Happy Monday!

Though this week's temps are going to be quite high, last week we had a few days when you could feel fall creeping in.  I adore fall, but I'm not ready just yet.  I can't believe that in a weeks time, the kids will be back to school.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I know that summer can't last forever, but boy am I ever going to miss their company.

I'm prepping for back to school by writing a list of things to do around the house.  On that list is to fix the living room.  I have to admit that the piano may have been a mistake, truth.  Even though I measured the space and we love it,  it seems to have taken up a little more room that I had envisioned.  The room no longer has an airy feeling and I haven't loved it for a while now.

I started by moving the couch back to where it used to be, in front of the window.  I think that that really helped.  I also took away one of our side tables (which I plan to replace anyhow) and put the gold stool there for the time being, but it seems to really work there.  I took away some decorative pieces that were on top of the piano which also helped.

gold coasters - Renee Redesigns (c/o)

I found some lovely ginger jar lamps, which I plan on purchasing to try out in this room.  But first, I need to find some side tables and I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for.  Something light and airy.  I'm considering shifting the mirror towards the dining room, that way, we can move everything down a bit, which will help make the room feel airier as well.  There is enough space between the living room and dining room to do this.

Next up will be the dining room.  I'd love to add some fabric wing back chairs (like this or this or this) to the head of the table and to replace the parson chairs with something a little fancier.

All of these plans are tell-tale signs that fall most definitely is near, as I usually don't pick apart the house during the summer months.  But!  There's still one more week of summer vacation left and we plan on making the most of it!  Stay tuned for updates later in the month!

Cheers,

Introducing the CANVAS Home and Dining Collection by Canadian Tire!

I am so beyond excited about today's post!  I've been keeping a secret from you guys and I finally get to share all of the details!

A couple of months ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with the amazing team at Canadian Tire.  The collaboration was so much fun and it was all to help celebrate the launch of their new CANVAS Home and Dining Collection (#MyCANVAS).   The days included in-studio filming and photography and chatting about the room that I styled.   

My focus was to provide inspiration on how to bring a touch of formality to eat-in kitchens.  You certainly don't need a dining room to bring a formal feel to your eating space and having a space that can both formal and causal is wonderful.  The Evans Creek Collection is absolutely fantastic, I love the X motif on the chairs and table legs.  I chose to add fabric chairs at the head of the table and also included even more seating by placing stools on either side of the Stacked White Cabinet.

The gorgeous Stacked White Cabinet creates a beautiful focal point.  I added puck lights to the top section to illuminate the decorative items, the lights also create beautiful ambiance in the evening hours.  Place some baskets on the lower shelves to hold extra utensils or even kids' crafting supplies.

I carried the colour throughout the room with the use of the stunning CANVAS Dinnerware Collection as well as art and I added a rustic touch with the help of the light fixture.  

You can truly create a custom space using only pieces from the CANVAS Home and Dining Collection.  One of my favourite things to do when it comes to decorating is to mix pieces and to choose furniture that offers versatility.   The wide variety of furniture in the CANVAS Home and Dining Collection allows you to do just that.  No one will know that you purchased all of the items from the same place!  The selection is just fantastic.

Now I don't want to give too much away!  You can read all about the space I created and watch videos (yep, videos!) on how to create the same look over at the Canadian Tire website.

Curious to see my inspiration for this space?  Be sure to check out my Pinterest board! 

Wanting more?  Monika and Christine also collaborated with Canadian Tire, creating two other rooms.  You can find Monika's page here and Christine's here.  You're gonna love them and you can view the entire CANVAS Home and Dining Collection here.

Be sure to follow Canadian Tire on social media at @canadiantire and if you purchase any items from the CANVAS Home and Dining Collection, use the hashtag #MyCANVAS to share!  We want to see how you're styling your pieces!

A very big thank you to the entire Canadian Tire team for this incredible opportunity!  It is inspiring to work with a group of people who are so passionate about what they do.  The team is focused on designing great products that homeowners will love and be proud of.  It was certainly an unforgettable experience!

Cheers,

Back to School Shoes & The Shoe Company Giveaway Winner!

A huge thanks to everyone who entered The Shoe Company giveaway!  I'm thrilled to announce that the winner is Brenda Penton!  Congratulations, Brenda!  Look for an email shortly.

Of course, we wanted to take advantage of the BOGO deal (which is on until Sept 13th!) so our fam-jam headed to our local store to shop for some indoor and outdoor back to school kicks.

