bloomerism :: a blog by inBloom Event Design

this isn't Feist - but I like her messy hairs!

2012-01-27T14:22:00.002-05:00

It said on MSN today that Feist did a pretty awesome cover of Guns N Roses' "November Rain," (remember slow dancing to that song?!), but this really doesn't look like her! I am pretty sure it's not...however, I do think it's a cool picture. I like this girl's messy hairs! There's a secret rock star in my somewhere...

Lynn Bloomer's Budget Basement Makeover

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Talk about a really great makeover, on a budget! Look at the Before and Afters of Lynn Bloomer's basement. I love the grey and white tones...they were perfect to calm it down. Not to mention the white painted fireplace...much much better. And the sofas? These aren't even new sofas! They are slipcovers. Yummy. For the wallet and soul alike. Great job Lynn!

Paint out the brick on your fireplace? At first I was uncertain, but now I say YES!

Much calmer and much cozier now...

Love the grey painted out walls...and the large open windows...note the large wardrobe she also painted out white. Oh,and I also want to look through that telescope!

window coverings for big bay windows!

2012-01-19T11:08:00.016-05:00

There's a recurring problem out there in the world, and it has to do with big or bay windows! Are there any cool window covering options for big bay windows - an option that isn't curtains or shutters? The options are limited as far as I can see, I must say. I would say my favorite option are Roman blinds designed specifically for them (and using two side by side if a really wide window), but there may be some more unique and cost effective alternatives out there which I also like too! Here are some window inspirations I found...

I thought this roller blind was super cute, especially with the rope tie. Could potentially make this yourself! Just get some cool fabric from Tonic Living or something!

This would take some time but I LOVE the mismatch, vintage appeal (Remodelista):

I like this light linen / gauze type of material...blocks it enough without being too heavy (HouseBeautiful)...

same kind from House Beautiful:

I think these are the same cheapy Walmarty blinds I used on my guest bedroom (pic from BlissBulb) - introduced to me by Lynn Bloomer. Super cheap and really not bad to look at at all (here are the ones from my guest room)!

This is a smaller window, but I like the halfsies of it! And I loving this whole new tea towel trend (Remodelista):

More tea towels sewn together...pretty casual and vintage-y (Remodelista):

So, if you're gonna do shutters, maybe black would be cool? Painting out the trims black too? May give it a whole different funky look.

Cute, dainty, pretty lil do-it-yourself option (remodelista)...

These look expensive...but I like the teal blue and like the halfsies again! Quite a statement (Blindsaver).

Don't mind these graphic curtains...makes a statement (Apartment Therapy):

Or we could just leave those effers open! If you face a private forest of course (I want the zig zag rug)...
{pic from Remodelista}

sage's bday featured on 'oh dee doh'!

2012-01-16T15:26:00.002-05:00

Holla Bloomers! Ok, back. Back!! It's been crazy chaos with the house selling, and then the holidays, but I've gathered up some inspiration for you. But first! Remember wee lil Sage Bloomer's first birthday party in August, designed by Joelle Bloomer? Well, it was just featured on the very popular Oh Dee Doh blog! Which is now Apartment Therapy. Yay!!! Check out the post here :)

georgia may jagger is purty

2011-12-22T15:43:00.009-05:00

...she really is!! How does Mick's genes translate time and time again?! I mean, he sure has timeless moves (like Jagger...hee), but I guess his genes are Jaggery too...and I mean, his wives are usually pretty beautiful in all fairness. But anyway, lately I've been seeing his one daughter Georgia in magazines a lot, and her look inspires me. Not picture perfect at all - her teeth are spaced, hair messy (but pretty awesome messy), very natural, almost rough looking - and yet somehow she comes across as totally glamourous and rock star stunning! I wonder if she can move like Jagger since she is a Jagger? That would be an interesting study...{pics from Vanity Fair}

colourful places of the world

2011-12-15T11:06:00.017-05:00

Fascinated by this colourful little town, Longbearyen, between Norway and the North Pole.

Just think the little colourful houses are so cute!

Cinque Terre, Manalo, Italy - wowee wa wa wa

Cinque Terre, Manalo, Italy - wowee wa wa wa again. This deserves two pics! {WTF-Portal}

Lima, Peru {Buzzfeed}

Cape Town, South Africa

Oh my goodness, I love this blue town in Jodhpur, India. {Buzzfeed}

Pelhourino, Brazil {Buzzfeed}

Burano, Venice.

yay for our very own St. John's, NFLD {buzzfeed}

Turkey, Istanbul

Valparaiso, Chile. {Buzzfeed}

I need to go to here. Provence, France. {House of France}

Willemstad, Netherlands (F Portal)

Wroclaw {Buzzfeed}.

This morning as the MSN homepage came up, I was inspired by the world's most colourful places. Wow, I am a Bloomer and I didn't ever think of this! Wouldn't that be so cool, to seek out the world's most colourful places and actually go to there (like Tina Fey would say)? And then you could make like a really funky album or scrap book of all the colourful places you've been to! And maybe even include fun swatches of colourful fabric in that book too? Hee, ok I'm getting carried away maybe, but I really do think this is awesome!

not so cheesy christmas inspirations

2011-12-13T11:32:00.016-05:00

Once a year we give our input on not-so-cheesy Christmas decor, meaning NO SCARY SANTAS. And goodbye green and red! Here are some idears for this year then...

Cool branchy xmas tree! {from House and Home}

This one is for Lynn Bloomer - a very imperfect tree plunked in a black wicker basket! {from themodernhome}

just plain...love the egg chair...{from themodernhome}

we could knit parts of our benches or chairs! hee. {from dreamywhites}

love this table setting {from skuim back home}

another perfectly imperfect tree! {from themodernhome}

hanging mason jars always a nice touch - this was in the Anthropologie store in NYC {photo from dreamywhites}

Sorry, I got a bit obsessed with the Anthropologie Christmas displays on dreamywhites' blog - this Chritmas pile is also from store in NYC {photo from dreamywhites}

jewel's baby nursery

2011-11-24T10:15:00.004-05:00

Ok, enough about my house already right?! Hee. So, I've been sitting on this picture for a while, wanting to share it with you. It's Jewel's new baby's nursery - and I think it's BEAUTIFUL. I love love love the wall with the painted re-claimed wood; and then how everything else around it is white and plain. Yummy! And pretty unpretentious for a celebrity if I do say so myself...I love Jewel.

and the final details I love

2011-11-22T11:47:00.010-05:00

Thanks to Jocelyn for catching the little details of my house - before we sell, I wanted a memory of the little things that made Project De-Suburbanization complete! I love these items and will miss them...but they will get a new life again I think! Here are some of my favourite things...{all photos by Jocelyn Fisher Photography}

My dinner menu chalkboard in my kitchen...

My one yellow mismatched hooky to hang our coats on (the others are all grey)

The vintage one way sign in the hallway...you can defy that arrow, unlike at Ikea!

Remember my obsession with Hamman Towels? Finally found something similar at West Elm!

A prezzie from Shayna Bloomer - these aren't just Russian Dollies...they are measuring cups...and I lerve them.

