CELEBRATIONS

Hi everybody! It's been quite a while since I last posted. So I thought I would fill you in on what has been keeping me distracted around here.

Here is a hint!

Even though this is a blog about creating a lovely home, it all begins with the special people you share your home with! Last weekend we celebrated both the prom and graduation of our daughter, Lillie. Thanks to everyone who joined in celebrating with us! 

Our Lillie Lu!

With her sweet friend since kindergarden, Michael

Michael wins the award for most patient date in our books!

Father daughter dance. 

Proud little brother

Sweet classmates and their dates

Hockey coach Boulie and her graduating players

Say cheese one last time Michael!

The loveliest lady of all.

While I tell Lillie how proud of her I am on a daily basis I find myself feeling like Tom Cruise on Oprah and I want to shout it to the world. Congratulations sweet girl! You've been shining brighter than the sun since 1997. You've worked so hard for all the opportunities ahead of you. Here are some words of reflection I would like to share with my graduate as she begins this exciting new phase in her life.

• Give at least one person a generous sincere compliment everyday.
• Always be honest when it counts and use that honesty with good intentions.
• Always blast your favorite song in the morning if you are predicting a crappy day. It really will change your mood.
• When someone pays you a compliment say thank you. It's hard, I know!
• An excess of material things will not make you happy. That being said, treat yourself to chocolate, supermarket flowers and a new lipstick whenever you need to.
• Actions will always speak louder then words. Do whatever it is you say you are going to.
• Some people are going to be mean. When they show you this once chin up and keep it moving. 
• It's okay to miss the party, watch a movie and get a good nights sleep . But don't miss every party. 
• Kill them with kindness. Unkind people need it most. 
• Sometimes you will win, sometimes you will learn.
• Make sure your Dad is the only man you ever need to take care of you.
• Keep your head, your heels and your standards high.
• Don't ever apologize for being sensitive or emotional. You have a big heart.
• You can never be overdressed. 
• Work hard. It will pay off.
• Marry someone you'd be proud to call your son. 
• Learn the differences between empathy and sympathy. 
• People make mistakes, forgive them when they ask.
• You'll make mistakes. Forgive yourself.
• Don't dress to impress boys. You never have so don't start now.
• On that note buy nice shoes, coats, watches and jeans. It is ok to skimp on the rest.
• Read, read, read. It's a free education on life.
• A good laugh and a good sleep are some of the best medicine.
• Whenever you are upset stay off social media and call your Mom first!
• Be aware when you are hangry and try to keep it under control.Bring snacks at all times.
• Know the difference between love and lust.
• Be a girl's girl. 
• Know whatever you give comes back to you. It may take a while but eventually it will. 
• Trust your own instincts. Your gut is always right. 
• Don't be afraid to fail. Everyone does and it will teach you a lot. 
• Love yourself just as you are because you are enough.
• Travel when you can. I see how it has affected Aunt Marsha and I want you to see the world the way she does.
• Say you're sorry. Chances are the other person is sorry too. 
• Time is the greatest gift you can ever give or receive. 
• Do what you love to the best of your ability.
• Keep playing the piano.
• Never loose your sparkle.
• We all need someone who inspires us to be better than we already are. When you find him never let him go.
• In order to be trusted you must be honest.
• Be strong, find your voice, state your opinion but then listen.
• It's ok to cry if you are happy or sad but I hope you cry mostly happy tears.
• Sometimes you might go a long time without talking to your friends. Don't worry if they were your real friends they will be there.
• Later in life you will have more regrets about the things you didn't do then the ones you did. Pursue your dreams. 
• Lastly but most important of all, know you can always come home.

Selfie with the graduate. The only picture where I wasn't doing my best Alice Cooper impression!

EVERYDAY GOODNESS

It's Friday and I am back again this week with things from around the web that I find cute, interesting and inspiring. I'm hoping they inspire you!

Over at DEAR LILLIE they created a gallery wall going up a staircase. Doesn't it look great! 

This is a fantastic tutorial from CENTSATIONAL GIRL on how to make your own flanged pillow shams. I hope to get around to doing this soon. I definitely have plenty of extra fabric I could use!

Here is an office makeover done by 6th STREET DESIGN SCHOOL that takes the space from utilitarian and boring to fabulous. The cabinet color is so fresh! Who wouldn't love to craft in here!  

I have had my name registered to participate in one of MEG'S craft weekend getaways for years. I think her enthusiasm for hosting these weekends, is what makes them look like so much fun!

My house has two back staircases (remember it was once two houses) and one has yet to be painted. Check out what Meg did. Maybe some variation of this is in order for my house!

