Fancy Friday Love

It's Friday once again, and once again my weekend will not be lacking in excitement! I'm looking forward to it... as well as sharing my fancy finds from the past week...

Did you see Michelle's guest bathroom reveal over at Three Men and a Lady this week?

This is just a little look. I picked this shot because I love what she did with the ceiling. Go on over and check out the rest of the reveal on her blog if you haven't already!

I have some sort of sickness, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of fall. It's funny, because I'm sure once it arrives, I will once again long for warm summer days. Regardless, I'm very much wanting one of these large cowls in charcoal grey...

The first one is called the tok thermal from ozetta, and the second is the Incognito chunky knit cowl by Happiknits. I'm not picky at all... and will take either. Actually, I am considering buying one, but I'm so torn I don't know which one I love more! What do you think?

The collection of wallpaper from Oh Joy!, along with Hygge & West was launched this past week, and boy is it gorgeous! Particularly love this one (fitting for my love of that F season that is quickly approaching)...

It's called 'Lovely Leaves' and is done in White and Copper. GORGEOUS! You can check out the rest of the fabulous line and purchase right here.

You HAVE to head on over to Oh So Beautiful Paper, to check out the story behind these awesome and creative wedding invites. They look beautiful, but how these pulp novel invites were created is even more interesting. LOVE them!

Whatever the reason, I've been on a huge Etsy kick recently. Of course, I've always loved it - but recently I've just been scouring it more than usual. In one of my many moments of searching among the shops... I found the perfect alarm clock for our master bedroom re-do (um, yes... it is underway ACTAULLY!... kind of)

I could share the link to the shop - but price is keeping me from committing to the purchase. Of course, I haven't found it anywhere else, so I am sure it will happen... and at that time I will share the link to the incredible little shop. (I'm just too scared someone else will scoop it up before I do!)

Love Kate Spade's Jewelbox Embellished Paulina Cardigan in Chartreuse. With those bright pops of colour in the jewels I think it's the perfect way to brighten up a fall outfit.

Banana Republic now ships within Canada. (Insert joke about us catching up with the rest of the world... kind of, considering they only just started shipping within the UK as well). Regardless... THANK THE LORD! Now if we could just get J. Crew to OPEN A STORE HERE... please and thank you. 

Seriously... what a week it's been! We're looking forward to our weekend! My brother's engagement party is tomorrow, and Sunday we have an afternoon meeting I'm looking forward to, followed by another of our Sunday softball games! I hope you all have a lovely weekend... and I'll catch you on the other end!

Nuts 'N Bolts - PEX Piping

Switching it up a little bit this week, and bringing you my little bit of knowledge on a Thursday rather than a Wednesday! Today we're talking about PEX Piping!

When it came time to run the new plumbing in the basement for our laundry and bathroom I was not excited about the prospects of buying lengths of pricey copper piping and using a torch to ‘sweat the joints’. I saw the potential for me to be sweating about burning the house down and inhaling toxic lead fumes while burning myself with the torch or acidic flux paste. Yeah, exciting stuff!

One of the options I had seen used on TV was the use of plastic piping with mechanical connections called PEX piping. Without getting into the geekology of what chemicals and synthetic ultra-compounds its composed of (in this case HPDE) , lets just call it like it is, advanced plastic tubing. It is sold just like copper piping in ½” and ¾” sizes and has a variety of different fittings, valves and connectors all available at your local tool-warehouses.

Just like copper it can be cut with a tubing cutter (seen above) but it has some key advantages over copper, aside from having to keep a fire extinguisher handy when you are installing it. First they sell a PEX product which is pre-insulated so you don’t have to pay up extra for the black jacket insulation associated with copper. It is also more energy efficient because it resists the transfer of heat more than that of metal piping. Second, you can run it through the ceiling much like electrical wire and don’t have to worry about joining multiple smaller sections to go perpendicular to the joists. It can also be bent around a corner which cuts down on the amount of fittings and lowers the chances of having leaks at the joints.

(pictured above - Tubing dips to fasten tubing to studs)

PEX is pretty cheap when compared to copper, yet it also is resistant to scaling and buildup found in copper lines and it almost completely eliminates the clanging ‘water hammer’ sound typical in metal pipe systems. However, I still utilized some copper in my installation because it is more rigid and it already existed as part of my system. I discovered a few good tips when choosing the type of connectors to hook up your system. There are three main types of connectors, compression rings, Push-To-Fit, and SSC (stainless steel couplers). On our budget I went with the cheapest…err most economical, SSC, hence the crimping tool (pictured below) for this type of connector was $45 vs. $200 for the compression rings and each P-T-F coupling was $3-10 PER item!


