corkboard in the kitchen

I installed some cork squares on the back of a kitchen cabinet door - I've seen the idea on Pinterest and I thought it was a brilliant way of staying organized. The cork is from Dollarama, (package of two for a dollar) and I attached it to the door using Gorilla Glue. Aubrey and I can now stay organized and pin up phone numbers, flyers, coupons and grocery lists but we don't have the mess of seeing it out on display. (Visual clutter gives me the heebie jeebies) I purposefully installed the cork on the back of our "junk" cabinet door as I didn't want to necessarily see cork board every-time I went to grab a glass or plate. It has been installed a week and has already made a huge improvement in our organization.

The second picture of our kitchen bench is random, and no relationship to the cork-board  I thought it was an especially pretty shot. :-)

Ps., In somewhat related news, Ikea posted a link to our cookbook shelf on their facebook page. And some of the responses to the shelf are a wee bit funny. :-) (For example installing a cookbook shelf above our sink means we obviously don't cook) It's all in good fun. I do appreciate the major link love from Ikea. It was a nice treat, and hello to new visitors.

Vegas or bust

I know, I know. It's only Thursday. But today is my Friday!!

Hubby and I depart for an epic weekend in Vegas today. We're soooo excited!!!

My best friend is getting married in May and this weekend is her & her fiance's joint bachelor  /bachelorette party! Being the Maid of Honor, I've spent tons of time planning for this and I can't wait for it all to finally come together.

I'll miss you, but will be back on Monday with some amazing pictures & awesome bachelorette party DIY's to share from our trip. But no stories...because what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Cheers!

C'est assez simple au final...

Optez pour du noir & blanc, du bois et plein de plantes vertes, rajoutez quelques détails personnels, restez simple et vous ne pouvez pas vous tromper. Pas d'après moi, en tout cas.
Appartement en vente ici.

Go for black & white, wood and lots of green plants, add a few personal details, keep it simple and you can never go wrong. Not in my book at least.
Flat for sale here.

Source Bolaget

diy desk updates

I'm trying to organize and decorate my office a bit better - One thing is, I'm not overly happy with this wall of bulletin board and have considered taking it down. But taking it down would perhaps damage the wall, so I'm not sure whether to live with my design mistake or succumb to my OCD about it. Anyways, apart from the look of the office, one of the things I needed to address was organization.

A month ago I decided to make the DIY desk slightly larger. I needed more space to store orders waiting to be shipped. To give some background in how I run my shop, I use these dollar store stackable baskets to organize orders. When an order comes in, I place items in the basket. Sometimes orders have products that have different production times (stamps take 14 days to make, whereas I have gold glitter ribbon in stock) so in order to make sure things stay together an gets it's own basket. If you've ordered from me, your order has likely been in one of these baskets. It's an amazing little system that has meant that orders get shipped faster, there is less product wandering around my office and order mistakes have 99% dissapeared. Little steps that help me as my shop is shipping out more orders on a weekly basis.

How we designed this desk was was similar to how we did my desk, but it actually was a lot easier. More after the jump.

1. Shelving unit - out of kitchen cabinets
We needed to find shelving that was less deep than the cabinetry we used for the main desk portion (Ikea Besta cabinets), as we have a door to the storage room that isn't visible in the photos above. So instead of the base cabinets for the main desk, we used Ikea upper kitchen cabinets (Akrum) that are 12" (which is standard for upper cabinets) These were shallow enough that allows for the storage room door to open but deep enough to store my order baskets.

2. The top - Pine from Lowes
We did the same design as we did for the main desk. I used the same stain but we bought the wood from Lowes (Home Depot's wood cutter was broken) I also skipped the sanding step that I had done meticulously for the main desk as this part of the desk wasn't going to be where I was resting my hands - so I didn't mind the "rough" feel that I would have without sanding. I'm not sure what happened but we used the same stain but the wood tones are a different. It's kind of weird but not enough for me to worry or redo anything.

3. Leveling it
Aubrey raised the cabinets using scrap wood under the cabinetry to get it to the same height as the other cabinets, factoring in the new wood top. To hide the planks of wood we placed to raise the cabinetry up, we slid in a baseboard, to hide the makeshift legs.

I appreciate that 99% of you don't have a need for a space for order processing. But the same design can be  done for a living space. Get Ikea kitchen cabinets, don't buy the doors, install the shelves and add a wood top. Ta-da! Awesome "built in" bookshelf/consolve table.

the most gorgeous fabric ever

I'm so excited. The major element in our TV room update - the roman blinds - arrived yesterday. Yay! We haven't hung them yet as it will be quite the task making sure they are all placed properly, so for now they sit on our dining room table and I pet them as I walk by. I love, love linen.

I think I'm in a minority - Most people pick bold colourful prints but I'm most comfortable with a linen. (Another example of my love of this kind of fabric is my living room drapes). I want everything in linen.  Which isn't awesome with a kid but for drapery I can get away with it. Side note - You can find linen look alikes that are more durable, like we did for our dining room chairs, and, our kitchen bench. Both give me the look of linen but with water resistance which is perfect for cleaning up little fingerprints/spills.  But back to the romans. The fabric we went with was the Tuscany Linen, Oatmeal Slub. It's unfortunate that the fabric has "Oatmeal Slub" as a part of it, it makes it sound rather bland. But there is nothing bland about it, it's so, so gorgeous.


Going back a few steps.... after I last posted, Aubrey and I measured, and re-measured the windows to make sure that we were ordering the right size for each window. The room is weird, each window a different width and we wanted to make sure that the spacing between the windows was even.

Once we had measurements I e-mailed them to Tonic Living for our final quote. Even after we got the first quote, we double checked measurements again and revised it. When dealing with this many windows, and the amount of fabric needed, I didn't want any mistakes. We were able to get a discount on the order based on the fact that we had ordered Oscar's drapes from them which was nice. Even still it was still a relatively expensive investment as there are 5 windows plus the glass door. You have to factor in labour for each window + the fabric. The linen wasn't inexpensive at $17 a yard, but it wasn't ridiculous compared to what you could have picked.

I guess what I'm getting at is that this wasn't a fly by night decision. We had to really weigh if investing in these were worthwhile, considering we have a washroom reno and potentially some landscaping this Summer. But the privacy was worth it, so we bit the bullet.

The process to make them too about 4 weeks and below are some details that make me love Tonic...

It was great as I noticed each package was labeled as shown above - because each of our windows is randomly a different size, Tonic had made sure to note on each package which window was which - not only by the Window # (based on the quote for referral I think) but also with the measurements so we could be 100% sure we were putting the romans in the right spot.

Also, we got instructions on how to install. This is for Aubrey. My part is done. :)

I cannot wait to have them hung! Now I'm on the hunt for an ottoman for the room. Which is tricky as it's a small room and we have a small budget. Fingers crossed.

Organization OCD: Shoes!

First, I wanted to thank everyone who joined my very first link party yesterday, The DIY'ers. I'm so happy to have you all join and share your latest DIY projects to provide us all with a little inspiration!  And the party is still going, so if you haven't shared already, be sure to do so! 

Today I'll be sharing a few more easy, cheap and simple DIY organization ideas for around your home - and today it's all about shoes!

Just like every other female in the country, I own a thousand pairs of shoes. I have more shoes than I need (yes, I'll admit it) but that doesn't mean that I don't want to buy more.

Long ago I ran out of room to store all of my shoes in my coat closet, so they've slowly started trickling into other spaces of my home; the bedroom closet, by the front door, the guest room and even into my bedroom!

But now that we've moved into our house and I've started organizing the place, I feel like I've found the secret to organizing my shoe collection.

Be creative!

There are tons of ways that you can organize your shoe collection from putting a photo of them on the front of their box and storing on the top shelves of your closet, to installing cubby holes in your closet for each pair of shoes, or even have totes that slide under your bed!

While all these options work nicely, I don't have that large of a closet, so I needed to get even more creative.  And  lucky for me, I have a carpenter as a husband who likes to build me bookcases.  So why not repurpose a bookcase into a shoe shelf?

It works wonderfully. I also purchased some simple wire shelving that easily fits into a small space in my closet to hold the spill over from my shoe shelf.

How do you store your shoe collection? Any new ideas that I should be adopting?? 

