bits + pieces

Oscar turned four yesterday. Four. Where did the time go? He is such a great kid, full of love, life, kindness, comedic entertainment. We started his day with his swimming lesson - When he has his lesson, I go to the restaurant at the club so that he doesn't get distracted by me. When I came to pick him up 30 minutes later - he was so excited to show me that he was comfortable jumping from the little platform in the water, into Zoe's (his teachers) arms. To anyone else that may seem so little and not really a big deal. But Oscar is rather apprehensive about the water and getting his face wet, so to see him do this step and, to be proud of himself- was the biggest moment for me. I love seeing him proud of something he has done.  Even now, writing it, my heart is bursting with pride for my little guy. We spent the rest of the day doing things he wanted to do. We went to Mastermind with Grandma, got a Gelato, and then had dinner with family. I took some moments to carrying him when we were out - I still love carrying him when we walk as he nuzzles his face into my neck and wraps his arms around my neck. I`m sure it looks so ridiculous me carrying a grown boy around, but for me I know these moments won`t be forever - one day he won`t let me carry hims and hold him - and even if he would, one day - he will be too big. We ended the night with tucking him into bed and then at midnight - the same ritual as every night. 

I did my second talk for Telus this past week over at the Shops at Don Mills and was way less nervous than the first talk in Oakville. The first time is always a learning process, and so this past one was smooth sailing. Thank you to everyone who has come out to the first two talks, I really appreciate it and the dialogue we have shared. My next one, and last one, is next week in my area of the Beach and I`m so excited, plus it is in the evening so it's kind of like a night out for me! I know. I lead an exciting, exciting life.

Anyhow, enough of me rambling - here are some links to end the week.

I've said it before, but I love how Target teamed up with three top Pinterest pinners to create collections. The second collection being rolled out is PoppyTalk's and I am OBSESSED with the picture above that they released with it. Read more over on PoppyTalk's blog.

I'm looking for lighting for our back deck, and I'm thinking of something like this

We're thinking of building (one day) a car port for our back lane way so I can have an area to paint furniture and such, and also, protect our car from snow in the winter. Ideally I'd build a huge garage but the price is pretty prohibitive.

Cameron MacNeil posted a picture of an outdoor couch on Instagram that he's using from Cocoon, by Lee Industries for a project. My comment on the picture is pretty much what I'm still thinking. It is CRAZY gorgeous.

I have a thing for vintage Ice Cream items. I'm not sure why. But this and this are pretty awesome. And I think one of these are required too - although not vintage. Ack. Wouldn't they be cute in a kitchen?

Have a great weekend! xo Lindsay

Friday DIY Features

HAPPY Friday Features! Friday Features is all about spreading the blog love and sharing the best DIY's, makeovers, tutorials or remodels of the week.

Thank you to everyone that submitted your projects to be featured. I couldn't be more excited to share all of your amazing projects so keep submitting!! Remember, this series is all about sharing that blog love - so keep the submissions coming! Details for submissions is below.

Here are three awesome projects out in the blogosphere this week!

First up, Ginnie from Hello Little Home shared this DIY Suede Tassel project with us for a great piece to style-up a room.



Kristi from Making it in the Mountains is back to share her latest. This Paint Dipped End Table is such a cool idea. And it looks so great in her living room.



And last but not least, Emily from House in the Heights shares this great Upcycled Succulent Planter from pieces found at Goodwill!



Want to be featured? Submit your latest project to be featured on Friday Favorites via email with Friday Favorites in the subject line (klacowsky@gmail.com) or over Instagram by tagging me @klacowsky.

And don't forget, I'll be pinning all Friday Favorites to one of two Pinterest group boards I pin to, so be sure to follow along and help spread the love!

And lastly - tomorrow is the last day to enter this AMAZING giveaway! Enter here.

