Community Yard Sale

On Saturday morning, we participated in the community yard sale in our town. It was awesome to be involved in something community related as well as get rid of some of the stuff we don't use anymore. Tricia and I showed up at about 6:30 to unload our stuff. We had great volunteers help move stuff to our tables, and then we set up. Here is a look at our tables just before the sale started.

Chris showed up to help as well, which was really nice. Probably the funniest story of the day was when he was chatting up a local couple who were interested in my wooden boat shelves, and then I sold them to someone else before he could finish his conversation. I felt really bad! 

As they always say "One Man's Trash is Another's Treasure", we ended up doing some shopping while we were there as well. We found this sweet rocking horse that we thought would be an awesome addition to the Nursery as well as a brand new play yard, the high chair we had registered for, a Sleep Sheep and a some organizers for the closet. All in all I think I probably broke even or made a few dollars when I compare what I sold to what we bought, but we got some great deals! 

Tips for Hosting a Yard Sale:

1. Ask a friend to help- having Tricia organize the table while I priced things out was awesome, plus when things get busy- you'll want an extra set of hands.

2. Price high and then slash prices as you go. At the sale we were at- table owners would whistle and then let the crowd know all items on their table were $1 or 50 cents!

3. Establish price floors- some people will offer you next to nothing for things. For larger items, I like to establish my lowest price in advance so I can stay firm when I am negotiating. I ended up bringing home our manual mower because I couldn't get what I want for it- I will sell it on Kijiji instead.

Appliance Install Fun

Today is Chris' birthday! We are going to celebrate together tonight and next weekend with his family. Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, this year is sure to bring lots of adventures your way!

He was away this weekend for a work function, but before he left on Friday he installed our brand new dishwasher! This was an interesting project as the dishwasher came with now power cord and only the electric wires to be hard wired. Chris made a trip to the home depot where we bought the dishwasher and they recommended he convert it to a power cord, I am truly amazed at how straight forward this process was once we had all the right materials!

If you're in the market for a dishwasher, there are tons of resources available to review and compare models. We landed on this one for all of its features and excellent reviews. Once we decided we waited for a sale, and then because Lowes was having the better sale, we had Home Depot price match and take an extra 10% off. It ended up being a great deal. The only watch out with LG and Home Depot is that they do not carry appliances in stock. We bought this in February and couldn't get it delivered until March. I don't think this is the same for Lowes, but worth checking out!

Bedside Love

My bedside got a bit of a makeover last week when I moved the wooden crate to the newly renovated sitting room. I moved in this little side table (originally picked out of someone's garbage) from the craft room and hung the bunting from our wedding above our bed.

The little rug beside the bed is actually a small afghan my grandmother made me years ago. I have it folded in half so I have a cozy place to step out of bed in the morning. It's just the right amount of eclectic!

Reading Nook

We recently bought a new sectional for our living room which left us to find a new home for our comfy old green couch. Since our sitting room has never had much in the way of seating options, I gave up my dream of built-ins for a cozy reading area with a gallery wall in the not so distant future. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favourite spaces in the house.

I've repurposed almost everything we already had to make this nook cozy, but I did add an inexpensive clamp light from Ikea to provide for reading light when it gets dark outside. I also plan to add bookshelves to the wall where my diploma is currently hung. I love the natural light in this room and the stone fireplace. It really is a great space. 

Favourite Spaces- Bathroom Corner

Although this room has a long way to go, and I have major plans including a full paint job and totally new light fixtures before Spring, I love this space. With the cold winter we've been having, I've spent many an evening soaking in our deep claw foot tub, which I hadn't really taken advantage of until now. I added the snowflake garland at Christmas time, and liked it so much I left it up. I think one of the reasons I like this space so much is it has so many treasures I've collected over the years, and everything has a story (like the old liquor bottle or the cracked Japanese china jar on the little shelf above the tub.

In the picture below, you can see the old metal hospital table that Chris negotiated at Christie a few years ago, a wash-stand given to my by close friends, a pretty tray I picked up at Aberfoyle, a vintage suitcase and old painting I found at Goodwill

Here is a close up of the pretty tray. I think I paid $6 for it, and loved it the moment I saw it. The frame is wooden and the tray is ceramic. No room would be complete in our house without a couple of fruit jars. I have also added an old first aid kit and tin of baby powder for good measure!

As you can see from the pictures above, I'm not the only one who likes this space. This is Missy Cat's favourite bathroom activity- catching drips on her nose. In our old house, we used to let the tap run for her, now we use an old enamel pan to catch her drips.

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a good weekend, we're going to see a good friend, and I am hoping to get some thrifting or antiquing in at some point, definitely in withdrawl this time of year!

Surviving Christmas

I was so looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home, and it certainly was a memorable one. We lost our power on December 21st and it did not come back on for good until the 24th. We were so lucky to have it come back before Christmas, as many were without power much longer than us.

Before the power went off, I captured a few images of surviving the ice storm. Here are a few of the tree branches that fell on our roof before tumbling to the ground. Our sitting room has skylights and is surrounded by windows, falling trees are terrifying. From what we can tell, the only major damage was to our eves trough. We'll find out more in the Spring.

