Cozy.Cottage.Cute.

A Day in the Life of Cooper

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:00 +0000

Not Pictured:

6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. since this girl can't function until she's been up an hour and has had an extra large coffee.

Also Not Pictured:

The witching hour between 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. when babies get angry. Really, really angry.

Mmmm, Cheerios.

Messy oranges.

Watching for Grandma who comes at 8:00 a.m. to walk the dogs. Yay for Grandmas.

Sitting inside the train track. 'Cause that's what yer supposed to do.

Motoring around. Vroom.

Climbing the stairs. On our way for sleepy-time #1.

Waking up from a nap is much easier when you have little monkey.

Hugs for teddy bear.

Brush, brush, brush.

Splish splash he was taking a bath.

STILL in the tub. Geez.

Favourite game - race away from the mama when she is trying to get you dressed.

Lunch. Mini sandwich bites with turkey, cheddar, and spinach. Followed by a WHOLE kiwi.

Giving the stink eye. Because it's fun.

Waving at a little old man at the grocery store. He waved back. He was nice.

Special stop at Chapters to see the train table. Ooooh, excitement.

Milk. It does a body good.

Nap #2.

Dad got home from work early and joined us on our walk to the park.

Picking flowers. They might be weeds.

The only way that supper gets made: Bubble Guppies.

Playing cars after supper.

Jammies and story time.

Silly games to get all hyper right before bed. Bad Mommy.

Goodnight.

A Light Fixture for the Exterior Side Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:37:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I showed you the run-down exterior of our tiny side entry addition. You almost died of shock, I almost died of embarrassment. It was pretty intense.

Some of you gave me hope with encouraging words like, "It has good bones" and "It has potential!" Thanks. I needed that.

I sanded and primed my little buns off for a few days until I got to the ceiling. Yeah. Ceilings with lots of little spider-y nooks and crannies just aren't my thing. I still remember watching Arachnophobia at my friend's house across the street when I was like, ten. Freaky. I'm hoping that Alex might help me with the rest of the priming tomorrow. The good news is that it is already starting to look so much better. Phew.

So, I started shopping online for light fixtures. I found the dreamiest, most perfect light ever at Pottery Barn. Oh how I wanted that light. I wanted it bad.

Can you see why?

Pottery Barn - Fisherman's Flushmount

However, since we were pretty set on replacing the storm door with a new one, and the door opens outwards, the light had to be less than 8" in height. The Pottery Barn one was just too big. Plus, Alex wasn't too happy about the $250 price tag.

So, I found a similar looking light online from Wayfair. 'Cept it was still an inch or so too high.

Wayfair - Sea Gull Lighting - Sebring Outdoor Flush Mount

We decided to hit up our local lighting store which we have used for our other exterior light fixture at the front of the house (still love) as well as many of our indoor ceiling fixtures.

To Alex's excitement, they were having a huge sale on exterior lighting that week. Almost 50% off ALL in-store exterior lights. He begged me, literally begged me to find one that was on sale.

After looking through all of their catalogues and finding nothing similar to my online finds, the sales clerk brought over a different style of light. And it was kind of cute.

It had pretty seeded glass and a lantern-style look to it. Plus, it was just shy of 8" high AND it was on sale for $56.

SOLD. I wish you could've seen the look of triumph on Alex's face when we walked out with it. ;)

All I have is a lousy iPhone picture of the catalogue but it will give you an idea for now.

I'll share the info about it once we get it installed and looking all pretty. :)

Progress! My favourite thing.

(Besides coffee, baby snuggles, and chip stands.)

Why We Still Don't Have Closet Doors in the Master Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:34:00 +0000

Our Master Bedroom is such a neglected little space. It gets no love.

Well, it did get an itty bitty bit of love when we upgraded from a queen-sized bed to a king.

Best.Decision.Ever.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned at some point that we took the dated louvered bi-fold doors off of both closets with the intention of replacing them with the same closet doors we put in the front entry and the breakfast room.

Here's the front entry closet door:

Here is the breakfast room closet door:

Here are the old doors that we replaced:

And here are the master bedroom closets with no doors:

A few months ago Alex and I had had enough of clothes falling out onto the floor (time for another closet clean-up maybe?) and headed to Lowe's with some measurements. We were sort of expecting that they might not have the size that we needed in stock and we would have to order some in.

What we weren't expecting was to figure out was that they didn't have the size we needed at all because the bedroom closet doorways are about an inch and a half narrower than the closets on the main floor. Which means we would need to get custom doors made and ordered.

And they are $300+ a piece. Booooooo.

So that's the story of why we still don't have closet doors in our Master Bedroom. Maybe one day.

P.S. The boys have almost all of the old siding stripped off The Fixer Upper and are ordering insulation this week. That's a project that will hopefully be happening sooner than those closet doors. ;)

P.S.S. Sandwiches taste WAY better when they are cut into little baby-friendly strips. Just sayin'.

P.S.S.S. I got an outdoor rug for our back deck. I'll show you as soon as I sweep off all of those darned helicopters.

Two Pretty White Plates and Two Plate Wall Inspiration Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Wooooooweeeee. Alex was out of town on a golf trip this past weekend. Looking after everyone and everything around here while he was gone for three days was kinda hard. Note: He doesn't even really golf but let's not go there right now. Hahaha!

A few weeks ago I decided that it was high time to add some fun to the rest of the walls in the dining room. See? Bare walls.

I have some shelves that I want ~~Alex~~ to build, but for now I thought I would stick to a project that I can tackle on my own. Plates I think I can handle. As long as they don't fall and break (more on that later).

Here are the two inspiration pictures that I've been oogling for the past while:

Source: BHG

Source: Unknown

I've seen some really cool plate walls on Pinterest where the plates are displayed kind of random and haphazardly. They look fun in the pictures online but I just don't think I could live with it in person. Oh, is that a little OCD resurfacing? Yeah, that's what I thought. ;)

Symmetrical and orderly it will be.

So far I've found two round plates / platters that I absolutely love. The first one was a Homesense find. The other I just found on the weekend at Hilltop Interiors.

Plate - Homesense - $20

Plate - Hilltop Interiors - $28

Instead of waiting until I have a great big collection, I think I'll just display a set of three (once I find the third one) so that I can enjoy them right away.

Any tips on the best way to hang the plates so they don't fall off the wall and smash to smithereens? This house gets shaken up daily by routine mining blasts. I read somewhere that Lowes has some plate hangers. Is that all I need? Help!

Nursery Source List - Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:32:00 +0000

I had a sweet reader send me an email asking if I had ever shared the last source list post from Cooper's nursery.

Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh. Forgot about that one. Okay so I didn't forget. I just added it to my list of posts I was supposed to, and didn't, write yet. It's long! Heh heh heh.

