The Outdoor Extravaganza Link Party!

Friday, May 26, 2017

I have to say that it's been so fun taking part in this year's Outdoor Extravaganza party!  It's given me the kick I needed to tackle our patio!

Now it's time for you to share your outdoor creations with us as part of the Outdoor Extravaganza link party!  If you have a post that's related to gardening, entertaining, outdoor diy's then we'd love for you to join in on the fun!

As a quick recap, here are the posts that I've shared as participant in the Outdoor Extravaganza!

Week 1


Week 2


Week 3

DIY Mosquito Repelling Planter Box


Ready to share your outdoor related post, new or old?!  Please note that by entering the link up party, you're giving us permissions to feature an image on our blogs and/or social media channels (of course, proper credit will always be given).   Please post to a specific page featuring your own work, not your homepage, so that it's easy for everyone to see what you've been up to!  We do ask that you don't share links that promote a giveaway, other link up parties or shops, thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Okay, click the link below to join in on the fun!



Be sure to use the hashtag #OutdoorExtravaganza when posting on social so that we can see!

Cheers,

DIY Mosquito Repelling Planter Box

Thursday, May 25, 2017


I can't even begin to tell you how much I despise the sound and company of mosquitos.  I'm horrible, the minute mosquitos start being an issue, I will do all I can to keep them away!


In an effort to naturally repel this pesky insects, I decided that for this week's Outdoor Extravaganza post, that I was going to use some scrap wood that we had leftover from a previous project to make a planter box.  After doing a little reading, I learned that lavender not only looks beautiful and has an incredible scent, but mosquitos don't like it at all!  Other great natural repellants include citronella, lemon thyme, lemon grass and marigolds to name a few.





Here's what you need to make the planter box:

  • wood
  • screws
  • stain (I used Provincial by Minwax)
  • plastic
  • tools - measuring tape, drill or screwdriver, saw (or you can have the wood cut to size in store)

As mentioned, I used leftover wood that we had here at the house.  A pine fence board would give you the same look, or you could use pine for a less rustic finish.  Either option would be between $4-$10 a board.  I chose measurements (22.5" for the sides and bottom and 6 1/4" for the ends (five pieces in total)) that would allow me to use the one piece I had.  I also happened to have some leftover deck screws, so I used them.  Because I knew that this was going outside, I didn't mind that it didn't look "perfect".

Once you have your wood cut to size, you can screw the pieces together.  I made the mistake of not pre-drilling my holes and cracked one of the pieces, so don't be like me, take the time to pre-drill holes!  I also made some drainage holes in the bottom of the box.

After your box is put together, use your stain of choice to stain the entire piece except for the inside.  I did add stain to the top 2" just so that it would look good if the dirt didn't go to the top.


You may want to add some plastic to protect the wood.  I drilled a few drainage holes, and then I made sure to make a hole through the plastic so that the holes would do their job!




Now it's time to add your dirt and flowers!  I placed some rocks at the bottom of the planter box to help with drainage and then filled the box with dirt.  This is the first time that I've ever planted lavender, so I may have planted one (or two) too many!  The spacing requirements are more than I gave the plants. If they become too crowded, I'll move them to other planter and scatter them around the sitting area.  


Once the lavender is in full bloom, they will be much taller and have those beautiful purple flowers!  Some white alyssum will fill in the gaps and cover the dirt.  You could also use lobelia for this or add some beautiful pea gravel.   The lavender would look amazing on it's own too!


Now it's time to sit back and admire your new planter!  Go you! 











The rest of the participants have been SO creative this week!  Be sure to take a peek here:


Wire Orb Topiary DIY by Craftberry Bush
Farmhouse Painted Chair by Making it in the Mountains
Distressed Wood Outdoor Side Table by Satori Design for Living
Split Rail Fence by The Happy Housie

And now it's almost your turn to show us spring projects!  Tomorrow I'll be sharing details about the link up party, so be sure to pop by for to participate! 

Cheers,

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Backyard Patio Tea Party!

Thursday, May 18, 2017





Hi everyone!  It's time for the second post in the Outdoor Extravaganza!  Did you enjoy all of the posts from last week?  A huge thanks to Shauna for hosting the hop!


Any excuse to sit outside and enjoy the patio is a good one this time of year, right?!  I love nothing more than a delicious cup of tea alongside a sweet treat.  Since the patio is all decked out with flowers, I brought the party outside!  That may very well be the best part about entertaining outdoors is the fact that you can use your planters as decor and don't need to buy flowers!

With that in mind, I decided to host an afternoon tea party with a couple of friends.  I've always loved the idea of a backyard tea party!  A delicious dessert, strawberry cupcake, served in plastic wine glasses (you wouldn't know that they were plastic until you picked them up, love that!) and tea served in vintage tea cups are the main focus for this casual event but fun afternoon gathering!




For the "strawberry shortcake" cups, I used a delicious angel food cake (totally bought it pre-made, ha!!) which I tore into bite size pieces.  I then added a dollop of whipped cream and topped that with some sliced strawberries.  Repeat one more time (or as many as your cups allow) and garnish with some mint leaves!  Easy peasy and you have the most scrumptious dessert that goes along perfectly with a cup of tea!  

I love how it's not a messy dessert too, since you eat it with a spoon or fork.  Can I be honest?!  I may have added an extra dollop of whipped cream, sooooooo yummy!




