Lake Life Lately: Behind the Scenes

I find it so interesting how people (myself included!) like to peer into the lives of other people.  Long before reality TV and blogging, my Mama would pop in on family, uninvited, "to see how they really live".  When she visited the townhouse for the first time, she unabashedly peered inside each and every one of my cupboards and closets, eager to ascertain whether I was actually a tidy homeowner, or I has just cleaned for her visit.  When I said the garage was off limits (because the house alarm would sound), she was convinced that's where I was keeping the mess.  I repeatedly asked her not to open the door, but that just made the garage more enticing.  When the house alarm went off at the crack of dawn one morning, I knew that her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

I laughed when I caught her red-handed!  I couldn't fault her, because my favorite hobby was to go for a walk at dusk - so I could nonchalantly peer into our neighbors' homes as I slowly sauntered by.  That was the reason I started reading blogs.  And I know this isn't some weird family quirk because that passion for voyeurism is what makes reality TV such a lucrative industry.

What's funny to me, is that the authenticity and realism we seem to crave is so illusive.  The Hills?  Turns out much of it was scripted!  Blogger homes?  A lot of those Pinterest-worthy images are staged!  Instagram was, for a long time, a place for those candid snaps, but it too has become more glossed over by highly edited and stylized shots.  The "way people really live" is driven deeper into the depths of the internet - now you can find it mostly in short-lived Instagram stories and Snapchat whatevers.  But in this world, where cash is king, there's no conspiracy to hide real life, it's just that glossier depictions perform better: better show ratings, better blog stats.  So do people really want "to see how people really live" after all?

I think about this so much.

I struggle with this as a blogger, because I feel pressure to produce Pinterest-worthy images but I'm still passionate about the function blogging used to serve: a glimpse into real homes, to see how people really live and decorate.  That's more difficult these days and the monetization of blogs blurs the lines even more.
  
The biggest lie I perpetrate is in my food photography and flat lays: I photograph so many things on the floor!  Not so scandalous, I know - until you see how heartbreaking this is for Szuka...

Szuka will come lurking and just hang out, staring longingly at the food that's within her grasp and yet so far away.  I can leave the room and she won't touch it, but she's there.  Watching. 

When I see blogging from her eyes ("why is the food on the floor, human, and why aren't we eating it?") it all seems so strange...

P.S. that's a diabetic-friendly cheesecake!

Do You Love/Hate Truncated Posts? P.S. Dans le Lakehouse Has Moved!

After way too many years of forcing people to type "www.dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com" - which really made no sense once we moved from the townhouse to the lakehouse - I finally, finally switched to my own domain: "www.danslelakehouse.com"!

It's so much easier to type and remember - plus it looks pretty.  Is it a sign that you've been blogging too long when you think a URL is pretty??

For you, nothing will change.  All of the old links and the former URL redirect.  But from now on, if you're someone who types in the URL, you can type www.danslelakehouse.com, instead!

In other news, I'm experimenting with truncating my posts (which means including a photo and only part of the text before imploring you to click "read" more to see the rest, instead of leaving posts whole so you can land on the blog and just keep scrolling).  Bloggers and blog readers often have strong opinions on the topic of truncated posts, so below is my reasoning - but then I'd love your input!

Reasons FOR Truncated Posts

After I bought my new blog template, I realized that the mobile version defaulted to truncated posts and I immediately liked how chic the mobile version looked.  I've even been considering a different template that is much more like a clickable Instagram feed with only images and post titles on the main page, because I really like how it looks.

As a voracious blog reader, I've started to prefer truncated posts because I can breeze through posts that aren't my jam without having to slog through endless steps/photos/jibber-jabber about topics or projects that don't interest me.  Instead, I quickly skim content, open posts that seem interesting in new tabs, read them at leisure, pin my heart out, and move on.  Truncated posts make pinning so much easier for me (and at 14,000+ pins, I'm a pretty enthusiastic pinner!).

Because I like truncated posts, I recently switched Dans le Lakehouse to a format with page breaks.  I feel like the blog looks much tidier now and I enjoy that new readers can see so many posts at once and immediately get a feel for my aesthetic and content.

