Spare Bedroom Remodel Reveal!

 

Officially my last day of work before Christmas celebrations begin and only 4 days till Christmas? Nothing can bring me down today! Woo hoo!

It’s a blistery, snowy morning. Even the snow isn’t bringing me down! Truthfully, I hate the snow but I know how happy it is making certain people *cough* JILL *cough* because they will have a white Christmas. Plus, the rest of the week looks beautiful which means my husband will be with me on Christmas morning! YES!

A few week’s ago I shared with you my experience from the Christmas house tour. What I didn’t go into detail with was what we specifically did to get ready for this tour.

The Christmas house tour really did give us that push to put final details on our home. Hang picture frames we have owned for years, repaint over the scuffs on the stairs and even re-do a bedroom!

You may remember this post I did where I showed you my new craft space! I loved this room! It allowed me to focus my craft mess to one designated area of the house. I knew this wasn’t going to be a permanent place for my craft stuff. Just somewhere to put it until it was moved to it’s final home in the new basement.

I had also came to the point that I wanted another spare bedroom. Our only other spare bedroom had a captains bed which didn’t suit for couples. I wanted a new room that would have a double bed in it.

For a wedding gift, Ryan and I received a beautiful quilt that was made by some of my family members. I loved the colors in it and I decided to use it as what I would design the room around.

Once the new basement was finished and I could move all of my craft stuff out of the room, it was a blank canvas and I could wait to get started on designing a new room.

Before Pictures:

Before craft room!

Craft Room!

And, the after pictures:

I found this old dresser at a pawn shop in our little town. I loved it the moment I saw it and I knew that it would work great in the new bedroom! It also helped me design the room. I wanted the room to still feel vintage but not old.

Also adding to the room’s vintage charm is a very beautiful and special trunk that is an antique piece from Ryan’s family! We also laid a 100 year old quilt from my family out for the tour but it’s stowed away for safe keeping in the trunk now! We are so lucky to have such amazing pieces from our ancestors.

All of the pillows were purchased from Home Sense. I took the quilt with me to the store to help me pick out the perfect ones! I probably looked pretty funny carrying it around the store but it definitely helped having it there!

 

The bedroom furniture I purchased from a website called Wayfair! I had my eye’s on this set all summer and Ryan and I took a weekend sod job to save the money for it! It was well worth the wait and I love how it looks in the room! They are very sturdy, well made pieces that we will pass down to one of our children one day!

I literally smile every single time I walk past this room. I still peak my head around the door and have this feeling of satisfaction that this room is complete and that I love it so much! The Christmas house tour really was the perfect opportunity to get this final room on my house check list done. Being that I had this bedroom planned (in my head, ha ha) for so long, executing it took no time at all and was done a week before the house tour!

Ryan was a little hesitant to let me “girlify” this room and I am so lucky that he lets me make all the design choices of the house! He just smiles, picks up the paint brush and helps my dreams become reality.

Ryan and I are so glad we have this extra space for people who are spending the night. Now, who will be our first guests?

Happy Friday!

xo

Wedding Details – The Rest Of My Attire

 

-6 days till Christmas…Just saying…:)

Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m sure everyone’s week is ticking along with anticipation of Christmas and a little break ahead!

Today, I wanted to finish up with what I wore on my wedding day. Last week, I showed you my dress and veil. But every girl knows it’s the accessories that finishes an outfit!

The shoes:

I loved my shoes. I was kind of stumped as to what shoes I wanted to wear. I just wasn’t feeling the idea of wearing the typical white wedding shoes. That’s when I stumbled upon Nina Shoes. What I loved about this particular shoe website was that you could custom make your own pair of shoes. Choose the style that you love and then pick whatever color you want! I loved my yellow and navy wedding shoes and they were very comfortable throughout the whole day!

Rings:

One of the most important accessories that you wear on the wedding day! Of course you don’t wear them till after the wedding ceremony!

Hair:

I already knew a long time ago that I wanted my hair up for the wedding. My hair is stick straight and does not easily hold a curl. I knew it had to be up because then no matter what the weather brought it would still look good and be out of the way!

I also knew a long time ago that I wasn’t a tiara girl. I think they look beautiful but when I put one on, I feel like a weirdo. I didn’t have this inner desire to feel like a princess on my wedding day. I just wanted to feel beautiful and like a bride.

