Life around here has been a little hectic as of late. For those of you who follow along on Instagram, you are well aware that our little family is in the midst of some pretty big life changes.
Since having children, our priorities have shifted and we have a completely different view on life than we did five years ago. Though we still love making our house a home and building and creating things, our focus is more on time together with a family - especially while these kiddos are so young.
My obvious lack of posts around here points to the fact that I have been feeling less than inspired to write and share what's going on at home. However, I've been feeling inspired by these changes we are making in our life and hope to begin documenting them. These new views and big changes don't really fit into life a la "First Time Fancy" though, so I am working on creating a new home for them. In the coming weeks I plan on putting together a new blog, switching over my Instagram name and really just start to share more insight into where our lives our headed.
Is First Time Fancy gone forever? Hopefully not. So much of our lives are shared here, including our growth from two to four, which is such a big part of how we arrived at this new beginning.
For now, I hope you can be patient while we bring life to our new online space! I'll make sure to share more soon.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Friday, March 15, 2013
Missing in Action
This girl has been MIA, I know. I wish I had a better reason for it, but really, it has just come down to the fact that every time I open up my computer to write... there has been no inspiration at all. I miss it. I really do miss blogging, but it wouldn't feel right to put up a bunch of content that I wasn't passionate and excited about.
Life recently has just been full of time with Halle and I love it. We've soaked up the beautiful days with long walks and trips to the park. I've been spending more time in the kitchen discovering new, exciting and healthy meal ideas for our family. Halle has been eating better and that makes us all happy. Unfortunately, the sleep front is a whole other issue. For the longest time she would go to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and sleep until 9 or 9:30... now she fights bedtime, and then wakes in the middle of the night crying or screaming for me. What started out as teething, I think has become night time separation anxiety. She doesn't even like B putting her to bed if I am home... she howls and it's heart breaking... but we're working on it.
Around here - not much has changed, other than we bought Halle a big girl bed. I was going to share a post about the changes in her room... but when I put it together, I really wasn't excited about sharing it.
Wedding planning is coming along... but I'm questioning how much I want to share in advance of our big day? Again, my gut is telling me it's not stuff I want to put out there... not quite yet anyway.
So yes, I'm here... and I read when I have the chance, but really, the computer and I have been quite distant recently. We need to become reacquainted, and I need to find my passion for writing and sharing again. I know there have to be things happening that I want to share... so in time I know I will come back around... please just be patient friends. I am still here.
Life recently has just been full of time with Halle and I love it. We've soaked up the beautiful days with long walks and trips to the park. I've been spending more time in the kitchen discovering new, exciting and healthy meal ideas for our family. Halle has been eating better and that makes us all happy. Unfortunately, the sleep front is a whole other issue. For the longest time she would go to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and sleep until 9 or 9:30... now she fights bedtime, and then wakes in the middle of the night crying or screaming for me. What started out as teething, I think has become night time separation anxiety. She doesn't even like B putting her to bed if I am home... she howls and it's heart breaking... but we're working on it.
Around here - not much has changed, other than we bought Halle a big girl bed. I was going to share a post about the changes in her room... but when I put it together, I really wasn't excited about sharing it.
Wedding planning is coming along... but I'm questioning how much I want to share in advance of our big day? Again, my gut is telling me it's not stuff I want to put out there... not quite yet anyway.
So yes, I'm here... and I read when I have the chance, but really, the computer and I have been quite distant recently. We need to become reacquainted, and I need to find my passion for writing and sharing again. I know there have to be things happening that I want to share... so in time I know I will come back around... please just be patient friends. I am still here.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2012 in Review
Now that I'm ready to get back to some regular blogging let me say - HAPPY 2013 everyone! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful New Years Eve - we enjoyed some time together as a family. Before we really jump into this new year, I have to take today to look back. After all, 2012 was such an exciting year for our family. Here's how it all happened...
January:
I started the month off by looking back on how we did on our to-do list in 2011 (not bad) and put together a new list for 2012, which we started on pretty quickly (little did we know we wouldn't have much time to tackle most of that list). We did however, motor along with our ongoing bathroom renovation. It seemed to be our biggest focus, and I loved seeing that little space transform into something beautiful with our own... I mean, B's hard work (check out our January progress here, here, here, here and here).
February:
February seemed to move a bit slowly after we received big news at the beginning of the month. I started up my Stella & Dot business and also had the beautiful redesign completed on my blog. I was ready to get back into blogging when my little ol' MacBook met an early demise via a glass of water. In the end, so many things contributed to February being a slow month on the blog. But of course, there was bathroom progress in February as well... like when we hacked our IKEA sink so we could use our Delta Faucet. All in all... that was about it for February - not overly exciting.
March:
I started off the month by announcing our biggest news - that B's work was going to take our little family across country to live in BC. It was exciting and scary, and I was having such a hard time thinking of leaving our tiny home in Toronto. We made some progress on finishing up projects around the house (largely in the Bathroom with finishing touches), took a mini weekend trip to Niagara, and then made a family trip out to BC to find a new place to live. When I look back, March was definitely a whirlwind month.
April:
I shared some photos from our first trip out west, along with photos of our rental. Of course, that also meant that we finished up some last minute projects and than said a very sad good-bye to our little home. I shared some first photos of us living in our new place and we started exploring our new surroundings with a trip to Whistler.
May:
May was a little all over the place. I shared some updates on how we were progressing at the rental, and gave you a small look at how our bathroom renovation finished up in Toronto (or as finished as even we would see - we left Toronto before the whole renovation was completed). Then, off we headed on a big huge trip, starting with less than 24 hours in Phoenix and then off to Florida for a week. When we got back I scored some beautiful new chairs for the breakfast nook, that I could not wait to make our own. I finished out the month by sharing a small look at our guest room, as we prepared for our very first out of town guest. It was a VERY busy month.
