A Weekend Road Trip

Happy Monday... and last day of April... ALREADY!? Well, I can't really complain since we are now well into Spring and it's feeling like it. The weather wasn't awful this weekend, so on Saturday we packed into the car and headed north to Whistler. If you've never been on the Sea to Sky Highway, I have to tell you - these photos can not do the whole experience justice! Every single view is jaw droopingly beautiful... especially for someone coming from the big smoke/concrete jungle of Toronto. This was our first glimpse of the beauty that was in store for us...

(Yup, really doesn't do it justice) Though there are a ton of opportunities along this road to stop and take in the views, we opted to head straight to Whistler, and save our stops for the drive home. It felt like a pretty quick drive (especially since Halle napped the whole way there), and we were happy to arrive and explore Whistler Village...

Our visit wasn't too long, but we enjoyed every second of it and we'll definitely be making a repeat trip - hopefully for a night or two. B is dying to get on those ski runs! So, after lunch and a quick jaunt around the Village, we jumped back into the car and started the drive back home. This was also our chance to stop a few times and take in the stunning scenery...

{Taking in the mountains from the first viewpoint we stopped at}

{Shannon Falls}

{B and Halle in front of the British Columbia Museum of Mining. We didn't go in, but we walked around outside for a bit to give Halle another break from the car seat - she was thankful for it}

Our final stop on the drive home was our absolute favourite. We pulled into Porteau Cove and were instantly blown away by the views...

By far, my most favourite photo of the day! I couldn't possible love these two any more!

While B and I were checking out the Otter playing in the water... Halle was taken by the dog that was walking nearby. This girl loves her some puppies!

It was the perfect taste of all of the wonderful adventures that we have to come. Plus, it was nice to get away from the house and unpacking for a day, and take in some of that fresh mountain air. We both feel so lucky to have the opportunity to live in the beautiful province, and experience it with our little girl! I can't wait to share more of our adventures as they come... BUT, now that we are getting settled I'm really excited to start sharing more looks at our house with you! We've been working away on the living room, Halle's room and our bedroom - so I'll be giving you some looks into a few rooms this week, as well as a little DIY I started last week! 

What did you get up to this past weekend? Did you stick close to home... or venture out of the house like we did?

Fancy Friday Love

Happy Friday! I'm glad to be back to my Fancy Friday posts - they are always so fun to put together, with so much inspiration existing online! Here's my favourites from this past week...


This Tutorial to make your own linen memo board and neon push pins, by Jenny Bevlin on Made by Girl, is SO FUN! I know it's nothing ground breaking, but it looks so fresh, with the touch of neon! Maybe something fun to put together for our new office space.

Mackenzie sure hit it right on the head with her Ten Ways to Have a Good Day - don't you think?

Maps are always a good choice in decor (in my mind anyway), so when I saw these "My Roots" maps, from Children Inspire Design, feature on Nursery Notations, I was instantly drawn to them. I would love to get one of these made for Halle's new nursery - especially now that she has a ton of wall space for more stuff to hang!

We'll be needing a post like this in the future. B and I have been talking about building ourselves our own dining room table, using reclaimed wood! Needless to say, I was thrilled when this post sharing the process for building a table, popped up in my reader from Centsational Girl and Windfall Cove!

If we didn't have a leak in the sunroom roof, I'd be working towards making it feel a little bit like this outdoor space from Canadian House & Home via desire to inspire! Bamboo shades, soft curtains, a natural fibre rug, some fun and colourful cushions and throws... white walls! 

I'm sure you are all with me when I say that Atlanta Homes ALWAYS features the best of the best. Well, this little ditty, that was shared on a life's design this past week was no exception! Stunning, just stunning...

So, it's our first "real" weekend here in B.C. No pressing matters that we need to attend to at the house, so we are thinking of taking a little road trip north to Whistler and take in some of the sights that this beautiful province has to offer! Regardless, we'll find something fun to do as a family, and really start to explore our new surroundings! I can't wait! What do you have planned for this final weekend of April?

A First Look

I know I've been promising photos of the new place since early this week, and to be honest, you haven't got them because there isn't much to see. Unpacking and setting up is slow going with a crawler who loves to pull herself to standing. It seems the minute I start something I'm chasing her down, trying to keep an eye on her so we don't end up with more bruises on her little head. She's also been pretty fussy, between adjusting to a new home and schedule and her second tooth coming in, I think our little girl is having a bit of a tough go. 

