Kitchen Makeover

Boy oh boy,  this has truly been a labour of love. Before the kitchen felt so dark,  even with the sun shining in,  the cupboards seemed to absorb all the light.   It took a LONG time to talk me into painting these cupboards. I enjoyed the warmth that the dark wood brought into the kitchen, and I was afraid that by painting the cupboards that feeling would disappear. AND it felt very taboo to paint a new kitchen.   Believe it or not, my husband talked me into it. Apparently, now, after all this time, he loves white cupboards!  I never thought he even cared what went on in here!  Huh.  Well, I absolutely love them too. So bright and fresh and yet it still has that cosy feeling.

Yes it took a lot of paint four coats to be exact. And then a few touch ups.   In our last house we painted our cupboards a creamy white and every spring I would touch them up with a bit of paint. Very little effort for so much satisfaction.

Here's what the kitchen looked like when we first bought our house.  No offence to anyone with a gold kitchen, but eeeeeek! This was the only colour I was told never to wear when I got my colours done way back in the 80's!  And here it was all over our brand new house!

Good thing I'm not afraid of a paint brush, cause the whole house needed a paint job. Yup, brand new house with crazy paint colours.  

That definitely helped, but it took a couple tries to get the right greige on the walls for my taste. I can't remember the name of it.   I'll have to go look for a paint card, or paint can to find the name again, comment if you want to know.

The light just bounces around this space now.  Everything that was in here before has stayed.  The tobacco basket was added as a homage to my dark cupboards. 

I think those jars on the stove will get some spring time colour soon.  Originally I was planning on using them for herbs, but I don't think they would do well on the stove with all the heat.  We ended up putting sticky tack on the bottom of them so they'd sit on this tiny ledge.  Worked like a charm.

Being an open floor plan I put a lot inside the cupboards. Even inside on the cupboard doors, love letters, notes,  pictures, even our meal plan and grocery list. Making full use of hooks and shelf extentions in and on my cupboards to create more space and better organization.

With the door closed,  no one would be the wiser!

All our little signs and touches have stayed in their spots.
That tiny little ornament by the heart is a witch's ball,  I filled with salt, a tiny rose bud and petals. I've charmed it with some positive intentions and it sits at this window without taking up any space at all.   I have a few scattered around the house in special areas. The heart has been in my kitchen for a long time,it makes me happy every time I see it.

If you have been here before, then you already know I need plants.  My husband built me these shelves a few years ago. all my succulents LOVE this spot.  I love this spot.
Our winters are long and this helps shorten this season.  In a few weeks after I'm finished spring cleaning, I'm going to start  more of my seeds.  Scallions have already been started and sprouting as I type this.  They took off on me, but they'll get trimmed down and used in  salads, sauces, even soups.

This little Lady has been hanging out here for some time, maybe a month!  I've shared my apple with her and she seems to be okay.  How long do lady bugs live for?   I've no idea but I'll do my best with her so she can head outside when it warms up.

On the shelves I not only have plants but I hang my fung shui crystals and other crystals and they cast some beautiful rainbows all over our walls and ceiling.  Another recommendation- get crystals! Lot's of good energy comes flooding in on a rainbow.

Well that's it! Hope you enjoyed seeing our transformation. Maybe it gives you that nudge to paint something that you have been thinking about or do a little switcheroo,  whatever it may be, love your home!

Until next time, happy nesting!

Happy Valentines

Happy, Happy, Valentines Day!

What are you up to for Valentines?  I've got something very exciting planned for the day!  What's that,you ask?  My husband is busy all weekend playing in a hockey tournament  so I'm going to be sewing, painting and probably a little crocheting.  Then after getting all my projects done, or almost done, I'm going to take a nice bubble bath, probably put some rose quartz in the tub too, and relax.  And that my dear, is my idea of a self loving Valentines.  Creating and then relaxing.  I hope you find some time to do what makes you happy and give yourself some love as well.

Now what we are really here for, some pictures!

For Valentine's, even though the snow is still coming and it is super chilly, I've decided to put some spring into our home.  I love pink but it isn't always my colour of choice. However it works with my blues and greys nicely.  The runner below is just a folded table cloth that I got at a second hand store in the fall.   With no idea where it would go or when i would use it, I bought it anyways. Of course!

