March 11/08

i was never into interior design until about 2000. i had moved in with a new roomate in Winnipeg's Osbourne Village. our apartment was in a building built in the very early 1900's. it was red brick with huge wooden pillars at the front entrance. our apartment had 10 ft high ceilings, original hardwood floors throughout, original moldings, clawfoot bathtub, a teeny tiny kitchen and windows that went nearly from ceiling to floor. we also had a screened in balcony that we sat out in nearly everyday. i hung up white icicle lights that we turned on every night in the summer. people would yell to us, "Merry Christmas!" but I didn't care...we didn't care...it was perfect. we talked, drank tea.

she, my roomate, introduced me to HGTV (Home & Garden Television) because she wanted to do something with the place. she just wasn't sure what exactly and wanted my input. we decided on painting the walls a light butter yellow and doing a glaze wash over them. well, she decided and I thought it sounded nice. turns out, it was perfect for the place. and that was it...i've been hooked on redecorating and "doing something" with a place, though the follow through is rare. the show that really got my redecorating juices flowing was Room Service with Sarah Richardson. The episode that did it for me was "Summer Shack".


see what i mean? it's like living in a summer bouquet of flowers. i can't do a lot living in an apartment, but this is the image that always sticks with me. encourages me to get a small house and make it my own.

seeing as how i can't do much with the inside space, i'll tweak the outside space. this weekend is my seed shopping so I can make a flowerly little tea space on my balcony. my co-worker has encouraged me to not be afraid of gardening failure because it's usually the seed. not me! a dirt manicure this weekend, it is...