My House of Giggles

It's Wedding Favors season again! (and a little WeddingBells Magazine feature!!)

2012-01-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

A New Year brings with it a new wedding season......a bevy of beautiful new "brides-to-be" who are frantically (ok..maybe not *always* frantic) planning all of the little details that will be a part of their perfect day.

I've been so lucky to have had a little part in several weddings last year, where Giggle Sweets' little brown paper packages "tied up with strings" had pride of place on the wedding tables! :)

It's a lot of work getting wedding orders made, and packaged and shipped, because it all has to be done at the last minute to ensure that the caramel is as fresh as possible. It's a seriously labor-intensive process. But isn't that what "handmade" is all about? :) There are just some things that a machine can't do/make/produce with quite the same results. Caramel is one of them. Unless it's made in small batches, and carefully tended, it simply doesn't have the same taste.

I was so excited when WeddingBells magazine (Canadian) contacted me about featuring Giggle Sweets wedding favors in the Spring issue!

Just look at this cute roundup of sweet treats! :)

These were some beautiful pink and navy blue favors that I did for a wedding last year. I loved this colour combo!

All packed up and ready to go!

Bring it on, wedding season....Giggle Sweets is ready for you! ;)

Malibu, California ... Our vacation house for Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

This poor little blog has been so neglected.

The beauty of blogging for fun is that it really doesn't have to be a "must-do" type of thing :)

I already have a million things that *have* to get done every day, and this is just not one of them.

So...sorry if I left you high and dry. It's just how life goes sometimes :)

And this time, I was actually away on vacation! In the fabulous little town of Malibu, California (and Newport Beach where we spent the first few days).

My very generous brother rented this fabulous house for us all, and it couldn't have been more perfect!!

So...this post is all about the house and Malibu. I'll do a separate post with the real vacation photos :) Mostly for my own record ;)

sigh.

It was VERY hard to leave this place!

Just look at it!!

Our own pool and hot tub, with a little waterfall. so perfect.

With our own beautiful sprawling lawn. The boys loved to run and run...and run. There were even a couple of horses in the field below. And fruit trees with oranges and grapefruits growing :)

A pretty nice spot to BBQ...

The house, or should I say "villa", was really private with an electric gate and a circular driveway.

So private, in fact, that Tom Cruise was in this very driveway to use the in-house recording studio a few weeks ago! We were asked when we arrived if we'd mind terribly if "Meatloaf" came to record for a few hours. haha. They didn't end up coming, but kind of funny all the same :)

The patio was pretty perfect for lying in the sun while the boys were napping.

The inside of the house was really beautiful. It was the perfect mix of "light and airy" and cozy. As soon as we arrived, everyone just seemed to relax immediately. It's the perfect house for a family vacation. Big enough for the kids to run around and have fun, but with enough separate living areas to allow some privacy and relaxation. It cools down at night a lot, so we enjoyed using the two gas fireplaces a lot. So cozy!

The kitchen was HUGE! It was so perfect for preparing a big turkey dinner with all the fixings. Thank you, mom! :) I made the gravy ;) Does that count? It has sure made our little kitchen back at home feel like a closet. :(

This big family room was perfect for Santa :) It was also ideal for everyone to snuggle up on the huge couch and watch a movie in the evening. There was a huge media system built in with surround sound and every media machine you can imagine. There was a whole drawer full of remotes! haha.

The location was perfect as well....only a quick 1 minute drive (literally) down the hill to Zuma beach!

photo source: wikipedia

Or 5 minutes to Paradise Cove for the yummiest coconut macadamia pancakes you'll ever have :)

photo source: wikipedia

Or, if you're in the mood for some celeb-spotting/retail therapy....it was only about 7 minutes to the Malibu Country Mart / Lumber Yard where you can peruse through amazing stores like Kitson, Alice and Olivia, James Perse....or hit up Nobu for an amazing meal (if you go, don't leave without trying the chocolate spring rolls for dessert....oh my..I'm still thinking about them) :)

The Malibu Country Mart has got it all figured out....a nice playground in the middle, with delicious snacks/coffee/lunch for the dads/grandparents to enjoy (while watching the kiddos)....while the mommas shop away to their hearts' content ;) haha.....at least, that's the idea. Never really happened.

photo source: wikipedia

It's been very difficult to leave the California sunshine and return home to the Vancouver rain :( But....tis life.

I hope you all had an amazing holiday season!

Swanky Beans...The Best Coffee in the World! ( Kopi Luwak )

2011-12-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of Swanky Beans?

If not, then you're definitely missing out on one of life's finest delicacies.

The smoothest cup of coffee that the world has to offer!!

I'm serious.

I was so lucky as to get my little hands on a box of this stuff (thank you Dustin!), and after a much-anticipated wait for the french press to work its magic, I was in heaven.

I tasted the "Confident Bean" which had a really subtle almost chocolatey/nutty flavour to it. Amazing.

And check out the packaging!

So unique and modern....and entirely different from any other coffee packaging.

It's a perfect little gift, wrapped and ready to go :)

Inside the box is a heat-sealed kraft paper coffee bag, finished off with the same thick grosgrain ribbon as on the outside of the package.

There are four different varieties of beans...

The Socialite Bean, The Original Bean, The Confident Bean and The Refined Bean.

Love the names, love the idea behind this product.

What a great gift for the guy/girl/dad/mom who has everything :) I'm pretty sure they won't have tried this yet! It's every true coffee connoisseur's dream to try the famed Kopi Luwak coffee.

You can read more about it here at the Swanky Beans site.

A little bit of Christmas :) And a filled-up advent garland!

2011-11-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

I know...I know.....it's definitely a *little* bit early to be pulling out the Christmas decor....

but we're heading to Malibu, CA this year for Christmas and I figured we could just start everything a little earlier, instead of missing out on the festivities :)

And I love it! I love love love it!

There's something about holiday decorating that makes me giddy.

I didn't allow myself to buy anything new this year, and just made do with what we already had.

And we did just fine :)

I'm still on the cozy, rustic, Scandinavian look that I've loved for the past couple of years.

Kept the mantel fairly simple. My favourite cast iron deer, a little "pine" garland, red IKEA pots with red berries in them...and a plain red straw wreath in the middle. oh...and my little very random garland from last year with various wooden ornaments and miniature wool sweaters :) And the Elf on the Shelf....who is a new member of our family this year! The kids LOVE him. He decided to make himself at home in my wreath today....little rascal. ;)

I brought out the advent garland a little early this year.....decided to start it on the 23rd of this month (which so happened to be my birthday!), and it's exactly 24 days until we leave for California :) The boys were so excited!

There's just something about a row of chubby, choc-full stockings and mittens that gets kiddos (and their mommas) excited!

Our kids are on a no-sugar/no-starch diet right now (as I've mentioned before....to help Toby's little tummy), so there were no treats in the advent this year....just fun little toys and gadgets.

