Fall

Bathroom Makeover | One Room Challenge | Week 6

Hi everyone and welcome to Week 6 of the One Room Challenge! If you’re new here, I’m a guest participant in Linda’s from Calling it Home One Room Challenge. A biannual event where a group of designers and bloggers chronicle a makeover of one room in their home in 6 weeks. We’re on week 6 right now but this year the challenge has been extended for another week. So next week will be the final reveal and I’m so excited to share our makeover with you all!

You can follow along with the previous weeks here:

Bathroom Makeover One Room Challenge Week 6

This week’s progress:

This week we finally got the grout done on the floor tile. We used a charcoal coloured grout that fits right in with the charcoal of the tiles. We used a slow drying grout and had to stay off the floor for 72 hours. It was wonderful! We basically had the weekend off which was great because the hubby and I needed the break. Don’t those tiles look amazing?

Once the grout was dried and cured we were able to get back in there and put the baseboards on.

We also got the vanity in after the hubby did some (a lot) of maneuvering with the pipes. Yahoo!

Remember those nasty pipes that came up out of the floor that couldn’t be moved? Well the hubby used the Metrie baseboards to make a box around them. It’s hardly noticeable, unless you’re down on the floor where I was when I took this photo. Once I caulk the corners and fill in the nail holes it will look great.

I’m so glad the vanity fit! It looks great with the gorgeous shiplap and tiles. These pictures don’t do the room justice.

Task list before the final reveal:

Add the mirror
Install the toilet
Caulk the baseboards, sink and tub
Install the tub/shower hardware.
Accessorize

Well that’s it for this week. It’s such a small room that there’s only so much to show without revealing it all..and that’s for next week! You can subscribe to the blog to make sure you don’t miss out on any posts. They’ll come straight to your inbox.

Blessings,

Kim

One Room Challenge Fall 2017 | Week 2 | Demo Week

8:45 pm by kim 16 Comments

Demo Week

Welcome to week 2 of the ORC. If you’re just joining in with me today, here is a link to week 1 where I explain my plans to turn this dated room into a Modern Farmhouse bathroom. We’ve all watched the home makeover shows where the “demo day” is that amazing day where you’re able to start tearing out walls, tiles and aged appliances etc. At the end of the day everything has been removed and you’re left with a clean slate to start building from. Well folks, as the old saying goes, “only on TV”! Unless you have a team of workers working behind you, there is no such thing as a demo day! It’s taken the hubby days to remove tile, drywall, a vanity, mirror, toilet and the dreaded floor tile. This One Room Challenge week 2, has kicked our butts. What we thought would be that lauded “demo day” has turned into the seemingly never ending “demo week”!

So this is what happened…get ready for some non-pretty pics.

At first my hubby tried to take each tile off at a time. With the hopes we could save the drywall behind it and not have to worry about replacing it. No. somewhere or somehow you damage that drywall behind and you end up having to take it all down. After this lesson was learned, my hubby just took the drywall and tile down together in sheets. It was a much faster process doing it this way.

When it came time to take out the vanity, we noticed there were no water shut-off valves. So after turning off the water in the whole house and many trips to the Home Depot later, we were able to avoid a flood and remove the vanity…only to find this!

The water pipes come up straight out of the floor! There is also this gigantic black drainpipe jutting out of the floor and into the wall. If you look at my mood/vision board you’ll notice that the vanity I wanted was up off the floor. In fact every vanity I liked was up off the floor. It makes a smaller space seem airier and larger. Well now I have to change my plans on that vanity. This whole pipe mess will have to be covered up.

The floor tile, mesh and concrete thingy was the worst. We finally called up a friend and we borrowed a jack hammer, yep, we ( and by “we” I mean the hubby) were jack hammering this room until late last night. We finally got it all up. Other than removing a few staples and a few stray pieces of dry wall, I think we’re done the demo stage. Phew! When things look like this, it’ hard to believe it will ever be done!

So now before those pictures burn a hole into our retinas, let’s take a look at how I envisioned this room to look. It may completely change by the time I get through but nevertheless lets focus on my pretty vision.

Here is some lovely inspiration via Studio Mcgee because Shea and her team know how to do a bathroom!

