Forever and Ever House

Giveaway!

2009-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Entertainment Unit Update

2009-03-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Bloggy Friends

I've updated my entertainment unit and I thought I would show you the result...

I found that the unit was dark and there wasn't enough contrast for the things that I wanted to display. Therefore, I added white plates along the back of the shelves to lighten things up a bit.

I also used the "trick" of taking off all of the dust jackets off of the books...

When in doubt, add a barn star....

Here is what it looked like before:

Painting on a Budget

2009-03-03T12:14:00.001-08:00

We do our fair share of painting at Forever and Ever House. Everyone says that using paint is the cheapest and quickest ways to update a room. That may be true but if you have an entire house to paint (interior and exterior), the cost can add up.

With that in mind, here is what has what worked for me to save money while painting my house:

1. Shop at the Dollarama for Paint Supplies

You can buy everything from paint brushes, rollers, paint trays (large and small), masking tape, drop clothes...all for well, $1!!

2. Spend money to save money

Now, if you are "good" at picking colour, HATS OFF TO YOU!!! As for me, not so much. In my starter home, my kitchen was painted FIVE TIMES before I got it right...and I know you are going to laugh at this...it ended up being white! When I moved to my "Forever and Ever House", I decided to hire a paint consultant to pick out the colours. She picked the colours for all the rooms in my home and the fee was $50. By choosing the right colours the first time, I know that this consultant has saved me money, time and stress.

2. Buy Behr Paint at the Home Depot:

The Home Depot can colour match non-copyrighted paint chips using the Behr paint brand. This is less expensive than other paint brands and has been rated as a high quality paint by Consumer Reports.

How about you? Do you have any suggestions on way to save while painting? I still have half a house to go so I would love to hear them!!

The Kitchen Continued

2009-02-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggy friends!

Holy canolli! I was featured on Today's Creative Blog. Thank you Kim!! Welcome to everyone who is visiting for the first time!

I thought I would update you on my kitchen. This weekend, my husband started to install the crown moulding top of the kitchen cabinets. He finished this side:

....and now is working on the other side.....

Poor guy. He made a mistake while cutting the crown moulding (see arrow). You know what they say "measure twice, cut once", right? Well, now he has to figure out what to do because apparently the angle is "off".

Here is a close up....

I have to say that my husband "rocks!" He has such a "can-do spirit" when it comes to home renovations. He loves to take on a new project, research it to death, find the best deal in town and "go for it". He really is quite a guy!

We are still undecided on our countertops....here are some samples that we have picked up. My husband is "convinced" that he can install the granite. Ei yi yi!!

Which one do you like best?

Update -Here is a close up of the laminate chips (excuse the flash!!)...

Countertop Decisions

2009-02-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are renovating our kitchen. Lately, much of the conversation has centred around what type of countertop to choose.

Originally, my thought was that we would install a butcher block countertop like this one from Ikea:

Then we would seal it with Waterlox:

However, my husband has yet to be convinced that this is a good idea. He won't "out and out" say he doesn't like this idea. It is what he doesn't say that has left me to think that he is not a fan. Those of you who are married will know what I mean by this, now won't you?!?!?

We have considered granite but have always thought it would be out of our price range. Then, tonight, my husband came across an interesting website called Toronto Granite. Through this company, you can order granite slabs in standard 96" x 26" size and also island size 96" x 36". Their rates are very cheap. I saw some slabs as low as $350.

Apparently, it is possible to pick-up and install granite countertops yourself. This company can cut countertops to your specifications or apparently, you can cut granite with a diamond blade at home.

The jury is still out about what we are going to choose...butcher block, granite or possibly the happy medium...laminate. After cruising the aisles of Home Depot recently, I was suprised to see how far laminate has come in quality and appearance.

Given our options, what would you do? Would you ever "go for broke" and try and install granite yourself? Would you lean towards butcher block or would you give laminate a try?

Happy Groundhog Day and My Ceiling Fan

2009-02-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Groundhog Day! Did you hear the news? Wiarton Willie saw his shadow!! That means six more weeks of winter....booooo hoooo!!

As I am writing this, I checked the temperature and it is -19 with the windchill. With that in mind, guess what I am going to show you? My ceiling fan/light fixture!! Is it me, or does that seem COMPLETELY inappropriate for today?!!?

Actually this post is the third in my series of "Stuff I Haven't Shown You". We installed this fan in the Fall and I am just blogging about it now. Here is a photo of the light fixture that we replaced...

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

Stuff I Haven't Shown You: Part 2

2009-01-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

In the second of my series of "stuff I haven't shown you", here is my daughter's repainted dresser/change table. I added glass knobs and painted it "cloud white" by Benjamin Moore.

Here is the "before":

My plan is to eventually make a shelf/hutch for the top so that it doesn't look so "change-table-y". In times of a recession, one works with what one has!

Part One: Stuff I haven't shown you...

2009-01-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Bloggy Friends

Well, the good thing about NOT posting means that I am behind in showing you some of my home improvements! In the first of my mini-series, here is a valance that I made for my master bathroom:

I was inspired by the Nester and her window mistreatments. Clearly a professional seamstress, I am NOT!! However, they will suffice. The valance is mostly hand sewn but there is also some hot glue in there too (pom pom fringe).

I made this "for free". The fabric was a result of an error I made when making the pillows for my master bedroom....

Yes, one would wonder how one could possibly make a mistake on making "square pillows". Like I said, "a professional seamstress, I am NOT"!!

testing my blog...never mind me...

2009-01-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Some of you may recall my fiasco with installing my new blogware. Well, tonight I have been "fiddling" and "Alas, I think I have it figured out!!" Yippy Skippy!

It worked on my test blog(s) and now I am just keeping my fingers crossed it works here.

Here I go!!! 5...4...3...2...1...(me pushing "Publish Post" button on Blogger....

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year bloggy-friends!

As we enter into a new year, like many other bloggers, I thought I would share with you my home renovation highlights from 2008.

In January, the hallway was painted "Smokey Green" and in September, the stairs were renovated. Here is the before...

Here is the after:

The living room walls and fireplace were also painted in January. Here is the before (not my hubby of course!!! lol):

...and the after...

Later in the winter, the master bedroom was painted "Vichysoise" and I changed the bedding. Here is the before....
...and the after....

In the Spring, Madison's room was yellow (before)...

...and then painted "apple blossom pink". Here is the after...
I also framed pages from the book "Guess How Much I Love You" with sprayed white painted frames and mats leftover from our starter home. Here is the before...

...and the after...

In the summer, we worked on the kitchen. The cabinets were spray lacquered as well as the range hood. Here is the before...

Here is the "now"....we still aren't done because we are going to install crown moulding on top of the cabinets and replace the counters and install a new backsplash..

New "school house" lights for the kitchen...

...and drapes...

Finally, hubby worked on his shed. Here is a photo of the progress. It is done but not painted so I'll save the after 'till the Spring!

All of these projects were so much fun...but it was equally fun to be part of such a fantastic blog community!!

My Favourite Things --for kids

2008-12-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Internets!

The Thrifty Chic has asked us to write a post about our favourite things are. I thought I would post about some of my favourite things for kids.

Barenaked Ladies Snacktime CD:

Friends, listen to me....I would not steer you wrong on this one. If you like the Barenaked Ladies and also have kids, then you will like this CD. While the intent is that it is a children's CD, it appeals to all ages. I don't like my daughter to listen to a lot of music on the radio because I find the lyrics are not appropriate for her. At the same time, children's CD's can be "syrupy" after a while. This CD a happy medium that keeps us all singing in the car!

Laptop Lunch Box:

A Laptop Lunch is a North Americanized "Bento box". This means that you put your child's lunch components into each compartment (sandwhich in one "box", carrots in another "box", yogurt in another "box" and dip for carrots in another box). Then you shut the lid and it seals everything in (the yogurt and dip boxes have lids so that they don't spill). It is paperless and convenient way to pack your child's lunch. It also comes in different colours. My daughter's lunchbox is pink. :o)

Smilebox Creations

With Smilebox Creations, you can make free on-line scrapbooks that you can share with your friends. I have opted to buy the premium service which means that I can also print my scrapbook pages. They print in 8 X 8" size which is the perfect size for colour printing at home.

That's it for me. Now how about you...what are favourite things?

My Fancy Schmancy Garland

2008-11-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hello Internets!

Here is my fancy-schmancy garland made with instructions from the Nester. She has a post where she shows us how to make a fluffy garland from stuff we already have.

I spent a total of $6 on my garland this year. I "shopped my house" for most of it and then purchased 6 new garlands at the Dollarama to fluff it up a bit.

Here is a close up of the dogwood part of the display...

Here is a close-up of the barn stars...

Happy Halloween from my house to yours!

2008-10-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Falling for Fall!

2008-10-21T18:08:00.001-07:00

Hellooooo Internets!

I thought I would show you some of my Fall decorating...

Interesting fact...the Canadian Thanksgiving falls about two weeks prior to Halloween. I have friends that put up their Christmas decorations immediately after Halloween!!

...a close up the arrangement that I have on my porch...
...my wreath.....

Now do you see that key hole? If you are one of the two people who read my blog last Fall, you may remember that I spray painted my brass handle and key hole with Rustoleum spray paint (even though it clearly says on the can that you can't spray paint brass). Well guess what? It has actually "held up" for the past year!! So, if you are like me and there isn't money in the budget to replace your handle, I would recommend this as an option.

