Ho! Ho! Ho!

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

 We have no snow outside right now so we've tried to bring a bit of winter indoors.  It's cold though today and there might be a chance of a light dusting of snow if we're lucky.  That would be nice.

Hope you get to spend some time with your family and friends. Relax and Enjoy!

Black Friday Sale

Happy Black Friday!

Please enjoy 15% off all items in my etsy shop from now thru Monday.
Use the coupon code HOLIDAY2011 in checkout.

I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday weekend.  I'm feeling rejuvenated.  Yesterday I went out and bought paint samples for our livingroom.  I always like to paint a sample board(s) to test the colours in different areas and different light before I paint.  I haven't painted a room for a while and it feels good to be back thinking about design and decor especially since it's for our house.  I'm doing something a little different than I have in the past.  I'm planning to go with very neutral walls and bring out the colours in my pillows, accessories, etc.  I can't live in a monochromatic space - I have to live in colour - but I thought pops of colour might be fun. This also allows me flexibility to change things around over the year.  I've taken the 'before' pictures so hopefully I will have some after pictures to show in the coming weeks.

Have a great one!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends south of the border.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend of family and friends and good food.  Cheers!

I'm having a Black Friday /Cyber Monday sale in my Etsy shop.  Use the coupon code HOLIDAY2011 and receive 15% off ALL items.  The best savings of the season!  Let your shopping begin!

Cool Treats!

I'm not sure what happened to November as it just seems to be flying by.  I seem to be going a million different directions lately and not quite feeling accomplished in any of my endeavours. Such is life I suppose and the time of year.  

There is definitely a chill in the air this morning so it does feel like winter might be on it's way but it's bright and sunny.  I really don't remember a nicer November.  Usually it's cold and rainy.

This morning I was thinking about our trip to NYC and this fabulous store we came across while walking in Greenwich Village.   It's called Popbar at 5 Carmine Street.

How much fun is that?!! They make the best handcrafted Gelato on a Stick.  The flavour choice is amazing and the taste is outstanding.  I had pistachio dipped in chocolate and crushed pistachios. Yum!

New York, New York

In a bit of a daze today after a whirlwind trip to New York with my hubby...but a lovely daze it is. It's amazing how much you can pack into a short time...dinners, Wicked, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, Hot Pretzels, Shopping, Bryant Park (one of my favourite spots), taxis, subways, Grand Central Station, Greenwich Village, walking and more walking.

Here are some pics from our first day.

 Central Park

 Rockefeller Plaza

 The Public Library

Bryant Park.

Grand Central Station

...and now I must get ready for my show this weekend.  I've got the Wicked Soundtrack blasting...it's always fun to play the music really loud when no one else is home.

If you have a chance come visit me at the Victoriana Show this Saturday, Novembr 12th 11a.m. - 6 p.m., in Cobourg at the Best Western.

New in the Shop Today

I found these fabulous stone beads on a trip to downtown Toronto last Friday.  I couldn't wait to get home and play with them.  I just love how this necklace turned out.  For me you can never go wrong when combining blue and green.

Another addition to my Glam Allure earrings.  I've always been drawn to sparkly things and my collection of vintage glass jewels is a favourite of mine.  Today I listed these fabulous green earrings that would be perfect to wear or give as a gift for Christmas.  Yes, I said it Christmas...only 61 shopping days left!

Wordplay - Grateful

Hand embroidered wall art by Violet.

So simply said. Print by vol25.

Perfect for journal keeping by worldofwhit.

I'm a sucker for play on words and love this print by albiedesigns.

Some lovely things I found on Etsy this morning.

Thank you for looking.

Summer Fades to Autumn

It is feeling much more like fall today.  It's still a decent 18 degrees but it's cloudy and raining on and off.  Within a couple of days leaves have fallen and you can hear them crunch underfoot.  We've quickly gone from summer weather to more of what you would expect for fall.  We still haven't had the heat on yet although I'm sure that's just around the corner and I'm still wearing sandals and capris.  Quite quickly I'm going to look out of place, not to mention chilly.

Last weekend we were still enjoying our garden in sunshine and t-shirts.  I loved having a moment to watch the birds and I love the unexpected fall blooms.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Time for a Facelift

Sometimes you just need a change.   A pick me up.  Perhaps a new shade of lipstick and a little makeover.  I was feeling this way with my website design. When I originally opened up my online shop I loved the look of brown and turquoise blue with the soft florals. That was well over three years ago now and I was growing tired of it and longing for a change. So, I decided to give my website a bit of a facelift. It wasn't the best of timing with the busy Christmas season just ahead but once it was in my head I just couldn't look back.  I've been working very hard behind the scenes updating, freshening up and ironing out any wrinkles and now it's finally ready for it's grand entrance.

See my new website here: nancywallisdesigns

I love the black damask paired with the pink.  It's modern and feminine and I think it's the perfect complement to showcase my designs.

Newly listed pearl and black onyx necklace.

What do you think?

Do you remember about the surprise I mentioned yesterday?  Well this is part of it but there's more to come! Stay tuned!

