Monday, September 2, 2013

Cramming in the last days of Summer and Student Digs

I have been gloriously absent for about three weeks.

I think that Pinterest threw me over the edge
with all the images of.... Autumn and Hallowe'en.... and I won't even mention the C word.

I mean really... 
summer takes soooo long to come to this part of the world
that I had to figure out a way to slow it down.

Yep, simple solution.....computer shut down.

If you have never done that then I strongly recommend that you try it.
Phenomenal.
You discover old loves that you had carelessly ignored and you end up with....
time
Yes, lots of time...
which is what I really needed in order to cope with a recent reality...


But first, here is how I have been spending my last days of summer.
And my daughter Sarah has been a big part of it....


I had a wish list in an earlier post for my last days of summer
and although I did not achieve everything from my list
I can certainly say that I feel satisfied.


The weather has been amazing and there is nothing like a visit to the beach at
Saint-Irénée... or any beach for that matter.


Or a visit to the Saguenay Fjord.


And of course we have both been constantly on the lookout for possible art projects
given that Sarah was planning a big move into her new apartment .... second year of university and on her own!
Whoop... Whoop?
Yikes!! Perhaps now you understand the need for time?



And of course during these important moments....
I forgot to bring my camera. Grrr.....
So, I relied on photos from my iPhone.


Which was all I had when it came time to take photos of the new apartment and our time getting her settled in to a place she will call home for the next few years.


And yes, once again ....kijiji..... played a big role in making this move a huge success and keeping it thrifty and within a tight budget.


Other than the IKEA bookshelves, she scored most of her furniture on kijiji.


I think the traditional Québec rag rug is one of my favourite finds along with this lovely little drop-leaf farm table.


Her apartment has beautifully finished wood trim and doors and floors and....


of course a brick wall in the bathroom which is a beautiful backdrop to her gorgeous mirror that she picked up at a second hand shop.


No move is complete without a painting project or two.
This table, when we started, was unpainted and rather blah...
as you can see by its matching chair that has yet to be painted.


We played around with the sander and gave it a little touch of shabby chic to give it more character.


We have not quite completed all the cushions for the couch but getting there.
She seems perfectly content 
and although this little sofa may be short in length
it is a lot fancier than I remember from my
student pad.
But then again, being thrifty these days seems easy.

So, although there are officially several more weeks left in the summer calendar....
well, the truth is that
once the kids head back to school it feels like it is all over.

So, bring it on Pinterest.... 
bring on the fall photos of leaves, 
plaid wool blankets casually thrown across Adirondack/Muskoka chairs.....
carved pumpkins and an array of black, orange and white decorating...

But hey ....careful with the C word....

I am going to linger awhile with my summer memories as I ease into the next season....




and at Feather Your Nest Friday....because hey, she is feathering her nest!





14 comments:

  1. Makes me want to change the bathroom walls somehow, like brick or dark tiles. So pretty.

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  2. Love this post Donna. It's good to have you back from your break. Sarah's apartment is gorgeous! I love the wonderful finds like the drop leaf table, the rag rug and the settee. And the brick bathroom wall?? Wow. Sarah is a beautiful girl and has her mama's smile. I'm sure she will be very happy in her new apartment while she studies hard. And you can study images on Pinterest. :) Have fun!

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  3. That's the most Gorgeous college apartment I've ever seen!!! Wow! What great finds! I love finding inexpensive things and hitting the vintage shops, (not antique, that's expensive.)

    The photos from your vacation together are beautiful.

    It's so ridiculously hot here! And there is at least another month. Sometimes we can hit hundred until Halloween. We don't really have a fall, with leaves, but cooler temperatures in November with a change of light. I've been pinning some images of Halloween. We don't put pumpkins outside because they rot in a day, unless one wants to make a really hideous monster looking jack-o-lantern. So I have to wish for the opposite here, but we get no snow, so that makes a difference in perception, so I understand your resistance to the rush.

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  4. Oh she looks just like you Donna - what a gorgeous photo!!!
    Is she living in NDG?
    Her apartment looks so lovely!
    XOXO

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  5. I love your daughter's sofa and her brick wall is gorgeous. I think blogland is always ahead of time and maybe forgets to live in the now! I hate that everybody is decorating for Hallowe'en when I'm just in a back-to-school mode!

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  6. Oh it looks as though you and your daughter enjoyed Summer to the fullest! Her apartment looks fantastic! The humidity of last week finally broke & its cool here....very fall like. I'm ready! :)

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  7. Donna! It's so nice to hear from you. What a wonderful idea, to step away and fully experience your summer. I've been away for spurts with this being the summer of letting go. The youngest is officially flown the coop and the oldest relocated to another apartment which looks nothing like your daughter's charming one. His is most definitely a dude's place. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed your summer. I did too.
    xo
    Leslie

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  8. Olá amiga,/bom retorno de verão!!!Belas imagens!!!
    Obrigada pela visita carinhosa ao meu cantinho!
    Beijos, Marie.

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  9. I so agree with ya....it is so easy to go overboard with all the blogs and Pinterest, head spinning, processing ideas.....My Mom is visiting right now from Germany and I have been taking a break as well....great pics, your daughter has wonderful taste..must be genes

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  10. TOTALLY in love with that cane sofa and those paintings!! Beautiful!

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  11. That is the most elegant student apartment I have ever seen! I'm glad you took time to enjoy your summer and I'm also glad you are back.

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  12. I'm not ready to give-up on summer yet, Donna. We didn't have much of one with all the rain. Pinterest is stressing me out! I like to enjoy the moment and not look so far ahead.....UGH!

    Happy to see you in my inbox this morning!

    xo,
    RJ

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  13. So happy to read this post! I felt I was there, with you, as you and Sarah decorated her dorm room...what fun that was. Now seeing her lovely apartment just makes me smile all over.

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