coat // top // jeans // ring (c/o) // shoes

I absolutely love this time of year.  When there's enough of a chill in the air so that you need to layer, but not excessively so.  This coat caught my eye the minute I saw it.  I not only loved the light grey colour, but the high collar was what really reeled me in.

I'm so fond of this stunning ring by Leah Alexandra.  It's such a lovely piece that believe it or not, can be adjusted, so I can easily wear it on any finger.   The perfect accessory to any outfit!  If you haven't checked out her pieces, you must!  Her jewelry is just beautiful.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Cheers,

Our Basement Makeover Reveal

Yes, it's true!  The basement makeover is done and you can see all of the pictures (including some before photos) and read all about it over on Leon's Hello Yellow blog!

Hope you love it!

Cheers,

Decorating with Silver for the Holidays!

I can hardly believe that it's that time of year!  Yes, it's time to deck the halls, bake sweet treats and crank the holiday tunes!  Falalalala lala la la!

I'm thrilled to share that I had the wonderful chance to team up with Canadian Tire for a holiday collaboration!  I decorated a living room using silver holiday decor items from their CANVAS Christmas Collection!  This was a tough secret to keep because I had an absolute blast and well, Christmas!  The entire Canadian Tire team is a dream to work with, as is the wonderful crew who brings my vision to life!  If you've been following me here for a while you know that I absolutely love Christmas and that silver is one of my favourite colours, so this was most definitely a project that I was excited to take part in from the get go!

Silver is such a great colour to decorate with for the holidays because it pairs well with so many colours!  You can easily change your accent colour from year to year!  You can even go with an all silver colour palette and simply vary the textures and finishes of your ornaments and accessories to create visual interest.  

This living room truly has a special place in my heart.  I find it to be so soothing and welcoming with just the right amount of glitter and sparkle, perfect for holiday gatherings.  My inspiration for the space was just that!  A traditional room with lots of personality where you could sit and enjoy the festive season with family and friends!  You can see all of the inspiration for this room here on Pinterest!

What I love about the silver CANVAS Christmas Collection is the wide range of products that are available, which makes decorating for the holidays an absolute breeze.  There are decorative accessories, ornaments, wreaths, trees, lights and more, all ready for you to take home!  A large owl, silver plated penguins, metallic leaf tray and white candle holders, are just a few of the festive elements that help to bring a stunning dose of the holidays to the mantel. 

Glass cloches featuring a DIY wintery scene, holiday inspired pillows and a pinecone wreath help to fill the space with all things holiday.  And yup, they are most definitely all available at Canadian Tire!

The focal point on the coffee table is this absolutely stunning tiered stand.  Stunning.  What I love most about it is it's versatility.   I chose to place snowy silver pinecones and a variety of gorgeous silver ornaments on each tier.  Ornaments are certainly not just for the tree!  If you take a look around the room, you'll also find them in decorative vases, cloches and on the metallic tray.  You can really make an impact by selecting a variety of ornaments and displaying them in creative ways throughout your space!

Now, lets talk about that tree.  Ahhh…the tree.  Would you believe it's not real?  So good, I know.  Even better is that it's pre-lit!  Beautiful feather ornaments fill any gaps and a touch of softness.  Glass teardrop ornaments with mercury insets add a hint of glam and gorgeous flower painted glass ball ornaments sit perfectly next to lovely crown-wearing swans.  The ornaments all work so beautifully together!

If you like to have a little something under the tree prior to Santa's arrival, consider making this adorable DIY present trio!  You can find the tutorial here!

This space encompasses everything that I love about the holidays!  A little sparkle, a touch of shine, a hint of glamour and complete coziness!  You can find more style and decor tips as well as DIY's and my favourite holiday tunes and traditions right here!

Want more?!  Fabulous!  Be sure to take a peek at the other colours from the CANVAS Christmas Collection!  Teal, red, gold and green!  And of course, we can't forget about the brights!  Fun ways to add a cheerful dose of colour to your space during the holidays can be found here.

