take that, my "not-so-crafty" tendency!

If I am being totally honest with myself, and you, I would have to admit that I am not very crafty...at all. I don't have great visions of space. I don't see how materials will come together in a finished product. I love colour but don't have a clear sense of what compliments each other, what looks right together. I have little crafting skill. That all being said, I know what I like. I like clean lines. I like symmetry. I like modern and rustic and melding them together. I like black and white, and I like colour. I like simple.

Then I had two daughters. I resisted the girlie. I was not girlie, never was girlie, never will be girlie. Our oldest daughter's nursery was very neutral - green, animal bedding, black and white photos, black frames. We succeeded in not giving any hint to our firstborn's gender through decorating (though we did tell everyone we were having a girl anyway). And even though her nursery was as neutral as they come, Ro still turned into a child who loves pink and purple, who loves princesses, who loves pretty dresses. She loves hearts and flowers.

Then we found out we were having another girl. I threw all resistance to the wind and embraced the fact. I got a floral diaper bag (much to Ben's chagrin). I now have an appreciation for the girlie, whimsical things in life. Take Vi's room - it has a butterfly theme, thanks to a discount roll of butterfly wall stickers found at Pottery Barn Kids. Then our friend, Maria, lent us an awesome bumper (pinks, blues, yellows, checks...all things lovely) and skirt thingy (white with embroidered nature items - grass, bugs, etc.) for our kijiji-find maple crib. We hung a girlie piece of art I found at Home Sense (purple, checks, glittery flowers, butterflies) and we were ready for Vi to enter the world.

Well, today, I found these butterfly "ornaments" at Terra (one of my favourite stores - a great mix of garden, furniture, decorating items, plants, LOVE IT!!).

As soon as I saw them, I thought I would add them to Vi's room somehow. A woman who worked there suggested hanging them on Vi's curtains, but at $6.99 a pop (or a butterfly), that was a little too rich for my blood. I bought three (because I have been told everything looks better in odd number groupings) and was contemplating their use. Then I remembered I had pinned a craft I liked on pinterest:

Source: theparishfam.blogspot.com via Tammy on Pinterest

and thought I would suspend the butterflies from a wire, but I didn't have an old frame kicking around. Then I had this epiphany. We had an old window frame that used to hang in our dining room, that we have had in storage for a while. My idea was to hang the butterflies in the different panes of the frame. Genius, right? 

Okay, some of you are wondering what the big whoop is, but I have had very few successes like this in my life and this made my day. Well, it probably has made my week (but I can't guarantee this as it is only Wednesday evening).

Look out world! There is a new crafting genius waiting to break out of her shell,
Tam

reno pics

Well, it is a momentous day in the Smith household. We are officially done construction of several projects (basement, flooring, deck). Phew! It is going to be awesome to enjoy these home improvements over the years to come. We can't wait to share them with family and friends!!

Sorry I didn't include pics with my last post. In typical Tammy and Ben fashion, we don't really have any before pictures - just think concrete floor and walls. Also, please excuse the "toy explosion" in the basement pictures. We clean up at the end of the day. :)

Deck from our back door.

Deck from our garage door. 

Sample of new flooring - new carpet on stairs and in basement, and hickory on the second floor (bedrooms and hallway) and third floor. 

Ben's GENIOUS idea - take out the wall separating the basement from the main floor. Also, we took out the door. The basement is part of our living space. I can hear the kidlets and they can hear me. :)

We also took the wall out in the basement. 

Looking right from the bottom of the stairs. Our one window. Maria, our friend and neighbour, suggested putting the window ledge on a 45 degree angle instead of perpendicular to the wall - it makes the window seem bigger and lets in optimal light. Thanks, Maria!

Basement from laundry room doorway.

Basement from below the window, towards the laundry room. 

We have lived in our house for 5 years. In those years we have renovated our kitchen and landscaped our front yard (see some pics here: front porch and landscaping). We are so happy to have been able to do these home improvements. Were they absolutely essential? It depends on who you speak to. Investing in your home can be a good investment. Our kitchen is a lot more functional now. Our house is a very user friendly, kid friendly, people friendly space. We love to have friends over. And it is true - we have been able to do that over the years without these improvements.

These decisions are personal and should not be taken lightly. We realize we live in North America, that we are the "haves". It is about balance, accountability, being wise, being generous. These things should be on our minds daily, involved in every decision, big and small. We are so thankful we have a beautiful home to enjoy and share, but mostly we are so thankful for our family and friends to share it with.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!! I'm going to be sitting on my new deck, playing with my kids!! Happy Father's Day!

Tam