The Shed

2008-10-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogsters

The lastest project at Forever and Ever House is the building of a shed for the back yard.

Here is my hubby in the foreground with the saw and that is my father-in-law on top of the shed roof in the background.

I think sheds are a "guy thing", don't you?

As for me, I can't wait to get the garage back in order! Winter is right around the corner and it will be nice to park the car inside the garage soon!

HTMLer for Hire?

2008-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggedy blogger friends!

I am looking for someone who can help me to fix the mess I have gotten myself in with my blog makeover!!

Here is my story leading up to my mess...

.....So, I was at Cherry's website, and I was "oohing and aahing" at how pretty it looked. She has a pretty header and a matchy-matchy labels for her widgets. It was then that noticed that she bought her blogware at Shabby Miss Jenn....

Since I like to do digital scrapbooking, I knew that Miss Jenn has totally amazing products so I headed over to her store. I was so impressed with her blog products and decided to take a stab at my own blog makeover.

This seemed to be a fairly "easy-peezy" type of project. I knew that I could do the Photoshopping part so it was just the HTML part that I would need to figure out. However, there were instructions included with purchase and also a video that I could watch about how to install it all on my blog.

"How hard could it be?", I said to myself....
WELL, you know where this is leading don't you?

It was somewhere between discovering-that-I-had-lost-all-of-my-widgets (including my blog roll) and trying-to-decipher-how-to-make-a three-column-blog, that I realized....I am in over my head.

I am now looking for someone who can help me to install the blog ware that I purchased. As I mentioned before, there are instructions included with the kit (and also an HTML Blogger-specific template included with the kit). My "mess" isn't because of Shabby Miss Jenn's instructions. However, I have learned that it is simply beyond my own skill and experience to figure it all out.

I will pay whoever can get me out of the mess that I have found myself in!! So, if this sounds like it is up your alley, please e-mail me with a link to your blog and also an estimate. I would prefer to pay through Pay Pal, if possible. I am looking for an installation very similar to Cherry's blog (except that I would like it to be three columns).

Thanks so much!

The Stairs

2008-10-11T17:55:00.001-07:00

Hello Internets!!

Well, the stairs and hallway are done! Phew! When I walk into my home now, I am so excited not to be greeted by the step ladder, paint trays and masking tape!!

Here are some "after pictures" of the stairway:

Here is the upstairs (never mind the dusty rose carpet --another project for when we win the lottery):

Here is a "before" shot. As you can see, we pulled up the carpet, painted the spindles/risers and stained the rest. We also stripped the wallpaper and painted the walls a colour called "Smokey Green" by Benjamin Moore.

Jo's Contest

2008-09-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Internets!

I was so excited to learn that I had won Jo's giveaway contest (from To a Pretty Life). I have always admired her artistic abilities. To think that I was one of the lucky recipients , well, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I won all of the prizes in the picture above and also a copy of Canadian Home and Country!!

There is so much to look at in these photos and so much of it was handmade by Jo. I know that you will want to see it in more detail:

I just love this little "laugh" sign. It reminds me of how I giggled with delight when I first saw how much care and creativity had gone into my gifts.

Just LOOK at this cute little cloche that is tied with a black gingham ribbon. It came with a really neat paper flower that Jo made. How creative is THAT?

The cloche also came in handy when I took a picture of this ornamental ball. It helped it from rolling of the table!! Isn't it nice? Can you believe that Jo also made it herself. I just love it!!

Here is a close up of a candle holder all wrapped up with matching bows. So sweet!

I wish my camera had picked up the chenille on this pincushion that Jo made. It is much, much nicer in "real life"....and the ironic thing is that I really do need a pincushion. Pretty and practical!

All of the gifts were placed in this gorgeous black and white box along with black paper "grass". It was then wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a generous amount of black satin ribbon. Really, she just went above and beyond.

Now, I have saved the best for last. This card is my favourite part of the entire gift. It was the first thing that I saw when I started to unwrap the present and well, she "had me" at the card!! I just love it so much that I am going to frame it. To think that Jo took the time to make it for me...well, I am just so moved.

Thank you Jo! Your gifts are one-of-a-kind and so are you!!

"How I spent my summer vacation"

2008-09-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hellooooooo bloggy friends!

How can it Sept 5th??? Where has the time gone? With summer coming to a close, I want to spend more time blogging. To start things off, I thought I'd show you "how I spent my summer vacation" ----renovating my kitchen!! Here is our progress so far:

The cabinets were professionally spray lacquered with "Ivory Tusk" by Benjamin Moore. They were generously completed by my brother's good friend, Alan, who happens to be a cabinet maker. Alan also sprayed the crown moulding, under cabinet moulding and wood panelling. My hubby and I are still working on installing this (which is why you can see the masking tape on some of the base cabinets).

Here is what it looked like before:

We bought a wooden stove hood on E-Bay and it was spray lacquered too. Then my hubby installed it directly over the old cabinet base.

I painted the walls "Dijon" by Benjamin Moore and I hung the curtains "extra high" so it would allow as much sunlight in as possible. I bought the curtains from "Linens and Things".

My best friend gave me this clock as a house warming gift last year!

I bought schoolhouse lights from Sears Canada and replaced the 1990's brass light fixtures and track lighting.

There is still so much to do but I hope that you will join me on my journey!!

Wordle

2008-08-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

I just had to share a really cool website that I found called Wordle. The website helps you to create "word clouds" like the one that I made here:

It was so easy to make and best of all it is free. I am going to print my "word cloud" and frame it. How about you? What would you do with a word cloud? What words would you use? How would you display it?

My "word cloud" was based on one of my favourite poems, "Desiderata". If you haven't read this inspirational poem (or if you are like me and enjoy reading it from time to time), here it is:

Desiderata

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others;
even the dull and ignorant, for they too have their story.
Avoid loud and agressive persons for they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble,
for it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business life for everywhere there is trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings;
many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars.

You have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.
And whatever your labours and aspirations, keep peace in your soul
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Max Erhmann 1927 .

Shopping Report

2008-08-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Helloooooooo Internets!!

Yes, I am still alive! Sorry for taking such a long break. The summer has gone by so fast, hasn't it?

So, I am back from my shopping trip in the US (Buffalo, NY, that is).Thank you for all of your suggestions about where to go!

With your recommendations in mind, I ended up going to TJ Maxx (I was surprised to see that it is very similar to Homesense/Winners for us Canadians), Joanne Fabrics (OH.my.goodNESS!! I thought I'd died and had gone to heaven!), Target (so wishing we had one of these near me) and Big Lots (no deals for me on the day I went but I could see it was one of those stores with a lot of potential for good deals). I also went to "the mall" and was surpised to find a store called Kirklands which is not in Canada. It had lots of really nice home decor items.I wish I could have gone to Hobby Lobby but Buffalo didn't seem to have one.

Since coming back from my trip, we have started to work on our kitchen. I promise you, tomorrow, for sure, I will show you some progress pictures. For now, here are the official "before" shots....

Stay tuned for tomorrow's "progress" report!

Shopping Advice

2008-07-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

I need your advice. I am going to do some cross-border shopping in Buffalo, New York in a few weeks. I am dropping family off at the airport there beacuse it is cheaper to fly out of Buffalo than Toronto.

I have not been to the US in years. What stores should I go to? I know about Target for home decor. Anywhere else? What about arts and craft or fabric stores??? I will be shopping for my home and also for my four-year old daughter. I like Gymboree and The Children's Place....not sure if there are other stores that are similar???

I would love to hear from you!!

Kitchen CHAOS

2008-07-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Internets!

Do you follow the Flylady?

Well, the Flylady would say that I am suffering from CHAOS.....

The kitchen renovations have begun and I am declaring my kitchen a disaster area!!

I've taken off the doors and removed everything from the cabinets so that I can give them a good cleaning.

What a mess! The contents of my kitchen are everywhere. My daughter even found her craft paint on the dining room table. It WAS safely hidden in a cupboard in my kitchen. We monitor the CRAFT PAINT like contraband over at my house!!

Now when I say that I "can't have anyone over", you KNOW that doesn't include YOU, now does it? I know that all of my bloggy friends would just make themselves comfortable amongst the mess, RIGHT?? If you are coming over, don't forget to bring the Timmies. I've lost my coffee maker in the mess!!! When you get here, just clear a spot for yourself and make yourself at home!!

It's Christmas in July!

2008-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's "Christmas in July" over at my house!! I am so excited I don't even know where to begin!

One of my brother's best and oldest friends from high school is a cabinet maker. He has offered to spray our kitchen cabinet doors in his shop. That means we are going to get professionally sprayed doors with a lacquer finish!!!

YEAH!! I am so excited I could just break out in song! It is Christmas in July!

My spooky camera and an award

2008-07-15T17:09:00.001-07:00

Apparently, my camera has multiple personalities. I took a few pictures today of my daughter's room and the pictures turned out fine!! Weird eh??? I still want a new one for my birthday though!! It is just too spooky for me!! LOL!!

So here are the pictures...

A chandelier purchased from, of all places, Canadian Tire....

New basket to hold some of her books from Micheal's Arts and Craft Store...

An old toy chest that I spray painted "Heirloom White" from Rustoleum (it was a dark walnut colour) and her doll house....

