Mint Tea

Last night we went to a wonderful new discovery in our small town of Vancouver. Mint Tea was recommended by a friend, and last week we went on a quick movie date, then decided to stop there and it was beyond wonderful. It is an old craftsman style home that has been converted into a lovely restaurant, the first floor had a section with lots of Moroccan style decor items available for purchase. The service and the food is what made it so special. They use local, organic, and sustainably grown foods which I absolutely love. Their staff were so nice and accomodating. We ordered tea from their extensive tea menu - I had lemon spice and hubby had basil tea. We returned today with the kiddos, and I took my dandy camera with me, because I wanted to share this charming little place that we found. 

It was tricky capturing all the little beautiful details and areas, as there were a few people dining there. It is a very relaxed setting, people seemed to want to linger a bit, and have a conversation. I tried not to be the obnoxious camera lady - hopefully I succeeded.

This bread pudding is the BEST I've ever had. As my husband said, "your bread pudding is good but it doesn't have their kind of middle".  I responded that it was custard I think, he said "you need to add it to yours." :-) So far we've only tried their desserts but there is a trip in the making to go for a real dinner soon.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour, as it was all for you. :-)

(Images: Fatou Bah)

Floral Arrangements

I'll be the first to tell you that arranging flowers isn't my strongest suit. however I do love and can appreciate beautifully arranged flowers. I love having flowers around and usually I just put them in the vase as I got them, because the more I mess with them the worse they get.
Lets check out some expert tips on how to easily make striking arrangements.

Via Style at Home

"Create a pleasing imbalance by placing tall branches in a simple, smaller-size vase." - Catherine Therrien
My easily distracted self is all over that rug and stand! :-)

via Style at Home

The use of the dark bowls with the pink bloom makes a striking visual. I love how the flowers are casually laid in bowls to give a more informal feel.

Via Style at Home

Probably my favorite idea, adding flowers to little nooks in your house! What a lovely way to bring special treatment to spaces that can sometimes be neglected and an eye sore.

I feel flowers are one of the best ways to bring instant beauty to a space. They soften and bring joy to a room. Maybe you have a Valentine's Day dinner or something planned this weekend, you could use some of these tricks to bring in some fresh cut flowers. I was going to invite girlfriends over, have a table set up with pink, white and red craft supplies to make cards or something. Have chocolates, yummy cupcakes, snacks, and some fun music in the background, laugh and be silly like only girls can. But I got lazy....boo on me. It has been a go go week, and I have a weekend of homework, so maybe I'll revisit the idea another time.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

(Images: Linked)

Peacock Pavillion

My Marrakesh is one of my absolute favorite blogs. It's owner Maryam tells the most beautiful tales, her way with words is very inspiring, and makes me want to be a great writer every time. She tells stories beautifully with her words, and captivating pictures. Today I want to share the beautiful interiors of her boutique guest house Peacock Pavilion in Marrakesh with you. There is so much beauty and interesting little details in each room. I like scrolling through them every once in a while, and I think, today, we should take a look together. Shall we?

See what I'm talking about? Notice the chair above with the arabic writings on the side? LOVE that, arabic writing is like art anyway so this works beautifully. I love all the colors, patterns textures, there is so many elements going on, and they work harmoniously. Wouldn't you want to spend a lazy few days here? I know I would, Morroco is on top of my list of the places I want to go. I would love to visit this beautiful guesthouse when I get the opportunity.

I love this black and gold room. It reminds me of my childhood, when electricity would go out, we would sit out in the backyard at night chatting, laughing, listen to folk stories and my grandma tell stories of her childhood. On those nights the sky looks so magical with the twinkling stars. 

I hope you escaped into these beautiful interiors with me. 

Have a great day!

(Images: Peacock Pavilion)

Is Neon the New Black?

Okay, that is definitely a crazy question, but neon seems to be everywhere, and I never thought I'd say this, but I am really loving it. It is always inspiring to see a new and fresh use given to something familiar.  I have been spotting the neon trend in interiors for a while, and recently in fashion too, and me likey.

Home Life

Home Life

Home Life

Home Life

Don't you love how soft neon looks in these pictures? Neon is usually loud and obnoxious, but it's so quiet, yet very much front and center in these spaces - beautiful. The pairing with the soft peach and natural woods is a beautiful combination!

Living Etc.

The unexpected use of neon in this traditional kids room is such a clever twist. It brings in a great pop and excitement to the room.  Would you use neon in your bedroom ? Or any other room in your house?
I like the pop of neon blue ties on the pillows.

Living Etc.

Living Etc.

I absolutely love the neon painted door! What a brilliant way to add color to your home. I also love the contrast of the dark interiors with the bold neon. It is great to see how well neon works in both the bright, and the dark spaces.

Are you loving these as much as I am? See anything you like? Are you seeing this fun and crazy hue in a completely new light? I am!

(Images: Linked)

Simple Beauty!

Hey all! I hope your weekend is going fabulously! It has been absolutely gorgeous over here, bright and sunny with a cool breeze. We took my daughter to her ballet class, then did some errands before stopping at a carousel ride for the girls. Home, and now we are just relaxing - I actually need to get cracking on homework, but I am so unmotivated. What do I do in that case, look at interior spaces of course :-).

I wanted to share this gorgeous room that captivated me by it's stunning simplicity. I love the soft pink and blue, the use of chairs as night stands (one of my fave design tricks), the painted ceiling and beautiful windows. I've been eyeing the IKEA MASKROS light for my dining area, it is perfect in this space.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

(Image: Ikea Spotting)

Happy Friday!

I think I'm becoming a blog head :-). I missed blogging after just two days. How are you all doing? Any fun plans for the weekend? It has been a busy few days of housework, schoolwork, kids stuff, and some fun house item shopping. One of my favorite things ever, that I found is this gorgeous table! I love the color of course, the nail heads, and all the arch cutouts just sealed the deal.

It was love at first sight, I actually went back to pick up a drum shaped side table that I absolutely fell in love with two days before. I did the go home and think about it trick, if you can't stop thinking about it - then you really love it! Have you done that before? I saw this on my way out, and I had to have it, left the orignal one sadly. I wish money and space wasn't an issue, and I'd have brought both of them home.

I hope your weekend is filled with lovely treasures, fun and happy times.

Have a great weekend!

(Image: Fatou Bah)

Hello February & Little Brown Pen

Hello February! Let me just put this out there...I am one of "those" people who LOVES valentine's day. :-)  I  don't understand people who don't, I mean, really, it's a day celebrating love. Flowers, chocolates, love notes, romantic dinners, dressing up, all that giddiness it brings - love it all. I know people talk about the commercialization of it, but hey, you take the good with the bad. I love love, and a day to celebrate love, sign me up!  So I thought we'll kick start this wonderful month, that also happens to be my baby's birth month, with dreamy, romantic photos.

These gorgeous images are by Nichole Robertson, and she has these beautiful prints available in her Etsy shop, Little Brown Pen.

(Images: Little Brown Pen)