Living Room Upgrade - Built-in Bookshelves! {Lots of Photos!}

So like most of you, we've been really busy this summer. We've enjoyed the amazingly long days of summertime in Fort McMurray. We've traveled a bit, enjoyed our backyard and our new hot tub {yay!}, we bought a new truck {double yay!}, explored all the trails in our area on "nature walks" with the kiddos, and spent amazing quality time with family. 

Be sure to follow me on Instagram @mummymaggie to follow along in our day-to-day adventures :)

In all of this fun, we did manage to squeeze in a couple of DIY projects which I promise to post to this here bloggy blog. I guess this is the part of the post where I apologize profusely for being absent for so long. I am sorry. I missed you, my lovely readers. Thanks for understanding that life sometimes veers us of the blog-writing track, but we always come back :)

So without further ado...the Living Room Upgrade! Yes, I did give a bit of a teaser way back in March, and yes, it did take a LONG time to complete the project, but here we are. 

Not to "phone it in", but my "Do-It-Yourself, McMurray" article in the latest YMM Magazine is a feature on this project. Click here to check it out.

Here's the finished result! Ikea cabinets {originally for kitchens and bathrooms} repurposed into built-in bookshelves at a fraction of the cost. We choose sleek, high gloss white cabinets and modern stainless steel handles to set off the look.

This photo is the only one I could find of a "before".  It's from Aviva's 2nd birthday party, hence the festive pink balloons :) I love how this photo really shows how this space was a blank canvas, just waiting to be "Mummy Maggie-fied!"

An "in progress" shot, showing how quickly the awesome cabinets transformed the space as they were put up. I also want you to check out the seating. I originally had our two couches facing each other because I thought I was maximizing space. Oh, how wrong I was...see below :)

A close-up of the cabinets going up. Adair was a trooper to manage to configure these Ikea cabinets. Did you see the number of boxes from my teaser photo?! Ikea MADNESS!

Here's another "during" pic. I love how Ginger is just chilling on the couch with all the DIY craziness going on around her.

Here it is! After months {yep, it took months of stolen late nights after our kids went to bed -- and they go to sleep LATE!} of hard work -- our built-in bookshelf project is complete. We are so pleased with the results. I love the cabinets, but I especially love the tile work. It's thin strips of Carrera marble on 12 x 12 sheets. We decided to hang it vertically to maximize the height of the 9-foot ceilings, and then add strips of stainless steel tiles for visual interest. It looks amazing!

Here's another angle which highlights the change of the living room furniture configuration. This new layout created so much more space because it's open to the kitchen, so the couch at the bottom right of the photo distinguishes the space {and highlights the AMAZING chevron throw I scored at Urban Barn!}. It actually looks a bit different now, mostly because I can't leave well enough alone. But that's another post for another day :)

This last photo is a close-up of the cabinets. Adair truly put a lot of work into these babies, especially around the crown. He *had* to buy the right saw to cut the trim around the crown moulding. You can also see a bit of the close-up of fab tile work too. Thank you, Big A!

So...what do you think of our living room transformation? Was it work the wait?

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Living Room Addition - a Teaser!

I love my new house.  We've been in for about 10 months now, so we're settling in more and more everyday.

What I don't love about my house is the lack of storage.  Or at least my perception of a lack of storage. Or maybe it's just that I've always dreamed of bookshelves flanking the fireplace in my living room, so my storage complaints are a big rouse to make that dream a reality.

Whatever the real story is, the built-in bookshelves in the living room are happening! We asked my interior design friend and Ikea Guru to help us figure out a custom look on a big box store budget.

We figured that customized built-in bookshelves would probably cost us about $8-10K, especially in Fort McMurray. But incredible Ikea "built-ins" {comprised of various kitchen cabinets & drawers!} came in at just a fraction of the cost -- even with having to rent a pick-up truck and drive 5 hours to Edmonton and back. And we are always up for a good ol' DIY project!

An Instagram shot of ALL the bazillion boxes that will make up our built-in bookshelves! It literally filled the whole back of the pick-up truck!

 The update would not be complete without a tile installation! We picked up the carrera marble skinny subway tiles at Home Depot! Yay for the "The Depot" as EZ calls it! Affordable and awesome!

I'm really excited about the cool veins of gray in these tiles. It's going to be fabulous! Especially because we're tiling them vertically for an unexpected twist!

It took awhile for Big A to put the cabinets and drawers together. Ikea stuff, even as awesome as it is, is notoriously annoying to put together. Especially with two little helpers in the form of small children who want to be extremely involved, the process can be a wee bit tedious. But Big A has persevered and everything is almost installed!

 Stay tuned for our latest living room updates!

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Pop of Yellow - or Thank You, Internet!

I've got to admit that as much as I love Fort McMurray, options for affordable and hip home accessories are minimal. 

{I miss Homesense and good thrifting options. }

So to compensate, I've been increasingly turning to online shopping, mostly Etsy. I've neglected the awesomeness of Etsy for too long. But I'm a convert once again. 

Etsy is a long-distance shopper's best friend.

I'm excited to share with YOU, my amazing readers, my recent Etsy lovelies for my home! They aren't "installed" in my home yet, but at least I can share my good finds with you.

I know online shopping can be scary...but it's not 1997 anymore. Online shopping, especially when you are living in a remote location, is the best way to bring goodies to you. You do not have to live on Wal-Mart accessories alone {not that there's anything wrong with Wal-Mart, they do have some cool options}.

{image via here}

I think these pillows are absolutely AWESOME. I love the chevron {as you know!}, but the yellow felt flower is just beyond. This pillow hits the mark, so I ordered TWO! They have other colours and combinations, so definitely check out the shop called Bed Buggs Boutique!

 

{image via here}

I got these two amazing pillow covers for $26! Seriously! I'm using them as outdoor pillows since the fabric is really durable. I love pattern, and the mixing of these two modern fabrics makes me swoon. Yay Designer Pillow Shop -- check them out!

{image via here}

I'm saving the most exciting purchase for last...I'm getting these very cool yellow ikat pattern curtains for my living room! I've had satin nickel grommets added, as well as a liner, so these drapes should be a stunning statement to my living room.  Definitely head to Sew Modish for stylish, yet affordable drapes!

So, enough about me...what amazing online finds have you bought lately?

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January Update

I can't believe we're halfway through January already! Time flies when you're having fun.

We had EZ's 3rd Birthday party over the weekend and it was a big success. We *tried* to keep it simple this year, but as you know, I like to do things big. EZ had a blast with his family & all his little friends. I'm editing the photos now, but here's a sneak peek!

Alright, let's see...what else is new?

We're on the hunt for new kitchen chairs since selling our counter-height dining set. I'll post about that soon because I think I need your advice on a table too. Oh and I changed the drapes in the kitchen too!

I think that our dining room is done. Finally. Ok, well, except for a few pillows, but I seriously LOVE the finishing touches {ie. art} that we added to it. We started this process a YEAR ago {literally!}, so it's nice to reflect on how much we've accomplished in that time.

Our living room is getting there. I'll blog about it soon. I posted on Twitter some cool chairs that we picked up from Kijiji. But recently, we hung up some new art and a mirror that I got from HomeSense. 

See? So many posts to write, so little time. Thanks for following our adventures. And thank you for being patient :)

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