my own photo - I fell in love with the chandelier at first sight!

Oh boy, I apologize for the radio silence.  I honestly didn't mean to be gone for an entire week.  Life is super crazy busy after my husband returns from a long trip (6 weeks to be exact).  Everyone is trying to catch up, everyone wants to hang out and there is a long to do list of things to get done.  The first week back is usually pretty exhausting, just go go go.

We have started our gardens in the backyard, which I'm so excited about, but gosh it sure it a lot of work.  The weather has been absolutely spectacular which kinda makes us wish we were at the beach vs in our backyard with spades and shovels, but it will be time well spent once all is said and done.

So you can pretty much guess what we will be up to this weekend!  Gardening plus hanging some curtains (yay, finally) and then perhaps we will reward ourselves for a job well done with an afternoon oh, heck, a day at the beach!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!!

Cheers,

Canada Day - You Best Be Making This Deliciousness

-my own photo-

I honestly can't believe that it's almost Canada Day!  It seems as though time has been passing at warp speed since February, no?

I love, love, love Canada Day.  Growing up in the Nation's Capital was such a treat, hopping on an OC Transpo bus and celebrating among thousands of other proud Canadians and ending the evening with an absolutely amazing fireworks show.  Seriously, so many memories.

The weather is typically fabulous.  Hot, humid and oh so Ontario like, so you definitely want to have some summer treats and meals to keep you and your fam-jam energized.

This recipe by Canadian Living is my Canada Day go to. Truly delicious...no leftovers kind of delicious.

I highly recommend giving it a try, trust me, you won't regret it!  I mean seriously, strawberries and whip cream...can't go wrong!

Cheers,
  

Elliven At Home: Progress.

Okay.  So with the backsplash all finished, my focus has shifted somewhat back to the family room and kitchen, which are basically open to one another.

The family room is coming along, here's a peek at what it looks like now:

My plan is to move the black cabinet to the other side of the couch, hopefully it will work there. I don't like how it's hidden behind the chair.  I want to purchase a new lamp (seen here) to replace the one that's currently in there, to go on the black cabinet.  There's also the option of changing the furniture layout (couch and chairs) but I dunno, we'll see.  The coffee table is set to go.  I'm looking for a fabric ottoman, which I have yet to find, but something along the lines of this.  Pictures to hang above the couch have been ordered, just need to get the frames from Ikea (gosh I wish you could order their frames online).  Pssst...I also want to replace the rug, but since we kinda just got it aka when we moved in, I will hold off a while longer....maybe.  And while we're on the subject, it's funny, we totally had to have the leather couches when we bought them. Funny how tastes change over time. I'd much rather have fabric couches and chairs with amazing lines.  But there is no way that that will be happening any time soon.

I'm currently converting the ready made drapes I picked from rod pocket to pinch pleat. So far so good:

So that's the family room.

The kitchen is white with the black appliances.  Then we have the harvest table with the vintage dining chairs:

I only just recently recovered the chairs but the fabric isn't right.  I also need drapery and a rug for under the table.

I'm thinking of going with the same drapes I used in the family room or an off white/white linen.  Then for the chairs and rug, I'm seriously loving this combo:

My only concern is how it will go with the family room.  Maybe a white and grey striped rug instead?  Or this one from West Elm?  Decisions.

I want a fresh feeling for the kitchen. Calm, refreshing.

I finally nabbed the planter that I've been eyeing for a while now, you'd be amazed by how hard it was to find a planter with this shape and a smooth surface.  It was priced higher than I wanted to pay...that's me, totally frugal.  Anyhow, it was marked down due to a few scratches, but a little spray paint and it's perfect.  What a huge difference!

Truth: I accidentally used a satin spray paint (seen in photo above) so I went out the next day and bought some matte spray paint, which is what I originally wanted.  It's a much better look and finish.   What a silly mistake!

Here's another peek of the backsplash, seriously loving the grout!

Cheers,

Who Knew A Backsplash Could Do This To Someone!

Seriously, the title of this post says it all.  Friends, this happened today and I don't want to leave my kitchen:

Honestly, I can't believe it. I knew that it would make an impact, but I didn't realize it would make this big of a difference. Wowza!  I've dreamt of a gorgeous backsplash for such a long time, it's pretty darn exciting to now have one!

Grout will happen tomorrow and I will share more pics soon!

Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Oh boy, what a week.  Did it feel like a super long week to anyone else?

Remember that bench I spoke about here?  Well, here's a peek of it in it's new home:

The infamous gold mirror fits perfectly above it, woohoo! The living room is so close to being finished, which is very exciting.  Art work is next and I think I need to add a hibiscus in a woven basket too.

Wondering what I'm reading?  Oh, I'll tell you!  It's Rue Magazine's very first Wedding & Entertainment Issue. Did you get a chance to read it?

