New House Tour Coming Up!

I was lucky enough to have photographer, and friend, Teresa Bolinski come out and photograph my house recently. Maybe you have that perfect paint colour in your bedroom that puts a smile on your face first thing in the morning, or a cozy nook that you can’t wait to grab your favourite magazine and a coffee and escape for a little while… well, pictures never seem to do them justice do they?

This girl knows how to capture exactly what you’re feeling about the special people and places in your life.  I couldn’t be happier that she had the time to help me out with my own space. Here is a couple snaps I managed to get of Teresa the rare times she was standing still long enough to capture her.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be complete if Oscar didn’t get in on the action…

Look at that face!

Thanks again Teresa! Stay tuned everyone to check out Teresa’s fantastic work!

Paint Stories: Feeling Gray-Blue?

As we all move forward with our busy days, and demanding responsibilities, there is an increasing need to be able to come home and feel calm, nestled, and relaxed. Today, we’re going to take a peek at two fantastic colours, that may promote the calm and relaxation in your world.

First up, Benjamin Moore, OC-49 Titanium. Reader Lisa M., loved this colour so much she carried it all the way from her living room into her bedroom. Living in a small space, this colour adds gentle colour tone, without crowding her in.

Next up, the colour I decided to use in my own home. Benjamin Moore CC-690, Piedmont Gray. And, what better room, than the master bedroom, to get the relaxation feeling going. Pair this colour with a cushy duvet, and let the sandman come on in…

Remember, what you see on screen not might match your own colour swatch. Be sure to do a test swatch in your own space before committing to a colour. Happy relaxing everyone!

Change Table – Before and After

Another tick off the “to-do list” today. The nursery change table, also given to us by neighbours, is ready to go. Time to remove the last remnants of our home office out to make room for this new piece. I guess I’d better get on a change pad too! Here’s a look at the before…

The same “ground ginger” paint as used on the dresser is what I’ve used here.

And, I found a new use for some bamboo style placemats. I began by cutting off the hem, and tiling the placemats as seemlessly as possible to add some texture. I used spray glue to attach to the shelves and the fronts of the drawers. I found the placemats at Superstore for a couple bucks each, and used about 9 placemats for this project.

The bottom drawers needed some hardware (I picked up new ones at Home Depot), so I began by measuring carefully (a couple of times), and marking it off. Pick the appropriate drill bit size to create your hole with, drill, and add your hardware. Done!

After I was sure I had my hardware in the right spot (phew!), I removed them quickly so I could add on my bamboo material, popped the hardware back on and the drawers were complete!

And, here is the finished product. Since I had never worked with a material like this, it made me a little nervous, but it also made the project a lot more fun. Stepped out of the comfort zone for this one!

Got a project you’d like to share? Email me some lowres images here!

Fresh Finds: Superstore

After my latest visit to Superstore (which, for all of you who frequent it, know that this is a, “buy anything and everything, from all the fixin’s for Thanksgiving dinner, to the cute outfit you’re gonna cook it in, and the flatware you’re gonna serve it with” kind of market), I decided I just had to share all some of my finds here with you.

If you’re planning on serving dinner on the patio all summer, or just want to jazz up the kitchen, this is the post for you!

Cutlery is just $12.99 for 20 pcs. An incredible $1 for assorted placemats, and round it off with a tablecloth for $5.99

This fantastic bamboo serving tray is just $9.99. The glassware is a set of 16 (8 tall, 8 short) for $15.99 and the ice cube tray comes in at a mere 99 cents.

Pick up these large platters and serving bowls for $5.50. And the oven mitt? $1.

These amazing eco dinner plates completely biodegrade within a year, and are (top shelf) dishwasher safe. Something to feel good about when out on a picnic and at just $6.99, it doesn’t hurt the wallet. Take your pick of a plastic dinner plate at just $2.50 each, and serve up some ice-cream in style for under $2.

The deals didn’t stop there. Here are some of the other great finds that made it home with me…

Tea towels for one dollar each. Can’t beat that.

New bath rug for $14.99. This one is very soft under foot.

This cushion was priced right. With such a great pattern, you almost can’t make it for this price… just $9.99.

An oatmeal coloured casual throw for $14.99. And finally…

Your choice of patterns in these pillowcases for just $9.99 for a set of two.

A lot of great deals to start your summer right. Happy shopping everyone!

Fresh Crush joins Facebook!

Be sure to join our little page at www.facebook.com/freshcrush. A place for everyone to share their experiences with DIY, products, decor and design. Have a fabulous find you want to share? A project you’re proud of? Post it on our facebook page!

Hope to see you there!

DIY: Birch Tree Wall Mural

In the continuing effort to attempt a nursery, I was searching through my many inspirational web saves, jpg’s and clippings… and was reminded of this wonderful gem originally posted on Design Sponge last year. When I first saw Jen’s Bedroom makeover, I immediately wanted to put birch trees in my home somewhere, anywhere! Finally, the time had come. I thought it would be perfect in the nursery. Gentle on the eyes, and an interesting, captivating pattern to boot. Just perfect. Here’s how it went down…

The plan. As usual, I often begin projects playing around on my trusty Macbook. A easy illustration to help with scale, and an image of the mirror (a previous project), allow the finished product to come to mind.

I decided a free-hand attempt at painting was best. After all, there are no straight lines in nature anyway… nothing to get too picky about. I began with a very light first coat — a general guide to follow along…

Once the first light coat was done, coat number two was easy. Behr Premium Paint-and-Primer-In-One cut down on project time and the coverage was fantastic. I used under a litre of paint for this project.

To get the project to this stage took approximately two hours. I was working with an existing base colour, and the wall was in great shape, plus, I don’t have much furniture in here to move around. Assuming you contain the project to one wall, you could easily complete your painting in the morning, and enjoy in the afternoon.

Now to move some items back in place…

And that’s it… for now, anyway. Thanks for the inspiration Jen, and Design Sponge! Do you have any projects you’re proud of, and aren’t too shy to share? Email low res images here!

DIY: Vinyl Decal Decor

So, what bathroom doesn’t seem to need additional storage? Floor plans often don’t allow for additional cabinets — so its time to look up. Waaaaay up. I decided, for my own, that a wall mounted cabinet was the way to go.

I found a great, very affordable cabinet at Ikea. The Brimnes wall cabinet, with sliding door, fit the bill. It has the best of both worlds, allowing for a little bit of display, and hidden storage.

I had some vinyl decals left over from a previous project and thought I could easily use them to dress up this Ikea number.

The vinyl cutout started from an image I found on the internet and traced with Illustrator. I submitted the file to my local vinyl decal / print shop. They were able to cut the design in the colours I selected. I had 4 different sheets cut, in the same design, in two different colours for around $40.

This is the original design:

Here is the vinyl from the print shop:

Begin by planning the position of your vinyl. When you’re ready, peel away the protective layer. (If you’re working with a large piece of vinyl, you may choose to remove this little by little as you work from top to bottom, attaching the vinyl to your selected surface). Here is my piece revealed, sticky-side out:

Start at the top, and with a putty knife or credit card, press and attach the vinyl from left to right, top to bottom. It’s very important to work out all the air bubbles! After you’ve got it all on, take a good look and push away any remaining air bubbles…

Now for the fun part! Slooooowly pull the backing sheet off the surface.

And here she is:

The only thing left to do is dress it up a little, and take advantage of that extra storage! The vinyl is simple, affordable and with minimal effort, it has some pretty significant visual impact!

Now you see it…

Now you don’t…

Here is a previous project where I used the identical vinyl cut out, and applied it to a ceramic garden stool:

Have a project you’d like to share? Send me some low-res images here.