at a tortoise pace

Sunday Update

Pinata!!!

I made this pinata for a welcome home fiesta party. I am quite proud of it!

Painted Bamboo

I just purchased a patio set... 2 chairs and a table. They are bamboo. I need to recover the cushions and I am also contemplating painting the bamboo... and here's why:

Homebug
Desire To Inspire

Apartment Therapy

Pearl Pillow

I discovered how to make these satin flowers while looking at neat hair accessories on etsy. They are super easy, all you do is cut circles out of satin, then take your circle and hold the edges close to a flame so the edge will melt. I started making the flowers not knowing what I would do with them and then my mom suggested a pillow. It's not done yet... but getting there.

The UnKnown Room

I have never had a porch before... it's an unknown space to me, but I am excited to figure out the function of this space. Right now our porch is being used for construction storage but in the future the main purpose of the space will be a sitting place for us to watch the passer-byers and a space for guests to use, to put on their shoes and such.
I have a few inspiration photos below.

Southern Living

Making It Lovely

HGTV Blog

Country Living

How these photos have inspired my porch plans:
1. use of greenery
2. wicker or bamboo furniture
3. use of fabrics
4. fun rug
5. a rustic feel

Drywall Time!!!

This is drywall being delivered and then the first sheet being put up. This is so exciting for me!!!

My New Neighbor.....

On August 6 I will have a new neighbor... well, a 2 blocks away neighbor. My brother just bought a home! I am so pumped! It's an older home, like mine... so I can't wait to see what he does with it. I have already been playing with the real estate photos to give him some ideas.

(my husband made fun of my angles... he is a 3D artist for a living, I am a waitress... and for a waitress I think my 3D skills kick butt.) One thing that is kind of hard to understand from the photos is the stairway to the basement. Currently it is accessed from the kitchen... in my plans I switched it to be accessed from the dinningroom.

Yards Are Like Mullets

I find that yards are usually like mullets.... business in the front (grass) and party in the back (garden, patio, deck...). But I think this trend is changing. On my street there are a few house that have these amazing gardens in the front yard and my husband just emailed me some pictures from his friend's front yard. (Pictured below) I love how the planters double as benches.

Love It!!!

One day I would love to attempt something as elaborate as this.

Easy Earrings

Time for something that is not house related!
I made these earrings.... ummm, maybe I should say I assembled these earrings... in about one minute. The trick is to have a grandma who will crochet you little flowers! (Thank you Grandma Thiessen!) Then I just hooked them on to earring hooks and glued a pearl in the middle. Voila!

Sunday Update

Vapor Barrier! I have been working hard at stapling and taping the vapor barrier. Some might say a little too hard. Apparently it is a little excessive to tape over all the staples... oh well... it can't hurt.

Sunday Update

Beam is in! Why did we randomly put a beam in our livingroom you ask. Let me recite some knowledge I have recently attained.... Our livingroom spans 15 feet, our house is built with 2x6's (I think... I will double check that) and in today's codes if you use the size of wood we used you should only span 10 feet. We noticed the bedroom above the livingroom was slightly bowed and plus we are adding a bathtub above this ceiling... so the beam was a must. We are slowly raising the beam, but can already tell the floor feels more sturdy and level.
Eventually we will work the beam into the decor of the livingroom by covering it with trim and adding some fake ones... but for now this is it:

Sunday Update

Worked on the next layer of our house this week... wood slats. Because we added an inch insulation we need to put these slats on so the drywall has something solid to nail on to. (At least this is my understanding)

Center Piece Idea

I made a centerpiece for my dinning room and it was so easy and cheap, but looks awesome. I think it would be a cute wedding centerpiece.Supplies include sticks, fake flowers and beads. I cut off the flowers and put a pearl in the center then hot glued them onto the sticks. I glues a few pearls straight onto the sticks as well.

Sunday Update

We didn't do any work upstairs this week... instead we've been working in the basement. (I use the term "we" lightly... or maybe I should say by "we" I mean Jonas)
He has been cleanning it and taking out some of the walls to open up the space.

An Assortment of Images

I love wall arrangments... here are some of my favorites:

kristenaderrick

Jay Jeffers

Sunday Update

So yesterday I came to the realization that the closet for one of the bedrooms is bigger then the bathroom. Kind of funny. Plus we made use of the some attic space by inserting a dresser into the wall... so much storage space!But the update for this week is that we (Me, my mother in law and my brother) finished the pink insulation! (Minus the ensuite bathroom... because we still have some electrical to do in there)
My husband and dad worked on leveling the house and adding beams to support the bathtub we are planing to put in. It's coming along!

I want the whole world

I want the world
I want the whole world
I want to lock it all up in my pocket
It's my bar of chocolate
Give it to me
Now!

This song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is stuck in my head right now... and its so fitting. I have been in such a money spending-purchase everything mood. Here are my latest four wants:

1. This throw from Anthropologie. I want this one bad... it's on sale for 50$ (regularly 230$). I had my credit card out ready to buy but then shipping and taxes was over 30$... so I am still thinking about it. Plus my grandma is over right now and she says she will teach me how to make crochet flowers.2. Trunk. I was thinking of using if for an end table.
3. Typewritter. When I showed my husband this picture and said I wanted to buy it... he laughed and said "you just really want to buy somthing, eh." I think it would be a very neat decoration.
4. This desk. My plan would be to stain it dark brown... maybe black, and then put wallpaper on the back board of the hutch. It is from kijiji for 60$... which is cheaper then the typewriter.
All of these items are wanted for the same space. I have this vision for one of our spare rooms. I am thinking white walls, with lots of color and wood and textures... and just eclectic items. (Hence the typewriter) This is one of my inspiration photos (It's in this past issue of Style at Home):

Scrapbooking It...

I haven't scrapbooked in forever but I have recently gotten back into it and have started a book I will entitle "Making a House a Home"... or something catchy like that. My favorite part of the book is the wallpaper scraps and the brochure from the realestate agent. Here are a few pictures: