Gap Khaki Hack

I have been pining for a pair of the Gap's "broken-in" rolled-up khahis - they look so comfortable with the higher waist and relaxed fit (sigh, there was a time when I would never have uttered 'comfortable', 'high-waisted' or 'relaxed fit' without shuddering...).  My comfortable wardrobe these days seems to be teetering on full-blown slob, so I am hoping these walk the less-slobby side of the line for cooler days at the park.

BUT, I am trying to get through the summer without investing in too many new things - fighting the urge to have whatever the trend is and be more responsible with my cash and my need for new clothes.  The horror of the tragedy in Bangladesh has not left me - especially since 90% of my wardrobe is Joe Fresh.  I have no idea what the answer to that can of worms is, but I can tell you that this beast of a need to shop is tougher to ignore than I would like.

In an effort to feed the shopping monster without waking the guilt monster, I bought a pair of ca. 2005 (or is it 1995? I forget) Gap trousers at Value Village.  They fit nicely around the hips and butt but were quite wide in the leg for my 2013 sensibilities.  So I brought out the sewing machine and in-expertly brought them closer to the leg by turning them inside out, pinning about where I thought they should go, and running a straight-ish line down the inside seam.  I did one leg first, and sewed it a few times before I was happy with the shape.  Then I just folded them over and copied the line to the other leg.  Turned them back out, rolled up the bottom, and taddah, my own broken-in khakis.

New clothes, a trip to Value Village, a little DIY, the style I was after and my hazy, ill-defined values intact - who knew one pair of trousers could satisfy in so many ways?

DIY whiteboard coffee table

I have to say, while not being the most aesthetically-pleasing of projects, this guy has to be one of my favourites, based purely on the fact that it is a raging hit with the boys.  It could actually be a very beautiful project, I just didn't have the optimal bones to start with, since I found the coffee table on the street on garbage day.  The table looked pretty solid (it was damn heavy) so I squeezed it into the back of the car while taking the kids home from school one day.

The run-of-the-mill heavy machine-turned legs are not really my style, but the price was right, as was the shelf underneath. It was in pretty rough shape, with peeling veneer, chipped and cracked paint, and creaky legs.  It looks like it was someone else's up-cycling project at one point, but they must be even more impatient than I am (I didn't think that was possible) because it definitely wasn't sanded or cleaned before the paint went on in glops and dribbles.

I sanded the table for the better part of a weekend - next time I would definitely try to scrape off more paint before the sanding stage.  Then I filled in the cracks and split veneer with wood-filler, and tried to fill in the routed "detail" on the top.  I also hammered in some nails around the legs to secure the wobble.  It was at this point that I hit a creative roadblock - should I just leave it white?  Paint it with blackboard paint?  Get the fancy expensive white board paint?  I tweeted about my indecision and was surprised and thrilled to hear back from Steven at Smart Wall Paint.  He offered to send me a tester of their white board paint and I jumped at the chance!  When it arrived by DHL, the cost of duty was as much as the paint would have been from Home Depot, but I was excited to try it.  It was also a great chance to make use of the Scotch blue tape I had been sent.  I painted the bottom a light grey with the paint left over from my bathroom redo, and there was just enough smart paint for the top.

The paint was an interesting process - you have to mix part A with part B (much like DIY hair dye), make sure your roller passes over every section 5 times, wait 5 days, and then use.  We had to open part B with a knife as the top wouldn't come off, and it was pretty stinky stuff.  I carefully followed directions and waited patiently to use it.  I don't know if I didn't clean it off properly, but I was disappointed that the surface wasn't a smooth glossy finish - instead it has lots of little tiny bumps - but the kids don't seem to care and you can't really see it.  I call it a win.

The table has been in heavy use since the moment I put it in the sunroom.  I had bought some whiteboard crayons a few years ago to go with a book Will had, and they work perfectly.  I also bought some washable whiteboard markers, imagining every shirt and bit of exposed skin being covered with ink, but the crayons give better colour.

We have had roads, towns, shapes, words, animals, and games drawn on the table.  My favourite was the whole zoo they made with Děda, complete with a polka-dot hedgehog!  They each have their own collections of cars and trucks - the table is the perfect height for driving - and I have been keeping them in white Ikea baskets on the bottom shelf. Looks good and functional: score!