I absolutely loved Stephanie Bradshaw's studio tour, which is what you can see in the pic above.  You can view Rue's latest issue here.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Cheers,

Homesense Finds and Drop Pulls.

Hello, hello!

So last weekend, I ventured off to Homesense with the kids for the Homesense Loyalty Member Event.  It allows those who frequently shop at Homesense (like moi) and who scan their TJX card with each purchase, early access to the store before opening hours.  I had seen a paticular bench (more on that to come later) a few days before and had to have it, so off we went.  It was really fun!  Free coffee and treats and a $10 gift card if you spent $100 or more!  Perks are always nice, so it was great to see that Homesense was showing their love to their clients!

While there, I spotted a few items that I wanted to share:

this little number was in the clearance section. I see it with the legs spray painted gold and looking mighty fine!

I think this would look perfect in our laundry room. Homesense has a great selection of light fixtures, be sure to check them out!

a modern take on directors chair. yes!

In other news, yesterday, I broke yet another handle off of our vintage buffet, leaving only one handle on the top drawer (which spans the entire width of the piece).  So now I really want to get the new hardware.  I decided to keep it classic by going with an oval drop pull.  I've narrowed it down to two, but am having such a tough time deciding.  I asked for help on instagram and it's currently a tie!

I really just need to decide what type of look I'm going for really.  Do I want a simple pull or something with a little more detail.

Here's the buffet (sorry for the not so stellar pic): 

Cheers,

When The Ball Is Rolling, Keep Going! House Decor Plans Coming Together.

Woohoo!  Things are getting done around here, you guys!

I have SO many lists in my head it's crazy.  For the most part I'm pretty sure I know how I want each room to look and what pieces are missing, the thing is that there are A LOT of pieces missing.  This is totally fine, because it does take time, but at the same time...holy cow does it ever test ones patience when you're sitting there looking at all the emptiness (walls, floors, rooms, etc) knowing exactly what you want but you've gotta just wait.  Anyhow, yadda yadda, things are happening, slowly but surely.

First, I finally found the right lamp for the main floor hallway, finally:

I'm loving the size, texture and colour, it's perfect.  Time to finish styling the table.

Speaking of lamps.  I eyed this beauty at Homesense a while ago.

I need to rearrange the furniture in the family room to see if I can give the lamp a new home.  Hoping to place it on this beauty, but she needs to be moved to the other side of the couch if I want them to work together:

I've ordered the drapery hardware for the family room, next up is sewing together the ready made drapes I bought at Fabricland, oh, a month ago.

My new SSprintshop print arrived, I'm thinking it needs a white frame with a black mat. Yes.It.Does.

Though the backsplash has been ordered, it's not yet installed, which totally irks me.  The builder just doesn't seem to want to move as quickly as I do.  We're also waiting for the workspace in the kitchen to be installed. Seriously, what's taking so long?!  My plan is to add some gorgeous grasscloth wallpaper as a backsplash in the new workspace (classic white subway for the rest of the kitchen).

The upstairs nook is all planned out.  Prints have been chosen, mirror is ready to be hung (it's going on the opposite wall and will be flanked by four framed prints, two on either side) and I've ordered the fabric to reupholster chair #2.  Yes, I'm doing it on my own despite not enjoying redoing chair #1 on my own.  At the end of the day, it's saving me lots of money and the end result wasn't so bad....well, kinda wasn't so bad. ha!

Think the space also needs a knitted pouf for those sitting there to put their feet up on.

I'm going to move the rug that is currently in the entryway up here, just need to find a new one for the entry first.  I'm leaning towards something like this for entry (black and cream):

Phew!  There you have it. Two thumbs up for getting things done.  It feels like I'm finally figuring stuff out and because of that, deciding on a decor plan for the house isn't a tough as it used to be.

Hooray.for.that.

I have chosen a few other things, but I'll wait to share those in another post ;)

Cheers,

It's That Time! Instagram Recap - What We've Been Up To!

Holla! I kinda love these instagram updates, it's a fun way to recap what's been happening here on the home front.

This week includes a little t-ball, Monique Lhuillier dress (that fits, it fits!), reflections and more!

a bit of relaxing...I have yet to finish this magazine, maybe by week two I'll have had to read it from front to back! ha!

the boys and I ventured out to Chapters for an afternoon of reading and Starbucks fun.  Go figure we left with toys instead of books, sometimes it just happens that way!

ok, seriously...melt.my.heart.  little J played in his very first tball game last week and he was so so so thrilled. he's always loved baseball so for him to be playing vs him watching his brothers was a big deal. so cute!

if you love milk glass put your hands up! oh yes, I do.  you guys, these were $1.50 each...I know, big spenda!

ok, the wedding...it's coming and guess what, the Monique Lhuillier dress that I ordered but wasn't able to try on arrived and thank the heavens, it fits!!!  Sigh of relief.  Now to decide on a hairstyle, kind of wish my curls weren't so unpredictable, I'd love to wear my hair down curly.

there isn't anything like a great display. Homesense nailed this one...and I'm wishing I had purchased those decorative pieces on the ground, what would you call them? wire vases?

sometimes double vision is a good thing

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Cheers,

A Little Break.

