urbane jane.

basement reno progress: the bathroom shower.

2013-06-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

Have you ever gone into the restroom of a rat-hole eatery only to shudder at the sight (and smells) of the place you are to expected to squat/stand while exposed?
Well, I can't say this bathroom was that bad, but the ripped, puffy toilet seat (which scratched your bottom whenever you sat on it) was enough to send shivers down you spine.

Here's what it looked like before (with the previous owners' stuff):

{at least they coordinated the towel & toilet covers!}

Now before I get into allll the things wrong with this bathroom, I won't overwhelm you, but instead just focus on the shower for now... (you know, that dark scary cave to the right in the previous picture?)

First bathroom victim: the tiled shower.

Don't let that pseudo-white-marbled tile fool you into Pinterest-esque excitement; that moldy grout was enough to ensure you would not come out clean from showering in this hole.

Need a closer look?

I've seen communal showers cleaner than this! (not that I frequent those things on a regular basis, but just sayin...)

It's no white marble, but if you were hoping for hanging up art in the bathroom, what better way than tiles with smudgy pictures on them!

Our first order of business was attacking the shower; it was completed gutted out by our seriously great friend (the same one who did this crazy bathroom, and who should get a medal for what he did here). While he was taking some of the tiles down, he noticed mold had eaten away at the insulation & some of the wood behind it, which eventually led to a complete demolition of the shower:

gah, see that?! All that dark brown stuff? That's good ol' lung-killing mold!

Poor friend, and his willingness to face that mold one-on-one..

Here is the glorious empty hole that was left after everything mold-infested was removed.

We debated on the type of shower to install, and although we wanted to get a rectangular glass shower, we decided this $299 corner one was a budget-friendly option (it was also kind of nice to have the frosted mid-section in case someone needs to run in and grab something while you're showering... your privates are nicely censored for you ;)

Another thing we love? That ginormous shower head. Nothing says clean like having dirt punched off your face.

Moving along, when the previous shower was uprooted, up came a lot of the surrounding tile, leaving an attractive scabby frame around the new shower. This actually looks like the new one is much smaller than what was previously there, but the old shower had walls enclosing both sides, so the actual shower space is actually comparable.

Here is what it looked like after being installed, and well, kind of the only thing somewhat done in the basement bathroom...

There is sooo much more to share, wait for it, waaaaiiit for it.. ;)

Gotta say that I'm pretty excited that we have a shower now that you can come out of it clean... it's a magical thing, really! ;)

happy easter & life as of late (pt. 10)

2013-03-31T12:44:00.002-04:00

via

Easter is one of my favourite times of the year; aside from the weather being much more favourable, & chocolate lining store shelves, it's an occasion to reflect on the amazing power of grace.
Whenever I take a moment to think of what I would be like had I never been exposed to the forgiveness & love of my Savior, I tend to shudder & be even more thankful for how God would choose to forgive me in the most radical way.
Being humbled by the truth that God's love & sacrifice is always greater than any sin or mistake I've made is something that is worth celebrating more than in one weekend a year. It just makes any bunny or foil-wrapped piece of chocolate dim in comparison!

Well, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter! Here are some randoms from my life as of late:

My birthday came and went with a lot of sugar, buttery seafood, pretty gifts (including this book that I've been waiting to get my paws on for awhile), and spending quality time with the other half & babe.

I tried Burmese food for the first time, and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! I've been thinking about that dish ever since!

and I mentioned in a past post that I won a pair of shoes from a ShoeMint giveaway, and I decided on the pair of Heather equestrian style boots. When I received them, they were way too large around my calves (which is a problem I tend to have with boots). I thought about sending them back, but instead got them taken it!

Did you know you can hem boots to fit tighter?!

Chicken-legged ladies (like me!), rejoice!! ;)

before it was altered:

and after:

I don't know why my ankle looks broken there, but the boots fit a lot more snug (even though the terrible angle in the photo doesn't show it!) :)

While my hubby & I were perusing a gift store in a quaint area just outside our city, and I found these cute little things:

They're actually soft maps made out of material that can be crumpled up, thrown into your bag, and can flatten out when needed. Neat, eh? (sigh, the Canadian in me...). They're fittingly called Crumpled City, and would make the perfect gift for that person who refuses to give into the Siri/GPS-ways of getting about. :)

My MIL and I went to the One of a Kind show in Toronto recently, which is an exhibition for local aritsans to showcase & sell their work (they even had a neat Etsy section!)

Here are a few things that caught my eye (and taste buds!):

seriously, that apple deserves a little blurb; it was a cinnamon sugar coated caramel apple that knocked my proverbial socks off. Their retail store unfortunately is about a 2.5 hour away from me, and it only opens during the summer months (but believe me, I plan on visiting and stocking up on those $13 apples!!)

To get your sweaty palms on one, luckily they offer online orders (and with shipping costs, the apple will only cost you a whopping $20!)

How do you like them apples?? ;)

Well, thanks for reading (if you made it all the way through! ;)

Have a lovely Easter.

xo,

basement reno progress: the living room

2013-03-27T19:45:00.001-04:00

When we bought a new home & moved into it (while I was 8 months preggos, mind you!), the biggest factor for our crazy decision to buy were three-fold:

1. It's a detached home (meaning we'll no longer hear our neighbours coughing, or opening & shutting their drawers through the wall!)
2. It was at a great price point for the area (translation: major fixer-upper)
3. It had a huge basement (which meant we could jazz it up & rent it out... which would help financially during my maternity leave & it would fit into our long-range plans of becoming landlords over several income properties).

Now, since the baby's arrived, the renovations have been pretty much nil, but I did want to show you a bit of a sneak peek into what going on down under:

Here is the before of the back living room wall with the previous owners' furniture:

hellllloooo faux wood paneling, soggy wet carpet (towards the back wall), and office-building-lighting.

After the papers were signed, we removed the swampy carpet to discover mold (!), and we removed the panelling, only to realize the foundation of the back wall was cracked, letting water come inside:

A big culprit: right behind our house was a really steep hill where all the water draining from the houses on the top of the hill, would continually hit the back wall of our house, causing the foundation to wear. Yes, the hill would be great for future tobogganing, but our mould-filled lungs would lose this 'uphill battle' (ha!)

So, we got two guys in with heavy machinery, who dug a big trench behind our house & waterproofed the basement (they did this before winter hit, and before the soil had a chance to settle in).
Once the rain & snow fell, a big sinkhole formed by the basement windows... this thing just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

don't you love our caved-in, grass-less, debris-filled backyard?

Perfect for entertaining season. ;)

So, now with spring around the corner, we'll be getting the hole filled in, grass laid, and we'll be focusing more on the interior of the basement.

Here is what it looked like after the back wall was waterproofed, insulated, & dry walled, and after pot lights were installed:

After painting the faux wood on the large wall (we decided to keep it & just prime & paint it), and new windows were installed, we also decided to cut out a window from the side wall so it could open the space up a bit more.

It's just amazing what paint can do to lift up a space!

On the opposite side of the room, which still boasted of wood panels & carpet-gone-crusty, here is what it looked like before (our friend does not look impressed):

after a few coats of good ol' primer & paint, & replacing that fluorescent lighting with softer pot lights: a serious weight lifted.

There is still a lot more to be done, but it's pretty amazing how far it's come along since we moved in.

I'll be giving you sneak peeks in the near future of all the areas in our near-completed basement, and then hopefully I'll have complete 'after' pictures to show you! :)

xo,

the big 3-0.

2013-03-26T12:50:00.002-04:00

today I turned 30.

via

I started the day off by waking up from an amazingly long uninterrupted sleep (a rarity these days!), got a long-distance call from my brother who's living in Korea (and who, in typical sibling fashion, made a series of cracks at my old age - gotta love siblings!), ate chocolate for breakfast, opened a sweet gift from my hubby, and spent some quality time coo-ing with the babe. What more could I ask for?

via

We'll be going out for yummy eats later on, and will plan on a trip to celebrate both of our birthdays that were not celebrated in their entirety after the baby arrived (I guess we're big on birthdays). We're looking forward to some family time, and some good eats, as traveling often brings!

via

And as another year past often brings times of reflection, I feel truly & utterly blessed. It makes me giddy for what the future brings.
C.S. Lewis pretty much sums it all up.

via

In this crazy love-fest, I also gotta say that I am thankful for you, reader! Who else is willing to put up with my shenanigans? ;)

{to see more pretty things, follow here: }

xo,

easy Vietnamese avocado shake (Sinh to bo).

2013-03-25T07:16:00.000-04:00

Every time I eat at a Vietnamese restaurant I always order this drink. It just pairs perfectly with the salty beef broth and noodles, and it uses one of my favourite fruits to boot! (it is a fruit, yes? lol)

It's no wonder this refreshing drink is also called the 'butter fruit drink' because although it doesn't require a lick of butter (yay for guilt free!), but the thick, smooth texture sure does feel like a cold blended stick o' butter on the lips (uh.. don't try that one at home!)

And after finding the uber easy recipe here, I decided to try this for myself, and found that it tasted exactly the same as it does at a restaurant, and was made for much cheaper (which tasted sweet on the lips as well!)

All you need to make 2-3 servings (or just one large one, if you're a pig like me):
1 ripe medium avocado (6-8 ounces)
1 cup ice (8 ice cubes)
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (I used Almond milk, which turned out just as yummy)

All you need to do is:
Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Puree until completely smooth.
Taste and add any additional milk if needed (depending on the consistency of the avocado used).

That's it!
Then sit back and enjoy!

Speaking of cold, refreshing drinks gives me a hankering for patio season.

Anyone out there feeling the same? :)

xo,

how to read urbane jane.

2013-03-23T16:11:00.004-04:00

I'll jump on the blog bandwagon and post about Google Reader's impending disappearance.
Before we shed tears, let me give you another option to stay up-to-date on my shenanigans.

I present to you: bloglovin'

Aside from it being seriously user-friendly, and it also having an app so I can read my favourite blogs on the go, here are some other reasons why this thing tickles my fancy:

You can follow me on bloglovin' here, and see me in high def (well not really, but with all of the large text & large images in your face, it'll feel that way).

Or, if you'd rather subscribe via email, look no further:

And another perk to this new bloglovin' marriage? I get a fancy icon. A little scary looking, but fancy, nonetheless.
(oh, and I almost forgot about linky followers as another way to follow... is there anyone still using that?)

well, there you have it, dear reader.

Change is good, yes? :)

xo,

diy iPhone baby monitor for under $10.

2013-03-22T12:47:00.000-04:00

okay, I've been a bit slack on projects lately, but I thought I'd share an alternative to one expensive baby contraption for all the techie parents & parents-to-be out there!

My husband got the latest iPhone (he is a serious die-hard apple fan), and we had his previous phone lying around for some time. He was planning on giving it to his dad who currently dons a phone that, let's just say, is nowhere near the touch screen technology, but being comfortable with the good ol' non-touch-screen-technology, he refused the upgrade (and in my husband's mind has decided to stay in the stone age).
So, thoughts of selling it were floating around, but it ended up sitting in a drawer for several months.

