Living a simple and laid-back life in the city!




Friday, January 29, 2010

Get Inspired...

Books and magazines are a wonderful source for my inspirations. I don't subscribe to any magazine, but I buy them when I find something really interesting and also that I know I'll be looking again and again, even a few years later. They are little treasures! Here are some kind of magazines and books I bought and like to browse when I go to a bookstore:


Enjoy! Get inspired!

Li

BRINGING A BIT OF SUMMER INTO WINTER

Hi Folks! Almost three summers ago when we bought our first home (a cute Bungalow in a little private area), I was completely overwhelmed with things to do between unpacking, painting walls, changing floors, etc. So, to quiet my mind and have a little break, I decided to work a bit outside to enjoy the few weeks left for us before the Fall comes. I found in the shed exactly 4 supports for handrail from the basement (left overs) and also 3 cans of stain.
What to do with those things? My mind was quite busy trying to figure that out.
I also had a queen dais from a previous IKEA bed that we weren't using anymore and then I finally had an idea of making a patio table, since we didn't have any to eat outside.
It was an easy project to do and Nick,my hubby, of course, gave me a little help to put it all together. The best part? We had so much fun doing it and even though I can't guarantee that it is a very durable table, it will last a couple of years to come.
And we all have been enjoying eating (when the weather permits) outside!
The pillows used to be my husband's shirts, so as he wasn't wearing them anymore, again, I recycled!!!!





FRIDAY, RECYCLE DAY!!!

It's been a few days that I haven't post anything here. The truth is: I've been quite busy this week and didn't have much time to work on my projects. Maybe I will find some on the weekend or so...and I can't find my sander!!!! Which makes me frustrated, so I'm working on other things at the moment.
But I thought it would be interesting to show this little "recycle" project I did a week ago. It is indeed the easiest thing I've ever done!
Since we got two cute little puppies 5 months ago, we had to start buying food for them and some come in cans. I am not a big fan of canned food, but these seam to be very tasty! Alice & Jasper love it! But, what to do with the cans? Recycle, of course! And how about save some empty cans for future projects??? That's exactly what I did. I still have some in the garage for further creations, but I spray a few with white paint and they turned out so cute that I've been using them as little vases to put flowers in it. Others, I left them plain!
Here are the final result:





So, before you get rid of them(or if you do Recycle, Recycle them!) think twice! You may always find something interesting to do with things we can't even imagine...


Have an awesome weekend!

:-) Li

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Little bit of Portuguese! And sending Hope for Haiti!

Some friends and family have asked me to write in Portuguese, and today I really feel like doing it that!
I don't think I'll be translating every post from English to Portuguese, but I'll try at least to keep everything smooth with both languages. English has grown on me, but my native language still beats a lot!!!! It is smooth, gentle, like we are always singing(that is what all my Canadians friends say, anyway!) and I really believe they are right, somehow.
So, if you can read a bit of Portuguese or want to try it, feel free to do it!
And don't be shy to ask me any question because I'm here to answer them.
Today I also want to send HOPE to Haiti. My love is with them at this moment and always...
:-) Li
Ok, vamos ao Português, ou melhor, a língua portuguesa!
Na procura de móveis usados, tenho algumas exigências, pois do contrário, acho que não vale muito à pena comprar. Sempro porcuro por peças que sejam de madeira maciça. Compensado, nem pensar!
Quanto à idade do móvel, quando dou sorte, consigo comprar algo da década de 20, 30, como foi outro dia que achei uma escrivaninha dos anos 30. Fiquei super feliz com a compra, principalmente porque o valor foi bem inferior ao que seria, caso estivesse sendo vendido num Antiquário. Depois, com mais detalhes, falarei de cada móvel quando eles estiverem prontos, o que falta pouco.
Quanto aos puxadores....eles dão vida nova, assim como a pintura.
Desde Maio/2009, tivemos o prazer de receber uma das lojas mais lindas que eu conheço, que se chama Anthropologie. Talvez eu diga isso porque ela une tudo o que eu gosto: desde roupas, acessórios, até móveis rústicos, roupa de cama, puxadores (acho que é assim que se chama!), etc. É uma loja Vintage, mais alternativa quanto ao estilo e com muitas coisas relacionadas a década de 70, 80, algo parecido. Infelizmente ela só tem aqui na América do Norte, e agora estão abrindo a primeira no Continente Europeu, em Londres,UK. Acredito que em breve ela se espalhará pelo mundo...tomara, pois assim todos podem ter o gostinho de dar uma passada por lá. Não dá vontade de sair...
Mas o bom é que sempre tem promoções, e como mencionei num dos Posts sobre "Knobs", comprei cada um por apenas $2.95, quando o preço normal era $12.
Neste ramo que estou seguindo, temos que estar sempre procurando por peças baratas, onde não irão "doer" no bolso. Do contrário, se é caro, você tem que colocar muito acima na hora da venda, e daí nem sempre as pessoas valorizam. Preço tem que ser accessível para ambos: tanto par quem faz como para quem compra! Muitas vezes não damos nada pelo móvel que temos e depois de uma reforminha ele fica com uma cara nova, lindo, como novo. Por isso, pense duas vezes antes de se desfazer de algo...
Reformar móveis, pintar, colocar novos puxadores é dar uma nova vida à eles! Realmente está sendo gratificante demais para mim realizar este trabalho. Amo o que estou fazendo e com certeza irei continuar fazendo isso por muitos anos...
Até a próxima e aqui deixo meu carinho a todos que estão me acompanhando neste projeto!
:-) Li










Monday, January 25, 2010

More knobs...