Linking up to:  Motivate Me Monday,  Monday Funday, That DIY Party, Tuesdays at Our Home, Remodelaholic, Time to Sparkle,  Work It Wednesday, Sunday Best, Inspire Me Please Creativity Unleashed, The Humble Brag, Friday Flash Blog, Lovely Ladies Linky,  Wow Us Wednesday, Making Monday, Before and Afters, Wow Me Wednesday,  Inspiration Gallery,  Feathered Nest Friday,  The Party Bunch, Link it or Lump it,  Frugal Crafty Home Party, It's a Party, Worthwhile Wednesday's, The Makers, Do Tell Tuesdays, Thursday Style, Link'n Blogs,  

Sparkling Watermelon Refresher

This past Tuesday, PC Garden hosted an intimate garden party at my house which was a great deal of fun for me because I didn't have to do anything. (Hosting parties is a lot of work, but for the first time ever - I wasn't stressing because their amazing team just handled every single detail and I have to tell you - it was glorious!) Anyhow,  I`ll talk more about that later, but before the weekend I have to tell you about the punch that they made that was AMAZING. I showed it on Instagram and some were asking about the way to make it, so I googled the recipe and found it here for you to have! Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 4 cups (1 L) PC Sparkling Watermelon Lemon Soda
• 1 can (355 mL) PC Ginger Ale
• 1 cup (250 mL) PC Old-Fashioned Lemonade with Pulp
• Half lemon, sliced in thin rounds
• 4 large mint sprigs
• 4 cups (1 L) ice cubes

Directions
In large glass pitcher, stir together watermelon soda, ginger ale and lemonade. Add lemon slices, mint sprigs and ice cubes. Stir well and serve.

Source of the recipe: President`s Choice Sparkling Watermelon Refresher Recipe 

The scent of Scandinavia

Il y a quelque temps, j'ai reçu un une bougie de Skandinavisk, une jeune marque qui produit des bougies de haute qualité en hommage "au mode de vie scandinave, aux vastes paysages silencieux, au partage de moments chaleureux, au peuple le plus heureux" comme ils le disent si joliment eux-mêmes.

Skandinavisk a récemment lancé une collection de 5 nouvelles bougies, ou chaque parfum rappelle un trait unique de la Scandinave: le parfum floral de l'été suédois (Sommar), la brise de l'archipel (Ö), la quiétude scandinave (Ro), le bonheur urbain de l'une des villes les plus attirantes au monde (København) et l'impressionnant paysage des fjords norvégiens (Fjord).

Some time ago I received a candle from Skandinavisk, a young brand producing high quality candles as "a celebration of Scandinavian lifestyle, the vast silent landscapes, of cosy shared moments, of the world's happiest people" as they so beautifully describe it themselves. 

Skandinavisk recently launched a collection of 5 new scents, each capturing a unique aspect of Scandinavia: the floral scent of a Swedish summer (Sommar), the breezy scent of the archipelagos (Ö), the scent of Scandinavian tranquility (Ro), the urban bliss of one the world's most desirable cities (København), and the drama of the Norwegian fjords (Fjord).

Je n'ai pas raté un seul été en Suède depuis que je me suis installée en France il y a plus de 20 ans, alors le parfum floral de l'été suédois était exactement ce qu'il me fallait... Inutile de dire que ce parfum m'évoque plein de beaux souvenirs!

I have not missed one single summer in Sweden since I moved to France over 20 years ago, so the floral scent of Swedish summer was obviously a perfect match... Needless to say that this scent brings back lots of lovely memories!

Styling & photo Anna Gustafsson

Updating our Rug Pads

Area rugs are one of my favorite ways to decorate a space. They instantly pull a room's decor together and help define the style. But what do you do when your rug always looks like this?

Roxy was very happy to model for this photo. She's also an devoted advocate of area rugs as she's not too fond of the hardwood (or in our case, laminate) floors. 

If you're anything like me, you stress and stress over the perfect area rug for a space, typically spending more money than you ever thought you'd spend on a rug - but then skimp on the rug pad, picking out the cheapest one you can find because "it's not like you see it". Amiright?

