Bless This (Future) Mess

My biggest dream is one day having a family home to raise babies in and grow old with my guy. The only part of the equation I have thus far is the guy so there is much more to come I hope. My husband is very into modern homes with all the sleek lines but I am all about comfort and a soft place to flop down with a book. Modern houses can come off a little sterile and cold to me. When I look around my apartment at all the little knick knacks and mementos I can't picture how they would fit into a fancy shmancy modern house. Don't get me wrong, I see the beauty in modern style and would love to tackle it as a design project someday but it's just not what I picture when I think about scraped knees and swing sets.

Over the weekend we went on a double date to the movies with our best buds. We saw the Romero re-make "The Crazies" and in the movie the main characters have a farm house with lots of land, a porch, a clothes line and a nursery ready to go for the expectant mother. After the movie ended my husband asked me what I thought of it and the farmhouse was all I could talk about. He jokingly teased me and said, "Leave it up to you to walk away from a graphic, violent movie and your only thinking about what a great house they had." But I digress. The whole thing got me thinking about family homes and especially farmhouses so I thought I'd hunt down some of my fav family homes and interiors that I picture when I day dream about what could and may be my life one day (minus the crazy people I hope). That's one of my favorite things about reading all your blogs is seeing the adorable happy families and how you all live.

Speaking of which, I recently added a new blog to my Blog Love and I have to give a shout out to this blog because it warmed my cold cold heart (well not THAT cold but we'll say cloudy with a chance of showers heart). The blog is called "crap management." Once you get past the somewhat eyebrow raising name and see that the blog isn't what first pops into your head when you think of "managing crap," you find that it's about a lovely lady's home and her family. She writes about her daughters, her husband, her dog and in general her life but everything I have seen so far is the pure and simple joy in life that we all need. I love checking her blog out and smiling at what a loving family she has so I recommend checking it out for yourself!

Now let's get to the fabulous family nesting shall we?

I never tire of looking at this house. It's so regal and gorgeous nestled in those beautiful fall leaves. Every time I talk "house" with my fella he says, "modern sleek" and I say, "colonial white with black shutters." You just can't go wrong.

This is another MLS listing from BC that I fell in love with. The outside is spectacular and the inside is just as great. The only thing I would change is a little bit more front yard, otherwise it's a masterpiece.

This colonial house is up for sale as well, I found it as an MLS listing for Bowen Island. It reminds me so much of the "Home Alone" house but I'm sure they get that a lot.

Fabulous farmhouse that you can get the blue prints for online. It's like something out of a story book.

And now for some family home interiors that I am majorly digging. All pictures are from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.

Entry

Living Room



Kitchen

Breakfast Table

Home Office

Bedrooms


Well there you have it, this is what the greater part of my brain dreams about on a regular basis. All these cozy houses and rooms make me want to never leave home. What is your favorite type of home? Do you like traditional farmhouses and colonials like me or do you tend to sway more to the modern or contemporary spectrum?

Spring Has Sprung!.... or at least slightly sprouted

It is a gorgeous day here in BC. It was the first day since last summer that I ventured outside to relax on my balcony with my sweet kitty. Still a little too chilly to start planting or BBQ but fabulous none the least.

My baby soaking up the last bit of sun before it sets for the night.

As I sat at my rickety little table my eyes kept drifting to my sad empty pots and all-too-clean gardening gloves. It kept calling my name, begging me to make something beautiful out of the sad scene but I have to resist until the weather is appropriate!

It's been a few days since my last post about my birthday so I thought I would do a quick post and recap on that because I am one lucky lady. We did our celebrating on the weekend with "whatever I choose to do," I was told. After agreeing on the typical dinner and movie plan I decided after all my catalogue drooling it was finally time I see Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware in all it's glory. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity when we first walked in. I had to pause and take it all in for a moment. I went through both stores as giddy as a titmouse (whenever possible I like to throw in the word titmouse) even though I knew I wouldn't be able to afford anything from either of them right now. The average cost of just the mugs were $20ish which I couldn't justify on our tight budget. After some (albeit minor) arm twisting by my fella, I succumb to temptation and purchased one small thing that I now cherish. My girlfriend, who also spends very little money on herself, gave into the dark (yet beautifully decorated) side too and purchased one of those shiny fandangled $20 mugs. We both left feeling a little dirty..... and we liked it!

Below are a few shots of the birthday gifts I got and mine and my girlfriend's splurge purchases, if you can call them that, from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.