And, this might make me seem overly sensitive, but I feel inspired to blog more freely now.  There's so much pressure to create perfectly curated, pinnable content and to ensure that every photo is styled to perfection - even in-progress shots, which tend to be messy by nature.  Sometimes this pressure is a creativity-squasher.  I have actually decided not to post some projects because, although the "after" photo looked good, my progress photos didn't turn out well (maybe too messy, poorly lit, etc), and I didn't want to put those photos on the blog because anyone who landed on my blog would see them mixed in with better photos as they scrolled.  I've been really struggling with wanting to share stories and make things with wild abandon, but then feeling this defeating pressure to constantly produce really amazing photos, every step of the way - and it's difficult for me to take a magazine-worthy shot when I'm covered in dough or paint, or feverishly working on a project in the wee hours. 

With this new layout, though, only my favorite photo shows to anyone skimming through so I feel like I can make a great "first impression" and, once someone is hooked (mwahaha) and starts delving deeper into posts, seeing some imperfect progress photos won't ruin the overall aesthetic.  I feel so much more motivated to make and share - which is a surprise!  I really just wanted to make the blog prettier, but I think it might actually have a big impact on my creativity and passion for blogging.  Maybe.

There are other, less emotionally-fueled reasons for the switch too:  the site should load faster, an issue I've had because I always include a ton of huge photos and probably way too many meandering digressions.  As well, truncated posts supposedly deter scraper sites that steal content, which is a good enough reason for me because it's been disheartening to see so many of my posts stolen verbatim by these sites.  I'm not writing Pulitzer-worthy material here, but I log a lot of hours on each post - no matter how mundane it seems.

Reasons AGAINST Truncated Posts

Blogging experts have long advocated truncated posts for boosting pageviews, but because truncated posts can be off-putting for many readers, I wonder if that's even accurate.  Perhaps each person who lands on a blog will generate more coveted "clicks" for a blogger, but what if the overall number of regular readers shrinks as a result? 

I don't want to make visiting the Lakehouse less fun for anyone!  I love chatting with you and hearing your input.  I'm so grateful for your support and encouragement.  In return, I hope I can make you laugh from time to time, or spark an idea for a creative project or budget-friendly room makeover.

I know that truncated posts can be cumbersome if you read a blog regularly, because you're not scrolling through like a new reader - you just want to read the newest post, without having to click twice.  Which totally makes sense!  An extra click is frustrating when every single blog makes you do it - on top of annoying pop up adds and pop ups begging you to subscribe by email when you've barely made it two sentences into a post.  It can slow down and make reading blogs so much less enjoyable for some.  Ideally, I'd love for the first post to be regular and the others truncated, but I can't figure out how to do that and although I found code to truncate all posts at once, and fiddled a bit with that for an evening, I'm not savvy enough to figure out any tweaks beyond that.  I can't even get the truncated posts to look exactly how I'd like (I'd prefer a full size image and the first few lines of text below, not to the right).    

What is Your Take on Truncated Posts???

I'm not fully committed to this new format, although I do like it quite a bit, so while I noodle on it, please do chime in: do you love or hate the new truncated posts!  Or perhaps you're completely ambivalent and you just want more posts?  Less jibber-jabber?  Let me know!  

First and foremost, I really want this blog to be easy to use and enjoy - because it's nothing without you! - so please feel free let me know if there's anything I can do (or should stop doing) to make your visit easier and more enjoyable.

(And if you want to be really honest and candid, you can always leave an anonymous comment and I'll have no idea who you are.  Seriously, I appreciate the feedback - big time!)

Thanks for reading!

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My New Blog Look (+ A Review of Pipdig Templates)

Some of you have already noticed the fresh new look of Dans le Lakehouse!  Even though I've been blogging for many years, I've never spent money on my blog design (or even having my own domain for that matter, because I'm intimated by the prospect of actually moving from blogspot.com).  My DIY header and social media buttons just weren't cutting it anymore though, so I took the plunge and purchased an affordable template from pipdig, which I customized a little:



I am so thrilled with how Dans le Lakehouse looks now, so I wanted to give you a tour (if you're reading via email, click over and take a quick peek!)  If you're a fellow blogger looking for a budget-friendly, customizable, and super easy template for your own website, read on for my review of pipdig.

