Thursday 16 February 2012

Some Flooring ideas


Jason was complaining that he didn’t want the whole house to be laminate. Which I both understand and find funny…since we don’t have any laminate in the house yet! We're doing cork in the kitchen, 


and an engineered hardwood in the dining room.

The bathroom is going to have tile and the bedrooms also will be having some sort of hardwood layed in them when we get around to it (whatever we can get for a good deal from another auction). He was suggesting vinyl. Which, wasn’t really ok with me, because all I could think of was ugly, tacky, roll out “mats”. I know that there are other options, that they’ve come a long way with vinyl, because I’ve seen them use some tiles and other, better looking things on all those home improvement shows. So I went in search of those, not the ugly things that I saw in Rona, or the Depot. I came across a site for Karndean International that have a TON of vinyl tile options that are actually, well, appealing! They don’t make me want to run the other way, like those sheets waiting on the rolls in the stores.
  I was excited. They were able to allow Jason and I to compromise, he liked the durability of the vinyl, and I liked all their options and the fact that they didn’t really look like vinyl. The best part is you can order samples…FREE…and a catalogue, and you receive it within a week. I ordered a dark sample, with the living room in mind, and then just a random one. I really love the dark one, it’s exactly what I was thinking of for the living room…super dark, with subtle wood tones, it actually looks like it could be real wood. They’re a “tile”, or basically a “plank” like a piece of hardwood, which just makes them look even more like real wood.


  So I love it, I’m a convert to the dark side of vinyl! I was pumped to show Jason we can have a good looking, durable, non-laminate option for the living room. I ask him if he likes it:

Jason: “Yeah, sure.”
Me: UGH! Seriously?! Yeah sure?! “So you don’t really like it then?”
Jason: “Well, not really.”
Me: of course you don’t, because I finally like something that’s vinyl. “I think it looks really natural, it’s got the wood tones, and veins running through it, it’s pretty much exactly what I was thinking of for the living room.
Jason: “Well why does everything has to look like wood?”
Me: Huh?? “umm…well what’s it supposed to look like? Carpet? It’s vinyl…”
Jason: “I dunno, tile?”

This is where I had to stop talking, because I was afraid I would say something that would spark an argument, because now he was just being ridiculous. Tile? Seriously, who puts tile in a living room haha? We went through a house that had tile in the living room, and he made fun of it more than I did! We’ve revisited it a few times, since that initial conversation, and he’s slowly starting to come around…I just keep reminding him that the vinyl was his idea, and I like it.
  Now the conversations are leaning more towards whether we’re going to take the vinyl all the way into the entryway, or if we’re going to do tile in the entryway – like (these) penny rounds. I love pennyrounds, and like the look of them on the floor in an entry way, but because our entry is going to be more open to the living room (divided only by a short, half wall) it seems more logical to extend the vinyl all the way out. (You know, because it’s so durable that people often put it in an entryway to begin with) As much as I love and want the black pennyrounds, I think it’s a better choice to just extend the vinyl, it makes it seems more seamless, and we won’t have to have that awkward seam hump. So it looks like we’ll be going with the lovely dark vinyl from Karndean International, unless we find something similar at an auction for cheaper.

Monday 13 February 2012

Mood Board Monday - Emma Watson

I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, and since we STILL don't have internet (stupid company doesn't seem to want to respond to the many emails I've sent them),  so it's proving a bit more difficult than I would have liked. But, hopefully we will have internet soon. Here's another fun board I've been working on. 



This one takes inspiration from Emma Watson's interesting outfit. I actually really like her shirt, it's bold, and cool, and I would totally wear it, if I could pull it off haha. So with her outfit in mind, I set out to create a fun, yet sophisticated teen girl room. I really don't like pink, so this was a bit more difficult that I initially though, especially since the made up girl (Madelyn) in my head's favourite colour was pink haha, so it clearly needed to be represented.



Refreshing, no? It's girly, with both kid and adult aspects to it, that can transition with her as she grows into an adult.

