Recent projects

We've been very busy lately! We repainted the kitchen, had lots of visitors staying with us, and the baby and I left for 5 days. Traveling was so much fun and we saw lots of family, which was so great. The baby also cut his first tooth! I suspected something was going to happen, but he was such a trooper still :)

I have lots of projects on the go. Right now my main focus is the home daycare I plan on opening in the near future. I'm not sure when exactly. I have to get the house together and also collect more toys. I'm having lots of fun planning so far, though. I plan on doing an inspiration post soon.

Here are some pictures of my recent aquisitions. I am in the middle of completing them and will post the 'afters' when all is said and done.

Creating a photo wall

I've always wanted a photo wall. I have tons of pictures to display and I think photo walls are homey and cozy! So last month I was on the hunt for picture frames. Originally I wanted a funky photo wall, sort of hodge podge and random. But most of the photo frames I found around the house and at second hand stores were black! I ended up sticking with a black theme.

I took pictures as I created the photo wall:

First I gathered all the frames and laid them out on the floor:


Next, I took some old wrapping paper, traced each picture frame and cut them out:


Then I transfered them to the wall:


And started hammering!


And the final product:


I have yet to fill all the frames. I need to find the perfect pictures!

Browsing kijiji

It's a rainy day here today, so no yard saling occurred for this lady.

Instead I stayed in my pajamas with my baby. While he napped, I did a few things around the house and browsed Kijiji. To my delight, I found a few really terrific deals that I am currently waiting to hear back about!

I have been looking for a chair for the spare bedroom. If it is still available, I just may have one for $10! What a steal. If I get it, I will have to repaint and reupholster:




And I really, really hope to hear back from this seller! I have a bedside table already that matches the one here exactly. And the shelf is coordinating. I would love to have this for our master bedroom. I like the look of symmetry:



I keep checking my e-mail. No word yet. But FX!

Transformation Thursday

Yesterday my DH, son and I went to a junk sale. It is held all summer long next to the highway. I've never stopped before. There was a lot of junk, and lots of damaged goods because it is all left out in the rain. But really, the prices can't be beat.

I picked up this frame for only $1:




A lick of spray paint turned it into this:



It is part of my spare bedroom redo. I'll post more when I am completely finished!

I want to head back to that junk sale soon. They had some old wooden kitchen chairs that I think would look great in our house!

I am linking to ... The Shabby Chic Cottage

AND

Spare bedroom

We love our little home. It really is the perfect size for the three of us. It has a cute little kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a finished basement, and beautiful hardwood floors. Unfortunately, it needs some major updating!
When we bought the house, we were not yet pregnant. We had lots of grand plans -- and then we got the BFP! We were happy, of course, but it also meant that our big reno plans had to be put on hold.
I've lived for nearly a year in this house without really making my mark. I've resisted the dated panelling in the basement, and fought the burnt orange carpet in the bedrooms. But I am tired of doing that. It may be a while before we replace all the carpets, so I've decided to start decorating anyway.

I am going to start with the spare bedroom. Right now, it is sort of a catch all of different things. I can't believe I am actually going to post pictures of it... it really is a disaster area! Normally it is not quite this bad, but we were organizing for a yard sale (which was canceled) and everything we collected from the house landed in here. Hopefully this will make for a great Before and After!






Several things: 1) Yes, that is a cradle my son no longer sleeps in. 2) And yes, there is a laundry basket filled with towels and dish cloths sitting in it waiting to go in the washing machine 3) and needless to say, those curtains came with the house.

I really, REALLY can't wait to redo this room. Hopefully this week while we have some extra hands around to help with the baby!