A couple of weekends ago Sal and I had a "lunch-date". We dropped by the Timeless Bakery and Cafe on Northfield Drive in Waterloo where scrumptious breakfast and lunches are served daily. Delicious cappuccinos and lattes. Classic food. Check out their menu at: . Directly beside the cafe is the Timeless Material Co. selvage barn - a huge, multi-storied structure with wonderful reclaimed architectural materials inside. You'll want to take the time to explore the many hidden staircases and stacks of interesting items.



Glass vintage doorknobs. Check. Every type of wood beam that you can imagine. Check. Metal duct grates from an earlier time. Check.

If a walk down memory lane is what you're up for, or if you're sourcing unique, on-trend materials for a future renovation in your home, you need to check out The Timeless Material Co.

Website: www.timelessmaterials.com

My latest crush.

Decorative toss cushions. They are all my BFF's. Sigh. I'm so in love.

But seriously. Toss cushions, throw pillows. They can elevate a space, changing the look and feel of a room, very simply and easily.

The strategy is to reign in a colour scheme fairly tightly, using only a few specific colours. Let's say green, blue, white and black. Also, used some large patterns, small stripes, a few solids and maybe also a floral. Mix it up good. The combination of these colours and patterns will make a strong visual impact, and create a focal point. It makes that area of your space look tight and inviting.

I have a blah and boring antique sofa in a neutral tan colour. It's a large piece of furniture. And I'm not ready to replace it yet. So I have to make it work in my space. I piggy-backed on the colour scheme of the entryway (next to the living room) and brought in the colours of the upholstered bench by the front door. Red, white, green, yellow and black. I used toss cushions in these colours with varied patterns, and all of a sudden this sitting area is looking pretty and inviting.

Winter is really dragging on this year. Sometimes a little pick-me-up makes our spaces and our spirits feel lighter. And it's a place to snuggle away from the cold.

Enjoy.

LIving for real in your space.

It's a multi-use kind of thing. My personal living space. A "décor science" experiment lab. Fun, colour, personal expression. And chalk-dust. What?

Chalkboard paint into the kitchen? I've been inspired by software developers writing their formulas and work-flow plans on the walls of their industrial start-up spaces. Crazy-jealous about their freedom of scrawl, I wanted to try a similar idea in my kitchen. Only, it would be for household stuff and family use. Practical stuff. After carefully taping off the edges, I painted portions of the kitchen wall and cupboard doors with black chalkboard paint, (Benjamin Moore brand). Check out link here. Then I stood back to watch. Smile.

My home is occupied by 5 people under the age of 52. Three kids, two adults. They are accustomed to the landscape of our home continuously changing as I try out new ideas and experiment with colour, pattern, texture and layout. My family knows that periodically they will have to search for things after I've scourged a room, re-modelled, re-arranged. Anticipating the chalk-board paint shaking things up in our kitchen, I waited to see how it would work for us. Please be cool.

Happily, it brought a rustic, tactile element to the space. Check. Just what I wanted. But it also added a playful, interactive function. I would have never believed how much everyone likes to add their two cents worth with a piece of chalk on a chalk surface. It has become a "to do" list of sorts. From sketches, to notations, to happy-face drawings. Oh yes, and the iconic "Sarah was here". Duly noted.

I'm really psyched by the fun we're having with the on-trend, cool, chalkboard surfaces in our space. So, I challenge you to try out new ideas. Be daring. Make your home fun to live in, and fun to play with. Put a smile on your face. Re-arrange (hide!) your kids gaming controllers. A fresh paint hue or a few fabulously colourful toss cushions can inject a new vibe and functionality into your space.

Stay tuned for the magic of toss cushions.

So, I was shopping at the Lee Valley store in Waterloo last December and noticed that they have a big, beautiful workshop room. Being the Upcycling Queen who is always on the lookout for ways to spread the upcycling love, I thought to myself, why don't I find out what's up with this awesome space? Turns out seminars and woodworking workshops are hosted here, and it comes complete with work benches and power tools. Way Cool.

