Home

Summer is just around the corner and I’m ready for some outdoor entertaining!

Since we live close by the beach, inviting friends over for food and refreshments after a day long in the sand has got to be one of our favourite weekend rituals during the Summer. Ever since moving slightly further from the city, I much prefer laid back nights at home. But just because we don’t desire partying all night long these days doesn’t mean we don’t want to have a good time, whipping up delicious bbq marinades and concocting a few specialty cocktails for our guests is my idea of a good time! 

With the arrival of Spring just around the corner, it’s time to get your home prepared for this beautiful and refreshing season. This time of year is a great opportunity to undergo a thorough Spring cleaning, freshen up the space with new linens and bring in scents of citrus and floral notes.

Who else loves printed calendars (like this one)?!
There are so many beautiful ones. They are so pretty that I often want to frame them into art pieces!

The other day, I had a genius idea while starring at the broken IKEA art frame tucked behind my shelf. I remembered that the glass was shattered when the frame dropped while moving and I had thought to myself, “keep it! I’ll find a way to re-purpose it!”. Fast forward 3 years later, I finally found great use for it.

A Change of Heart with your Holiday Decorating Style?

No need to worry! I recently shared a first glimpse of my holiday decorating progress and I’m so happy to hear that many of you enjoyed the Nordic inspired design! Despite my love for the simplicity and minimalism that the Nordic style offered, I had a change of heart and couldn’t wait to unleash the full Canadian Christmas spirit in me!

If it’s not written down, forget about it.

Having essentially two full time jobs means that I must stay organized. Between meetings, deadlines, running errands, and well, having a personal life, there is just too much going on to be able to keep track of every mental note. As much as I rely on my phone’s calendar to keep me in check, I find writing things down on a Post-it® sticky note helps me tremendously. Perhaps its the same theory behind taking notes in a meeting or making to-do lists. The act of writing and crossing off items creates a sense of accomplishment!

I’ve been thinking about setting up a message board where my husband and I can keep track of our errands and important to-dos for quite some time now, and when I discovered these genius Post-it® Super Sticky Dry Erase Surface Sheets, I came up with the perfect solution.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to join the Scotch® Brand team in New York City to spend the evening at the Scotch® Brand Open House. It was situated in a beautiful brownstone home near Chelsea where we got to learn about their newest product innovations and get creative ideas on how to best use these products.

We saw demonstrations of expert gift wrapping styles using a variety of Scotch® Expressions Tapes as added decorations, utilizing the Scotch® Thermal Laminator for wine and cheese entertaining, and learned how we could use various tapes to make packing and moving more efficient.

I’m often asked where I find inspiration for my DIY projects. The truth is, just about anywhere and more often than not, around ordinary objects laying around the house. I could be starring at a lemon or a book cover and it’ll spark a thought in my head for my next project.

I was brewing my Nespresso coffee one Saturday morning and as I was refilling my empty glass bonbonniere with my favourite capsules, the pastel coloured ones particularly stood out to me. They reminded me of beautiful and delicate Easter eggs. 

A couple months ago, I shared a super fun Sharpie watercolour project for with you. I enjoyed using the Color Burst Permanent Markers so much that I decided to tackle another DIY just perfect for the upcoming season!

With Spring just around, I am already thinking about refreshing my home with an injection of colour and also eager to add some new plant life. When it comes to keeping plants alive, well, let’s just say I’ve still got a few more lessons to learn! Therefore, a bullet proof option, such as succulents are just the perfect way to kick things off.

I love using Sharpie markers in my DIY projects. They are so versatile and come in so many different colours, felt tip sizes, and can be drawn on countless materials and surfaces. With the fresh start of 2017, I’ve got my mind on setting goals and planning out the projects and accomplishments I want to tackle this year. My home office is where I get a lot of head-down work done but it’s also where I’m most inspired.

To kick off the year, I thought it’d be the perfect time customize some new notepads and desk accessories with the help of the limited-edition Sharpie Color Burst Permanent Markers. I used a simple watercolour technique with the Sharpie markers and the results were fabulous!

Do the kids in your family love unwrapping presents as much as the ones in mine? My nephews LOVE ripping wrapping paper apart. It’s been a family tradition that on Christmas Eve, we all gather at my sister’s place and bring our gifts over to unwrap. The kids are always volunteering to open up ours even though they’ve got plenty of their own to tackle!! It’s incredible how much joy they get from tearing paper and boxes apart with all their might!

This year, I thought I’d spread some extra joy to them and greet them with a couple of Giant Christmas Crackers filled with Cadbury Dairy Milk goodies! Did you know there are Christmas themed Cadbury Mini Eggs?!

Read further to see how to make giant Christmas crackers! They’re also great for adults of all ages!