June:
I was so excited to FINALLY get an area rug for our living room - a perfect spot for our sweet girl to play. I shared photos of my friend's visit out west and also revealed the bentwood chairs that I painted and recovered for the kitchen. We finally started to get things up on the walls, when we hung my new/old mirror. I also shared my inspiration for one of Halle's TWO first birthday parties.
July:
We were away for a good chunk of the month. Visiting B's family in Massachusetts for a week to celebrate Independence Day & also have the first of Halle's 2 birthday parties (see those posts here, here, here and here). Afterwards, I headed to Toronto with Halle for another week and spent a lot of time getting ready for her second party (and visiting Michael Penney's store). On the home front I began my mission to get some artwork up on the walls of our home, starting with our bedroom (which you can read about here and here). We spent a weekend on Vancouver Island with some new friends and on the 23rd of the month, our baby girl turned 1. Boy how that first year flew by.
August:
This month started off slowly with a few small changes in the living room, kitchen and master bedroom. We also found a new/old couch that we planned on recovering to use in our sunroom... but it's still sitting there untouched (by us anyway - the dogs seemed to have claimed it as a place to lounge). I got to spend some time at home, attending a friends wedding and of course planning, getting ready for and throwing Halle's second party for her first birthday. I was also happy to work on a little project for my cousin's nursery - a sweet little bird inspired mobile. We got our gallery wall started in the hallway at home, and at the same time made a couple of small tweaks to the gallery wall in Halle's room. It was also the start of our month of visitors and we did a lot of planning on the places we would take them to see. We had a lot of sight seeing coming our way.
September:
September was a pretty quiet month on the blog from me. I did share some updates to our guest room that we completed before everyone came to visit. I got to attend the grand opening night of the brand new West Elm store here in Vancouver and I had such a great time. I was excited to finally get started on our garage sale chair that we have had a sitting around for ages, and shared some of the sightseeing we had done with our guests. I then celebrated 5 years of being with B, my 27th birthday and my 3 year blogiversary! Yup - lots of things to celebrate in the last half of September!
October:
October was also quiet, but I still had a good amount to share. I started off by giving you a peek at my time at IDSWest and our BLEND2012 blogger event. I loved meeting so many fantastic bloggers from the West Coast, and it was a great chance for me to have a Mommy night out. I shared our fall decorating, including our Thanksgiving table and our fall mantle. I also shared a lot of family stuff, including a sneak peek at our newest family photos, and also a look at a couple of weekend trips we took together at a family. I gave an update on the slow-going transformation of our garage sale chair and then rounded out the month by sharing our Halloween decorations.
November:
I started off the month of November with some exciting news. I finally opened up my very own Etsy shop, Halle Handmade, and was very excited about it. The response I got was so encouraging and well and I can't wait to see where my little shop takes me. I shared a couple of photos of Halle in her Halloween costume, and one of my favourite projects we've worked on for the rental. I FINALLY got the canvas I had been wanting to put up on our mantel, and yes I love having a beautiful photo of our baby girl up there every day. We took another weekend road trip to cross some Christmas gifts off of our list, and Halle enjoyed a lot of activities that we picked out just for her as well. That wasn't our only trip though. We were lucky to spend a week back in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving, and visiting with family and friends. It was also when B popped the question and asked me to marry him! What an exciting month!
December:
I shared a look at the early Christmas we celebrated with our parents while we were in Massachusetts over Thanksgiving - celebrated exactly one month prior to Christmas Day. I also started to plan out what I wanted to do with our messy Dining Room... and was able to start to execute those plans a lot more quickly than I had initially planned. Of course, with it being the most festive month of the year I had to share a look at our Christmas decor, and also some of the fun festive activities we enjoyed with Halle (it's those activities that are my favourite... the memories that you create with family and friends). With wedding planning well underway, it also meant sharing a look at my very first wedding project.
Yup... 2012 was a crazy, busy and exciting year for us. Looking back really makes me feel so happy and grateful for everything we got to see and do, and all of the time we got to spend together as a family of three, and also with family and friends. Now, it's time to close the door on 2012, and open the door to 2013. I know it will be an exciting year with plenty more projects happening around the home, new travels and adventures, our wedding (and honeymoon)... and I'm sure plenty of surprises! I hope you'll stick around for all of the fun to come!
January:
I started the month off by looking back on how we did on our to-do list in 2011 (not bad) and put together a new list for 2012, which we started on pretty quickly (little did we know we wouldn't have much time to tackle most of that list). We did however, motor along with our ongoing bathroom renovation. It seemed to be our biggest focus, and I loved seeing that little space transform into something beautiful with our own... I mean, B's hard work (check out our January progress here, here, here, here and here).
February:
February seemed to move a bit slowly after we received big news at the beginning of the month. I started up my Stella & Dot business and also had the beautiful redesign completed on my blog. I was ready to get back into blogging when my little ol' MacBook met an early demise via a glass of water. In the end, so many things contributed to February being a slow month on the blog. But of course, there was bathroom progress in February as well... like when we hacked our IKEA sink so we could use our Delta Faucet. All in all... that was about it for February - not overly exciting.
March:
I started off the month by announcing our biggest news - that B's work was going to take our little family across country to live in BC. It was exciting and scary, and I was having such a hard time thinking of leaving our tiny home in Toronto. We made some progress on finishing up projects around the house (largely in the Bathroom with finishing touches), took a mini weekend trip to Niagara, and then made a family trip out to BC to find a new place to live. When I look back, March was definitely a whirlwind month.
April:
I shared some photos from our first trip out west, along with photos of our rental. Of course, that also meant that we finished up some last minute projects and than said a very sad good-bye to our little home. I shared some first photos of us living in our new place and we started exploring our new surroundings with a trip to Whistler.