Some of the advent stuffers used this year:

Bouncy balls

Mini Christmas crackers

Holiday erasers

Vintage brass bells (thrift shop)

Stickers

Flashing Christmas light necklaces

Hacky sacks

Mini nutcrackers

Vintage souvenir spoons (with little dangly bears and stuff-- thrift shop)

Christmas Stamps

Mini flashlights

etc etc....

Mostly from the dollar store, or the thrift shop.

Here's "Rusty"....our resident elf. If you've never heard of the Elf on the Shelf....you need to take a look! It's lots of fun, and definitely helps from time-to-time with behaviour issues ;)

Love this little birdie! (thanks, Gramma Karen!) :)

My sister-in-law Dayna surprised me yesterday with some very cozy, "perfect for my room", cushions...but sadly, the light is not good today so I can't show you a picture of them! :(

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!! Hope you're all enjoying some cozy family time :)

xoxo

A DIY Kraft paper car mat (anything to keep little boys busy!)

2011-11-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

This little "project" is pretty self-explanatory.

Simple and easy.

Tools needed: Roll of Kraft paper (or any kind of paper, really)

Black Marker (or any colour, really)

Two small, but very enthusiastic art critics (who "oooh" and "aaahhh" over every new road/town/house)

Basically, we were going nuts all cooped up in the house with sick boys.

Until the awesome new "our whole world" car mat came to life.

They played with it for hours. Literally hours. And, trust me, they never play with any one thing for hours. We've hit the jackpot!!

We had to draw our house...of course. And cousin Fenton's house above it :)

And of course our favourite Sky Train line to the River Rock resort, and Downtown Vancouver :)

Please excuse my 10-second drawings (literally....they were breathing down my neck!)

Heck...even trains can run wild in our world :)

Busy, busy boys.

We had to have Toys R Us....oh...and IKEA! "Can't forget IKEA !!" (Toby said)

Try it. :)

You'll see.

Totally works.

In fact, before the first "mom, can I have a snack?" was uttered, I may have gotten the supper made, and half of a decor magazine read ;)

Tufted Wing Chair Makeover (Painting Upholstery)

2011-11-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's been wayyyy too long since my last furniture project!

I seem to have lost my "oomph".

When it comes to making changes/improvements around the house, it seems like my inspiration and motivation comes in spurts. I'm either super into it, and working on little projects in my spare time....or I'm just not into it at all.

We've had the new flooring (a sort of white-washed wood-look laminate floor) in our basement/lower level for about 6 months now, and I still haven't finished decorating the space! Unbelievable.

It's still nowhere near being finished, but at least I've started!

ok...now...on to the chair.

This lovely big wing chair was picked up by my sister in law, Dayna, for me at our local thrift shop's collectibles sale. How awesome is she!!!?

It was a great burnt orange colour, and I tried to make it work, but the room was sort of "rejecting" it ;)

so....I did what all good little bloggers do, and started googling/pinteresting (is that a term now??), etc and found this link. The amazingly innovative Kristy, over at Hyphen Interiors had the guts to paint an upholstered chair.

heck....if she's brave enough, then I should be too, right??

So...I gave it a go.

Now...before you start wondering why mine doesn't look as vibrant as hers.....this is only one coat of paint (so far).

Here's the clincher....I kind of like it like this!

What do you think??

It has a vintage-y "worn leather" look, reminiscent of copper that's turned green.

I'm still debating whether or not I'll give it a second coat, to end up with a more solid, vibrant turquoise hue. Not sure. Still deciding.

This is the "before" shot :)

The big piece of driftwood that we're using as a little "side table" came from the beach...hehe.....you know...borrowed ;). Dustin was such a good sport and carried that sucker all the way to the car! VERY heavy. But totally worth it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions :)

Halloween... (the last post, I promise!)

2011-11-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a fun day.

It was the first day that Toby started to feel a little better, after his dental surgery, so we made the best of it and headed outside for some fresh air.

I've been wanting to take pictures of the boys in the fallen leaves for weeks now, but it seems like it never stopped raining!! ugh.

Finally...a beautiful, crisp autumn day!

Nothing quite like a leaf fight to lift your spirits, and help you forget about your sore teeth :)

(check out that new front tooth on the right (his right)...he says "I don't like my new tooth, it looks like a piece of GUM")

Finny showing off his chompers too :)

So...as usual.....I tried and I tried to get just ONE. DECENT. SHOT of the two of them together....but alas.....this is as good as it's gonna get.

hah!

Not for lack of trying, I tell you. I was literally sweating after this.

Finn is a crazy man. He's never content just doing normal "just turned two" year old stuff. Maybe it's because he watches his big brother doing all sorts of fancy tricks? I don't know....but he always has to push the limits. I quite often hear "Yook at me, mam....YOOK at MEEEE" :)....and always find him in some crazy position, standing up high on something. sigh. Boys.

Pumpkin carving was a bigger hit this year than it was last year. At least, as far as Tobes was concerned! He couldn't wait to get right into it. Finny, on the other hand, walked around going "aghghghghhhhh....yechhhhhh......I don't YIKE yucky pumpkin GOO" :)

Now, before you freak out and say "Why is that small child wielding a knife???".....this was a very dull pumpkin carving tool that was surprisingly good for carving! And it turns out, Toby was great at it!

This was his request (not sure where he got the idea...must have seen it somewhere?)....a big SCARY pumpkin eating a little tiny one. "But mom, don't make it too scary.....actually, I feel really sad for the little pumpkin. Can you make him a big brother to scare off the big pumpkin?" :)

And the the trick-or-treating :)

Dustin was rocking a superhero sweatshirt and the boys loved it!

There's just something completely irresistible about jack-o-lantern glow, isn't there? :) At least, the Cat in the Hat thought so.

Dustin and I carved most of the pumpkins the night before, after the kids were in bed. Yes...call us crazy, but we did quite a few! :) We actually only carved 3 of them, and used the power drill for the rest. Cheaters!

Ok...enough Halloween for now......I've got a chair project to show you next :) Finally....a little furniture love! (it's been TOO long!)

A cute, but very scary, Bat... and the Cat in the Hat

2011-10-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a crazy out-of-control household, there lived two funny little men...

the "very scary", but actually very cute, Bat...

And the Cat in the Hat. (who was actually meant to be a robot, but decided he'd rather be a cat) :)

The Bat imagined he looked like this....and that he was, in fact, the reason that people were scared in the Haunted House.

When in actual fact, he looked a lot more like this :)

Or this....cheeky little bat!

And then there was this little guy. In a costume that's about 4 sizes too big. And loving it!

Seriously....who wouldn't smile when they saw this little creature coming to their door? ;)

It gets even better when the elastic in your costume happens to tuck in nicely behind your double chin :)

The very scary Bat had his dental surgery yesterday morning, and is recovering really well. He's starting to get his energy and appetite back, thank goodness :) And my nerves appear to be getting slightly calmer. It was definitely up there as one of the most stressful days I've ever had.

