It's very late... or early, depending on how you look at it, so this is justa quick post. I'll be later today. This weekend was busier than expected, and at the same time, very lazy lol.

How'd we bank some cash this weekend? Well, we hit up our local bottle depot, and made around $18!! It's less than we typically have, which just means we're not procrastinating as much.....

We did manage to head over to the house, but unfortunately, this time, it was locked... but we took some updated exterior pics! I'll get them on later today.

We're hoping to swing by today (Monday) with the real camera... since neither of us are working, so fingers crossed.

The weather here has been crazy ridiculous, and it snow stormed and then melted and was sunny every single day this past week here!

I'm praying for nicer weather, as well as a callback for a job! Cross your fingers for me!

** I'll also post pics today of a project I started 2 weeks ago... that didn't turn out so well :(

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to fix it!

Anyhow, it's off to bed - Stay tuned for more in the day !

~ Photo from Real Simple

Tales from a Weekend Warrior Lazy person

Afternoon! Yeah, I know, it's the weekend, and I typically don't post, but since I was MIA during the week, I figured I'd fill you in as to why..... I got a job. Not a "real job", but a "for now" job. So I am waitressing, in addition to working P/T at the real estate office. It's not a lot of money... but at least there's some money coming in now.

I'm also still plugging madly away, sending off more resumes than you could imagine, in hopes of getting hired.

We're lazing about today, since we're both home, but being budget concious. Just thought I would say HI! before we head off to:

~ make some money **
~ bank some money
~ take proper pictures of the new house ( provided it's unlocked! )

** I'll fill you in later today, with the details on this, and some pictures!!

I'm off this morning at an Interview... and I think I have a "for now..." job lined up for myself as well. I pretty much got hired on the spot at a resturant yesterday. I worked at a different store, same chain 99-07... so I was pretty much a no-brainer to hire.

We'll see how it goes when she gets back to me with a schedule and here's hoping that the interview today goes well.. and maybe I won't even need to take the restaurant job!

It's technically 2:30am as I write this... and there is a crazy windstorm outside right now..... I'm actually a little concerned and just waiting for the rain.

However, I have some investgating and possibly a project this afternoon involving a kitten, bi-fold doors, and our basement closet/crawl-space storage room.

Have a good one!

Exploring my Options - to Paint or Stain?

A few weeks back we helped our friends move into their new ($900,000.00) home! As you can imagine, making an upgrade to a house like that, means that most of your current furniture, doesn't really work.....

So, they were offering up, some of their old stuff! The best find? A set of three coffee/end tables. However, I initially said no - they weren't really my style or my color. Plus, they were glass, and I really didn't think I needed tables. Oh yeah, and I didn't want to seem cheap.

However, after further thought, and a better look at the tables, I realized that it would be pretty dumb of me to pass up such a good offer! The tables were in perfect condition, and they were good sized! Plus, lets face it - I realized, I AM CHEAP!

So, the next day, we each drove our vehicles over, and brought those babies home. However, since we're still months away from moving, we had them stacked in the loft, without their glass tops, since we're kind of at a loss for space right now.

But since bringing them home, my list of "what to do with them" questions, has only grown?

1. First of all, where am I planning on using them? In the main floor living room? Or maybe the downstairs (when we finish the basment) family room?

2. Are they the right proportions for the couches we currently have?

3. How much do I hate the glass tops??? Can I live with them? Or is there something I can do to fix/replace them with??

4. Is the color realllly as bad as I initially thought? How dark do I want to go? (black or black brown, like an espresso?)

5. Will I stain them (like I originally thought I would do) or should I just paint them? Is staining even an option (it is - I checked with my mom, they are real wood!)??

Initially, I decided that I wasn't even going to touch them, until we were in the new house, and could see how they worked. But, last night, in a burst of creative energy, I decided to take a closer look, and get some quick pics!

They are, in fact, in great condition. After unstacking them, and laying them out with the sofa in the loft (which will eventually go in the basement family room until I can afford new stuff, I saw that they have great proprtions when paired with our furniture. The coffee table, as I predicted, is a fantastically HUGE size!!! But since I'm still on the fence about what room to use them in, I dragged one of the side tables downstairs to the living room to see if they'd work with the very tall arms on that sofa - THEY DID! They're a little short, but with the right lamp, I could pull it off!!

