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Are you a coffee-lover? Be warned, you're going to be addicted to this super simple dessert. I tried my first affogato this summer and fell in love with the easy but delicious mix of espresso and ice cream. I came up with this recipe using the Saeco Moltio espresso machine and added a minty spin for the holidays:
This is a great treat to enjoy throughout the season... have a cup while you're trimming the tree or sitting by the fire. Whip one up for those unexpected guests. It's a fun way to make your boring coffee feel special, and takes only one minute to put together:
Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I've already spent many an hour shopping on Etsy. There's so much great product on Etsy though that I can spend countless hours going down the rabbit hole of pretty shop after shop. So, I've whittled down the choices for one person on my gift list, my daughter Chloe.
Like most girls between the ages of 4 to 8, she is at the stage of wanting to stay a little girl who plays make believe and believes in the tooth fairy, to being a young lady who is starting to assert her own personal style. Here's a gift guide for young girls who are equal parts sweet and savvy.
How to Hygge. I'll be getting my Hygge on tonight, at the launch of the Toronto Christmas Market, one of my favourite winter traditions.
A great bucket list for kids
Trim and moulding lovers, you'll want to see this unbelievable transformation
Sugar cookie mini cakes!
This would make such a cute DIY gift for your girlfriends
You've got 10 days to put that Advent Calendar together. Here's ideas to get you started.
This house is the definition of a cozy Christmas
The time is right for these cheddar cheese muffins
Why didn't anyone think of this before?
Creative ways to use drapes
Have a fantastic weekend!
I love the holidays. I love decorating the house, shopping and wrapping gifts, and spending time with family. But one thing I struggle with every year is how to keep my holiday decorations under control. I have five banker's boxes worth of decor which might not seem like a lot, but in a small house like hours, that's almost half of our hidden storage room!
The problem is I get bored with my decorations and am tempted to go out and buy shiny and new ornaments every year. But this year, I wanted to get more out of my holiday decor and sought out a high impact change that would make best use of the decorations I already had.
Last week, I was over on the Allstate Good Hands blog sharing 8 Ways To Make Your Home Cozy For Fall. Surprisingly, the weather here has been really mild and I have yet to put the fireplace on but that doesn't mean I'm not in the mood to do some cocooning. A few simple updates are all it takes to make your home right for the season. Here's 5 cozy home finds for fall that I've had my eye on:
1. Ikea Bakvial Bedspread - I love the look of a throw or bedspread folded at the foot of the bed. It's an easy way to add colour and texture and provides an extra layer of warmth for those chilly nights. I just bought this one for our room. Love the plaid!
2. Crate and Barrel Ivan Natural Felted Wool Rug - I used this rug in the Style At Home Blogger Christmas story and I'll tell you it is the most unbelievably soft rug I have ever felt. It was lie-full-body-on-the-floor kind of soft. I'd love to have this in our bedroom. Getting up in the morning and stepping out of bed would be so much easier.
3. Tonic Living Extra Long Buffalo Check Pillow - Faux down insert, exposed brass zipper, in a classic buffalo plaid pattern... this pillow will have you sinking in and snoozing in no time.
4. West Elm Small Pillar Table Lamp - Days quickly turn to night at this time of year so its important to have adequate light sources in your rooms. I like the petite portions of this table lamp and the marble and brass base adds warmth and sophistication.
5. True North Campfire Poured Glass Scented Candle - I've never been much of a candle girl. That is, until I tried this candle. Rich but not overpowering, it evokes instant memories of sitting by the campfire, bundled in sweatpants and a hoodie, roasting marshmallows while the full moon shines overhead.
Let's start this week's Love List with a giveaway! One of my favourite holiday traditions is shopping at the One of Kind Show and buying direct from local Canadian artisans. This, this, and this are some of my favourite booths. The OOAK show runs from Nov.26 to Dec.6th and I have five pairs of tickets to giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment and let me know about a memorable one of a kind gift you've received. Contest closes midnight Nov.19th and five winners will be randomly selected. Open to Canadian residents.
A perfectly perfect small space
Did you see all the magnificent One Room Challenge reveals this week? A few standouts for me were this basement, this living room, this serene bedroom, this family room, this bright dining room, and this playroom.
If you like metal frame doors and windows, this is the house for you
My latest article for BHG is live and this one has me rethinking the headboard (and footboard, for that matter). When did footboards go out of style? I think this crisp, tailored look needs to be brought back.
Rooms that bloggers love
Formulas for fall outfits. On that note, LOFT is having a 40% sale. It's my go-to place for blouses. I picked up this buffalo check top and this super soft sweater (love the side slits).
I had my first newspaper byline published this week! Speaking of bedding, I think I need linen bedding in my life. I've seen some great looking sets at the Restoration Hardware outlet. Any other sources I should check out?
I'd love to receive a gift wrapped like this
A perfectly perfect small space
Did you see all the magnificent One Room Challenge reveals this week? A few standouts for me were this basement, this living room, this serene bedroom, this family room, this bright dining room, and this playroom.
If you like metal frame doors and windows, this is the house for you
Image: Better Homes & Gardens |
Formulas for fall outfits. On that note, LOFT is having a 40% sale. It's my go-to place for blouses. I picked up this buffalo check top and this super soft sweater (love the side slits).
I had my first newspaper byline published this week! Speaking of bedding, I think I need linen bedding in my life. I've seen some great looking sets at the Restoration Hardware outlet. Any other sources I should check out?
One thing I dislike in our small kitchen is clutter. I don't like having too many things out on the counter or dishes not put away. Our galley kitchen isn't that big so things need to be kept nice and neat.
