Welcome back to the spring edition of the ORC hosted by Linda from "Calling it Home"! Ok so this challenge is proving to be harder than I thought - throw in a vacation, appointments, family and a full-time job and you'll understand why I'm permanently gray (Ha!) So week 2 of this challenge was a bust for me as I was on vacation (I know, boo-hoo-hoo, right?!) ;) and week 3 wasn't much better either as we had a slew of appointments and a whole bunch of catching up to do BUT I did manage to clear out the powder room and start spackling and sanding! (Both are very messy jobs might I add) The previous owner enjoyed hanging things on the walls so there was a lot to do: As a reminder, here is my design board for the space: The toilet is staying and so is the ... [ Read More ]
ORC – Spring 2017 Edition – Week 1!
It's One Room Challenge time!!! What is this about you ask? Linda from 'Calling it Home' organized a challenge to bloggers and designers to makeover a space in 6 weeks (gah!) She features 20 fabulous bloggers and allows guest participants to link up (one of which is me!) each week as the makeover is happening every spring and fall. A daunting task but I'm up for the challenge! (*ask me how I feel next week*) I'm taking on our powder room which isn't in bad shape but it needs a revamp. The walls are brown, the mirror isn't something I'd pick, the floors need a re-do, etc. Time for a change! (Read: John is nervous) Here is my mood board for this space: It's inspired by pictures I took at the beach in Fort Myers this winter. You know me with birds. I'm ... [ Read More ]
Leaks, Repairs and Design, oh my! (The tale of our Kitchen Nook)
Oh the joys of home-ownership. A minor leak prompted a phone call to the plumbers (to be sure it didn't turn into anything major) and they ended up hacking out part of the wall of three rooms on each of the three levels to replace this massive pipe: (If you’re in the Ottawa area and in need of a plumber, Belanger Plumbing is the one to contact – they were fantastic!) While we dreaded having to patch, paint, and do whatever to cover these crazy holes, it presented an opportunity to my want-to-be-a-designer self. First stop, the kitchen nook! Let’s take a look again at what we had to deal with: Crazy, right?! What was there before you ask? Since we park our cars in the back of our home, it is used as our primary entrance so I made a makeshift mudroom complete with a bench ... [ Read More ]
Beautiful Wallpaper from Unexpected Sources!
As I'm prepping and gathering all of my materials for the "One Room Challenge" coming up in a few weeks (!!!) I've been sourcing some wallpaper. My sources though are not the usual spots you'd expect to find wallpaper so I thought I'd share them with you! The first one will blow your mind. (It blew mine!) You know my love for peel-and-stick wallpaper by WallPops but do you know where I get this product from? BestBuy! Why BestBuy? Their prices are comparable, if not lower during sales weeks than other sources and they deliver lighting quick. Here are a couple that I love, one of which I've used! (P.S. Click on each image for more information) Another source you may not expect is Bouclair! Do you remember when they used to be a fabric store? They've since turned their ... [ Read More ]
Front Entrance (aka Mudroom) Makeover!
Ok kids, this project took me ages to figure out and complete. And it's a tiny space! Our front entrance. It has bugged me since the day we moved in and I have been dying to make it interesting and welcome. But first let me take you to what it looked like before and what it looked like after my "I'm sick of beige" feeling kicked in: I loved the new look that the paint refresh gave (it's a rich dark gray and the trim was freshened up as well) but I couldn't figure out what to do with it afterwards so it stayed bare for awhile (a year maybe?!) That was until I found a mirror that I loved and some lovely leggy stools: What's the problem you ask? This: Yeah...see those light switches and alarm panel? They're functional but not very pretty. And they were not installed ... [ Read More ]
Gorgeous (and Affordable!) Lighting Options
Gah. So this week's post got bumped to next week because of camera issues so I did a post switcheroo. But it'll be worth the wait, promise! I'm currently working on updating a space in our home and lighting was next on my to-shop-for list so I thought I'd share my go-to places for affordable (but chic!) lighting. Hint, think big-box stores! You think I'm crazy, right? Hunt online at big box stores and you'll be amazed at what you can find. And generally you can pick them up in store for free (i.e., no shipping fees) and return them without a hassle in case someone (*cough* John *cough*) absolutely hates what you've chosen. Here are a few that I have been looking at and keep in mind that I don't get paid for featuring any of them - I genuinely love each and every one of these ... [ Read More ]
A nod to Valentine’s Day decor!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and while I'm not a huge Valentine's Day person, I do love all things pink! (John is not a fan of pink for decor but now that we have a little girl who loves it, he's outnumbered in the decorating-say department) :) But it doesn't all have to be hearts and flowers for this occasion's decor - check out some ideas below to incorporate a little pink love into your home without being too holiday focused (and without breaking the bank!): This bedspread combines gray (my favourite neutral) and light pink in a geometric pattern which is both light and cozy. It reminds me of a feather-down jacket! This rug - oh how I love this rug! The price is ridiculously low and it is simply adorable. This mug in pink and gold would make me feel glam ... [ Read More ]
A little play area for our little girl!
As promised (quite awhile ago!) more living room goodness! I may have mentioned it before but our living room re-design happened pre-child so thoughts of washable surfaces and rounded edges did not cross our minds. Then I became pregnant! Versatility, storage and having a place to play became the most important features to have so a re-design of the re-design happened. You may have already seen this corner of our living room from a previous post: Originally it was going to house a lounge type chair (think the Eames chair by Herman Millar) along with a chic side table for drinks. That plan got revised quick once we found out a little person was on its way so this is what it morphed into: We didn't think an Eames chair would make a great toy gym. As much as I tried to make this ... [ Read More ]
Welcome to our wall of ducks!
Brace yourself. What I'm about to show you is what a corner of my living room used to look like: It wasn't TERRIBLE but it was pretty bland. And it looks like the TV is growing hair. In the re-design of the space, the TV got moved (you'll see where in a later reveal!) and I was left with a big blank space to fill. Now you've seen what our mantel looks like from a previous teaser post but here is what now lies next to it: Ta-da! A wall of ducks! Why ducks you ask? It's a bit of a badge of honour for me. A few years ago we were in Hyde Park near Kensington Palace in London and I saw this cute duck. I wanted one picture of the duck looking head-on at the camera but it wouldn't oblige. I had to chase it in the park (resulting in the other 7 pictures shown ... [ Read More ]
The guest room closet FINALLY gets organized!
Our guest room closet. It held a lot of stuff. Like bags and bags FULL of stuff. Everything from clothing, to crafty things, to sewing materials, to fabric, to guest toiletries, to things we didn’t know what to do with. When it came time to have guests stay with us, it was a miracle I was able to clear one of the hanging bars with about 6 inches of hanging space – that’s all they’d need right? And they won’t judge the mess, right? RIGHT?! Here’s what it looked like in all its glory: It needed some attention. It took a few days for me to figure out what to keep, what to give away and how to categorize what was staying. I also wanted to make sure that I had a system I could maintain when it came time to accessing the things that the closet would now store. So my ... [ Read More ]
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