This TUNIC  is perfect. It's affordable, looks clean and classic. Best of all, it is long enough to cover your bum if you would like to pair it with leggings!

I know I have been M.I.A. around here this week. I've been finishing up a few bigger projects around the house that have, literally, been years in the making. I am hoping to have at least one completed to share next week. Here is a sneak peak of what I've been up to! If you'd like to see more sneak peaks follow me on INSTAGRAM. 

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend consider going to the movies to see While We Were Young. Paul and I went for last week's date night and it was good! I really enjoy Ben Stiller. Something about him reminds me of my awesome brother-in-law!

I AM SURE WE CAN ALL RELATE TO THIS FEELING TODAY!

 

Happy Weekend Everybody,

Valerie

EVERYDAY GOODNESS

It's Friday and I am back again this week with things from around the web that I find cute, interesting and inspiring. I'm hoping they inspire you!

Zoe Deschanel and I are soul sisters! Not only because of our love for bangs, but also because of her rockin' wallpaper in 500 Days of Summer! 

Isn't it swoon worthy

Earlier this week when I saw she was selling her home I just had to check it out. 

I am in love with her kitchen, especially the lighting, hardware, floors and stove! Truth be told, I would maybe do the blue more of a true navy, for myself, but really the girl has style!

The Met Ball was on Monday evening. The theme this year was 'China Through the Looking Glass'. I thought I would share with you who's fashion I thought was smashion. 

Allison Williams

Brie Larson, Courtney Eaton and Annabelle Wallis 

Emily Blunt

It seems like if you love something, and you want it to stick around, you'd better hope I don't love it too! First, there was Target closing in Canada and now, "The Mindy Project" has been  cancelled! I must be bringing them bad luck. I've decided to never declare my love for anything again ... that way, I won't jinx the chances of it doing well and staying around. Mindy posted THIS VIDEO to her Instagram account. Judging by her wink, there may be a little hope, yet!

I am crushing on THIS WALLPAPER. Perfect for a laundry or powder room in an older house.

I am looking forward to so many special events with my family this summer and I need several dresses. I have been having the worst time trying to find anything I love to buy.  However, in true Valerie form, I did find THIS CUTE TOP!

It must be this shade of green I'm loving!

There has been some great inspiration all over home decor and design blogs on the internet, this week. Wednesday was the reveal date of the "One Room Challenge" and these ladies did not dissappoint. While all of these ladies have talent and their rooms are lovely, here are some images from the ones that caught my eye the most.


VANESSA FRANCIS  did an incredible transformation to create this crisp bathroom.

STEPHANIE KRAUSS  created a picture perfect room for her daughter. 

JILL SORENSEN  took on a huge project! Boy oh boy, did it pay off!

If you are interested in seeing all of the One Room Challenge transformations, there will be links at the bottom of the individual reveals I've highlighted. Trust me when I say that, if you love home design, it is worth your time to see them all. 


For one last bit of everyday goodness, here is the sweetest video of ASHTON KUTCHER surprising his Mom with a home renovation. It's awesome! Kelso is a man now!

TO ALL OF YOU HARDWORKING, NURTURING AND LOVING MOM'S EVERYWHERE

MAY YOU BE SURROUNDED BY FAMILY AND SNUGGLED TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT.

T.G.I.F.

Valerie

SHIPLAP DIY

I know you guys may be tired of seeing pictures and posts about this little room. I really want to share with you one last DIY tutorial of the thing that made the most impact in the room. It's on how to actually install your own shiplap, of course!

For those of you who are interested in creating the shiplap look in your home, go for it, it really isn't that difficult. I feel like it changed the look of this room, dramatically. It is an inexpensive way to add architectural detail and charm to any room. All it takes is some patience and rolling up your sleeves to put in a little elbow grease. 

Here are some reminder photos in case you are reading here for the first time!

Room before in MLS listing.

Room after

Room before in MLS listing.

Room after

To begin with you need to measure how many square feet your room is. I used a thin utility plywood that was ready for paint. It comes in 4x8 sheets and our room required 12 sheets, in total. It should cost between $12.00 and $15.00 a sheet, depending on where you buy it.

As you head to your hardware store, armed with your shopping list and measurements, you might want to consider getting the store's cutting service to cut down your sheets into strips that are 6" wide. It saves a lot of time and mess at home for a minimal fee. It was well worth it! 

You should also count the corners in your room, where the planks will meet, and buy corner moulding accordingly.

