~Off to the Candy Shop~

Going to the paint store is like going to the candy store. 

You might be thinking I am not all well in the noggin' but I can't help it. I love paint. Even as a child I loved to tag along with my dad to the now defunct Lumberland. While he was searching for materials for his latest project I hung out in the paint section to collect paint chips that I fancied. 

Yesterday I visited the local Benjamin Moore store to find some inspirational colours because I am itching to paint a wall or two. Even though we are renting I have painted the walls in the house to suit our taste. I am bored with some of the rooms and what better way to spice things up is with paint!

 My goal is to finally finish all the kids rooms before summer. I am not happy with the colour on my son's wall and neither is he, and my daughter chose an apple green when we moved in and I am not feeling it. 

I think I may have worn her down to let me paint it a grey. She said that I can change the paint colour as long as I finally finish her room. You see I am really good at procrastinating and have yet to find/build her a desk and upholster a headboard. 

The colours I have narrowed down are  a blue-gray, Stonington Gray or  beige-gray, Edgecomb Gray, by Benjamin Moore. In my sons' room I think I going to go with Stonington Gray. I like the blue undertones and think it will go well with his furnishings. 

Here is a room in Stonington Gray

via decorpad

Don't you love how clean and classic this rooms looks? I love how the white looks so crisp and black visually grounds the space.

 My daughter wants hot pink accents and that is where this room by one of my favourite Canadian designers, Samantha Pynn, is an inspiration. Also painted, I think, with Stonington Gray

via decorpad

Here is a room painted in Edgecomb Gray, it is a like a "greige" and am not sure how well it would work with fuschia accents.

 Hmmm..

via Blossom Interiors

This is a glimpse of her room now. I think the gray will make it look classic and grown up. 

~A Giveaway for a Good Cause~

My wonderful blogging friends,  the dynamic duo of Design Ties are having a giveaway for a good cause. 

They are supporting a friend and artist Matt LeBlanc in his Art for Life Campaign to paint 200 paintings in 6 months to raise $25, 000 for cancer research. This cause strikes home because I watched my aunt fight and lose the battle with breast cancer when I was 16. She was only 38 when she passed away, which is one year younger than I am now. She left behind four children and her death caused such pain and a void in our hearts. Since medicine has advanced in such a short time we know that she would of survived had she been diagnosed today. It is your support that enables researchers to find cures and treatments so that lives can be saved.

The lovely gals at Design Ties are giving away one of Matt LeBlancs originals he has aptly named Empowering! I would LOVE this one, since I have yet to win a giveaway maybe this one might be mine? 

via Design Ties

So visit Design Ties to enter the giveaway.  If you feel the need to purchase a one of kind painting for your home and support cancer research check out Matt LeBlanc Art for Life Campaign website.

~Happy Easter~

Wishing everyone a relaxing long weekend. 

Us Canadians get Monday off too -tee hee.

Czech easter eggs that my mom has collected for me. The one with the flower was always my favourite as a child. Now it is mine. I had more but...

my dog decided to eat a few last year.

~Burlap Bulletin Board~

I have officially jumped on the burlap bandwagon. 

I have seen many posts where burlap is used as the cheap, chic and rustic fabric of choice. So I had a desire to recover something with burlap and having a project in mind I set off for the fabric store. While searching for the chiang mai fabric I so want, I asked the clerk if they sell burlap. 

 The clerk informed me that yes they did but the fabric needed to stay in its plastic wrap and had to be cut at a specific table.

Hmmm... 

I guess people are allergic to the stuff. Once cut it was to stay enclosed in the bag, I felt like I was carrying hazardous waste. Not ever possessing burlap I wasn't sure what she was talking about. No one ever mentions that on their blogs. 

 I soon found out as I brought home the burlap that I began to sneeze and itch. It smelled like a garden shed and I felt like I was duped. After prowling several blogs where the authors use it for various projects I finally had the guts to ask "How to you get rid of that dusty garden shed smell?" Jen from Tatertots and Jello was so kind to answer me. She washes it on the gentle cycle and then air dries it. 

Tried it and the dustiness and smell are not that noticeable anymore.

Yay - my project was not doomed.

So without further adieu here it is....

I recovered my son's bulletin board but never really liked it so I wanted to give it a more rustic manly appeal. Using burlap, black upholstery tacks and my trusty staple gun the bulletin board went from this:

to this:

This is how I did it:

1. Cut a piece of burlap larger than the bulletin board.

2. Staple the burlap to the back of the frame.

3. Turn the board over and press upholstery tacks just where the frame meets the board. I eyeballed the placement of the tacks.

4. Hang up and enjoy.

I am wanting to re-paint my son's room. When I mentioned that to him, he said "finally!" 

