Before and After: Main Bath

Well the hard work has paid off. After much stenciling, I have something to show for myself. Just look at me working so hard:

Ok. It wasn’t so hard. There was no blood, sweat or tears involved… just a little effort for a little room. The stencil worked fabulously! And that little flat headed stamper from the craft store was well worth the money. If you have stenciling in your future — I’d definitely recommend one!

Remember this?

How about this?

Happily, it is now this:

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? So soft and subtle. A big change without ripping out fixtures and creating a big headache before the holidays. Now to keep my eye out for a little vintage shelf for above the toilet. One like this perhaps (with a paint job). And maybe a bit of artwork above the towel rack? Some creativity still to come, but for now… I’m one happy lady.

The Goods:
Mirror: Debbie Travis for Canadian Tire
Light: Martha Stewart for Home Depot
Paint: Base Colour: Behr Ultra Almond Cream (W-B-710), Stencil Colour: Behr Ultra Oyster (W-B-720)

How to Make a Stencil

Okay folks. Our little main bathroom paint job is done. Maybe a bit earlier than expected, as we decided to host a ‘Grey Cup’ (the Canadian Football leagues ‘Superbowl’) party at the last second. The. very. last. second.

We managed to pull ourselves together in the nick of time. But, before I show you the before and after (that’s coming tomorrow!). I thought I’d talk about how you can create your own stencil at home to get a custom look.

First, find inspiration! This was mine.

Next, it’s time to create a stencil. This is not as difficult as it sounds. It’s easy and more importantly… dirt cheap.

Find yourself some acetate. I like going to the office supplies store, and buying a acetate desk protector. It’s nice and large, and can be cut in two (so if you mess up, you can have another go at it). And at under $4, it is not a huge investment.

Now it’s time to transfer your design to the acetate. There’s a few ways this can go. Maybe you want to duplicate a design from some fabric, or a magazine cut-out. In this case you can lay your acetate over top and use a marker to trace it out. Easy.

Maybe you’ve got a design in your head, or want something custom. In that case, sketch on paper, or in my case, draw it out on the computer. I wanted something large, so I used my printer to tile print the image onto 3 sheets of letter sized paper.

Next, time to transfer this image to the acetate. Grab your Sharpie!

I HIGHLY recommend filling in your pattern. Takes a couple extra minutes, but depending on the complexity of your design, it’s worth it. It’s easy to get mixed up on the pieces that are staying and going. So do yourself a favour…

One more step before you make your first cut. Lightly spray the back of your stencil with spray glue. Trust me. Acetate can be a slippery little critter. Spray glue and place onto your cutting board. Then tape down your corners. This may seem like overkill, but one wrong slip of the wrist can ruin your day.

Now you’re ready to cut. Use a utility knife that is small, and feels comfortable in your hand. You’ll be here a while, so make sure you can maneuver it easily. Spread out, give yourself lots of room and move and rotate your cutting board as you go to best line yourself up to make a clean cut. And, one more tip: CHANGE YOUR BLADES OFTEN! I bet I went through about 3 blades for one stencil.

You are done! Give yourself a big pat on the back.

One last tip. Spray glue is your friend. Once your base colour has fully cured, you can use spray glue to help place and secure your stencil to the wall. Use a low tack spray glue, and give a little light spray to the back of your stencil with each new placement. You will thank yourself. Trust me.

Happy stenciling my friends! Be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Deploy your dropcloth!

In honour of (re)painting our main bath, I thought I would do a post on the basics of a successful paint job. I thought I would, until that is, I found this post on wikihow. This little beauty lists 15 steps before picking up a paintbrush! You can’t get more detailed than that.

So if it’s your first time (and, that can be intimidating), give this a read. You’re bound to learn a few things, and gain a little confidence before you crack that brand new can of paint — which is a beautiful thing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fabulous neighbours to the south! Much love to you all — hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Paper Wreath

It is very easy to get carried away with the Christmas decorations. I always take time to pause, and wander through the decoration isle wherever I go, but, more often than not, say to myself, “no, you should not be spending money on this… walk away… walk away.”

So when inspiration hits for decor on the cheap, I find what I need, and get going!

In the spirit of being cheap, er, I mean… cost-effective… here is a DIY paper wreath that you can bang out in an evening.

Visit your local dollar store and pick up some plain kraft shipping paper, and an accent paper of your choice (mine was gold). You’ll also need a wreath, any wreath, you’re going to cover it, so don’t get stuck on the details. I found mine at the dollar store for $5. Like mine, you could use a bent branch wreath, but foam or straw would work just fine too. Don’t invest a lot here.

