keep calm and...

If you have been a reader of design blogs for the past year or so, you would have most definitely noticed the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster craze that swept the design world! Originally created as a motivational poster by the British government at the start of World War II, it has recently been rediscovered and reproduced as motivational art {you can purchase some high-quality reproductions in many colours here}. I will admit that, unable to decide on a colour, I have purchased one or two of these posters meself!

But lately I've been seeing some creative and humorous twists on the 'Keep Calm' poster...check out this very cool 'Keep Calm and Rock On' poster...perfect for my guitar-playing, rockstar hubby!

And how perfect would this poster be for Miss Cuppie?! So cute! By Jenny's Bake Shop.

This card by Earmark might be going a bit far bit it did give me a chuckle.

Happy weekend Bloomies...keep calm but have a good one!

vanity search is on...again!

So D. and I thought we were so clever...we had everything figured out for our bathroom reno coming up in February. We bought our perfect little vanity on sale from Gingers in November which led to the choosing of specifically matching tiles that required 2 separate trips to Gingers to get the colour right. We picked all the parts and accessories and were all lined up for second week of February, had our room booked at D's sister's place when low and behold Gingers told us that the vanity that started the whole renovation project wasn't going to be in until at the earliest end of February! Looks like everyone else liked the price and arranged their renovations around it as well! So, needless to say we aren't too pleased with the service we received, and we don't want to postpone our project any longer! So back to the drawing board, where on earth will we find an affordable, 27" wall-mounted vanity that will match the tiles we've chosen??

Well let me tell ya...looking through the exhibitors listing from last week's Interior Design Show I found these most beautiful vanities from a bath company called Decotec Paris Inc!

Now they might not be just everyone's taste so knowing we will be selling our place in next couple of years we didn't think this was quite the place for such a statement. However, I loved this company and decided to look and see which Canadian company distributed their products. This crafty super-sleuthing led me to another loverly discovery...Vienna Douglas Collection! And would you know that they carry beautiful {and affordable!} vanities that just might do the trick?! D. and I are going to check them out in person on Saturday...wish us luck!

lipstick jungle necklace envy

This is the necklace that I first noticed. I really like the flower beaded in the pearls. Close up below!

In August, I bought the Lipstick Jungle DVDs for my plane ride to Israel; however, I didn't end up watching them while there. I just lugged them all across Israel instead - yay! So, when I got home, I decided to work out while watching them in the home gym - it helps me keep up my endurance on the elliptical if I have a tv show to watch! Lo and behold, I realized I loved Lipstick Jungle, and I have been lamenting the fact that it was CANCELLED after only 2 season. Why??!! In particular, I love their clothes. But what I REALLY noticed is how awesome all their necklaces are. They have the coolest necklaces ever, really. So I spent about 3 hours screen capturing some necklace shots for you, and for me to remember when I've finished the last season. Wahhh...

Nerdy Knitting Animation

For all the other nerdy knitters out there check out this adorable little animation by clicking on the picture {sorry I couldn't embed the link...blogger wouldn't make it be the whole size and cut off half the video for some reason} Thanks Lynn for sending it to me...I'm off to knit another form of a scarf. {Can someone please teach me how to knit something else?!?}

funny wedding trailer

Craigger sent me a link to this funny "save the date" wedding trailer. The message seems a bit daunting, but I love the idea and applaud the couple for creativity!

my house: the office {and some exciting news}

I've featured a few snippets of my home so far, here and here, however I wanted to introduce you to my office! Yes, my friends, this is where it all happens...inBloom central! A lot of creative brainwork takes place in this room and this is where many event designs, graphic designs and websites are born. The light was beautiful in the room this morning and my desk just happened to be clean so I thought it was a good time to take some pics!

But I also wanted to share it with you, as my little office's days are numbered. We have some exciting news - in just a few months it will transform into a nursery for our 'Baby Bloomer', set to arrive this summer! Yippeeee! I can hardly wait! And even though I love my creative space, I have a feeling I will love, love, love it even more with a little one in here.

Lots of IKEA shelving for lots of artsy stuff! And say hello to my sock monkey Sylvia, with the big orange beehive {from The Monkey House}.

This cool old-school flip-clock screensaver can be downloaded here {found via Making it Lovely, via Swiss Miss}.

