Opa!

 
Last night was my second birthday celebration!  I headed to Niagara Falls, Ontario to an authentic Greek restaurant, Koutouki, with my sister and my authentic Greek friend, Liz. What a blast we had!

The restaurant is decorated in the style of a Greek tavern with lots of distressed wood and brick instead of the usual blue and white touristy look.  It had a cosy and friendly vibe from the moment we walked in the front door.

You couldn't find a friendlier, more fun loving hostess than the owner's daughter, Georgina!

Since my daughters read this blog, I won't say what I thought of our handsome waiter!

Hey, I'm 60 not dead!  The flaming cheese was delicious too!

Let the food festival begin!

Appetizers ~

Octopus ~ 

Salmon ~ 

Stuffed Chicken ~ 

An undisclosed number of glasses of this ~

These would make great trivets and you could do it with $ store bamboo cutting boards and some corks!

By this time, we had forgotten we were in a restaurant and hanging with the owner, Steve, and Georgina like one big, happy Greek family!

My sister is having fun! ~

I toured the kitchen with the owner, complimented the chef, and we were on to dessert! ~

Oops, not much of that left to show you!

When your sides hurt from laughing and the table looks like this at the end of the meal, you know Koutouki is a great place to celebrate! ~

Just pay heed to the words of the great philosopher Aristotle ~

If you are in Niagara Falls, Ontario, you really must check out Koutouki!  I loved it! They are at 5745 Ferry Street (905)354-6776.

Disclaimer:  I'm not receiving any remuneration for raving about the place but I did have a couple of complimentary birthday drinks.  Shhhh.

Go With Your Gut

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but yesterday this baby turned 60! ~

It doesn't seem possible that I could be that darned old when I still feel like a 30 something and my little girls will be coming in from school at any minute.  The woman in the mirror does often surprise me and I have no idea how I keep shrinking my clothes, so I suppose it must be true.

The up side of reaching this lofty age is that I'm allowing myself to go with the flow more and not do some of the things I just don't feel like doing.  This morning I cancelled an unimportant appointment because my nose was sniffly and, to be honest, I stayed up into the wee small hours at my birthday party and was tired.

An hour later, this was the view from my front door. ~

Had I gone, I'd have been country driving in whiteout conditions! I sat nice and cosy, with a mug of hot coffee, and watched the storm rage from from my family room. ~

I have learned a few things in my years of living.  One is to always use the good stuff.  It seems sad to me when I buy lovely crystal, linens, etc. at estate sales and thrift shops that have clearly never been used.  Were the owners afraid to use their fine things in case they were damaged in the using?

I bought these Irish linen napkins this week for .99 each.  I'll use them and never worry about stains. I'll even let my cat sleep on them!  (See baby curled up in the corner here?) ~

Burn the candle shaped like a angel, eat from the good dishes and silver and sit in the front living room. You really can't take it with you!

I've also learned that storms always end and the sun will come shining through! ~

Who wouldn't feel peaceful, as the day winds down, with this view from my kitchen window.  I'll take it at any age! ~

Have a day where you trust your instincts and enjoy all the fine things around you!

I'm sharing this with ~

Alphabe-Thursday

I Have Found My "Word"!

Layla of the Lettered Cottage wrote a beautiful post about her journey to find a word that symbolised where she was going in 2012.  She asked what each of us would choose for our personal word for this new year.

I'm a fan of self-help and inspirational books so that should not be a problem for me.  I pondered over all the wonderful, positive statements and affirmations in my library.  I read all the great sayings that were on Pinterest.

They were perfect  They were true.  They were life enhancing.  They just didn't feel like me - in this spot, in this time, in this place.

And then it came to me.  This was my year to focus on PEACE.  I let that gel for a couple of days and gave the concept a good workout in my day to day life.

It felt right.  It felt, well....peaceful!

I knew I'd need a visual to keep me in the Peace zone every day of the year.  An 8 X 10 art canvas from the dollar store and some craft paint was at hand.  I washed the canvas in pale blue because that is a peaceful colour.  I swiped on some grey and white paint to simulate driftwood and drew a few black lines to create the seams of boards.  Some white paint, dry brushed on top, mellowed it all out.  It wasn't until I had finished prepping the canvas that I realized I had copied the weathered wood on the front page of the Lettered Cottage.  That's okay.  It will help me remember Layla and that she got me started on this!  

