Sneak Peeks!

Hi friends! I hope you are all doing well and hopefully you are having better weather than we have been lately.  It's been cold and damp, but the sun is suppose to come out to play by the end of the week.  Fingers crossed.

Well, we are now 2 weeks away from the pack.  I can't believe it!  I've been counting down from day one, but now, it's really getting exciting and no longer feeling far away.

I have a few sneak peeks of the new house to share with you (if you're on twitter or instagram (@elliven), then you've probably already seen them).  I can't wait to see the house in person, I'm especially excited to see the kitchen!

Here you go:

entry

family room

living room

Cheers,
 

A Month?!

How does one go without blogging for nearly a month?! Oh dear.  I shall not bore you with excuses, especially since the last couple of blog posts have started off with me writing something along the lines of an apology for being MIA.

Well, we have beaten the colds (knocking on wood) and we are nearing the end of our countdown to the move (exactly 4 weeks from today, they will be loading our stuff onto the truck....seriously O-M-G!!!!).  Am I freaking out? Simple answer...yes.  Sanity seems to still be sticking by my side, but for how long...I do not know (fingers crossed it stays until at least the end of June).

New appliances have been purchased and delivered (pics coming) and more to be ordered in the next few days (waiting for a new week of sales...come on sales!).  Decor purchases have been put on hold, but the sourcing continues.  I'm pretty certain of what it is I want to buy, but will wait until after we are in the house until I go to purchase them.

Well, with that being said, here are a few pics of the happenings around here the past couple of weeks....

new appliance #1 (truth, yes, I did kiss it...swoon!)

mothers day - the boys did well!

one of the most beautiful moments, my boys sitting quietly watching the ducks & birds at the duck pond

added a little neon to my wardrobe thanks to Gap!

continue to look for decor inspiration, the cover of this issue is just that!

and sadly, we said goodbye to one amazing family member...my in laws dog (right)

The move is in 4 weeks.  I hope to blog a few more times before that.  Be sure to follow me along on twitter for more pics and updates!

Muah!

The Living Room

Something I'm quite excited about is to have both a living room and family room in the new house.  We already have most of the furniture for the family room, but will have to buy new pieces for the living room.

I'd like to go somewhat formal as it's right next to the dining room (no walls dividing the two), but at the same time, I want the kids to be able to go in there without worrying that they will break anything or ruin the furniture.  So it still has to be kid friendly.

I'm really loving the idea of going with a light leather sofa, like this:

-source-

But figure I'm just asking for trouble!  Anyone out there have young kids and a white/ivory leather couch?  If yes, how's it holding up?

I'm thinking of going with a glass top table similar to this:

-source-

And would love to have a set of armless upholstered chairs across from the couch, on the other side of the coffee table, a style similar to this, but made with different fabric:

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This will also be a room the will boast some beautiful artwork (thinking something a la Jen Ramos) on the walls and a large scale floor mirror.  I'll also have to source out a lovely rug to go beneath the couch, chairs and table.  For the windows I'd like some type of silk curtains.  Let the sourcing begin!

Cheers,

Pulling It All Together

Hello, hello!

So as we near the closing on our new home, I am beginning to pull together a decor scheme.  I'm currently focusing on the main floor and our master bedroom. I recently ordered a few fabric samples from Tonic Living in Toronto and am pleased with the direction I'm heading.

My goal for the kitchen is to have a bright, fresh and soothing space.  We went with bone coloured cabinets, a marble-ish looking quartz and a java toned hardwood.  Here is a pic (I apologize for the poor quality) to give you an idea as to what it will look like (the cabinets are not the same design as the ones we chose, we are just using this one for colour reference):

Another pic of the counter:

-source-

I'd have to say that the kitchen is by far my favourite room in the house, always.  I don't know what it is about the kitchen that I love so much, but I enjoy sitting in there and just hanging out.

We have a reclaimed wood harvest style table that will go in the breakfast area (also in the kitchen) and I've chosen this light to hang above it:

-source-

For the window above the sink, I'm thinking of going with either a hobbled or rear tucked roman shade and then drapes for the patio door (which is off of the breakfast area).  Both made with one of these fabrics:

By the way, Nancy over at Marcus Design recently wrote a fabulous post on roman blinds, definitely worth checking out.