May:
May was a little all over the place. I shared some updates on how we were progressing at the rental, and gave you a small look at how our bathroom renovation finished up in Toronto (or as finished as even we would see - we left Toronto before the whole renovation was completed). Then, off we headed on a big huge trip, starting with less than 24 hours in Phoenix and then off to Florida for a week. When we got back I scored some beautiful new chairs for the breakfast nook, that I could not wait to make our own. I finished out the month by sharing a small look at our guest room, as we prepared for our very first out of town guest. It was a VERY busy month.
June:
I was so excited to FINALLY get an area rug for our living room - a perfect spot for our sweet girl to play. I shared photos of my friend's visit out west and also revealed the bentwood chairs that I painted and recovered for the kitchen. We finally started to get things up on the walls, when we hung my new/old mirror. I also shared my inspiration for one of Halle's TWO first birthday parties.
July:
We were away for a good chunk of the month. Visiting B's family in Massachusetts for a week to celebrate Independence Day & also have the first of Halle's 2 birthday parties (see those posts here, here, here and here). Afterwards, I headed to Toronto with Halle for another week and spent a lot of time getting ready for her second party (and visiting Michael Penney's store). On the home front I began my mission to get some artwork up on the walls of our home, starting with our bedroom (which you can read about here and here). We spent a weekend on Vancouver Island with some new friends and on the 23rd of the month, our baby girl turned 1. Boy how that first year flew by.
August:
This month started off slowly with a few small changes in the living room, kitchen and master bedroom. We also found a new/old couch that we planned on recovering to use in our sunroom... but it's still sitting there untouched (by us anyway - the dogs seemed to have claimed it as a place to lounge). I got to spend some time at home, attending a friends wedding and of course planning, getting ready for and throwing Halle's second party for her first birthday. I was also happy to work on a little project for my cousin's nursery - a sweet little bird inspired mobile. We got our gallery wall started in the hallway at home, and at the same time made a couple of small tweaks to the gallery wall in Halle's room. It was also the start of our month of visitors and we did a lot of planning on the places we would take them to see. We had a lot of sight seeing coming our way.
September:
September was a pretty quiet month on the blog from me. I did share some updates to our guest room that we completed before everyone came to visit. I got to attend the grand opening night of the brand new West Elm store here in Vancouver and I had such a great time. I was excited to finally get started on our garage sale chair that we have had a sitting around for ages, and shared some of the sightseeing we had done with our guests. I then celebrated 5 years of being with B, my 27th birthday and my 3 year blogiversary! Yup - lots of things to celebrate in the last half of September!
October:
October was also quiet, but I still had a good amount to share. I started off by giving you a peek at my time at IDSWest and our BLEND2012 blogger event. I loved meeting so many fantastic bloggers from the West Coast, and it was a great chance for me to have a Mommy night out. I shared our fall decorating, including our Thanksgiving table and our fall mantle. I also shared a lot of family stuff, including a sneak peek at our newest family photos, and also a look at a couple of weekend trips we took together at a family. I gave an update on the slow-going transformation of our garage sale chair and then rounded out the month by sharing our Halloween decorations.
November:
I started off the month of November with some exciting news. I finally opened up my very own Etsy shop, Halle Handmade, and was very excited about it. The response I got was so encouraging and well and I can't wait to see where my little shop takes me. I shared a couple of photos of Halle in her Halloween costume, and one of my favourite projects we've worked on for the rental. I FINALLY got the canvas I had been wanting to put up on our mantel, and yes I love having a beautiful photo of our baby girl up there every day. We took another weekend road trip to cross some Christmas gifts off of our list, and Halle enjoyed a lot of activities that we picked out just for her as well. That wasn't our only trip though. We were lucky to spend a week back in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving, and visiting with family and friends. It was also when B popped the question and asked me to marry him! What an exciting month!
December:
I shared a look at the early Christmas we celebrated with our parents while we were in Massachusetts over Thanksgiving - celebrated exactly one month prior to Christmas Day. I also started to plan out what I wanted to do with our messy Dining Room... and was able to start to execute those plans a lot more quickly than I had initially planned. Of course, with it being the most festive month of the year I had to share a look at our Christmas decor, and also some of the fun festive activities we enjoyed with Halle (it's those activities that are my favourite... the memories that you create with family and friends). With wedding planning well underway, it also meant sharing a look at my very first wedding project.
Yup... 2012 was a crazy, busy and exciting year for us. Looking back really makes me feel so happy and grateful for everything we got to see and do, and all of the time we got to spend together as a family of three, and also with family and friends. Now, it's time to close the door on 2012, and open the door to 2013. I know it will be an exciting year with plenty more projects happening around the home, new travels and adventures, our wedding (and honeymoon)... and I'm sure plenty of surprises! I hope you'll stick around for all of the fun to come!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Celebrating 3 Years!
September 20th was our 5 year anniversary (of being together - we're not married for those who don't know). September 25th I turned 27. Today, September 30th, this blog turns 3! Already! Wow!
When I started this blog, I really had no clue where it would take me. I surely never imagined, that three years after my very first post, I would be spending this morning enjoying a breakfast in Vancouver after a great night with some fabulous bloggers.
I know I haven't been much of a blogger recently. I've seen it in my interactions with my readers, and even in what I've been posting. I haven't been posting a ton of really unique content - stuff that really reflects who I am. Without making excuses, life has just been busy - visitors and being with Halle have been the two great things keeping me busy recently. Next up will be focusing on my venture, but I actually do have some things to share with you this coming week... like my fabulous weekend, some autumn decorating I've completed and possibly even my garage sale chair reveal!
I love blogging, I love sharing things I do and love, and I REALLY love hearing from all of you wonderful people - whether it's how I've inspired you, questions you have or just a sweet note letting me know you like what I do! :) Thanks for reading and following along... you are the reason I love doing this!
When I started this blog, I really had no clue where it would take me. I surely never imagined, that three years after my very first post, I would be spending this morning enjoying a breakfast in Vancouver after a great night with some fabulous bloggers.
