Weekly Round-Up

{via Karla's Closet}

Romantic camping adventure via Joy Ever After.

Unique pen and ink art from Going Home to Roost.

Drool worthy summer outfit via Karla's Closet.

Perfect mix of vintage and modern in this home tour via Made by Girl.

Adorable rain themed children's birthday party via Amy Atlas.

It's a long weekend here and I'm heading up north to cottage country for a weekend of sun, food, drinks and good friends. I'll be back on Tuesday!

DIY: Recycled Can Herbs

I absolutely love having fresh herbs at my fingertips when I'm cooking in the kitchen, so I decided to make these herb planters using recycled cans that fit perfectly on my window sill. Click here for all the instructions on my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot.

Recipes: Light Summer Meals

I attended the Rock-it-Promotions holiday preview media event on Tuesday and saw some great holiday gift items that I'm super stoked for. The lovely folks at Conair were offering hair styling services and the fabulous Carole worked on my do. She used Conair's Infiniti hair wand and worked some magic to create big bouncy curls.

I was chatting with Carole about food (when don't I think/talk about food??) and she mentioned that she writes a couple food blogs. I had the opportunity to check them both out yesterday and I was drooling over each image and recipe. The Yum Yum Factor is Carole's own food blog and no reEATS is a blog she writes with two other ladies. We were chatting about the crazy heat in the city this summer and how all we crave right now are light tasty meals. Here are some great summer recipes ideas from no reEATS:

{greek shrimp tacos}

{boozy watermelon rosemary lemonade}

{arugula salad with pickled spring onions}

{avocado and white bean wrap}

{panzanella salad}

Recent Project: mini mioche Holiday Preview

Earlier this week I designed and put together a booth for mini mioche to showcase some of the goodies they will have in their store this upcoming holiday season (hello Frye boots for kids!). We were given a large open space and the challenge was to make the booth look like their store. We were given some pieces to use from Salvage Interiors and got our hands on a bunch of wood crates. Here's the result!

Current Obession: Campers

Every since I laid eyes on Bow, I can't stop thinking about campers and vintage trailers. I would love to hit the road with one of these babies during the warm summer months. All of these campers are from a company in the UK called Snail Trail and each one is available for rental. Ummm so road trip time?!

Cool Shit: Knit Vintage Trailer

{via Knittaplease}

Very cool shit.

Style Idea: Stripes

For years I've stayed away from stripes. It wasn't so much the widening factor with horizontal stripes, it had more to do with the fact that I just didn't like them. Clearly I've been missing out big time! There's something so classic about a basic black and white stripe. They're completely versatile so don't be afraid to mix them with other patterns, colours and textures.

{click on each outfit for information on where to purchase each piece}

Current Obsession: Friendship Bracelets

I'm loving the return of the traditional friendship bracelet I had growing up. I can remember spending hours with that embroidery thread trying to master all of the different designs. I can also remember having an entire arm covered in them summer after summer and keeping them on until they fell off. Did anyone else do this too?



1. Doloris Petunia, 2. Honestly WTF, 3. The Purl Bee, 4. Pretty Kitty Jewelry, 5. Fly by Designs

Crush: coniLab

I'm a huge fan of inspirational art so when I came across coniLab's serigraphy prints, I instantly got a crush. Coni Della Vedova is a graphic designer who lives in Barcelona where she experiments with language, typography, word games, popular sayings, old etchings and signs. She then transfers these ideas to paper using an entirely handmade silkscreen process. I would love to add one of these to my pad sometime in the very near future!

Happy Monday

{photography from Yvette Inufio}

This weekend brought together two wonderful families when my close friend Patricia married her high school sweetheart. I wish them a lifetime together filled with tons of laughter!

Happy Monday!

Weekly Round-Up

{via Design*Sponge}

Super cute and creative wedding invites via Design Love Fest.

Girly touches to boho inspired home via The Decorista.

Inspiring makeover completed on a tight budget via Design*Sponge.

The perfect summertime treat from Pinecone Camp.

Adorable alphabet boxes via Design Crush.

I have a wedding and mini road trip planned for this weekend, so it's going to be a fun one! Happy Friday!

DIY: Cocktail Umbrella

As you know I'm a bit of a lush especially when it comes to yummy summer cocktails. I decided to make some cute handmade umbrellas to make my cocktails that much more fun! You can head over to my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot for all the instructions.

