So remember when I posted about wanting a door knocker? (It was just last week! You better remember.) Anyway, I posted about that because I really wanted to do a little mini-makeover on our front door. And I've done it!

We live in a rental and our front door was pretty ugly before, but thanks to a little paint and a heavy iron knocker from The Door Store in Toronto, I'm loving it now.

The Door Store was recommended to me by Jen at Rambling Renovators. I'd seen the place on TV, but never been inside. I LOVED IT. While a lot of the hardware they had was a bit out of my reach, price-wise, we were able to find something neat for only $35. And yes... it features a bird.

I put a bird on it. AGAIN. Deal with it.

Okay, so let's take a look:

Good, right? The flat black paint hides the dings and imperfections of the old door pretty well, AND it makes the vintage hardware pop.

Here's a shot of the mail slot (at the bottom of the door, not shown in the first pics):

And here's one of the bird-knocker, up close.

What do you think? Good?

And for the record, I will never stop putting a bird on it. NEVER.

I have so many posts in the hopper right now, it's not even funny. But so many of them require just one more picture, or a bit of staging. So in the meantime, I'm going to tell you about the number one item on my current wishlist: a door knocker.

We live in a rental with an old doorbell. It's probably been broken since the 1950s. But people always push it, not realizing that it doesn't work. So I thought a knocker (perhaps with a little note telling folks to knock) would be a pretty solution. But I'm finding it really hard to find something!

Here are a few of the ones I've found (online). I like these, but I don't love any of them. And without seeing them in person and testing the heft, I'm just not sure I want to buy one.

What do you think? Do you like any of these?

This "Sly Fox" knocker is from Anthropologie and is $24.99, but it looks a little small and I'm not sure about the tail.

This vintage cast iron knocker is from JunkFromMyTrunk on Etsy. It's $28. But I don't think the seller ships to Canada (and that would up the price too much anyway).

I love Victorian-style hand knockers like this one, but there seems to be a massive price range online (say $10 to $300). I can't tell what's real and what's reproduction. And I can't spend $300. (My budget for this is $50 max). Plus, as I said, without seeing the knockers in person, I can't be sure I like them.

Anyway, what do you think? Got any advice for me? Should I go with an animal, a regular knocker, or a weird shape like a hand? And I need local help: know any Toronto brick and mortar places with good knockers? (No strip club jokes, please.)

Blue Eyed Grass is my absolute favourite thing about springtime in Toronto. My absolute favourite thing. I love how it seems to appear out of nowhere. How you can leave your house in the morning with a lawn of nothing but green shoots and mud, and when you return home, it's brimming over with blue. I'm surprised by it every single year. And it always makes me happy.

Hope y'all are having a nice holiday weekend. I spent it walking around the city, hunting for Blue Eyed Grass. I wasn't disappointed.

In my ongoing quest to revamp my bedroom, I created a little vignette above one of the dressers.

And I decided to blog about it because it occurred to me that this vignette cost me practically nothing. Every piece in it was either inherited, or purchased second-hand.

What do you think?

The books, milk glass bud vase, ginger jar, leaf dish, and white floral candle holder are from Goodwill. The faux forsythia and the bird are from Dollarama. The statue is from Angel Interiors and Custom Upholstery in Toronto (on St. Clair West.) It was a gift for my 17th birthday back in 1997. The art and the copper tree are from Value Village and the antique telescope used to be my dad's. I have no idea where he got it.

All this stuff was already hanging around my house in other rooms, on other tables and/or hidden away, so the vignette took no time at all. I love how spring-timey and bright it feels. So much better than it was, no?

So did any of you catch the premiere of Sarah Richarson's new show last night?  Sarah 101? I watched a screener and will probably watch the show again, but I've got to say... I had a few reservations.

First off though, I want to explicitly say that I think Sarah Richardson is one of the best, if not THE best, designer working on television today. I mean that. I've literally never seen her do a room that wasn't impressive. And she has a lovely on-air personality. She's funny, sharp, and genuine... at least when she's not reading lines.

Forced, scripted writing was a problem on Sarah's earliest show: Room Service. The design work on that show was fine, but Sarah herself - as a television personality - was problematic. She had that poofy short hairdo. She spoke in an exaggeratedly formal way. It was like she was trying (and failing) to channel Martha Stewart. 

Nothing against Martha -- besides the obvious, of course -- but it's important to be yourself.

