviously based in Toronto - this is where to go for family tree info, if that rocks your boat.

Now you are probably asking yourself - how do I even go about accessing what an archives holds? Well, each archives is different but they are all the same on one thing - preservation. With that in mind, realize that accessing an archive and viewing their collection should be viewed and treated as a special privilege. When you go (or even before), find out what the rules and policies are. Don't bring a pen (big no-no!) - ask for instruction and gloves if you want to see original items. Don't be afraid to ask, "What do you have?" and state what you are looking for.

Happy hunting! If you end up checking it out, let me know how it goes :)

Outdoor living inspiration

Love the handrail here -


And the privacy around the pool -



Found here.

Our pool area - in need of a makeover

So I've been looking at our pool and contemplating just how ugly the concrete spacers are. Someone suggested that we have them pulled up and relayed, I thought it wasn't a great idea until I saw this:


Pavers with a simple border? How classy is that?

This food for thought was found via Airspace.

Garden inspiration via David Giles

We're starting to think about the mess that is our backyard. We need to decide on what we want to do for a deck/landscaping - and what we can manage on a tight budget. Ah!!! Love the colours (and the privacy!) - and the patio. Found via David Giles Photography.





Garden 1, Garden 2, Garden 3, Garden 4, Garden 5

Apartment living with original lighting

A friend of mine recently got a new place - my hub was helping with the move and quickly called me to tell me that the apartment was FULL of ORIGINAL art deco lighting. All of the lights in the entire apartment! And they coordinated! I can't even tell you, they totally rocked my world. The light above is from the entrance.

Chandelier in the middle of the living room -


Sconces (framing a fireplace..)



Kitchen lights (school house style!)

historic renovation by cke interior design in nashville, tennessee

historic renovation by cke interior design in nashville, tennessee
Originally uploaded by cke interior design

Pretty pretty! Makes me wish my stairs were exposed...

More office inspiration

Can you tell that we are working on our office in the coming weeks? That's right, we found a cabinet maker and are on our way to having beautiful built-in shelves! They are being installed sans-paint so I am trying to decide how I want to fix em up. What are your suggestions? I was thinking a gray office, lighter gray shelves. Something mucho macho. Like this image I found via apartmenttherapy:

Beautiful gray and cream foyer

Photo by Anders Gramer found via Sarah Kaye Representation.

I love the colours - possible inspiration for the entrance or office??



Office and Chesterfield photos by Chris Everard.

Spring is in the air and getting organized is on my mind

Okay so a few years ago, I saw a book that outlined how to develop a binder of essential information. At the time I thought, "What a great idea!" and then promptly forgot the title and any other pertinent information relating to said publication. After we closed on the house, our mortgage broker told us that it was in our best interest to keep active track of all changes we were making to our home. This advice made me recall the binder and I started searching out the book I had seen. Alas, I never found it so I started to simply make one up.

I call it my home management binder and I really (truly!) crazily believe that everyone should have one. What does mine include?

1. Sections for each floor of the house (seriously). Each section starts with a basic floor plan and offers the measurements for all doors, windows, and rooms. After that, there's a list of changes we've made and what we are working on. Benefits? Well, it's super easy to find out if a piece of furniture I oggle on kijiji or usedottawa will fit in my space. It's also easy to find out if a new light fixture/toilet/carpet can be fit in and what I would need for curtains. I don't have to do the measurements over and over, I don't have to remember where they are. Plus, I'm able to easily capitalize on sales with little or no notice.
2. Receipts - after my floor sections, I have a folder for receipts. This helps me keep track of what has been spent where.
3. Vendors - I also have a folder for business cards and other notes about potential companies to use in our reno process. I'd like to eventually have a folder on take-out restaurants, we seem to do that often!!!
4. Pets - yep, I have a page with info for my pets. Their names, vets, habits, etc. Just in case of emergency.
5. Utilities and insurance - I have a page that outlines who provides what for us (this was essential in the winter when we came close to running out of heating oil). It includes contact info, in case of emergencies...
6. Calendar with important dates - I have an annual calendar with important dates identified (change the oil/doctor visit/get the furnace checked). I forget this stuff until the last minute so a calendar helps.

And that's it! It was a pain to set-up but now I loooove it. I've checked out other versions online and like the guidance offered by Organized Home - they offer suggestions on how to develop a household notebook for families, it even offers printable pages. I also found another one via Household Management 101.

Curb appeal inspiration spotted in Centretown

I have started to walk to and from work - it's been really great for identifying local inspiration for my home renos. Recently I started noticing homes that use the skyscraper inspired art deco lights as exterior lights. Unique! I really like em...though this one on close inspection looks to be full of dirt/water.

The Three-Season Porch | Porch | This Old House - 2

I found a great article from This Old House about sunrooms...
The Three-Season Porch | Porch |

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Be back soon, I promise!

Sorry people! We are jetting off to Chicago to meet our nephew. It's been crazy at work, I've been busy busy busy. I'll be back next week, I promise :)

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