Just wanted to pop in and quickly post an art project I've been working for some time now...I'm almost finished - just thinking of some more quotes that resonate with me.

Not bad, eh?

One of my favourite blogs/sites is Apartment Therapy...I visit it daily. There are so many helpful tips there and its a great way to learn about new design trends, concepts and just good ol' useful decor tips that you can incorporate into your own home. I also love the house tours - this is when people submit photos of their home with descriptions and you get to 'tour' their home. I like seeing how other people decorate their space, the design choices they make, and how they deal with various issues...like small budgets and small spaces - this I can relate to! So I was thrilled when last week I stopped by AT and saw that their annual 'Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest' will be starting up soon!

 

I love the 'Smallest, Coolest, Apartment Contest.' There are usually some pretty great entries...and some not so great entires (but if you can't say something nice - don't say anything at all, right?) From the spaces below, and others, I've gotten ideas on everything from colour schemes to furniture placement to organization.Here are some of my favourite entries from years past...

2007 - Ron's Hotel Sweet
Can you believe this is a 500 square foot studio! So chic.



2006 - Harkl & Jili's Bold Bright Moves
The yellow stripes on the wall - tape! Genius.



2005 - Patrick's Cosmo-Urban Studio Rental
Another fabulously chic studio - only 485 square foot!

 

2007 - Randi's Post Loft Sophistication
I like the furntiure placement in this 415 square foot studio

2006 - Jane & Darko's Cozy Thicket
Lot's of creativity in this 645 square foot walk-up

If you think you've got what it takes (and your home is under 850 sq ft) why not enter your apartment into the contest? The prizes are usually pretty good. But warning! Some of the people who comment can be quite rude - so thick skin is a must!

Perhaps I'll enter the contest next year.

I have these two to thank for adding the words: fierce, fabulous and flawless to my vocabulary. Well, the words fierce and fabulous...and only when I write - not when I speak. Because that could get tres annoying I imagine.

I've always loved Tyra Banks - the epitome of fierce, fabulous and flawless.



Christian from Season 4 of Project Runway.
Seriously. Just look at his picture - do I need to say more?

April's issue of In Style magazine featured the sprawling 5,000 square foot home of hotel heiress Nicky Hilton. Yes, I said 5,000 square foot...and she lives alone. Gosh, to have 5,000 square feet of living space all to myself!

I've flipped through issue a few times...looking closely at her home but in the end I come to the same conclusion - something's just not working for me. In theory, it should work. Individually, I find the pieces to be quite striking, unique and pretty fabulous (except the sofa in the living room...WTF??) but together...it doesn't quite 'click' for me. It's another example, to me at least, that tons of money does not necessarily equal style.

I think one of my main issues with her home is that it's very 'black & white' (pun intended). It's very rare that I'm drawn to a space that is executed in just two, or three, colours - period. I find when people use a very limited colour palette and stick to it 100% - it just looks off to me. It's very hard to execute correctly I find. I mean, did everything have to be black or white? Maybe it's just me but I'm not into that kind of literal interpretation.

But I do give credit where credit is due and admit, again, that most of the pieces are fierce. The black vinyl headboard? Fierce. The mirrored dining room table = fab-u-lous. The breakfast nook chairs, the wall paper - lovely! Her fabulous vintage Chanel serving tray is also pretty great...

And I do love ♥ her shoe closet...I love chic flats!

So...I'm going about my normal internet routine which consists of checking into several blogs that I visit regularly and I drop by 'Desire to Inspire'. What I love about 'Desire to Inspire' is that the Australian & Canadian duo behind the blog post so many inspirational photos or rooms and various items for the home that I'm always...inspired! Anywho, I drop by and begin to scroll down and notice a post called Easter Reading Guide...basically it's their guide to other blogs they've recently discover to keep people entertained over this long weekend. I love posts like this because I love discovering well written, good blogs design-related or otherwise.

As I'm waiting for the images of the blog titles to appear I think "Ha, wouldn't it be cool if mine were there?" but, being that I live in a little place called 'the real world' I laughed off the thought. I mean...my humble little blog getting recognized by one of the big players? they probably don't even know DFS exists!

But I was wrong. My mouth dropped open when I saw my blog title appear on the screen.

Decorating From Scratch had been recommended. Wow. Double-wow. Look, I took a screen image to prove it!

Do you see it? Third from the top on the right hand side???

I'm truly speechless and want to thank the duo behind 'Desire to Inspire' for finding my blog worthy enough of inclusion. You've made a blogging girl in Toronto very, very happy.

If you aren't familiar with 'Desire to Inspire' please check it out, you'll be inspired.

