Thursday, April 16, 2009

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR







The weather has been fantastic for the past several days.    The carpenter removed a board blocking the front entrance to let in the fresh air.    It felt so good to stand inside, and walk out of the the front door onto the verandah.
We sure won't be having a Kentucky Derby party, and sipping Mint Juleps, out here next month; but we should be able to move in by the end of June.

The marble started to be set in our bedroom today, and the painter, painted a sample of the baseboard paint.




Thursday, April 9, 2009

BASEMENT BATHROOM

My sixteen year old son wanted to have his bedroom in the basement, and I figured why not?

It gave me a location to use one of my favorite colour combinations; blue and green.

Choosing the paint colours was the easy part.   The rest of it was a pure luck.

I wanted the colour of his bedroom the colour of the sky on a brilliantly clear day, when the sky is vividly blue, almost periwinkle.
I have used Sherwin Williams, Vast Sky SW6506 in the past and my intention was to use it again.
I decided to try it in a deeper shade and see how it works, choosing SW6507, Resolute Blue.

I didn't want to have to buy him all new bedroom furniture, and his room now is soft French blue, and red.

The only room I could unleash my desire for a green/blue  colour scheme was his bathroom.

I had some Sicis glass mosaic tiles left over from the house in Florida and finally got a chance to use them.       They were ordered in error and the tile guys were already laying them, when I fortunately went to the job site.     Since it was only my second floor laundry room I  decided not to make them start over.

I am using the Sicis mosaic tiles on the floor of this bathroom.
I got lucky and found some 4x4's  for $3 @ sq.ft. in a colour that would work.
I found four mirrors at HomeSense, (Home Goods in the US) for $38 each.    I also found some inexpensive towels there too.

I am having the bathroom cabinetry finished in Sherwin Williams Leapfrog SW6431, a colour I used in my husbands study in Florida.        The walls I will paint out in Sherwin Williams Ryegrass SW6423.

I think the green walls will look nice reflected in the leaf cut outs in the mirror, and how bizarre to find a mirror in this shade of blue?    No wonder they were marked down, not everyone would want a mirror this blue!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

MOVING RIGHT ALONG, OR NOT










The meeting went well today and we are moving along well inside the house.
The window trim is being installed and the tile installer has been preparing the floor in our bedroom.   
I had to finalise the tile selections so they can be ordered.
I have been waiting to find out if I can use a reverse, silver leafed glass tile on the fireplace surround in the bedroom.
In case it is not advisable I am going to use the silvery version of the tile I am using in one of the powder rooms.  It is a pearl relief porcelain with a very luscious finish.


 In the powder room I was planning on using the 24x24 pearl string tile on the lower part of the wall, bringing the height to 48".   The tile can be installed so that each strand of pearls link together.  The tile has a string of pearls, in relief and a "shadow," (minus the shoe print)on the flat surface.  
The beaded pearl tiles are 9 1/2 x 21 1/2 and will be laid vertical, above.   I haven't decided on the trim pieces yet.

Update:    Good thing I hadn't made up my mind completely about these pearl tiles.    After discussing these tiles with my friend, author, Michael Tonello (paperback edition of "Bringing Home The Birkin" soon to be released) I have changed my mind.
Michael questioned whether I was committed to these tiles, and I knew immediately what he meant.
I had been thinking all night about how these tiles would look,and would I be able to live with them for the rest of my life?    I am of the mind that tiles are not something you want to change every five or ten years, and more likely never.
I love the pearl bead tiles; but I  was on the fence about the pearl string tile.  I told Michael I was waiting on a price, and they look better in real life but pretty cheesy on my blog.

Michael said they remind him of  "a 70's Italian hotel bathroom."

As soon as I heard that, I had to agree.  lol    Thanks Michael, you saved me a pile of dough!
The pearl bead tiles are $80.00 CDN. a sq. ft. and there is no way I am going to do a whole powder room in them for that price!    I still don't have a price for the other tile; but the point is rather moot now.



  

APRIL IN SCHOMBERG

It is hard to believe it started snowing Sunday night and all day Monday and most of Tuesday.
I don't want to even think about how this will affect our landscape plan.    We already have to purchase topsoil to replace what was washed away.   The hydro seeding company, didn't do an acceptable job.

Just a few picture of the snow at the farm, and the one lone goose on the "island"

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

VIEW FROM UP HERE


I am trying to clear out my iphoto library and delete as many photos as I can.   I have posted a few of these before, but I wanted to look at them again and didn't feel like searching my old posts.
These photos are from last summer and since the weather is so crappy here (raining again) seeing these pictures reminded me that we do have summer once in a while.

I can't wait for this house to be done so I can walk in the woods again.  We have 53 acres of the Happy Valley Forest within our property.     One of the things I love about this property is that from the driveway you can't tell that there is a forest behind the house.
You have to walk up to the top of the hill before it reveals itself.       It always takes my breath away  to look out over the forest.  
It is wonderful to walk the trails and explore the woods.   People ride their horses in these 10,000 acres of continuous forest
I found out yesterday that almost a hundred years ago there was a small distillery on the crystal clear creek that runs through our land.    That is how the forest came to be known as the Happy Valley.
Now I have to research just what type of booze they were making down there?