Here's a look back at my old, DIY "design":

To the right you could spot my sad little social media "buttons," made by me.  Honestly, I'm super proud of myself for figuring out how to make them clickable, but I readily admit that they didn't look very chic or polished.

The whole look wasn't horrible, but it looked homemade.  I did, however, love the black headers and the simple, clean(ish) look, because I like my photos and projects to be front and centre.

When I decided to upgrade the look, I wanted to keep the same feel.  I looked at many different template providers, but I liked that pipdig offers something for everyone - for both wordpress and blogger.  At first I was drawn to the "Minim" template because it featured the same black and white scheme I had before, but after I realized that I would be able to customize colours, fonts, and the layout of any template, I chose "Nineteen" instead.

The "Nineteen" blog template looks like a more polished version of what I had cobbled together.  I started fiddling with the look and chose black (again) for the headers because it looks so sharp with my colorful photos:



There are so many little bonuses and fancy touches that come with the template that would have taken me months to figure out how to create on my own.  I especially love how the pages at the top ("about," "diy project gallery," "lakehouse tour," etc) move with you as you scroll down the page:

I needed some teal in the design, so when you hover over the social media icons they turn teal - please humor me and try it!  When you hover over the titles of the pages, they turn grey.  Speaking of the social media icons, aren't they cute?

The Pinterest and Instagram widgets were included in the template and I love how they feature four uniform photos each (so slick), but I still need to make my own Etsy widget.  I also have a search bar, so if you're looking for a particular post or theme, you can find it quickly now!

I also updated my favicon (the little icon beside my blog url) to an anchor - my little nod to coastal decor.  I've changed it a few times since updating the blog look because it's hard to make an image that small actually clear!

Because I mostly read blogs on my phone these days, having a sharp look on mobile devices was important to me.  I've noticed that a lot of blogs looks good on a desktop but are a hot mess on mobile devices and I wanted the look to be consistent.  Luckily blogger created a somewhat okayish mobile version that it defaulted to, but now Dans le Lakehouse looks so chic, no matter where you're visiting the lakehouse!  Here's the look on mobile devices (although you can always scroll down and choose "web version," even if you're on your phone or tablet):

The mobile version has a great menu, too:

Installing the pipdig Blogger Template:

If you're a blogger, you probably want to know how easy this template was to install.  It was incredibly easy to install (15 minutes), but I did spend an afternoon fiddling with sizing, colors, my pictures, widgets, etc.  They can install it for you, but I really recommend doing it yourself because then you start to know the nuts and bolts and customizing everything will be easier.  I had a few questions during the process and the pipdig team responded about a day later, which was pretty quick - although I did figure out one of my own problems in that time frame.  My old "link within" widget stopped working in the transition, so the pipdig folks installed a somewhat similar widget (free of charge) that suggests different posts.  Recently my Pinterest widget stopped working so I had to email the support team and was told Google had made some updates, but all I had to do was re-install the widget and it was working perfectly again.  It has been pretty straightforward and there's always support, which I really appreciate.

There is only one thing I miss about the old look: I had added some lines to the code long ago to auto-size all of my photos to the same width, but I lost that code alteration in the process.  They still auto-size with this template, but only if the photo is already a certain width.  I sacrificed a bit of blurriness for the same width before, but this template does not.  It means I have to go back to some old posts and re-size photos manually, but that's okay - every time I dig into the archives, I catch a typo, so I should probably be looking through old posts regularly anyway.  I'll be updating the pages this month and will be sure to give you a tour when they're all ready!

So, What Do You Think?

I'd love to know what you think of the new blog look!  I'd especially love to hear what makes your experience as a reader better and if there's anything I can do to make visiting the lakehouse as fun and easy as possible!

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Dealing with Negative Blog Comments

I'm very fortunate to consistently find myself on the receiving end of flattering press.  Frankly it's really nice to hear someone say "nice work," about a room makeover or DIY project, instead of "you suck, your house sucks, your dog probably sucks too".  Plus, these features and shout outs have helped my little blog grow, opened doors for me (including two new projects I can't wait to spill the beans about) and even, at times, motivated me to keep sharing when I've fallen into a blogging slump.  On the flip side, as the blog grows I find myself on the receiving end of more negative comments too.  Good Housekeeping and Country Living recently picked up the story of my budget-friendly kitchen makeover and featured it online.  Boy, oh boy, was there ever an uproar in the comments, from folks who preferred the before - they wanted the cathedral upper cabinets, the honey oak, the green laminate counters and tile - everything, as-is, don't touch a thing!  I horrified them by jettisoning it all. 

