Blankets

I have been finding lots of great Canadian made wool blankets in my thrifting and I can't wait to open up shop to start selling them! Piles of blankets are a great thing to have on hand. They act as a form of decoration on a couch, chair, or bed and create a cozy appeal to any living room or bedroom. Hudson’s Bay Company point blankets are a Canadian staple representing a lot of Canadian history. The blankets originated before Canada even became a country and were used as a way for European settlers to trade with the natives for goods like pelts and moccasins. The bars of colour on the HBC blanket were actually used as a way to identify the size and weight of each blanket.

DIY Sea Glass Moblie

I found this idea on Etsy and instantly fell in love. Growing up, I would collect sea glass along the beach at my grandparent's farm so I can really identify with this piece. You can pretty much see from the photo how to make this:

1. Collect some big pieces of sea glass and lay them out in columns to get an idea of how you want them spaced.

2. Wrap a thin wire around each piece of sea glass starting at the bottom of each column and working your way to the top to create long strands of sea glass. Be sure to leave a few inches of wire at the top of every strand.

3. Space each strand of sea glass along the drift wood and tie or twist the excess wire at the end of the strand along the drift wood.

4. Hang the drift wood with a piece of twine.

I don't have any use for this yet but maybe after a few (plus a few more) summers of collecting sea glass I can use this!

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/79408157/sea-glass-driftwood-mobile-suncatcher?ref=v1_other_1

Cabin in the Woods

I spent the morning looking at cottage and cabin designs so I thought it would be nice to share. I have a pretty simple style when it comes to cabins but I must admit I love the extravagant porches.

 

I love this door!

 

Beautiful idea for an extension off of a screened in porch!

 

I want my cottage to be simple but my porch to be open and huge!

I love the layout of this open concept kitchen with bedroom doors in the corners. My dream cottage has one open concept room with the bedrooms off of it.  

 I've said it before, I am a fan of the simple and basic. I love this for a small spare bedroom.

True North Update

Hello everyone! I can't believe I'll be hitting the 2 month mark this weekend for my blog and I am a couple hits away from 1000 page views! It is all very exciting! In the coming months expect some improvements and changes with the blog including different pages to categorize topics and more personal content about my decorating and thrifting adventures! Thanks for reading and if ever anyone has any suggestions feel free to contact me through my Google+ page.

Source: roadwelltravelled.tumblr.com 

Vegan Banana "Ice Cream"

I made this discovery earlier this week and I couldn't be happier. Did you know if you blend frozen bananas it makes the most delicious ice cream?! It is the healthiest treat I've made and one that I can't get enough of! The options are endless with the flavour combinations you can make, such as:

 - A couple tablespoons of any nut butter
- Nutella
- A dash of vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cocoa
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate chips
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Avocado
- Frozen fruit

Baskets

There is nothing like a good basket to add natural tone and texture when decorating a room. I particularly like when baskets are used in a beachy or nautical designed room; paired with lots of blues and whites a nice woven basic is the perfect accessory. One of the best and worst parts of baskets is the variety of them. This is amazing because you have so many sizes and shapes to choose from, allowing you to add one or two to any space. The bad part about variety is that sometimes you have to shuffle through a lot of duds to find a good one. Regardless, baskets act as a fashionable piece of storage whether it under a bench or on a shelf.

Tree Stump Table

In my "Making a Generic Space Your Own" post last week you may have noticed a room that used tree stumps as a coffee table. I have been seeing this done a lot lately and really love the idea. If you want to build your own there are plenty of resources available if you Google "building a stump table". Check out these great designs below:

The Bunkie

Bunk·ie [buhng-kee]: An overflow room detached from a cottage typically full of bunk beds for guests or loud kids and their friends.

 

Bunkies are meant to be simple and basic but that doesn't mean that have to lack style! Check out these beautiful bedroom designs I found online that would work perfectly inside a bunkie. Remember bunkies are usually cramped so making use of space is key. For bedding, I have seen a lot of classic white blankets on wooden frames but I also like the idea of layering different patterned and coloured wool blankets and flannel sheets (the ultimate comfort!). 

 

DIY Wall Art

This morning I repined this DIY for a world map wall hanging that I love and the likes and repins have been consistent ever since! The craft comes from the blog "The Happier Homemaker" and I am in love with it. The basic instructions are to stencil a world map on to a large piece of wood and then paint in the map with wood stain. In the upcoming weeks I am definitely going to try this out! Check out the full instructions at http://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/2012/06/diy-wooden-world-map-art.html

One Week

It seems April showers are in full effect and I couldn't be happier. My life right now consists of jumping from inside to outside between the rain and warm sunshine. If you are looking to watch a movie during those stormy periods I recommend the Canadian film, One Week. One Week chronicles a man's trip from Toronto to the BC coast after being diagnosed with cancer. Canada was a major theme throughout the film and it was executed stunningly. Canadian director, Michael McGowan draws in the viewer combining beautiful Canadian scenery with an all-Canadian soundtrack.

Making a Generic Space Your Own

Yesterday I did a post about looking for unique homes in cities where generally all there seems to be are "cookie-cutter" condos. Sometimes due to time, money, or location constraints we end up in these generic places. I decided to search for examples of people who have turned their generic apartments into their own and got some great results! If you want further tips I would suggest checking out my February post on optimizing wall space without breaking the bank: http://thetruenorthlife.blogspot.ca/2013/02/optimizing-wall-space-without-breaking.html

Finding a Unique Home

When I am moving somewhere new or walking through a new neighborhood the word that passes through my lips the most is "cookie-cutter". This basically means houses and rooms that all have the same look. There is no character, aesthetics, or uniqueness. Sometimes it feels like unique spaces do not exist, especially when you live in the city and those open lofts with exposed brick walls and wooden beams are few and far between. Typing in keywords like "exposed brick", "fireplace", "open", or even "yard" can sometimes yield some beautiful results when searching for a new place online. Check out these places I found on Craigslist in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver by using the keyword search (all are under $1000 a month).

Montreal

http://montreal.fr.craigslist.ca/apa/3693851701.html
http://montreal.fr.craigslist.ca/apa/3676345771.html

Vancouver

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/apa/3722553469.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/apa/3701403787.html
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/apa/3707291018.html

Toronto

http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/apa/3707291018.html
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/apa/3701661032.html