Our weekend starts today, as the kids don't have any school.  This calls for a trip to Costco (I get ridiculously excited to visit Costco, call me weird, but it's true!).  We also have a teenager who is eager to find the perfect pair of khaki joggers, so I feel a trip to the mall coming on too.

I've had a fun time refreshing a few spaces in the house over the past couple of weeks.  It feels great to finally tackle projects that I've been talking about for years!  Incase you missed it, I shared a post featuring the new wall colour in the family room.  So happy with how this space feels!

A few other updates include new artwork in the living room and dining room (you can read a story about how I almost missed out on both here):

In other news, I'm currently craving all things comfy cozy, including outfits.  I can't wait to wrap myself up in this Erinn cardigan all winter!

And you guys, clementines are in store...does that mean I can start decorating for the holidays?!  I kid lol!

This week was a fun one on the inter web and social!  Lots of people creating beautiful things and spaces.  Here are a few that caught my eye:

• Jacquelyn's foyer reveal is just everything!  Check it out here
• Leslie is taking part in the ORC and is tackling her kitchen.  She stole my heart with the latest addition to the space!
• I ordered this pullover jacket from Gap and LOVED it.  Only problem, the arms were a tad too long.  Hoping to nab another one in petite.
• If you're in the market for pillows, fabric or drapery, check out Tonic Living's 15% off sale!
• Julia recently shared her collaboration with Lulu and Georgia and the result is a drool worthy piece!
• Studio McGee and Gathre have come together to create stunning tablecloths.  Check them out here
• This Instagram account is becoming a quick favourite

In other news, I had a chance to see Talbots' upcoming winter collection and oh.my.goodness you guys, it's everything!  Absolutely everything.  Can't wait for it to go live on their site!

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Family Room Refresh

Happy Wednesday!

Last week I took some time to refresh our family room.  It started with painting over the dark grey that used to be above the chair rail.  That colour had been bugging me for a few years now, I just found it to be too dark, despite being a lover of the colour grey!  Having just finished painting the living room, and seeing how much of a difference a fresh coat of paint can have on a space, I knew that this was exactly what our family room needed.

So after humming and hawing over a bunch of different options, from navy blue, to antique green, to somewhere in between, I decided to go with "Mushroom" from Canadian Tire's Premier Paint Collection.  I'm SO happy with how the colour looks!  It's still a "grey" but it's so much better!

To finish off this portion of the refresh, I bought some new artwork (the blue print beside the white chair) from HomeSense and downloaded some free printables from Lucy's incredible blog.  A couple of new pillows from Sarah Richardson's shop and a cozy blanket from HomeSense round up the purchases that I made for this space.  The other art pieces  are recycled from around the house!

Here's how the room looks now!

other sources:

green marble Sarah Richardson pillows

Bluebellegray pillow

Gallerywall pink abstract art

Paris photograph

Dash and Albert herringbone rug

Blue buffalo check fabric on chairs

Drapery - Q Design Centre

The next step is to buy a new couch which I'm really excited about.  I'm planning on going with a light coloured fabric.  I also bought some new fabric for the kitchen chairs, to lighten that space.  I still want to brighten the family room up a bit more, so I'll be working on ways to do that in the next week or so.

Have a great day!

Cheers,

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The Perfect Floral Bouquet for Any Occasion!

I will forever have a weakness for is a gorgeous flower arrangement.  There is something about the way that a floral arrangement can add a touch of gorgeousness and beauty to a space.  And though I absolutely love fresh blooms, one of my strengths is not flower arranging.  No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to put together an arrangement the way I'd love for it to look.

This post is kindly sponsored by FTD, all opinions are my own

Needless to say, I truly appreciate the talent and eye that goes into creating a breathtaking floral bouquet.  So when FTD approached me for this campaign, I knew immediately that I would love to work together!  Even knowing that the delivery was coming, I couldn't help but to smile when the bouquet arrived at my doorstep.  I can only imagine how happy it would make an unsuspecting recipient!

This is so important to me, knowing that I can easily send something so beautiful to family and friends!  We don't live in the same city as our family members, in fact, they are all spread out across the country.  The ability to send a meaningful gift that will put a smile on their face or let them know that we are thinking of them is absolutely priceless!  To me, there is no better gift to send to those we love to celebrate milestones, achievements, birthdays and just to say hello than a floral arrangement that has been beautifully created and delivered by a local florist!

The selection at FTD is abundant, ensuring that there is a little something for every taste and every occasion.  You not only have the option to choose a floral arrangement from their various categories, but you can also add a personalized note and the size of the arrangement.

