Clear out the clutter: closet edition

It has been an incredibly busy week and I’m finally only getting around to my blog! Work has to come first right 😉 I spent the weekend working at the Ottawa Boat Show seeking new leads for my other side gig with Ottawa Foot Doctors (And dreaming of a life on a yacht).

For bright grey creations,  I’ve been working on drafting new designs for a four-plex renovation project that will be starting in a couple weeks. We have a couple kitchens and bathrooms to do, which I love! I can’t wait to share these ideas with y’all (accent borrowed from Dr. Phil).

Finally, I’ve been trying to pack 10 travel days worth in a carry-on suitcase… For those who know me well, you’ll understand that this task is next to impossible for me to achieve. I’m taking my man on a trip to Nicaragua for his birthday (which was earlier this month). We leave tomorrow! I got the flights on travel points accumulated through my dedication to using my VISA card (they are so nice, aren’t they?) The catch? In order to get to Managua, Nicaragua: we need to travel via Chicago and Houston. With that many connections, I couldn’t risk the airline losing my luggage… carry-on it is. Chris doesn’t seem to be too concerned with this… all he needs is underwear, t-shirts and a toothbrush right?

I was researching “packing light” ideas when my ADD kicked in. When we had our house renovated, we asked our contractor to build the closets with a double curtain rod and built-in. Although great to hang my clothing collection, it didn’t solve my purse hoarding problem. I came across this idea to hang accessories on your closet bar using shower curtain hooks or rings (and inexpensive too!)

For the man closet!

I’m adding this to my to do list for my purses, scarves, necklaces and Chris’s ties! Maybe find some cool vintage hooks (instead of plain white ones) that add a little charm to my display of accessories?

Have you found some great ways to keep your closet clutter free?

Inspired from Paris Fashion Week Spring 2013 – checkered prints

Louis Vuitton’s new spring collection at Paris Fashion week 2013 featured one of the hottest new trend this season. Checks, checks and more checks. Marc Jacobs as creative director for Louis Vuitton never stops to impress me… and inspire me! Well some anyway… I never understood herring pants. They are super comfortable, but the least bit stylish (unless you are a 5’10” glamazon).

In the recent years, more and more interior designs are inspired by new season trends right off the runaway. How will your home be following the new trends?

Inspiration – Checkered print

Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 @ Paris Fashion Week

Be bold with a checkered flooring

Or add a few checkered touches

Will you be following the new trends this season?

Baby steps by adding a checkered jacket or tights to your wardrobe?

Cottage life – Winter edition

Last weekend, Chris and I had some friends (and 3 dogs) over at our cottage in Blue Sea, Québec. We realized upon arrival on Friday that our internet had been shut off due to… non payment (oups! I meant to pay it, at some point). No biggie, I’ll call the local internet provider, pay the bill and get reconnected.

The next day (it can wait another day, right?), I called to find out the accounting department was closed on weekends (“I told you so” says the voice in my bed). Oh well, this meant we were going to spend the long weekend at the cottage the way it should be done… Without internet or cell!

Play classic games

We busted out the Wii and our Rock Band went on to touring 4 different cities on Friday night. To avoid carpel tunnel we took a break to play good ol’ board games (with beer). Games are usually more fun with beers, right?  We played Balderdash, Scattergories and Catch Phrase until our creativeness plateaued (then it just got messy).

Eat well

Saturday we prepared brunch together (the women cooked… the guys were on quality control). I decided to make a big batch of ployes with savoury and sweet fillings.

My parents are from Edmundston, New Brunswick; a French Canadian region on the border of Québec, New Brunswick and Madawaska, Maine; where its people are called Brayons. I grew up eating ployes for breakfast, lunch and dinner at my mémére’s. It’s a crepe made from buckwheat flour and the best way to eat them is drizzled in butter and brown sugar or maple sirup. I’ve been perfecting my method of preparing these in the past year or so, but I feel that I’ll never be able to reproduce the ones my mémére used to make. It is likely that the wonderful childhood memories associated to them are making this goal impossible to achieve. They will never taste as sweet as they did when I was a child. Either way, it doesn’t change that the first bite of a ploye always takes me back to my mémére’s kitchen – rolling up ployes doused in butter in brown sugar  and eating them while we watched Céline Dion’s Christmas Special.

Regulating temperature of an outdoor fridge is an art. RIP my sweet one.

Get outdoor

That afternoon, we headed over to Mont Ste-Marie for an afternoon of downhill skiing. I confess today, as you are my witnesses (and those present on Saturday): I’m Canadian and a terrible skier. Growing up in New Brunswick, I spend most of my weekends in the winter at indoor soccer training sessions. I’ve only gone skiing 5 or 6 times in my life (including 1 time snowboarding – *disaster).