Line Klein

Si vous n'avez pas encore découvert le blog de la photographe danoise Line Klein vous devriez! Elle partage surtout son propre travail, et on y trouve plein de superbes photos comme celles ci-dessous...

If you haven't yet discovered the blog of Danish photographer Line Klein you should! She shares mainly her own work, and you'll find lots of beautiful pictures there like these ones below...

Photo Line Klein

How to Make Your Home Look New

People touring homes to buy usually visit more than one. Some buyers tour 20 or even 100 homes. Some of those homes will be newer than yours. 

Although older homes have their charms and are often better built than newer ones, an obviously dated home looses points with buyers.

Buyers have more confidence in new property the way people do with a new car. They expect it will give them fewer problems. They enjoy the status and satisfaction that comes with “being current.”

But just because your home is not recent construction doesn’t mean you can’t look current. 

If your home is on the market, it’s time to do a quick check to see if it has a sense of newness about it. (Historic homes and country homes need not apply.)

Making your home look young doesn't necessitate a complete overhaul. I have two suggestions: Remove what's dated, and sprinkle in some new ideas. 

What to Lose

Borders. Wallpaper borders are dated decor. Although typically easily removable, their presence signals the buyer that the home hasn't had much attention to style for a couple decades. Most buyers do not like any kind of papered walls. It's unlikely your taste will match the next owner's. Borders definitely, and ideally all paper, should come down. 

Colors of Retirement Age. Popular color schemes change in 10-year cycles. The 1970's colors were dusty browns and greens. The eighties featured dark greens and mauves. The nineties banked on vibrant colors like turquoise and lime green. The 00's went for lilacs, pale blues, and greys, where we are still hovering today. Smart home stagers decorate with layered neutrals punctuated with accent colors.

Make the bed the focal point of the room -- large, comfortable, and on-trend. Geometric prints 

like this one from Jonathan Adler set the style for the entire room, worth the investment!    

Granny Blankets. Quilts and flattened pillows are old fashioned. The quilts could be precious heirlooms or pricey modern quilts, but they still say stuck-in-time. Most buyers want to do business with people they aspire to be like. Quilt fanciers -- fairly or unfairly -- just don't rank as rock stars. Play it safe and pack up the quilts, replacing them with new, stylish duvets that look soft and inviting. And don't forget the plump bed pillows.

Obsolescence. Clunky electronics age a home. If you have analog televisions, a giant desktop computer, large audio speakers for your sound system, tape decks, and boom boxes for radios, buyers feel like they are walking into a time warp. This is true no matter what the demographics of your market. Today's electronics are sleek and small. It's better to have none at all, since the trend is towards personal and portable devices.

Give Your Home a Facelift 

Color makes all the difference, both inside and out. Ann at One Sutton Place
painted her red door blue for a breath of fresh air and an eye catching  appearance.  

Brush and Roll It. Paint the interior walls of your home a stylish color. If you think it doesn't matter what color your walls are, ask any realtor how colors can be a turn-on or a turn-off. Color has a powerful effect on our emotions, and no matter that they say, buyers are swayed by their emotional reactions to the homes they view.

Grey is the new neutral. If you look at paint chip displays in stores, you'll see that greys come in a wider range of tints, hues, and saturations than any other paint color. It's very versatile, so it's easy to choose a paint color that works with the fixed features of your home, such as the flooring, bath fixtures, countertops, and major appliances. 

The way to keep grey from feeling dreary is to keep it light, and warm up the room with whites and wood. And add some colorful accents.

Brilliant Idea. Make sure your spaces are well lighted. Darkened rooms feel old. I recently blogged about the value and methods of adding light to your staged rooms. Replacing dated lighting fixtures is a quick and inexpensive way to update your home, both inside and outside.

Finishing Touches. Add pillows, lamps, and other accessories that reflect the latest trends. They needn't be top of the line originals. Knockoffs usually follow trends, so discount stores are handy places for accessories that make your home look fashionably young.

Get a kicky new look for pennies at dollar and discount stores. You can dress up your
closets, vanities, and bookshelves with color-coordinated boxes that hold essential clutter. 

Need to bring yourself up to speed on what's in style? Pinterest boards will highlight trends, so pick some favorite boards to follow. Almost all my Pinterest boards illustrate good staging.

