The Nook

 The nook is finished! And the staircase too. 
For anyone new to this story, we decided to remove the closet at the top of the stairs and replace it with a dresser instead. I have always loved the old-fashioned approach to storage.
This is what we used to see at the top of the stairs:

 And this is what we see now!

I could not ask for a more enthusiastic and hard working man than my husband. He is so supportive of all my ideas, even if they mean a lot of extra work for him. He tore out the old ceiling tiles and the closet and then he built the plank walls and ceiling all by himself. 
Here are the old ceiling tiles. 

We painted the ceiling a light blue to add some color and prettiness to the space. It matches the blue in our bedroom which is to the right of the stairs.


Reducing our storage forced me to further evaluate the things I needed, and to donate the extras. I think that extra storage can often lead to keeping unnecessary items.

The old pine dresser is from a farmhouse near where we were married. I found it on Kijiji of course:) We are going to make a white barnboard frame to go above the flea market chair.

Here is our family photo gallery. I love this wall! I really wanted a classic look to the photos and I think using all black frames helps achieve that.
We could not afford to change the carpet, but it is in good condition and is neutral. I think that a lot of people avoid renovating and decorating spaces until they can make them absolutely perfect. However, it is so rewarding to look at a space and think of all the things that you can do now with a little effort (or a lot of effort from my husband as in this case!) Cedar plank paneling like this is very affordable and added character to a space that had none previously.

I found this simple vintage-inspired light at Lowes for $30.

The view going downstairs is much nicer too!
Our approach to doing any room in our house is to first concentrate on the "backdrop." Generally, for us this means adding beadboard, painting, replacing ceiling tiles and flooring. When you have a textured backdrop it makes everything in front look prettier. We could have invested hundreds of dollars in a brand new dresser or armoire, but instead we chose to spend the money changing the architecture and buy used furniture instead. I really don't think the furniture is as important as what is behind it and how it is  displayed.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our nook. Today is hot, with a sweaty baby and without a working air conditioner I am very glad someone invented fans!
Have a wonderful day:)
I'm linking this to the Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday
and Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

Bathroom Planning

I hope you all had a wonderful week! I have been very busy with my little girl so I thought I would just share with you our bathroom ideas. I hope somebody will find it interesting! Our renovation is set to start very soon so we are finalizing all the plans as much as we can now.
We were very excited to find this pretty sink for $50 on Kijiji brand new. It retails for over $400 here. 

I think it will go nicely with our tub that we found for $65. We are painting it white of course!

There will be white marble hexagon tiles on the floor, white plank walls, and a light blue plank ceiling.I read once in a Country Living magazine that in the south in the U.S. the porch ceilings were painted a light blue called haint blue and it was said to ward against wasps. We don't have a wasp problem but I love the idea!

We hope to have some built ins that will incorporate architectural salvage and have a light blue beadboard backing to match the ceiling.
We haven't decided for sure on the light but I love this one from Barn Light Electric.

I can't believe we are finally going to have a new bathroom! I'm so excited. It is our only bathroom and it is very tiny so we are going to knock out a wall to give us a few more inches in the bathroom. Which will mean a few less inches in the guest room but I think it will be worth it! And with all the destruction the guest room might get a little updating too...
 I will keep you posted! 
Thank you all for following along this little blog!

A Painted Hutch

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend, it is still happening here in Canada! Today we are going to work in our garden and have a barbecue. 

I thought I would show you our newly painted hutch. While I loved the natural wood I felt that there was a little too much wood for such a small room. I have wanted to do this for awhile but I was a little nervous to do so since it was a pretty new piece in great condition, but I knew we would love the painted result. And we do! 

 I love the look of painted furniture mixed with natural wood.
I know from your emails that there are some of you that love painted furniture as well but are afraid to 'ruin' a good piece. I would encourage you that unless you have a priceless antique (made before the industrial revolution) then you really cannot devalue a piece by painting it.

I don't think we should take these things so seriously, if you want to paint it go ahead! It's just furniture. As long as your husband agrees of course:) 
I used Farrow and Ball's Pointing, a wonderful warm white that looks great with other whites and creams. It is their most popular paint colour. It would not look as good in a room that you wanted a more beachy feel with cool blues and bright white, like our bedroom.

I filled it with white ironstone from thrift stores. Each plate cost between 25 and 75 cents. While it is hard to find antique ironstone platters and bowls at thrift stores I always see plates like these. I think they look great grouped together since they each have a different shade of white.

I am always inspired by readers and other blogs. I put a starfish in between the plates like I saw Melanie do on one of my favourite blogs, Pretties and Posies.

I also finished another chair cover, just two more to go!
Have a wonderful day:)

I Love This House

Today I was spring cleaning. Honestly, I actually sort of enjoy cleaning. I love fresh sheets, sparkling floors, and folded laundry. 
When I was finished cleaning and saw the sun pouring onto the warm barnboard floors I was struck by the thought that I love this house. 

Not because it is perfect or beautiful or in a premium location. There are many flaws, some that we are slowly working on replacing, like the ceilings. Others that we have just come to accept as part of this house, like the lack of closets. Some of the flaws I have even grown to love, like the layers of paint on the old trim that lend a warmth and sheen in a way that new wood never could.

