Hive: Must See, Must Shop

One of my all time favourtie stores is Hive. I've loved...LOVED...this store for years! This is my go-to for gifts for friends, or a little something for myself. Jenn, the owner, has such great style and her store- located in Bayfield, Ontario on the Main Street- is something to experience in person. Full of beautiful products and showcasing Jenn's incredible eye for design, I love visiting this store- I not so secretly would love to move it!!

If you find yourself unable to make it to picturesque Bayfield, you can now shop Hive online! Below you will find some of my favourite products in all the categories offered by Hive:

Home & Cottage

Flamingo Salt & Pepper // Anchor Glass // Bike Planter // Glass Vase // Yucatan Rug // Net Shopper 

Clothing

Swimsuit // Shorts // PJ's // Top // Upcycled Sari Cardigan // Denim Dress

Accessories

Earrings // Madagascar Basket // Necklace // Bamboo Poncho // Crossbody Bag // Bracelet

Bath & Body

Macadamia Oil Body Cream // Beach Glass Soap // Natural Deodorant // Seaweed Mask // Lip Balm // Coffee Scrub

Kids

Artwork // Stuffed Owl // Sunglasses // Bib // Slippers // Tag-a-Long Blanket //

So many amazing products and options. There really is something for everyone, anf for every occasion! Jenn is always getting in new products and will be updating her website as products come in, so be sure to check her website often- you never know what you'll find!

Rug All About It

I think that we can all agree that rugs are one of the easiest ways to update or transform a living space. They can pull a room together, transform a room from traditional to trendy, make a room cozy, or even be a focal point or conversation starter. 

Let's start this rug conversation...with a floor mat.

Locus Vie

One of my all time favourite stores, Hive Bayfield, carries these vinyl floor mats that come in a variety of shapes. The tile patterns are reminiscent of European tile and floors- which I love! While 'vinyl floor mat' is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think 'rugs', it has been my go to for rugs in my home.

Home Depot

Florals are popular choice when it comes to rugs. Floral, to me, can seem dated and I'm usually not a fan. However, I am loving this floral print rug that has a really modern feel to it. 

Bed Bath & Beyond

For something trendy, look for a Trellis rug. These designs are beautiful and come in all kinds of colour combinations. What I love about Trellis rugs is that they are the type of trendy that stays in style for awhile...they are not a one season wonder. 

Amazon

Vintage rugs are also really great. They can make a room feel lived in. If you are able to get a true vintage (and not a new rug made to look vintage) it could have a cool back story, or sentimental value if it belonged to a loved one.

Overstock

The most cozy of all rugs is, in my opinion, a shag rug. They are so soft and comfortable...there's really nothing like curling your toes in a shag rug. 

Wayfair

Finally, how could I do a post about rugs and not include something fun and colourful?! Bright colours and abstract designs are not for everyone...I personally love them!!

Apartment Sweet Apartment- Reading Nook & The Coolest Chair

It has been ages since I shared anything about my apartment, so I thought I would today! For well over a year, I have wanted to share a little reading nook area that I created. But first, some background.

My living room is odd shaped:

Photo take the day I moved in...hence no furniture.

I did end up finding a bar that I feel in love with and after months of debate, I made the commitment and bought the bar. It will end up being featured on the blog at some point. There was some space beside the bar, but I was happy to leave it empty (and use it to store my balcony table during the winter).
Well over a year ago, we sold my great-grandparents house. Before the sale, family went through the house and picked items they wanted to keep. The rest was sold at a garage sale. I worked the garage sale and I was talking to a couple my age about a sectional couch in the basement.

Couch on the right...also, I loved that carpet!

The conversation was about how you would never find a couch like it these days...nothing that shape and nothing with that pattern. We all agreed it was a really cool, unique piece. After they left, I knew I had to take a part of the couch for my apartment- it was too awesome not to. The question was, which part? I knew what part I wanted (the piece that's front facing in the photo, with the round pillow) but wasn't sure I could fit it in my car or apartment. 

There was an end piece (not pictured) that would be perfect for the corner of the nook beside the bar. Plus, it would make the best reading/lounging chair. I brought the end piece of the couch back to my apartment and did some styling:

LOVE how this turned out!!! The dark piece on the right side of the picture is the bar.

This is the part of the blog where you would find links to where you can find the pieces pictured...unfortunately, there are no links. 

