DIY PAINTED PICTURE FRAME MAT

So, I got up to some major DIYing this weekend, how about you?  I painted my fall pumpkins gold, gold leafed a ceiling medallion AND spruced up an old picture frame mat to give it some much needed colour. Because I knew it would take me another year to decide on a new piece of art that was a bit more colourful, I decided to go about it in a different way; I painted the mat.

The blase before...

Before

The tools were as simple as craft paint, mini roller and IKEA picture frame (I experimented with an inexpensive frame just in case it didn't turn out the way I wanted).

And the process was even simpler, dip roller in paint and roll on the mat (making sure to get the inside edges so you don't see any white).

After it dried, I popped it back in to the frame and found it a new home.

After

Instant facelift! Love.

LANDSCAPE CHRONICLES || urban backyard makeover

The time has finally come, yes I know you've all been waiting with bated breath - well hopefully at least some of you have!? The BIG backyard reveal!!!

I'll give you one last look at the bland before pic...

If you head back over here, this is where I ranted about my industrial glamour vision for our urban yard reno.  I think we managed to execute the essence of the vision BUT... the backyard ended up having more of a mid-century modern flava, still glam, less industrial.  Either way we LOVE! 

Drum roll please......

WHA BAM! Squealing with JOY! I didn't dare step foot outside last summer, now I can't stay away.

CHIC SHACK || our living room

Happy day all! BIG post today - big in my mind anyhow - it’s my pride and joy, the transformation of our living room!  Thought I’d take you on a little tour of one room in our house that we're finally done decorating, however, I’ll warn you, my work is never really done.  I’ll get this out in the open now, I’m THE queen of monochromatic: black, white, gray and gold of course, they are my besties when it comes to colour schemes. 

Here’s a “before” pic of the living room, this is how it was "staged" at the open house.  A veritable blank slate *salivating*.

Before: Living room June 2011

The plan was to create a functional modern glam space that was clearly defined as a living room but also flowed well with the rest of the main floor. Since we're constantly entertaining we designed it to be a practical conversation area too.

After: Living room March 2012

We painted the entire main floor in Benjamin Moore Cement Gray and added a darker accent wall in Benjamin Moore Stone to create depth and importance, this wall is home to our art gallery (an attempt to disguise the T.V). 

We injected hits of colour with yellow, just so it didn’t feel like we were living in a black and white photo. Colour is a stretch for me, I hate committing, but I say hip hip hooray for these velvety, tufted yellow arm chairs nabbed at West Elm. Did you notice the coffee table? My FAVE (brass ram heads) I mean really, a total stunner, found on Kijiji for a whopping $150– Best Brass Find award winner!

And there you have it. There are definitely still tweaks to be made to the decor, I’d like to replace some of the art – truth be told a few frames are filled with decorative paper, got a bit overzealous in a paper shop one day, oops, I think they can be improved, and I’m realizing some more hits of colour might do some good, maybe pillows?