My ode to my my mom - to commemorate her artistic spirit on her birthday in June, I spray painted this urn blue...love the yellow fleurs next to the blue. Oh! And it seems it's the only want to make my house look different than anyone else's on the street...yay!

Craigger's awesome creation - a play on the "Keep Calm Carry On" posters...this makes going to the bathroom really fun :)

Best friend Aliya found this little white piece at the garage sale - she's far away in Israel now, but it makes me think of her every time I look at it! 'Tis a cute piece.

And a loverly prezzie from Joelle Bloomer - this is in a white frame at the entrance, right beside my yellow door. I love love love it. Thanks Jojer Bloomie Face!

Melanie Bloomer's House is FOR SALE - PART 2

2011-11-16T12:23:00.021-05:00

And..now, let us go upstairs!! Tomorrow...my favourite details!! By the way, there's an open house this weekend!
MLS information here: http://bit.ly/t68vtq . And more hi res photos here: http://bit.ly/sas4d0
{all pics by Jocelyn Fisher Photography)

Master Bedroom:

Bathroomies:

This hilarious sign is custom made by Craig - soon to be available on Etsy I hope!

Guest Bedroom - my fav room...

Office...

{all pics by Jocelyn Fisher Photography)

MLS Listing: http://bit.ly/t68vtq

Hi Res Photos: http://bit.ly/sas4d0

Melanie Bloomer's House is FOR SALE!

2011-11-14T16:09:00.016-05:00

Project De-suburbanized Townhouse is complete, and it is FOR SALE! Do you know anyone looking in the Stouffville area? I put my heart and my soul into this house, and I hope it goes to someone who really appreciates the love in it, as well as the modern detailing with vintage accents, the openness, the spaciousness...and well, my graphite maple floors of course!! Here are some pics of my house - bottom floor first, the upstairs tomorrow (part 2) Do you like the finished product? Let me know your feedback! And please pass along to any friends and family who may be interested...{all pics by Jocelyn Fisher Photography)

MLS Listing: http://bit.ly/t68vtq

Hi Res Photos: http://bit.ly/sas4d0

inspiration in san francisco: botanical rogues at the conservatory of flowers

2011-11-10T11:01:00.030-05:00

Ok, I really really want to live in The Conservatory of Flowers! It was a) a beautiful building in the Golden Gate Park which b) is a beautiful park in itself and there was a drum circle on the front lawn and c) inside it was this crazy lush garden filling all corners, of all different species of plants and trees and exotic flowers from all over the worldl but also d) it all just looked so vintage and styled so cool in there PLUS e) there was an exhibit after a 'Bloomers heart...called Wicked Plants: Botanical Rogues and Assassins. All really pretty dainty plants, trees and flowers, displayed with the utmost vintage charm, but really, these beauties cause HARM, each in their own way, the little devils. It was such an interesting juxtaposition of concepts - seeing natural flowers so delicate and beautiful that are so dangerous. So here we go, I'm taking you through my pretty, styled journey of the Conservatory of Flowers...

Pretty building!

...and here starts the Wicked Plants Exhibits where I marveled at the design of the display...
...fun wormy brochure

Hee, be warned! I was actually nervous upon entering.

They had a vintage gramophone playing old crackly music too which was neat.

Okay! On to the scary mean fleurs...

Water hyacinths...so delicate..they are the little green delicate plants covering the tops of the water, but poignantly labelled CARNIVORES ..they will not let anything up out of the water...they drown things! buggers!

I liked their wooden signage too...

Even the Rubbertree is dangerous...but I forget why now :( But hey, this is what a Rubbertree looks like.

Anyone remember the book White Oleander? I loved that book...

Yummy vintage birdcages everywhere...eat your heart out Bloomers...

Sigh, it was so pretty and yummy in there.

BUT here were some pretties from the OTHER rooms in the Conservatory of Flowers too:

Rainforest lily pads - they are SERIOUS:

And, nerdy old me felt mesmerized by this shelf. Must be my artsy fartsy Mom Bloomer genes combined with my Scientist Dad Bloomer (with specimens in bottles) coming out of me in a form that makes sense finally!

Last but not least - a dahlia garden as you walk back outside...the colours reminded me of Amy and Kumbo's really cool wedding last September!

inspiration in san francisco: nature does it best

2011-11-09T16:07:00.019-05:00

Sorry Bloomers - I've been missing for so long! Lots going on on this end, plus I went away on a trippy to San Francisco. A bit of a soul searching adventure. Kind of like a mini Eat Pray Love...but more like Eat Walk Think? Anyway, if I do say so myself, San Francisco has the heart of a Bloomer at it. So. Much. Inspiration. A feast for the eyes, really. I thought I'd show you my top inspirations there.... here's number 1: The coast line! Enough to make your heart sing. Nature does it best!

Here is what you'll see when you drive from San Fran down the coast towards Big Sur:

Look! This is where the seals live...you can see if you look really hard on the big rock.

This is in Big Sur...where we stopped to eat lunch...

And the restaurant, Nepenthe, had these cute lil pillows to sit and look at the view...the green ones made me happy...

And this is what you could see! WOW, eating lunch at looking at this...heaven :)

And then we found this secret, hidden beach called Pfeiffer Beach - and it was the most beautiful beach I have ever, EVER seen.

Proof that I really was there on the secret beach...my cousin Wendy who lives in San Fran also had never seen it...it was amazing!

Tomorrow, San Fran Inspiration #2 - Conservatory of Flowers...wow, best place ever, I want all my Bloomers to live there with me!

natural looking swimming poolies

2011-10-04T11:20:00.012-04:00

Thanks to our special cousin, Julia Bloomer, I now know what kind of swimming pool I'd like to get when I have enough space in a backyard! Look at these neat pools that look natural - I think they are chemical free too! Which is why some may look a little greeny. Yum. But the landscaping is gorgeous. My favourite is the first one and the third. {pics via babble.com}

and then i found this townhouse!

2011-09-13T12:51:00.017-04:00

Wowee, take a look at this awesome townhouse...it has all sorts of hidden rooms! {from OWI via Dornob}

an indoor secret garden room!

second level ...

third level...

rooftop!

wowee neat small garden idears!

2011-09-12T15:34:00.007-04:00

I was looking up ideas for my little garden outside the front of my house, but I stumbled upon these ideas instead. How awesome. I want to have upside down planties!! {All pics via Webecoist.com}

i like this outfit

2011-09-06T10:57:00.002-04:00

I don't really care that it's so cold out today and that the leaves are changing, I still have hope that summer will come back! So anyway, I liked this outfit and I can't remember where I found the picture. I had just saved it in my files as inspiration, but alas, I didn't find a long sleeve button up shirt that I liked enough this summer to wear this outfit :( When you're a small person, a long sleeve button up is hard to find! If anyone knows where the pic is from, let me know!

j.crew ballerinas

2011-08-30T13:55:00.003-04:00

I got the J.Crew catalog for September 2011 in the mail - oh my it is yummy. How did they know I love ballerinas? It reminds me of the ballerinas in the Kanye West performance I blogged about a while ago. I just love this type of thang!! Yummy!

a floating house

2011-08-17T19:23:00.010-04:00

I am not a huge cottager, but I COULD do this! Even better, this is located in Ontario. No word on what happens when it freezes though! {via toxel}

science-inspired fleurs!

