Pillow talk.....anyone?

As teased about....my lovely DIY Pillow covers came this week and I cannot wait to show some of them off in my neatened up livingroom :) This is the hardest room in my house to style. It is the first room you see when you come in, the last impression when you leave and it is a doozy of a space to make fit into our lifestyle. 12' x 22'...it's a bowling alley.

I am not a "formal" diningroom kinda gal. I aspire to be.....but with the amount of boys here and the dog (who you'll see) I gave that up for a sturdy harvest table, benches and $8.00 IKEA plastic stacking chairs in the kitchen/diner until they go to college.

So our bowling alley is actually an office/ library and sitting room adjacent to our kitchen/diner. Take a tour? Please do, don't forget to look at all the sexy pillows!!!

The new addition here is the sofabed from my Mom (who has a new teeny apartment and couldn't take it with her).











One problem....this is what is hiding beneath the slipcover....avert your eyes if you have a weak stomach.

Here is the other side, a setee just for you to rest into while I go get us something to drink...lovely little vintage piece I picked up for $40 that creates a neat seat and the right amount of tension in a very contemporary home.

The side table in here is a rescue from my husband's family cottage. I gained a sister-in-law over the past few years that likes to "clean out" and burn things up there. I have now rescued a number of things, this gateleg being one of them. Seriously, who would throw this on a pile?? Don't answer that. My husband already weighed in on this issue :)

Who doesn't have a book called the "Dangerous Book for Boys"? LOL













The office ended up being a corner of the bowling alley next to the front window and across from the "WALL of CRAP".

I keep the only puter in the house in plain view....again with the boys being the reason here. You know what boys google at 1 am? No? Don't ask.

Quinn likes this spot. He's secretly taking over the world from this location :)

We moved the mid-century desk I scored last year for Liam's room here and I labelled the drawers for the minions to place items appropriately. You know, so I'm not screeching throughout the house like a banshee looking for a pen! Don't worry about Liam, he's getting a better deal (wink wink).

The curtains are hung from a tension wire system from IKEA and are sari fabric from Vancouver that my sister sourced and bought for me on a trip back home

Told ya you would see the dog! So there you have it, my bowling alley, revamped and revealed :) Did you spot some of those sexy pillows????

Thanks Sugarplum!

Do you know Cassie? She blogged about this fantastic dealio a number of weeks ago and I just about DIED!

So, when in doubt.....VISA to the rescue! Unfortunately, I found out mid-purchase that yardage does not ship to Canada :( BOOOOOO! However, being tenacious (as I have been told I can be), I did find out that the pillow covers could be shipped!

*cue the angels here*

So, I ordered and have received 7 lovely covers for around my casa. Pics to come for sure but here is a teaser :)

Thanks be to the lovely LISA from DIY Pillows for the quick shipping. I've been stalking my mailbox for a week!

Hello Universe? I wanna get off now.

The swirling, roiling chaos of my life has seriously impeded my projects, my hobbies, my sanity. I have been in a whirlwind of CRAZY. From back-to-school, to Mom, to working more overtime than I thought possible to meals, to garbage night, to homework, to husband's work on strike.....man I could go on. But I won't. Suffice to say, I apologize for being conspicuously absent these past few weeks. I hate NOT blogging or keeping up with my peeps. I'll be trying to get here more this next week after the general melee sorts itself out....

For now...

Stairway to......

OK, calling all you DECOR DIVAS!

My sister has moved into her *new* apartment and this is the staircase to her domain. Please be aware she is suddenly single, has a daughter of 14 and is making the very mostest of a modest budget!!

This stairwell makes me think that whoever lived here previously worked in a kennell and had no training on how to remove one's shoes. That being said, the wooden steps beneath this carpet-nightmare are worn and not in the best shape...

So, my lovelies, any ideas on cheep-cheep, happy lovely ways to make this look more like the *Stairway to Heaven* instead of a waterslide to Hades?

I love you. Thanks for diving in with me. :)

The view from here!

It is the winding down of summer. I can almost feel the backpacks trying
to bust their way out of the boy's closets. Greg will be getting back to work in 10 more days and the kids will start making their over-priced lists of Have-To-Have items for back to school.

For now, I'm gonna sit here and think about this past summer. The new pool, the Pudge and long cold drinks with friends under the gazebo. I've had a great time :)

For your viewing pleasure.....

I present to you the new IKEA catalogue. The lovely Madeleine - Public Relations Manager for IKEA Canada was kind enough to send me the widget for use on my blog. I know most of us have a love and/or "complicated" relationship with IKEA so enter at your own risk.

I am not responsible for your paycheque woes from here on in :)

I'm the Weiner!

Hey, if you haven't been over to visit my friend Carol-Anne at Use The Good Dishes, you should take a stroll on over there. Not only is the lady giving me a $100 gift card for Northern Reflections (fashion store here in Canada, eh) but she has some great advice on how to manage your OCD :), organizing and her complicated relationship with our mutual boyfirend IKEA....

Thanks Carol-Anne. I think you're right, I think we'd be friends outside of blogworld too. Just look at her freakin' living room. Can you say COLOUR? Aqua and green.....me thinks we would get along just fine.