Live From B5

Hej Då IKEA

2015-08-06T23:23:00.000-04:00

I suppose it is now time to let the blogging world know that I decided to leave my job at IKEA this summer. My last day was actually July 25th, so I've been on true summer vacation since then. It was a hard decision to leave, but one I knew was coming. Between teaching, tutoring, and IKEA during the school year, I rarely had downtime. Sunday was my only day or evening off during the week, and it was usually filled with house chores like cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping. Then Monday morning the crazy routine would start all over again!

By about May of this year I had hit a wall and needed a break. What most people don't realize is that even though the store closes at 9, my department was often scheduled until 9:30 or 10:00pm. But really that meant nothing, because we had to stay until all the orders from the day had been processed. Sometimes that meant I was at work until 11:30 at night on busy days. After having been at school since 7:30 in the morning, I usually got a little grouchy by that point! I ended up taking a leave of absence from my job for the month of May. It was the best decision I have ever made! I got to do things and hang out with family, friends, and coworkers that I never had time to do before because I was always working. I got to cook more meals at home instead of reheating leftovers in a work microwave. But the best part was being able to come home from school and not have to rush out the door to go somewhere else. I was home for the night.

While I was off, I got offered two new jobs, both in the music and teaching field. It was like the heavens (or my friends!) knew I needed a change! While these jobs will also keep me busy come the fall, the hours are much more regular and reasonable, and they are in the field that I studied and want to pursue. I went back to IKEA in June and submitted my resignation for the end of July.

While my job was long hours and sometimes back-breaking work, I did enjoy it. My coworkers were great, and I will miss them a lot! They are what made the job bearable sometimes! And sadly no more employee discount #boo. I won't miss the crazy customers and the insanity that is IKEA on a weekend though! Thank you IKEA Ottawa for a great three and a half years :)

Hallway Reveal

2015-07-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

I don't really have a hallway...it's just a strip of floor behind my sofa that splits off into three doors. But it has two walls and a ceiling so why not dress it up a bit! I don't actually have a picture of what I looked like when I moved in... #becauseitsnotarealspace Picture white walls and a boob light!

Here is how the hallway looks today :)

The homemade dominoes are by far my favourite art pieces.

My family and my dog get prime real estate on the walls too.

And who can forget swapping out the good ol' builder boob light for this beauty! I love turning it on at night and seeing the shapes it makes on the walls.

Here is a resource list for everything in the hallway:

Walls:

Paint: Camouflage (Benjamin Moore colour matched to Behr)

Lighting:

Glam Cobalt (Rona)

Accessories:

Photos: Homemade

Frames: On clearance at Michaels

Dominoes: Homemade (inspired by Shanty 2 Chic tutorial)

Want to read about the hallway reveal from the beginning? Here is a list of all the published posts along the way!

This Little Light of Mine

Dominoes - The Oversized Pieces

Long Time No See!

2015-07-22T16:51:00.001-04:00

So....11 months since my last blog post....

I started this post back in January during exam week thinking I was going to get back into blogging...that totally didn't happen. Between teaching, IKEA, and tutoring, blogging took a major back seat. LOTS has happened and hopefully I can get some updates up on the blog and fill everyone in on the happenings both in my house and life!

Kitchen:
I replaced the overhead light in my kitchen with a track light. I had been wanting to do this for a really long time. The single overhead didn't provide enough light, especially at night when I tried to do my dishes and half the sink was covered in a shadow. Now every work station is illuminated!

Den:
My den has seen the biggest transformation. The walls got painted a very bright blue! The colour is Electric Blue by Benjamin Moore. (It's the same colour as Carrie's apartment in the Sex and the City movie...that was an accidental discovery!) It's not quite as offending on the eyes as the pictures make it seem ;)

I also picked up some discontinued Ikea bookshelves of Kijiji for super cheap. They were originally pine, but I painted them white to contrast with the walls.

My sister found this shelving unit in the garbage this past summer. (She finds the BEST trash...I am never this lucky.) I took the legs off it, and painted it white also.

The furniture in my den got moved around to different walls, with the bookshelves serving as a built-in-type unit around my desk. The garbage unit piece got flipped upside down and hung between the two bookshelves. Now all my school books and resources will have a home!

Living Room:
You may remember when I went to Third World Bazaar two years ago. Well, I went again in the fall and picked up a really nice Moroccan vase, some peacock feathers, and flowers made of thinly cut wood. I combined them with some twisted sticks I had in a closet to create a corner display with Stevie Bird. (Sorry for the pajamas in the background...just keeping it real...)

I'll try and be better about posting new updates. The quality of some of these photos is also pretty bad, but I wanted to get an update out regardless! I still need to do some individual room reveals too. Even if I only get 1 post out a month it will still be an improvement. I am still alive! #needmorefreetimeforblogging

Easy DIY Charging Station

2014-09-26T22:16:00.000-04:00

Technology...I love it, but hate all the cords required for it to work! I needed a place to corral the charging cables for my phone and various other electronics. I know there are proper charging stations you can buy, and there are even some DIY's out there online too, but I wanted something cheap and easy.

