Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cozy...

I had bundled myself up in a hat, infinity scarf and my down jacket this morning to go for a walk with Charlie in the gorgeous snowfall we're having. After coming in from our walk, all I wanted to do was make a cup of hot chocolate, turn on a good movie, light the fireplace, wrap up in a blanket and just have a cozy, comfie day.

When you walk in your door every day, you should have a feeling of 'home'...you should feel extremely comfortable...and through rustic charm and details, you can make your home the cozy environment that makes it a perfect place to come in from on a snowy day.


Curl up by the window and watch the snow fall

Make a decadent cup of hot chocolate





















Light a fire and wrap up in a blanket


What's more rustic then a woodstove, wood panelling and a quilt?

Lie in bed and watch the snowflakes

A knit comforter and a bunch of pillows 


Blankets/throws, lanterns, candles, hot chocolate for 2....


A bath by the fire.....


COZY, RUSTIC COMFORT!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Arbor Aesthetic

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home that was surrounded by forests. Watching those trees change through the seasons... dropping their leaves, snow on their branches, buds forming, the spectacular fall colours ... was like watching an ever evolving story. Each one is unique in their structure, appearance and make up. Trees have to be my #1 design/decor inspiration...whether it is a great piece of art capturing their true natural aesthetic, a piece of driftwood on a beach, a colour inspiration from a single leaf or a piece of weathered barn board.....I use trees as jumping off points in every form they may be found in..and..through the products they offer.


 The picture above was taken while I was walking along the river here in Guelph. It was shortly after sunrise and this picture perfectly illustrates the natural wonder and lines that only something in nature could provide....this is one of my favorite photos and I find myself drawn to it ...drawn into it....every time I look at it.


The way the snow clings to the branches....almost like frozen, sparkling pom-poms...this picture was taken at my parent's home on one of my walks through their forest. The marriage between the snow and the trees is again, only something that nature could do.


There is something about pine trees in Northern Ontario. This picture was taken just outside of Kenora Ontario, on Lake of the Woods. These large, majestic pines cover entire islands, grow in ways unlike any pine in the south due to the wind and weather of the north....but to me, they represent a piece of my childhood. We spent every summer on Lake of the Woods and there were huge pines outside my bedroom window. I would fall asleep every night to the sound of their branches swishing against my window and I would spend my days collecting pine cones, trying to avoid the sap that had dripped from their branches and collected on the blanket of needles that had fallen to the ground beneath them.


This picture is taken from a chair lift on a ski vacation to Lake Louise. Yes, the Rocky Mountains in the background are spectacular, but the trees in the foreground completely catch my eye....their tall, skinny stature, a necessity at those altitudes, and their abundance on the mountain-side complete the majestic and rustic beauty of the West.



The picture above speaks for itself. The colours, the bare bones of the tree covered in a shimmering hoar frost....that morning was so incredibly beautiful that I had to pull my car over and take some pictures!

The next 4 pictures are not mine but they ellicit an emotional response from within....the natural and wild beauty of trees almost hypnotizes me....








Whether it is the smooth, silver bark of a birch or the rough, rugged bark of a walnut...each species, type and kind of tree provides their own inspiration through texture, colour and form. The way they bend in the wind, cradle the show in their branches, the fluid motion of their leaves in the breeze and their quiet beauty...they definitely are one of the elements in nature that get better with age.

Trees are your best antiques.  ~Alexander Smith

Monday, January 23, 2012

Doggie Lovin...

I got home from a day on the road and just like every other day, the second I walk in, a huge grin comes across my face, thanks to this guy.....



Some days, he greets me at the door, tail wagging and he always has something (ie. tennis ball, sock, shoe etc) in his mouth to show me. Other days, he is still snoozin' on my bed (yes, I am a dog owner that lets my dog sleep on the furniture...always have and always will)...and when I enter my bedroom, he has the cutest look of drowsiness and confusion on his face...kind of like, "what are you doing home already (see below)".



I grew up surrounded by animals...dogs, cats, horses etc....and out of them all, the Labs my family have had through the years always hold a very special place in my heart. This breed, and more specifically, Charlie, means so much to me, I incorporated him into my business name...Rustic Retrievals.



I owe this little (ok, not so little) guy a lot....he gets me outside at least 3 times a day, he makes me laugh with his antics and he knows when I need a cuddle (like he is right now beside me on the couch, snoring away). He's my Charlie Bear...and I cannot imagine the last 7 years without him!




As you can see from the pictures above and below, he LOVES his sticks! He really is a true Retriever and we can/have spent hours on end at the beach, in the fields, at the park and in the yard...playing fetch and just enjoying being!


Another thing both my family and I have to be thankful to Charlie for is his son, Chip. I have been thinking about him a lot lately and it always seems like Charlie knows or senses this. He has been extra snuggly lately..almost like he is trying to give me a hug and comfort me. We lost Chip this past summer when my parents lost their home to fire. He was such a special creature and he sure loved his ride on my Dad's 4-wheeler, as evidenced in the picture below. We called it the 'Chip-Mobile'...it let him ride along with my Dad and Charlie when he was a puppy so he could go with them on their longer trips through the bush.


As I'm sitting here writing this, Charlie has placed his paw on my leg. I call this is "Doggie Lovin". Instead of 'shake a paw', I will ask him to 'show me some lovin' and I get one paw, then the other..full of his lovin'.


If you are a fellow dog owner/animal lover.....give your pet an extra treat and some extra attention tonight and always. They bring so much to our lives and we need to be sure to never, ever take them for granted.

RR

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sunday Inspiration.....

Some Rustic Inspiration for you on a Sunday afternoon......


Granite, wood, glass....


 
Beams
 
Loft height ceilings..



Barn door....
 
More beams, neutral colours...



