corkboard in the kitchen

I installed some cork squares on the back of a kitchen cabinet door - I've seen the idea on Pinterest and I thought it was a brilliant way of staying organized. The cork is from Dollarama, (package of two for a dollar) and I attached it to the door using Gorilla Glue. Aubrey and I can now stay organized and pin up phone numbers, flyers, coupons and grocery lists but we don't have the mess of seeing it out on display. (Visual clutter gives me the heebie jeebies) I purposefully installed the cork on the back of our "junk" cabinet door as I didn't want to necessarily see cork board every-time I went to grab a glass or plate. It has been installed a week and has already made a huge improvement in our organization.

The second picture of our kitchen bench is random, and no relationship to the cork-board  I thought it was an especially pretty shot. :-)

Ps., In somewhat related news, Ikea posted a link to our cookbook shelf on their facebook page. And some of the responses to the shelf are a wee bit funny. :-) (For example installing a cookbook shelf above our sink means we obviously don't cook) It's all in good fun. I do appreciate the major link love from Ikea. It was a nice treat, and hello to new visitors.

diy desk updates

I'm trying to organize and decorate my office a bit better - One thing is, I'm not overly happy with this wall of bulletin board and have considered taking it down. But taking it down would perhaps damage the wall, so I'm not sure whether to live with my design mistake or succumb to my OCD about it. Anyways, apart from the look of the office, one of the things I needed to address was organization.

A month ago I decided to make the DIY desk slightly larger. I needed more space to store orders waiting to be shipped. To give some background in how I run my shop, I use these dollar store stackable baskets to organize orders. When an order comes in, I place items in the basket. Sometimes orders have products that have different production times (stamps take 14 days to make, whereas I have gold glitter ribbon in stock) so in order to make sure things stay together an gets it's own basket. If you've ordered from me, your order has likely been in one of these baskets. It's an amazing little system that has meant that orders get shipped faster, there is less product wandering around my office and order mistakes have 99% dissapeared. Little steps that help me as my shop is shipping out more orders on a weekly basis.

How we designed this desk was was similar to how we did my desk, but it actually was a lot easier. More after the jump.
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the most gorgeous fabric ever

I'm so excited. The major element in our TV room update - the roman blinds - arrived yesterday. Yay! We haven't hung them yet as it will be quite the task making sure they are all placed properly, so for now they sit on our dining room table and I pet them as I walk by. I love, love linen.

I think I'm in a minority - Most people pick bold colourful prints but I'm most comfortable with a linen. (Another example of my love of this kind of fabric is my living room drapes). I want everything in linen.  Which isn't awesome with a kid but for drapery I can get away with it. Side note - You can find linen look alikes that are more durable, like we did for our dining room chairs, and, our kitchen bench. Both give me the look of linen but with water resistance which is perfect for cleaning up little fingerprints/spills.  But back to the romans. The fabric we went with was the Tuscany Linen, Oatmeal Slub. It's unfortunate that the fabric has "Oatmeal Slub" as a part of it, it makes it sound rather bland. But there is nothing bland about it, it's so, so gorgeous.

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ikea sells fancy blogger trees

I killed my white fig tree. Obviously not on purpose. I did all I could to keep it alive but week after week the leaves just fell off. When the last leaf hung there and I watched it turn yellow I came to the realization that the tree wasn't shedding, it was gonzo. I'm not awesome at keeping plants alive which is why I refuse to spend big bucks on anything green for our house.

A few weeks after it went into the garbage, I spotted a REAL fiddle leaf fig tree at Ikea for $15. Cue this commercial. Here I was searching around Toronto last Summer trying to find one when IKEA obviously carried fiddle leaf figs. (No, not obviously, since when did Ikea sell these trees!!?*) Anyways, I will have to re-pot it and put it in a nice basket in our TV room. Until then, I bring it to the sink to water every Monday. I sometimes dust the leaves and talk nicely to it. Maybe the love will make this one stay around longer.

And lastly - I wanted to post this picture for more than just showing off my new tree.... I wanted to show you reason #85 why I love, love having 1 huge sink basin vs. it being split in two. You know, so you can put monster house plants in it.

*Kay gave me a tip that Ikea had them a few months back so I knew to look out for them there. But really, I'm shocked Ikea sells these. 

Who Doesn't Love a Bucket of Starfish!



 

I found this neat old bucket at a local shop a few weeks ago.  I was planning to plant flowers in it in the spring. 