A huge thank you to Canadian Tire for this amazing opportunity!  

Cheers,

Decor Progress!

Happy Friday!

I've been planning on decorating our eldest son's room for months now, literally, months.  It's sad how good I am at procrastinating when my decor ideas include something that scares me.  What scared me this time?  Painting blue stripes on the wall.  Well, guess what?  They are done and goodness do we ever love them!  We picked a dark blue that has a hint of grey.  It's the perfect colour and changes so much (in a good way) during the day.  I definitely learned a few things about painting stripes and will share in a future post.

Today I'm off to search for some art.  Here's a little peek at the striped wall and the beautiful piece from Anewall that will most likely go above the bed.

I also tackled the gallery wall in the basement, yup, it's done!  That was the last element for the basement so now it's time to photograph the space and to share the basement reveal over at the Hello Yellow blog.  Speaking of which, have you been following along over there?  If not, you
must!  There is so much inspiration!

With that, have a lovely day and weekend and GO JAYS GO!

Cheers,

Visiting the Orchard

We decided to visit a local orchard over the weekend.  It's such a fun spot and the minute you hit the grounds, you are surrounded by the most delicious smells of fall baking and the loveliest displays.

Fall is certainly my most favourite season, the scents, the layers and the beautiful sites outside just reel me in.

We had a wonderful time finding our way through the corn maze and eating empire apples right off of the tree.  If we weren't ready for fall before arriving, we most certainly are now!

Have a lovely Monday!

Cheers,

Chatting With Bryan and Sarah Baeumler From House of Bryan!!

photo source: HGTV

Yesterday I had the wonderful chance to speak to Bryan and Sarah Baeumler about their new season of House of Bryan: The Final Straw.  If you watched last season you'll be happy to know that The Final Straw is a continuation of the amazingness that we saw last season and it all starts this Sunday, October 11th at 9pm EST.  Can I just say that I could have chatted with them forever!  Seriously, they are just as wonderful as they seem on their show!  So down to earth and absolutely hilarious.  

The Baeumler's are no strangers to living through a reno (literally) and that's putting it lightly!  I absolutely loved last season of House of Bryan in which the family bought a place in the country, lived in the old part of the house while building the new addition.  As someone who dreams of one day making the move from the city to the country,  I was curious about how the transition went.  They've absolutely loved it!  That's not to say that there weren't a few hurdles to overcome and there wasn't a little bit of an adjustment period!  But other than the obvious, living off of propane, dealing with a septic tank and the fact that you aren't on city services, they are so unbelievably happy with their decision to leave the city. 

photo source: HGTV

They are so thrilled that the kids now have ample space to play and explore and they feel that living there is truly the best of both worlds.  Close enough to the city to easily access amenities, but far enough to enjoy the quieter and simpler life that comes with living in the country.   Their tip for moving to the country: be prepared, since you are out there on your own.  There will be ice storms, there will be power outages, but with the right prep work, you'll be good to go!

photo source: HGTV

Something I adore about this power couple is how they balance one another out and that they aren't afraid to show the true side of what it's like to live through a renovation.  The dynamic between the two of them is totally relatable!   And that was something that they wanted from day one, to set the tone and to show how to manage situations and issues as they pop up.  Living through a reno requires project management and as Bryan said, there's real art involved to make it all work.  So many trades and details, it's a real process!

