Last weekend Adam switched out the light fixture in our dining room (you can see the old light fixture here). We've been enjoying the new light all week, and yesterday I finally managed to snap a few photos.

It's quite different from my original inspiration, but Adam didn't like any of those options and he was ambivalent about this one (when it comes to home decor, ambivalence is sometimes a win). I love it, it works with the pendant light in our living room, and the price was great (under $60 at Home Depot). The old fixture replaced a boob light in the bathroom and it looks SO much better in there (I still have paint to touch up, but pictures soon!).

To be centred over the table, the fixture has to be swagged, especially with the addition of the settee. I purchased the old light before I found the settee, so unfortunately we cut it too short when we installed it :(

Mistakes happen, I'm just happy this one worked out!

There's still lots to do in here. The area will get a boost of colour and interest when we add built-in shelves around the window. I just can't decide if we should wait until we replace the floors to build the shelves. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Monday! xo

Adam's teaching schedule picks up with the start of the school year, so I took advantage of the last days of summer break to fix up his basement studio. I started by moving the large jute rug from our living room downstairs and layering a couple of smaller rugs on top for colour (our dog and rugs just don't mix, so as much as I'll miss it upstairs, it's much safer in the off-limits basement).

 

After rearranging the layout and doing some major purging/reorganizing, I decided to give Adam's desk and a couple of mismatched chairs a fresh coat of paint. For the chairs, I used Rust-Oleum's Meadow Green in gloss. I love this colour! The desk is the same colour as our dining room table.

 

I found this cute vintage desk lamp on Kijiji. The compartments are perfect for corraling Adam's drum keys and guitar picks.

My favourite update may be the pegboard storage. I swiped the pegboard from our garage and gave it a fresh coat of white paint. It not only gives Adam a much-needed place to store cords and headphones, it also covers up the horrible texture on this small section of wall.

 



 

I also picked up some new light fixtures for a steal, but we haven't had a chance to install them yet. I think Adam is enjoying the new layout, but we'll see how long the clean desktop lasts ;) 



I'm embarrased to admit it, but this is the kitchen faucet we've lived with for the past two years:

Beyond the way it looked, there were two big things that drove me crazy about this faucet: it was way too low, making it difficult to rinse large pots and pans without getting water everywhere, and the knobs were so close to the wall that it was nearly impossible to clean behind them.

When I saw the Cuisinart Calais faucet on sale at Canadian Tire, I decided to go for it. I was nervous about the quality, since I think Cuisinart is relatively new to the faucet market, but the online reviews were good and the price was definitely right.

Adam installed it on Saturday morning while my mom and I took Hannah for a long walk. He said the new faucet was easy to install, but removing the old faucet was a different story. For some reason, the cold water was piped directly to the faucet, so first he had to shut off the water to the entire house, cut out the pipe and install a tap (after a trip to Home Depot for a plumbing kit and a blow torch). Even better, there was no way to unscrew the old faucet, so the hacksaw came back out to cut it off. There are no easy projects in an old house!

The good news is that the installation went smoothly (no leaks!) and we love the new faucet.

(Sorry the colouring is off in these photos - by the time I was able to take them it required lights on and a flash).

With the faucet's added height, our sink actually feels larger now and we can easily wipe up around it. Best of all, it gives a much need boost to the overall look of our kitchen. Since I know there are others, like us, who are making the best of the kitchen they have while planning - or just daydreaming about - a complete overhaul someday, I thought it was worth sharing how a relatively inexpensive update can go a long way towards improving the overall look and function of your kitchen.

Once the faucet's been in place for a few months, I'll be sure to update you on how it's holding up.

Happy Monday! xo

Hello, long weekend! We're having a small family party for Hannah's first birthday on Monday, so we have the weekend to get ready. It's supposed to be a nice day weather-wise (knock on wood), so we're planning to have the party outside on our new patio. After we finish building it, of course ;)

I took a vacation day on Wednesday and my mom came over to watch Hannah so that Adam and I could put in a solid day's work outside. We finished digging (thanks goodness!) and were able to start spreading the gravel base. I must remember to take a picture of our new rock pile - it's less than half of what we dug up (the rest is still mixed in with the dirt), but it must be seen to be believed.

