I’m back! I had stopped blogging as I didn’t think I had enough time… but realized how much I loved doing it so decided to do my best to MAKE time! What is time if not spent doing things you love right?

Here is a little project that I worked on lately…

This antique sewing machine is used as our front entry way table but wasn’t quite vibing with our décor. It’s a sentimental piece as I got it at an auction with my dad and he refinished it for me, but it was time for an update. The old finish was a bit too rustic and the hardware needed some TLC.

My goal was to obtain a more modern finish – darker and more walnut/expresso vs ‘oak’. And to introduce a little sparkle to the lack lustre drawers!

Plus, I had accidentally given it a water stain it a few years ago so I owed it. Woops!

… And these knobs were looking more wobbly than Lindsay Lohan on a Tuesday after a night out on the town.

So I took it out to the garage and got my groove sand on.

After my sandathon I wiped it down with a damp cloth, applied some wood conditioner, wiped that down, then applied two coats of the water based walnut stain I had purchased… and hated it. So, I applied a coat of espresso stain on top of that… and still hated it. The finish was much too RED for some reason. SO, I did what any insane determined blogger/DIY attempter would do. I cried softly and started again.

After two coats of just the espresso stain I was happy. And let’s face it, even if I wasn’t, this thing was going back into the entrance regardless.

So, here she is AFTER!

She looks good in her new dark get-up no?

Here is a close up of how the dark stain really helped accentuate the wood grain.

And NO more water stain!

The finishing touch was these glass knobs that I added. I think they help modernize the whole piece. So much lighter and prettier than the old ones (sorry Lindsay).

As I was screwing in the last knob I heard the cutest little voice behind me – “Mommy, I do it”. I turn around to find my 2.5 year old little Mr. Fix It with his tool puzzle – all ready to help mommy screw on the hardware.

Since I had just finished screwing in the last knob I undid them all (what is it about this project and doing everything twice?) and my helper assisted in reapplying the finishing touches. From there he moved on to find more things that needed fixin’.

As he ‘worked’ I took more photos…

Have you stained anything recently? Any ‘helpers’ around your house? Been out on the town with Lindsay lately?

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers out there. Have a great long weekend!

Autumn is in the air! … and now it’s also in my living room.

Having recently painted (and fallen in love) with our (now) black mantel I could not wait to decorate it for Fall. And yes, I’ve fallen for it (ha ha, get it). No? Oh. Please just pretend you did (and sorry for the bad joke).

Anyway, here she is all decorated up niiiice (well, I think so anyway but I’m no professional…).

Since it’s a bit of far shot and the mirror is somewhat distracting let me zoom in to show the fun Autumnal elements!

The best part (well, in my opinion anyway) is that aside from the wreath which I just made (small supplies cost) everything else was FREE as I already had it on hand. I literally just brought it all out, dumped ‘er on the couch and began assembling until I was satisfied!

I got this glass pumpkin a few years back and have always loved it. I designed the mantel with it in mind and chose most of my colours playing off the ‘vibe’ that Mr. Pumpk was putting out. In the back is an opening for a tea light holder which adds a nice warm glow when lit.

I took some of the moss that I bought for the wreath (tutorial to follow in an upcoming post) and used it throughout the arrangement to tie my little vignettes into the wreath focal point.

I love the cozy relaxed nature that my ‘old’ and used candles offer. Having been lit in the past, they are all slouchy and organic. I love how they add to the warmth of this whole display.

Here is a close up of the right hand side. Those two frames were given to me by a coworker who was cleaning out her basement and thought I might like them. YES please! I have something in mind for the large one but before I paint it, it was the perfect hue for this display. The smaller bamboo one had no picture in it but I loved the wood that was simply the inside of the back. I left it this way as it added yet another texture. I personally think layering and texture are the keys to an interesting mantel (or any display really).

Here is the focal point wreath I made and as mentioned, I will have a follow up tutorial post. Not satisfied with the standard ‘Autumn wreath” (bright orange fake leaves and overly rustic) I decided to make my own! I wanted something simple and graphic and am really happy with how this turned out. And it was SO easy to make. Yay for easy.

Here is close up of the wreath. You can see the moss used here which I mimicked through the candles and other elements.

And here are a few nighttime shots with everything lit and aglow. YAY FOR AUTUMN!

Oh, and it SMELLS like Autumn in here too as these candles have the perfect Fall spicy scent. Love it.

There seems to be a bit of a rivalry going on at my house. Team Mantel vs. Team Bannister. It threatened to get ugly folks… but all is well that ends well.

