Ben's Big Boy Bed

With this little one on the way, we have lots of changes to make around the house...freeing up the crib being one of them. We wanted to do this early so that Ben has lots of time to adjust to the new bed (he's good with this kind of change anyway, but still) so we grabbed one yesterday and set it all up!





This bed wasnt the one I'd planned on getting actually. I wanted the Malm twin in white, but they ran out of them and they told me that they aren't making them anymore! Drat! But, this one is awesome, and it has the added bonus of two nice big storage drawers. Plus, no dust bunnies under the bed, YAY!





Ben LOVES it, he was so excited as we set it up, and jumped up on it the second he could. Adorable.

Now, I am concerned of course with him falling out. I've seen various rails and wasn't thrilled with them. Then I saw this one, and I had an idea. I took a large heavy duty cardboard tube (not the flimsy kind, you can't bend it), then wrapped it with a thin blanket. I tucked the whole thing under his sheet, and this thing stays put! 



It's quite thick, which is hard to see in the picture, and I don't think he will ever be able to push it out. If we have any trouble with it I will go ahead and get the inflatable one, but for now this seems ok! And I have his crib mattress and pillows/blankets on the ground just in case.

So that's one thing done! Only 7368765 more to work on....

Ben's Room - A few little updates

Ben's room is forever changing, I'm sure that will always be the case (much like the rest of our house).  But, lately the layout has been really bothering me. If you haven't seen how it used to look, here's a good post. And here are the changes.









I love having the changing table over by the window, and at night I can sit in the chair with Ben and there is less distraction for him without the door facing us.

The side table and lamp have gone for now, it was just a little crowded. 

We changed out some of the textiles, incorporating more prints which I think are fun, and replaced the art with my own. I LOVED the prints that were there before, of course, but I though it would be nice for Ben to have something from his Mom :)

The chair and ottoman will come of there eventually, but for now they are still very much needed. And after all the time, I'm still loving them, so comfy to snuggle up with him in and put my feet up. 

The bassinet really should come right out of there, it's just taking up space, but our basement is a bit of a nightmare and I don't want to add to the pile. So, it's toy and blanket storage for now.

I would like to make several more changes, including paint the walls white and replace the carpet (which, although I thought it was great when we first bought it, is looking rather dingy). But, those changes can wait. For now it's much better!

Living room and dining room update

A little while ago we made a run to Ikea to grab a few things we needed to change up the living/dining rooms, and I LOVE how it turned out! Nothing major here, just a few new bits and pieces.



New textiles, new side table and coffee table (glass free, unlike the old one). And the little Ikea stool thingy that I've wanted forever.



The dining table has been put away to leave tons of room for Ben to play in. I also created a little work area for me, which is great for when I need to do a little bit of paperwork or add a quick layer to a painting. I also have more storage now for my paints/brushes/etc.





And you may notice that I got my Gran pillow the other day. LOVE. So happy I got it.



It's my goal in life to own everything from Fine Little Day. I feel like it's a pretty good life goal.

I still have more work to do in this room. I want to replace the current artwork with a HUGE set of three to span the entire southern wall, and I want to take down the curtains and replace them with nice tidy white wooden slat blinds. Oh, and we need a new tv unit too (without glass). I had wanted this one, but they changed it to this. Not a fan. Here's hoping the new Ikea catalogue comes soon and has something awesome. 

I hate having to break these projects up into bits and pieces, but I also know it's the patient grown up thing to do (greaaaaat).

Has anyone else been working on little updates in your homes? I need more inspiration!

A new cute chair for the front porch

I've been looking for a chair for our front porch for about a year now. I like to sit out front after Ben is asleep, it faces the sunset and our little street is so peaceful, I love it. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, but I knew I wanted it to be kind of small, since our front porch is tiny, and something with a cool shape. I ended up picking this amazing AMMERO dining chair from Ikea. Don't you love it?

It was only $75, which is pretty great for a nice outdoor chair (most that I've seen are well over $100). It's small but actually pretty roomy when you're sitting in it, and it's surprisingly comfortable. I think it's perfect!





Since we brought it home I have spent many evenings after dinner out there, wrapped up in a blanket, catching up on blogs, drinking tea, and watching horrible, horrible television shows (I actually can't stop watching Jennifer Love Hewitt's new Lifetime show. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.) And here's a pic of my view. Pretty great, right?





Oh, I love it. All this extra time outside has me thinking SO much about the garden and what plants I want to add this year. Tomorrow I have a cool (kind of lengthy, sorry in advance) post to share that's all about the best plants for people who are NOT good gardeners...hope you check back to see it!

Another living room update (because everything takes me 18 tries)

Now that I finally got that string pendant up...I can share our living room after pics, yay! First, a little back story...


When we walked in to our place for the first time...I thought that the living room was going to be such an easy fix. All it needed was paint, and I'd be done. And even though that's pretty much all we've done to this room, it's taken me three years to get it how I really, really want it.





The living room started off (NOT selected by us) a horrendous tan colour. Who picks colours like that? I guess the same people who buy plaid couches and hang floral quilts all over the walls (and never, ever, three years later, get their mail redirected). 

Anyway, I painted it light grey. I was in a real Sarah Richardson phase at the time (still am, I LOVE Sarah, but I've embraced a little more contrast in our home) and I wanted EVERY room grey at the time. And grey it was, until recently. I loved it. It was light and airy and a great neutral backdrop.


But...as time went on, it didn't feel right. I wanted some white. But not just white. And I wanted some black. But not ALL black. So, this is what I ended up with.





I painted the two long walls white, and the two short walls black (the same black that we have in our bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom). I love, love, love it. So much. It's just what I had in mind.











