Happenings...

Hello, friends! As you may have noticed, blogging has fallen by the wayside for me the last few days. James has had this week off so we've been in holiday mode around here. On Tuesday evening we drove into Saskatoon for supper and the jazz festival. We saw Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, one of the greatest bands out there. They are amazing musicians; some of the best. I also had my first taste of "real" sushi. By "real" I mean there was a big, cold, wet piece of raw fish involved! It was... o.k. Are any of you sushi connoisseurs?

Wednesday we were back in Prince Albert and spent the afternoon cooking and cleaning like mad in preparation for a dinner party with several of James' friends from work. July 1st marks the switch over for the family med residents here in PA. The 2nd years are moving on to their careers in various places, and the first years (James' group) are beginning their 2nd year of residency and their last year of training... ever! We will finally be done this med school thing! Yay! 

Today, we've been prepping for Luke's first birthday party which we're hosting here tomorrow (yes, that's about 1 month overdue). We've been shopping, decorating, baking, etc. James' week off has flown by, and it turned out that it hasn't been too much of a holiday. He's been helping so much with the kids, doing things around the house, and helping me host these dinner parties! I love him.

Tomorrow we're celebrating Luke, but it's also Canada Day. Happy Birthday, dear Canada! In honour of my native land, I thought I would share one of my favourite kid's room designed by Samantha Pynn. Samantha is one of my favourite Canadian designers and I thought the red and white was very appropriate for this holiday weekend.

I guess the colours also work well for my American friends. Red, white and blue. Happy Independence Day (on Monday) to all of you south of the border!

I'm off to ice some sailboat sugar cookies now. (I'll share some photos of the party decor and such on Monday. We've gone with a sailing theme... more red, white and blue to come!)


-Sarah

1/2 Bath Update

Yesterday I finished the collage or mini gallery wall in our 1/2 bath. Thanks for your help in choosing a layout. I went with option #1. 

You may remember the pretty paper I brought home from our Victoria trip in May. Well, I was able to use the paper and the flora/fauna labels in the frames. I colour copied a few of the labels onto 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and cut them to size. 

This was what we hung on the wall when we first moved in a year ago...

It was supposed to be temporary, but it's taken me this long to finally make a change. Here's a look at the much needed colour and pattern that now brightens the small space...

Sorry the lighting isn't great. There's no natural light that gets to the space so it's tricky to photograph. Oh, and James is going to paint the trim around the mirror white. That will tie things together better. 


I'm glad to have found a good use for these gorgeous papers!


-Sarah

Furnishings Inspired by Four-Footed Friends

Our family has recently grown with the addition of a canine friend. This is no ordinary pup as he neither barks nor sheds (I'm not ready for the real thing yet). He faithfully stands guard in our front entrance, ever ready to fulfill his noble task. Meet Scottie...

Scottie got me thinking of some canine-inspired furnishing I've seen around lately. Here are some by Oly Sudio. 

If you're less into paws and more into hooves, perhaps you'll like these (also by Oly Studio)...

If you want to go all out, you can add one of these woolly friends to your decor. 

Sheep via 1st Dibs


Here's a look at one stylish living room where a similar looking lamb has the privilege of residing...

 

Something a little on the quirky side to start off the week.

Hope you had a good weekend. Last week of June, here we come! 


-Sarah

My Top 5 Daybeds

A top 5 round up to finish off the week...

#1 Lampert Lounger by Jonathan Adler

#2 Barcelona Daybed by Mies van der Rohe (available through Knoll)

#3 Window Daybed, West Elm

#4 Hamish Daybed by Oly Studio

#5 Robert Bristow Daybed for Ralph Pucci

Looking at all these daybeds makes me want to curl up and take a nap. Perfect to get us in weekend mode! Speaking of the weekend, do enjoy yours. 

James actually has next week off. Yes, the entire week! Yay! Family time, jazz festival, touch ups around the house, trips to the park... should be a good week. 

-Sarah 

Links:
Jonathan Adler
Knoll
West Elm
Oly Studio
Ralph Pucci

Blogger Feature: Danielle Oakey

Good day! I hope you're enjoying summer now that it's officially here. Sunshine and blue skies greeted me this morning, so the kids and I will be heading outdoors to enjoy the rain-free day! Yay!

