Fancy Friday Love

Happy Friday to you all! I'm so glad Friday is finally here! What a busy week, what with normal life, work, projects and my first week back to classes! Unbelievable. I'm very much looking forward to this weekend and heading off to my friends cottage for a nice little girls weekend away. Should be a nice little escape and a chance to reconnect with good friends! Enough looking forward, here's a quick look back at the things I loved this week!

Did you see Christine's gorgeous vanity table?

Doesn't she have an incredible knack for styling? My GOD she is talented... and that whole space is beautiful top to bottom! *swoon*

WANT this wine cellar, photographed by Eric Piasecki and featured on Desire to Inspire this past Monday!

I'll take 2! I'm sure there is more than enough room in our tiny home. Right?

Just love this photo that popped up over on Little Blue Deer early this week...

Makes me think of early fall... and running off to the country for a little escape. Despite the pale light and colours in the photo, the blankets, pillows, woven basket and worn wood have me thinking cozy thoughts. Incredible what a few pieces in a photo can do to change the whole feel of it.

I just about died when I spotted this kitchen on Desire to Inspire on Tuesday...

Those beams! That STONE FIREPLACE! Doesn't it look just absolutely cozy? For some reason I'm picturing a happy family Christmas breakfast being made and devoured in this space! I WANT it!

If you didn't check out Liz and her blog WALLPAPER yesterday, I recommend that you check her out now. She always has great finds for your home, as well as fashion and make-up tips and suggestions. Beyond her beautiful blog, Liz also has her own Etsy shop, Lather & Soak, which sells her beautifully handcrafter bath and body products! She's oh so talented... check this out...

Watermelon Soap!

I want to try this for myself! Lemon & Fig Organic body wash!

She has a ton of other great stuff, and if you swing by today she has a promotion on to receive 50% off! Make sure to read the instructions she provides to get your discount, and be sure to let me know if you buy something!

So yes, that quickly sums up the things I loved out there this week! I would've had more time to share, but as you probably know a bit of excitement started mid week and I got a little side tracked! With that in mind, please be patient as next week promises to be another crazy one, with my trip to NYC, a few projects and rounding out the week with my birthday and a wedding! *Phew* I'm tired just thinking about it. I think of this coming weekend as the calm before the storm.

What are you weekend plans? Whatever they are, I hope they are fantastic! Enjoy!

The Perfect Thanksgiving Table

Last year we hosted our very first Thanksgiving in our first home. It was myself and B, my parents and B's parents (who came up from Massachusetts). We had a great time, and seeing as Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, I've been looking forward to doing it again ever since.

This year, we will expand the guest list. On top of hosting both sets of parents, B's Mom's best friend and her husband will be accompanying them on their trip up North. We also plan on inviting our good friends who were married back in August. It will be LARGE for our tiny home indeed! So, with less than a month to go until the big day here in Canada, I'm trying to decide how to deck out our table for the big event...

image from here via there

What do I love about this perfectly dressed table? Let me see, where do I begin?

- That copper pitcher with the autumnal blooms is the perfect way to add some florals to your Thanksgiving table. I think it looks gorgeous, and of course the pitcher can be easily and quickly removed to be replaced with those Thanksgiving fixin's!

- Love the idea of spelling out something using the candles, and that the letters are mimic'd in the napkin rings! Perfect little DIY project... but don't know if I would go for something as long as "Giving Thanks" on my table... especially when we are trying to seat and feed 10.

- The paper leaves stewn across the table are the perfect way to add some not so fussy fall fun to your table. They don't have to be removed to put down platters, drinks and plates, and once you are done with them they can be recycled or safely stored away for future years! Also, bonus that it would be a super easy DIY project!

LOVE IT! Now what else can we find?

How about this simply elegant table from Country Living?

Once again, I'm loving the copper holding the flowers in the middle of the table! Hmmm... should I be heading out and starting my search for the perfect copper centrepiece?

The best part is how simple and uncluttered this table is. Though I love the look of my first table, it doesn't seem very practical for a large gathering, especially when you want every seated for the carving of the turkey! I do think that some elegant tapers in gorgeous holders are a much better option than the pillar candles in the first.

Speaking of tapers in great holders....

from the always fabulous Martha

Um - Loving the pumpkins turned into taper holders! Reminds me of my own little candle holders B and I put together for last years dinner...

My initial search has definitely left me with some great ideas! I know I want some flowers, preferable in a copper pitcher and candles. I'm also seriously in love with the idea of those paper leaves to scatter across our table! They'll definitely add some autumn colour to our table, without taking up precious space! I'll keep brainstorming, and I'll be sure to share the final look next month.