Once I have pulled in some new items it's the domino effect.  It ripples right through this house.  Immobilises me sometimes!  My head starts spinning with new looks, new projects ,fresh ideas!  A trip to Micheals was in order, I purchased Chalk paint- two cans, and a ball of yarn.  YUP, just one skein.  I had no idea what to do with it, most likely crochet pillow covers.  But once I got started crocheting, I couldn't stop, so I'm now making an afghan.  It'll work in a few different areas of our home.  And yes, I did go back and purchased more yarn.  As a side note the velvet yarn is incredibly soft, really nice to work with.

The box of old Valentines cards and pictures always makes an appearance.   Our girls are well into their twenties, but I absolutely love the nostalgia they bring out.  I fall right back into those years.

The white hearts were made many, many years ago.  I made them to hang on everyone's bedroom door, similar to  a door wreath.  Actually I think I made even more than that...there are a lot.

A smokey quartz heart on the picture frame that my husband made me.  It's a great frame because I can easily change it out to a picture or card if I would like.

A huge hanging heart from our daughter from a LLLOOONNNGG time ago. So cute!

More hanging hearts that I had sewn are hanging from the front closet door.  I put some lavender drops on the back fabric- love that smell!

If you look closely past the hearts you see a square-that's the start of my new crochet project.
The granny stitch is a fast stitch once you get going on it.  It just grows so quickly, and very satisfying.

You can see how velvety the yarn is, it will be cosy when completed.
That's it for now! I hope that you have an amazing Valentines, alone or with people, make it a
LOVEly day.

Life is all about change

There have been some serious, life altering changes going on in our home. Big stuff.

First, after much hesitation and debate, I have retired from hairdressing.  Not to date myself, but I have been doing hair since 1990!  I did take a break to be a stay at home mum when we started our family, heading back to work when our youngest was in grade 4.  At the time I worked at a lovely little salon that was very family oriented, so flexibility wasn't a worry.  As anyone with a child or children knows, that's important.  Since that time we have relocated to a new city and I've worked in a few salons here as well.  Hairdressing isn't easy on your back or an empathetic personality.  It is time to retire.  I gave my notice at Christmas and said goodbye over the last month to some very lovely people.  I had a very sweet and understanding clientele and I will miss them.  

And the other big change is my choice to go plant based.  I feel really good about this choice.  My husband enjoys a lot of what I create to eat but always appreciates a roast or steak once in a while.  Yes, I will still cook meat on occasion for my people....until I can convert them!  It's crazy how fast your taste buds change. 

It isn't always easy but I feel really good about this choice.  Dining out is a bit of a challenge and  I usually end up going vegetarian on those occasions.   At home it's just normal now, and I'm going to make an effort to share some of my favourite dishes here.  Plant based is a lot more work then throwing a chicken in the oven. There is a lot of chopping and prep work however it is so worth it.  And  I have been told it is environmentally friendly.  So that's a win!

Enough chit chat, I am still here, still obsessed with nesting!  Lot's of nesting and collecting and a bit of painting. And now with retirement, more sharing.  So let's share!

My indoor plant collection is still growing. I couldn't pass this cute little guy up in the grocery store.  My lovely little green friends!

A lot of my collections are growing. There are always key pieces that I just love and don't want to exchange but there have been some changes as well.

This guy is just quietly growing despite the snow happening outside.

I have recently become aware of LED grow light, light bulbs. What the heck and why haven't I been aware of this before???  Needless to say, a have a few through the house now. This lamp has a full spectrum bulb in it.  

With it snowing outside I've been really appreciating my house plants and upon closer inspection most of these plants are giving me some new growth.  laaaaaaaa!

And here's a question....What have I been painting?  Pretty sure this is going to be much more exciting for me than for you.  But the changes will shock and amaze. Hahaha

Until next time, have a great day and happy nesting! 

