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Dingy And Dark No More Basement Bathroom Reveal
Monday, January 8, 2024 - I shared the photos of what my basement looked like in an earlier post because the difference between then and now is pretty incredible....if I do humbly say so myself as a very green designer! The jumping off point for the design of the bathroom was absolutely the Centura Metro Patchwork Wall Tiles. I had seen these tiles in a friend's shower a few years earlier and took a photo of them because I knew that if the time ever came to put a bathroom in my basement, I wanted to use these tiles. I loved the colour and whimsy of this design and I felt like it was definitely a gutsy choice, but that anyone that saw it would think "Oh that is so Brooke!" Of course at that time, I didn't get any other information on the tiles. All I had was ...
Simplifying Santa Baby
Monday, January 1, 2024 - Happy New Year and Welcome to 2024!! If your house is anything like mine, Christmas is put away for another year and the living room may be looking nice and tidy, but if I am being honest, a little bare too. As I was putting Christmas away, I started to think about my take on holiday gift giving to my "three little wise men" (aka my kids).
Have you ever listened to the lyrics of the timeless Christmas song "Santa Baby"? That little lady sure had a lengthy Christmas list! A light blue convertible car, a yacht, the deed to a platinum mine, a duplex, money, decorations from Tiffany's and a ring...which we can also assume that she would request the ring to be purchased at Tiffany's. I suppose it's easy to make those extensive ...
This Dingy Dark Basement
Tuesday, December 26, 2023 -
It has been an embarassing amount of time since I last published a blog post. When I realized that I missed blogging and needed to get back into it to fill some creative voids I had been feeling, I became aware that I did not blog about a huge renovation that happened in my basement. My house is over a hundred years old and the basement was a gloomy and drab concrete hole that had really been showing some massive signs of neglect. It was basically a storage area that provided me with way too much space to keep way too much crap. As for livability in the home, for a large house, it only had one bathroom. One bathroom with a family is not exactly ideal and I always wanted to take some of the space in the basement and make this improvement for the house. ...
My New Upholstered Bed-By Simply Tufted
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 - Years ago I fell in love with a picture on Pinterest of an upholstered headboard. I pinned it and tucked it away in the little "someday" folder both on my Pinterest account and in my brain. Someday, I would have a luxe, sexy headboard like that. I don't know many people who lust after a headboard, but I guess I am one of them! Isn't it nice?
I stumbled upon a business page on Facebook called "Simply Tufted-Quality Hancrafted Headboards" and literally got lost in this page for over an hour, looking at her photos. I excitedly fired off a message with my inspo pic to find out what the process was to turn this inspiration into a reality for me. I got a message back with the request to chat on the phone because she found ...
It Has Gotten Much Better-Bathroom Reveal
Thursday, June 2, 2022 - You may recall a blog post...from a few MONTHS ago...about my main bathroom renovation. This was supposed to be a three week job and well, it's June and the paint still smells pretty fresh and new because it was literally just painted a couple weeks ago. This renovation taught me the kind of patience I didn't know I had. And I can write about it fairly candidly now because, well, it's almost all over. Almost. Not quite, but definitely done enough to share with you the end result with a few pictures!
The jumping off point for my design concept of this bathroom was my retro green wall tiles. I touched on this in the previous blog post, so no real need to get into it again! But every product choice made went back to that wall ...
It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better-Bathroom Renovation
Monday, March 21, 2022 - We had just nicely finished a major renovation in the basement when a new one came along. We had finished a big section of our concrete basement, added a kitchenette, a pantry and brand new bathroom (without any existing plumbing, so when I say a major renovation, it really was a big one!) When the plumbing in my main bathroom (and formerly our ONLY bathroom!) went wacky, I was unprepared but realized another reno was potentially looming. The water was taking forever to drain down the sink and the tub, sometimes getting completely stuck for days at a time. Our fears were realized when we called in the plumber and they told us that we needed all new plumbing in that bathroom and that the slow draining sink and tub were only going to get worse over time. ...
Burning My Mortgage
Monday, September 13, 2021 - I woke up this morning on a mattress I have owned for probably ten years. Once upon a time, it was cloud like and comfortable but now it is well past its prime and it has lumps and bumps and I toss and turn all night and usually wake up with aches and pains. It hit me this morning that I have owned my home for less time than I have owned this mattress. And over the course of my home ownership, I have been so aggressive with my mortgage payments that the idea of spending a good chunk of money on a new mattress has never even crossed my mind. I think it is time to go shopping for a new one though because this morning when I woke up, I woke up, completely mortgage free!