 

 

Soon after I was in Marshalls and found a bag of starfish.  I was so happy.  I've purchased lots of starfish off of ebay and I've paid about the same amount for three on ebay than the 20 or so that came from Marshalls!

 

Since we are still under a very big blanket of snow, those flowers aren't going to be planted for awhile.  Instead, here's what I came up with.  I think I like it better, as it can stay inside and keep the rustiness preserved.  :)

 

 

 

This is the wooden box I found last week at a sale.  A bunch of blue canning jars fit nicely in it.

 

Thanks for your visit!

 

 

Pam

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happy friday

I love that you love the "Big Deal" button in my last post. I seriously thought only two people would comment so you caught me off guard with 91 awesome comments. Because of the super kind replies I'm going to increase the giveaway from 10 buttons to 20. I only wish I could afford to mail each and everyone of you one. (Trust me, I had my calculator out and was doing the math) I'll be commenting on 20 replies shortly, so go back to the post and see if your comment wins. More house changes next week but for now here are some new product shots. Because that's all I've been doing all week. (really - that is pretty much the only thing I did this week) xo Linds

Ps., More cool new products in the shop...like gold glitter tape. The coolest thing since sliced bread. And an assorted glitter ribbon set. 

you are a big deal around here...

I am working away over here on orders for the shop, so sadly no more progress on the bathroom design to report on. :(  Anyways, I needed to make up some buttons for a project and they turned out so sweet. I have some available in my shop but I would love to give some away. If you would like one, just comment below - I will hold a draw and pick ten winners. I know it is a super small giveaway but I thought that they would be sweet to send to some people. Anyways, comment below if you would like one - maybe tell me what the weather is like where you are, or just say hi. No pressure. I will draw ten people randomly on Friday. xo Linds

P.s., Did you know my shop as a facebook page? Well, if you like my shop I would love a follow over there! xo

More Rusty and Dusty Treasures

Last Saturday I went to an indoor sale and found some great things that I blogged about HERE. 

 

I was thrilled when the guy said he'd be open again on Sunday.  (most places are not open on Sundays here)  I thought about a few things I'd seen on Saturday and was so happy to find them still available.  I must say, his prices were much better the second day!  :)

 

 

My favorite find was this old ice cream bucket.  I love the color, love that it has some writing on it and love the metal pieces on it.  It came with all of the heavy ice cream making stuff, but I plan to use it differently. 

 

A couple of years ago, my friend Heather and I were out shopping.  We found this fabulous birdhouse.  We hemmed and hawwed about it for quite awhile, but I was getting on a plane to go home and couldn't figure out how to get it home very easily and she wasn't sure if she was ready to make that investment.  Well, not long after, Heather's husband surprised her with the very same birdhouse to put in her GORGEOUS garden!  It looks amazing and I love that we were together when we found it the first time! 

 

 

So now my husband can work his magic on it and we will have a similar one in our yard.

 

 

 

 

I found this set of numbers in a cast iron holder.  I am excited to get them heated up and make some fun projects with them.

 

I find tons and tons of canning jars at garage sales here, but not blue ones with zinc lids.  Score!

I'll be sure to post when the birdhouse is done and if I find a fun project to burn some numbers into some wood!

 

Thanks for your visit!

Pam


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baby steps with designing a washroom

Photo via The Marion House Book, Photo by Janis Nicolay

I've been dragging my feet with the bathroom renovation. Truthfully I am finding this room extremely difficult to design. I have issues with spacial planning - I'm not awesome at accurately picking items that would fit. Give me a 10 foot wide room and I'd go and pick a 20 foot long couch. (Aubrey can confirm that. I'm not exaggerating at all) Thankfully Aubrey is the opposite (and perhaps 99% of the rest of the population) But my inability to properly judge sizes, and having a hard time conceptualizing the proposed "bump out" in the bathroom have kept me from moving forward. All of that mixed with my indecision as to the style of washroom - well, it will be amazing if we actually renovate anytime soon.

Anyways, thank goodness for Pinterest. I've been able to collect inspirational images while I lay in bed at night. But if you look at my Pinterest board on washrooms you'll see I'm all over the place when it comes to looks. A year ago I would have designed our washroom to be much like the photo above from Emma's blog.  It's gorgeous. But within the past month I've come to the conclusion that I'm overdosing on subway tiles in our house. I used them in our basement washroom and in our kitchen. And although I love them in each application that we've done,.... I think I need to do something different for the main bathroom. The problem is - subway tile played to the classic look that I loved. And subway tiles are quite economical - So finding a substitute I knew was hard.