My new look has also been carried over to my etsy shop where you can also find all my designs.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

What an amazing weekend of weather, food and family time.

The apple trees were bare but there were a few fall raspberries left to pick.  You had to go in deep to get the ripe ones so we sent in Sydney. :)

Pumpkin hunting in tank tops and sandals.  It really felt strange.  You were feeling summer but seeing fall all around you.

Sydney took this cool shot of us on the wagon ride. You're never too old for a wagon ride are you?!!

Now here's your more typical at the farm picture on Thanksgiving weekend.

Who could have predicted 27 celcius and humid?  We'll have to remember this in the depths of winter.

Hope you all had a relaxing and happy Thanksgiving weekend.

I've got some surprises coming up this weekend.  Shh! It's a secret!

Wordless Wednesday

..mmmph...um....ok..ok..I  have a hard time being wordless.

I love this last one...a rainbow of rocks from the ocean.

Hidden Falls in Sheaves Cove, Newfoundland.

A time for Comfort Food

I made this delicious cake on Sunday.  It's one of the best desserts I've made in a while.  It's the kind that produces oohss and aahs as the first bite is tasted.  The light textured cake is filled with fresh apple chunks and cinnamon.  It's lovely and moist and not too sweet.  It becomes absolutely mouth watering, gorgeous when you drizzle the warm, homemade caramel sauce on top. The sauce definitely raises the sweetness level but when you mix in the cake and apple with each forkful it's bliss for your mouth.

(If you find this recipe a little too small to read

 just click on it and the link will take you to the full size version.)

The recipe is from Trish Magwood's latest cookbook, In My Mother's Kitchen.  I bought it for myself in the spring and have made several recipes from it so far.  It's filled with recipes that are great for the family and gatherings.  They're easy and accessible and produce delicious results with lots of accompanying photos (which I love).  None have disappointed and some have left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood.

 I even love the picture in the inside cover of recipe cards sprawled over a table.  Some yellowed and stained, bent with use, most are handwritten.  I miss recipe cards.  Do you remember when most homes would have a little stack of blank recipe cards tucked in a drawer ready for the coveted question...Can I have the recipe for that?

recipe cards and box by 1Canoe2

We'll be making this again this weekend to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.

Letting Go and Jumping Right In

This is a picture of me ziplining this summer. Yes, it's me hanging over a canyon with almost 300 feet to the ground.  It was amazing! It was exhilarating! It was so scary!  My hands were red and sore after the first zip because I was gripping on the cable for dear life.  Altogether there were nine zip lines and somewhere in the middle I actually managed to free both hands in the air for a few seconds.

It's a strange feeling as they attach your cables to the first line. You don't really even have time to think about it.  Both my daughters had already fearlessly lept off the platform and now it was my turn. All I had to do was run off the platform (eek!) and trust that my harness and cords and cables were all secure (don't think about it!).  It was somewhat comforting to know that this was all I had to do.  Stopping was left to a device on the cable that slightly slowed you down about 15 feet from the end and then one of the young, hunky crew members would catch you in his arms....{{snap out of it}}...oh, sorry about that...

It's one of those activities that gives you a real boost.  I think my husband and girls were pretty impressed that I didn't give a second thought to doing this (well, not out loud at least).  And for me I'll have the feelings and memories to fall back on whenever I feel that self doubt creeping in.

Deep Teal - Fall 2011 Pantone Colors

Teal and Brass Necklace by nancywallisdesigns.

Deep Teal is a strong, blue-toned green. It can reveal the ocean depths and the colours of the sky at twilight. It's one of my favourites and I am forever being drawn to this colour whether it's in the form of a fabric, wall paint or jewellery upon my neck.

Wear it.

Silk Satin Dress by larimeloom.

Merino wool fingerless gloves by Neeka Knits.

Live in it.

 House & Home January 2011 issue

Go for the dramatic with deep teal walls.

Chauncey chair by West Elm

My Creative Mess

My obsession with beads is a constant struggle.  I have quite a collection.  I also have bought more organizing containers than you would ever believe all in the hopes of having one of those super clean and organized houses (you know the kind you see in magazines).  One day I'll show you them in all their glory when I get closer to finishing my studio.  It is amazing when they are sorted and organized.  I love being able to go right to the box and find just what I'm looking for. I have a bit of a strange system some are sorted by colour, some by type and some by size but it works for me pretty well.

The thing is though I find I'm the most creative when I'm surrounded by inspiring things.   Lovely piles of little glass beads can literally make my heart skip a beat.  Colours everywhere.  Turquoise, green, pinks and shiny things can make me giddy.  Sometimes the best things happen when working this way.  An unexpected roll of a bead into another pile can stir the most interesting ideas.

I've decided I'm just going to roll with it.  I'm just going to live in my creativity and I guess so is my family. I'm still working on my studio space but I do like our dining room the best. It's bright here and I can have the window open and listen to the birds outside.  My computer is close by, the coffee pot is steps away and of course so are my beautiful beads.  So for now I guess I'm just going to let my beads have their own dinner party at my dining room table.

My new creations.