So I took a walk over to my local Dollarama and lo and behold found this great turquoise box. It even had a lid. I transformed it into a decorative charging station using nothing other than scissors.

It's made of cardboard, so I cut a hole in the back just large enough for the end of the phone charger to fit though.

Then it's simply a matter of plugging your phone in to charge! I tend to leave the lid off when my phone is charging, just to let the heat escape. But otherwise the lid goes on and it looks just like a normal box.

Is it the most glamorous? Probably not. Was it cheap? At $2.50 I'd say yes. And I love the blue. It matches Stevie Bird's feathers! For now, it's a solid win on organizing my charging devices.

Dominoes - The Oversized Pieces Edition

2014-09-01T17:38:00.000-04:00

Alas, it is the first day of September. I'm always a little sad on this day. It means the warm days of summer are almost over and winter will be here before we know it. It means back to school and back to the crazy pace of normal life. Labour Day weekend is our busiest time at IKEA since we are in a city with 2 universities and a college, so I'm grateful that Labour Day is a holiday and I get to enjoy the outdoors one last time. I'm currently cooling off on my balcony after a hot morning in the sun :)

I wanted to share with you a project I completed a few weeks ago when I was up visiting at my parent's trailer. I was bummed that summer was almost over and I had not completed 1 thing on my summer to-do list yet (I had grand plans, haha). So I took my supplies with me and completed it with my mom, and I am sooooo pleased with how it turned out. I present to you, my new set of dominoes.

I got the idea from Shanty 2 Chic and had pinned their domino tutorial before I'd even moved in. I won't give you the full tutorial as theirs is fantastic, I'll just show you some pictures along the way! (I did this at the trailer don't forget, so enjoy the backgrounds of the lake, fire pit, picnic table, etc!)

I started with a 2 x 10 piece of lumber I got at Home Depot for under $10. I had it cut there into sections 16" long. This gave me 6 sections and I picked the best 3 (now I have 3 extra pieces left to make something else!)

We sanded them down, with the sander and by hand, to get nice rounded corners like a domino.

I gave each one 2 coats of paint. I used Cozy Cottage by Behr. They no longer carry the paint chip, but if you ask, they can still make it for you. I just got a little test pot.

Then, I took some coarse sandpaper, and roughed up the edges again, as well as the corners, removing some of the paint. I applied a Red Mahogany stain to the newly sanded areas. This step did not work like I thought it would. The stain went on purple and I was worried I had ruined them. Not only that, it stained the areas that were still painted, not just the sanded parts. So after I stained the edges, I went back over them with a very fine sandpaper and removed the yucky parts. You can't even tell now!

It poured rain for the next few days so I finished off the painting of the dominoes in the trailer. I marked off the centre line with some painter's tape and dry brushed some black paint on.

Then came the hard part - how do we draw on the dots so they are symmetrical... My mom came up with the idea of making a stencil. But we weren't sure how to do that, and I didn't bring supplies for stencil creations... so we used the back of a magazine cover, and traced the bottom of a plastic cup. We broke our brains a few times trying to figure out the math, but after one failed attempt we ended up with a kick-butt stencil that would work for any number. Like the centre line, I dry brushed the dots in black.

Shanty 2 Chic's tutorial mentions using a glaze as the final step. I couldn't find the glaze they used (Home Depot no longer carries it) and after researching glazes, I wasn't sure I even wanted to do the next step. Making your own glaze sounded way too complicated. But the dominoes were also too "white" looking. They didn't have the vintage, aged look to them I was going for that the glaze would have provided. So I took them home and pondered this for a few days. After my sister saw them, she suggested using a wax finish. I had never heard of this either, so I researched wax finishes as well. It seemed much more user friendly. I found one brand of wax that was carried by Home Hardware that had a dark finish to it. I could only find clear finishes at Lowe's, and Home Depot, but you may have better luck than me! I picked up a small can of Minwax Finishing Wax for Dark Surfaces.

Basically, you put a ball of it in a cloth that is not woven tightly (they suggested cheesecloth, which I didn't have, so I used a Jay cloth instead). Then when you press the cloth on the domino, the wax oozes out the holes in the cloth. It's simply a matter of rubbing the cloth over the entire domino until you get the effect you are looking for. More wax + more pressure with the cloth = a darker finish. FYI - this stuff smells bad and is pretty messy so I suggest doing it outdoors or in a well ventilated room!

Here you can see the difference between the original domino (left) and the waxed domino (right).

I attached a saw tooth hook on the back of each for easy hanging.

