Monday, May 30, 2016

The White Fireplace

We chose two structural upgrades for our new home: the chef's kitchen and the addition of a fireplace in the Great Room. There were many other upgrades we would have loved to add (glass standing shower, bigger windows in the basement.. etc.) but with the goal of keeping the architectural budget under 10K, we felt these two upgrades would add the most value to our home. I have never had a fireplace before, so I am really looking forward to not only having somewhere to cozy up in the winter, but also having a pretty focal point in the family room.

Below is the basic white fireplace we will be getting. It's nothing special, but I kind of like how simple it is. We will likely add a backsplash to the mantle to glam it up, but there are so many beautiful tile options, I'm not sure how I'll narrow it down!



 

Here are a few of my favourite white fireplaces right now!





Source: Caitlin Wilson

Talk to you later!

Sunday, May 29, 2016

The Design Plan: The Kitchen Plan

Since the kitchen is the "heart of the home," and where we'll spend the bulk of our upgrade money, I decided to start on our kitchen design plan. I am constantly changing my mind as I see new inspiration! I can't decide if I want to go with a more "traditional" look, or if I prefer a more "modern" vibe. Hopefully I can find a way to mix and match from the different inspiration I am seeing soon. We will have to make some decision in the next few months because I expect we'll have to chose our upgrades this summer.

While we will are planning on using a lot of our upgrade budget in the kitchen, our budget can only go so far... So right now, the marble countertops and farmhouse sink are a bit of a pipe dream, but this plan gives an overall idea of the look i'm going for.

Below are some of my ideas, but I'm sure they will change before we have to make the final decision!




Take care!

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

DIY: Wedding Favours

Going the DIY route is not only a great way to save money when planning your wedding, but it also adds a personal touch to your wedding and working on the projects can be a lot of fun.

For me, DIY projects were a great way to ensure everything coordinated with each other and kept in the same theme. Eric, and I were engaged for just over a year and a half, so I had a lot of time to experiment with different ideas and get everything done on time for the big day.

One of our most complimented DIY projects was our wedding favours. We didn't want to do anything extravagant for favours (as we heard most guests throw away wedding favours anyway), so we figured something edible was cost efficient and wouldn't go unappreciated.


The materials used to complete this DIY include:
  • Ivory Favour Boxes - purchased from eBay (approx. $25)
  • Ivory Card stock Paper - purchased from Michaels (approx. $20)
  • Champagne/Gold Ribbon - purchased from Michaels (approx. $25)
  • White and Gold Tulle - purchased from Michaels (approx. $25)
  • Martha Stewart "Flourish Frame" Punch - purchased from Michaels (can also be found here) (approx $25)
  • Purple Tissue Paper - purchased from Dollarama (approx. $4)
  • Lindor Chocolates - purchased from Lindt - (approx. $150) 
  • Hot glue gun (already owned)
We made about 115 boxes, but had enough supplies to make plenty more.

Instructions

Step 1: Assemble boxes as per the instructions provided.

Step 2: If you need to fill space in the box, use shredded tissue paper, then add the favour and close.


Step 3: Wrap each box with ribbon (use a few drops of hot glue to keep the ribbon in place)

Step 4: Print desired text on cardstock (I added our names, wedding date and a swirley graphic). Use a fancy punch to cut the card tock into shapes. Hot glue the shape to the ribbon on the box.

Step 5: Create tulle flowers using the method below and hot glue the flower to the box.
1. Cut tulle into tonnes and tonnes of little square boxes (about 4x4 inches).
2. Fold each square about 4 times until it becomes a small triangle.
3. Cut a petal shape out of the triangle.

4. Open the cut out to reveal a flower shape.
5. Repeat these steps what will seem like a million times.
6. Place the tulle flower shapes (about 6 or 7) on top of each other, rotating each flower layer.
7. Once you have gotten your desired look, pinch the center of the flower, grabbing all the layers and staple (this will give it extra holding powder). Add a little hot glue to the center of the box and attach the flower, and voila!

Happy DIY-ing!


Sunday, May 15, 2016

Our Wedding!

Eric and I got married on July 25, 2015 at the beautiful Hockley Valley Resort in Mono, Ontario. Even though there was lots of rain in the forecast, we were blessed with only a few drops the whole day, which we are extremely grateful for (given that our wedding was outdoors)!.

As we are quickly approaching our one year anniversary, I figured it was finally time to post some of these photos. I cannot believe how much time has passed! Below are a few of my favourite photos taken by our lovely and talented photographer, Johanne. 





 




























***In no way am I claiming these photos to be my own work. Slight edits were made to fit them on the blog.

Take care!