a wow kitchen makeover

I'm definitely a sucker for a good makeover. Whether it's a new haircut and outfit that brings out a person's confidence, or a home makeover that promises coziness and comfort, I can't help but shed a wee tear of joy! And so I fell in love with this kitchen makeover in a recent issue of Country Living magazine.

Looking at the very sad kitchen before, it is hard to believe that there was so much potential in that little space! But I'm digging the yellow, gray, and light blue colour combo, the rustic elegance of the wood paired with the stainless steel, and of course the wallpaper. And the cool pantry shelf made of old antique boxes!

When you have the urge to tear apart the decor in your home and start all over again...does that mean it's time to move? Yikes!

Happy weekend and we'll be back on Monday with some very exciting news...!

red and white flowers

And speaking of red and white, I was commissioned to make a red and white flower arrangement for the Bijouxbead reception in Cabbagetown on the weekend. Oh my, Darlene has some incredible necklaces there. You should check it out - it's on until the 14th! Bijouxbead's logo is red and white. Not the stark red, but a subtle and modern red. And so, I made an arrangement to match Darlene's style. I went for a simple but slightly chaotic spray of James Story orchids in a stark white vase. I loved the contrast in the end! They set it up on the jeweller's workbench at the show, and my friend Meredith pointed out that it actually looked cute against the baby blue wall behind it! Mental note for a wedding design...

I had a lot of little orchid clippings left over and I just hate throwing away pretty little flower clippings. So I quicky took them and made some mini little arrangements in my teensy pink Ikea vases for my bedroom. These ones have a more "pink and poppy" effect (well, the colour poppy anyway, but really they're just orchids!). Whatcha think?

university of ottawa: 2009 distinguished canadian leadership awards

A few weeks ago we designed an event for The University of Ottawa's 2009 Distinguished Canadian Leadership Awards! The gala was held at the newly {and beautifully} renovated Art Gallery of Ontario and honoured some famous Canadians such as Michael Burgess {of Phantom of the Opera fame}, TV personality Rick Mercer, astronaut Julie Payette and U of O alum and CTV correspondent Lisa LaFlamme. We just got the yummy photos back from our talented friends at Ikonica and wanted to share!

The University's colours are gray and burgundy but we worked it! Outside of the art gallery we had a burgundy carpet installed, leading up to the entrance, and lined with lanterns. As for the gala decor, we went with silver table linens, funky clear ghost chairs, deep red wine goblets, and a mixture of tall and short centrepieces to create some depth. Large deep red floral urns flanked the front and back stages, and of course there was candlelight galore...lots of ambience! Luckily the artwork in the AGO's Baillie Court was red so it all came together perfectly.

It was a wonderful event and we were thrilled to be a part of the design {and to catch Michael Burgess' sound check...so moving}! Enjoy the pics...

chanel goes country!

Chanel had their Spring 2010 fashion show in Paris and OMG...forget the clothes for a moment...check out the freaking barn they built for it in the most beautiful building ever! I'm so jealous I didn't get to be involved. We Bloomers do love our barns! Apparently this barn took months to build and it was based on Marie Antoinette's farm at Versailles. And they even had a cute covered stage pop up out of the ground with Lily Allen singing on it. So beautiful!

holiday table decor by david stark

I like the different sized bottles all wrapped in twine - so earthy.{from real simple}

close up. yum. love the block wood charger plates. {from real simple also}

the original pic that inspired me to dig a bit deeper from the people mag! this is more thanksgiving-oriented with the punkies, but love the twine-y bottles again with the simple branches. And look at the birch tree charger plates he uses here. AMAZING.

more twine-y holiday decor at west elm from david stark

hee. pointy.

neat adaptation on an earthy christmas tree! maybe a good compromise for those mixed religion households...

hee again. so cute! i love this for a mantel or something!

I was reading the people magazine a few weeks ago, and I saw a table design that caught my attention. These cute twine covered bottles with simple stems in them. It was sweet and very earthly looking. It was apparently created by eco-friendly designer David Stark, whom I just heard about from this article. And apparently, he's designed some holiday stuff for West Elm this season too - the exact twine-y bottles and other twine-y decor. YAY! And upon more research, I found out some other pretty tables he has done. I just love his look. Especially for this holidays. Definitely no Santa Ringlets here.

my house: the photo wall

I got so many wonderful comments about my bedroom decor post a few weeks ago that I thought I would share the rest of my house as well! I'll start with the entranceway - a skinny, long hallway that I really wasn't sure what to do with until I saw a very inspirational photo in a Pottery Barn book - a photo wall! So P. and I decided to take on this project. And while it was a much bigger {and more expensive} job than either of us anticipated, it was well worth the effort! Our photo wall is right at the entrance into our house, and has turned out to be quite a source of entertainment and conversation for anyone who steps in.