Both my husband and I love a great pair of shoes, but we are pretty darn frugal so the price has to be right!  Though the kids didn't pay too much attention to the sticker price, they certainly loved shopping for new runners.  The apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree!  Or should I say apples?!

The kids had so much fun searching for "the" ones.  They also loved the fact that they could easily search for their size on their own and honestly, I did too!  At The Shoe Company, you don't have to wait in line for the associate to run to the back to see if they have your size in stock, everything is out in the open, ready for you to grab.  If you need assistance or have any questions, the associates are more than happy to help.  (Tip: don't see your size in-store? Then be sure to check online!)

The selection was pretty darn great.  There were skateboarding shoes, slide-ons,  shoes with velcro closures, basketball shoes, running shoes and more!

The boys tried on a LOT of shoes before deciding which ones they wanted to take home.  The all black Vans and Nike High Tops were both big hits.

It was great to finish all of our back to school shoe shopping at once, in one spot.  Indoor shoes with non-marking soles, check!  Outdoor shoes that can hold up to wear and tear, check!

If you stop in to The Shoe Company, be sure to share pics of your shopping experience and let us know which shoes you purchased!  And thanks once again to everyone who entered the contest!

Cheers,

**This post was kindly sponsored by The Shoe Company, however all opinions are my own.

BOGO at The Shoe Company & A Giveaway!

Can you even believe that in a short couple of weeks, our kids will be hopping on the bus and heading back to school?!

Though we don't have a huge list of items to buy for back to school, we do have a bit of shopping to do.  I remember being totally excited to shop for back to school items as a kid!  I'm pretty excited to be partnering with The Shoe Company to help them celebrate their month long BOGO sale!  That's right!  Buy one pair, get the 2nd pair at 25% off.  Our school requires us to send the kids with indoor shoes, which means that we need to buy at least three pairs of new sneaks that are non-marking.  

This BOGO deal is fabulous since we typically end up purchasing each kiddo a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes (6 pairs of shoes in total).   To them, shopping for new shoes is pretty much the best thing ever!  What's tricky though, is trying to find a store that has a great selection to meet each of our kids' different tastes and price tags that make us parents smile.

The kids all love different styles and colours of shoes, so the more options a store has to offer, the better!  You know what's awesome?  The Shoe Company even has you covered if you kiddos go to a school that requires uniforms.  

The Shoe Company is most certainly a family friendly store and they strive to offer you great shoes at even better prices at each of their 75+ stores in Canada.

We will be heading to our local store next week, to get an idea as to what's in store, the kids hopped on the The Shoe Company website!

We, of course, want to help you and your family celebrate back to school!  The Shoe Company is giving one lucky reader a $250 gift card to their store!  Enter the contest below and please find all contest rules and regulations here. (please note, contest is only open to Canadian Resident.  Contest is open from Aug 13, 2015 to 12:00am EST on Aug 27, 2015).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heading to The Shoe Company to do a little shopping?  Be sure to share images or tweets about the shoes that your kiddos picked out!  I will be Instagramming our live shopping experience next week, so be sure to follow along!

You can also stay up to date on what's new at The Shoe Company by following them on Facebook!

Cheers,

**This post is sponsored by The Shoe Company, however this in no way influenced my opinion.  All opinions are my own.

Beach Days.

It's so unbelievably hard to believe that August is here!  We will continue to soak up every ounce of sunshine until the school bell rings once again!

We have been able to make it to the beach quite a few times over the past couple of weeks, which has been so great.  It's by far our favourite place to be.

Last week, we scoped out a new beach and it did not disappoint!  The shore line was covered in beautifully tumbled rocks (so smooth, but still a little tricky to walk on!) and terrific sand.

I just love it and feel like the beach is the one place that I can really and truly relax.  You?

Cheers,

White on White Classics

Would you believe that this is the first pair of white jeans that I've ever owned?!  I know, craziness.  I was determined to find a great pair of white jeans and the minute I tried on this pair from Gap Factory, I knew that they were the ones!  I mentioned before that I'm all about white outfits this summer and this all white outfit is definitely a favourite!  I've been getting so much use out of this unbelievably gorgeous BRAVE Leather tote (not to mention a slew of compliments!).  It's just so practical, the perfect size and I love how easily I can access items that I'm carrying in it.  Of course, no outfit would be complete without a touch of pink, right?!

Giovana Tote - BRAVE Leather (c/o)//Jeans - Gap Factory//Top - Gap//Flats - Coach (old)//

Jabilo Cuff - BRAVE Leather (c/o)

Have a lovely day!

Cheers,