Eight years, two months, one week and two days ago we took on this mortgage and suddenly, ...
Our Nautical Nursery
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 - This past year has been a bit of a blur. A ton of stuff has happened. But, for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to write. I was suffering from writer's block. I just needed to live life instead of live life and write about it. I am easing back into the blogger journey with an easy post and sharing my flair for home decor with photos of our Nautical Nursery. We were blessed with the sweetest little baby boy named Orry James and we made sure that he has the sweetest little bedroom.
I chose a Nautical Coastal theme for the wee man because I love the decor style and am a real water lover. As much as I love the ocean, I'm not too keen on swimming in the ocean, which is sort of funny! But decorating with this theme? I thought this would ...
Pet Adoption Themed Birthday Party
Saturday, June 27, 2020 - I tend to be that Mom that throws herself into the planning of a kid's birthday party. My daughter Delilah is a total animal lover and wanted to have an animal themed birthday party for the BIG 8th! We tossed around some ideas and did some online research (that simply means I wasted a ton of time on Pinterest!) and settled on the "Animal Adoption Theme"...and we totally ran with it. And when I say ran with it, everything I did is doable and affordable! All it took some trips to the Dollar Store, some online shopping, a favour from a vinyl making friend and a few crafty nights in front of the TV!
I had the idea of every child being able to "Adopt a Pet" at the party. I also wanted them each to be able to bring their new pets ...
Bookshelf Upcycle
Monday, June 22, 2020 - My Mom picked up this boring old bookshelf at a relatives house when she was helping them move. She knew I needed a bookshelf for one of my kid's bedrooms and this one was sturdy and wood, so she figured it would work. And she was right. It worked. It was functionble. It held books and somewhat kept my daughter's little library organized. But it was pretty much as boring as a bookshelf could be! When we moved the girls up to the attic and started the process of turning their old bedrooms into guest rooms, I decided it was the perfect time to take a wee bit of time and attempt to give this super blah bookshelf a little makeover.
I knew I could jazz it up with a couple coats of paint. But I wanted to do a little more than that. I had recently found ...
Headboard Throwback DIY
Sunday, June 14, 2020 - One of my favourite types of stores to lose myself in is a fabric store. I become enchanted with the punchy colours and prints. I envision projects that each pattern would be perfect for. I always head to the clearance section first and sift through the fabrics and never really know what I am looking for until I find it. Did I mention I do not sew?? Since I don't sew, I learned how to upholster. Sort of. I do very basic upholstery, like recovering dining room chairs, benches...the simple wrap and staple type stuff.
A project I tackled a few years ago, with assistance from my ex-husband, was a Fabric Headboard for my daughter Izzy. I will say that this project was not the reason for the split, however it may have been a small step in that direction!! ...
I Am 1 in 1,000. I Am Strong
Friday, February 21, 2020 - I am writing this from the Florida sunshine, enjoying some rest, relaxation and fun in the sun with my girls, at my Mom's place in Clearwater. It was not a planned vacation, I just booked it on a whim after our miscarriage and my first D&C. I deserved a little getaway and goodness, we just lost a baby and fuck, life is short. (To those reading this: You probably deserve a vacation as well! Take one!)
If you are reading this, you have likely already read my past two blogs about us losing our baby and how we were coping with this sad loss. I have mentioned in the previous blogs that there were some frightening pathology results that came back from my initial D&C. A friend had told me that she went back to work the day after ...
Post Miscarriage--What Happens Next?
Friday, February 14, 2020 - I bought this beautiful antique cradle when I was pregnant with my first child. When I saw it in the thrift shop, with the $60 dollar price tag on it, I bought it without a second thought. I didn't even think of how I would get it home in my tiny little Pontiac Sunfire. The store owner and I managed to squeeze it into the backseat, but it was quite the spectacle! The cradle was in beautiful shape for being as old as it was and I envisioned my future baby sleeping soundly in it like a little angel. I had some new custom made bumpers and a little blanket made to match. My two girls both used this cradle from the time they came home from the hospital and slept in it beside my bed for a couple months, until they outgrew it. Over the years it has become ...
