the canvas, people!

so back to the canvas topic.  if you recall, i'd had a less than positive encounter with the online company called the canvas people.  after an order + a reorder of a stretched canvas that gave me the blues twice over, i had pretty much given up on getting anything close to our photo.  despite a very friendly customer service representative.  and despite me being very hopeful to have things all work out in the end.  because i like people to like me!  and i like to like people!  even canvas people!

wellllll out of the blue [ok i did not even try to do that.  i swear.  it just happened.] i was checking the mailbox this week and BAM.  large. padded. envelope.  label that reads 'the canvas people'.  raised eyebrow.  quickened pace for return up driveway to house.

and....what's black + white + grey all over?  this guy!

basically during my last interaction with the company, which took place the first week of september, i left off emailing a b + w image of our photo and....well never heard anything beyond that point.  so i pretty much gave up and started bonding with the two blues brothers up on the mantle.


fast forward to now, and there's a chicagoan triptych happening up there.  i gotta say, i'm feeling pretty impressed with how everything ended up considering my total dollars dropped totaled $15, and i have three small canvases to play with + display with.

thank you tcp!  talk about going the extra mile to make your customer happy.

hook, line and sink[er]

and now you know how i get ready in the morning.  or the afternoon.  let's be honest.

laiiiiid back.  with my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind.

k + e

i try not to overload the blog with images of interiors from magazine sites or other blogs [albeit gorgeous and infinitely inspiring] as i feel there's already plenty of that to go around.  i figure i might as well stick with what i know, which is me + mine, and pretend i know what i'm talking about.

anyway.  fast forward to this morning and this site [sight?].  um, talk about a match made in blogger heaven.  me loves the bold striping, handmade aesthetic, classic colors, funky fauna, and HELLO THE NAMES.

k + e = 4evah

ignore the hiss + focus on the thomas paul pillow center stage!  among others!

now i am well aware that the hubs and i don't have the most original names on the planet.  i mean, we're practically poster children for the eighties, along with all the jennifers, justins and jessicas out there [you know who you are].  but come on.  kinda fun to run into this when wandering the interweb.

if you're curious, elizabeth from peacock feathers is an event planner in philly [so we have that in common too!  ....yes i'm joking]. who had these banners custom-made as decoration for her wedding day last june.  and who shares an interest in all things fashion + interior design/decor.   so that part we do share.  now if only we could share that neon acrylic tray....meowww!  how fun is that?

the rule of four

so i know i've talked before about the not-so-very-secret-anymore-designer-secret of grouping things in threes.  its visually pleasing and creates some instant cohesiveness within your room's decor [as opposed to plunking a lot of single items everywhere and hoping that they'll magically tie in together somehow].

well to take it a step further, i actually like to buy things in fours.  when i have four like items, i have the freedom to do a grouping of three in one part of the room, and reference the shape/color of said items elsewhere with the single piece.  and occasionally, it can look nice to break up the menage a trois trick with a grouping of four for a little surprise.  in other words....you have options.  and you don't have to kick yourself later, which is awkward and unpleasant, for not buying anything else that 'goes' with whatever display item you want to work with.  you've got an instant entourage that can roll two, three or four-deep depending on if you're after some symmetry or a three's company sorta feel.

some examples....

a grouping of grasses that's been moving its way around the house, one room at a time.  their missing comrade is by the back door, adding a little [faux] life to the telephone table there.

in the hub's office, three of four egg vases are scattered throughout the bookshelf.  humpty and dumpty occupy one cube of the unit while a single sits atop a stack of books.  and the fourth is taking a breather in the closet right now, but he'll get his time to shine again soon too.

and then there's G to the power of four....a gaggle of glass bottles filled with scottish water of all things.  they're out in full effect since i'm really enjoying the look of the whole set to contrast a grouping of three apples casually placed nearby.

last note for the day....i don't purchase anything + everything in fours.  i mean, that could get a little crazy.  i've got a chamillion dollar college education in about 18 years to plan for, after all!  what i do like to do is snag multiples when the going's good....ie: cheap.

the white top/black bottom vases were $2 each on clearance.  the grasses were $8 each, a little steeper, but they're oh-so-flexible with lots of decor schemes.  and the agua bottles were $2-ish a piece which was easy to justify considering i can always swig the contents if there's a drought.

so don't go telling your husband later that it was me who told you to buy four rock-tastic tiffany vases. that was all you.

+ + +

if you get a chance, find a copy of the rule of four. i was surprised by how much i enjoyed it!

jagged little pillow

ahem [clears throat]


dearest kohl's:

it is with deepest gratitude that i thank you for another free gift card to your store.  i do so enjoy the spending of your own money on your own merchandise.  after browsing your multitude of racks, stacks and displays i have returned to my most humble abode bearing a veritable princess of pillows.  she is sharp and she is soft.  she is jagged and she is straight.  she is tough and she is fair.  and now, she is mine.

kind regards,

[e]liz

 

brass junkie

so i went goodwill hunting last week.  funny how that conjures up images of a classic 90's flick and some pretty awesome 90's hair.  ahhh, the early days of the bromance.  before brody jenner gave it a whole new meaning and a competition to boot. anyway, there is a fairly new goodwill that popped up in town and i've been meaning to check it out for a while.

and was i looking specifically for a new crew of brass candlesticks?  no!  that's precisely the point!  you don't wander into the GW for something you need.  you wander in to find something you DON'T need!  um....wait.  that came out wrong.

for $12 though i carried home what i like to think of as the brass pack....five clean-lined, streamlined, almost art deco-like stems that are pretty on their own, or functioning as candle holders.  they're really quite heavy as well, which makes the price tag of about $2.20 per stick seem decent.

 

it wouldn't feel like a goodwill treasure if it wasn't coated in dust, right??

 

i could definitely also spraypaint them if the mood struck, but i have to say, i'm feeling a new appreciation for brass these days.  caveat: not just any ole brass.  i'm not rushing out to home depot to switch out all my doorknobs & bath fixtures to shiny glitzy gold.  however brass with a bit of an aged patina seems to be just the right juxtaposition to our new home + its decor. 

this is where i plunked the quints for now.  makes the dining room console a tad busy so some rearranging is in order....but i do love the smoky charcoal paint paired with the gilded metallic gleam of the set. 

and yes, i'm a big BIG fan of ms. emily henderson, recent hgtv design star, prop stylist and shelter blogger, who frequently dabbles in decorative items of the brass variety.  take this space....

 

 via hgtv

i'd venture to say it wouldn't be nearly as successful without the beauty of the brass accents for warmth + contrast.  without them all of the cool tones shown would be too monochromatic and cold.  not that i don't die for that chrome-legged chair and its geometric pal....and the huge grey canvas....and the white cube-y coffee table....and the pinstripes....and the....

oh and i know.  some of you aren't reading this because you've already had a small heart attack and have passed out on your keyboards because you've heard me bashing brass as long as you've known me. 

well....what can i say?  maybe being 28 has made me just a little more....brash.  if you will.

rocktober

so we've been rockin' out october this year with a few special events.  the wee one is newly six months old....

....the hubs and i are each celebrating birthdays this week. oh, and i along with the country of canada celebrated thanksgiving this past weekend.

....and once again, i've let life supercede blog.  however do not despair, there are a few new posts in the draft pipeline. and i'll be cranking them out just as soon as i can!

all you need is love

some shots we took at our party the other day.  love was, as they say, in the air.

and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love.

1 corinthians 13:13 [niv]