I know I haven't been much of a blogger recently. I've seen it in my interactions with my readers, and even in what I've been posting. I haven't been posting a ton of really unique content - stuff that really reflects who I am. Without making excuses, life has just been busy - visitors and being with Halle have been the two great things keeping me busy recently. Next up will be focusing on my venture, but I actually do have some things to share with you this coming week... like my fabulous weekend, some autumn decorating I've completed and possibly even my garage sale chair reveal!
I love blogging, I love sharing things I do and love, and I REALLY love hearing from all of you wonderful people - whether it's how I've inspired you, questions you have or just a sweet note letting me know you like what I do! :) Thanks for reading and following along... you are the reason I love doing this!
Monday, August 6, 2012
For the Evening Crowd...
You can find me guest posting over at Interior Groupie this evening! I was so happy to step up and help out Heather when she was looking for some guest posters. Heather is sweet in friendly, and has a great sense of style! If you haven't popped by her blog, head on over to check it out and see what her and her hubby have been up to.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Sponsor First Time Fancy!
Happy Sunday friends! I'm popping in this morning with some big news! As my navigation bar at the top of my page will tell you, First Time Fancy is now accepting sponsors! I'm looking for small businesses and blogs who are looking to advertise in the sidebar! For more information, click on "Sponsorship" above, and feel free to email me with any questions.
I don't plan on taking over the whole blog with advertising, but it's time that I add this option around here, as the little extra income from it would be nice. I'll just be adding 8 spaces to the sidebar right now, and would be happy to chat about advertising opportunities with you.
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I'll be back soon with lots of updates on what's been going on around here!
I don't plan on taking over the whole blog with advertising, but it's time that I add this option around here, as the little extra income from it would be nice. I'll just be adding 8 spaces to the sidebar right now, and would be happy to chat about advertising opportunities with you.
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I'll be back soon with lots of updates on what's been going on around here!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A Slight Delay
Happy Hump Day! I planned on sharing a bunch of stuff with you this week that I'd been busying myself with, while visiting my parents. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to blog these past few days as I was trying to cross items off my list, and currently, Halle and I are in the air headed back to B.C.
As crazy as it sounds, I plan to hit the ground running with a few of the things I have up my sleeve, so be sure to check back. I hope to have some lovely stuff to share with you tomorrow!
As crazy as it sounds, I plan to hit the ground running with a few of the things I have up my sleeve, so be sure to check back. I hope to have some lovely stuff to share with you tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
We're Back Up!
As I mentioned the other week, we had a horrible incident involving my sweet little MacBook, and a glass of water. I must admit, I was pretty devastated as the little laptop wasn't even two years old yet. I had a bitter taste in my mouth, not having my little Mac and being stuck using a slow, outdated PC. Yup... I've become a Mac snob.
B and I were putting off the purchase of a new laptop for a few reasons, but finally, a few things happened, and last night we headed out to the Apple store for a "look around". I was torn between the 11" Air and the basic 13" model of the MacBook Pro. In the end, the MacBook Pro won out. I was getting more for my money, and I just felt I would be selling myself short with the Air.
I'm thrilled to finally have a beautiful new computer for blogging... especially since it will allow me to once again edit my photos. It was driving me nuts not having a software to just clean up my pictures before posting them on the blog.
Expect things to get back to normal around here soon! Well... as normal as they can get. We have some big news to share this week that I have been DYING to post about... but all in time.
B and I were putting off the purchase of a new laptop for a few reasons, but finally, a few things happened, and last night we headed out to the Apple store for a "look around". I was torn between the 11" Air and the basic 13" model of the MacBook Pro. In the end, the MacBook Pro won out. I was getting more for my money, and I just felt I would be selling myself short with the Air.
via Apple
I'm thrilled to finally have a beautiful new computer for blogging... especially since it will allow me to once again edit my photos. It was driving me nuts not having a software to just clean up my pictures before posting them on the blog.
Expect things to get back to normal around here soon! Well... as normal as they can get. We have some big news to share this week that I have been DYING to post about... but all in time.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Remember Me?
I know that this week was meant to be my first week back to posting full time... and I fully intended on it being that way. Unfortunately, on Saturday evening, my lovely little MacBook met it's early demise via a glass of water. I'm still a little torn up inside about it. Currently we are using a gifted desktop computer from a good friend who is doing his part to try and save my poor little MacBook. With that said, I'm shifting my regular posting to begin again starting next week... I Promise!
In the meantime, I'm gonna send you over to Style at Home, where one of my little art project has been posted up alongside 10 other fabulous bloggers! If you're looking for a way to add some art to your home without breaking the bank, be sure to check out all of these great ideas. A big thanks to Style at Home for including me in this great little round-up!
I should be back later this afternoon with Halle's seven month photo... I know... seven months already! My mind is officially blown...
In the meantime, I'm gonna send you over to Style at Home, where one of my little art project has been posted up alongside 10 other fabulous bloggers! If you're looking for a way to add some art to your home without breaking the bank, be sure to check out all of these great ideas. A big thanks to Style at Home for including me in this great little round-up!
I should be back later this afternoon with Halle's seven month photo... I know... seven months already! My mind is officially blown...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
It's UP!
Yes! I finally bit the bullet and the blog has been redesigned by Lindsey of Designer Blogs! I love it. She did a great job capturing what I had in mind for my little ol' blog. Simple, but pretty - and the colours are perfect. There will be some changes to the side columns soon, I just need some more time to think it out and play with it some more, but so far I'd say we're looking a little better than before. I also love that you can now easily find me on facebook, twitter and pinterest - nice right?
What do you think?
What do you think?
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Dot Com
After posting about cleaning the fireplace the other day, I started to think about other easy projects I hadn't gotten around to yet. This morning was time to tackle one of those things. Back in October (yes... OCTOBER), I purchased the domain firsttimefancy.com. This morning, I finally got my blog set up so I'm officially at firsttimefancy.com. No more "-" and no more blogspot in there! The blogspot.com domain will still send you over to my blog... but I wanted something a little more "official", if you will. This is only the first of many changes that will occur around here over the next little while, and I am so excited about that!