In the past, I have tried to be diplomatic when I talk about what the kitchen looked like before, in case someone reading has a similar kitchen which they love.  It brings me no joy to make someone feel bad about their home.  But I'm going to be brutally honest for a moment.  To me the kitchen screamed 1990s and the upper cabinets were painfully awkward - not the cornucopia of storage some people think they were.  I also dislike cathedral doors with a fiery passion, and the wonky different sizes made them worse.  I knew there would be people who would hate the turquoise reveal (too much turquoise! open shelving! you're hoarding the world's Pyrex and driving prices up - the last one is an actual angry comment from an Apartment Therapy reader), but I was unprepared for folks passionately loving the before.  I'm never hurt or deterred by negative comments because I'm totally smitten with my house, but for a second I felt really...different.  Was I the only person who saw the before as a dark, awkward, tired space?  After I shared the makeover, I was certain some folks would have other suggestions, because this makeover could have taken many different directions: black lowers and white uppers, soft mint lowers with more open shelving to the right of the window, new cupboard doors and Martha Stewart greige...but none have materialized (other than the suggestion to add more orange).  Other than that, I've mostly witnessed a polarized group of votes: yay! (which, happily, there's many more votes for) or total nay, "bring back the oak!," which really surprised me.  I thought for sure there would be other suggestions for a less nutty colour, so it was really eye-opening to realize so many people prefer the wood un-painted, as-is.  Very interesting indeed.  As interesting as I have found the feedback, it would have been swell if some people had been a little less mean-spirited about voicing their oak preference!

A story that recently ran online in Elle Decor and then House Beautiful listed my kitchen as one of 10 brilliant decorating ideas from bloggers.  Better still, I was lumped in with Design Love Fest, Decor8, Vintage Revivals, Little Green Notebook, and The Hunted Interior, among others.  That's a pretty important "yay" in my books and it put a smile on face (it was a welcome reprieve from negative comments), so I wanted to share my happy news with you.  (A huge thanks to Shavonda for drawing my attention to the article!)  And a huge thanks to you for always leaving such kind, thoughtful, and constructive comments.  I read each and every one and even when you've made suggestions or disliked something, you've always been so deeply courteous and have clearly remembered that there's a person click-clacking away behind here - something I think too many people forget.  So thanks.  You're all really awesome and I'm happy you stop by!  You motivate and inspire me more than anything.  

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Blogging Can Be Weird

Griffin, from The Design Itch, asked me to partake in a tour that's making its way through blogland.  Even though I'm pretty swamped, and I just participated in the Canadian Bloggers Home Tour (see the juicy new lakehouse pictures I shared here), I'm always so touched when someone says, "hey, you're swell.  Can I tell people how swell I think you are?"  Speaking of swell, take a look at Griffin's beautiful dining room:

Blogging can be weird.  Over the weekend someone read an older, tongue-in-cheek post of mine but didn't get the joke at all, so they decided that the only thing to do was to leave a character-attacking comment - anonymously, of course.  Le sigh.  I manually approve all comments (to catch rude spam), but I swiftly deleted that one too.  Truthfully, it was kind of funny because the person was very uninformed about the matter in question - but very opinionated, as the uninformed tend to be - and I almost wanted to approve and highlight the comment because anyone who has read more than one post of mine would have seriously chuckled, but I just don't need that kind of negative juju.  Constructive feedback is always welcome but any type of name-calling, character defamation, or attempts to make someone feel bad get a big "nope" from me.  I'm not one to complain about blogging because, uh, it's totally voluntary.  Negative comments don't ruffle my feathers anyway, but I'm sharing this to help remind myself not to take for granted the kind, sweet, supportive folks out there who make blogging so much fun.
  
