Lazy Sunday Links

Links and lists of links. Grab a coffee, relax and enjoy!

I have a list of blogs that I look at every day - many for research purposes. And a few that just make me smile. One of them is Creative Thursday. Marisa posts a new painting almost every day. Little explanations, little bits of encouragement for the rest of us. And the paintings? Sweet but not cutesy. They always make me smile.

I participated in the Apples and Thyme Roundup over on my other blog. The timing is great for those of you heading into the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Too Much Happy Family Time marathon. Food bloggers wrote stories of their mothers, grandmothers and others who have inspired them, sharing memories of time spent with them in the kitchen. And recipes. Lots and lots of tempting recipes. The list is in two parts at The Passionate Palate and Vanielje Kitchen. Check it out and be inspired.

I hope you're enjoying a lazy Sunday!

Lazy Sunday Links

I've got lots of pretty pictures for you to look at this week.

I'll start off with one of my current favourite blogs, Day at a Glance. It's only been around since September and documents the progress of a couple fixing up their new apartment. They're doing an amazing job. So amazing, in fact, that I've been tempted a few times to just announce that today's May December Home post can be found here... here (love what they did with that wallpaper!). And, ooh! here!

I could go on and on. Just read the whole thing. It's great.

Meg Duerksen has a lovely slideshow of her home here. Definitely worth a look. That kitchen!

I don't want to overload you with the pretties, so just one more. Thanks to Smosch.com for the tip that Skona Hem, a Swedish interior magazine, has its old issues online. They may take a bit of time to load, but then you can flip through the magazine, page by page.

And, finally, what are links without a good laugh? I direct you to Aged Essence and the post entitled "HO?"

If you have a blog, or a particular post you'd like to share, email me and, if it fits the scope of this site, I'll include it in a future "Lazy Sunday Links".

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

Lazy Sunday Links

Here's What My Day Is Looking Like

I was going to title this post "All About Meeeee!". I'm still pretty happy about the post Leah did over at More Ways to Waste Time.

Which reminded me that Vineeta did a lovely write-up a little while ago over at Artnlight.

Of course, I only mention these because I think they're great blogs and hope you will head over and have a look around at all the non-Barb content!

But sticking to a theme for just another minute, my brother sent me a link to this site. Peter Guenther has built a Lego replica of the church my family attended when I was little (the top of the page is blank - scroll down to find it)!

I wonder if I could get him to do my house next? I gotta tell you, it's a very strange feeling to have part of your childhood done up in Lego!

OK, that's it for Barb-land!

The other two links are on ideas of home and comfort. There must have been something in the air this week. I wrote my thoughts here, and then I saw Holly at Decor8's thoughts here on what it means to decorate.

And then there's yesterday's post by Decorno on Things That Are Wrong. Uptight decorating is definitely wrong and I think point number six was spot-on.

That's it for me this week!

Hope you're enjoying a Lazy Sunday!

Lazy Sunday Links

When decor bloggers show off their own homes, we tend to show them at their best. Everything gets put away, or at least cleared out of the camera's range.

So people who read a lot of decor blogs and decorating magazines can start to feel just a little self-conscious about the occasional stray sock or dirty dish.

And decor bloggers can get downright paranoid.

So it is with great relief that I found not one, but two posts this week about how we really live:

Anna Maria Horner shared her laundry pile with us.

And Sylvie had a post back in August showing all sorts of spots in her home.

I must point out that both of these women are busy, successful, wonderful people. And I'd like to thank them both for sharing the beauty and chaos of their lives!

A blog I've been following for awile is Vasilisa the Fair, written by a mother of two in Helsinki, Finland. She posts about crafting, everyday life in Finland with regular forays into her thoughts on consumerism, feminism and the joy of drinking coffee while it's still hot.

And, finally, there's Faces in Places, which started as a Flickr group and is now a blog. People send in their photos of things that look like faces.