I chose an image of birds with a banner from The Graphics Fairy and sent it to Picnik.  I added the word PEACE and 2012 and printed it out.  I cut out the image and glued it to the painted canvas.  The whole process took about half an hour and I know it will be invaluable for fixing this word firmly in my mind.

I want to feel peace.  I want to project peace.  I want to be at peace with the past including all it's failures, hurts and disappointments.  I want to be at peace with the present including it's challenges, changes and fears.  I want to move peacefully into the future with grace and trust in all that is to come next.

My commitment to this process includes nurturing a peaceful attitude within myself and stopping whatever actions or words I use that are not making others feel peaceful.

You don't have to be a blogger to join Layla in finding your word.  To find out how to join the party and read what others have chosen, and why, click Here.

   

It is really worth popping over there to read the 295 words already chosen for 2012!   

Have a day filled with peace!

I'm also sharing this with ~

The Graphics Fairy

Motivate Me Monday

Life Made Lovely Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Uncommonly Yours

Creative Things Thursday

My New/Old Ruffled Tablecloth

It's a rainy, grey day here in Ontario and I wanted to add some pick me up colour to the house.

I like the rich colours and country vibe of this tablecloth I bought at Homsense a couple of years ago, for $14, and thought it would fill the bill. ~

Then I remembered it irritates me because mass produced tablecloths are skimpy on fabric.  The drop on the cloth should be 8 to 12 ".

The sides on this one only have a 6" drop. ~

I've been meaning to add some kind of a border for a better fit.  Then I remembered this great one made from dropcloths Courtney, at French Country Cottage, made for her dining table.  You have to click on her site and pay her a visit.  She has a full tutorial on how she made hers.  Whenever I need an awwww moment I head over for a fix of beautiful!  ~

I have a painter's drop cloth and I'll do just about anything to put off prepping my kitchen cupboards for painting!

I'm not a sewer.  I'm more of a figure out how something was made and copy it my own way, kind of girl.  So, you know this will be simple to make.  I buy the lighter drop cloths so they are more flexible to work with.  They shrink like crazy, so be sure to wash them and throw them in the dryer before you sew.  

Here's a trick for making sure your fabric is straight.  Make a cut and then start pulling a thread. ~ 

This leaves a nice line for cutting, without measuring all the way along. ~

Courtney made her tablecloth loosely casual like a slipcover.  Casual works for me!  I start pinning the fabric, right side of ruffle to right side of tablecloth, with random spacing. ~

I've used the pre-hemmed parts of the drop cloth so there is no sewing there.  I did have to join ruffle sections to get enough length but that is just a straight line, so no big deal.  Then, it's a simple line of stitching all the way along the tablecloth.  

Here she is all dolled up ~

  

Now that I managed to use up most of the afternoon, I can stop for tea ~

That gives me time to figure out how to get out of working on the kitchen reno tomorrow!

I'm sharing this with ~

No Minimalist Here

At The Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

My Simple Home Life

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Transformation Thursday

Funky Junk Saturday Night Special

My 1929 Charmer

Sweet Talking Sunday
Debbiedoos DIY Newbie Party

Favorite Things Blog Hop
'Tis The Season 2012 Link Party

Organizing Your Project With On-Line Tools

When I'm working with a decorating client, I keep meticulous notes. Binders and storyboards document every fabric, paint colour, furniture, hardware, floor covering and accessory choice. At a glance, I know what was chosen, it's location and cost.

When I'm working on my own home, I seem to think I can keep it all straight in my head. Nope!  I bookmarked dozens (maybe hundreds) of wonderful ideas from blogs, articles and e-magazines.  I did that until I had so many bookmarks it would take a month of Sundays to go through them all.

My problem was not a lack of inspiration but too many ideas to ever remember where I found them or any of the details.

Pinterest has quickly become my greatest tool for organizing and filing ideas.  Gone are the bookmarks, magazine tear outs, post it notes and scribbles on the back of envelopes.  When I see something I like on-line, I  click on the "pin it" gadget I installed on my top tool bar.  That takes me directly to Pinterest.  I click on the board (ie. kitchen ideas, how to, recipes) that I have set up and I have the picture saved. Clicking on the picture takes me directly to the source where I first found the item.  How easy is that?

I can pick up these "pins" from Pinterest and insert them in the design boards I'm building on Olioboards.  Everything is at my fingertips, right here on this little old computer.