Until this guy came along.

{shameless parent moment.}

Now that he's sleeping in the crib more these days, and we were catching up on our latest shows (like Hell's Kitchen!), we needed a monitor to watch the little guy (especially because it's hard to hear anything over the constant beeping of good ol' G. Ramsay).

What do I do: buy a sleek looking baby monitor thang at Costco.

What husband does: tells me to return it, and breaks out the iPhone (in his mind this contraption can do anything & everything).

He went ahead onto his favourite tech accessory site (which has seriously cheap prices, and free shipping! The catch? You never know when the package will arrive... I think when they receive a certain amount of orders, they ship the orders out from China), and he bought this holder for the phone so it could rest on a high shelf and angle the phone down over the crib.

We downloaded this app onto all of our apple devices, and found the program easy to use, only giving you two options at a time. They definitely considered mommy-brain when making this thing. ;)

Using another apple device (we use our iPhones & iPads), you can wirelessly play soft lullaby music, shine a light, or even press the microphone button if you wanted to speak to your kiddo via P.A. system.

You can even see how much noise the baby's making (so if you're paranoid freaks like we are, this will save you the trip to hover over your kid's nose to make sure he's breathing... yup, we're crazy).
Also, you can even log & share the baby's activity with family & friends (if your friends don't mind getting those kinds of emails!)
Here's what it looks like on my iPad (Liam's listening to his favourite baby tunes, hence the lit up music option):

We're using the iPhone 4 in our nursery, but this app is compatible with the iPhone 3G, 4S, and 5.

I'm not sponsored by this app or by Apple, but I wanted to share this seriously easy baby monitor with you! (and really, it just cost us the price of the app, which was $4, and the dock, which was $5!).

Now we can indulge our paranoia by watching our baby like a hawk... all while indulging in some good ol' Hell's Kitchen action. ;)

{yeah, that's right... we're watching you.}

hope this helps for anyone with an iPhone lying around & wanting to save some buckeroos in the baby department!!

xo,

PB cookie pizza

2013-03-06T07:50:00.002-05:00

I should really call this thing: 'heart attack pizza'. Or 'I don't care about bikini season-pizza' because this concoction really does stick it to bikinis... and your heart (aaaand hips) for that matter. Gosh, I'm not really selling this thing, am I?

Well, there is a bit of history with this cookie; when I was in elementary school they sold these 'pizza cookies', which I have been searching to find in my adult life to no avail. So, I decided to make it on my own (using my foggy memory as my guide).

I decided to use this cookie recipe as my 'dough', and add the parts I remember being on those yummy cookies from way back in the day.

The 'dough' is a peanut butter cookie base, and seeing as I love filling myself with junk food, I just added a bit more, shall we say, caloric pizazz by adding Reese's pieces (which also amped up the PB deliciousness).

Now, if you remember the crazy-awesome PB cookies I made before, this recipe isn't as chewy or soft, but the marshmallows added a lot of chewiness.

The result was a dessert not for the feint of heart (lest your heart should faint after one bite. ha!)

Here she is.

a little closer?

just a tad closer.

Here are the simple steps to creating this sugary beast:

Ingredients:

{adapted from the recipe found here}:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups all purposed flour
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I used 2 cups, though. I'm gross like that)
1 cup Reese's pieces (or any other toppings you like)

Directions:
- in a bowl, cream butters & sugars together. Beat in egg & vanilla. Stir in flour & chocolate chips until well blended.
- spread dough onto greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows & Reese's pieces. Bake 5-6 minutes longer or until lightly browned.
-let cool on baking sheet
-devour like it were running away from you.

I found that this cookie pizza tasted even better after it's cooled down. Maybe it's because the marshmallows got chewier, or maybe because the candy coating on the Reese's pieces thinned out a bit to give it a perfectly crispy & soft texture...

Lawd have mercy.

care for a slice?

(or 2... maybe 4 like I have?) ;)

xo,

one month.

2013-03-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

our little monkey turned 1 month old today.

Needless to say, this momma spent a huge part of her day staring at this baby in amazement and enjoying every grunt & coo that's escaped his tiny mouth.

I even braved having a photographer come and shoot some pictures of him when he was two and a half weeks old. Here's a small preview:

And although it is a month late, here is our lil' guy's birth announcement (he was just 3 days old here):

well, I'm off to mourn that he's growing by the minute... by the second.

xo,

Retracing our steps: living room edition

2013-02-27T05:30:00.003-05:00

If you remember my post from way back in the day from our previous house, I gave the low-down on some major facelifting we did before it became our first income property.

I had a bit of a *slap forehead* moment when I realized I forgot to give some before n' aft action for the living room (which is just a tad important in a home). So, here goes a bit of a late post on what our living room underwent while we stayed there!

Here's the hubby & I in the window of our first new home (where my rolled-up pants & curtains competed for shortest length!)

Just to keep things a bit interesting, I'll show the B & As side by side...

BEFORE: This is what it looked like with the previous owners' furniture (and bold red walls!)

That's eclectic styling if I've ever seen it!

AFTER: in the same space, we neutralized the space by painting it a greige (Behr's 'scroll beige'), made our TV float, faked some gold frame hardware, and gave the free TV console a makeover.
Busy? oh, we were.

We even threw a lot of white furniture in the room (as per hubby's request. He desperately wanted white couches, strangely enough).

Some more BEFORE: this is when we moved in, drawing the flood pant-curtains closed to hide the shenanigans about to take place.