So, now I'm left to figure out if staining or painting is the best idea? The rest of the furniture is all black and blacky-brown (espresso-looking ) and I love that look. The wood has a nice grainy-quality, so I think staining might be best.... But will it end up looking to "weathered??"

I've decided that if they go in the basement, the glass tops will be fine. But if they stay upstairs, I might look into getting a solid top made.

Thoughts?? Any advice, tips, tricks, etc, is generously accepted!!!

This weekend, while at work, I got a lovely gift from a colleague. I've been keeping her up to date on the progress of our house, since way back, when we were just looking.

She stopped by to tell me that she had bought some artwork last week for her office, and it just didn't suit the space as well as she thought it did. Unfortunately, she didn't have a need for it elsewhere, and was I interested in it?

One look, and YES I was. All from Ikea, the simple silver frames and black and white artwork are classic, timeless and similar to alot of the stuff I already have.

All it took, was a thank you, some garbage bags to store them in, and a little lugging to the car, and these 4 pieces of artwork were MINE!!

They'll be going into storage until we move, but I had to take a picture to show them off. I'm not even sure where they will go yet, but there will be tons of extra rooms, in need of some wall-bling. While similar in style, the art is different in all 4 frames, so I am not even sure yet whether I will keep them together, as an instalment, or maybe split them up throughout the house.

Either way, I am sure I will find these frames a good home! Thanks Lesa!!

Progress Thus Far!

So yesterday, between interviews and meetings, I stopped off at the New House site. And to my amazement, they were putting on the siding! Very exciting!

I was also lucky enough to see the building contractor was on-site, so he greeted me right away and took me inside to show me around and update me on the progress of everything so far!

The inside looked pretty much the same as it had when I was there last, but they were working on putting some insulation and foam in the basement.

The biggest surprise though, was when he told me that he didn't see any reason why we wouldn't be in by JUNE!!! Holy crap!!

He said we should be getting our possession letter by next month!

Here's a couple shots from my Blackberry. I would have taken more but I was in a dress and heels and not able to climb around and take good shots lol.

Here's a view of the whole thing.

This is just inside, that's looking back towards the front door. The door visible here goes to the garage.

This photo is taken from the same place as the last but it is looking the other way into the house. That would be a view of the dining room and part of kitchen.

This is looking down into the basement. They are digging to put in foam on exterior walls. Yup, those pretty french doors and big picture window go right out onto our yard. Love the walk-out basement. Best $$$ spent.

Lovely Finds of the Week

Since I'm off work right now ( working on it.. I swear! ) I had some time last week to do som perusing around our local Home Sense store (from what i gather, same as the US HomeGoods). While I am in no capacity to be out buying furniture in my un-employed state, I am still always looking for stuff I love, for the new house... which I must also say is progressing wonderfully.

Here are some of the beautiful finds, I wish I could have taken home with me: I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos, taken on my blackberry.... but you get the idea! :)

This media unit is EXACTLY what I am envisioning for the living room. It's the perfect size, scale, and look. Plus, I even don't mind the finish on it. I think it would work nicely with our predominantly dark woods. At around $400 dollars... not that bad a price either. Mind you, it's probably long gone already... so I will keep my eyes peeled for more similar pieces in the next little while.

These dining chairs are GORGEOUS!! They are definetly more formal than what I currrently have, but I am definetly interested in eventually purchasing a new table and chairs to upgrade from our cheap-o set, since it's top has seen better days. The only downfall - there were only 4 chairs. My next set will have 6. I love the grey, tweedy linen fabric and I am crazy about nail-head trim!

These towels will be a purchase, regardless. I have been talking for quite some time about investing in new towels when we move to the new place, since most of mine are from when I was still living at home. The pretty turquoise color with cream leafy pattern is exactly up my alley!! Perfect for the guest bath, that will feature creamy beigey shower curtains and bathmats!

This photo of our house was taken the week that we got back, so last week of March, fom the street, in my car. It's greatly progressed since this!

First 100% Completed Project

You may remember last summer, when we decided to take on our first re-finishing project - The Barrister's Cabinet. No? Well don't worry, I'll fill you in!

I decided that we really needed some sort of sideboard in the dining area. 1. We needed more storage 2. I like the look. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford much... so I researched what I could get my hands on and I remembered a piece I had used when I was back at my parents' house.

