September + October are Done! Did We Have Fun?

I skipped September's round-up of posts so I thought it best to highlight September and October's posts together - and right away - before I blink and it's December.  Scary thought!

Of course my favorite post from the last two months was introducing Szuka.  We had a free coupon for a puppy bath and nail trim at a pet store.  They brushed out her wavy hair and she turned out so poofy.  It didn't last, she's back to her scruffy self, but I had to share the adorable photo I snapped.  After steadily taking allergy pills, I'm happy to report I'm no longer bothered by allergies and I've even switched to a cheaper, Costco-brand allergy pill. 

Szuka has yet to meet our neighborhood foxes, who are no longer comfortable just walking in.

I think my second favorite post from the fall was the reveal of the teal velvet chair, still lovingly referred to as "the garbage chair".  I've since sold a lot of our furniture: the tweed upholstered chair in the living room, some teak side tables, the maple armoire (finally!), and we will soon be selling the teak kitchen table, dining room hutch, Hubby's DIY desk and more.  Moving into the lakehouse will be a chance to start fresh, but it has been weird to see some of our furniture go.  This chair will be a nice bridge, and a happy reminder of Ottawa.

Even though it's furniture-less right now, I've been pretty excited about the progress made on the lakehouse.  I've been able to make a couple trips there to work on it, bouncing between Ottawa and Thunder Bay.  After rounding up some inspiration, I took the plunge and painted the fireplace a deep grey.  I'm loving the boldness (see how I painted the doors here and how I painted the faux stone here).

The fireplace is still un-accessorized, but a quick makeover of a fire poker set left with house added at least something useful!

Paint has definitely been my biggest ally.  Painting the walls, trim, patio doors, and even the wood beam white has made the rather small house seems large and airy.  It's starting to take shape!

But not everything is white!  We started work on the turquoise kitchen, trying out a new paint sprayer on the doors.

I even painted over the bathroom tile, using a kit from Rustoleum.

We've only made a few non-paint changes so far, lighting being the biggest.   By swapping out dated light fixtures - even the ceiling fan - the space is starting to looking much more modern.



Even though we're making big changes at the lakehouse, there's still so much to do.  It was fun to take a break and ogle my good friend Erica's completed den.  I'm still enamored with the transformation!

Work-wise, I met my deadline for submitting my PhD!  Although it met with a couple of tough reviews (but two great ones!) I am set to defend at the end of this month . . . 

August is Done. I DID it!!

August was certainly stressful for me, and for some reason I decided an excellent way to "unwind" after a super stressful day of frantic writing was to start watching the Walking Dead!  Three sleepless nights later, I submitted my PhD dissertation before the deadline!!!!!  And we accepted a conditional offer on the townhouse, one day before my deadline.  The day after the deadline, we held a yard sale to de-clutter a little, then I made the 1500km journey to the lakehouse to start painting (sans Hubby, who has to work).

Here are the many copies of my dissertation that I had to photocopy, and submit in person.  Did I mention my department is on the 11th floor?  Feels crazy to see it all ready like this . . .

Because I was so focused on my research last month, this is all that happened around here:

I linked to a few fun features, including a mention in Canadian Home Trends magazine, a feature on Love on Sunday and, what I forgot to share, another feature on Apartment Therapy!

I did manage to sneak in a little DIY (we have to keep that a secret between you and me).  Hubby and I refinished the arms and legs on our vintage curbside find (which is currently at Kessels Upholstery, getting a new look).

I reviewed two Villeroy and Boch serving pieces (and shared my delicious turkey meatloaf recipe).

Eager to start work, I shared photos of the new kitchen, in addition to my plans for a quick and affordable makeover (along with photos of every turquoise kitchen out there, for a little inspiration).

