hanging prints in the dining room...finally!

so here we go..another post about the house. what was that i said the other day? that i won't really post about our house here? and now another so quick? i might have to eat my words!!! because i was going to tell you about our new and improved entrance way soon as well! ha! maybe it's the fact that we have been here almost three years and it's not where i want it to be? hmm...

okay so today i have a confession to make.
when it comes to hanging pictures {or anything!} on walls that we took a while to paint and look all crisp and clean, i am a bit of a nervous nelly!
i really take my time because i hate screwing up and seeing random nail holes which reveal my rush and tell my story of oops to others.
this is just how it is.

that's why it took over  year for me to hang anything in the dining room. {and for the record we still have nothing in the living room and my freshly painted tv room is still naked as i need time to lay out our photo's that were in there, pair them down, choose what's right and do it once.}

i decided last month though that enough was enough. we had to do it. it looks like an unpersonalized show home in here. just a little bare.
i got these amazing prints from eva juliet last year and have been mulling over and over what i was going to do in here. where i eventually hung them was not their originally thought out place when they arrived but one day i just decided that that was where they were going to go - it hit me like a thunderbolt. i also decided that enough procrastinating was done on the situation and that action was needed.

so i took action.

first though i had to "live" with it for a day. this way i would know if my decision was right and be happy with it from this day forward.{please do not judge me by my light fixture...it's coming down soon and another like the one in the living room is going up...it's just that whenever it seems like i have the money aside it's needed for somethings else more pressing! all in good time i guess!}

i cut out three pieces from the flyers {yes i could have used plain paper i realized afterwards but the flyers were at my finger tips.} that were the same size as my pictures and punched in a hole where the nail would go.

then i taped them up with painters tape, leveled them and spaced them accordingly. i think i changed the around three times that day.

after living with this for the day and liking the position i hammered in a nail through the flyer in the prepared hole, ripped them down and hung my prints.

for the first week i have to admit the space felt busy as it is a small nook - i am trying to define the space and since tony won't do some board and batten for me i am going another route - but now i love it and can't imagine the space without them!

i have also decided it's the tables fault why the space seems awkward and a round one would suit the space much better.

;)

there you go - my simple diy!!

this place is really starting to come together and since we have decided that we are going to live here for at least another five years {excluding if there is a transfer} i really want to get it "done" this year so we can enjoy it! {in reality though...is it ever done?}

going to tackle the stairwell and tv room next week - wish me luck!!!

ordinary to extraordinary.

making the ordinary.....

extraordinary!!

lately i have been going room to room making list of things to change or update. when i see that major power tools or expertise are needed i make a list for Tony. when i see a job that i can very well perform i make a list for me.
in here it was all me.
i have been going for those little homemade touches lately and have loved them. {i'm toying with an idea for a handmade tree for christmas - a second house tree - but that's a topic for another time...}
so in here my little eye floated upwards and my heart screamed yes!

the plain old ikea canopy was screaming for some frosting.
a little whimsy.

immediately i had a plan.
a little girls room + amazing fabric = perfect whimsy.
i was on the right track.

this summer i became obsessed with bunting. multi- patterned fabric bunting. i hung some here. and some here. and i even made some for here.
so...why not put some in here?
for my birthday i got a new sewing machine and have definitely given in a workout. isn't that what presents are for? to get what you want and use it all the time? that's what i thought too.

to me this bunting gave it the right touch and makes me smile.
and aydan was pretty excited about it too.
someone once told me that bunting makes you happy.....i tend to agree.

and house......this is just the beginning!

canopy transformation know-how:
okay i have to confess something here....
i am crap at step by step.
i tried to take photo's as i went but the brilliance of some does not translate to me.
so...i am just going to talk to you about it. is that okay? will you not hate me in the morning?

okay, let's do this!

first thing you need is the canopy. head over to ikea, grab one, grab a new sofa as well because we are heading in to the tv room next ;), then come back and we will go on to the next step.
don't worry i will wait................................

back? okay. so IF you are no where near an ikea some mosquito netting and some kind of hoop will work. drape the netting over the hoop, attach it and attach an s hook in the center top and hang.

step 2: measure around the hoop for the length of ribbon you will need and give your self another half of that {divided in two} for extra on either side.
now make a template out of white card stock of different styles of triangles and tape to the underside of your ribbon, hold up and see which style you like best. choose your style and let's get moving.

now pick your fabric, iron them out and cut out your triangles using your template.
once all your triangles are cut, arrange them in some sort of pattern. i decided to sew my triangles on but i also ran a double sided tape dispenser along the back to adhere my fabric to the ribbon so i eliminated to use for pins in my ribbon. less hole marks.

sew your fabric to the ribbon. you have made the bunting! now attach the bunting to the netting. i have to confess something here - i wish i had some amazing method to tell you about how to attach this and you all could sit back in awe. but that is not going to happen. i ended up taking it with thread every three triangles but then by 2/3 way through i got so frustrated that i ran the tape along the back and pressed it on. i know i know - not what you want to here but that's how i ended up doing it.
the tie the backs together to give it a nice finish.

now on to the stars.....

to give it just one more touch i went ahead and made some stars so aydan could lay in bed at night and gaze at the stars.

these were super simple.
lay two pieces of yellow felt together, trace out a star on one side and cut out the stars - both pieces at once. if you use a black sharpie cut just inside your marker and you will see it...as i found out!
next cut som ribbon the length that you want them to hang. dot a little glob of hot glue at the op inside of your star, press your ribbon into it and press your two sides together.
now you can do one of two things. you can glue your edges together or you can sew them. i sewed and i stuffed. you do not have to stuff if you don't want to. just run your stitch around et voila! if you do decided to stuff - run your stitch from side of the outside bottom to the other. {you are reversing and securing your stitch everytime you go on and off right?} now stuff in your stuffing. once you have enough in there pin the bottom closed and stitch up the rest. using your fingers smoosh around the stuffing so it get's to all corners of your star. run some white glue around the outside edge and coat with glitter. let dry. attach safety pins to the top of your ribbons, pin to the underside of your canopy. lay down, admire your work and gaze at the stars.