2011-08-10T12:41:00.011-04:00

Sorry about the slow posts Bloomers...busy bees we are! I thought I'd show you a little science inspired flower arrangement that I made for Helix BioPharma Corp.'s staff party yesterday! You will remember Shayna Bloomer's previous posts on "nerdy" decor here and here. Using real test tube holders from my own father's laboratory 20-30 years ago (talk about authentic!), I put little button mums inside, and the results made me feel happy snappy! What do you think?

sage's 1st bday party!

2011-08-02T15:31:00.023-04:00

Hey Bloomers, a few weeks ago we had a birthday party for Mrs. Sage! Joelle Bloomer takes all the credit, she did a great job...and how with a little beber? This is love! AND, she moved into her new house the same week...sheesh! It was a picnic theme with red and white...lots of cool patterns, and some blue thrown in there for good measure. Beautiful!! Great work Joelley! {pics by Craig Morrison at www.craigmorrison.ca and pics 15 and 16 by Geoffrey Owen}

and then there's this little munchy!

2011-07-12T14:59:00.004-04:00

Here's the latest on Noameo, Shayna Bloomer's baby munchkin. Holy moly these pics are hilariously cute. Like Craigger pointed out, little Noam's just checking the 1920s stock ticker. He's so darned cute, I could just smush him in the biggest hug ever!

jennifer's wedding - AGAIN!

2011-07-07T13:50:00.022-04:00

This was a wedding we did last year at the Toronto Hunt Club- we blogged about it back then, but I didn't get the professional pictures until now! So, I want to display it to the world AGAIN! Jennifer was the most beautiful bride. Elliot the most handsome groom! And the colours, the flowers, the bridal party...everything was just so lush and gorgeous and pleasing to the eye. It took a lot of work to set up, and definitely required Lynn Bloomer's muscles to hold the giant flower poms during transportation, but it was SO WORTH IT! Beautiful family, gorgeous bride and groom, beautiful, fresh design... enjoy! {photos by Five Fifteen}

joelle bloomer's beautiful family

2011-07-04T13:55:00.025-04:00

I thought I'd share these really beautiful photos of Joelle Bloomer and her beautiful family - husband Pete (who we call Petey) and her little beautiful sweet special baby, Sage. She is definitely a Bloomer by the way! These photos are absolutely gorgeous. But they also have a story to me, and make me very emotional at the same time. They are taken on our childhood property - where my Dad still lives, reluctant to move away because of all the memories that have taken place there. It is the property that my mother designed, with love and affection, where she and my dad planted every single tree to make us a beautiful, park-like haven, before she got ill and passed away. She didn't get to see how the property matured - and how beautiful and lush it is now. Joelle Bloomer and Petey got married on this property - it was the first happy function, the first happy moment our family shared together for at least a decade. It was truly a beautiful moment, even though it was missing our mother. After the wedding, Joelle Bloomer tried hard to get little Sagey. It was tough, but she did it - and I am so proud of how hard she worked to get this baby. And how supportive Pete has been through it all. All their work and emotional turmoil sure paid off - Sage is the quirkiest, most beautiful, sweetest, smartest most generous little 1 year old girl I know! What a special gem she is. And to see their new family under the willow tree- a tree that reminds me of my mom at her healthiest - the tree where Joelle Bloomer and Petey brought our family close in happiness for the first time during their wedding...this is something that came full circle for me, hit me hard and brought tears to my eyes! I hope you enjoy them too, especially knowing the background. The family photos were taken by the incredible Quenby Massey of Ginger Sprouts. Amazing job, Quenby, you are so so so talented!

And here were Joelle Bloomer and Petey's wedding photos under that same willow tree...really hits me hard! I am so thankful that Sage is in our lives. I don't even know how we existed without her before.
{wedding photos by the talented Jocelyn Fisher}

really cool biodegradable dishware

2011-06-27T10:19:00.007-04:00

I saw this in my Style at Home magazine last night and fell a bit in love! Look at these really pretty Japanese-inspired biodegradable paper plates and bowls, made by Wasara. Gorgeous! Perfect for a backyard party. I want, I want! And not insanely expensive either considering how good they look! You can get them from Branch Home.

beautiful song

2011-06-23T11:16:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine had this posted on her facebook...I listened and I really loved it. Check it out here. Her name is Brooke Fraser, and she's a New Zealand folk/pop song-writer. She makes me just want to sit and look out the window on a stormy night! {there's no video for it really...just the song...listen to the music don't focus on the lack of video!}

knitted wallpaper!

2011-06-17T13:48:00.006-04:00

knitted wallhanging

{this is not wallpaper but I thought the knits were cute!}

Thanks Jen for pointing out this new trend...knitted wallpaper! Very very very cozy indeed. I like it! {pic 1, 4 from greenteadesign; pic 2 from pinterest; pic 3 from chaeyoungkim}

penelope's wild hairs

2011-06-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

remember her crazy hair in Vicky Christina Barcelona?

I saw Pirates of the Carribean the other day and realized, Penelope sure has the best messy hair of all time. She wins that award! She really can rock that messy hair. I especially noticed, after watching Pirates of the Carribean, that she usually has bangs...is this because she has a small face? I wish I could talk to her stylist and see. I have a lot of hair and a small face ... perhaps bangs with big hair is the way to go then?! Penelope's stylist, let me know please!

floating bed!

2011-06-06T15:24:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Lynn Bloomer's super daughter, Katie Bloomer, I have just found my perfect camping experience. Haha. Craiggers take note! I wanna sleep on a bed on my personal floating dock, fully equipped with a lamp too! Thanks Katie! {pic from anthropologie}

decal decor

2011-05-30T13:54:00.009-04:00

Joelle Bloomer gave me an idea for my office blinds! Apparently the word on the street is that wallpapering cheap roller blinds can be really super cool. So, I was searching for some cool wallpapers online, and checked out Etsy, where I found something very astonishing. There are a LOT of decal companies, first off, but they all have SUCH nice decor staging. Like, where do they get all the cool furniture and room sets to show how cool their wall decals are? Here's an example. I mean, I am TOTALLY INSPIRED by some of these pics!

ahem, i'm lookin' at the cool chairs more than the bird decals - these are so cool! the birds are cool to though.

again, cool sofa, against such a crisp wall! oh and neat decal too.

another cool sofa? like the two same white pillows just thrown on eachother. simple. oh and cool dahlia decals.

funky light, funky table set, awesome orange wall (and yes, neato decals!)!

maybe i have this chair for our living room please? love it against that blue wall!

awesome table setting and chairs...love the teal decal

baby room...this is just wallpaper that made me giggle. owls! but i don't know, i like that little rug and the perfect little balls on top. so clean and cute and fun.

{pic 2, 4 and 6 from Byrdie, pic 5 from urbanwall pic 1 and 3 from elmostudio, pic 7 from trendypeas}

girls run the world!

