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A Slower Pace of Life

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I hope all of you Canadians had a lovely Thanksgiving and you were reminded truly why we’re grateful.

This weekend was busy - we had three dinners and it made me realize how blessed we are for family near and far, for food on our table, a roof over our heads and freedom.

I wanted to pop on today to share something that I announced on my Instagram in August. I’ve been hesitant to share it here as I know there are people who might not understand our decision, but that’s totally okay. It’s our life and our decision.

In September 2020 we will be uprooting our little family and moving to Hawaii. It won’t be glamorous, we won’t have a lot ( we’re actually looking at a 700 SQFT 2 bedroom place. ) But I think the memories that will be made will be far beyond anything we can ever give our kids.

Some choose to put their kids in sport and activities. Maybe buy them fun things like quads and expensive things.. we choose to give our kids adventure and memories. Neither of these things are wrong, but we are just choosing a different path.

So much research and planning has already gone into this move. Us being Canadians, we can only go for 180 days before we have to apply for working Visas. Also, if we stay longer then six months, we would also be required to pay taxes in both Canada and the US. So at this time, we’re only planning on a six month stay. If we decide after that time that we love it, we will apply for a longer stay.

I fell into an amazing job of marketing for brands and I can do that anywhere in the world, so my work will come with me.

A lot of people have asked why we’re moving to Hawaii, why not just go for a vacation?

Well, vacations cost a lot of money. When going for a vacation, you spend a ton of money in a short period of time and you’re still paying for the cost of living in your other home.

We plan to put all of our belongings into storage and completely move over to Hawaii, so we aren’t paying rent, insurance, Hydro, Gas etc. Where we are from, these things add up to quite a bit of money, so for us, it’s worth it.

Also, instead of looking into hotels which cost an arm and a leg, we will be living in a long term VRBO. The cost is a quarter of what you would pay for a hotel and it comes with everything included. A lot have asked why we wouldn’t just rent a rental. Well because we would have to completely furnish it, which would cost a TON and then we would have to turn around and sell everything six months later. So a VRBO is the cheapest and most economical option for us.

Many have simple asked why.

We have chosen to do this because we’ve had a really hard and yucky last five years. We went from owning a very busy business where we worked 80+ hours a week, to filing bankruptcy. Although it has been two years since we filed bankruptcy, we’ve decided we want a change of pace before we hopefully someday buy a Tiny Home and start investing into life. Right now our kids are young and we want to give them a year of experience.

This choice might not be right for a lot of families. But for us, we’ve realized that experiences and memories trump things.

I know many who often take vacations to hot destinations, but we simply cannot afford to. So we’re taking what we would spend on a 1-2 week vacation and spreading it out over six months. The good thing is, we won’t be paying to live in Canada too, so we will only be paying for the cost of living in Hawaii.

This makes the most logical sense to us.

I’m excited to take you along with us in 10.5 months.. but until then, I’ll keep decorating and designing!

Twin Bedroom Overhaul

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Good Afternoon Friends! I feel like I’ve been doing a ton of makeover’s and overhauls lately, but one of the most exciting and challenging tasks for me is to redo a room in small or big ways.

This overhaul was a bigger one. We changed out the wallpaper, got new beds, dresser, rug and a few smaller accents. I’ll put a before and after in this blog to show you how big of a transformation this room was. Everything ( minus the wallpaper ) was purchased from Bed Bath and Beyond and I’ll look everything throughout this post.

Keep in mind, the “before” was still beautiful, it was just different and not as practical for a boy/girl room.

This room is really small at 125″ Wide by 105″ Long. But I knew I didn’t want bunk beds in this space. I was really dreaming of two side by side beds with a chest in the middle. I also knew I wanted palm wallpaper and a jute rug to give this space a really airy and beachy feel.

The beds, you can find here, give the bedroom an old time feel. It was actually quite funny, when we first put together all the furniture our middle son who is 8 walked into the room and said

“Mom! All the furniture looks like it’s from the early 1900’s“

I smiled because this is basically what we were going for. I feel like the beds paired with the mid tone dresser and jute rug make it feel like a room you would find in Hawaii!

This wallpaper is called “Birds Paradise”. It truly was the starting point for this room. It’s super muted and suits a boy and girl.

That was the main issue with the last room. It looked beautiful, but it was very girly and you couldn’t even tell that a boy lived in it.

Rhett hasn’t had his own room since he was born. We’ve co-slept up until April of this year and then he moved into Brinley’s ultra girly room.

