Chalkboard paint. I first remember this stuff back from when I was about 12 and one of my best girlfriends painted a swirl of it in her bedroom. We would write messages and doodle endlessly on her walls for hours. But don't put this in the kid/teen category, it can look super chic in the right space. Go grab a can of paint and you've got yourself a fun, high-impact weekend project. You can draw ... View the Post
basement reno update #8: bathroom presto-chango
With all the major reno's going on in the main part of the basement, the bathroom was pushed a bit to the wayside. It was super that there was an existing 4-piece bathroom, but the not-so-super part was that it was looking more than a little outdated. The combination of grotty old fixtures (lights, faucet, etc.), a beige-coloured toilet and sink, and a mottled blue/beige coloured bathtub surround ... View the Post
basement reno update #4: framing
So after ripping up the floors, tearing all the walls and ceilings down, and cutting some major holes for new windows, the next main task was to begin putting the walls back up. Off to the Home Depot we went (something that would become a very regular occurrence!) to get stacks and stacks of wood. Dan hadn’t done any framing before, but my Dad had and was able to show him what’s what. It’s a ... View the Post
basement reno #3: let there be light
One of the major cons of our basement (and most basements, really...) was the lack of light. It definitely felt like a basement. Dark, damp, and dreary. We knew that if this was going to become a nice space that you'd actually want to spend some time in, then we'd have to create some bigger windows and get more sunshine pouring in. Plus, since our idea was to turn this basement into a separate ... View the Post
basement reno update #2: dirty demolition
Back in April I wrote about ripping out the old carpet and tiles in our basement, in preparation for our big renovation (you can see that post here). Well, a lot has happened since then! Since we are turning our basement into a legal "secondary dwelling" (ie. apartment) it took quite some time to get all of our plans and drawings approved by the appropriate City of Ottawa department. Dan gained ... View the Post
master bedroom mini-makeover: final update
So over the last month or so I have posted about some of the small updates I was doing to our bedroom to give it a bit of a makeover, getting it closer to what I ultimately want it to look like. I started off by painting the room (twice!), which you can read about here. Then I added some super budget DIY artwork (see that post here). The next thing I did was install some blinds and curtains here. ... View the Post