So my other news is that I got an award!! It is the Brilliant Blog award and I got it from Jo at "To a Pretty Life". You know, she is such a sweetie, that Jo!! It really made my day...THANKS JO!!

Now, here are the rules:
1. Display logo and link of whoever gave you the award.
2. Nominate at least 7 blogs
3. Add links to those 7 blogs
4. Leave the nominees a message that you are giving them the award.

So, here is who I nominate:
1. Painted Prairie http://paintedprairie.blogspot.com -who amazes me with her remodelling skills
2. The Bunnies Bungalow http://thebunnysbungalow.blogspot.com/ -who recently posted a recipe for strawberry pretzel salad. I am sooooo going to make this!! IN ADDITION, her mom has Alzheimer's disease. All people with parents with Alzheimer's disease should get an award --especially this daughter who is doing such a wonderful job at caring for her ((((HUGS)))
3. Bless Our Nest http://thedavisfamilynwa.blogspot.com/ --who is giving us all a tour of her house. Now that girl can decorate! Go check her out!!!!
4. Grace Violet http://www.graceviolet.com/ -who is so darn crafty I do not feel the urge to craft because I can just visit her blog and pretend I am doing it myself.
5. Preppy Cricket http://preppycricket.blogspot.com/ -who isn't afraid to "tell ya how it is" when it comes to breastfeeding!!
6. Tiny Old House -who is fun, creative AND "environmentally friendly"! She was one of the first people to post on my blog. Love her!http://tinyoldhouse.blogspot.com/
7. The Lettered Cottage http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com -who will wonder who the heck I am when I tell her that I gave her an award because I just lurk at her sight!! LOL!! However, she recently painted her cabinets and I am going to copy her idea about adding 1" x 6" wood along with crown moulding on my cabinets. Also, she has super cool videos of some of her projects. Now I've never seen THAT before!!

The good news and the bad news!

2008-07-08T17:33:00.001-07:00

Hello Internets!

I have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?

O.K., I'll start with the bad news....my camera is dying. It takes fuzzy, dark and/or yellow-ish photos like this one:

Isn't it lovely?

While we are visiting this picture, what do you think of my green construction paper? I am going to do a photo montage on this wall. That paper is my attempt at trying to figure out how to place the photos (and also a large letter M that I bought a while ago).

The good news??? My birthday is a few weeks away!! I have my eye on this camera.

It is a Panasonic Lumix camera DMC FZ-18 (everyone say oooooohhh!! ahhhhhhh!!!) My friend has it and she just raves about it so now I am going to buy it too.

So, the bottom line? It means that I will need to "tap dance" for a few weeks with my "archived" photos until I have a camera good enough to take pictures.

I found this in my stash of old photos:

I bought apothecary jars and they are displayed in my master bathroom. I put epsom salts, ivory soap bars and make-up pads in them. I also bought the shelf behind the jars. It is just above my toilet. Anyone have any ideas about what I should display on there?

Daisy says "Happy 4th of July!"

2008-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

.......and because my uncle is an equal opportunist (and because he lived in the USA for a number of years), here is Daisy wishing all of our American neighbours a Happy July 4th!!

Happy Canada Day -The True North Strong and Free!

2008-07-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day! Here is a picture of "Daisy", my uncle's dog from Sherwood Park, Alberta who is celebrating Canada Day along with the rest of us Canadians!!

In the spirit of Canada Day, I thought I would include a few links to some of my favourite "home and garden shows" from Canada.

City Line: http://www.cityline.ca/

Design Inc.: http://www.designinc.ca/home/

Take this House and Sell It: http://www.wnetwork.com/tv_shows/shows/take_this_house_and_sell_it/index.asp#episodedetails1

Divine Design: http://www.divinedesign.tv/master.asp

Home To Stay: http://www.hgtv.ca/hometostay/default.aspx

Gotta go! Time to fire up the BBQ and get ready for the fireworks!

Stair Progress

2008-06-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

The project for the weekend was the stairs. Here they are in August 2007:

Here is the progress as of today:

The carpet was pulled up, the treads were stained and the spindle/risers were primed. The stain is a walnut colour. Never mind that the risers/spindles were painted prior to being stained. That was done in error.

Sorry for the blurry picture. For some reason, my camera continues to not cooperate with me!! I figured that this was better than not posting at all!

Can I just say that renovating the stairs is a HUGE undertaking?!?! As in, if I knew how much work it would be, I may have settled for the dusty rose carpet??? (well, maybe that is a bit of a stretch...) Anyway, I am having sympathy pains for my husband who did most of the work. He worked very hard on these stairs and I am so proud of him!!

The sad thing is that "we" (meaning he) are still not done. The risers/spindles need to be painted so that will be another weekend's project!! We are both going to be so glad once it is done!!

You should go.

2008-06-19T09:01:00.001-07:00

Have you read this post. If not, you should go. It was so good, I had to cross-post it over here.

MEME

2008-06-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Oh me oh my! Two posts in one week? I'm on fire, now aren't I?? I've been tagged by Marie from Watch the Wind Blow By for a MeMe. Here she is. Isn't she cute? If you haven't been to her blog. You should go. She is really funny and has great taste.

O.K...So, here I go...

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 26 years old and was married for a year and a half. I was living in my "new" starter home with my husband Dale. I had recently painted my living room a deep navy blue colour after having "faux finished" my computer room using a feather duster. I was also contemplating painting my hallway deep red (which I did go ahead and do a year later). I was working for the Seniors Division of Kitchener Parks and Recreation and was working on a committee to plan a huge "Oktoberfest Bash for Seniors"!! Prosit!

Oktoberfest is more of a Bavarian festival than it is about the beer (in case you were wondering)...unless you are a university student. Then, I won't lie. It is all about the beer.

2. Five Things on my To-Do List Today.
Since the day is almost done, I am going to tell you what I did today.
-I woke up. Got my daughter up and dropped her off at Nannie's house.
-I went to work. The day was full of calling-people-receiving-calls-writing- e-mails-answering-e-mails-tracking-statistics-updating-a-form-making-an-advertisement-consulting-and-being-consulted. Then I went home.
-I stopped at Micheal's craft store and browsed the aisles. I didn't buy anything because I lost my 50% off coupon.
-Had supper.
-Watched Henry's world with Madison.

-Put daughter to bed.
-Worked on my blog!

3. What are you favourite snacks?
Please sign me up for carrot sticks, whole wheat toast (no butter) and a glass of ice water with a twist of lemon....NOT!! (do people say NOT anymore??) Sadly, how I wish it were true...as does my waistline.
My favourite snack is a Tim Horton's coffee and a blueberry muffin. Large with two milks and two sweeteners please and thank you.

4. Places I have lived.
I have never lived outside of Ontario, Canada. I lived in Mississauga (a suburb city of Toronto, Ontario)until I was three. I've always lived in Waterloo Region except for a brief stint in Guelph while I was at University of Guelph! What can I say? It is a nice place to live and it is home.

5. Five Things I would do if I was a billionaire.
Hmmm....I am sure that I will think of some really creative things once I hit the "publish post" button on Blogger. However, at the moment, I think that I would:
-host HUGE vacation getaways for all of my friends and family.
-Schedule weekly massages and pedicures.
-Travel to China, Australia and Africa.
-Have my own charitable foundation and give money to worthwhile projects.
-Enjoy renovating my "Forever and Ever House"!!

That's it! O.K....Now who to tag. Well, I am going to tag two new friends cuz they both look like interesting people and I want to know more about them!

Jo from To a Pretty Life http://www.toaprettylife.blogspot.com/

Friend from Frills Fluff and Trucks http://frillsfluffandtrucks.blogspot.com/

In the Pink!

2008-06-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies!!

I am so excited to show you Madison's room!! I painted it "Apple Blossom Pink" by Benjamin Moore. For some reason, my camera is taking dark pictures so hear is a "paint chip" of Apple Blossom to give you a better idea of the colour....

I also bought her a new quilt. It is the "Ditsy Daisy" Quilt from the Simply Shabby Chic line at Target. I bought it on E-Bay because I live in Canada and we don't have Target here. I suppose this is a blessing in disguise because when I visit the US, I always go to Target and amazed at the home decor section. I just KNOW that I would spend too much money if it was any closer to my home!!! LOL!!

I also framed some artwork for her room.

I used pages from the book "Guess How Much I Love You". I just love this book, don't you??? I love it to the moooooooon and back!! LOL!!

I re-used frames from our starter home. I just spray painted the frame and also the mat "Heirloom White" by RustOleum. Here is the before picture of one of the frames.

I have a ton of things to show you that I've been working on!! Coming up shortly is the lamp shade that I made for her room!

Oh yes, I would also like your advice...what sort of curtains do you think that I should use for her room? Sheers? Twill? I am thinking that they should be white, don't you? I am not sure what sort of fabric weight?? Any thoughts?

I am going to go shopping in the US in a few weeks. I am not sure if there are matching curtains for this line. Anyone know (I know there is a valance but I don't that I want to use that in this room).

Thanks!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-14T15:50:00.001-07:00

Look at his face. Look at her face. It says it all.... :o)

Cottage Charm Giveaway Winner

2008-06-12T18:16:00.001-07:00

Hello Internets!

How are you? I am fine.

Long time, no post. I know. I Know. I KNOW!!

I am sorry. I took an unplanned leave of absence from blogworld. Hopefully someone out there in blogworld is still checking in on me. I've missed all of my friends on here.