Adam improvised a tamper out of scrap wood last night and managed to spread several more wheelbarrow loads of gravel. He'll finish spreading and levelling gravel today, then he's off to pick up the patio stones. Our plan is to lay those tomorrow, then fill it in with pea stone (you can check out my inspiration for the patio here).

We'll do our best to clean up the area before Hannah's party, but I've planned a few decorations to hide the more unsightly areas (dirt and rock piles, ahem) until we can deal with them properly. My mom has been a HUGE help watching Hannah, so we've promised her first drinks when the patio is up and running. 

Happy weekend! xo

It took me long enough, but the dining room table is finally finished! The colour is Behr's Dark As Night and I used Minwax's Polyacrylic finish in gloss to seal and protect it (and give it some shine, of course).

I had some trouble with the gloss finish initially. It turns out it really is a good idea to follow the directions on the can ;)

Now we just need to replace the light fixture. I think Adam and I have finally agreed on one, but I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger yet. Anyway, our focus has shifted outdoors to the patio (formerly known as our backyard mud pit) - we're in a mad rush to finish in time for Hannah's birthday!

It's not exactly a traditional vacation purchase, but while we were in America we picked up a pair of bamboo roller shades for our bedroom. It's not that we couldn't have found something similar here, just that it was considerably cheaper in America. The blinds were surprisingly easy to install; I hung them in about 15 minutes while Adam and Hannah watched. Now we don't need to fuss with the curtains for privacy, which never really kept out enough light anyway. And the new blinds add a little something extra that makes the room feel more finished (Adam's just happy that it's easier to sleep later, if only we could get Hannah on board!).

I'm hoping to tackle a few small projects around the house this weekend, including painting our dining room table. It's going glossy!

Happy weekend!

Over the weekend, I gave a large terracotta pot taking up space in our garage a quick makeover. The old homeowners left it behind, and while I wasn't a fan of the 3D wheat, it was a nice size and weight.

Rather than get rid of it, I decided to try painting it. One coat of black paint - Sico's 'Grand Piano' - was all it took, and in 10 minutes I had a brand new planter. Hannah and I braved a crazy downpour on Saturday morning to go to Home Depot, where we picked up potting soil and a few plants - including my old favourite, lavender.

The different plant heights look a little funny right now, but give the lavender some time to fill in and start blooming (some sun would help!) and I think it's going to look - and smell - great.

What are you planting these days?

P.S. Happy 4th to all my American family, friends and readers!

We've been thinking about it since the day we moved in, but a couple of weeks ago we finally started the quote process for our stair reno. It's a big job and a significant financial investment, but it has the potential to dramatically transform our living space. You see, I love the layout of our house - except for the stairs. They're narrow, awkwardly placed and a major tripping hazard. The plan is to open up the stairway and replace both sets of stairs (up and down). I think it will make our space feel much larger and - most importantly - the new stairs will be safer and easier to navigate.

via Pinterest

Oh, and I'm just a teeny bit excited that we'll finally be able to finish installing hardwood upstairs (the hardwood for the hallway is currently hanging out under the guest bed) and pick out and install hardwood downstairs.

via Pinterest

To come up with a plan for the new stairs, I've been pinning images of stairs that I like. No particular criteria - if I like it, I pin it. Once I had a pretty good board together, I looked through my pins to see what they had in common. It turns out I really like white stairs.



via Pinterest

Since we're planning to go with a slightly different look for the hardwood on the main floor, I think an all-white stair would tie both floors together nicely. That said, function is priority number one. We have a dog. And an almost-toddler. And there are kids - Adam's drum and guitar students - going up and down the basement steps every day. I don't want 'washing the stairs' to become a full-time job, you know?

via Pinterest

I'd love to install a runner, but I don't think it's practical, given that my biggest pet peeve about the steps right now (ignoring the design) is the carpet. It's impossible to keep clean and I hate vacuuming steps.

via Pinterest

A painted runner could help disguise dirt, but I have a feeling there's a fine line between it looking good and really awful, which makes me nervous, considering that we'll have just spent a whack of money having the stairs re-done. And yet, the more I see it, the more I love the look.

