Chapters Indigo style section is right up my alley these days. This keychain pouch is an affordable option for yourself or a gift.
Winter in Canada. It sucks. I have complained so much about it (and I just can’t stop). It puts such a damper on my mood and motivation. I’ve tried to embrace it in the past, but, really, it just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been coping with the cold, dark days by watching a lot of television (I’m sort of completely sick of television now, too) and by reading more books (rather than just my usual stack of magazines and list of blogs).
In addition to about a dozen academic books (for a fun-for-me project that I might share one day), I’ve read the following…
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
I’d recommend all three books. Gone Girl was a slow start for me, but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading it. It was amazing. The Rosie Project and Rose Effect were both amusing and interesting. Because one of the main characters is a professor, I could relate.
I’ve also been reading a whole bunch of money and tax books. Here are some of them:
I think Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s books have been the most relevant, useful, and informative.
Following my end of January post called Things I Learned This Week, I thought it would be appropriate to end this week by sharing five things I learned this month.
1. February is a month that really just whizzes by in a flash. I never really paid too much attention to this before, but this month was really just a complete blur. I was sick for almost three weeks of it, but other than that, I have barely a recollection of what I did! I hate feeling like this.
via Me and My DIY
2. The Waterloo Public Library in uptown Waterloo is awesome. I love libraries and I think we should continue to show them our support. Right? Who’s with me?
3. I love doing the Saturday Toronto Star crossword when I’m at my parents’ house. I can actually do it (or most of it)! I don’t actually get the newspaper at my own home, but it’s one of the first pages I turn to when I see the Star sitting on my parents’ kitchen table. I liked this one especially since the clue for 67 down was “Ontario city”, and the answer was “Waterloo”. Do you see it in the photo?
4. Showering my cousin’s baby with well wishes on this sweet display made me happy.
5. I had a great time at The Home Depot spring preview event earlier this week. I can’t wait to BBQ and start planting in a few months. The HD has quite a few new BBQs in stock, so I encourage you to check them out if you’re in the market for one. Here I am pretending to water some herbs in a space designed by Tim:
While the month went by in a flash, and it was generally decent (from what I remember), I’m glad it’s coming to an end because I cannot wait to ditch my winter coat and enjoy a warm spring.
I haven’t posted any photos of my home for quite some time. Most of the major work is done (yay!), although I always have something on my to do list (e.g., my basement bathroom). I am so proud of all that I have accomplished in the 1.5 years since I moved into my home. The house looks nothing like it did when I moved in. I slathered gallons and gallons of paint on every single wall, changed a bunch of light fixtures, cleaned for hours on end, tore down a wall, and so much more.
I haven’t taken after photos of every room, so this past weekend, I devoted some time to doing just this. I am just about ready to share a house tour. I really should post the before photos, too, to make things extra dramatic (maybe I will one day)!
For now, here’s a look at what my powder room. This space was completely gutted, and nothing (besides some of the walls) was salvageable (you can see some before photos here and here). It was a disgusting space, really, and that just sums up the before.
I am so pleased with how this little room came together. Me and my family did the work ourselves, so the only cost was for supplies and fixtures. Little money, big impact. I especially love the floor in my powder room because I installed it myself. Who knew I would ever do such a thing!
Sources:
Tommy faucet – Delta c/o
cabinet & sink – IKEA
hex tiles – Twin City Tile
twin flush, energy efficient toilet – Costco
vintage Chanel poster – Les Puces flea market, Paris
mirror – HomeSense
towel bar – Umbra (it’s a paper towel holder)
linen towels – vintage
milk glass – vintage
light fixture – vintage
toilet roll holder – Bed Bath & Beyond
baseboards, light plates – Home Depot
Photos by me.
Before I could barely even string a sentence together, my mom taught about Swarovski crystal. I know, right? She tells me stories of going to the Swarovski factory in Austria when I was quite young and buying pairs of Swarovski animals. There was always a pair – one for me and one for my sister, she said.
She hasn’t added to her collection in quite some time, so this past Christmas, I thought I should spoil her. I picked up a couple of sweet little animals to add to her collection. Swarovski‘s growing collection is amazing…as is my mom’s! Here’s a peek into her collection…
a pair of crystal squirrels
a pair of bears
a pair of bunnies
a hedgehog (this one might be my favourite!)
a kangaroo (my sister brought this one back from Australia)
View the entire collection at Swarovski.
Photos by me.