I'm also really excited about the dining room.  I've chosen this light fixture for above the dining room table:

And have fallen for this table by Woodcraft:

I have yet to see this table in person, but it is exactly what I'm looking for, so my fingers are crossed that it looks just as good in person as it does online!

Okay, I think that's good for today.  I'll also fill you in on my plans for the living room, which is attached to the dining room and the family room which is off of the kitchen.  Plus any other decor decisions we make in the coming weeks (I'm sure there will be plenty!).

It's quite a bit of fun decorating, slightly overwhelming as the decision process can take quite a bit of time, but fun seeing everything come together.

Cheers,

The House Hunt

Hello, friends! How are you? How is spring treating you so far?  We are doing well over here!

We just recently took a trip to our soon to be new city to buy a home.  It was a great trip in that sense.  We found our new home on the first day that we were there after seeing 14 others.  It was love at first sight!

We have something for house numbers, do you?  Our current home is the same number of my father in law's snowbird plane when he flew with them.  Our new home is my husbands old CFL number from his football playing days.  The house just felt like it was made for us, I love how sometimes, the house chooses you.  We are so pleased and thankful.

Anyhow, because it's a new build we were busy picking finishes for the remainder of the time that we were there.  I'm totally excited and can't wait to see the finished product and, to of course, share it with all of you!

Here are a few photos from our trip:

going through the airport

lights

lights (the one in the middle with the brushed nickel trim)

more lights (oh my)

outdoor lights?

master bedroom light

sneak peek at my kitchen (cabinets not the style, just using this one for colour reference)

So, we made a lot of decisions and have quite a few more to make.  It's all coming together though and we're finally feeling as though we've gotten over the hump.  Now it's more like a waiting game.

I apologize for the lack of photos, but I really want to show you the finished project without sharing toooooo many sneak peeks!

I hope you all enjoyed an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend and that the weather is beginning to perk up a bit where you are!

Cheers,

It's Not What It Seems....

Friends, the neglect continues, doesn't it? My sincere apologies, truly.  I think I'm slowly getting my energy back.  A little cold, a crazy amount of stress from selling the house and organizing our upcoming move = one tired gal!  This month is/has been totally insane and in all honesty it doesn't look as though it will get any better until it's over!  April will be the month in which we can relax and resume a normal way of life, I'm very much looking forward to that.

Unfortunately I just haven't had any time to blog....I feel so off not blogging.  I didn't realize how much I love it and need it.  So for now, I will share some instagram photos that I've posted the past week or so.

Enjoy!

I went on a slight shopping spree at Aldo...I think shoe shopping is my therapy during crazy times.  I bought these fab black boots, the pair in the pic below as well as these.  Such amazing deals, I just couldn't pass them up...right?! 

casual day (wearing these boots in brown)

ladies night! shirt can be found here

toes and nails getting some love

new super cute flats from Aldo (they look much better in person)

some quite time...ahhhh

everyone needs a little zebra print in their life! new traveling case

So I hope to be back to blogging in April.  I will pop in whenever I can until then.  Please stick with me!!!  I will have info on our move in April as well, can't wait to share!

Cheers,

Weekend Love

Well, I've now been battling what I'm calling a "weird cold" since Sunday.  It feels as though it's lingering, but not really getting worse.  All I want to do is curl up in a ball in bed....something I very rarely want to do, so that's how I know I'm not feeling like myself.

Oh well, this too shall pass.

One thing that is making me smile everyday is seeing this sign outside our house.  Yes, indeed.

We sold our house on Sunday, five short days after listing it. Everything was finalized on Tuesday.  I can't even tell you how thankful we are.  The market here is pretty hot, it is definitely a sellers market, we are so lucky.

Now we move onto searching for a home in our soon to be new town.  I'm always on MLS checking to see what's new and can't wait to see which house we'll be calling home in a few short months.  Totally exciting.

And now, I shall go and sip some tea and catch up on blogs.  I wish you all a lovely weekend!

Cheers,

Julie