Cut your paper into strips. Just eyeball it, the project is very forgiving. Because wrapping paper is so thin, you can even slice up your strips with a straight edge (ruler), unless you want really clean edges, in which case a utility knife and ruler works great. I would hesitate to use scissors as it would be so much more time-consuming.

Make loops from each strip of paper. Use hot glue to close the loop, and attach it to the wreath. From here, it’s up to you… apply them to the wreath in the pattern of your choice. I decided to keep all my loops in one direction around the wreath. But you could work from front to back too.  I chose to use my gold very sparingly.

I really wanted something simple. I have enough action happening on the mantle, and didn’t want an overload. Too much Christmas from a box can end up looking a little plastic. So the natural paper adds a little relief. Throw in a mini cedar and voilà!

Simple and pretty.

Do you have a DIY you’re proud of? Email some low-res images, I’d love to share it with everyone!

Yet another room is gettin’ a makeover!

Thanks to Little Green Notebook and this post on these wonderful Lena Corwin Stencils, my main (and very neglected) bathroom is getting an update.

Remember this bathroom?

Of course you don’t, I’ve never bothered to post a photo of it. But it’s okay. When you’re up close and personal it feels ‘builder grade’. You know that feeling? Very functional, good quality, but no pop! zing! zag! Well… it’s coming folks…

This image had me at hello:

But of course I have to do a little extra DIY… making my own stencil? Of course!

Stay tuned!

Wreath Inspiration

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about jazzing the house up a little. A little glitter, a little ribbon. And, definitely a new wreath for our new fireplace! Jenny’s new mantle = new Christmas decorations!

I most certainly want something in a little DIY fashion, and I’ve been keeping my peepers peeled for some inspiration. Maybe you need a little eye candy to get going too? Here’s a little round-up:

Design Sponge

Real Simple

Style at Home

Good Housekeeping

Fresh Find: CB2 international!

Great news! You can now purchase your favourite CB2 goodies online and ship ‘em around the world! Start checking off that Christmas list people… and don’t forget a little something for yourself ;)

Making Birthday Bunting

I’m a little obsessed with bunting. It is so adorable, and on a miniature scale, it’s irresistible. I recently took my first attempt at creating some on my own for our Grandma’s 96th birthday. Yes, 96, and if anyone deserves a special day, it’s her. So I was happy to add a little fun to her place setting for this wonderful occasion.

If you’d like to give it a shot, follow along — and drop me a comment to let me know how it worked out!

You will need:

• Paper (with the colours and patterns of your choice)
• Ribbon, string, or floral wire
• Ruler
• Pen
• Bamboo skewers
• Adhesive (something like this is really handy for this project)

And alternatively:

• Oasis floral foam
• 2 small containers (I used tea light holders)

First I made a template piece to work with. Get out your ruler to help you make a symmetrical diamond shape. Use this to trace onto your bunting paper, and later cut out.

These pretty little things (PYT’s), will be later folded in half to create the bunting.

Now’s the time to plan our your sentiment. Arrange your paper in the pattern that best suits your mood. And use this to determine the width of string you will need to string between your bamboo skewers.

Once you’ve wrapped your string, or, in my case, floral wire (which is super handy because it makes wrapping it around the skewer easy and very secure) around the bamboo skewers, set it aside and prepare your paper. Fold each diamond in half, and double-check you have enough pieces to account for all your letters. I like to add a few blank ones on the ends as well.

When you’re ready, apply your adhesive to the inside of the folded bunting paper pieces. Then, wrap around the string so the bunting is hanging downwards.

Once all your bunting is hung, its time to write out your sentiment with a marker. At this point you could place the skewers directly into a cake as decoration OR for a place setting, you can prepare Oasis floral foam into 2 small containers to use as a base for the bamboo skewers.

You can also throw a little paper or fabric over the container to hide the floral foam as seen here:

And, there you have it ladies and gents. What do you think?

Crush on: Lonny Mag

How have I not heard about Lonny Mag? At least not until Nate exclaimed his love for the mag with guest, (Editor in Chief of Lonny) Michelle Adams. I guess I’m out of the loop. And, for the rest of you feeling the same way here it is! I’ve had a chance to leaf through the current issue and check out the main site. It’s pretty great. I still like feeling a magazine in my hands… but this is the next best thing, especially when you consider the environmental benefits of a non paper magazine. “Flipping” through the magazine is smooth, and you can just about click on any item for closer inspection and even purchase!

The website is great too. Feeling a little uninspired with your next decorating project? Head over to the decorating page, pick your room, and have access to dozens of inspirational photographs.

I’m sold. Definitely a new fav.