So Canadian eh? : Heather from Grillfusion


I had the pleasure of meeting my latest guest at our recent Blend event! 

Welcome 

Heather Lacroix from Grillfusion.



She is....


Heather, a local blogger, launched her blog, Grillfusion this past June. Her blog is a creative mix of food, photography, design, crafts, kids and a bit of life thrown in! I am blown away by her creative talents. Her parties, whether for her mom's 60th or her son's 10th, are beautifully created with no small detail overlooked. Her style and taste is not overly fussy but is impeccable. I love her creative ideas! 

Heather and her husband, the second half of this creative duo, not only manage to run a business together but have worked together to slowly re-do their 85 year old home. They recently found a roadside treasure and added that re-vamped find to their a show stopping laundry room! You need to see her laundry room makeover {picture to follow}. I am VERY jealous! Not only is Heather a whiz at throwing parties, re-vamping furniture and cooking, but with her background in graphic design, she uses that design eye to take the most amazing photographs! I am a tad envious, she clearly has a keen eye for design by creating the prefect vignettes in her photos.

 And her children are not overlooked on her blog, you will encounter the adventures of Lego Superheroes along the way. It is never a dull moment at Grillfusion, be sure to pop by and say hi, I know Heather will warmly welcome you!




A sign Heather painted.


Her photography.


And yes, she paints too.


Her laundry room. I know....I am jealous too.


Her parties look so fun, can I come????




Tell us a bit about yourself? Give us some insight into who you are, what are you drawn to, were you always creative? Your education? 

 In a nutshell, I love photography, typography, weddings, flowers & gardening (but not weeding!), planning parties, antiques, really anything creative. I grew up always loving art and being creative, and after high school took a three year graphic design program, which was amazing. Unfortunately, life kind of had other plans and I did not pursue a full time design job, but did odd design jobs here and there. I now live a crazy busy, but happy life, with my husband and 3 kids, in a small 85 year old home. It is a work in progress, but probably always will be, I seem to like to dream up new projects.

What made you decide to start Grillfusion? How long have you been blogging for? And has there been anything that you have enjoyed about blogging? Not enjoyed? 

 I am a newbie when it comes to blogging. It is something that I had been thinking of doing for a couple of years, but always wondered when I would fit it into my schedule. However I am glad that I decided to take the plunge. I have always been a creative person, but felt like that part of me had been pushed aside as life got busy with the kids and the company. Creating Grillfusion has given me that creative outlet that I had so been missing. 

What is your day job? Is it design related? 

My day job is probably the farthest thing from design! My husband and I run a small sheet metal, flashing company. So when I am not running kids to school and overseeing homework, I am taking care of the books for the company, which I am very lucky because I am able to do it from home. 

What is your design style?

My design style is eclectic, cottagey, shabby chic with quirky antiques. I love old things, the more distressed and beat up the better, and I love typography, so anywhere that I can incorporate that, I am happy. And should I stumble upon an antique store that has lots of distressed pieces with some sort of type…I am in trouble! 

What are you go-to sources for anything design? 

 I'll keep this one simple - Pinterest!! 

Tell us something that would surprise us about you!

Probably the fact that my choice of music is 90's grunge. Which I will add has completely mellowed with age…geez I actually know the words to "Call me Maybe" I will blame my husband and kids for that one! 

I love your quick and easy ideas for kids, birthday party ideas, crafts and even the introduction to Lego Super Hero's. Where do you get your inspiration for all those creative bits you highlight on your blog?

Hands down my kids! And I don't mean that in a cheesy way, but when you have kids obviously they impact your life in a huge way and so that is going to impact what and how you design. I love throwing parties, and planning everything down to the last detail. I am a big perfectionist and so something is going to bug me if I don't feel that it is done right. I often find that what I am looking for isn't how I want it to look, so I end up doing it myself. That being said I have had to come up with ideas that are budget friendly and not super time consuming, but still fun and different. As far as the Lego goes, well with two boys, Lego is a given :) I did that post on behalf of my kids creative side, and I won't count out more Lego posts in the future. 

You take some amazing photos on your blog, have you taken any courses or are you self-taught? Care to share any photo tips? Equipment must-haves? 

Thank you! I was lucky to have grown up with a father who was interested in photography, we even had a dark room in our basement. Then when I got into high school I was so fortunate to have an amazing photography teacher, one who pushed for perfection and often sent me back into the dark room for the smallest of detail. Other than 2 years of photography in high school, I have taken no other courses so I really am not qualified to give tips. I am not a technical photographer, I just like to wing it. So I think the best tip I can share is to think outside the box. Look at something different than you usually would, get down on your tummy and take a shot or look up at something. And then to pass on my teachers advice, that still to this day sticks with me, cropping a picture right is almost as important as the subject.

If you could meet anyone or do anything your heart desires, who or what would it be? 

 I would have loved to have been able to meet Andy Warhol, but that is obviously not an option since he is no longer alive. In another life I would love to open a quaint floral shop. 

What are your views on the role Canadian design plays in the world design scene? Do you feel that Canadians have a unique sense of style and design, and if so, what is it that you think sets us apart?


I think that Canada has flown under the radar a bit. We are seen as the friendly little neighbour to the Big States, but I think with our diversity we are coming out of the shadows and everyone is taking notice.

So glad we met Heather. Hoping we will get a chance to get together at more local blogging events! Your talents blow me away!

XO Barbara

5 comments

  1. I am thrilled to have met Heather at Blend as well. She's a super, multi-talented sweetie! LOVIN' the laundry room!

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  2. I'm with Meesh! I follow Heather's blog, and was happy to meet her in person at Blend... Never would have guessed grundge music though! ;-)

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  3. I am so happy to have Heather as a friend, she's the BEST! :) And super talented too! So glad she finally started blogging.

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  4. I think she fits right in. Her graphic design work is awesome!

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  5. I really like Heather's cottagey & quirky antique style too! Great unexpected things in each shot, I love that. I bet her parties are awesome, they look so fun! Great feature

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