Monday, April 29, 2013

Friday, April 12, 2013

It's Pinkalicious!

Hey Hey! Thanks for dropping by. I am sure that you are looking forward to the weekend. We will be out at the lake working on the cabin. I'll update ya next week on the progress.

It appears that Abigail has taken it upon herself to "pack" for the lake and in her back pack is the following: 1 My Little Pony, 1 crayola crayon, 1 little miss giggles book and 1 pair of socks. What a girl :)

Last September Abigail was moved from her baby room to her big girl room. She simply outgrew the space that she was in with her toys and clothes. We wanted her to have lots of space and to have things organized in such a way that a four year old can easily find her toys and put them away when she was done.

During the design stage of the space incorporating storage space for things such as Abigail's toys, clothes, etc. was very important. I would recommend to anyone who is in the initial planning stages of a design for a child's room to never overlook the importance of storage space - kids have lots of stuff!

Here are a few pictures of the room before the redo:



This room was a spare bedroom/junk room. Is it just me or do empty or occasionally used rooms seem to suck in the junk like a vacuum? It was staring to look like an episode of hoarders in there before we cleaned it out!



There's my lonely office desk. It was too small for me to use effectively so it found a home with a neighbour.


We have t-bar or drop ceilings throughout our home.


And here are a few pics after the redo:



For some the pink may be a bit strong, but since Abigail's favorite color is pink we went with it. I chose the color as I do with any color scheme for a room from a fabric. The fabric jumping off point for this room was the bedspread.



After seeing a few reading tents on the Internet, I thought we should make one for Abigail. This reading tent is one of Abigail's favorite spaces in the room, and we have found her many times curled up on the mat and pillow in the tent with a Clifford book or two. The cubby system is great for organization. We affixed the cubby system with huge screws to make sure it was extra safe. Each fabric cubby comes with a blank label so I wrote on each one to help Abigail know where to put things. I find it really helpful when it comes time to pick up her toys before bed.


I purchased the bedding on Ebay. I really like the bedding because it has a bit of the Pottery Barn Kids feel without the price tag! We bought all new furniture for Abigail, and we were pleased with the quality. Because we invested the money for quality now, I am hopeful that this furniture will last her for a long time. My approach when decorating any space is to use a combination of splurge and save. I want the most for every dollar I spend. In this room I splurged on the furniture and saved on the more decorative touches such as the area rug, curtain panels and making the reading tent instead of buying one.

 
 
At bedtime I always tuck Abigail in , ask her what her favorite part of the day was and read her a story. We always turn this lamp on and "set" her Dora alarm clock for the next day. She keeps her "precious gifts" in the drawers such as cards she is sent from her family and friends, pictures of our family and library books.
 


This little area in her room is one of her most active. Abigail loves to cook meals in her kitchen, and make tea parties. Being the budding artist that she is, painting and drawing on the easel is also a must do at least once a week. Every morning before she wakes up, I leave her a little message on her chalk board such as a saying or a picture. As you can see in the photo I have drawn the sun without sunglasses. There was a time when all of my drawings of suns had shades. It was a sickness - I admit it.


Well there is the long overdue tour of Abigail's big girl room. It is a space that we love and look forward to her growing up in.


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Coralling the Clutter

For quite some time there has been an area on our kitchen counters that is always cluttered. It is the spot where the tech gets plugged in, recipes are stored and any number of other small items at any given time.
 
Before


 

After
 


 
I really like the new uncluttered look and that everything is within easy reach. I chose a basket tray instead of a platter because I wanted to add texture, and I like that the basket has handles so I can move it to the island or dining room if I need to.
 
This project cost $ 32.00 taxes included. Here is a breakdown of the costs:
 
Basket Tray $ 9.99
Covered Butter Dish $ 4.99
Maple Syrup Dispenser $ 12.99
Sign - already owned
Olive Oil Vessel - already owned
Creamer and Sugar Bowl - already owned
Salt and Pepper Shakers - already owned
Milk Jug - already owned
 
Have you done any uncluttering lately?
 
 


Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Cabin

Our family is in the beginning stages of planning and building a cabin. We are super stoked about it.

We are in love with the property that has been in the Day family for over 100 years. The acreage is on Ship Harbour Long Lake in Nova Scotia, a designated wilderness area. It is remote, quiet and perfect! We are building on land that has a brook on one side of the property and the lake on the front side.




The property is very rugged with boulders and rocks everywhere, and terrible black flies in the summer make the property practically inhabitable for several weeks of the year - but we love it. The peace and tranquility of the water, the wildlife such as moose, bear, deer, bald eagles, porcupine, fish, geese, etc., can't be beat.




Abigail is getting a hands on nature lesson every time we are at the lake! We enjoy hiking and four wheeling so we can hop on our quads or lace up our hiking boots and go all day and not be on the same quad or hiking trail twice.






We built a camp across the brook several years ago, and while it is the sweetest little thing (16 x 20) - it doesn't really suit our family. The existing camp is primarily a hunting and fishing camp. We want a place we can cook, swim, relax. Make s'mores by an open campfire, lay our heads in comfort and most importantly -  make memories as a family.




The cabin is being built with our own hands, and with a modest budget. There will be lots of DIY and flea market finds. I will be documenting the process and progress on the blog through written posts and video. I hope you will stop in from time to time!


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Noteable Quotables

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

Maya Angelou