Pinterest via Domino Mag

What kind of stairs do you have in your house? Would you try a painted runner? Anyone with white steps (or floors) want to dish on the upkeep?

Happy Monday, friends! I don't know about you, but I had one of those too-much-to-do-and-not-enough-weekend, weekends. The weather was gorgeous all weekend long, so I shouldn't complain.

As you can see in the picture above, one project we made some time for was the digging of our future patio. We weren't able to devote as much time to it as I would've liked (that Hannah's a real attention hog) and all the rocks and roots meant it was slower going than I would have liked, too (apparently I wanted this to be one of those "quick and easy" patio digs). The finished patio will be around 15.5 ft. x 9.5 ft. - small, but just big enough for us.

Sadly, this is the best 'before' picture I have. Always clean your camera lens BEFORE you take photos, people. The pavers will end right before the row of cedars, but the pea stone will extend just beyond them (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can see the type of patio we're building here).

Our house is on a corner lot, so our backyard faces our neighbour's parking area. While we wait for our cedars to grow, my MIL suggested installing some outdoor curtains for privacy. Brilliant, right?

via Sunset

Instead of the heavy duty poles above, I want to DIY a few portable poles like the ones Dana made for her patio lights. Ours just need to be sturdy enough to hold curtains without toppling over.

But first, more digging.

Last night after I put Hannah to bed, I decided to fix a tear in the seam of one of my sweaters. I realized it was really a job for the sewing machine, so of course I thought, 'hey - if I'm going to go to the trouble of breaking out the sewing machine, I might as well sew that throw pillow for our bed'. Yeah, that throw pillow that required sewing in a zipper - only the second one I've ever done.

The sweater was an easy fix, but the pillow was a major pain in the you-know-what. My sewing machine (actually my mom's) randomly loses bobbin tension and I can't figure out why. Each new project requires plenty of of wasted thread, finger crossing and silent prayers to the gods. It may have taken me at least twice the time, but the pillow is done (and the zipper works).

Our cat, Henry Rollins (he looks cute, but he can be vicious), approves. The fabric is Marrakesh Firefly Ikat and it's even more gorgeous in person (like, in the picture above, I'm just as likely to pet the fabric as the cat).

 

You may remember that I already sewed two throw pillows for the bed using this fabric, but I later swiped the forms for our couch. I'm digging the simplified look (I did something similar in the guest room and I still love it), but it kind of breaks my heart that those beautiful slipcovers are stuck in a closet. Maybe I should host a giveaway?

Thanks to everyone who sent along warm wishes and positive thoughts for my return to work. The transition has gone smoothly so far - I even managed to get out for a run after putting Hannah to bed last night. I can't describe Hannah's excitement when I walk through the door at the end of the day, but I don't think I've ever seen her that happy and it feels pretty awesome to be the cause (Adam tells me she's been great during the day, too). Of course, we're all still figuring out our new schedules and routines (hello, pumping at work), so I really do appreciate your encouragement.

One of the projects I'm hoping to make some more progress on soon is our (future) backyard patio. I was inspired by Tracy's gorgeous backyard makeover in the May issue of Style at Home to put together a mood board. Our next step is to start digging the patio itself, so hopefully this will help inspire us through all that manual labour!

1 - Since the first moment of patio scheming, I've imagined string up lights. Without an outdoor outlet, this may not be possible, but I'm not giving up yet!

2 - I received two handmade navy blue and white striped pillows for Christmas (similar to these outdoor pillows) and I've been trying to figure out the best spot for them. They can't stay out in the rain, but they'll add some much needed style to our patio when the sun is shining.