And for those of you dropping by for the first time - welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay and come back to visit :)

Happy Easter (and happy long weekend!)
I don't know about your family but in my house on Easter it's a bit of a tradition (courtesy of our Jamaican background) to eat fried fish and bun & cheese. And it's customary for it to be cooked the day before...not on Easter day itself.

Now, it's not your regular type of bun...but I don't know how to describe it so you'll just have to trust me on that one lol.

Hope you enjoyed your day and enjoy the rest of the weekend too.

I can't believe it's been 1 week since my last blog. I feel bad; I was doing so well! In my defense I've been super super busy with work and some personal projects I'm working on. Combine spending time with my family, my puppy (I still must introduce him to you all), birthdays...and I've barely had 'me' time - my hair is a wreck and my skin is starting to show the results of not enough sleep and relaxation and tons of stress. My wheels are totally spinning as I try to keep everything together...I wish I were here:

taken from a little Nubian restaurant
overlooking the Nile - Aswan, Egypt


taken at sunset on the Nile


chilling out by the Red Sea in Dahab, Egypt

So please, bare with me. I will have a much better post up on Friday. It's a long weekend and I'll finally, I hope, be able to have at least a day for myself.

I'm sure many of you have already seen the home of designer Michelle Smith (of the fashion label Milly) blogged about on countless blogs as well as the October 2007 cover of Elle Decor. However, I just recently discovered her space and became absolutely smitten with the entire apartment. I love all of the choices she has made and would not change a thing...literally, not - one - thing. These photos will definitely go into my inspiration folder as this is the exact feel and look I want my apartment to have. I love the way she has mixed bold patterns, punches of colour, gold (my fave!), eclectic pieces and modern pieces to create a home that is totally chic but also totally liveable. That's how I judge really good design/designers/interiors - does the home look liveable? Usually, I see beautiful homes but it looks like a museum. I could not picture anyone living there - can't imagine getting home and kicking your feet up on the couch and just...relaxing. But this space - perfection! In her interview she said "I knew it was the perfect apartment when I realized the Christian Louboutin shop was right across the street." How much do you love that??

"We wanted the overall mood to be a young, sexy feeling," Smith says. "Like moving into Grandma's apartment and making it modern and whimsical, but still classic." Take away tip #1: stick with a neutral colour sofa (everyone has heard this already right?) that way you can add pops of colour with simple cushions. Take away tip #2: add at least one 'hold-your-breath WOW factor to the room' in this case the stunning 50s brass-and-crystal chandelier (that looks like a giant dandelion - love it!) AND the large portrait of a nun over the sofa do just that (btw - is it just me or does the nun look like Jessica Biel???). Vintage chairs in zebra striped silk, vintage mirror and 19th century Chinese cabinet add a touch of unexpected and a dash of exotic to the living room. Take away tip #3: zebra print (though pretty trendy right now) is always a sure fire way to add a touch of chic and the unexpected - but zebra print in a colour other than black & white, in this case yellow, is REALLY unexpected and totally hip. The graphic black and beige (with gold highlights!) David Hicks wallpaper adds major punch to the entrance hall. Take away tip #4: go bold in a small space! Perhaps, if I have my apartment has an entrance hall, I too will add a really graphic wallpaper - a thought I've had but am even more sold on now. Golden floral wallpaper (did I mention I love how she's used gold in her apartment!), art-deco table, mid-century chandelier and 1940's chairs take the tiny dining room from so-so to wow. Take away tip #5: in a small space, with not a lot of architectural details (did you notice there weren't any windows) go for the wow factor! If you're brave enough...why be small and timid when you can be small and f-i-e-r-c-e?!?! "Sensual and playful" is how the rooms are described by Smith. Note the curves on the mohair bed. Take away tip #6: quietly suggest moods/feelings with shapes and lines. The curved headboard and mirrored bedside table whisper, not shout, feminine and sensual. Less obvious than a bedroom decked out in florals but just as effective - if not more so I think. Pretty simple and straight-forward the bathroom is timeless and chic. Take away tip #7 when in doubt black & white is always right. I love the pop of hot pink and the wicker basket totally adds warmth to the space (plus storage!)

The common thread? "A little unexpected flourish or sparkle," says Smith. Take away tip #8: a little bling never hurts :) I find gold metals warm up a space and add a sense of age & history whereas silver is a bit more cold and 'modern/future-esque'.

Kudos to her designer, Shaun Jackson, who did a fantastic job. (I've tried to find a website for Shaun Jackson but can't...if anyone knows it please tell me it! I'm curious to see more of his/her work)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and picked up some handy tips!