I hung my dominoes on the wall that separates my kitchen from my bedroom. I call it my teeny-tiny hallway :)

I adore how they turned out and they draw your attention away from all the thermostats and switches on that wall. Anyone up for a game of dominoes now? #Ihavenoideahowtoreallyplay

PS. When you do a project at the trailer you sometimes have to improvise when you forget to bring things with you and the nearest store is an hour away! Some things I used that were/were not photographed:

-Sticks from a tree with their dirty bark peeled off as paint stir sticks
-A rolled piece of tinfoil as a paint stir stick (for the rainy days when the sticks are no longer viable...)
-Firewood to raise the dominoes off the ground for painting
-Fingernail scissors to cut out the stencil
-Plastic disposable cup as a round tracer
-Magazine cover as a stencil
-A plastic bag wrapped and taped around my hand to use as a glove when staining
-A toothpick, a jay cloth, and a tiny piece of jay cloth (basically lint) to use for staining (hence the need for the plastic bag hand cover)

Never a dull moment when you DIY ;)

Bathroom Reveal

2014-08-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

My bathroom is tiny with no natural light. Just enough room for a vanity, a tub and a toilet. In fact, taking these pictures was ridiculously hard because nothing would fit in the frame of the photo! When I first moved in, the only storage I had was under the sink. Needless to say it was a bit of a nightmare. There were no hooks and no towel bars either. You may recall that I kept my makeup on the back of the toilet...and I put my makeup on under the ever so fashionable Hollywood lighting.

My bathroom needed some help. Here's how it looks today.

A lot has happened in here. First, I added a piece of fabric to the bottom of my shower curtain so it would go all the way to the floor. I loved this curtain because it had mesh at the top which allows more light in the shower area. I totally got the idea from a hotel I stayed in!

I purchased glass shelves, hooks, a new mirror, and storage cabinet from IKEA. Desperately needed them. Removing the builder mirror proved quite a challenge too since it was glued to the wall!

The Hollywood vanity lighting was replaced with a new fixture.

Storing toilet paper is super easy in a clear glass vase.

Here is a resource list for everything in the room:

Walls:

Paint: Verdigris (Behr)

Storage:

Mirror: IKEA Lillangen series

Cabinet: IKEA Lillangen series

Hooks: IKEA Lillholmen

Shelves: IKEA Grundtal

Lighting:

Vanity Light: Lowe's

Accessories:

Clear Vase: Walmart

Green Geometric Box: Homesense

White Wicker Box: Bouclair

Shower Curtain: Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Shower Mat: Homesense

Not having to store my toiletries and makeup on the back of a toilet = priceless. One day I think I would like to change the faucet to one that doesn't stick out quite so far into the sink, but I haven't found one that I like, for a price I like. I might also consider putting a tile backsplash around the back of the sink. Nonetheless, I'm happy with how it turned out!

Want to read about the bathroom reveal from the beginning? Here is a list of all the published posts along the way!

Bathroom Light Fixture

Makeup on Shelf Not on Toilet!

Tackling the Bathroom: Storage

How to Paint Around a Toilet

Shower Curtain Makeover

How to Remove a Glued on Mirror

Sprucing up the Bathroom

Bedroom Reveal

2014-08-22T16:40:00.003-04:00

My bedroom has been finished for sometime now, but with the summer here, I couldn't get motivated to sit and write blog posts! My bathroom is also complete, along with my tiny hallway and a DIY project, so those will also be coming up in the next little while. I will also be updating my house tour page, so stay tuned!

Here are some before shots of my bedroom after I'd moved in.

Here is how it looks now after some paint, 2 IKEA hacks, some new accessories, and some DIY projects!

My favourite thing is the nightstand that was made from an IKEA Rast dresser. It provides more storage and more space on top than my previous one!

I created the 4 photos in the black square frames in Photoshop. They are all either places or memories that are important to me. I couldn't find square frames ANYWHERE. My mom ended up finding them in JoAnn's in Arizona when she was there and hauled them back here for me! The other colourful, flower photos I've had since university but never had any where to display them. I picked up some black Nyttja frames from IKEA and finally put them on display on the sliver of wall between my closet and the door.

I've always loved the look of a juju hat, but for the price they go for, it was never going to happen! The juju above the bed was one of my very first DIY projects on this blog. The feathers blow lightly in the wind when the window is open and add a soft texture to the room.

The corner shelf unit was the first IKEA hack I had ever attempted. It fills the weird corner space perfectly and allows me to display my giraffe collection, and houses my tv.

I also updated my closet doors with some tape and paint. Honestly, I can't even remember what they looked like before!

Here is a resource list for the room (if you see something not listed and you're interested, just let me know!):

Walls:

Paint: Fine Silver (Dulux Paint colour matched to Behr) and Anonymous (Behr)

Light Fixtures:

Nightstand: Winners

Dresser: Base: unknown (had it forever!), Shade: Bouclair

Bed:

Duvet: IKEA (I think it's discontinued now though)

Headboard: DIY from an old door with added crown moulding

Wool Pillow: IKEA (also discontinued)

Juju Hat: DIY

Wooden Wall Accessories: Third World Bazaar

Reading Corner:

Chair: Kijiji (it's an IKEA Poang, however the cover is discontinued)

Frames: JoAnn Fabrics

Window:

Curtains: Home Outfitters

Pull-Down Blind: Levelor from Lowe's

Storage:

Dresser: Mine from childhood

Corner Shelf: Ikea hack from Lack tables

Nightstand: Ikea hack from Rast chest

It's so nice being able to go to sleep in a room that is relaxing and clean each and every night!

Want to read about the bedroom reveal from the beginning? Here is a list of all the published posts along the way!