I am obsessed with paper - handmade paper, patterned paper, coloured paper, any paper! I collect it but never really know what to do with it so I constructed this paper hanger display out of bamboo sticks tied together with ribbon, to hang the paper as art. The glass 'white board' from IKEA helps me keep track of all my to-dos, both business and personal. I'm a chronic list-maker. The pencil holder is just a can covered with some Japanese paper. And framed is a handwritten note from my mom.

The doll on my shelf was sewn by my great grandmother {the one who liked minis too!}.

And lastly...my inspiration magnet boards {also from IKEA} where I display my collection of cute business cards, fabric swatches, images, and things that I just find neat.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

Over the holidays, D. and I accidentally had a puppy for a day. We were walking home from the Boxing Day sales when an adorable little yorkie ran out into the middle of King and Bathurst without a collar or anything! We grabbed him before he got squished by a car and walked around the block with him for about an hour and a half hoping that his owner would be running around looking for him. Some kind neighbour gave us a little leash, we went to a local pet store and bought a collar in the hopes that he would lead us to his home. He didn't. So we took him to a vet to get scanned for a microchip. He didn't have one. But the vet gave us free packets of food to take home to feed him. About an hour after we got home his owner stopped by our condo looking for him. So we had to give him back...sniff sniff. In a matter of 3 hours we had acquired a dog, a leash, a collar and 3 packages of food. We kind of look like we were dog stealers and we were a bit embarrassed!

Sooo...once we didn't have our new pet I realized I just couldn't live without a dog! I began scouring the internet like a crazy woman for little yorkie puppies because I wanted one so badly. D really didn't want one at this point in our lives so after A LOT of desperate negotiating sadly I had to give up my obsession with getting a little puppy. The very next day after I realized I wasn't getting a puppy I was grocery shopping at the Superstore and the cutest book in the whole entire world basically fell in my lap in an aisle that really shouldn't have had books. It was called The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. I felt like I was watching me in the form of a pigeon! And to think I'm in my 30's...{sheepish}.

Anyways, I fell in love with Pigeon. He is just the cutest little thing ever and says the most adorable stuff. I highly recommend it to anyone and totally wish that I had bought it! It looks like there is a series of Pigeon books...they are really good for a giggle.

a wedding with a retro vibe

I love everything about this wedding. The colour combination (dark blues, greys, champagne and chartreuse), the shoes, the socks, the bouquet, her dress, the weird hanging spider web fixture...delish!
{pics from Kate Kelly Photography}

in addition to yarnbombing...

Thanks to Tyler, I've now discovered "Dispatchwork"! Jan Vormann goes around the world and reconstructs holey buildings that need some lovin' with none other than lego!! It is so cool! The one above is from Italy.

This one is in Tel Aviv!


This one is from Amsterdam! D. and I can check both of them out on our next trip to Israel via Amsterdam...sweet!


This one is from Berlin. This project involved filling all the holes left over from WW2. So amazing.

my one hey day

The other day, after I posted the Lady's Man Cave room and got Maneater in my head, I started thinking of Nelly Furtado and remembered a day in my life that I THINK deserves to be mentioned, however silly it may be. It was a long time ago, back in University, which was oh...I won't tell you how many years ago! I had chopped off all my long hair, and had Shayna Bloomer (before we were officially Bloomers...but we were always Bloomers at heart weren't we?!) dye it black. This, my friends, was my lashing out after a major breakup. Anyway, my hair looked terrible both cut short and died black. It was the worst and most unsuccessful "break up revenge" you could ever imagine. So, I started growing it back immediately. After 8 months of growing, it was finally long enough to go in little side ponytails. So I threw my seemingly permanent black hair into the two side ponies, and went out to a bar (yes, i went to a bar!). And it was there that the marviest thing ever happened: two really drunk girls thought that I was Nelly Furtado. No, I don't care that they were plastered - the point is that I was MISTAKEN for Nelly Furtado. Folks, this has only happened once in my life - there was something about the lighting that night I guess. And oh, how I wished it would happen again, but alas, I think it was just my one hey day. Sigh. Back then, Nelly Furtado wasn't as super-glammed up as she is today, but she still sure was super. I loved her style back then, and so I thought I'd post some pics of her old pre-glam "indie" days, as she sure had an awesome earthy style! Oh Nelly, you were still so cool back then!

Oh but I also found this picture and even though it's recent, I love her glasses.

And this might be recent too, but I really like her shirt!!