Recently spotted on craigslist - hopefully I've acted quickly enough. It would be a great entertainment centre - enough room on top to house the TV and all of the drawers and DVDs would hide all the electronics, DVDs, CDs - heck even some books and other stuff. It's in pretty bad condition but a little, okay a lot, of elbow grease and I think I could whip it into shape (I'm inspired by this recent transformation - before and after - seen on Apartment Therapy...I mean look how totally gnarly the wood was before compared with the after).

Plus, it's only $65! If I totally, TOTALLY scew it up and it ends up on the curb...it was only $65! On the other hand, if it ends up looking great - which it would ;) - then what a steal at $65!!! And it's teak.

Finger crossed I've acted quickly enough - we all know how MY luck is with this kinda stuff :)

I told myself "Stay away from all blogs for a few days." But guess what? I forgot I told myself that and got a major spoiler when I visited one of the blogs I love to frequent. I now know who won Project Runway. Damn It. Damn it, damn it, damn it. I'll still watch though since I don't know who made it into the bottom 3 - but....

i HATE spoilers

*in Canada we are a few weeks behind the US airing of Project Runway.

I think I've posted this room pic before and I'll probably post it again to be honest - but I absolutely adore everything about it. The wall colour, the modern sofa, the shag rug, the zebra accent chair, the dispaly of magazines, the Jonathan Adler lamp...I love it all. I've been looking for the right anitque-y chair (via craigslist and vintage shops) to reupholster like the zebra one in the inspiration photo and I think I may have found one...right down to the small padded parts on the arm of the chair. So, I turn to you blog readers - and I know you're there :) Which chair do I get? The prices are comparable. I'm kind of leaning towards chair #1 with the rounded back - that shape makes it more like the inspiration photo. Like the inspiration photo it would get a coat or two of black lacequer. Thoughts???

Miles Redd designed room


chair#1


chair #2

UPDATE: I also came across these 2 antique cane club chairs.  I know I know...they don't look very great do they.

 

But I see potential. Do you? Check out these before & after pictures below of similarly styled chairs posted today over at decor8 (what great timing!). A coat of lacquer...reupholstery in a cool modern fabric and voila! Fab chairs to be used in the living room, bedroom or as a desk chair. The chairs are sold as a set - and are less than $100 for both. Thoughts? Please, please share them :)

both before and afters done by Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise - LA
(before and after images from decor8)

Dear Anthropologie,

Why is it that I am just truly discovering you? I mean, I've heard about you before but I never really 'got' it. Got you. I'd see you mentioned on other blogs or in magazines and always thought you were kind of...Urban Outfitters-esque, and I'm not very Urban Outfitters-ish so I never really gave you a chance. I couldn't see what was the big deal. "Why do people like Anthropologie?" I'd think to myself. I was clueless. But I've seen the light. I don't know what lead me to you earlier this week - I think it was the announcement on Apartment Therapy that said you now shipped internationally - so I thought to myself "I must find out what the big deal is!" And now I know.

You are perfect for me. Sure, you're prices on some items are a bit out of my budget but I can make an exception some times. Your are truly eclectic. The perfect mix of modern, meets ethnic, meets...chic and feminine. Exactly what I want my home to look like. Why has it taken me so long to discover the goodness that lies within your four walls??? I feel like I've missed so much.

So now I have some catching up to do. Why don't you come to Canada so I can visit you in person? That's not likely to happen for atleast a few years - so until then I guess I'll have to make due with visiting you when I'm in New York. I can't wait for us to meet! What fun it will be. I guarantee it. But until then I guess I will have to make do with visiting you online - I can't say for certain I'll buy anything from you there because with taxes, and shipping, and tarriffs and all that other stuff you may creep even further out of my budget. But I will see you one day.

Until then,
kay*

bloggers note: this is the first in what will likely become a weekly post titled 'Letter to...' where I write a letter to something that I've fallen in love with, discovered or covet. just a fun way to spice up the posts! Thoughts? How was it to read? I hope it was fun :)

Mina Tablecloth - love the print & colour


Shweshew Dinnerware - very Moroccan, love it!
Would look so pretty on a simple table.


Maroon Patchwork Pillow


perfect hit of colour in a bathroom


oversize eyelet bathmat


I totally {heart} this bedding


boy do I love this bed...


inlaid pearl outlet covers
would totally add a touch of wow to a creamy white wall

  
(door knobs l-r) round ribbed & inlaid pearl door knobs
very unexpected and kind of glam I think

     
(knobs l-r) sea blossom, rosy, carved bone
how pretty would any of these knobs look on cupboards?
would totally add a touch of feminine whimsy to a rental kitchen or bathroom


would go perfectly with this - no?