I've been working so much lately and as a result I've been super tired...which, naturally, has gotten me thinking about beds and bedrooms and the design/feel I want my bedroom to have. As previously posted - lately I've been into the idea of a black bedroom - needless to say finding chic, sexy inspiration photos of black rooms, let alone bedrooms, is pretty hard. And while I know the feel I my bedroom to have - eclectic, feminie, chic and sexy...I'm stumped as to what kind of bedframe I want...and since the bed is the focal point of most bedrooms-it's important to get it just right.

*photo courtesty of Canadian House & Home Magazine

And so I turn to the above inspiration photo - which I've had saved for a while. I love it. It's eclectic, feminie and chic...but...not very sexy, is it? Do you think black walls would add some sexiness? You know, if I'm totally honest with myself what I love most about this photo is the bedding (how fab is the bed skirt???), and the headboard...the lamps are cool too but not something I would own personally.

There's a photo in the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams book 'Lets Get Comfortable' of a really great bedroom. Complete with a fantastic padded headboard with brass nailhead detail...but I can't track down a photo...I'll have to dig harder and post it here. It's pretty great. (Updated-Found it..pitcured directly below). I actually really love this...the more I see it the more it seems just perfect. Totally chic and I love that the fabric makes it feel soft instead of 'hard', the nailheads make it slightly eclectic and bedding can make it....anything I want! From feminine to modern to eclectic. It's $2700 which is TOTALLY out of my price range...but perhaps I can wait for a sale?

        
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Regis Bed

 
Looks awesome with bedding - no?

Then there's this fantastic bed that I posted here. But, as much as I love it with every bone in my body, I'm afriad it's too feminine for my design taste and would be too much of a committment...I mean - the accessories would have to be pretty feminine too and I don't think I could deal with that much 'girly.' If I had a spare bedroom though - it would be perfect!

Currently I have the Malm bed from Ikea which looks like the below (in case you're one of the very few people on earth who don't know what it looks like) - but I'm so over the low profile platform beds (I've had it for at least 5 years).

*photo courtesty of Canadian House & Home Magazine

Or perhaps a padded headboard like these below...which could be a DIY but what fabric to choose???? I love pattern but fear I would bore of it...I also love colour but the bed is the focal and I wouldn't want to be 'locked into' a specific colour scheme...Perhaps a slipcovered padded headboard? That way I could change it as often as my head desires?

*photo courtesty of Canadian House & Home Magazine
Love the nailhead detail (and look! It's a black room!!!)

*photo courtesty of Design Inc.

UPDATE:
I found two photos of bedrooms with black walls! Hmmmm....thoughts?

*photo courtesty of Canadian House & Home Magazine



*photo courtesty of Canadian House & Home Magazine

I love books.

I have tons and tons and tons of books. I'm a major book worm. I can easily spend a few hours roaming around the bookstore perusing the books and magazines...or spend an afternoon in the library picking out dozens of books to borrow. One of my favourite places in the world is the bookstore (seriously...is that kind of sad? lol). When I finally have my own place I would love to have a spare room that I could turn into a library - with only a comfy chaise, reading lamp and a side table for my ice-cold glass of cranberry juice (or lemonade). But since my apartment will be too small I'll have to settle with a reading nook...for now.

Above is a sample of my coffee table/display books...you know, the ones you leave out on the coffee table or console for friends and family to flip through. These books are a good representation of some of my major interests (and my Sex in the City DVD set is there too...it's too pretty to be put away).

What do these books tell you about me?

The more I clip and take note of pictures of interiors that I like - the more I realize that the interior of my home will be truly eclectic. I've always known it would be and that's just fine with me - I mean, one style can be just plain...boring, no? Beautiful yes but boring. You need at least some touches/accents of something different to make it exciting I think. Otherwise it's bland - and just like everyone elses - and I wouldn't want that! But - the problem with an eclectic interior is that, I think, its a fine line between eclectic chic and a house full of stuff that don't match - lol. I'm aiming for eclectic chic.

