a ten year anniversary

Ten years ago, I started a blog. I barely knew what a blog was, but I was newly married, home with a baby and I found myself longing for a creative outlet. Somewhere that I could write and indulge my creativity, share what I found beautiful in the day to day of living. I had no idea how much this blog would grow me. How much it would push me to find and nurture my tastes. I had no idea the sense of community I would find, women who share the same interests and passions and sense of style.

I've always had an idea to as to where I would like to take my blog. Seemingly grand and lofty dreams that have always seemed like things I would tackle in the future, when the boys were grown and I had more time to focus on it.

But the truth is, while I'm not ready to fully jump into anything full-time, I do think that it's important to work towards dreams.

Over the past decade, I've watched my tastes evolve and in the last couple years, settle. Settle in a sense that I've learned to trust my instincts and do things in a way that makes me happy. To know what I want to do, and be confident in how I want to do it. Over all these years, I've found inspiration in so many other fellow bloggers and how their blogs have evolved. Catherine of In the Fields gave me the confidence to paint an entire house white like I envisioned, and a love for beautiful old things. And Tessa of Nine & Sixteen pushed me to layer patterns and that blue and green are neutral in their own beautiful ways. And Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions has inspired an embracing of the seasons and how to celebrate them in your home. Maria of Dreamy Whites showed me that you can take something you have a love for, like collecting beautiful old things, and grow it into a beautiful business. And Heather Bullard helped me realize what styling was - that it is an art - and that doing it can take you to the most beautiful places. And of course those many, many (many) back issues of Martha Stewart Living magazine. And these are just some!

There are so many other Instagram accounts that bring inspiration and feed my creativity every single day. I know I'm not the only one that feels this way, but I feel like I've found my people. Others who just get me, who's brains work the same way as mine. We are drawn to the same things. Who love words and wrapping pretty packages and browsing antique shops and setting tables and matching fabrics and fluffing pillows and painting rooms and arranging flowers and styling outfits and reading books and travelling to quaint towns and capturing life.

One of the reasons I've always been hesitant to make some dreams a reality, is because honestly, I have so many dreams. I want to cook and entertain, I want to spend my days curating antiques for a little shop in some little town. I want to write a book. I want to write for publications and share some of the beautiful people and places I've stumbled upon. I want to travel and explore. I want to design beautiful spaces as I envision them.

But, I don't want to miss a single moment with my boys.

I don't know how many of you know this, but years ago, I would host a yearly sale. I would collect and store antiques and vintage finds for an entire year, and on Thanksgiving weekend, pull everything out, set it all up (which was really my favourite part), and then have a sale.

While I don't have the desire to do any sort of show, I miss collecting. I miss setting the things I find up in a way that shows them off.

So, in an attempt to begin to work towards some of these lofty goals of mine, I've decided to start collecting again. Well, in truth, I've already started.

I'm going to start hosting a small online sale - a collection of antique and vintage items, curated for each season.

My first collection will be

The Summer Collection.

Classic blue and white. Nautical inspiration. Timeless and natural.

I'm still working out all the details, but essentially, a date for the collection would be set ahead of time. I will feature all of the items in my stories and then launch the collection the following day. If you purchased an item, a paypal invoice will be sent and I will ship the items off for you to enjoy!

I will list the items available for this collection later today in my stories. The sale will go live on Saturday morning at 11 am AST/ 10:00 am EST.

So, I have no idea what the next ten years will hold. It's hard to imagine they can top these last ten!  For now, I know I want to start slowing working towards some of these lofty ideas of mine and for now, I'm thankful that I can share with you.

I want to live simply. I want to live intentionally. I want to live beautifully.

With so much gratefulness,

Maria

The Office

Now that our dining room has been relocated back to the other end of our living room, our sun room has been left feeling kind of empty and not really useful. I had an arm chair and an end table in there to fill the space a little, but it was really just that - to fill space. And really, in a small home, well used space is so important.

A while ago I had set this room up as an office space. The view of the woods and the back yard is beautiful, and as it's nearly all windows, it's very bright. I thought it would be best to bring the desk back up from the basement and make it an office once more.

It's also a door to the back deck and back yard, so having this space set up in this way, with the desk up against the window, provides ample walking room.

I tried to keep things quite simple and clean.

The sun room is off of the kitchen, at the back of the house. To the left of these peg hooks is the staircase to the basement, and to the right are the french doors to the back deck.

We've had this desk since we were first married, and this chair was found at auction one time for $15.

Ideally, I would love to find a natural fibre rug, such a sisal, that would fill this space. But I didn't have anything on hand except this small rug. The tile floors in this room are a little cold in the winter, so it's nice to have something under foot.

My Juniper that I brought in for the winter is still doing well. In fact, it has a few inches of new growth on it.

Seeing as it's an office space, I hung my calender (the simplest one I could find) and my small inspiration board. It makes me laugh that this was my Pinterest. I find having something visual like this to look at is very inspiring to me.

On my board right now I have a lovely quote by John Howard Payne "Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.".

Each of these images are so lovely, and simple, and beautiful - the few snipped Peonies by the old brass goose neck faucet with the ornate mirror, the panelled bath with the luxurious tub, the vase of Hyacinths, the collection of antique watering cans, Trisha Foley's gorgeously simple outdoor spaces, and some decor inspiration with the natural rug, covered arm chair with the turned legs and old transferware collection.

My bouquet of flowers, though quite a bit smaller than at first, is still making me smile. I just keep removing the dead flowers and rearraging it a bit to keep it alive.