It was beautiful day for skiing (I was told). It was cold enough that the fresh snow was still powdery and the hill wasn’t too busy. My first run was terrifying because I had forgotten how to do simple S. I was snowplowing down, scraping all that nice, fresh, powdery snow out of my path. Anytime I tried to straighten my skis, I would pick up speed, panic and  had no choice but to throw my body to the ground to avoid a fatal crash. Although Chris was born in Saskatchewan (the flattest province in Canada), he learned to ski in Fort Qu’appelle’s Mission Hill which had an abundance of bunny hills (which I needed desperately). He then went on to become a great skier on Canadian Rockies when he moved to Alberta. Last weekend our little ski group consisted of 3 Western Canadians who grew up skiing/boarding on mountains (not hills) and two Irishmen. I thought my ski experience (and having Canadian blood and all) would give me an edge on the Irishmen… I was wrong. Even 5 year olds were zooming past me in effortless swishing motion. After two green runs, I relieved Chris of his duties as coach (and first responder) to watch the group go down from the comfort (and safety) of the lodge for the rest of the afternoon. I had a afternoon skiing, relieved that I didn’t have to be carried out of there in the back of an ambulance.

Lupa is clearly an winter dog!

Max is 10% winter dog, 90% spoiled-lay-on-the-sofa-by-the-fire dog.

Our deer friend

Buying the cottage two years ago was one of the best decision we’ve ever made. The short trip to the lake on weekends is the perfect way to get out of the city and  recharge our batteries with a little country fresh air!

Staging : Sell your home faster, make more money

In this business, I really value the importance of my relationships with professionals involved in all aspects of house flipping projects. Real Estate professionals have a great insight on what is currently selling and where changes can be made to maximize profits on the sale. Contractors can help us with budgeting home improvement costs.

Where should you focus your efforts for maximum return on investment?

Cleaning/Decluttering

Fresh coat of paint

Staging

Renovations

The list is endless, so how do I prioritize?

Every home is different and our design style is often personal and unique. As confident as you are in your taste, I believe in the importance of getting a second opinion. Reach out within your network for advice on what can be done to your home in order to showcase it’s best qualities (and take focus away from it’s flaws!)

For example, an accent wall colour may bring the perfect focus in your living space, but most potential buyers will see it as a painting project (not move in ready/additional cost to them). Our condo had a bright orange accent wall… which wasn’t to everyone’s taste.

The first impression a potential buyer gets of your home is no longer by walking in during an open house! With access to multiple search sites and MLS listings,  potential buyers may click on to the next listing if the images do not entice them to stay longer on yours.

I scoured different sites and found a few very interesting facts:

1. 98% of staged homes sold above asking price (source HGTV’s designed to sell)
2. Staged homes on average experience a 3% minimum increase in final sales price, versus non-staged homes. On a $400,000 that’s $12,000! (Source http://www.stagedhomes.com)
3. “Your investment in staging costs less than the first price reduction” Barb Schwarz, Creator of Home Staging
4. “Homes that sold after four weeks on the market sold for 6% less than ones within the first 4 weeks.” Survey by the National Association of Realtors.
5. “The staged homes realized on average a 6.4% increase over the list price.” Coldwell Banker Broker survey on 2772 homes in 8 cities.
6. “Staged homes sell, on average, within 35 days of being placed on the the market. Homes not staged took, on average, 175 days to sell” Based on a StagedHomes.com survey.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Don’t you? I would be interested to hear your experiences in home buying/selling. If you had to do it again… what would you change?

Valentine’s Day on a budget: forget long-stemed red roses!

Valentine’s Day is one of the most, if not the most profitable celebration, for the florist business. It’s nice to receive a bouquet of red roses on Valentine’s Day, don’t get me wrong. But the thought that my man would spend close to $100 for a dozen boring-red-roses makes my eye twitch. Why not think outside the traditional box of chocolate and roses; and go for a different bloom…. or perhaps even a flowering plant?

1-800-Flowers, the popular online ordering has 12 long stem red roses for $69.99 + $14.99 service fee + $11.09 tax = $96.03. That’s highway robbery.

I always buy my flower bouquets at Costco. For $25 you can get a seasonal arrangement of mixed flowers (in-store).

$25 bouquet from Costco

They also offerer Valentine’s Day delivery specials when you order online. They have 10 long stem red roses for $39.99 + $5.20 tax and shipping is FREE! = $45.19. That’s half the price!

Why not chose your blooms for their hidden meanings or symbolic colours?

