Prints

I can't get enough of bold, colorful prints! I'm going nuts over at Pinterest. I have a board for Clothing, Tableware and Home...

Follow Katri's board Prints on Pinterest.

Looking at the dates from my older pins, looks like this isn't really a recent interest, but has been sneakily developing over quite a while. Perhaps it just took some time to develop.

Are you on Pinterest? What are you pinning now? Please share, I'd love to see!

Setting up my studio

Having a place to work is high up on my wishlist when it comes to finding a home. When we came to Toronto to look for an apartment, it was the first thing on my 'I-really-really-really-want-one' list. However, that would be the first one to get cut over more important things like two bedrooms. I'm sure I would've figured out a little nook somewhere to work in, but I was delighted to find our current apartment which has a solarium.

I saw the potential there, but only now in the summer it's really coming together. The space is smaller than what I had before when it comes to storage space, but the layout is completely different. I like that I can close the door if I need to, but ultimately I want it to not only work, but look nice as well.


I can finally say I have a legit studio!


I've been working on it a lot last week and I can finally see it coming together. I so want to share some photos of it once it's finished, but a few snapshots will have to do for now. Strings of lights make everything better!

I've moved almost everything around and gone through a whole lot of materials last week. It's the last little push to get it done, I just feel like I'm running out of steam now.

The tree is here!

If you've followed my blog for a while now (or if you know me in real life) you know that I really, really like Christmas. Every year I put the tree up the first weekend of December and try to add a few other decorative touches for my home.

This year it so happened that our move was scheduled on December 1st. Then we had to wait of our furniture and other things to arrive, so I only got the tree up two days ago.

I love the fireplace. It was just calling for a couple of stockings. I have a few more ideas how to decorate the fireplace (hopefully) without going overboard with it.

I will take more photos, but there are still some boxes around. I do have a few other decorative things to put up as well. I'll share some more photos once I have a better handle of the place.

Do you have decorations up yet? Will you decorate your home?

New apartment

My new place has old school radiators and wide windowsills. If they were a bit wider, I don't know if I'd even need chairs.

The floors are old, solid wood and not even close to being flat. You can tell they've been here for a long time.


I finally got the fireplace I've wanted for years. It's fake, but I don't really care.


And the light... I love the light in here.

I'll share more photos once the boxes are gone and things find their places.

Sleepless

How are you today?

I am, as the header states, having trouble sleeping. It's my own fault really. Combine a love for zombie TV shows (OK, the Walking Dead*) with an overactive imagination and you get a lot of very vivid zombie apocalypse -type scenarios going on at 5am. The good news is that they aren't really nightmares, but scenarios that I, immediately after waking, must put together a plan for. This, in turn, usually wakes me up fully.

Things are starting to fall into their places over here. We got all of out stuff on Thursday, so I spent a good portion of yesterday just unpacking. The kitchen is almost done and a few pieces of clothing have already found their places. Most of the furniture is already at their designated spots. I can't wait to get more of the boxes done, get my studio set up and, of course, put up the Christmas tree.

This is Gossamer headed over to the solarium. That's where my studio will be set up. Eventually.

I'm also missing the cable for my camera. So, even though I do have some new photos to share with you, I can't get them out of the camera yet. So, unfortunately, all I have for now are some less than stellar photos taken with my phone.

Got any helpful tips for problems with sleep?

*) Frankly, I am shocked half of the characters are still alive. I believe seeing, and usually loudly pointing out, the flaws in their survival strategies has equipped me with the necessary skills to survive a zombie apocalypse should one start at any point.

Organizing - The best way to keep your mail supplies in order

Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that are the most effective.

The problem: All the small items, like address labels, priority mail labels, decorative stickers and most of all, postage stamps, are all over my desk. I can't find the ones that I need if I'm working on something else at the table. I used to keep them in a box, but then had to go through an entire stack of things when working on something.

The solution:



A photo album. I can't believe I didn't even think of this before. I actually bought this album a long while ago for another project. I ended up never doing that project, so it's been sitting on my shelf all this time, taking up space.

I organized it to have the large sticker sheets of postage stamps* in the first few pages in the front. Then there are mail related stickers like priority mail stickers and address labels. Then we have other "office supplies" type stickers (square and round blank labels, highlighter tabs, file organizers, color-coded dots, etc) and the end of the album is reserved to all sorts of random stickers, like the silly Korean ones.