Instead of going into super lots of detail like in the other posts, I'm keeping it short and sweet today. I forgot my debit card at the grocery store last week and have to go pick it up, I have to plant the rest of my flowers that have been outside for two weeks (I ran out of potting soil), I have to return three different pairs of cushions to Homesense since it's the last day according to the return policy, and I have a cute pregnancy announcement photo shoot in the late afternoon that had to be rescheduled because of the poopy weather this weekend. Busy, but so fun! Well, except the grocery store pick-up (embarrassing).

Alright, here goes.

Crib - The Land of Nod - White Straight Up Crib (see post here)
Bedding Set - Pottery Barn Kids - Eli's Elephant Nursery Bedding (see post here)
Crib Skirt - DIY Project (out of a white, linen curtain panel from Pier One) (see post here)
Basket - Homesense
Picture Frames - Wal-Mart (see post here)
Alphabet Cards - Chapters Indigo (see post here)
Tissue Paper Pom-Pom - DIY Project (using a simple online tutorial)
Stuffed Platypus - Homesense
Rug - Pottery Barn - Round Jute Rug - Natural (see post here)

Striped Giraffe - Local Home Décor Store

Wall Shelf - Antique - DIY Project (see post here)
Baskets - Homesense
Tiny Frame - Michael's - DIY Project (spray painted white)
Train Picture - Card from Cooper's Baby Shower
Wall Stencil - Royal Design Studio - Endless Circles Lattice Moroccan Stencil (see post here)

Change Pad - Babies R Us
Change Pad Cover - Babies R Us
Change Table - Dresser - Antique - DIY Project (see post here)

And that's that! Have a great Monday.

P.S. We found a light fixture for our exterior side entry. Alex is OVER THE MOON since it was in-store (not special order) and on sale. Hahaha!

Here are the other related posts:

Little Ninja's Nursery

Nursery Source List - Part One

Nursery Source List - Part Two

Nursery Source List - Part Three

Goodbye Sunroom Furniture, Hello Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Wed, 29 May 2013 19:07:00 +0000

It's official. The toys have taken over. :)

After Cooper had his first birthday last month, I was in dire need of a better organization system for his toys. Previously I had them just randomly thrown into two large baskets in the living room. He had a little ride-on car and a few larger toys that I would just line up on the floor along the wall.

It was a bit of a pain to pick everything up off of the floor whenever I vacuumed and there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to where anything was. After his birthday, I decided it was high time to figure out a more permanent solution.

We had two possible spots on our main floor that we could have turned into a little play area: the sun room or the breakfast room.

Since we already had the sun room / living room / dining room area sectioned off and baby proofed, it just made sense to use the sun room. While the breakfast room would have been cute, the door out onto the deck is in there and the space gets a lot of traffic (and dirt!) from the pups. Plus, the kitchen and breakfast room is where the dogs hang out when they are too hyper, wet from outside, or when we go out. Translation: dog fur central.

So, the sun room it would be. I moved one of the wicker chairs into our bedroom, another chair into the dining room, and the loveseat into spare bedroom. Just for now, until I can figure out a better place for them. Maybe in the basement eventually?

The sunroom already had a little shelf and built-in cupboard that Cooper loves to play in. I used the shallow shelf to store all of his medium-sized trucks and toys.

I used one of the larger baskets to store his musical instruments: two drums, a piano, and a homemade rain stick that I made in teacher's college. I gotta say, he LOVES those drums.

On the other side of the room I brought down the bookshelf with baskets that was up in his nursery and not being used.

I organized the baskets like so:

Basket #1: Stuffed Animals

Basket #2: Books

Basket #3: Puzzles

Basket #4: Train Set

Basket #5: Train Set

Basket #6: Wooden Blocks

I have another large basket in the corner that is filled with miscellaneous toys: balls, ribbons, wooden spoons, etc.

His little ride on toys, a bike and a car, get parked under the window. His two other large toys have a spot along the side wall.

I haven't decorated the room at all, so far I've just plunked everything in there. But, I suppose I could add a few things here and there to add a bit more "fun" to the little room.

We are so lucky that we have a built-in little space like this. We are also very grateful that Cooper has so many friends and family that spoil him rotten with all of these toys!

And here's the little stinker in action:

Now that's a mischievous grin if I've ever seen one.

P.S. It's all rainy and dreary here today. That's why we're loungin' in our joggers. Oh yeah.

P.S.S. My desktop has about 5000 pictures on it. Man, I'm so disorganized.

P.S.S.S. I have eight draft posts on the go right now. I hit publish on this one though. Booyah!

P.S.S.S.S. It's kind of annoying when people say "booyah".

P.S.S.S.S.S. Cooper slept for an hour for both of his naps today, instead of the usual 30-40 minutes each. Sa-weeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Knock on wood because my project list could really use a few extra daylight hours ifyaknowwhatImean.

P.S.S.S.S.S.S. I was a total domestic goddess yesterday and put away 3+ baskets of clean laundry that was sitting there for two weeks. I'm pretty sure that deserves some sort of medal.

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. I have so much to say today. Maybe it's time to whip up one of those weird, random posts that you guys seem to like so much. Heh heh heh...... :)

Our Exterior Side Entry is the Royal Pits and Needs a Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Sun, 26 May 2013 15:39:00 +0000

In my mind I live in a house where the side entry looks like this:

House of Turquoise: Coastal Living Idea Cottage designed by Tracey Rapisardi

Who lives in these kinds of houses!?!?! You know the ones I'm talking about. The houses you see in magazines and on Pinterest where there is not a weed, cobweb, stray leaf, ding, dent, or speck of dirt to be found. These pictures kill me sometimes. With envy. ;)

Anywhooooo, the reality is that our side entry has been oh so neglected. We haven't done a single thing to it since moving in in 2006. While it was pretty plain and ugly to begin with, over time it's received quite a bit of weathering as well as general wear and tear.

We always told ourselves, like the kitchen, that we would just leave it until we got around to doing a nice, big renovation. With so much on the go, we don't have the time or budget to do a large scale reno of either at the moment. So instead, we decided that now that the warmer weather is here we would do a few fix-ups so that the side entry doesn't look as ghetto as it's looking right now.

Let's take a look at the hideousness and then I will make a list of all the stuff that is ugly and needs to be changed or fixed up.

Are you ready? Here we go:

1. The white paint on the wood siding is flaking off. Everywhere. The painted wood needs to be sanded, primed, and repainted. Eventually when we get around to possibly painting the exterior brick and residing the upper half of the house, we will reside the side entry addition as well. For now though, a fresh paint job will do wonders.

2. While the light fixture isn't terrible, it's small, old, and rusty. I'm hoping to find a cute one that will still fit in the tiny space.

3. The little window is the only one in the entire house that wasn't replaced before we moved in. It doesn't match the other windows and isn't sealed very well. Plus, I took the screen off one day and haven't seen it since.