Have you thought about your perfect Thanksgiving table, or are you straight to the point and fuss more over the food than the fancy?

Sometimes It's the Little Things...

... that make me happy! (with the exception of exiting trips to NYC to visit an old friend, meet all kinds of fantastic bloggers and watch a taping of the Nate Show). Alright, so I originally intended to share another project with you today, but with so much going on this week I haven't had a chance to get that one last piece of the project done. You'll have to come back next week and I promise to share!


Anywho - so what's one of the little things that make me happy? How about getting those last two boxes I needed to finish storing my DVDs out of site on my bookcase...

Before... and yes, the bookcase needs some styling. We plan on eventually getting some built in's on either side of the fireplace in this room, so I'm not concerning myself with it at the moment.

Here we are after. Nothing exciting... probably not even worth sharing, but it honestly meant a lot to me to clear up that clutter of DVDs on the shelf!

What little things have made you smile recently? (Another little thing that made me smile was when Liz from WALLPAPER asked me to take part in her Beauty Bag feature! Head on over here to take a peek at my Beauty Bag... and Liz's awesome blog of course!) Happy Thursday!

Nuts 'N Bolts - Going Tankless

Back again with another edition of Nuts 'N Bolts. Today, I'm talking about Tankless Water heaters and why we decided that getting one was the right choice for us.


Much like going ductless, going tankless can help lower your monthly bills and make your home a little greener. When Kerry and I began discussing opening up some more space in the basement we were throwing around the option of getting a tankless water heater in addition to removing the furnace. Thus opening up what used to be the former utility room and creating more usable space in the basement. 

We did our research and discovered that many of the companies, who sell tankless units, will also rent them to you and install them for FREE. After making some calls and finding the most favorable monthly rental fee, I set up an appointment for a consultation. Following our meeting I had to take a day off for the company to complete the installation and over the course of 4-5 hours the installation was completed.


I must say I was a little disappointed in the fact that they did not upgrade my piping from a 1/2" to a ¾” feed to and from the water heater like I had requested during the consultation, however they did extend my gas piping and place it in the spot I wanted for no extra charge. Later I would discover when I installed my PEX piping upgrades, I should have demanded they do it since it probably cost me another $150 in piping and fittings. However I was able to do it exactly the way I wanted it and it made for a much cleaner installation than the way they would have done it.


The main advantages to having a tankless unit is that it only is running and burning fuel when you are in need of hot water. There is no constant heating of a tank even when you are not home, it will instantly fire up when it senses that water is flowing through it and the unit will send the hot water to the tap in almost the same time as it would take for the conventional tank to do so. 


However, one drawback is that if you are turning it on and off constantly (like I do when I shave in the morning) the water will not stay hot, it needs to be constantly running or you will get drop offs in temperature as the system fires up and cools down. This might seem like you are wasting water, but the cost of that small fraction of water is highly outweighed by the savings you will have on gas over the course of a year. 


The other main advantage of the tankless is that you can set the temperature digitally, to be the exactly what you desire for showering.

A typically tank heater will heat the water to an extremely high temperature and then you will have to cool it back down by mixing in cold water at the tap. The precise nature of the temperature setting will allow you to calibrate the temperature to that of the people showering and set it as hot as possible without having to cool the water down, and wasting energy.

I look forward to having our second eco-energy audit where we will also receive a hefty rebate for replacing our tank with the tankless unit. If we planned on staying in the house for years to come we would have purchased the unit outright but with the rebates, it was in our best interest to rent. I’m thrilled we have gone tankless, and I’m sure you would feel the same.


So how about it people. Have you switched over? If so, what do you think about going tankless? If not, have you been thinking about it, or do you have reservations? Would love to hear other people's takes on the tankless water heaters.

Mid Week Joy

My brain cannot comprehend that it is only Wednesday! Yesterday was absolute insanity... in a completely good way. The day started off pretty normal, with the exception of a bit of excitement for me to head back to classes. I headed into work as usual and made my way through the work day like I normally do.

Around 1:00 yesterday afternoon an email popped into my inbox, inviting me to the Nate Berkus Blogger Show next Tuesday in NYC. 

Wait, WHAT? NEXT TUESDAY!? The RSVP deadline was... YESTERDAY. Um, YUP! We're talking seriously short notice, right? I immediately tried to convince B that we should fly out early Tuesday morning together and spend the day in NYC to celebrate 3 years together in the city where we first met (Next Monday is our 3 year anniversary). He couldn't be sold on it, so eventually he just offered to pay for part of my plane ticket so that I could at least attend the taping. Fine I'd take it... and right away my RSVP went in for my lone ticket! (I totally would've spent more time trying to find a guest, but I was so anxious to get that RSVP in... I'm an emotional decision maker). 