James and I are also celebrating our anniversary today. Happy 5 years to us! I'm so thankful for my best friend.
  

Lately I've really been enjoying following along with Danielle Oakey at her lovely blog, Danielle Oakey Interiors. Danielle is a 20-something interior design graduate and a stay-at-home mom. She's from Canada (currently lives in Utah), her hubby is a med student, and she's a DIY enthusiast. This gal and I have a few things in common! 

Danielle creates beautiful designs for clients. I always look forward to seeing the design boards she puts together. Her own home is completely lovely too. I love her use of colour and pattern.


Living Room (she has recently made some updates):

Dining Room:

 

Master Bedroom: 

Emory's Room:

I hope you'll get a chance to visit Danielle and her blog. Be sure to check out her "DIY" tab to see what this gal can do! (You'll see how she transformed and put together many of the stylish pieces you see above.)

Have yourself a super day! I hope it's a warm and sunny one for you too.

-Sarah

Life Recently

Here are a few snapshots of my life recently. Most All of them are of my kids since I spend the majority of my time with them, and they're just so stickin' cute! 

We've had a chance to be outdoors a lot recently which has been fun. We've even ventured out into the rain from time to time! 

Avery has a new raincoat to sport. 

She also has a new tricycle that she's learning to ride! (Luke watches intently, looking forward to the day when he can ride a tricycle just like his big sister.)  

The fam' canoeing at Waskesiu (about 1 hr. north of where we live). Daddy did most of the paddling. 

The kids playing in the grass. Luke is finally getting used to crawling around on the grass. I think he finds it prickly. 

Life is good! 

-Sarah

Summer Eating

A few days ago, we had "salad night" at our house. "Salad Night" means that our supper consisted of, you guessed it, salads! Growing up, I was friends with a gal whose parents were vegetarians, and I remember them having salad night on a regular basis. I thought I would give it a try at our house. Salads are a healthy option (as long as they're not doused in creamy salad dressings) and perfect for hot summer days. 

The 4 Salads:
#1 Curried Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango (See recipe here.)
#2 Roasted Beets
#3 Tossed Salad with Roasted Almonds, Cranberries and Fresh Tomatoes
#4 Watermelon Salad


I didn't have a recipe for the watermelon salad per se. I simply cubed the watermelon, threw in some toasted pine nuts, feta cheese and fresh mint leaves, and drizzled a very small amount of olive oil over top. It was yummy! So fresh tasting.


I think we'll try this salad night thing again! (If you have a favourite salad recipe please send it my way!)


-Sarah

Designer Feature: Muse Interiors

Here are some lovely interiors designed by Lauren Muse and her team at Muse Interiors. 

Lauren's style definitely has a traditional bent to it, but she mixes in a touch of modern and a hint of glam as well. The look is clean and welcoming. I like, and I thought you might too!

Such lovely spaces, don't you think?


-Sarah 

Mismatched Dining Room Seating

Good day, my friends! I hope your weekend was most excellent. Mine was quiet and relaxing, filled with lots of family time and a little bit of shopping... perfect! 

I've recently been intrigued by the mismatched dining seating that's out there. I say intrigued because it's not a look I am naturally drawn to or something I feel I could pull off very easily. It seems tricky to do and even trickier to do well. The mismatched look adds interest though; it's a bold move in my opinion. It also means you can switch things up a little and you don't have to invest in an entire set of chairs if you don't want to.


Some like to really mix it up...

Via Domino

House and Home

House and Home

Lisa Palmer via House and Home

Others stick to a mismatched but still somewhat symmetrical look. (I might have a better chance at pulling this off.)

House and Home

House and Home

Via Decorpad

Via Decorpad

Suzanne Kasler via House and Home

What do you think of this look? Is it interesting and lovely or just "wrong" in your mind. I agree that it's not for everyone, but it has a certain unexpected charm to it, especially when done well. 


Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a good start to your week. It's raining again where I live. Time to pull out the books and puzzles!


-Sarah

p.s. Thanks for your suggestions on which collage option to go with. I didn't get around to hanging the frames this past weekend. Hopefully I can fit it in sometime this week. 

Links:

Decorpad

House and Home