That being said, I knew I still wanted something special to put in my hair.

While searching through Etsy one day, I saved FineNFleurie’s shop to my favorite’s. There were some of the most beautiful handmade bridal accessories I had ever seen. When I saw this particular comb I knew it was what I was looking to wear on my wedding day.

Handkerchief:

Let’s face it, we all know a wedding day is a very emotional day. And sometimes tears can fall throughout the day (throughout the WHOLE day!). So, I knew I wanted a handkerchief to help me wipe the evidence up.

When I googled “wedding handkerchief” a list of blogs came up that told stories of girls using their mothers or grandmothers handkerchief.

Unfortunately, my family didn’t have one that could be passed down to me but I thought it would be nice to get one to pass down to my future children or grandchildren.

That’s when I saw the perfect handkerchief on Personalized Mail’s website. It could be customized and came in the cutest packaging!

Garter:

The garter is also an item of every brides list of things to get. It is usually a last minute item but one that is necessary for a reception garter toss!

That’s where again, Etsy came in. There is nothing that that website does not have. Just type in what you are looking for in the little search icon and it usually finds it.

I found my custom yellow and navy garter at the GarterBoutique and it was made and shipped to me in record time! I love etsy!

Jewelry:

Jewelry wasn’t something that I really planned for. I was actually told not to buy anything so I had a sneaking suspicion that my husband-to-be was going to gift me some. 1 hour before the ceremony was to begin, I received my own set of pearls. My parent’s also coordinated with Ryan to gift me a beautiful pearl bracelet.

I proudly wore my pearls all day and continue to wear them all the time, post wedding!

Happy Wednesday!

xo

1 Week Till Christmas!

 

This morning I woke up and as I was brushing my teeth I noticed our little countdown Santa read: 07!

Meaning, 1 week till Christmas! I feel more giddy about this fact then a little kid. This year, as usual, I feel very prepared. I’m also feeling so excited because this is the first Christmas that Ryan and I will spend as husband and wife. We will finally wake up Christmas morning together instead of him travelling over to my parents home. It will be nice to begin our own Christmas family traditions!

This past weekend started out on Friday night with gingerbread house making after supper! We sat down and decorated the humble abode.

Saturday morning Ryan and I got up and going to head to the city. Our first stop was an early lunch (we meant to have breakfast but didn’t show up in time) at McDonalds. I was pretty happy to have my Happy Meal.

The reason for the trip to the city was going to a shower for one of my best friends, Bekk. The gift was packed up and Ryan was going to drop me off then finish his Christmas shopping. Just as we approached the road I decided to take the invite out to check the house number. This is what it said….

I JUST realized in that moment that the shower was on the 16th and Saturday was the 15th of December…

Fail!

Luckily, the day wasn’t ruined. We got some Christmas shopping done and then went for a steak supper at one of our favorite places, The Keg with friends and co-worker Pat and Carolyn.

Sunday morning was a re-do. Ryan drove me down to the city again and dropped me off for the shower, on the right day! He sped off to finish his Christmas shopping while I had a great time at Bekk’s shower! Her friends did a great job of hosting.

Thankfully, I was off yesterday for the sole purpose of heading BACK to the city (again!) to finish my Christmas shopping. The only person I had left to shop for was Ryan. I am so happy to say that everything is purchased and half is wrapped!

Ryan’s been having some very hard shifts at work because of the bad weather. I thought I’d make sure a nice supper was ready for him when he got home for supper. I prepared one of his favorites, honey glazed pork chops and stuck them in the oven for the allotted time.

I sat down in the living room to watch some t.v while it was cooking. Next thing I knew, Ryan walked in and asked what was burning. I quickly shot up (still half asleep) and opened the oven door. Smoke began billowing out and the fire alarms started going off.

And here my husbands DELICOUS supper…

 

Wifey fail!

Of course Ryan was the sweetest about it and actually ate it! I couldn’t help but laugh every time he tried to cut it with his knife.

How was your weekend?

xo

Friday Letters

 

Dear Blog,

Maybe it’s from this cold and feeling under the weather or maybe it’s from being so tired that my head could hit my lap top right now but I could not put forth the effort to write a post this morning. Truthfully, I wasn’t even fully awake or aware until about 10:30 this morning.

I apologize for my absence. I hope you still love me.

Love,

Me.