Under the category of "better late than never", I thought I would announce the winner of the draw for the May 31 giveaway. My camera is not cooperating so you are just going to have to use your imagination for the actual draw because I don't have a picture.

Me pulling name from hat....

....and the winner is Elizabeth from "Thoughts from an Evil Overlord. Here is her link for some reason, my mouse will not let me highlight her blog name so I have to do it this way: http://ebogie.blogspot.com/. You should check out her blog. She is super cool.

The Saga of Madison's Room: Chapter FOUR -'Dis is doooo TOOL!!

2008-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, if you have followed along with my saga about painting my daughter's bedroom pink, I am sure that it won't come as a HUGE surprise to know that I caved in!! I didn't last long folks, now did I??

Here are some pictures I took of "the reveal". Madison's reaction to her new pink room was (while jumping up and down on the bed) "I love it! I LOVE it!! I LOVE IT!!!"

Lauren (my friend's daughter who is younger than Madison and is working on her speech) was pretty cute. Her reaction was "WOW! Dis is doooo TOOL"! (Wow! This is too cool!)

After all of the excitement of the reveal, we had Popsicles on our porch.

Now, I know what you are wondering....where are all of the pictures of the actual ROOM? Well, that, my friends, will be saved for another post!! Don't worry, I won't keep you hanging for toooo long!!

Cottage Charm Giveaway

2008-05-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Kim at the Twice Remembered Cottage -One Woman's Cottage Life is hosting the second annual "Cottage Charm Giveaway". I think that this is such a fun idea and have decided to play along! Above are the items that you can win by leaving a comment on this post. The items are a decorative plate, tea towels, a silver cup and a copy of the June 2008 Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

The contest is open to everyone living in Canada and the US who leaves a comment by 12:00 p.m. EST on May 31. I love the regulars who visit my blog and I also love new visitors!! Everyone is encouraged to leave a comment!!

Watching Grass Grow, Paint Dry and Other Adventures at Forever and Ever House

2008-05-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Internets!

Let me tell you, we have been very busy over here at "Forever and Ever House" watching the grass grow and the paint dry while also completing a few other projects!

We inherited a lawn that was a mess with weeds and bare patches. Since "the budget" is always an issue, we thought we would try growing the grass back from seed rather than re-sodding the lawn. I am excited to report that the first few sprouts of grass begin to appear from the earth!
I also have been waiting for the "paint to dry" on a night stand that I painted for Madison's room. It has been so damp here that it took almost a week for the paint to thoroughly dry (the fact that it was painted in our already damp basement didn't help).
The night stand was mine as a child. Prior to painting it, it looked like a typical "1970ish" piece of furniture complete with gold trim. I gave it two coats of melamine paint and added glass knobs. It's as "good as new"!

I've also been busy adding accessories to my master bedroom. Here is my wedding photo along with a "Happily ever after" sign that I ordered online.

Here are pictures of my hubby and I as children. I had these photos displayed in the nursery of our starter home and liked them so much, I thought I would move them to our master bedroom in our new home.
Here are some new plates that I bought from Home Sense last week....

Finally, here is a heart "tassle" that I made out of leftover fabric from the pillows on my bed. I have it hanging on my closet door.

You are really a mom when...

2008-05-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

You're Really A Mom When...
-You count the number of sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they are equal.
-You want to take out a contract on the kid who broke your child's favorite toy and made him/her cry.
-You have time to shave only one leg at a time.
-You hide in the bathroom to be alone.
-Your child throws up and you catch it.
-Someone else's kid throws up at a party and you keep eating.
-You consider finger paint to be a controlled substance.
-You mastered the art of placing food on a plate without anything touching.
-Your child insists that you read "Once upon a Potty" out loud in the lobby of the doctor's office and you do it.
-You hire a baby sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then you spend half the night talking about and checking on the kids.
-You hope ketchup is a vegetable because it's the only one your child eats.
-You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into unusual shapes.
-You fast-forward through the scene when the hunter shoots Bambi's mother.
-You obsess when your child clings to you upon parting during his first month at school, then you obsess when he skips in without looking back.
-You can't bear to give away baby clothes--it's so final.
-You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "Not in your good clothes."
-You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
-You read that the average-five-year old asks 437 questions a day and feel proud that your kid is "above average."

Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day!!

More Kitchen Plans

2008-05-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

I thought that I would show you some more of my kitchen plans.

We have already purchased a sink. It is sitting in a box in my basement waiting to be installed. Here is a picture of a sink that looks similar to the sink that we have purchased. As I am typing this, my hubby just told me to tell you that it is made out of silistone quartz and that he got a really good deal on it by purchasing it from E-Bay (everyone can simultaneously give a "shout out" to him on that one!!). Apparently, the sink normally cost about $400 but he got it for $150. What do I know. I just live here. :O)

Here is also a picture of our custom range hood that Dale purchased from E-Bay. The plan is to paint it white along with the cabinets.

I am thinking about going with butcher block countertops from Ikea. I love granite but it "isn't in the budget" and I am not a fan of granite tile. I would rather go with natural material than do laminate so that leads to butcher block. Here is a picture of what I had in mind...

I've heard that sealing butcher block countertops with Waterlox really helps to protect it. Waterlox is a tung oil based product that waterproofs the wood. I am not one to cut directly onto my countertop so I think that this might "work" for me.

My plan is to refinish the floors on the entire main floor to match the countertop as I read somewhere that you are supposed to have all of your horizontal surfaces be the same tone (floor and countertop) and all of your vertical surfaces be the same tone (cabinets, backsplash etc.)

I like the suggestion about adding crown moulding to the cabinets. I have seen this on One Woman's Cottage Life and also Chris from Just Beachy . I think that this looks great. Since I have a space between my cabinet and my ceiling, I was thinking of adding some more height to the cabinets by adding a strip (3-4") of MDF and then the crown moulding on top of that. If anyone has done this or knows a blog that has, please let me know as I would like to see pictures.

I have a few questions for you based on your suggestions/comments:

Paint Colours:

Blueberry mentioned that the yellow on my paint chip and the yellow on the curtains may not match. I see her point. I had plans to paint "butter cream" and then got all excited about the curtains in Linen's N' Things that I didn't look very closely to see if they would match (told you I am an amateur)!! So, thanks Blueberry for pointing that out. I'll have to look at it "in real life" to see if it matches or perhaps look at the other colour you thought might work.

Also, Chris wondered if Cloud White is the right colour. I will definately look at the whites you suggested. I appreciate the suggestions and also Blueberry's offer to send me paint suggestions when she gets her fan deck back!! While it is "just paint", it is still painting cupboards which is a huge commitment. I want to make sure I get it right the first time. You all have great taste and I welcome your comments and suggestions!! ;O) My goodness! What good friends I have made on my blog! How lucky am I?!!?!

Glass on Cabinet Doors:
Do you think that I should do all of the cabinets above the counter top or just a few? If just a few, then which ones? I was thinking of just doing the corner cabinet?? Also, do you think that frosted glass will work? I like the look of glass but not how it shows my mess behind the glass.

This has turned into a long post! Thansk for taking the time to read it!!

New look and an award

2008-05-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

How do you like my new header? I made it myself using digital scrapbook supplies from Heather Ann Design. It is 12:00 p.m. and I am about ready for B-E-D. I have been obsessing over this header all night and I am "done"! I am beyond the point of knowing if it looks good. I probably shouldn't even be putting it up on my blog except that I want the satisfaction of knowing that I "finished" what I started to do tonight!!

Before I go to bed, allow me to whine for a minute longer. Is it me or does Blogger make things waaaay to complicated?? I have been trying to figure out how to make the header go all the way across the screen and do you think that I can figure it out? NO! Yes, I am new at all of this blog stuff so maybe there is a way and I just haven't figured it out yet??? Why can't they write instructions in normal language that even people like me can understand? Why is it so hard to search for things in the Help section?

Why? Why? Why? Waaa Waa Waa!! LOL! Yes, I am complaining so I better move on to happier news before I go to sleep..

So I wanted to tell all of you that I am sooooooo excited! I was given an award from my new bloggy best friend, Marie (from "Watch the Wind Blow By) who now shares the role with Kate. Marie is sooo funny and has amazing taste. You really have to go and visit her blog. You won't regret it! While I am talking about my bloggy friends...you should also go visit Kate. She has a really interesting post about Dorothy Draper which I think you would enjoy reading about. I know that I did.

So the award that Marie gave me is called the Art y Pico award. I am so thrilled...especially because I totally feel like I am making all of this blog stuff up as I go along. When I started blogging regulary in January, I was so "green" to the blog community, I really had no idea of all of the amazingly talented, creative and inspiring home decorating blogs that there are out there. I am kind of glad that I didn't know because I know I would have been intimidated and would probably not have started a blog. My renovating/decorating is all very much "trial and error" at my house . There are "many a misses"...amongst the "hits", that is for sure!

So...here are the rules for this award:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.

4. The award winner and one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. Each award winner has to show these rules.

O.K. so now here is the fun part...giving the award to some of the blogs that I just LOVE. Now with that said, it is also the hard part because there are sooooo many talented people out there. I really had a hard time narrowing it down! So here are my 5 in no particular order...

Now, it is 12:12 p.m. and I have to go to bed. I have to work tomorrow for crying out loud!! I am not going to notify the award winners until tomorrow so if you are reading this and see your name...surprise and congrats!!

Night! Night!!

