My husband and I built a third room in our basement. There were already two bedrooms, a bathroom and a huge living room down there, but we realized as our nieces and nephews get older, the family grows and we seriously consider making the transition to ‘bed and breakfast’ life during the summers –we wanted more accommodations. And, of course that meant I got to design and decorate the new space.
It was so good to finally get the garden in! This is the latest we have waited to put it in. We stopped at two new greenhouses this year.
First was Greenland in Sherwood Park. Oh my goodness it was overwhelming! They had everything from beautiful clothing and jewelry to incredible healthy, diverse and reasonably priced flowers, shrubs and trees to the most adorable garden decor and of course plant care products. This greenhouse also boasts a restaurant!
Our second stop was at Arber Greenhouse in Wetaskiwin. They had a special on hanging baskets; normally I make my own but WOW theirs were just so lush and full that I couldn’t resist… I picked up four of them for under the kitchen window. We also snagged our tomato plants there!
The remainder of our flowers were from a greenhouse in our own community. I loaded up my cart with a ton of flowers; begonias, geraniums and petunias mainly.
My garden hack this year… using a HUGE hanging basket I got from my brother-in-law and niece for my birthday and transplanting it into an equally huge barrel planter in one shot. Next year I’ll be using hanging baskets in our lower deck planters as well by simply snipping the hanger wires off. With the mosquitos being so terrible already it really saved me some time outside.
And, speaking of those wretched bugs we also got a plethora of mosquito repelling plants such as basil, lavender, lemon bomb, marigolds and mint (but of course; be careful with mint it is invasive so always plant it in a separate planter).
We got a jump on the garden, by using our new greenhouse. You can check out it’s construction on my Instagram stories!
The vegetable garden was planted with potatoes, yellow and green zucchini, yellow and green beans, peas, carrots, onions and spaghetti squash.
It may not be the Chelsea Garden show or an interactive garden designed by Kate Middleton but it’s mine and I love it… Check out my garden!
Spring is a very busy time in our household. Usually overtime is picking up for my husband at work and of course, for me, report card season is looming and school activities begin to take off again. Between all that, we need to get the outdoor chores taken care of. So I am forced to save my major in-house spring cleaning/decluttering for the summer. I spend the first few days relaxing and preparing for our annual fishing/camping trip, THEN, I get right to it! The purge is on! This year, I will also be travelling to my childhood home to help my mom declutter her house and prepare for a future move to Alberta.
Sometimes getting started is the toughest part. The sheer amount of items or rooms to go through is overwhelming. Sometimes we resist parting with items because we may need it later or it is something we think we are more attached to than we should be.
Although decluttering is a lot of work; that feeling of a truly clean, sorted and streamlined house feels fantastic. Once I declutter a space I give it a deep and thorough cleaning down to the baseboards.
This is what I have found works for me…
1. Schedule I firmly schedule my declutter days; usually 1 large room per day or 2 smaller rooms per day. M: Front entryway (closets, bench & laundry room) T: Kitchen W: Living Room, main bathroom & linen closet R: Upstairs guest rooms F: Downstairs guest rooms S: Downstairs living room & bathroom S: Storage room, larder & freezers
2. Removal Check the hours of the organization that you will be taking your gently used items to. Check the hours of your ‘eco-center’ and make several trips throughout the declutter process so you don’t get overwhelmed by the pile and aren’t tempted to retrieve previously tossed items. I also find it nice to have bins/tubs set up so it is all contained and can be moved out of the house and straight to the car right away.
3. System for Discarding Decide how you want to determine items to be kept or discarded. You may find that the KonMari approach suits you best; this is where you pick up an item and ask yourself, “Does this item give me joy?” If yes, it is kept and if not it is discarded.
I however ask myself: “Have I used this in the last year?” If I haven’t then it has to go. There are items though that aren’t used in the last 12 months that just don’t factor in to my declutter spree; we all know what those are… the staples in our lives; mine being ornaments in my curio cabinet, books, wedding dress, items tied to childhood memories of my dad that I chose specifically to bring with me from BC to Alberta.
Even if I have used an item in the last year I still ask myself about how often I use the item, how long it has been since I used it last, will I use it again and ultimately, is this worth keeping? This works with everything from clothing to kitchenware to tools.
