green + grey

every home we've lived in has had grey walls in the living space. whether silvery + light or darkest charcoal, or tinted with a green or blue hue, there is always grey. in our current home we've chosen a really neutral mid-tone grey for our main floor, and i love it. it works well with our neutral furnishings and dark wood pieces, and balances the light birch floors really nicely.

not long ago, we painted our master bedroom [finally!] palest grey. as our room faces north, this lighter shade brings in some much-needed brightness, and it just feels totally fresh. i've finally decided on an accent colour, and can't wait to bring it together. crisp, bright, grassy green is making it's way into our room, and i think i may have stumbled onto my new favourite colour combo. grass green + palest grey.

images via sources as listed below, top to bottom.

fern duvet cover, celery :: amenity, available at branch

leaf wall wear, vintage metal frame :: neawear

wood panel - cuckoo clock - lime :: decoylab

row houses, fern green :: sugar + fig

fresh for summer

i'm thinking we need some new cushions for our couch this season. i'm really over the ones i sewed a couple years ago, and need something fresh. while i know i could easily whip something up with the fabrics in my stash, i love the idea of choosing something a bit more original, and supporting a fellow etsy artist at the same time. these pillows definitely caught my eye. now i just have to make a couple choices! do you have a favourite?

images via shops as listed below, top to bottom.

city windows cushion in aqua on white linen :: roddy & ginger

citrus brush :: twig & cricket

cloud birds pillow - granny smith green :: skinny laminx

navajo quilt pillow in mint blue :: shapes & colors

cushion cover in orange mari :: kalla

pleat pillow in spring green :: yorktown road

small choices

i try to make good choices. buy local, buy handmade, buy organic when i can. fewer junky plastic toys, more wooden or well-made. but like everyone else, i am often swayed by a deal, the easy out, or a multitude of other reasons that seem to crop up. the other day, scoutie girl blogger tara wrote a lovely article about buying handmade. you should really read it, and visit scoutie girl often. it is a virtual treasure trove of handmade. there is always an "easier way" but is it always the smarter choice? i'm going to go ahead and say here that i will be making a concerted effort to do these things.

and take a good long look at what my family actually needs to consume

and own. quality, local, less. i'm going to try.

quality, handmade clothing. organic? even better! while i know i won't be able to make this choice all the time, i will certainly be looking to more quality over quantity. longevity in our clothing saves the earth, let's keep all those disposable clothing items out of our landfills! i love love this shirt. while i look terrible in yellow, it is available in other colours. love!

sandmaiden organic cotton jersey blend draped cap-sleeve shirt :: sandmaiden

since christmas, my husband has been packing his lunch in one of these reusable food wraps. they are awesome, and they are local! a great product, i highly recommend abeego. get rid of that plastic wrap!

abeego reusable food wrap :: abeego

and for my coffee, if i can't remember my own mug, the least i could do is use this gorgeous cup cozy by local artist laura bucci, made with her own fabric designs. so chic!

eco cup cozy - vintage bicycle :: laura bucci handmade

and in case you need a reminder, this is definitely something that helps our planet. find your nearest farmer's market, or at the very least make local choices at your grocer. i have an awesome little produce shop just a few minutes away, and there are a multitude of local goodies!

near here shirt :: original silver