4. The exterior door, while on the newer side, is still the original factory colour and isn't really my style. I do hate to replace things that are still sort of nice, but we'll just donate it or sell it if we have to. I'm excited to tell you that we already have the replacement door! When we bought two new exterior doors for The Fixer Upper, we also picked up one for the side because I liked the style and they were a great price. Yay!

Masonite Craftsman 6 Lite Primed Smooth Fiberglass Entry Door with Brickmold

5. The storm / screen door is awful. There are no words to describe the ugly. The screen part doesn't open, I've tried washing it a thousand times and it never looks clean, and it's rusty in some parts too. Since we do leave the main door open quite often in the spring / summer / fall, I think we will replace the storm door with another one, but probably one of the ones that has a solid piece of glass. I do like the fact that storm doors with glass can be locked. Okay so what if I'm a bit paranoid about burglars and kidnappers. We all know that already! Hee hee hee.

Andersen 3000 Series White Aluminum Storm Door with Nickel Hardware

6. The cement slab is crooked and ugly. We have no quick fixes for that at the moment. Eventually we would love to have a grey, lock stone driveway however that's not happening for a long time. So, I'll try to cover it up with an outdoor mat and a nice pot of flowers.

7. We have tons of grass and weeds growing up through the gravel. Speaking of gravel, there is a mish mash of three different kinds and it's mixed in with ruts and mud. We are hoping to get a load of new gravel to spread over both our driveway as well as our neighbours at some point this summer (we have a shared driveway). As for the weeds and grass I guess I'll have to dig them all out. Ugh. That does not sound fun.

8. Aside from the corbels, the space has no character! I have a few ideas to add a little bit more charm to the space. Maybe a mailbox, a door knocker, a window box, and some house numbers? We'll see what I can come up with!

So, that's our side entry. I was almost too embarrassed to share the pictures but then I realized that this is what this whole blog is about, right? We're just ordinary people fixing up an old house with not a lot of time and a limited budget.

And just in case you were thinking that we have a lot of other projects on the go at the same time, uhhhh you're kind of right. Whoopsie!

My Antique Finds From Florida & A Cute Pic

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:43:00 +0000

Remember when we took that trip to Florida and almost froze to death because all we packed were shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops and it was super cold? Oh yeah. That was fun.

Well I managed to sneak a few little trinkets home after a day of browsing around old, smelly antique shops.

I bought this little scoop because a) it's adorable, b) we love coffee, and c) I've never seen another one like it. Plus, it matches my little collection of pie plates.

I scooped up this old, slate chalkboard so that I can leave myself reminders to you know, take the clothes out of the washing machine instead of leaving them in there for days on end until they get gross and smelly so that I have to rewash them two more times. Um, yeah. That really happens. I also thought the chalkboard would be a fun little prop to use in some photo shoots.

I found these three heart cookie cutters and had to add them to my little collection. Heart cookie cutters are very useful. Useful for looking cute, that is.

So yeah. That's what I brought back from the trip. I'm sure it's obvious that I didn't get to bring home a nice, golden tan. ;)

Speaking of rotten weather, we had another frost warning last night. For realz!?!? It's almost June!

In other news, my shelf in the breakfast room is looking pretty with some flowers from our crabapple tree.

And that's it for today. Coops and I are off to Home Depot to pick up a quart of primer. Yes, that means I'll actually be attempting a project this weekend. Yippee!!!

P.S. My little Coopster actually played by himself (without getting into mischief) for fifteen minutes while I typed up this post. Thanks buddy! And keep looking this cute while you sleep, m'kay?

Fabric Swatch Set #1 Is Here

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:31:00 +0000

Okay, so these swatches have been here for over a month. Maybe two. I've been meaning to take some pictures to show you but my dear husband sat on them and got them all wrinkly. I'll stick with that excuse for now. ;)

So these are the swatches that I ordered from Fabric.com:

The swatch on the bottom right was out of stock and so I chose a different one.

I was realllllllly excited and secretly hoping that I would fall in love with a combination of three or four of these and boom! I could throw them onto some cushions in my living room and all would be swell.

While I like all of them individually, I don't love them in combination with one another and with my bluish-grey living room curtains.

Here are the swatches side by side against the white couch:

Fabric swatches from Fabric.com

And here they are individually in order from my most to least favourite:

Magnolia Home Fashions Oxford Stripe Pasture Green

Premier Prints Jenn Porcelain Blue/Natural

Premier Prints Twill Traditions Storm Grey

Premier Prints Ikat Dots Dossett Grapevine/Grey

Duralee Birdcage Smoke

Premier Prints Twill Suzani Storm Grey

I think I'm going to get those green stripes for sure. As for the others, we'll see. If I'm picky, I might as well be really picky, right?

To be continued..... heh heh heh. :)

My Hydrangeas - Some Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:16:00 +0000

My hydrangeas last summer.
P.S. I added another one right at the corner of the house. It's still a baby.

Since I have ummmm, ten hydrangeas in my front yard alone, I guess it's safe to say that I kind of like them. ;)

I planted the hydrangeas when we first moved in because the previous owners' landscaping just wasn't cutting it for me. An off-centre cedar and some scraggly vines? Umm, no thanks. I was actually inspired to create a hedge of hydrangeas along the front of the house from a Country Living photo that I saw in a book or magazine. Even though I haven't been able to find the picture since, I can still picture that pretty grey house with it's long row of hydrangeas as clear as day.

While I'm no professional gardener by any means, I thought I would share some tips and tricks that have helped keep my hydrangeas healthy and full of giant, white blooms. (Seriously, one of my neighbours admitted that she almost snuck into our yard one night to clip some flowers for her dining table. Of course we installed an alarm system after that, hahaha.)

Keep in mind that where you plant your hydrangeas and how you care for them will vary depending on where you live, where you plant them, and the variety that you have. My hydrangeas are the 'Annabelle' or hydrangea arborescens variety and they receive dappled shade in the afternoon / evening in Hardiness Zone 3b.

Caring for my hydrangeas started even before they were planted. I removed about a foot of poor quality soil and clay before adding in a combination of peat moss, manure, and garden soil. I also added bone meal to the soil that I used to fill in around the bottom and sides of each plant.

Hydrangeas require a lot of water. Because most of my hydrangeas are in dappled shade and only receive a small amount of afternoon / evening sun I don't have to worry about them drying out too often. Hydrangea leaves will get all withered and droopy when they have been without water for too long. When I do water them I try to do make sure it is in the early morning or early evening (although I've read that morning is always better). I also make sure to water each one deeply rather than just spraying the leaves or lightly watering the soil surface.

In early spring I do a general clean-up and pruning of each hydrangea shrub. I start by trimming off the dead blooms with snips. Next I pull out any dead wood and leaves from the centre of each plant. Once the shrubs are cleaned up a bit I go ahead with some gentle pruning. (Gah! The word pruning is weird.) Most years I bring out one of Alex's measuring tapes and prune back each stem to a specific length. For example in 2011 I cut them all to about 20" long. (I didn't have time to be that particular this year so I just randomly trimmed them all until I got a nice rounded shape to each one.) When trimming the stems, I make sure to snip above the first or second set of buds. I try not to cut off more than that.