You guys.  The past couple of days have been absolutely nutso.  Just crazy.  A trip to the ER (which lasted 5 hrs), a fridge & freezer that decided to take an impromptu break from working, water being left on for hours (thankfully outside and at a slow trickle, but still).  Oh.my.goodness.  Today was the first day that things seemed to calm down a bit and you have no idea how thankful I am for that.

The unexpected always happens, it's a given.  What's scary is when it's so out of your control and your child's health is at risk.  Poor little J had a nasty eye infection.  After doing what we could here at home, we decided it was best to have him seen by a physician.  Since it was a Sunday & long weekend, emerg was our only option.  He ended up being treated via IV (he was such a trooper) and is now on antibiotics.  The swelling has gone down significantly and he is doing well.  It's not until you are through the thick of it that you realize just how crazy it all was & your emotions run wild.  I'm hugging these boys like crazy and am so thankful that J should be aok.  So thankful it wasn't worse.

So, I will most likely be taking a few days rest from my little ol' blog to take care of our little guys and to get caught up here at home.

Cheers,

10 Years

I can hardly believe that 10 years ago today, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle.

Who would have thought that the handsome guy that I met in high school when I was 15 would one day be my husband.

It's been 10 amazing years.  Three kids, one dog and 4 homes (in three different provinces, gotta love military life) later, here we are.

I'm so very thankful.

Happy Anniversary shmoopy!

Cheers,
 

A Little Reminder. Take Risks.

I made this little reminder for myself and thought I'd share it here too.  I think this is a big problem of mine, I am not willing to take enough risks and often play it safe.  

Hoping to start taking risks a little more often from now on.

Cheers,

A Week of Sunshine. A Little Recap!

Oh dear, I went MIA for a little bit there, didn't it? My apology, friends.  I do have a good excuse.

You see, mother nature finally gave us a good dose of ah-mazing weather and we soaked up every last minute of it!  To the point that we are all absolutely suffering from exhaustion, an extreme level of exhaustion.

A little recap:

ooooh yes, flats are back in full force! I adore this pair from Aldo, they are fab

I'm a tank and jeans kind of gal, to me, that's a perfect combo 

J and I ventured out a little further on our run, it was the best decision I've made in a while...loving our new route so much!

I had to share this, cause I'm so excited about it, even though I look borderline crazy! I've always loved skateboarding but have never been and am still not very good, but I love it all the same.  Hubs finally took my requests for him to teach me how to do an ollie seriously....best.bday.present.eva!!!! Teach-teach-teach me how to ollie (sung to the tune of "teach me how to dougie, haha)

 one must always capture the first slurpee run of the year on camera

there have been A LOT of bike riding, just the way we like it

So that's kind of what we've been up to.  It's so awesome that hubs was here and that we were able to all enjoy the lovely weather together.  I have to admit that I'm kind of looking forward to the rain that is supposed to come, it will keep me indoors which needs some lovin'.  My floors aren't looking too good and I need to get back on track with decorating.

Speaking of which, I picked up some drapes for the family room, FINALLY!  I stumbled upon these pre-made rod pocket solid drapes when I went to purchase the fabric I planned on using to make drapes with, which they no longer had.  So when I saw these, I about did a flip!  I love the herringbone pattern and they are the right length (not easy to find since I need 108").  I will convert them to pinch pleat and may add a border trim detail.  We'll see.

Next up is finding the perfect rod and hardware, which to be honest, I didn't think was going to be this difficult.  Either the rod isn't right or the mounting hardware isn't right. I've found a rod I like, but it's too wide for the hardware and finial I like. Ugh.  I'm determined to not settle and to keep searching until I find the perfect match.

I also need to try moving some of the furniture in the family around because I desperately want this lamp.  I think it's stunning and would work with the room perfectly:

It's stunning, just stunning.

I've also decided on what to hang above the couch.  That my friends, you will have to wait for the reveal to see. Bwaahaa!

So there you have it! Now, what have you been up to?

Cheers,
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Pretty Friday. One of My Own.

-my own photo-

I took this photo of our dining room table the other day, immediately after giving it a much needed cleaning.  This table is a definite dust magnetic.  I love how shiny it is!  I can't believe that I almost passed this beauty up due to a few imperfections because it really is perfect.

Happy weekend, friends.  I hope the weather is fab wherever you are!

Cheers,