I inherited this dresser; it was my mum's old dresser when she was growing up. I was drawn to it's mid century modern style, and it was in great shape. I knew I could jazz it up a bit.
I also spray painted the brassy bottoms of the legs, in Rustoleum Hammered Metal spray paint in Dark Bronze. As always.
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My favourite thing about the new year is the fact that it's just that- a new year; a clean slate. It's mostly in my head, but just the chance to mentally hit reset is kind of a nice thing to do. Everyone loves setting those New Years resolutions! And promptly breaking them.
Resolutions or not, we have started back on the home improvement train since the new year. I've finished a few projects that have been somewhat un-blog worthy, but they have now been crossed off the never ending list. For instance, our upstairs bathroom now has baseboards. Thanks to my little helper! A few projects that have been happening? I have some little ones, like a quick closet make over, a chair make over, the spice cabinet make over. To name a few...
I scored these restaurant chairs for the office at my work, and with an outdoor table cloth, these pink beauties got a fun update. And they are actually pretty cute! And cute goes a long way when you work at a sawmill.... I had been wanting to do this one for a long time. I had originally been reusing old glass jars for our spices, which worked okay, but they didn't stack well. So I went out and got a case of the smaller sized mason jars. The spice cupboard was absolutely packed before, and even though I have the same amount of spices in there, now I can see every spice I need. It's so nice and organized, I could probably double the amount of what I had stuffed in there now. As for the big ones, we have a few in the works. We are heading out of town this weekend to finally look at the fireplace we want. Online shopping just doesn't always cut it for me! And then the downstairs bathroom. Then the laundry room. Then a deck. And last, but certainly not least, the kitchen. Ooooh boy! Looks like this year is going to be another busy one!
Happy New Years! Xo Jena Now that Christmas and New Years is over, it's that time to think about the next holiday! Hint, hint, wink, wink! Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and now is the time to pick the perfect gift! Now through January 31st, Layla Grayce is offering 15% off Valentine's Day Gifts with promo code LOVE15. Don't miss your chance to shop and save on aprons, fashion accessories and more.
Happy Shopping! We've wanted a wood fireplace since we got our house. We weren't planning on getting one right away, but after one winter of our heating bills, we figured it would be worth our while to get one, as it would basically pay for itself in one season of heat. Finally we found one that we liked- a modern wood insert. Of course, it was so new that it wasn't even made yet. That's how cutting edge we roll these days. We kept getting told it would be ready Novemeber, then not until December, then not until Spring 2014. Upon closer inspection, we realized that the one we were waiting for wouldn't even fit in our current fireplace! And that the smaller version of the same fireplace insert was available and has been for a while. Lame. Now, I'm not even sure where we are at on getting this, but we ended up buying this sweet infrared heater that has been lovely having, and I don't feel so rushed into getting the insert after all this confusion. Adam and I have yet to agree on the optional stainless steel surround or the plain black... What do you think? I'm pretty set on the stainless, while Adam is set on the black. Anyways, as I don't feel a rush anymore, I decided to switch up our current fireplace draft blocker. Unfortunately, we still needed the draft blocker, so it progressed from having this... I also was originally inspired by a fireplace I had seen on Houzz, where they had stacked a bunch of wood into the fireplace. If you can't burn it, at least pretend like you are ready to! I got really inspired by this door mat I saw in Canmore a few months back. As awesome as it looks, it seemed impractical as a door mat, but it would be awesome on our fireplace! Since we still needed to block the draft from our fireplace, my day dreams progressed into something a little more like this... So I grabbed the large sticks that were waiting to become a stair rail, and started chopping. I guess we need to find another stick for the handrail project now... Then came the fun part of screwing in every single piece of wood to the plywood. I don't know if you caught my sarcasm on that one, but that wasn't actually that fun. Of course, I ran out of wood before I could completely cover the plywood, but I figured since it's winter now and we have about a foot or two of snow already, it may be a while before I can find a branch. So bear with me as I unveil the mostly finished product! All in all, it added a really nice touch to the room, especially now that we've decorated for Christmas. I love this season! Jena xo It has been a little while since I've gotten to sit down and do a craft. Not going to lie, I've missed it. There is nothing more satisfying that burning your fingers on the hot glue gun and having something to show for it. This one is for my mum, who still acts like she appreciates her child's art work. I love you, Mum!
This is where I'm not sure what to do with it, which is why I'm glad I made it for my mum. She gets to decide. Cardholder? Picture holder? Tea stash?
