Inspiration ~ White Staircase.

Once upon a time I wrote a post about my staircase. Where it began, how far it's come and what to do next.
Then..
I did nothing. I'm the queen of talking big and not coming through. I get distracted and onto something else.

Anyway, let's have another look shall we? Here was the staircase when I moved into the house. Actually, it's a pretty good example of how the rest of the house looked in general.

Pretty isn't it?

Right away, I had the treads refinished when the floors were done. I also painted the risers white. Looking a lot better.

I also did a little diy project by adding some moldings to give the look of recessed panels.

Over the last couple of years, I tossed around the idea of painting all the balusters and leaving the handrail white. Then I counted them all. Frankly, the thought of taping off each one so that I could paint, make me tired.

The good news is that I've realized I really just want the whole thing white. Every time I see white painted staircase, I'm even more convinced. Case in point, the latest edition of Style At Home magazine. I came across this photo in a spread about a beautiful Toronto home.

I'm sold. It feels so bright! Just what the hallway needs. However, there is a lot of work to before I could paint. 

• sand
• tape the base of each baluster, at the tread. (I'm not a fab painter)
• prime 
• Paint!

Now to find the time and the inspiration. I think it will be awesome.. what do you think?

*Update on the kitchen cabinet... I got a bit too excited. We had some issues with the drawers and they are coming back tomorrow to fix them up. If all goes well, I'll get some good photos this weekend!

Kitchen Changes.

Remember I told you that we had a new cabinet made for the kitchen? I'll finally get to share it this week! We've had the cabinet for a while now but it was made with the wrong drawer fronts. The new ones are coming tomorrow, so it will be share ready!

This is how it looked before:

Cute, but seriously lacking in storage and counter space. A new cabinet, extended countertop, shelving and bar stools had completely changed the way we use the space.

Here is an small instagram peek at the change with more to come.

Can't wait to share! I'm in full report card mode this week so posting could be sparse. 

I'm not the best time manager.. :)

New Bar Stools.

I'm completely smitten with our new bar stools in the kitchen. I had sourced a few online and through a local store but hadn't taken the plunge and placed an order. We spied these at Winners one day last week and knew they would be perfect, especially at $129 a piece!

You are probably wondering where I need bar stools in the kitchen? Ah! A little secret I've been keeping from you. We needed more storage and counter space so had a new cabinet custom made for the little space we had. It's been great and totally changed the way we use the kitchen. I want to share it with you all but there was a little problem with its construction and we are still waiting for it to be fixed up. Hopefully soon and if not, I'll share regardless!

Here is a little look of them in the room though!

Anyhoo.. back to the stools. We had a few requirements on our hunt.

1. Steph wanted something somewhat modern in design.
2. I wanted them to be white.
3. Had to be counter height. (which eliminates a lot of options!)
4. Comfortable.
5. No skinny legs that would mark up our soft, already scratched floors.

So far we are enjoying them. They are very comfortable and I love sitting with my glass of wine while we are preparing supper. Hopefully they will hold up well.

Today was a snow day here on the island. I was able to get lots of marking done and doing a little planning ahead for Language Arts. Always a good feeling to get caught up!

Last night I got around to watching the finale of Downton Abbey. I'm still sad about it. So is Beaufie, he seemed depressed all day. Why would they do that to us? Weren't we through enough this season already?

If your in the storm zone, stay safe! 

Styled Sideboard.

Today is Islander day so it's a long weekend. Although it isn't a holiday for Steph, the weather was a nasty overnight so his work delayed opening which meant that we got to spend a bit of a lazy morning together. The rest of the day was fairly quiet. I tidied up the house, did some online shopping and changed out the curtains in the dining room. I'm not sure I really like them just yet. I'll give it a few days.

While in the dining room, I snapped some photos of the sideboard. It looked so pretty with my purple tulips and I couldn't resist.

On another note, check out our new bar stools. That's a post for another day!

Dining Room Vittsjo Shelves.

A little late on the post this week! As promised, here is a peek at the Ikea Vittsjo shelves I put in the dining room, on each side of my white sideboard. You may recognize them from a lot of the awesome posts around the web where they are spray-painted in a gold or white. I've left mine as is and quite like them that way.

They flank the piano window and provide lots of storage for my little collection of trinkets. There, I said it. I have a lot of trinkets! I feel like it's okay if they are on shelves in a organized fashion. It's entirely possible that I am trying to justify this fact. Very possible.