The stunning arrangement that I selected is just one example of the gorgeousness that can be created on your behalf by a local florist.  Not only does the arrangement arrive fresh, but it also arrives in a vase, which is absolutely amazing! All you recipient has to do is place the bouquet in a desired location.  I love love love that!  How many times do you get home and wonder which vase to use and how much to trim off of the bottom of your flowers?  Me: all.the.time!

I have no doubt that I will be relying on FTD Flowers in the future to send to family and friends for special occasions, be it a birthday or a simple warm "hello" and of course, the upcoming holidays.  When sending an arrangement to a recipient, I want to take into consideration what their taste is.  Do they love carnations?  Roses?  Perhaps orchids?  Do they prefer pastels or maybe jewel tones?  Ensuring that you're really taking the time to think about the colours and personal taste of the recipient will make the gift even that more touching!

Which floral arrangement do you love the most?  Do you have a favourite flower?  One that you always tend to gravitate towards?

Cheers,

This post has been sponsored by FTD, all opinions are my own
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Life Lately & a Fun Tiffany Pratt Inspired DIY

You guys, I find that I've dug myself into a decorating hole and I'm having one heck of a time trying to get out!  Goodness.  So, I've embarked on transforming the family room.  I selected a new paint colour after taping a few swatches on the wall and humming and hawing over which I preferred.  Selected "the one" proudly walked into the store and headed home with a gallon!

Well, go figure, I'm feeling that maybe my love for grey is stronger than I ever wanted to admit as I've once again chosen a "cool" grey.  So now I don't know what to do.  Do I just give it a go and then repaint?  I honestly don't mind the work, but I can't decide if I'm just being hopeful that the colour will work or denying the truth.  Ha!

In other news, did you see my Instagram post in which I shared my heart rug?  It was such a fun DIY, all to celebrate the launch of Tiffany Pratt's new collection of Krylon spray paints!  The collection includes 16 colours in a variety of finishes.  From mattes, to sea glass to metallics and glossy, there's a little something there for everyone.  And the colours, they are absolutely divine!

The challenge was based on a DIY found in Tiffany's book, This Can Be Beautiful (have you read it?!  So inspiring!!!).  The idea: add your own creative flare to a basic wool rug using spray paint!  Honestly, such a brilliant idea!

Here's what I came up with:

I knew I wanted to create a heart pattern and at first I was going to use the rug as, well, as rug!  But then I thought it would make a super cute and fun wall hanging!  So I gave that idea a go and I'm so happy with the results!  Here's how I made it happen:

I added a border by taping off two rectangles around the perimeter of the rug.  After that, I got to work on cutting heart templates in a variety of sizes out of cardboard (cereal boxes for the win!).  I cut as I went focusing on creating an organic look.  I didn't use a template for the heart shape, I cut out each heart on the fold of the cardboard to make it easy (and to ensure that each side was symmetrical to the other).

After the rug was filled with hearts, I secured the templates in place with a small piece of tape.  Again, there was/is no rhyme or reason to the placement of the hearts, I went with what I thought looked good.  The only placement that I chose purposefully was the large heart which I centered.

I covered the hearts with a larger piece of cardboard prior to spray painting the border in "Ultramarine".   Once that was done, I removed the cardboard that was covering the hearts and then covered the border.  I sprayed over the heart templates with "Ballet Slippers" and then "Metallic Plum Purple".

Once the rug was dry, I cut a dowel to length (approximately 1.5-2" longer than the width of the rug), folded the rug over the dowel and hand-stitched it into place.  A piece of twine was tied to either end of the dowel and voila!  A beautiful rug hanging!

I also used Metallic Gold spray paint on the hook from which the rug is hanging.  Decorative pinecones were sprayed with Ultramarine, Ballet Slippers and Seaside Green for an extra touch and to create a cohesive feel in the decor!

You can follow along on Instagram to see the other participants rugs and to see other beautiful ways to put the #TiffanyPrattxKrylon Collection to use!

In other news, each time I post about the cinnamon buns, someone asks for the recipe.  So incase you missed it previously, this is the recipe I use, so yummy!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Cheers,

Krylon generously gifted me the Tiffany Pratt x Krylon Collection to use for this project
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My Signature Style

You may have already guessed my signature style, but incase you haven't, it's most definitely jeans paired with a pretty top and comfy heels or flats (depending on the occasion).  It's how I'm most comfortable and for that reason I chose to wear this outfit to BlogPodium.  I didn't get any photos that day, and since it's totally an outfit that I'll be wearing again and again, I decided to share the look on the blog.  This Shimmer Stripe Swing top from Gap is fabulous!  I may have squeezed when it arrived, it's that beautiful and may have plans to buy it in black!  Of note, it's quite sheer even with the lining, but I found wearing this tank worked well.  Love love love the wide sleeves and the gold threading.

What's your signature style?

Cheers,

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