The one with some Christmas spirit!

This year I have been very behind on my Christmas decorating.... and it just doesn't feel like Christmas until I have my tree up! So last night I finally started with the outside. It was actually one of the warmer days we have had even though there was snow.

I usually just decorate my porch but this year I wanted to do something more. I have three window baskets under my big front window and after watching Sarah Richardson's Christmas special last weekend, I had some great ideas for it!

I love how they turned out. The white glitter branches and poinsettias I got for 50% off at a local home decor shop that was going out of business, the pine bows - free from my parents forest :) In total the project was about $70.

Took the opportunity to play around with my camera and try and get some good night shots. Its so hard! So these were as good as I could do... and I am pretty sure my neighbors think I am crazy since this was about 10:00 last night!

This week I also stopped in at Scrappy Chic to pick up my new kit... which is awesome! I got a few surprises as well - Check out this card that Angela made for me....

I am in LOVE with banners which you might already know.... but the PTI banner kit is so cool. I am very jealous Angela ;)

Also - Angela got me some Tea for my birthday. My favorite kind!!!! Look how cute the tag is too. She is super talented this girl and super sweet :)

Alain just pulled up with our Christmas tree --- a real one is the only way to go --- so I am off to decorate!

Have a great weekend (only 2 weeks to Christmas!!!)

The one with some fall in the air

I hope everyone had a good long weekend! And I can't believe that its already the weekend again!

We took a road trip up to Peterborough, Ontario to visit our good friends and their kiddos.

Julien and Noemie

Alec with mom Emily playing with the bubbles!

Such a relaxing weekend! Saturday we got to play some golf (in the cold, 40 mph wind!) and Sunday we went for a boat ride on the 'Liftlock Tour'. It was a beautiful day and I got some great pictures..... too bad they are not on my camera! I forgot my memory card at home so I had to borrow my friends card. She will be sending me the pictures soon.... I can't wait to see them!

Being a little more north than where we live, the leaves were starting to turn already and it really felt like fall. We brought the cooler weather home with us... and I am 100% over the summer now and ready for Fall!

My fall wreath is up....

My kitchen table centerpiece has been updated.....
And some new fall decor was purchased.....
Got this great IKEA shelf put up over our tv... it will be my seasonal decor area!
Also did a little re-organizing. I always wanted my scrapbooks in the living room so that they would be easy to pull out and look at instead of people coming into my scrapbook room. So I made room in my TV cabinet! The shelves were pretty much empty before and I still have room to add a few more albums. My hope is that this will work until we buy a new house and I will have built-ins made for my scrapbooks :)

I am heading over to Scrappy Chic on Sunday for their free crop! Meeting up with Angela and bringing my friend Jess too. If you live in the area you should come on over and crop with us. There is tons of new product in.... and don't forget your coupon! Hope to see you there!

The one with big letters

This past Sunday I went shopping in the states with Jess and Krysti. We ended up going to one of my new favorite spots, TJ Max! I used to go all the time and then kind of forgot about it. But I have been twice recently and scored some great stuff.

These big solid wood letters stand about 14" tall. They were in the clearance isle for $5.00 each! So I scooped them up! The funny thing was they were the only two letters they had.... but the right ones for me (Elizabeth and Alain). Eventually I want to put a floating shelf above the TV in my living room to put them on, but until then they will be in my scrap room :)

Yes my messy scrap desk! Got lots of projects going on so this is actually the most clean it has been in a while :)

In more scrap related news... I finished another Momenta project. This is a quick card I made. They have packages of cards with envelopes that are super cute, ready to decorate.

Yesterday I went over and picked up this months design team Kit for Scrappy Chic! LOVE IT. Shout out to Angela for giving me some great stuff :)

New Fancy Pants paper and stickers! So my colors - turquoise and deep pink!!!
Also bought some stuff to supplement...or maybe just because I wanted them!! lol. Jenni Bowlin butterfly sheets. They are here in pink and yellow.... but I did buy the red and black as well :)

Some ric rak came in the kit and I found these new Bazzill bling buttons!!
Bo Bunny buttons in my kit go really well with the paper.... love buttons.