Thank you for all your thoughts.

Hope you all have a fun Halloween!

The Halloween party that didn't happen...

2011-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween is being somewhat hijacked this year.

Poor little Toby has dental surgery tomorrow morning :(

Which, by the way, is NOT helping my already-annoying anxiety problems. (but that's another story for another day)

Long story short, instead of getting ready for a Halloween party like we've done for the past few years, we're going to be spending the day in a surgical centre with one small boy.

I ordered these fun tissue paper balls/flowers, etc. in anticipation of decorating for a party, and we decided to just go ahead and do it up regardless. No sense in wasting them, right? ;)

And call me silly, but I love getting dressed up for Halloween. It somehow sparks that same little bit of excitement in me that it did when I was little :)

So what if I was the only mom dressed up at playgroup this morning, right?

Besides...being a "baby tiger cub" (as Toby named me) is a pretty low-effort costume. All you need is a cheap little set of cat ears/tail (yes..I had a tail), an all black outfit (leggings and a long-ish black cardigan for me), and some eyeliner.

Just a short little post to get you in the mood for Halloween :)

Wish us luck tomorrow! My nerves are going to need it!

A 'Goodnight Moon' Birthday Party for Finn

2011-10-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot believe that my baby has turned two!

Why does time go so fast?

*snif*

But he is a wonderful little man.....so full of joy and fun....and the smallest little chatterbox you'll ever meet :)

In fact, this whole 'Goodnight Moon' idea was his.....I asked him what type of party he'd like, giving him a few suggestions like "A very hungry caterpillar" party, or some of his favourite animals.... and then he piped up..."How bout a 'goodnight room' pahty, mama" :)

So there you have it.....Goodnight Moon it was!

Definitely Finny's most-loved little story. So simple and perfect.

I had a lot of fun crafting away in the evenings, after the boys had gone to bed :)

We are a sort of "early to bed, early to rise" type of family these days, and I really do cherish the quiet evenings. The 6 am start is a bit exhausting, but the evenings really do make it all worth it!

I hung three cork boards on the wall, and pinned up some poster board to make it look like a window.

(I'm keeping these pin boards here so that I can switch up the living room wall without too much hassle...you know how I'm into switching things up all.the.time ) :)

And all this for this little man.

How could I resist him?? seriously.

I had fun making the invitations. I used a 'Goodnight Moon' image that I found online, and edited in Photoshop. I added a green and yellow striped felt curtain to make it look like the great green room :)

And hiding behind the curtain was Finn!

He loved this so much.....just couldn't believe that he was in the great green room!

I found a big piece of green wool felt at the thrift shop, and stapled it to a large canvas. I did a very "grade-school" painting of the 'Cow jumping over the moon', and attached it to the canvas, on top of a poster-board frame. The clock was not my favourite "feature", but I made it really quickly one night, and it was just going to have to do. I cut out a little white 'young mouse', and hung up a pair of mittens and socks on a ribbon. The 'two little kittens' were playing with a ball of yarn, and the 'quiet old lady' was knitting away :) The 'little toy house' was actually a birthday gift from us to Finn, which he LOVES.

Another somewhat awful painting of the 'three little bears, sitting on chairs' graced our wall.

I made the Finn banner out of poster board (as you can see, poster board was my main decorating supply..so handy that it comes in the perfect colours)! The striped fabric was found online for under $2/yard, so of course I ordered 9 yards and put it everywhere :) The colour scheme worked well with the book colours.

Not my best work ;)

haha....

whatever. I didn't feel like springing for two cans of spray paint in colours that I'll never use again, so I decided to try my hand at duct taping a lamp. hah.

Obviously a success. obviously.

I was inspired by this party, and decided to turn our table into a bed for the little bunny. I felt a little strange "tucking" him in, I'll admit :)

And no...this is not all the food we served. haha...bunny food!

I decided to go "old-school" and serve up a roast beef dinner. Believe it or not, it's actually one of the easier meals to make for a crowd. And everyone seemed to enjoy the comfort food :)

The cupcakes were very simple. I sort of ran out of "oomph" after all that crafting! So....I just made a few little toppers, and some white cupcakes with white icing. Done.

My poor kiddos are on a very strict diet right now (trying to heal Toby's tummy), so I made some very healthy cupcakes for them using bananas, ground almonds, eggs, vanilla and raw honey...and used cream cheese sweetened with honey for the icing. They LOVED it!!

Good thing Finny found the "healthy" icing to sneak ;)

I didn't get a chance to take very many pictures during the party, but I just had to include this one of Finny's little friend Hannah because she looks so darn cute.

Finn was completely spoiled with all sorts of very fun gifts. Thank you so much everyone!!

For the favours, I decided to make a pair of mittens for each of Finny's friends to take home.

I know...I know....I'm a glutton for punishment ;)

Surprisingly enough, they were really easy to make.

I bought about 4 wool sweaters at the thrift store, and "felted" them in a hot water wash and hot dryer, to thicken them up, and close the weave of the wool so it wouldn't unravel at the edges. I cut out mitten shapes in different sizes, then cut out a few little applique designs, and sewed them on the fronts of the mittens. Then I just sewed them together. Easy peasy....as Finny would say ;)

I put them in my Giggle Sweets boxes, which happened to fit perfectly, and tied them with green twine topped with a monogrammed tag.

This Goodnight Moon banner was all made with poster board as well.....took a little while to make since I had to cut out all of the red stripes (thank goodness for my handy little paper-cutter) :)

Here's little Finn while everyone was singing happy birthday to him!

Pleased with his "TWO CUPCAPES, Momma....TWO CUPCAPES cause I bigguh now, momma...I TWO" :)

I used the fabric to cover my curtains, and it definitely changed the look of the room a little bit.

All of Finn's little friends came wearing their pajamas.....I mean, it is a goodnight story, right? :)

Goodnight stars.....Goodnight air...

Goodnight noises everywhere...... :)

Fall Mantel .... two little straw wreaths and a pile of pumpkins

2011-10-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Fall is here....and even though I said I'd never welcome the cooler weather, I'm actually feeling all cozy and warm sitting by the fire.

I'm ready for hot drinks and fall fashion :)

I'm a sucker for wooly tights and leggings....and boots and scarves....and ponchos. And my sparkly gold flats from Zara. sigh....I could go on.

But for now, instead of draining the bank account for a new fall wardrobe, I decided to invest in a few pumpkins :)

I kept it simple this year.

(mostly because I'm going to have to take it all down again next week to decorate for Finn's birthday party!)

These are just some plain old branches that were spray-painted orange.

Anyone else enjoying autumn coziness? :)

BLEND 2011

2011-10-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday evening was a "night out on the town" that this momma badly needed.