Don't mind our hideous dining room chairs that have been torn to shreds my our cheeky cats Finn and Arthur. One day I hope to have chairs that are hair/scratch/pet/kid proof. 


I do have more to do in this room...those white curtains are going to be replaced with white wooden blinds, or perhaps shutters. I actually like the curtains a lot, but they are not a good option when you have a dog that sheds ten pounds of hair a day, and makes a point of rubbing herself all over those curtains ALL DAY LONG. And I think I want to change out the tv area....but maybe not. I go back and forth.


I love mini-projects like this, they're fun and easy and so quick. And who knows, maybe I'll change this room ten more times. But designing your home is an ever evolving process...that's kind of the fun of it.

The (exterior) house to-do list

When we moved into our home a few years ago, I had a TON of plans. I planned on having the entire place gutted, new floors, new basement, new appliances...you know. But, in reality, you have to be patient with these things. NOT easy for me. 


While we've done a lot of cosmetic changes on the inside, we haven't done much to the outside.  The garden is pretty established, it just needs a LOT of pruning and overall management...which I have sadly neglected this past year or two. I'll get to it eventually.


But the front of our house needed some work. It actually needs a LOT more than that (when we win the lottery, right after I go on a shopping spree and finally buy the iPad that I know I don't need, we'll redo the driveway and stairs...) but we can do a lot with paint and plants for now.


This is a true 'before pic', taken during our home inspection. That's my Mom in the front door, my Dad is a home inspector so these things are always a family affair.





Since then we have done some landscaping, changed the house numbers and painted the front door (I know, pretty ambitious). Lots more to do.


Some of these are short-term goals, and some are longggg term goals. Some may never happen, but they're on the list, so that alone makes me feel better. Yep.


Exterior Goals

1. Paint. We actually bought the paint a while ago, and didn't get around to it. Doesn't that sort of thing just eat you up inside? No? Just me? I don't feel too bad though. We had a baby. Gimme a break.
2. Build up this little area with shrubs. I have planted some, and it needs time to fill in. This year I plan on pruning and making sure they're situated where they need to be. Maybe adding more if needed.
3. Add a chair to this little spot. It's tight, but I think it's doable. I love sitting on the front porch waiting for Billy to get home from work after Ben's in bed (YES, I bring out the monitor). I'm going to be that old lady on the porch one day. 
4. A new railing, AND new stairs. This railing is one of though awful metal ones. I think this year I might paint it out black (not sure that will even help) but eventually it has to go. And the stairs are concrete and not in great shape. 
5. Again, build this area up with shrubs. there are some established ones, and I'm tempted to rip them out...I don't like how they were initially places, so I might change it up. Either way, the areas around them also need to be planned better and edited. Also, there are a ton of white tulips planted in this section, and I am more into these. We had them at the old house and I miss them. Will be ordering them this fall. 
6. A new pathway. This may not happen...I kind of like the way ours is (it's pretty bumpy and weathered), but it has a certain charm. Not sure Billy agrees with me on this.
7. In this area, which is an awkward bed on the other side of the walkway, NOTHING grows. It just ends up looking like a pile of dirt, and I'm sick of it. This year I'm going to level it out and plant grass seed there. Done.
8. Below our huge maple there are mostly hostas and daylilies. I actually hate daylilies, so I think this year I'm going to pull them out. I love hostas, I especially love groups of different types, so I think I will fill this area with more hostas. We have a lot on our property, but I've been splitting them to fill bare areas and so I think we're running out. We'll see after I get out there.
9. A new driveway. This is pretty badly needed...ours is rough. But it's also huge, and will probably cost a fortune, and I like to buy things cute spring clothes and magazines. So ya. We can wait.

I plan on working on our short-term goals this year....you know, in between naps and diapers and everything else. Ah!


There are a ton of amazing home exterior pictures that I have been seeing lately that are motivating me. My house will likely NEVER come close, but these are some my my favs. I want lots of green, lots of texture, and lots of tidiness. Perfect.


Sigh.





Via House and Home





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc

The new upholstered bed...is done!

This is officially my favourite DIY project that I have taken on EVER. It was probably the most work (but not even that bad), but I feel like having a nice big piece of furniture that we made ourselves is pretty cool. And, it's literally the bed of my dreams. 


I have wanted an upholstered bed for years...but they are pricey. Like $2,000 pricey. And considering the amount of clothes I could buy for that amount of money, I was simply unwilling to save up the cash for one. 


Then one day I saw this project, and the wheels started turning. If anyone could do a project like that, it's me. I was on the Ikea website within minutes to check the stock, but unfortunately that bed doesn't come in king size. So it was great inspiration, but wouldn't work for me.


Then I started thinking...well, it's just wood, right? Maybe I can just make the whole thing. Soon came a series of sketches...most of which are now in the trash but all resemble something like this.





Well, after a trip to Home Depot and another to Fabricland, and a LOT of time with a staple gun...this is what we came up with. LOVE IT.





We also the wall behind the bed black...still have more to do in there but it's liveable for a while as is.





Things that I have learned from this project.

1. Never attempt to screw together a lot of pieces of wood without the help of a husband/partner/person stronger than you.
2. When shopping in Fabricland, head straight to the sale section. $20 a yard for fabric is just silly.
3. Measure a lot. Not just twice. 15 times at least. 
4. Wood is not actually the size they tell you it is. A 2x4 is neither 2 or 4. 
5. Building a bed is not easy. But it's not that hard. And with any luck, it won't crumble to pieces one night while we're sleeping.

Finally! Working on the bedroom...

I'm so excited to start this project! As soon as it's all done I'll be sure to share the pictures!