2011-05-26T09:41:00.004-04:00

Shayna Bloomer told me to look up this Beyonce tribute to Oprah...I lerved it! Check it part 1 and then part 2 here. I can't NOT post it on our Bloomerism site to share it with all you too! I love Beyonce. I bet she just feels so satisfied at the end of her day. Singin' cool things, dancin' like that, having all that hair. Oh and Shayna Bloomer loves her too - she might be her girl crush.

my happy mom's day prezzie

2011-05-19T10:59:00.005-04:00

I didn't know what to do for Mother's Day two weeks ago, but I wanted to do something my momma would have liked to have done with me. And I'm trying to be extra healthy lately, so eating a chocolate chip muffin was out of the question! So, since she liked painting and fixing things up too, I took an old urn from her basement and painted it a very bright colour to sit on my front porch, with the hopes that FINALLY people would know which house was mine - the one with the crazy blue flower urn!! She would have supported my Project De-Suburbanization. So I felt like she helped me with it...and we had fun with it ...and we also had fun trying to find her the most yellow-y bright flowers we could to make it extra zany :) And thanks to my Craigger for helping me too!!

new and improved silverware!

2011-05-17T14:33:00.007-04:00

Thanks to cousin Bloomer Julia for letting me know that our beloved spray paint can ALSO be applied to old poopy silverware or cutlery that needs to be spruced! I just found a junkie set at my Dad Bloomer's house. Maybe this would be a cool thing to do with it? I think so - you know how I like my spraypaint...and anything yellow catches my eyeballs lately! Just need some tape, plastic, spray paint. Full "how to" instructions here.
{via Spearmint Kitchen via Creatively Christie}

grey and brown decor

2011-05-12T11:43:00.001-04:00

As my last blog post mentioned, I am looking to fix up my upstairs bathrooms. We didn't upgrade anything in there as it was too expensive, so our choices were limited. We knew we'd have to do some work, like paint the vanity, etc., but now the time has come! And it's a bit of a dilemma! We are working with a brown-ish/tan/gray speckled countertop, and white tiles with a thread of grey in them. We can paint the vanity whatever colour we want, but this is the hardest decision of all. What to paint the walls? What to paint the vanity? So that it looks fresh, but works with the grey in the tiles and the brown in the counter top? Here's some inspiration so far about coordinating grey, brown and whites. The outlook doesn't look too dismal...

i like the way the brown, grey and black combine here to have almost a vintage feel. But I have whiter floors than this...shiny white ceramic tile, with a thread of grey!

another bathroom blending the colours...the brown in here is more on the floor. We can see a bit better how the white ceramic sink basin plays off the other colours ... it does make a nice pop...but it's also just a smidgen of white...not an entire area...

ok, here we are. white floor. grey mat. brown walls. does look cool!

this is a dining room, I know! But i feel more inspired from this picture than most for some reason. That brown reminds me of our countertops (the colour, not the vintage-ness), and I love how it plays with the white and grey. Wouldn't do the red pop though! I NEED HAMMAN TOWELS by the way. That table cloth is freaking awesome. It's like one big Hamman Towel.

also a dining room with varying shades of brown, white and grey.

here's a backsplash with ALL the colours. a bit distracting, but still, I'm not hating the colour combos.

this is a bit sterile for my tastes, but this is more accurate as to what our tiles look like, just with a bit of a grey swirl in there. You can see how the brown plays in. I will need to play up some more grey though!

LOL, why does this inspire something in me? haha.

Any favourites, Bloomers? If you have suggestions, feel free to pass them along

{pic 1-5 from Style-Files.com; pic 6 from CocoCozy; pic 7 i can't remember where? tell me if you know; pic 8 from Shutterstock.com}

just learned about hamman towels

2011-05-10T14:00:00.011-04:00

I have been doing research on bathroom design, because it's time to fix my and Craigger's upstairs bathroom! He feels angry at it right now. The problem we have is that the standard choices were a bit ugs, so we have to tie together a brown-ish counter, with a bit of grey in the tiles. I do think it's do-able, hence the research I have been doing, which I will soon report on; However, in my journeys, I have discovered something...hamman towels! I don't know about you, but I always want my bathroom towels to be different...I hate how they are so standard and towel-y. And then I found these hamman towels and now I know what I want! It would make everything look that much better! Bringing a nice soft vintage appeal to such a small, sterile space. You likey too?

{pic 1 and 2 from Laviva Homes; pic 3 and 5 from Style-Files; pics 4, 6 and 7 from House and Home}

and i chose THIS little black dress for NYC...

2011-05-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

...drum roll PLEASE........I FINALLy chose a little black dress from Canadian designer, Twenty Cluny!

Here are my "fashion model" shots {I think Craigger might have a future career in fashion photography - check his portfolio out at craigmorrison.ca - he's super super super!}

It is very slim fitting, nice straight lines, which I prefer. Plus the lace detailing is amazing. I loved the neckline of this dress. I think Sage (Joelle Bloomer's baby) agreed...she started drooling and babbled "oo oo oo" when she saw the lace...

closer up on the neckline for you to see.

and back: the lace detailing went around

with a really funky zipper down the back that gave it just a little bit of an edge.

So. This dress is by a Canadian designer (which also really attracted me to the final sale - supporting someone local!) called Twenty Cluny. Her real name is Sarah Rabkin, an architect who happened to attend the Golden Globes wearing her own dress (she had a passion), and then poof, her career started to skyrocket. She's relatively new, I believe, and has so far been worn by Selena Gomez, Alicia Keys, Fergie and Megan Fox. Yay Canadians! But seriously, she is the QUEEN of the little black dress. And every woman should have a little black dress. So, if you need one, I'd highly suggest it!! Yes, that's my final advice. Fashion crash course for Melanie Bloomer is officially over. Phewf. Time to get back to decorating...

Oh, and here is the official model wearing the dress...sigh...

And here's a peek at some of the other little dresses in her collection that I liked. Pretty sexy stuff, no?

wooly wonders

2011-05-04T14:55:00.005-04:00

So my ridiculously talented and artful friend Rashmi made Noameo some adorable knitted treasures that make me want to squeal. Joelle and Melanie Bloomer have already put in their order for their own mini knitted cactus plant that never needs water! What's that you say?? Obviously I said a knitted mini cactus plant...what did you think I said? Sillies...

And that's not all...she made him this delicious little owl...

And of course a Gnome for Noameo...she will make a gnome for him every year...can't wait to see her clever gnomes of the future!!

She also made this adorable pees in the pod when I was preggers which made it's adorable way to my pregger belly shots that you will just have to imagine cause I'm not so keen on posting those pics up here for all to see!

Thanks Rashmi for your ever creative hands...start getting ready cause I think you will be bombarded with wooly wonder orders soon!

the other designer i decided i liked: rebecca taylor

2011-04-26T12:08:00.011-04:00

here's vanessa hudgens outfitted by rebecca taylor!

and just some of her other clothes /outfits that I like:

where is her head!