The main mistake I made with the SSC pieces was that I purchased a handful of bags containing 6 pieces each, after figuring out exactly how many I would need for each section of piping. How is this a mistake you ask? Well, you will need an extra one here, have to re-clamp one there and suddenly you are right back at the store for another $1.99 bag of 6 more clamps. I should have just bought the multi-pack and had extra for future projects instead of nickel and diming my way to 3 extra trips to the big orange, that I love oh-so much.

(3/4" and 1/2" stainless steel couplers)

One of the other lessons I learned is that the tubing does kink rather easy if you try to employ my brute strength method of pulling pipe through the joists. I must admit I have to suppress my caveman instincts when I get frustrated and just hammer on something until it fits. I ended up with some bloody knuckles and kinked piping trying to muscle the ¾” piping through the joists. Everyone’s system will be different, but typically you should run a ¾” main line and ½” lines off of that feeding each appliance and tap separately. I ran my main line down the center of the house from the cold water main line to the water heater and then from the water heater down back down the middle to feed each of the ½” lines, separately feeding each outlet. This helps ensure that each tap or appliance gets a healthy supply of water even when other outlets on the system are being used simultaneously.

(3/4" PEX brass elbow)

I highly recommend looking into one of these systems if you are intimidated by sweating joints or if you’re like me in that you hate having to deal with torches and soldering. I still had an adventure reconnecting copper pipe and learned that a heat shield is a thing of beauty in tight spaces, however PEX made my life a whole lot easier and it could do the same for you too!

Has anyone out there ever worked with PEX piping? Any interesting experiences or tips you learned along the way? Would love to hear other experiences.

Beautiful Buys!

So, recently B and I have done some shopping. Yup... shopping, even though I feel the need to purge a lot (read all) of the rooms in our tiny home. Slowly but surely I'm working on it... believe me! I just wanted to share a few of our great buys...

I've been searching for the perfect white cake stand for ages! Well, last Thursday we popped over to Home Sense in search of new pillows for our bed. Even though I promised we were only going to look at pillows, I got completely side tracked while B was looking for coffee (he clearly broke my promise first!). I love the Home Sense near us largely for the fact that a whole portion of it is devoted to white kitchenwares! JOY! I happened upon this cake stand and immediately knew I had to bring it home or I would kick myself later. I love the texture on the top of it, and the wood pedestal was the best part. Now to do some baking so I can display something pretty on it!!

So I didn't completely lie on that trip to Home Sense... and we did look at pillows! We didn't bring any home for our bed, but we did bring these home for the day bed that currently resides in the basement! For a while we were resorting to using the cushions from the back of the couch upstairs. B and I both liked these as soon as we saw them for $12.99 each. When B suggested we grab "a dozen" for the basment, I showed some restraint and said that two would be fine and we could build with others from there. These, along with my chevron throw have definitely set the tone for the decor in the basement!

Okay - so the new pillows for our bed are nothing exciting to look at, so I won't bore you with pictures! They are, however, absolutely dreamy to lay your head on at night! Before we both had "Magic Gel Pillows" which were picked up from Linens 'N' Things, back when they actually existed. They weren't quite doing the best job anymore, and we knew we wanted to find something similar. We happened upon some pillows, that are equally as wonderful, in Home Outfitters, during our same Thursday night outting. We decided on Home Studio's Down Alternative Pillows with Firm support, and boy do we love them. At $30 each, we both consider them a great investment for a good night's sleep!

How about the rest of you, pick up anything fancy and fun recently? Started any shopping for the impending fall season?

Postcard Artwork

We've all seen it done before! Postcards as artwork! This past Monday Caitlin Wilson shared her French postcard artwork on her blog, and it reminded me of our own.


As I've revealed before, last November B and I spent a wonderful five days in Dublin, Ireland. I loved it, and we wanted to bring a little something back with us to remember our first overseas trip together. While visiting the Guinness Storehouse, we agreed that postcards would be the perfect things to bring home and frame. 

Though it's been ages since we got back from that vacation, we haven't got around to doing anything with them. Then, when B's parents came to visit last month, our solution arrived! B's mom brought along these old frames she had laying around.

B was actually the one to suggest that they would be great for our postcards, and my mind set into motion! I started by prying open the backs of the frames and taking everything out. Then I took a matte black spray paint we had in the garage (it was actually a high heat resistant black... I figured it would do the trick anyway...) and gave both frames two coats.


Once they were done, I concluded that there would be no reusing the old mattes. I thought about adding some white paper behind the postcards, but the backgrounds were already white and I didn't want to take away from them. My final decision? To use the plan old cardboard from the original artwork.

Apologies for the crappy quality photos... didn't have any natural light to work with...