As I've mentioned before, knobs + a good price are always welcome here at Creamy White! I don't think I need to mention the price, do I? Again, I got them at Anthopologie. Are you guys tired of this name yet? Be sure you will be reading Anthro a lot!
For now, I can't exactly say where I'm going to use them, but I'm sure there will always be a place...
So far, they'll be at a drawer waiting for a nice piece of furniture to come!
I'm off for today, as I need to dedicate some time for painting + kids, etc. Poor furniture, they need a warm and nice place to be, as they are freezing in the garage!

See you very soon,


:-) Li

Kids Room

Hi Folks!
Today I'll post a few pictures of the kids bedrooms. I did the cover of the pillows, and decorate the room, of course!The kids really trusted me on that! And also, they helped me organize and arrenge the things around. We sure had lots of fun doing it.
On the big pillows I did a navy tide ye to have a beach look at the boys room and engraved their names on the small ones. I find monograms always cute, so I got the initials of their names to give a nice touch. So, since the bedrooms are the place where they spend a very good amount of time, I let them picked the color of the wall. Why not? The boys chose (after hours of indecision) a very nice Blue called Niagara Falls. I love it! So perfect for where we are,hum? And our daughter chose a nice lavender, very soothing color and it really made her small room look bigger at the end. All the furniture are from IKEA, but in the future, I go get old ones and transform them into new! I can't wait to do that!
Here are some picks of their rooms:




Have a great Monday!

:-) Li

Friday, January 22, 2010

What a find...

After a day of fun outside on a warm winter day I ended up going to the Mall (our son was begging to go to the skate park!) And of course, I couldn't resist to quickly go to Anthropologie to take a look at the Sales there.
That's what I've found for an excellent price. These knobs were $12 each and I got them for $12 all together. What a nice find today!
Now I just have to decide in which piece of furniture I'll use them...


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Feeling blue today? How about a bit of yellow in your life?

Hi Folks! As the day goes by and I still can't see the sun shining today, I've decided to bring some "light" to our home. And nothing like the color Yellow, that is the color of JOY! It always brings warmth, happiness, no matter how far or close we are from the sun. Here are some ideas to bring some joy to you.
I hope you like them!

If you never had a chance to shop at Anthropologie, believe me, you won't be disapointed! There is always something nice to see there, from dresses, accessories, shoes, furniture to home items. Everything in that store has a special touch. Take a look at these two dresses:
Aren't they adorable? I can't wait to go there again...


The flowers and lemons I got at the supermarket. Eventhough it's -15C outside, inside our home is always warm, bright and light!





Have a great, bright and yellow day!

:-)Li

Não posso me esquecer dos meus queridos amigos que estão me dando força neste projeto! Por isso, aqui vai tudo escrito em portugês, e muito mais do que no inglês! Espero que minha escrita ainda esteja boa...
Como nem todos os dias temos o sol brilhando por aqui, resolvi levantar o meu dia com a cor amarelo. Nada como uma cor para alegrar o nosso dia, principalmente onde vemos mais branco do que qualquer outra coisa. Recebo sempre o "news letter" online da loja Anthropologie, e hoje recebi estes vestidos amarelos, lindos, que achei que um dia, quando eles entrarem na promoção, até me animarei em dar uma espiadinha de perto. Mas como ainda estamos no meio do inverno, eles me alegraram o dia, trazendo a cor amarelo como inspiração.
Comprei margaridas amarelas, limões e Volià, já me levantou da mesmice do branco lá fora.
Minha decoração está toda voltada ao branco. Acho que o branco traz paz, harmonia, e aumenta o ambiente. Resolvi renovar todos os móveis, quarto, banheiro, e assim, posso brincar com cores, conforme o humor do dia, da semana, do mês...
Os móveis eu compro usados e reformo. Este Blog na verdade está sendo para divulgar este trabalho, assim como, idéias que colocarei por aqui. Mas inicialmente vocês verão móveis brancos, mas já tenho algumas tintas de cores para projetos futuros. Surpresa!
Enfim, espero que o amarelo seja uma cor de ótimas vibrações para vocês e de muitas alegrias.
Uma ótima semana e até a próxima.
:-) Li




Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Getting started...

Welcome to my first post!

Soon I'll be writting about this wonderful book I got a couple of days ago. It was such a bargain! Only cn$6.99 and it has amazing pictures and ideas for your home. I still have some projects to finish but they'll be here soon!

See ya!

Li