Just One of Those Days & My Latest Pins

Have you ever woken up and you just feel out of sorts and S L O W moving.

That's how I feel today. There lots to do today to boot, so we'll see how well I can knock things off the list.
So today I have decided to share some of my latest Pin obsessions.  

If we ever have the chance to built our own home again it'll be just like this

Follow me on pinterest here & I'll be sure to follow you back.

See you tomorrow with a real post!

Hollie xo

The Hand Written Note, Is It Lost Forever?

It seems as thought the hand written note has been replaced by emails, texts & the list goes on. 

Actually, I think it's just been lost & forgotten.

It is nice feeling to get an actual piece of mail, addressed to you and waiting at the end of a long day & filled with kind words. 

The time and thoughtfulness that goes into a letter is not just the beautiful message inside but the stationary to which it has been written. 

I found this on Pinterest the other day & fell in love with it.

This piece of stationary from Crane & Co. got me thinking, maybe I'll start to send less "It's been a long time" & "Thank you" emails and more hand written beauties, especially if they are on some of these.

All of the cards above are from Crane & Co.  & they have a ton to choose from. They also have a great etiquette section to assist with all of the formalities.

While putting this post together I came across this and it really sums up the simplicity and importance of the hand written letter - click here

A handwritten note shows the receiver that you took the time to do something nice & thoughtful.
 Time is something we should all take more of, to enjoy all that is around us.
So, sit down a put pen to paper.

Enjoy your Monday.

Hollie xo

Wonder of Windows Part 3

I love roman blinds.
They are simple, functional and the fabric can make a statement.

Due to the fact that they are so versatile, romans look great in a wide range of spaces, from casual to very formal.

One of the things that I really like about romans is that they don't require much material, so you can splurge on the fabric is you so desire. Also, because it hangs "flat" it really shows off a pattern or texture beautifully. I am dying over the Bespoke fabric in the first picture below - I'm going try my hand a creating some of that amazingness.

There are many variations of a Roman Shade but the 3 most popular styles are the regular, the relaxed and the butterfly.

Regular

Regular in a Bespoke fabric

Regular with accent banding

Regular addressing the arch

Regular with the bottom pleat in an accent fabric

Regular in an interesting fabric

Regular with inset banding to create a simple pattern

Regular in a large scale pattern

Regular with an accent fabric while addressing a tricky window 

Regular in a bold pattern

Relaxed

Relaxed with banding down side edges

Relaxed with accent fabric down sides and across bottom

Relaxed in a solid fabric

Relaxed in a bold fabric 

Butterfly

Butterfly in a traditional Toile

Butterfly in a colourful pattern

Butterfly in a solid fabric

Butterfly in a solid fabric with a ruffled bottom edge

Butterfly with an arched top with a small box pleat detail

Butterfly in a tone on tone fabric with lots of fullness

Butterfly in a traditional Toile with button and pleat detail at the top & a box pleated bottom edge

See they suite any style of decor perfectly.
The pairing of both drapery and romans is a also nice combination.

By keeping the fabric the same there is consistency even though treatments are different

The drapery and romans are kept in the same fabric

The romans are panels are in contrasting fabrics 

By having the romans in a pattern and repeating the colours in the panels creates a playful combination

How to Calculate

Here is how to calculate the yardage for a regular roman.

Determine what you finished size is going to be. Let's say 35"w x 57"l & our fabric is 54"wide

35"+ 8" ( 4" for each side to have a 2" double side hem) = 43"
1 cut or width of fabric

54" + 30" (this allows for the top & bottom hems & 2 stationary pleats) = 84"
84" / 36"= 2.33 yards rounded up
2 1/2 yards

That it, easy peasy!

 Remember if you or anyone you know is having trouble calculating yardages or has questions regarding drapery or needs assistance figuring out what to do. I am happy to help.

Have a beautiful weekend.

Hollie xo

No Pain No Gain & The Family Room

Good Morning. 

I meet with my personal trainer 3x's a week, and have since the fall. As I progress the workouts get tougher. I'm feeling extra sore this morning. Not to mention, I started a Pilates class last night. I've got a pair of very tight hips - that feel about 90 -  that are becoming quite painful at times, I hope the Pilates helps. So, with all that being said, I think a long hot soak in some Epsom Salts after I drop the kids off at school is in order. 

In other news:

It was a raining yesterday so I spent some time in the soon to be family room.

The furniture was moved last week when the sofa was delivered and the sideboard got shimmied into it's new spot. I styled it, using what  I had  from different areas in the house. I'm unsure about the large picture, but I like how it balances out all the feminine, so until I decide, it's just going to lean there. 

We love the style of the sofa but the seat cushions were WAY to thin. 

As we speak new ones are being whipped up but one of my seamstresses in this awesome wool and the 2 large back pillows are getting the wool treatment too. In the photos the sofa looks very creamy yellow and the wool looks grey, but in real life they match the wool. 

Now, there's the debate over the wall sconces. I'm currently loving something with a swing arm, but not ruling out a regular sconce either. Here are the few that I have narrowed my choices down to. 

Jonathan Adler 

IKEA

Jonathan Adler

Thoughts on the sconce front, I'd like your opinion???

Well that's it for now. I'm off to take a soak and enjoy some quite time.

Peace Out.

Hollie xo