I do wish it had more modern lines, but all things considered, it doesn't look too bad in front of the sofa.  As a bonus, we now have somewhere to put our feet up and rest a coffee mug (when we're allowed).  So what do you think?  Have you used white board paint before?  I love that it fits in my favourite colour scheme (white and wood), and am contemplating a whiteboard wall in the kitchen...

*Thank you to Steven from Smart Wall Paint for reaching out - gotta love social media!
*Thank you to Laura Stratton for the Scotch Blue Painter's tape - it's awesome.
*thank you to Katrina at Pugly Pixel for the photoshop templates!

Easy DIY Christmas Tree

My son has been coming home from school with Christmas on the brain for a few weeks now, and we have been reading Christmas books over and over and OVER (Caillou, Busy Town, Max and Ruby - everyone, it seems, has a Christmas version).  When I saw this ornament craft kit at Michael's, I knew it was just the right level for both boys to be able to do, and that it would fulfill the "Is this for Christmas?" requirement that all activities now seem to have.  Once the glitter and sequins had been properly applied and the goops of glue had dried, we needed somewhere to display them.  (I have decided to hold off on the tree for a bit longer because it dried out so badly last year.)

So I did what I always do and scrounged around for something I could re-purpose.  This green flower pot has been sitting idle for a few seasons, and by idle I mean upside down in the dirt under our porch.  I had the gold paint left over from the buddha project, and this awesome ScotchBlue painters tape that I had been itching to try out.  I sprayed the bottom and couldn't believe how crisp a line that tape made - nothing got under it to leave a little squiggle, which is saying something with this spray paint (it seems to  be very, very runny).  I was actually out doing this in the SNOW, and was worried the tape might not stick well with the moisture on the pot, but it worked great.

The boys had I had been hunting for the perfect stick on our walks and this one made it's way home from the park with us one day.  I sprayed it (and part of my patio furniture) white and stuck it in the pot using some sand from our sandbox in the back (I should really probably clean that guy out...).  We hung the ornaments (which weigh nothing) and voila, two happy boys and one happy momma.  I wasn't sure if I liked the green and gold combo as much as I thought I would, but it is growing on me.  I like that it is delicate and sculptural.  And wouldn't the branch look pretty hung with little gold balls on gold ribbon too?

Emily Henderson is a genius

Omigard Emily Henderson is soooooo awesome.  She made this light "sculpture" out of 99¢ hoola hoops.  I kind of want to do this and just hang it in the corner of a room without the light.  I wonder if it will look like I screwed four hoola hoops together and spray painted them gold?  Possible.  But for the price of a latte, I might give it a shot.  Cause it's better than sitting around thinking about how much work I have to do downstairs...right?  When you're down - make stuff!

The Steven and Chris Adventure

How did I suddenly end up showing my home on Steven and Chris?  That is a mighty fine question.  About a month and a half ago, I got an email out of the blue from their Senior Decor Producer (awesome job title BTW) asking if I would be willing to do a tour of my house for the show.  I responded enthusiastically (i.e. many exclamation marks were used).  There was no set timeline, so I got my butt in gear to finish off a few things, like the photo wall in the dining room.  Then suddenly, while I was at the ROM with my kids and visiting Mother-In-Law Diana, I got an email on my phone asking if maybe they could come the next day???    Wowzers.  I like to think I remained calm, but I have no doubt my mother-in-law would argue otherwise.

That evening I cleaned like a MOTHER... so many things were stuffed into drawers and closets that have yet to be re-discovered.  Then, as I checked my computer, thinking of everything I had left to do before they came, I realized that the next morning I had parent duty at Cam's nursery school until 11:30.  They were coming at 1.  Swear words were uttered.  To say I was a little distracted while setting up the kids' snack would be a bit of an understatement.  

Luckily, I got another email that morning saying that they would have to reschedule.  THANK YOU UNIVERSE.  By the time they came the following week, I even more time to stash away the clutter and 'style' my house (as in, I made my son's bed and put the toaster oven on the back porch).

I wish I had taken the opportunity to grab some good photos of the house that day, because Lord knows it will never, ever be that tidy again!  However, I was a busy bee for the 3 hours that the producer Barb was here, discussing wording, trying to remember the wording we discussed, fussing over every object in every room, doing voice-overs and on-camera takes.  They did the whole house, although the segment on my bedroom was cut and we discussed many, many more items than were shown!