Classy Closet Doors

Ikea Hack Quilted Nightstand

Lights and Things

Corner Shelf Ikea Hack

Grey and Cozy in the Bedroom

DIY Juju Hat

DIY Picture Frame Tray

2014-08-01T11:20:00.002-04:00

I wanted to find a tray for my kitchen to hold my sugar bowl, and my oil and vinegar bottles. I looked everywhere for either a lucite one or a turquoise one. And as fate would have it, as soon as you start looking for something specific it can never be found!

My mom had some old picture frames lying around from when we moved my grandparents into their residence. It was unique, with a pretty border. But I hated the brass colour. Sorry guys, still not jumping on the gold/brass bandwagon!

I removed the clips and stand from the back with a pair of pliers.

Then it was simply a matter of spray painting the frame. I used Krylon's indoor/outdoor Ocean Breeze.

I made a chevron pattern, and printed it from my computer. Then put the whole frame back together.

Makes a great tray if I do say so myself! And it only cost $5.00 for the paint!

Welcome Walter

2014-07-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to Walter...Walter Concrete. (He's a distant cousin of Walter Cronkite...)

I picked him up at TJ Maxx in New York when I was there last November. He has sat in my front entry since then to greet me when I arrive home. He's actually made of concrete...maybe he's meant to go outside...I'm not really sure... He was in the clearance section, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings so he doesn't know #itsasecretdonttell.

For my birthday, my sister got me a cute little sweater for him to wear. Now Walter is ever so dapper! I thought about painting him, but can't bring myself to do it just yet. So for now, he stays as Walter Concrete, my guard dog.

How to Transfer an Image to Wood

2014-07-02T11:24:00.001-04:00

If you read my last post on my balcony updates, you saw my wooden Littlefoot Gardens sign that I made. As promised here is the super simple tutorial on how to do it.

I based my sign off of the tutorial from Crafts Unleashed. If you'd like more photos of the step-by-step I suggest you check out their site! I was mostly trying to see if I could get the process to work and not mess it up (since I only had 1 piece of wood!) so I didn't take as many photos as I probably should have.

Supplies Needed:
Wood
Images (printed with a laser printer)
Stain
Mod Podge
Clear outdoor varnish

My piece of wood came from a pallet my sister picked up from the side of the road. She was making some planter boxes for her balcony and she saved the scruffiest piece for me! I stained it with one coat of wood stain.

Next, I found images and created the text I wanted to use on my sign. If you want words like I did, make sure you reverse them in a photo-editing program, otherwise your words will turn out backwards on the finished product. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you print your images on a laser printer. An ink jet printer won't work, as the ink will run when you try to transfer it. If you want a colour image, you can print it on a colour laser printer, do a colour photocopy of your image, or simply paint the final product!

Cut out your image and apply a very generous coat of mod podge over your image. I put so much on I could barely see the image anymore. Another tip I discovered was make sure you cut as close to the image as possible. I just cut a square around mine, and if you stand very close to my sign with your head tilted at an awkward angle, you can see the old outline of the paper. Press the image, photo side down, to the wood. Smooth it out to eliminate any bubbles. I used my library card for this step :)

Let it dry completely overnight. Once it's dry, use a damp cloth or sponge to gently rub off the paper. If you use too much water or too much pressure, you are liable to rub off the entire image so be careful. Once you rub off all the paper you are left with a transferred image! (You can faintly see the square around my words that I mentioned before, in this picture)

It is impossible to remove all of the paper. You will be left with little "fuzzies" over your image. I simply coated the entire thing in mod podge and they disappeared. I then coated the entire sign in an outdoor spray varnish. I did about 4 coats since it would be in direct sunlight most of the day and would get wet in the rain.

I attached an eye on either side of the wood and tied a piece of twine to hang.

I love the end result! It was so easy to do and relatively quick too. It looks like the image is a part of the wood rather than just glued on. The possibilities for this technique are endless!

Summer at Last

2014-06-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

At long last summer has arrived! I didn't think it would ever get here. My last day of school was yesterday and it was filled with graduation and goodbyes as I'm moving on to a different school next year. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break and only working one job (at Ikea) this summer! My last blog post was over a month ago and I definitely want to change that! I've done lots of little things around the house in the last few months that I need to document and share. I thought I'd start with my balcony since outside is where I want to be these days!

Littlefoot Gardens is going strong again this year! I have green onions, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, sweet pickle peppers, and raspberries growing. I also have my pot of flowers and a little rose bush that my dad gave me for my birthday back in March. It was pretty much dead by May. It is so hard keeping a rose bush alive during cold winter months, even when it is indoors! But ever since I put it outside it has rebounded and is even producing a few flowers buds!

I got two new blue bird cushions from Lowes. The ones I had from last year faded REALLY badly and got mouldy... These ones are really nice and plump.

I also picked up a new outdoor rug from Target. I spent a little more on it then I wanted to, but it was a necessity. My favourite blue and white, Moroccan-patterned one from last year completely disintegrated. There were little pieces of blue plastic EVERYWHERE. It got to the point where I had to leave a separate pair of shoes outside to only wear on the balcony. This one is soft on the feet and feels more durable than my last one. I was bummed I only got a year out of my previous one, but I guess that's what you get when you only spend $12! And I learned my lesson of never purchasing a plastic rug again!