Both B and I like the way the white postcards stand out against the cardboard, plus I think it works with the vintage feel they have!

We still have two postcards left over, and I have to decide what to do with them. I may or may not add them to the gallery wall I am planning to do in the basement, which these two frames will be included in, along with some other artwork we have.

Do you have some post cards you've framed in your home? How about other pieces to remind you of special places you've travelled to? Would love to hear what other people have done!

Fancy Friday Love

Friday already? Weeks just seem to be flying by, and sadly summer is coming to an end. How do I know that? Well, The Ex started today in Toronto, and fellow Torontonians will understand - the Ex usually signifies that the end is nigh! So soak it up friends! Here are my fancy favorites from this past week...

Did you see Sarah's fantastic clock-to-mirror DIY project over at Hennessey House? She always has great projects, but this one has to be my favorite. It looks gorgeous hanging in her house. Go on over and check it out!

How sweet are these Bow Tie Pillowcases from ERLdesigns on Etsy? I'm not sure how practical they would be at all times, but I do think they look super cute. Maybe just instead of a sham? The best part is, for those of us willing to tackle it, I think it could be a really great DIY project!

While I'm on the topic of pillows, how sweet is this felt cushion made by Kerry over at A Tranquil Townhouse? Not only does she have a great name, but girl has some serious talent! I'm so glad she shared it in a post, it's definitely inspired me to give it a try for our home!

Love this skeleton key rubber stamp from norajane (found via WALLPAPER). I've been trying to collect old skeleton key's for a project I plan on doing, and this rubber stamp would be perfect to fill in some blanks. Can't be beat for $3.50! Along with rubber stamps norajane also sells some cute little pillows - worth the look!

This website, shared on This is Glamorous yesterday. I'm pretty sure the name of the blog does all of the speaking for me.

Not as many lovely things as I would've liked to share, mainly due to that horrible cold I had hanging around the first half of the week. Left me feeling gross and uninspired. Looking forward to moving on and attending a baby shower and yet another birthday celebration this Saturday, followed by an entire Sunday afternoon of softball! I hope you all enjoy your weekend! Happy Friday!!

Drum Roll Please!

What an exciting Friday! I won't waste any time, and just get straight down to business with the winners of my very first giveaway on First Time Fancy!

Thanks to Brittany from Pink Peacock Paperie, three lucky winners will receive digital copies of the print of their choice from her shop, which can be printed up to three times! (I'm all about three times the fun!) So let's get to it shall we?

The whole process of picking a winner started with associating a number with each of the entrants. I did it in the order that your comment appeared on the post, and the three who entered and then tweeted about it, had additional entries at the end (number's 9, 10 and 11!)

Yup - Fancy! Hand written and picture care of my Blackberry!

Then random.org came into play and picked three of you wonderful people! So here we go....

WINNER #1

Congrats to Sharstin, who loves Buble & the I*Heart*You print! If you haven't before - go and check out Sharstin's blog. Why? A) because she's a super talented photographer B) she has the most adorable little one's, with another on the way C) she's always making cute things for the kids & her adorable little neice!

WINNER #2

Our second winner is a brand new follower - The Prickly Pinecone, who was a big fan of Brittany's version of ever popular Keep Calm and Carry on Print. Thanks for joining in on the fun, and I'm glad to have you as a follower!

WINNER #3

Our last and final winner is Janice from Life Begins at Thirty, Right?, who was a fan of the I*Heart*You print! Janice is a fellow Torontonian, who shares a ton of great home projects on her blog. I'm sure by now most of you are familiar with Janice - if not, head on over and say Hi!

Congrats again to the three winners! You will be hearing from Brittany shortly, so keep an eye on your inbox for your prize! I would love if you'd share some photos of your prints once you have them up!

Also, a big thank you to everyone who entered and who comes by to see what's going on! To continue the fun on this Friday, Brittany is offering up her popular I*Heart*You print for only $5 to First Time Fancy readers!!! Head on over here to get your print before the sale ends on Sunday night!

Before now, I never understood when other bloggers talked about how much fun they had doing a giveaway on their blog. After doing one myself - I'm all about it. So, because of all of the fun that I had - I'm thinking I'll be doing another one soon. Next month seems appropriate seeing that it will be:

1) First Time Fancy's 1 year blog-iversary

2) me and B's three year anniversary

3) my 25th birthday

Do I sense a connection between the #3 and my giveaways? Maybe... so make sure you check back to see what I have up my sleeve for September! Also, make sure to come back a little later today for some more Fancy Friday Lovin'!

Don't Forget!

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway! Click here to check out all of the details and enter. Contest will close at 11:59pm EST, and I will announce the THREE winners tomorrow! Best of luck!!