New Glasses!

Every now and then, my favourite online optical store - Clearly Contacts has a sale. Not like a 15% off sale, like a FREE sale. I ordered my free geek-chic glasses and they arrived the next business day. Seriously! 

All I had to pay for was shipping {$15!}.

Image via here

 I'm very pleased with them. I like my old glasses too, but it's so fun to have a pair of hip new glasses {although now that I have them on, they are probably a little too cool for me!}.

Clearly Contacts doesn't have the free glasses event on now, but they have selected frames for 3 for $99! GREAT DEAL!

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The Faces of EZ

Ez is a bit of a ham in front of the camera. He's got this quirky, cheesy grin that can't be tamed regardless of what emotion he's trying to convey - so long as there's a camera around.

Here's what I'm talking about.

Big smiley face Ez.

Stinky EZ.

Laughing Ez.

Sad EZ.

Back to Laughing EZ.

Tired EZ {he tilted his head back when I asked him to show me what "tired" looked like}.

Hungry EZ.

Big toothy cheesy grin EZ. My favourite.

 

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Bulletin Board Makeover!

Another day, another make-over here on the bloggy-blog!

This time it's a re-fresh of a Pottery Barn bulletin board for my little nephew. My sister asked me to come up with something to display my nephew's treasures {concert & hockey tickets, etc.} that would still fit into his modern orange and gray room.

Here is the BEFORE:

It's a ho-hum bulletin board, but the cork was very beat up. I needed to find a way to freshen it up, and have it coordinate with his new room.

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Here is the AFTER!

 Here's how I did it!:


1. To prep the wood for paint, I sanded the heck out of it. Just used sandpaper. Nothing fancy.


2. Then I used a spray paint primer - Kilz. Just from Home Depot. I think this piece definitely needed a primer because of the dark navy blue colour. It worked really well!

3. Then I sprayed three coats of RustOleum's Glossy Orange paint, and let it dry and cure overnight.

4. To cover up the banged up corkboard, I used some cotton batting and some left over fabric --  DwellStudio's Iron Gate material. I LOVE that fabric. I liked the bold pattern mixed with the bold orange colour!


And Voila! I hope my little nephew enjoys it!

Linking up with:

The CSI Project's Orange Challenge!

A Bowl Full of Lemons Linky Party!
Thanks for visiting!

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Summer Updates - Decorating

I'm so shocked that it's the end of June! Where does the time go? Time flies when you're having fun, and we're having a BLAST! 

So in terms of the Honey-DIY List, here it goes:

All I can say is I've done MY jobs, Big A may be lagging a bit. But we'll give him a break because he's been really busy lately.  YES, EZ's room is STILL on there. We need to paint some touch-ups and we are still waiting for his bedding to come in.

I also started painting my door knobs from the 2nd floor. Remember when I painted the first floor door knobs a few months ago? Well, they've held up beautifully. They are still a stunning flat black and I'm so pleased, so I'm painting the 2nd floor as well. 

This time, however, I stuck the knobs in foam so I can paint all around without touching them or leaning them. GREAT TIP!!  The photo here is just from the preliminary spray. I've done them all in a few hours and I'm letting them cure overnight. Instead of the multi-day process from last time. But check out this entry for a longer tutorial. Easy peasy DIY project and your doors will get a gorgeous makeover!

 I've also given my summer mantel a refresh already! I added some more summer-y photos of the kidlets, etc. I think it looks a lot better now. 

Textured gray decorative balls were added, as well as the apothecary jar with the shell ball.

EZ finished his "cwass" this past weekend - a 10 week SportBall program for toddlers. He was very proud of his ribbon, so it was included in the mantel display.

I have some more updates up my sleeve {my living room refresh!}, but it's not ready to be revealed yet. Soon enough.

What summer projects are YOU working on?

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Thrifting Thursday - Kijiji Score! A Retro Find

As you well know, perusing Kijiji for amazing deals is one of my favourite pastimes. So when I happened upon a full bedroom set for $50 this week, I had to jump on it.

It's a totally retro, mid-century modern set. I love the clean lines and the legs! Ohhhh the legs! 

Here's the tallboy dresser. Love the simple details.

Here's a close-up of the detailed handles. I'm torn about what to do when I re-finish it. I can't decide if I should give my current dressers to my son, or if I should keep this for my room. I like the handles, but it would be too flower-y for his room so I would have to find something else.

Inside the tallboy - shelving and drawers!

The long dresser is quite long - like 6 feet or so. Too long for EZ's room, perfect for the master, so that's why I'm thinking of keeping it. So much to consider.

More hidden drawers in the long dresser too!

During transport, Big A & his buddy caused a HUGE scratch on the top of the dresser. Good thing we're painting it anyway!

Love the vintage-y instructions for the leg placement stapled to the back of the dresser.

Also included was TWO of these night tables. I think I'll definitely use on for EZ's room.

Also included was a GIANT headboard, but they guys couldn't fit it in the car {and it was for a double bed!}, so it was left behind.


Now to decide WHAT to do with the furniture. Where can it go? What colour to paint?

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Green Monster - Popsicles?

INDEED!