Apparently he has never like the colour I chose. I don't either. When I suggested a light khaki colour he was adamant that he did not want a colour on the wall that would remind him of diarrhea.

OK....

I guess not. He is a tween and has his own ideas about what is acceptable on the walls but that will be another post on another day AFTER I finish my other to-do projects.

Linking to:

Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

SNS @ Funky Junk Interiors

Make it Monday @ Cottage Instincts

DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land

Transformation Thursday@ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Show and Tell @ The Romantic Home
Show and Share @ Just a Girl
I Made It Without My Hubby @ Shanty2Chic
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP

Beneath My Heart: Best April DIY

~A Little Canadian Goodness~

While I am waiting for my shoulder to heal I am finding time to explore the blogging world. My head is reeling from all the ideas floating around. My idea file is getting bigger!


 I am feeling an anxiety attack coming on....



I was excited when I opened my mailbox on Friday to find the latest Style at Home, a great Canadian publication, waiting for me! It is like getting a birthday present every month.


Style at Home usually features one of my favourite Canadian designers, Samantha Pynn. She has her own HGTV Canada show, Pure Design, which I love to watch. It is hard to catch though, no re-runs, because I find HGTV Canada is inundated with Holmes on Homes (re-runs galore) and such, 


but that is another story...... 


What I love about Samantha's design is her focus on eco friendly design. She re-purposes used and vintage finds, uses eco friendly paints and fabrics to put together rooms that just are absolutely amazing. 


I love this toddler's room. She had a Craigslist bed repainted that beautiful red, and using thrift store finds and paint turned an ugly space into something to feast the eyes on!

photo source: HGTV Canada

photo source: HGTV Canada

Or check out this bedroom

via decorpad


I am loving the pure elagence of this space. You can see the mix of old and new, the thrift store chest of drawers, headboard, new linens and upholstery, creating a glamourous room that I would love to relax in.


More elegance in this living room designed by Samantha

via decorpad


I love the eclectic look, the muted colours and the sparkle from the mirror, sconces and table tops. 

via HGTV


I love the pop of colour against a neutral wall. The curtains are beautiful  - a great way to add glamour and a custom look to the room by adding silk and ribbon along the bottom of pre-made curtains.  


I actually finished the project I was planning to do last weekend using burlap and upholstery nails. All it required was a staple gun and since I am left handed I was able to finish it. I am posting pictures tomorrow.

~Giveaway Winner~

I had wanted to post about my intended project where I was going to use this:

but a sore shoulder threw a wrench into that plan. I was in so much pain on Friday and Saturday that I begged my husband to amputate. I broke my arm last year while mountain biking but this was more painful. I am off to the doctors today for my x-ray results and then I hope that I can attack my to-do list.

But.... the moment you have been waiting for......drum roll please..... 

the winner of the Reco pasta serving bowl from CSN stores

#35


Congratulations Merrie L.!

I will contact you via email to get your information to pass onto the powers that be at CSN who will ship you your bowl. 

Enjoy! (Lucky duck)

Thanks for all who entered my first giveaway.

 I might have to do more, it is true: giving is far better than receiving.

 It was nice to "meet" some of my loyal followers and welcome new ones. 

My Very First Giveaway~

I have been blogging for almost 6 months now, not quite but almost. It has been a fun journey and what I love the most is being inspired by all the talent that I have met along the way. 


So.....


 What a great way to celebrate than have a giveaway! 


Recently CSN stores approached me to do a giveaway....
(Lucky you, as I have yet to win a giveaway - I have entered many but nothing...sniff)


I thought to myself, what perfect timing.


If you have ever stumbled across any CSN online store you will know that they have a multitude of online shops that sell kids bedding,  furniture, cookware, and even pet furniture! I spent a whole afternoon just browsing through their many sites.

 What I stumbled across were all the pretty dishes they sell. I love pretty dishes and feel you can never have enough dishes in the house.  


CSN stores are offering this lovely pasta serving dish by Reco as a giveaway prize. It comes in a variety of colours. 

I like it in red, but it also comes in green and white. If you are the lucky winner you could choose the colour. Not only could you serve pasta in this bowl but use it to serve up healthy salad greens, display fruit on the kitchen counter, serve popcorn on movie nights, or use it to hold keys. 


Think of all the possiblities....

How to enter: so simple and easy.

1. For one entry, leave me a comment, telling me how you would use this bowl.

2. For another entry become a follower or if you already are, let me know!

 Make sure you leave a comment each time you enter.

Don't forget to give me your email if there isn't a link in your profile so I can pass along the prize to you!

I will take your entries until 7 am (pst) March 31 (Wednesday). I'll choose a winner at random and announce sometime on Wednesday.

This is open to both US and Canadian residents.