Like look at these recent images I've come across - I'm usually not into this style (what is it - Victorian?) but I love the femininity of these pieces. And while the lines are kind of ornate - the fabric is simple which makes it lovely, no?

Perfect in the living room as a side chair. Lovely compliment to a streamlined sofa - no?


*from Domino Magazine 2007 - Editors Note
What a great sofa! I wouldn't use it as my primary seating but how sweet would this be in the bedroom or as secondary seating...and the fabric? Fab.


    
*from Domino Magazine 2007 issue
I heart this bed sooooo much - where would one even begin looking for something like this? Suggestions?

Yes. They Will.

But you may not know they came unless they leave a comment. Or you've got an account that tracks visitors. I have a free account - so all of this goodness you see here - everything from the photos, to the layout and links...I get to play with it all for free. And I must admit, it's a pretty good site considering its free. But maybe I should think about upgrading because...I've built it...and people are coming...I think. Well, accoring to my bandwith limit (which has been exceeded for the past two months in a row) people are coming.

And can I add, I'm always shocked to realize that people actually are coming? I always get a little smile when I see that someones taken the time to leave a comment - I mean...it kind of validates the time that you're taking to blog.

So thanks to Bijou Kaledioscope (who also added me to her blog roll - and I didn't even have to ask..which is soo cool to me!), Maryam in Marrakesh, Aprho Chic, Andrew at zero255zero and the others who have stopped by recently.

And if you've stopped by...feel free to say hi!

*above photo taken by me in Egypt March 2007 - The Great Pyramid

I finally got to the art store this past weekend and picked up some stencils, a 9x12 canvas, some acrylic paint and 2 stencil brushes...all for under $20. I decided before I do my 'good' copy I should do a test run to get a sense of letter spacing and stuff like that...not bad, eh? I'll start the good copy this weekend...I just have to pick up two accent colours of paint and a much larger canvas. I've been thinking of doing this art project for well over a year - so I'm excited to get started. I'll be sure to post the final project once finished.

Recognize these words?
:)

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. I've been super SUPER busy at work and it doesn't look like its going to slow down anytime really soon...plus, I finally signed up for a course I've wanted to take FOREVER...so I'll have to try harder to post!

A few months ago I bought 2 great frames for $10 each and ever since have been looking for the perfect piece of art/fabric..whatever..to put into the frame.

When I got home yesterday my mom, who had been cleaning up some old clothes to give away, had found my baby blanket...one of the very few items that I still have from my childhood.

So I decided to frame it.

It's a bit kitchy, I know, but maybe maybe it'll fit in somewhere in my new decor. If not - it's pretty easy to change.

(notice it's pink! not the pink I'm really into...but pink none-the-less)

For some reason, right now I'm really into pink as an accent colour for interiors. Not a wimpy, soft, pastel pink - no thank you - none of that. I'm into a saturated, bold, hot, Schiaparelli pink. I think its a nice alternative to red (which I've been told is the most popular colour for accents in interiors), sexy, slightly unexpected, feminie but not too girly (depending on what you match it with) and just plain fun. I don't know where this attraction to pink came from - I'll quote actress Tracee Ellis Ross who said in an interview with InStyle Magazine about her home that she wasn't sure how pink ended up as an accent in her home...she hated the colour growing up and never wore it...but it ended up there.

My plan is to use creamy white and chocolate brown and dark woods for most of my interior - with accents of hot pink, gold metal and maybe maybe some animal print. Zebra possible?

I've searched high and low for inspiration photos and have found a few that I absolutely adore. Allow me to share them with you - I'd love to know what you think.

Featured in Canadian House and Home
Uses my colour palette exactly - down to the animal print!

An interior by Miles Redd - note the zebra print

*Seen in Domoino Magazine 2007
Pairing pink with animal print seems to be a theme...

Canadian fashion editor Suzanne Boyd
against her Schiaparelli pink accent wall.
Caliente!

Suzanne Boyd's living room - looking
into the den.

Table top in shades of pink. Pretty!