 It's hard to get a shot of them in the whole room but here is my best. I'm still working on the styling but it's coming along. Thinking I need some color somewhere but I seem to always have a different project on the go and never seem to get to it!

Once I get them the way I like them, I will share a more detailed look!

Happy Friday!

Source: petitealma.com via Donna on Pinterest

Big storm coming in through the night. Sounds like we just may be snowed in for a day or two. I don't honestly mind so much. I may attempt to repaint the trim in the kitchen or I may just stay in my jammies and bake some Paleo treats and watch movies. We'll see how it goes!

I was looking through some photos and realized that I never did share my new dining room shelves with you. They are on the list of posts for next week, so stay tuned!

DIY: Gold Polka Dot Jewelry Dishes.

This weekend, I was inspired to do a simple diy project. It didn't take very long and the result is something sweet and useful for storing everyday jewelry in my bedroom.

Here is what you need to make one of your own:

• A variety of white dishes (I got mine at the Dollarama)

• Gold Sharpie Marker *note: the Sharpie oil based paint marker would work better but I couldn't find any in stores.
• page reinforcements ($1.99 for a pack of 100 at Staples)

On the plate, I wanted uniform dots so I just eyeballed neat rows of the reinforcements. Gently press down on the center so that you don't get any bleeds. On the little dishes, I was a little more careless with the placement, as I wanted a more whimsical look.

Next, color in the circles with your gold Sharpie. Simple enough!

After the marker has dried, carefully remove the stickers from the dishes. I used a fine needles to lift them them, then peeled them away. I had a couple of small bleeds but was able to scratch them off with the end of the needle.

Easy peasy!

I definitely like the little ones best. They are so cute! I keep my rings in them but you could keep spare change, hair elastics/bobby pins, keys, chargers, office supplies.. I could go on and on! 

Think you might try some? Let me know how it goes!

Thank you SO much for your comments and enthusiasm about my new two tone kitchen update. I liked it before but I love it even more now that I have the approval of my readers. It really does matter to me. Each and every comment makes me smile!

Two-Tone Cabinets Reveal.

As promised, here is a little snapshot of my new two tone kitchen cabinets. I took the plunge after going back and forth for a while about whether I wanted to keep it all white or paint the base cabinets a darker shade. Once we painted the walls (Benjamin Moore Intense White), I felt as though the room felt "too white". Odd, since I am obsessed with white interiors. Somehow it just didn't feel cozy and I knew the room need some color to ground the space.

I tried dozens of color chips. First thinking a light grey, then deciding on dark. But what color? Blue grey, green gray, charcoal gray? I ended up deciding on Benjamin Moore Whale Gray. I'm happy with the choice. It's definitely charcoal gray but leans to the blue side a bit. Actually, it looks quite purple in the photos but it's not.. I swear :)

It was a bit scary when I first started painting and almost seemed garage floor-ish to me (which is the worst kind of gray in my opinion!). However, I trudged ahead and I must say, I really really like it. A lot. It makes it feel like furniture rather than kitchen cabinets, which is a look I love.

 At the same time, it's just paint. If I decide I don't like it, I can always repaint it. But for now, I'm enjoying the new look!

In case you missed it, and are curious to know what it looked like before (and pre reno!), you can read this post.

Linking up to the Paint It Party.

Lovin' Lately ~ DIY Edition.

I promise promise promise that I'll take photos of the completed kitchen this weekend and share them with you on Monday. I tried to take some photos late afternoon and they just came out really dark. Even with my 50 mm lens.

Thank you so much for all your comments and enthusiasm about my little sneak peeks. I really like how it turned out, although it's a bit to get used to. I am, after all, a lover of white and this is a big change!

It's been a while since I've done a little round-up of my favorite projects around the blogosphere, so I thought why not? Today, I'm keeping it all about the DIY projects. It keeps me inspired!

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This adorable heart backdrop. Isn't Valentine's fun?

Can you believe this dodecahedron pendant is a diy? There is some math skills involved in this one. Some people are smart.

I'm in love with this wall treatment. Would you believe it was done with a Sharpie?

I'm going to do my own little diy this weekend. It involves a Sharpie but on a smaller scale. If it works, I'll share next week. It could go either way:)