Then AFTER:

Curtains are still drawn, but at least they graze the floor! (I realized a bit late after taking the pictures that I moved my lamps, making it seem a bit lop-sided... ah well).

BEFORE: On the other side of the room, you can see into the kitchen. Needless to say, the previous owners were not afraid of colour!

AFTER: And then we come in. Two people petrified of colour. ;)

Remember what I said about lop-sided lamps? okay, letting it go once and for all...

The room got a DIY starburst mirror, thicker trim, along with another free credenza for some added storage space (we needed to store all of the salad spinners & other various gifts we received for our nuptials).

Well, there you have a very quick drive-thru rendition of our previous living room...
You can click through if you'd like to see what we did to the kitchen, basement, and staircase of that home. :)

We got a small dump of snow last night (hopefully the last before spring!), so stay warm & safe, wherever you are! :)

easy two-ingredient DIY lip gloss

2013-02-25T22:23:00.002-05:00

Who's the biggest blog-slacker? *fingers pointed at me*
sorry, folks, for disappearing for the past week... we've been enjoying our new little man & all of the craziness that comes with parenthood. Now, onto a crafty post (which is proving a nice retreat during these wild times!):

...

I'm not much of a lipstick wearer. In fact, I think I probably wore it less than 5 times so far (one being my wedding, and I think a couple of times when I tried a red lip, to which I had someone ask if I was trying to look like a geisha. uh, thanks).

Something I am addicted to, however, is lip gloss.

If I forget my gloss, I get jittery and weird. I even have lip glosses planted everywhere in my house I frequent & in the various purses I use (juuust in case withdrawal kicks in) ... sounds sane, right?

To feed my addiction, I decided to make my own tinted lip gloss using the simplest ingredients, and using probably less than 2 minutes of my time. Here's how:

You'll need vaseline, a lipstick you don't mind chopping up, a brush to mix with, and a small container for the finished product.

I plopped a dollop of vaseline in a microwave safe bowl, and nuked it for 30 seconds.

Then I cut a bit of the lipstick off (I used the colour Blushing Nude, in case your interested)

and mixed it in with the warm vaseline using a makeup brush. Mix until smooth.

Using a butter knife, I filled the tiny containers.

Even before this step, you could add more lipstick if you want it darker. You can customize it however you like! (I'm even thinking for the next time using a bit of peppermint extract to give my lips a nice minty smell!)

And there you have it. A customized gloss done in no time.

Everything used I already had on hand (the lipstick was a freebie from a Clinique Bonus gift), but the only purchase was the package of containers from the dollar store (and I didn't use all of them, so you know what that means...)

This would also make for great little gifts... or you could just plant them around your house if you're a gloss-addict like me! ;)

xo,

custom photo magnets

2013-02-13T11:44:00.002-05:00

This is probably the easiest, and fool-proof craft there is... right beside cutting paper with scissors, and watching paint dry (well, I guess that's not considered a craft). I digress.

With V-day in our midst, I thought I'd share a lil' project you could whip up in literally a minute that adds some major love vibes wherever you like.

All it requires is magnet tape, scissors, and photos you fancy.

I chose ones with me and my hubby from our dating days... which reminds me we need more recent pictures together!

All you do is cut them into the sizes you want...

Then cut a piece of the magnet tape and peel the back off.

Then press it firmly to the back of the photo.

And that's it! You now have fun magnets to post around your home of you and your loved ones.

Mine are on my fridge door, which serves as the perfect spot...

for giving grocery lists a little more of a joyful touch...

for adding a lovely touch to favourite bible verses & inspirational quotes...

and for reminding me on a daily basis to not take life too seriously (as my hubby and I generally are in the habit of doing).

Hope you have a lovely Valentines day, whether it's out on the town, or at home with ice cream & a movie... :)

I believe my hubby has something planned for us to celebrate as a new family, which I am thrilled to do. No need for a babysitter when I'm with my two favourite men ;)

xo,

giving a plain storage ottoman new life.

2013-02-11T08:15:00.002-05:00

So, you know those pseudo-suede storage ottomans you see in Wal-mart, or other such fine establishments?

Well, we received one for a wedding gift (thank you, dear guest), and every time we tripped on it in our living room, it's served as a lovely reminder of our nuptials.

It looked very similar to what you see here (unfortunately I forgot a before shot), except the fake-suede on it was stretched and sort of sagging on all sides (even though we barely used it!).

source

It came with a smaller box inside, almost like a russian doll, but a lot less exciting, as it was too small to be used for anything. I decided to give the ottoman some use & give it a pizzazz-y makeover (rather than leaving it as a stumbling block, literally).

My MIL used left over material from the baby bedding, and stapled it directly to the ottoman like so:

Sorry, we forgot to take any pictures of the process, but this is what it looked like in the end...

And it's lil' sidekick also received a facelift using some taupe suzani fabric also leftover from the crib.

I think I might just use the smaller guy for when my little man wants a comfy stool to sit on while reading.

These chic guys are definitely making my frumptastic nursing chair look extra ghetto by comparison...

It just reminds you of what a little bit of leftover fabric can do!

Have a wonderful Monday!

stamped sugar cookies (and a virtual hug).

