Dog days of summer

Hello!

I thought I would sneak in a quick post tonight before I head to bed. 

It has been such an incredible and hot summer here in Ontario, so much so that one day we found that our little girl had burrowed herself a cool hole to lie in between our two large evergreen bushes in the backyard! I can't say I blame her but I hope we can keep her from digging anywhere else.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated to help us do that.

and on slightly cooler days she has been invited by Todd up on our lounge chairs (after I told him not too) and now she helps herself.  

ok, it kinda makes me laugh as I've never seen a dog on a lounger before,

have you?

and because of the combination of the extreme heat  and the great expense of  buying a new fence I chose to buy just two planter baskets this year which I found just a couple of weeks ago for just 9.99 each.

Todd has just finished the custom post caps that I designed for our fence  which literally saved us hundreds of dollars.  The fence has 6 foot and 8 foot sections and we had hoped to add square lattice to the center section of every other section but are not sure if our budget will allow it and I have yet to decide if it will be the large one or the small one. 

Of course it will get a coat of white opaque stain next year too which will make it even prettier but I can't express just how much I love it!

We bought the top piece of the post cap from my work for just over two dollars and then he added the middle plate and then the bottom trim. I really love the arts and crafts feel they give the fence.

and I have yet to share with you the gate because there is some more work to be done to finish the top of it but I just had to show you these stunning victorian cast iron hinges that my father gave us that Todd cleaned up and sprayed black. Although not traditional gate hinges I like them  and they do a good job of holding up a very heavy gate.

Painting on the hottest day, light and tile of dreams

I really did choose the wrong weekend to do my painting. Last weekend when the weather was just perfect temperature and humidity wise, we packed up the cooler and  took a nice little day trip to  Awenda Provincial park to take Emma to a dog beach that is there. 

Here she is as the filling in a black and tan sand which!

 She had a blast and so did we. 

But today I think the temperature hit 36 degrees and it was more like 40 with the humidity. 

We don't have air conditioning on our main level so I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to get at least a coat of paint on the dining room walls but I am soooooo glad I did.

I even convinced Todd to do his thing and move the chandelier from the front hall.

This chandelier was in the living room when we bought our home and when we moved it to the hall, we had to shorten the chain so you could walk under it. We safely put the extra chain away, somewhere, and guess what? Now we can't find it. So it is hanging a little higher than I want until I either find the chain or I find a place that sells antique chain to match.

Either way I just love how pretty it looks in here and the bonus is it fits our budget right now.

What I think I love the best though is how the original glass windows just

 pop surrounded by the sky blue.

We are still working on getting that dang fireplace put back in too. 

Soon, hopefully and I must get around to ordering the doors for the bottoms of the built-ins.

It's amazing now that both rooms are this lovely ethereal blue how much larger they look

and how right this feels for us. 

I'm also so happy that Todd loves it just as much as I do.

And now I am really so very very excited to share with you a little peak of what is my one time splurge, the light that I have dreamed of having for so long a Moravian star light that I treated myself to as a reward after a gruelling month at work a while back.

  Todd hung it in the front hall where the chandelier was and I am in heaven!

 It casts such a pretty pattern on the ceiling.

Of course, now that the living and dining room are my custom shade of blue, the Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue must go, so that will be the next project.

And lastly I must show you the most beautiful tile I have ever seen!!!

Earlier today after a vet appointment with Emma we stopped by Tilemaster in Aurora so I could check on some white glass tile for one of my customers who is elderly and unable to get around easily due to her ill husband and I think I almost fell over when I saw this incredible jade pebble floor tile.

Of course I would love to have this for our entire area of the front entry but at 60 square feet it will be too pricey so I will consider it as a border to a less expensive tile.

Don't you just love it!!!

Hope you have a great week!!!