Then I heard from a wonderful and long time girlfriend who currently lives in NYC, and offered me a bed. Sounds perfect, especially if I get to spend some time with her. So I'm anxiously awaiting my ticket confirmation so I can book my flights. I hope to head to NYC next Monday night and spend Tuesday in the city soaking it in before heading to the taping! It would be a great opportunity to meet so many other talented and fantastic bloggers, as well as provide all of you a taste of what it was like being at a Nate taping!


It seriously made my day... and I'll be sure to keep you all posted! *fingers crossed*


Make sure to come back this afternoon to check out a new post from B... and of course, don't forget to enter my giveaway this week! Head over here for details and a chance to win! This giveaway is open to everyone!

Dream Home - Aloha Home!

Today's Dream Home is for Shannon, who's always wanted to live in Hawaii! I did some digging on my favorite real estate website - Sotheby's Realty, and came up with this stunner in Kihei, Hawaii for $19M USD! According to the listing the residence was originally designed for a world renowned celebrity and overlooks Keawakapu Beach, in South Maui.

The wood used for the stairs! The sculpture hanging from the ceiling! The colours! The lighting! The little peek of blue you can see through the back windows! Fabulous!

Love how cool and calming this living room is, especially in the heat of Hawaii! Those wood cabinets on either side of the fireplace are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm ready to sink back into one of those couches for an afternoon nap.

The formal dining area is not too fussy, and looks like the perfect spot to hold a dinner party in such a relaxed place. All of the clean lines, and lack of clutter make for a great getaway dining space. But if you're looking for a little less formal, head towards this cozy little dining nook...

Inside, outside - whatever your little heart desires! With views like that I don't think it matters where you're sitting when you see it.

This room has to be my favorite. With those bookcases and those views, I think I would find myself curled up here all the time with my most recent book or a new magazine. I'm also smitten with that incredible ceiling. The wood in the centre draw your eyes up, and I'm loving the contrast of the darker wood on the white ceiling. Plus, isn't that light fixture magic? I'm sure it would come with the home!

The bedroom and bathroom/dressing room (?) that were pictured in the listing were to die for! Who wouldn't love to roll over in the morning and see that blue water out your window? I so wish they had shared more of the 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms that this home has to share. I can only begin to imagine how incredible they are!

 

Of course, the reason everyone want's to live in Hawaii... the beach!

On top of all the beautiful interiors and this stunning beach front, the house also boasts; gardens, a golf community, a guest house, a security system, spa / hut tub. Are you sold yet? Want to check out more of the listing? See it right here.

Any place you dream of living? Somewhere in particular you want me to hunt out a gorgeous home? Shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I'll hunt out your dream home.

OH - and don't forget to enter my "Dream Home" Giveaway! You can head over here to read all the details and enter to win! Good luck!

Fancy Magazine Storage

For a while I've been thinking about taking it upon myself to spice up my IKEA magazine holders. I wanted something fun and colourful, something with pattern. It took me a while, but finally I realized my best option would be that beautiful paper I bought last month from Chapters.

I started by taking my magazine holders, and tracing all of the four sides onto the back of the paper. (Oh, and don't make the same mistake as me... make sure that you don't trace the same sides twice... yeah, I know, big mistake... but at least it was an easy fix!)

I just used scissors to cut out the shapes. I'm sure I could've tried to use a razor to cut them, but I found it much easier with the scissors. Once I had all of the (correct) pieces cut out, it was time to adhere them. Out came the trusty spray glue...

I sprayed the glue on the back deck, and used a paper towel tucked inside of the magazine holders to make sure the insides didn't become tacky. The last thing I want is these holders to destroy my magazines! The spraying went pretty quickly, and once all of the sides were on I used a razor to clean up any edges where the paper was overlapping and sticking out. The final product? Well - take a look for yourself and let me know what you think...

I think they look so fun, and B even mentioned that they look great! That's pretty huge since he rarely has an opinion on projects like this! It's big impact for very little effort! I'll have to keep my eyes out for more fun papers, as I have a feeling I'll have to be picking up some more magazine holders soon! 

Do you have a fun and fantastic way to store all of your magazines? Or do you keep it simple? I'd love to hear your approach!

I must also thank Anne-Marie from 10 Rooms! I won a giveaway over on her blog yesterday, and will be receiving free tickets to the Toronto Fall Home Show! Thanks so much Anne-Marie! Will I be seeing anyone else there?