Whirlwind...

What a crazy weekend! Between B's birthday, a trip to The National Home Show, a night away, our mini bedroom renovation and a space planning project I've been working on for my class there was no time to do any serious blogging. I do however, have some great stuff to share this week, including a bit about our trip to the Home Show, progress and a "mini" reveal of our new master bedroom!

Last night I managed to sneak in some viewing of the Oscar's while writing up my Design Concept Statement for my project. I haven't seen The King's Speech, yet but I've been dying to - so I was happy to see it win Best Director, Best Actor AND Best Picture! Help's that I adore Colin Firth and his sense of humor... I truly enjoyed his acceptance speech (is that strange?)

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Guess I'll need to run out and see it ASAP! What did all of you get up to over the weekend?

Fancy Friday Love - The Birthday Boy Edition

Today is my B's 29th Birthday! We have both taken the day off work, so we'll start out by sleeping in a little. Afterwards, I'll spoil him with the breakfast of his choice. He has asked for homemade cinnamon rolls, with cream cheese icing... so I will be whipping some up...

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After spending some time this afternoon at the National Home Show, I have a special night out planned for us. I figured this would be nice as it will be our final time celebrating one of our birthday's as a twosome!

This edition of Fancy Friday Love has a bunch of fancy finds that make me think of him that I've scouted out over a couple of weeks. So Happy Birthday B... I love you and look forward to spoiling you on your special weekend!

Pretty much exactly how I felt when we found one another! Care of Christine! :)

Maybe later tonight as a little treat we can sip on some hot chocolate together (since I'm off the booze haha)...

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At the end of the night, we can curl up in a big soft comfy bed (hopefully like this one) at the hotel I have booked for us... away from stinky dogs for a night...

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We are both definitely the former, and I love that the most about our relationship. We're not afraid to be silly, ridiculous and absolutely dorky with one another. We laugh together every single day, and who doesn't want that with the person they love? Thank you B for bringing out the dork in me and loving me just the way that I am.

... OH and how could I not say...

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He's my best friend, my biggest supporter, my rock... and everything I could ever want in my other half. He's sensitive, but tough and I've never once felt any questioning about the way he feels about me. I trust him with everything I have, and I know he's going to be the most wonderful father to our little baby. I consider myself so lucky to have him in my life.

Happy Birthday babe! Today is your special day... and I won't let you forget how special you are to me... ever!

Perfectly Imperfect - Sara's Bathroom

I'm back this week with a new Perfectly Imperfect space to share. Today Sara from Russet Street Reno is here to share her bathroom. I'm sure you all know Sara for her incredible reno's, her awesome drive to actually start and finish projects quickly and of course her fantastic sense of humour. I've been reading Sara's blog since I first got into the home decor / reno blogs and she continues to blow me away with each project she completes at home... especially since the girl works full-time and is currently planning a wedding. Sara's a superstar... but I'll let her take it from here.


When Kerry asked me to contribute a post to her 'Perfectly Imperfect' series, I was thrilled to participate.  There are several rooms in my house that are far from blog-worthy right now, but the one that stood out most in my mind was our only upstairs bath.  It is old, but also has a cool retro look that I love. 

Imperfection 1:  The tile is cracked and ruined in several spots. 

In fact, behind the mirror there is this mess! 

Imperfection 2:  The gigantic vanity sticks too far out into the small bathroom.  You can see that the countertop is cut off rather strangely on the left side.  The laminate counter used to extend over the entire toilet, and we cut it off to have access to the toilet tank (imagine that!) 

Now we're left with these holes in the tile where that counter used to be, I'm really not sure it can be fixed. 

Even though the vanity is too big for the space, I have to admit I love how much stuff we can fit into it!  The deep drawers are big enough to hold my dryer and curling irons. 

Imperfection 3:  The heating duct for the bathroom are very inconveniently placed over the shower area. 

This makes for a rather uncomfortable shower if you are any taller than 5' 10"!  We also don't have any fan in the bathroom , so things can get very steamy in the winter when we can't open the window. 