Wood, windows and the view...



Mantel, candles, wood tones...




Island top, light fixtures and windows...




Snow, blankets...


Stone, skis, beams....

Hope you have a great week and keep moving towards your goals through inspiration....

RR

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Thought for the day......

I found this and just had to share it......I'm going to frame it and put it beside my bed! One of my promises to myself this year was to "leave it at the gate/door", as my Manager says. We do all we can, we will never make everyone happy nor will we be able to help everyone...but...we do the best we can ..every single day.


Hope you are all having a great weekend!

RR

Friday, January 20, 2012

Ownership....Accountability

I have been in meetings the past two days, surrounded by my amazing group of co-workers, reviewing complex case/files. In review of these files, we kept coming back to the same conclusion....

Ownership+Accountability = Success

With each of our cases/files, each individual has set goals, there are SMART plans in place and practitioners to monitor and offer support/guidance...but without each individual taking ownership of these plans, their treatment..their life....there is no accountability and without accountability, the odds of success are very, very low.



Being accountable for your actions and or your lack of actions can be quite difficult, but one must 'step up', take ownership of them self and take each individual step forward towards success.



Taking that first step towards any new goal and implementing your plan is the scariest part....perhaps even harder then picking up that pen and beginning the plan to reach that goal in the first place. So many thoughts rush through your mind...."what of I can't do this"... "what if something goes wrong"...

When those thoughts cross your mind, always refer to your SMART plan....review the specific steps you have outlined in order to reach your goal...look at your timelines. If you think something needs to be tweaked...tweak it...working towards a goal is a fluid process and there is always very likely going to need to be re-adjustments along the way. This is also where accountability come in....you need to be able to admit to yourself that things may be 'falling off track', re-establish ownership and get back on track to that goal.


I have many personal goals, professional goals...some are 'in progress', some are still 'in the works' or planning stages, and some I have yet to even begin to plan...but I still keep them in mind....keep them in focus. Life is never 'static'...seconds fly by...hours, days and years. Make sure you make use of every second you can....agree to take ownserhip of your  life and live exactly the life you have always dreamt you could.

Whether it is a New Year's Resolution to 'get healthy' or the next room in your plan for home renovations...whatever you feel are the highest priority goals in your life....be sure you have a plan...a SMART Plan in place. You deserve to achieve these goals. There will be days of forging forward and days of standing still......but one thing you can never forget is the following,.. from one of movies all time greatest motivators.....



Yes...I am a HUGE Yoda fan.....and those 8 little words are so very, very powerful.......



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A dream....


...without a plan is just a wish.

Dreams, goals, vision, planning....step-by-step...dreams can become a reality.


Home Decor is only one of my passions.....I am a Certified Kinesiologist and Certified Disability Management Professional 'by-trade' and  helping people achieve their goals through 'SMART' planning is a pivitol part of my day-to-day life...both as a Kin and in Home Decor.



As a Kin, I work with people to achieve personal goals regarding their health, recovery from injury/illness, and returning to work/'normalcy'. A key part of the success of life changing goal setting is the strength, clarity, specificity and follow up/re-review of the established SMART plan in order to achieve the outcome that is expected and hoped for. 

The same can be done with home decor. A house that you can home to every day and as you walk through the door, feel an encompassing sense of relief, calm and relaxation is what I believe we all strive for. A true sanctuary....a place to call your own, ..that you can put your own 'stamp' on, ..to be proud of ..and most importantly...a home to that is reflective of you, your personality and your dreams. All of this can be achieved through self reflection, 'dreaming big' and taking what you find in those reflections and dreams and putting them into action through goal setting...SMART goal setting.



I have always believed that for a person to be truly content...truly 'whole'....they not only have to be happy with who they are as a person, but also with their everyday surroundings.

My upcoming posts will cover in more details...the 5 steps of SMART goal setting and how you can take these steps and apply them to you, your home and in some cases, both simultaneously.

If anyone has a specific goal they have been thinking about or were unsure how to take the first steps forward to attaining it....send me an email to rusticretrievals@gmail.com  and I could use your example in one of my upcoming posts (of course, 100% annonymity is promised).






Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Some day....

It was back to work (real work) today. As good as it was to get back into my routine...I found my mind wandering from time to time and I kept looking at the sign I purchased over my vacation...a sign that reads "Dream Big".

Maybe it was all the time off (the longest I have been away from work in years) or the fact that I was able to really, truly relax, unwind and dive into the home decor side of things...but I found myself dreaming ...dreaming of a home I could one day have (ok...maybe if I win Lotto Max)...but none the less...I found some truly inspiring photos that have completely reignited the decor and design fire inside me!


To come home to this every day...the winding gravel drive (I am a country gal at heart), cedar shingles, stone, the fence and the horse barn.....THIS is my dream home/setting! 

Then there is this....the stone patio, the rolling hills, the forest, paddocks with galloping horses...I would never go inside! Some day....again, dreaming big!

The barn.....it speaks for itself. I can just imagine a horse in cross ties, tacking him up and then heading out for a ride on those rolling hills....





Everyone needs a weekend retreat....this 'cottage' suits the bill of dreaming big! If I could ...I would spend 24 hrs a day outdoors...and with a deck like this, I very well almost could!


I believe dreams really do inspire....they give us hope, an idea, and something to strive for. So whether it's a new kitchen you have been dreaming about or that cottage that you have always hoped for....take that dream and start taking the steps to making it a reality!

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney


Sunday, January 1, 2012

Cheers to 2012!!


Happy New Year!! As we start a new year, with hope and wishes of the great things to come, here are a few things to always remember and never forget!!

Life is a gift....


Life is art...



Life goes on......


If you make one resolution for 2012, make it this...TO LIVE!!!
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