Dear Hospital,

Is it a normal thing to only be open from 8 AM to 11 AM to have blood taken? Does this happen at all hospitals around the world? If so, I’d like to have that nurses job. Work from Monday to Friday for only 3 hours a day?! Thank-you-very-much!

Love,

Thinking of sleeping and not working

P.S

As a person getting drawn blood, I think that it is stupid! Getting there an hour before even the nurse arrives and still there are 2 dozen people there! The nurse even called in another victim patient before I had even put my shirt back on. She said “hope you can understand. I have to go fast, it’s like an assembly line.”  Maybe have some extended hours? Geesh!

Dear Readers,

No, I’m not pregnant!

Love,

Aunt Ruby

Dear Apple “Giver Away-er”,

Thank you for the case of apples for Christmas! They are so yummy! I couldn’t help but get giddy when I opened the case to find a beautiful apple in the middle with a leaf attached to the stem!

I have always had this idea as a kid that if I found an apple with leaf still on it (usually dried up of course) that it was lucky! Like a four leaf clover!

I ate said apple immediately and instantly felt luckier.

Love,

Buying a lottery ticket

Dear 2013 Agenda,

You also make me feel lucky. There is something so exciting about an empty agenda! Just sitting there ready for me to write in future events! Can’t be normal to be THIS excited for a new agenda!

Love,

Crazy organized

Dear Doctor,

As much as I appreciate your effort to make my “lady exam” not awkward while doing said “examination” I do not want to discuss the following;

- My vegetable garden

- Weekend plans

- The crazy weather we have been having lately

- The stock market

Thanks,

Awkward

P.S

I hate your scale. Mine reads at least 5 lbs lighter!

Dear Curling,

I really enjoyed playing my first game this past week. So much so, that I joined a league. I’m the LEAST bit athletic.

Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

SWEEEEEP!!!!!!

Dear Everyone,

Hope you have a great weekend!

Love,

Me!

xo

Wedding Details – The Dress and Veil

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope your week is going swimmingly! For me, it feels a lot later then Wednesday. Wishing it was Friday I guess. Or maybe it’s the fact that I FINALLY caught the cold that everyone has had except me. There goes my dream of thinking I was immune to it…boo! 

I had kind of gotten off the wedding post train for awhile. With seasonal activities happening and work being crazy, I felt like I had other things on my mind to write about.  But, I do want to get the wedding posts finished by our first anniversary. And I really want to remember every detail.

One of the biggest details of a girls wedding day is her dress. It’s one of the most important articles of clothing she will ever wear in her life. You might remember how I was a little under enthused about picking out a dress. But all that changed when I finally found MY dress. It was a big moment and I never picture myself as “one of those girls” who has a moment. But I did. And I still smile about the experience to this day.

I also had a hard time deciding whether or not to wear a veil. Ultimately, it was an article that said, “you only have the chance to wear a veil once in your lifetime.”

That struck a cord with me and I was thinking that I may regret never wearing one. I ended up finding the PERFECT veil 1 MONTH before the wedding! I literally picked it up 2 days prior. It was cutting it pretty close.

My veil was chapel length and edged with Chantilly lace. 

My dress was by Romona Keveza. It was a beautiful silk gown and fit me like a glove. It had ZERO embroidery or beading. What made it special was the way the fabric laid. Very me. More on the simple side, not too much embellishment.

I was SO happy with my wedding attire choices. I think Ryan was very pleased as well! I am happy that I didn’t go with a dress that was too “trendy”. It was a simple and elegant dress that made me feel not only beautiful but really like a “bride”.

Happy Wednesday!

xo

“Christmafied” Weekend

 

Happy Monday everyone! Geez! This past weekend was AMAZING! It was the perfect break I needed after a difficult week last week. Looking ahead to the weekend I thought that it would be so jam packed and busy that I would get overwhelmed but I didn’t!

The weekend started out on Friday with a small book club group meeting for our annual Christmas potluck and the discuss this book:

The Happiness project!

It was a great time chatting with friends over some yummy eats!

Saturday morning I was up early to head to the grocery store! I was there right when the doors opened! I kind of took a double take in the baking section at this cake. A little funny looking of a Santa.