See below for a photo of how it looked before.

A lot of people have asked if we have another dresser in this room. The answer is no. Brinley and Rhett each have their own drawer and they share a Pajama/Undies drawer. I have always been more of a minimal person, but in the last year it’s been an extreme transition. I’ve always done a capsule wardrobe, but now everyone in our home does one. Our kids have fewer but quality pieces and less stuff.

This way of life really works for our family and I urge you to look into it if you’re constantly feeling like you’re living in a cluttered space.

Want to know a secret? Their drawers aren’t even half full. That either means a really deep dresser or few clothing?

You can find the dresser here

The little light on the dresser is called a “Hatch” and you can turn it on by tapping it. So great for kids in the middle of the night. It also has a ton of different lights and sounds and you can connect it to your phone.

And the last detail of this room is the oversized hamper we got the kids. I don’t know about your kids, but our younger two go through outfits like no tomorrow. This basket holds a TON of clothing and conceals it in a beautiful way. Goes with the beach vibe I was looking for.

All in all, I’m so proud of this bedroom makeover with Bed Bath and Beyond. It turned out better than expected!

Entertaining At Thanksgiving

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This blog is sponsored by Crate and Barrel Canada.

I don’t know about you, but Fall is my favourite time of year. The warm drinks, oversized sweaters, crisp mornings, multicoloured leaves and stormy days have my heart.

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to decorate during this Season. Over the years, my style has become more and more simple - almost minimal. I used to go all out with more pumpkins than I could decorate with. Every Orange, red and fall tone you could imagine and every pillow, throw and textile I could stuff into a space. But this year I’ve shifted into a more simple gear and I’m loving the minimal yet extremely cozy theme.

Keep reading to the very end to see our dining and living room decorated for Thanksgiving, as well as my favourite homemade latte recipe!

I wanted a tablescape that made our guests feel right at home. Instead of laying our natural linen tablecloth flat, I used it as a messy runner to give the middle of our table definition and give it that lived in feel. I then put our berry garland on top of the runner for some texture and lastly, a few sugar pumpkins mixed with these stunning wood candle holders.

Our table is made from old reclaimed fir and it has natural dents, cracks and movement ( which I love, it adds so much texture and character )

Pro Tip: If wanting to build or plank your own table top, go to your local sawmill and ask if they have any old rough cut wood laying around. You’ll need to make sure it’s kiln dried or it will take months to dry out. But usually they do, and it’s a fraction of the cost! Our table cost 90 dollars to build ( not including the legs and paint.

I picked these plates and linen napkins as they’re neutral and can be brought into every season. I also paired the napkin rings with the candlesticks to tie in the table design. If you look closely at the salad plates, they have so much texture and remind me of the ocean. The dinner plates are simple and can be used weather it is a Holiday or not. They can also easily be mixed with other dishes as they’re super simple and white.

When the plates come off the table, the centrepiece stays. It makes me happy every single time I walk past it and it’s extremely easy to put together. Don’t worry about spills or food - this set up will take under two minutes to put together so you can easily wash the tablecloth when you need.

We will be celebrating our own Thanksgiving on Saturday. We love having an intimate dinner with our kids and teaching them the real reason Thanksgiving is celebrated.

On to our living room…the place that gets the most snuggles, has the most memories made and most lattes sipped 😉

The first item to cozy up this space was this oversized knit blanket from Crate and Barrel. If there was one fabric that reminds me of fall, it would be wool. Big chunky knit wool. This blanket has been so lovely to cozy up under during those cold nights. I also think it breaks up the orange of the sofa and adds so much dimension and “cozy” to the space.

At one point in my childhood, prior to my mother going back to work, she would make afghan’s and sell them. We always had these cozy knit blankets draped over all of our chairs and sofas and still to this day, they make me feel right at home.

I don’t know about you - but nothing says Thanksgiving like a good warm drink and homemade muffins. Below is my irresistible latte that you’ll want to make every single day.

Jess’s Favourite Latte

  • Frother ( Handheld or Electric. I use this one )
  • Milk of any kind. I use 2%
  • Vanilla Syrup
  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamom
  • Coffee

Pour your milk, syrup, cardamom and cinnamon into your frother and froth. Once to the consistency you like, mix it with 1/4th a cup of coffee and there you have a perfect latte. Trust me, you won’t want to spend your money anywhere but on supplies for your own home.

We’ve been using our Smeg Coffee Maker and the coffee is honestly so good. You can also choose how strong you want it, your type of water ( soft or hard ). It makes the perfect cup of coffee.

