Road tripping from Banff to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway has always been a bucket list, idyllic vacation for me and this summer we finally did it as a family with our toddlers in tow. It wasn’t quite the windows-down, arms-outstretched montage cut with picturesque mountain views we were hoping for between flight delays, rental…
Toddler parent travel essentials
This summer it seems like we as a society are done with isolating and sheltering and are ready to get back into the absolute cesspools that are airports and Buc-ees’, so we’re rounding up our favorite toddler travel essentials to keep parents sane in the process. Our little family – which includes a 1-year-old and…
DIY Overgrouted Stone Fireplace
When we thought about the cozy lived-in feel we wanted to create for our living room, I immediately knew I wanted to do a DIY overgrouted stone fireplace. There’s something about the look that, to me, feels modern and like an old cottage at the same time. Plus, as a DIYer learning how to overgrout…
How to install a stone veneer fireplace
Easily the most intimidating part of our living room makeover was figuring out how to install a stone veneer fireplace. I’m no stonemason, and it took some really mad people on the internet, an all-nighter, a lot of googling, and a lot of self-doubt before we finally got there (i.e. the life cycle of just…
Cottage style overgrouted fireplace: Reveal
To say this cottage style overgrouted fireplace was a labor of love would be the understatement of the year. But, despite the evidently controversial look, I love how cozy it’s made our space. After finishing our kitchen renovation a few months ago, the living room was looking extra unloved (especially since it’s a newly open…
My go-to wood stain mix (and a few staining tips)
We’re at the point in our fireplace build where I’m staining the mantel, and – after choosing a too-dark, too-red color initially – I had to come back to my go-to wood stain mix. Should I have tested stain colors on a scrap piece of wood before diving in and doing the whole thing? Yes,…
4 things to consider when choosing kitchen countertops
In what should be a surprise to nobody at this point, I spent a long time toiling over the samples when choosing kitchen countertops for our recent renovation. We had kind of a lot going on: a brick-look herringbone floor tile, a marble backsplash, beadboard ceilings, i.e. a lot of different patterns and shapes and…
Cozy living room fireplace: Part One
Our next project is one I’m – to be quite honest – pretty intimidated by: creating a cozy stacked stone living room fireplace from a blank wall in our living room. We built a fireplace in our last living room, but that one was tiled and there’s something about stone that seems like it’ll take…
Our Modern Vintage Bathroom: The Reveal
This modern vintage bathroom remodel was probably the closest I’ve ever gotten to translating a moodboard into reality, which may be because I rarely take the time to actually make moodboards before diving into demo, but a win’s a win. This room is neutral without being boring, it feels calming, and can transition from a…
Affordable brass vanity lights
Once again, I’m condensing my hours of obsessive wishlisting home renovation materials into a single post in the hopes it can help another poor overthinking soul, but this time it’s affordable brass vanity lights. I’m going for a mixed metal kind of vibe in our bathroom makeover, and wanted a brass vanity light to give…