3 - Thanks to everyone who offered their two cents on my side table makeover. I'm still tempted to go bright, but I'm also drawn to the classic appeal of this West Elm version. I can see it standing the test of time, or at least my ever-changing tastes.

4 - We already own these chairs in dark brown. Someday it would be nice to upgrade to the real thing, but they do the trick for now. Plus, I like that they're lightweight, stackable and easy to clean.

5, 6 & 7 - I know I'm a little late to the party, but I'd love to try making my own DIY concrete containers for the patio. These planters are sold in Australia, but they're great inspiration. I'd love to have separate planters filled with a brightly-coloured flower like angelonia and ornamental grass. We already have lots of ribbon grass on our property, so it should be easy to transplant.

In case you missed it, you can check out my inspiration for the patio itself here.

I hope you had a great weekend. Even better if it was a long one. I like to think we made the most of ours, the last before my return to work.

We spent most of Sunday outdoors, working in the yard. I added two new boxwood shrubs to our upper garden bed, along with a few heather plants. Next spring their purple flowers will be a nice addition to the greenery in that section of the bed, I hope. I also moved a few plants around to help fill in some empty spots. It's our third spring in this house, but we're still figuring out what should go where. We got a start on our veggie garden and I also planted some annuals, but I'll share those when they're in bloom.

My mom came to watch Hannah so we could have a late dinner with friends at 2 Doors Down. The restaurant opens to the public on Tuesday, but we were lucky enough to enjoy a little sneak preview. Our friend is the head chef (he did the food for our wedding) and the menu is amazing. My mouth still waters when I think about that fish taco and the strawberry rhubarb cheesecake I had for dessert was incredible. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in Halifax.

Wish us luck tomorrow! I think I'm ready to go back to work, but change is always a bit tricky. It's a short week, and my only goal is for all of us to survive it :)

We're a microwave family. I know lots of people who live without one, but I could not, for coffee reheating purposes alone. Our microwave had seen better days (like, I'm almost certain it was a fire hazard), so when I saw this nearly-new one on Kijiji for next-to-nothing, I snapped it up. We didn't want or need anything fancy and I like how the handle resembles our cabinet hardware.

The opening it sits in is anything but pretty, I know. I think the plan will be to paint the interior (and possibly the exterior, but we're waiting until we're done updating the kitchen to make a decision).

The picture in the lower right-hand corner shows you what the opening looked like before. We trash-picked the wood and Adam cut it down to size (this is one of two openings in the kitchen side of the chimney and we found two similar pieces of wood, so, one for each opening). We cut a large notch in the back corner so the outlet is easily accessible. The large wire hanging down is no longer active (we had both openings checked out by an electrician), so I just tucked it out of the way for now.

I think painting the interior will make it less of an eyesore and help the cinder block blend in with the brick. I'm leaning towards a dark colour and possibly painting just the sides (at least until we make a decision about painting the entire chimney). Here's a really terrible Photoshop mock-up to give you an idea, or possibly confuse you further (sorry about that).

What do you think, should I try painting only the sides? Paint the back, too? Do you reheat a single cup of coffee multiple times throughout the day? Or, are you microwave-free and loving it?

We added a new rug to the living room over the weekend, purchased from this ebay store. I was pretty thrilled to find a rug with all the major colours in our living room (usually you pick the rug and then the colours, right?). Plus, it helps break up the large jute rug with some colour and pattern. Originally, I had envisioned something bolder, but I think the muted colours really suit the room.

On the other side of the room - where the living room meets the dining room - I added this small print from Value Village (Hannah and I stopped in while Adam was at the dentist last week). I'm pretty sure it's a small reproduction print of a Peter Markgraf silkscreen of BC's Sunshine Coast (which I've never visited, but am now determined to). Regardless, it's quite beautiful and I love all the blues.

And last, I switched up our bedding for summer. Yay for finally being able to pack away the heavy duvet! Now I need to dig out my ikat pillows for a pop of colour on the bed (though, honestly, it's been kind of nice not to worry about throw pillows when making and unmaking the bed!).