BUT,  this morning, I was able to snap a few photos of where we spend our days recently. Though plenty of changes are still coming, here is where we are so far with our living room...

So, what's going on? We have our new media centre - the Hemnes from IKEA. It's mostly put together, just a few tweaks to the pieces you see, and we have the bridge that will go over top of the TV, still to put together. We have our new couch - still an Ektorp, but brand new and in Beige. That's our old Ektorp chair from the last house. We bought a new one in Beige as well, but right now it's living in Halle's room until we decide what else to put in there. We brought our coffee table as well, and bought a new floor lamp at IKEA the other night as well. 

The next big purchase for this space will be an area rug. We've been keeping our eyes open, but haven't found anything we love so far. We also need to find or buy a new cover for the chair - the black is just not cutting it anymore. Slowly, but surely, we'll get this room to where we want it to be. My goal today is to start unpacking those boxes in the corner and get those shelves styled. 

The other space I'm ready to share is our dining nook off the kitchen...

That's the rug that was in our living room at our old house (gives you an idea of how much more space we have here, huh?). Then it's our pedestal table from our kitchen, and those four chairs we picked up over the weekend at a garage sale. We scored the four chairs and a table (which is currently laying low in our double garage!) for $25. I have some plans for the chairs to spruce them up a little, but for now, they do their job. We're still talking about maybe purchasing another pendant light to hang over the table, and we've bought some lightweight curtains from IKEA to hang in this space to soften it up a little. They will be hung eventually.

Our rooms are pretty slow going - though Halle's is getting there a lot faster than ours. But in the good news department - our new King Size mattress set will arrive today! That means no more sleeping on our newly purchased queen size guest mattress on our bedroom floor any longer! Now we just need to hunt down a dresser, nightstands and a headboard. 

Yup, the house is still full of a ton of unpacked boxes, but we're slowly turning this rental into our home. Mind you, having B, Halle and the pups here, has made it feel like home since day 1. I'm excited about all of the potential this new place has for our little family, and I can't wait to share all of our projects with you! I swear, I'll figure this all out, and be back to a regular posting schedule soon!

9 Months of Halle

A little bit late with today's post (especially for my east coast readers!). Halle's teething and wanting her Mama, so not much time for anything aside from some cuddles and playing!


Yesterday Halle turned 9 months old... WOW! It was also her very first photo that was not taken in her Toronto nursery....

She's really becoming quite the big girl. Here's what's new...
- She has one little chomper now, and her second one is breaking through. We should have tooth #2 any day now!
- She's crawling up a storm and getting into everything. While we were packing for the move, this little girl would crawl right up to suitcases and boxes and start pulling out whatever she could. What a handful she is already!
- From the moment she could get herself to sitting on her own (from tummy to sitting), she was pulling herself to her knees. Then, last Tuesday while I was packing up the kitchen with both my Mom and B's Mom, she pulled herself to standing her nursery (where she was hanging out with B). Now she's pulling herself to her feet all the time (as this photo would indicate), and on everything.
- She's trying so hard to talk, and we have now resigned ourselves to the fact that her first word will be "Pup" or "Puppy". The dogs are the light of her life and she cheers up the instant she see's them. She regularly exclaim's "UP!", and has been practicing "P's"... I wouldn't be surprised if one of the above words escaped her mouth at any moment. 
- She dances to upbeat music all the time! B bought her a new toy over the weekend that plays 40 different tunes, and the more upbeat songs always make her bounce up and down on her bum... I love watching her "dance" 


I feel as if I could be telling you all that she's walking by this time next month! This little one is fearless... and has some bruises to show it. I'm already learning, that as a Mom you can't protect them from everything... and I know that will just get more difficult. 


House photos coming soon, I promise! We've been putting together some new pieces so I can't wait to see everything in it's place - it's slowly starting to feel more like home around here!

Home Depot Sponsored Post: Match the Look & Win!

I really wanted to have this post up on Friday, and I feel pretty bad that I didn't. There was so much going on (including the movers bringing our stuff), but I'm back now with some really exciting stuff to share! I was completely blown away and totally excited when The Home Depot contacted me, and asked me to be one of their chosen bloggers to take part in their Match the Look contest. Um, YES PLEASE!