To keep it all cohesive, we chose to display mostly black and white photos in mainly black frames {Walmart, Kitchen Stuff Plus and IKEA have the cheapest black frames by the way} but I do like adding a bit of quirkiness into home decor, so we had a sense of humour when choosing the photos. We each found our scowly, awkward grade eight grad photos and hung them side-by-side. Also on the wall is my award for achieving the highest mark in my grade nine keyboard class...hee...nerdy.

There is a photo of my friend Rebecca and I at Blackbutt Nature Reserve in Australia {we both happened to be wearing black pants that day so it was perfect!}, and a picture of my mom as a hot young thang.

There are many non-goofy photos on the wall too - our favourite wedding photo, various excursions, photos of good family and friends, and travel pics. But it's the not-so-perfect photos that seem to generate the most conversation and giggles.

Like this photo of my husband as a child with a humongous mop of hair {and a not-so-big catch of the day}!

Hoping you have a wonderful weekend!

and the winner is...

We held our first giveaway this week - some nifty holiday cards designed by us Bloomers - and we have our first winner!

The random number generator has chosen comment number 5...congratulations Aliya, who is decorating this season with 'deep yellow, light purple, and a muted green'. We think that sounds scrumptious! And we will be getting your cards to you shortly! Thanks to everyone who commented and for all of your wonderful holiday colour combinations. They were truly inspiring!

Stay tuned for our next giveaway...this is fun!

go big or go home!

I found this picture of big, messy wedding hair that I just love and it makes me almost wish that I had a 3rd wedding to wear it to! It's just so big and wonderful! And the gorgeous flower is the most perfect adorable touch and just the right thing for a Bloomer wedding. Sigh...I'm in hair heaven right now.

the house in four christmases

love the mix of colours on the couch! (if you click on the pic you can see it bigger)

this would be a good front lawn for a wedding :)

purple and yellow gardens...my fav...remember the violet and saffron post?

I saw Four Christmases on the weekend with Craiger. And while, the movie was a little bit meh for me (funny parts, but a little too predictable, and I couldn't stop noticing how big Vince Vaughan's head is), there was a house in it that made Craiger and I gasp! So I'd like to share it with all of my Bloomies. I would NEVER have picked this colour couch, but I kind of love it. And the mix with the orange-y pillows. Well, I just lurve pillows! The only thing I'd do differently is remove the stained glass windows.

yummy jewellery show

This is where I'll be this Saturday!! At Bijouxbead's interactive pop up show, where Bloomer friend, Darlene Martin's deliciously yummy beaded necklaces AND her new line of earrings will all be on display. The necklaces pay homage to to 8 Canadian fashion designers, based on the their clothing line's textures, colours and scale. Ladies, this is a good opportunity for you to funk up your bridesmaids! Or mother in laws (I smell a good gift?!). And you can also glimpse an inBloom floral arrangement too (you lucky peeps!) if you go...that's right, Melanie Bloomer's going to try and match the look and feel of Darlene's logo. Will show pics when I'm done! More info at Bijouxbead's new website!

holiday decor that doesn't scare me

So, with Thanksgiving over and out of the way, and with Chanuka and Christmas fast approaching, us Bloomers have already started thinking about our holiday decor plans.

I really have an aversion {bordering on fear} of anything red and velvety with bows and santa ringlets. So luckily I was able to find these loverly, modern holiday decor inspirations that got me all excited! These are much more up my alley - and they could work for either holiday depending on what you celebrate {or in my case, what side of the family I'm celebrating with that particular night!} All you gotta do is substitute a Star of David for a wreath and voila!

Below are yummy nature-y design that would look nice year round really! I like that it doesn't scream out HOLIDAY in an obnoxious and frightening way. And not a ringlet in sight either! I found these on the Better Homes and Gardens site.



I'm not sure where I found this picture but I do think it is absolutely beautiful! I wonder how much all those light fixtures cost?! And look how each seat has a personal furry blanket to keep you cozy! I would just hope mine was a faux fur otherwise I might gag a little bit...just a little. Can someone hire us to create this for your holiday party? I so want a reason to make this happen!!

And of course Amy Butler would come up with some mouth-watering eye candy for the holiday! These pics were found on Apartment Therapy.