The family built this home with a purpose and really thought ahead vs just building for the family as they are now.  The spaces for the children are so well designed and are rooms that can grow with them, it was all about thinking about the longevity of the rooms.  The current playroom is a room that can eventually act as a movie room or lounge.

photo source: HGTV

 photo source: HGTV

People often ask how to design a home when you have children and I love the fact that the Baeumler's didn't sacrifice design because they have kids.  Of course they may not be able to have all glass furniture, but with a little cleaning and a few rules, clever storage solutions and a carefully designed layout, they show that you can certainly have the home of your dreams.  You don't have to be afraid of that white kitchen or light coloured furniture.

photo source: HGTV

photo source: HGTV

So, what can we expect to see in the Final Straw?  Well, for this design lover, you can bet that you'll see the design process once again just like we did last season.  We will see them transform the old part of the home from an all wood, dated space to a more modern space that ties in with the new house for a seamless look.   The couple took the time to think about how they would be using this space that was once a kitchen and dining room and how they could update it on a minimal budget.  I can't wait to see what they do!

photo source: HGTV

I think it's one thing to work with a couple and to design a home and space for them vs designing a space for you and your family.  When asked how they deal with a difference of opinion when it comes to design details, they were so honest and made a great point.  They know each other so well and respect one another, so they would take a step back when it came to designing a room that one of them was more passionate about.  This allowed the other to really create the space of their dreams..  It's all about compromise.

Bryan and Sarah have a lot on the go, from their show, to their business, to family life and their wonderful foundation.  Yet they seem to manage it all with grace and make it look so effortless.   For them it's all about hard work, go and get what you want, but be ready to have to work for it!  Laughing along the way keeps the tone light and in the end, they are truly doing what they love, so to them, it doesn't necessarily feel like work.

You really get a sense that this is a family whose priority is family.  It was important for them to create a home and space that everyone in the family would love and continue to love for years to come.  A home that will grow and evolve with them.  And I love that.

Their tips to anyone who is about to embark on a reno, big or small:

1. Set a realistic budget - seriously - this is most important
2. Create a plan
3. (and perhaps my favourite) - Enjoy the journey!  It's a trip to get to the end result, but that's all part of the experience!

The fun starts with back to back episodes on Sunday, October 11th at 9pm EST.  This season may also include a tree house for the kids (yes!), a chicken coop and of course, the barn.  I had a chance to view the first episode and I laughed so hard, I seriously love this show and this family.  Be sure to tune in!  If you can't wait until Sunday, you can catch a snippet of what's to come here.

Cheers,

Visiting BC

photo by Brittany

I've been to BC before, but only to Vernon, which is gorgeous but I couldn't wait to get back to BC and to finally visit Vancouver!  There are so many reasons to be jealous of to love Vancouver and I couldn't wait to take it all in first hand.

Of course, I was there for BlogPodium 2015, which was a huge success by the way and I promise to chat more about that later, but for today, I wanted to share a quick round up of the trip.  I find that it takes me a few days, perhaps a week to really digest everything after BlogPodium.  Lots of thoughts running through my head at this point, don't worry, I'm writing everything down so that I don't forget what I want to say!

Our first day was all about adjusting to the time change and taking in the hotel's surroundings.

photo by Brittany

On Friday we were lucky enough to visit The Cross Design for a BlogPodium welcome party.  The staff was amazing and the store was even more stunning in person!  I was hoping to get back to the store for another visit, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance.  There was just so much gorgeousness and those of you who are lucky enough to visit The Cross on a regular basis, I'm jealous!

Jennifer Flores, the founder of BlogPodium and Stephanie Volger co-owner of The Cross Design welcoming guests to the BlogPodium party.

Prior to The Cross Design party, we popped in to Butter Baked Goods.  I enjoyed the most delicious sandwich and the amazing decor!

Dajana and I trekked 12 kms (or was it 13, D?) around Stanley Park and throughout the city on Sunday.  The weather was absolute perfection and Dajana was such a joy to be around!  Afterwards, Dajana, Christine and I made it to Tacofino which was out of this world delicious! Yummy!

I had such a wonderful time and have returned home with a new perspective and I'm ready to set new goals.  The trip was so much fun.  I'm pretty tired and trying to get caught up on things around here, but I'm really looking forward to the coming months.

I promise to have a BlogPodium recap post up soon!

Cheers,