Bo Bunny paper as well. Works out great since I did buy some of the new papers but not this line! This would be a great boy line although I think its a summer line.

My big purchase of the day was a Cuttlebug!!! I have been thinking about it for a while now and since I had lots of credit from the yard sale and a 40% off coupon so I went for it! The only reason I really wanted it was so I could play with the nestabilities dies. I bought two of those as well since they were all 30% off too!! But they didn't have any cuttlebugs in stock so I have to wait to play with it :( I hate waiting.

Anyone else have a cuttlebug? Do you love it? I had to pick between the Epic 6 and Cuttlebug but I just liked some of the features better on the bug. Any dies I NEED to get??

-Liz

The one with an itty bitty bathroom

My bathroom is very small!!! When we bought the house we planned to put in a second bathroom in the basement.... but we haven't done it yet! So we have learned to live with this little one for the last 5 years. When I registered for towels and things for our wedding, everything I picked was white not thinking how plain this bathroom would look!

So this weekend I was shopping with the girls in the states, looking for things for Mahsa's new place and I fell in love with a shower curtain! It was only $15 so I figured it was a good buy.... but then maybe I need some towels to go with it?.... We found Nautica towel sets (2 face, 2 hand, and 2 body) for $20/set! So I got two of those.

But then maybe it would be cute to have the matching accessories! (soap dish, lotion pump, cup and toothbrush holder) Well they were only $12 for the set!

And then the set of boxes in the same fabric as the curtain... I had to have those... only $6 for the set or three!

So $80 later I am loving my little bathroom right now :)

(yea I know I need to iron out the creases in the shower curtain but I was too excited to put it up!!! lol)

If you remember a few weeks ago I painted my bedroom and now I have my bathroom updated.... I am on a mission to get my house in shape before my family comes for the shower in May! Its been 4 years since they have been here.... which was for my shower! And this time I have a proper guest room for them to stay in!!

When we first bought this house I did not scrapbook yet. Everything I picked out was 'safe'. White, beige, simple. Now that I scrapbook I have found that my style in home decor has changed a lot as well. I am not afraid of pattern and mixing colors! I don't think I would have been brave enough to pick this color 4 years ago! The pattern of the shower curtain looks like scrapbook paper I would totally use :)

-Liz

The one with the Beautiful Guest Room

My guest bedroom had been on my 'to-do' list since.... well forever! This weekend I just wanted to get it done. I was tired of having it being a dumping ground for my husband's clothes, gym stuff, music stuff and pretty much anything else we didn't have a spot for. I am ashamed it stayed this messy for so long.... but here is the before - taken Saturday morning 11am.Notice the horrid roller blinds... and the patched wall that used to be a doorway to the Kitchen (I mean who wants to enter their bedroom from the Kitchen, and why does a bedroom have two doors? very werid!) The pictures make it look like the walls are yellow, but its just the very bad lighting in there! It was actually all white.

But now it is bright and green and all cleaned up! Just waiting for a guest to stay overnight! Its not perfect yet but its much improved. What do you think?
Almost everything in the room I already owned. When I was in my teenage years I was really into the Shabby Chic look, so I had a lot of Pine furniture. My mom gave me the curtains that she made for her bedroom. The paint was chosen from the green in the curtains. The chest under the window was a christams gift one year.... I used it to collect things for when I had my own house one day! Now it is the perfect window seat. I want to get a few pillows to put on it.
The bed and side tables were given to my parents when they got married from my grandparents. When I was 10 my parents handed them down to me. I love them so much becasue of the history they have in my family. The headboard has teeth marks on it where I used to nash as a baby when teething, there are nicks and dents from so many things over the years. But its the character that makes them so great!
It still needs some work with more accessories and little touches.... but that will come with time! I think its a pretty good weekend transformation and I can't wait to have our first overnight guest!

Back to some more scrappy posts this week! I think the window seat will be a perfect spot to get more well lit pictures of my work... going to try it out tomorrow for sure!

-Liz