I'm so happy...

to be featured on an amazing new blog brought to you by the talented Cassity of Remodelaholic. 


Her new blog is...drum roll please... polly want a Crafter

Don't you just love the name?? Check it out!

and check out her other blog Remodelaholic as well :)

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

DEX

I'm not sure why, but I feel its important for kids to have their name somewhere in their room....to signify "this is my space". I asked a good friend to paint my middle sons name over his bed on a whim, luckily she was over helping me with another project that I will share at a later date.

Because they share a room I wanted to do something different over my youngest sons crib. So I went to Michaels in search of cardboard letters in a relatively good size. I searched and searched....and searched and was about to give up. Then I went down the clearance aisle and there they were....wait, what...they're discontinued?! Luckily his nickname has a less popular letter in it..."X" and so my project was still a GO!

Oh and sorry about the awkward pictures, I still don't have a proper camera :)

Then I went through a great scrapbook pad I recently bought that was boy themed with a vintage feel, gathered my homemade modge podge and paint

and voila....the only piece I still need is a rectangle frame to finish it off.

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

From Drab to Fab...Clay Pots Makeover

Last weekend Meghan hit up a garage sale and for $1 scooped these decorative pots and tray that were in need of a face lift. 

First she cut off the out dated ornaments that were half falling off, then gave it a few coats of Krylon Ivory spray paint to give it a fresh look.  


To finish them off Meghan used a bit of hot glue and wrapped some jute around the top to cover up the old glue from the ornaments... and voila – a cute centerpiece. She also glued a piece of felt on the bottom of the tray to avoid any possibility of scratches to her table.

Quite an improvement, don't you think?
Thanks Meghan for sharing!

Brislane Interiors
Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

No Sew Ragamuffin Fall Wreath

My girlfriend Danielle over at Danielle Bennett Photography is so unbelievably creative in so many ways, so when she sent me a picture of a fall no-sew wreath she was going to make, I jumped on board and ran out to the store to get the supplies!

Here's what I bought:

an 18" wire wreath frame $5

Quilting squares (50x52cm) at $1.99/each  plus a few ends that were $1/each

I threw in some ribbon to add some texture

You want to cut your fabric into strips that are aprox 1.5" wide and 10" long.

Its  A LOT of cutting...I ended up ripping the fabric and I love the rough edges it created.

(really bad quality picture taken with my phone)

Tie the pieces of fabric to your frame. 

I followed the pattern: 2 on the outside wires then 1 in the middle wires. 

The outside and the middle will overlap. 

I may not be describing this very well...but a picture is worth a thousand 

words...(see image below of Danielle's backside - teehee).

Tie ribbon to the center bumps in-between the frame sections

You will have approximately 20-24 ties on each section of your frame

and VOILA....

the close-up

and here is a picture of Danielle's beautiful fall wreath...

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Antique Frames - Gotta Love 'em

Meghan and I had a vision. We knew that our chalkboards would be fabulous in a kitchen, restaurant, lounge or spa but we had to find the frames first. And so, the hunt began. We diligently started looking for antique frames at garage sales, in the classifieds, at flea markets, thrift stores and through friends and family.

The work paid off! We have a great assortment of medium to large antique frames which we are refinishing and they look as great as we had hoped! PLUS a fabulous and funky spa in London has placed a custom order - we are very excited!!

Check out a sampling of our antique frames below and tell us what you think!

Shabby Chic

Glorious Glam

Ornate White

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Casual Glam

There are two features above all else that I like to incorporate into my designs: comfort and glam, which I often refer to as "Casual Glam". As you walk around my house you'll notice that I love things that sparkle, I love crystal, I love silver, I love glass - but I don't love pretentious. 

I think this is one of the reasons why I adore this latest chalkboard Meghan created - check it out!

This frame is a unique way to welcome clients & guests, highlight something special or add a little casual glam to your office space. This frame measures 14"x11.5" (outside).

Chalk Talk is the unique, eco-friendly way to leave a message.  Love the idea but not this particular style? We have more to choose from!

We take custom orders as well, so if you also love the idea of a functional piece that is also pretty, let us know what you're looking for and we can help you incorporate Chalk Talk into your space.