I feel there are two major benefits to this; I have all the materials in one place, so 1) I can easily browse through what I have and 2) I won't have to look for things when I'm sending something out.

Do you have a great organizing tip to share? I'd love to hear about it!

*) I have another solution for non-sticker stamps. I'll share that with you next time!

Friday Inspiration - a herb garden

As I write this, the temperature outside is +15 degrees Celsius. That's 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The high for today is supposedly 23 C/73 F. So, this means two things:

1) I am mentally starting my spring and summer preparations; and
2) I will go outside immediately after finishing this post and will not come back inside all day.

But, let's start with the first. I need to continue my spring cleaning. I should really pack away the last of my winter gear and bring out all the lighter shoes and clothes. However, that is incredibly boring and not really fun at all (especially if I'd write an entire post about it, the results make me happy, not so much the process).

However, there is something fun that I've been thinking about; a herb garden. No, wait! Hear me out! I've done this a few times and I only have fun herbs, things that I actually use. So far the most useful herbs have been basil; for cooking like pasta sauce and it's absolutely incredible when plucked from the plant and served on top of mozzarella and tomatoes; mint; for mojitos and it's amazing with fresh pineapple and finally, cilantro; for everything. I love cilantro. It's tough to grow at home, but it's so good with everything, also, makes incredible pesto.

I only have a small outdoor space that faces the sun, so I've been looking for inspiration for a compact herb garden.

Source: blomsterverkstad.blogspot.com via Fiona on Pinterest

Source: sannaochsania.blogspot.fr via Kia on Pinterest

Source: how-do-it.info via Trix on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: mariaemb.se via Lyn on Pinterest

Source: remodelista.com via Pang on Pinterest

I can't wait to get started. It's still a bit early, but I'm already thinking about what to do this year. You can see the set up from last year here


Do you grow herbs? What are your favorites?

The big reveal - Vintage Trunk

I'm so excited about this. I have been looking for one for so long and now that I wrote about it, I found one within a few weeks. (Just wait, I'm going to start writing about all sorts of other things too that have been on my list for a long time)

The cats have so far accepted the trunk as another place for them to nap on. Gossamer especially seems to like it, partially because he gets a clear view of the TV from the top of it. They haven't paid particular attention to it since it came into the house, but the second the camera comes out, they start play-fighting right in front. And of course, once the trunk was opened, I couldn't get Gossamer out of there. So, kitty-infused photos, s'il vous plait!


[Yes, that ball of fur on the left is two cats rolling around on the floor trying to bite each other. Not one large, oddly-shaped one]

Not only did I find one, but I found three trunks in the thrift shop. One green, one blue and one burgundy. The other two were in worse shape than this one, so I picked the green. It was the one I liked best anyway and it's actually a very similar shade of green I've painted the living room.


The inside is paper covered entirely and comes with a tray. The tray part has been re-enforced with duct tape, so I'll need to come up with a way to fix that. Besides that, however, it's in pretty great shape.


At the moment it's sitting at the end of the current coffee table in the living room. It's too small to work as a coffee table by itself, but I'm not concerned about finding uses for it. Right now it will stay where it is since it feels like it belongs there. Perhaps later I'll find another spot for it.


I will still keep an eye out for another one to work as a coffee table, but I'm just so excited to have found this one. Oh, and I'm always curious how much people pay for their amazing finds, so I think it's only fair to share, right? I paid $40. Which I find pretty damn affordable.

So happy!

Have you made any kick-ass finds recently?

Friday Inspiration - Alternate uses for a trunk

My love for vintage items is no secret. And I'm fairly sure neither is my love for repurposing and upcycling. I've talked before about finding the perfect coffee table and how I would love to find an old trunk for that purpose. Now, I recently made a major score at a thrift store. I'll show you proper photos soon, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen a peek already. (If you don't follow me on Instagram, go do it now: @brinnertime)

I am currently trying to figure out what else could one use a old trunk for besides the more obvious choice of a small table.

Source: thethreadaffect.com via Katri on Pinterest

This is still a table, agreed, but I like the added legs. That alone gives it a new twist. I'm thinking some wheels might be great. Think of the old, industrial style ones.

Source: bhg.com via Niki on Pinterest

I love the idea of turning it to a bench. These seem very sturdy though, so not just any old thing would work.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Katri on Pinterest

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is pure genius. This is the kind of use of an old item I love to see!

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Back in the day everyone (well, the wealthy) used trunks for travelling. They're a nod towards the steamship-transatlantic -era. This is cute for a kid, but I'm thinking how my shoes would love to live in a trunk like this. Just add shelves instead of the drawers.

