Hello Friends!

My new home has a problem - not a big problem, more like a First World Problem. We have one very large expansive wall in our family room, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to decor it.

I thought about shelves, but that would look awkward, as they wouldn't expand the entire length of the room.

Then I thought, why not a gallery wall?! The problem is the wall is really too large to hang that many pictures. Plus I try to invest in art that I really love. It would take me forever and a day and a hefty investment to collect all those pictures. Plus, I have another idea for a gallery wall on a smaller wall in that room.

Ruling out shelves and a gallery wall, I was left with two ideas. The first was wallpaper. I've always loved wallpaper and wanted to showcase it in some form in my home. Here are some of my current favourites, all from Anthropologie:

The triangular copper wallpaper would look great on such a large wall. The pattern is minimalist enough that the wall would not look overcrowded. I've always been a sucker for black and white  florals, whether they are cartoonish and graphic, or more realistic. And the polka dots are just adorable and fun. They may not fit into the rest of the decor of the room, but I loved them so much I wanted to include them in my favourites.

The second option I thought of was painting the wall a darker colour, something like Benjamin Moore's Midnight Oil:

Then I'd like to add one very large piece of art. The problem is, art is very, very expensive. That's where Society6 comes in to play. They recently transformed many of their art prints into large tapestries.

I'd like to keep the art monochromatic, as most of the other decor in the room is black/white/grey.
These are the looks I'm loving from Society6:

Top Row: 1,2,3
Bottom Row: 1,2,3

The only thing I'd have to do is mount the tapestry on canvas, another great DIY project - though I'm not sure I trust myself with a staple gun!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Craft Time Inspiration: Embroidery

Hello Friends!

It's craft time. I haven't been all to crafty lately (can I blame just one more thing on winter?). I've decided to get out my much neglected embroidery floss and get back into stitching - a hobby I enjoyed a few years ago.

I looked for inspiration at Etsy. Being one of the best craft sites out there, I knew I would find so many talented and creative stitchers. I wanted to create an embroidery that was more modern and graphic, so I looked to geometric prints as my inspiration.

Here are some of my favourite finds:

Top Row: 1.2.3.

Bottom Row: 1.2.3.

For now, you can find me with some embroidery floss and my ruler. Wish me luck!

Local Love: Weekend Walking

Hello Friends!

Happy Tuesday! I had a fantastic weekend and a not too shabby start to my week. Luckily enough, the city I live in had a bit of a thaw out. My Mister and I (and Gus) took complete advantage.

We're very fortunate to have two great parks in Kitchener-Waterloo. We visit the parks often, especially during the warm weather, enjoying walks, picnics and the animals - though the Canadian Geese can be a little sassy.

Here are some pictures from our walk (apologies for the excessive amount of Gus pictures):

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did. Now I think I hear a basket of laundry calling my name!

Bathroom Spruce

Hello Friends!

Banishing my winter blues has not been easy. To take my mind off the bitter cold and constant grey I've decided to focus on small project.

That small project is giving my master bathroom a small spruce-up. When speaking to my Mister about the renovations he gave me one goal: keep it as close to, or under, $1000 as possible.

When we moved in to our new home, the master bath was very beige. I'd like to replace the following items: toilet, sink, mirror, lighting, general accessories and give the whole room a fresh coat of paint (right now it's surprise, beige).

Here's what I came up with:

As you can tell, everything is fresh and bright. No beige! The paint colour, Sherwin-Williams Tidewater, is very tranquil, perfect for a small bathroom. The toilet and sink were the areas where I budgeted the most money. I wanted a modern looking one-piece toilet that will be easy to clean. I went a little more ornate with the sink. I love vintage looking sinks, and I wanted a pedestal sink because bathroom storage is a non-issue for us (we have a large linen closet to hold all our toiletries).

The shower curtain, from Urban Outfitters, is the main source of colour in the new bathroom. It was my jumping off point and inspiration for the theme.

I found the lighting from West Elm. I wanted to keep the lighting very plain, something that I wouldn't get sick of in a couple months and want to replace.

The mirror is from Restoration Hardware, children's line. I find the children's products are much more reasonably priced for some reason. I chose a round mirror because of its soft lines.

I looked to the Land of Nod, yes a children's store, for decorative storage in the bathroom. I love hexagon shaped anything, and I think a couple candles would look amazing on the honeycomb wall shelf. I like the size of this wall shelf. Since our bathroom is small I didn't want anything that would overtake the wall.

The door hook and soap dishes are from Ikea. I love Ikea for small accessory items, super cute and always very reasonably priced.

Here's a running tally on the cost of the items:
Paint: ~$30
Toilet: $400
Sink: $486
Shower Curtain: $45
Lighting: $70
Mirror: $120
Wall Shelf: $60
Door Hook: $5
Soap Pump: $10
Soap Dish: $9
Total: $1235

I tried my best to stay within the confines of the budget! Now I'm going to take this plan to my Mister and see if he'll green light it! Wish me luck!

Happy renovations!

Life Lately: Winter Blues Edition

Hello Friends!

It's true - I've got major winter blues. It's late February, and to be honest, I don't see an end to this deep freeze. Most days I really just want to lay in bed surrounded by blankets, my dog and Netflix. I suppose this is how many people feel during this time of the year, but this year seems to be different, and more difficult for me. Unfortunately for me, my 9-5 job won't let me take the winter off, so I pull myself out of bed, begrudgingly, and start the day.