For me, gentle pruning has two advantages. By keeping some of the old wood, it helps the stems get nice and thick over the years so that the plant becomes nice and solid. Thick stems are important to help hold up those giant flowers when it rains. I've also read that gentle pruning in early spring generates more blooms. And this girl looooooves hydrangea blooms.

Every once in awhile I will use some Miracle Grow fertilizer when I water but I don't do this very often for no other reason than I am forgetful.

Because my gardens are under the roofline, sometimes the soil around the plants gets washed away over time. Every spring I make sure to add some nice, dark topsoil to cover up any exposed roots.

Here's how my hydrangeas looked a few days ago, Not quite as meticulous as in 2011 but I suppose a kid and a second dog will do that to ya. ;)

So, that's that. I've had really good luck with my hydrangeas so far. Well, except when the freakiest hailstorm ever crushed them all to bits last fall. I cried. For real, I cried. My fingers are crossed that they will bounce back this spring and summer!

If you have any other good tips or if I've left something out, make sure to leave me a note in the comments section.

:)

New Flower Pots for the Front Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Old flower pots. Cute, but no contrast!

For the last few years I've used two ceramic pots in front of our icky cement stairs to add some curb appeal to our front yard. When I bought the pots a few years ago, I really liked how they had the same light green that we used on our front door and shutters. While I love the pots on their own, I just wasn't loving how they looked in front of the stairs. I finally realized that it's because they just blend right into the concrete and don't create any contrast!

See what I mean?

My old pots were really cute up close, but from far away they just blended right into the concrete steps!

So, I thought I would move the ceramic pots out onto our back deck and find some darker pots for the front yard. I was thinking that a dull black or charcoal colour would be nice since our roof, exterior light fixture, address sign, and metal railing are all black as well.

Before I had a chance to scout all of my usual spots (Homesense, Home Depot, Lowes, Canadian Tire, etc.) I ended up finding some really cute pots at The Superstore garden centre while I was out getting some groceries.

I used to turn my nose up to plastic pots because I thought they looked cheap but now I've changed my tune. ;) Sometimes you're able to find imitation pots that look like the real thing but are cheaper, lighter, and more durable. (Now that I'm off all spring / summer without pay I'm all about the cheap, haha.)

The pots are called 'PC Black Belly Pots' and I purchased three of the 18" pots. I'll be using two at the front door and another one at our side entry. They actually had small, medium, and large sizes to choose from (mine are the medium size). The pots are made of lightweight fiberglass and can be used both indoors and out.

I'm excited to plant some flowers in them! Up here in Northern Ontario we need to wait another week or so until the last frost. Come on Mother Nature, come on!

:)

Coops Turned One, My Neck is Sore, and My Fabric Swatches are Finally In

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Sat, 04 May 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Oh hi. I'm still alive. But you can call me robot girl from now on because I can't turn my head to either side and I've been walking around like a total freak show. It huuuuuuuuuuuurts. After a week of excruciating pain and looking like a fool, I finally hit up the chiropractor and he literally snapped my neck all over the place. It was horrible. But it seems to be working because I'm finally feeling well enough to write this blog post tonight. Woot!

Cooper likes to climb and eat chairs instead of sitting in them. ;)

Cooper turned a year old last week and we had a nice, big party with all of our family here (25+ people). At first I think that having a party is going to be so much fun but then reality hits and I get super stressed out. I cleaned the entire house thinking that our guests would be inside and then suddenly the forecast changed from snow and rain ALL of April to sunny and hot on the day of the party. We did a mad scramble to get the patio furniture out of the garage and to get the deck and yard somewhat presentable. There just wasn't enough time to do any raking or big spring clean-ups beforehand. It all worked out though. We got Coops one of those sand / water tables for his birthday and he's been playing with it (a.k.a. eating sand) all week!

Fabric swatches from Fabric.com

The fabric swatches that I ordered finally came in after two weeks of daily, stalker-ish trips to the post office. I thought that once I saw the fabrics in person I would immediately know what direction to go in with our living room cushions. However, I'm still undecided. I'll explain more and share some pictures in a separate post.

I'll fill you in on what's been going on around here, I promise. It's just been super, super busy. To top it all off, our beloved Roary almost died the night of Cooper's birthday party and had to have emergency surgery in the middle of the night. His recovery is going well but he's still not out of the woods yet. We are spending as much time as we can with him as it's pretty much a miracle he's still alive. I'm off to bed (at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night, holla!) but here is the cutest picture ever of our first baby:

Roary at his favourite place - the cottage.

Staying Home Just a Little Bit Longer

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:39:00 +0000

Must. Stay home. With this guy.

Just popping in to share some very fun news.

With my one year of maternity leave coming to an end (waaaaah) it was either start getting ready to go back to work (eeeeek!) or extend my leave for a little bit longer.

My super cool hubs agreed that staying home is a good fit for our family right now. So, instead of heading back to work at the end of April, I've extended my leave for the months of May and June. With the summer after that it means that I won't have to go back to work until the new school year in September.

Four extra months with the Coopster is pretty awesome. I'm very grateful and relieved.

Weeeeeeee!

I've got a few posts lined up (some cute Homesense finds, a basement design board, some Fixer Upper bathroom progress, etc. etc.) but I just haven't had a chance to sit down and write any of them!

I'll be back. But in the meantime, how squishy are those cheeks!?!?! ;)

The Fixer Upper - The Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:37:00 +0000

I've been avoiding writing this post for quite some time. It's kind of hard to explain without sounding like a whiny brat.

Basically, The Fixer Upper has a nice, new, updated kitchen. It's got new drywall, paint, floors, cabinetry, cabinet hardware, countertops, sink, and faucet. It's got a bit of a new design that includes a large island with seating, space for a dishwasher, and an extra pantry. When you take a look at the disgusting before pictures, you'll notice just how many improvements have been made to that poor kitchen.

However, this is where the whiny brat part comes in, the kitchen is just not my light and airy cottage style. I pretty much would have chosen different e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

BUT, having said that, we are very fortunate that the completed kitchen was included in our weird house purchase and we didn't have to do any of the labour. Most importantly, our rental property has a fully functional, clean, and updated kitchen that the renters (Alex's parents) really, really like.

So, while The Fixer Upper's kitchen may not be an example of the light and white cottage kitchen of my dreams, it's still a darn (or is it darned?) good before and after.

Alright, enough blabberjabbing. Let's do this.

The first three photos are from our second walk-through of the house with a realtor, after the people living there tidied up. Sooooo gross. The Flippers bought the house in this state and completely gutted the kitchen before we eventually bought it from them.

Alex standing in an ugly kitchen.

