Holiday Weekend

This is a long weekend for Canadians as we celebrate Canada Day {July 1st}. Because the holiday falls on a Sunday, the stores and many services are open for business and closed on Monday instead. For our family, it makes the weekend a bit chopped up and busy. But I am looking forward to a bit of time to celebrate on Sunday night..... and maybe even catch a glimpse of the fireworks.

Wave your flag and celebrate our nations birthday.

Happy Canada Day!

images of Oakville by Katherine - GB@H

A walk around our town

There are some wonderful historical houses in the downtown district of our town, many of them are like pictures framed by the intricate fretwork trim. I noticed a painter last week paying particular attention to the trim on a house and I decided it was time to take a walk around town with my camera.

According to the historical society the house has two names. The Robert Farley house or the Charles Lusk house {circa 1858}. The house changed hands three times before Robert Farley bought it in 1857 for 50 pounds. Records show that  'the house was sold again in 1864 for 300 pounds as an investment, but the owner George Rutherford of Hamilton, took a bath and sold it in 1867 for 125 pounds'.
It seems the real estate oddities regarding pricing in Oakville began way back then.

And Doctor Charles Lusk? He purchased the house next and was instrumental in building St. John's United Church in town.

image : Historical Walk of Trafalgar Road

 

It is a combination of the detailed fretwork and immaculate condition of the house that catches my eye every time I pass by.

 

Right next door is another historical house that is known as the Moses McCraney House {circa 1850}. This house has seen some recent transformations, not an easy task when dealing with the Historical Society and the town. We have all watched as an addition was put on the house to compliment the style of the house.

This is the original house with an addition on the front from many years ago. The front porch was restored in approximately 2006 and the main entrance to the house was put back to it's original place.

image : Historical Walk of Trafalgar Road

This is the house today. The current home owners should be applauded. It is difficult to maintain a historical home, but to restore it and add on to the building within the stringent guidelines it is a painful process.

Trim work on the porch has been repeated on the new addition {below}.

Notice the trim from the porch, to the back entry, over the side windows. And the incredible second story window.

The new additions to the house {2011} include the garage and second story, and the portico entrance. And ........ what cannot be seen from the front scape of the house. 

 

You can almost picture the McCraney's back in the late 1800's living in the house, walking up the front porch and helping to develop Oakville.

Moses McCraney was the eldest of ten children born to William Payne McCraney and Rebecca Teeter. Moses inherited the family farm in 1853 and provided farms for his brothers and mother. Rebecca's farm is now a part of Appleby College {another stunning historical property in Oakville}. 

In addition to the farm, Moses owned a general store and made buying trips into the U.S. with Timothy Eaton. Corsets were the fashion rage and Moses bought three of them giving one to his wife Sarah, who had a 21 inch waist {assuming he sold the other two in his general store}.

 

The south side of the house with a portico entrance.

The fretwork details are outstanding.

The details are carried throughout the house consistently - in the brickwork, the trim, the plantings, the lighting. That is what makes an addition, especially to a historical home, a seamless transformation.
There was a {tasteful} sign on the front lawn acknowledging the contractor who produced the addition. I didn't get the information before it was removed, but if anyone does know, please email me and I will gladly add the contact information.
As I watched the progress of the home addition from the street, I was impressed by the process and results.

Two beautiful houses that literally make me smile when I walk past them.

The Glamourous Life

With the hot temperatures of late, I've taken my Granddaughter out to enjoy a shady park and play in the water. I have to admit, it brought me back many years to when I took my own two children to the park for the day. Twenty-five years ago we usually took the ferry across to Toronto Island and exhausted ourselves there for the entire day.

So off Kya and I went to the park with two beach bags with an assortment of towels, lotion, sunglasses, hats, ...... everything a couple of girls need to enjoy the sun and water.

Lunch in the bag included all of Kya's favourites, like strawberries....................

And of course a hot summer day wouldn't be complete without a stop for ice cream.

'The Blue Blanket' has been on many outings and has moved to the trunk of pretty much every car I've owned. My kids and I would drag the blue blanket with us to sit on at the grass when we watched the fireworks shows at Ontario Place. We took it with with us on every outing  {and it's survived many washings}.

Although it's been years since the blanket was used for a picnic and mainly has been tucked away in the car as an 'emergency blanket'; it was comforting to sit on the blanket with my Granddaughter and repeat the same activities that I did with my own children. Kya looks so much like her Mommy that it makes me step back in time to see her sitting and eating her picnic lunch. My heart was brimming.

We both came home exhausted and satisfied with our day in the water and the sun,........ on our blue blanket. There will be many more days like this together.


And I know without a doubt, that life doesn't get much better than this.

It is a Glamourous Life.