Before I get too misty-eyed, I'm just going to get right to the questions posed of everyone who partakes in this tour:

1. What am I working on?

Right now I'm working on a bunch of different DIY projects, feverishly trying to complete them before the snow (which I'm certain is just around the corner) rears its ugly head.  I've partnered with Canadian Tire for a huge series of projects and I'm tackling some of those this week, but I've also got some of my own projects on the go.  I've been trying for weeks to stain the deck and couldn't land a sunny stretch, but I think Tuesday might be my magic day!  Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of what I'm working on via Instagram, like this sneak peek I shared of a super cute office accessory I painted and stained yesterday - details soon!

2. How does my work differ from those in my genre?

I learned a long time ago that I shouldn't compare myself to others.  I really do believe it's far more valuable to compare current-me to past-me, than to anyone else.  Have I learned something?  Have I developed a skill?  Am I improving?  Have I stopped leaving the dishrag in a sink of scungy dishwater overnight?

Past-me (townhouse-me) blogged more often and took fewer design risks.  Current me (lakehouse-me) has been trying to blog a little less, but produce more interesting, thoughtful posts.  I'm taking more design risks and tackling more daring DIY projects.  I submit the townhouse kitchen and lakehouse kitchen as Exhibit A.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

I was passionate about DIY projects long before I started blogging and probably will be long after I hit "publish" on my last post.  I'm not really into DIY to save a buck, although that's a nice perk - like when I made my framed agate art for a fraction of the price of the professionally framed agate I lusted after.

Mostly I just like things my way - I DIY because I'm bossy!  Often I can't find exactly what I want (like my weird truck bed or the washing-maching hiding curtains), so I make it.  I also have this horrible affliction: I have too many ideas!  I sometimes wish I could just say them out loud and see them magically materialize, because I have way more ideas (especially for art!) than one person can ever use and never enough time to see them all come to fruition.  But, I do like learning new skills and trying new things, so maybe a magic idea-maker wouldn't be for me after all.  Sure, I wasn't the best at it - and it was a ridiculous amount of work (I'm talking weeks and weeks) - but it feels pretty awesome to say that Hubby and I painted my 1992 Dodge Colt lime green...  

I've always enjoyed creative endeavors, and I hope the well never dries up!  

4. How does my creative writing process work?

I have a notebook designated for blog post ideas, but usually I end up writing them down on everything from gas receipts to my Hydro bill.  Once I accidentally wrote down something on a student exam I was marking!  I hope they don't steal my idea...

I used to post five days a week but these days I aim to produce a blog post 3 days a week.  Truthfully, I reject half of what I write because I start to doubt the quality.  I think I have more abandoned draft posts than published posts.  I recently sat down and penned a personal essay for a writing contest which I at first thought was really funny and moving, but in the 11th hour couldn't submit it because I decided it was crap.  I hope future-me either improves my writing or confidence, because I spend a lot of time clicketing-clacking away at my computer for my own health.

Now I'm passing the tour on to Shannon, from 8 Foot Six (with whom I share a love of Pyrex).  She's currently decorating and renovating on two fronts: her already gorgeous home has undergone some renos and she has the cutest summer place.

Jae won me over with a stunning kitchen makeover - seeing the process unfold was incredible!  I definitely recommend taking a peek at Design OCD.  I'm passing the tour through blogland onward, so Jae and Shannon will be sharing their answers to these questions next Monday and then they'll each pass the questions on to another blogger.  And so on and so on, until the end of time.  The end.

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With a Little Help From My Friends

I've been remiss in sharing some of the lovely features of my projects and home on other blogs and websites.  I used to share each one but then I worried that was a snooze for readers, so I began quietly filing them away on the press page, but then I realized that I'd rather share!  I want to be able to publicly thank these bloggers for the blog love, because it motivates me to keep on keeping on:

Cassie, of Primitive and Proper (a longtime read for me), asked me to partake in her "it's eclectic" home tour series.  I've been updating the lakehouse tour here pretty regularly, but it's neat to see the "before" and "after" photos of the lakehouse all together.  Click over to the feature to see!