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Today is brought to you by the letter "D"

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/2010/08/flaunt-it-friday-21.htmlI've been reading through blog-land about all the great stuff people are finding at yard sales and thrift stores so I decided to go check out one of the smaller thrift stores in my city earlier this week. I went in with a fairly open mind (as you need to) with just a few things that I was really looking for.

I didn't find what I had in mind but what I did find was unexpected (as most of you thrifters out there probably could have told me) and exciting!

One of my treasures was a a chunky letter "D" that I passed up on my first go-around. It was in a somewhat recognizable box (some big box store I'm sure) and 'as is' hideous. But after I made the full swoop I came back to it, not on purpose mind you, I just figured I'd take one more look down the first aisle in case my mind wasn't as open as it could have been when I first walked in. I took it out of the box, looked at, put it on the shelf...basically gave it the once-over and then walked away. I immediately turned around and picked it up - with my new found appreciation for spray paint I knew I could transform it for my youngest sons room.

I'm pretty new to this whole bloggin-thang so I keep forgetting to take pictures of my projects until they are completed - which is usually when I'm so giddy proud I think "I need to share this" then I realize that the transformation is a bit lost in translation without the "before" to accompany the "after". However this time I caught myself just after I started.

Here are a few pictures of one of my first thrift store treasures, what do you think?

The box...yup paid $1.99

Tried to capture the funky silver original paint, but this pic doesn't do it justice. And of course I had already sprayed the other side before I remembered to grab my camera.

Introducing "Heriloom White" by Rust-oleum...gotta love it!

and voila!

This project was shared on

  

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Whimsical White

The latest in our chalkboard adventures: Whimsical White...its projects such as these that make me want to try for one more just in case its a girl, oh how beautiful her bedroom would be! It also makes me long for a better camera because these pictures truly dont do this Chalk Talk justice! One of these days I will buy a DSLR, I WILL!

This piece would look stunning in a nursery or girls room of any age. You could write little messages on a regular basis, scribe favourite verses from a recent story you shared or incorporate it into the reading nook where she can practice her ABC's and 123's...really the creative possibilities are endless!

Check us out on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrislaneInteriors

Showcased on: Under The Table and Dreaming

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Chalk Talk: The Sweetest Way to Leave a Message 11"x9" Frames

Chalk Talk: The Sweetest Way to Leave a Message

"Tea and Cream"

11"x9" Frame

• antique white with just a hint of bronze detailing accents around the chalkboard.

- add it to your kitchen or office
- leave a message for your special someone on the nightstand

- a front hall table to welcome your guests

- on your desk with an inspirational affirmation

- a simple accessory for your powder room

- eco-friendly way to exchange messages and sweet nothings

Check us out on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrislaneInteriors

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

Chalk Talk: The Sweetest Way to Leave a Message

Introducing "Chalk Talk: The Sweetest Way to Leave a Message"

Creations by Brislane Interiors

My partner, Meghan, and I couldn't wait to show you these chalkboard frames. The first in our line-up of Chalk Talk: The Sweetest Way to Leave a Message.

These 6.5"x13.5" frames are perfect for...well where to begin?

- a front hall table to welcome your guests

- your kitchen counter so you dont have to answer the ever popular question "whats for dinner?"

- on your desk with the "word of the day"

- a simple accessory for your powder room

* can also be hung on the wall

...the possibilities are endless!

Check us out on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrislaneInteriors

Classic Black with Fabric Flower:

Antique White:

More Chalk Talk to come, stay tuned!

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. Your Home.

I Believe She's Amazing

Breast cancer research and awareness is near and dear to my heart. Almost two years ago my girlfriend Kristen announced that she wanted to do the Weekend to End 60km walk in Toronto, ON, immediately I said "Me too!". It was something I knew I wanted to experience and had been on my mind for sometime but just didn't know how to 'fit it in' or who I could wrangle into joining me. So when she mentioned it I had to jump on board. It was even more compelling that I would experience this journey with Kristen as she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and (at the time) was going to be celebrating her 5 year anniversary of being cancer free in the coming 18 mths. That was in 2008. By September 2009 we raised over $4000 and we were pumped to walk the 60kms over two days through the streets of Toronto.