Sarah 101 - Season 2

On this week's program of Sarah 101 - Season 2 {episode 7} the main living area of a small two story condo apartment in Toronto was renovated. The main floor of the condo is only 350 sq ft, so it brought a multitude of design challenges for Sarah and Tommy. The one saving grace is that the ceilings are high and it gives the illusion of more  space.

............ I can't resist showing the finished room first.

Soft mint green and cream shades of the new living area.

BEFORE ........... this is so small !

BEFORE

The walls were painted a soft mint green colour called Eyelet from the Sarah Richardson Designer Paint Palette for Para Paints. The jumping off point for the room was found in a verde green metal console table base {via The Door Store}.

The ceilings were painted in a colour called White Cap {Sarah Richardson Paint Palette for Para Paints} and highlighted further with crown molding trim. Custom cabinets were added to bring good form and function to the small dining area. Tall shelves house books and trinkets, cabinets with custom trim inlay keep things tucked away and serve as a base to the extended table.
The table provides options for working as a desk area or a dining table. The legs of the table were originally columns that Sarah had custom fitted to support the top. After a few unsuccessful attempts to find just the right chair for the space, these were found as the room was almost completed. And Sarah demonstrates again how to transform the blah old chairs with paint (colour : Oyster} and re upholstery.

Every inch of the tiny kitchen was used and packaged together with custom cabinets and finishing touches that would typically be found in a large home. Sarah proves that you do not have to compromise great features and style in a small space. The cabinets were retrofitted with a trim in the grove of the face of the doors to bring in another layer of elegance.

The original cabinets and bulkhead were removed to make room for the new tall cabinets. The added pillar style double sided cabinet gives the kitchen more storage and adds a solid design element that grounds the kitchen island.

 

 Lower height stools were installed under the island to allow guests to sit and chat to their hostess, and as another element for seating in the living area. 

 Here you can see the trim inserted on the cabinet inlay that adds a layer of elegance. I really love the colour combination, the back splash and the faucets in gold to pull in all of the other matte gold finishes throughout the space. 

Adding antique mirror backs to the open shelves gives another layer of custom finishes that makes a room stand out above the cookie cutter designs.

The sofa was designed by Sarah and is part of her furniture collection. 

One of the items revamped but not discussed on the show is the stair railing. From the early 'before' image you can see it was a plain builders railing, now the opening has been custom fitted with and iron railing that adds a lot of impact as you enter the space. The custom railing was created by The Door Store.
For those of us who live in the Toronto area it is always fun to watch when Sarah and Tommy go on a hunt for items to use in their designs, and we too can sneak off and hunt for treasures at their favourite shops. The Door Store is one of my personal favourites - I wrote about it here and showed a picture of one of our great finds.

I am impressed by the transformation of this tiny space. The use of quality treatments in the kitchen and a unified soft colour palette makes the small space stand tall.

all images via hgtv.ca - here

Peonies

My Daughter was admiring the bouquets of peonies at a flower shop the other day, and told me how much she loved them. She's always been a tulip girl {and wouldn't they look great with the peonies}.

I told her that I missed the big peony bush we had at our old house, and she was surprised because she hadn't realized we had one there.

We sat and took a peak at pictures of the garden at our old house and she started to remember how many flowers we had and the variety.

Here is another peak at those lovely peony and in the background the ever bloom roses {my sweet Daughter remembers planting that first rose bush so long ago}.

Happy Weekend :: Make it a Glamourous one!

Skin and Makeup Advise from a PRO

canetti

I promised readers back HERE that a professional Makeup Artist would be featured on Glamour Begins at Home and answer your questions regarding skincare and makeup. And since then I have really put her to the test asking a bevy of questions and talking to her non-stop. Well, the truth is that I talk to her all the time - the Makeup Artist is my beautiful Daughter.
But never before has she had me tap into her professional skills and ask so many questions about skincare and makeup. 

Monique has been a professional Makeup Artist for seven years. She has worked with several major makeup and skin care lines specifically, and she runs an independent makeup application business.
For my friends who know me and read my blog, please don't hold my Daughter responsible for my makeup skills. We have sat down twice for her to apply my makeup. It's like having a carpenter in the house and never getting the shelf hung up - we just don't take the time together to do my makeup, or I am away when I need help for a special occasion.
But I do listen to her instructions often and take it in my own hand for application. My Christmas stocking always has new lipsticks and shadows tucked inside, and frequently my Daughter will bring me a colour that she knows will work well for me.

The current makeup trend is to apply a 'natural' or 'neutral' palette. It sounds easy, just wear less makeup. But that is not the way to achieve a natural palette and a finished look at the same time. The natural palette is a technique that not all makeup artists can create well {in my opinion}, but it is a specialty of Monique's.

