bedroom makeover

this room is by far the brightest in the condo, so i knew we could get away with painting some of it dark and not have the room look like a cave.  

the walls before painting had only the builder's paint on them - a chalky, matte, off-white colour.  it made the room feel really boring.

we decided to go for a bold, dark grey colour, but only paint the 2 longer walls as to not make the space too dark.  the two skinnier walls (one has the window, and the other has the closet) are painted a crisp white to contrast the dark grey.  they really pick up the natural light from the window.

   

the love how the grey really highlights the gold accents of the arrow jewelry holder & lamp, and brings out the wood tones in the headboard & vintage dresser.  

i am so happy with how the space turned out, and i'm thrilled that it's finally painted.  so long ugly builder's paint!  

bruce peninsula [national park]

guys, it's almost summer. and you know what that means...camping!  who doesn't love camping: the fresh air, the relaxed casual pace of the weekend, and food cooked over an open fire (why does it make something as simple as pancakes taste so darn amazing?!?).

   

  

  

only a few hours from the city, bruce peninsula surpassed my expectations.  located at the top of georgian bay at the start of the bruce trail, the park has amazing hiking trails and views of some of the bluest water's i've seen in this country.

here are few of the things we did while camping at the park:

[visitor's centre & lookout tower] the 20 metre tower located at the visitor's centre is worth the climb - it overlooks the region and georgian bay.

[hiking to the grotto] on our first day there we did our largest hike, starting on the marr lake trail to boulder beach, walked along the coast to the grotto & indian head cove, & continued along the horse lake trail back to our site.  we packed lunches, took (a lot) of photos, & had a really awesome day.

[half log dump hiking trail] this trail can be short, taking you right to the shore, or extend past to offer some amazing views of the cliffs.  hiking from halfway log dump to cave point is only 1km in distance, but is a trail full of ups & downs.  it was definitely a challenge in spots, but the amazing views were worth it.

[tobermory] this place is tiny & very touristy.  full of cafes, restaurants, & boat cruise options, it's a nice change of scenery. a great way to spend an afternoon..

[boat cruise] we did the fathom five non-stop glass bottom boat tour with blue heron cruises & had a total blast.  touring around georgian bay, it offered some incredible views of the cliffs, remote islands, the flowerpot rock & a trip over a ship that sunk in the harbour.

[watch the sunset]  a vacation tradition for us, we grabbed a bottle of wine & enjoyed the sun setting over cyprus lake.

  

personalized cat toys

this is maggie. she is about to turn two.  as an early birthday gift i made her some personalized toys in some the shapes of some of her favourite things. 

she was curious about them every step of the way.  even the older one (stitch) took the shoe and started to play.  

i share how i made them over at home james.

needless to say, i think they were a hit!  

before pictures: condo

before i can show our progress on the place, i should show you the before pictures.  below are a few of the pictures that were online while the unit was up for sale.

first is a view of the living room. it's a pretty simple room, with the nice big open windows & doors at the end.  the second photo shows how each rooms flows into the other, with the living room at the end.  we both have so many ideas for this space!

 

next is the kitchen.  compared to our old kitchen, this space is amazing.  it's large enough that two people can fit in the space together, but small enough that everything is just an arm's reach away.  while i love the shape and size of the space (remember, we do live in a small condo!), i don't love how dark it is.  i shared a few ideas on how we could handle this space here.

this is the "den".  upon moving in, we have actually turned this nook into the dining room.  it's the perfect size for a nice table, and is located next to he kitchen.  here are a few of the goals b & i have for the dining room.

and, the bedroom.  again, nothing fancy about the space.  this is one of the rooms i am most excited about decorating, with a ton of ideas here.

and last but not least, the bathroom.  it's such a tiny room with no natural light.  this room going to be a challenge...but we are both up for a challenge.  here are some of the ideas for this room.

both of us love how bare & simple the space is. there is so much room for potential & imagination.  searching sites like pinterest and houzz for ideas on things has become something i am looking forward to doing.  it's such a great way to visualize an idea before you commit to it.   

b & i are so excited to work on our little home.  diy's are something we both enjoy doing.  each idea is something that we develop together, which will truly reflect the place as our home. i cannot wait to share the transformation!