Craft Room Tour

Hi! I thought I would surprise myself and write  a post today!  It's -100 outside right now so it's a great day to sit in my cosy room with a cup of tea- dandelion tea :) and write. Okay, maybe not -100, more like -20, with some crazy ass winds, which makes it -100! 

Anyways, on with the post.

This is my room.  I took it over very slowly, over time.  It was our oldest daughter's bedroom, and after she moved to Victoria, taking all her belongings, it was left as big empty hole in my heart home.  It sat empty for a long time.  I would come in here and sit on the floor and just miss her.  Probably not the healthiest, but I feel like it was what I needed to do. Right?  

Time helped heal, and as it did the furniture started to find it's way in.  Some pieces didn't make the cut, but a LOT did!  Yes, I am a maximalist.   I feel like most crafters are, am I right?!  Furniture started to make it's way into the room and gradually it became my space.  With the sun pouring in, it's just a natural place for coffee, tea, or crafting.  With freshly painted Suede Gray on the walls, the room feels complete.  I don't think my style really fits under any single style umbrella.  I've always had a real mish-mash style. All the natural elements sit very close to my heart, and yet I love a bit of bling too.  Granny Chic- I think that's a thing now, with all my crocheted pieces and flowers. The darker walls make it cosy, the collection of pictures make it nostalgic, and the faux furs put another spin on it.  AND I love to thrift and reuse. LOVE.  Repaint, refinish, reuse. Good thing there are pictures because this introduction sounds super gawdy. Hahah, with that, I hope you enjoy my freshly painted, revamped room tour.

This desk has been many colours, as with most furniture in my home.  I get great pleasure out of refurbishing or refinishing old favorites. Sometimes from budget restraints, but usually because I love playing with paint.  I wanted to repaint more pieces the same colour as the desk but I think it would take away from it.

You will find crystals everywhere in my home.  This is a large piece of amethyst, being one of my favorite crystals I wanted it close to my creative area.  I've surrounded it with a few other crystals that help me to create and dream.

A big deep window lets a ton of light in, which helps with this dark wall colour. My sun loving plants sit here in the winter, basking in the light, as my furry shadow does now.  A feng shui crystal hangs in the window and usually sends rainbows all over the walls, creating a magical atmosphere.

You can see some repotting is in my near future, these poor plants really want to go back outside! Fingers crossed I can nurse them through the rest of the winter. In the summer I put a few of my indoor plants on this ledge. It can get very hot so I have to watch them closely.

There's my furry shadow, he loves this chair.  Behind him you can see my shelves are filled with framed photos, books, craft supplies and tools.  I LOVE BASKETS.  LOVE.

The blankets are from Chapters.  Around Christmas time, you can usually get them at a great price after spending a certain amount of money- win win I say! They are THE most softest blankets.  Just feeling them makes me happy! Simply lovely.  

Most of the feathers in this room I have found, or my husband has found and given to me with the exception of this wonderfully fluffy white one.  Shells, rocks, crystals, feathers, and driftwood, I am easy to "shop" for.

Our home, or as I like to call it, cottage, has been under some more changes lately.  I am running, or  should I say painting my way past the neutral tones I once loved, headed straight for CoLoUr.

I'm craving it. More colour, more depth.  I don't want a circus, but I want layers. I want richness.  

Through the doorway is our front entrance.  I have been working on a mirror wall and a basket wall.  I hope to share that soon too. 

This shelf may just be my favorite.  Mismatched and well used baskets are filled with more craft supplies, candles, candle holders, paints, and tools.  Looking at this picture I realize that my scissor basket is missing...oops..anyways there should be another tote in the top left corner for my craft paper scissors.

In between this shelf and the doorway there is a closet door.  Inside it's a mess, that's for another day. Creative juices have to get flowing again before I try take on that beast...it's kind of a sewing/scrap paper closet jungle.

This is my altar.  I currently have it set up in honour of my girls. This whole room is like my altar, but this shelf holds three carved willow figurines. A mum hugging her daughter, a girl holding a heart and a girl releasing a butterfly.  Each figurine could be any one of my daughters.  Love, support and respect.   I appreciate each of them and honour their uniqueness right here, every day.

Hope you enjoyed! Happy decorating, rearranging, and nesting.