Oops. Some random realtor guy is in this one. Hahaha.

Grime and stains everywhere. Yay.

This next photo is of the kitchen after we bought the house from the Flippers. The floors haven't been refinished yet, it doesn't have any trim or baseboards, it hasn't been painted, and there are no pendant lights over the island.

The next few pictures are of the kitchen now!

I whipped up a few side-by-side comparisons just for fun:

So, that's the kitchen. I've got a really funny (to me) story about this post and Pinterest that I'll try to come back and share later on in the week. :)

What do you think? Not too shabby, eh?

P.S. There are a few more small updates we'll probably do to the kitchen in the future (backspash, etc.) but the hubs says no to cabinet painting or to a marble for granite counter swap. Sigh. ;)

Fabric Swatches Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:41:00 +0000

When it comes to decorating, there is one thing that I am definitely not good at. That would be mixing and matching different fabrics. I think my main issue is that I always want everything to be too matchy-matchy.

I am truly envious of those people out there, you know who you are, who can just throw four or five different patterns and colours together and have them look like they belong together.

Here are a few of my inspiration pictures from Pinterest:

Source: Daniella Witte

Source: The Elegant Abode

Source: Proverbs 31 Girl

I also find it difficult to coordinate different fabrics because I can't seem to find any that I like locally. Fabricland is a total bust. Every once in awhile I go in there in hopes of maybe finding one fabric that I like. I always walk out disappointed. Not to mention the ladies that work there are the un-friendliest bunch that I've ever come across in a retail store! (Seriously. They're kind of mean to me, sniff sniff.)

I also find choosing fabrics online difficult. I can't get a good sense of the true colours or materials on a computer screen. I need to see it and feel it to know if I really like it.

I remember coming across a post by Jen over at Rambling Renovators awhile back and she shared some photos of fabric samples from Tonic Living. They looked so much nicer in her photos than they did on the website!

Since repainting the living room and dining room from bright yellow to light gray, I've been inspired to finish decorating them. Both rooms were feeling pretty stark. I feel like I'm on the right track now that I've added in a cozy living room rug and some curtains in the dining room. Now it's time for me to add some cushions into the mix.

Finally, a rug in the living room.

Finally, curtains in the dining room.

P.S. I did end up going back and ordering two more curtain panels for the living room. Thanks for your feedback!

So, I've started my swatch shopping. My first stop was Fabric.com and I placed an order for six different fabric swatches. The following are the ones that I want to see in person.

P.S.S. These fabric choices are not intended to all go together. I may or may not choose any of them in the end.

P.S.S.S. Why am I so annoyingly picky?

Duralee Birdcage Smoke

Magnolia Home Fashions Oxford Stripe Pasture Green

Premier Prints Twill Suzani Storm Grey

Premier Prints Ikat Dots Dossett Grapevine/Grey

Premier Prints Twill Traditions Storm Grey

Richloom Sandringham Jacquard Raspberry

So, those are my first set of fabric swatches. I have a few other online fabric stores that I would like to order some more from. But I'd better space these little swatch shopping spurts out so I don't get asked too many questions from the hubby. ;)

Do you have any go-to online fabric stores? Tell me, tell me, tell meeeeeeeeeeeeee. :)

Living Room Toy Explosion, I Sucked Up a Curtain Panel With the Vacuum, + Other Random Schtuff

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:52:00 +0000

Hi.

If you're in the mood for the most random post of all time, then this is the one for you. Let's start the randomness with a keeping-it-real photo.

Oh boy.

Living Room Toy Explosion

I had a really cute email from a reader mentioning that she had two little boys and had a hard time managing their daily messes. She then went on to give me a compliment on having such a neat and orderly home with a baby boy on the loose. I had a little chuckle as I responded, sharing my #1 organization tip: move all the clutter out of the way before taking a picture for the blog. :)

So here is a real life picture of our living room / sun room from this morning:

Why oh why is my baby obsessed with the dusty vacuum cleaner!?!?!

Since the basement is still being renovated, we spend the majority of our time playing in the living room and sun room. As the toys pile up, I'm wondering if I should start thinking of some toy storage / organization that will keep the clutter under control for the time being. Ooooooh... another excuse for online shopping? Sweeeeet.

I Sucked Up a Curtain Panel With the Vacuum

So just when I was giving myself some super-mom praise this morning for being showered, dressed, and vacuuming before 10:00 a.m., I had a bit of an unfortunate accident. I managed to vacuum the whole main floor without incident, however when I got to the breakfast room I found a giant mess of leaves on the floor. Our pup Lexie always jumps up to look out the window and jostles the indoor tree that I keep by the window. There were so many leaves that I decided to take the floor attachment off the vacuum and just suck the leaves up with the hose.

Except, horror of all horrors, the stinkin' vacuum cleaner sucked up one of my beautiful, white, Crate and Barrel curtain panels. In a moment of panic I yanked on the curtain while the vacuum was still running, thinking that it would slide right out. Little did I know that the inside of my rotten vacuum has these little prongs that apparently like to rip holes in fabric. Who's super-mom now? Um, not me.

I may have cried a little inside when I finally got the darned thing out. There are four or five spots that look like the above photo. I'm trying to pass the blame onto the dog. Or the vacuum. Or the curtain panels for being so light and airy and suctionable.

Our Ikea Slipcovers Are Here!

We had the best delivery last week - our Ikea slipcovers! Usually I am too afraid to answer the door when someone knocks and I'm home alone (my irrational brain always thinks it's a murderer disguised in a delivery costume who is going to stuff me in the back of his van). Luckily for me Alex wasn't feeling well and had taken the day off from work so he was home to answer the door. :)

Even though I want to open the boxes and spiffy up our living room with some new crisp covers like right now, I came up with a brilliant plan. Since Cooper's first birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I thought I would wait until the day before his little party before putting them on our living room furniture. That'll mean one less thing I have to worry about before we have company over.

What can I say, I'm lazy like that.

(Last week Alex spilled coffee and chili on the loveseat. CHILI people. Guess who's never allowed to eat or drink anything in the living room again?)

Coops' Easter Basket

I made up a little Easter basket for Cooper. Except instead of a basket I used a bucket. And instead of chocolates I filled it with toys. Just a few. Because he's cute.

Crinkly Paper - Michael's
Pail - Michael's
Scoop & Strainer - Michael's
Fisher Price Piggy Bank - Wal-Mart
Play-a-Sound Baby Animals by Eric Carle - Wal-Mart
Bubbles (not pictured) - Wal-Mart

I'm pretty obsessed with that little piggy bank. Best.Toy.Ever! Cooper has been playing with it all week so far. Okay truth.... I've been playing with it all week. I'm not usually a fan of annoying toy sounds but the piggy bank makes the cutest cha-ching! sound every time you drop a coin in. Also, when you pull the tail, the pig sneezes and the coins all roll out. It's pretty adorable. I'm pretty sure that Cooper will be good with his money in the future just because of this little toy. ;)

Oh yeah, when I let Cooper have a liiiiittle lick of a Lindt Easter egg on the weekend he, how should I put this, wasn't quite satisfied. He didn't want a lick, he wanted the whole thing. Takes after his mama I guess!

