Category Archives: etc.

Fireplace Fix

December 2, 2013

Well, I’m back. Sweden was beyond amazing. It was everything I had hoped for. I really needed a whole other week there. I’ll be sharing about our trip in the next week as we get unpacked and caught up around here.

I’ve been pinning fireplaces and faux fireplaces lately. Here’s a few of my favorites.

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source // source

I’m looking for inspiration for our soon to be new faux fireplace. This is the little project that we’ve been tackling the last week or so. At the end of last Winter, we noticed that our wood pellet stove in our living room was not working very well. It wasn’t the the prettiest fireplace insert, but I kept it because it provided a lot of warmth for our little home. We actually ran this little guy and didn’t run our heater too much. It kept the living area warm and then we just slept with lots of blankets in the bedrooms. But, sadly it really is dead now and the cost to replace it or even fix it was just out of our budget. So, I decided that it just needed to be taken out.

Well, if you own an older home, you know that this is definitely opening a big old can of worms. Turns out that there isn’t a subfloor under the stove and now a huge whole in the wall to the outside. And the tile in front needs to be replaced. But, no turning back now.

So, we started by framing in the fireplace cavity with 2 by 4’s. We needed to have something to attach everything to. Then we added some insulation and a plywood floor and walls. It was an awkward space to work in and definitely a team effort. There’s an old gas line that had to be worked around, but when it’s all painted, I don’t think it will be a big deal.

Now for the paint color. I kind of want to paint it white so that it’s bright and airy. But, then painting it black or dark grey might be more traditional. I’m torn. And another idea is to paint it a fun color, like kelly green. Do you have any thoughts on a color choice? We’ll talk later about replacing the tile, I’d love your input and help there as well. I’m leaning towards hexagon marble tiles, but I might temporarily just paint them for now.

Taking it out gave us a lot more of the room back and I think I’ll have fun decorating this little space with logs and other cute things. It might not provide an actual heat to the room anymore, but I think it will still give the room a warm cozy feel.

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We’re Going to Sweden!

November 22, 2013

It’s true!!! We are headed to Sweden today. I am beyond excited. My very crazy, generous parents are taking us (my family, my brother Josh’s family, and my brother Joash) all to Sweden for a week. Sadly my brother Joel and his family can’t go because the adoption of their 3 little ones hasn’t gone through yet. They will be missed. And yes, this is the same parents that took us to Ireland a couple years ago. My parents have blessed me my whole life with the gift of traveling and seeing the world. And now they are blessing my kids as well. They really are incredible people and I am so grateful for the heritage they have given me.

I’ve mentioned before that my mom’s dad was Swedish/Canadian. We’ve all wanted to go to Sweden for as long as we can remember. The really cool thing about this trip is that my mom has done a lot of research and we actually get to meet out Swedish relatives. How cool is that?

We are flying into Stockholm, spending a couple days there and then heading to the towns and villages where my great grandparents were from. We are getting together with 37 of our extended family for a Swedish Christmas buffet at an inn Wednesday night. We are all so excited to meet new relatives and learn about our family history and heritage. I can’t wait to share with you all that we learn.

So, I’ve been pinning all things Sweden for a couple months now. I am going to go crazy there. I better bring a really big suitcase for all my souvenirs.

Pottery // Towel

I can’t wait to get my hands on a Dala horse or two or three. I have such fond memories of the red one that sits in my parent’s living room. Maybe I’ll get one in a very nontraditional color like this pink one.

Dala Horse Pillow

Stockholm Map via

We’ll definitely have to pick up a Stockholm or Sweden map for my Globe/Map/Atlas loving hubby. This one has such gorgeous colors.

I often look at wedding images and think that I wish I could re-do things from my own wedding. But, this gorgeous Swedish wedding takes the cake. I would LOVE to have had this as my wedding. Every detail is so gorgeous perfection. Oh, Sweden, we haven’t even met yet, and I already love you.

Swedish Christmas Wedding

If you’ve been to Sweden and have some recommendations of sites to see and things to eat. I’d love to hear. I’ll be taking a blog break so I can fully enjoy this trip, but there will be an overload of Instagrams, if you want to follow me on my adventure.

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I’m dreaming of a Modern Christmas

November 21, 2013

I know Thanksgiving is not here yet, but I’m dreaming of Christmas. Oh boy, if I could totally do whatever I wanted with my Christmas’ decorations, then I would go totally modern. I am loving this metallic gold and black palette paired with fun angular, geometric shapes and graphic patterns. And we have been considering an artificial tree this year, and since it will be fake, why not a fake color like black or white?

This is Olivia’s 3rd Christmas, and I’m embarrassed to say that she doesn’t have a stocking. Years and years ago I made stockings for the rest of us in traditional red and green. And I even bought some fabric that was a pretty close match to the old ones, but I still haven’t made hers. Maybe it’s just a good time to go with all new stockings. I like that the mom and dad stocking would be different then the kiddos in this little mock up.