 The little bit of storage I need fits into this wicker trunk.

Oliver has found another new favourite spot, on the rug in front of the warm vent, in the sunlight.

I also hung this old portrait on the wall. I liked that dark frame and didn't have any other artwork that suited it well.

Inspirations

Country Home

Today is one of those wonderful Saturday mornings in the Fall.

It's slightly overcast, with little hints of sunshine here and there. It's the perfect weather for open windows and linens on the line. Everything feels relaxed, but productive.

I can hear the hum of the washing machine as I make pastry for a Pumpkin Pie (the first of the season), and I can faintly smell the smokey scents of a neighbor's wood stove coming through my kitchen window. There is a roast cooking with chunks of carrot, onion and potato for dinner tonight, and I'm just about to mop my floors. I've been to the market, and out for breakfast, and am just about to put a sleepy boy down for a nap.

I love Saturdays like this.

Here are a few images that I have brought me a lot of inspiration lately.

Happy Saturday.

via Little Emma English Home

This image has really inspired a makeover in Willen's room (which is not nearly finished yet as I just haven't found the time, and quite frankly, don't mind). The crates are great storage and I love the wired frames with bits hanging from it. I am also very much in love with that gorgeous mirrored cabinet, particularly the colour.

Australian Country Style

I love this table and set of chairs. I also am very much drawn to these two styles of wood - dark and rich colours, as well as natural and softer finishes. They even work extremely well together. I also love the simple detail of the stairs and the overall relaxed feel the room has to it.

Country Living

Again, these natural woods are so beautiful. I also love the sofa and chair and of course, this gorgeous rustic table!

via Little Emma English Home

What can I say about this kitchen? It's just so perfectly well worn and lived in. It's gorgeous.

Country Living

I also love this room. It's symmetrical, which I'm always drawn to. I love the creamy walls, and the painted beds with crisp white linens. I like the simple frames in black for a bit of contrast, and I like the simple chair which makes a perfect night stand. It's simple and beautiful.

Country Living

And finally, this gorgeous room, which I believe is the upstairs apartment of an old converted Post Office. It's a little more romantic, but the textured of this house, and the details are just stunning. The exposed brick is perfectly worn, and the beams are so full of character and the mouldings... breathtaking. Oh, and the furnishings aren't too bad either!

Clippings and Outdoor Inspirations

[The Grower's Daughter]

Hello again.

We made it safely back after a fantastic trip out East, and are feeling refreshed, but happy to be back home.

I finally feel like I've got the laundry under control once again, (for now at least!), and as though my house has found some sort of order.

I spent the weekend shopping for some furnishings for Willen's bedroom, and I hope to finally be able to tackle it later this week. I was especially motivated after discovering that September's issue of Country Living was their Makeover Issue - my favourite!

I also spent this afternoon at an auction, something I've missed doing, and am happy to report that I scored a full load of treasures at amazing prices! My garage is reaching it's capacity and I think it's time I haul it out and begin sorting and planning projects for October.

[The Grower's Daughter]

 

I was happy to come home to my Limelight's in full bloom. Because they are so unbelievably full, I didn't mind clipping a few for our dining room table.

I also spent an unusual amount of time in our yard this past weekend. The mornings have been unusually cool and I've been making the most of them by catching up on some long overdue weeding and tidying of the gardens. I'm ashamed to say they are looking extremely overgrown and wild at the moment.

In the mean time, I've fallen so in love with these few photos of the most lovely outdoor spaces.

My husband longs for a porch. It was his only request when we searched for our first house, and sadly, the only item that didn't get checked off. This one, with it's vines creeping against white wood and gorgeous old flooring, is pretty near perfect.

I'm also very much looking forward to the day we can put up a fence that includes a pretty arbor. And, of course, cover it in Wisteria.

And this. This is everything I'm looking for. A gorgeous hammock, a knitted throw and a good book. I've recently been inspired to read through my Austen collection and I couldn't think of a more suiting place to get lost in the pages of Mansfield Park or Sense and Sensibility (both of which, I've just finished).

Inspirations - Spring is Calling

 [Country Living]

Fresh cuttings from peony bushes. Love.

Spring is on it's way. We all know that. But sometimes a girl needs a few reminders... especially when the weather outside says otherwise.

Enjoy!

[Home Green Home]

 I am so in love with the mud room. How lovely would it be putter around in a place like this, with the windows open, and a fresh breeze blowing in. I can't get enough of crusty old clay pots, and glass cloches! I would add a few old wooden crates, and some zinc pots, and my old galvanized watering cans!

[Martha Stewart Living]

 Nothing says spring like spring cleaning... and a gorgeous laundry area! Talk about simply divine.

[Country Living]

 How about laundered sheets, fresh from the line? I love the look of crisp white sheets blowing in the breeze, but I love the smell even more.

[Martha Stewart Living]

Spring is about resorting order to your home and refreshing what has been dormant for a long winter. Nothing echos the promise of spring like paper whites blooming in gorgeous old ironstone. Not everyone is a fan of their scent, but to me it smells like spring... a bit earthy and dirty.

[House Beautiful]

 Rooms are instantly brightened when you bring a bit of the outdoors in. This is a stunning entrance way.

[House Beautiful]

 And finally, who loves this courtyard? Um, I do. I would love to be able to move my company into "the courtyard". But seriously, this isn't even a large space! It just gorgeous with the greenery and the crisp white. But mostly, it has the cozy feeling of being a room in your home, with all the charms of enjoying outdoors. Perfection!