Here’s how it all went down.

Banisters caught wind that Mantel had a painting party… but didn’t invite them (oh. oh. Drama). So, after a heart-to-heart (what, you don’t talk to your banisters?), I promised Banisters that they too could have a party of their own. And what did they want to wear? Well their LBDB’s of course!

Here is how Banisters looked before dressing up…

We have a few banisters like this around our house and I didn’t want to hear them whine too wanted to paint them all the same for cohesiveness.

Here is the signature drink that was served at the party, and a party goer partaking in a big sip…

Once drunk painted all the ladies banisters looked fantastic. LBB’s all around!

Oh, and for anyone following along, I used the RIGHT paint this time.

After we recently painted the main floor light the banisters just washed into the background. I feel it looks polished now. Black is the new banister.

Being a new blogger it doesn’t take much to excite me – a nice comment on a post, a new follower, I’m happy. It means that people are liking what they see and for a visual gal like me that’s my idea of a good time. And if someone is taking a moment out of their busy day to read what I have to say, then even better. AND if I can make someone chuckle… well then I’m golden (well not officially but it’s a saying people).

That being said, imagine my surprise when this picture from my recent mantel makeover was pinned on pinterest! Happy Dance! I feel quite honoured 🙂

Now, for those of you scratching your head saying “what is Pinterest?” let me enlighten you!

Pinterest is a website that is basically an online file of whatever catches your eye that you’d like to remember for later – use it for inspiration, reference of simply to jog your memory about something you saw. Put your hand up if you have/had a file on your computer full of pics called ‘cool stuff’… or a gazillion unorganized bookmarks of things you wanted to save for later.


No more.


Pinterest is is SO cool and slightly (used loosely) addictive. I love how you can add comments about what you see and want to remember (i.e. “great idea for a dinner party”). The other great thing is that the website saves the site that you originally saw your idea from (great if there are instructions or something you’d like to do at a later date – DIY instructions or a recipe for example). You can also ‘follow’ others who have great taste and see what things caught their eye (chances are you’d like them too)!


The definition on the Pinterest home page says it best: 

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

There is so much great inspiration out there in Blogland and this week was no exception. Here are some great finds from the past little bit…

First we have this awesome, fantastic, super cool graphic subway art (that I am SO going to frame) brought to us by Eighteen25. Jamie, Jodi and Jennifer are three sisters that have a fantastic and fun little blog. Always inspiring and beautiful to look at it’s a ‘must read’ on my list. Love it. Thanks ladies!

AND, if orange and black aren’t your thing, they also have this awesome design in green, purple and (just) black as well. Enjoy!

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Since we’re on the topic of Hallowe’en check out these awesome blue pumpkins made by Beth over at Home Stories A 2 Z. Simple and easy to make you simply need some dollar store pumpkins, some spray paint and crackle paint medium. Another thing on my list that I must try! I love how she took the typical Hallowe’en ‘icon’ and switched up the colour palette. The possibilities are endless. Beth’s blog is full of great ‘decorating on a dime’ ideas (her words not mine) but if you ask me her ideas always look like a million bucks!

Chef Kev outdid himself with this one. I loved this wrap. The spice was perfect and the secret seemed to be in marrying the flavours. Nothing over powered yet you could still taste each individual ingredient. Wonferfully balanced. Perfection!

Here is how he did it…

Chipotle Chicken Wrap

Ingredients:
crushed or canned tomatoes (half of a large can)
1 1/2 chipotle peppers

low sodium chicken stock (about 1/4 cup)

fresh cilantro
1-2 shallots (minced)

to season:
salt
meat seasoning (Chef Kev uses Rufus Teague Meat Rub)

to assemble:
tortilla wrap
grated cheese blend – cheddar, monterey jack and colby
lettuce (Chef Kev used a Spring Mix)
sour cream
avocado

To begin, combine your tomatoes, chipotle peppers, a scoop of adobo sauce (the sauce your chipotle peppers come in) and olive oil in a food processer. Puree.

Add your pureed mixture to a sauce pan on low heat. Add your chicken breast, a little chicken stock and your cream. Let simmer for 25 minutes or so. Stir often. Season to taste along the way and add corn starch to thicken if needed. Remove from heat once cooked.

Add the black beans, corn and orange pepper along with some some chopped cilantro and the minced shallot. Stir. Let sit.

To assemble add a scoop of your mixture to a tortilla round and sprinkle with cheese as desired. Microwave for 20 seconds. Add some lettuce, some avocado and some sour cream.

Roll and Serve.

ENJOY!