I'm guilty. I've always thought the cheap $20 rug pad from Target will "do the job" - but really, it hasn't been doing that great of a job anywhere in our home. We always end up with the rug slipping around or the rug pad sliding it's way out around the corners.

So when Rug Pad USA reached out to me for a rug pad review, I jumped at the chance. Sure, it's not the most fancy product review, but my current rug pads were driving me insane.

And now, my kitchen rug (and Roxy) couldn't be happier.

I got the Premium Lock rug pad, which is good for our laminate floors (among lots of others). What I love about it is it's got a really grippy rubber bottom that grips to your floors and literally will not slide no matter how hard you try. And it has a felt top which grips really nicely to the fabric or under-side of your area rug.

I laid this out under our kitchen rug last week and it hasn't moved. The dogs jumping around nor Justin dancing around the kitchen could make this rug slip.

I'm super happy with the rug pad and am seriously thinking about getting one for all of our smaller rugs that tend to slip around (hello master bathroom!), and what's great is I don't have to worry about the rug pads sticking to or ruining our nice, new tile floor in the bathroom. My mind is at ease.

For anyone that wants to purchase their new rug pads, Rug Pad USA is offering a 15% discount for your entire order using this code: pr15off. I'm off to order mine now!!

Linking up to:  Motivate Me Monday,  Monday Funday, That DIY Party, Tuesdays at Our Home, Remodelaholic, Time to Sparkle,  Work It Wednesday, Sunday Best, Inspire Me Please Creativity Unleashed, The Humble Brag, Friday Flash Blog, Lovely Ladies Linky,  Wow Us Wednesday, Making Monday, Before and Afters, Wow Me Wednesday,  Inspiration Gallery,  Feathered Nest Friday,  The Party Bunch, Link it or Lump it,  Frugal Crafty Home Party, It's a Party, Worthwhile Wednesday's, The Makers, Do Tell Tuesdays, Thursday Style, Link'n Blogs, 

Shop the Room: Modern Bathroom Remodel

Hellooo friends. After seven months of hard work, a few DIY projects, lots of design work and hours and hours of tiling, we're finally done with the Master Bathroom and here to show off the final photos and sourcing details.

About a month ago, we shared our big master bathroom reveal, but today it's officially finished!! The shelves are hung, the room has been styled and my plants have been planted.

So without further adieu, here it is.

1 // Hanging (fake) Plants / 2 // Modern Wall Lantern / 3 // Hanging Mirror without Brackets / 4 // DIY Custom Bathroom Shelf / 5 // Floating Vanity / 6 // Cement Pot Succulents (clearance at Target) / 7 // Oversized Floor Tile / 8 //  Floor Mats

9 // Soaker Tub / 10 // Craftsman Style Window Trim / 11 //  Marble Wall Tile & Hex Marble Floor Tile

12 // Beautiful Glass Door / 13 // DIY Towel Rail  / 14 // Nate Berkus Towels / 15 // Ikea Hack: Shortened Lack Shelves  / 16 // Nate Berkus Frame, B&W Pots with Succulents, Threshold Basket / 17 // Painted Woven Basket (similar) / 18 // Bath Faucet

Other bathroom projects that aren't included in the Shop the Room are: how to drill holes in marble tile and how to round edges and corners on marble tile.

And for a little trip down memory lane, here's a dramatic before and after. You'd never guess, but that window in the back of the top photo, is the same one above our bathtub now!

And you better believe I've taken a few relaxing baths already!

Linking up to:  Motivate Me Monday,  Monday Funday, That DIY Party, Tuesdays at Our Home, Remodelaholic, Time to Sparkle,  Work It Wednesday, Sunday Best, Inspire Me Please Creativity Unleashed, The Humble Brag, Friday Flash Blog, Lovely Ladies Linky,  Wow Us Wednesday, Making Monday, Before and Afters, Wow Me Wednesday,  Inspiration Gallery,  Feathered Nest Friday,  The Party Bunch, Link it or Lump it,  Frugal Crafty Home Party, It's a Party, Worthwhile Wednesday's, The Makers, Do Tell Tuesdays, Thursday Style, Link'n Blogs, 

Deck Privacy Screen, Take 2, or 3?