There is nothing quite like getting all dolled up and heading downtown for a whole lot of glamorous fun!

BLEND 2011 was an amazing evening put together by these lovelies... Victoria, Karla, Barbara and Nancy. And sponsored by IKEA Canada! (Thank you IKEA!!)

"A Fusion of Social Media and Design"

Love it.

I am part of the Canadian Design and Lifestyle Bloggers West network, and since our first "get-together" where there were only 7 of us, our network has grown to have around 80 members!

The Loden Hotel in Vancouver was our host for the evening. What a fabulous locale!

Amazing design/decor, delicious hors d'oeuvres, wonderful service....what more could you ask for? :)

And just look at the door prize table!!! eeeek.

I was a seriously lucky lady, and came home with the beautiful "Undecorate" book by Christiane Lemieux....the design genius behind the DwellStudio line!

Thank you Delta Faucet for supplying so many amazing prizes (mine included)!!

Here's a pic of me winning the book...haha.

It was so nice to meet Sarah of Prairie Perch and Tamara of Delish. Both amazingly talented/creative ladies!

Andrea of From My Living Room and Astrid of Delight of Design.

The wonderful Kelly Deck (designer extraordinaire) joined us for the evening....here she is (in the middle) along with (from left) Nancy of Marcus Design, Victoria of Edin's House, Barbara of Hodge Podge and Karla of Kerrisdale Design. These ladies did a fabulous job of putting this whole event together.

Thank you for all your hard work!!

The beautiful Suzanne Dimma (Editor in Chief of House and Home magazine) joined us, as well as Mark Challen of House and Home!

And I almost forgot to mention the exciting SWAG BAGS that came home with each of us!!! They were choc-full of wonderful goodies from Ikea, Para Paints, Benjamin Moore, Kerrisdale Design, Michelle Morelan, Heather Ross, and more!

All in all.....a fabulous event!

Looking forward to the next one!

Photo credits: 1. Darryl Bueckert 2. Sari McNamee 3. Darryl Bueckert 4. Sari McNamee 5. Darryl Bueckert 6. Astrid Elston 7. Sari McNamee 8. Sari McNamee 9. Sari McNamee 10. Darryl Bueckert 11. Astrid Elston

Paper Airplane Baby Shower

2011-09-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

An adorable new baby boy arrived in our neighbourhood this summer, and we just had to have a little party to celebrate! :)

My sister-in-law, Dayna, came up with the super cute "paper airplane" theme, and it was so much fun!

We went with a blue and orange colour scheme, and got cracking on folding a million or so paper airplanes.

We hot-glued them to a length of twine to make a garland...

And, really...what's a party without balloons? :)

To make the "Dax" banner, I hot-glued the airplanes to a blank canvas, and then looped grosgrain ribbon into the shape I wanted, and carefully attached it with little dots of hot glue. The letters were cut out of cardstock and felt, and then strung through with the ribbon.

We kept the food very simple....white cupcakes with cream-cheese icing (sort of made to look like clouds), with little paper airplane picks in them. (Hot-glued paper airplanes to small skewers).

Dayna made these adorable little airplane shaped sugar cookies. I'm pretty sure I ate at least 15 of them...and that's seriously not an exaggeration!

She also made these airplane grilled cheese sandwiches! (which we served with tomato soup)

And the guest of honour slept through it all ;)

Isn't he so cute? Perfect in every way.

Welcome to the world, little man! xo

A day at the Fair......again.....

2011-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

We braved the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition....it's kind of a big deal around here;)

And, if only for the sheer glee expressed by one little four year old boy, it was worth it.

It was crazy busy.....in an almost claustrophobic way, but I guess that adds to the whole experience :)

I love some of the old "vintage" rides....

Little Finn wasn't quite as gleeful as big brother, but he enjoyed himself none the less. It was a case of serious over-stimulation for the little man.

The animals (especially the baby chicks) were a big hit! "BITE MY FINGER, CHICKY....Bite my FINGER!"

haha....now why on earth would you want it to do that?? ;)

Two seconds later..."OUCHHHH....that HURT, Chicky!!"

There was an "extreme sports" show with dirtbikes and ATV's jumping in the air. Needless to say, this was also a hit!

glued...

Super exhausting, super fun evening at the fair!

Repainted Seafoam Green Kitchen Table

2011-08-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've had this table finished for a while now, but it was the little pink hydrangeas (that I rescued from our front garden after a heavy rain) that inspired me to take some pictures :)

Sadly, the lighting is really bad in our kitchen, and they're a bit fuzzy/grainy, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me ;)

My wonderful friend, Andrea, was so kind as to GIVE me this table and four chairs! I'd been wanting to get rid of the rickety-legged IKEA "cheapest-table-and-chair-set-possible" that has graced my kitchen for the past 5 years. I don't think I'd ever put it together properly, and it was always a bit dodgy. What can I say.....I was pregnant at the time. hah! Always a good excuse for most things ;)

Anyways.....the bottom part of the table, and all four chairs, were already painted white! *sigh of relief*

All I had to do was paint the top. Easy peasy (Toby's favourite thing to say these days).

I grabbed a can of "kitchen and bath semi-gloss latex", mixed in some of my acrylic craft/art paints to get the desired colour, and went to town on it with a foam roller.

I love the result! A sturdy wooden table that just sort of "blends" into its surroundings!

I love this colour up against our "well-aged" chalkboard wall :)

ps...don't mind the very messy art-hanging clothesline....it started off all tidy and orderly, but what can I say?...my kids have got talent, and I can't exactly say that *some* pieces of art are more worthy of the kitchen wall than others, can I? ;)

So....on another note......my hat is off to all of you single parents out there....or moms whose husbands are away for work a lot, etc. Dustin has been sick for the past 4 days (so sick that he's had to stay in bed), and I am so, so tired.

It's exhausting being a single parent. Seriously exhausting. Throw a molar-teething toddler into the mix, and it's burnout.

But he's on the mend now...thank goodness. Poor guy :( He's had a rough go.

I hope you're all staying well! This has been the weirdest summer here in Vancouver. So cool and wet that the viruses never went away. yuck.

Finally...a little DIY project....White dining chairs with navy trellis fabric!

2011-08-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've had these chairs sitting in our garage FOREVER.

They were $2 each at my local thrift store....yes, you read that right...$2 !

A few coats of white semi-gloss, and some new seat fabric, and they're as good as new!

I decided that I wanted to add some navy blue to our home....something a little bit dramatic in the middle of all the pale, calming colours :)

I found this P. Kaufmann "Slick" indoor/outdoor fabric on Amazon, and I LOVE it!