You may have noticed my Littlefoot Gardens sign hanging on the wall. I made it out of a piece of wood from a pallet and some laser printer images. I'll share a tutorial this week on how to make your own wooden sign. It was really easy!

Enjoy the long weekend to all my fellow Canadians!

Ikea Hack: Quilted Rast Dresser

2014-05-19T13:40:00.001-04:00

My last Ikea Hack was so popular, that I wanted to try another one! (You can read about my Lack Corner Shelf Hack here.)

I wanted a new nightstand for my bedroom that was a little bit bigger and provided some more storage. The one I was currently using I'd had since I was a child and it was getting pretty squishy. I only had room for a lamp, my clock, and a phone. Anything else, like books I was reading, had to go on the floor. I immediately thought of the Rast dresser from Ikea. It's cheap and easy to customize. I did some Pinterest searching, and came up with lots of ideas. I loved the idea of covering it in a faux ostrich fabric like I'd found at Simple Details, but I also liked the idea of trimming out the bottom to make it look more expensive, like The Accent Piece had done.

I purchased the Rast over March Break. I had every intention of making this my March Break project...that totally never happened considering I only just finished it!

Here is what my bedroom looked like before, and what the Rast dresser looked like before:

I'd say it was a pretty significant transformation! Here's how the whole process went down.

I purchased the Rast model for $39. It was super simple to build - took probably 20 minutes.

When you build the dresser, the piece of wood that runs along the bottom does not sit flush with the front of the two side pieces (you can see what I mean in the before picture above.) My dad helped me out, and we drilled new holes above the pre-existing ones so the front would sit flush when assembled. This ensures that you have no gap when you install the moulding.

Next, we measured and cut the moulding to go along the bottom. (I will leave out the gory details we encountered in this step...in true DIY fashion there may have been a lot of arguing. We even contemplated not doing the moulding anymore. The moulding I picked was too large for our miter saw and couldn't be cut properly. Lessons learned: measure how how high your saw can cut before purchasing wood, and don't start this step at 10:30 at night...) We were going to nail the moulding to the bottom, but, of course, the nails were not cooperating, so we just decided to glue and clamp. The glue worked, I recommend that! We also measured and drilled for the new handles. I didn't bother filling in the old holes as they were going to be covered by fabric later anyway.

I let the glue dry overnight, and the next morning I had some serious filling and sanding to do! (I told you the cutting was pretty bad!)

I had two test pots of paint mixed at Home Depot for about $5 each. One was colour matched to the fabric I chose, and the second one was just plain black. I primed everything first. Then I painted the edges of the frame black as well as the moulding along the bottom. (Once it was painted, you couldn't even tell the moulding had been so crazy! yay!) I painted the edges of the drawers, as well as along the inside of the frame, the fabric colour. This ensures that when the drawers are closed, you don't see any of the original pine. Everything received 2 coats.

The splurge for this project was the fabric. There are not a lot of fabric stores in Ottawa, let alone ones that sell quality vinyl. I didn't want to go with just regular fabric as I was worried it would pucker once it was glued. I ended up finding some nice quilted looking vinyl. When all was said and done, it cost about $56 for one yard. Definitely more than I wanted to spend, but I realized I was going to have to if I wanted to achieve the look I was going for. I measured and cut pieces for the front of all three drawers, the two sides of the frame, and the top.

I used some spray adhesive to glue the pieces down. **Note: after about 24 hours the glue started to not adhere and the corners of the fabric were peeling off. I recommend using a light coat of white glue instead of the spray. I ended up having to go back and touch up the glue.

Then it was simply a matter of piercing through the vinyl to attach the new handles (I used a needle) and reinserting the drawers. I wanted to purchase a piece of glass to put on the top to protect the fabric. I shopped around for some quotes, and it was going to cost almost $80 to have a proper piece cut! So not worth it! I was palletizing a kitchen while working at Ikea the other day and noticed that the glass shelves we sell looked about the same size. I purchased one of the Rationell 24x12" glass shelves and it fits! It's a bit small, but I just centered it on the top and it looks fine. And at $10 ($20 for 2) it was way better than getting glass custom cut!

I love it. It finishes off the room really nicely. I just have some accessories to tweak in the room and I think I can call the bedroom complete! I'll add it to my house tour once it's done!

Classy Closet

2014-04-22T19:06:00.001-04:00

I've been slowly plugging away at my bedroom...and I do mean slowly! Last Christmas it was painted, then I purchased some new accessories in February. Over March Break (wow that feels like a long time ago!) I painted my closet doors. I LOVE how they turned out.

Here's a before of what the doors looked like. Plain, builder white. Don't mind the blue tape. The photo was from back when I did my pre-delivery inspection.

Here's what they look like now!

All that is required for this project is some painter's tape, a pencil and ruler, and your wall paint colour. Super simple!

I measured 3 inches in from all my corners and made a mark on the door. Sorry for the grainy, phone photos. I took them on a snowy, blizzard day in March so the lighting was pretty bad!

I made a few marks down the sides as well to line my tape up. I pressed the tape down to make sure it was sealed REALLY well.