Why would I recommend such a site? I believe that decorating, especially environmentally-friendly decorating requires that we look at things in new ways. That kind of creativity is a skill that can be built. Who knows, finding a friendly face in your toaster may just lead you to solve that sofa dilemma that's been bugging you for so long!

Maybe?

Lazy Sunday Links

Just a couple this week.

Design*Sponge showed us a sneak peek of Blake Dollahite's home. It's gorgeous. And he makes good use of recycled materials. I especially love the last picture in the series. That sink is your basic, ugly, wall-hung sink from the local Habit ReStore. I see dozens every time I visit. But he's made it look like a high-end, expensive designer sink! I don't have a bathroom reno in my near-future. But I will definitely be saving this idea!

Apartment Therapy Green did a post earlier this week on decorating with found objects. You can check it out here.

I Am In SO Much Trouble...

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick post tonight.

By way of Dooce.com, I've just found an amazing new site called Renovation Voyeur.

It's got it all, people! Before and After pics! FLOORPLANS!!! I love floorplans! They're like maps, only of your house!

And it's all projects by readers like you and me.

So kiss your family (and possibly your boss) good-bye and head on over for a look!

I'll be back tomorrow to start a series of posts on decorating with found objects (and packaging!).

See you then!

Lazy Sunday Links

While I'm away, you might want to check some of the new sites I've found.

The first two come from India, where a lot of amazing things are happening in design.

An Indian Summer showcases art and design that is beautiful and inspiring, with a special focus on Asia and India. The photographs on this site are just beautiful!

Artnlight is the next one that dazzled me this week. Again, just beautiful photos of inspiring places, including home tours of interesting people.

How about orange... features "visual treats and hands-on projects dreamed up in an orange office". Lots and lots of links to great tutorials. And she has an Etsy shop!

My final offering is Tongue in Cheek, based in France. A bit of decor, a bit of food, some travel... poetry... always gorgeous photography. Definitely worth a look!

I hope you enjoy these sites. But don't forget to come back and see me! I'd miss you if you did!

Lazy Sunday Links

I see that Dooce is planning to add a decor section to her blog. This will make a great addition to her observations of daily life, occasional ranting and all the rest of the good fun that occurs over at her site.

For a little hint of what we're in for, check this out. Read the post and then watch the slide show. I think she's got great taste and a fabulous eye for detail.

The fact that she also sometimes decorates her dog...

Speaking of dogs, another wonderful site I like to check into regularly is Chloe the Dog. Alan and I often think that we'd like to get a dog, but the timing just isn't right at this point. So I have my daily visit with Chloe, a red, long-haired miniature dachsund and I'm good for awhile longer.

Geez I love the internet!

A New Link

Thank you, Melanie, for suggesting your lovely site: Le Petit Cabinet de Curiosites

Melanie (sorry - my computer doesn't have accents) has an antique shop in France. On her blog, she shares her passion for antiques, home decor and stories of her life as a shop keeper. Kind of like what I do, only it's all set in FRANCE!

Beautiful site. Definitely worth the look.

Anyone else?

Just Give Me Two Ugly Coffee Tables and a Saw!!

When I started doing this, I envisioned being inundated with great websites to recommend and, probably more junk reclamation/funky home decor info than I could ever possibly fit into one little site.

It hasn't exactly turned out that way. But every so often I come across a great idea that I didn't have to make up myself! Today was a real bonanza.

First of all I found this great idea over on Happy Mundane for home-made shelving. Now, the story is about a design from Umbra, but I could so easily do it myself. You know what I'll be eyeing next Tuesday!

And then, I saw this story on Remodelista about garden stools made from stumps. Of course, I'm thinking "People actually pay for these things?!!?" But I guess not everyone feels as comfortable dragging old tree limbs out of ditches and throwing them in the back of their car as I do. Can't think why...