I've been enjoying the new espresso machine but the kitchen set up needed to be better. In the fall, the kitchen gets a lot of use as I make hot drinks. Lattes, hot chocolate, tea... I'll have one or two each day. But coffee cups were in one overhead cabinet, sugar and toppings were in another and my teacups were all the way over in the living room hutch. What good are pretty tea cups if you never use them, right?A few weeks ago, we headed out to the country to check out progress on our new build cottage. It's looking so good! I'm excited to give you a look around.
It was a glorious time to visit. The weather was mild and the trees were full of colour. Our cottage sits on a corner lot, with views of trees from almost all of the windows.
The view from the porch is just what I hoped it would be. A road runs to the side and behind the cottage so there will be occasional foot and car traffic passing by but I'm sure we'll still be able to enjoy uninterrupted naps out on the porch.
We'll have a small eating area here. It'll be nice to enjoy breakfast outside and say hi to the neighbours as they walk by.
In the photo below, you can see where the outdoor lounge will go. The GlucksteinHome patio set we picked up will fit perfectly in this space. Overhead, you can see one of the extra junction boxes we had added to light this sitting zone. It's much easier and cheaper to make those small changes now, during construction, than after once everything's been built.
One of the most fun things about buying a new house is that first step inside. You can read the plans, and imagine them in your head but nothing compares to taking that first step and experiencing the building on a physical and emotional level.
To the right of this area is the dining room and front door. I am in love with the view out the dining room window at the front of the cottage. In the summer, it'll be lush and green. I'll have to keep that in mind when picking window treatments!
To the right of the front door is the kitchen and beyond that the loft and the bedrooms. Again, we added a junction box above the window. I don't think I'll even mind doing dishes with that view out the porch and to the trees beyond ;)
Here's a good view of the loft. As Chloe gets older, I'm sure she'll be spending more time up there with her friends. Her own little hideaway. Below the loft on the left is the master bedroom with ensuite, main bathroom, and laundry room. On the right is the second bedroom.
Both bedrooms have fantastic views and make you feel like you'rw sleeping in the trees. How awesome are those transom windows?
I never realized it until Sean pointed it out, but our cottage looks like a little red barn. I kinda like that. I can't wait to see the cottage all finished in a few weeks. Hope you liked the tour!
Are you spending time this weekend getting the house and garden ready for the
winter? I sure am and I'm so eager to switch out the fall decor for holiday
decorations. This year, I have gold on my mind thanks to a recent collaboration
with Canadian Tire for the launch of their
CANVAS Christmas Collection:
Isn't it so pretty? I love all the texture and shine! I was lucky to work with
Canadian Tire on their CANVAS spring patio
launch and I have to say the CANVAS decor line of products just keeps getting
better and better. It has expanded to include home and dining furniture (yes,
you can get those dining chairs and table there too!), all stylishly designed
and affordably priced.
It was great working with the Canadian Tire team again, not only because I got to do more fun videos but because I truly love seeing all of their new products. My inspiration for the setup was our annual Pancakes & Pajamas party. I look forward to hosting it every year: the week before Christmas, my parents, siblings, and their families come over and we enjoy a menu of breakfast items for dinner and dine while dressed in our PJ's. It's a relaxed affair, but I think setting a holiday table with black, white, and flashes of gold, makes it feel extra special.
My favourite decorating projects are ones that are simple to do but have high impact. This square laurel wreath adorned with dramatic magnolia clip ornaments definitely fits that criteria. I think the simple laurel wreath is a great base for many decorating ideas - you might have caught it hanging over my bed in my last post ;)
Here are more easy decorating ideas:
fill lanterns with leaves and LED pillar candles, ornaments, or mini
trees. On a side note: Canadian Tire sells a
21-pack of mini trees in varying sizes for $20. Great deal! I picked up two to use in my
Christmas vignettes.
Another decor tip:
make your gift even more memorable by topping it with an ornament. I
love here how the gold wrapping paper is paired with black ribbon and a bronze
ornament. Don't be afraid to mix your metals!
One more tip for the locals: if you're in Midtown Toronto,
I highly recommend a visit to the Canadian Tire Showroom at Eglinton &
Laird. It's a massive 16,000 square foot location (the only one of it's kind, I
believe) and is completely decked out in Christmas decor. A Winter Wonderland
come to life! I'll be there too (on the giant touch screen, anyway) if you're
in need of some in-store inspiration ;)
Have you settled on your colour scheme for the holidays? You can visit my
Pinterest page for even more creative ways to use gold or check out the rest of the CANVAS Christmas Collection for additional colour inspiration from Julie, Lucy, Vanessa, and Monika (love those girls!)
I could relax on Britt's window bench all.day.long.
How Bailey brings a room together. You also have to check out the bedrooms in this showhouse - Bailey proves once again that she is the Queen of mixing patterns.
As a child of the 70's who remembers his father, he makes me proud to be a Canadian
I absolutely LOVE how Sarah's resin art for the One Room Challenge turned out. Can't wait to see her whole room put together!
Ruby's new big girl room is the sweetest space
A simple copper pipe DIY. I've been rethinking copper lately, especially when we saw these lights in this country cafe
I love the light in Chris and Julia's lovely dining room
Some of our most popular projects around here are our custom DIY radiator covers. Radiators can be unattractive and there are many ways to disguise a radiator but our preference has been to cover them up.
We (and by we I mean Sean because I did not build any of these) configured each cover to meet the specific conditions and style of each room. They're truly custom, made from MDF, trim and pine tops.
Of course, there are many ways to hide a radiator and they don't require you to be a DIY ninja. I'm over at the Better Homes and Gardens website sharing several of these ideas. I'm officially a contributing writer for BHG (exciting!) and will be writing decorating articles every month. So if you have an unsightly radiator to deal with, hop on over to read "5 Clever Ways To Disguise A Radiator"