Ya ya, you want to know who i chose to wear in NYC already. But I can't until I tell you who I liked best, just in case you get stuck in Holt's too and have no idea who to like or where to go. It's your fashion edumacation! We are almost at the finish line and then I'll post the pic of my dress! But before then, I want to tell you I REALLY liked almost every dress I saw from designer Rebecca Taylor. It's all so "bo ho chic" but a little bit of business at the same time. Here are some samples!

fashion crash course 2: elizabeth and james

2011-04-18T17:22:00.014-04:00

So entering Holt Renfrew was scary. Let's cut to the chase: The second floor, where the dresses start is TERRIFYING. There really is not much in the way of an explanation at Holts; you are left to figure it all out on your own! I wanted a serious legend or map to follow to each designer! But anyway, 2nd floor = very dramatic; the styles scared me; and the price tags were even more horrendous. We're talking like $2000 per dress! Get me outta here! Fast track up to the third floor - this is where I belong I think! Much younger, funkier stuff, and the price tags, while still high, are at least within a normal-ish range! So I won't beat around the bush...there were really only 3 labels that really seemed my style (or, shall I say, Bloomer Style).
Designer #1 that Melanie Bloomer Likes: Elizabeth and James.
Ever since Shayna Bloomer was Mary Kate's stunt double on a movie, we've been a bit fascinated with the Olsen twins. They are really beautiful (you should see them in person...smokin'!). And funky! Especially Ashley. Hah. And since they are mini and wee, I just KNEW they would have stuff to fit a small person. Here are some of my favs from their collection:

love this dress

i see socks under heels a lot on their collection...new trend?

i may be wrong, but i feel mary kate and ashley were very instrumental in popularizing the blazer over dresses.

yep, i would wear it!

this takes a special person to pull it off methinks!

more socks under heels! love the sweater cinched with the belt over the dress...

I fell in love one with one of their dresses in Holts...I want it! But it was too cottony for an evening function. I'm a dork...this is my idea of a model pose...good stuff eh? HAHA. But anyway, it's a neat dress...and so darn comfy...if I could have bought it it would have worked for any summer function!

melanie bloomer's fashion crash course 1

2011-04-14T15:46:00.021-04:00

Next week, Melanie Bloomer (me!) is going to New York City, to play the part of a Manhatten Socialite at a fashion event honouring designer Norma Kamali. Yes, I am getting paid to do this. And anxious as I am to not be BEHIND THE SCENES for once, I took this opportunity to learn about fashion. Hey, I could tell you where to get furniture or how to design your wedding but...I really am not a "fashion" goddess. I like H&M, and maybe if I'm really looking for something good, Banana Republic or BCBG. But when they asked me if I had a Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress, I said, who? Then I googled, and saw her wrap dresses are like $500, and I said uh oh, a Banana Republic dress from the closet might not cut it this time. A trip to the very overwhelming Holts was in order!

Ok ok but who is Norma Kamali anyway. Well, ONLY the designer of Farah Fawcett's famous red bathing suit! Hello! Oh and she's also dressed, you know, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Halle Berry, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez. Ok we get the picture. She's a fashion staple. Lesson 1: There is more to this world than Dolce and Gabbana and Louis Vuitton. And seriously is the best of the best at swimsuit design, as you will see. Nearly all the magazine shoots I've seen are the sexiest, most feminine, bathing suits ever!

So, check it out...she has some HOT stuff:

This is what started her career...Farrah's red bathing suit!

More celebs in her swimsuits...

hello! this woman seriously knows the bathing suit.

i liked this one in her current collection...

Her dresses...Katherina Heigl wearing her dress in Vogue...

I like this line of these dresses from her current jersey knit collection:

As well as the line and colour of "sable mesh" dresses from her current collection too...

these just plain remind me of Katy Perry, no? cute cute cute.

AND you wouldn't believe this... she has a Walmart line in the US...pretty freaking cool stuff...

so what to buy what to buy for myself on this adventure...I don't want to buy Norma Kamali because that's a bit needy no? Stayed tuned for my adventures in Holts!

giant paper lunch bag!

2011-04-11T20:04:00.003-04:00

So, a few months ago, us Bloomers helped out The Record Collection (my Craigger's hilarious tv show) create a GIANT paper lunch bag to break a world record in conjuction with Second Harvest. The bag was over 10 feet tall...it was seriously MAYBE one of the hardest things I've ever worked on. It took like 5 days of straight serious labour to construct it...and then it was transported to Dundas Square (in the rain to boot!) to break the record for the longest time to sit inside a giant paper lunch bag...dressed like a banana of course :P They took donations for Second Harvest during their "Lunch Money" Event Day. The results? Well, decide for yourself...watch it here...what do you think...was it worth it?! Watch allll the way to the end...it made me laugh pretty darn hard!

red wagon party!

2011-04-07T10:38:00.016-04:00

Our friend, Elissa, from One Stone Events in Florida, showed us pics of her son Benjamin's (really cute by the way!!) first birthday party! She did a Red Wagon theme...she certainly outdid herself...wow the details...take one look at this and you know that Elissa knows what she's doing! Bloomers Proud!! AND, Amy Atlas featured the Red Wagon Party on her blog yesterday.... woah nelly what an honour. Great job, Elissa. It really is incredible and amazing and awesome!

holy gorgeous candy bar! love the blue wall behind it!

hee, cute party hats...and ONE yellow pom pom...my mismatched hooks with the random yellow one reminded Elissa of the pom poms!! i agree!

after our heart...a sock monkey! cool shelf and shelf decor too!

love the pinwheels!

note the little signs...super cute...in addition to the lemonade glasses with stripey straws and apple pies! mmm apple pie...

i really love the wagon cuppies...their little wheels! hee.

need i say more about the candy display?

love this set up...the bail of hay is a cute touch!

again, fond of the pin wheels...and all these funky blues!

nummy!!!! i'm so hungry right now.

a pretty outdoor setting...with Benjamin on the tree!

Elissa had to get the Pop Shoppe bottles in Canada...so worth it!

maybe my fav detail of all...the napkin and fork wraps! Love the layered effect!

these sock monkeys make me larf!

2011-04-05T10:00:00.016-04:00

These pics made me laugh! I am biased of course because I love them so much, but the story these pics tell is just too much for me. Shayna Bloomer and Joelle Bloomer keep trying to get their babies together and take a photo of them being sock monkeys for my Dad's house. But it never really works! Time and time again they try, but one baby goes one way, and the other goes another way. However, the silliness of them trying actually works BETTER than a staged pic in my opinion!

Sage: Hmmm what the heck are they making us wear now? Noam: I dunno.

Sage: Ok, let's play nice just for a second to make them happy. Noam: Nom nom good.

Uh oh, Noameo is going down...

Sage: I want your hat, I want your monkey hat! Noam: Noooo!

Oopsies, Noamenclature is officially down!

Mommy fixes Noameo, Sage REJECTS her monkey hat!

...And then Sage decides she wants Noameo's monkey hat again. Noameo: I don't really know.

Sage: I'm gonna get it whether you like it or not! Noam: Ok. Just don't scream in my face.

Noam: See told you I'd let you have it.

Sage: Well that wasn't nearly as fun as I thought! Hee hee, I'm a cute little rascal, what can I get into next? Noameo: Right behind you.

my lovely lady hooks!

