Moroccan Poufs.

A while ago, I purchased two Moroccan poufs for the living room. I guess I forgot to blog about them and every now and then, they pop up in an Instagram photo and someone will ask about them.

I had been on the hunt for a pair of poufs but found the prices and shipping from most companies a bit more than I wanted to pay. Then it occurred to me that I should check out Etsy. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of it before. There were plenty of options! I ended up ordering from Maison Marrekech. There was a 10% off coupon available at the time (looks like it's still on! ) so I paid around $175 for the pair.

 

Shipping was a little expensive at $40 but it was still what I considered an affordable option compared to other sources. They arrived unstuffed in a plastic mailbag and aside from a strong leather smell, I was very pleased with the quality.

 

unstuffed

They aren't quite identical, which is characteristic of anything handmade and I like that they aren't a perfect match.

Stuffing them was an adventure. You would not believe how much one of those suckers will hold! I was replacing our sleeping pillows so I put the old ones in there, along with an older set of sheets, a couple of old towels, and a ton of clothes that I was going to sent to the Salvation Army. We joke that 20 years down the road, I can wear the clothes again, as they will be back in style! My own time capsules:)

So far, they've been thrown around, sat on and jumped on. They still look the same as the day they arrived. I can certainly attest to their quality.

 

They are versatile as well, we use them as footstools in front of our living room chairs and sometimes drag them over to the couch when we are watching TV. Their most useful and unexpected purpose has been for keeping Beaufort off the chairs. If someone came to the door when we weren't home, he would jump up on the chairs and scratch them with his claws. We simply pop the poufs on the chairs before we leave and he stays clear.

 

I also like that they can be tucked away under the coffee table or you can stick a tray on them as use them as an additional tabletop. They are primarily footstools though. We are a feet up family and it keeps them off the coffee table!

 

 

The living room is in a state of limbo right now. You may notice a new rug and chairs. It's in a total transition phase but is slowly moving into the direction that I envision for the space. I'll keep you updated as I go!

PEI Cottage Vacation.

It's me again! The absent blogger.

I had big plans for August. I was going to paint my living room, figure out what to do with the front door, touch up the trim in the porch.. and the list went on. Instead, I was really busy simply enjoying summer. My sister and brother were both home for a couple of weeks, which meant lots of family barbecues, evening bonfire, antiquing, shopping, etc. We sure know how to relax.

Family reunion

 

We ended their visit with a huge family reunion on my father's side. It was so great to reconnect with some of my cousins that I haven't seen in years. There are 58 of us cousins, not to mention all the great-grandkids who've joined the mix. (My dad is one of 14 children!).

Steph and I decided to extend the reunion weekend by renting a cottage for the whole week, not far from the reunion grounds. The cottage was more like an old house and has completely equipped with everything we'd need and big enough for the six of us who stayed there plus, a few others who joined us on a couple of nights.

The path to "our beach".

 

We spent most of the week on what we called "our beach" since there was hardly anyone there. I now say it's my favorite on the island. You could walk for miles on the white sandy beach and the water was cool but clear of seaweed and jellyfish.

 A couple of days were cool at the beach but a small fire kept us warm.

 

 We stopped in to buy some wine at Newman's Winery.

What a beautiful setting with the water in the background.

 

Souris is an area that I spent lots of time growing up, since my grandmother and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins lived there. I never really appreciated its beauty until I got older. The eastern part of the PEI is stunningly beautiful and it was so great to spend some extended time there, although it went by much too quickly.

I loved being able to have Beaufort with us on vacation, as I'm always stressed when we leave him behind. He was a little confused and agitated the first day but settled in nicely. He loved the beach and his naps with his dad:)

We did lots of paddleboarding. Mostly Steph but I really enjoyed it too.

 

I'd love to do it again next year. Even though I've been off all summer, I never feel quite as relaxed at home as I felt there. I read a book, ate way too much, paddled the waves, walked the beaches, ran the dirt roads, roasted marshmallows, stayed up late, woke up early.. it was great.

Now back to reality. I officially start back to work a week from today but I'm heading in this morning to start setting up my classroom!

Macrame and Succulents.

Latest update to the bunk room is the sweetest hanging planter ever! I'm pretty much in love with it.

A little while ago, I did a post about how I thought macramé was making a comeback and decided to take the plunge and add one within my own home. Every room needs a bit of life and I found the perfect little corner in the bunk room.

I ordered the plant hanger from The Vintage Loop, an Etsy shop located in Toronto. They have all kinds of different colors and styles but I decided to go with a white one with the cute little knubby details. I played it a little safe, but mostly I just really love white.

I picked up a ceiling hook from Canadian Tire. They only came in gold at our store so I gave it a couple of coats of white spray paint so that it would blend into the ceiling a little better.

The plant itself looks artificial but it's a real succulent! I bought it at Prestige Floral and it fits perfect in the white Ikea pot, which in turn fit perfectly in the hanger. I'm not sure of the variety of succulent but it's supposed to be quite resilient. Let's hope so because I haven't had much luck caring for indoor plants.

 

 

You may also notice in these photos that the new roman shade is up in the window! The fabric is from Tonic Living and is called Handcut Shapes in Charcoal. The room is very white so it provides a good contrast. I had the roman shade made by a local seamstress and she did a fantastic job and it was easy to install.

 

 

Here is another peek at the roman shade with the new bunk ladder.

The room is really starting to come together. I picked up the blankets yesterday from the mill. I'll get them on the beds and get a shot of the whole room. We certainly don't need wool blankets at this time of year, but I'm anxious to see how they look on the beds.

Anyone who is interested in having a plant hanger of their very own,

The Vintage Loop is offering 10% off to Modern Jane readers!

Just enter the code THANKYOU10 at checkout!