While I don’t have any statistics to prove it, I think the number of black and white blog headers around the blogosphere has increased in the past few years. What do you think? Do you like the simplicity of black & white or would you rather see a colourful blog header that more appropriately matches the blog’s content?
Halloween is just a few days away. I’ve been enjoying reading about amazing Halloween DIYs and cool costumes but I have had zero time to focus on Halloween this year. I’ve got my pumpkin and that’s about all I’m going to get.
What about you? Are you dressing up? Did you already go to a Halloween party or two? Still looking for an easy costume? Here’s one for you…
via Urban Outfitters
A day late with the Friday Five this week but nevermind…here we are now. I hope you all had a wonderful week. What are your weekend plans?
I was due to attend Art Toronto but I couldn’t make it in the end (the first time in a few years). I know it was another great success and I hope to be back into my Art Toronto-attending routine next year.
Thought I’d wrap up the week with some art anyway – this time with black and white line drawings from UK-artist  Ian Stevenson.
When I bought my house I thought one of the first things to go would be the hall light fixtures. They looked, to me at least, to be too flashy and I couldn’t really imagine how they would match my furniture. The dark burgundy walls didn’t help their case.
before: the foyer with dark walls and a fancy chandelier
Once I painted the place white, the chandeliers seemed to (almost) disappear. They looked less gawdy than before and they actually began to grow on me. In fact, I’ve become such a fan of them over the last few months that I have now decided to keep them.
And I don’t seem to be alone in my interest in this style of chandelier.
via Ebay
The chandeliers in the above photos are the tronchi style. They’re made of crystal and each piece is in the shape of a tube or trunk (hence the Italian translation of the name). These handmade Murano glass Venini chandeliers can also be made up of prism crystals and balls like the gorgeous fixture from 1st Dibs below.
via 1st Dibs
A couple of weeks ago, I found a few similar chandeliers and decided to scoop them up for other places around the house. I’m completely hooked on these now and I have completely embraced their fascinating style! I should say, though, that my collection of lighting fixtures is made up of the budget/imitation version of the Venini glass chandeliers but they still reflect the light beautifully and are interesting to look at (not to mention great conversation pieces). The lucite prisms in my chandelier collection are proving that they work perfectly with my decor. I’ve dropped a few of the prisms as I cleaned them so I’m pretty thankful that the pieces are durable. They’re fairly lightweight too which has made installation smooth. Be on the lookout, people. I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing more of these Venini chandeliers (or the lucite versions) all over the design blogs and magazines soon enough.
Check back soon for a full lighting reveal!
I’m pleased to announce that I have now completed the tile work in my powder room. I ordered the grout – smoke grey – from Twin City Tile and grouted the floor over the Thanksgiving long weekend. I am SO incredibly pleased with the floor and I am SO glad I decided to rip out the vinyl.
Grouting was easier than laying the tiles down. I was certainly less stressed about this part of the process. How did I get the job done? I followed the directions on the grout package as well as the instruction I received from the Home Depot tiling workshop I attended and the mini lesson I received from Silvano at Twin City Tile. I mixed the grout powder with water and stirred it all up (with a paint stick – it was a small batch so this was good enough) so it had the consistency of pudding or icing (tiling and grouting is just like icing a cake!). I used the spatula (grout spreader) and moved the grout into the spaces like I’ve seen on TV (honestly!). I let the grout dry for about 10-15 minutes and then spent quite a bit of time (over an hour maybe) cleaning the tiles very carefully. I knew I couldn’t leave any grout residue on the tiles otherwise my floor would be ruined. I spent so much time wiping the grout off with a damp sponge just as I had been taught (one direction, rinse the sponge after each wipe, etc.). It was time consuming but very satisfying. I then let the grout dry for a few days (I think it only needed 24 hours) before I actually stepped on the floor.
The room is almost done. Since the last powder room progress update I bought a new toilet (dual flush – so fancy) and a new mirror. I (and my handy parents) now just need to…
– sand the walls
– prime the walls
– paint the walls
– buy baseboards
– install baseboards
– install vanity (this one)
– install faucet (this one)
– install toilet
– install light fixture
– install mirror (from here)
And then the room will be ready for a big reveal!