I also started to figure out floor plans, so I can decide what furniture to keep and what furniture to sell from the townhouse.  I've already sold a lot, including the living room side tables, the living room orange tweed chair, the kitchen table, the dining room hutch, my swirly teak table, Hubby's desk . . . We are really starting fresh, mostly because the new space requires a new configuration.  It was sad to see so many pieces I lovingly picked out or hunted down go (some still need to be picked up by their new owners), but it was also nice to see my vintage finds find new homes! 

To make up for the lack of great "Before and Afters" around here in August, I shared some amazing makeovers from a new favorite read.

Next up for me: months of waiting to hear news about my dissertation.  My committee needs to review it and will give me a grade of 1 (some revisions), 2 (more revisions), 3 (it needs substantial work, so re-register, pay tuition and try again), 4 (GTFO).  If it's a 1 or 2, I get to defend my dissertation, where I can receive the same grade system.  I will likely defend November, December, maybe even January.  Luckily I have a house in need of updating to keep me from worrying!!  I've already primed some of the teensy oak trim and will have updates Monday.  Feels good to have tools and paintbrushes in hand again!

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July is Done. Did We Have Fun?

July was pretty productive for us!  We wrapped up a few townhouse projects (but still have more) and staged the house for sale.  It was hugely satisfying to finally finish the bar cart . . .

paint the basement door mint and add some handy cork . . . 

and finally see my Hungarian embroidery become the prettiest pillow ever . . . 

We gave the main floor powder room one final spruce.  This photo shows the original "before" and after, but check out the post to see how this space has evolved slowly over the last four years.

With my Dad's help, I also addressed a few cosmetic fixes: hiding a pipe with trim and painting the baseboard heaters.

Our house hasn't needed much staging, but we took on the arduous task of swapping the bedrooms to their rightful position - moving our King sized bed into the proper master and sliding the Queen guest bed into the secondary bedroom we've called home. 

I miss the view from the old room, but the swap has the added benefit of letting me show off our headboard better!  Our old bedroom didn't leave much room at the foot of the bed for me and my camera to fit.

The dining room and kitchen weren't touched for staging, but the living room was decluttered and staged a bit.  A huge round mirror replaces a personal (and potentially distracting) Hungarian poem stenciled onto a mirror we antiqued. 

We now officially own our lakehouse!  And another lakehouse I thought was a contender now has a new owner too.  Here's a peak inside.

I also held a giveaway with Olive Leaf Stencils . . .

. . . and reviewed Annie Sloan's Colour Recipes book.

With the review, you saw a peek at the colours I'm considering for the turquoise kitchen!

We also made sure we had fun, and we spent a week seeing our favorite bands at an Ottawa musical festival.  Zooey Deschanel in person, pinch me!

It was also fun to see Apartment Therapy feature my laundry room curtains out of the blue!! 

August will be just as busy!  I still have a basement makeover to show you, plus a project that improved the look of every room (and only required some paint and patience), some furniture refinishing, and hopefully even a velvet chair makeover.  I'm behind in my Money Talks series - I think chatting about mortgages might be appropriate!  And as soon as the townhouse sells, I will share the nitty gritty about that.  Soon we'll start tackling the lakehouse too . . .

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June is Done. Did We Have Fun?

Happy Canada Day, folks!

My birthday came and went last month!  I worked overtime that day and got home from work late, then it sort of got away from me and I forgot.  But the timing worked out so that we bought our lake house very close to it!  This time next year, every day is going to feel like my birthday.

I already shared some of our plans for making over the space, but I'll share more details as we get closer to taking possession and tackling renovations.  We bought the townhouse around my birthday, four years ago, and took possession of it at the end of July.  Somehow I always end up renovating a house (and moving) during the hottest month of the year (August).  At least now I can jump into the lake in between projects.

Kitchen inspiration! Via Dustjacket

Because we've had the craziness of preparing the townhouse for sale, I haven't had the time to catch everyone up on all the projects we worked on but I did share a few we tackled this month.  To help show off the spaciousness of the townhouse living room, I moved the space-hogging ottoman downstairs and painted this slim, mid-century table a subtle mint green.  I know painting wood hurt the heart of some readers (I'm sorry!), but this table was in such rough shape the gentleman giving it away for free literally couldn't!  Plus, any other wood finish would have clashed with the teak, but the mint ties in with other accessories and complements the teak, so I think it works.  I'm going to find the table a new home when we move, so who knows what makeover the next owner might give it!

