Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Best Deals of 2009

The following are the best deals that I have found in 2009.

The Banker's Office Chair from Canadian Tire. A steal at $199.00 (currently on sale for $139.99). Adjustable in height and solid wood.

The Tate Coffee Table in an oil finish from JYSK. At only $149.00 picture how good this solid wood piece would look painted either cream or black with a wood tray and accessories on top.


The Style Factory "Monica" cotton-covered sofa at Sears Canada. At $599.99 this versatile sofa would work well with any style decor. Although, based on the reviews I would stick with the sand coloured version of this sofa.

The storage ottoman at XSCargo. For only $39.99 and available in brown or black faux leather this piece is perfect as occasional seating and hidden storage for any family room.

Last but not least, Kijiji is by far the best place to find those unique pieces with a little history available for an excellent price. It is an especially good place to find older solid wood pieces that you won't mind painting. For example, below is a picture of the solid oak dining table that my husband and myself found on Kijiji earlier this year.


This is how that same table looks now. All it took was a decent sanding and a couple coats of paint.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Pottery Barn Holiday Inspiration

Here are some pictures from Pottery Barn that may provide some Holiday decorating inspiration.




Monday, November 23, 2009

Montreal Apartment- Before & After

The following are the before and after pictures of our new apartment in Montreal. I was "allowed" to decorate but given a budget of $0. Having both a house and an apartment was only a temporary situation so we did not want to invest a lot of money in the apartment. Most of what I used was either not being used at our house or given to us by our family members. Not all of the items are what I would have chosen myself but how much can you complain when they are free. In the end, I obviously I spent a little more than $0 but not much. I will break down my spending for the main living space.

FYI- Major Cost Saver- The landlord primed all the walls, trim and doors prior to us moving in. We agreed to do the painting if she paid for the paint and supplies and let us choose the colours.

The Living Room- Before


The Living Room- After





Living Room Budget Breakdown:

Furniture-
The love-seat, chair, end tables and lamps (2 table and 1 floor) were all given to us by other family members. $0
The small dining table with 2 chairs, electric fireplace and bar cart (not shown) we already had but were not necessary to keep at our house. $0
The desk was our biggest purchase which we found on Kijiji. $100
The 2 faux leather storage ottomans we found at XSCargo for a steal. $39 each
The desk chair was a curbside find. $0
The 6 x 9" carpet was a remnant which I bought at Walmart. $39

Accessories-
The large frame behind the sofa we already had but updated the print inside the frame with some black and white photography from Michaels. $4 (after 40% off coupon)
I bought 2 of the pillows on the sofa from JYSK and the other ones (including the 2 pillows on the chair) we already had but weren't using. $3 (cushion covers) & $3.99 (cushion inserts)
The 4 smaller frames above the dining table were bought on clearance at Michaels. The larger of the 2 matts was also purchased at Michaels and the smaller matts were purchased at the Dollar Giant. The pictures within the frames were photos we took and printed off at home. $6.99 each (frames), $2.99 each (11 x 14 matts- after 40% off coupon), $1/pair (4 x 6 matts)
The blanket I bought on sale at JYSK. $9.99
The curtains and curtain rod I found (on sale) at JYSK for a steal. $10/pair (curtains) & $9 (rod, brackets & finials)
The black wood bowl on the dining table was bought at Walmart. $9.99
Most, if not all, the smaller accessories (pots, magazines, books, candles, Buddha statue, etc.) we took from our house. $0

The Front Entryway- Before


The Front Entryway- After


Front Entryway Budget Breakdown:

The 4 frames on the right of the door were bought on clearance at Michaels. The larger of the 2 matts was also purchased at Michaels and the smaller matts were purchased at Dollar Giant. The pictures within the frames were photos we took and printed off at home. $6.99 each (frames), $2.99 each (11 x 14 matts- after 40% off coupon), $1/pair (4 x 6 matts)
The carpet at the front door was bought at IKEA. $49
I bought the full length mirror and the boot tray (on sale) at Walmart. $8 (mirror) & $3 (boot tray)
I purchased the coat hooks at Michaels. $3 (after 40% off coupon)
The 2 smaller frames above the coat hooks we already had. The pictures within the frames were photos we took and printed off at home. $0

The Hallway- Before


The Hallway- After


The Kitchen- Before


The Kitchen- After


The Bedroom- Before


The Bedroom- After



The Bathroom- Before


The Bathroom- After


The key to this apartment makeover was paint. A fresh coat of paint on virtually everything (including the kitchen counter) cleaned and updated it. To tie together all our miscellaneous furniture pieces we painted everything Swiss Coffee (CIL paints). Now even though the pieces are very different styles they all have something in common that unifies them.

Total makeover cost: $422.00

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Jenn's Kitchen Reno- After

These are the after pictures of Jenn's do-it-yourself kitchen renovation.







Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Home to Flip Inspiration

I loved HGTV's Home to Flip with Peter Fallico and thought I would share some of the photos from the show.

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom & Ensuite

Guest Bedroom


The basement is perfect inspiration for anyone looking to transform a generic basement into a beautiful and practical family room and laundry room.

Family Room

Laundry Room


Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Monday, September 21, 2009

Fun Find


I came across the basket in the lower right-hand corner of the photo (the one with the chalkboard label) at my local Michaels store and loved it. Now I am trying to come up with the least expensive way to make my own. I'm thinking small dollar store wood frames and black chalkboard paint. Stay tuned...


Update- In case anyone was interested, here is my finished product and the details on how to do it. Only took me a mere 2 years to get around to it.