19: Lighting Experiment

Well, I did it...with my husbands help, of course - We installed new lighting figures through-out the main floor. I used You Tube as my resource, no electrician required. We live in a new house, so the instructions were straight forward - I didn't have to deal with obscure wiring, ect...that you may come across in an older home.

I started with a blank slate and a very basic light figure.

Here is the end result, after the foyer is dressed and the new light future is installed.

18: Before & After

I snatched this beauty off Kijiji for $40.00! It's solid wood, seven feet long and one sturdy dresser. I was in a search for a dresser to make over for my daughter's room; something girly, with curves.

*** Please forgive the blurry before picture

For this project I used chalk paint. I LOVE chalk paint because there is no prep, just paint. Why would I ever go back to latex, again?

17: In with the new, out with the old.

Work and life tend to get in the way of "my time", so it has been a while...

We've lived in our Charlesworth home for less than two years and it's time to move to a new home that better suits our family. Of course, I prefer new construction homes, so we made a list of our desireables, which included: location, school district, childcare, and home styles.

Our last home was new construction and a spec home (pre-selected finishes), so this time around I wanted to choose all the finishes. We started our search by visiting various builders, comparing prices and build quality, and finally, asking a lot of specific questions (you know, all those mundane - but necessary ones).

So now, we say goodbye to our first house as a family!

16: Primping

These days I am completely obsessed with fiddle leaf trees. They seem to be everywhere, and are super trendy. I need to bring some color into my living room, currently my colors are greys and browns. During these long winter days it makes the house feel very gloomy. I think that a fiddle leaf tree will be the perfect addition to bring in extra life and color!

I have also purchased a few more new additions to my living room. A new piece of art, and a pair of nesting tables. I have always dreamed about nesting tables. When I spotted this set, it was love at first sight. I love the re-claimed look!

Stay tuned for updated reveal! 

15: Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak at my daughter's big girl room. I have been trying to accomplish all the projects I have on the go, and this one is almost complete!

Check is out: 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe New Years! 

14: Ikea Hack

I always see inspiring Ikea hack's on Pinterest, and I finally decided to tackle one myself. I wanted to create a reading nook for my son, and these spice racks were the perfect size for this project. 

You can buy these spice racks at Ikea for $6.99. They are pretty plain looking, I decided to paint mine white to match my son's room decor. 

What about you? 

It's easy to pin projects, how many have you tackled? 

 

13: I've been featured!

My living room was featured on the Urban Barn's Blog...check it out!

12: Laundry Room Inspiration

My builder never took into consideration the functionality of the laundry room space. Our house is a new build but we purchased it as a pre-spec home -- Which means that all the options and upgrades (or lack of) were already determined for us. That left us with a builder-basic laundry room in the end and so I had no option to upgrade to a laundry room with cabinets or counters tops.

Here's what I'm currently working with:

This room is located on the main floor and is connected to the half bath, which means any guest can open the door and see this disaster! 

I have been dreaming about transforming my laundry room to look like one of these rooms....

While I really do love the whiteness of these laundry rooms my main concern when renovating this room is to keep the flow from one room to another. Our house has a very open floor plan, and I would prefer to stick with the same cabinets, counter tops, and colors as in the kitchen or as similar as I can. 

Stayed tuned as I transform this tiny laundry room!

11: Living Room Woes

A while ago I posted this living room story board:

There have been a few changes. I have purchased and returned many items. You will find the majority of items in my house from three large stores. My go-to store is Urban Barn for many reasons, the top being their exceptional customer service. 

For me, when I shop higher-end stores I feel that their customer service should match their products quality and price. However, this is not always the case for many companies. I had purchased the sectional pictured above before we moved into our new house, and it was only after it was delivered that I decided it just wouldn't work in the space. Not only did Urban Barn allow me to return it they also impressed me with their customer service! I now feel a sense of loyalty to their store. Therefore, a lot of my subsequent purchases have been from their store. Why even bother shopping at stores who don't value you as a customer? My experience was not the same for another store, who have lost my business indefinably. 

Sources: 

Piper Sofa 

Slipper Chairs

Braden Coffee Table

Carter Console & Side Table

Area Rug

Lighting

10: Eye Candy

Well, it's been almost a month since we have taken possession of our new home. I anticipated I would have the house together sooner than I thought. That hasn't been the case. Yesterday I finally completed our eat in kitchen.

What's better than a little eye candy on a Saturday morning while you're reading and enjoying your coffee?

I had originally purchased this cowhide for my living room, but decided it looked much better with my reclaimed table.

I have been swooning over reclaimed tables FOREVER, after lots of searching I am so happy with the look!

09: Rug Envy

Ever thought you would grow tired of shopping? I have. I have been searching high and low for a living room area rug.

Here are some of the options I have been considering:

 

 

 

Can you guess which one I chose?

In the end, I had some serious cowhide envy. I fell in love with the look. After more research I also learned how durable cowhides are, and with two kids that is my second concern next to appearance.

08: Living Room Storyboard

Our builder finally set our possession date, July 25th! It's been a whirlwind few months and I am eager to settle down in the new house. 

Yesterday my goodies arrived from Pottery Barn. I tired my hardest to not open them, wanting to keep them boxed for the move but I just had to peek! I ordered the Carter console and side table, which I had been swooning over for a while now. 

Below is my living story board. The majority of these items have already been purchased but are unfortunately sitting boxed in my current living room (at least my son thinks they are awesome new toys to climb on).

07: An unexpected hiatus

I am back! Can you believe what a long hiatus I took from blogging? I can't! I do have a good excuse for disappearing so suddenly, in case you were wondering. My hiatus started with returning to work and continued as we found out that we were pregnant with our 2nd child. It ended with me going on maternity leave and purchasing our 1st house!

I also stopped blogging because I was becoming increasingly discouraged of DIY'in a rented house; My ideas were becoming monotonous. After all, how many changes can you TRULY make to a house that you don't own? That is why I am excited to be moving into our new home!

Here is the floor plan along with some pictures from my design board, which were an inspiration for my interior design. I've already purchased some of the larger pieces of furniture (pictured) for our house.

Stay tuned as I blog about designing each room... This is going to be very exciting!