Linsey, of Better After, was sweet enough to feature my velvet chair makeover, as was Apartment Therapy.  A lot of AT readers preferred the before (bugs and all), which I understand because the pattern was bitchin', but nothing beats teal velvet in my books.  A lot of folks jumped to my defense (thanks!), but one thing sort of irked me: some comments reveal an interesting assumption of readers who think anyone who submits a projects should expect "judgement".  I would argue that the purpose of blogs is not for people to get their nasty on, and say the kinds of things they wish they had the guts to say offline, but to showcase nifty ideas and makeovers.  I love seeing what other people do because it helps me see things in a new light (even if I'm just figuring out what not to do, because a particular makeover isn't my jam).  It would bring me no joy to tell someone I don't like their project (unless I felt I could add something constructive, like how some folks recommended a different kind of Danish oil than what I used), so maybe I'm just weird.  

But I was a chubby kid with glasses and braces, so no amount of snarking on my projects will do more than elicit a giggle.  It's a chair, people, calm down.

Speaking of Apartment Therapy, they also featured my cheap-cheap-cheap bathroom spruce, which - suprisingly - got RAVE reviews from readers.  Funny, right?  To me the bathroom is ho-hum and just good enough for now.  The chair is the real gem in my eyes.

Poppytalk did a round-up of summery Ikea hacks and included my upgraded Expedit hack.  This is another blog I've read for so long, so it was a real thrill to be featured!

This was awhile ago, but I'm still so tickled that HGTV.ca featured my framed agate art!  They are still packed up, and I'm deciding where I should hang them...

The style-savvy folks running EQ3's blog, Inhabit, chose me as May's blogger of the month, which is how I scored the sweet Eames Hang-It-All for the laundry room.  Pinch me!

This Saturday will be the first yard-saling day of the year for me, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

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I'm on Instagram!

I know I'm (fashionably?) late to the party, but I've just joined Instagram (http://instagram.com/danslelakehouse)!  I'm excited about using it for sharing sneak peeks and previews of projects, plus I'm moving my treasure hunting report there.  I've got an open account, so anyone is free to take a look.

I've been averse to social media, but lately I've realized that it will be a great way to connect more with you.  I'm already on Pinterest (townhouse_tanya) and will take to Twitter next week, but I'm on the fence about Facebook.  A lot of changes are on the horizon, actually: I'm considering a migration from blogger to wordpress (yikes!), with a new blog name (Dans le Lakehouse), new url, and new blog design.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed . . . Instagram, though, has proven to be fun and blissfully easy (although, for some reason, hashtags annoy me).  These are some things I thought were worth sharing:

I'm enjoying my new insulated lunchbag set from Island Picnic, so I couldn't help but photograph the very lakehouse-appropriate design (and organic cotton fabric!).  The little sandwhich and snack bags are washable and are meant to replace plastic ones, which is a clever idea.  Island Picnic is run by a mother-daughter duo who sew all of their green products, which is why they piqued my interest: I love family businesses.
 

Did you know mason jars come in vintage-inspired turquoise?  Who among you knew this and kept it from me?  I'm not really mason-jar obsessed, but I impulse-bought a case of these Ball American Heritage Edition jars from Canadian Tire to store dribs and drabs of snacks and baking supplies.  Our new kitchen is small, so I'm trying to maximize cupboard space by getting rid of over-sized packaging.  Leah and Janis, of Island Picnic, advocate storing things in glass, not plastic, and I'm happy to oblige when glass looks as cute as this.  Plus these are made in the USA.

As if cookies ever last long enough to be decanted.

Sadly, it's no picnic here, weather-wise.  A few weeks ago we still had mountains of snow (I had deck stairs at one point, right?):

But then some snow melted, the banks receded and I could see dead grass (hurray!).  We rejoiced and stopped wearing jackets, and then BOOM, we were hit with more.  So disappointing! 



In happier news, something gorgeous (from Modernica) has landed in the dining room.  I need to unearth the dining table from beneath a sea of sewing supplies and moving boxes, and then show you the whole kit and caboodle.  Seriously, it's breathtaking.

This is fun; I'm going to like Instagram.  For those who celebrate, Happy Easter weekend!!  What kind of filter makes a ham look tastiest? #timeforstretchypants.  Argh, I can't do it, it just bugs me.  