2011-03-31T14:01:00.012-04:00

YAH, one day, Lynn Bloomer and I were lonely and bored and in need of a decor project, so we put up the hooks in my front foyer! We had bought different hooks from Home Depot and spray painted them (yellow spray paint being my nemesis and all...why does yellow spray paint NOT work?!). Lynn Bloomer said she'd teach me how to use the drill well...I would like to be fluent with tools...but she accidentally thought I said "drillwell." So alas, we had fun using the drillwell and putting up my hooks and my new mailbox! Thanks to Shayna Bloomer for the mailbox idea...it's marvy!

Step 1...paint those hookers...i mean hooks, oops!

Step 2: Figure out where they go and use the drillwell (good thing Lynn Bloomer didn't wear her jogging suit like I told her to...I put her on the blog!)

AND VOILA!

it was hard to get a good pic since the room is so squishy...but note my new white mailbox to the right. i lerve it. it holds my keys AND the mails, and papers ...and looks purty...for like $8 at Rona!

more hookies...the yellow one is the same colour as my door!

there we are! you can see my mailbox better...on the other side of the wall are my teal ladies (washer and dryer)

florida pics!

2011-03-29T20:13:00.012-04:00

I'm not sure if I even told my Bloomers that I went to Florida. Just for a quick little vacay to get some sun on my ghostly face. Craigger and I went to adventure and frolic on a few beaches, taking along his new camera of course. Our favourite beach so far was Lovers Key...a secret that a local parking attendant told us about. Guess we looked like good candidates to visit! There was a lot of nature, and the beach was beautiful! Here are some cool pics that he shot. Thought I'd share! He is quite talented...not that I'm biased or anything...check out his other photos at www.craigmorrison.ca.

proof that i actually DID leave the country!

preggers style alert!

2011-03-24T11:31:00.003-04:00

I'm not preggers, and neither are the other Bloomers anymore, but if I WERE preggers, I would totally wear this outfit. I love Penelope. {pic from the People magazine}

new store: canvas

2011-03-22T10:12:00.009-04:00

Eat your heart out! Lynn Bloomer sent me a link to this store, Canvas, in New York City. I had never seen it before! Oh my, just the pictures, let alone the actual stuff for sale, sets my heart on fire. I want those metal shelves for my office! {all pics from the Canvas website}

now THESE hardwood floors rock

2011-03-17T11:57:00.014-04:00

So, the Bloomers have embarked on another decor journey - renovating our dad's house. It's style is currently very 1980s, with very heavy antiques. My mom was certainly stylish back then, but due to her illness, was unable to update it :( Our Bloomer Dad has been living in a bit of a time warp then, and because he is suffocating under all the heavy woods, he has asked us to fix it all up, to make it look bright, modern and new again. In the process of online research about how to re-finish his oak floors (which we didn't do in the end), I found this AWESOME company in Denmark. I am not a huge fan of oak hardwood flooring because I find the grain to heavy, but the way this Dinesen company does it, it looks AWESOME. I could just lick them, they are so marvy. They must put a white wash on their floors. Not to mention I could live in just about any of these rooms, the decor is so gorgeous. Take a look. You likey?

I fancy this condo:

a darker look:

noam bloomer

2011-03-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

Thought I should come out of hibernation long enough to show off my latest project....Noamy! He has been keeping me deliciously busy and pushes my creativity daily. We get to choose a number of different outfits to wear each day, he always challenges me to come up with a new look about two...three...occasionally four times a day if I'm lucky. Eventually near the end of the day we choose our nudie outfit because we feel we can't outdo the previous outfits and we won't subject ourselves to sub-par fashion. In addition to outfits, we work very hard at baby stuff home decor. This is one of the most difficult tasks at hand...its certainly great fun to figure out how to make the swing, vibrating chair, play mat and stroller fit with the original home decor. We are pretty proud of our current arrangement now. Finally, it is imperative that we stay current on all baby trends. Us bloomers need to make sure we have all the coolest most useful stuff but not the same stuff that all the other babies have...that would be embarrassing! Other than that we try to sleep a lot and go for walks...it can't be all work and no play!

Nudie Noam is our favorite time of day!

He's very confident in his masculinity and loves rockin' his pink onesie.

Skinny jeans and his Nate Berkus cardi...yup he is that cool!

What would a 3 month birthday be without a business shirt, tie and argyle hat??

Noameo!

This is what I wake up to every day...my bestest design ever!!

these are cool too...

2011-03-03T15:09:00.006-05:00

These hooks would work for my front foyer instead though...a good DIY project. I like! Also liked these painted hooks from my Style at Home magazine. I sort of like the idea of a random planned mess of hooks in my front hall.

{pic 1 from Kansas City Event Planning, pic 2 from Style at Home magazine}

neat laundry ideas for small spaces

2011-02-28T11:12:00.006-05:00

I saw this drying rack on Shelterness...I keep thinking it would be perfect for our little front foyer which also has my washer and dryer (my ladies!) stacked in it. What I like about it is that the drying rack can squish back in, but yet there's still coat hooks for our coats...and a shelf to put our laundry soap on and stuff. The problem? If we stretch it out to dry, you can't get in and out of the door, so it would have to be used only in the evenings, for example, or when we know we aren't on our way out and in! Yah, kind of a big concern. But I love it so...{Ballard Designs via Shelterness}

Here's some other ideas from Shelterness that are cool:

{from Ballard Designs}

{from Window Dry via Shelterness}

{from Artweger via Shelterness}

christina perri ... cool rocker chic

2011-02-24T19:00:00.008-05:00

I was listening to Grooveshark the other day and I heard that song the Jar of Hearts...and well...I really loved it. It's so pretty but so heartwrenchingly heartfelt (yes lots of hearts in this song). I liked the imagery of this selfish person collecting a jar of hearts too. Maybe because Bloomers have something with mason jars? I pictured them storing the hearts on a shelf of mason jars. Anyway, I think we all can relate to the lyrics on some level or another, no? But MUSIC ASIDE, I checked out the official video and I liked it even MORE! I thought her dress was very cool - I don't know WHAT has gotten into me but I think THIS would be a cool bad ass wedding dress too. And I also liked the dancing. It reminded me of So You Think You Can Dance. So, I googled the artist Christina Perri, and found out she was an unsigned artist, and her song WAS featured on So You Think You Can Dance (the dancers were in her video!), to a dance choreographed by Stacey Tookey, who had received the rough un-professionally recorded version from this girl's friend (good friend eh?)! Any way, overnight SUCCESS, her song was in the top 10 downloads on iTunes immediately. Cool story huh? I can't help it, I like this girl, she seems really funky. I like her hair, I like her tattoos, I like her grungy style, I like her imperfect teeth, I like her music. Maybe I'd like to be her too :p

I dunno, I think this would be a cool wedding dress too...I have a very angry bride thing going on...I seem to be into black on white wedding dresses...and wouldn't mind sporting some tattoos with it either!

ok maybe the heavy army boots would be too much for a wedding but definitely the funky blonde highlight...

i just really like the silhouette of this dress! Especially the top.

Here's the So You Think You Can Dance dance...it's really beautiful too. I like the colours in their outfits too...especially the guy's reddish skinny tie.

she also has awesome hair no? i like that one blonde highlight...

just some cool rocker style...

urban outfitters' wedding dresses!