(source)

My vision for how this space can look is the only thing that’s keeping me sane at this point. This reno thing is not for the faint of heart! Don’t forget to join me back here next week to follow along as well as pop in and see all the other participants, I’m hoping there will be major progress in this room by then. Please let there be progress!! Lol.

Thanks to my sponsors who are contributing to my Modern Farmhouse Makeover this time around!

Simple and Easy Fall Tablescape

6:00 am by kim 10 Comments

Today I’m joining my “Year of Feasting” friends. We’ve been sharing our tablescapes and how we entertain with our friends and family throughout the year. Thanks to Dannyelle from Life is a Party for hosting our little group!

Join me today as I share a simple and easy fall tablescape all ready for Thanksgiving. There will be links at the bottom of the post for you to check out my talented friends too.

Simple and Easy Fall Tablescape

Next week will be the first weekend in October and we Canadians will be celebrating our Thanksgiving Holiday. I recently shared my dining room decorated for fall using faux eaucalyptus, baby boo pumpkins and some glass tea lights up the centre of the table. It looks great for the fall season and I knew it would transition into a beautiful Thanksgiving tablescape too. I simply added place settings to what was already there. What could be easier than that?

I love collecting vintage white ironstone pieces, they go with everything and they’ve stood the test of time. A platter for the turkey, tureens for the veggies, stuffing and gravy and all we need is the food! I used rattan placemats from Ikea, plain white napkins and my workhorse white plates. These fun blue ceramic bowls tie in the rest of the blue decor I used for fall and add a bit of colour to the table.

Last year my daughter and son in law hosted us at their house to Celebrate their first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. It was such a great time for all of us and a bit of a break for me! We’ll be back at our house this year as my son in law is out of the country with the military. We’ll have to make this one a little extra special as we’ll all be missing him. I love to decorate and make my home as cozy and inviting as possible for my family. It’s really about making memories!

I hope you enjoyed my little tour and that you all have a warm and memorable Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Don’t forget to check out the links below to follow along with my friends as they share their Thanksgiving tables.

Blessings,

Kim

(I’ve added some affiliate links below so that you can shop this post!)

The DIY Mommy || Life is a Party

Kim Power Style || Vin’yet Etc.

The Leaner Observer || Woman In Real Life

Sustain My Craft Habit || Flourish and Knot

Simple Fall Decor In Our Dining Room

7:00 am by kim 15 Comments

This week I’m continuing my simple fall decor in our dining room and I’ve joined another great group of bloggers for our Joyful Home Fall Tour. We want to welcome you into our homes and share how we celebrate the season, making our homes cozy and welcoming for friends and family alike. There are links to everyone at the bottom of the post so be sure to check them out for some great inspiration!

Simple Fall Decor In Our Dining Room

This year I wanted to make decorating our home for fall to be as simple as possible. I started by giving this room a good decluttering…it tends to be that one room that we dump all the little extras into. I think most of us have a room that serves that purpose. At least I hope it’s not just me!

I love the look of white and wood with a bit of greens thrown in and incorporated this into my fall scheme. If you’ve been following along on my home tours this year you’ll know that I’ve kept a lot of my blues and have used blue and sage in my pumpkins too. Finding this faux eaucalyptus garland and faux baby boos on sale from Pottery Barn was a score. It’s a bit of an investment but I love using both of them in my decor and they can be difficult to find in my neck of the woods. This way I have them whenever I need and they always look fresh! I’ve also found some faux eucalyptus at Ikea that was very reasonably priced. If budget or a lack of time is an issue, you can always use leaves and branches from your yard. They’ll look great and the littles can help you forage for some too.

I placed the garland down the centre of the table and interspersed it with the baby boos and a few glass votive tealights. I love fairy lights and use them all year round, they can really make something simple into something special. We all need a little sparkle! That’s it for the table, It can stay up until the season is over and I’ll use it for Thanksgiving dinner as well. We Canadians have our Thanksgiving in early October, so I’ll be sharing my simple Thanksgiving tablescape next week.

If you’ve been following along on my home tours this year you’ll know that I’ve kept a lot of my blue decor and have used blue and sage in my pumpkins as well. You can find my previous tours here and here. On the mantel I added those faux pumpkins along with some faux eucalyptus. The brass terrarium and thrift store candlesticks were already there and look so pretty with the the lovely sage and navy pumpkins. It’s quick and simple but makes a lovely festive statement.