• Lamp (which needs a light bulb) was purchased from the now defunct Zellers; I bought the lamp while the store was liquidating.
• Blanket was a gift from a sorority sister. It is so soft and comfy! No idea where she bought it from.
• The table was actually made by my great-grandfather. I loved it and took it for my apartment, knowing I would eventually find a spot for it.
• Flowers came from a local florist and they are in a mason jar from my great-grandparents house. I always have fresh flowers on this table. 
• Finally...the signature piece...Chair is from my great-grandparents. It fits perfectly into the corner, as it is rounded. I do have legs for the chair, but it would still be pretty low and I think I like the leg-less look better. This chair is the perfect place to curly up in read. I do a lot of blogging and work from this chair too. 

Here's a close of the material:

Seriously, where would you find material like this-the actually material, design, colours, texture, everything- these days? And, how awesome is the print?!?

Can you see why I love this space of my apartment so much?!? I'm so happy with the way it turned out and I love that chair; the shape, the size, the material...everything! Love, love love!! Plus, it's nice how much of my great-grandparents are part of this little corner of apartment real estate. 

Bathroom Accessories

Happy Friday! This has been a long, super unproductive week! I have so much work to do, it's ridiculous. Within in a year, my team at work has gone from 5 people to me, with the same workload left to my team. So basically, I'm doing work of 5 people. I did receive two grants for summer students one started two weeks ago and this week was spent hiring the second. Resume reviews, two days of interviews, hours upon hours of debate, reference checks...and I still have to make the job offer. You have no idea how stressful it is to hire someone, when there are two people you think would be great for the job. 

Do you know what else is stressful? Decorating.

I've been living in my apartment for almost two years. I love my apartment and it feels like home to me, but I have not done any decorating. I have everything I need, but there are not a lot of personal touches. Decorating is stressful for me because there are a lot of things I like and I wonder if I'll like them in 6 months or a year. I'm also hesitant to buy something I don't love...I don't want to settle.

My bathroom is a small space and right now a mix and match set of very plain things; standard white shower curtain, white towels and various things scattered on the vanity. Which I think makes it the perfect place in my apartment to start decorating. 

Bed Bath and Beyond has a passport collection, which I think I like:

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As much as I like everything in this collection, I haven't actually gone and bought anything. I'm still debating.

Maybe it's decisions that are stressful for me, and not decorating???

Favourite Thing- "The Prairies"

I have mentioned more than once that I have a summer friend. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that, in the summer, he manages an antique store. I met him four summers ago when I went into the store, struck up a conversation and the rest is history. 

Over a year ago, the first time I went into the store in 2012, I feel in love with this table:

This is a modernist piece titled "The Prairies"- three nesting tables that can be displayed together or separately. The tables, my favourite part and what made me fall in love with them, are Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba! That's right, each section is designed to look like one of the Canadian Prairie Provinces! How great is that???

Anyway, after a year+ of loving this table, thinking about it, lusting after it...I was in the store and my friend basically said 'Enough of you going back and forth on this...I'm writing up an invoice for you and you're buying the table.' 

So he did, I did and we loaded it into my car. I'm now the owner of the above pictured table. 

The issue?

While I LOVE this table...it was really expensive, even with a discount (thanks friend), it was still more than half my rent. Sure, I deserve to splurge and treat myself every once and again. But, in March I bought my wine bar, in May I bought a new car and in two weeks I'm going to Toronto to see The Wizard of Oz. 

I'm also not convinced that I have room for it in my apartment...why spend a ton of money on such a great piece that no one will ever see???

If I get it back to my apartment and I realize that I don't have room for it or that I no longer like it (or that I really can't afford it after all of my previous splurges), I do have the option of returning it. 

But I love this table...

What's a girl to do?

Apartment Sweet Apartment- Wine Bar

I moved into my apartment about 6.5 months ago and I'm still figuring stuff out. I've been too busy with my social life and going away on weekends to really have had the time to make my apartment my own. I have all the basic stuff and I'm content.

I have this space:

Originally, I wanted to place a cocktail/high top table here. I had the hardest time finding one and the one I did find was super dark and black wood and was $1000 for the table, plus chairs. I didn't really like it to begin with, never mind $1000+ like it. 

Right now, I have the table from my patio in the space.

But, I think this would be the perfect piece:

It's from Bed Bath & Beyond and I've been eying it since December. I love it. It's a wine bar- it will hold bottles of wine, as well as wine glasses. From the picture you can see that it also has shelves, cupboards and a drawer, so lots of storage. The top also expands and it has a cutting board. 

I think it would be the perfect addition to my apartment plus I can store all of my 'bar' stuff their instead of in a cupboard in my kitchen.

I just can't justify buying this. It's something I love and I think would look good in my apartment. It's hands down something I want but by no means something I need.

Sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and buy something you don't really need...right???