Poppytalk

Have you noticed a Southwestern vibe happening coming around again? Loving this new riff, maybe with a bit of a Moroccan twist (the black and white)? Monochromatic versions are popping up of the usual colourful Tex Mex patterns. From chairs to pillows, here's a glimpse to what we've discovered on our radar lately.

Today we're excited to have Instagram friend and Ottawa-based, Vanessa Gervais of @heyladygrey here on Poppytalk, whom we invited to share with us, a story about her parent's sugar shack in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. We spotted their family trip there last year on her feed, and when we saw them there again this week, we had to pop her an email to see if she'd be interested in sharing it with our readers. And thrilled she said, "yes"! Thank you Vanessa! Here's her post:

It happens only once a year, somewhere during that awkward, drawn-out phase before the end of winter and the start of spring. If the conditions are just right, and the temperatures rise above zero degrees during the day and fall back below freezing at night, then the sap inside the sugar maples begins to flow.

I'm still really attracted to colours of the desert this season, and especially, the terracotta palette, and to add a bit of interest, loving it matched up with a bit of grey, a nice contrast for spring. The more faded terracotta is a favourite, which seems to lighten the palette from it's wintery rust. Think Joshua Tree National Park and all it's hues. Which is your favourite? Here's a few we've come across:

IKEA has unveiled a surprise Spring Catalogue to a select few European countries recently and although we don't see any word of it coming to North America, the UK or Australia, we thought it would be fun to take a sneak peek anyway because the catalogue, with over 200 pages, is filled with clever ideas that the Swedish retailer's stylists have become famously known for. The IKEA catalog encourages you to create a place where you can recover and give you energy in everyday life. Let's take a look!

When it comes to greeting cards, hands down, Valentines are a fave! The only problem, which to choose? This round-up features cards we've spotted on our radar and that's new to us this year. Perhaps some of these might spark joy? Let's take a look!

1. Hot Lips
by Banquet Workshop

Richard Riboni via @thepallou

Another mini trend we're stumbling upon this season is mushroom lighting. A throwback to the seventies, with the 2.0 versions showing up in buttery brass and nickel. Even spotted an adorable wicker one on Etsy. A fun way to bring your room into the '19s! Let's take a look!

Last year IKEA and Tom Dixon launched DELAKTIG, an open-sourced and customizable sofa platform offering a new seating solution for the home. This February, IKEA and Tom Dixon continue their award-winning* collaboration with the release of the DELAKTIG bed frame which can be customized by users to create the sleeping environment they want.

New years always seem to go hand in hand with new starts, and I always love the idea of giving our living space a bit of a refresh. It doesn't always happen, but daydreaming does! So to kick things off, let's start with a little mini trend we've spotted, black and white. Or rather, black and white with stripes all over! Lots of graphic stripes in all different sizes and widths and fabrics covering things from cushions, rugs to prints. Have you noticed too? Let's take a look!

1. No. 03 - Malene Birger | Old Faithful Shop
2. Sien + Co. Suna Cushion | Provide Home
3. Sien + Co. Loma Cushion | Provide Home
4. Patterned Cushion Cover | H&M
5. Mirena Kim Ceramics - Tuka Bowl | Provide Home
6. Mirena Kim Ceramics - Henry 8 Ecru/Matte | Provide Home
7. Brushstroke Rug - Collett-Zarzycki | Christopher Farr
8. One Soul Print - Lou Lou Avenue | Old Faithful Shop
9. Sien + Co. Raya Cushion - Black Stripe | Provide Home

This post is in partnership with Scotch™ Brand and Post-it® Notes. Scotch™ Brand products work the first time, every time.

If you've been following our blog since the beginning, you may have noticed we love our gift wrap! This year I thought it would be fun to do something with all of the washi tape I had on hand, and started playing around with ideas. I always love to go out and forage our backyard this time of year to top our gifts, and then the idea came to me to try to create these gold leaves from a hedge in the front of our yard and some metallic gold washi tape from Scotch ® Expressions collection. I even ended up wrapping some of the berries too from the same hedge for some of the gift toppers. The result is a simple DIY project, that ended up being a lot of fun to make and so easy too! Check out the how-to below!

This post is in partnership with Scotch™ Brand and Post-it® Notes. Scotch™ Brand products work the first time, every time.

Every year around this time, I look forward to creating something special for the holidays to share here on the blog with our readers. I love the idea of a faux tree that one can print out to add a little holiday decor to an unsuspecting place, using regular printer paper you would already have handy hanging around at home or at the office.