What do you think of my decorating for Fall this year? Are you loving how simple it is or do you prefer a more grand gesture?

Make sure you hop on over to Crate and Barrel Canada! They now ship directly to your home for a super low rate! Be sure to check out their recently added Seasonal decor.

I want to wish all of you a very happy Canadian Thanksgiving and thank you for stopping by the blog today.

If this blog inspires you, I would love if you hit the share button.

2019 Fall Home Tour

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Happy Thursday Friends. It’s been a hot second since I popped in here as life has been a whirlwind lately. Every new season I like to do a tour of my home with a few friends. I’m getting super excited to do my Christmas walk through, but before I get ahead of myself, lets focus on my 2019 Fall Home Tour!

I’ve made a ton of changes in the last few months. I’ve worked with some incredible brands this year and in the last few months I’ve had the pleasure of working with Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath and Beyond, Tonic Living, Ruggable Article, and Commonhouse Studio. These are just a few of the brands that have entrusted their brand to me.

So without further rambling.. Here’s my 2019 Fall Tour

Our dining room is ultra simple this year. This statement mirror, pampas grass and these wooden candlestick holders are honestly all this space needs. I’m really moving into ‘less is more‘. With six of us in an extremely small rancher I feel like I’m constantly cleaning, so to make things more streamlined, I’ve just given up all the junk. No it wasn’t really junk.. but it was stuff I didn’t really love or need.

Our dining room honestly hasn’t changed a lot. Since the last tour we put up these beautiful white washed wooden blinds in here, as well, I grabbed a few really neutral linens from Crate & Barrel for this table spread.

Can you guys see the decorating that Rhett did? If you zoom in, you will be able to see the pencil drawings on the legs of our white table. I didn’t see them until after I edited and uploaded these photos….oy! Life with kids!

Heading into our living room, you will see I took most of the colour out of our space for fall. I really like to focus on earthy tones like browns, rich yellows, creams and whites. What screams Fall to me? Chunky knit blankets, cozy pillows, tea and a fire going. I love my place to feel overly cozy during the Fall and Winter months and I really believe I achieved this look.

The sectional is Article’s “Timber Sectional“. We absolutely LOVE it. I have yet to really figure out how to style the space, but stay tuned as I will be giving an in depth review on the piece and why we like it over a previous sofa.

I also layered my rugs to give the room a bit of texture and you can’t forget my tassel chandelier. It honestly works in any home with any decor.

I also wanted to mention that my beautiful nude pouf is from Babsouk.

We just did a massive DIY on the fireplace and the shelving. I finally painted the entire fireplace black and the shelving is 2×10’s that is hung on rods ( amazing for renters if you’re looking for a build in look that won’t damage your home )

I honestly didn’t change anything in our entrance. I really love the green feature wall and brass accents and I often change the accessories up - but the core pieces remain the same. I did add this bag that added a bit of warmth to the space.

I rarely ever feature this view on my space as there isn’t a ton of natural light, but I just hung this photo from Opposite Wall under this beautiful sconce from Kichler Lighting and the pair is dynamite!

As you know we’re working on the Nursery reveal which will be going live next week, but for now I wanted to show you the progress on Rhetts side of the room. He still sleeps in his Dockatot and I totally forgot to take that out for the picture 😉 As you can tell, there is a theme in my home.. I’m straying away from patterns and going with more neutrals. You can’t really see it, but their birds of paradise wallpaper is super light and honestly matches everything!

and into the Master. My favourite room of the house! My Bedroom! The board and batten wall that we did behind our bed is so good and I love how neutral it is! We recently got this light from Hudson Lighting and it’s really the feature of the room. I also pulled some warmer tones into this room by switching out our white duvet for an olive linen duvet.

How To Modernize Your Living Room

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I go through spurts where I want to burn everything down because I cannot deal with clutter. Stuff does not equal happiness, at least it doesn’t for me!

I first started ripping the mantle off. The corbels have become a bit too cluttered looking for me and with no mantle and just the black mirror it feels a lot more streamlined and modern.

If you look back on past blogs, although the mantle looked nice, it added clutter to the space. Adding on round mirror to a wall can really direct the eye and calm a space down, as well as make the space feel a lot brighter.

Second, I pulled out a ton of decor. Often in the decor world more is better.. but it just stressed me out and it didn’t feel zen.

What did I do with all of the stuff? I migrated it to either rooms or sold it. Ever since January I’ve been purging a lot of stuff. Stuff that really has no value but has just moved from house to house with us. Stuff that doesn’t spark joy.