**Update: When changing my domain, I apparently lost all of my blog rolls! Fun times! I will do my best to repopulate, but if I am missing you and you would like to be added, please leave a comment with your blog address and which blog roll you would like to be added to! Thanks friends!
**Update: When changing my domain, I apparently lost all of my blog rolls! Fun times! I will do my best to repopulate, but if I am missing you and you would like to be added, please leave a comment with your blog address and which blog roll you would like to be added to! Thanks friends!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
What to Wear...
So, next Saturday is the Canadian Design Bloggers meet-up here in Toronto. It will be filled with so many faces I have met before, some whom I only only met online as well as a bunch that I am sure I will have the pleasure of knowing for the first time ever. Of course, on top of these ladies the place will be filled with some really great sponsors and guest speakers...
So, aside from needing to book myself in for my spa treatments this weekend (kindly gifted to me by B for Christmas), I need to find something to wear. Being at home all day with Halle, my everyday uniform is sweat pants or yoga pants, with a tank top and sweater. If we go out, it's jeans and a tank top or t-shirt with a cardigan. I need help remembering how to dress in social environments... PLEASE!
My parents bought me a dress similar to this one below, for Christmas. It just has a little gold in it. I'm dying to wear it, just wondering if it's "too much", for this event... and what shoes would I wear?
So, aside from needing to book myself in for my spa treatments this weekend (kindly gifted to me by B for Christmas), I need to find something to wear. Being at home all day with Halle, my everyday uniform is sweat pants or yoga pants, with a tank top and sweater. If we go out, it's jeans and a tank top or t-shirt with a cardigan. I need help remembering how to dress in social environments... PLEASE!
My parents bought me a dress similar to this one below, for Christmas. It just has a little gold in it. I'm dying to wear it, just wondering if it's "too much", for this event... and what shoes would I wear?
{via}
But maybe this Lace Overlay skirt from Jacob is a better alternative if I want to add this feminine touch to my outfit?
I also have some money to spend at H&M, so I've been browsing their website for some inspiration as well...
I love the colour of this blazer, but I'm not too sure if throwing this on with a pair of jeans is too close to my usual outfits that I want to try and steer clear of?
I'm not so great with this stuff, so I would love to hear everyone weigh in. What are other bloggers wearing, and what should I wear! I'm excited to wear something fun, that I normally wouldn't wear when I'm with baby... and I'm pretty excited all of my baby weight is gone, so I'd love to feel and look pretty again. Who wants to go shopping with me?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Awards!
Late day post today. Halle and I have been busy.... with lots of Mommy and Halle time! Sorry, I'm so late jumping on this - but over the past couple weeks I've been gifted some lovely awards by some fabulous bloggers (I've had a hard time keeping up with blog reading and writing, so I apologize if you passed on an award and I missed it).
The Versatile blogger award was one that was passed on from Meg, Jen, Shannon and Beatrice! Thank you so much ladies. Here's 7 Things about me that you may not know (I had a hard time coming up with 7, so don't expect anything too exciting to be revealed haha)...
1. My educational background is actually in Communications. I went to school in Ottawa at Carleton for four years. I loved my program, my teachers and the friends I made there... and I really loved the city. I miss it, and always love going back to visit.
2. I was never sure if I wanted to be a Mom, and was never very maternal. Then, around this time last year we were blessed with the incredible news that I was pregnant! It's been a journey, tough at times, but worth it. Being a Mommy to Halle is the greatest, and I look forward to every new day with her.
3. I have two tattoos. A copyright on my back, with my birth year and "Libra" on my left hip. I'm positive there are more to come.
4. Before I decided to go back to school for interior decorating, I'd spent some time considering going to school for photography. I still love photography, and I'm learning more everyday on how to use my camera and improve the photos I take... I'm just not sure that I could do it for a living....
5. I despise clutter, and usually purge different rooms in our home numerous times a month. I try to live by the motto, live with what you love. I think paying more for quality, is best... and I definitely don't want Halle to grow up thinking that "things" and "stuff" are the most important things in life.
6. I am not a very good cook. even with me being at home with Halle all day, dinner often falls to B. Embarrassing, but thankfully he enjoys cooking... I don't, and I'm not very inspired, but I am working on it.
7. ... and, at least you got 6 outta me! I'm surprised I did that well! hahaha...
I'm pretty sure by now, most of the blogs I read have been gifted this award, so I'd like to pass it on to any of my blogging pals who may not have received this one yet. The stage is yours!
1. My educational background is actually in Communications. I went to school in Ottawa at Carleton for four years. I loved my program, my teachers and the friends I made there... and I really loved the city. I miss it, and always love going back to visit.
2. I was never sure if I wanted to be a Mom, and was never very maternal. Then, around this time last year we were blessed with the incredible news that I was pregnant! It's been a journey, tough at times, but worth it. Being a Mommy to Halle is the greatest, and I look forward to every new day with her.
3. I have two tattoos. A copyright on my back, with my birth year and "Libra" on my left hip. I'm positive there are more to come.
4. Before I decided to go back to school for interior decorating, I'd spent some time considering going to school for photography. I still love photography, and I'm learning more everyday on how to use my camera and improve the photos I take... I'm just not sure that I could do it for a living....
5. I despise clutter, and usually purge different rooms in our home numerous times a month. I try to live by the motto, live with what you love. I think paying more for quality, is best... and I definitely don't want Halle to grow up thinking that "things" and "stuff" are the most important things in life.
6. I am not a very good cook. even with me being at home with Halle all day, dinner often falls to B. Embarrassing, but thankfully he enjoys cooking... I don't, and I'm not very inspired, but I am working on it.
7. ... and, at least you got 6 outta me! I'm surprised I did that well! hahaha...