We weren't the only ones terrified. Every time a branch fell, one cat ran upstairs and the other ran to the basement. We set up shop in the sitting room, and they were very happy to comply.

On day 3 of no power, I went to my local gym for a hot shower. I couldn't help but take in the ice crystal landscape.

All in all we had a great holiday despite the storm. My mom came to visit after Christmas and we got to see Chris' family after they returned from vacation. We capped it off with a party with friends and taking down all of the decorations. I am looking forward to 2014, and hope to learn how to use the DSLR we got from my parents as a wedding present.

West Elm Hack: 3 Jar Chandelier

As I noted in an earlier post, we have been humming and hawing over lighting decisions for most of the rooms in the house. The search came to an end of the dining room and kitchen a few weeks ago, and I am proud to say we have new lights hanging above the island and dining table!

For the dining table chandelier, we took advantage of the West Elm 20% off lighting sale and purchased their 3 Jar Chandelier.

Photo from West Elm

They didn't have any in stock, so I ordered over the phone and opted for store delivery to save the shipping and duty charges. After making the scary drive downtown (which included an Ikea pitstop for hotdogs and an As-Is visit), I made it to West Elm and picked up our light.

When my dad was here last week, he had installation on his project list. Chris saw it before me and told my dad I wasn't going to like it. He was right, it looked too modern in our space, the pewter coloured metal didn't match the bronze pendants hanging over my island and the silver cord didn't match anything. We thought about taking it down and selling on kijiji, but having been without a proper light for so long, and the fact that it had so much potential, I decided to give it a makeover.

Before the makeover when Chris took it down.

So I used a Sherry Petersik trick and bought a can of oil rubbed bronze spray-paint. After taping the light sockets, all of the metal parts got a few healthy coats of spray (multiple light coats works best). Although it doesn't match my bronze pendants exactly, it's much better.

The cord still had to be improved, so taking a cue from our wedding Boutonniers, I decided I would trying wrapping jute twine around the cord. I was able to get away with only gluing the top and bottom of the cord making it easy to change in the future if need be.

I love the way it turned out. It fits the vibe of our old house so much better than the original version. 

Life Lately

I'm currently light shopping for almost every room in our house...it is painful and I have not made one solid decision yet.

I made oreos again last weekend to bring to my friends house. They were better the second time around because I let the dough mix until it was full combined and balling up in my mixer.

The holiday cups and flavours are back at Starbucks- certainly an early indicator that the holidays are upon us!

I made wonton soup on Sunday night for the first time, and it was delicious. I somewhat followed this recipe.

This guy had a late night photo shoot a few days ago, I loved how they turned out!

Daddy DIY

My dad came to visit in July with a trunk full of tools and began tackling my to-do list like a champ. In the end, he put new sills on my east and north facing windows, installed an evesdrough on our porch, hung planks for my front entryway hooks (to be shared in a future post), built us a picnic table, made a track for my sliding doors among a few other things.

His biggest project though was repairing my very uneven unsafe basement stairs that I use on a daily basis. He thought he might be able to rebuild them altogether, but because the wood needed for the sides would be too long to get in through the house, he ended up working with the existing frame and evened out all of the steps. Here is the glamorous after shot:

I know it doesn't look like much but every time I walk up or down the stairs without tripping, I think of Dad and love him even more!

While he was down there, he also hung my peg board. I still have to get these organized (i.e. the pegs are still hanging on the right hand side waiting to be hung up), but it's a good start.

Sometimes it feels like we're moving really slow (I mean this work was done in July and I'm just posting now and still haven't got my peg board done or hooks for my entryway planks), but then I think about everything we've done and the fact thatcher had the busiest summer of our lives and I give myself a pass. It's not a race, this is a house we're making our home and that takes time. Chris reminds me often to stop and take the time to enjoy it, even if it's not "perfect" yet.

Happy Monday everyone!

Bedroom Makeover: Paint Job

A few weekends back when Chris was out of town, I decided to paint our bedroom. The funny thing was, I thought I had tricked my husband into picking a paint colour that I had shortlisted, and he thought he had tricked his wife into painting our bedroom Maple Leaf's blue.

I'm a pretty low maintenance painter, I just use a piece of cardboard to keep my paint can and tray off the floor. I use a short-handled angled brush to cut in and a roller to do the big spaces. The colour I chose is called Lakefront. It is a CIL colour that I had mixed into the Benjamin Moore Origins paint. Originally I liked Benjamin Moore's Yarmouth Blue, but was looking for something a bit darker. This was my first time using paint with built in primer, and although the lady at the store said it would only take one coat, it definitely took two. You might be able to get away with one coat if it's a light one, but i'm guessing two is always better.

Here is the before (top) and after (bottom). I am still planning to paint the top of the left hand wall the same white as a ceiling to brighten up the space, but I am loving the new and improved bedroom colour. Apparently blue is calming, which is exactly what i'm looking for in a bedroom!

The before and after of the closet area- the colour looks very grey in this picture/lighting. I cannot wait to replace these broken beige shades with white faux wood blinds.

