winter is here....I'll allow it

In my last post I was dreaming of brighter, warmer days while I sat amidst the wonders of winter as snow fell, chimneys smoked, and the thought of never seeing the sun again crossed my mind.  The weather has not changed but thankfully the spirit of the season has begun to emerge and remind me of how magical this time of year can be.  In as much as I complain about the fluffy white stuff I admit that I love how it's always been a part of my Christmas.  As I look through photos that are inspiring me at the moment, I also look outside and realize that the magic of the season really wouldn't be the same for me without that first snowflake.  So here I share with you a few photos I came across tonight, as the gates of nostalgia opened up and allowed the snow to happily fly into my world. 

loghome.com

   

pottery barn

via style me pretty

via pinterest

 

martha stewart

via rowhousenest.com

 

via ruth burts

 

via pinterest

via pinterest

via ruth burts

 

jacqueline

just because...

Winter definitely came early where I live, which lately feels like the North Pole.  The snow started flying before Halloween and hasn't really stopped since.  Icicles hang from leaves still on the trees while the green grass pokes its little head through the snow wondering where the fall went so early this year.  Maybe it left for the south pole.  I don't blame it.  As I sit here curled up on the couch, electric fireplace roaring, and a new winter storm flying across the sky outside, I start looking through my Pinterest pin boards and finding certain pictures really make me smile.  With the weather outside and the impending holiday you might be thinking I'm smiling over the millions of advent calendar ideas or hostess gifts or images of wool socks, old fashioned skates, and beautifully decorated mantles with real crackling fireplaces.  Oooh noo!  This is where you are wrong.  A girl in my situation needs a healthy dose of colour and nothing to do with old Saint Nick quite yet.  So while many people blog and pin away their fall days in anticipation of winter and the holiday season, I am posting photos that really have no rhyme or reason.  Only that they warmed my heart and made me smile on a cold, blistery day here at the North Pole.  

via pinterest

via P is for Party

craft gawker

Decorista

Celerie Kemble Design

via nest egg

Jonathon Adler

Lindsay Coral Harper Design via House Beautiful

via This is Glamorous

BHG.com

DKOR Design

via pinterest

Strictly Weddings

DKOR Design

Jackie

 

giving thanks, again

Pinterest is definitely abuzz this week with everything Thanksgiving as Americans prepare to enjoy the company of family and friends during their upcoming holiday.  Here in Canada our thanksgiving has since passed and even though winter came early in my corner of the world I wanted to share in the spirit of fall decorating with some inexpensive, DIY table-top projects since..well...it is still fall isn't it?  So whether it's your holiday thanksgiving table or your everyday thanksgiving table I hope you will be inspired to top it with something new. 

Simple and stylish place cards

 oncewed.com

Pottery Barn

Source Unknown

Better Homes and Gardens

 

 Easy peasey pillar candles

via pinterest

   

via pinterest

via pinterest

The Knot

Gorgeous gourds

Chatelaine

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

Martha Stewart

 

Fabulous food decor

 

Bakers Royale

Thrifty Decor Chick

Via Pinterest

celebrations.com

the simple way: calacatta marble

In my first post here I swooned over Calacatta marble (to say the least) but I wanted to share some options I've come across in my journey to get the look for less (a.k.a.: even though I don't have the budget for it I'm going to get it one way or another!). Here's what I found.

If you are wanting the look of a big slab of marble on your walls but aren't ready to purchase a big slab you can purchase large format tiles and install them to help create the look of a large slab. I found these big tiles for $35 /square foot.  These tiles are 12x24 but sometimes you will get tiles cut from the same section of stone in which you can match up the veins like they did here. 

from Julian Tile

These would look great used in a kitchen or bathroom and cost you less than a big slab especially if you can do it yourself.  You can see in these next two bathrooms how they used large format tiles but installed them very close together in order to create the effect of a continuous slab. 

More Design and Build

via style at home

I understand that $35 a square foot is still a hefty price to pay or you simply may not be ready to make such a big commitment, so instead you could install a few pieces over your stove or sink or bathtub or in another area where it will provide you with the visual impact you are looking for and then tile the rest of your space with another tile like a simple white tile as they did in these next few kitchens.  

Polsky Perlstein Architects via Decorpad

via cococozy

Or you could pair it with smaller scale marble tiles like in this next kitchen, which reportedly belongs to Gwyneth Paltrow.  Her kitchen does have a beautiful marble sink (sigh...someday!) but it gives you an idea of how you can use the large scale marble tiles on the wall behind the sink or behind some open shelves and then do the rest of your space in the smaller marble tiles, which are usually less costly than the bigger ones.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Manhattan Kitchen

Or you could pair it with glass tile like Thom Felicia did in this bathroom to keep the look more modern. 

Thom Felecia via House Beautiful

Another idea would be to tile the base of your kitchen island, which would be a great diy tile project since it wouldn't require too many tile cuts and your island should be fairly straight.  Many islands have space on the backside or the back and sides where you could use the larger scale tiles and put them close together to create the illusion of a large slab.  12" x 12" tiles or 12" x 24" is a good size for a diy project since they are easy to cut on a basic tile saw by yourself.  Anything bigger may require a fancy shmancy tile saw for cutting bigger tiles, or at least a few people to help hold the tile as you put it through on a standard saw.  Make sure you have LOTS of water in your tile saw to avoid chipping and also make sure you lay out your tile pattern on the floor first before you start.  Hopefully these islands will inspire you to take yours to the next level.  

Interiors by Darren James

via Apartment Therapy

I also came across this faux marble. I've never been a big fan of faux marble but it seems they are making it better and better these days and when I came across this faux calacatta I was definitely sold on it.  I love this stuff and almost thought it looked better than the real thing.  What was even better was the price at $13.95 a square foot. 

from Julian Tile

Another option is to check with stone suppliers to see if they have remnant pieces you may be able to purchase at a discounted price.  Or check your local classifieds for anyone selling off left over material.  I recently did this and found honed Calacatta marble tiles and ended up paying just under $5 per square foot.  Make sure you are very careful when measuring your square footage.  You should have the square footage you need plus 10-20% extra.  You will also want to take your measuring tape with you to double check the size of the tile since some batches of tile are sometimes cut just a little bit bigger or smaller than the size they are supposed to be.  If you have just enough tile but none extra then look at adding in an accent tile like in these next few bathrooms done by Sarah Richardson.  I love the look of these bathroom floors but only consider this if it's either in your budget to pay extra for installation or you are doing it yourself and the cost of installation is not an issue.  

Sarah Richardson Design

Sarah Richardson Design

Well, hopefully I've inspired you to believe that with a little creativity (and maybe a little elbow grease) you can achieve a high end look with calacatta marble without breaking the bank.