The possibilities are endless! What would you use it as? Happy Crafting! Jena xo
We found these lions costumes at Target, and we couldn't not get them. What a team these two are!
Next up, was doing something with the pumpkin seeds. I really like pumpkin seeds, so what better way to use the whole pumpkin? Waste not, want not. I soaked them in salt water for a few hours, and then drained it for about an hour. Looking back, I suppose I could have dried them with a towel, but hindsight is what they say it is. 20-20.
Then I burnt them. Oops. Next year.
Happy Halloweeeeeen! Jena xo One of our outdoor projects has been our fire pit. In the summer, we have a lot of fires, and it's one of my favorite thing of all times. I always talk about the three R's, and this is definitely under the 'Reuse' category. The main part is made from an old tire rim. Our friend welded up an old grill to it as well, so we are set for cooking over the fire, should the power ever go out, or if we just feel like it. Then we set out collecting rocks for our pit. We got lucky and found some sweet ones. We also found a bunch of flat rocks, which Adam dug holes in the ground for the rocks so they would be flush with the ground. Tripping hazards around fires are just not cool. Because the outside ring of rocks are quite square, we decided to go with smooth river rocks for contrast. The river rocks also allow for better air flow around the fire, thus a better fire. How do you like our entirely free project? It's amazing what you can do with something nature has given us, plus a few unwanted scraps! Happy Salvaging! Jena xo Avani Slim Burner by BrasaFire - $500.00 from: Burke Decor LLC
With all the technology we have these days, you think we'd be able to be more energy efficient than ever, but sadly, it seems the opposite. Have you ever thought about what you could do to reduce your energy consumption? Would you go so far as to live without something or make some drastic lifestyle changes to reduce the impact on our environment? We are planning on getting a wood fireplace to reduce our energy bill. It's not like we will be living entirely off grin, but will be a huge energy savings. It will also be a lot more work every year chopping wood, stoking the fire and general maintenance of having a fireplace, but it's a sacrifice we are excited to make. Not to mention, we get to enjoy the ambiance of a real fire, and not the fireplace channel on TV. It's a start towards living greener and healthier. What would you do?
Jena xo Fall is upon us. With that comes the harvest of our crops and the crops of others. We got given a 10 pound box of apples, and what better thing to make than apple sauce. I could have made some apple pies, but I decided to go with a liquid version of the dessert. Adam and I pealed until our hands hurt. It's a different generation we are in now. I know old ladies who peeled potatoes, carrots, apples, etc. until their hands bled, and it wasn't from cutting themselves! At least that's what their stories claimed. I'm thinking that I need to toughen up and suck it up... Then, we threw the apples into a big pot and boiled them down. I added 1/4 cup of water just to cover the bottom of the pot at the beginning. The juices from the apples are more than enough to keep them from burning. Then came the good stuff. Cinnamon and nutmeg permeated the house. The thought crossed my mind to start decorating the house for Christmas at that point. Maybe, just maybe, that's a little premature to get started on that task... To top it all off, I added some good old Canadian maple syrup. I don't think you could have a better combination of flavours, as that. Just as I thought it would be, I had liquid apple pie. I don't think those jars of apple sauce are going to be around for long. Next year, we will have to go for 50 pounds of apples. As long as we have an electric apple peeler. It is the 10's after all. That just doesn't have the same ring as the 1900's, where they had to peel everything by hand. On the note of apple pie flavour, Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend. I love Thanksgiving. I am a very thankful person, and I have A LOT to be thankful for. Maybe it's cliche to say family and friends, but seriously. I have an amazing family, and some wonderful friends. I moved around a lot in my younger years, so to have a solid set of friends is really special to me. My family is the best family one could have. I also am thankful for food. We are so lucky to have a plethora of it, and I am really excited to share a weekend of feasting with both friends and family. Wine, pie and turkey. Can't ask for much more! Items above can be found at
I also added a rock garden in the front, which left me with two smashed fingers, but a nicer curb appeal, even though we don't have any mulch yet. It's a work in progress. It always is... We built a new fire pit, just in time for fall, which I'm super excited about. More pictures on this one later! So, as much as I haven't written lately and feel like I haven't really accomplished much, in terms of our house, it's really feeling like home. Maybe it's that I appreciate it more, now that I'm not spending 24 hours a day in here.
I do love our little home, and more importantly, I love the people in our home! Progression on the house doesn't always happen at the rate I would necessarily like, but I know where my heart is. It's the people in my life that really make a house a home. Happy Days! Jena xo |
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