Imperfection 4:  Our cast iron tub. 

There is nothing perfect about it, except maybe perfectly disgusting!  It is clean, just stained.  Someday we will have it reglazed, but until then we are not bath people, so it's not that big of a deal. 

Imperfection 5:  The door is not yet re-painted and the towel bars are big plastic monstrosities. 

But the door closes, and the towel bars hold towels, so it works for now!

Things I love: 

The floor, even though it's definitely not perfect.   Here is a pic from before we did anything to the room: 

Yes, I spray-painted the laminate counter with black Rustoleum!  It's held up pretty well over the last two years. 

The paint color I chose (after many attempts and re-painting sessions), it is Behr Aquatone.  Also, the 'True Story' magazine covers I put up add some fun. 

The bottom line is that while the bathroom isn't perfect, it's definitely functional and looks pretty good for now.  Thanks to Kerry for including me in her fun series!

Thank you Sara for taking part! I think you've done an incredible job making this space work for you guys right now, and sprucing it up. I'm a particularly huge fan of the True Story magazine covers you picked for the wall - they are fantastic!

I'm always looking for new Perfectly Imperfect spaces to share... if you're willing to step up and share a perfectly imperfect space or aspect of your home, I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email! I'd love to hear from you!

Dreary Day...

More snow, more cold... it seems like it will never end. The day has started out pretty "blah" for me and I fear it's not going to get much better (though I AM hoping it does).  I originally hoped to share with you the progress we've made on our bedroom, however my computer is giving me some problems so that will have to wait until Monday (which isn't all bad... we should have a lot more done by then!).

I'll be back this afternoon with a new Perfectly Imperfect space from Sara over at Russet Street Reno... so make sure you check back! Happy Thursday!

You've Been So Patient...

So I'm finally ready to share with you, the after of our front entrance renovation (at least the interior portion of it!). That's right ladies and gents... B has continued working like a mad man (and I helped a bit) to get our front entrance in tip top shape. Before we jump into our reveal... let's take a look back at what our entry looked like before we demolished the original structure:

{above 3 - July 2009 - move in day}

{summer 2010}

Drafty windows everywhere, that old door, and no storage... except for that trunk you see that held stacks of shoes and this old thing...

Some of you may be new to my blog and may not have had the chance to follow along with this 100% DIY project we started back in mid November. If you are, I will make this easy for you... below is a list of the entries covering our renovation in order from oldest to most recent.



1) Budgeting for our renovation

2) Work Begins - Project "Outline", Demolition and Pre-Construction

3) New Walls and A Door

4) The Roof Goes On

5) My Decor Plan

6) Shingles & Deck Prep

7) The Deck Frame

8) Big Steps - a New Deck & Insulation

9) Our Siding Choice (and the end of exterior work for the winter)

10) A Useable Space Once Again

There you have it. Hope that helps some of you catch up on all of the little details that had to be done to bring our beautiful new entry to what it is today.

We finally have a front door that keeps the cold out, and a proper closet! Hooray for no more coat rack! Also, the window pane directly next to our closet there actually OPENS (none of the three windows in our old entry opened) AND it has a phantom screen on it. The window itself... B scored at the Habitat for Humanity Restore near us and we only paid $300 for it! Great deal and helping a good cause (we also picked up the handles for our closet from Restore as well)!

Loving our tile floor. Looks like old barn board flooring but will stand up to the elements that we track inside during the four seasons. Also, the floor is much warmer due to the subfloor that B and my Dad laid that has some insulation (and a proper foundation... that helps too!)

CHECK IT OUT! Our 91 year old home now has a HUGE double closet. Look at how much extra storage space is in there... and that's with B putting some of his less worn dress shirts and sweaters in there. So useful. Will also be great for storing baby strollers, car seats, etc!

Love our console table that I picked up at HomeSense right around the time that B and my Dad first started to rip apart the front entrance. On top is my new lamp that I won from Wendy and Wire Home Furnishings, and the print is from ArtShark Designs... purchased in December of 2009. A little reminder of the city where B and I met and fell in love.