A little research tracked the piece down to my mom's house. A week later, it was here!

Unfortunately, it had seen better days! So I decided a glossy black lacquer and some new hardware, would be all that it took to make this piece fit in, with our stuff.

Things didn't start off as planned..... the stain didn't want to take, and then there was a worry about mold??!!! In the end, we got the color we wanted, we haven't had mold, and we've been living with it, ever since.

However, I'm not too comfortable with the drill yet, so I hadn't changed out the hardware yet. Earlier last week, my mom was in, and I remembered I wanted to get it done, so she did it for me!! WOO HOO!!

Here's how it turned out. I am not completely happy with it, but it was the first piece we did.... It was also not a permanent piece, plus it was not in the best condition when we got it... so all thing considered... I'm happy with where it stands!

The flash here kinda washed out the stain and made it look all streaky but it looks fine in person. The only thing I hate is the weird light wood thing holding the bottom pane of glass in... it ruins everything and makes it look unfinished.

The brushed knobs were the perfect addition and really finish the piece. They were only a couple dollars each at Home Depot.

I haven't properly dressed the piece, since right now, it's mostly just serving a purpose, but I think it looks ok for now. We haven't decided where it will go in the new house yet, since we may not need a sideboard with the new built-in....but it will get used one way or another.

Spring Cleaning

Well, last week, one thing I did manage to get done, was spend one of the first beautiful days, out on the balcony, taking down the Christmas lights. Yup, while Cory was at work, I hoped on the ladder (a "parting gift" from the job that laid me off haha! ) and took down the lights! I also brought out, a few of the pots that I had brought in for the winter, since it was my first year planting... I wasn't too sure how things would fare with the fierce Alberta winter.

I also got to thinking about how I couldn't wait til we're in the new house so I can start beautifying the space PRONTO!!

As you may recall, here is the beautiful Patio set, I've had my eye on for a couple months now. I mentioned yesterday that I have a small feeling I might be getting it as a gift. (but I won't hold my breath, as it's kinda pricey and not something my mom would typically splurge on).

Yes, the biggest reason this set is my dream piece, is the dreamy silvery blue color. Oh, and low and behold - it matches the lovely metallic color of the trio of outdoor pots I bought last year.... of course, if they sell them again this year, I am picking up a slew of them!!

One thing I found last night, were these fantastic sun/wind shades from Ikea . Since our house has a walk-out basement, our main deck will be above the fence height, and all on-goings on the deck, will be visible from the street. Since our house will back onto what will down the road, be a busy, main road, it might be nice to have some privacy during bbq season. I'm not sure what color I like best though....... I will certainly be running this idea by Cory.

Also from Ikea, I liked the simple, shape and color of these planters. I think 3 of these would be perfect for the seps coming up to the front porch of the house. There is just enough room on the side of the stairs, for something like this!!

Lastly, the hottest thing right now, would have to be solar powered lights for the garden. In keeping with our sleek, modern theme, these silver Ikea light posts are some of the prettiest I've seen!

I apologize, it's been a while, but I have been busy with job searching. We also helped friends move into their (almost) million dollar home this past weekend.. yeah I know, I am kicking myself for not thinking to take my camera... or my cellphone for that matter.... oh well!

Anyhow, one thing we did get to do this week, was that my mom and I got to walk thru the new house yesterday!! Yeah, it's coming along that quickly! All the framing is done, there are doors, windows and a roof. The plumber was there yesterday, and they were digging holes for the pilings for our deck!!! Very cool. I promise to bring my camera next time we visit! You have to remember, I get excited and forget!

Anyhow, there have been a couple new things going on - a project that was finally 100% completed! A new acquistion - fantastic pieces for an even more fantastic price! Some ambition to finish some projects started last year.... ( yes I bow my head in shame). Plus, some materials purchased for brand new projects!!

Also, I have a strange feeling I've got a gift instore!! When mom was here yesterday she mentioned she wanted to see this dream patio set I was talking about. She liked it very much, agreed it was definetly "me", and even ripped a copy of the detail sheet and folded it up, and put it in her very own pocket!!! MAYBE A HOUSE WARMING GIFT FOR US???!!!

Regardless, what this week as I tackle some stuff, and get ready for this new house!!!!!