Where to Buy What- Part 2

The following is a list of my go-to, best bang for your buck places for everything home decor related (except kitchen stuff which was in the Part 1 post).

Outdoor accessories (e.g. lighting, dishes, lanterns, etc.)- Canadian Tire and JYSK
Outdoor fabric (pillows & curtains)- Fabricland (check out the variety of fabrics they have this year- lots in ready made pillow covers and curtains)


Pillow inserts- IKEA and JYSK (depending on where you live)
Pillow covers (ready-made)- Fabricland (sale)
Pillows (inserts+covers)- Homesense

Throws- Fabricland (sale)

Wood furniture (great to buy second hand especially if you intend to paint it)- Kijiji, thrift stores, garage sales, Craig's List & flea markets

Decorative accessories (e.g. candle holders, bowls, small dishes, books, etc.)- thrift stores, dollar stores, Bouclair and Loblaws (specifically the P.C. products)

Lighting- Canadian Tire (especially on sale)

Carpets- Walmart (for plain and simple ones), carpet stores (for irregularly sized ones) and IKEA (for everything in between)

Curtain rods- JYSK
Curtains- JYSK (sale), IKEA

Sheets- Loblaws (specifically the P.C. products)
Duvet & Cover- IKEA

Baskets- Canadian Tire (sale- especially if you like seagrass)

Upholstered pieces (e.g. sofa, chairs, etc.)- local furniture store (not a big box store)- better quality at affordable prices

Frames- IKEA, thrift stores
Mats- dollar stores (8 x 10"), Michaels (every other size)

Towels- Walmart
Bathroom accessories (e.g. towel bar, soap pump, rug, etc.)- JYSK (sale), Walmart

Some People Always Learn the Hard Way...

The problem with 100% cotton curtains is that no matter how many times you wash them, they always shrink in the dryer. I have had the curtains in our master bedroom for 9 years and they have been washed numerous times. Last time I washed them, I forgot and put them in the dryer... they shrunk almost a foot and look ridiculous. Now I'm thinking of adding a thick band of fabric to the bottom of them?

Mudroom/ Laundry Room Art

Similar to my last post (about homemade kitchen art) these are images I made a long time ago for my mudroom/laundry room. You would be surprised how long it took me to make them but in the end they turned out great.

Kitchen Art

I was inspired by a recent post on Apartment Therapy involving afforable and colourful art for the kitchen. I was feeling creative so I thought I would try to make some of my own using Microsoft Powerpoint and Clip Art. I think they turned out really cute and would look great in a white frame and mat.

Photos Worth Framing- Part 1

I was at Michael's today doing my usual walk around and was surprised to find so many pictures (technically posters) for sale that were very close to ones we have taken. I thought I would poste the pics (in a decent quality) that I thought were frame worthy. I left them as is so they can be cropped, resized, recoloured as necessary. FYI- black and white always works.

Paris, France












Saint John. New Brunswick- very Canadiana...


Lisbon, Portugal

Not So Temporary...

As it turns out, we will have our apartment in Montreal for longer then we origionally thought, so we have decided to make some changes.


First- Although the above loveseat was given to us for free it is very small and not that comfortable. In its place, we are moving our old living room sofa (below) down which has been sitting in storage for the last few months.


Second- I am going to try my hand at slipcovering. The chair (below) is older and has seen better days- the arms and bottom cushion are ripped. I have found some great instructions for a fitted DIY slipcover. Although the instructions are for a reading chair, I believe they can be adapted for my chair. Also the cost on the instruction page is much higher then necessary ($120). The last time I was at Fabricland I found a cream 100% cotton upholstery fabric for $10 a yard (and it regularly goes on sale for substantially less).


I should have some after photos in a few weeks...

Too Much?

I think flag banners (as I am calling them) are pretty and fun. I am making one for a Canada Day party we have each summer. My idea was to reuse leftover outdoor fabric I already have with some new fabric that has maple leafs on it (to fit our theme). After showing my husband, Stuart, my progress (shown in the pictures below) he now belives that I am crazy. Of course, I will still make it and it will look good but have I gone too far?