Giveaway!

Hello Bloggy Friends

Cookware.com contacted me and asked if I would like to host a giveaway on my blog of one of their products. Therefore, I am hosting a giveaway of these cannisters (valued at almost $40):



The colour of the cannisters is called "Wheat" but you can also choose from a ton of other colours:





Have you been to Cookware.com before? If not, check it out! They have a ton of cool stuff like the Rachel Ray Cookware line (currently up to 60% off) .....and the best part? The ship to Canada which means that all of us Canadians can shop there AND take part in the contest too! Yippeee!!



To enter your name into the draw, just respond to this post saying why YOU love Canada! Please make sure that you include your e-mail address if you do not have a blog.

I will draw the winner on October 6. I am sorry but the contest is only open to residents of the US and Canada (trust me, I feel your pain).

In with the Old

I am back from my blogging hiatus to share with you my "NEW" old kitchen table.

The table is 12 years old and was starting to show its age. With a few coats of black paint and some new stain, it is as good as new. Here is the before...




I forgot to take an official "before" picture of my table so I had to search through my pictures to see what I could find. No wonder it was in such bad shape! Just look at some of the abuse it has taken over the years!!!.....

.....the "volcano" project....



....birthday party...


...pumpkin carving....


I better sign off as I am now getting sentimental about the table and all of the good times that we have shared while around it!! Sniff sniff!

Our DIY Granite Countertop Installation

We've installed our new countertop. I went with Galaxy Black granite and my husband installed it. I am pleased with how it turned out.




For the most part, this was a DIY project. Here are the steps that my husband did:
-removed the old countertop/sink
-made accurate measurements for the new countertop
-ordered the granite from Torontogranite.com
-added a layer of support on top of the cabinets to support the granite
-glued the granite down
-glued the seam between two granite pieces
-installed the sink
-completed the plumbing for the sink.

We got help with:
-cutting the granite to the specified dimensions including the hole for the sink
-having the granite delivered

I will go into more accurate details regarding the installation later on...so round up your husband if you are interested in learning about how to do this!!

I choose the Marielle faucet from Price Pfister. Thank you for all of your advice from the previous post!!


Here are some before and during photos...





We still have a way to go...finish the crown moulding, install a backsplash, new floor etc. But the kitchen is starting to come along!!

Faucet Decisions

We have ordered our granite countertops (galaxy black) and there are only four more sleeps until they arrive! Yippee!!

With their arrival comes the decision about which faucet to purchase. Here are two that I have been considering...

The Marielle by Price Pfister:


The Amerherst by Price Pfister (but in the same finish as the Marielle above...not chrome):


In the meantime, my husband found out that there is going to be a warehouse sale for Moen faucets this weekend. He is going to go and check it out. Apparently, Moen faucets are really good quality.



So, opinions are welcome!! Of the two that I have chosen, which one do you like them most?

Princess Margaret Hospital Dream Home Lottery

In my part of the woods (Ontario, Canada), each year, the Princess Margaret Hospital hosts a "Dream Home Lottery" to support cancer research.

There are a number of homes in the lottery and I had the opportunity to tour one of them. The house that I toured is worth $2.6 million and is located in Vaughan Ontario

As an aside (and this is for those of us who live in Ontario), can I just say that I have not been to Vaughan in ages and was astounded at how much it had grown...whatever happened to Canada's Wonderland being "out in the middle of nowhere"???



No stone was left unturned in the decorating department. However, what I really enjoyed the most about touring the home was some of the creative decorating ideas that could be used in any home (read CHEAP). I took some pictures of some these ideas and I thought I would share...

Now here is an interesting idea. These photos were on the wall in the children's playroom....


Now I know that this isn't the best shot of the photos...it is photos of children's shoes. Now this may look difficult but really how hard could it possibly be to take a million pictures of your kid's shoes until you get a few that are frame able? (don't answer that part) Then you would just need to Photoshop them (black and white with a touch of sepia)?? All I am saying is that it would be worth a try to find out!!

I like the pears all lined up in the cloches. Don't you just love the glass balls in the lamps!! So nice!!



The little girl's room looks so opulent.......


...but really, it is just pink stripes on the wall with some moulding. With a staple gun and some nice fabric, the fabric thing behind her bed would be soooo achievable (I am having a brain freeze and can not think of what it is called.

I just saw these scissors at Home Sense the other week and I am now wishing that I bought them!

Kitchen Inspiration

Hello bloggy friends

I am still in the midst of deciding on my countertops for my kitchen.





I've been so darn indecisive about the whole thing. Countertops are so, well, permanent and there are so many choices out there. I have been challenged with how I could possibly make a decision!! It isn't like paint....once you've made your decision, that's it! You can't change it.

So, I asked all of you, my bloggy friends, for your opinion on this post and the majority of you voted for the darker granite in the samples above.

Now, to be honest friends, this gave me "pause" because it hadn't really occurred to me that this would be a good combination. I wanted to see what all of you were talking about. I thought I would see if I could find some examples on the Internet. In my pursuit, I stumbled across this website. and I thought I would share it with you.

The website features thousands of finished kitchens and had a ton of examples of white cabinets and black countertops. Here are a few...









After seeing these examples, I think that I am sold!!

Goin' Ape Over the Dollar Store Challenge!

Hello Bloggy Friends!

We have a new addition to our family...

Meet "Tutu", a ballerina sock monkey that I made for my daughter.



I made Tutu" from supplies found at the Dollar Store:



I had to buy an extra "bunny bag" that is not in the picture. Halfway through, I realzied that I didn't have enough fabric for the tutu. In addition, I recycled a pillow for the stuffing and I had the buttons on hand.

I made this sock monkey as part of Lindsay's dollar store challenge. You can read all about it here:



The crafts need to be completed by March 30. I can't wait to see what everyone else makes!