The BIG News Post

Well, it's obvious I've been way off with my blogging recently, and I miss it. I have just felt like I haven't had anything worth sharing, or at least nothing that I am truly passionate about. Being in a rental has put me in a huge rut. We have never been sure of how long we would be in this home or where we would be living next. That has made it hard to commit to too many projects or buying any significant pieces of furniture. We never wanted to sink too much money into a place that may be short term, especially since moving could mean going into a much smaller place again. 

Even worse, being in a rental has never let me really settle into this place. We never unpacked a lot, or got as organized as I would like because again, we never wanted to do "too much". It sucked and made me feel in a constant state of limbo. To top it all off, our landlords have not been too great at taking care of issues in this home and it has left me feeling concerned about the well-being of my little family. It's not easy living in someone else's house. So, B and I have spent a lot of time discussing what we will do, and where we will go next, and after a really busy month, we've finally made a decision.....













WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

Yup, a new house for us to call a home. A place that is all ours and we love it. Even Halle loves it and both times we've gone to see it she runs all over the place with her hands above her head screaming like a crazy woman.

We lucked out, and the owners were already out of the property so we get possession next week. We're so thrilled to make this home a more permanent place for our family... and if you're wondering, YES, that means we'll be staying in B.C. for the foreseeable future.

We looked at a few homes that were fixer uppers, and in the end we decided that this was not the route for us this time around. We loved having a project house in Toronto, but with Halle being so busy these days and the wedding coming up quickly, it just wasn't right. Instead, we opted for a newer house that is nice just the way it is, but has a lot of builder basic finishes - so of course there is still a lot for us to change over time and we plan to put our own footprint on this place!

So please, be patient while I continue to pack and clean and get ready for the big move. I'll share a better tour soon, but here's a quick peek at the inside of the new place! It may not be our "First Home", but it's still our first NEWER home, and a whole new adventure in upgrading a space we already love...

{Walking in the front door}

{A nice office space  for blogging & Halle Handmade!}

{A big bright kitchen - it has so much potential to be SO MUCH better}

{This is our hallways LINEN CLOSET! I'm pretty excited since we have never had a linen closet and now we have THIS!}

{Halle's new bedroom definitely needs some love before we move in - don't you agree?}

Okay, so that is all I will give away for now - a little peek. Pretty great as it is, but so builder basic and I can't wait to make it our own. If you're wondering, we've already made a trip to Home Depot and picked up a clearance light fixture that we'll be adding to one of the above rooms. I'm so excited!

So are you curious? Do you have any questions about our new home, the buying process, what our plans are there - ask away and I'll do my best to answer the questions you have.

While we wait to move in, I've been trying to finish up some unfinished projects here (in-between packing, purging & cleaning) so that we don't drag them to our new home. Keep an eye out for those in the coming days!

More Exploring with Miss H

A couple of weeks ago I shared the trip that Halle and I took to Blodel Conservatory here in Vancouver. We had so much fun, and with the nice weather happening more frequently, the two of us have been trying to get to discover new places more often. I thought now would be a good time to pop back in and share some more of our adventures. Here's some of what we've been up to.

A couple of weekends ago, we had the chance to go to a Seattle Sounders soccer game. We made a day trip out of it, and Halle enjoyed watching the players chase and kick the ball around the field. We did a bit of shopping and picked up ties for the guys for the wedding, and a little bow tie for our ring bearer. It was a great day despite the spotty weather...

The following week, we went for another Mommy and Halle outing and visited Maplewood Farm, in North Vancouver. My girl loves animals, so I knew that it would be a hit with her and boy was I right. It was hard to get that girl to leave...

Of course... there have been plenty of visits to the park as well...

They are calling for a lot more warm weather and sunshine around here in the coming days, so I know that there will be a lot more exploring and park visits in the coming days. What have you been doing to soak up these lovely summer days that have finally arrived?

Ready for Change

Happy Monday friends. I know I've fallen off the map again, and all I can say right now is that we have been BUSY. There is some really exciting stuff going on, aside from wedding planning and it really has me itching for change. One of the things I am most ready to change up is Halle's room. She's growing and changing and I'm so ready to start planning a big girl room for her. 

The thing is, as ready as I am to change her room - there are certain things I'd like to still incorporate - like her dresser that I still love. With that in mind, I need to come up with a colour scheme and design that will work well with the teal and yellow that we used on the dresser. I started looking for inspiration and came across this collage on Pinterest, which got me feeling very excited about my design direction:

{via pearls for paper}

It's exactly what I imagine for Halle's space, with more teal and coral and only hints of yellow.

{from top left to bottom right: 1. via perfectly imperfect blog; 2. via Tonic Living; 3. via US! Check out the project here; 4. via honeybee vintage; 5. via Pinterest; 6. via Design Sponge; 7. via Tonic Living; 8. via Shades of Light; 9. via Words of Williams;}

1 - If it were possible, I would love to still keep Halle's walls neutral, and add interest by putting mouldings on the wall. The above example from Perfectly Imperfect blog is the best example of what I would love to do. I think it would look fantastic in any room, and would be pretty easy and inexpensive to do.

2 & 7 - Tonic Living has to be one of my favourite places to go for fabric, especially considering it's a Canadian company and their pricing is fantastic. I think these two fabrics are the perfect way to inject some bright and feminine coral into Halle's big girl room. Maybe as some new curtains, throw pillows, or even a new slip cover for the headboard on her "big girl bed" that we bought a few months ago.