1. Tree Skirt

2. Metallic Gold Garland

3. Advent Calendar

4. Black Sparkle Stockings

5. Gold Dot Stocking

6. Arctic Animal Ornaments

7. Gran Pillow

8. Wire Ornaments

9. Metal Letters

The advent calendar is probably my favorite piece in this collection. I love the mix of patterns and pocket sizes. I have a lot of vintage style glass ornaments in gold and silver, I think they would work well with all the pretty metallic gold in the tree skirt and all the other little details. Christmas is the best excuse for adding a little glam and glitter to your home. I love my metal “M” in our living room, and I like the idea of writing a Christmas message with these fun letters and then fill them with cute festive trimmings.

What do you think about this gold, black and white look? Do you ever feel like changing up your holiday decor, or are you too sentimental to not bring out all the traditional pieces?

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Soma and Easy Entertaining

November 20, 2013

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Soma, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #givesoma http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

It’s time to get ready for lots of entertaining. I love to entertain, but really, this year it needs to be simple and easy. Our lives are a little crazy busy for some reason. Maybe it’s having 3 kids and one that’s almost a teenager with lots of activities. I don’t know what it is, but there just isn’t enough hours in the day.

So, entertaining prep has to take me as little time as possible. I’m really in love with my new Soma water filter. Not only is the design of it modern and stylish, but this sustainable system makes beautiful, clean drinking water with it’s 100% biodegradable filters. Take it straight from the fridge and it looks fabulous. It’s really a such a gorgeous focal point to our table now. I added large pieces of orange zest and some fresh cranberries to make a little fancy flavored water. It’s a beautiful, but healthy choice to serve your guests.

My go-to appetizer and party food to make is baked brie. Guests are always impressed and it seems totally decadent and fancy. But, the truth is, it’s about the easiest thing to make. My secret is out! I simply roll out a store bought puff pastry, cut the wheel of brie in half and fill it with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup chopped pecans, then wrap it all up and brush on an egg wash. Bake at 400F for 20 mins. until it’s all golden brown and gooey inside.

This would make a great gift for Christmas. It’s not just going to provide your loved one with a beautiful gift they can use everyday, but Soma also provides clean drinking water for others with their Charity: Water with every filter purchase.

When you purchase Soma for $49, you are automatically enrolled in their fresh filter program, which sends replacement filters to your home every two months. The cost is $12.99 (less than $0.25 per day). Shipping is always free. For more information about Soma check out this really great video their facebook and twitter.

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DIY Clay Leaf Napkin Rings

November 19, 2013

Ok guys, I made some really cute clay napkin rings for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. I’m really loving gold, and paired with mint, how can you go wrong? I’ve used Air Dry clay before to make little Valentine’s decorations, so I thought it was time to play with clay again.

Head over to Henry Happened to see the full DIY tutorial.

Oh, and I made the napkins, they’re inspired by Anthropologie’s Linen Isosceles Napkins. I’ll have a tutorial for them very soon. Mine, of course, cost a faction of the price to make. I just love a DIY soooo very much, don’t you?

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Feathery Give Thanks Wall

November 17, 2013

You know by now that I’m a big fan of a paper wall decoration. I love adding big, but totally temporary seasonal displays to my home. You’ve seen this year’s halloween Wall of Bats, my favorite, The Geometric Heart and The Geometric Shamrock, and I even did one for Canada Day!

I can’t get enough of feathers. So, I thought text made out of feathers might be fun. To make the letters, I cut 2 sizes of feathers. For this particular saying, I used 19 large feathers and 9 small feathers. I’ve made you a free printable template of the 2 feather sizes. But, I saved myself a bunch of time and cut mine out with my Cricut (I used the Close to my Heart – Artiste Cartridge).

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is almost here. What are your plans for this year? Are you hosting or are you traveling to visit family? We have big plans that involve a LONG airplane trip. I can’t wait to share.

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Pumpkin Apple Coffee Cake

November 15, 2013

It’s definitely Fall, one way I can tell the weather has changed, is that I have my oven on all the time. Here in California our Summers are HOT and I avoid baking and cooking inside at all costs. But, as soon as is cools down, I’m baking up a storm.

I like to have treats ready for my family after school or if we decide to have company over at the last minute. This moist coffee cake will be a perfect pair to a cup of coffee with friends. I love to entertain, but I’m kind of a last minute inviter. I just get itchy to have guests and I don’t give myself much time to prepare. So, that’s why I keep a well stocked pantry and something baked on hand most of the time.

I was given the challenges to come up with an original recipe that showcases seasonal produce paired with my favorite grains. The Grain Foods Foundation has a great web resource called Grains for Your Brain. Not only does the site have lots of great grain centered recipes, but there’s lots of valuable information about the benefits of having grains in your diet.

