The Modern Glider… Top 5 Choices

May 3, 2012 in Nursery, Shopping Finds, Style with 0 Comments

Finding a glider for the nursery that is modern, pleasing on the eye & within our budget has proven to be my biggest challenge… and I’m super picky. Case in point… I don’t like curved back gliders. Clean lines please. Square it off.

My favourite is the Monte Luca glider. Hands down, love it, its perfect but it’s out of the budget. Next up is the Megan II Glider (I am ignorning the curve of the arms) but also a bit out of the budget and probably next are the two Costco gliders although I’m not in love (remember how I said I’m picky?). I’m also scouring Craiglist & Kijiji but haven’t really found anything yet.

I’ve even thought about foregoing the glider since there is a single bed in the room & thought I would do as I did with my daughter & breastfeed him laying down or on the couch downstairs where I will spend most of my time but hubbie nixed that idea. He’s thinking down the road when we are trying to get the little guy to sleep. Fair enough… the hunt continues.

Anyone have any suggestions?

…for those on baby watch…6 weeks to go.

Sneak Peek…LVS ReDesign

April 25, 2012 in Blogging, Life with 0 Comments

I decided Life.Vision.Style needed a new look. I jumped in feet first & thought, ‘I can do this!’. I actual enjoy figuring out technical things but I must admit this has been a bit more of a challenge… but a challenge is good.

I purchased a custom theme for WordPress (Standard Theme) & am determined to figure it all out. **If anyone knows of any sites or blogs with tips please send them my way

It may take me a little bit longer (I seem to have forgotten everything I have on my plate right now) but I’m looking forward to the new look.

Think modern & clean lined.

Of course I am enjoying the designing aspect the best so far but am still playing around with the layout.

I haven’t decided how to incorporporate categories or tags into my site & would ideally like the sidebar buttons to be a bit more creative but stay with my minimalist look.

I’m also finding deciding on fonts is taking me a while. There are so many to choose from. For now I have shelved that decision and am concentrating on the layout and creative design elements.

This is the first layout. We’ll see where I go from here… I’m already feeling like it could be more dynamic.

Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts or suggestions!

…so if you visit LVS & its in ‘maintenance mode’ you know what I’m up to.

Nursery Progress…

April 24, 2012 in Life, Nursery, Style with 0 Comments

Lots of nesting and resting has been happening around here lately. I will admit that my waddle is in full effect. Nesting has resulted in major purging along with shopping for the nursery… in between naps of course.

Here’s a sneak peek at our progress…

I am so happy with the room so far. I love that we were able to use an old dresser by painting it white & love how there seems to be a circle theme going on that wasn’t exactly planned. We hung the curtains and shelves & I realized that the circular wire wall art that originally hung downstairs in our house would be perfect between the two windows to mimic the circular detail of the shelves.

It’s also abstract, linear & very LVS.

Left to get done…

Hang art above the crib (I ordered this fabulous Sharon Montrose print today) & around the single bed
Possibly creating a corner headboard for the single bed to give it a daybed feel
Hem & line curtains
Style shelves
Find a table light
Find the perfect glider… Why is this so hard? I can’t seem to find a cost effective glider that I like & we’re running of time. Anyone have any suggestions?

Part 2…Spring One of A Kind Show

March 30, 2012 in Artist Profiles, Inspiration!, Shopping Finds, Vision with 0 Comments

As promised, part 2 of my recap of the Spring One of a Kind Show (…you can find Part 1 here)

What else caught my eye? Photography…art… & little critters.

Just like Whiteout Workshop’s Booth, I had to visit the ‘Images of This and That‘ booth twice. Featuring the photography of Tania Fitzpatrick, hubbie wanted some prints as soon as I sent him the shot below. The only problem? When I returned to her booth with hubbie on the phone, we couldn’t decide which ones to get. Thankfully we can order some prints off her etsy site.

Images of This and That, Photography by Tania Fitzpatrick… visit her Etsy Shop

Of course I am drawn to the more abstract, nostalgic images & hubbie is drawn to the photographs of nature. The great thing about Tania’s work? She has it all & such a unique photographic eye (& super personable too). Another plus is that her prints are all 12 x 12 square format and fit into an IKEA Ribba frame. I’ll keep you posted on what we decide to get.

Fine Art Paintings by Stavros

Next up, the abstract paintings by Stavros lured me in. I was drawn to their fluidity, calmness & beautiful use of colour. He has an entire series like the paintings above as well as other abstracts and figurative paintings. Visit his website to see more of his great work.

I love these photographic image transfers onto wood by Patrick Lajoie from Studio Liscious. With the natural imperfections from the image transfer they have a vintage, nostalgic vibe & the horizontal, linear format has a modern, contemporary look.

This is another photographic image transfer by Patrick Lajoie of Studio Licious, titled Fracture. Despite not being a huge fan of the colour red, I was drawn to the movement & drama of this piece. Combined with the unique shape & format it would definitely be a captivating, modern piece on your wall.

Le Petit Reve by Selena Burgess

At this point of the show I’m sure my waddle was probably in full effect but I passed Selena Burgess’ booth and melted when I saw these little critters. As a fibre artist & illustrator she creates these little cuddlies & organic chevron quilts which you can purchase at her etsy shop. She is also a fellow blogger at Le Petit Reve.

As always, I really enjoyed the One of a Kind Show & left feeling inspired by all the artists. The show runs all weekend, closing on April 1st. If you get the chance, go check it out!