Kitchen Dreamin'

2008-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Internets!!

How are you? I am dusty from unpacking boxes in my basement this weekend.Yes, you read that correctly. I am still unpacking even though we moved in August 2007. It was rainy in my "part of the woods" this weekend so it was a good day to tackle the disaster that I have been avoiding down there!!

I've been meaning to show you some of my plans for my kitchen renovations for a while now. Since part of the plan is to paint the walls yellow, I thought I would share my plans along with the Cottage Magpie's "yellow post challenge".

So, first of all, here is a scan of the paint chip that has been on my bulletin board in my kitchen for months now. It is the colour "Butter Cream" by Benjamin Moore and it is the colour that I am "leaning towards" for my kitchen walls.

I was recently at Linen's n Things and found these curtains. They are dupoini silk and are lined. I have fallen in love with them and I am thinking about putting them in my kitchen. My thought is that I would use white curtain rods and white clip on rings.

Here are some "before pictures" of our kitchen as it appeared to us when we decided to purchase our home. I am going to paint the cupboards and replace the countertop. My thought is that I will paint the cupboards "Cloud White" by Benjamin Moore.

Yes, there is work to be done!! If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions for my kitchen, by all means, I would soooooo love to hear from you!!

Family Room Updates

2008-04-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

After considering all of the suggestions from the family room post from a couple of weeks ago, I was so inspired with ideas on how to "finish" my family room. I thought I would show you where I am "at" with this room as of today.

First of all, here is my updated entertainment unit.

My husband and I are still hemming and hawing about painting it white or leaving it black. The debate is between leaving it black (and therefore the TV doesn't contrast as much as it will if it is painted white) vs painting it white (and therefore the dust doesn't show as quickly and won't be as "heavy looking")!! The bottom line is that there are about a bizillion other things that need to be updated at our house and we only have so much time in the week. I don't see us painting it any time soon!! I suspect that the rate we are going, it will remain black for a number of years. LOL!!

When arranging my book cases, I read somewhere that the best thing to do in this situation is arrange your books/knick knacks on one side and then simply "mirror" what is displayed on the other side. That is what I did here. I also used the old trick of removing the dust jackets from all of the hard cover books. In addition, I used black spray paint to update old baskets that I had from my starter home. I shopped for these baskets "in my basement". I had completely forgot that I owned them until I saw them in the pictures that I posted recently from my starter home!!

Moving on, here is a picture of my fireplace:

Some of you may recall that I had a mirror on the mantle. Well, I took it down because it was reflecting our crazy plaster ceiling (which we will be definately will be removing that at some point). The mirror was moved to our dining room and replaced with metal art work from Home Sense. I think I might buy some candle sticks to put on the mantel too but I just haven't gotten to that yet!

I "shopped in my basement" for most of the updates on the right side of the room: The dog wood branches and the metal sap bucket are Christmas decorations found in my basement (shhhhh!!!). The picture frames were also from my basement (although I updated the pictures --see my post about finding "Public Domain" photos and also below). The lantern was a house warming gift from my friend, Christine.

For the black and white frames, I ended up using a vintage sailboat photo because it was taken on Lake Ontario, Canada which is near my home. I also found a vintage photo of people mountain climbing in British Columbia, Canada (which is definately not near my home but is a photo that I just think is really interesting).

Finally, here is a picture of the left side of the room.

Someone had suggested moving the lamps to "frame" the couch. Good idea! I think it makes more sense this way. I am still working on art for this side of the room. I have some ideas up my sleeve. I just need to finish working on them!!

Well, there you have it! Thanks so much for stopping by and touring my family room!

Our Starter Home: Part 3 -Upper Level

2008-04-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

In the last of my "three part series", I am going to show you the upper level of my starter home.

If you are just joining me in this series, allow me to bring you up to speed. This is the home that I lived in for about 10 years prior to living in our "forever and ever house" (we moved in Aug 2007). My friend and real estage agent, Leanne dropped by the other day for coffee and gave me photos of our starter home (the ones that she used to sell the house). I thought it would be fun to show them to all of my blog friends.

First, we have Madison's room.....Oh! I get so sentimental looking at this picture. This is the "one" room in our starter home that I wish that I could have moved in its entirety to our new house!! I know that it isn't much to look at...it is just that there are so memories for me with Madison as a baby in this room. Sniff Sniff!!!

O.K... moving on (before I have a nervous breakdown --lol), here is the room that was our home office. Now I know what you are thinking..."It doesn't look like a home office and I thought you only had one child???" Well, as we got our house ready to sell, we decided to "stage" this room as a nursery. We had just moved Madison into her "big girl bed" when we had decided to move. We moved her nursery items into the home office because our desks/computers are so messy looking. Fortunately, the bedding matched the yellow that was already on the walls so we didn't even have to paint.

Lastly, here is our master bedroom.
Well, thank you so much in joining me as I took a trip down memory lane. I have so many wonderful memories of our starter home. It was fun to share these photos with you!

I have been sooooo busy with a ton of projects for my "forever and ever house". I can't wait to show you some of the things I have been working on in my next post!!

Our Starter Home: Part Two -The main floor

2008-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

In the second part of this three-part series on my starter home, I thought I would show you some pictures of the main floor.

The house was small (1000 square feet) so the main floor consisted of the living room, kitchen and hallway. It was such a breeze to clean. I could get my light cleaning done in about an hour or so (i.e., wash floors, vacuum, dust, change bedding, empty trash, clean bathroom). I miss that so much!!

Our taste has changed since we decorated our starter home. When we first got married, I really liked more of a modern look. You can see that in things like our wall unit and the lamp shade. In my "Forever and Ever House", I seem to be leaning more to traditional/country decor. While we kept our leather couches and the area carpet for our new family room, the rest has been designated for our "rec room" in our basement in our new house!

Here are some pictures of what the kitchen looked like. Isn't it "oak statement"?!?!!? LOL!! If we ended up staying at this home, I would soooo have painted the cabinets white. The funny thing is that I have oak cabinets in my "Forever and Ever" house too. However, I have plans to paint them white at some point down the road. I think that I am going to paint the table and chairs too. I am undecided about whether I will paint them black or white...maybe black.

So, there you have it, the main floor. Coming up, the upstairs!

Our Starter Home: Part 1 -Outside of home

2008-04-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

My friend and real estate agent, Leanne Carnevale, dropped by for coffee the other day. She had a surprise for me....a CD with the photos that she used to sell our home last year. I thought that I would give you a tour of our starter home. In the first of this three-part series, I'll show you the outside of the house.

Here is the front of the house. We did the landscaping ourselves. Each year, we bought plants in August so that they were drastically marked down (i.e., 75-90% off the regular price) and "chip away" at the landscaping. By the time we were ready to move last year, it was almost done!

Here is a picture of the backyard. The mulch was sooooo low maintenance.

There were lots of fun times and good conversation on this deck!

Stay tuned for the next part of the series...the main floor!! Ohhhhh!!! Ahhhh!! Ohhhh!!!

The Saga of Madison's Room -Chapter Two: Kate Smith -my new best blog friend!

2008-04-20T18:57:00.001-07:00

Hello bloggy friends!

Well, I have had "quite the week" here in blog world. It all started when I decided to take part in Angela, the Cottage Magpie's "Green Post challenge". Well, guess who won her draw? ME!! I am the happy owner of a trug. Here is a picture of it:

Isn't it nice? I just love Angela and the ideas that she shares on her blog. Don't you think that she has the most impeccable taste? I am so thrilled to have won!

As a result of participating in her challenge, guess who visited me on my blog? Kate Smith!! Now I must admit, because I am from Canada, I sheepishly wasn't exactly sure who Kate was when she visited me and left a comment. However, given her blog name was "colour expert", I had a hunch that she was a bit of a "big wig". When I visited her blog, my hunch was verified. Folks, she is indeed a HUGE big wig!! LOL!!

For those of you who are living under the same rock that I am, allow me to fill you in....Kate is one of the world's leading colour experts and has had a ton of corporate clients like American Greetings, American Online and Reebok. She even goes on on television for shows like CBS Sunday Morning and the Christopher Lowell show AND she is the Chair of the Colour Marketing Group Conference (you know, the people who decide what colours are going to be "in" in the future).

You know what? More importantly than being a "big wig", she is nice!! When I visited her on her blog to thank her for cross-posting about the green post challenge on her blog, I mentioned my saga about Madison's room. I asked her "if" I decided to paint Madison's room pink, did she have any advice on how to pick out the right shade? I was worried that I was going to pick a pink shade that was too pepto-bismal-ish in colour.

Kate not only responded to my comment personally (you know that she must be very busy with all of the big wig things that she does) but actually wrote an entire post about Madison's room on her blog. You should check it out! Don't forget to leave a comment! I don't care who you are. If you blog, it is so nice to read comments from people who have stopped by!

Kate suggested a number of shades of pink that are so beautiful and sophisticated. They are not at all the typical "little girl" pink that can be so overwhelming and brash. I could really see these shades appealing to Madison right up into her tween years (and beyond).

She even found the most gorgeous artwork that I could use as a source of inspiration. It is from Kelly Rightsell. Kate says that pinks can work really well with browns and greens. Now, I would have never thought that in a million years but look at the artwork...she is right!

Now, how could I possibly NOT paint Madison's room now that I have all of this inspiration?? Thank you Kate!