1. Painting the walls the lighter of the two pinks, "Ballet Slipper Pink" by Martha Stewart Living, and the ceiling the darker "Persimmon Red" (also MSL) allows easier play with the accessorizing colours. And satisfies Madelyn by using her favourite colour.

2. A fun and glamorous chintz chandelier hanging at the foot of the bed, adds a fun pattern on the wall as it glistens. It's super fun way to bring in a traditionally formal aspect, like a   "chandelier" without having the stuffy, old world type associations. It's a great statement piece for her and her friends to admire...and it's on sale for a good price right now too!

3. Some simple shelves such as these from Ikea, spray painted a darker pink (or yellow, or gray) hang off the wall near the bed to house her books, as well as any nick-nacks, or stuffed animals that may need a home. 

4. The "office" area of the room offers a place to be studious, with a desk with plenty of room for paper and supplies, and a great furry chair to remind her to still have fun! Placing the mirror (that's made out of a vintage picture frame and painted a great raspberry colour) above the desk, it allows it to double as a "vanity", a spot where she can put makeup on, and get ready in her own space. (Because those pesky younger brothers she has seem to always be in the bathroom when she needs it)

5. No teen room is complete without a bulletin board to pin up pictures of your friends, and your celebrity crushes. This is an easy DIY Madelyn can do herself, with a large poster frame (which she can paint any colour she wants) and some sheets of cork board. 

6. Slightly more sophisticated bedding with yellow and gray stripes is something that can grow with her to a more adult room down the line. Some nice yellow, and dark gray pillows, and a cozy yellow throw complete the look.

7. A great yellow area rug like this one, or this one placed under the bed, help to anchor the room, and define a sleep space. Or, if a larger rug isn't exactly what she's wanting, a smaller,  circular rug placed at the side of the bed provides some warmth and texture on her feet when she first gets out of bed.

8. Graduating from a small twin bed to a larger double bed is a great feeling. And this fabulous, girly white canopy bed is an excellent choice for Madelyn - who of course spends lots of time chatting on her bed with her girl friends. She has the option of leaving it open,  which is fun, or if she wants some privacy - or to block out that pesky morning sun on weekends - she can put up some curtains, and shut out the world.

9. A slew of fun black and white pillows, like this, thisthisthis, or this accent the bed, or furry chair. A teenage girl can never have too many pillows.

10. A lamp situated on the bed side table, in a fun shape and yellow colour, allow some light white reading, and is again something that is fun, but still able to grow as she does, and could find itself in another room, later on in life.

11. No bedroom is complete without a nightstand, and this option can either stay wood toned, or be painted white, for a more overall coordinated look. It's a fun piece that has more of a modern flair to it, with lots of storage for books, or magazines that are enjoyed while in bed. 

So there's Madelyn's room, I know I'm probably biased, but I really like it. Even though I strongly dislike pink, I could see myself in this room as a teenager.


Thursday 9 February 2012

Kitchen Files: Butt Candy

No, not in the candy G-string type of butt candy...that Jason threatened to wear to my ABC birthday party - which he thankfully did NOT, nobody needed to see his man bits dangling through the gaps, it was bad enough we all to bear witness to Brad's cheecks. I'm talking about "eye candy" for your tush haha.

 Since we’ve finished slapping up some walls, and the cabinets are coming together (albeit rather slowly), it’s time to start thinking about all the actual creation we have to do. There are a number of features in the kitchen we are choosing to DIY to save money; such as the concrete countertop – which we will hopefully be starting around the beginning of March. We are planning on building the table for the kitchen, along with the built in storage benches, and quite possibly stools for the peninsula. So naturally, I’ve been searching for any sort of inspiration we can use as a jumping off point for our own construction.