Here it is! A bottle of Ginger Pear room spray. I know you're all probably thinking 'big whoop, its a bottle of smelly water,' but this was quite the event in my house. I gave it a test run last night before bed time and it smelled so fresh and delicious. I am a sucker for ginger and the pear gives it a crisp summery smell. Well worth the price tag I'd say.

And here is my partner in crime's purchase. An adorable little spring mug with a bird and a nest of eggs. She can't stop raving about it so I'm sure she would also say, 'money well spent.'

My wonderful mother in law gave me this little doozie for my birthday. It's a ceramic knife from "nood." She's an awesome cook and we actually got her this exact gift for Christmas so once she used it she decided I must also reap it's benefits. All mine are atrocious so it was met with a very warm welcome on my part. My knives felt like I would be better off cutting food with a soup spoon. Ceramic knives never go dull and never rust so who can complain?

My cards felt so tailored made to my likings. Sex and the City, Kitties and Audrey Hepburn.

Speaking of cards, my girlfriend gave me this DIY card making kit from Martha Stewart's line and I am psyched to try it out. I love craft's as you will see from the next shot.

This is another Martha Stewart craft tool called a circle cutter. It's a life saver for scrapbooking and card making. It cuts perfect circles with ease and ranges from 1 inch to 5 1/2 inch circles. I feel like an annoying sales lady.... but it is a cool tool to have.

So that was my birthday excitement this year. Do you do anything special for your birthday or have any cute memories? Feel free to share as always!

It's My Birthday and I'll Pout If I Want To

Today is my birthday! To be honest I dread my looming birthday for the weeks approaching so by the time it actually comes I've just made my peace with it. I'm only in my twenties and I stress about my age, I think I'll need some pharmaceuticals to get through the really big ones.

In any case Happy Birthday to me!

The True North Strong And Free!

I have to do a quick post in honour of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games. As a Canadian I am especially proud of my country today. For the most medals ever won on home soil and a new record set for most gold medals won by a country, I am beaming with pride. Today was a nail biting hockey game and both teams did an amazing job. I hope all of you enjoyed watching the events as well. Everyone deserves a big pat on the back for the incredible hard work that went into these games.

Congrats to you and your country too!

Modern Family *Update* All New Pictures and Paint Colour Schemes Of The Three Family Homes!

 Please Click This Link For A Compilation Of Up To Date Modern Family Decor Information: http://recklessbliss.blogspot.com/p/modern-family-homes.html
  

The post I previously did on the hilarious show “Modern Family” homes got the biggest response yet so I decided to do an update on some pictures for you fellow fans and try to hunt down some answers to the questions. I was thrilled to see so many people loved the houses (especially the Dunphy home) as much as I did. I tracked down some new shots of the homes and much more shots of Cameron and Mitchell’s Mediterranean casa (which I was seriously lacking). Please excuse a few of the scratchier ones, I couldn’t find clear pictures of some of the best rooms so I had to improvise for the greater good! I did some colour schemes to give everyone some ideas on paint for their home inspired by the show. I am currently on wait to hear back on specific paint colours from the set so I will do another update when/if that happens. I stuck to Benjamin Moore paints because they are most commonly used and affordable to the average budget.

 Please Click This Link For A Compilation Of Up To Date Modern Family Decor Information: http://recklessbliss.blogspot.com/p/modern-family-homes.html
 

We’ll kick things off with a breakdown of the Dunphy home colours. Clearly the most coveted colours to paint, these are some of the key traditional (and somewhat beach themed) colours found in the home. The blue is Labrador Blue which can be found on the entry way walls. The punches of red throughout the house can be found mostly on the drapes so to match that colour I went with Merlot Red. The light beige found in the living room is a close match to the third colour Rainforest Dew. Lastly, the hits of green show up as an accessory colour to objects like the plates in the kitchen, apples on the kitchen table and various flowers. This colour best matched Spring Moss.
 

A shot of the Dunphy staircase with the soft blue colour everyone seems to mutually love.

  

I included this shot to showcase some of the art work the Dunphy’s have in their home.
 

Here is a shot of the family room which is open to the kitchen and dining room. The couch colour is almost an exact match to the kitchen cupboard paint colour. I’m a big fan of the cute pillows on the couch. 
 Please Click This Link For A Compilation Of Up To Date Modern Family Decor Information: http://recklessbliss.blogspot.com/p/modern-family-homes.html 
 

Standing in the dining room looking into the family room. I love the basket beside the couch in place of the side table. The glass cabinet is an awesome way to display vases and blankets etc.
 