If you want to do a big purge, I say go for it. Even though it might be hard to give away / sell your stuff, you won’t miss it. It’s purely just stuff.

Quality over quantity.

Below I’ve tagged a few of the key pieces in this blog post. The Sofa, TV Stand and baskets are from Structube.

Coffee Table and Side Table are from Article.

Chairs are from Campaign.

What do you think of the change?

Modern Facelift in The Master Bedroom

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It’s been a hot minute since I last posted. But I’m trying not to stress about it and I’m really trying to be more present with my kiddos this summer.

I feel like I’ve had so much to blog about, but here I am.

Our bedroom, although it looked beautiful in photos, needed some major help. The ceilings in our bedroom were terribly brown. And no, not a paint colour, like dirt and cigarette smoke from the years.

After thirteen months of staring at it, I had enough and we painted it white. GUYS, do not take for granted your white ceilings!

Second, with threw up this ULTRA EASY board and batten wall behind our headboard. It cost us 42 dollars for the bundle of 10 8’x3′ wood casings and we threw up one nail gun nail in the top and one in the bottom..so when we move someday we can EASILY take them down. Nail gun nails are SUPER skinny (read almost invisible )

Third, I partnered with Structube again and they sent over the King Ravel Bed, Hamburg Six Drawer Acacia Chest and Two Hamburg Two Drawer Bedside Tables.

I’m loving how the white wall simplifies the space but yet adds so much texture. It was so easy and so cheap, I highly recommend doing this in your home if you’re tight on money but need a feature wall.

Modern Facelift In The Master Bedroom. Thirty Minute board and batten.

Honestly, I didn’t realize how big of a difference painting the ceiling and back wall would make in this space. It’s so much brighter and open now. Before it felt so dingy and closed in.

We also switched out our grey bed for the cream “Ravel” and I’m loving it. It also has storage in the footboard, which is a MUST in small homes.

The side tables also have two deep drawers, so in total, we have twelve drawers in our room!

As you can see, we’ve left our room pretty minimal. I can’t handle clutter - it makes me want to burn it all. So I purchase key pieces and work with them. Once I’m tired of them, I sell them.

I love how the artwork, pillows and rug add a pop of colour into this pretty neutral space. It’s how I operate. I refuse to paint with colour, or buy statement pieces as I know I will get tired of them.

Instead I buy a few colourful pillows or pieces of art for each season and it’s such an easy way to change up a room!

Also, credits to my best gal Addy. The board and batten was her idea. She came up with the idea in her living room and I copied because I loved it so much.

It took Glen 30 minutes to nail up 9 boards, spaced 12″ apart. We only put two nails in as mentioned above. We filled the holes with wood filler, let dry, sanded down and then did one coat of white paint!

The project was so easy and so worth it!

I hope you guys enjoyed this walk through of our new master bedroom. If you have any questions about the pieces in this room, the process of painting the ceiling or the board and batten wall, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll answer!

Decocrated - The Quarterly Home Decor Box

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Hello Guys! Just popping on today to share about an amazing quarterly home decor subscription box I received from Decocrated.

Credit: Decocrated

This subscription box can be purchased as a single box, or you can purchase a year subscription and receive it every quarter

We styled our patio last week with our Decocrated Box and made Glens favourite bacon feta burgers on the grill. For the full recipe, please read to the bottom.

This adorable apron is just one of the things in this subscription box. It has an oversized pocket so you can stuff all your tools in the front. Of course, paired with a mimosa, because - four kids! But honestly, this box is so fun and full of some really cute pieces for a fun party! Also universal, you can use it inside or out!

The box also came with three pieces of art, a lantern, a tic-tac-toe game, a utensil organizer, a hello sign and pink napkins. Click here to see the full box.

My favourite thing in this box is for sure the multi use box for utensils, napkins etc. It’s so cute and I know I will use it often. My kids have also been playing with the tic-tac-toe game.

“Your Decocrated delivery is filled with carefully selected items for your home, from tabletop décor to textile elements and wall accents.”

For getting started with your first box, click here. If you choose the annual option, you get 10% off your boxes!

Glen’s Feta Bacon Hamburger’s

  • 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 Tbls Diced Garlic
  • 2 Tbls Diced Onions
  • 6 Pieces of Bacon, Diced
  • 2 Tbls Feta
  • 1 Egg
  • Sprinkle of Sea Salt
  • 1/4 Cup of Fishy Crackers Smashed

I know, you’re probably laughing at the fishy crackers..but do not knock it until you try it - so good!