Types:

Anthurium – attraction

Aster – beginnings

Dogwood – endurance

Gardenia – grace

Gerbera – purity

Gypsophila – everlasting love

Heather – passion

Heliotrope – devotion

Hibiscus – opportunity

Honeysuckle – bonds of love

Hyacinth – young love

Mimosa – sensitivity

Orchid – ecstasy

Pansy – thoughtfulness

Periwinkle – promise

Poppy – dreams

Primrose – hope

Sweet Pea – lasting pleasure

Tulip – hopeless love

Violet – faithfulness

Colours:

Blue – trust and commitment

Green – self-respect, well-being and balance

Yellow – optimism, enlightenment and happiness

Orange – warmth and energy

Red – Passion and attention

Pink – fun, exciting, youthful and lightheartedness

White – Purity, innocence and simplicity

Purple – balance between calm blue and stimulation of red. Favoured by creative types.

For less impact on the wallet, choose flowers that are in season!

Winter blooms:

Hyacinth, Hydrangea and Ranunculus.

Year-round blooms:

Gerbera, Rose , Alstroemeria, Berried eucalyptus, Veronica, Lisianthus, Aster, Lily, Chrysanthemum, Hypericum berry, Phlox and Carnation.

Hydrangea

Hyacinth

White Lily

Gerbera – my favourite!

Phlox

Chrysanthemum

Aster

What type of blooms can you associate yourself with? Do you have any budget conscious tips for our men on February 14th?

Training for our first marathon

I turned 30 this year but next year I plan on turning 29, then 28. My body however, will be 31 and 32… as I age, I’m finding it increasingly more important to schedule activities into my busy work day. If I don’t…well it just doesn’t get done (I also LOVE television and movies).

Chris and I have always stayed pretty active. We play coed volley-ball together twice a week and I still play soccer twice or three times a week while he plays hockey.  All these activities keep us busy in the evenings and help us maintain a healthy lifestyle . Downside is that the cost of registration adds up quickly (it costs us more than a gym membership). I’ve never found “pumping iron” very stimulating, so team sports have always been my go to activity to stay healthy.

As I’m getting older, I’m finding it depressing to see generations of soccer players from my competitive team move on to grown-up things (like motherhood) while I still try to keep up with 20 year olds (I suppose a cougar has a similar dilemma). I started thinking about becoming a serious runner… something that I could sustain in my late 30s and 40s. I’ve always enjoyed running, and once I’ve established routine (the hardest part), it comes easy. I knew, however, that the key to long-time success was to find a good running partner. Last summer, I asked Chris what he thought about running a half-marathon in the Fall. He stared at me for a few minutes and said “What would we be running from?”.

We sourced a couple training bibs from Chris’s cousin and a friend (who was now going to have a baby). In order to run the Ottawa Army Run in late September, we had to condense our training into 10 weeks . Our goal was to finish the 21.1 km (13.1 m) in under 2 hours. Throughout our training, I assumed the role of personal cheerleader and coach for Chris, who was, at times, somewhat uncooperative (he’s not a morning person). Race day arrived and the longest training run we had under our belt was 14 km. Uh oh. After about 10 km, I started to feel demotivated, grumpy and tired. Chris, was on top of the world. Kept saying he could run forever, which I ignored. I made up excuses to stop, like an urgent bathroom break or cramp. By 15 km, I was staring at my feet, counting down the distance in my head. Mr. Enthusiastic (Chris) was driving me nuts. We ran by a group of people sitting along the course in their chairs, drinking beer with posters that said “Don’t you wish you were us”. I wanted to either: a. kick their a@* b. or join them. We finished the race in 1h55 minutes and it felt amazing (after being done). My experience confirmed what a number of experienced runners claimed. It’s just as mental as it is physical.

I signed us up for the Ottawa Race Weekend full Marathon in May 2013. The half-marathon was sold out. It was a sign… we’re ready, or will be!

Time to start training… em, tomorrow (probably).

Feeling older and looking to join a team? Here are few leagues I have experienced and would recommend for the Ottawa area.

Coed (All sports)

Ottawa Sports & Social Club 

Ottawa Sports Plus

Coed Soccer

Indoor Footie 7s

Indoor League 

Women’s or Men’s Soccer

Competitive Soccer

Internationals Club

Running Links

Ottawa Army Run

Ottawa Race Weekend 

How to add a watermark to your pictures

For the past 3 Octobers, I’ve been tagging along at Fender’s annual work conference in Las Vegas. The attendee list of 10s of thousands include clients, executives, engineers, computer programmers, developers, other engineers, other computer people, etc. As you can tell, I really don’t fit in. I’m introduced to Bill or Jim from the software division, and they starts talking about dongles, TCP, IP, GUI… To me it all sounds like a fuzzy episode of Star Wars/Star Trek. Am I the only one who feels useless when it comes to understanding computer jargon?

Since Fender is working quite a bit during the week, I normally spend most of my days alone in the casino or by the pool. I’m routinely asked “are you here for the conference” and it seems to be a lose-lose situation. If I say yes, I risk losing face by not knowing the difference between RAM and ROM. If I say that I’m not, I’ll be asked “How much for a good time?” (yes it’s happened more than once). I suppose during this conference, the “good time girls” are in high demand. I wonder if ComicCon has the same problem…

Anyway… I’m determined to contribute more to conversations at the conference  this year. Therefore I’m slowly building my repertoire of “computer/internet” skills.