I have really started to crave a more "zen" look to our washroom. I have a bath every night before bed - it's my little ritual that I've done since being a kid. Shower in the morning, wash my hair and at night I had a bubble bath.* So I would love a "peaceful" room to relax in. I just revisited this image I had pinned from (again) Emma's blog and it kind of sparked something.....

Photograph by Kristin Sjaarda for The Marion House book

The marble tiles are classic - marble is always classic - yet the large tiles makes the shower feel more modern. It's a perfect mix of traditional and modern. Although I love the look of marble I saw that the homeowner found the marble to be "high maintenance" which reminded me that is exactly why we didn't do marble in the kitchen. So I'm not about to put it in our washroom. But I love the look.....

Disregarding the maintenance factor, we couldn't afford marble at $20+ a square foot. Well, we could possibly afford it but then it would mean we'd have to penny pinch elsewhere. Bottom line - I don't feel like busting our full budget on tiles. I did happened to see some "replica" marble at The Beach Tile Store down the street from us that ranges between $2 - $10 a square foot because it's porcelain. I'm not sure if I'm tricking myself to believe it looks like marble?

Anyways, that is where we are. We're pretty much set on the larger tiles that look like marble. Next, I'd love to find a drop in bathtub that fits that would allow us to tile the side of it. Aubrey isn't sold on continuing the same tile from the show onto the floor, so that is up for discussion.

Baby steps. Baby steps.

*My friend has informed me that I am not the norm with my bathing habits of showering each morning (I was my hair every day) and bathing at night. Seriously, I can't think properly if I don't shower in the AM. I've done it since I was a kid. Funny to realize people have different rituals!

*Update - the second picture is a subway pattern - the pattern itself I still love but the fact that it is with HUGE tiles makes it more appealing.

Winter Garage Sale Scores

Generally there aren't a lot of garage sales here in the winter, and especially this year with so much snow, but yesterday I went to an indoor sale that was great!

The place was PACKED with stuff.  I had to walk through several times just to feel like I wasn't missing a ton of stuff.

I found this old can (I'm not sure if it was originally a milk can,  or maybe can for fireplace ashes?) I cleaned it up for a place right next to the fireplace.  It's very heavy and the lid fits really tight.

This old jar got a cleaning and a 'new' zinc lid.  I filled it with wine corks.  Apparently we're going to have to pick up the wine consumption to get this baby filled!  After a couple of other wine cork projects, our stash is lame.  :)

I love old coffee cans.  And they cleaned up nicely.

This wooden box was filled with gunk.  I cleaned it like crazy and even sanded out the inside.  I now feel like I can use it in the house.  I love old advertising boxes.

Here's all of the loot.  I am also excited about the two galvanized buckets that I will use outside this summer. 

I even went back today and got more stuff.  I'll share those finds later this week.  Oh how I love rusty, dusty treasure hunting! 

Thanks for your visit!

Pam

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Ways to remodel your kitchen?

Do you have a broken sink in the kitchen? Maybe the closet, the door almost falling out? They also have some broken tiles in the kitchen? If all your answer is yes, then it may be time for you to redecorate your kitchen. Although it can be very stressful and expensive, cooking in a well designed and clean kitchen makes food tasty and appetizing. Here are some tips on how to remodel your kitchen.

There is some inspiration
First of all, you have to be an inspiration or an idea of ​​what you want your kitchen to look after the upgrade is complete. You can use the internet for some ideas to browse or search in some magazines or books. It is also best if your lifestyle, your inspiration, because it helps you to work effectively in your remodeled kitchen.

Hire a remodeling contractor
Remodeling contractor bears full responsibility involved in the reconstruction of your kitchen. Remodeling Contractor those professionals who always make sure that the conversion is carried out as smoothly as possible.

They specialize in the renovation and knows how to complement the work while the things in your home. They also relieve stress and the time you need to use if you decide to do the conversion yourself.

This can be very expensive and difficult to find a reliable remodeling contractor, but it will be worth it in the long term. Be sure to give detailed information on the transformation you have in mind and avoid you. Last minute change of plans, in order to avoid problems with contractors and renovation work

Replace kitchen equipment and machinery
Sometimes utensils and equipment must be replaced during the reconstruction of your kitchen. This property is due to wear and tear, which can also lead to injuries in the future.