I think that blogging and magazines can influence us to think a little negatively about our houses. We are often focusing on the flaws, on what needs to be the next project. 
Today I was reminded about the best things about our house, and about what makes it our home.

I love how I know exactly where to step to avoid creaking floorboards once I set Layla down in her crib. I love the afternoon sun in the back rooms and the old front door. I love the old tree that has grown a little wild in the backyard.

I love the lilacs and how they remind me of Layla because they bloomed the day we brought her home.

In the spirit of being content and grateful for what we have, maybe you could think about why you love your house/apartment/rental. I would love to hear about it in the comments if you wanted to share, or keeping it to yourself is okay too:)
It is a long weekend here and there are firecrackers happening right now. I have always loved firecrackers but now that I have a sleeping baby they seem so loud!
Have a wonderful weekend!

A Spring Table Setting

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I have been busy looking after a certain little girl who had shots yesterday. She is much happier today though!

 My weekend find was three vintage mason jars at a garage sale down the street. I like their lids and I plan on using them for display in our bathroom, once it is finished. We are hoping to have a wall of built-ins, and I am imagining all the possibilities for decorating them!

I decided to use them today as part of a spring table setting.

 I cut two geraniums from our front yard, since my beloved peonies are quickly fading. 

I do like setting a nice table, even if it is just for us. After all, I think I should be most concerned with making things beautiful and special for my family, not just for guests.

I also wanted to let you know that I added a "Tutorials" page to the blog, right below the title. I thought this might be a good place since not everyone is interested in the "how-to" information. I will be adding more as I go along. For now I have posted about how to sew the ruffled skirt chair covers. It is really meant for beginner sewers, I am a little nervous to put it up since I just started sewing and I'm not sure if I am doing everything properly. If you are more advanced (like my Mom, Aunt A., or Mrs. M) please feel free to let me know if I should do something differently or if you have any tips! (Thank you Mrs. M for the tip about using good thread, it has made a big difference).

I will be back soon with more updates!
I'm linking this to Tablescape Thursday

A Few Thoughts and More Pillows!

Since starting this little blog I have met so many other women who enjoy the process of creating a home. 
A few weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to win two giveaways from two wonderful bloggers. I was so excited! I sent Dave an email that started with "I won!" and he said he thought I had won a car. 

The first giveaway was from Deb at Cappuccino Cottage 

Deb is so generous. I won two beautiful white Pottery Barn pillows. I put them on either side of our sofa with some other linen pillows I made. For now I replaced the top cushions of our sofa with these down filled ones. I think it is a nice change. There is no rule that you have to use sofa cushions!

I have been moving them all around the house and they look great everywhere! Thank you so much Deb! I love my new pillows.


I made the burlap one in the centre too because I thought it looked slightly more masculine and my husband loves to use lumbar pillows. Although, I didn't think about how scratchy burlap could be, I might have to make him a new one!

The other giveaway was from the lovely Jillian at The Virginia House. I won a display boat! But I have to wait to show you it in it's new home that is not quite finished yet. Thank you Jillian I love my boat!

 Finally, I wanted to introduce you to Jojena from the new blog Secret Garden Cottage
Her house is gorgeous, wait until you see her kitchen.
Oh and before I forget, reader Mary correctly guessed the last photo of my previous post, it was taken in our new nook! I can't wait to show you more. 
Have a wonderful weekend!

My Favourite Flower

Peonies are far and away my favorite flower. I'm sure many of you will agree. They were the first thing I planted in our little garden. So far there are three buds on our plant this year. I couldn't bear to cut them so today Layla and I went to a local flower shop and picked out five of our favorites. It was a special treat I have been saving for; I haven't bought flowers in well over a month. 

I love how they look even prettier before they are in bloom. I love the anticipation of their opening. 

I once saw a picture of Martha Stewart's garden in a magazine and she planted a whole field of peonies, could you imagine!?

I arranged them in my sap bucket from the White Flower Farmhouse. 
 
I was wondering if any of my dear readers might be able to guess where I took this picture (the last one)?

Thank you all for your comments on my chair covers, I will have the tutorial ready soon. Right now Layla is asleep and I am having a tea and enjoying my peonies. I hope you have a wonderful evening!

Ruffled Skirt Chair Covers

 Today I decided to get started on my dining chair slipcovers. Here is the first one.

I used an antique linen thrift store sheet I found for 75 cents. I sew a lot of projects out of vintage linens, mainly because I find it is very easy to find good quality fabric like linen for a great price.

 I will be able to make two covers out of this sheet, probably more except I will run out of hemmed edges. And the hemmed edges are the second best thing about using vintage sheets for fabric! It makes sewing so much quicker. I started this during Layla's naptime and I was finished before she woke up, and I even managed to eat lunch too!

The ties at the back are my favorite part! 

 I found those hatboxes at Ikea. I'm always looking for pretty storage options.

These are very easy to make, even if you only know how to sew a straight line. I took some pictures as I went along so if there happens to be anyone who is interested to see them just let me know in comments/email and I could do a tutorial.

Have a wonderful day!

I am linking this to Transformation Thursday