I'm pretty sure by now, most of the blogs I read have been gifted this award, so I'd like to pass it on to any of my blogging pals who may not have received this one yet. The stage is yours!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Guest Post - Nutmeg & Company
Well, it's Thursday, and today is the final day of my fantastic new blogger guest posts! Today's post comes from Meg over at Nutmeg & Company. You may already be familiar with here and she was recently included in Style at Home's round up of bloggers favourite fall trends! Lucky lady! Here's what Meg wanted to share with you all today...
Hello First Time Fancy readers! I’m Meg from Nutmeg & Company, and I’m excited to be here to guest post today. Kerry has been so sweet and supportive of my new blog (she has featured my work twice on her Friday Faves) and I’m very grateful for her support.
I have a serious passion for design and blogging. We are renovating a historical home that we moved into in July and I'm loving working on the design. The renovation is a slow process, and we’re trying to complete it one room at a time, as time and our budget allows. My husband is also a general contractor. We own a construction company, so he is usually able to complete all the projects on my ‘honey do’ list!
My hubby works really hard, and he’s an amazing person. The best husband and father you could ask for. So, for our anniversary this past July, I wanted to give him something really special. I don’t consider myself an artist... Or at least, I didn’t before. But I am creative, so I decided to try my hand at making a large painting for our master bedroom.
I have always loved this painting, and it was the inspiration for my work:
I have an artist friend who helped set me up, gave me a few pointers and a studio space to work in so the project could be a total secret. I painted in his studio in the evenings and his classroom during the days (he teaches grade one!). I worked on the painting and finished it just in time for our move into our new house, which coincided with our 12 year anniversary.
I'm not going to lie, it took a surprising amount of time. I worked on a large piece of hardboard - first prepping it with gesso and painting the background. Then I painted on the words with an alphabet block stencil. It was very time consuming but I was so pleased with how it turned out.
The words are the lyrics to 'Have a Little Faith In Me' by John Hiatt. We danced our first song as husband and wife to that song so it's really meaningful to us. My hubby was stunned. First, because I've never painted anything other than a wall before. And second, because he had no idea I'd been working on it.
The painting is serving as the jumping off point for our master bedroom design. I'm framing it with rough wood and it will hang above our headboard. We are working on that project now so come on over to see my design board and check out the progress!
Thanks for having me today, Kerry!
xo Meg
Thanks so much Meg for participating this week. You know I love that painting! I hope that you all enjoyed these newer blogs. It was fun to share some of my new favourites that I hope are now a part of your favourites list as well! Despite a busy week over here, I will be back tomorrow with a Fancy Friday post - so be sure to pop by!
Hello First Time Fancy readers! I’m Meg from Nutmeg & Company, and I’m excited to be here to guest post today. Kerry has been so sweet and supportive of my new blog (she has featured my work twice on her Friday Faves) and I’m very grateful for her support.
I have a serious passion for design and blogging. We are renovating a historical home that we moved into in July and I'm loving working on the design. The renovation is a slow process, and we’re trying to complete it one room at a time, as time and our budget allows. My husband is also a general contractor. We own a construction company, so he is usually able to complete all the projects on my ‘honey do’ list!
My hubby works really hard, and he’s an amazing person. The best husband and father you could ask for. So, for our anniversary this past July, I wanted to give him something really special. I don’t consider myself an artist... Or at least, I didn’t before. But I am creative, so I decided to try my hand at making a large painting for our master bedroom.
I have always loved this painting, and it was the inspiration for my work:
I have an artist friend who helped set me up, gave me a few pointers and a studio space to work in so the project could be a total secret. I painted in his studio in the evenings and his classroom during the days (he teaches grade one!). I worked on the painting and finished it just in time for our move into our new house, which coincided with our 12 year anniversary.
I'm not going to lie, it took a surprising amount of time. I worked on a large piece of hardboard - first prepping it with gesso and painting the background. Then I painted on the words with an alphabet block stencil. It was very time consuming but I was so pleased with how it turned out.
The painting is serving as the jumping off point for our master bedroom design. I'm framing it with rough wood and it will hang above our headboard. We are working on that project now so come on over to see my design board and check out the progress!
Thanks for having me today, Kerry!
xo Meg
Thanks so much Meg for participating this week. You know I love that painting! I hope that you all enjoyed these newer blogs. It was fun to share some of my new favourites that I hope are now a part of your favourites list as well! Despite a busy week over here, I will be back tomorrow with a Fancy Friday post - so be sure to pop by!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Guest Post - House Pretty
Another busy day for us! Halle and I are heading to the hospital this afternoon to squeeze in a visit with our friend and her tiny new baby who was born a week ago! Then, tonight B's parents arrive from Massachusetts - their first visit with the munchkin since she was 4 days old! If you want to hear more from me though, you can find me visiting Michaela's blog, taking part in her "She Loves Me, She Loves Not" series! Make sure to drop by!
Today, Amelia from House Pretty is here to introduce you to her lovely little blog. Amelia is a fellow Canadian, living out on the East Coast and I know you'll enjoy her posts as much as I do...
I’m Amelia from House Pretty and I’m so excited to be guest posting for Kerry while she helps out with her brother’s wedding. I started my blog last March after my husband and I bought our first house – a 42 year-old fixer-upper (“fixer-upper” being a bit of an understatement). I love a good DIY challenge and my husband helped out with a years-long renovation of his parents’ house (which was also the venue for our August wedding), and a blog seemed like a fun way to document and share our progress (and to meet other people doing the same thing). Let me show you around.
Thank you Amelia for dropping in for a visit! Looking forward to seeing all of your master bedroom progress! Well, I have one more guest post coming up tomorrow... another fantastic Canadian blogger who I am sure you will enjoy just as much as these first three ladies, so make sure to come back!
Today, Amelia from House Pretty is here to introduce you to her lovely little blog. Amelia is a fellow Canadian, living out on the East Coast and I know you'll enjoy her posts as much as I do...