Here’s a reminder of what the layout of the kitchen will look like, and where the benches and table will go. The benches will be about 6ft long along the long wall, and about 4ft long on the other to take them to about the window. And we’re hoping to be able to get as much storage as possible from them. We don’t really need the storage right now, but we’re positive we will down the road, and there’s really no such thing as too much storage right? We’ve been debating whether we want a flip top, or drawers, or if we want back and seat cushions, or just pillows, or nothing at all. Do we want a rectangle table, or an oval? Yeesh, I guess I somehow just imagined it miraculously looking perfectly put together after we built the frames for them haha. So I pulled from a few of my favourites from Pinterest to hopefully come up with something that will best suit us, as well as our space.

I'm drawn to the fun colour combinations of this...and it definitely helps with my "pillows are better" argument. I also like the drawer idea, although I'm not a fan of the look of those knobs, I think they'd bug your legs too.


Here's another take on the drawer idea. I really like this idea...much more than the drawer from the front idea - this way you don't have to slide the table out of the way - or crawl under it. Plus we have the room for this type of style. I feel as though the more I look at the benches, the more I want cusions haha...it just seems sort of cold without any butt cushion. But the drawers with their clever dividers really strike a chord with me.


I absolutely love the look of this bench. I love the simplicity of the cushions, the back one that goes all the way to the floor, elongating the line of the bench. I'm also fond of the open end...a great place to store cookbooks perhaps??? It would work best with the flip top type of storage access.


Another fun drawer option, with pillows...I'd like to order a view like that please!

A little too formal for our tastes and style, although the table is right up my ally.


I love the look of this table. The clean lines, and low profile of it are ideal for letting a fun bench show through, and isn't bulky or heave if or when you'd have to pull it away to gain access to the storage compartments.

So there's our inspiration for the corner of our room. We're still trying to work out everything that goes with it...but we both agree that the table in the last picture will be waht we go with, a) becuase it's a sort of timeless look too it, and b) it really won't be hard to build. In terms of the benches we're rather torn on the style. I'm pro drawer from the side (like the second picture) but Jason doesn't really like that idea, not that he'd give another suggestion or anything haha. A flip top style might be easier to build, but in the long run, and in terms of functionality, I think a drawer would be best. And I am leaning more towards the third picture for cushion configuration. Hopefully we can start building very soon! 

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Dinner Party Dishes

So, one of the only things we didn't get that we registered for, that I really wanted was a nice set of white "formal" dinnerware.  I love throwing dinner parties, a lot of you have been to a few. They are fun...and I love to cook, and decorate and whatnot, so I have dinner parties. So I was really looking forward to getting some nice plates I could use to entertain with. I can't really blame anyone for not getting the ones I registered for because, well, I registered at The Bay, and they are ridiculously over priced. Sure the stuff they have are good quality, but $37/plate good quality? Probably not haha. I registered for 12 pieces of each, the dinner plate and the "bridge" salad plate...so for my 32 piece set it would've been over $864! I'm glad that no one got any for us, because I don't know if I could've lived with myself knowing that someone payed $37 for one plate! And in all honesty, I didn't even really like them, I just thought they were really cool, and knew I needed entertaining dinnerware...and well, that registry gun is suuuuper fun! 


Now I am glad for another reason that no one bought me the set...and that I didn't go out and get it like I was originally thinking of doing with some of the wedding money. Honestly, I don't even know why that thought crossed my mind haha, just thinking of spending almost a grand on plates makes me sick to my stomach. While tooling around one of my favourite sites, CB2 (which is a subsidiary of Crate & Barrel for those who don't know) (Also, there is going to be a CB2 opening in Toronto in early spring!!!! AOGIBODNG!!! SOOO excited, Jason might have to lock me up, because Toronto is a lot closer!) Anyway, I am glad I held off, because I found some wonderful entertaining pieces.




They are the Terrain. They are beautiful. I love them. They fit perfectly in with what I have planned for our dining room. I like that they're sort of an egg shape, and that the salad plate is a different colour, it's a bit unexpected, no? And I can't get enough of that bowl! I love that their a bit more "modern", but they're white (well and taupe) so they'll be timeless. Not like some of that china that your parents have with tacky borders, and flowers and whatnot, that were fine in the 80's but are very out of date now. I feel as though the shape probably will go out of style at some point...but because they're neutral they won't be as "stuffy" like that stuff parents have. And I can always update the tablescapes to fit with the times.