As soon as I was done there, I headed over the liquor store to pick up a couple bottles of my favorite wine. I had to park in an adjacent parking lot because the stores was full! It was 9:30 AM. The store opened at 9 and all 3 cash registers were open with AT LEAST 7 people in each line!! I had to stand in line for 30 minutes to pay for my wine! I couldn’t believe it!

Once home and unpacked, it was time to get ready to head to the girls annual Christmas potluck and gift exchange!

As always the feast was amazing but it was the friends that made the afternoon awesome! Visiting with everyone and watching all the kiddos interact!

After supper and the gift exchange we all bundled for for the Quyon Christmas Parade of Lights! Which in my opinion was THE BEST EVER! 17 floats in total! Pretty good for our small little town!

Sunday morning it was up early and off to church for a special Christmas pageant! The church was full of angels and Sheppard's! I ended up with the role of Mary. Luckily, I only had 2 lines!

After church it was back home for bacon and eggs with my parents. Dad came too and is definitely still sore from his hernia surgery but on the mend!

After looking at the weather forecast all morning, Ryan finally got the call to say that he would need to be into work (in Ottawa. An hour away) for 1 AM. We had made plans to take my grandma out for supper and to a Christmas concert but had to cancel on account of the bad weather and Ryan having to work. That’s the life of something who works in snow! Plans are NEVER set in stone!

As Ryan went to bed at 6 PM, I stayed up and made some food for this weeks suppers and finished our Christmas cards. Ready to be sent out!

It was a full weekend! Every moment there was something going on but it was better then the stressful work from the week before! I actually feel rested and rejuvenated. Ready for another week ahead!

How was your weekend?

xo

Memories Of A Christmas House Tour

 

Happy FRIGGIN Friday everyone! It has been one heck of a week! Between the Christmas house tour on Monday, early AM drive to Toronto on Tuesday, all day conference on Wednesday, the added stress of Dad’s hernia surgery on Wednesday and then the drive home on Thursday…this girl is spent!

As I mentioned above and before on this blog, Ryan and I had our house on the Quyon Christmas House Tour 2012. What is a Christmas House Tour? As a fundraiser for the church, people can buy a $10 ticket and get inside access to 4 homes in the community. Homes that volunteered to open their doors to the public to show off where they live and all the beautiful Christmas decorations that adorn their homes during the season.

My parents had our home on the Christmas House Tour over 6 years ago. This was before I was home from University and before any of the renovations took place.

Over the last 4 years or so, Ryan and I have literally gutted the house! Room by room we re-painted and put our own (or really my own) personal style. Making it “our” home rather then my parents.

I knew that eventually when all the renovations were through, that I wanted to have the house on the tour. And to be completely honest, it was for selfish reasons. After so much hard work over the years I wanted nothing more then to say we were done renovations and ready to show it off to our friends and neighbors.

And on Monday, we did just that. We opened our doors and let people roam into every room (except Tuckers).

I honestly wish that there was some sort of “tour” every year around this time! Sure, it was a lot of work to get ready but the HUGE plus, the house is decorated and every corner is cleaned ready for Christmas! Now, I can relax and wrap gifts! Everything else is prepared.

People are under the impression that to have their home on the hour that they have to spend a ton of money on decorations. This is SO not true! I may not have TONS of decorations but I wasn’t going to spend a lot of money on new ones either. I know that over time as I get older that I will receive more and I thought that having a surplus throughout the home would not reflect where Ryan and I are in life right now. Besides new bows for the porch, food and flowers for the dining tables all of our decorations were our own. For the most part, previously purchased (usually on sale) or given to us from Christmas’ before!

Around 140 people made their way through the front door. At times, if felt like 20 people would arrive at the door at the same time. We were serving wine and punch to every guest so that they could sip on it while they were walking through our home. We also had a spread of food for people to enjoy in the kitchen. This was all spread out on the island and it gave Ryan and I to stand and chat with people before they left.

Ryan and I later joked that it felt like the night went by in a blink! One minute our first guests arrived at 6:30 and the next time we looked at the clock it was 9:00! It was overwhelming at times not to be able to give your full attention to all of your guests.

I cannot lie, I really enjoyed hearing peoples reaction to certain rooms and answering the many questions. It was rewarding having people so interested in our home! Truthfully, having our home on the tour was the most gratifying thing to do after putting so much time and effort into renovations. Being able to show off something you are so proud of and see people genuinely impressed with your home was the perfect way to finish up the renovation process!

Happy Friday!

xo