Everyday - cold and grey

This past week I've really tried to get out of bed and get going. You know, face the day, make it into working on time-ish. Here are some other things I've been up to lately:

Eating: Had a fabulous dinner out with my family yesterday at a local restaurant, Borealis. I ate the French onion soup, butternut squash ravioli and drank a big glass of Chardonnay. Every part of it was delicious. It was great to connect with my family, we haven't had a family dinner in a little while, and the laughter we share together was the best part of the night. 

Drinking: More water! Really struggling with this one. I try everyday to drink at least 1.5litres of water, but I usually come up short by the end of the day. Plus when I get home I just really want a glass of wine. Don't judge! 

Listening: To Serial Podcast. I love it! Sarah Koenig - the narrator has such a magnetic presence. Plus the storyline is incredibly enticing, I can say I've listened to the podcast many times over and catch details I missed in the first telling. 

Watching: Hannibal season two on Netflix. Oh boy, this is a great show. Frightening, but it's a good kind of scare, the one that leaves me wanting to watch more. The story is so thrilling! I can't wait for the newest season to start.  

Reading: I started reading George Orwell's 1984. I was never assigned to read the book during high school, a bit of an oversight, I'm sure. 1984 is a classic, and I'm actually glad I'm not reading it with high school or university, I can take my time and enjoy it. 

Making: Cupcakes! Many, many cupcakes. Today was National Cupcake Day for humane societies across Canada. Myself, along with a few other colleagues, baked a few dozen cupcakes for our workplace. I'm happy to say that the cupcakes were a hit. We were successful in raising close to $100 for the animals. 

That's what I've been busy with! Silver lining, next week is March, maybe Mother Earth will take pity on us and warm up a little bit. 

Stay warm, my friends! 

Valentine's Day Wishlist

Hello Friends! 

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and to celebrate I've made another mood board. Can you believe it, I'm on fire! 

Here's the list:

Nail Polish: This colour is fantastic. A solid charcoal colour can work for all four seasons.  

Sweater: The perfect cozy sweater for winter. 

Ring: I've been looking for a cocktail ring for my righthand. The colour of the stone is so vibrant and I love the soft gold.  

Lamp: I have the perfect spot for this floor lamp in my living room. It would be a great addition to a reading nook. 

Converse High Tops: I haven't bought a pair of Chucks in the longest time. I love high tops, and the nude colour will match anything. 

Crochet Hooks: Crochet is a hobby I've been looking to take up. I love to knit, but I could never "get" crocheting. I think with larger hooks I'll be able to see what I'm doing and understand how to make the knots. 

Locket: I've been pining over this locket for the longest time. I would love to have one of everything from Terrain.

Topographic Map: This map is very expensive, but it is a beauty. I consider myself a map geek - I took cartography in university - and I think that the map would look fantastic against the navy blue colour in my master bedroom. 

Whale: Little known fact: I have a pitcher collection. About a dozen of them. I'm a sucker for pitchers and the whale pitcher from Modcloth is no exception - it's so cute! 

Clay Sculpting Tools: Playing with polymer clay is one of my favourite crafty pastimes. Having a good tool set is important - trust me, I've been using an old plastic tool set for the longest time. 

Aether Cone Speaker: This little music player is gorgeous! It's quite the investment, but the majority of the reviews I've read have been really positive.   

Happy Valentine's Day All! Love one another, and love yourself!  

Ikea Wishlist

Hello Friends!

It's that time of the year again - I'm going to Ikea! I'm beyond pumped. I understand that not everyone would be excited about particle board furniture, but I really, really am. I don't make the trek to Ikea too often, so when I go, I like to have a clear list otherwise the spending will get ahead of me!

Here's an awesome mood board of the items that I'm thinking of picking up: 

1: A kitchen cart: I love this cart. It's large enough to hold all my vintage mixing bowls on the bottom, and fits in perfectly with the decor of our new kitchen. I have a dream of butcher-block countertops one day, and I think the cart is a great jumping off point. 


2: Corner cabinet: I've been really contemplating this one. I'd like to put this in the living room to act as a sort-of bar. I've grown tired of the bar-cart look - not that I ever had one - and I think this corner cabinet has a lot of potential. It seems to fit snugly into the corner and has a good amount of space on the inside, and the bottles will never get dusty!


3: Wall lamp: This lamp would work perfectly in my master bathroom. It remind me of something that I'd be able to find at Schoolhouse Electric, but for a fraction of the price. I'd like to put two or three above the mirror. 


4: Hat & coat stand: Our front closet is a bit of a shit-show. With winter here we have hats, gloves, gloves, coats, boots - you name it, it's in there. A coat rack would greatly increase the organization in the closet and I wouldn't hate my life every time I opened the doors. 


5: Lidded pot: I won't lie - I like this pot because of the colour. I'm a sucker for a pastel green. I've never used Ikea cookware before, so this might be an interesting experiment!


6: Wall hooks: In keeping with the organization of the front hall closet, the wall hooks would make a really fun addition to the foyer area. I love the colour palette as well. My home is very neutral - a good thing, it's just nice to add a bit of fun where I can. 


7: Serving bowl: I really like this bowl. I know it's likely just for decoration, but I would use it for serving, at least for dry goods. 

8: Cushion: I like to change up the cushions in my living room every once and a while. I find it's the most cost effective way to overall feeling of the room. I like the Stockholm cushions because they are simple and graphic, yet very comfy, as they are soft like velvet. 

Well there it is, my shopping list! I can't wait to go, I know I'll be exhausted after, but it'll be all worth it to have some new pieces in my home. 

Happy days, my friends!