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Well, I think that's enough random stuff for today. We'll be staying close to home and drinking lots of fluids for the next few days. First Alex caught a cold, then Cooper came down with it, and now after lots of slobbery kisses (from Cooper not Alex) I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose this morning. The perfect remedy? Movies in bed. When Cooper wakes up from his nap he and I are watching Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds. Hee hee. He's dreamy.

The Fixer Upper - Our Bathroom Vanity Pick

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:07:00 +0000

If you remember from The Story of The Fixer Upper - Part II, there were many renovations left to be completed on the house when we took possession. The main floor bathroom was a major one. The contract that we made up with the Sellers/Flippers made them responsible for a bathroom rough-in and that's it. We were planning to tackle everything else in the bathroom when we got around to it. (There was a fully functional washroom on the second level hence the no rush approach for the main floor one.)

However, when trying to close the house purchase the unfinished bathroom became a very large problem. In order to pass the final building inspection we had to have a functioning sink and toilet in there!

What that meant for us was that before we even owned the house, we had to rush out and buy a toilet and vanity for the bathroom and have them installed by a plumber before the final inspection date. It was pretty nerve-wracking as I'm sure you can imagine. (Seeing as I'm one of those people that likes to surf Pinterest for decades before choosing something as big as a bathroom vanity.) But, I didn't have that luxury then. We drove out to Lowe's / Home Depot and after browsing for ten minutes I just had to pick the one I liked best.

I'm pretty sure this is going to be very predictable (heh heh heh), but I ended up choosing the Martha Stewart Living Seal Harbour 30-inch vanity.

It's a bit of a tight fit for that small bathroom but with a little bit of rearranging (sorry Alex) we can make it work.

Since the sink needed to be operational we also had to choose a faucet during that ten-minute-panic-stricken-we-might-not-get-the-house-shopping trip. The knobs on the vanity were polished nickel so we went the safe route and just chose the matching Martha Stewart faucet. For some reason I can't find a picture of it online so I will have to share the info about it later on.

The reason I'm sharing our vanity choice now, almost a year after purchasing it, is that The Fixer Upper bathroom reno is finally underway! Alex is over there right now (at 8:45 p.m. poor guy) wiring up electrical outlets and moving the plumbing for the tub. I'll explain more about that switcheroo in a future post as well.

I hope you don't mind some more bathroom progress over the next few weeks. We're hoping to create a cute little bathroom on a very small budget!

P.S. After doing some searching online, I found out that Holly from In the Fun Lane chose the same vanity for a bathroom in her Lexington house flip.

Image: In the Fun Lane

Once I saw the pictures, I was completely reassured about my decision. The vanity looks super cute in there!

An Update on My Totally Attainable Goals for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 10:30:00 +0000

Way back in January I jumped on the resolution bandwagon and blasted my personal goals all over the internet. I must've been feeling brave that day. Or crazy. ;)

I wrote a list of twenty challenges that I was hoping to accomplish over the course of the year. Here's how I'm doing so far.

P.S. No-one is as surprised as me that I'm actually following through with an update. Freaky, yes I know.

2013 Challenges

~~1. Take a family vacation~~.

Done! Our little fam went to Florida for two weeks in February. I heart palm trees and beach sand.

~~2. Learn Photoshop and/or Lightroom better by taking an online or in-person course or workshop~~.

Done! I took an in-person 4-week Photoshop workshop that was newly offered by my old photography instructor. Now I can make layers and clone backgrounds and all sorts of cool stuff!

3. Wear pink lipstick out of the house on a weekday.

Ummm, not yet but..... I did buy some. Now I just need to do the wearing part.

4. Choose a runner for the stairs already.

Okay so while I haven't completed this yet, I'm part way there. Before buying/installing a stair runner I had to repaint all the stair treads first which I just finished yesterday. Booya!

~~5. Teach the Coopster better sleep habits, ummm, like how to self-soothe. Apparently he likes to wake up every hour now to get cuddles.~~

Done! I mentioned in my last Coopster update that after some gradual and consistent sleep training he is now sleeping through the night. And it is glorious.

6. Eat at a sushi restaurant even though it makes me queasy just thinking about it.

Ummm, not yet.

7. Order some fabric with color (gasp!) and make some new cushions for the living room.

I'm sort of on my way with this one! I have some fabrics narrowed down and will be ordering some swatches next week. Me: excited.

8. Go fishing. Of course I would let the fishies go.

Ummm, not yet.

9. Read ten books. From the library.

I tried but failed at this one so far. We took a family trip to the library. I checked out eight books. I only got through half of one before I had to return them all. I put the stack in my car and forgot about them for two weeks. Then I got an angry voicemail from the library informing me of my late charges. Oy.

10. Knit one thing. Maybe a scarf. Maybe a baby scarf because they are smaller.

Ummm, not yet.

11. Give away 10 small gifts to unsuspecting peeps just for the fun of it.

Oh man, saying that I haven't done this one yet makes me sound really horrible. I do have some ideas though. Now it's time to follow through!

12. Help Alex finish the basement.

Ummm, not yet but..... I do go down there sometimes and tell him he's doing a good job.

13. Take Cooper for swimming lessons even though being in a bathing suit in front of strangers is kind of horrifying.

Ummm, not yet but..... I'm checking the schedule as soon as I finish this post. Bad mommy forgot about swimming lessons.

14. Get braces. Again. Yuck, blech, boooooooooo.

This one is going to take a lot more self-pep-talks.

15. Do a 1000 piece puzzle. Wow, I'm a nerd.

Ummm, not yet but.... maybe I'll ask for one for my birthday. Nerd alert. Nerd alert.

16. Make a (wannabe) real photography website. Eeek. That one is scary.

I'm working on this one but it's nowhere near being ready. Starting is always the hardest part of anything, right?

~~17. Do some family portrait sessions and charge a wee bit of money for them. Eeek! That one is super scary too.~~

Done! I haven't mentioned this yet but another reason why I didn't post much on the blog during the month of February was because I did six family photo sessions since January! I've been taking all of my photos in Raw and processing them all using Lightroom and Photoshop which takes quite a bit of time for a newbie like me. :)

18. Cook a recipe from the Thai cookbook that I bought two years ago.

Ummm, not yet.

19. Bake some cinnamon buns.

Ummm, not yet but.... I dream about eating them quite often. ;)

20. Adopt a baby. Okay so this one doesn't really count because we've been trying to do this for the last four years. But maybe 2013 will be the year it goes down!

Ummm, not yet but....... as of the last update it looks like we are #55 or so on the waitlist (we started at #222).