It's a really heavy canvas-type material that I'm hoping will hold up a little better than the Kelly Wearstler linen "Imperial Trellis" fabric I almost bought. With two small boys around, I don't want to have to worry about it at all. The best part is that this fabric is only $22/yard (a heck of a lot less than the coveted Kelly Wearstler stuff.....as lovely as it is!). So, if and when the stains happen, I can just grab my trusty staple gun and add another layer of fabric on top :)

I had some help from my talented friend, Astrid, which made the job a lot more enjoyable :)

This girl can do anything. I'm not even kidding you....she literally knows how to do everything. Check out her jewelry here and her blog here.

Absolutely NOT loving my hideous glass-top table with these chairs....so I'm on the hunt for a new wood table. I'll keep you posted!

But....even with the ugly table, I'm excited to have something new to look at. As always.

I hope you're enjoying these last few weeks of summer!!!

Sharing at: Primitive and Proper

If I were a student.....(college style, dorm room decor, student loans...)

2011-08-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

This is a very random post.

Please accept my apologies in advance.

My husband has kindly asked me (ok....harassed me until I finally gave in) to write a little post about student stuff, so that I can include some links to his new website The Student Loans Center .

So...no...I'm not getting paid to write this......nor have I received a back rub, or even a new purse, or a nice bunch of pink lilies *hint hint* ;) I'm simply doing it out of the kindness of my heart :)

But then I got "pinteresting" (is that a new term?)...if not...it is now!( It's the next "googling", I tell you!) and I felt all nostalgic and almost...ALMOST....wanted to be a student all over again.

I would be WAY cooler now. Honestly.

I'd look super cute like this....mis-matched plaid patterns and all....

Or this cute little menswear inspired look...pretty sure I could never pull it off, but I'd likely die trying :)

And don't even get me started on Gossip Girl, and the never ending plethora of fabulous outfit inspiration. I always wanted to wear a school uniform.

But alas, it never happened.

I'm sure I would have been laughed to scorn had I shown up at my public school in a little pleated skirt and knee-high socks.

I settled for playing field hockey instead ;) Truth be told, I only signed up because of the cute skirt. Ironically, I ended up loving the sport! who knew!

Seriously, though....don't you just love thick grey tights? (why am I fantasizing about fall clothes....I feel like we've hardly had a summer here yet!!)

I'd definitely need a bag like this....it just screams "prep school" :) I'd probably need to take out a loan to pay for it....but whatever......so worth every penny!

Then I got on to thinking about dorm rooms....sigh.....

I'm pretty sure mine would have a tutu lamp just like this....

And a vintage globe or two. Oh...and chalkboards...lots of those.

What is it with me and little vintage school chairs? I have several scattered around our house, and even though my husband has put the kibosh on me bringing any more in, I just can't stop myself!

loving the zinc-topped table too!

I would obviously be riding around campus on this bike.

So old-school cool :)

And now, as always, I want to plan a "back to school" party!! It's just too bad I'll have to at least wait until next year when my little Toby boy is going off to kindergarten! snif.

I will NOT deal well. I can tell you right now.

I'll need the party to cheer me up....and what better inspiration than this one...

Look at this little man....nope...not mine, but just so darn cute I couldn't resist including him :)

Again...love the vintage school desk and chairs!

Now...on to the the boring stuff.......

The reality of being a student is that it's so darn expensive! I was so lucky to not have to deal with student loans, but I know that's a minority out there. It's not fun to have to worry about how to get bad credit student loans, or even student loans without cosigner. As if college isn't stressful enough.

Well....now that I'm done reminiscing....back to real life ;)

Hope you're all having a great summer evening!

xoxo

Image Credits: 1. Weardrobe 2. The Sartorialist 3. Gossip Girl 4. Henri Bendel 5. Apartment Therapy 6. Thriftstore-Etsy 7. Design Sponge 8. Urban Outfitters 9. Velorbis 10. Amy Atlas 11. Exquisite Banana

New Dwell Studio Pillows to spruce up the living room...

2011-07-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Since our summer weather has been less than ideal here in Vancouver, I needed to "self-medicate" with something new to look at in the living room (we've been spending WAYYY too many days indoors lately...UGH!).

So....on yet another rainy morning, I packed up the boys and headed for a super-fun trip to Fabricana :)

I know...I know.....not your typical summer's day activity.

Don't worry....there happens to be a ride-on horse in the store that goes forEVER on a quarter. It's old-school, and fairly dodgy, but the boys love it.

Anyways....they happen to have very reasonably priced fabric, with a good selection of Dwell Studio (by Robert Allen) patterns :) I had a hard time choosing one or two, but ended up with the "Gate" pattern in Charcoal and the "Vintage Blossom" in Jade. LOVE THEM!

I whipped up 3 very simple pillow covers, added some trusty IKEA down inserts, and plopped them onto my sofa. Isn't it great how a couple of new cushions can just make your day that much better :)

ok..maybe that's just me.

I paired them with an adorable birdcage pillow that I bought from Raggy Girl Vintage at the Ivory Vintage Market.

I have 4 ratty old dining room chairs that are half-painted in my garage, waiting to be rescued and spruced up. My goal is to have them finished in the next 2 weeks.

We'll see how that goes. Judging by my current track record...it's not looking too promising ;)

Strawberry picking....the epitome of summer!

2011-07-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a small dozy little town called Ladner,

...there were two boys who loved strawberries very much.

So...on a very sunny, early summer morning, they headed with their chronically-exhausted mum and dad to a wonderful place called the Westham Island Herb Farm.

(if you live around Vancouver, and feel like a little dose of the country....it's only about 25 minutes from downtown on Westham Island in Ladner)

There were SO many beautiful juicy strawberries...you could smell them in the air!

This was their first time picking strawberries, and they were PSYCHED!

What a beautiful place to be on a sunny Saturday morning!

Just look at that view across the farmland!

(hard to believe you could be in downtown Vancouver in under half an hour, right?) :)

Once the taste-testing started, it was hard to quit....

There is just nothing quite like freshly-picked local strawberries. Those big huge "white-in-the-middle" things that get shipped up here from California are not even remotely comparable.

It's like a completely different fruit.

And the Westham Island Herb Farm is very into organic farm practices (they're not certified organic, but use integrated pest management principles to minimize chemical pesticides, etc)

You know me and pesticides. YUCK! Sorry...just not into eating chemicals.

Obligatory cheese-ball grin shot :)

My goofy boys :)

Just look at how cute this place is....

Bird feeders made from china cups/saucers...

The boys loved playing on the driftwood furniture

Our strawberries turned into jam, and strawberry sauce...and a nice stash in the freezer for our morning smoothies :)

Nothing quite like it!

I hope you're all enjoying the summer so far!

xoxo

ps...I was not compensated by the Westham Island Herb Farm to write this post....we just really love this little place!

The Ivory Vintage Market.....Tomorrow!

2011-06-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

This post is for all of you local Vancouverites.....

In case you hadn't heard.....

There's going to be a fabulous eco-conscious, handmade, artisan, mom-preneur, vintage-loving market going on in South Surrey tomorrow!