The Saga of Madison's Room -Chapter One "Pulling the Nanny Card and Watching Angels Dance"

2008-04-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Let me start off this post by stating that when we moved into our house last August, we knew that there would be work involved in our "Forever and Ever House". The house was outdated. We knew that every room would need to be painted, every ceiling would need to be scraped and all of the floors would need to be addressed.

There was ONE exception to the "need to renovate" rule at our house and that was my daughter's bedroom. Seventeen years ago, when our home was built, it was painted a very pretty, classic shade of yellow and it has remained that way to this day.

So, when we moved into our home I said to myself "Self...well, at least THERE'S one room that doesn't need to be painted." Madison's bedding and valance from our starter home even had some yellow in it and with a few strategic placements of art, the nail holes in the walls from previous owner's art would be covered. Easy-peasy. Yippy Skippy.

Well, you know where this is leading now, don't you?

My daughter really wants a pink room.

She just doesn't want a pink room. She is dying for a pink room. She even "pulled the Nanny card" yesterday and casually "mentioned" (in an ever so mournful voice) to her adoring and influential Nanny that she really, really wants a pink room and that maybe one day if she is a really good girl, her mommy will paint it pink.

Oh Lord.

In all fairness, she's four. I have yet to meet a four-year old girl who does not love the colour pink. In addition, she has opinions. She watches the decorating shows with her parents. Her mother has a blog about home renovating so she imitates what she sees. Her pretend play includes "reveals" of makeover rooms for goodness sake!

Like most parents in the freeworld, I try to maintain the delicate balance between giving into my child's every whim and knowing that when I make her happy, it is like watching angels dancing.

So, stay tuned folks. We'll see how long I last!! In the meantime, I did put something on the walls to hide the nail holes from the previous owner's artwork.

I didn't do anything too fancy. I just used some of those wooden letters that you can buy at Arts and Crafts stores. TIP! I used "removable adhesive putty" to mount my letters and ribbons (you know, the stuff that looks like chewing gum). This is much easier than velcro (too permanent) and nails (too permanent and won't lie flush with walls).

I also displayed two of Madison's dresses (left and middle) and one of my baby dresses (right). I need to find pretty hangers. If anyone knows where I can find them in Canada, please let me know.

The dresses covered a multitude of sins (er nail holes).

Tag...you're it!

2008-04-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Tara from Days Missed on a Hammock to list 7 random and/or weird things about myself. So....here they are:

1. I am vegetarian and I own two leather couches. We bought them before I was vegetarian. They remain because a) I rationalize that I don't have to eat the couches b) My husband isn't vegetarian and he likes them. c)Marriage is about compromises. d) We don't have a money tree in our backyard for crying out loud! So there.

2. My husband and I identify with "John and Kate" from John and Kate Plus 8 (me being Kate and Dale being John). Now I know we all have our opinions about Kate so I hope that I don't loose any regulars who read my blog about this confession!! LOL!!

3. If you haven't guessed already, I LOVE a good deal. With few exceptions, most of my furnishings in my house were purchased as either 1) scratch and dent 2) floor model 3) on deep discount sale 4) on Kijijji (like Craigs list) 5) all of the above.

4. I am NOT a pack rat. I have issues with too much clutter. I joke around that I don't like Christmas trees because there are too many knick knacks on them!

5. My daughter just informed me that she would like a dog, a cat and a goldfish. Please and thank you very much.

6. My favourite ice cream is mint chocolate chip.

7. My hobby is digital scrapbooking. I love it because there is no clutter (see #4) in comparison to traditional scrapbooking and I have found it faster to do than regular scrapbooking.

So there you have it! So....hmmm....who am I going to tag? O.K, here is my list...

Emily from Drew and Eli

Melissa from the Inspired Room

Chris from Just Beachy

Kim from Niesz Vintage Home

Candy from Candy's Home

Georgie from Georgie Girls World

Katie from Philigry

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog. Some random, some weird.
3. Tag up to 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Thanks, Tara, for inviting me to join the fun!

Family Room Inspiration -new pillows, an art idea and a special thank you offer

2008-04-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was so inspired by all of the suggestions that resulted from my post about my family room. Some people suggested introducing more colour into the room through pillows or curtains. I thought I'd try these red pillows to see if they add some "punch" to the room.

Also, many people suggested black and white photography for artwork in the room. I was so inspired, in particular, with Blueberry's suggestion to do photography of landscapes/places that are meaningful to me. After some investigating, I found out that there are literally thousands of high resolution "public domain" photos available FOR FREE on the Internet. You know how I love a good deal, now don't you??? LOL!

If you live in Canada, check out the Canadian Science and Technology Museum for vintage photographs of Canada. There were so many wonderful photos of pictures from across Canada. I live in Ontario and I loved this vintage sailboat picture.

I found this vintage photo of people on a boat tour in Muskoka, Ontario. My husband and I honeymooned there and it is a place "near and dear" to my heart.

There were so many photos available, I couldn't decide what I liked the best! I was a kid in a candy store!! LOL! I thought that it might be be fun to change the photos in my living room according to season. Here are some winter photos that I found...

I also found an entire Wikepedia article that links to a number of public domain websites (for USA and international sources). It explains in detail what public domain means and also where to find further websites.

If you find photos that you would like to use, here some instructions on how to use them:

Save them to your computer (right click on photo and choose "save as") or follow the instructions on the particular website to download the photo to your computer
Use photo editing software (such as Photoshop) to enlarge/crop them to the size that you would like the photo to be.
Print the photo on photo quality paper if you have a photo printer at home. Alternatively, you can get the image laser copied on card stock using a glossy finish at your local copy store. This will produce "good enough results" and is much cheaper than having your photo enlarged with photo paper.

As a special thank you to everyone who posted comments on my family room, I would like to offer my services to you. If you find a photo that you would like to use for artwork, please e-mail me. I would be happy to enlarge it to the size that you need, print it on my photo printer and mail it to you. I can enlarge up to 8.5 x11 size. If you need larger than that, I can't print it for you however I CAN e-mail you the enlarged image for you to upload to your local office supply store.

...and the winner is...

2008-04-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who took the time to post suggestions about ideas to decorate my family room. I was completely amazed at how much thought and care went into your comments. Each of you really went "above and beyond" and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it except perhaps with a song..

(ahem...me singing)...

I love you bloggers! Oh yes I do!
I love you bloggers! Oh yes I do!
My family room...I could not do! (echo ...without you!)
Oh bloggers! I love you!!

(whew...I am so glad that you can't actually "hear me")

O.K., in all seriousness, I am fairly new to blogging and have been so moved by the kindness and generosity of this community. Now, I can't wait to take all of your suggestions and finish the room. Thank you!

So with that said, let me get "down to business" with the draw for the digital photo key chain. Drum roll please....

The winner is....

Congratulations to Niesz Vintage Home!! If you haven't been to her blog, you really must go. It is one of my favourite!

Thanks again!

Green Challenge and GIVEAWAY!!

2008-03-23T12:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! When Angela from the Cottage Magpie challenged the blogging community to post something that is green on their blog, I thought that this was perfect timing to participate in her challenge AND offer my very first giveaway!!

For the "green challenge", I thought I'd post my newly painted family room. I painted it "Camouflage" by Benjamin Moore. It is a greeny-khaki colour. I am at the point with this room where I need to add some artwork, possibly a window treatment and some new pillows. Here are some pictures of where I am "at" with the progress:

Now ignore the TV for a second in this picture. I wanted to show you my windows. I added 2" blinds to these windows:

O.K., now you can look at the TV area. I "just" bought new shelving for the TV area (not shown in previous photo because I took THAT photo a couple of weeks ago):

The shelves, the TV stand and two end tables (not in the picture) cost us a total of $13 out of pocket because we purchased it with our "President's Choice" points (an incentive program offered at Canadian grocery stores). Also, all of it was all on sale and we bought the floor models so we got an extra 10% off. Don't you just love a good deal?!?!

My husband and I had originally purchased all of this because we thought we would alter the shelving/TV stand so that it looks like an entertainment unit and then paint the entire thing white. I am fortunate to have a "handy husband" and we (meaning he) had planned to link all three pieces together at the base, add bead board to entire back (including behind the TV) and add MDF shelving topped with crown mould on the top. As mentioned, we had planned to paint the whole thing white with the goal for it to look like an entertainment unit. It is kind of hard to describe what we are planning on doing so I am giving you a huge "high five" if you are following me at any level right now!! LOL!!! Anyway, the longer it is in my family room, the more I am unsure if we should do this. I am wondering if maybe we should just leave it as it is.

Also, for your interest, here is what the family room looked like before we moved in August:

So, I bet you are wondering about my GIVEAWAY! Here are the details. I am offering a digital photo keykchain that holds up to 60 photos and has a 1.5" LCD screen. You are now welcome to ooooh and ahhhhhh!! I can hear you.....oh yeah!

OOOOOOOH!!!! AHHHHHH!!!

Here is the catch, in order to participate in my giveaway, you must leave a comment on my blog with a suggestion about what my "next steps" should be to finish this room. You might want to answer one (or all) of these questions or you may have your own suggestion....
Should I add a window treatment? If yes, curtains or valance?
How would you display artwork on the walls?
If you somewhat understand our plans for the wall unit, do you think that we should do this (remember, it will be white, like the fireplace) or do you think we should just leave well enough alone?

