Small Space, Huge Style

Thanks to my friend Patti G I realised I have been gone for almost a month! Waaaay too much! =( I'm really sorry, and hope to make it up soon. You see, I had some pretty busy weeks and then I went out for my summer vacations... but still, that's no excuse. I really hope this second half of the year gets better for my blogging and my house projects.

That being said, I'm here to share with you  a great place. It's a Toronto loft, designed by  Jassia Kelly and published by Style At Home magazine. It's tiny, and it's gorgeous. I LOVE tiny and gorgeous because I can relate to tiny spaces, and look forward to achieving gorgeous. I hope you like it too.

Enjoy.

A great idea for small spaces are glass or see-through furniture, such as these tables. They allow light through, and don't block view (which is always great in a small room). Another great thing is the small "chaise longé". A big mistake we often make in small places is jamming them with huge furniture, which only makes the room look smaller.

I love the use of mirrors in this dining nook. A great way to use the corners is with built-in seating areas.

Now, this is a gorgeous, tiny kitchen. If you have one wall to decorate, you can choose to make a big statement. This lovely damasque wallpaper is beautiful and matches the red in the dining area.

The brick wall looks beautiful in combination with the dark wood. I love the pictures hung over the bed.

And finally the bathroom, wich looks all tidy and neat.

So, how do you like it? Thumbs up, or down? Do tell!

Ikea 2011

I just finished looking at the Ikea Catalog 2011.
Still drooling here.

As always, there are thousands of ideas... an huge affordable design...

I'm really looking forward the day Ikea opens in Mexico.

Will you, Ikea? Pretty please?

Fun Chalkboard Projects for Home

If you like the chalkboard trend but aren't really into painting a whole wide wall, I've got news for you. I've gathered some excellent ideas from all over the blogosphere, and they're really quite fun too. Chalboarding might have never been this easy.

bedzine

Paint your pots with chalkboard paint for easy marking on your plants. Can you imagine it in a herbal garden? Great!

house to home

I think labelling is one of the coolest functions of using chalkboard paint. These are so cute!

house and home

This is a great idea for parties and events. I could totally picture these in a wedding.

just what I can squeeze in

An even easier option to paint are vinyl wall decals. No need to get dirty! 

Anyhoo, these are little cute ideas, easy to do and fun, for your home.

If you are into major changes (should I say, challenges), chalboard paint still has more ideas for us!!!! (I could really, and I mean really talk about this forever). =)

Let's start sharing the ideas...

apartment therapy

You might have heard or read about magnetic paint. If not, here it goes: there's actual magnet paint on the market. Just as easy to do on your walls as regular paint, it instantly turns any smooth surface into a magnetic board.
But even cooler, if you use chalkboard paint afterwards. Your surface pretty much becomes a real chalkboard, ready for you to hang thing on it (just as we do with our fridge).

apartment therapy

It's out of this world for me. According to multiple tutorials, you just have to paint with magnetic paint, and THEN use the chalkboard paint. Piece of cake!

And finally, this is something that got me really hooked. Did you know you could have your own chalkboard paint in your own color of choice?

I tell you, things keep getting better and better! The always fab, Martha Stewart tells us how:

So, you need only 1 cup of flat-finish latex paint and 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout (white). That's all there is to it.

I've read that it's easier for you to mix the grout in a little water before mixing it with your paint, because the grout makes it heavy.

So there you have it. Of course the basic black and green chalkboard paints are pretty, but why have limitations on us and our home projects? 

apartment therapy

I tell you, options are endless!

Old Crush, New Possibilites

I think I'm falling in love again with my oldest crush.
And how could I not to be crazy about this little guy, when it's so much fun and gives me infinite possibilities?

Chalkboard paint. That's what I'm talking about. You weren't thinking otherwise, now were you?

diy life

 What better place to write down your lists? Can't forget a thing. Click on the link for the instructions on how to turn your fridge into a chalboard. Anybody interested?

BHG

A perfect way to organize clutter. Everything's in place. You only need to write down each of the drawers' tags.

via living etc

Then again, there's Mr. Blackboard paint, all classic and elegant. The drawers in this chest stand out beautifully from the red.

via the nest

The thing about black chalkbard paint is its sophisticated and modern look, yet a vintage twist. Of course it's always a big plus if you own a bookshelf like this one. That's a hot wall to me!

BHG

Speaking of hot wall treatments, I'm so in love with this room. Now you know what to do when your teenage kid asks you for a black room. And it allows expression. I couldn't think of a better combo for any youngster. I also love how everything comes together, the black walls, the blue and lime beddings, The Beatles...

This is the other side of the room. It's so fresh and fun.

When talking about walls, kids generally get away with the coolest, most creative of them all.

via shop out of hand

Just take a look at the village sillouette in this nursery. I personally think it's a little too spooky for a baby or any small child, for that matter, but the idea is very cool. My daughter (9), would LOVE it.

via howshouse

Toddlers can get hours of fun with any sillouette they can find, especially if they can doodle as much as they want.

 

Transform any table into the greatest toy in their room!
Images from here  and here.

Which is your favorite so far?

Think through, 'cause I've still got one more to go.

Last, but definitely NOT least, my favorite of them all:

simple daisy

Ain't it cute?
Now I understand my chalkboard crush!
(blogging IS my therapy)

Dealing with clutter - Meta Lego

Sigh. Legos.

Those tiny, but totally fun bricks to build anything up -the entire universe if we could, and the total chaos that comes within. Those of us who have children at home, or adult lego lovers well know that storing and organizing are the real challenge behind the pieces.

Ok. I may be exagerating, but it's true. Legos can easily become clutter.

And we hate clutter.

That's why I loved this idea from  Kelly Farrell:

She came up with Meta Lego --acrylic lego containers. Each Meta Lego stores 64 pieces of the shape represented in the container. Clever, huh? Best of all is you can use them as building blocks themselves! And keep adding to the collection as you get more legos! WOW.

These storing blocks are not for sale, but Kelly is kind enough to show us how. If you are up for the challenge, share with us!

Now that's a classy way to organize clutter!