After Barb left, the videographer Ved stayed for another 2, almost 3 hours taking shots of all the details in the house.  I think he did an amazing job.  The fabulous Diana was thankfully still in town and took the boys out for the entire afternoon (I have no idea where!).  There was no way I could have done this with them in the house - there is no way they could have been that quiet for that long!

Diana was a little surprised to see the cameras and equipment still here when they got back at 5pm.  The boys were great about not making a huge mess in the rooms Ved hadn't shot yet.  We asked him to shoot the kitchen first so that Diana could start making dinner (yummy knedliky!) before the boys lost their minds.  Below is may favourite shot of two professionals hard at work.

Then off they went, and I think before Ved had even finished pulling out of the driveway Cam had emptied a bucket of cars all over the living room floor and Will had an armload of trains dumped on the sofa.

Then Diana left, and my parents came, along with Chris's brother Dave.  (Did I mention that during this I also had William's birthday party - two days after the above scene - and Halloween, and had enjoyed visitors for about the last 5 or 6 weeks, starting a few days before my brother's wedding?)

The great news is that Mom was able to come to the studio with me to tape the "live" interview with Steven and Chris.  When I was in the green room, they asked if I thought she would mind being mic'ed as well - and I thought it best not to tell her in advance and make her freak out.  So just before the taping started, they gave a very shocked Barb Mackay her mic!

Photo courtesy of Flora Di Vetta

We had a lovely time and I was so glad she was there. It was really neat to see how they put the show together.  For example, the banana ice cream they showed at the end actually took about 15 minutes, and they were having a fit about it.  Also, the interview with the singer was done in front of a totally different audience, and we did not actually watch the entryway segment either!  Plus they actually asked me a few more questions, but I guess my nervous blathering responses needed to be cut in the interest of time. :)  But I am glad they kept the part with my mom - although she later confessed that she had no idea what they were meant when they asked her if she DIY'ed. :P  (She does by the way - she has recovered many chairs, sewed many curtains, and done more than her fair share of painting; I come by it naturally.)

So there you have it, my whirlwind adventure with fame.  It was a blast and I am hungry for more! They may have created a monster - I am crafting reality show pitches as I type. :)  WELCOME to anyone new who came from the show and actually read this whole thing - I would love for you to stick around!  And thanks to those of you who have read from the beginning - you are the wind beneath my wings. Don't worry, I won't forget the little people. :)

Ikea ideas for DIY

Sorry about the blurry iPhone shots, but I was at Ikea yesterday (my kids DEMANDED to go to the "Ikea play centre", and I couldn't understand why until I realized they just wanted to go to the kids section and play) and I thought that some of the things they had up in the kids rooms were pretty cool ideas!  I especially like the idea of mounting toys in frames on a colourful background - so cute and inexpensive.  The idea of using fabric in a collage project is pretty cool too.  Any DIYs you have done in a kids room that were outside the box?

The dresser project: let there be light!

I am happy to report that one item on my project list has been checked off.  The new school year filled me with energy and enthusiasm, and one day I found a drop cloth, took out the drawers on my big dark dresser/toy cabinet, and got busy.  No time like the present, right?  I sanded it all down with my rotary sander and by hand, and removed the hardware.  There was a LOT of hardware.  Each drawer actually had four separate pieces, and they were screwed and nailed down.  This thing was built to last!

I then primed it with STIX Bonding Primer, using a 2-inch angled brush and a "velvet nap" mini roller. I wasn't messing around.

My biggest hurdle was choosing the colour - I am not what they call "decisive."  I got so many great suggestions from you guys and on Twitter, and really dithered about this.  My poor Para colour deck got quite a workout.  Finally, I went with my gut and chose a creamy white - Desert Sand to be exact.  I dug out my coupon for a free gallon of Para Ultra paint that I got at Blog Podium (thank you Para and Blog Podium!) and headed to the local paint store in the Junction.  I have to say, I normally just whip up to Home Depot and choose the cheapest paint I can get.  Having this certificate forced me to find a Para paint distributor, which happily was West Toronto Paint.  I had the best service, loved supporting a local store, and don't think I will be going anywhere else for paint any time soon!  They gave me great advice on how to go about it: many thin coats ("as thin as you can get") with a light sanding in between.  This is quite a departure from my usual glob it on thick to avoid too many coats.  And sanding in between? Yeah, right. 

