Halloween- Better late then never

It took me a while to actually post our halloween party decor pics but here they are.




The budget breakdown is as follows:

- white sheets, candy bowl, black vase, skeleton, white serving dishes and 3 small black pumpkins were all things I already had
- cob/spider webs, bats, 2 skeleton tongs, pumpkin napkins and black plastic utensils were all from the Dollarama
- flower arrangement and black tapered candles were from Micheals

Total cost = $15

Sofa Shopping Cont...

Third and fourth stops- Local stores


I Really like the look of the Stylus Lyric sofa and matching chair (not shown).

Pros
- they are made in Canada
- we choose the fabric and it is custom made for us (I am leaning towards a beige coloured canvas look fabric)
- good size with clean lines
- nice coloured (espresso) legs
- quality construction
- delivery from the local store will be reasonably priced
- fabric I choose is 100% polyester i.e., will be very stain resistent

Cons
- most expensive sofa and chair yet at total= $1949
- smaller depth then our current sofa
- I was not able to see the 3 seater sofa or co-ordinating chair in person



My favorite yet! The Statum sofa (style no. 2213). The above picture does not do it justice.

Pros
- they are made in Canada
- we choose the fabric and it is custom made for us (I am leaning towards a taupe coloured linen look fabric)
- great size with clean lines
- really comfortable
- nice coloured (espresso) legs
- quality construction
- reasonable price for the 2 pieces (total= $1798)
- delivery from the local store will be reasonably priced
- option of getting stain guard for 5 years

Cons
- I was not able to see the chair in person

Even though I really like the Statum sofa I am going to continue my hunt...

Sofa Shopping Cont...

Second stop- Sears (online)




Love the Fleur sofa and chair from Sears.

Pros
- they are made in Canada (as are most of Sears' sofas)
- great neutral colour that will work with our existing space
- good size with clean lines
- nice coloured (dark brown) legs
- excellent price for the 2 pieces (total= $1198)
- Sears always has sale weekends where you can save the tax i.e., the price is even better
- delivery from the local store will be reasonably priced
- can pay extra to have them both stain guarded

Cons
- will have to travel to a Sears Home Store or Department Store that has furniture to see the pieces in person
- not sure about the micro fibre fabric
- not sure about the quality (which is why we would like to see them in person) and their are no reviews online to help

Now off to some locally owned stores to see what they have...

Sofa Shopping

My husband and I decided to be practical this Christmas and get eachother a new sofa and chair. Our old sofa is (and has been) well used and is showing it. I am on the hunt for a great sofa and chair for a good price. Now the fun part... shopping.

First stop- IKEA
Normally I would not consider IKEA (b/c it's far from my house) but they have a sale on until November 21 that if you buy any fabric sofa you get a second piece at half price.

FYI- They do not look the same colour in the pictures below but they are.




Love the IKEA Stockholm 3.5 seat sofa and 1.5 seat armchair.

Pros
- great neutral colour that will work with our existing space
- good size with clean lines
- great price for the 2 pieces (with the sale = $1748.50)
- slip covers are available for both pieces

Cons
- either have to pay for delivery or rent a trailer to pick them up
- no option of having them stain guarded
- not in love with the stain on the oak feet- definitely don't have anything in the space that is the same colour

Back Yard- Before & After

Now that the summer is over and most of our big outdoor jobs are complete I want to share the exterior transformation.

Before-



After- Basically we resided the house, garage and bunkie, replaced the windows in the livingroom with doors, finished the patio, created gardens around the property and built a vegetable garden, new dock and deck. Four years worth of work- well worth the effort. Only jobs left- rocking the shoreline, replacing the garage door and finishing the driveway- all things that will have to wait till next spring.

Halloween Entertaining Inspiration

I am in the process of planning a halloween party on a tight budget. My goal is to get all the decorations and our costumes for under $40 total. So far I am doing quite well and I intend to share the finished product once the party has come and gone. In the meantime, I found some inspirational photos that I thought I would share.


The above idea is a personal favorite of mine. Inexpensive and effective- what's not to love?

My Living Room Update

Although I loved the orange pillows that Jenn made for me, I was never quite sure about the colour itself. Well in the end I choose to go with a light blue colour. Now that I have a sewing machine myself it is too easy for me to change things up on a whim. Here is how the living room (and surrounding areas) look with the new accent colour.