I also suggest Better Homes and Gardens for a mainstream American look, Pottery Barn for a young, sophisticated look, Traditional Home for an upscale look, Real Simple for clean and orderly ideas, Coastal Living for any waterfront property, and HGTV for design inspiration in general. You can also search Pinterest for specific item ideas, such as vases, DIY headboards, stepping stones, loveseats, or whatever.

For answers to your questions about staging your own home, download my super-helpful, home staging eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar. It's a 150-page $5 pdf that comes with my money-back guarantee. Find out today how your house ranks, and the simple secrets you can use to make your house earn more money.      

Top photo: Better Homes and Gardens

ikea sells fancy blogger trees

I killed my white fig tree. Obviously not on purpose. I did all I could to keep it alive but week after week the leaves just fell off. When the last leaf hung there and I watched it turn yellow I came to the realization that the tree wasn't shedding, it was gonzo. I'm not awesome at keeping plants alive which is why I refuse to spend big bucks on anything green for our house.

A few weeks after it went into the garbage, I spotted a REAL fiddle leaf fig tree at Ikea for $15. Cue this commercial. Here I was searching around Toronto last Summer trying to find one when IKEA obviously carried fiddle leaf figs. (No, not obviously, since when did Ikea sell these trees!!?*) Anyways, I will have to re-pot it and put it in a nice basket in our TV room. Until then, I bring it to the sink to water every Monday. I sometimes dust the leaves and talk nicely to it. Maybe the love will make this one stay around longer.

And lastly - I wanted to post this picture for more than just showing off my new tree.... I wanted to show you reason #85 why I love, love having 1 huge sink basin vs. it being split in two. You know, so you can put monster house plants in it.

*Kay gave me a tip that Ikea had them a few months back so I knew to look out for them there. But really, I'm shocked Ikea sells these. 

The DIY'ers Link Party

Welcome to the first ever DIY'ers link party. I'm so glad you're here!

Each and every Monday I'll host a link party for everyone to share their latest DIY projects (recipes included!!) so the rest of us can get a little inspiration.

My first share with The DIY'ers is this awesome couch sleeve that Justin made for our new couch. We don't have enough room in our house to have an end table on each side of the couch, so Justin being the genius that he is, built a really simple couch sleeve with a cup holder built in!

Want to know how to DIY it?

DIY Couch Sleeve
*The cupholder can be pretty involved, so I won't be posting a DIY for that element. However, if you'd like instructions feel free to email me and I'd be more than happy to write something up!

Step 1: Measure the width of your arm rest, and add around 1/8".

Step 2: Take a 1x12 of your desired wood and bevel cut at a 45 degree angle (aka. an angled cut with a miter saw) to the width of you measured in Step 1. This measurement will be the short-point of your 45 degree bevel cut.

Step 3: Determine the length you'd like your sleeve. Bevel cut this piece also at 45 degrees. For reference, ours is 7 inches from the long-point of the bevel cut to the square cut (bottom).

Step 4: Glue beveled pieces together. Nail through the beveled pieces as well from the top & sides to hold pieces together while the glue dries. We used a 23 gauge pin nailer.

Step 5: Fill nail holes with stainable wood filler and sand to flat once dry.

Step 6: Stain wood if desired.

And now it's your turn! Show off your latest DIY projects below. 

<a href="http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20DIY%27ers" target="_blank" title="Running on Happiness"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8492982155_c22507aecc_t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="The DIY'ers" /></a> />

The Rules? They're simple!

1. Take a picture of your DIY and link it up below. 
2. Text link back to Home Coming or pick up The DIY'ers button from the left sidebar and include it in your post so others can get involved in The DIY'ers.
3. Become a follower of Home Coming. I'd love to have you!

Happy weekend

Source 1-2. Forever Love, 3. Ollie & Seb's Haus, 4. Hunch / photo Peter Kragballe, 5. Bambula, 6. m-archoso via Hanna's Room, 7. via Amanda Rodriguez, 8. Oliver Jeffers via wo and wé

10 Marla Plan,House Design in Pakistan,3D Front Elevation,Rawalpindi,Pakistan