Friday, September 2, 2011

les petits rats de l'opéra

Posted by Head Fly at 1:58 PM 0 comments

I always loved that the trainee dancers for the beautiful Opera Garnier in Paris are called the petits rats (little rats).  The prestigious dance school works them hard and they fight to be there.



The girls (and boys) need special talent to get into the school, to work hard once there, then to hope that one day they may be a star dancer.   Twice a year they dance to the public in the grand Opera Garnier. Can you  imagine the thrill and the pride?! 





If you visit Paris, a trip to the Opera is worthwhile, but nothing beats sitting in a red velvet seat and enjoying a performance!



{ Ways to use Vintage & Flea Market Finds }

Posted by Head Fly at 11:48 AM 0 comments
and I do mean "finds" - 
'cause sometimes they're just sittin' 
on the side of the road.

Here's some ways you can bring flea market style
into your home.
First, you could buy the magazine - 


which I highly recommend, and I'm not getting paid to say that.

After that, you'll want to head to your own local flea market.
(which I'll be posting a list of my favorites soon)
Or, drive around the night before trash day & pick yourself up
some free stuff.

Here's some things to grab so you
can bring the flea market look into
to your home.


if you see a collection of small items that you like,
grab them.  You'll figure out what to do with them later.

need I say more?

 You can always find a place in your house for a small table, 
just think outside the box, and invest in some spray paint.
It'll work wonders.
(and if it doesn't fit in your house, I'm sure it'll fit in a friend's )
 These versatile items can be used anywhere.
You can even hang them on the wall
& use them as shelving.
 Snag a collection of these to group on your
mantel, or hang on a wall.
 Wooden crates can store anything.
Remember adding layers will add charm.
 Don't under estimate the power of paint.
If the drawers are in bad shape, get rid of them & slide
in some baskets.
If the doors are u-g-l-y,
take them off and paint the inside of the piece.
 Love'em.
Hang'm on a wall, 
or add wheels for hidden storage under the bed.
 Always buy hardware. Always.
Even if you just display them in a glass jar.
Instant vintage charm.
 This wood will become your best friend.
Keep a good supply on hand for spur
of the moment projects.

And there's a ton more I could show you,
 but you get the gist.
Now, get out there and bring home a bunch of junk!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Method Cleaning Products + Well.ca

Posted by Head Fly at 5:43 PM 0 comments
It's almost the weekend. Yippee! Well. I don't really have weekends like you. Because Aubrey works weekends. But happy early weekend to all of you! To end the week here is a little post about a nice shopping experience I had. Because it's nice to highlight the good companies, don't you agree?

Last week I saw a tweet by @SimplyFrugal  saying that there was a Method  sale over on a website called Well.ca. I headed on over to check it out. You see, I LOVE Method products, but what got me to order was that Well.ca offers free shipping in Canada. So I ordered, and a few days later [like super quick] my order arrived and I'm now using, and loving my Method cleaning products.

Now, my US friends you may not get the big deal but here in Canada we get shafted on shipping rates a lot. Website that do ship to Canada - always seem to charge. But more often than not, most US website don't ship to us. It's such a bummer. So to find a site that does, and it's no strings attached is pretty newsworthy in my life. So that is all. Just telling you about it. Because I love cleaning and I love myself a good story on how to save money. (Follow @SimplyFrugal, and shop at stores that offer FREE shipping)

*Well.ca does have a referral program as you can read about here but I'm not doing that, so you don't have to click on any links or mention my name. I just like spreading the word on good companies.

Around Here

Posted by Head Fly at 10:26 AM 0 comments
One week ago we were welcoming Henry into the world, it is hard to believe it has already been 7 days! Since then we have been doing a little of this and little of that. Henry has been working on his tan (or decreasing it I should say)...
Which we are happy to say is all cleared up. And while I am not working for a while that doesn't mean that the deliveries stop, they just come to the house instead of the office.Which meant HBS experienced his first job with MSI, delegating the deliveries (please excuse the wet hair, etc. I was lucky to even be dressed!)...
I loved everything that came in for clients, but I am most excited about this art/photography, can't wait to show you when it gets to its final destination- a law office fittingly.We have been getting used to being a family of three, the best transition one could ask for...

And in case you were wondering (although probably not) the stumps have lost their bark thanks to some help from Patrick (more on that later).

Hopefully very soon this one will make its way to the nursery as a side table. As you can tell it still needs a lot of work. Thank you for all the advice from this post. We have followed every comment and researched where you said to go, so helpful!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

a quiet moment in the morning...

Posted by Head Fly at 7:06 AM 0 comments



Oscar, 15 months
The above photos were taken a few mornings ago when I was feeding Oscar cheerios with a big spoon. He grabbed the spoon from my hand, and proceeded to feed himself. I grabbed my camera and snapped the process of him putting the spoon in the bowl and successfully getting cherrios into his mouth. I just let him do it, and watched quietly as he figured it all out. I won't lie - There was a pang of sadness as it was an obvious indication that he's growing up. But that was overshadowed by my excitement that he is learning, and wants to try to do things on his own.

{ Country Living Blog Awards }

Posted by Head Fly at 5:26 AM 0 comments
Excuse me while I peel myself off the ceiling...

My favorite magazine,
 has nominated 
The Painted Home
for a
Blue Ribbon Blog Award.
Crazy, right?

There is also a readers choice award.
(that's where you, my readers come in...)
please take a minute to vote for me
in the Decorating Blog Category.


Thank you SO much!
I really appreciate it!

setting the stage

Posted by Head Fly at 4:28 AM 0 comments

Don't you think that half the success of a good dinner is the 'setting'.  




Last week we had a couple of friends around for a last minute dinner, just the time to put together a simple meal and lay the barbecue  table with a few flowers and candles ... night fell, good wine, nice food, lively conversation and before we knew it it was ... well I won't tell you what time,  but we didn't have much sleep that night!

The table was laid with a mix of modern and old for the plates, antique glasses and new, candles in  small glass votives, brioche moulds and vintage chandeliers.   A linen tablecloth but paper napkins - I'm meant to be on holiday, right?!



Maybe this is part of the charm of a climate where warm summer evenings are short lived and to be made the most of.  Music in the background, heated French discussions punctuated with laughter, and we're lucky that we have no insect problems.







This is how we like to share evenings with friends, entertaining French style



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