Then it was simply a matter of painting over the entire door, tape and all! I did 2 coats on each door.

I was nervous when I peeled the tape off since I wasn't sure if the paint had bled through. Luckily, it wasn't too bad. The worst spots were the corners. I took a small razor blade and lightly scraped off the paint splotches that seeped under the tape. Lesson: make sure you press the corners down really firmly!

The doors now blend really nicely with the wall and don't seem so huge. The pattern is simple and very classy looking. It really draws your eyes up and reinforces the high ceilings! I LOVE them!! If you are looking for an easy way to spice up your boring doors, this is the project to choose!

Starting the Spring Cleaning

2014-04-06T18:34:00.001-04:00

I SAW MY FIRST ROBIN TODAY. I am seeing the arrival of pavement and grass too. I think this mythical thing called spring may actually be coming.

It was a whole 9 degrees here today so I threw open the patio door a crack and let some fresh air in. I also got started on my spring cleaning.

Project organize kitchen cabinets:

I still had presents from Christmas that I had not put away...mostly kitchen items since I didn't have room in my cupboards for them! If there's one thing I've learned living in a small space is you have to make use of vertical surfaces whenever possible. This includes your cupboards as well. I bought some plate racks from Canadian Tire (I've been waiting for them to come on sale forever!), and some baskets from the dollar store. I didn't take any before photos because I was too excited to get started and I forgot...but just picture a mess of dishes, food, tupperware, and lots of unused space!

I can see everything I own now, and each dish has it's own home. I call this project a success!

I also put away my winter coats and washed my scarves and mitts. The entry way floor was washed and vacuumed. I've decided I will do one room at a time, but each room is going to get a thorough cleaning. Front entry...done. We'll see what next weekend brings!

Winners at Homesense!

2014-03-16T16:16:00.000-04:00

Did you get that little title joke there? Because they are both owned by the same company? haha...okay...

I've been slowly plugging along working on my bedroom (really so far all that's done is the painting). I have lots of inspiration pinned on Pinterest, and one thing I know for sure I want to do is get a bigger nightstand. I currently have the same one that I used when I was a child and all it holds is a lamp and my alarm clock. If I'm reading a book, it does not get a nice place on the nightstand, it has to go on the floor. I wanted to update the nightstand (a project I'm currently working on!) and get a new, fancy lamp. For Christmas, one of my tutoring students gave me a gift card to Winners. I went on a little shopping trip with my mom to see what we could find.

Let's just say it was one of those shopping days where you hit every deal and sale possible. Don't you just love those days when they are unplanned?

I found a super, cool linen-covered box, with a lid and handles for $9.00 at Homesense. I have been looking for a new box for AGES to replace a dirty, old white one I have from IKEA. I love its faux wood look too, and at nine bucks I couldn't pass it up!

Then I found this awesome lamp in the lighting section. But the shade had a dirty mark on it. I considered trying to get a discount on the price (but it was already on clearance, probably because of the stain) and then cleaning it when I got home, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. There's a Winners store near my house, so we made a trip there to see if they had anything else, or even possibly the same lamp, since I really did love it. By now I had decided I was going to use my giftcard for a new lamp. Well, wouldn't you know Winners had the exact same lamp! I was so excited! But the shade was all dented in...boooo...nooooo. I was bummed. The store manager happened to be within earshot and heard me lamenting the state of the shade and offered to let me swap lamp shades with any other lamp in the store. After hemming and hawing, and walking away twice, I found one that I think works better than the original. And that's how I walked home with this beauty! After my gift card, it only cost me $15.00!

Since my new lamp was going on my nightstand, my current bedside lamp was going to be moved to my dresser, since I have no overhead lighting in my bedroom. So we made a quick dash into Bouclair to see if they had a lampshade I had seen on their website. They didn't (bummer) but I did find another patterned one that was on sale. What I didn't realize was that the store was closing (I'm so sad about this, and as I'm writing this now the store has officially closed) so I got 70% off the price. I got the lampshade for $8.00. Can't beat that! So my old lamp got a little eight dollar makeover.

I can't wait for the whole room to come together! It's slow going, but maybe by the summer the reveal will be ready. If summer EVER gets here! #sotiredofwinter

Birthday Festivities

2014-03-09T22:17:00.001-04:00

Last week was my birthday! Those of you that follow me on Instagram saw some preview pictures the day of, but here is a short rundown of the day!

My mom and sister tried to plan a surprise party for me last weekend, but sadly it didn't pan out. I did receive some lovely flowers from my friend Danielle in Nova Scotia! That was an awesome surprise and so nice of Danielle and her husband to send. There's nothing like the smell of fresh flowers in the house after this LONG winter.

I also got a pretty rose plant from my Dad. It's tradition for him to give flowers or a plant to each of us on our birthday :)

So instead of a party, I went out for dinner with my family to a Chinese food buffet (my favourite!) followed by some bowling. It's been ages since I've bowled but it was super fun! Check out those glow in the dark shoes!

We came back to my parents' house for some cake and presents. I had joked a few weeks earlier that I wanted a Cookie Monster cake. Well, my mom didn't take it as a joke and made such a cool cake! Isn't it awesome?!