2011-02-22T13:06:00.008-05:00

Can you believe it? Another wedding post! Two in a row...what's gotten into me?! It turns out that Urban Outfitters has made a line of Wedding Dresses...to appear in stores next spring! They don't sound very cheap ($2000 - $3000), but apparently the bridesmaids dresses will be more affordable. I'm all for wearing bridemaids dresses as wedding dresses. Do you like what you see? I'm digging a few of them...I have a thing for wedding dresses with black on them...

quirky lil vintage wedding

2011-02-17T15:55:00.018-05:00

It's been a while since we've posted a wedding, I must admit, but this beaut was spotted by Allie Sutton (Lynn Bloomer's other gorgeous daughter), who clearly has some good vintage taste :) I have to say, I really love this girl's dress. I'm not a huge fan of wedding dresses, but I would totally wear this! All the details are so awesomely quirky. Take a peek...{more at Sergio Mottolo blog via StumbleUpon ... thanks for pointing it out Allie!}

scarlett's bob

2011-02-14T15:16:00.005-05:00

Ok, it hit me. The February blues. Always on Valentine's Day, I want to just chop suey my hair right off and get a whole new look. I might be thinking a bit too drastic, and falling prey to the serious grey skies that linger over Toronto, BUT SERIOUSLY, what do you think about Scarlett Johanssen's new bob? It's like a longer, more modern bob. Like, the top pictures (but I do like the second and third pics too...) Eek, is it too risky? I mean, hair always grows back right?

best dad photographer ever!

2011-02-10T10:59:00.009-05:00

I saw these photos on a link posted on my friend Iain's facebook page...how cute and silly are they? Their dad, Jason Lee, is a wedding photographer who CLEARLY likes to have fun with his little munchkins. I definitely will want to have silly shots like these with my own munchies one day...very glad Craigger is silly and a good photographer!
On a separate note, I really like this guy's house! So simple. Dark wood floors, white walls, and I like those blue couches. Coolness! I'm pretty sure I like Jason Lee :) You can read an interview with him and see more pics at Modern Met.

just sittin' on my pearl swing

2011-02-08T11:48:00.005-05:00

So, what do ya think of this? A little piece of furniture jewellery?! A strand of pearls to swing or frolick in...perhaps a little extra seating? It's a beautiful piece, designed by German interior designer, Johanna Richter. But do you think you'd have the guts to put it in your home? {via Dwellinggawker via The Designer Pad}

how does jennifer aniston ALWAYS look so darn good?!

2011-02-02T16:42:00.002-05:00

Did anyone else see Jennifer Aniston on Conan? So yah, she's a bit awkward, but how does she ALWAYS look so darn good?! Her hair! I mean, her hair! How is her hair like this?!

doily lamps?! yes, i think so.

2011-01-31T19:50:00.008-05:00

Vintage doily lamps? Yes, yes yes!! Thank you cousin Julia for showing this to me. I wonder if I could attempt to make one myself... {from Blue Moss Girls via Remade USA}

melanie bloomer's house: the dining room + kitchen

2011-01-27T15:12:00.013-05:00

Voila, my dining room! The main focal point of the kitchen is my bright yellow pendant lamp from Barn Light Electric. The big mirror is from Ikea, and my blinds (which I LOVE) are those neat UK blinds I posted a while ago, brought in from Patti-Lynn Interior (in Stouffville). I also painted some old antique chairs from my dad's basement white, to give a mismatched look...I have since added two VERY modern Crate and Barrel chairs to add an extra modern element...I will post the whole ensemble one day soon!

I like the bright yellow chair (which we painted for Shayna's circus wedding!) in the corner holding my planties (well, my friends' planties who all moved overseas and need to put their plants up for adoption)..

...and on the other side of the kitchen, where you are SUPPOSED to put a little dining room table, I put a GIANT Ikea Expedite shelf to hold all the little kitchen-y things that take up too much cupboard space. This includes our dishes. I REALLY like displaying dishware and glassware on open shelves. It looks cozy to me. Plus, it opened up a WHOLE ENTIRE cupboard to store more snackies! Yummy.

We also put our onions on the shelf...who knew onions could be so pretty?! Because they are exposed to light though, they sometimes grow baby green onions out of themselves, which actually grosses me out. I'm thinking of sewing a burlap bag for my onions and potatoes instead, because well...burlap is pretty too! But for now, just have to use 'em up quickly.

My fake apple collection found a home here as well. There used to be 5 of them, but Craigger's friends accidentally ate two of them!

...and our dishes, which was a Christmas prezzie last year from Craigger's sweet mom. They really matched the look!

Et, c'est ca!

made some pie pops!

2011-01-25T13:41:00.008-05:00

My Craigger found this awesome link on Luxirare about pie pops ... which are basically pie lollipops! So cool...and total eye candy. So, on the weekend we tried making our own! It was our brother-in-law Petie's birthday a few weeks ago, and since he loves pie SOOOO much, we thought we'd make them for a b-day prezzie. Mine aren't quite as beautifully packaged as the blog's, but hey, it seemed to work out. Yumzilla?

The original inspiration from Luxirare:

...and mine and craigger's blueberry pie pops! what do you think?

{our pie pops photographed by Craig Morrison}

mister noam's sock monkey bebe shower

2011-01-20T12:13:00.029-05:00

On Sunday, the Bloomers made Mister Noam and Mommy a wee little baby shower...and since he is THE living sock monkey, guess what theme we chose? Sock Monkeys! With a bit of woolly burlap warm fuzzy details and some argyle. Oh, and some ties. And mustaches! Eclectic, yes, but that's who Shayna Bloomer really is! Check out the details...you likey? {photos by Katie Sutton}

used spools of fuzzy wool for my flower arrangements, set on argyle table runners!

and wee little spools of thread as vases too...with our signature mason jars of course.

and Lynn Bloomer made this EXCELLENT tie display!! Hand-made ties to match...can't beat that!!

and my excellently talented grandma made these chocolate brownie cookie mustaches! we loved this concept from the adorable "little man party" that you can find over at I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar blog. our little cousin natalie had a LOT of fun making the faces!

since it was at our Dad Bloomer's house, we covered the pool table with burlap and argyle fabric to hold the prezzies...they were all pre-opened and we put cards with guests' names by each prezzie .... so everyone could see what people bought and therefore eradicated the dreaded present opening circle!

and OF COURSE, sock monkeys galore. All belonging to our families! Here's Blimey. Lynn Bloomer made each of the monkeys their own personal party hats AND mini ties. So cute!

Sylvia let loose and became wild on the chandelier!

Mikey did too! Note his personal tie and party hat too...made by Lynn Bloomer!

And George...the man sock monkey. We were scared of leaving him alone with Sylvia overnight!

and Joelle made these tasterrific sock monkey cuppies!

yummmmmmmy...

AND sock monkey sock cozies for the mugs...made also by Lynn Bloomer (she's talented!)...and a few by Melanie Bloomer too

they were so fun drink out of!

Jack and Jippy each get a hat...and get to sit next to the woolly flower arrangements!

more monkey hats!!

The Hebrew sock monkeys Kafifa and Pitzy Kafifa with their hats too...hee teeny tiny...

and a nom nom good buffet..with mini bananers!