I have avoided doing a KEEP, MAYBE, TOSS pile in each room because I found that more often than not I ended up keeping the “maybe” items and was reluctant to actually put anything in the “toss” pile. This sort of approach can work well though for those who want to blitz through rooms and take only seconds to make a judgement call. You would then repeat the process of split second decision making of the “maybe” pile; KEEP or TOSS?
If the item belongs to my husband I ask him whether he wants the item or not; I NEVER throw out anything that is not mine. (So, don’t get too carried away; after all you may not get joy from the item or you may not have used it but someone else in your household may have).
4. Evaluate Your Organization Scheme While you declutter and clean, put things back where they actually belong and if you can’t find a good spot for them it may be time to re-classify the item as clutter. This and the decluttering process allows you to take stock of what you have so you have a better idea of what you are running low on and what you don’t need to buy more of.
Good luck! If you have any decluttering tips; please share them with us below in the COMMENTS section.
Today on the blog I will be continuing our home renovation challenge by moving on to the guest bathroom. I were inspired to redecorate and to do this post after reading a blog post courtesy of mydomaine.com about, “The 22 Guest Bathroom Essentials You Never Knew You Needed”.
To redecorate in the most cost effective way possible; I wanted to work within the confines of my light oak cabinetry, brown slate-effect flooring, light warm taupe counter top, white sink, tub and toilet. I am a firm believer in a fresh coat of paint and little tweaks and additions here and there to freshen up a space.
The count down to Spring Break is ON! It is at that time (and during my summers off) that I am able to find plenty of inspiration and natural materials to work with it is easy to get “my craft on.” Included are a few of the rustic decor items that adorn our home.
Wedding Signs These are very easy to make and everyone who I have made one for has loved this personalized gift. You can make the wood sign yourself or purchase a pre-made one from Michael’s. Use stencils and a bit of paint to customize your sign. Our’s hangs in our room.
Centerpieces Although we used these at our wedding, they still look good even on our kitchen table. Using different sized mason jars I hot glue-gunned strips of ribbon or fabric around the mouths, filled them with clear stones, water and a floating candle. My husband cut the discs for me from some trees that had been toppled over in a windstorm. These can be accented with other candles or greenery.
Painted Discs Following our wedding we were left with a bunch of wood discs; some of our guests took them home, some of the discs ended up as cake stands and others ended up being used to level out the trailer but some I turned into decorative pieces for our home and gifts. My favourite one: I painted the centre white and meticulously stencilled and painted a deer silhouette.
Monogrammed Stumps I can’t take credit for this. This was all my husband’s idea; in fact it was a surprise feature at our wedding that were placed at the head of the aisle. He torched our initials on it; it was very sweet. They look great at an outside entryway.
Reindeer A nice walk in the woods and a quick rummage through your wood pile is needed for this project. I had a friend cut holes for the antlers, neck and legs then I stuck in the pieces adhering them with wood glue.
Antler Lamp Using sheds I found; I played around with the orientation of the antlers to find out the most sturdy combination. Carefully my uncle drilled a hole for the light socket and cord and attached them for me. I hot glue-gunned the antlers into place. If you can’t find any sheds, artificial ones can be used as well. I picked up a lampshade for cheap at Wal-Mart.
Tall Pinecone Vases I found cylindrical vases from Ikea make great accent pieces on either side of a fireplace, television or doorway. If you don’t want something as tall you can always scale them down for a great decor item for a shelf or table. I collected pinecones from the front yard and filled three vases to the top. From Dollarama and Michael’s I was able to find some great silk flowers.
Terra Cotta Stacks This was something that I stole from Pinterest. My husband drove a piece of rebar into the ground for me, then I slid the 12” pot down to the bottom to act as the base and filled it with soil. Next was the 10” pot, slid down to rest on the soil of the first one but tilted to the side. I filled it with soil and carried on with the 8” but tilted it in the other direction and so on with the 6” and then 4”. I planted seeds in mine and they didn’t grow as I hoped. This year I am going to try it with bedding plants as they will help keep the soil in place during our awful rainstorms.
Garden Signs I don’t know about you but after planting 14 rows of carrots, onions, peas, green beans, yellow beans, zucchini and potatoes I sometimes forget the order in which I planted them (until they finally start growing). Paper seed packets on wooden stakes always just disintegrated in the rain so I got creative. I found some really cute and cheap wood plaques at Michael’s and attached them to garden stakes. I painted the backgrounds white, then carefully painted cartoon vegetables on them and wrote their names. I sprayed them with a weatherproof varnish.