I spoke to Quint, the co-ordinator of the workshops, and we discussed various upcycling ideas. Eventually we came up with 2 individual upcycling events for the Lee Valley store. The first session will be an upcycling information night in May - the 30th of May to be exact. The second event would be more full-on. It will be either a 1/2 day or a full day in the fall. This will be a hands-on day when participants can bring a project - anything that they want (pretty much) and actually be able to work on it in the Lee Valley workshop. Do you want to reupholster a simple dining chair with a pop-out seat? Or paint a picture frame? Or lay mosaic tile on top of a coffee table? Bring your stuff and let's work on our projects together. This will be awesome!

I love the collaboration, ideas, exchange of information and expertise that a group of people bring to the table during upcycling conversations.

If you don't know what upcycling is, come on out and join us on May 30. Or, if you want to take it a step further, and work on the project that you've been thinking about, join us in Fall 2013. That date will be set later in the year.

Call 519.746.2555 to register for the May 30/13 Upcycling event. 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Cost is $20.

I love the fresh colours of spring.

Wow.  Spring is here.

(I know, right?  What's up with the snow falling outside?)

Anyway, I'm lovin' the fun, colourful pops of colour in the new accessories for our spaces - inside and out!

Emerald green is the Pantone colour of the year.  Check it out on the Benjamin Moore website.  http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-color/nilegreen Fresh and vibrant, right?

I'm also seeing a lot of pops of sunshine yellow in wire industrial-inspired birdcage sculptures and lamp shades. Please click on link to see the colour.  http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-color/sunshine

The other bright, lively hue that's everywhere, is a mid-deep-ish blue.  Check it out here.  http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-color/yosemiteblue

Snow is falling outside now, but soon we'll be setting up our patios and refreshing our interiors for the summer months ahead.

Enjoy the spring colours for 2013!

Lighting is my friend

Lighting has been my obsession for the past few years. I just LOVE checking out the various options available for twinkling-up (real word?) a room! Pendants, chandeliers, table lamps, floor lamps, sconces. The list is long. And shiny.

Lighting trends come and go, but the fact is, lighting is the one (under-rated) element in a space that really makes a room sparkle. And that never changes.

At our house this past fall and winter, we've been watching Candice Olsen's show, "Candice Tells All". She is a lighting diva. Candice goes for it, and where some other spaces may be pale and lacking in oooomph, she lights up a room with gorgeous lighting!

I love the philosophy of the different levels of lighting. First, at the tallest level in a room, ceiling lighting provides general lighting that bathes the whole space from the top down. Lower down in the space, mid-range, we find wall or sconce lighting, and floor lamps. Under-cabinet lighting in a kitchen, interior cabinetry lighting and art lamps would be mid-range as well. Further down in height are table lamps and buffet lights. At floor-level are the lights that are installed on the floor in outdoor applications such as decks.

The look that shocks and awes me, (in a good way!) is a multi-level lighting scheme. That is, where there's many different light sources in a room at varying heights, bathing the light in pools of various sizes of light. There are pockets of darker and lighter areas and it really fills in a room and completes it in a wonderful way.

Think of a family room. Pot lights (on a dimmer!) installed in the ceiling provide an all-over level of lighting and a look of warmth. Table lamps on top of several tables provide reading light and pool in small areas, punctuating the space. Finally, floor lamps and wall sconces add light in small areas, bringing depth and sparkly dimension to the room. This ends up feeling like a warm, comfortable environment. Who wouldn't like that?

My favourite lighting website is lampsplus.com. They have everything and are up to date on the latest trends and ideas. Also, Design within reach, or dwr.com has some awesome lamps too.

Wow. Pantone's Colour of the year for 2013 has recently been announced.....and the winner is Emerald Green! check out the link here!

The experts say that because of the eco-friendly emphasis in our world that affects every aspect of our lives, green will be around for a while longer. I love that the colour that is in focus, comes from a place of taking care of our planet. Personally I love green because it speaks to freshness, growth, and a serene, zen focus on life.

Enjoy the going green and colouring your world in green- tastefully!