I've got many more photos of the townhouse - staged and ready for sale - to show you, but in addition to staging we've been cleaning.  I won't share all the nitty gritty details (boring), but I did have to tell you about this amazing chrome cleaner.  It even helps repel water so the chrome stays spot-free for a long time.  LOVE this stuff.

I also showed you how Mom and I turned old bedding into chic new curtains to hide our ugly washer, dryer and hot water tank in the (now fancy pants) laundry room.

The curtains are a tie with another laundry room makeover for favorite new thing about our house: turquoise floors!  I love this colour so much, I saved the swatch and am seriously thinking this shade might be nice for the lake house kitchen cupboards . . .

In case you were in the mood for smaller projects, I did a round-up of super cute knife block makeovers.  A small and simple project, but what a fun kitchen accessory!  Aside from my chalkboard knife block, I think I love this one the most:

Country Living

Speaking of round-ups, I showed off the teeny tiny new (thrifted) home our neglected Jade plant got and showed off a whole gaggle of adorable mini planters.

Tea cups, Corks, Wood Egg Cups, Tin on Saucer, Tin Can, Copper Caps

Next up: fresh new photos from around the townhouse, projects we wrapped up thanks to the inspiration that comes from last minute panic (half bathroom, laundry room, basement and more), plus some staging photos and house selling details (not sold yet, and I'm nervous).  And I still owe you a bar cart reveal!

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April is Done: Did We Have Fun?

I always feel a little anxious when spring flies by because I know summer will feel even shorter!  This month was fun but fast.  I also got swamped with research and work, but that's a story for another day.

My favorite post this month was the framed agate art, which got a little bit of link love that I mentioned here and also a few links I added to the press page.

I also added some furniture to the townhouse!  I found a great bar cart that I'm prepping for painting (sorry Team Keep-it-Brass, the finials have to go and our remedy is super obvious, so painting is a must).

I am still loving our second great find: a vintage teak dining room cabinet. 

We definitely were in treasure hunting mode last month, picking up goodies for the shop and even attending the Ottawa Antique Show.  Although we didn't buy much, it's always nice to see such a large variety of antiques under one roof.

I planned some kitchen art last month - I just need some time this month to execute it!

I also planned a mint makeover and with one table painted and curing in the garage (details next week!), I'm excited about making over the second.

I was mooning over colour a lot last month, trying to beat the blahs.
The kitchen got a few new accessories this month: including a perfectly functioning kettle (I feel spoiled) and fancy oven mitts that keep my hands from getting burnt (so spoiled).  I'm learning choosing special everyday items makes everyday feel, well, special.  Choosing a kettle was fun - who knew there were so many colouful options?

In addition to my kitchen, I also got something special: a sweet pair of brass and mint earrings from ILIOS.

But I shared the wealth, partnering with ILIOS for a giveaway so you could win something pretty too (plus I announced the winner for the laKattun giveaway)!

I also rounded up some ideas for Mother's Day gifts.  A bit early, yes, but as a shop owner I know shipping can take some time (you won't believe how long a package took to get to Italy!  Canada Post, you're not on my good side), so it's always nice to get a head start.

I also shared my struggles decorating a house that is only mine for the short term . . .

. . . but then I rounded up a bevvy of brilliant ideas for personalizing even the most temporary of spaces.

We had our monthly Money Talk, and I shared some current struggles and ongoing solutions.

After a bit of snow in parts of Ontario . . . but then some warm days in Ottawa, let's hope spring is OFFICIALLY here!  I have some half-finished projects from the intermittent warm days last week and I'm ready to wrap them up.

I almost forgot: our Minden Shop has a 20% off sale right now, ending May 5th.

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