2013-02-05T20:33:00.001-05:00

I was going to be a good blogger and post this on Monday after taking a weekend break, but it just so happened I went into labour Monday morning and gave birth to our first spawn, Liam :)
Since then I've been trying to get use to running on 2 hours of sleep, having my body parts feel like they're going through the ringer (tmi?), and of course taking care of a new lil' human being...
I just have to thank you, amazing readers, for all of the lovely comments to come home to today, and to just be reminded of how wonderful community is, even though I've never met most of you. It meant the world to read them. :)
Well, before I get all teary (those hormones...), I'll stop, and go back to blogging about something that at this point just dims in comparison to the crazy amazing gift of life I've just received.
I'll post pics of the lil guy soon enough... now, sugar cookies. ;)

I made a simple sugar cookie (which can be found here), but I decided to amp up the sweetness of the cookie with a rawr message, if you know what I mean (no worries, it's still family friendly!).

The recipe I chose also gives steps to make the frosting, but I decided to leave the cookie in the nude (that's as riskay as it gets, folks ;)

To make these simple, chewy sugar cookies, do the following:

First sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Then in a large bowl, cream together (with a whisk, electric mixer, or stand mixer) the sugar and butter until smooth.

Add egg & vanilla and then beat for an additional minute.

Then slowly add the dry sifted ingredients to the wet until all is incorporated.

Roll the dough into two equal balls & place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

After refrigerating the dough, roll out each ball to about 3/16-inch to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface (You can also save some of the dough in the refrigerator if you want it for later). Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter (that is also lightly floured).

To make things a bit fun, I brought out my letter stamps (which were cleaned prior to using them),

And began stampin' away.

After, they were placed onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

I had a mix of stamped saying, some inside jokes, some just cutesy (like nice assets, for my hubby who's taking business courses ;)

They were baked for 7-10 minutes, or until the cookies turned a golden brown around the edges.

When they were finished, they did puff up a bit, making some of the cookies illegible.

This one said how you doin' a la Joey from Friends.

I guess what redeemed them were the fact that they were chewy & darn tootin' tasty!

And the great thing is, I saved some of the dough and baked it for whenever I wanted a quick fresh treat, or for a quick homemade thank you gift (which is what I did just today for a lady who made me soup for after the baby arrives).

For the full recipe, click here (like mentioned, it comes with an icing recipe as well).

Do you have any plans for Valentines?

I know that in Korean culture, there's a fun tradition for young single folks flying solo where they'll meet together and eat a dish of black bean noodles called jjajang myun.

So... any plans? Or is Valentines just another day in your house?

xo,

nursery love & life as of late (pt. 8).

2013-02-01T09:57:00.001-05:00

Happppy Friday everyone (and a happy February 1st as well!)

I just wanted to piggyback my life as of late post with a big WOWZA. You, reader, have been uber sweet and so so so encouraging about the nursery. Thank you so much for your kind comments, and for giving this soon-to-pop mama a warm n' fuzzy feeling all week long (much needed just thinking about the labour to come!)

There have been so many amazing blogs that have featured it, and you can check them out here. It's also gained a bit of love from these sites as well: (bringing a crazy flood of lovely visitors & readers such as yourself!)

The creative force behind Apartment Therapy had a lot of wonderful things to say about the project. Their site is an everyday read for me, and it was exciting to see a bit of lil' ol' me on their website! The article is here.

Lindsay at Better After always showcases some crazy DIY projects, and adds a lot of her own witty touch to every post. Her take on the 'before' state of the room made me literally lol. Check it out here.

Again thank you!! (sick of hearing me say it??) ;)

Now, onto my random smorgasbord of things happening in my neck of the woods...

1. went thrifting and got all of this loot for the ol' kitchen - a nice wood chopping board, small stainless steel bowls that are perfect for ketchup & other sauces, and a large Klean Kanteen water bottle for $1! (Take that, dollar store!) It's reminded me that thrifting is great for regular day-to-day things, and not just for things in need of TLC.

2. the last item for my hospital bag - a little sweet treat from Costco for the hospital staff who'll be tending to my needs. Once I tried a sample of that Almond Roca at Costco, I just had to buy it! (those samples are dangerous!)

3. the sugar my hubby & I devoured over a coffee date... our way of celebrating on the date of our baby's expected birth, and the impending loss of freedom (for that very same reason ;)

4. got a wonderful surprise in my inbox that I won a free pair of Shoemint shoes from Cup of Jo's contest (on of my fave blogs)! It's rare for me to win stuff, so I was uber excited about this one! (my dog couldn't care less, though).

5. speaking of shoes, I picked up these animal print flats up after they were discovered in clearance, and were under $20! I'm ready to flash my pasty white feet in spring with these babies!

& last but not least,

6. I got pampered with a mani & pedi, and poured over mind-numbing tabloids - an indulgence that takes my mind off the fear of labour & gives me the false sense that having painted toes makes me that much more prepared. ;)

I hope you have a splendid weekend!!

xo,

the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. ever.

2013-01-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

My husband is nuts over chocolate & peanut butter (ha!). He could hoover peanut butter cups, and chocolate-covered peanut butter candies like they were going out of style, yet he refuses to eat a 'plain' peanut butter sandwich. that guy... (shaking head)

But, when I whipped these chewy, gooey cookies up, there were no complaints from my picky eater (just a lot of satisfyingly silent face-stuffage, which is music to my ears).

I adapted this recipe (which did a fantastic job at explaining everything so thoroughly, and who had way better looking cookies in the end).

This recipe is also great for people who have certain dietary restrictions, as it doesn't call for flour, butter, or white sugar (which isn't why I chose it, but it's good to know!), and it's extremely easy to make!

It only calls for 6 ingredients: peanut butter, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, egg, baking soda, and chocolate (dark or bittersweet, chunked. I just used what I had, which were semi-sweet chips).

To make these delicious cookies, mix 1 large egg, 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 cup of light brown sugar, and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract in a large bowl using a hand blender until it was well-mixed.