Additional Edited Note: I forgot to add that the giveaway contest will run until midnight (EST) March 30, 2008. I will draw one winner and contact you for your address to mail you the key chain.

Master Bedroom Re-Do

2008-03-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

After:

Before:

Thanks to all of you who posted with suggestions about what to do about my master bedroom! I decided to buy a new coverlet and shams, make two square pillows and a bolster pillow and also move the artwork so that it is above my bed.

Because the curtains match the new bedding, I decided to keep them (see the before picture). I also have a dresser and chest in this room. I think that I will try to add more colour/interest with accessories on my dresser and chest (right now, there isn't anything on them). I suppose that will be another post as things unfold.

Bath Bombs

2008-03-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to have a display for Madison's bathroom and thought it would be fun to display bath bombs in a glass container. However, bath bombs can be expensive so I decided to make my own. Here are the instructions that I followed.

The only slightly challenging part about making these was finding the citric acid necessary to make the bath bombs "fizz". I live in a small city and found mine at a wine-making store ($8 for a 2lb bag which was enough to make all of the bath bombs in the glass container plus another 10 that we have already used). Apparently, citric acid can also be found on E-Bay, at drug stores, in Asian/Thai grocery stores and also larger supermarkets. I called all of these places in my city and didn't have luck until I found the wine-making store.

Also, thank you to everyone who commented on my last post about my bedroom. Truly, you are all so kind and helpful and I am amazed at each of your talents. The update on my bedroom is that I bought a new coverlet that I think will help bring more colour to the room. I also am going to go to "Canada's largest textile district" on Thursday (for all the locals reading this, it is Ottawa Street in Hamilton). I am sure I'll bring home a few goodies for pillows, curtains and a bed skirt.

Bedroom Confessions

2008-03-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Did that title "grab you"?? It isn't what you think...trust me on that one!

So...I do have a confession to make and I am only going to make it here in blog world....

O.k...Come here please.

Lean in closer....closer...

O.k., here it is...

(me whispering) I hate the way my bedroom turned out.

There, I said it. It is pale, boring and "blah" and I really, really, really do not like it. It isn't at all how I imagined it would look and am realizing that I "almost" liked it better with the green walls (o.k. maybe I am being a bit dramatic here but still, you get the picture). At least there was contrast with the bedding!!

I posted my picture on Rate My Space. I got a humbling 2.3 score and also some very kind and constructive "feedback"...specifically, change the lights, the bedding, the paint and the art. Oh, is that all?!?!? LOL! Yes, I know, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind! LOL!!

Anyway, I am grateful for the feedback that I got and I am going to change the bedding. I am hoping that that if I go with a darker colour it will ground things a bit and hopefully that will help.

I'll keep you posted!!!

Master Bedroom -Before and Progress

2008-03-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my master bedroom over the past couple of weeks. Here are some "before" pictures of the room:

Here are some pictures of where I am "at" today:

As mentioned in previous posts, I painted the walls a colour called Vichysoisse by Benjamin Moore. In addition, I made some new curtains for the windows and replaced the original 1" blinds with 2" blinds. I also added some art work (botanical prints that I cut out of an old coffee table book).

One of my next steps is to replace the lighting in here (and ultimately smooth the ceiling and add crown moulding). Here is a picture of the current ceiling fan that only has one light bulb working:

I am undergoing "family negotiations" at the moment with my husband. He wants another fan (yes, I can hear the collective gasp from all of you). I would like a chandelier. Wish me luck!

Adventures in Vichysoisse

2008-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

After painting my bathroom and my bedroom the colour "Vichysoisse" by Benjamin Moore, I thought it would be fun to actually make the soup for supper tonight. I followed the recipe here. My walls really are the colour of vichysoisse!!

Paint and shower curtain for Madison's Bathroom

2008-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

I just painted Madison's bathroom over the weekend and put up a new shower curtain. Of course, she wanted her bathroom to be pink! What four-year old girl doesn't?

I used the colour "Baby Dreams" by Benjamin Moore. It is a very pale pink colour. I tried to scan the paint chip for you to see it better but it is so pale that my scanner would not pick it up and the chip looked white on the screen! The paint consultant at the Benjamin Moore store advised me to go with a light pink colour because she said that pink can be quite overwhelming. After painting the bathroom, I can see what she means. While the pink looks quite light on the chip, it is much more obvious on an entire wall.

Here is what it looked like before.

Don't you just love the sponge painting? As I was painting, I was reminiscing about my own adventures in faux finishes in my starter home. Remember when that was "all the rage"? One time, I painted over my entire home office with a "feather duster" to get a faux finish effect (to tone down the too bright yellow on the walls --didn't work of course). Worse, one time I painted my backsplash in the kitchen a dark, hunter green colour. I used 1/4 inch masking tape to "mask off the grout lines" so it looked like grout. Oh, friends!!! It was baaaaaad! The paint bled into the grout lines and the green was so severe! It makes me laugh now when I think of it!!

How about you? Do you have any tales of "(mis)adventures in faux finishing" that you would like to share?

Master Bathroom -Before and Progress

2008-02-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

For those who read this post and live in Canada...I hope that you had a happy "Family Day" on Monday! This is a new statutory holiday in Ontario (and I believe is also celebrated in the Western provinces). I think that the government should rename it "Family Work Day" or perhaps "Honey-Do Day". The Home Depot was just "hopping" on Sunday as people went there for last minute errands in preparation for the day off on Monday!!! LOL!!

I spent the weekend painting our master bathroom and ensuite bedroom. My husband continued to work on stripping the stairs. My daughter "helped" both of us.

Here is a "before shot" of the bathroom:

Here are some pictures of it after two coats of Benjamin Moore's "Vichyssoise" colour. Vichyssoise is apparently French potatoe soup and that is pretty much the colour of my bathroom now!

Well, there is nothing like a coat of paint to freshen things up a bit. However, I did title my post "Before and Progress" for a reason. There is still soooo much that I would like to do with this room...wall panelling, new light fixture, new countertop, paint the vanity white, new mirror, new floor, new toilet. However I suppose I have to start somewhere and this seemed to be as good of a place as any!!

I will post my bedroom pictures shortly. We had "an incident" with our bed....it broke! It is quite heavy and my husband went to move it and rather than lifting it off of the carpet (which is plush), he simply pushed it. Well, he pushed so hard, the "feet" of the bed stayed put and the siderails broke off of the foot of the bed. Sigh! Well, I guess this is a lesson learned about the need to lift rather than slide heavy things in plush carpet. He is in the process of gluing/screwing/reinforcing things back together. Once it is reassembled, I will post our painted bedroom pictures and my new curtains...yippee!

Think Pink!

2008-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Most little girls like the colour pink and since I have a four-year old daughter, there is, of course a lot of pink around my house. When Angela, from Cottage Magpie posted a challenge on her website to put something on your blog that was the colour pink, I knew that I was in business!! Here is a selection of pink items from my house.

A pink dress...

A ballerina from her jewellry box...
A quilt called "Fancy Frocks"...

A blanket and pillow for a doll bed...
A play kitchen...Thank heaven for little girls! My daughter allows me to relive my childhood and also enjoy hers through our mutual love of pink!

Paying it Forward

2008-02-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Today, I visited one of my "most recently discovered" and now "most favourite websites", Philigry. On I whim, I decided to respond to Katie's post about a fun activity called "Paying it Forward" and am so excited that I am going to be offering this on my blog!

Here is how it works: Since I responded to Katie's post about "paying it forward", she has promised that sometime in the next 365 days, she will send me something handmade. The catch is that in order for me to participate, I must "pay it forward" by offering to do the same on my website.

Therefore, I am offering the first three people who comment to this post a custom-made scrapbook (specifically, the gift includes one 8" x 8" scrapbook with a title page and 9 custom-made digital scrapbook pages with 1-2 photos per page). Now here is the catch...In order to receive the scrapbook, you must offer to participate on your own blog!!

If you are one of the first three people who responds to this post, I will contact you with further details about the scrapbook. Here are some examples of pages that I have created:

credits: Heather Ann Designs paper and elements

credits: designs by dani paper

credits: Heather Ann Designs paper

credit: Design by Dani paper and elements

Join in the fun and take part in "pay it forward"!!

Valentine's Day Decorating

2008-02-04T16:18:00.001-08:00

I love decorating for Valentine's Day! I love the colour red and the fact that Valentine's Day is a great excuse to decorate with red gingham (one of my favourite prints)!! Here is how I decorated at my house over the weekend...

My wreath for the front door was inspired by the wreath Lyn made at the Vintage Nest (as a newbie blogger, I sheepishly don't know how to make a hyper link yet but her blog address is http://lifeatcedarhill.blogspot.com). I also decorated my kitchen table with Valentine's day place settings, a centrepiece and a paper garland.

Here is a close-up of the place setting. I got the vinyl placemats from Pottery Barn Kids last year and I love them because they are so versatile. They are used at Christmas and also on Canada Day.

Here is a close-up of the paper chain garland that runs across the window. I also made a Valentine Tree (spray painted terra cotta pot with branches that were secured with plaster of paris). The tree branches feature pictures of my husband and I and also our married friends/family.

I pasted photos onto tags. I tied them to the tree using red gingham and solid red ribbon. This photo is a picture of my "Grannie Annie and Grandpa Joe" on their wedding day...so young!!
Here is my daughter, Madison's Valentine's Day holder. I had stored her valentines that she got from her preschool friends last year and she had so much fun looking at them this year when we got the decorations out.