I had no idea just how this experience was going to change my life. Less than an hour into the walk and we were already talking about how great it would be to get a group of our girlfriends and family members to walk with us in 2010. We gave thoughtful consideration into what the name of our team would be called, all the while quietly thinking we'd be lucky to get even two more people to commit to this event. Some of our girlfriends had done it in the past, everyone we were considering asking had young children and were either on maternity leave or in the throws of going back to work from their second maternity leave. I had briefly discussed achieving the walk with my sisters in the past (Cory had suggested we do it a few years back) but no one really committed. I kept thinking "if only I could channel the emotions I was experiencing so they could know that they just had to join us!".

Well our enthusiasm must have said it all, because this September Kristen and I are heading back to Toronto with 15 other women. 4 girlfriends, my four sisters, 3 cousins, 2 cousins-in-law, a childhood friend of my cousin-in-law and another friends daughter = Fight Like a Girl! We have sold over 1000 shirts (which we designed), thrown a very successful silent auction and raised $33,368 (so far).

We have both sides of the fight on our team. Kristen our 5 year survivor and Lynn our fighter. We will walk proud, we will walk strong and we will walk united against womens cancers.

In honour of Kristen, Lynn, my entire team and all women please enjoy this amazing and inspirational video:

Kids Labels

I have been on a search for fun kids labels in preparation of my middle child entering JK in the Fall. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of companies that offer labels for kids clothing and accessories, but as a mom of 3 boys I can tell you that its difficult to find 'fun' accessories for boys and the label industry is no different.

There were 3 things that came into consideration when I was shopping for labels.

1) Did I like the colours/designs?

2) Did they require you to iron on the clothing tags...because the thought of adding more items to my 'to-do' list was not appealing. If they didn't offer the sticky labels for clothing I moved on.

3) How easy or cost effective was it to ship them to Canada.

I had pretty much settled on a company from the states. My girlfriend had recommended them (she lives in Nashville) and another girlfriend from Canada had ordered them so I had a chance to see them up close. They were adorable! However I decided to do one more search and to my surprise a company came up that I hadn't noticed before. There was two things I liked right away. First off, they allowed you to shop in CDN dollars and secondly their website was interactive and very easy to use. I liked more than one of their boys designs which was a nice dilemma to have and their packages gave me an assortment that was just-right for what I needed - hooray!

As I always do before I place an on-line order, I searched for a coupon code (because every little bit helps) and low and behold I found one for 10% off and it was still active. Then to my surprise I realized that there was no charge for shipping (on orders over $30)...well you can imagine how pleased I was by the end of it all.

I know, I know... you're thinking "Give up the goods girlfriend" and so without further delay:

www.oliverslabels.com/brislaneinteriors

discount: swankymoms

When you are checking out, please answer the "How did you hear about us?" with:

Drop down - Agent/Fundraiser

Answer - Beth O'Donovan

Enjoy!

Brislane Interiors

Your Style. Your Comfort. You're Home.

A Side Project

This project is courtesy of Open Hands Full Heart and its so very clever! I'm adding it to my "list" of projects to gather supplies for.

"A Side Project"

This art wall literally is a “side” project as it’s off to the side of our entryway.

Ingredients needed: one old window your husband has begged you to find a use for as of 2009. Some family photos and old projects you put together. A thermostat that is begging to be hidden.

So an empty wall, again decorated for what we’ve got lying about the house:

Yup, my thermostat is pretty fab.

As is the texture on this old window frame.

This was a quick, fun project that I love the results of!

Family Meal Planner

A big kudos goes out to Brown Paper Packages for this ingenious idea, I cant wait to create my own Meal Planner! Helpful, practical AND adorable...what more could you ask for?!

Inspiration is in the air

I've been on a journey. Its involved a lot of self discovery about what brings me joy and how I want to spend my days. There are two resounding aspects within this journey that keep coming back over all else: 1. I love being creative - anything that makes my surroundings or others beautiful. 2. The busier I am the happier I am.

With no formal training in interior design it is difficult to break into the field, but there is more than one way to achieve a goal. So it is with much anticipation (on my part) that I am pursuing a life long dream - to be my own boss, working with and creating beautiful accessories for the home with a few "couldn't pass-up" personal accessories.

I'm hoping you enjoy the ride with me!

B