And then along came Design Inc. and... BAM. Sarah was fabulous. Here was a woman I could love! A Sarah with personality! Design Inc. was a great show, and its focus on what really happens behind-the-scenes - the mistakes, the unforseeable problems, the on-the-fly solutions - was completely compelling. I still watch reruns whenever I can.

Design Inc. gave us a glimpse at a real team at work. A team that clearly respected, loved (and yes, sometimes feared) its leader. I especially enjoyed the way the crew would scramble to please her. There was an air of iron first about Sarah on that show, but a kindness too, and it was awesome. Real. The show's successors, Sarah's House (and Sarah's Cottage, etc.) were appealing in a similar way.

I guess that's why I found the first episode of Sarah 101 to be a little... lacking.

Sarah 101 is a bit of a step backwards in the evolution of the Sarah Richardson brand, which isn't to say that step wasn't deliberate. The show is obviously designed to be what it is: a stripped down, simplified, "back-to-basics" look at design. Consider the logo - the school-house font. Ostensibly, Sarah 101 is attempting to do what I always hoped Sarah would: to show regular people how to make a room happen, in a clear, DIY friendly, and budget conscious way. It's everything I thought I wanted. Nonetheless, something about the format feels dated.

I had a couple of problems with the first episode of Sarah 101 that I saw - a pre-released screener of a yet-to-be-aired episode entitled Big Box Kitchen. I thought the design relied too much on IKEA (though, to be fair, using a big box store was clearly the point). But I was also put off by the overly didactic tone of Sarah's scripted moments. They were awkward and harkened back to her Room Service days. What was missing from Sarah 101, I think, was more of Sarah herself. More of her and Tommy and their amusing banter. More real conversations and moments, less of the obviously contrived.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the attempt. I just think Sarah (and her sidekick Tommy, of course), their personalities, are what sets Sarah's shows apart. And I'd like to see more of them.

I was lucky enough to meet Sarah and Tommy recently, at an event for a small group of bloggers. It was great. Sarah was more beautiful, charming and impressive than I'd expected (and I expected a lot). I especially enjoyed her toughness. When I (mistakenly) said that I thought Design Inc. wouldn't do projects for people who didn't have a minimum $15K budget, she refused to let my error pass. She could easily have said that she didn't think I was right and moved on, but I watched her shuffle at warp speed through her memory in order to discover that I'd misread her old website, which listed the value of the Design Inc. team's services at an estimated $15K. I liked the determined way she set about setting me straight. I could see how much she cared, both about her image and about a brand that is clearly her baby.

During the get together, Sarah also reminisced about the hiring of former intern Lindsay Mens (who's now been on the team approximately 6 years and who you may remember for Design Inc.) Sarah said that Lindsay was the only student she met at one particular event who was brave enough to ask her for a job and to some extent, that's why she was hired. Armed with this information, I jokingly asked Sarah for a job at the end of the meeting. I wish I could describe her expression. She knew what I was doing and she quelled me with a look. It was kind of awesome.

Considering all this, I'll definitely watch Sarah 101 again. I can't imagine not giving a Sarah/Tommy effort a fair chance. And the end credits featured a bit of the banter I love, which makes me hope there'll be more in future episodes. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Sarah 101 airs on HGTV on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. and Sundays at 8 p.m. Full schedule here. No idea when or if it will air in the States. Sorry. 

I first heard about Penny People Designs at the Canadian Design Bloggers meet up that I attended in November. (That thing was just chock full o' talent, yo.)

Anyway, Penny People is this great little stationery company manned by Lindsay Stephenson who is based here in Toronto. She started it about five years ago. (Actually, the current tag line is "celebrating five years of creating cute," which is, well... cute.)

Lindsay is a real sweetheart. She processed my order in minutes and mailed the print I chose within 25 hours. I received it not two days after choosing it online. And it was customized. Amazing!

What did I get? An alphabet print for my niece Katherine. She's only three, but I think she'll appreciate it. After all, what three year old doesn't enjoy the alphabet?

Her favoutite colour is yellow, so I had her name done in yellow, at the top. Here it is:

Now all I've gotta do is frame it. Luckily, the print came with handy-dandy framing instructions AND it is designed to fit in an easy-to-find IKEA frame. See:

Cool, right? I'd suggest ordering something from Penny People for somone on your list this season.