Even the doorway from our front entry into our living room looks better after B fixed up the trim work...

One thing I love the most about our new entry is the high ceilings. Down the road we may need to invest in a larger light fixture, but for now this lights the space well, so it will do. We also decided to leave the space above the closet open rather than making it a wall up to the ceiling. It helps our little entry feel a tad larger and more open and I don't regret the decision.

It is so hard to capture a proper photo of the entire room since it still isn't huge. Yes, there are still some finishing touches that we need to add to the space. Roman shades for the window, some real shoe storage for the closet, maybe some artwork to hang (if we can devise a solution to hang it from the drywall that we had to adhere to the brick exterior of the home... suggestions??).

So now, I ask for your honesty - how did we do with the brand new build of our entry? What's your favorite thing? I'm dying to get all of your opinions, but I must say we are thrilled with it for the time being. It's so much more pretty, warm and welcoming... and now that spring is just around the corner, we can start thinking about sprucing up the exterior and our overall curb appeal... 

Dream Home - Belgian Beauty

Tuesday afternoon, and I'm already ready for a little escape from the weekly grind (the shortest work weeks can sometimes feel like the longest, can't they?). So today, we're escaping to Belgium, a country I fell in love with 6 years ago on a very short visit. The place was gorgeous, the food was delicious and the people were so friendly - yes, I am dying to return. Maybe we can do so by moving to this beautiful castle that I found on Sotheby's.


Okay, so the posting didn't showcase a ton of the interior, but both B and I were sold as soon as we saw the exterior. Who care's what the inside looks like if the outside looks like this...

Oh, right... and it comes with a gorgeous courtyard...

Love the red on the doors, and that whole area just looks like it's something straight out of a fairy tale... including the surrounding grounds.

The few glimpses that we do get of the inside are just as incredible. Take a look for yourself...

The juxtaposition of the traditional and modern in the rooms above seriously makes the photos. The details in the woodworking, the ceilings and those floors (especially in that last photo) make my heart race. Could this incredible castle be any more perfect?

The gym could use a few more peices, but I love how big and bright the space is. How great is that exposed brick?

Piano room anyone? I guess in a castle that boasts 15 bedrooms you have more than enough space to play with. What got us though was why a 36,382 square foot castle would only have 3 bathrooms? Anyone? Then again, if you're spending $10.4M Canadian for this beauty, I'm sure you should have enough change laying around to get some new bathrooms in, no?

Are you drooling yet? Dreaming of an escape to Belgium? I know I am. I'd love to hear where you dream of moving or escaping to. A particular style of home you'd love to see? Let me know and I'll search it down for you!

It's Here...

The other week I posted about how my winnings had continued, with the fantastic Wire Home Furnishings Giveaway that Wendy had hosted. Well, after some humming and hawing and discussion with B, it was decided that even though I love the Eames Style Side chairs that were on offering, they didn't really go in our home and we really didn't have room for another chair. I know... believe me, it killed me to admit it, but it's true. SO, in the end B and I decided on the Mini M Table Lamp in Silver... we're seriously lacking in task / mood lighting in our home.

Our thoughts were that it would be perfect in our newly finished front entrance. Of course, I had neglected to actually look at the height of the lamp on the website... so B and I were surprised at the size of the lamp when it arrived on our doorstep only a few short business days after ordering it. It spent over a week sitting in our living room waiting for me to find it the right home. Because of the size I had a feeling it wouldn't be right for our front entrance, but after placing it there the other night while cleaning up, both B and I are starting to think it's actually exactly what we needed on our little console table in there.

It adds a little height to everything else that is in there (I still need to do a bit more accessorizing), and a little glam. We have yet to add a bulb or even plug that bad boy in, but it's coming!


What do you think of our new lamp and it's new home? I know, it's a huge tease since you haven't got a good post on the after of our front entrance. Well the photos have been taken and the post is together and it's coming tomorrow! I promise!