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Lakehouse Tour, Now Live

For the last few weeks I've been working on a tour for the lakehouse, just like I did for the townhouse.  I've been having issues with it and have kept fussing and fussing.  I planned to have it all ready to go many days ago.  When Apartment Therapy featured the before and after of the living room fireplace yesterday, and thousands of new people stopped by, I realized that Dans le Townhouse is truly confusing.  Friends who have been following along know that I'll be changing the blog name, url and everything else to reflect our new abode, but anyone new must be a little perplexed that the only house tour shows a totally different house.  The AT feature lit a fire under my bum and the lakehouse tour is now live.

Of course I will be adding more progress photos as we make more changes, but I also want to add a few more "before" shots.  I could tinker with it forever (and probably will).  There are a few angles (and even a room or two) you haven't seen before, so take a peek! 

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CIL Giveaway Winner + A Question

Just a quick note to announce the winner of the giveaway sponsored by CIL.  Drumroll . . . congratulations Jordana of White Cabana!  I'll be in touch shortly to connect you with CIL. 

Thanks to everyone who entered (apologies to my non-Canadian readers who were left out of the running this time).  A quick question for you: do you like when blogs host giveaways?  I turn down a lot of giveaway opportunities because I don't want giveaways to clutter the blog.  I happily said yes to this one because it was a good fit but, ultimately, giveaway are a clever way for companies to advertise - something I'm trying to keep to a minimum in this little space I've carved out on the internet.  What do you think? 

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May is Done. Did We Have Fun?

It's June!  My Birthday is right around the corner . . . in my rear view mirror is another month that went by in a blur.  I spent this weekend at Congress, presenting a paper on my (never-gonna-be-finished) research.  I had quite the milk run on the way to Victoria, BC: four stops and 13 hours.  Yikes!!  Prepping for the conference didn't leave me a whole lot of time for projects, but I tackled some fun things in May anyway.

I love how these simple frame makeovers completely modernized two thrift store paintings and filled up the townhouse walls with even more original art, for about $20.00 a piece plus a couple of cans of paint and primer.  Ever wonder if you're sitting on a famous something, worth millions, after a thrift store purchase?

Mom and I finally mended a sweater of hers with the sweetest felted wool design.  I love this project because we saved a beautiful cashmere sweater (cha-ching!), but it's such a cute idea just for decoration.



I swapped ideas with a German blogger, and shared her fun idea for making keys look a little snappier.

It seems I wasn't content to craft alone this month!  Erica and I plotted these easy DIY knotted cord bracelets for weeks before I visited her, and they blew up on the interwebs, resulting in a crazy number of new folks coming to the townhouse and a dizzying number of Pinterest pins followed.  These scream "summer" to me, so maybe everyone was just in the mood for something summery?

Another DIY project was featured in Ottawa at Home magazine!  Time to think up something simple, inexpensive and original for the fall issue . . . no pressure or anything.

After mooning over mint, I painted a sentimental table.  It's not as bright as I wanted, and I haven't totally gotten used to it, but it looks perfect with the chair so for now I won't fiddle with it.  Fiddling normally leads to ruining, so I'm going to just put down the paint and walk away.

I never remember to photograph recipes because normally Hubs and I make food when we're already ravenous and it barely makes a plate-pit-stop on route from pot to pie hole.  I am amazed we even have taste buds from all the times we've burned our tongues!  But when styling photos for a Marimekko oven mitt review (still love them), courtesy of EQ3, I snapped this quick shot before we wolfed down the yummiest mac and cheese ever.  Here's the recipe!  Ow, hot.

Speaking of happenings in the kitchen, my Pyrex collection grew a little!  See the collection, plus what other goodies I treasure-hunted, here.



On a serious note, I tested out a high tech (and oh-so-pretty) smoke detector.  I was only concerned with the looks at first, but now I've realize it really is a much better unit to have for safety.

There were more projects I wanted to accomplish this month (the bar cart is painted and waiting patiently in the garage, along with a fancy new tool, some furniture and cans and cans of paint), but I was a little distracted with thoughts of our dream house.  I plan to share the nitty gritty details (and more photos) soon.  Who will I be, if I'm not Townhouse Tanya???

I'm really looking forward to June, even though my heart flutters a little at the length of my (growing) to-do list . . .

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