Pumpkin is my go to Fall ingredient. And this year I got a whole box of apples from my parent’s tree in North Cal. I love eating produce that is in season and I know where it’s been grown. I’ve been using these crisp, sweet apples in all kinds of recipes. A couple weeks ago I sauteed a bunch of the apples in a little butter and brown sugar and used them as a topping for pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Apple Coffee Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup veg. oil
2 cups apples, peeled and chopped
Combine first six dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat eggs with a fork, add pumpkin, vanilla and oil. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined and then add the apple right at the end. Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour batter into the prepared pan (it is really thick). To with the crumb mixture. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 mins.

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 rolled oats1/2 cold butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 brown sugar

Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.

Dust the cake with a generous amount of powdered sugar, really just because it looks pretty. The crumb topping becomes a crunchy surprise on the bottom of each slice.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. But, the opinions expressed here are my own.

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DIY Bead Curtain Pulls

November 14, 2013

I added a little fun and funk to my boring curtain pulls. I’m sharing the full instructions for making these DIY Bead Curtain Pulls over on Henry Happened.

I don’t know about your lives lately, but mine is CRAZY busy. It seems like everything happens all at once. I feel like I have so many projects in the works all at the same time. I am dying for a real day off. Thanksgiving break is almost here, and I’m so excited for the adventure we’re going on. I’ll share more about it very soon – it’s beyond cool. I hope you have a great Thursday friends. We’ve almost made it to the weekend.

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DIY Turkey Dishtowel

November 13, 2013

A couple of weeks ago I was visiting my mom in San Fran. We wondered around a few shops and I came across this Crate and Barrel turkey towel. I loved the simplicity and non-fussyness of the all black turkey. I decided that I needed a couple of these, but at $12.95 each, I figured I could make them for a lot less.

Sometimes you are just fresh out of creative ideas, I’m kind of feeling that way lately. I feel like all my good ideas are used up. So, while I’m feeling a little creatively dry, I’m going to take Crate and Barrel’s product and practice my stenciling skills. Do you ever feel this way, like you need a creative refill? sometimes the process of just doing and making spurs on other good ideas for me.

I started with a pre-washed piece of unbleached, cotton/linen blend fabric. I did all my stenciling before hemming the edges because I wanted the black stripes to wrap around the sides. I simply made a turkey freezer paper stencil’s using my Cricut machine and the Autumn Celebrations cartridge. But, do not fret my non-cricut using friends, I have also made a printable template for you. Just trace and cut out your turkey with an x-acto knife. If you are lucky enough to own a Cricut, here’s how I cut freezer paper stencils. Cut of piece of freezer paper to fit your cutting mat. Place the freezer paper shiny side down on the mat. Set the pressure to 3, blade depth to 4, and the speed can be on 5. Then cut just as you would with any other paper. The stencils come out beautifully every time.

For the two stripes along the bottom of the towel, I used good old blue painters tape. Then I used my freezer paper stenciling instructions (and if you like an ombre effect, these instructions might be helpful). Normally when stenciling black, I would let the first coat dry and then apply a second coat. But, because the original towel had a nice worn and washed look to it, I decided I liked the sparse first coat only to replicate this effect.

If you like these homemade Turkey versions, you might also like the DIY West Elm Monogram Towels I made earlier this year. These would be great hostess gifts for Thanksgiving – hint, hint!

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Fall Entertaining – Clean and Colorless

November 12, 2013

Last week I asked for your help. I wanted help picking a color and pattern palette for a Fall table setting. I love to entertain and setting the table for guests is the best part.

I tallied up the votes via comments, Facebook and Instagram and the winner was Clean and Colorless. It’s what I seem to lean towards often. I was kind of looking forward to having a little challenge with the other two choices, but I think you guys just know me too well. So, we’ll stick with what’s comfortable for now.

As I put this together, I decided that this could easily be a Christmas setting as well. Just take out the pumpkins and it’s great for Christmas dinner.

The highlight of this table setting is definitely the tablecloth. I got this silver foiled tablecloth at Homegoods for just $15. I love a good excuse to get out my china, it’s probably the Canadian in me. When I picked this china pattern 15 years ago, it probably seemed boring to most, but now I can’t go wrong with this simple white and silver pattern. I topped each plate with grey chevron napkins to keep the china and crystal setting a little less formal. I made the napkin rings with my Cricut (using the Tablescapes Fall and Winter cartridge). I love the simplicity of this all white feather. On the table I added mercury glass and milk glass pieces that I’ve collected over the years. The mercury glass picks in the milk glass vase are actually vintage Christmas picks that I got at a flea market. And I had to add a pumpkin, nothing says Fall with pumpkins.

This post was inspired by the Ford Fiesta Movement. I enjoyed watching how Ford’s agents took on the theme of ENTERTAINMENT this month. Be sure to check out some of the videos for yourself. And I hope you are inspired to do a little Fall entertaining of your own.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.