Then add 1 tsp of baking soda, and beat to incorporate.

After, mix 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in (if using chunks of chocolate, don't over-mix or it could break the chunks down too much).

Then transfer the dough into an airtight container & refrigerated for at least 2 hours.

After chilling the dough, reheat the oven to 350F, line baking sheets with parchment paper (you could use cooking spray or a baking mat). Then scoop the dough into 2 tbsp balls and set about 2 inches apart.

Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating them halfway. Leave them on the baking sheet for for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

In the end, you'll have these tantalizing puppies:

Needless to say, these delectable treats didn't last very long...

I made some substitutions here and there (light for dark sugar, and went with chocolate chips rather than chunks like the original recipe) just so I could use what I already had on hand. For the full recipe & thorough know-how, visit here. Gotta give major credit where it's due!

Have a wonderful end of the week!

xo,

from hole to holy moly: a bathroom makeover.

2013-01-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share a radical renovation done by one of our closest friends.
After purchasing their new home, they gave their home a lot of TLC, making it liken a lot of pictures you'd see on a magazine cover in the grocery aisle. One section they changed just happened to be the storage area in their basement:

A lot of people have rooms like this in their basements and use it to store knick knacks, Christmas decorations, relatives... okay, well maybe not (there'd at least be a bed in there... ;)

But, not a lot of people would look at this and think to build a completely new room, but our friend?

He thought this partially un-used space could be used more effectively.

The room got a bit of a cleaning...

And somehow while juggling work, three kiddies, and everything else that would give someone reason to just sit on the couch and stuff ones face with potato chips, here's a peek into the new bathroom he single-handedly completed:

(starting off with a very welcoming entrance...)

He added a lovely shower, and even made a storage area inside the wall! (well-thought out details that anyone would admire as they sat upon the john...).

And speaking of sitting, here's a peek inside the shower:

It's like a tiled retreat where anyone could escape & just sit under the spout, reflect on the day while turning into a prune...

Now this is where it gets a bit blurry, but you can see on the other side of the bathroom, he put in an elegant vanity (nicely outfitted with sconces), as well as a wall separating from some much-coveted storage space.

And going into the bathroom further, beyond the shelves, the stacked washer & dryer were built in, as well as a neat receptacle which holds the fabric softener and also hides garbage in a chic way (not an easy task). Even the window got a little love with a dark wood trim.

From his tile choice, to paint colours, to layout, our friend deserves an award (and deserves to be hired to design hotel bathrooms, cuz I'm pretty sure this looks nicer than the bathroom we had for our honeymoon).

I don't know if any room in the house can be the man/woman cave, but this bathroom is a serious contender. Tiled shower seat, here I come!

cheeky painted dinner napkins

2013-01-28T07:50:00.001-05:00

I was tempted to call this post: 'how to insult your dinner guests' (as my husband suggested), but I guess I'll stick with what I picked. :)

While perusing Home Sense, I came across these crisp white dinner napkins on sale (not much of a sale), and thought I could whip up a little personalized house-warming gift for a friend who recently got a new place.

I first gathered my materials (which ended up changing... read on to see what unfortunate events took place).

I pre-washed & ironed each napkin, then went on a polka-dotting rampage (similar to my dresser) with Martha Stewart's 'wild salmon' paint.

Now, here's the unfortunate event: I wanted to use stamps to write a message on each napkin, but after mixing my gold paint with fabric medium (you would skip this step if you started with a fabric-friendly paint), i got my stamp, dipped it in, stamping out the excess on the plate, and carefully placed it on the napkin.

but... all I got was a blob that did not resemble an 'r' by any stretch of the imagination. It likened a dirty stain or skid mark (tmi?). I quickly tried to clean it up, and this is the best I could do...

Deciding to take the easy way out, I broke out a gold fabric pen (which was a JOY to deal with compared to the stamps!) and went to town, adding a snarky saying for each napkin.

I let them dry overnight, & ironed them under a cotton towel to set the paint.

Now, I have a cute set of napkins with a slightly split personality:

The other napkins had little sayings that ranged from things like:

wipe your face, dear.

there's something in your teeth.

your food won't run away.

to other saying that have a bit more sass, like:

raised by wolves.

and

of course it's socially acceptable to talk with a full mouth.

I had fun making these, and now I have a quirky set of napkins to give to my friend (who happens to love sarcasm as much as I do!).

I hope you have a wonderful day!

xo,

life as of late (pt. 7)

2013-01-25T22:57:00.001-05:00

1. I will never fry bacon on a pan. ever. again. After getting splattered too many times and yelping like a wussy, I learned how a way to bake pig from this pin. Bakin' bacon? you'll never be happier.

2. met with friends over sushi & delicious dessert... I gotta admit I'm excited for my impending due date so I can truly go to town on sushi (I've been steering clear of raw fish for too long! Veggie sushi just doesn't seem legit to me). For dessert we had peanut butter cheesecake & a rose peach sorbet. yum!

3. a picture I took of the CN tower while stuck in traffic during rush hour (just seemed like a nice patriotic way to pass the time).

4. with the expected due date being in less than a week, my feet are feeling a tad neglected in the shadow of my belly. I just might book a pedicure in between the more important things that I need to get done.

5. my hubby has been waning between being in sickness & in health, so I've been pounding back these suckers (and threatening to lock him in a closet if he coughs without covering his mouth).

and...

6. I received a ridiculously generous care package from a dear friend in British Columbia. Mini me is already spoiled & will be donning that Leafs cap proudly (even though his parents are probably the only Canadians who don't watch hockey, unless during the Olympics. We're wishy-washy like that).

