Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Back from vacation…

We had a great time on vacation, went to visit my Moms house for a 2 week stay on Vancouver Island…

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Landed ok…I do not like to fly anymore…and we had to go over the Rockies, oh my…  must admit better than driving through them for 2 days…the flight is only 1hour and 15 minutes from Calgary to Comox…

Now what does a designer do on vacation…

First things first…find a new lamp for your Mothers living room…   

Inspiration for new  lamp (2)

This is the great new chandelier she bought last year…so I used it for inspiration…

                      Old Lamp  Before   The old lamp, just sad…that’s all I can say (sorry I forgot to take a great before picture)

                    New LampAfter   The new lamp…goes really well with the chandelier above…

Now the next thing to change…Art over and around the TV unit

Artwork Before

Before…artwork she has had since 1962…time for a change…

Artwork After

After…new artwork that stands out a bit more, and a redo of the shelves of the TV unit…just adding a few books, moving the pictures around and adding a great suitcase I found in the shed…much better, my Mom was all smiles…

Now, tidy up the glass tops on the coffee and end tables…my Mom bought these tables in 1947…they look like tables out on the market this year, the x sides are all in…imagine having the same tables for that long…they have been refinished 3 times…(I would love to stain them in a dark espresso finish…maybe next visit !)

Coffee Table Before Before…with weird felts under the glass, just to busy…I have wanted to replace them for years…after we started changing things, I just got bossy and changed them out for clear rubber ones without asking…she smiled at me…so I knew I was not in trouble…

Coffee Table After After…now isn't that better, so nice I bought the flowers to add some colour to the top…

Now, time for dinner…my Mom took us to a wonderful restaurant in  Comox, Blackfin Pub check them out here

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I loved the metal artwork and flowers on the deck, so nice…

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My hubby Jim with my Mom…on the deck.018 I had a great salmon dinner on the outside deck above…over looking a view of the marina…

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Me and Mom at the Marina, nice place for a walk after dinner…

A few days later we went for Brunch at the Kingfisher Spa…we did some major eating on vacation…that’s what a vacation is for right?

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Just one of the most wonderful places to stay, spa and eat on the island…Kingfisher Spa, check them out here

diningsunrise The brunch food was amazing…you name it, they were serving it…

Jim, Mom & Me

This is the garden between the restaurant and the spa…

So you take pictures of the flowers, right…here’s a few…

Flower Picture 1

Flower Picture 2

OK, that enough flower pictures, right? Ok, now how about birds @ the beach…

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I collected some nice rocks and shells for a bowl on the coffee table…this time I remembered to put them in my main luggage and not in my carry on…last time they took my rocks away from me at the airport…so embarrassing…I thought they were kidding, they were not…(I had forgot they were in my purse, security was not amused)

Now one of the coolest things we did on vacation was go to see the RCMP Musical Ride…they came to the Comox Valley while we were there…great timing…

3 Beautiful Horses…

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Royal Canadian Mounted Police...

back of the $50.00 bill...

If you ever have an opportunity to see the musical ride, I recommend it highly…it was an amazing show of skill with the horses…all the riders are working officers with the RCMP…they do this for fun…just amazing !

Well that is what I did for vacation…back 3 days and I am swamped with clients…I am booking appointments for September already…I have a feeling the recession is recovering…fingers crossed !

5 comments:

  1. I am sure your mom love your design ideas, but even better the fact you made her feel special.

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  2. How fun to get the play by play of your trip! Love all the touches you helped your mom with!

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  3. Hi Carol,
    Hey, thanks for your thoughtful comment, I didn't mean email every single person that comments, I meant comment back on their blog if you get one (maybe that's the same thing in your world I'm not sure).
    Hope you are well,
    xo
    Maria

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  4. Hi Carol Ann, your trip sounds positively wonderful. I adore Vancouver Island! Thanks for visiting my blog - yes, Crate & Barrel is supposed to open in Southcenter, where Indigo was, I think. It was meant to open in Spring, but think it is delayed 'til Fall. Did you know there is Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters in West Ed Mall? I must go up there for a decor fix one weekend. Take care, xo Terri

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  5. That's funny, I hadn't read the part about taking rocks with you on the plane! Thanks for your comment today, have a great week!

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