About Jen

Hello! I'm Jennifer, married to Sean (aka HandyMan), and mom to Chloe.
This blog started in 2007 as a chronicle of our adventures in transforming our
first house, a
1950's semi-detached
in Toronto. In 2016, we moved to a
1960's Colonial style house
bursting with charm. We also have a
new-build cottage
in Prince Edward County that is our favourite escape from the city.
How would I describe myself? I'm a creative multi-hyphenate. A left and right brain thinker. A plaid enthusiast, spreadsheet whiz, and curious entrepreneur.
Though my corporate career was spent in Finance and Strategic Management, since
2011 I've made a career online. Aside from blogging, I've
run national blogger conferences (BlogPodium 2011-2018), masterminds, and
consulted for North America's premier lifestyle brands. I've also been featured on The Nate Berkus Show, Cityline, in Style At Home, and
Better Homes and Gardens to name a few. You can see our Press
here.
At the heart of it, I'm a middle-aged mom who loves a good DIY, will spend on quality products yet appreciates good budget and vintage finds, and is intent on creating a beautiful classic home for my family.
Find me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Want to follow along? Subscribe via email so you don't miss a thing!

OUR STYLE
Our tastes lean to transitional, classic style. We do almost all the renovating ourselves. Sean is trained in architecture and figures out how we actually get things built. I take charge of the designing and decorating. And we both fight over the power tools.
We believe that anything worth doing, is worth doing well. We think know that going the extra mile, putting that extra bit of effort into the smallest of details, brings about results that are that much more memorable, original, and don't look DIY. Even Nate Berkus said our DIY master bedroom wall "looks like a million bucks" so you know it can make a difference ;)
So as you look around our house, see our crafts, and follow our projects, notice the details. We think you'll spy something different.
In this world of do it
quick, get it done fast, temporary fixes, we like to slow it down, think
carefully, and add that je ne sais quoi. The difference is in the details, and the details make
all the difference.
20 QUESTIONS:
- Quote I live by: To change your life, start with changing your mind
- Favourite colour combination: Blue and white
- Pattern I'm obsessed with: Anything plaid
- Who I would happily let decorate my home: Mark D. Sikes
- Favourite decorative element: Architraves and pocket doors
- Favourite vacation destination: Paris. Always Paris!
- Coffee order: Medium double double (If you're Canadian, you know!)
- Most prized material possession: My camel coloured English roll arm sofa
- First room I decorated: My teenage bedroom with purple walls and sponge-painted clouds on the ceiling
- Dream home: The Something's Gotta Give beach house
- Treasured hand-me-down: Le Creuset pots from my mother in law
- Can't live without: Muji Pens and my Passion Planner
- Favourite outdoor pastime: Canoe rides at the cottage
- On my podcast list: How I Built This with Guy Raz, and Second Life with Hillary Kerr
- Hidden talent: I'm an Excel spreadsheet ninja
- What I have way too much of: Fabric samples, lol!
- What you'll always find in my purse: Bite Beauty lipstick
- Favourite flowers: Store bought tulips, and hydrangeas from my cottage garden
- Dislikes: Small heights. I can ride roller coasters but dislike going up to the loft in our cottage!
- Ideal day: Any cottage day that involves brunch, antique hunting in Prince Edward County, and ends with watching the sunset at Sandbanks Beach