My students were also very sweet and sang happy birthday to me during our morning rehearsal, and I got a handmade card from another. I'll be sad when this job ends in June!

This week is March break here so I'm hoping to get some projects done and a few more blog posts written. But, it's also awesome just to relax so we'll see how it goes! :P

Shelf Stylin'

2014-02-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

I'm horrible at styling shelves. I am constantly looking at inspiration photos to see if I can learn by osmosis...it hasn't really worked yet! My sister has been working on her living room this long weekend and she sent me some pictures of her progress. I think I might be inviting her over to help me style every shelf in my house!

Here's a few of her shots we can all use as inspiration!

My favourite part is the gold hippo (a thrift store find!). Hope you are all enjoying this long weekend. I'm so blissfully happy to have 2 days off in a row!

Grey and Cozy in the Bedroom

2014-01-24T16:10:00.003-05:00

I had one goal over the Christmas break and that was to get my bedroom painted. I had bought the paint back in August during a paint sale and then never got around to actually painting...oops. I wanted to go grey, and spent a lot of time researching trying to find the perfect one. I was inspired by this gorgeous bedroom, from that always-played Ikea bedroom commercial:

as well as this one, from HGTV:

Here is my bedroom before

And here is the after!

I went with two different greys. Behr's Anonymous for the wall behind my bed, and Dulux's Fine Silver (colour matched at Home Depot) for the other three walls. I LOVE them together. They allow for both my white and black furniture to stand out, while at the same time creating a cozy and relaxing atmosphere. Perfect for sleeping :)

I have a plan for the closet doors but that will have to wait for another day...or another vacation time...maybe March break!

Happy New Year!

2014-01-02T16:21:00.000-05:00

Can't believe 2014 is here already. Tomorrow is my last day of vacation before heading back to school and tutoring on Monday (I've continued at Ikea over the Christmas break). The holidays always go by so fast, and I'm always a little sad when I pack up the decorations for another year. It was a great two weeks though - so much food and good times! I do feel like I've had a break which is nice, but it will be tough to get back into the rat race again next week.

I wanted to share with you a little project I completed in the living room before the holidays started. I had been researching wall decals for a LONG time, and when I found this tree at Ikea, I decided to give it a try.
It is the Mossen decorative sticker and is super easy to apply to the wall. It goes on like a paint by number. You peel off each individual piece and match it to its other corresponding piece on the wall. Here it is completed!

The little birdies on the branches are my favourite part :) I didn't want to put more shelves or more art on the walls so this is an interesting alternative. This pretty much completes my living room now. I think I'll wait and do some living room tour pictures come the summer when there is more sunlight coming in through the front windows and the Christmas decorations are down ;)

I have also started using Instagram. Those of you that follow me would have seen the wall decal up a few days ago already. You can find me here: http://instagram.com/livefromb5.

Here's wishing a happy and healthy 2014 to you all!

Live From B5 Turns 2!

2013-12-26T18:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Live From B5! This little blog has been going for two years now! I honestly didn't know I had that kind of dedication to keep something like this going for that long! December 26, 2011 marked the first post at Live From B5. Here are some awesome stats from the past year!

119 - the number of published posts written on Live From B5 to date (I only wrote 42 this year though! Such a slacker! I need to step it up in 2014. Last year: 77).

1500 - the average number of hits Live From B5 receives in a month. (The same as last year...way to keep it regular guys)

27 832 - the total number of hits Live From B5 has received all year. (That's a 64% increase over this time last year! Impressive!)

44 832 - the total number of hits Live From B5 has received to date.

13 508 - the total number of hits the most popular post has received (Former Lack to Corner Shelf Hack).

93 - the total number of comments left by you lovely readers!

2 days - the number of days of research and trial and error it took for me to create my house tour page. (NO joke...I hardly slept I was so obsessed with making it work)

1 year and 5 months - the number of months I've lived in my house!

Thank you so much for tuning in, and reading, and commenting on my little piece of the internet! These numbers aren't huge compared to some blogs out there, but they are definitely more than what I expected my little blog to achieve in 2 years! Here's to another year of DIY projects and inspiration! Happy Birthday Live From B5!

I've Been a Bad, Bad Blogger...

2013-12-23T16:06:00.000-05:00

Two months have passed since my last post....that is horrible in blog land. It wasn't for lack of posting topics but rather a lack of blogging time. My New Year's resolution this year is going to be to make more time for things I enjoy doing, even though I'm still maintaining my ridiculous schedule of 3 jobs and only 1 full day off a week, haha. Somehow I will make it work! I've been told that I need to join the Instagram community...that way when I can't post regularly, I can still post pictures. I know lots of other bloggers use it but I've never tried it. Thoughts?

Christmas time is here already (no idea how that happened) and I got the little abode all decked out.

I made the feather wreath out of a styrofoam ring and some feather boas. The boas were wrapped around the ring and then finished off with a silver ribbon. Quick, easy and cute :)

Isn't Ottawa pretty this time of year? (This was taken out the window of the convention centre downtown when I had my IKEA Christmas Party last weekend. The quality isn't the greatest, but the lights are awesome in person!)

