Image via MODMISSY
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Tag Archives: Summer
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Remember when I recently said a sad welcome to summer?
Weird I know.
But my thinking was the longer I have to wait for summer the longer summer will feel.
My case in point, “where did summer go?”
Summer in all its glory with so many wonderful moments…..
Watching the sunrise,
Being one with nature, 
Spotting in the back of the ski boat, 
Admiring the scenery, 
Relaxing in the backyard, 
Enjoying long bike rides, 
All these wonderful moments are but distant memories now.
But oh well……autumn does have glorious colour like the view out my kitchen window.
All images via MODMISSY
Summer is Here!
The first day of summer begins tomorrow.
Yippeeeee!
Although at the same time I am very sad. Boohoooo!
Weird right?
Here’s my thinking.
Even though this past winter was a very long, cold, snowy one it was ok for me. As I explained, it might have been freezing and snowy but it was sunny almost every day, and who doesn’t love the sun plus having a warm winter coat and good snow tires made it even more acceptable. I was almost sad to see winter go.
So now winter is gone, spring just finished and summer is here.
But summer is so short and goes too quickly – and then its winter again!
So if winter was long it meant summer was longer away.
Understand?
So here’s to slowly savouring a summer of lasting wonderfulness.
Enjoy! 
Image design by Modmissy
Summer Sabbatical
I apologize.
It’s been awhile since I last posted.
I had a good summer, spending as much time as possible at the cottage and as much time with my son before he headed off to university.
But now both my son and the summer have departed. Sad.
Although I should not forget that September is officially still part of the summer season and my son will probably be home soon enough with a huge bag of laundry in tow.
Thought I would share some photos of what keeps me so spellbound at my cottage.
Early morning sunrise with the lake reflecting like glass. 
Moon rising over the same setting – outstanding colour. 
An inky-blue sky with the moon reflecting over the water. 
All images via Modmissy
Christmas in July
Aaaaaaaaarrgh!
It’s August! One month closer to autumn. sob..sob..sob
For me, July epitomizes summer and I am not ready to say goodbye so I advocate that July should be 60 days long.
Makes perfect sense. Let’s keep summer around longer. Right?
Funny thing though, yesterday I attended a ‘Christmas in July’ event. I celebrated the holiday with Home Depot® at their 2013 Holiday Preview.
The event was held in the beautiful shop of Bobbette & Belle, Artisanal Pastries – a must visit bakery in the heart of Leslieville, Toronto.
Here is a sneak peek as to what’s hot (no pun intended!) in holiday décor for 2013.
The Winterberry Collection – red, gold and brown. Very classic. 
The Metallic Woodland Collection – gold and browns. Very organic. 
The Arctic Holiday Collection – silver and blue. Iconic colours with new shapes and designs. Perfect for Hanukkah too. 
The Midnight Holiday Collection – chartreuse, charcoal, turquoise and midnight blue. 
Oh…..I loved the wallpaper behind the white cabinet in the above photo. Thinking of it for a feature wall in my own home but that’s for another blog!
Of course no holiday is complete without a gift so Home Depot® and Bobbette & Belle sent me home with a goodie. Thank you. 
So happy holidays and bring on more summer!!!
My End of Summer Place
This weekend I am going to take advantage of the last days of summer. The weather forecast looks promising for spending time lounging about in the backyard reading, hanging with friends and noshing on some delicious food. Too quickly the leaves will start falling and the snow will begin to fly so I plan on grabbing all the summer memories I can.
Whatever your weekend may bring have a great one!
My ‘end of summer’ backyard.
The Cottage Renovation – the after photos!
I started writing about our cottage renovation a few months back. See start, gut, build, decor. It was a renovation that took many months due to distance, weather and holidays. But it is now complete. Our initial goal was to raise the low ceiling but at the same time to create a cohesive relationship between the interior and exterior. The cottage is truly about the nature and the ability to experience it. In the end our renovation has given us more than just a new space. The cottage’s clear lines and modernist approach has given us a greater appreciation of the amazing view beyond the large windows. But more interestingly is the cohesive relationship now created within the family. We spend more time together interacting as a family than ever before. This is a space where we sit down together and share moments rather than racing through on the way to somewhere else. We slow down and enjoy together.
Have a look.
The before photo minus the furniture. (Just prior to gutting)
The After photos.
We forgo the upper cabinets opting for a larger window and a better view of the lake. The wall above the stove is presently blank but waiting for the perfect piece of art that we have yet to find.
Counter space that we did not previously have is now a place for an ‘edible’ vignette.
I chose neutral but fun pillows to keep the space calm.
We are thrilled with the outcome of this renovation and love all that this cottage now gives to us.