3 - Of course, Halle's dresser isn't going anywhere! It's still a great piece that we love and it provides us with so much storage!

4 - This idea for wall art is adorable and it would be perfect to use different papers in our teal, yellow and coral scheme!

5 - Just another example of how our colours will work together.

6 - Cute accessories for Halle's room. I love these jars with animals on the lid.

8 - I'd like to find a really sweet and feminine light fixture for Halle's new room. She's really a girly girl and loves shoes and clothes and HATES getting dirty. I want her room to reflect her and be a pretty place for her to be. 

9 - I've always loved this quote and have been thinking of creating some artwork with this quote on it for a while I think pulling her big girl room together is the perfect time to bring it in. 

So, there you have it - the plans for Halle's big girl room are churning in my head. No pulling it together is underway yet... there will be some other changes happening before that.

What projects are you starting to work on or plan? Has spring got you inspired to start working outdoors, or are you freshening up your interior for the warmer months? Spill!

New Addition to Halle Handmade

I'm so excited to share with you a brand new addition to Halle Handmade. I love creating my tags (even though there has been a bit of an unplanned break from my shop recently), but I felt that I had more to offer. I wanted to add something to the shop that was a bit more universal, and that is why I have started to create some hand lettered art work.

It's something I really enjoy doing and yesterday I released my very first piece of artwork in my Etsy shop! I'll be selling my art as a digital file - this way I can sell my work for less, and customers can also save on shipping. All you do is purchase the print in my shop and you will then be able to download the JPG file. You'll be able to print the artwork wherever you like - even at home if you are so inclined!

I hope you all love my latest addition and I hope to create some more art that I am really excited about!

So make sure to pop by Halle Handmade to check out my newest listings! I hope you love what you see, as much as I enjoy creating them!

Exploring with Little Miss H

Happy Monday friends. While we were busy over the weekend, today I wanted to share with you one of the adventures that Halle and I got up to last week. There have been some changes happening that have been making things a little crazy, so last Tuesday it was overcast and a little cool, so I decided to get us out of the house and see somewhere new. I loaded us into the car and we headed to Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver. While the gardens were already looking beautiful, it wasn't our main reason for visiting...

After a quick walk through these beautiful flowers, we headed to Bloedel Conservatory. It was the perfect day for it, since it started drizzling as we arrived at the building. As soon as we stepped inside, we warmed right up. At $6.50 for my admission, and Halle being free it was the perfect budget friendly day trip for us. Of course, Halle just loved all of the beautiful birds.

{These were the first two birds we saw, and she was so captivated she didn't want to leave them. She had no idea what was to come...}

{She was very sweet and loved saying "Hello" to all of the birds. Some even had kisses blown to them}

{In the background is a silver pheasant. One of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen up close!}

It was such a wonderful day with my sweet girl. Her smiles and giggles brightened up the otherwise overcast day, and the way she slept the whole way home let me know she really enjoyed herself. I'm hoping as the weather continues to improve out here that I can find more fun day trips for the two of us that are budget friendly, and fun to explore.

What are some of your favourite things to do with an inquisitive toddler? What keeps you sane on rainy days and how do you get out when the sun is shining?

Spring is in the Air

Things come in three's right? We've had two pieces of huge news dropped on us last week... I'm hoping a third, equally as large, bomb doesn't drop to make it three. The two were enough, and we're trying to work as a team to battle through everything (like we always do). It's one of the best parts of being with your best friend... you know as long as you stick together you can get through anything. While B and I were chatting about it the other day I told him, at least we're all here together and we're all healthy (mostly... the exception of some little cold bugs floating around) and happy. It's true, and these photos I've snapped recently of Halle out enjoying LIFE, always reminds me of what's most important. As long as we are together, that is all that matters...

{She discovered that she DOES love to "PLASH!" in the puddles. I discovered that I love to watch her splash!}

While we do what we have to do, I have some new additions (as in, NOT tags) coming to Halle Handmade this week! I'm really excited about what's coming and I hope you love what I've done as much as I do!

What did you get up to this weekend? Some family time!? How do you deal with unpleasant news? What do you find is the best way to stay strong as a team and work together instead of letting it turn you against one another?

Fancy Friday Love

It's so nice slowly getting back into blogging. It was fun to share a couple posts this past week, and I hope to have a few more projects finished up around here soon that I can share. In the meantime, I tried to get some blog reading done this past week, and here is what I loved...

I am head over heels in love with this "Sparkle and Shine" themed birthday party from Kara's Party Ideas. I've been on the hunt for the perfect theme for Halle's 2nd Birthday (it's scary how quickly that is coming), so this will be saved away for future inspiration just incase...

We've been talking about what we plan to do now that we are past the year point in our rental. We're talking and going back and forth over a few options... but every time I see a place like this gorgeous kitchen from desire to inspire, I want to get back into the real estate game and start renovating a home again. I really want a space we can transform and make our own... is that too much to ask. (I have to say, in a real estate market like we have here in the Greater Vancouver Area... yes, yes it is).

I know first hand that small spaces can be hard to live in. It's not always easy to make them feel cozy, without feeling too cluttered. I think that Jordan's living room is the definition of 

"nailing it", when it comes to small space living - don't you agree?

Well, the weekend is here and I plan on sticking close to home with my two loves. Halle was feeling a little under the weather yesterday and just wanted to cuddle all night long with us. I've just been in spring cleaning mode, and I can't wait for a weekend of yummy food, cuddles and probably a few good movies. What do you have planned for this April weekend?