I adore any excuse to break out the vintage tea set.  They are so beautiful!  No perfect sets here, mixing and matching is where it's at!  Makes it easy for everyone to remember which cup is there's as well.







Do you have a favourite tea?  I usually reach for Earl Gray :)

Be sure to check out the other beautiful and inspiring posts below!  And don't forget!  The link up party will be happening on May 26th!


Backyard Patio Tea Party by Elliven Studio
DIY Farmhouse Serving Tray by Making it in the Mountains

Cheers,

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Powder Room Makeover

Friday, May 12, 2017




I recently decided that it was time to start tackling projects around the house that have been on my to-do list for years (yes, years).  One huge problem though, I didn't have any of the tools necessary for any of the projects that we had in mind!  Can you even believe it?!  I guess it just goes to show how much we've gotten done in the past couple of years, ha!

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Canadian Tire on our powder room makeover.  Not only because I love their store, but because this is just the beginning of us updating our house!  Thank you, Canadian Tire for sponsoring this post!  You made this makeover possible!

I set out to start with the powder room because it was a small space and I knew that we would have a thing or two to learn when it came to working with trim and wallpaper.  There was indeed a bit of a learning curve (read a big learning curve lol), but I tell you that the tools most definitely did not let us down and we had a blast!

Here's what we started with:




And this is how the room looks now!!




This is how we got there!

For this project we used an amazing mitre saw (never did I ever think that I would be referring to a mitre saw as amazing, but I now have a new appreciation for this tool), as well as a brad nailer with compressor (similar compressor).  We had this hose for the compressor and bought this accessory kit, which allows you to attach the compressor to the nail gun and the accessories will also come in handy for future projects!

I can't lie, I was a pretty nervous when it came time to use each of these tools as they were all new to me and never in my life had I cut trim.  But as I mentioned, I was amazed by how easy they were to use.  My favourite features on the mitre saw are the laser (first and foremost, the laser is everything!  One thing that my husband called me on was my lack of precision and well, it's very important!  Caulking and wood filler doesn't cover everything lol).

I also loved the clamp, the fact that it's a sliding mitre saw and that it has a 12 inch blade (this will be great for any backyard projects).  I also appreciated how it cuts on various angles, so necessary when installing trim, especially crown moulding.

The compressor did not disappoint, it can certainly handle any projects that we have in the coming months.  We chose one that was a little more heavy duty, only because we wanted a compressor that could handle any job, including adding air to tires.









As for the nail gun, gosh, they are incredible, aren't they?!  We used both 2" and 1 1/4" nails for this project, love how the nail gun allowed us to change the depth of the nail.  The quick release was also super handy since we tackled this job over a couple of days.  We could easily and quickly remove it from the hose to put away.

After we learned how to use the tools, it was on to adding the trim.  The mitre saw made it easy to get the necessary cuts.  We used this gorgeous panel moulding by Metrie for the large rectangles (which are 4 inches from the wall, baseboards and chair rail) and simple pieces for the chair rail (also from Metrie).  

Because this is a powder room and not a full bath, we went with MDF for our trim.  I'd definitely use wood trim if you were installing in a room with high humidity and where the walls would get wet.  



Once installed and after we caulked all of the joints and nail holes, I painted the lower portion of the wall in Polar Bear from Canadian Tire's Premier Paint.  Now we made this paint work because it's white and was going on over a dark grey wall.  I added 3 coats and they went on beautifully!! 





gorgeous paper bag by Uashmama c/o (I placed a vase inside to hold the flowers)

I think when someone shares a project that they tackled for the first time, a good question to ask is “would you do it again”.  So, my answer to that question, the moulding and trim, yes, 100% I would do it again and plan to in the near future.  Wink wink!  As for the wallpaper, I'm also going to say yes to this, with a bit of hesitation lol.  I think this was a tricky space to wallpaper, which I didn’t realize until I had started.  It wasn’t that wallpapering was difficult, if it was a feature wall let’s say, it would have been much easier.

The small workspace and the tricky cuts made it a little frustrating for this first timer.  That being said, the wallpaper did go on much easier than I thought it would.  It is forgiving in some regards and not so much in others.  And well, there's no denying that the wallpaper (I used this one!) completely transformed this space and so perhaps for that reason alone, I'd totally do it again!

Something that completely surprised me when I was searching Canadian Tire's website for tools was discovering that not only did they have great tools, but that they also have an incredible amount of gorgeous faucets and bathroom accessories!  Did you know this?!  I didn't and can't believe that I didn't!  So yes, the stunning Delta faucet is also from CT and you guys, I can't get over how much of a difference it's had on the space!  

The only things that stayed in the room from before the makeover were the sink, toilet and light, everything else is a new addition, which I picked up from Canadian Tire!  From the soap pump, to the basket, toilet paper holder and towel holder!  One stop shopping is honestly sooooo good, isn't it?!




I can't even begin to tell you how satisfying it feels to have completed this project on our own!  There's something to be said about stepping back and knowing that you can make this type of upgrade on your own!

I can't wait to share more projects with you soon!

Cheers,

***This post was sponsored by Canadian Tire, all opinions are my own and you guys, I'm SO excited to tackle more jobs around the house!!!***
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