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The final report says that I've accomplished 4/10. If I keep going at this rate I just might be able to finish this list by the end of the year ~~but probably not~~. Hahaha.

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions and goals? Have you given up or are you still going strong?

The Fixer Upper - The Exterior Siding Colour

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:45:00 +0000

We had to make the biggest decision ever yesterday..... siding for The Fixer Upper!

It was nerve-wracking. So much self-inflicted pressure to choose the right colour. ;)

One of our local roofing / siding companies was having an open house which meant their lowest prices of the season as well as a discount on regular stock siding. Even though it's a bit early to be thinking about replacing the siding at this time of year, we knew we wouldn't get a better deal than if we went now.

Alex and I have been driving around town analyzing siding colours for months. I'm sure it will come as no shock, especially after this post, that I'm alllllllll into the grey exteriors lately. I'd been going back and forth between a medium grey and a dark charcoal for weeks. I knew the medium grey would be the safest bet, but I thought the charcoal would be a real show-stopper and I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and go for the darker colour.

'Cept as luck would have it the charcoal siding was special order and not on sale yesterday. The super helpful girl at the desk figured that if we ordered the special order charcoal colour we would end up paying an extra $60 per square.

Even though the non-practical voice in my head kept saying go for the extra-special special-order charcoal siding, the rational part of me (okay so it was Alex) decided to go with the regular stock. We keep having to tell ourselves that The Fixer Upper is a rental and not a flip therefore we can't justify spending outrageous amounts of money on renovations because we just won't get the money back.

So. Here were our colour choices:

Which one would you have picked? Our final choice ended up being the colour Harvard Slate.

Eeeep! I hope it's the right choice! I did some googling last night and was able to find one good photo of a house clad in Harvard Slate siding. Here it is:

Source: Unknown

I really hope the colour will look nice and crisp with all-white trim. Even though I'm nervous about how it will turn out, I'm sure that any new siding would look better than what's on there right now. In case you've forgotten here is the totally hurtsville exterior on The Fixer Upper:

Uhhh, yeah. Pretty nasty.

I can't wait for the day when all the mint green siding is gone and the new stuff starts going up. So exciting!

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If you're new around here or can't remember how we came to buy another house, you can read the lengthy story below. :)

The Story of The Fixer Upper - Part I

The Story of The Fixer Upper - Part II

Easy Chalkboard Tags

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:42:00 +0000

So this project was pretty simple. It still took me a week to do it but I'm pretty sure it's just because I like the look of craft clutter all over the house.

Speaking of craft clutter I'm pretty much in love with my glue gun. Aaaaaand that was random.

So. I lugged a two-shelf bookcase into Cooper's bedroom a few weeks ago and found six baskets to fit inside. It was looking cute but plain. I thought some chalkboard tags on each basket would be a fun and easy little project to, you know, spice things up a little.

I hit up Michael's and found two packages of thin wooden rectangle things. (I was a bit of an eager beaver and started opening the package before I took a picture of it.)

They came in packs of four so I had two extras just in case I messed up. It has been awhile since I've used a power tool after all.

I used Alex's cordless drill to drill a hole in each corner of the wood.

Each hole was a half inch from either edge.

Once I had four holes drilled in one piece of wood, I used it as a template for all of the other pieces.

I thought it was pretty awesome when I found the section with chalkboard paint at Michael's and there were other colours besides black! Gotta love Martha.

They had some bright colours which would have been fun to use in a different room. However neutral-Jo (that's me) went with a medium grey to match the pewter and brushed nickel in Cooper's room.

I painted three coats of the chalkboard paint right onto the wood. Primer? Who needs it when you're lazy like me. Once the three coats of paint dried (with the help of my hairdryer) I conditioned the wood all over with a piece of white chalk. Instead of wiping it completely clean, I left a bit of chalk residue behind. To make 'em look used or something.

Next, I pulled out my roll of jute twine. Love that stuff. You know I can't do a project without it, right?

I fed the twine through the back of the first hole and left enough so that I would be able to tie some knots.

I tied two knots on the first end.

Now, here is the tricky part. I originally wanted to feed the back of the twine through the wood and through the basket to adhere the tags but the spaces in between the basket weaves weren't big enough. So, I fed the back of the twine through another hole and tied it off with another two knots.

I did the same on the other side so that I had four knots at the front of my wooden tag.

Then I trimmed the twine.

Finally, I practiced my primary printing and wrote some labels on the tags!

I forgot to take pictures of the last step but I whipped out my trusty glue gun and glued the tags right onto each basket. All I needed was some thin strips on each length of twine at the back. The glue comes off pretty easily if I ever get tired of the tags and want to take them off.

I was planning on getting a few more pictures however someone was finished pulling all the pajamas out of the bottom dresser drawer and came over to investigate.

I guess he wasn't impressed that the baskets were empty. Heh heh heh. :)

Sharing Here:

The Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible, Blog Link Party @ Somewhat Simple, Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths @ House of Hepworths, Fabulously Creative Friday Link Party @ Jennifer Rizzo, Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours, Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage, Inspire My Please @ Liz Marie Blog, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Coopaloops is 11 Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:56:00 +0000

I can't believe my little stinker just turned 11 months old. He is seriously growing way too fast.

It might be the fact that he eats sooooo muuuuuch foooooood. I'm telling you this kid has serious food issues. He shovels it in and can never seem to get enough. Just this morning he ate a whole oatmeal blueberry pancake, half of an avocado, and some cottage cheese. I had to stop him so that he would still be hungry for his milk! I'm still trying to give him lots of different flavours and textures. He'll pretty much eat anything (even pieces of raw mushroom, flakes of cooked salmon, etc.) but he definitely prefers some foods over others. For example, if he's eating a tiny piece of cucumber and I put some raspberries down, he'll spit out the cucumber to get to those berries asap. It's pretty funny. When he's full he does the cutest thing. He takes the leftovers and piece by piece places them on the seat beside him. When I lift him out of the highchair I occasionally find a little pile of uneaten food. Maybe he's saving it for later like a little chipmunk, heh heh heh.

Coops is finally sleeping through the night from about 6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. It took a lot of hard work but we did it. I have absolutely no idea how I was even functioning before. Having my nights back is absolute awesomeness. He has two 30-40 minute naps during the day which is when I sprint around trying to get any projects or chores done.

His favourite toys right now are a big foam ball and an adorable set of tiny wooden cars (that aren't supposed to be for babies but don't worry he's always supervised when playing with them). I'm trying to figure out what kind of fun present to get him for his first birthday which is coming up soon. If you have any ideas I'd love to hear them!

He's cruising around the house holding onto furniture, walls, and pant legs. He can climb up stairs but I'm trying not to encourage that just yet. He loves pointing to new things and making the sound, "Oooooooh" or "Whooooooooa". Obviously I find that pretty adorable as well. ;)

I'm finding it next to impossible to get any good pictures of him looking at the camera. He's always too busy doing this stuff:

The rare occasions when I get him still enough to get a nice, crisp photo he is always making the goofiest faces!

