Blog Favourites

There are just so many great blogs out there and so little time!  I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.  Why keep a good thing a secret right?  Click on the logos to check out these blogs.

Jones Design Company is a recent find for me and I was inspired right away.  Check out her kids' rooms...so fun!

Thrifty Decor Chick was one of the first blogs I discovered.  It's a great resource for DIY projects for the home.

This was the first blog I ever read and I can't even tell you how inspired I was!  I've never come across someone who loves different fonts as much as I do until Marta.  She writes about her life, her work and design inspiration.  You just need to check it out.


I stumbled across Ain't No Mom Jeans one day as I sought inspiration for my sad and boring wardrobe.  I was so excited to explore this blog and see that I wasn't the only mom struggling to redefine her style after having a sweet little one.  I particularly thought the New Here? section was a great introduction to this blog by real moms for real moms!


Honest to Nod is the blog attached to the store Land of Nod.  I haven't fully explored this blog yet since I only discovered it last night while window shopping on the Land of Nod site.  There are some cute ideas for all things kid related - crafts, food, party ideas.  I can tell right now that I'm going to waste spend a LOT of time here and I can't wait for their Christmas ideas to start popping up.

Well, those are just a smattering of the blogs I'm following right now.  Do you have any favourites to share?

Decorating baby's nursery - Little Dude

The start of a new year is always exciting.  I think one of the most irresistible things about it is the possibility of a fresh start.  I'm definitely taking that approach with my home.  It's a modest (some would say small) size - 1500 sq. ft in all, but it's very efficiently laid out.  The four bedrooms, two on each end, are on the smaller side but they hold fun possibilities.  The kitchen is pretty much closed off to the rest of the house but the dining area and living room are open and airy.  In an ideal world we would knock down the walls closing off the kitchen and open the place right up but my hubby and I are working to get out of debt so that remains a far-off dream.  That's ok though because our little house is ours.  We moved into it together after we were married and we had our first child in it.  Best of all, it's ours and I wouldn't change that for anything.  What I would change though is the decor.  BLEH!  It does not reflect our style at all.  Actually, it probably does reflect a style...the "I-don't-care" style which is NOT what I want people to feel when they come into our home.  So, this year is a year of possibilities.  I've got a laundry list of things I want to do, change, paint and maybe even build.  Do I think they'll all get done?  Probably not because like I said, we are trying to get out of debt, little dude is a busy 9 month old and I work out of our home 30 hours a week.  It's going to be a slow transformation but I'm so ready for the challenge.  My mind has been racing and I'm itching to get started.  There are some fun projects ahead and I am looking forward to stretching some of my creative muscles again.  There might even be a sewing tutorial or two!  YAY!

So to start it all off, I'm going to slowly tackle little dude's room.  We painted it before he was born but that's about it.  To be honest, I couldn't decide how I wanted to decorate it. As I've gotten to know little dude, rugby stripes just seem to fit.  I'm not big into themes but I love the bold colors and collegiate style.  It brings back great memories from university days when my sis and I would watch her hubby play rugby on rainy Saturdays.  My hubby is a great photographer so I'll probably use some of his work.  And I've got a couple of fun projects up my sleeve.  I also realized that my posts have been seriously lacking in the picture department so I think I'll start to change that today.  Here are some of the things that are inspiring me right now.

I love LOVE this rug!

The clean look of this organized space makes me feel all warm inside!  I love LOVE!

These canvas buckets are just the right combo of function and fun!  Totally love LOVE these!
*all photos courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids.

Where did you find your inspiration for decorating your child's room?


... one more thing.  Stay tuned for pictures of little dude's room before we get started!

Happy New Year

Well, it's been a very busy couple of weeks, as you can see by my lack of posting.  I'm super excited about the new year and about getting our house organized and decorated.  I almost started to take down my Christmas decorations but I had a special request from my hubby to keep them up until New Years was over.  How could I deny that?!

I have so many fun ideas coming but I'm going to have to pace myself.  On the list is finishing my little dude's room (finally).  Maybe I'll get it done before his first birthday... in March.  Yikes!

Also on the list is clearing out the spare bedroom, aka dumping grounds, since there's no more room to walk in there.  I'm kinda excited about what we are going to find (maybe my missing recipe folder that had ALL of my family Christmas baking recipes in it).  That'd be so nice!

I've also got a few other projects up my sleeve that are going to need to percolate in my brain a little longer.  My goal this year is to be realistic with how I organize my home and work at our strengths while finding workable solutions for our weaknesses.  I'll just say now, paper is the bane of my existence!  We've lived in our house, together, for three years and it does not reflect our style.  I am so excited to finally make it feel like a home complete with pictures on the walls.  I know right?!  It's pretty pathetic!

My hubby is a great photographer and has taken some amazing photos so I'm also looking forward to showcasing his work.  I've got some darling pics of little dude that are calling out to be printed and framed.  For now, I'll leave you with a little question... what are you excited about for this fresh, new year?

...one more thing - have a safe and happy New Year!

Let's Get Started

Not a creature was stirring...

It's 7:25am and I'm the only one up in the house. Little dude is sleeping soundly and big dude is catching some zzz's as well. Hmmm...where does my mind go when all is quiet and I can actually hear my own thoughts? This morning it went to my home. I'd love for my mind to linger there, peacefully enjoying my surroundings but not this morning. It quickly moved on to all of the clutter. UGG! That battle is an ongoing one and I just can not seem to get the upper hand. Well, I've decided today that I'm not going to let the clutter win any more. I am so excited to get started but I'm a little overwhelmed as to where to start (it ALL needs attention, and by all I mean ALL). I guess I'll just start with what I can see from where I sit on my comfy couch. There are Christmas boxes lined up, decorations that have yet to find a place, laundry in baskets and baby things all over. It's amazing how much stuff we can accumulate - phew. I am filled with anticipation for the day when I can sit on my comfy couch and look around at an organized and pleasing-to-look-at space. I can just see it now...ahhh...so peaceful. Let the games begin!