Pre-pandemic I loved entertaining and having people stay over at our house; it is important that I create a cozy and comfortable space to make my guests feel at home. When we moved into our forever home the decor in our guestrooms stayed pretty much the same as it had under the previous owners (in-laws). I can’t wait till the restrictions are lifted and I can have friends and family over to enjoy the new space I have created for them.
Paint: Coventry Grey (HC-169) for the accent wall (behind ‘headboard’) from Benjamin Moore Crème Fraiche (2023-70) for the other walls from Benjamin Moore Bed: BJÖRKSNÄS bed frame with eidfjord mattress base in birch from Ikea Linens: Puderviva duvet and pillow cases in light yellow from Ikea Decor: Calypso Vase set in teal from Zgallerie Art: Dandelion & Quote wall sticker from Urban Artwork Mirror: Ikornnes standing mirror in ash from Ikea Bedside Table: Nesna nightstand from Ikea Lamp: Holmö floor lamp from Ikea
Pre-pandemic I loved entertaining and having people stay over at our house; it is important that I create a cozy and comfortable space to make my guests feel at home. When we moved into our forever home the decor in our guestrooms stayed pretty much the same as it had under the previous owners (in-laws). I can’t wait till the restrictions are lifted and I can have friends and family over to enjoy the new space I have created for them.
Pre-pandemic I loved entertaining and having people stay over at our house; it is important that I create a cozy and comfortable space to make my guests feel at home. When we moved into our forever home the decor in our guestrooms have stayed pretty much the same as it had under the previous owners (in-laws). I can’t wait till the restrictions are lifted and I can have friends and family over to enjoy the new space I have created for them.
Paint: Palladian Blue (HC-144) from Benjamin Moore Bed: Sagstua bed frame in black from Ikea Linens: Chic Home Salvatore 10 piece comforter set in white from Bed Bath & Beyond
Chair & Ottoman: Strandmon armchair in dark green from Ikea Strandmon footstool in dark green from Ikea Art: “Misty Landscape” (Björksta) framed picture from Ikea Decor: Cactus Trio aka Själsligt from Ikea 8” Stockholm Bowl in gold colour brass from Ikea Dresser: 8 Drawer Hemnes Dresser in white from Ikea Bedside Table: 2 Drawer Hemnes Chest in white from Ikea Lamp: Lauters table lamp in ash and white from Ikea
Taking a nod from the INCREDIBLE Rachel Parcell over at the BRILLIANT blog, Pink Peonies; I put together lists of, “my kitchen faves” Check them out below…
Mixing Bowl Set These textured serving, storing and food prep bowls from Tupperware are fantastic; they have decorative rims for a comfortable gripping and allows you to pour easily. The store well and go from house to trailer
Cookie Sheet I make a lot of “sheet pan suppers” and I do a lot of baking; so far this is the only cookie sheet from Wilton) that has held up to the continuous use…it hasn’t warped or stained.
Paper Towel Holder From the Pioneer Woman collection; I just love the “stoneware flea market blue hen” paper towel holder. It looks perfect in our country kitchen.
Pot Also from the Pioneer Woman collection; the “timeless beauty 5 quart dutch oven” this reminds me of the fancy Creuset pots that retail for hundreds of dollars. This however is very affordable and very pretty.
Glasses What country kitchen isn’t complete without mason jar drinking glasses?!?! These sturdy mugs from Bernardin are great.
Hand Soap J.R. Watkins makes a variety of soaps, creams, mists and scrubs with natural ingredients. Their lemon hand soap smells divine.
Cleanser J.R. Watkins also makes and variety of freshners, candles, cleaners and wipes with natural ingredients. Their lemon all-purpose wipes have replaced my Lysol wipes.
Crochet Pot Holders My husband’s aunt always makes the most awesome pot holders for us; we have a drawer full of them. They are a constant fixture in our kitchen.
Knife block My husband got me the Sabatier Acacia Wood 13 piece knife set for Valentine’s Day one year and I love it; it has a built in knife sharpener as well. It was a major upgrade from my $40 Costco knife block from 7 years ago.
Planter Box This sits on the window ledge above my sink adding peace, calm and serenity to the space.
Ipad holder Many of the recipes I use come from online sources so my Ipad is always in the kitchen. To keep it upright so I can follow along and to keep it out of the way I have the Vivalla tablet stand from Ikea.