We have a deck that sits above the garden, and also - above most of our neighbours. When we first moved in, one of the things that Aubrey built me was a privacy screen for the deck [top left photo].  Back then we used lattice, and left the screen it "as is" - no paint, stain. And truthfully - it weathered quite nicely. However, for some reason, perhaps a looming backyard party (more on that in another post) I decided our deck needed updating. [insert exasperated looks from Aubrey]

We don't have the money to throw at our major improvements to our deck, nor the energy so I took it into my own hands and decided to stain the lattice Inukshuk by Benjamin Moore, a colour I adore on our Bear Chairs in the front, hoping that this would give me the deck a refresher. [Top Right Photo]  Unfortunately,  I didn't love the colour on the lattice (whoops!) so I put on some black paint, to see how I liked the look (after pinning some nice inspirational pictures). 

Thankfully Aubrey agreed to try out the black, and he also used the opportunity to switch out the diamond lattice that was previously there, with square that he felt matched the garden better (slightly more modern) and also matched our other newer screens. 

After Aubrey cut the square lattice to size, (bottom right photo) I painted it black - Onyx by Delux  (with my sprayer) But unfortunately when we held up the black lattice where it was going to go....I hated it. Not because of the colour, but because there was so much distance between each of the squares that it didn't give us much privacy at all. It seemed really busy and not very relaxing. Aubrey thankfully agreed that it wasn't a great look - which helped, because he was the one doing the majority of the work.  We still had time before our party, and the investment in this project wasn't a big deal yet so Aubrey and I decided to go with horizontal boards [bottom left] that we thought would be a little more modern...

 Here is the "in between" photo - not yet done, but really, I adore it.

This isn't the "after" so don't judge yet (because it looks way better now than it does above) But we're considering lighting to put on the posts - which I'll blog about next. :) xo

The DIY'ers Link Party - New and Improved #2

Welcome back to the NEW and Improved DIY'ers Link Party! These three awesome co-hosts and I are here to bring you the hippest partay in town, comin atcha every Tuesday.

Your new co-hosts are three lovely ladies that I know will be an awesome addition to my favorite party time of the week. Give 'em some love!

Ashley @ Bigger Than the Three of Us

Jennifer @ Brave New Home

Stephanie @ Simply Dream & Create

Each week, one of your hosts will choose their three favorite projects from the previous week to feature. This week, I chose the Top Three projects. There were so many great link ups last week, I had a hard time choosing! Check out my favorites below.

Kaylor from Fisherman's Wife Furniture shared her BEAUTIFUL Kitchen Makeover. You have to check out the before!

Sabrina from Pink Little Notebook shared her stunning bathroom makeover. I love to grey cabinets! 

The Cape on the Corner shared this great idea of hanging her garden on the garage wall! 

All featured projects will be pinned to The DIY'ers Pinterest board - so don't forget to follow. Or, follow along with all of my Pinterest boards here!


 


And if you're looking for a new way to be featured, I just introduced a series called Friday Features. Each Friday I'll be sharing the blog love with three other bloggers out there. All you have to do is submit your latest & greatest projects to be featured! Details here.



Now onto the party!

Grab My Button!

<a href="http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20DIY%27ers#.U3pbatzmF8M" target="_blank" title="TheDIYers"><img src="<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22623969@N03/14223801354" title="The DIY'ers Button by Home Coming, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2940/14223801354_411a43dd24_o.png" width="311" height="297" alt="The DIY'ers Button"></a>" /></a>

The Rules? They're simple!