**my next plan for this is to wrap a string of clear small twinkle lights on white string - when it's FINALLY unpacked at the stores...i have already been to three stores looking and my unpatientness is showing - around the hoop on the inside so at night it REALLY is like gazing at the stars. just remember: do not leave them on unsupervised....but i didn't need to tell YOU guys that, did i?

oh...hello fall.

so it's official.
fall is here.

i came to realize this yesterday as the icy wind cut through the house and ran a shiver up my spine.
although the afternoon was hot - like really hot - once that sun disappears holy moly it's cold.
and the colours everywhere are hard to miss. Tony and me were driving the other day and there was a tree that looked like it was on fire! green at the bottom, yellow/orange in the middle, red at the tips. gorgeous!
last year i remember we were doing this on thanksgiving weekend...this year we definitely were not.  so much colder this year that i am scared for what jack frost might bring come december 1st...along with elliott! {i can't wait to see that little guy again!}

 

i am definitely more of a pants gal myself and i wait in anticipation for the weather to cool off but i am not sure as to why it comes to a shock to me every year?
i think it's this eastcoast weather, it's a lot colder here - will i always be a westcoast girl deep down to my bones? will i ever assimilate? hhmmm.....

all i know is that i love fall. the cooking. the spices. the decor. the holidays. the crafts.
it suits me to a T! {what is that expression anyways? kills me everytime!}

the one thing that i love about fall is that you are forced to STAY INDOORS!!
isn't that glorious? there are now no more excuses to NOT get something done because you HAD to take everyone out! {well now it's going to get to the point where it's not ABSOLUTELY freezing you will force everyone outside for fresh air because you CAN'T have all the windows open! again...i miss my westcoast winters! 3 days of snow instead of 100!!!} although maybe it will now be "i couldn't get things done because everyone is on top of me??!" ha!

so.....now i can finish all the projects that i have on the go that keep me inside and make me feel guilty for missing out on sunny days. this is going to make my husband very happy!
soon there will be a tv room reveal.
soon there will be a bathroom reveal.
i have a couple other things up my sleeve and am so excited to be able to get down to work and share it all with you!
plus just getting things organized around here - what a chore and relief that will be! 

but do you know why i love fall so much? why i am ssoooo excited when it comes?
because that means christmas is right around the corner!!!!! i have already dusted off the christmas tunes and have been jamming to them all week - driving Tony crazy in the process.
i. love. christmas.
and we are now one step closer.

AND i have only bought one christmas present! shocked...usually i have 75% done by now! i think this last week with aydan being sick threw me for a loop and I haven't yet recovered. i need a nap.

what about you? are you excited for fall?


**teaser...look what i ave waiting for halloween...isn't he great?

there is a title in here somewhere.....

you know when you have something to share and you want to get it out there desperately but you can come up with a clever title - that hook if you will - that maybe declaring you have no title at all is the title?

yeah....let's go with that.

let's get you caught up, shall we?

friday started as any other day in this house.
cold.
winter.
loud.
but things were looking up a bit because i was starting to see the grass poke through the snow.
was spring around the corner?
then about 3pm it started to snow. and snow. and snow.
i thought it was weird because it was +4 outside and usually you didn't get snow at that temp. oh well i shrugged my shoulders and carried on.

the husband came home and the kids were excited to go out and play in it. so out we went.
and we shot this little video.......i'm behind the camera.........



yep. that happened. me vs. snowball.
the unfortunate part of that video is that i turned the record off - it actually got funnier as i was rolling around on the snowy ground - vidoe in one hand, slr camera in the other, gordon leaping around me trying to figure out what had just gone down.
not my shinning moment. but is well worth a chuckle. actually i laughed till there were tears in my eyes.
so go on, don' worry about my feelings, i know you want to laugh that hard. if you have to, play it again. like a good wine it seems to get better with age.

after all the commotion and a bit of bickering we got this shot of us lot out in the snow.

saturday didn't start out so great as i broke one of my favorite plates...only two more to go! haha
10 years was a good run for the plate i think. {i just wish they weren't so gosh darn expensive now!!!}

saturday became one of those days where you just take it off...like no grocery, no work for the husband....just off. and it was delicious. a wonderful home day.
we FINALLY opened one of coop's christmas presents {why bother right?} and set it up....they had hours {!} of fun...no joking.

i got my new drapes up in the dining room......

then we got the silly notion of making homemade onion rings.
got a little carried away and threw in some pickles and asparagus spears {those ended up being my favorites!} and got EVEN more carried away and made enough for the whole neighbourhood! we didn't eat nearly all of them and ended up in a deep fried coma.

ended the night with super 8. pretty good little movie.

sunday was a day filled with catching up for doing nothing on saturday.
but it was also home to what the husband believed to be the last skate of the season.

and guess who let go of the support and skate around on his own!!! so proud of that little one.

and i got coop to eat one of my favorite snacks as a kid....bugs on a log!

i noticed too that my kids do not eat at all what i had as a kid...i don't think they ever have had cottage cheese and i LIVED off the stuff...it's interesting how diet changes when you have someone else in your life {meaning the husband...he didn't grow up with me!!!}

leftovers and the oscars ended our weekend for us.....plus a victory on the husbands side - he always wins at games and trivia!

then monday started with wacky hair day at school....

or lord! is this a sign about the week ahead.
ugh!

{is it obvious i am reading a novel set in ireland by an actual irish person?}