All images via Modmissy
Kitchen cabinets, Rug, Stools, Island, Leather Chair – IKEA http://www.ikea.com/
Hanging Light Fixtures – Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/
Chevron Cushion – Nesters http://www.nestershome.com/
Turtle Pillow, Wooden Tiered Stand – HomeSense http://www.homesense.ca/
My Summer Away
I have been remiss on my posting duties of late. I apologize but summer seemed to have had a strong pull on me. When I visit my cottage in the north all technology and ‘city’ responsibilities get pushed away – happily.
I thought I would share with you some of the reasons why I went missing.
This is the first thing I see when I open my eyes each morning at the cottage. The view from bed with the sun streaming in and the sparkling lake – what’s not to love!
Once up I go for an early morning ride in this vintage boat while the lake is still like glass.
Of course the early morning call of the loon is like nature’s melody that lulls you into awe and harmony. And even more special if you happen to witness the union of adult and offspring during feeding.
Watching nature – colourful.
Observing wildlife – amazing! Notice the little fawn I came across on a quiet walk through the forest.
Bunnies too!
An afternoon water ski!!
The magnificent spectacle following an afternoon rain shower.
And the setting sun after a wonderful day at the cottage.
What’s not to love and possibly make you forget all of life’s commitments?
All images via Modmissy
Ladies Lounge – after
A few weeks ago I wrote about my friend SW (SuperWoman) who was in the process of transforming her old wooden garage into a ‘ladies lounge’.
One year ago SW had decided that her garage could be better used as a backyard retreat rather than a storage space for ‘extra items’.
With a lot of love and elbow grease SW has achieved what she set out to do – she has turned a sow’s ear into a silk purse!
This was the ‘before’ photo with holes in the walls, old linoleum on the floor and lots of clutter:
This is what SW’s efforts produced – the ‘after’ photo:
Bikes, tools, ladders and garden paraphernalia used to clutter the space.
Now everything is tucked away out of sight behind softly draping white curtains.
What was involved in the transformation? The walls and ceiling were stripped back to the studs and sprayed a calming white. An old brick fireplace chimney was removed. The old linoleum was ripped up to reveal wood plank floors and then painted moss green. Holes in the walls, floor and ceiling were repaired. An old work bench was given a coat of white paint so that now it can be used as a bar and/or buffet table. Furniture and accessories were brought in. The orange futon provides the hit of colour in the room and a great place to take an afternoon nap. The round teak table with inlaid mosaic top (a real score!) is a fabulous nod to mid-century modern not to mention a great surface for a game of Scrabble. Any furniture that could was given a coat of white paint. In the lofted ceiling a light that twinkles like the evening stars was wired in.
The lofted ceiling.
A pretty vignette. And by the way, SW made most of the baskets in the space – yes she does basket weaving too!
So in her relentless pursuit of happiness, SuperWoman has moved mountains (and junk) to create a ‘getaway’ worthy of a super hero!! Bravo SW.
All images via Modmissy
Inspiration Board – or not!
I always get ahead of myself or rather get ahead of the project. Whenever my husband and I renovate (and we have been doing that for over 20 years!) he is still in the ‘bust and build’ state while I am already decorating the space.
We are on track renovating our cottage, the drywall is up and the new window is in, the kitchen cabinets are assembled and the countertop is ordered. But way before all this I have been buying fabric, rugs, furniture accessories etc. all the little touches that will coordinate the final presentation. Make the finished space just ‘right’.
I pulled together my inspiration board which is always helpful to visualize the space.
I pictured our cottage done in white, warm wood, sisal and hits of blue to give a pop of colour to the space. I choose Benjamin Moore Oxford White CC-30 for the walls (new drywall) which is a nice bright white. The long wall across from the windows is paneled in pine. The sofa is an existing Bauhaus sectional that we have had for years and works really well in the space. The sectional is in a neutral weave fabric of which I replaced the back cushion covers with natural canvas. I bought a new area carpet – IKEA Tårnby, a natural fibre carpet that has a great textural appeal giving the room a warm organic look.
To keep the room bright I bought 3 coordinating fabrics that I will sew into cushions for the sofa. Crisp blue and white fabrics with lots of white accessories in the room will give a fresh, lakeside feel to the cottage interior. I decided to replace the existing large upholstered (red) chair as its size was not appropriate for the space. I wanted something light coloured and airier in appearance. On Craigslist I found a leather IKEA Poäng chair (wish it was an Alvar Aalto Lounge Chair! – check out my previous post here) which I thought would be perfect for the room. Gotta love Craigslist!
Ok…..so I had it all figured out. I knew exactly in my mind how this space was going to look. WRONG!!!!
This past weekend when we started to put the furniture, carpet, etc. back into the cottage I realized the room looked nothing like my inspiration board. I think my biggest miscalculation was the light. The natural light that floods the room from all the windows changes the sense of the room. The colours – paint and fabric, the furniture etc. all read very different.
And I love it!
So stay tuned……….
MODMISSY 