I had a big request for shots of the dining room and now I see why people were having a hard time finding it. It was really difficult to find a clear picture of the dining room so I improvised with some shots taken while the show was in progress. They have gray/ivory padded chairs which were a close match to Vintage French Round Side Chair chairs found at Restoration Hardware. They also have a classic farmhouse looking wooden dining table that seats six. Also seen here are some of the deep red drapes I talked about in my colour scheme breakdown. 
 

The random hodge podge of plates and pictures on the wall makes you really feel like a family has lived there for years rather than a decorated set.
 

Classic shot from the show during an interview.
 

A shot of Claire and her dad Jay. Love the double wall ovens.
 

Another shot of the kitchen. I wish I had a little spot for all my cookbooks in the kitchen. Green plates were the inspiration for the Spring Moss colour in the colour scheme.
 

A rarely seen shot of one of the kid’s rooms. Haley’s is the Dunphy teenager with a room to match her age.

Moving on to Jay and Gloria’s beautiful modern home. I went with some classic neutral tones to match the feel of this earthy architectural home. The mocha colour seen in the dining room came very close to a shade called Ferret Brown. The dominant colour on the walls is soft stone gray best matched to Horizon Gray. Throughout the house you can find several hits of an accented golden brown colour that I think is very close to the colour Yellow Marigold. The last colour I found that stood out was the hits of wild red around the house that I later read to be symbolic to Gloria's fiery personality. For this colour, I went with Currant Red which corresponds very nicely to it’s three other paint buddies to make for a modern yet still feisty palette.
 

I’m in love with the door for this home. The foyer has a classic pedestal table which proves not all modern furniture has to look super weird!
 

The other post I did about the Modern Family homes I included a shot of Jay and Gloria’s family room but this shot shows the fireplace and TV. I have to say I expected a much bigger TV on the wall for the wealthy architect. You can see there is a mini bar off to the left in the family room as well.
 

Jay and Gloria’s kitchen has a deep wine red colour to match the modern sleek design. It’s a nice punch of colour without being over the top.
 

What’s interesting here is that the same wine red colour from the picture above is gone. I don’t know if the crew decided to add or subtract it from the kitchen but I’ll be keeping a watch for it during the new episode next Wednesday. I love the light fixture focal point in this room. 
 

Of course when I say forgive some of the scratchier shots, these are included in that. I was at a loss to find pictures of Jay and Gloria’s bedroom. I saw it briefly in an episode and I was instantly gaga for the room. The bed looks like it’s floating and the neutral colour of the walls looks fabulous with the contrast of orange beachy pillows.
 

I posted this picture just to show the adorable little table with the flowers and picture frame. Imagine having a room big enough for all this furniture and then some.
 

Opposite corner of the bedroom.
 

Chair beside the bed. 
 

This shot is when you first walk into Jay and Gloria’s bedroom. You can see there is a small couch to the right and a chest of drawers.
 

Last but not least, we have the hysterical couple Cameron and Mitchell’s calming Mediterranean home. The main colour of the walls is one of my favorite paints used on rooms because it pretty much always turns out fabulous. I found that it most closely matched a paint colour called Olive Moss. Secondly, I found that the tweed coloured furniture such as, the bench and couch, stood out against the gorgeous olive walls quite nicely. For this colour I choose Timothy Straw. The accent colour most often found around the house is a bright punch of orange which matched the paint colour Citrus Orange. For the bright and sunny kitchen colour, a creamy and subdued yellow like American Cheese does a great job of mimicking the room. Most of these paint colour names had me hankering for a sandwich! After some more research I found out that the green colour used on the walls is called Louisberg Green by Benjamin Moore paints and can be found with more detail in the post found here.
 

I finally found some good shots of Cameron and Mitchell’s home. This is a shot of the entry. I’m nuts for the wispy neutral curtains on the muted green walls.
 

Another shot of the entry. 
 

I’m in love with the Dunphy family wall colours and fabrics like most of you but I really love the colour scheme used for decorating this house too. It’s very sophisticated and calm.
 

A shot of some more of the artwork in the home as well as a great shot of the built in bookcases.
 

A small wall cutout looking into Cameron and Mitchell’s kitchen from the living room.

I hope you found this updated post helpful and entertaining. Please keep in mind that my colour schemes are not an exact match but rather a rendering of what I think they best match to from the Benjamin Moore paint collection. As I said, I am on wait to hear back from some people who may have access to the information of exact colours so, should that come through I will of course bring everyone up to speed. Thanks for all the support and like always, I want to hear your thoughts!
 

All shots are courtesy of ABC and all paint colours are courtesy of Benjamin Moore.

 

Please Click This Link For A Compilation Of Up To Date Modern Family Decor Information: http://recklessbliss.blogspot.com/p/modern-family-homes.html