Want to know what the best part of these are? They're not even CLOSE to $800 for 16 of each piece! For 48 pieces they're only about $280! WAHOO! Everytime I bring them up, Jason rolls his eyes,  he just doesn't understand haha. These suckers are the main reason we're going to Chicago for my birthday - that and I've always wanted to go haha. So in a few short weeks I'll have them in my hands, and will have yet another reason to want the kitchen and dining room to be done...dinner party!

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Some Pieces to the Puzzle


OK, so I feel as though there is a TON I need to catch you guys up on! We FINALLY got internet, so I can get back to regular updates. Phew. Let me tell you, a month and a half without cable and internet gets mighty boring! Especially when one is off 2.5 days a week haha. 

So, first order of business - our washing machine! When we moved in, we were gifted with a washer that was straight out of 1965, that was most likely original to the house. We knew it wasn't going to last long...but we figured it'd last longer than it did! We threw in some stuff we wouldn't really mind if it got ruined, and hoped for the best. Then the noises started. It sounded like everything was all on one side of the dryer - you know, that uneven thumping sound...only nothing was in the dryer, and it was only at the agitation stage. It seemed fine, we figured it was just because it hadn't been used in a while. When I went in to check later, it smelled like burnt rubber and fire haha...not the best smell to be coming from your laundry room the day you move in! When the load was done, we went to move it over, and it was FULL of water! Like, couldn't even have fit another cup in without it overflowing! So we rung out the clothes, (which gave us ice block hands) then the plumber tried to get it to drain, but alas, it had no desire to get rid of the water...so we had to bail!



Welcome to homeownership! Thankfully we were able to get a spare washer until we're able to afford our new pretty front loaders. 

In water related, but much more exciting news...the sink and faucet are at our house! The sink weighs about 10,000lbs so we haven't had it out of the box yet, but I pull it out as far as I can and stroke it whenever I get a chance. It's beautiful, and I seriously CAN'T WAIT to install it. But first we need to build, or have built a cabinet to support it's immense weight haha. I still can't believe that I actually get to have an apron front sink in my house. I still can't really believe that I get to have my dream kitchen in my first house! Oh, the faucet is pretty too haha.

Speaking of cabinets, we have all of ours now! Although we don't have them all together - yeah I know, we're slackers. If you were paying attention, you'd know we went with Ikea cabinets. They had their kitchen event on when we went, which meant when we were there on a Saturday afternoon it was busier than a Harry Potter line on opening night! If we weren't bee-lining it for the kitchen section with our already pre-planned kitchen, I would not have been a happy camper (mainly because I would've had to listen to Jason whine like a little baby) But since I'd already planned out the kitchen using the Ikea online tool, we were set. All we had to do was delete a couple things, and make sure we had everything, then the lady went over it with us. We had our sheet printed and our pilled paid within an hour, and the cabinets loaded up in the trailer about 45 minutes after that. Because we bought during their kitchen event we got 10% back in gift cards! And since we spent about $2,300, we got $203 back! WOOT! Which meant we got all the handles free! Even better than free, is when they're 50% off, so we saved on our free hardware haha.

We got a few together, without too much difficulty, and only minor swearing...but we've sort of taken a break from assembling. Why? Well, because we were insulating the outside walls in the kitchen and dining room, and slapped up some drywall. I discovered I have a talent when it comes to putting in the screws. I was very straight, and was pretty decent at getting them at the same depth. So, since I'm jobless now, perhaps I can get a job doing that. Not actually hanging the drywall, just putting in screws hehe.

That's basically what's been happening in Casa Armitage as of late. The pieces are starting to come together, and it's starting to look more and more like a house again! I cannot wait for the day where I can walk through my own house without shoes on!