1. Follow each host somehow; any way is fine! 
2. Take a picture of your DIY and link it up below. 
3. Text link back to one of our hosts 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 party. 
4. Please do not promote giveaways, other link parties, or items for sale
5. By entering a link, you're giving us permission to feature and image on our blogs 

Ikea Hack: Shortening Lack Shelves

Happy Memorial Day everyone! The weather in Minneapolis has been amazing. We've been spending a lot of time outdoors (running, biking, reading) sprinkled in with some home projects. So far, the perfect weekend.

Even though today's a holiday, I have one quick post left to share before showing off our finished master bathroom! So a quick post it is, before heading out on my late-morning run. (Soooo much better than an early morning run!) 

Since Justin is a carpenter, we're not really ones for Ikea Hacks. Typically, we have no reason to hack an Ikea item, because Justin just builds it for us at a much higher quality at around the same price. But since Justin has had his hands full with this Master Suite Remodel, I wanted to try and make things a little easier, so I purchased three Lack shelves from Ikea.

I purchased the shelves months before we were done with the master bathroom, so I didn't really know where we'd be hanging them, and had no idea that they'd end up being far too long - about 5 inches too long.

Oops! So much for making Justin's life a little easier.

So, now that the majority of the remodel work is off of Justin's plate, it was time to shorten these Ikea shelves so they fit our Master Bathroom properly.

We started by measuring out where we thought the three shelves should hang.  Justin draws this out using painters tape rather than marking our new walls up with pencil marks.

Justin then cut the shelves down to our measured size (38"), as well as cutting down the metal bracket that affixes the shelf to the mirror. Justin cut down the metal bracket using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade. But you could also use a hacksaw.

For the shelf, Justin put tape on the shelves when he cut to ensure that the particle board didn't chip when he cut the shelf using a miter saw.

Then it was as simple as following Ikea's instructions to hang the shelves. Secure the metal bracket to the wall using the screws provided.

Then hanging the shelves on the metal bracket, and screwing in place, under the shelf using the provided screws.

And it was really as simple as that!

And that's as much of an Ikea Hack as y'all will likely ever get out of us. And I"m OK with that.

Linking up to:  Motivate Me Monday,  Monday Funday, That DIY Party, Tuesdays at Our Home, Remodelaholic, Time to Sparkle,  Work It Wednesday, Sunday Best, Inspire Me Please Creativity Unleashed, The Humble Brag, Friday Flash Blog, Lovely Ladies Linky,  Wow Us Wednesday, Making Monday, Before and Afters, Wow Me Wednesday,  Inspiration Gallery,  Feathered Nest Friday,  The Party Bunch, Link it or Lump it,  Frugal Crafty Home Party, It's a Party, Worthwhile Wednesday's, The Makers, Do Tell Tuesdays, Thursday Style, Link'n Blogs, 

my little ottoman

I found a little ottoman in a local vintage shop about a year ago, and it has been waiting some TLC ever since. I originally thought it would go in Oscar's room but it now as a nice home in our TV room. Anyhow, this project is really easy to do. Like, super easy. You just need the right tools. In this case it's a power staple gun and a hot glue gun.

Step 1: I ripped off the old fabric, I left the padding as is on the ottoman as the condition was fine
Step 2: Lay the new fabric on top, positioned it and then stapled one side. I wasn't sure how I was going to finish it off (I had never done piping before) so I neatly folded the fabric (shown above) and then stapled it, so I would at least have a neat edge
Step 3: I continued using my staple gun - started at one side - then pulled the fabric tight to the other side, and then continued to the next.
Step 4: I decided I wasn't going to attempt piping so I decided to hot glue gun some velvet ribbon that looked lovely with the fabric, around the edge to hide the staples.

I felt weird hot gluing the ribbon to cover the staples, but it worked and was such an inexpensive (and EASY) way to finish off the piece. There you go. More reason to stock up on gorgeous ribbons when you see them in stores. ;)

Ps., I appreciate I didn't do awesome step by step photos - I wasn't really doing this with a blog post in mind - but if you can handle a staple gun you're all set. I just hope this is inspiring, and perhaps if you see a little piece of furniture that could use some TLC, you pick it up!