About Me

In my ‘former life’, I was a Type A, Straight A, MBA with a more-than-decade-long career as a strategic marketing planner/director in an ad agency. I liked makeup…and even outfits that didn’t involve yoga pants or flats !

I loved organization and ‘perfection’, and managed to juggle my marketing career (and even a part-time gig as a university lecturer for a few years) with a young daughter and a globe-trotting,  marketing/sales-exec husband.

Well, that was ‘then’! Ha!

Now, we have 2-year old twin boys.

Enough said?!?

I love them madly, but a few times a week, I escape here to save my sanity!  I’ve always been a ‘crafty type’, and a decorating-obsessed lover of pretty homes and pretty things.  If I’m not here blogging or reading Style at Home in my (very limited) downtime, then you can usually find me rearranging a room or poking around a home decor store.

Since I also love to write and take pictures, starting a blog about decorating seemed like a natural fit! I started to blog here in late 2010 as a way to feed my mind and my imagination while staying home with our young family for a few years.  Now I’m hooked!  {You can find out about my blogging journey to date by clicking here.}

Needless to say, these days, my toss pillows aren’t always perfectly pouffed – or even always on the sofa, for that matter!  Our glass doors always have little handprints.  And, most days, the laundry is piled higher than my front-loader. But, I’m out to prove that a pretty home is still possible in a house filled with kids and chaos (even if it kills me!).  You just have to change your perspective a little.

My idea of what makes a ‘pretty’ home has changed over the past few years. Where it once meant shiny clean floors and neatly styled bookcases, now it means decorating in a way that makes my kids smile; with things like an alphabet wall, a Dr. Seuss-inspired Christmas tree, a sunshine-inspired foyer, and bright pops of color in every room.

More and more, I find myself envying homes with quirky personalities, and ones that tell a story about those who live there in interesting ways.  I’m more inspired than ever to break a few rules and have more fun in decorating my home.  Some day, I might even be brave enough to paint a piano yellow!

Probably not surprisingly, my favorite style of decor is ‘Modern-Cottage’.  I love cheerful pops of color and  whimsical statement pieces against neutral walls, and furniture with clean lines. Mix in some chippy furniture and French-inspired accessories like a crystal chandelier, vintage sign or chalkboard, and you’ve got my definition of perfection!

I like to think I’m pretty frugal when it comes to decorating. [I can hear my husband snickering, lol.] OK, I’ll admit, I do like to splurge now and again.  I think a great room is all about striking the perfect High-Low balance. Put it this way; if I can buy it at HomeSense (Canadian) or make it myself, I’m 100% for it.  But if I can’t, I’m not averse to going the Pottery Barn route!

If you like these kinds of things too, then maybe you’ll like hanging out around here as much as I do. I hope you’ll pop by now and again, and maybe find your own spark of inspiration along the way!

Until next time,