This new-found high standard approach made for a lovely smooth finish, and many many days of chaos.  Also, I became a little obsessive about it, constantly feeling for any drips, bumps, or nicks.  Did I mention this baby is seven feet long and has nine drawers??

So you can imagine my dismay when I put it all back together and the doors in the centre wouldn't close.  I took them off again and laboriously scrapped off all my meticulously-applied paint from behind the hinges, and on the doors.  I have managed to jam them together, but can't quite figure out why they won't close.  My mum suggested that maybe the moisture from the paint swelled the wood itself?  Argh.  Double Argh.

Whatever - moving on.  Maybe I will eventually plane them and repaint. (As if...)  I put the half the hardware back on, after polishing it all up.  The original drawer face configuration just seemed too heavy on the lighter background.  Plus, I didn't want to cover up all my hard work!  I also left the three middle drawers (behind the doors) as they were.  Call it strategic, call it laziness.  I like it.

The result pretty much rocks my world.  SO much brighter and lighter in there!  You may have noticed I also moved the dark brown sofa from there and switched it out with the little blue one.  I am thinking of adding another project to the list - recover the blue sofa!  I do like the smaller size and lower back as it also helps open the place up.  So there you have it.  Dresser = Done. You like?

PS. Can you spot Cam in the after photo?  :D

PPS. All the lovely arrows I had so much fun using in Photoshop were a free download from the ever-amazing Ez at Creature Comforts.

I'm back with an art project for kids!

I really want to try this collaborative project I bookmarked ages ago from the awesome blog My Cakies - maybe with a photo from the past two weeks in the mountains (might make a nice gift, no?)  I love the use of watercolours for this, they are just the right amount of saturation for the photo, not to mention the right amount of mess for moi!  I only wish we had that lovely palette to work from - such pretty colours.

Another day, another Rast make-over

I got a second Rast in the as-is section of Ikea and this weekend finally got around to fixing it up.  It was not quite as involved as my last Rast make-over, but I am pretty happy with it.  I used the left-over paint from our downstairs walls and got some new knobs from Home Depot to add a little sparkle.  I love how the colour worked on it, and it is much more useful than our previous bedside table.

As it looked in June

New and improved?

 I love it when I can check something off my daunting to do list!

Wanna be on HGTV?

Hi guys, I recently got an email from the folks at HGTV who let me know about an open casting call for a new show they are working on.  It is called May The Best House Win and looks like it could be really fun.  I think these are the same guys who produced the Canadian version of the British show Come Dine with Me, as it seems a similar concept.  Have you ever seen that one? I love it!  Anyway, here are all the deets - let me know if you are thinking of applying!

Rast Renovation

Having my mother visit is win-win all around.  Not only do I have wonderful company during the day, and Chris and I got to get away on the weekend, and the kids get to see their Nana, but I also have more time to do all those projects that normally languish unfulfilled as the day flies by.  One of these is my rast redo - I got to go to Home Depot to get all my supplies AND actual finish the project!  Amazing.

Here is the finished project - not sure I love how bright the brass knobs are, but otherwise I am pretty pleased.  It actually didn't take that long either.  The photos don't quite show the grey colour (it is "seal" in the Martha Stewart collection) or how dark the stain is.

Here it is in its new home.  I had intended to put it in our bedroom, but as soon as I brought it into the hall from the car the day I bought it, it immediately got filled with all kinds of stuff!  And now that we have all the hats and mits and scarves to deal with, it just made sense.  And it looks great there!  It is nice and narrow, which we really needed, and the stain actually matches our gumwood trim pretty perfectly.  I may even get another to put beside it to make a kind of built-in.  Hooray Rast hacks!

Party Animal Candles

I found these candles on The Sweetest Occasion too late for Will's birthday, but they are destined to be made in the future FOR SURE.  I love the dinos, but the possibilities are endless!  Perhaps a farm-themed birthday? Bunnies for Easter?  Safari animals for... Tuesday afternoon?  I want to make these immediately!  (Also, how fun are photos of power tools and dollar store toys?)

The squirrel kills me.

Found via.