a touch of spring...

Since Mother Nature

is NOT listening to me, I thought I'd bring a little spring

inside the house, starting with the family room. 

My mantel was feeling a little drab.  With a $0 budget and an

urge to create something otta nothin'...

around the house I went, robbing a little from here and there.

I pulled out a picture frame that I've been hiding

under the couch, and printed "Spring".  Pretty original huh?

  I wanted the sign to read simple and clean, so Spring it is.

The bird's nest is real. 

Mr. vG and the kidlets brought it in during the winter.

Old milk bottles filled with white navy beans make for a sweet candle holder. 

The other candles shown are sitting on a pair of silver candle sticks turned upside down.

Twine can be very effective for decorating on the cheap.

 The curtain tie backs can be made to your desired size or thickness.

I simply cut 9 equal lengths of twine, and with 3 groups of 3, made one main braid.

Mr. vG always complains about too many pillows in HIS movie room...

so they've been adopted by the family room where they will be well loved!

The turquoise and green pillows together make a cheerful combination.

Speaking of pillows...

before Christmas, I won a giveaway and started a post

but completely forgot about it!!!  What a smuck I am! 

I won a sweet ring and this beautiful "keep calm" pillow by Little Miss Momma

 from a Tatertots & Jello giveaway!  These are seriously 2 of the SWEETEST girls

I've ever had the pleasure of sorta knowing : )  Check out their awesome blogs for

many many many crazy good ideas!

Spring I really miss you...please come soon.

Happy March Break

 I've linked this post up to: My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia , A Beach Cottage

christmas around the vG Huis

Good Grief Linus!  My indoor camera skills are definately lacking!  Alas my Christmas home tour is a little on the sad side, hmmm and fairly late as well.  Nonetheless, I wish you a very Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours.

On Christmas Eve, these minature stockings are home to the kids' letters to Santa.

photo: vG House Winter 2009

HELP!!  I've got a favour to ask....this spring we are replacing the woodwork on the front of the house.  I'm thinking about changing from the terra cotta colour....any suggestions???  and garage, front door and pillar colours too?!!  I know it's early to think about this...but I flip flop sooo much with colour choices, I need ample time to really make a decision I won't regret and I would really appreciate your thoughts.

I've added this post to the Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes.

Keep Warm &Cozy over the Holidays

Enjoy your families... squeeze 'em, kiss 'em and luv 'em up!

just a little peek

I've got me a litte mason jar and wire basket love going on....bathroom reno going slowly but surely.

 

halloween'n

Normally, I really don't decorate outside of the ordinary pumpkins, coloured fall leaves and mums for the fall season. But this year, I wanted to play a little with some halloween decorating for the kids sake, uh huh, for the kids. I bought these giant spiders from Dollarama and thought they'd look cool climbing up my mirrors and picture frames within the house. Their legs are bendy, so I bent one on each side and tucked them on either side of the frames and they stay nicely.

My favourite girl, Ava worked hard tracing and cutting out the bat templates from Country Living. Click here to see Country Living's bats....they did them outside with stiffened felt, which would be sooo cool too, but we kept our indoors and used black bristol board and hung them on the walls with double sided tape.

I finally finished my Dead & Breakfast sign!!! This idea came from Better Homes and Gardens...for tutorial go here. Also, check out one of my favourite blogs, My Sweet Savannah, the overly talented Melaine did her own version of this sign as well.

Sporting one beer with lime cordial and an assortment of power tools (not sure that's the best combo heheh) I ventured in the driveway with some old weathered decking boards and went to town making the sign. I was VERY nervous to paint the lettering on the sign, but a few days ago, when all was quiet in the house, I got out the graphite paper, paint and brushes and was very surprised at how easy it was....... soooo easy! Graphite paper rocks! Now all I have left to do is hang the vacancy sign with chain and put it up in the front yard.

Happy weekend, and Happy Thanksgiving : )

I've linked this post up with Funky Junk Interiors and Tatertots and Jello : ) and DIY Show Off.

map lovin'

I am in ♥ with old school maps. This one of Europe measures 4.5 feet x 3.5 feet and has the most wonderful colouring. It is quite old and not in mint condition, but I love it nonetheless.

When re-doing Nohl's room a few months ago, I knew I wanted a large school map for the dead space above the side of his bed. I looked long and hard for a pull down that didn't cost me a fortune and finally found one on Kijiji.

I used to play the trumpet in highschool... which surely trained me to be the highly skilled conch player that I am today....pffft. Seriously though, I really think it looks cool in Nohl's room. Mr. vG and I have had it stored in the bottom of a cupboard forever... I don't even know where it came from really???

In my long time past post about Nohl's bedroom makeover, I had the framed atlas pages just leaning on the ledge. But they are very lightweight, and one would always fly off whenever we'd open up the windows. So, I painted up an old shelf for some extra ummphhh atop the pictures. I left one picture leaning and hung the other 3 using 3m sticky tabs...so much easier to get them perfectly straight and no extra holes in my walls!

How many times can I blog about this room??? I really need to forget the kids' rooms and focus on mine next! Yes, it's my turn!!! I'll have my bedroom post for you in about a years time. It's the turtle in me....

Nohl's Bedroom

A couple of months ago, I blogged about how I was going to makeover Nohl's room. Don't ask me why it took two months...I'm just slow that way. Mostly I think I kept making up my mind on a paint colour, then change it an hour later. Two weeks ago, I put my own foot down. Now it's almost complete. To see more of the before go here.

I'm waiting on a 1960's pull down map of Europe to hang on the wall in the picture below.

One of the first things I did was paint his bed frame out in Benjamin Moore's Hudson Bay Blue. Sorry some of the pictures are dark. The final wall paint, Gray Mist, is also from Benjamin Moore, and the wainscotting is Cloud White. I really love how bright and fresh his room feels now!

I found this hutchy thing and it was the most hideous bright blue I'd ever seen. Whoever painted it, just kept painting right over the hinges and latches. I scraped off the hinge/latch paint and sprayed them with flat black. I gave the whole thing a coat of paint and voila....something a little different than your typical bookshelf, and still low enough so he can access all his belongings.

I'd been saving this road atlas for years thinking I'd someday do something with it in one of the boys rooms. And so I tore some places of meaning for me out of the atlas and repurposed his old Ikea frames. Mr. vG and I honeymooned in Hawaii. Now everytime I see that map it's a reminder of one of the most special times in my life.

Hmmm well that's kinda creepy? and yet even this looked better than that builder glass plate that was there!

I'm not normally a huge ceiling fan fan, but despite having A/C, Nohl's room can get pretty stinkin hot in the summer. I thought this fixture from Rona was perfect. Doesnt' it almost looked like a little boat propeller?

Me and my Nohlly burger