In all honesty though, I love my current shoe closet.

Source: houzz.com via Amy on Pinterest

A nightstand is, as it so happens, also a type of a table. So nothing new there. However, I like this idea of the trunk being upright. My bedroom doesn't have space for large nightstands, but I didn't think if this. Pretty nifty.

Source: Uploaded by user via Brandy on Pinterest

And finally, something completely different. But so ingenious. Obviously works best if you own a large dog. Two tiny cats don't really get the full use of this kind of a set-up.

Can you think of other things to use a vintage trunk for? I'd love to hear them!

P.S. This makes me also think of alternate uses for old suitcases... Maybe I'll write another post on that topic...

Friday Inspiration - Books, glorious books

I am the quintessential book-nerd. And I'm proud to admit it! One day I will have a library book-nook. I have decided, so it shall be done. Might happen when I retire, but I want to have a space for all my books to live happily ever after.

There's so much I could say, but at the same time I feel words are, ironically enough, unnecessary.

Source: house-fashion.ru via lily on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Katri on Pinterest

Source: paokyta.tumblr.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Meredith on Pinterest

Source: bookporn.tumblr.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: houseremodelpins.com via Karin on Pinterest

This post is dedicated to all you book-nerds out there.

Also: http://bookshelfporn.com/ (you can thank me later)

P.S. I also want this:

Source: farm7.static.flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

Friday Inspiration - Industrial

I'm not quite sure what sparked it this time, but I seem to notice industrial spaces everywhere. And furniture, and... well... Industrial anything.

Source: bloodandchampagne.com via Katri on Pinterest

It's a style I've been drawn to a long time, so this is not new in any way. It's just funny how sometimes I seem to see it everywhere.

Source: herblog.com via Katya on Pinterest

Source: littleemmaenglishhome.blogspot.com via Mark on Pinterest

Source: interiorsbystudiom.com via Studio M Interior Design on Pinterest

The details...

Source: myparadissi.com via Katri on Pinterest

One can dream, right?

Pretty balconies and fire escapes

As you might remember from before, I am a sucker for architectural details. There's always a good chunk of pictures of buildings any time I travel. Obviously this trip to New York was no different!



I've been to NYC a number of times, but I just love these older, ornate buildings. I have a curious obsession with fire escapes especially.



We have them here in Montreal and I just swoon every time. I point them out to whomever I'm with and continuously get excited about them.



Let me tell you something... I have this romantic notion of one day living in a place where I'll have one of those fire escape landings outside my window. I can then crawl out the window to enjoy my morning coffee sitting on the landing, looking around in my dreamily urban, yet friendly neighborhood...

Sound good to you? Ok, then stop reading right here!

Friday Inspiration - Oriental Rugs

Did I warn you about me going into a home decor frenzy this time of the year?

After coffee tables, mixing old with new and abundance of wall art, there's another thing on the list. And this as well has been there for a while. I want a rug, and not any random one either. I have my sights on an oriental rug. If I could have my pick of any kind, I think I'd choose a Persian carpet.

Source: notmybeautifulhome.tumblr.com via Katri on Pinterest

I'm sure you've seen them, the richly colored, usually symmetrical designs.

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Katri on Pinterest

The Persian carpets go back a long while. I love the idea that I could have something in my home with such a long and deep history.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Katri on Pinterest

Naturally, the idea of the beautiful patterns appeals to me as well. Even though I'm fairly experimentative at home when it comes to colors, I haven't really inserted too many patterns. I feel a rug like this would be exactly what this place needs.

Source: yatzer.com via Katri on Pinterest

In all honesty, I feel there would be space for 3, or even 4, area rugs in this place. I'm not a huge fan of the North-American wall-to-wall carpeting (could be just because I'm not used to them), but area rugs are another matter entirely.

I would love to have a rug in the living room and one under the dining table, those two are the first priorities. I would also like one in the office and another on the bedroom. Now, I'm not planning all of them to be this type, but at least one for the livingroom would make me very happy.

Source: lonnymag.com via Katri on Pinterest

I'm keeping my eye out for one, but as this has been on the shopping list for a few years, I don't assume to find it necessarily anytime soon. I'm convinced I will find the right one eventually. I think I'll need to look at other options as well.

I feel like there is another related post coming up in the future...

What kinds of floor coverings do you like or do you prefer to keep your floors bare?