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend steering clear of viruses!

xo,

a staircase face-lift: before & sorta-after.

2013-01-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's a bit anti-climactic to post this after the previous post about the nursery, but it'll have to do due to circumstances that I'll explain.
This was a project that we completed in our previous house (which is now being used an income property), and before we moved out into our current home, I completely forgot to take pictures of the final result.
I would go in and ask our renters if I could photograph the stairs, but I'm sure they would think they were renting from a bunch of crazies, and move out pronto.

So, let me begin this story (and unfortunately short-change you out of the afters!)

When we moved in to our first home, this is what the stairs looked like... a little crustier than your average staircase.

Aaaand with a really long strand of hair.. that would be mine (why I didn't clean that up before taking the picture? I don't have an answer for that).

Now, not only were the stairs a sight for sore eyes (especially when hair-covered), the lowest step was a death trap; it bowed and creaked under the slightest pressure, and guests would even step over the stair so they wouldn't plummet to their deaths.

We could've sanded, and stained each stair tread, or ripped them out entirely and begin with new treads (which would have cost a lot), but instead we decided to save our pennies & instead add a bit more character and strength to what the house originally came with).

To support the lower step, my husband reinforced the lip of the stair tread with a solid piece of wood, and added a thin piece along the edges for extra support.

For the cost-friendly face lift, we bought ready made stair treads with a rounded edge for $15 apiece from Rona (it was way cheaper & better than buying the ones with an attached cap which would have fit our stairs perfectly, but were $40 a pop, or had a thin veneer of hardwood on top for $20 apiece).

We wanted to match the stain as close to the flooring in our living room as much as possible, and found Minwax's Dark Walnut to fit the bill.

Using a dollar store plastic tarp on our back porch, the stair treads were laid out with the edges slightly lifted to ensure the stain would wrap around the edges nicely.

After they were stained, they were left to dry, and later received many coats of Polyurethane.

My husband wanted the glossiest gloss one could find, and he was so excited to see the difference in the treads pre-gloss (on the right), and post-gloss (left). He is easily amused.

After they dried, they were glued to the original stair treads with PL-premium,

and hubby gave them extra security by screwing them into place (the screws were placed closely to the back edge, so they wouldn't be seen when the stairs were complete).

The lower staircase started looking a bit better already, but the past was still rearing it's ugly tread ;)

Knowing that the creaks from the previous treads could still come back, my husband bought sturdy particle board, cut them to fit the risers perfectly, and screwed them in place. The edges of the new risers hid the screws in the new stair treads.

The ugly screw holes were then filled in with drywall compound, so it would be smooth and seamless.

To cover the edges of the original stair treads, these were primed, painted, and cut to size.

Then they were hammered into the original treads (you can see my husband's shadow in this terribly lit picture).

... here's what they looked like before the set nail holes were filled in with DAP (is this changing light tripping you up yet? ;)

annnnd that's all I got, folks.

This is where the journey ends in our terribly-documented before n' after (you've been forewarned ;).

If you're losing sleep over this cliff-hanger, just imagine no nail holes, no terrible sepia-type lighting, and of course no stray hairs.

;)

Hope you're staying warm (for those of you experiencing minus double-digits like us here in Toronto!)

the nursery reveal.

2013-01-22T07:14:00.000-05:00

I thought I could hold off until the end of the week to share the final before & after of the nursery, but let's just say I'm not the most patient of people ;)

Let's jump right in, shall we?
So, when we moved into our new home, this is the room I had to work with:

It had terrible wallpaper, and the previous owners left us with a really sketchy massage bed (which we never used... or touched, for that matter).

And the door-less closet was nothing to write home about.

After many grueling hours of spraying & scraping while 8+ months preggo (here's some of the painful process), it received repairs to the walls, many coats of paint, and a lot of TLC.

You've probably seen a lot of pictures here and there, but I thought I'd compile them all.

{repurposing an unused utensil tray for itsy-bitsy baby products}

{a lot of ear'd hats. Our kid might wonder if we wanted an animal instead}

{so our kiddo isn't confused - he'll be representing Korean, British, Dutch, Indian, and of course Canadian descent. Kind of reminds me of this. Crass, but hilarious.}

I realized how my childhood days of playing Tetris had paid off because it was tough finding a space-effective solution for the big pieces of furniture (including the bed) in our tiny 100 square foot room!

And in total, this project set us back a little over $400, which is fan-diddly-tastic to me (we got a lot of the costly items made, refinished for cheap, or bought discounted). All of the furniture was bought off CL, and I tried to keep things as simple & classic as possible.

the complete list of our nursery:
PALI crib - CL purchase
crib bedding - custom made by MIL
change table - CL
change mattress - CL, covers custom made by MIL
bamboo dresser in closet - CL
floating shelves - Home Depot & IKEA (RIBBA picture ledges)
nursing chair - free off CL, slipcover from Sure Fit
cream shag rug - CL
baskets - IKEA (in closet), personal one from ages ago (large hamper)
frames - IKEA (50% off frames sale)
artwork - trafalgar square on Etsy, Children Inspire Design, & diy
alphabet frame - diy
bamboo side table - Goodwill find
glass lamp - Home Sense
faux sheepskin throw - IKEA
custom window drapes & rod - IKEA
bamboo blinds - wicker emporium
light - Home Depot
mama & baby giraffe figurine - a souvenir from a trip to S. Africa

As for the paint colours, we went with Behr's Irish Mist for the walls, and the closet in Behr's Aqua Breeze.