Here's an idea of how I've been collecting ideas for my kitchen redo.

I liked the brackets I saw at Back Porch Musings and pinned it ~

  

These feet At The Picket Fence added to her cabinetry were perfect and were pinned ~ 

I loved the French Country feel of these grainsack style placemats from 2 Be Cherished on Etsy and pinned those ~ 

I can pick up these pins and send them to the inspiration board I'm creating on Olioboard.com ~

It free.  It's easy.  There goes the clutter on my desk and in my head.  

Pinterest isn't just for decorating. It's a wonderful space to list music, books, film, travel, favourite sayings, bridal plans, garden tips, recipes....anything you like on the net and want to save!

You can check out  Pinterest by clicking here.  If you decide you like it, you need an invitation and I have one waiting for you on my right sidebar begging you politely inviting you to Join Me On Pinterest.  Can you tell how danged excited I am by all these new tools?

Now if I could just click somewhere and the work would be done, I'd be in heaven!  I guess that's just a Bewitched episode.  Darn!

Disclaimer:  Pinterest is unaware of my existence and is not compensating me for the huge plug I am giving them.  It would be nice if they would, though.  hint hint

I'm sharing this with ~ DIY Showoff Pinterest Pinfest

5 Minutes Just For Me

I'm Getting Rid Of 100 Things!

I'm still packing up Christmas and thinking about what needs to be removed from my kitchen so I can redecorate it.  This is tiring stuff and I had to take a break and get my Pinterest fix.

What should I find there but a challenge! ~

This is Lets Lasso The Moon take 100 things off your home's waistline challenge.

Say what?  One hundred things!!!

Yup.  Before you panic, they're not saying to get rid of things you love.  That's not what is bogging me down anyway.  They're talking about that candle that never burns evenly, a vase with a chip, magazines, dishes that are in the wrong colour.  How about toys the kids have outgrown, duplicate tools and the waffle iron you used in 1983.  

How many purses does one woman need?  Eeeks!  That one will hurt.

Clothing is going to be a good start for me.  I need paint shirts.  I don't need thirty paint shirts.  I wear the same one all the time anyway. (I know, that's disgusting!)  

I'm giving myself one week to hit that challenge goal. 

I'll let you know how it goes!

Have You Discovered Olioboard Yet?

For the last month, I've been following a great site, Focal Point, written by an American designer and stylist. Her work is excellent and she has an impressive resume. You've probably seen her on HGTV. But, today's post blew me away when it introduced me to a site that I had never heard of before and that will significantly shorten the time I spend on creating inspiration boards for clients.

If you haven't heard about this site, you are in for a treat! Olioboard is an on-line design site that lets you open up an inspiration board for any room you are planning to decorate. You can choose products from furniture to accessories (we are talking everything down to napkins, pillows and spoons) from a library of 130,000 + products!  You can click on the items you have chosen and it tells you where and for how much you can purchase them.

The real kicker is you can easily add the "add to Olioboard" gadget right up beside your Pinterest "pin it'' gadget and include all those fabulous pictures you've been saving, right onto your inspiration board.  You can also add pics from your own computer. That brings Etsy into play if you copy and paste items you love.

In less than ten minutes I had opened up an account and put together this page of ideas for my kitchen make-over.  You know how technically challenged I am!  ~

As a designer, I've used lots of design programmes that I've purchased or paid a monthly on-line fee for. They are complicated, use a lot of computer space and take a lot of time to set up for each project. This was soooo easy.

Olioboards was originally created for designers but is open to anyone to use. And....it is absolutely free and as simple to use as Pinterest, Piknic or Facebook.  You get the extra bonus of being able to see the inspiration boards submitted by great designers for the bi-weekly theme challenge!

The only, drawback, from my perspective, is that the products/retailers listed are US based and not all the stores are here in Canada.  Unlike most on-line design sites, the product is all within normal price range from stores like Target and that is a bonus.  It does give you a good visual of the products to find similar ones in other countries and lets you see the "look" pulled together for your room.

You really have to check this out and can find it by clicking here.

Thank you Lynda Quinter-Davids of Focal Point, for being the angel that brought me the answer to my New Years wish of expediting my work projects, to allow me time for everything else I'm trying to juggle right now!  She doesn't know she was the answer to a prayer but I bet she'd love it if you drop by her blog!

 Have an inspirational day!

I'm sharing this with ~