Cool Shit: Boxsal Picnic Boxes

Boxsal created these incredible eco friendly picnic boxes. They're big enough to fit everything in you need for a picnic and come with fully compostable utensils, plates, cups and napkins. They are offered with three design choices each for different occasions: date time, city picnic or lunchtime getaway. I absolutely love them!

Drake Hot Hunt

I'm an antique treasure junkie and love that the Drake General Store is selling some of their vintage goodies until July 31st. You can call the store to set up an appointment to view what they have available for sale. I bet ya they have some crazy good stuff!

Valspar

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Valspar's new spring 2012 paint collection last week with spokesperson Genvieve Gorder (love her!). Genvieve did a demonstration to show the paint's features: one coat coverage, paint and primer in one and fade resistant. The colour options were endless - everything from bright bold colours to earthy neutrals to muted pastels.

The highlight for me was when Genvieve gave us all a little tip on how to get a super straight smooth line when painting stripes on the wall:
1. Tape off your stripes using good quality painters tape and press it down well.
2. Brush on a coat of the wall's base colour over the paint line and allow to dry. This creates a barrier so you get that straight smooth line. (GENIUS!)
3. Fill in your stripes with your other paint colour and allow to dry.
4. Peel off the tape. Voila!

DIY: Dog Toy

Harper is four months old today and is getting big so fast! My friend Alex and I made this dog toy for him out of old scarves. Click here for the full instructions on my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot.

Style Ideas: 1 Dress, 2 Looks

I love dresses in the summer because they're so easy to just throw on and walk out the door. And when a dress can do double duty it's even better! Here's the same dress with two completely different looks:

{click on each outfit for information on where to buy the pieces}

Wish List: Cut Out Dress

{byCORPUS dress at Urban Outfitters}

This dress is the perfect little number for summer - great for the daytime AND great for going out at night.

Crush: GlobLove

I have a confession. I love the look of sultry vintage inspired lingerie but don't own a single piece of it. I tend to stick to the basic essentials but I think it's time to branch out a little.

When I came across GlobeLove's affordable lingerie collection, I knew that this may be what I was waiting for. Each piece is adorned with girly details - bows, lace and/or frills. GlobLove is feminine but not cutesy which I can fully appreciate. The Montreal designer, Liana Artinian, donates five percent of each sale to FINCA an organization who financially help out woman entrepreneurs in low income countries.

Inspiration 7.18.11

{via workisnotajob.}

This print is everything I need to hear right now.

It's good to be back from a week away from blogging. I hope you had a fabulous week and weekend!

Blogging Break

I'll be taking next week off from blogging so I can focus on other projects. Have a great week!
xo,
Renee

Weekly Round-Up

{via My Life as a Sugar Lander}

Drooling over this brunch food round up from Oh Joy!.

Colourful Russian vacation editorial via Miss Moss.

Super creative spool invitations from My Life as a Sugar Lander.

Crazy rad DIY belt chair via The Goodie Life.

The perfect vintage inspired radio via Dress, Design & Decor.

I'm off to Buffalo this weekend to visit one of my besties. Happy weekend!

DIY: Wine Bottle Candle Holder

This wine bottle candle holder costs next to nothing to make and only takes a minute to do. It's the perfect project for your next party! You can find the instructions on my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot.

Party Ideas: Summer BBQ

I really enjoy summer parties and I think it might have something to do with all of the yummy cocktails! When you're throwing a party sometimes it's hard to enjoy it because you're worried about all the details. I love these BBQ party printables from Green Lily Designs because it takes the stress away when setting up the decor for your party. They include:

• lemonade labels: strawberry, raspberry, and lemon
• water bottle labels
• drink pick toppers (1 1/8 inch circles)
• 5x7 bbq invitation (without party info)
• 5x7 generic invitation (just image without any words so it can be used for any occasion)

Cool Shit: Cardboard Cooler

{via Cascades}

Composed of 70% recycled cardboard, this cooler is perfect for all of our summer BBQ's and picnics. It's lined with NorShield waterproof coating which makes it completely reusable. It'll stay cool at 5 degrees Celcius for 36 hours. It keeps your bevies cool AND it's good for the environment - win win!

Spotlight: Winter Kate Fall 2011

I well aware that summer has just begun and it's 30+ degrees Celsius outside right now, but I must admit I got pretty excited when I laid eyes on the Winter Kate fall collection. I love Nicole Richie's style and have been a big fan of House of Harlow these last few years, so I knew I would naturally love her Winter Kate line. I love the boho feel, the silky flowy fabrics, the use of prints and the subtle layering.