So yes, let me save you the scrolling, and remind you of where this thang began (sort of a before & after & before):

whew, after all of that work, maybe I should've kept that ratty massage bed! ;)

Have a great Tuesday!!

xo,

a spoiled mama.

2013-01-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

Yes. With major help from my web-design-savvy-other-half, I have made my first ever mood board.
I came up with a little round of goodies that have made my transition into motherhood just that much sweeter.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1. the m-coat was a serious life-saver this winter. the extra panel on the front was great to grow into, and I can even use it after with the baby underneath so mama & babe can be toasty in brutal Toronto weather.

2. my venti Starbucks cold cup has forced me to drink more water, seeing as usually I drink maaaybe a cup of water a day.

3. I do not, nor cannot claim to be a photographer (heck, I don't even know the model # of the Canon i own), but I have to say my camera has gotten some mileage in my nesting process, in somewhat documenting my growing self, and I'm sure will be snapping madly away when the kid arrives.

4. this stuff is great. I've been told that no product keeps stretch marks away, but if there was a product that I would gladly use as a placebo, it'd be this stuff; I got mine from Whole Foods, and it was recommended to me profusely by the nice lady there. It's a bit pricey ($30 per bottle), but it wasn't sticky or greasy, it took away the itchiness that stretching skin can give you, and it made my bump smell nice. TMI?

5. we bought the frog off CL in this exact colour (and got a crazy deal at that), and although I haven't used it yet, I am loving the not-clunkity-look of this stroller compared to the other ones on the market. Before the baby arrives, I'll definitely need to hit replay about a hundred more times on the youtube video that shows how to fold & unfold the thing, though!

6. I don't know if it's sad if someone is excited to use a breast-feeding pillow, but I have to admit, I am. I got this sucker plus three covers (unfortunately not the snazzy cover pictured there), and with ointment in tow, bring on the feeding, baby!

7. last but not least, I asked my hubby to get this for me for Christmas (originally I vowed to not ask for anything baby-related for Christmas, but I'm so glad I caved in on that vow). I wanted a diaper bag that could look good on my hubby's shoulder or mine (cuz, I ain't the only one changing diapers, ya hear?!), and that had a lot of compartments, and of course that I liked the look of. I'm not really a crazy colours & patterns type of gal, so this black one suited me just fine.

Well, there ya have it.

Hopefully my first of many mood boards (that is, if my hubby has enough patience to walk me through errrrthang again. and again).

xo,

Pinterest-inspired: my crack at a chipboard canvas

2013-01-20T16:44:00.000-05:00

I hope you had a great weekend. My hubby got really sick (and really sucky, which I've realized is one of his symptoms), so I was a bit busy squeezing lemons for tea, sifting through our medicine cabinet for un-expired drugs, and keeping my distance lest he makes this preggo sick a week away from pushing.

Seeing as it's been a bit crazy, I thought I'd share a super easy craft that anyone on Pinterest has seen probably a gazillion times.

Well, I thought I'd take a turn. :)

I found this awesome deal in the Michaels clearance section (that tiny canvas was seriously $28?!)

I used the puffy letter stickers & cardboard letters saved from my wedding seating chart (which seems like ages ago).

I know I wanted a bible verse, so I picked one of my favourites, and placed the letters down.

Once it was to my liking, I got my tacky glue & secured them (they lost a bit of their stick from moving them around).

Then I gave the whole thing two good coats of white spray glossay.

This is what it looked like:

It only cost me the price of the canvas ($2.50)!

Always a good reminder. :)

Oh, and if you want to see other eye candy I've collected in my Pinterest, you can click here:

Aaaaannnd in other news, the BIG (and I mean BIG) nursery reveal this week! Stay tuned :)

xo,

the ABCs of re-using a frame.

2013-01-16T08:28:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday!!
Remember these little guys I stumbled across in Michaels ages ago?

And how I used them in 2010 for this project for a friend's nursery?

Well, I've used the other half of the deck and an old frame from IKEA to make a vintage-y piece of art. The method was actually very similar to the Christmas project I did not too long ago.

First off, I started with this amazing find in IKEA's as-is section (it had no glass, and was marked down to $1.90!):

I then started gathered these materials (including three packages of Christmas card holders from the dollar store):

After peeling the Christmas pictures off the pins,

I applied some mod podge to the non-glue-crusted side,

dipped them into the glitter,

and shook off the excess.

Then I let them dry overnight.

With the cards, I then arranged them in rows the way I'd want them to hang (not perfectly, but to give a general idea). I did this with the frame flipped over so it was easier to secure the string.

I then knotted the ends of the twine, and stapled them down, making sure it was tight enough so it wouldn't droop with the cards.

And the rest was easy-to-the-peasy.

it hangs nicely beside the new shelving we put up in the nursery, which are holding the growing library of children books - classic & new favourites).

Getting excited!

xo,

my sad pregnancy documentation.

2013-01-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

This is a bit of a break from a craft project, but I thought I'd share a bit of my preggo process just for fun.
I see so many amazing ways people have documented their growing baby bumps on Pinterest, but I can't say anyone will be rushing to the 'Pin' button with my pitiful collection.

So, here it goes:

moi at 22 weeks:

me at about 26 weeks (an iPhone pic I happened to send my friend, so much for the chalkboard. :) And what is that thing on the mirror/my eyebrow?):

Aaaand me today at 38 weeks (hello again chalkboard, dirty dinner table, & lopsided picture):

That's all I got for my baby bump pics. Lame, I know.

I guess the bright side is that the end is near! :)

xo,