And for the record, I haven't been paid a cent to say this. The blog is not monetized. I just really liked this print and the service from Lindsay was really great. So there. :)

This isn't really along the lines of what I usually post, but I just had to brag... I mean, share (ahem) news of my latest Goodwill find: An incredible little hat, made by Toronto's own Karyn Gingras of Lilliput Hats.

It's a designer original, yo! And it's local, one-of-a-kind and completely handmade! It's the sort of hat that retails for hundreds!

And I got it at GOODWILL.

How much did I pay? Funny you should ask. Cheeky too. I paid...

a cool $1.50. That's one dollar and fifty cents, thankyouverymuch. It was supposed to be $3, but I bought it on 50% off day.

Believe it. And see it for yourself:

Hats aren't usually my thing. Even though I'm told they suit me, they call to mind memories of Mayim Bialik, Blossom and the early 90s. Memories I've tried hard to forget. 

But when I saw the Lilliput label inside this little beauty, I just couldn't pass it up. It was actually in the cart of the lady in front of me in the checkout line and I was eying it and lamenting not having seen it first, even before I knew what it was. Something about it just called to me. And luckily, at the last minute, she decided not to buy it.

I swooped in. I had to stand in line a second time to pay for it, but the wait was worth it.

For out of towners and those who just don't know, Lilliput Hats is basically the very best traditional milliner in Toronto. The College St. store/studio is absolutely adorable and just packed with unbelievable style. Some of Karyn's pieces would  make even Philip Treacy jealous.

And I got one for $1.50. Yes!

I don't care if I do look like Blossom. I'm gonna wear this baby.

I stumbled on a few finds at my local Goodwill recently. Thought I'd share them.

Didn't have anything else to post about.
And it was one of those great Goodwill days when everything is half off.
And I feel like bragging.

So. Here's a bit of what I got:

Three vintage Pyrex mixing bowls. $5 for the whole set!

A funny brass bird. $2.

A couple of vintage milk glass/pyrex-like mugs. $0.50 each.

Jealous? Even if you're not, I'm gonna pretend you are. Helps my self-esteem.

For only $8.50, I'd say it was a pretty good day.

Yikes! The Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup is happening this Saturday and I realized (at the last minute, drr) that I don't have personal business cards. And they specifically asked for business cards.

Why don't I have cards? Because I'm a spaz. And because this blogging thing of mine is just a hobby. I still have a day job as a writer/editor. And I have work cards for that. But this event is for design bloggers. So I guess I need different cards. Sigh. I don't want to be the only one without cards! It would be like being the only girl without purple jeans and a crushed velvet bodysuit, circa 1991. Been there, let me tell you. Not fun.

So what's a girl to do?

Craft some, of course!

Yep. I decided that it wouldn't hurt to make my own cards for this one little event. Are they imperfect? Yes. Are they simple? Yes. Are they cute? I say... yes.

Look, I had the card stock just sitting around. And I felt good about making something with it instead of just chucking it into the recycling. The stock, plus a few Avery labels, plus access to the handy-dandy school-house slicer at my office equals some crafty-cute cards. No big deal.

The sticker on the front features my name and profession, the back, my contact information.

I'd say they turned out.

The Budai likes them. He told me so himself. He raised the roof. That's how excited he was.

Believe it.

Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup, here I come. (Now all I need is something to wear.)

I work from home occasionally. I used to work from home all the time, but back in 2007, I went back to school to get an MA, which meant even more years of typing in my pjs, and after that, I just figured it was time.

So back into the work place I went.

I've had a few different offices since. One was private, with my own door and everything, but it was also dark and lacking personality. One was at a traditional publication, so it was... cubeville/cluttered/disgusting. (If you're a journalist, you'll understand. Those offices are always filthy and mental.)

And now, I'm at a writing and design studio, where things are pretty chic.

I sort of love my office office. It's sleek and bright. When I feel I need to be focused and productive, it's a good place to be.

Plus, it's just sort of neat. The space is actually a renovated bank. We have old vaults and everything.

That said, I don't know if I'd ever want an office office space at home. All that white. It works at work, but at home...

At home, I like to be able to bundle up in a soft blanket while I work. I like to have a pretty cup of tea by my side. I like to have distractions available (like the guitar) for when I need a break. I like my desk to be cluttered with bits and bobs and things that I love.

But I've still got to stay focused. Even at home, I often need to concentrate and be productive.

I'm not really sure how to reconcile these things. Maybe, when it comes to work, I have a split personality disorder.