And over at the ever-wonderful Desire to Inspire there's a post on this table on Etsy. And it's like this guy, this Encantado has reached into my head. Because this is totally what I have in mind for my eventual new dining room table, only bigger and with bed springs instead of a gate and family-heirloom iron legs instead of casters, but the basic idea's exactly the same and this is the sort of thing we all want to see more of, isn't it??????

Now a site that consistently thrills me with great ideas for things-you-can-do-at-home is Ikeahacker. I wrote about her here. And was thrilled to see that she's getting the recognition she deserves with a story in the New York Times. You can read it here and see a slideshow of great ideas here

Hope you have as much fun with these as I did!

Fresh Vintage

I found a new-to-me blog today that I'd like to recommend.

It's called Fresh Vintage. Colleen writes about her vintage finds and life in general. It's funny, sometimes bawdy and made me laugh out loud several times. If you're OK with the occasional swear word, check it out and have some fun!

A New Source of Decor-Porn

My husband (herein known as "Alan") and I are planning a trip to Paris next spring.

We'll be bringing along my sister and her husband and my father-in-law.

Alan has started scoping out apartments to rent. These sites are a great source of design ideas. In the smaller apartments, it's great to see what people can do with, basically, a scrap of wall for a kitchen and how they organize the space.

And of course, there's no charge for looking at (and drooling over) the higher-end properties! Here are a few of my favourites.

My Flat in Paris has a beautiful site. In the apartment listings, click on the symbol in the left-hand column to see photos. Click on the small photos to see larger versions.

Paris Attitude is another good one to look at, though I'm liking the cheaper apartments better than the Luxury ones. Hmmmm....

Paris Vacation Apartments Is another good source. And the website is well-designed, too (not always the case with rental sites).

Rendez-Vous A Paris rents apartments in Paris and in Rome (be still my heart)!

And, just in case you're in an "out in the countryside" frame of mind, Vacances Provencals offers country homes in France and many other parts of Europe.

Happy dreaming!

The staircase in an apartment we rented on our last trip to Paris.....

Small Space Style

Since returning from the beach yesterday, I've spent my time sacked out on the couch, cruising through cyberspace, checking out design blogs I may have missed.

Seriously. We call it "doing research"....

One that caught my eye is Small Space Style. Lots of pretty pictures. Lots of great ideas for living well in a small space.

I think this concept fits well with the re-use concept. Probably because they both involve making the best of what you have while saving oodles of money for more important things. Like ice-cream.

Did I mention that we're back in heat-wave mode here in Southern Ontario?

Apartment Therapy - Green

All of you who love Apartment Therapy are in for a new treat: they've added a green living blog!

It's full of information about all things green. A great resource if you're wondering what's the best way to go for replacing your flooring, say, or buying paint.

Confession Time

For someone who makes her living dealing in second-hand furnishings, I'm ridiculously fond of IKEA.

Imagine my delight when I stumbled across the Ikea hacker site. It's got great ideas for tweaking IKEA stuff. And what these people can do with the "as is" pile...

If you're a fan of IKEA, check out the site.

I'll be submitting a couple of my own hacks, including this one.

A Cool Shoe Rack to Make

Good morning!

I found this great shoe rack how-to over at Not Martha.

We'll be re-doing our entryway soon, and I'm thinking this project is perfect for it. I, of course, will be using scrap wood...

Anyway, check it out here

An Interesting Article

I've been zooming around the internet in the shop today. And added links to some great sites. I hope you like them, too.

And (if my linking skills are up to it) here's an interview with Emily Chalmers, authour of Flea Market Style to start off your weekend.

A New Link: Apartment Therapy

Hi, everyone, and Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends.

Yesterday I added a link to one of my favourite websites: www.apartmenttherapy.com

It's the place to go for all things decorating. I especially like the home tours. Lots of pictures of great apartments, in all sizes and price ranges. Many of them have great re-use ideas.

Check it out, have fun, and if you have any websites or blogs you'd like to recommend with a home decor, re-use or DIY theme, let me know.

'Cuz you can never have too many great ideas.