Part 1…Spring One of Kind Show

March 28, 2012 in Artist Profiles, Inspiration!, Shopping Finds, Vision with 1 Comment

The Spring One of a Kind Show is here! … & it did not disappoint.

The morning started off with a delicious raw breakfast made by Cruda Cafe for the media breakfast. It fuelled me & my pregnant belly for the show ahead with some delicious dishes I had never tried before.

Where to start with the show? It’s fabulous. Let’s just say in the first 10 minutes I made my first purchase.

A Robert Wu print for my daughters room. (I blogged about Mr. Wu’s work here). I have admired Robert Wu’s work for a few years now & am so happy I finally own a piece of his work.

Magnolia, by Robert Wu, 2011

(I just realized that the print is titled ‘Magnolia’, my favourite flower)

Of course I was drawn to these porcelain jars. I love the vintage, iconic Canadian motifs by Heyday Design. They have a contemporary, modern feel with a throw back to vintage roots. I could have easily added them to my jar collection.

I was drawn to the booth by Matter Company first because of their branding. I am a sucker for good, clean branding. The founder, Denise Williams was kind enough to explain their baby and pregnancy line to me (I am regretting not getting their belly balm).

Their philosophy, “…to embrace a holistic approach to personal care which recognizes the relationship between our natural environment and our physical and emotional well being.” -Matter Company

Visit their website to learn more about this company & their products.

The Whiteout Workshop booth I had to visit twice. First I was immediately drawn to the the black and white contrast silk screened prints. I love the linear, abstract quality & playfulness to owner Natasha Paterson work. I had to revisit her booth because I was so indecisive about which print to get. With such affordable prices for a unique piece of art it was hard to make a decision.

Scraggle Tree Screen Print by Natasha Petarson of Whiteout Workshop, 18 x 24, $25

I finally decided on the above tree print for our nursery. I think it will look perfect in the black, white, blue, modern scheme we have decided on.

You can see more of Natasha’s work at Whiteout Workshop & visit her online shop to see more of her work & understand why it was so hard for me to make a decision.

*Read how she arrived to where she is today & just went for it in her ‘about’ section…inspirational

…tomorrow, Part 2 of the Spring One of a Kind Show featuring photography, art & some playful little critters by more great artists.

Unique Spring Flower Display

March 26, 2012 in Home Accessories, Style with 0 Comments

Spring is almost here. I was going to say it’s here but today it’s a chilly 4 degrees. Last week hubbie brought home some georgeous flowers from the Canada Blooms/Home Show (A bunch of tulips & I don’t know my flowers well enough to know what the purple flower is).

Remember my love of glass vases and jars?

I repurposed them to be the perfect container for my spring flowers.

I set them on a window ledge in our stair well that gets some beautiful light & spruces up our view of a brick wall (as much as you can spruce up a view of a brick wall).

Our 3 1/2 year old wanted in on the decorating and put together her own small vase with her ‘Peter the Rabbit’ egg cup.

Its a nice sight every time you go down the stairs. I may have to keep getting some fresh flowers to keep this fresh vignette.

Photography by Krystin McBride of L.V.S.

Nursery Design Board

March 15, 2012 in Art by Kryst, Design Boards, Nursery, Vision with 1 Comment

*Paint Colour is the background colour, Benjamin Moore, Iced Cubed Silver (2121-50)

I finally have a plan for our little boy’s nursery. With our daughter we didn’t know her gender before she was born so we went very neutral & the decor was very baby. This time around I wanted to go a different route…

Modern, Clean Lined & Refreshing

Very Life.Vision.Style. Very Me.

I have incorporated pieces that we already own – the crib, dot garland (similar to the garland above but purchased at a much lower cost at a paper boutique), elephant statue (HomeSense), elephant hooks (antique shop years ago) & stuffed giraffe (gift).

Our plan is also to have a single bed in the room & attempt to make a padded headboard with the striped fabric to give it a daybed look.

For the walls, I fell in love with this Macaw photograph from Sharon Montrose years ago and have just been waiting for the perfect place for this print (now I can order it!). I think it was actually the starting point for the nursery. Combined with some of my smaller abstract paintings and photographs for the other side of the room some additional pops of colour will be introduced.

This is the starting point & inspiration for the room…We’ll now see how it evolves.

Let me know what you think!

*I’m in love with the glider but it’s on the dream list. We will most likely be looking at a used glider & updating it.

Life Lately…

March 8, 2012 in Blogging, Life with 0 Comments

I have been missing around here lately & have missed it.

I’m finding it hard lately to stay inspired and creative as I seem to have hit another phase of fatigue in this pregnancy. Combined with a 3 1/2 year old, part time work & life in general, doing things for myself have taken a back seat & resting is a big priority. I am hoping this is just a minor phase as I have 14 weeks left to go & didn’t experience this fatigue during my daughter’s pregnancy.

I am not very good at just sitting around when I do find time for myself so mentally it has taken a toll on me.

Shout out to hubbie. I am ever so thankful for an amazing hubbie who is picking up the slack in all areas & an ever so understanding 3 1/2 year old who understands that the baby in mommy’s tummy makes her really tired.

I have my fingers crossed that I can attend the next BlogPodium conference on May 24th… 3 weeks before my due date. The last session was so inspiring & filled me with a renewed creativity. I would love to experience this again & meet like minded bloggers. I’m a bit nervous about how close it is to baby’s arrival & the state I will be in…we’ll see.