If the device or equipment that do not work anymore it would be better to replace it. Some devices, such as a gas burner can be retrieved, so there is no need for you to buy a new one if you have one still working. There are some shops that offer affordable and high quality kitchen utensils and appliances. Be sure to check it out if you're planning your old should be replaced.

The use of this budget
Money is the most important factor in the transformation, and it would be better if you have a tight budget. Make sure that the transformation are in your budget, and at the same time still be able to pay the most for your money.

It will be much faster if you have a relationship, Indianapolis, renovation contractor.

Around the house

Thank you for your sweet notes yesterday and the day before. I spent the evening with my Mom, sister, brother, soon to be sister in law and of course, Aubrey and Oscar. I'm still laying low, but here are a few snapshots from around the house today. Pretty quiet, but we're happy. :) Valentine's Day is tomorrow and the house is filled with pretty sweet decorations. Anyhow, you can catch a peek at some changes to the house (well, my office) that I'll talk about another time. xo Linds

How to Know When it's Time to Remodel a Bathroom

According to eHow.com's Home section, whether it’s structural or just cosmetic, some things in your bathroom will need upgrades every three to five years. Flooring or fixtures can begin to look dated or even worse; you may have water leaks and weak spots if the bath has not had attention for many years. Below are some reasons to consider updating your bathroom sooner than later.

 

You need to add light/fresh color or reduce mold growth

Your bathroom's makeover should correct darkness. Mold is a known health hazard that can grow on dark blue tile or dark green painted walls. Lighter colors and a skylight can help. You may want to add more light by installing a large window, hanging up lighter curtains or switch to a brighter light fixture. Light neutral walls in white or beige make the room look more spacious and allow you to add bold accent colors of your choice to make an exciting makeover that you will love.



Work done by Kruse Home Improvement

You need to fix broken fixtures or poor plumbing. 

Making crucial repairs to broken fixtures or poor plumbing can avoid water damage. Be sure to look under the sink cabinet and around the bathtub looking for drips, stains or leaks. If water damage is present, you may need to remove the old subflooring and moisture-laden wall framing. It may also be necessary to upgrade the water lines, drain lines and support material before installing a new sink cabinet or bathtub. Use the opportunity to improve fixtures while you're upgrading the bath's infrastructure.

 

You need to add squarefootage

Updating may allow you to increase bathroom floor space. If you redo a nearby bedroom or create a master bedroom, you will want the bath to fit the new makeover; a tiny bathroom with a large bedroom will detract from the value of the house. If possible, enlarge a cramped bathroom by borrowing space from a nearby closet or hallway.

 

To Upgrade

Maintaining contemporary fixtures will support the market value of your house. Over time, an old sink vanity or old shower can look greatly out of date, giving the impression that the room has been neglected. This can lead potential buyers to wonder what else has been neglected. Simple things like fresh paint, new flooring, and a couple of new fixtures can make a bathroom look totally made over.

Bathroom Renovation done by Kruse Home Improvement

To Correct a Poor Layout

At times, a bathroom's design doesn't work well.  A poor layout can cause a door to open against a vanity cabinet. By moving either the main bathroom door or the vanity cabinet, you can create a better balanced floor plan. Sketch your bathroom's design onto graph paper to determine the layout that will work best, or work with a remodeling or design professional to help out.

References/Resources:

Reasons to Remodel a Bathroom | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8244637_reasons-remodel-bathroom.html#ixzz2CsAjCv9j

missing someone

Tomorrow is the year anniversary of losing my Dad. I told my sister that I'll likely be stuffing my face with chocolate all day. Which is totally the mature way of handling grief.  Because Oscar still points out Dad in pictures around the house, I reluctantly asked him the other day where Grandpapa was - curious as to the answer. He paused and replied that he was at Grandmas house....working. Which is likely how Oscar remembers him, sitting in his library, at his computer.The thought made me giggle and  feel sad at the same time.  Just a post today to remind us to celebrate life. xo Linds

Home Goods and Pier 1 Happy

I love shopping at Home Goods and Pier 1.  Last week I was in Home Goods and found this pretty wreath.  I love the springy look of it.

 

I also found this great big blue vase.  I love the color, love the size and the texture of the jute around the top.

I like that these items add a little interest to the corner behind the couch.

 

 

 

I love these carrots that I found at Pier 1. 

 

Here is a picture of our back patio from this morning.  I'm thinking that a backyard party is out of the question for a bit...

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your visit!  For those of you able to garden right now, I am officially jealous! 

 

Pam

 

 

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