Meghan at Wishful Thinking asked for help with an updated look, in particular achieving a natural looking lip. Monique has offered two great suggestions - one for lips and one for the natural look of makeup applications.

YOU asked:

'What is the correct way to apply lip liner and then fill it in?'

Answer:

'Stay as true to your natural lip line as you can. If you are filling in your lips too much it is going to look like you had your lips 'done' {and not in a good way}. If you need to wear lip liner because your lips are not full enough, choose a nude lip liner. MAC cosmetics has some great nude lip liners that I love {a few of my favourite liner colours by MAC are SYNC, Subculture, and Naked}'.

'From the cosmetic line Make Up For Ever, I use Lip Line Perfector {available exclusively at Sephora}, it's a great product. This lip liner acts as an invisible lip liner to help with feathering, as well as filling in the fine lines. Feathering on your lip line happens when your lip colour bleeds over your natural lip line.'
'Nude lip liner is great for any lip colour you use, including red. You do not need to match your lip liner to your lip colour. Using a nude lip liner will give you fullness without looking dramatic.' 

'How to properly apply your lip liner : start from the outside corner of your lip and softly drag the pencil towards the center of your lip. Use this technique for both upper and lower lips. To make your lips look fuller apply a small dabble of gloss to the center bottom lip.'

'I apply my lip colour first and then apply the lip liner.'

 YOU Asked:

'I love the soft natural looking makeup applications, how do I achieve this?'

Answer:

'If you are afraid that you are wearing too much makeup, try this trick : 

Start with your base {concealer is a must ........ ALWAYS!}. If you normally wear foundation apply it now. Next fill in your brows {details in an upcoming post on how to fill in a brow properly}.'

'After your base is complete and your skin is looking it's best.......... if you like to wear bright lipstick put that on first before anything else. By putting on your focal point first it will steer you away from adding too much colour anywhere else.'

'Now add a soft {subtle} sweep of shadow across your eye lids - you do not want a buildup of colour {blending brushes help to ensure that the eye shadow is even}. Apply mascara for subtle definition.'

'Bronzer gently brushed across your cheeks acts as a blush, but gives a more natural look {sun kissed glow}.'

'If you like the look of shadow and want more definition to your eyes, apply your shadow first instead of playing up your lips.'

'Keep it Simple. If you think "maybe I should add this too" - DON'T ! Instead put your makeup brush down.'

That is how to achieve a natural look that highlights the focal points.

** more information on filling in your brows, choosing the right colour of foundation, what makeup tools to use........... and more - Coming Soon!

Makeup tricks from the artist's Mom: 

'The vertical groove in my upper lip it very defined in the center. Monique taught me to bring the lip liner softly between the groove to achieve a softer lip line. Just as she instructed above - do not draw your lip line.'

'I wear reading glasses - so I put them on to check my makeup partway through applying and when complete. This ensures that I catch any little brush fibers sitting on my skin and blending of products used.'

 

 

Royal Style

via macleans.ca

......... and the Jubilee week festivities continue.

When you dress this colourful, you earn the right to have a colour page designed outlining how savvy you are. And when you are the Queen of England celebrating your Diamond Jubilee you deserve your own Pantone Colour Chart.
That is exactly what Pantone and Leo Burnett London did when they teamed up to pay homage to the Queen's fashion forward colour style.

The limited edition Pantone colour guide has been launched and shows the Queen in a rainbow of regal selections.

If there is a Jubilee Celebration keepsake I would want, this would be it.

Colour choices by percentage.

The Queen dresses primarily in monochromatic colour schemes and wears 2 inch heels {at 86 years old}. What does she carry in the always-on-her-arm-handbag? A 5 pound note for the collection plate at church, lipstick, a mirror, a handkerchief, and eye glasses. The Queens shoes and handbags are usually neutral colours {black, beige, white}, riding boots and wellies.

If you look back at images you will see that HRH made stylish choices as a young Queen. The limelight had been on Diana for her fashion style and now on Catherine; but I see the savvy and youthful style that the Queen established early.

The white lace dress that is popular this summer. And look at that tiny waist.

The bare shoulder and lace organza overlay is so romantic. I would wear this dress in a heart beat.

 

 

Something you rarely see is the Queen wearing trousers. This was taken after her knee surgery in 2003.

A rare image of the Queen wearing a hairnet instead of a hat.

At the Jubilee celebrations.

The collection of royal jewels, tiara's and crowns is significant to say the least; but like all of us the Queen seems to have her favourites and wears them often. The triple strand of pearls and her pearl and diamond earrings have adorned the Queen's ensembles for many years.
Beyond the assortment of fashions created for the events, and beyond the collection of jewels, it is the Queen's smile that will shine the brightest during her Jubilee celebration.