SUPPLIES:

• Sheets of thin plywood cut into 6" wide strips (planks)
• Corner moulding
• Air compressor
• Mitre or circular saw
• Nail gun and plenty of nails
• Measuring tape
• Corner moulding
• Wood filler
• Level
• Nickels (yes, Nickels!)
• Caulking
• Sanding blocks

When you get home the boring part of prep work begins. This is the stuff I dread because I want fast results. However, I've come to accept that these steps are necessary in order to get good results! 

If your walls are anything but neutral or white you should prime them. We used old taupe paint to touch up our walls. You do not want blue or pink peeking through your cracks once complete.

Next, pull out your sanding blocks and start sanding the edges of each plank. This is a necessary step and will make all the difference to your finished look. I also suggest sorting the planks with the best side facing up so that you make sure to have a nice smooth surface for painting. 

To start attaching your planks you need to find the least obvious corner in your room and begin there. This is similar to how you wallpaper a room. That way if the pattern does not line up as you would hope at the end, it is not as noticeable. Ours was over the door when you enter the room.

If there are inside corners, be sure to attach the corner moulding ensuring that it is level to get you off to a good start. 

I started my first plank at the bottom of the wall measuring the length (twice) and putting it up, holding the level on top, before nailing, thus getting a good baseline to go by. 

We found nickels to be the perfect thing to use as spacers between the planks. 

Place several nickels between the planks and make a quick level check, then nail planks into place. Continue doing this until you reach the top of your wall. Basically you do this right around the room, always trying your best to keep each plank level and seams matching as closely as possible. If your house is old and quirky like mine, these corner pieces will save you!

 Here the inside corner is attached and we haven't yet secured the outside corner. 

This highlights how the corner pieces help hide when the seams don't lineup perfectly.

We added a crown moulding to finish of the look at the ceiling. This also looks great with a simple board at maybe 3" wide as a topper.

Painting this properly is also a very important step to creating a professional looking finish. Filling your nail holes with wood filler and giving them each a light sanding is the first step. Using a good primer is crucial, as well.

This is what one coat of primer looks like!


The top here is one coat of primer and the bottom is two coats!

You finish all this off with two more coats of paint. I used a brush for the primer and a foam roller for the paint. To help keep the paint out of the cracks I used a small tool for applying drywall compound and plenty of paper towels to wipe it clean.

Here is one last picture of the shiplap.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! Let me know if you decide to try it, I'd love to see some pictures! 

Valerie 

HIGH / LOW

It is not often the case that one has an unlimited budget to decorate their home.  It is because of this that I am a big proponent for learning to mix the high with the low while maintaining great style and being true to your vision for the space.

In my opinion, a great coat, shoes or jeans are a worthwhile investment but unless I really love it, I more than likely wouldn't pay any more than $35.00 for a blouse.

The same goes with decorating. The goal of many stores, both retail and online, is to recreate looks for less, taking the high price point of items and making it more accessible, and reasonably priced, for the masses. I am not going to say good design is cheap. It's often not but it can be made more affordable.

Sometimes things might seem comparable in price however, for us Canadians, often times the dollar exchange as well as shipping and tariff costs don't make the comparison as close as you'd hoped. Plus, the wait times can sometimes be quite long.

With a good eye and some research you can often source items that are more affordable to achieve the same desired look and feeling you are aiming for. I am not divulging any trade secrets here. You can spend a small fortune and still not be pleased with the results of your room. Having on eye for design is what can set these things apart.

Here are 10 examples of ceiling lights that I have either used or hope to use in the future that I believe are good examples of high/low. 

RESTORATION HARDWARE $995.00 US

                                         

 KENT BUILDING SUPPLIES $259.00 CAD   

POTTERYBARN $299.00 US

HOME DEPOT $149.00 CAD

SCHOOLHOUSE ELECTRIC $385.00 US

                                    

   KENT BUILDING SUPPLIES $349.00 CAD

SHADES OF LIGHT $489.00 US

BOUCLAIR $299.00 CAD

SHADES OF LIGHT $169.00 US

IKEA $39.00 CAD

SCHOOLHOUSE ELECTRIC $399.00 US

KENT BUILDING SUPPLIES $229.00 CAD

BARN ELECTRIC $495.00 US

KENT BUILDING SUPPLIES $229.00 CAD

SCHOOLHOUSE ELECTRIC $575.00 US

BOUCLAIR $179.00 CAD

         POTTERYBARN $399.00 US

            LOWES $199.00 CAD

     BARN ELECTRIC $170.00 US

IKEA $14.99 CAD

So there you have it. This is something I could do all day! I source items I love while trying to keep budget in mind. I hope this inspires some of you to do the same.

Warm Regards,

Valerie