The IVORY VINTAGE MARKET

I know I'll be there :)

To SHOP, of course!

Lots of gorgeous re-purposed vintage furniture from Ivory Vintage Studio...

Custom-made farmhouse tables!...(also Ivory Vintage Studio)

Handmade children's accessories from Pretty in Pink...

Amazing eco-friendly lunch bags and snack sacks from Urban Harmonie...

And many, many more amazing vendors selling all sorts of wonderful goodies!

These three lovely ladies are the creators of this fabulous event...(from the left: Maureen, Michelle and Julie)

Tomorrow....9-4 at the Elgin Hall in South Surrey (just off the Hwy 99 at the Crescent Beach exit)

See you there!

A little Lemonade stand post....for the first day of SUMMER!

2011-06-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some seriously summery cuteness? ;)

Toby has been begging me to help him set up a lemonade stand for the past week, and the weather just hasn't been good enough to make his "business plan" work too well.

But....we did finally get a really nice, hot afternoon last week, and so we crafted up a little sign (he told me that the lemonade should be 5 cents. "Just because that's how much it costs, ok?" ) :)

So, out we trundled (read: me just about killing myself carrying a table, two chairs and a tray with a glass bottle of lemonade) Ok....stupid move...I know....but we were psyched to get out there.

I got this organic lemonade on sale for $1.49, and was glad that I'd had it stashed in the cupboard because we were out of lemons.

So...there they sat......so so excited for their first customer to come along.

They sat.....

and they sat.....

....and sat a little more....

And then our first customer came!!

DADA!

And seriously....they were ALL BUSINESS. Pouring from a glass jar and getting paid to do it.

What more could little boys want? really...

They did have a few kind souls who came walking along our very quiet road, and stopped for a drink:)

I felt a liiiitle bit cheesy taking pictures of them, though...hah!

So I didn't bother.

At one point, Toby had to go to the washroom, and said " Finny....you take care of the stand while I'm gone. If there's any customers, you just pour it for them, ok? " Finny said "OK, Boby" :)

Well, they drank the whole bottle of lemonade (minus about 4 very small glasses) in the hour and a half we were out there.

Nothing quite like some good old-fashioned fun, right? :)

Toby said afterwards..."Lemonade stands are hard work, you know.....POuring....stuff like that. But not as hard as Dada's work...playing on the pecuter all day" :) :)

Pink Geraniums on a black and white patio

2011-06-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

There's just something about pink geraniums that make me happy

They're so bright and summery and "French" :)

It's amazing the difference that flowers make to a patio!

We've been enjoying our deck so much! I love just leaving the doors open, and using it as a part of our house. I love summer!! Now if this weather would just cooperate, that'd be great.

We got a new barbecue, and it's awesome! So so nice to have one that actually works for a change :)

Even the boys loved having their own plant on their little table...

xoxo

A "Clouds, Rain showers and Kites" Baby Boy Shower

2011-06-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world, baby Kade!

This baby shower was in honour of one precious little baby boy, and his beautiful momma (and adorable big brother Jack, of course) :)

It was sort of an impromptu party, so I kept the decorations pretty simple....light and airy and fun :)

I decided to go with a bit of a "cloud" theme....which then escalated into kites as well....you know how it goes...

The cupcakes were a bit of a flop......so, maybe I forgot to buy eggs at the grocery store ;)

What're you gonna do?

My inspiration was from here, but sadly, it wasn't quite as successful. Oh well.....you win some, you lose some, right?

I made the little "cloud" cupcake picks with stick-down white felt, on top of white card stock.

Just look at this little man.....isn't he just delicious? :)

So perfect, in every way.

And his big brother is in love. Look at those snuggles!!! (and that adorable baby yawn)

While all this cuteness was going on inside.....I peeked outside and found MY boys eating cupcakes :)

They didn't seem to care that they were a flop ;)

Toby got a monumental snuggle from cousin Fenton...and he loved every minute of it!

This is a play-by-play ;)

All in all...a fun morning full of cuteness.

xoxo

Summer has begun with a day at the fair...and the beach...

2011-06-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Summer is here....summer is HERE!!!

Ok...well, it's still spring, but it'll do for now....we hit 26 degrees in our front driveway on Saturday, and that feels pretty summery to me :)

Last weekend, our little town had its annual "May Days Fair". Toby said "My favourite days is Christmas, Birthdays, Halloween and the FAIR!!!" :)

He was so excited for a ride on the Ferris Wheel....and chose mama to be his escort. eeeek. I am NOT a fan. Not at all.

And as it turns out, he wasn't a fan of it either. By the time we were half-way to the top, the poor little man was in full melt-down mode and we had to flag down Dada to have the man get us down off the thing.

Oh my.

What's life without any commotions, though, right? ;)

(that's us at the very bottom right of the photo)

This was pre-shreaking-meltdown.

But, nothing like a cupcake to make boys smile:)

Armed with his little buddy Owen, Toby was brave enough to ride the "Dragon-coaster" all on his own!! This is a first.

And look at those cute little faces, a little apprehensive while waiting for it to start, and then full of glee once that dragon got moving!

We just couldn't believe that there was not one, but TWO dragon rides at our little fair!! It made one small dragon-lovin' boy very happy.

Nothing quite like riding your own dragon into the sky!

He had so much fun at the fair that we went back 4 times. Yes...you read that right....4 times in one weekend.

hehe.

Need I mention that we live somewhat low-key lives? ;)

On another note...

...I got a new beach bag...

Nothing like a beach bag to inspire a trip to the beach :)

Doesn't it just brighten your day looking at it? $20 at the Gap outlet.

I'm pretty sure we'll be spending a lot of time here this summer...

The boys were so pre-occupied with the sand, and water, and big logs, that I actually got to relax a litte.

Imagine?

This big piece of drift wood was a source of much adventure.

It was a skunk nest, then a bunny's burrow, and a rocket at one point....oh the possibilities...

The boys found out that Owen and Hannah were headed to the beach today, and we thought it was a great idea!

The boys had a great time on their obstacle course of large drift wood logs...

And of course, what big brother does....little brother must do also ;)

aww...our little Finny. Such a fun age right now.

Nothing quite like this view of Mt.Baker from my blanket on the beach :)

And I even got a bit of a tan, and much needed vitamin D, to boot!

woohoooo!

I hope this summer goes on and on and on...... because we've got lots of beaching to do.

Still loving black and white stripes on the patio...

2011-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've been itching....and I mean ITCHING to get our back deck/patio set up!!

I don't know what is up with this year, but the warm weather has been taking its time coming.

It's still not that warm, but the sun has been peeking through a lot more lately, and I figured that today was the day....

time to break out the patio furniture...

and cushions....

and new rug :)

I bought some black and white striped cushions last year from IKEA, and loved them so much that I bought some more (slightly thinner striped ones this year) about a month ago.