You may have already read/heard about the contest on other fabulous blogs like Decor Happy,  The Glam Blog, {AKA Design} or Little House Blog (and yes, I am super excited to be included in this alongside all of these fabulous blogs!). If you haven't, then here's a run down of what's going on...

Home Depot has released their Dreambook online, and they have asked me (along with the above four bloggers and Jennifer from Rambling Renovators), to share it with you throughout the month of April. This is the first part - so share I will! Here is some of what I seriously loved among the virtual pages....

They have some seriously great paint project ideas to spruce up your place... and if you know me, you know I can't resist a project that involves a little paint! We already have a couple projects on standby that we'll be painting for our new place!

Looking for some Kitchen reno inspiration? Well - they have it! I just couldn't help but fall in love with this beautiful kitchen. The mix of dark and light and all of the cabinet space! To die for!

Lastly, this image caught my eye not only because of the beautiful tub, but mainly because of that fabulous tile wall! A great feature wall, but not too much since it's done in white. 

How great is it to have a place online to flip through their catalogue at any time that works for you, and find inspiration for your own renovation and decorating projects? Personally, I think this will come in handy as we spruce up our new rental! So, what's the most exciting part of all of this? You have a chance to win a $200 gift card care of the Home Depot... and it's so simple!

One of the pages in the Dream Book has been marked for me, and on that page I have picked one item that I like the most... an item that reflects my style and taste. All you need to do is head on over to Facebook and choose the item on my page that you think I selected. At the end of the week, one of the contestants who correctly selected my item will win a $200 gift card! 

So head on over to visit the Home Depot DreamBook (believe me, you won't regret it), and click on the product that you think I selected... then have a browse around to find some inspiration for your own space! 

We're Here... and a Winner!

My apologies for the radio silence my dear readers! Things have been CRAZY around here - around here being our new west coast home. We flew out here on Thursday and have been busy unpacking and running errands ever since (and of course we've squeezed in some time to take Halle to the little park just around the corner from our new place). I hope to be back tomorrow with some photos of where we've got this place to so far - nothing huge, but who doesn't love updates?

In the meantime, I needed to pop in to announce the winner of my fun Teethease Giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and I was so happy to see that so many of you loved these as well - they are so great! So who will be the new lucky owner of a great Teethease 2.0 Pendant Necklace? Drum roll please...


Lucky #4!! Amelia from House Pretty! Congrats girl! I'll be in touch to discuss how to get you your fabulous new teething necklace! 


Don't forget to come back this afternoon! The post that I promised on Friday will be coming soon, and it's so much fun! You'll want to check it out!

Teething Made Easy (& a Giveaway!)

Today's I'm venturing back into something more related to the Mommy stuff that has been creeping into my blogging. While we were away in BC looking for a new place to call home, I got an email from the people at Teethease, asking if I would be interested in trying out and writing a review for one of their pieces of jewelry. After reading more about them, I couldn't possibly turn this opportunity down, after all, Halle's very first tooth is JUST coming in!


So what is Teethease, you ask? Well, it's a Canadian line of jewelry made specifically for Mom's on the go, that is safe for babies to chew on. What really sold me was the fact that the pieces are really easy to wash - they are dishwasher safe, but can also easily be cleaned using soap and water. Even better, all of the pieces are BPA and PVC free and contain no phthalates, heavy metals or latex! All of the smooth surfaces are made from hypoallergenic, medical grade, FDA-approved silicone. Teethease also qualifies for EN-71, the highest international safety standard. This made the whole thing that much better - something I could really feel okay about letting her chew on.


They have a number of necklaces available, as well as bangles, and everything is totally affordable, ranging in price from $9.95 - $34.95. What I received in the mail is the Teethease Pendant Necklace 2.0 in Turquoise - absolutely lovely. The colour is beautiful, and it's really light-weight. I was surprised at how soft the little doughnut was, and it's really easy to wear, which means no digging through the diaper bag to find a teether for Halle.

As for what Halle thought, I was feeling uncertain as to how she would respond has she has really been avoiding chewing on things. So, with my fingers crossed, I held the pendant out to her and let her know it was okay to put in her mouth, and...

SUCCESS! She went NUTS for it, and every time we give it to her she chews, chews and chews some more. Unlike many of the other teethers that we have, this one is so soft - perfect for those tender little gums. I also like that once it's on my neck, she can grab it and chew as she likes, and when she's done and decides that she wants to toss it... it never hits the ground. It stays securely around my neck. Yes, I must say I am a fan.


