recover

When we first acquired our dining room set, it was a beautiful antique piece bought with the money gifted to us as wedding gifts.  Gorgeous mahogany pieces with beautiful white jacquard satin striped fabric for our dining chairs. Yes, white.  It was simple and classic, and at the time, suited our needs.  But clearly it was bought before children were in our home.

My painting projects went into hibernation during our cold winter months (painting in the garage + subzero temperatures = cracks!), so I was itching to do a small DIY project that can be done inside.  Since I had some left over fabric from a previous project (just enough to recover about 4 chairs), this was a quick afternoon project.

Here's how that afternoon went.  I removed the cushioned seat top by unscrewing it from the bottom of the seat.

Then the fabric was cut (approximately 1-2 inches larger than the cushion).  With the patterned side down, using a staple gun (and upholstery staples), I began stapling the centre of each of the four sides, working my way from the centre towards the corners.

Like wrapping a present, the corners were tucked in.  Then the chair seat was re-attached to the chair.

Here's the before and after:

It was a cost effective, quick way to freshen up the look of our dining room chairs.  Now that the weather is starting to improve, I might be ready to tackle the pile of painting projects waiting in my garage.

Now I can officially say I've started to recover from the long winter break. 

light in the house

One of our favourite activities to do during the Christmas season is to simply drive around our neighbourhood   to see all the light displays along the street.  Although there are many tree lighting ceremonies throughout the city, some of the most unique and inspiring ones are those around the block.

Every house meticulously prepared for the holiday season, showcasing a twinkle of lights like stars in the sky. The vibrant personalities of homeowners shine through as you drive by a lawn covered with displays of Santa, reindeer and a multicolour of lights.  Or a quiet house with pretty winter wreaths, simple white lanterns, and a soft and subtle flicker of Christmas tree lights peeking through the front window.    

As school pageants, concerts and parties bring in the joy, what strikes me the most is the diversity of this celebration, and how each of us celebrate holidays differently.  Different traditions, rituals and food...all seemingly on a quest...to bring loved ones together.

Sometimes it's difficult to appreciate this or any "holiday quest".  It's easy to get caught up with all the glitz of decorations and the glam of appealing storefronts enticing you to buy, buy, buy!

So this year, I decided to take a much more laid back approach...at least with my Christmas decorating.  I used simple white ornaments to decorate the tree. I cut up some burlap for the garland.  I just placed little white bows on our mantle garland.    

Just as the lights on the neighbourhood houses represent the personalities of their homeowner, for me, beyond the "reason for the season", our lights represent a peaceful time to reflect and to be grateful for what we have at home.  

Because no matter how many lights are displayed on the rooftops, driveways and sidewalks, it's what's inside our homes and the love within, that makes the light in the house, truly shine.  

Simple Paper Tea Light Candle Holders

(for battery-operated tea lights only)

Inspired by the little porcelain ornaments that house some of the Christmas lights on my tree, I wanted to create something simple and easy to house my battery operated tea light candles.  (please use battery operated for this craft...we don't want any fires started!).  This also makes a sweet little Christmas themed night light for a child's room, with little cost and effort.

Tools

• Wedding favour gift boxes (found at Michaels or your local dollar store).
• Ruler
• Scissors/exacto knife
• Hole Punch
• Battery operated tea light candles

Directions

• Open the boxes until it is flat.
• Using a ruler, draw out the roof (at the top of the box). Draw out the door and windows, or just hole punch (using various shaped holes, if desired).

• Cut along the lines.
• Assemble the box.
• Place the battery operated tea light candles inside.

Display...and enjoy the light in the house, and in your home.

building blocks

As the kids have started to settle into school for another year, I still think back on the learning experiences of this past summer. I feel that learning is not just confined to a classroom and can occur all year long from real life experiences (whether it is observing the tides on the beach or picking up rocks when on a bike trail).  However, let's face it, kids enjoy being online on their down time, and sometimes I worry about those  times when the kids are not unplugged...when they're too connected to the games that can distract them from discovering what's in the real world.

Our "unplugged" basement.

Earlier this past summer, my son and I had an interesting conversation about one of his buildings in his Minecraft game (for those who don't know, it's an online game that builds virtual worlds with virtual building blocks).  He was animated in his description, and explained that the "cornerstone blocks are always the strongest, because they are the pillars of the foundation of which you can build something strong".  (yes, his words).

I liked how that sounded.  Cornerstone. Pillars of strength.  I'm always astounded with the mature insight this young boy (so often) has and I was intrigued with what he was building in his virtual world.

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for an old corner fireplace. We used
Benjamin Moore "Cloud White" #OC-130 for the brick, trim and lower half of
the wall, and Benjamin Moore "La Paloma Gray" #1551 for the upper wall.

I asked him how he chose what materials to use to create his "buildings".  What determines his choices? As I listen to him, so much is revealed about what he learns...not only about how to build like an engineer, but how his choices also relates to building character.   He chooses material based on strength and durability and knows that a good strong neutral floor is the foundation that makes a solid base and provides the ability to stand tall and the confidence to be flexible and add depth or "character" with details.

There were so many flooring options to choose from....it could be overwhelming,
but choosing the most classic styles and colours was the route to go for us.

It's amazing how much more upscale a room can look with a simple
update in flooring...we went from linoleum to marble-style porcelain.

He learned that the colour of the wall can play an important part of attracting visitors into the room and knows at his tender age that soft serene colours make people feel restful and peaceful while darker hues brings warmth and comfort.  A comforting space for family and friends to feel welcome.  How little decorative elements can make a plain house look "phenomenal" (his words), and you don't need a lot...sometimes it only takes a few simple details.

We wanted to choose a chair rail with a simple but detailed profile.  By painting the chair rail,
baseboard and lower wall all the same colour, the room now looks more sophisticated
for the adults but still comfortable and durable for the kids.  The room also looks larger too!

It was amazing how our "Minecraft" conversation was a foreshadow of events to come.  A few days later, our basement was flooded during a torrential rain storm.  Luckily our good friend, who owns a commercial building and renovation company, was able to fit us into their busy schedule (they don't normally do residential projects), and we had our own "pillar of strength" to help us through this unexpected situation.  They did a beautiful and professional job with our basement renovation.  Coincidentally enough, their company name is...Cornerstone.

Now we can return to our playroom, and enjoy the family activities we once enjoyed before the flood...and play some games, both old and new ones like Chess or Minecraft, and build more foundations, more pillars of strength for our family...building blocks of lifetime memories, learning and good times.


Please note:  The opinion in this post is unpaid and unsolicited, and is solely based on the quality of workmanship and service we received.  A great big thank you to our friends...Jim, Adam and the rest of the team at Cornerstone.