The Uptown

Images by Judith Umbach via Calgary Public Library

The cover article from the latest issue of Swerve is one that really resonated with me. Written by Jeremy Klaszus, the article is about the hard times that have fallen on Calgary's first skyscraper, the Barron Building, and the Uptown Theatre. This great building and its equally great theatre are stuck in the middle of a messy court case. The Uptown has had to close its doors, and its future is uncertain. (You can find out more by reading the Swerve article for yourself right here.)

I loved the Uptown. It was my favorite movie theatre in the city. I loved the character and history of the place. Its grandeur may have been slightly faded, maybe a little rough around the edges, but that only added to its charm. I'd rather see a movie in that great old theatre than some shiny new megaplex any day. I have great memories of seeing great films with great friends in that theatre. I hope I will be able to again someday. A Facebook page, Save the Uptown, has been set up. If you feel like I do, maybe you should check it out.

Nurseries On the Brain

Babay's Room 2 by tara771 on polyvore.com

Blissliving Home "Kew" Green Shower Curtain
$100 - bloomingdales.com

knitted pool pouf in ottomans, benches | CB2
$90 - cb2.com

knitted camo pouf in ottomans, benches | CB2
$90 - cb2.com

Skip Hop Treetop Friends 4-piece Set - Best Price
$10 - diapers.com

Reversible Persimmon Round Bath Rug
$9.95 - crateandbarrel.com

Bungalow Rocker by Nurseryworks, Chairs & Rockers,Playroom Furniture,...
$800 - rosenberryrooms.com

No, no, no, I am NOT pregnant. But my little sister is!!! (Congrats Christie & Mark!) I am so excited. And of course Auntie Tara is itching to decorate "Wee Annett's" room. That may pose a bit of a challenge given that I'm in Alberta and my sister lives in Ontario. But we have our ways. What did we do before the Internet?

Mom & Dad to-be have decided to keep baby's gender a surprise, so we are going to have to keep it fairly neutral. (Although I personally find the whole pink is for girls and blue is for boys idea rather outdated. As a friend of mine once declared in defence of his new pink T shirt, "Kanye West wears pink". And I'm a girl who loves my blues. But just for the record, I would never in a million years name my daughter after said color. Just sayin'.)

My sister sent me a link to some crib bedding she really likes, so I went on Polyvore to see what I could put together with it. This is already Version 2. I'm sure there will only be about 50 more. Oh and Sister, if you are reading this, I paid absolutely no attention to how much any of this stuff costs. But Mark won't care, right?

I'm just not sure how I feel about this...

So you know those toilet paper roll covers that Cottonelle has been advertising? I have to say that I really thought this was a dumb idea and a lame marketing ploy - this whole "respect the role" thing. I honestly didn't think people were going to seriously buy these things. Then I'm watching TV yesterday, and there is a new Cottonelle commercial advertising these TP covers designed by... Jonathan Adler!? I. Just. I mean. What? I like Jonathan Adler. I think he is a talented designer - bright, cheery, and fun. But licensing his patterns for toilet paper covers? Really? Is J.A. just in it for the money or is he really a supporter of roll covering? Maybe this is just his sense of humor. Or maybe I just need a better one.

Showhome!

I just realized it's been a while since I've posted any pics of my work. (Well, yes, it's been a while since I've posted anything at all, I know.) This is a duplex showhome I did earlier this year. It's kind of sparkly and glam - what with the sequined pillows, crystal light fixtures, zebra prints and what have you. Not necessarily my personal style, but it was fun. Decent photos too, right? Yeah, that's because I didn't take them. They are the professional photos that were shot for the company's website.

Oh Ikea, why do you torture me this way?

I need counter stools. And I want red ones. So when I stumbled upon these red Ikea stools while surfing the net I was so excited. They would be perfect. Except there's no sign of them on the Ikea website. I'm pretty sure they've stopped carrying them. I might cry.

There is progress!

Okay, so I finally have some pics to show of my place. (Sorry about the quality. Too much coffee = jittery hands = slightly blurry photos.) But look! Pretty decent, right? In case you've forgotten what it looked like before I bought it, here's a reminder:

So what have I done? Had the walls repainted, replaced the appliances, painted the cabinets and bought new cabinet hardware. Painted the countertops (with melamine paint that is holding up not too badly. This was really meant to be a temporary fix until I can afford new counters.) I covered the chipped white backsplash tiles with mosaic Smart Tiles. So easy - just cut, peel & stick! Other than the appliances, I didn't spend much money. Some paint, inexpensive cabinet hardware from Ikea, Smart Tiles from Home Depot, and a few inexpensive plates on the wall to add a bit of color. (Really inexpensive - the red & white one was $2 at Home Sense.) Has my fresh new kitchen inspired me to cook more? One step at a time people, one step at a time.