Ruthie Sommers settee

*InStyle Magazine Feb.2007
Actress Tracee Ellis Ross at home with pink accents


Interior designed by Canadian Designer Sarah Richardson
(It's a bit too - light - for me. But a good example of
carrying pink throught two spaces.)

Singer Rihanna in hot pink.
Brown + Hot Pink = Scrumptious & Sexy

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross in soft pink.
Brown + Soft Pink = Sweet & Feminine  

I love this. It's quirky and very 'worldly' and ethnic feeling. What are these shoe things on the wall called? I googled "shoe horns" but I don't know if that's what they are called. I think I'm going to start up the apartment hunt again soon - in my mind April/May (Spring) would be a good time to make the move...it will take me some time to find just the right place. But I definetly want to have some of these for my bedroom wall to hang my jewellry on.

-think I got this photo from Style Court

So a few weeks ago I was blogged by fellow blogger AphroChic and I was super excited. Like, way more excited than I probably should have been. I remeber a few short weeks before being tagged (maybe two) reading one of the many design blogs I enjoy and the owner of the blog was tagged. I remember thinking "Cool!" My next thought was "Geez, I hope someone tags me...but my blog is too new I probably wont be tagged - I don't even know if anyone knows my blog exists..."

So, yes I was super excited and thrilled that I had been tagged. Thanks AphroChic!

The rules of tagging are as follows: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog; Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself; Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs; Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Without further ado, here are seven random/weird things about me!

1. I not so secretly enjoy several shows on The Family Channel. Shows like That's So Raven, Hannah Montanna, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The Proud Family, Phil of the Future (how funny is Pim?), Disney's The Weekenders, Cory in the House. Granted sometimes I watch them with my much younger siblings - but plenty of times I watch it by myself.
   
2. I love the word 'Serendipity.' I also enjoy the movie - I think it's very sweet. It sounds like a word created by Walt Disney - like it would fit in perfectly into a song sung by Ariel or Cinderella. I also quite like the meaning "a fortunate accident." Just sounds nice no?
   
3. I'm a lucid dreamer. I don't have them all the time but I have them ofen enough to know they freak me out each and every single time. Depending on the dream they can be quite 'cool' because you can then decide what to do in your dream...but eventually the novelty wears off and I just wanna get up and can't (known as sleep paralysis). Talk about scary! (Note: I just looked up sleep paralysis and read that a possible cause is: "a lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode.") Interesting.
   
4. If I wasn't working in PR there are several other things that I want to do...and may do one day...maybe soon - who knows? I want to teach be a history/english teacher, I want to be a travel writer (I'm an avid reader of travel writer/bloger Erik Trinidad whose blog The Global Trip is wildly popular), an event planner (like Fete -aren't their events so beautiful?), an Egyptologist - and if I had more patience an Archaeologist. I'd love to do what Maryam in Marrakesh is doing. Perhaps one day I will - in Luxor or Cairo, Egypt.
   
5. I'm slighty, slightly, OCD. Luckily and thankfully, not in a way that interrupts my life and day-to-day activities. I don't think anyone actually knows this - so this is a true revelations!
   
6. I love breakfast food. I can eat it anytime of the day. Eggs, bacon, toast, sausages - yummy. I'm also a recent lover of eggs benedict - have you tried it? Oh my gosh! Delicious!
   
7. I'm a major planner. A major, MAJOR planner. I plan for everything - things that even happened yet. Take this blog for example...I haven't moved into my apartment yet but I'm keeping a blog about finding and decorating it - and making it incredibly stylish and chic - all on a budget. But the blog works, no? And it will get much much better. Trust me.

How weird am I? Are these random revelations of random weirdness actually so random and weird? What do you think of me now? Please - share. I'm interested to know.

I am tagging: At Home At Home, Door Sixteen, Foreign Circus Life, Cocoa Lounge, The Global Trip,

It's official. Happy New Year!
May 2008 bring you all the happiness and success that you desire :)

Do you make resolutions? Or goals? Or anything like that?

What's on your list?