I have done some other updates around the condo which I will share over the next few days. I'm off for a quick night shift at IKEA tonight, and then Christmas can begin! Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Thanks for being such great readers and following along with this humble blog.

A Trip to the Third World Bazaar

2013-10-20T20:09:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I made our annual trip to the Third World Bazaar with my mom and sister. Third World Bazaar is a family owned business in the Ottawa area that purchases products from around the world and then sells them directly to consumers. They believe in fair trade and buy the majority of their products from the artisans and craftsmen in the source country. They are only open 8 weekends a year, in October and November, so you have to be quick, otherwise you miss it!

I took some quick phone photos while I was there to show you all. The bazaar takes place in a barn. Combine that with the TONS of people in attendance and it made for some very quick photography in very tight spaces!

The section outdoors features some amazing root wood furniture, sculptures, and ceramics.

In the furniture room (which is actually an addition to the main barn), there are tables made from bicycle parts, hand-crafted wooden furniture and mirrors, an amazing hand-carved Moroccan archway, and I'd like to introduce you to O'Reilly...he sells for $675.

And if you're going to have giant busts, you must also have giant animals!

Here's Eddy the Elephant who weighs a whopping 363kg!

We can't forget my favourite, Freddy, the 3.35-meter high giraffe from Kenya. He's the most expensive piece in the bazaar at $4500.

There are smaller animals that are more affordable :), as well as dishes, trays, cutlery, vases. You name it, they probably have it!

There are also decorative lighting, wall art, pillows and textiles, and wall carvings.

We can't forget the Christmas corner or the clothing!

I came away with only 1 purchase that day. I'd like you all to meet Stevie the VII. He came with that name and I liked it so it stuck! You can all call him Stevie. He is made of tin and hails from Bali. He greets me every time I come in my front door. If you lift up his wings he's actually a candle holder. He's fun, quirky, and a nice addition to the entry.

If you're in the Ottawa area, Third World Bazaar runs every weekend until the end of November. Guaranteed you'll find LOTS of amazing things you won't find anywhere else!

Exciting News!

2013-10-11T17:03:00.000-04:00

I'm super excited to say that I got hired for a long term teaching job for the rest of the school year! I'm so pumped! It's so much better to have your own classes and students than to always be filling in for someone. I'm teaching 3 courses of music from grades 9-12.

As a result, I'm going to have to cut down on the blog posts for the next little while. I still have to keep my job at IKEA because this teaching gig will come to an end eventually, it's not permanent. I'm also tutoring math twice a week. I'm going to be really busy, so blogging will have to take a backseat.

I still hope to get some stuff accomplished around the house over the cooler fall months, and I have my sister's kitchen to document, so there won't be a shortage of things to share!

I hope you all have a great long weekend and a happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians :)

The Condo Kitchen: Sneak Peek

2013-10-03T18:58:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's October already. Summer flew by, and September actually felt like 1 week long. Now that I'm back into a regular work routine again, completing projects in a timely manner and getting regular posts out is tough. I have so much stuff I want to do, there just needs to be more hours in a day!

I spent this past weekend, and the Sunday before, at my sister's new condo. She bought it this summer and closed on it the beginning of August. It's really nice, with lots of mature trees, hardwood floors, and great layout. The only downside is the kitchen. Here's what it looked like when she moved in.

Don't you love that orange?!?!?! Needless to say it's the first room that needed a complete redo, since after she moved in the cabinet doors started to fall off, and the sink piping/drain came apart sending water flooding into the cabinet below.

I wanted to give you all a sneak peak at what the kitchen looks like now. I'll go into more details along the way. So for those of you that love a good kitchen reno and before and afters, you're in luck!

Such an improvement right? We're doing this as a complete family DIY with my mom and dad involved as well. Lots of weekends and work still ahead, but it's going to look awesome when done!

New Bathroom Light Fixture

2013-09-23T23:44:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday! I wanted to quickly share with you my new light fixture for my bathroom. If you remember, when I moved in, the vanity featured a nice Hollywood glam style...

I had my eye on this curvy guy from Lowe's, and when it came on sale I got the last one on the shelf!

There was a little adventure during the installation. When the old light fixture was removed, it was discovered there was no junction box in the wall... Just a hole and some wires...not cool builders, not cool.

So a trip to the hardware store was in order. My dad got the proper box and installed it for me. As a result, I had quite a bit of hole filling and spackling to do! But it's all done and the light is up!

It's hard to get good shots in such a small, dark room but hopefully you get the idea! The fixture definitely helps the whole room feel more updated. I'm still working on the decor items, but it's almost finished!

Here was the bathroom to-do list from a way back when:

~~Add a piece of fabric to the bottom of my shower curtain~~
Update the shower head
Change out the faucet (so I stop hitting my head on it when brushing my teeth!)
~~Update the light fixture~~
~~Change out the mirror~~
~~Add some closed storage~~
~~Add towel hooks~~
~~Add some open shelving over the toilet~~
~~Paint~~

Next up: a new faucet. My eyes are peeled for an affordable option that won't stick out too far into the bowl of the sink...too many head bonks to count!