Fall Style

It's not a secret that I love the fall.  Who doesn't?  The crisp air, the changing of the leaves, the kids going back to school, the boots...

I could go on.

I've been working on a little fall style makeover this year.  I will admit that I'm not always the most polished or fashionable woman.  I like classic style but am also always really, really busy.  So, I often wear lululemon pants and sweatshirts on the days that I don't go to work.

I am, in fact, wearing that exact outfit right now.  But I have been working to improve my overall appearance lately.  My favourite fall purchase being my leopard print flats.

Here are a couple of outfit images that are inspiring me this fall:

via

I love the bright yellow and the printed scarf.  This outfit is really me.  Once someone called me 'the queen of cardigans'.  If the shoe fits... Oh yeah, I also have those flats.

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I love brown riding boots.  And I think the black and brown combo is pretty sophisticated.  The skinny jeans are a bit of a stretch for me (no pun intended) but I've purchased a pair from Joe Fresh that are black cords and I love them as long as I'm wearing a longer top.

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I am definitely a basics girl.  But I love a funky accessory!  Leopard flats and an orange bag?  I'm in!

What are you wearing this fall?

xoMeg

Master Bedroom Update

 

 Remember when I asked you guys for a little help in the bedroom?

 

 

You were great.  You really were.

 

A whole bunch of you tried to help me out with bedside styling and picture hanging.  I put a lot of holes in my walls trying to figure out an artful arrangement for my bedside tables. Then I filled them all in and hung the two photos above the bed instead.

 

 I really wish I was a better artwork hanger.  I'm always trying to do a gallery wall.  I just can't seem to get one right.  I don't have the eye.  I think I'll put that on my list of goals: be good at gallery walls. . 

 

For now, I have given up accepted that the room is going to look like this for a while:

 

 

 

 

There's no headboard back there. Sigh.

This big piece of art, that is supposed to ground this whole scheme,  isn't hung. I don't really like the lights on our bedside tables. I wish they were gourd lamps. And I need a rug.

I am actually okay with the room looking like this for now.  In all honesty, I'm tired.  The reno has taken a lot out of me and need to take a break.  That way I can come back with fresh eyes and make this room happen.

 I'm also out of money.  Gourd lamps cost a lot, don't you know?

I hope you have the best of weekends.  Fall is here!

xo Meg

Exterior Progression

 

 

In addition to the renovations to the inside of our home, we also made some changes to the exterior.

 

 

 

This is a shot of our home from just before we took posession of it.

Note the overgrown landscaping and peeling paint.

 

 

 

 

 

Here I had completed the landscaping in early summer. It is amazing what some new

plants and lots of dark mulch can do for a garden!

 

 

 

 



 

This before shot is a close-up of the trim before painting.



 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is what the exterior looks like now:

 

 

 

You can see that the plants are fililng in nicely in the garden.  We also added a window box and filled it with trailing plants.  The white of the trim really brightens the whole house and makes the lovely detailing stand out. 

 

 

 

 

The front door was painted in a charcoal grey and the ceiling was painted out in white, like the rest of the trim.  It truly is amazing what a coat of paint can do, isn't it?

Happy Monday!


xo Meg

 



Main Floor Reno Photos

Is it gratuitous to post even more photos of this reno?  Seriously, we've worked so hard and so long on this that I have so many more things to show you.  When I look over the photos on the blog, they all look like 'before' shots!
 Here are a few more photos of the main floor:

This is the renovated office.  If you are interested in seeing the before, check this out.

The new powder room. It is so much better than before!

 

This is a completely different view of the main floor with its new open concept.

Remember how hard I worked on this wallpapered staircase?



And how I'm the Jedi Master of Trim?  I love this little leaded glass beauty.

Believe it or not, I have some more photos to share next week.  I thought I'd catch you up on everything we've finished here at this crazy old house.  I'm also going to update my home tour page with the renovated version. 

I'd like to thank my friend Kara for taking these shots with her awesome camera.  So much better than my photos! 

xo Meg

My New Kitchen

It's been a long time coming but I thought you'd like to see my new Kitchen.

Frankly, this renovation almost killed us.  But we managed to get it done and stay married. 

Remember when we moved in and it looked like this?

before

See that wall on the left side?  

We made some large structural changes to the kitchen by removing the wall between the existing dining room and kitchen.  This made room for a peninsula and created a better traffic flow for our family.  It also served to open up the entire main floor.  The light in there is amazing now and the house feels so much larger!

Here is a view of the dining room, from the living room at the front of the house:

You can see the peninsula and how removing the wall created an open and airy feel.  

I love the view from here.

As a result of opening up that wall between the kitchen and dining room, we had to close up the large, non-functioning doorway in the hallway. It was an amazing french door - 4 feet wide!  But it was warped in the hinges and wouldn't even open.  I'm taking suggestions as to how to repurpose it.

before

I love the ceiling we installed.  It might be my favourite thing about the new kitchen.  Especially since it was a dropped ceiling before. 

So there you have it.  Hope you like it as much as I do!

I'm back now so you'll see more regular posting again. The renos are done, the kids are settled in at school.  I'm looking forward to putting a little more personality into the spaces we've finished.  I'll keep you posted!

xo Meg

  

Finished Kitchen Snippets

Here are a couple snippets of my finished kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

I know you guys deserve better than instagram photos.  I'm working on the styling and will shoot some good photos soon. 

 

What do you think?

 

xo Meg

 

The Kitchen

Guess what?  My kitchen's almost done!

I thought we'd never get here and I'm so excited to share the rest of the progress with you!  I was just looking back at the last couple of posts about the kitchen and I can't believe how far we've come.

But, like the total tease that I am, this isn't a reveal post. 

The last finishing touches are happening this weekend and we're still waiting for the counter installation (Saturday morning).  But I couldn't resist checking back in with you.  I've missed you after all!

When last we spoke, I was bummed about the idea of caulking and filling the millwork on the ceiling.  (Does anyone else hear The Black Keys "Gold on the Ceiling" every time I say that???)

I'm not going to lie.  This. Job. Sucked.  But it looks killer!



painting in progress

 

 

 

 

Ceiling all painted out. 

You can also see the hood vent cabinet in this photo.  Jay built all our cabinets.  This one is waiting for spraying in this photo.  That's also why the paper is taped to the ceiling.  We didn't want  to risk overspray hitting the ceiling. 

 

 I know these pictures are crappy but I tried to document the process the best I could and my iphone was always handy. 

 

 

In the above photo, you can see the fridge cabinet and the trim around the window starting to take shape.  That is still the old sink and cabinet in the centre.  Remember, we are living through this crazy renovation so we kept the sink in place for as long as possible.

 

Here are the last couple progress shots of the kitchen during spraying:

 

Hood Vent Cabinet (and a furniture kick too!) in the process of spraying.

Fridge Cabinet & Peninsula in the process of spraying.

 

 

 

 

Corbels for the peninsula.

 

 

I'm not going to pretend this process has been easy.  There have been temper tantrums, budget freak-outs and tears.  It has been hard on our marriage, and our kids. But it has been so worth it.  I love the way the new kitchen is looking. 

 

I can't wait to show you the 'after' shots!

 

xo Meg