Madison and I also made Valentines on Sunday. Here are her valentine's ...

Here are two that I made (one to send to my Grannie Annie who is now in a nursing home and the other to send to my mom):

Lastly, here is a display for my dining room table.
Thanks for touring my Valentine home!

Art for a friend

2008-01-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow I am throwing a good-bye party for one my friends and co-workers. As a good-bye gift, I decided to make her a collage of some photos that I know will be meaninful for her. I have a small digital scrapbooking business and she was one of the first people who encouraged me to start it.

Here it is framed:

I hope she likes it!

credits: Pea Jenny script, arial font

Life is what happens when you are making other plans

2008-01-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

John Lennon once said "Life is what happens when you are making other plans". Isn't that the truth. I have big plans for my house. It is just that the rest of my life seems to happen while my plans are unfolding (employment, laundry, skating lessons, births/deaths, Pampered Chef parties, husbands with colds etc. etc. etc.). Our home renovations are slowly but surely moving forward but over this week I have had moments of wishing that I could "skip to the reveal" like they do in those half hour decorating shows!!!

((((Repeating to self: "The joy is in the journey and not in the destination. The joy is in the journey and not in the destination..."))))

This weekend, I was in the mood for some instant gratification and a trip to HomeSense for some "retail therapy" was the answer. I bought these bathroom accessories and I think that they will go nicely in our master bathroom. They match the toile bedding in the adjacent master bedroom.
The project for the weekend was stripping the wallpaper border in our master bedroom. I am happy to report that the wallpaper border is now off the walls. Yeah!

My hubbie and I also had a FABULOUS time at our friend Alan's surprise 40th birthday party. Alan is one of my husband's oldest friends. They go back to highschool. Alan married one of my oldest friends. We go back to high school. We spent the night with 40 other people reminiscing about the "glory days" of our youth. Does it get any better than that? I don't think so. Here is a picture of Dale (left) with his friends Allan (top), Stuart (right) and John-John (middle).
The other fun "life event" that happened while my renovations have been unfolding was the Alzheimer Society of Kitchener-Waterloo's annual Manulife Walk/Skate for Memories. I work at the Alzheimer Society and this is fantastic FUNdraising event that benefits the programs and services of our chapter. What a wonderful opportunity to increase awareness, meet other like-minded people while raising funds.

My Favourite Things

2008-01-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

(((Ahem....me singing))) "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favourite things"

Whew! Thank goodness, you can't hear me singing! I am one of those people who should ONLY sing in the shower!! Seriously though, we are sooooo in the midst of messy home renovations and there isn't anything to post in the area of progress pictures (we are taking the finish off our stairs --completely boring). I thought that I would blog about my favourite things. Here is my list...

1. My toile bedding and sleigh bed. The fact that it doesn't match the teal green walls and floral wallpaper that is currently in my bedroom is a mere technicality! Someday, I will have a colour on the walls called "Winter Wheat" and all will be well with the world.

2. My glass cloche and apple. I won the apple at a white elephant Christmas gift exchange at my work place and I love it because it reminds of the genuinely nice co-workers that I work with.

3. My clock that my hubby gave me for Valentine's Day (after some shameless hinting).

4. My slipcovered couch. I just bought this last week on Kijijji and it was quite the bargain at $200! I love it even though my husband thinks I am crazy to have bought a white couch considering we have a 4-year old. The standing joke is that it is "mommy's special couch" and no one under 18 is allowed to sit on it!!

5. My grandmother's china. She is in a nursing home now with Alzheimer's disease. These dishes remind me of her --a woman who has had a very well-lived life.

Well, that is it for now! I can't wait until I have some areas to display some of these things in my house.

Everything from A to Z

2008-01-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

How do you like my new bookends? I just got them at "Value Village" (or as one of my friends calls it --with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek --"VV Boutique"). I am not sure if Value Village is an international thing or not. I live in Ontario, Canada and it is a chain store in my part of the woods. It is similar to a Good Will or Salvation Army thrift store and I have recently discovered the joy of shopping there. You never know what you are going to find! They literally have everything from A to Z (pun intended).

Can you believe that I got these for only 97 cents?!?! You can't tell in the picture but they are about 6-7 inches high and they are quite heavy. My hubby and I have plans for an entertainment unit in our family room. Once that is in place, my plan is to put the bookends there. Talk about buying the cart before the horse!

Hall -Before and Progress

2008-01-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

The hall...oh the hall!! Sigh!!! Well, "in it's day" I think that it would have been quite a nice hall. Someone obviously put a lot of thought into picking out the floral wallpaper, country blue paint and matching dusty rose carpet. However, the hall has clearly had its 15 minutes of fame (or is that 17 years??). The oak has turned orange-y and the dusty rose carpet has turned, well, dustier!!! It was time for a change and management (me) decided to go ahead do an overhaul. Here are some before shots:

Here are some pictures of where we are at today:

On the main floor, I stripped the wallpaper and the we painted the walls a colour called "Smokey Green" by Benjamin Moore. It is a bit of a funny colour because even though it is officially called green it actually "reads" blue when you put it against white. We also removed the dusty rose carpet on the stairs and then started to patch/prime the stairs. In addition, I spray painted the door knob leading to the front porch a pewter colour.

We also started to update the upstairs hallway. While, I don't have any "before" shots of that floor, it was similar to the first floor. We continued to paint all of the walls "Smokey Green". In addition, my mom gave me a new light fixture for Christmas and it now replaces the brass chandelier that was there before. We also repainted all of the doors and trim with Benjamin Moore's "Cloud White". Sadly, the dusty rose carpet is still there but we are hoping to replace it someday down the road. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the upstairs:

Our next few weekends are going to be focused on the stairs. We are going to strip and stain the hand rails and the stairs a darker colour. Then we are going to paint the spindles and risers "Cloud White".

Fireplace -Before and Now

2008-01-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some before and after pictures of our fireplace. The first picture is shows what the living room looked like when the house was up for sale. That is James Bond on the left...and "he" scared me half to death when I first walked into the room! I thought that he was a real person!

We painted the walls a khaki green colour called "Camouflage" by Benjamin Moore. We also removed the mirrors, and started sanding the wood.

Here is my hubby priming the fireplace.

Here is the "after" picture. We painted it "Cloud White" (Benjamin Moore). We also took apart the brass fixtures of the fireplace surround and spray painted them black. We used a special "high heat" spray paint for this so that it won't peel when we turn the fireplace on.
I am happy with the results of the fireplace. I need to add some decorations for the mantel. I suppose that this will be another post!

Goodbye early 1990s! Hello 2008!

2008-01-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
Dale and I have been soooo busy over Christmas with house projects. We took on the living room and hallway as the first two areas to update with paint. I am going to post pictures soon (just waiting for my batteries to recharge in my camera so that I can upload the photos).

It truly feels like we are saying "good bye" to some of the 1990's features in our home and are bringing in the new year by celebrating with more current colours!! We stripped blue and rose coloured wallpaper from the hallway, painted over country blue in the living room, painted the golden oak fireplace and also painted the golden oak staircase (spindles and risers white). While there is much to still do to complete these projects (second coats etc), this was a good "dent".

Yippee!

Lampshade Project

2007-11-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

I got a fantastic deal on lamp bases at Pottery Barn (they were the floor models and were 50% off). The problem was that even with the discount, the purchase "blew my budget" for the month. I was a bit stumped about what I would do for lampshades because the bases were looking a bit depressing sitting in my living room without shades (never mind naked)!!

Well, I took a trip to Wal-Mart and was pleased to find some shades there that I thought would match my lamp bases. I decided to customize the shades by buying some dark brown ribbon in the fabric department. I used "No Sew" fabric glue to adhere the ribbon to the shade. However, I think regular white glue or a hot glue would have worked too. I found that the trick to all of this was to make sure I didn't use too much glue (otherwise the glue would have shown up when I turned on the light)!!

Anyway, here is a picture of the complete project (never mind the country blue wall in the background...that is another project waiting to happen)...

New Paint for Front of House

2007-11-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the before and after pictures of the front of our house. We painted the garage, front door, porch railings and shutters. You can't really see the results in the "after pictures" but we also had the bushes and trees trimmed. Plans are "in the works" to re-landscape next year but they really needed to be cleaned-up a bit in the meantime.

We also spray painted the front door handle and the garage door handle a pewter colour. They were originally brass. Since I didn't want to go to the expense of replacing the handles, I thought I would give spray paint a try. That was a month and a half ago and so far, it has held up. However, we have not experienced winter yet, so I am not sure how the paint is going respond to the harshness of it. It is really just a temporary measure and in the spring, I am going to either 1) re-spray paint it or 2) buy new handles. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

Forever and Ever House

2007-11-02T18:47:00.001-07:00

Two months ago, I moved into my "forever and ever house". You know, the house that you move into after buying a starter home. The one that you plan on living in for a very long time. I have made the move with my husband and three-year old daughter.

The house is a 17-year old, 2200 square foot, two story home. At the moment there is a lot of "golden oak" in the house, with lots of wallpaper and country blue and rose. We have been busy moving in for the past two months and are now settled enough to start getting to work on renovating it.

My husband and both love "DIY" projects. I love to be creative and he is very handy. We both love the "thrill of the deal" and love to scour the Internet and stores for good deals. I can't wait to see how it turns out and am going to enjoy our journey in home renovations.