Skill 1 : The “dummies” and Adobe Photoshop-Free way to add a watermark to photos.

Yes, there is a free, less fancy version of Adobe Photoshop. Download here for free!

1. During the set up, I selected to have GIMP 2.8 launched as the default editing software for iPhoto.

2. In iPhoto, select your watermark/graphic and click edit. This file needs to be .png or .gif (not .jpg) to make the background transparent (trust me, I learned the hard way).

My logo in .png format

3. I’ve already done a few things – turned the background transparent (Add Alpha Channel) and cropped the image like so:

4. You then want to export your file

5. Save your watermark as a .gbr (just change the .png to .gbr) under brushes.

6. You can then go ahead to select the photo that requires a watermark. Click Edit.

7. Open Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Brushes

8. Drag and drop your watermark onto your photo. (I shrunk mine and turned to grayscale)

9. Press M to move the positioning of your watermark (make sure you select the correct layer).

10. Final step is to Export again. This time you can save a .jpg! Bingo. If I can do it, anyone can.

I’m realizing that this is a bit extreme to keep Fender’s coworkers engaged in what I have to say. Maybe next time I could just say “Obama, eh…” and let the magic happen.

Preview: Master bathroom remodel

I wanted to share a few teaser photos of the post I’m working on. When Chris and I bought our house last summer, it ticked almost every box on our list of must haves. Great neighbourhood, character, open concept, 3 bedrooms, 3 bath, finished basement, nice back yard, etc. We loved it so much, we even overlooked the fact that it didn’t have a garage (and being in the city, tight neighbours meant we actually couldn’t have one). The lack of garage… and Canadian winters… This video on têtes à claques explains the life we chose to live (en français) in order to live in our dream home. It’s all about compromises right? And we can always get an automatic starter!

It had recently been “renovated”, but not quite to our taste. We put in an offer  on the 1892 brick home with the intent to make our mark with a redesign that would suit our taste. For example, replacing the thin, old, yellowing hardwood floors with a wider, light brown, maple hardwood (we’re Canadians, how ironic) instantly changed the feel of the house. An other redesign project we took on was our master bathroom. Here are a few teaser pictures taken with our phones, and stay tuned for a more detailed post on what was done!

Before – small and tired

During – making more room for a large glass shower

After – More pictures to come!

After – More pictures to come

I love knobs… sometimes all you need is bling

The key to increasing traffic to your website is in the choice of title and key words for SEO, right? (I like to pretend I understand geek language). Knobs, check. Bling, check…I have a feeling this may backfire. Oh well, live and learn.

Adding new hardware to a simple IKEA dresser or thrift shop find can really turn drab furniture into an showcase piece in your home.

I’m obsessed with the US-store Anthropologie (they also own Urban Outfitters).  They have 3 stores in Canada (yeah, eh!), but they’re all in Toronto… What about Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver? Seriously, couldn’t they share? They ship up North for a $20 flat fee (duty fees apply).

Great selection of knobs (check it out here.)

Alternatively, you can try visiting your nearest Pier 1 – Some of their stores carry a few different kinds. Hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes are great if you’re seeking a more traditional look (chrome, brushed bronze, stainless). For an eclectic look; www.etsy.com has thousands of handmade knobs sold through different retailers.

Vintage dresser + Paint + Bling = BAM!

Credit for before and after pictures from Design*Sponge (original post here)

For my recent dresser transformation I spray painted the original hardware. (More $$ in my pocket!) 

Before

After

Thanks for stopping by my blog, until next time!

Hoarders – Dog edition

The other day, it dawned on me, I have a serious problem… I’m hoarding dog toys (and craft supplies, but that’s another story).

This is seriously only the tip of the iceberg

I experience the same visceral excitement from squeakers as my two dogs, seriously. HomeSense has a great section of dog toys which range from $3-$10 – considerably cheaper than any pet shop i’ve ever been to.  I HAVE to test all the squeakers until I find the perfect one. I examine their texture, softness and test the squeaker for it’s tone and amount of pressure required to create noise. If you happen to be wandering the aisles of HomeSense in Ottawa, looking for the perfect vase or accent chair and hear a choir of squeak toys… you guessed it, probably this girl.

With an extensive collection building, it was crucial to get container to display my findings.

Cute, no? They have a ton of these at HomeSense, for $30-$40.

Problem is, as soon as I put them away – this happens…

It’s not a perfect solution, but a decent temporary one. Do you share the same obsession? Or maybe you hoard shoes (every girl reading this just said “yes! that’s me!”)? Would love to hear your stories… remember you are not alone!