I love the bold pop of pattern against my hideously bland deck. :)

Add a chubby pink hydrangea, and a distressed wooden lantern that I found on clearance of Sears (of all places!) for $6, and you're set!

Oh...and those cute little "lacy" metal pots of from IKEA....a whopping $3 or something, if I remember correctly :)

This mirror used to hang in our downstairs bathroom before we started the reno, and I kind of thought it would add a little interest to a very boring rock-stucco wall. And somehow.....it manages to make the space look a little bigger!

I picked up this Martha Stewart rug at Home Depot last week, and I'm loving it! Best part....all you have to do is hose it off when it gets dirty. (I say "when" and not "if" because with two little boys around, you know it's going to be smeared with play dough and popsicles)

I painted my little striped table pink, to add a pop of colour that will last longer than the hydrangea blooms.....it was in rough shape since it had been left out all winter by mistake, and needed some love :(

All in all, I'm pleased to have a new "room"....and the boys are loving it too. Finny loved it so much that he went as far as to lie down and roll around on the rug, while saying "niiiiice....niiiiiice" :)

Now all we need is a new umbrella, and some HOT WEATHER!

Bring it on. Seriously.

I promise to never complain about the heat this summer. ever. not even once.

Sharing my patio at Funky Junk's Patio party

A new Pink Abstract painting for our living room

2011-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Toby and I did a little "project" today....

We've been waiting for a beautiful sunny day like today for so long...

and once we got little Finn to down for his nap, we whipped out our paintbrushes and got to work!

There's just nothing quite like painting in the sunshine.

It's my "happy place" :)

And I couldn't be happier with the results! The look on Toby's face when he saw that I'd given our "masterpiece" pride of place on the living room mantel was priceless! :)

He was so cute, working away at the painting, all down to business in his painting jeans. I wish I'd taken a picture, but sadly, I was just having too much fun.

It's the perfect pop of colour that I've been craving.

I decided to try it standing up "tall" on the mantel....but I'm not sure if it looks grand, or weird. What do you think? Should I turn it over onto its side? I sort of like how it makes the ceiling appear higher.

Just look at all his cute little swirls and splatters :)

Love it!

And to add even more delight to our day.....we discovered a cute little chubby mama robin has made her nest under our deck.

And look what we found when we peeked inside....!

Aren't they so beautiful? We were careful not to touch, or get mama robin too scared....and she's back on her little nest right now :)

Toby said "Mom...how did she know that there was a dragon at this house, that will help her protect her eggs?...I'm so glad that she chose our house instead of the neighbour's"

He said that first thing tomorrow morning, he's going to go and listen to see if he can hear any baby birdies. Or any tapping on the eggs, from the deck above ;)

These little "muffins" (as they're often referred to as) are the source of so much fun, and just about as much exhaustion. They are full of life and beans and craziness.

Here they are wearing their hockey gear....in the spirit of the playoffs :)

I hope you've all had a wonderful day!

I know we did :)

xoxo

Wedding Favors.....(up to my ears in the them!)

2011-05-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

It must be wedding season!...

...because Giggle Sweets is in full wedding favor production mode....little salted caramel bars are being packaged up and prettied up and shipped out by the hundreds (literally).

I LOVE weddings! I love all the little details that are part of a wedding.

And don't you think there's something so nice about being a wedding guest, and finding a special little package waiting on your plate for you?

I'm working on a beautiful navy blue and pink order right now, and the colour combination is just so gorgeous!

There are just so many beautiful wedding ideas out there....not that I'm ever planning on having another wedding! It's just fun to look anyways.....since I'm in the "business" and all ;)

*sigh*....vintage ties and pink peonies....what a combo! :)

marthastewart.com

Aren't navy blue and pink just so stunning together?

prettychicky.com

And look at this beautiful vintage table setting. *sigh*

It makes me want to throw a garden party...twinkling mason jar lanterns and all :)

stylemepretty.com

Isn't this soft pink wedding so dreamy?

stylemepretty.com

And this one looks so fun! Love love LOVE the pink gradient cake!

stylemepretty.com

I'm such a sucker for anything rustic, and this beautiful wedding nailed the rustic vibe!

stylemepretty.com

And seriously.....just look at that pink ruffle cake! Oh my!

theloveliestday.com

Who could resist a pink peony bouquet with a "tutu"? :) Love it!

iloveswmag.com

I'm such a sucker for pink.....it's my happy colour :)

Just look at those hanging bouquets!

And brown paper....what is it about brown kraft paper that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy?

stylemepretty.com

More brown paper.....filled to the brim with cherries!

simplesong.typepad.com

well...that was fun!

Ok...now....back to work....:)

xoxo

Mother's Day and a Shabby Apple Dress WINNER!

2011-05-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

I hope that all of you wonderful Mommas out there had a great Mother's Day!!

I feel so lucky to be a mom :)

Not saying that it's easy or anything ;)

And I honestly feel somewhat burnt out most days....but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I love my boys. I love being their mom. I love the cute little things they say that seriously melt me. I love the snuggles and kisses and hugs. I love how they're becoming genuinely good friends to each other. I love how they sneak into our bed at night and snuggle up on either side if me. I love how everything is so exciting and new to them. I love how they trust me so completely. I love how they think that their Dada is the strongest man in the whole world. And even though it's completely exhausting sometimes, I love how they need me.

Oh how I could go on......

Sometimes I feel so completely under qualified to be their mom. Like I'm going to mess it all up. But I'm so glad that I have such a great mom of my own, who taught me so much about being a mom myself :)

I feel so lucky to have the mom that I have. She's the most amazing, loving, caring, selfless mom in the world. I want to be more like her in every way.

and if you're reading this...

I love you, Mom. :)

pictures in collage are all from pinterest.com

Aren't these animal mommas so cute? I love how there's so much about being a mother that just simply comes with instinct. All the important stuff does, anyways :)

So....now you're wondering about the lucky Shabby Apple winner.....

The one who will be looking so lovely in this beautiful "Marseilles" dress....

The winner is April!!! (check out her blog...A.Liz Adventures!)

Congrats April!!

A Shabby Apple Spring Dress Giveaway!!

2011-05-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Have you been introduced to Shabby Apple? (a fabulous online store choc-full of beautiful women's dresses)

If not, then I think you'd better take a little peek.

What girl doesn't need a little dress or two, or four......

.....especially when the nice warm spring weather puts you in the mood to frolic in a field of tulips....

or y'know.....something equally as girly ;)

There is just something about putting on a cute little dress that makes you feel fabulous! It really does.

Especially a beautiful, elegant "French-inspired" summer dress like this one!

The "Marseilles" dress....

Isn't it gorgeous?

And the best part......one of you lucky ladies gets to win it!!!!

Now you've got me dreaming of France again....and seriously.....I want to go NOW!