P.S. He loves bopping around to music, especially that new Taylor Swift song.

P.S.S. He's got six teeth!

P.S.S.S. He tries to hijack my blog all the time. I'm sure it's to say hi to you. ;)

The Fixer Upper - Exterior Doors

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 01:28:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a long time since I've shared any progress from The Fixer Upper. It doesn't mean that work hasn't been happening over there. It's just that most of the work has been "un-pretty" if you will. Here are a few examples off the top of my head although I'm sure this list can probably be more than tripled. Alex and his dad have been busy!

Un-Pretty Projects Over at The Fixer Upper:

- five new basement windows were purchased and installed

- all new ductwork was put in and hooked up to the furnace

- plumbing for a laundry tub in the basement was set up

- the bathtub in the second floor bathroom was framed in

- electrical plugs and lights were wired up in the basement

- the pool wall was reinforced so it didn't cave in over the winter

- the basement stairs were reinforced because they were super creaky and rickety

- the main floor bathroom door had to be rehung after they leveled the back of the house

- the back part of the house was insulated

- a hole in the floor under the dishwasher was patched

One blog-worthy project that the boys did get done (yay!) was to install two new exterior doors. We were originally planning to salvage both of the original wood doors, however the one at the front of the house had too much wood gouged out of it from bad hardware installation and the back door stunk of pet urine. Since we got rid of every single surface at the back of the house for that very reason, it didn't really make sense to keep the last remaining stinky item. {Shudder.}

I basically have the best family and friends ever. Many of 'em read my blog and will regularly send me a message or phone-call if they see any needed items that I've mentioned on my blog. So, I got a call from my aunt a few months back saying that Home Depot had exterior doors in the style that I really liked for $197 per door. Except they were one of those one-weekend-only special buys.

We raced to Home Depot like nobody's business hoping to get a 32" door for the front and a 30" door for the side. Unfortunately the doors in the shipment were all 32" wide. We went back and forth over whether to buy just the front door, as we wanted both doors to be the same. In the end we couldn't pass up the deal and went ahead and purchased the front door.

Well whaddayaknow the very next weekend, when Alex went to the window / door department to order the basement windows, he found another shipment of the same door. Except this shipment had the 30" door size! Since there were only three doors left, and Alex had firm instructions from me via text to not leave the store without the door, he had to call one of his buddies to pick it up in his truck since Alex was driving the car that day. Oh the things we'll do for a ~~good deal~~ cute door.

The doors we got are called: Masonite Craftsman 6 Lite Primed Smooth Fiberglass Entry Door with Brickmold.

The old doors on The Fixer Upper were so ratty tatty that these new ones make the house look so much better already. It also helps that the boys ripped off some of the icky mint green siding.

Here is the front door:

And here is the side door:

We scored a great deal on the front door hardware. The box had been opened (but was still brand new) so we got the set for 50% off! Just an FYI, both the front door hardware and the side door hardware are the same colour, satin nickel, although they look different in the following photos.

Since the doors are only primed they will definitely have to be painted with some durable exterior paint. In a fun colour of course. I have some ideas twirling around but of course they will depend on the siding colour we choose.

P.S. We're going for the siding next week. Eeeeeep!

Bookcase N' Baskets

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Since I'm pretty sure I have the squirmiest baby of all time, we ended up moving the dresser / change table out of Cooper's room a few months ago. I'm telling you..... he kept trying to jump off that thing!

Dresser / change table out.

To fill in the empty space where the change table used to be I moved in a little bookshelf that I had purchased a few years ago from Pottery Barn Kids. It's the Cameron 2-Shelf bookcase.

Since the room is so tiny I thought I would use the bookcase for some additional storage.

Hello, baskets!

I found six matching seagrass baskets at The Great Canadian Superstore. (I often say that I'm going for groceries but really I just browse the home décor section the whole time, heh heh heh.)

The bookcase / basket combo is pretty cute, but kinda boring. I thought I would dress the baskets up a little bit by making some labels for them. I picked up a few supplies at Michael's so stay tuned for a little tutorial sometime over the next few days. :)

P.S. I moved the dresser back down into it's old spot in the breakfast room. I kind of missed it in there.

P.S.S. I deleted four of your lovely comments by accident. It wasn't my fault though. I was feeding the Coopster and playing with my phone at the same time. Then.... he pinched me where it really hurts. Too much information or what!?!?! Bahaha!

P.S.S.S. The wall above the bookshelf needs a little somethin' somethin' but I still haven't decided what yet!

(The Prettiest Ever) Dining Room Curtains

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:35:00 +0000

I hope you've forgiven me for my lameville one-picture-post yesterday. Like I said, I was a bit excited when I finally found curtains for our dining room that fit in with our light and white cottage style!

If you've been reading for awhile, you'll know that I've had a difficult time trying to find curtains that look good with the wooden valence over the window. I think that over the last few years I've purchased (and returned) more than ten different styles of curtains for that one window! As a matter of fact I had given up looking for curtain panels and had written a blog post about possibly using antique shutters to dress up the windows instead.

I'm glad I stuck with curtains because they really soften up the room. Check out the before and after picture to see what I mean!

The curtains are a soft, light grey fabric with the prettiest white flowers and leaves printed on top.

The store where I found the curtains also carried white on white curtains but I decided to live on the edge and go with the light grey. Heh heh heh.

I really love how they look from the kitchen. Well, minus the carbon monoxide detector and ladder balanced on a tea light. ;)

I purchased the curtain panels from a local home décor store in our town. They came from a company called Brunelli which distributes bedding, quilts, curtains, etc. to various boutiques and shops. I took a quick look at the Brunelli website this morning and if you click around you can find a page that will find the closest retailer to you. The link to the exact curtains I purchased can be found here.

I'm so, so happy with them!

Since everything is looking so monochromatic I have a few ideas to add a wee bit more colour and contrast into the living room and dining room. Yippee!

P.S. I'm thinking of getting another set of the same curtains for the living room to tie the two rooms together. Whaddaya think?

Dining Room Curtains Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Cozy.Cottage.Cute.) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:21:00 +0000

I am way too excited about these curtains to not post about them today.

I'm still in a state of happy-shock because I finally, finally, f-i-n-a-l-l-y found some curtain panels for our dining room that I love.

I love the colour, the pattern, the fabric, the length. They are perfect.

What's lacking today is my indoor picture-taking skills. Ugh. I snapped a few quick photos of the curtains this afternoon but I didn't bother getting out my tripod and it shows. The lighting in the pictures is just terrible! I'll try again tomorrow when I have a bit more time.

For now, I'll have to leave you with the above picture. I'm pretty sure these curtains were worth the wait.