I’m Amelia from House Pretty and I’m so excited to be guest posting for Kerry while she helps out with her brother’s wedding. I started my blog last March after my husband and I bought our first house – a 42 year-old fixer-upper (“fixer-upper” being a bit of an understatement). I love a good DIY challenge and my husband helped out with a years-long renovation of his parents’ house (which was also the venue for our August wedding), and a blog seemed like a fun way to document and share our progress (and to meet other people doing the same thing). Let me show you around.
This is exterior now that we’ve pressure-washed the siding,
painted just about everything (windows, shutters, foundation, garage door),
re-graveled the driveway and took on some major landscaping.
When you step inside, one of the first rooms you see (if you
ignore the so-ugly-we-can’t-wait-to-rip-it-out-and-start-over kitchen) is the
living room/dining room. With a little white paint (OK, a lot) I turned a GIANT
red chimney from an eyesore into a focal point, while my husband painted the
ceiling, trim and walls. We replaced the light fixture in the dining room and
we’re on the hunt for an inoffensive ceiling fan for the living room (easier
said than done?). Eventually we’ll upgrade the laminate flooring to hardwood
and add more substantial baseboards (and while we’re on the subject of things I
want, a new couch would be good too).
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. We’ve got
plans to replace the carpet with hardwood and new, wider baseboards, and we
have four newly-purchased solid pine doors in the garage waiting to be hung (the
current interior doors have seen better days, probably during the 1970s). The
rooms may be on the smaller side, but I love their nine foot ceilings.
The bathroom was one of our first projects and the room
we’re closest to “finishing”. The old homeowner had installed a new tub/shower
and toilet, so we painted the old oak vanity, replaced the hardware and purchased
and installed a new vanity top and water-saving faucet. We also bought a new
mirror, painted the shelving and replaced the light fixture over the vanity. Believe
it or not, we’re not done yet - I still want to paint the ceiling grey and add
crown moulding.
I’ve only tackled one of the bedrooms so far. It would make
sense if it was our bedroom, but we needed a semi-decent room for a few guests
before and after our wedding (which only kind of worked out, I’m pretty sure
the room was missing a door when our guests arrived). I love this room because
it’s filled with DIY projects (dresser, lamp, chair, drapes, headboard) and it
feels clean and bright.
I still need to add accessories and art, and eventually we’d
like to upgrade our guests from a futon to a real mattress, but it’s better
than the master bedroom, which looks like this:
Sanding textured walls is NOT fun, but staying in the guest
room while I work on our neutral-themed bedroom kind of is (can you tell I
haven’t been on vacation in awhile?). I’ve got lots of DIY projects planned for
this room, but I have to finish those walls first.
I hope you enjoyed my house tour and thanks again for
letting me stop by!
Thank you Amelia for dropping in for a visit! Looking forward to seeing all of your master bedroom progress! Well, I have one more guest post coming up tomorrow... another fantastic Canadian blogger who I am sure you will enjoy just as much as these first three ladies, so make sure to come back!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Guest Post - Little Orphan Aggie
It's Tuesday morning, and I am so excited to share with you another newer blog that I'm sure you'll all love! Linds and I actually first started exchanging emails months ago, before little Halle girl even arrived. She let me know a little about her new home and their projects they were working on, and I loved seeing her pictures. What was even more fun was discovering we grew up in the same town. Enough outta me though... here's what Linds had to say about her little online space!
Hey Fancy Readers! Thanks so much Kerry for having me over to guest post and introduce my brand new (and very first) blog! My name is Linds and I've just started a new blog (www.little-orphan-aggie.blogspot.com) about the renovations my boyfriend and I are doing on our two and a half story house that was built in 1920. Here we are, the 2 faces behind this labour of love...
We've been living in our house for just about 2 years and we've been under construction on our main floor for the last year. I've read many of your blogs for months and months now and admired all that you do, and finally decided that I wanted to get in on the blog action. This community seems just so wonderfully positive, encouraging, helpful and inspiring and I'm really looking forward to getting to know you better!
I want to give you just a little sneak peek at what's to come, I haven't even got to this part on my blog yet! Our kitchen started off like this (for some reason the picture is doing it way more justice than it probably deserved)
Next to come would be the cabinets and countertops which is just about where we're at right now, so come on over, check my blog out to see some after shots in the coming weeks, leave a comment or two and I really look forward to getting to know you all!
Kerry, thanks again for having me over! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
~Linds
Thank YOU Linds for stopping by with a great post, and introducing everyone to your blog! I'm so looking forward to the after shots that you have to share, as I'm sure many of my readers are also! Once again... be sure to come back tomorrow, I have another fabulous blogger ready to say hi!
Hey Fancy Readers! Thanks so much Kerry for having me over to guest post and introduce my brand new (and very first) blog! My name is Linds and I've just started a new blog (www.little-orphan-aggie.blogspot.com) about the renovations my boyfriend and I are doing on our two and a half story house that was built in 1920. Here we are, the 2 faces behind this labour of love...
And here is our house, who is in need of major love...
Then we did this to it...
and eventually we got some drywall up and started putting it back together...
Thank YOU Linds for stopping by with a great post, and introducing everyone to your blog! I'm so looking forward to the after shots that you have to share, as I'm sure many of my readers are also! Once again... be sure to come back tomorrow, I have another fabulous blogger ready to say hi!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Guest Post - This Dusty House
Good Morning! I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend! Over here we're starting the week off busy as can be, so we'll jump right in to our first guest post of the week! Nette is a fellow Canuck and GTA blogger, and I've been hooked since the first moment I stumbled across her blog. I trust you will as well. I'll let her handle the rest of the introduction though...
We got the keys to our house 6 months ago. It is a tiny little bungalow, a fixer-upper with income potential in the basement. With a month to make the place livable so we could move from our apartment, we were absolutely reliant on friends and family to help us get it ready. But, unlike many bloggers, I didn’t start This Dusty House for friends and family, though they’re certainly an important part of our readership. I always meant it to be read by complete strangers, people interested in home renovations, tiny bungalows, gardening, decorating, and beautiful kitchens.