Of course I squeezed in some shopping!

There wasn't a lot of time to shop on the trip, but I did manage to pick up this amazing cushion cover in Budapest. There was this lovely little shop called Folkart Craftsman's House that sells original Hungarian handicraft products. This felt piece is embroidered with a traditional applique design. I'm rather in love with it.

Vacation Photos!!!

So I'm back from my trip to Hungary! I didn't mention before that I was going cuz it's probably not the best idea to advertise on the internet that your home's going to be empty for a while... It was a family vacation - my sister, brother-in-law and I took my Dad to see the country his family came from. It's been a lifelong dream of his to see where his parents grew up, and I'm so glad we were finally able to make it happen. This also happened to be my first trip to Europe! It kind of blew my mind a little ;) The pics above were all taken in Budapest. Such a beautiful city with so much history. I was taking pictures like a crazy person. Here are a few. I'm still trying to organize them so I'll share more later.

P.S. Jet lag sucks.

Mothers' Day

My Mom & Me - 1977

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Work has been beyond busy and I just haven't had the time. With Mothers' Day coming up this Sunday, I did want to take a moment to pay tribute to my amazing mother I lost seven months ago. My wonderful sister beat me to it with a lovely tribute on her new blog. She expressed everything I wanted to say so beautifully that I decided to link to her post instead. If you are fortunate enough to have a great mom who is still with us this Mothers' Day, be thankful. And TELL her you're thankful! Go call your mom, peeps.

Tea Time

image via Anthropologie

I was checking out the Anthropologie website the other day and came across these Six Sister Spoons. This colorful set of six teaspoons are made from laser-cut acrylic. Aren't they just so pretty? I think they'd look really cute mounted in a shadow box-type frame -- wall art for the kitchen or dining room. Just a thought.

Oooooooh.

I saw these India Mahdavi stools in a Ralph Pucci add in Elle Decor. Aren't they just glorious? That's really about all I have to say.

My New "Dresser"

The doors before

I drilled holes in the middle and added cabinet knobs. Then I used contact cement to attach ceiling medallions and added a bead of caulking around the edges to fill in any gaps. (The knobs and ceiling medallions I got at Home Depot.)

The finished product

My bedroom isn't really what you would call spacious. I like to think of it as cozy. I needed a dresser, but placing one in front of my baseboard heaters would take up too much space. I found these wall cabinets at Ikea and mounted two of them above the baseboards. The doors needed a little something, so I added cabinet knobs and attached ceiling medallions to dress them up. Now I just need to tweak what's going on above the cabinets. I think I might repaint the mirror again. I just need to decide on a color...

Now that is one heck of a DIY.

image via Remodelista

I came across this pic on Remodelista the other day. The house, designed by architects Anderson Anderson, was first featured in Dwell. Check out the chandelier. It's "made from tree branches wrapped with crystals and light strands." Amazing, right? Wonder if it was inspired by this...

Spring has sprung... well, indoors it has anyway.

The weather here has been sucking. Gray and snowy. Boo. So it was nice to come across some spring-like color when running errands at Superstore today. They had these fun bath accessories in such great colors. Towels, bath mats, and rubber-finish bath accessories. And did you notice the prices? Along with the bath stuff there were sheet sets, too. I know the mirrors aren't colorful, but I couldn't resist snapping a pick. I thought they were a pretty good find for $49.00.

Pretty Pretty Rugs

Find all images here

Randall Gallant over at Shaun Ford Design was good enough to let me know about this fantastic product line they are carrying from Belgium called Limited Edition. SFD has some pics on their Facebook page, but you really need to check out the website, too. How beautiful are these rugs? I'm not sure how I'd feel about hiding any of the gorgeousness under furniture. (Oh, and SFD has an authentic refurbished Turkish rug - and samples - in their showroom.) Randall also sent me a link to EDITION Magazine. I haven't really read any of it yet cuz I was too busy looking at the great photos. Us designers, so easily distracted by pretty pictures :)

Thanks for the tip Randall!