Exciting news

You know these two handsome boys don't you , well their Steven and Chris , Steven Sabatos ,well I have been watching on TV since he has been on , I hot glued design onto simple wood frames and painted them as he showed a way back in 1992 I believe if my mind serves me correctly , I actually have learned a lot along the way from him and Chris , well he is just a breath of fresh air , I love him , don't you just want to give him a big hug , gosh I can't explain how much I love these two guys, my husband used to call Steven my boyfriend ??? yes he is gorgeous , but I never crushed on him in that way , I have always said I would just love to work with him , I admire his work . Well I experienced a full circle moment yesterday , since a crew from their show Steven and Chris came to my house , yes this house , and let me give a tour of all the work I have done , this was a proud moment for me . The segment should air on CBC in two weeks , I will keep everyone posted . I worked all week getting the house just right , I wanted to show Sophie's room , so I had to finish the trim work I had started , and touched up all over and added these new pink drapes for her closet , you wouldn't believe how hard it was to find hot pink drapes , these were from Walmart , $16.00 or $20 a panel, can't recall.

I was indulging on beautiful flowers , I don't do this enough , and probably you don't either , treat yourself to some flowers , these are from the grocery store .

I had so much fun getting everything just so , I got the matching white lamp from the grocery store again , $35.00 always just your big box grocery store for goodies you may just surprise yourself .
That's all for now , I have gotta run , I will proof read later , forgive any blunders please.

Blue and white dining room

I have maximized the space given in this dining room area , instead of cramming a big hutch and buffet into this room , I have filled the space with a long harvest table and 6 chairs . Lets face it when we use the formal or semi-formal dining room like this it is for family gatherings, not for every day , that tells me it is more important to seat many people .Keeping the dining area free for just seating allows for maximum capacity. So check your space , is it under 12x8 you may consider re-locating your hutch and buffet to another space in the house , re-purpose.

Long drapes and tall window need not be expensive to deal with , adjusting ready made curtains with an extension of fabric is a cost effective way to finish such a huge focal point , nothing fussy that would only take away from a beautiful feature. Less is more.

*sorry just couldn't move those sleeping dogs, they say let sleeping dogs lie , I agree.

Window seat

I used extra fabric from the dining chair makeover to upholster a small window seat for the living room , creating a lovely sunny spot for kids and pets.

Bookcase solution

I have been struggling with magazine storage , I need a lot of it , as this is a wonderful resource for decorating , I need to keep these magazines, but they are over flowing , I have no where for a bookcase , my space and cost saving solution was to move my linen covered bench to this nook by the stairs where we really love it , I was lucky to easily find these black baskets that fit the bill, these two floor cushions were a mere $4.00 each can you believe that , a comfy spot for kids or the dogs . The baskets were $10.00 , the shopping gods were on my side today .

Lighting spectacular

I am on the hunt for the perfect dining room fixture, I have looked at a few hundred fixtures and have not found just the right one .I want to elevate the feel of my dining room a tad bit more formal it feels a little flat right now to me with the candle fixture in there right now . I bring you a lighting spectacular. Enjoy the room candy.

I love this one as the light is vintage and the shade is hand wrapped with cream ribbon.

I adore this blue drop look . Very shabby chic.
I really enjoy this ship fixture , it is over $700.00
This white beaded one is perfection.

This one is Home Depot a very nice copy .

Pine flooring

Not too many modern day house have pine flooring , however this was used for hundreds of years , it is a charming feature in century old homes ,they were often used on the upper floors , modern wood floors have turned into a very pricey option from $2.50 sq ft to $10.00 s ft plus installation, it is an investment. We no longer cover up wood floors we install them where ever we can , they are beautiful who can doubt that ? I have wood floors throughout my main floor however the upstairs was all carpeting , which I did not like and still do not like and will change out as I get around to it . I decided to think outside the box for my landing , so I installed pine flooring . A very affordable option , if you like a rustic floor which I do .

This is before I finished it with a dark stain , looks very pretty , but I prefer the dark wood .

Here is the before , you can see why I needed to change it , it looks pink although it was oatmeal , and most of the time it does look beigeish for the most part , it was a happy day when I ripped it up .You can also see how tiny the casings were which I replaced with a 5 inch baseboard.

Just in case you are not familiar with my or my work , I do this work for myself , and I love to do it .