All of the on-location photos on the Shabby Apple site make me want to go on a vacation!

I think a new dress would be a perfect compromise ;)

AND...."My House of Giggles" lucky readers get 10% off everything at Shabby Apple for the

next 30 days!

Just enter "myhouseofgiggles10off" for the coupon code.

So many amazing vintage style women's dresses at Shabby Apple!

ok....so......the details...

To win the beautiful blue striped "Marseilles" dress just leave a comment below.

For an extra entry head over to Shabby Apple's Facebook page and give them a "like" ;)

(So sorry, but this giveaway is only open to those of you with a US address, and the dress will be a final sale.)

Winner will be chosen on Saturday May 7th, 2011

Good Luck!!

Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress......princess perfection.

2011-04-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Could she be any more beautiful??

She looked amazing!

In my opinion, she chose the perfect dress for the occasion.

(designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen)

It's absolutely timeless.

I'm pretty sure Grace Kelly wore a similar style....I'm going to have to look that up :)

source: royalwedding.aol.com

My boys and I watched the wedding (not real-time because that was at 3am here, and I just know that it would have left me burnt out for the next week!) this morning, and they loved it! Toby was completely mesmerized by the Princess, and Prince, and Queen, and "Knights" riding horses.....and little Finny wouldn't stop shouting "Me come....Me GO....Finny Go...NEIGHHHH!....I GO"...haha....he was trying to get it across to us that he wanted to join William and Kate in the horse-drawn carriage! :)

source: gettyimages.com

source: royalwedding.aol.com

*Sigh*.....there she is with her Prince!

I'm pretty sure she couldn't look any happier!

source: gettyimages.com

What a beautiful event!

Congratulations to Will and Kate!!

A little Royal Wedding Memorabilia....just because I can't resist!

2011-04-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Since the Royal Wedding is the day after tomorrow.....

and I'm all in the mood for British stuff after finishing my Union Jack Dresser,

I thought I'd do a little post filled with some of the "cooler" memorabilia out there :)

*in my opinion, anyways*

There is some WEIRD "Will and Kate" stuff being sold out there....trust me.

Source: janconstantine.com

I threw in a few pics of London town, just to get us in the mood :)

My lucky sister, Shannon, just landed there this morning! (My brother surprised her with a ticket to London for the Royal Wedding!)

no....obviously she's not going to be AT the wedding...but it's just fun to be in the city for the event!

I'm only just a very teeeeensy bit jealous ;)

Source: cutesylady.tumblr.com \

Source: allsorts.typepad.com

Look at all the preparations!!

Source: visitbritainsuperblog.com

Doesn't it just make you want to have a little high tea?

Source: blog.amyatlas.com

Source: accessorize-usa.com

Source: blisslivinghome.com

And Hunter wellies.....you can't be British without a pair of those! ;)

My Auntie Heather surprised me with a navy blue pair a few years back, on our last trip to Ireland, and I love them!

Source: from-london-with-love.com

If they were good enough for Princess Di, then they're good enough for me ;)

Source: lattelisa.blogspot.com

Source: notonthehighstreet.com

Even Gucci is jumping on the bandwagon!

Source: dustyburrito.blogspot.com

Source: folksy.com

Gotta throw in some Burberry because what is more British than that, right?

Source: us.burberry.com

Source: ca.burberry.com

Source: i788.photobucket.com

Source: designspongeonline.com

Source: google.com

Wish I were there!!

A pink Union Jack dresser...for Royal Wedding week!

2011-04-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

I found this adorable old dresser at a yard sale....while we were out on our sunny-day bike ride on Saturday.....

Nice curves and casters....what more could you ask? :)

I've been itching to do a little project, and considering it's the Royal Wedding this week...

I figured I'd jump on the Union Jack bandwagon!

Just in a slightly untraditional "girly" way :)

It's hard to tell in the pictures since the lighting was really bad, but it's actually a very light coral pink, with grey and white stripes.

I wanted it to look a little rough and worn, so I hand-painted the white stripes after having taped off the grey ones (they just looked a little too perfect for my liking).

So here she sits in our front entrance...mostly because I simply have nowhere else to put her right now.

Once we finish our basement reno, I think I'll use her for my "craft/sewing" area.

But for now, she's housing shoes and bags and Hunter wellies :)

Love those little brass keyholes!

I added some new dark pewter style knobs, mostly because that's all I had on hand....but I actually kind of like them. Not perfect, but they'll do for now until something better comes along :)

And those are my fave little vintage silver flats under there. I found them basically brand new, for $3, and have worn them almost every day since. They just happen to go with everything!

Anyways....there she is.....a little piece of my British heritage! (I figure I qualify as being British...both my parents are British, and although I was born here, I could have just as easily have been born there....so weird.)

ps....two posts in one day???? what??? ;)

I'm sharing this at Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, DIY Show Off, Domestically Speaking, Primitive and Proper, Someday Crafts, Blue Cricket Designs, Beyond the Picket Fence

A happy little Easter weekend

2011-04-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to all of you!

We've been having a great weekend over here in Vancouver, BC.

The sun was shining, and the air was the warmest it's been this year so far.

Delightful!

We started it all off on Thursday, with a little late-morning tea at the Secret Garden Tea Company.

Kind of a crazy thing to do with 3 little boys in tow (Toby, Finn and cousin Fenton).

Ok...a *really* crazy thing to do.

But we did it.

We took the boys out for a tea party.

And look at them! They LOVED it!

They look deceivingly angelic here.....hehe......let's just pretend they were, for the purpose of this post :)

Fenton looked so dapper in his little cap :) He was somewhat mesmerized by the mini gong show down at the other end of the table.

It was Dayna's birthday a few weeks back, and we'd been trying to make it down here since then....but between family-wide stomach bugs, and the like, it took us this long to finally make it happen!

We are so excited to have our Granny here from Ireland for another 2 months!! (she was meant to go home a few weeks back, but it turns out that it's better for her to stay until June). She is so lovely in every way. (My mom's mom) She sings to the boys, and sneaks them treats, and they love their "GG" :)

After the tea house, we came home and did some spring cleaning.

Finny just realized it wasn't getting done, so he took it upon himself to get the place into shape ;)

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast with the Easter Bunny.

This was as close as Toby was getting....he did manage a cute little wave, though.

It was at our local rec center and they did a great job!

The best part was, of course, the egg hunt!

Busy busy boys....heads down.....no distractions.......hardcore dino tattoos and all ;)

Tobes and Molly seemed fairly pleased with their "booty" :)

(is that a word??...or does it just mean bum?;) hehe

Finny was a champion egg-finder.....except he would put all his eggs in random kids' baskets...

He became quite popular with the older crowd ;)

A couple shots of spring in our front driveway.....as I sat on my chair in the sunshine, watching the boys playing around.

I'm looking forward to many, many more days like this :)

Bring on the summer!!!!