...and chocolate monkey smoothies! chocolate, peanut butter and banana smoothies...made by Lynn Bloomer's daughter Katie (up and coming Bloomer)!

close up of the ties again...

i want more mustache cookies

and Lil Jim and PipSqueak with their mini banana and party harts!

all photos by Katie Bloomer! Great photos, Katie!

cute little campers

2011-01-18T11:43:00.010-05:00

So a few years ago, Joelle Bloomer blogged about this cute little shasta trailer lemonade stand. And since then I've been obsessed! I keep telling Craigger we should buy a little one, fix it up, and park it somewhere in Toronto, so we have a little apartment in the city! He thinks I'm nuts. But look what I found!! Turns out there's a Spanish company who specializes in making purty little caravans. How perfect would this be!! {via TheDesignerPad}

sagey ballerina + sagey kimono

2011-01-13T12:21:00.014-05:00

I am surrounded by the cutest little munchkins EVER now. Which makes life so much more fun. And makes Christmas-time more fun too...not only because these little peepers try to eat the wrapping paper and it makes me laugh, but because I also get to buy them cute little outfits! This year Shayna Bloomer and I were on the same page and bought fashionable items for Sage, our little supermodel. Now check out the fashion shoot...she sure knows how to work the camera doesn't she!! {photography by Joelle Segal}

Sagey Ballerina:

Sagey Kimono:

mister noam's nursery

2011-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Finally little Mister Noam has fallen asleep long enough for me to actually post these pictures! Not to mention this is the first time I had a chance to tidy it up enough for a photo shoot...it doesn't usually look this neat unfortunately. This nursery has been a loooong time in the works and I think it is finally done...it might just be my favorite room in the house. It has a really peaceful feeling as soon as you walk in. Makes 3 am nursing sessions kinda enjoyable!

One of my favorite pieces is this pouf I had made. I had seen a vintage circus fabric pouf at Chatelet but it was almost $300 so I didn't buy it and I was forever regretful. But then I learned I could have this one made for $95 and it could be the fabric of my choice! I love it! Also loving my Alef Betty series on the wall...such cool modern Hebrew art!

The "change station" was a huge achievement considering all the dressers we wanted were on indefinite back order weeks before Mister Noam was due! This one is from Pottery Barn and although way more expensive then we had intended, in the end I'm so glad we got it. It is perfect height and provides tons of storage. The cool diaper tin was from Pottery Barn as well. The quilt folded above the change table is the one of all my mom's clothing that a family friend made each one of us after my mom passed. For some reason both Noam and Sage smile and giggle at it when they are being changed there...it's really amazingly sweet and I like to think they are giggling with their Grandma!

We chose the owl fabric for the curtains and he loves staring at it! And here is a collection of trinkets I've gathered that make me smile...glad I have a place for them now!

Sock monkey brothers on the naughty chair!

We just bought this amazing vintage balloon mobile and it was the final missing touch to the room. I didn't know I was waiting for it but I was! I'm just as mesmerized by it as Mister Noam...I think I need one above my own bed! The combination of the balloons and the pennant flags add that hint of circus you know I love without being too obvious. I really didn't want his room to be themey at all and I wanted it to be somewhat gender neutral...although I realize I painted the walls blue...but it is such a pale yummy blue it doesn't really scream BOY when you are in there I swear!

And of course I had to include a picture of Mister Noam enjoying his new mobile in his delicious new room!

melanie bloomer's house, part 2

2011-01-05T20:06:00.011-05:00

my favourite pieces of my house are ...

1. the wood chunk, which i pinched from my best friend Aliya when she moved overseas! it has become the center of my home...the truest discussion piece to date. she found it at a garage sale. she has the best nose for garage sale pieces, i swear.

2. my vintage one way sign, which i nabbed from an etsy dealer who happened to live in toronto! i got a sweet deal and free shipping!

3. onward to the stairs, the most radical renovation, which we also did by ourselves ...

...my own personal craigger (my hero!) RIPPED out the banisters (pictures of the original below). That's right! It opened the space right up and made it look so much bigger. He tore out the carpeting on the stairs, stained the tread caps to match our floors, painted the risers white, (all which were made by Tofino - a wonderful local door and trim company). And THEN with the help of our super friend Ryan, cut them to size, then he glued and nailed those effers down...and VOILA!

before and after:

now it's nice, clean and open lines just the way i like it...

...and because we did it ourselves, it did not cost much at all! just needs a bit (ok, a LOT) of time and effort!

melanie bloomer's house, part 1

2011-01-04T09:40:00.013-05:00

Happy New Year Bloomies! I hope you had a terrific holiday! We are back, and I thought I'd start off by showing you my new house. Even though I was a bit holed up after my surgery and unable to move around much, we managed to get the bottom floor of my house decorated in some sort of fashion that I'm very happy with! It's not entirely done yet...still need to put the trims back on, and some pics on the wall, and get my piano, but I am SO lovin' the house now and can rest my decorating bones for a while now. Thank you to Craiggers, Lynn Bloomer and Ryan Holm (the mastermind behind my floors AND who also helped big time with the stairs) for helping to lug furniture, move things around, and make my house feel purty, when all I could do was sit on the couch and give my opinions!

part 1: melanie bloomer's living room:

Our hardwood floors are the loft grade from Kultur - they were put down by Ryan Holm (thank you, thank you, thank you!) and also my Craigger. I am SO happy with the floors that I kinda want to lick them. Yes, I know that's weird. Chandelier from Home Depot!

Our coffee table is an old one that my grandad made...which all of us Bloomers trucked around to university with us! It needed a serious upgrade (before and after pics shortly), so Craigger shortened the legs to make it look more modern, we stained the wood black, and I painted the inside tiles with chalkboard paint for doodles and checkers...and x's and o's of course...

couch cushion from Bouclair Home...and birch disks as my coaster!

and, of course, i had to write it on with chalk so people know what the birch disks are for. Oh man, I had to grout the tiles of this table myself and let me tell you...not fun! No more grouting for me.

I drew a checker board on the coffee table in chalk, and used Dollar Store stones as my checkers!

view from across from the couch...mounted flat screen tv hung by craigger...

Couch from Urban Barn, birch poles from Loblaws, lamp from Ikea,

the broader view...you can see a glimpse of our yellow door, how it factors in to the design!

and...sitting on the couch, a sneak peak at our NEW STAIRS. Which I will be featuring tomorrow!! Done solely by Craig and his awesome friend Ryan Holm.

But finally, the before and after...from the 3rd week we moved in until now. Does it now look a little less suburban?

Stay tuned for the other parts of my house!

our white christmas tree!

2010-12-20T10:04:00.005-05:00

So sorry, Bloomers, for being so MIA. Lots going on for the Bloomers, including a surgery recovery and two little babies. I'll get back at it regularly with inspirations in January, I promise :) In the meantime, Craigger and I set up our white Christmas tree and I wanted to show you all! I love the way it looks in our house. I am inspired by Scandinavian design where everything is very crisp, white and clean! More pics of our house to come in the New Year. We've been working VERY hard on it, and I think you'll like the results.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Bloomers!!!

xoxo
{like gossip girl, hee}