When I was on the hunt for some retro inspired fabric for my boy’s room, I stumbled across Tonic Living via Aubrey and Lindsay’s blog.   Once I clicked over to check out the fabrics, I was instantly smitten !

 Image: Tonic Living

This small Toronto based company offers florals, graphic prints, and beautiful mid century modern inspired fabrics.   

Take a peek at a few from the 50’s collection . . .

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There’s this skinny little piece of wall in between my pantry and microwave that I thought was desperately in need of a memo board.  I’ve always wanted a little chalkboard right there so I could remind myself of what I needed to pick up at the grocery store that week. 

My problem was that I couldn’t find anything tall and skinny with character to fit that narrow patch of wall.   Also, there’s a meddlesome electrical panel inside the pantry, which restricts any decor in this space.  But then I spied an old wood framed mirror with chipped paint at the local salvage yard.  I decided to give it a makeover, and repurpose it as a little chalkboard in my kitchen!

Here’s my sweet little salvaged mirror turned memo board !

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Greetings friends, announcement announcement !  There’s a new weekly series around these parts called “Fan-tastic Feature”.   That’s where one of YOU gets to be in the spotlight with one of your original articles or creations! 

Hear ye, hear ye, now accepting submissions for your most fantabulous most fan-tastic projects !  Got a spectacular before and after?  A pretty table or mantelscape ?  A spruced up space?  A nifty gardening tip?  A scrumptious recipe worthy of showcasing?   A suuuuuper cute holiday craft?  A tour of your local town that would make us want to visit?  Well, why don’t you email me with your submission! 

If you read this blog, you know I love to write about many things beyond DIY projects.  I adore a decadent dessert, I’m always looking for new places to visit, and I can never get enough of a great before and after.   One of the things I’ve learned about blogging over the last year is that there is a lot of talent out there and I’d like to be one of the several sites to showcase it. 

Here are the requirements:  originality, creativity, & high quality, high resolution photographs and a clear tutorial and/or interesting article.  Your project, craft, space, or recipe cannot have been featured on any larger sites (Design*Sponge, Apartment Therapy, etc.).  I’m looking for the fresh, fabulous, and the inspiring to be featured once a week!

So let’s kick it off with Sarah’s ingenious idea ~  a hand dyed Chevron rug.  This is something I never would have dared to do, and yet, after seeing Sarah’s tutorial, it seems very simple.

Sarah’s Hand Dyed Chevron Rug

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Most catalogs pile up around my house, and quickly make their way to the recycling bin, but I was glancing at the latest Wisteria catalog over the weekend, and was completely inspired by several of their pieces.  What I love about the style on the pages of Wisteria is the mix of old and new, whimsy with tradition, and rustic with modern chic. 

This reproduction trumeau was the first to catch my eye.   

I spied several expensive reproduction trumeaus on our recent trip to Jan de Luz in Carmel, and am determined someday to have a reasonably priced one in our foyer.  I’m so crazy about trumeaus, I may follow Susie’s brilliant DIY tutorial to reproduce one of my own. 

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