Over Easter weekend we had a party for my Father's 65th birthday, and both of my cousins who are pregnant thought it was great. Guess what they'll be getting for their new babes? If you have a babe of your own, or your looking for a great baby shower gift, I highly recommend the Teethease line of jewelry. Safe, stylish and great for those little one's to soothe their gums on - what could be better?


Interested in scoring one for yourself or someone else? Well - here's your chance to get your own Teethease 2.0 Pendant necklace! There's 3 simple ways to enter to win:


1. Be a follower of this blog and leave a comment letting me know that you are
2. Visit the Teethease website and come back and leave me a comment letting me know what your favourite piece is, and what colour!
3. Tweet about it! Tweet "I just entered to win a @MyTeethease Pendant from @FirstTimeFancy!" and then come back and leave me a comment letting me know that you tweeted about it. 


The contest will close on Sunday at midnight, and the winner will be announced on Monday morning! Good Luck! (Contest open to Canadian residents only.)

Last Minute Projects

Ever since we began renovating, there have been so many small side projects or finishing touches that just got left incomplete. I mean, it was usually something small that we could live with and bigger things always came along... like putting together a nursery, making a more welcoming front entrance, or getting a tub put in for Halle. 


As I am sure you have gathered through my sporadic posting, as well as my lovely guest posts - we were pretty busy recently, prepping for the move and getting our little house ready to rent. Of course, I haven't shared any of what we've actually been up to... yet! 


Since the mover's came last Friday and cleared away all of our boxes, I finally have a few decent photos of some of the projects that we crossed off of our list.


One of our favourite things that was completed, was by my wonderful and handy father. For the longest time we've been living with a huge drop down to the basement from the living room.

And while over time we had added some trim around the rough edges to make it look more finished, something seriously needed to be done to make this whole situation a lot more safe. Two weeks ago my Dad came over and worked his magic. By the time he left at the end of the day, we had a lovely railing, and while B's parents were visiting the other week his Dad got it all painted up for us...

Hello lovely railing! If only we had, had more time to enjoy and appreciate you.

The other big change around here, was in the kitchen. I really haven't shared much of our kitchen on here, mainly because we really haven't done anything worth mentioning... until now! If you look at our house tour, our kitchen looked like this when we bought back in July of 2009...

Well, over time we had replaced the stove and dishwasher, painted the backsplash and vent hood, took out the pendant lights and replaced them with pot lights, and also painted the large pantry cabinets that are just visible on the right hand side of this photo. There have been a few more changes since we found out we would be moving cross country and renting out our tiny home, and here is how the kitchen looks now...

Again... we're wondering why we never painted the cabinets sooner. It really breaks up all of the yellow. Of course, it's not perfect and I'm sure it's not anyone's dream kitchen... but it's still way better than it was when we moved in.

We're feeling hopeful that someone will come across our tiny home and love it just as much we do. All I can hope is that whoever eventually calls it home, will take good care of it and appreciate all of the hard work that we have done. B will be dropping in the next few days after work to get some small projects finished up, and my father will join him a few nights as well. I hope to make one more visit before we go to get a photo of each and every room as it is before we leave, and hopefully I can share those with you sometime next week (depending on when we get internet at the new place). 

Still lots going on this week, but I hope to drop in each day with a post for you... and I have something really exciting to share on Friday... that's NOT a Fancy Friday post, so be sure to come back for that. It's a big week around here for sure...

Fancy Friday Love

Happy Friday Folks. Today is the day that the movers come.... they are packing up all of our memories in our little home. As sad as I am, and as much a I will miss this place, I am looking forward to decorating our new pad and of course all of the adventures that will come with our cross country move. For today, I'd like to get distracted with some of the beautiful things I found over the past week in blog land (there will be some oldies as I finally got a chance to catch up on blogs a bit...)


Loved enjoying some eye candy on Sunday morning, along with my coffee, by way of a lovely post on desire to inspire which showcased some gorgeous rooms from San Francisco based Illico Design. My favourite was this serene bathroom...

A pretty kitchen from Decor de Provence. I would be thrilled if I could find some wicker bar stools like the ones in this photo for our rental. I have SO many ideas that I hope we can pull off while we are there...