I love to wrap my burger in lettuce. Yum!

Life Made Easier With Tupperware

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Thank you Tupperware for sponsoring this post.

How has June almost come and gone? Summer is now here and my kids are gearing up to spend the entire summer with me. In order to make life a little bit easier, I partnered with Tupperware to organize my pantry to give everything a place.

This project was honestly super fun, as I love to organize my home. Food storage has never been that easy for me though, as I feel like things just get tossed in the fridge or pantry, but Tupperware really made it a fun project and I got to label everything so it’s ultra easy to find!

Are you one of those people who if you can’t see something, you just shove it in a cupboard? But then when company comes over you beg them not to open them up? That is totally me. I try to be organized, but most of the time, the kids just throw things in and it becomes disorganized

Thankfully Tupperware stepped in and is helping me in that department!

Tupperware sent over:

  • A Pantry Organization set, including: Modular Mates® Oval & Square Set and the One Touch® Reminder Canister Set

They easily enable you to organize your pantry with containers that lock in freshness with a liquid and air tight seal. Making your food fresher for longer!

I created labels for each container so the kids will know where things go and where to find everything.

One of the best things about the canister set is the one touch and done. You push the middle of the seal and they’re closed.

 I’ve always been a huge fan of Tupperware and I grew up using it. Those containers are still kicking around over two decades later and when purchasing Tupperware, you know you’re getting quality products.

The best part about Tupperware is that they have such innovative products that allow your life to be easier without having to work harder. Their simple designs make food preparation, food storage and cooking easier as you can find everything. It all has a place and stays fresher longer.

Growing up my mom had our flour, sugar and various ingredients in Tupperware containers, and we had massive yellow mixing bowls and a bowl that my dad still to this day makes popcorn in. Whenever my sister and I visit him, we ask for him to make his ‘famous popcorn’. Now having my own kids I love creating memories with our Tupperware.

For this project, Brinley helped me label all of the containers. These easy stick labels come off if I want to switch up what food is in each container.

Their Pantry Organization sets have made our life so much easier as we know where our food goes and when to refill each container. Sounds simple and easy, but when you have a family of six, the little things are the biggest help!
Head on over to Tupperware to check out all their options for organizing your life and let me know what you think of this blog.

Deck Makeover [Before +After]

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I’m so excited to be jumping on today to share about our newest project - our deck! Two weeks ago spent all weekend stripping the deck, painting it and building privacy decking around the existing deck. It probably took us over twenty hours to complete and that is with our two older boys helping out too. It’s probably one of my favourite projects to date!

Before

This was before I spent an hour sanding and two hours power washing. I did this the Friday night before we started building…and are you ready???

Here is the after:

The biggest reason we hustled so hard on this deck was because I had a shipment from Article that was coming in on the following Tuesday. If you haven’t checked out Article, you totally should, the pieces are so dreamy!

The sofa is super comfy but firm and is from the “Ora” line. It seats up to five people, but fits in tight spaces which was perfect for our deck! The quality is far above what you would find at your department store and the grey tones really make our deck look like a million bucks!

Article pieces are so durable and well made and I’m excited to use this for many years to come!

Also a little side note: When ordering from Article, not only is it delivered to your door, but they also set it up for you and check it over to make sure nothing was damaged in shipping! The Shipper that set up my furniture made me look over everything twice and even said I could call him if I found anything.. talk about amazing customer service!

The coffee table is actually similar to our table inside, we’re utilizing the “Toba Coffee Table” outside until the end of summer. This table is the “Toba” in Natural Teak.

We also got the matching side table too! I don’t think we’ve ever had a matching set before.

and lastly, we got the “Medan Lounge Chair” in Graphite. It matches perfectly with the legs of the coffee table and side table. It’s made out of aluminum so it will last for years! I also might bring this inside once summer is over.

Zuri escaped onto the deck - he likes being out on the deck as much as me and he kind of blends in.

This deck was such labour of love and it was worth getting sawdust in my eyes for three days straight. It’s like a 4th bedroom in our home. Seeing as our rancher is only 1400 square feet and six of us live in it, this space will utilized daily! I currently have a “shade sail” coming from google to give us a bit of shade on the deck too. I can see us spending a lot of our summer on here.

I hope you love our deck reveal. Please let me know if you have any questions about the building process, ordering from Article or the decor used.

Hope you all have a great week!