My Favourite What If
Friday, February 7, 2020 - Right now I should be counting the weeks in pieces of fruit and comparing the size of my growing baby to a plum or an avocado or a papaya. Instead my weeks are measured by my weekly blood draws to test my HCG levels and hoping for a decline in my numbers. And my baby is not there anymore. My thoughts are not consumed by the baby supplies we need to buy or the theme to decorate the nursery in. The fun photo idea I had for our family to announce the pregnancy is now just that...an idea. My thoughts are missing this baby I will never get to hold and the scary threat that this pregnancy could actually give me cancer.
I was so excited to see those little pink lines. I had thought I was done having babies, but then I found myself in an amazing relationship ...
The Making of a Home & Garden Show
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - When the opportunity presented itself for me to take over the ownership and organization of the Hanover Home & Garden Show, a trade show featuring local businesses from my town and surrounding area, I jumped in with both feet. My parents ran a very successful Art & Collectible Show, a similar format of the one I would be taking over, and I grew up watching them arrange floor plans, meet with Exhibitors and bring this show to life each and every year for nearly two decades. I looked at this as an opportunity to get to know people in my community and of course I had a keen interest in home renovation and decoration and it just felt like this was a knock at the door that I had to answer.
I had about one year from the time I took over the business ...
If We Were Meant To Be Nude We Would Have Been Born That Way
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - "If we were meant to be nude, we would have been born that way." -- Oscar Wilde
My house growing up always had a ton of nude paintings in it...Artsy ones. I remember one with a beautiful naked women lounging seductively on a bed with a sheet draped just over her hips, her legs and bum exposed. I also remember another one with a woman sitting in a flower garden, wearing a sheer dress that showed off her naked breasts. Because I lived there, I didn't find these pieces of art strange to have in my house, but I do remember my friends, particularly the teenage boys really getting a kick out of them! I never gave them too much thought, and never thought of the models in these works of art being real people. My Dad made a joke to ...
The Out The Door Morning Struggle Is Real
Monday, October 7, 2019 - My daughters bring a lot of joy into my life as a Mom. They love me unconditionally and make me laugh and are generally growing up to be sweet and kind little ladies. There are moments when they absolutely suck the joy out of parenting and those moments are almost consistently centered around getting them out of the house for school. The process should be simple. The school provides a "Breakfast Club" so I don't even have to make breakfast for the little angels. All they need to do is wake up, get dressed, brush their teeth and hair and retrieve the lunch that I made with so much love from my "yet to have my coffee" hands and gather their backpacks and walk out the door.
The process becomes anything but simple and my ...
September 11th--Eighteen Years--Seems Like Yesterday
Monday, September 16, 2019 - Eighteen years ago. When I type it, eighteen years seems like such a long time, yet it seems like it was just yesterday. I was a Nanny, working just outside of New York City. I lived just a few miles from the World Trade Centre. It was a sunny, beautiful Tuesday morning and I was dressed and ready to start my day with Kamron, the sweet baby I was a Nanny for. He was just a toddler and we had plans that morning for a toddler music class, which was really a bunch of two year olds banging on toy instruments and an assortment of Moms, Dads and caregivers singing along and chatting with each other. Every morning I would head downstairs from my Nanny suite in the attic and pick up Kamron in his parent's bedroom. Usually he was laying on the four poster ...
Epic First Date : Part Two
Monday, September 9, 2019 - We left the patio restaurant and decided to take a walk and sit at the pier in Bayfield to watch the sunset. Of course sitting on a pier and watching the sunset without a fizzy beverage of some sort just didn't seem like as much fun, so we headed to the LCBO to buy some coolers. I had the brain wave to disguise our drinks in some Subway cups (it was a long weekend after all and needed to disguise these alcoholic beverages!) and my date was very impressed with my skills of heading into the Subway and sweet talking the kid working into letting me have a couple cups with ice.
We brought the beach blanket to the end of the pier and just sat and talked and people watched. It was an interesting night for people watching! We got quite the laugh when ...
About MeWriting an "About Me" is not easy. How do I pick and choose the pieces of my life that molded me into the person I am or deem the milestones and memories as important enough to tell you about in this little "About Me"...Well, I often joke that I have Read more about me...