Monthly Archives: May 2010

Can’t you just feel the summer sun coming in from the window in this gorgeous guest bedroom? A guest room doesn’t have to be expensive to put together, but it should be super comfortable and clean. Take cue from this one – but instead of wallpaper which can be expensive, try blue paint which would be just as tranquil. I love Benjamin Moore Polar Sky – CC-790

Don’t you just love the way the colours pop in this living room? Even the books on the coffee table go. I love that!

When I was 17 years old and living in Montreal I started working for Patricia Lazar. She was making beautiful dolls at the time and I helped sew on faces and stuff bodies. I loved it and it was a great part-time job for me. And what a talented woman to work with and learn from too! Years later we both find ourselves in Toronto, having re-connected through my sister and cousin who worked with Patricia here. What a wonderfully small world!

Patricia is the kind of artist that finds humour in everything she does, and I love that about her art. It is fun, energetic, creative, unique and good. It is ‘good’ art. Her works of art are keepers!

Yesterday I was at her house and bought myself a fabulous piece of art. It is the one shown here. It hangs in my hall and I can see it from my desk so I get to enjoy all the lovely ladies of this painting every time I look up. Love it!!

Have a look through her site and visit her this weekend at her open house art sale! And by sale, I mean sale! She has some things up to 75% off the original prices – there are some beautiful unique pieces if not for yourself then perhaps for gifts.

Patricia Lazar’s Website

Sorry for the delay, but the bathroom is still not done. It was done on day 16, but not enough to take the photos. My contractor made it perfectly functional before he left on a 3-week holiday but the cabinet door fronts are not on and the brick wall is still not finished. So I wait. I take baths, lovely showers, enjoy everything else about the space and even learn to love my new laundry chute, but without the finishing touches I will wait for the big reveal.

Thanks for your patience – trust me, it’s harder on me.

We are really really almost there. There are a few things missing so I can’t really do my final ‘grand’ photos until that is in place. Still to do:

• Doors on the cabinet
• Hang the artwork
• Re-paint the ‘orange’ bricks and have it sealed
• Install the towel bar, hooks and toilet paper roll holder…
• And I still need to find the perfect bench for next to the sink!

But for now, check out the shower faucets – separate temperature control in the middle and then an on and off for the shower or the tub. I hope I can get used to that… I know I’ll get used to the even temperature when someone flushes!

Forgot to blog yesterday so yes, there is day 13 missing. But it was really just more tiling. Today the floors went in and the laundry chute was widened and opened to the basement laundry room – hopefully the cats won’t fall through! ha ha

Tomorrow they will do the finer details of the laundry chute and the cabinet will be installed over it. We are almost there and it is now starting to get very exciting. I think I am as excited about dusting out the house and getting my life back to normal as much as I am to have a shiny new bathroom!

I’m exhausted but exhilarated. My contractor, of course, redeemed himself by working until after 10:00 this evening, doing what his no-show contractor was supposed to do early in the day. But the best part was the brick wall installation. Love it!

I kind of want the bricks to really look real, so does telling everyone defeat the purpose?

The brighter orange bricks will be re-coloured as I think they stand out a bit too much, and then it will be sealed – the best focal point a bathroom could have! Thanks Michael from Century Architexture!!

And thanks Grant for picking up after your slackers – always the good guy.

The day ended well… the flooded wood floors in the basement, well, let’s give them another day to dry out and see before I stress about that again.

I have the people from Century Achitexture here right now as I write and they are the best! They are installing my brick wall, which will be a fantastic feature in my bathroom.

After waking up to a flood in the basement because the contractor forgot to plug in the furnace pump, it was a welcome visit by the guys at Century Architexture, with their quiet, soft spoken demeanor. Not to mention how great my wall is going to look!! You’ll see. In the meantime, check out their site to see all the work they do. Gorgeous! Love it!!

The new wood floors in the basement – will let you know what happens with that… too angry to think about that – concentrating on the good stuff today. My brick wall – sigh!

I came home today so frustrated. There was a large jar of peanut butter and loaf of bread on the counter from the contractors. Apparently they normally eat in the space they are working, but no, they are too comfortable here so feel they can take over the whole house. Not a bad thing really – I’m glad they are comfortable – but sometimes…. well, you know. House guests after 3 days… it is day 11 after all. Ahem.

As for progress, not much to report except more tiling was done, and yet it’s still not all done! Tomorrow the feature wall goes in so that will be exciting. This weekend should promise us good things… I hope! I just want to take a long soak in the tub! Can’t wait!

Well, the tiling is still not all done, but I can see some really nice progress. I love my two shampoo container cut-outs, with Carerra marble slab base – gorgeous and so practical!