We rushed through the demolition and hurried to get the basement apartment ready so we could move in somewhere when the lease on our rented apartment ended. Everything moved fast and, even now, 6 months later, if I sit back and think about it too hard, I’m blown away by the adventure we’re in the middle of. Here we are, 24 years old, still newlywed, pets to Pekoe the cat and masters of Mocha the cockapoo, with a house that, in such a short time, went from run-down and neglected to ours.
Therein lies the answer to the question. I blog because I have a story. It might not be a unique story -- we’re not the first young couple to buy a fixer-upper and document the renovation process -- but it’s our story and as a writer, I can’t resist.
Hello First Time Fancy readers! I’m Nette, one half of the partnership that makes up the duo from This Dusty House. I’m the writer and photographer; he’s the muscle, the DIYer, the one with half the good ideas. When Kerry asked me to guest post for her this week, I knew there was only one topic I could discuss to properly introduce you to me, the Husband, Mocha, and Pekoe. It’s a topic that I think every blogger needs to ask themselves:
Why are you blogging?
Why are you spilling everything to the world? Why open the door of your house and invite your readers into your bedroom, your bathroom, your secret junk closet? Are we secretly vain, searching for validation? Do we enjoy the sound of our own words, like a university professor of mine once accused bloggers of? Are we in it for the bucket-loads of money, since blogging is such a lucrative industry? (Ha! Yes, that was sarcasm.)
I think every single blogger has more motivation than that.
We got the keys to our house 6 months ago. It is a tiny little bungalow, a fixer-upper with income potential in the basement. With a month to make the place livable so we could move from our apartment, we were absolutely reliant on friends and family to help us get it ready. But, unlike many bloggers, I didn’t start This Dusty House for friends and family, though they’re certainly an important part of our readership. I always meant it to be read by complete strangers, people interested in home renovations, tiny bungalows, gardening, decorating, and beautiful kitchens.
We rushed through the demolition and hurried to get the basement apartment ready so we could move in somewhere when the lease on our rented apartment ended. Everything moved fast and, even now, 6 months later, if I sit back and think about it too hard, I’m blown away by the adventure we’re in the middle of. Here we are, 24 years old, still newlywed, pets to Pekoe the cat and masters of Mocha the cockapoo, with a house that, in such a short time, went from run-down and neglected to ours.
Therein lies the answer to the question. I blog because I have a story. It might not be a unique story -- we’re not the first young couple to buy a fixer-upper and document the renovation process -- but it’s our story and as a writer, I can’t resist.
I hope you’ll drop by This Dusty House for a visit, to check out our before and afters, and to read about our adventure. We might be close to done our major renovations for now, but who’s to say there isn’t another one right around the corner?
Thank you so much Nette, for posting today... and of course for starting that great little blog of yours! For those of you who were happy to discover this new gem of a blog, make sure to come back tomorrow! I have more to share!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Fancy Friday Love... & my Blogiversary!
Happy Friday and last day of September (where has time gone!?) I cannot believe that this little ol' blog here is 2 today! It's come a long way from the very first post I did two years ago - a lot more readers, a ton of progress on our tiny home and of course the addition of our little girl. Even better - I've met so many people and friends both online and in real life thanks to this here blog. I enjoy writing every single post and hearing from all of my readers and fellow bloggers! What a great community we have - so thank you to everyone who comes back every day to read what it is that I write... without you, I would not enjoy doing this as much as I do! I'm looking forward to seeing what this next year of blogging brings for me!
Last Friday when I got back online and was catching up on things, I was excited to see my little DIY mobile for Halle's nursery was included in this little round-up over on babble. For real?
Last Friday when I got back online and was catching up on things, I was excited to see my little DIY mobile for Halle's nursery was included in this little round-up over on babble. For real?
I'm pretty sure that at some point, I will want to make a pretty ruffled teepee like this one, featured on ohdeedoh, for our Halle munchkin. Isn't it sweet?
This post, on automatism, was so fun to stumble across on Tuesday! These collages of old and new movie stars are brilliant and fun. They had me thinking of the similarities of the mish-mashed stars too - don't you find them to be paired well on a few different levels?
Did you all see the beautiful orange and pink room, designed by Caitlin Creer!? So sweet! I'm totally into pink girls rooms now (after I did Halle's nursery, right?), and this room is one big reason why! How great is it?
This baby shower over on One Charming Party is absolutely divine! So timeless and classic, and all of the details are incredible! Check out both posts here and here.
My love affair with maps as decor continues with this coffee table (a DIY project) over on The Painted Hive. *Swoon*
I'm blown away by these laser cut papel picado invitations featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper on Wednesday.
Check out this gorgeous kitchen renovation that Meg's husband worked on... and won an award for! The transformation is incredible!
We have a dinner party planned for tomorrow night and I'm so looking forward to it! The guest list originally consisted of 6 other adults, but we're down to 4 now. In an exciting twist, our friends welcomed their baby girl early on Wednesday morning - almost an entire month early! From what we've been told, baby is doing great and weighed 5.1lbs. We're so happy and excited for them and can't wait to meet their tiny bambina! Other than our guests, I hope to make some more progress on our living room refresh. I know I was hoping to share an update this past week, but we've only just managed to start. Baby steps.
Next week watch for a few great guest posts! I have some newer bloggers dropping by to introduce themselves and their blogs to you! I love what they're all writing about and you will too! Halle and I will be busy preparing for my brother's wedding (on October 8th), visiting with my girlfriend from Ottawa and her little man and of course, spending LOTS of time with Grandma and Grandpa who are coming up to visit from Massachusetts! We can hardly wait. We'll be back the following week with some wedding pictures and other fun stuff! Enjoy your weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