While I was cutting in, I had a special helper that wanted his belly scratched...the best part was when he stretched out and coated the bottom of his paws in fresh paint!

Happy Friday everyone! We have a busy weekend ahead of visiting family and friends with new babies! I am also planning on packing up my summer clothes and familiarizing myself with my winter wardrobe for another season! 

Country Living

I have driven by this sign several times and each time I have thought to myself "You know you live in the country when..." I love our town and all the the quirks that come with it. Horses need clean blankets after all:)

Small Town Love: Library Stamps

Since moving to our small town, I have found myself romantically admiring all that it has to offer. For example, our town has not one but two movie stores. In the city, movie stores don't really exist any more, but in small towns- they're booming. In fact, when I went to find a movie on Saturday night, there were three other people browsing the racks!

One of my favourite small town finds so far is that our local library still stamps the due date on the inside of the books! Although they've moved to an electronic catalogue, they don't give you receipts like most libraries...and that just makes me happy!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Easy Flowers

The morning of our housewarming, I decided I really want to put some fresh flowers in the bathrooms! I remembered my friend had noticed some wild flowers along the road to my house, and I set out on an adventure. I was able to pick a few daisy's and buttercups for the master bathrom and then a nice pink flower (clearly not an advanced gardener) for our guest bathroom. They were just the touch I was looking for!

Sneak peek of the cupboard I have put in the bathroom and the new update from the abeautiful mess app!

My parents are here for the week, and I am looking forward to doing some projects around the house and celebrating the long weekend!

Harvest Share: Week One

I am so excited about participating in the harvest share program with Carron Farms this summer. I grew up with fresh vegetables from my mom and grammy's gardens, so I've spoiled my palate to expect new carrots and potatoes every summer. Carron Farms is really close to our house, and every Thursday night we head out to the farm to pick out our basket. I've decided that I am going to capture each week's basket on Instagram as a photo project!

Week One's Basket Included:

-Romaine Lettuce

- Asparagus

- English Cucumber

- Red Pepper

- Yellow Zuchini

- Mushrooms

- Radishes

- Rhubarb

To Do: Second Floor

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We're now on to the second floor of the visual to-do list:


Bedroom:

Left: I'd like to repaint the bedroom walls that have been scuffed through the moving process. I would also like to add some shelving or storage along this wall to complete the "dressing room" feel.
Right: The window treatments clearly need work!


Bathroom:

Left: The paint colour in the basement was not the same colour as the bathroom wall as planned, so we will need to touch up a couple of walls once we match the colour.
Right: We need to add the storage cabinet I bought, add a rail of hooks and possibly switch out the light fixtures down the road.

Left: Case in point on the light fixtures.
Right: The vent also needs to be fixed, as it is not installed properly.

The towel rack needs to be replaced with a hook rail as currently you can only hang one towel.


Hallway:

Left: A valance or blinds need to be added to this window
Right: The theme of bad lighting fixtures continues!

Craft Room

I'd like to add shelves to this wall to display my treasures and store my craft supplies.

To Do List: Main Floor & Basement

So I've decided to photo-document some of the work we have to do around the house as an attempt to improve my ability to take before pictures and motivate me to actually get the projects done so I can show them off here on the blog.


Dining Room/Hallway to Basement:

Left: You will notice there is no door leading to the basement. There was...it was brown, I am changing that.
Right: I have also picked up some pegboard from the local hardware store which I would like to mount on the wall leading to the basement so I can hang my tools and cleaning supplies.

Kitchen:

Left: Sorry for the bad lighting. As you can see my windows in the kitchen do not have curtains. The ones that came with the house were yellow to match the walls. I'd like to get something a little fresher to match the cool greys and blues we now have going on in the kitchen. I'm thinking a full curtain isn't necessary.
Right: I need to add shelving to a few of my cabinets. I thought I had an extra shelf in my pantry that just needed to be installed...turns out I have a shelf covering a massive hole!

Basement:

There is a lot to do in the basement, but the number one priority is fixing the stairs. Our inspector said they were uneven and unsafe...my dad is coming in a couple of weeks to help with this project!

I'd also like to find some kind of floor covering solution for the basement as well.

There you have it, i'll be back later in the week to post the second floor to-do list as well as the outdoor to-do list!

Kitchen Makeover on the Horizon

We're planning to paint the kitchen. Technically this was planned for last weekend, but it was a bit premature (aka we weren't ready to pull the trigger). Instead we spent time prepping, taping and sanding and then priming two sample spots on our walls.

I've known I wanted to paint the kitchen gray since the day we moved in, but choosing which shade was not as easy. There are countless blog posts on the subject (all of which I poured over in a matter of days); YHL likes Moonshine, Layla likes Gray Owl,  and many others I don't read frequently have weighed in on the subject.

Originally Chris wanted Cool Breeze, which looked a bit too blue to me. Moonshine was a bit dark and Gray Owl looked too brown. I found myself coming back to Horizon every time. It's a light and airy neutral gray. I love it, and I think it is growing on Chris too, so hopefully we'll be in full paint mode next weekend:)