Like many kids, little EZ is a picky eater {totally not like me at all, I swear! haha!}. He likes what he likes -- which isn't much -- and he won't even try anything he perceives not to like. 

Again, totally UNlike me. Totally (ahem).

Luckily, he likes Green Monsters! You know, the tasty fruit smoothie loaded with a bunch of spinach and other veggie goodness in it? EZ loves it! Yes, we are all amazed!

I thought I could capitalize on the Green Monster success by making into popsicle form for the summer. 

EZ approves.

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Oil & Vinegar

This post may not be what you think it's about.

It's literally about oil & vinegar. More specifically, I'm going to show you how I've displayed it!

First, I started out with nothing and kept our oil & vinegar hidden. And for those of you who like a clean, tidy counter, that totally works. 

Me, I don't mind some artfully displayed items on my counter. One thing I've learned since beginning my home design adventures is that if you're going to display something -- anchor it with a tray or something. 

Here's how the oil & vinegar used to look.

Definitely nothing WRONG with it per se, but the tray was getting smaller and smaller with additions of other oils. I bought the tray at Goodwill, so it wasn't like I spent a fortune on it and I didn't mind replacing it!

 Then I went to my friend's house and admired her oil & vinegar display. It was very chic with a thick wooden cutting board. I needed to copy it!

So I did, but it didn't look just right.

So I added a more {and fancier!} spices and large spoon with a floating succulent. I really like it now. But I think I'd be even more enamored with it if I had the oils in all the same dispensers. So, now I'm on the hunt for those! If you see any cool ones {for CHEAP!}, let me know!

Now if only I could cook!

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My Summer Mantel

I know it's mid-June, but I didn't put up my Summer Mantel until this weekend. I shopped my house and the sales at Michaels {and I had a 50% off coupon, of course!} and came up with this. You will recognize some items from our Spring Mantel, but I think with the addition of the shell ball, the green moss balls, the starfish and the drift wood -- it's appropriately summer-y.

 

Here's the full-length view. I added the cubbies back in January and we love them! We use the extra storage for EZ's art supplies, magazines, library books and even outdoor shoes and hats!

I painted this Salvation Army frame from brass to a glossy fresh white! I added the brightly patterned scrapbook paper for a punch of colour! And of course I have to display my sacred and beloved "Design Bibles!"

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Extreme Couponing Canada?

Not so long ago, I abhorred a sale. I would never touch anything on sale, particularly clothing.I thought something must be wrong with it. I hated sifting. Cutting coupons made me cringe. Using coupons embarrassed me.

But when you don't see your money going as far as it needs to, I knew something had to change. I remember just a few months ago, having to run out to a late-night pharmacy to buy overpriced detergent because we were out of it. I remember being shocked at having to pay $15 for a little bottle of laundry detergent.

I happened upon TLC's "Extreme Couponing" show in December 2010 and I was amazed. I couldn't believe how much they could save with couponing!  I DVR'd the show and watched it a few times in awe, trying to figure out how they could save so much money. 

I thought to myself, Could I EVER do that?  

Now with money being tighter than ever, I'm going to try! I started "thrifting" in January for furniture, housewares and even clothing! If I could save all this money on stuff for our home, surely there were savings to be had on our groceries!

So I spent the last couple of weeks compiling a coupon binder, searching online for e-coupons and manufacturer's coupons, and even ordered clipped Canadian coupons from eBay {YES you can do that and you should!}.

As for the "extremeness" of the Extreme Couponing show, I've now learned that it's just not possible in Canada, but AMAZING deals are still to be had.

My first couponing adventure was a couple of weeks ago. Big A and I went to two stores to start our stockpile. Both teenage cashiers *hated* us and gave us dirty looks while scrutinizing the details of each coupon. But we persevered the judgment and eye-rolling teens, and we saved a few bucks. Our stockpile had begun.

I spent about 2 hours scouring the flyers this week and found some pretty good deals {including $3.33 Diet Dr. Pepper - SCORE!}. When all is said and done this week, I spent about $120 and saved $100. 

It took me a couple of hours to put together the coupon binder, but it's AWESOME. I got the printable category index from the Krazy Coupon Lady website, and the trading card holders {plastic sheets with small pockets, perfect for coupons!} from Staples.

I was even stopped this weekend in stores by other shoppers wondering if I really had a coupon binder! I proudly showed it off and they loved it!

I keep this box in my car with the binder and other printable coupons.

Here are some pics of my stockpile. It's not organized yet. It requires a central location, so I can get the grocery store effect. But it's a start.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see all these products in a line - just like at a store! I can't wait to watch it grow!

I asked Big A to put away the haul. This is how it looks in our garage. I think he's making fun of me? Well, I'll be laughing all the way to the bank!

I won't run out of the laundry detergent any time soon!

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Happy Monday from EZ: The Spanna Edition

A few weeks ago EZ got a new-to-him Spiderman scooter at a yard sale for $5. He calls it his "Spanna", which is presumably a truncated word in EZ-speak for "Spiderman."

His "Spanna" is one of his prized possessions. When he's not riding it, he's talking about it in the backyard or on the sidewalk in front of our house. He loves to show of his mad scooter skills to family & neighbours.

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