Right when Halle and I got back from our trip out west, I started reading the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm already done and I loved every single book... I seriously couldn't put them down and even sacrificed precious sleep while I was playing single Mom to get through them. Was it worth it? YES! So, when I saw this post on A Diary of Lovely, sharing what some have envisioned what Katniss and Peeta's wedding would be like, I devoured every single detail. If you're a Hunger Games fan... I suggest you check it out as well...

I just couldn't get over how perfectly lovely and livable this space was - by Layla from The Lettered Cottage. I'd love to incorporate a lot of these elements into our new home - the gallery wall, the textured shades and white curtains, the vintage suitcases as a side table. 

I broke down and did it again... bought something else for our rental. B's Mom and I hit up West Elm on Thursday (to escape packing for a little while), and I got the Stripe Shower Curtain in Gray. I love it - and it will look perfect in our Master Ensuite...

A Love Letter

Dear Little House,


I loved you from the minute I first saw you... even if you weren't the most beautiful house on the street (or MLS for that matter). I loved your cottage charm, the way the ceilings sloped upstairs, and those sunny skylights in the bedrooms. I adored your proximity to the lake and the potential that was hiding in each and every room, to make you something more stunning.

{Our Home - May 2009}

You gave us a place to grow our life together. A place where we have made memories with friends and family, a place where our rescue pup Harley could finally have a forever family, and of course a place to bring our sweet Halle home to. 

You have given me the opportunity to explore my love of renovations, design and decoration. I have learnt so much over the last 2.5 years, as we have painted, decorated and changed each and every room to fit our taste. Through you, I have also discovered my love of blogging and have met so many incredible individuals from all over the world - both in person and virtually. 


Even when we first discussed moving across the country, I never realized just how hard it would be to walk away from you. We have put so much of ourselves into improving you... only to allow someone else to call you "home". 


Tomorrow will be a very bittersweet day for me, when the packers come to load up a truck with all of our memories, to ship across country. Though I am looking forward to this next stage in our journey as a family, I know that I will miss you. I don't doubt that I will shed a few tears as I walk from empty room, to empty room and think of all of the wonderful things that have happened here. From the first night we slept on a blow up mattress here, to hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner, to preparing Halle's nursery for her arrival, and now seeing her learn to crawl across that room - this house has meant so much to us. 

As we move on, I can only hope that the next person to walk through your front door will love you as much as we did. I hope that they will create and share happy memories here, and enjoy all of the hard work that we put into making you what you are now. 


Little Home - as much as there have been moments where I have felt distressed and hopeless, facing our endless renovations here, they have all been out of love. A true love for a little home that we have called our own. Thank you for being the roof over our head. A safe haven that I will always look back on fondly with a smile. Though we are not completely parting ways, deep in my heart I feel that we will never truly call you "home" again.


With Love,
Kerry

Guest Post - ReCreated

Good Morning! I have another lovely guest post for you this morning - the sweet and talented Lindsey from ReCreated. I've had the chance to meet Lindsey twice at our blogger meet-ups here in Toronto and she is so sweet and funny! She is only one of the many bloggers I will miss meeting up with, as we start our new life out west...


I am so excited to be here today guesting at First Time Fancy! I met Kerry through the Canadian Design Bloggers Meetups. Before I attended my first meetup I was pretty nervous and didn't know anyone, and on my way there I tweeted that I hoped everyone was nice...and she tweeted right back and assured me everyone was. Sure, sounds like a little thing, but it meant a lot to me at the time. I could tell from that small gesture that she was a genuinely sweet person and all my encounters with her since have proved that to be correct.

We had an unseasonably warm March in Toronto this year so bits of spring are already popping up everywhere, And that has me thinking about this....

images cw {1,2,3}

and this...

images cw {1-unknown,2,3}

You got it, FLORALS! And those gorgeous florals outside inspire some gorgeous florals inside.

images {1,2,3,4,5}

And if you are looking to add a little floral to your day to day style, how about this cute and casual outfit with a hit of flower love?

Sources at my Polyvore

I know flowers put a smile on my face, so I hope this shot of floral love put a smile on your face too. Thanks to Kerry for having me, and all the best with your move, we will miss you! XO, Lindsey


Thank you so much Lindsey! What a beautiful post. I'm really loving florals in interiors and think I would really love to add some to Miss Halle's room... if I get the chance to redesign it while we're out west. I'll be back myself tomorrow to share what we've been doing around the house to get it ready to rent out...