I added a few fairy lights on the mantel as well. You can never have too many fairy lights. 🙂

I kept my blue velvet pillows from the summer and they fit right in.

My hope in sharing these tours is to inspire you. I love showing people that it only takes a few little simple touches to change out your decor. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive to make your home cozy and inviting.

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to check out all the great inspiration below!

Blessings,

Kim

Maison de Pax | White Lane Decor | Farmhouse on Boone | Lemons to Lovelys

My Vintage Porch | Meaningful Spaces | A House With Books | Delightfully Noted

Kim Power Style | Tidbits | Belle Amour Designs | The Mountain View Cottage

Cozy Fall Home Tour

6:00 am by kim 21 Comments

Hello and welcome to day 5 of the Canadian Bloggers’ Fall Home Tour! A special thank you to Shannon from AKA Design and Christina from The DIY Mommy for hosting the tour. To see all the tours from 23 other talented bloggers you can check out the links below. Now sit back, grab something with pumpkin in it and join me as I share my cozy fall home tour!

Cozy Fall Home Tour

I know I’ve said it before but fall is my favourite season! I love the cooler weather, everything pumpkin and snuggling up with some cozy blankets by the fire!

When it comes to fall decor I like to keep it simple. Changing up the pillows, like this velvet harvest yellow one (just sounds fall like), adding some super cozy warm blankets and a few pumpkins is all it takes to add some fall to my home.

Bubs is finding the decor very cozy too!

I shared my fall breakfast nook last week, you can find that here. I’ll be sharing my dining room next week so be sure to come back!

I hope you enjoyed my cozy fall home tour! For some more great inspiration, check out the links below.

Blessings,

Kim

Monday

AKA Design
Amidst the Chaos
Lemon Thistle
Love Create Celebrate
So Much Better With Age

Tuesday

The Learner Observer
Woman in Real Life
Life is a Party
Clean and Scentsible

Wednesday

Satori Design for Living
The Happy Housie
Rambling Renovators
Craftberry Bush
The Sweetest Digs

Thursday

The DIY Mommy
Home To Heather
White Wood
A Pretty Life
Vin’yet Etc

Friday

Kim Power Style
PMQ for two
The Creek Line House
Sustain My Craft Habit
northern style exposure

Fall Tour in the Breakfast Nook

7:00 am by kim 32 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome, I’m so glad you’re here! Today kicks off the the first of my fall home tours of the season and stay tuned as I’ll be sharing more in the next couple of weeks.

I’m joining in with some blogger friends for the Fall Decor and Entertaining Blogger Home Tours hosted by Angelina at Peonies and Orange Blossoms. Be sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post.

If you’ve been following along with this week’s blog hop and you’re coming from Rosemary and Thyme, thanks for stopping by. Janet has some scrumptious fall desserts over there and I hope you’ve found some creative inspiration for your own homes!

Fall Tour in the Breakfast Nook

Fall is one of my favourite seasons. I love the cool weather, wearing boots and sweaters, hearty meals and nights by the fireplace. There’s something about fall that causes us to want to nestle in and enjoy all the comforts of home and I love making our home feel cozy, warm and inviting.

I’m starting my fall tour in the breakfast nook. It’s kinda central to everything so this is where I first start bringing in the fall decor. Nothing says fall like pumpkins and I love to use them, fresh and faux. There are so many different kinds and colours to choose from now so you don’t need to stick with the traditional orange colours, although I love those too! I’ve kept the decor in the breakfast nook neutral and chose these wooden pumpkins to place on the shelving as well as these sweet little white baby boos on the table.

The blue and white curtains have been switched out for these brown floral ones from the Pottery Barn. I’ve had them for years and still love them come the fall. They look great with the burlap table runner.

I love using greenery in my decor and fall is no exception. I swagged some faux silver dollar eucalyptus along the shelf and used some fresh stems with some cabbage florets in a vase. You don’t need to buy any greenery if that’s not in your budget. You can always cut some branches and put them in a vase, they’ll look great. Investing in some life-like faux greenery is another idea and it pays for itself eventually and you can use it year round.

Another thing I love about fall is the baking. The fall harvest yields all kinds of goodies for us to use and when the temps go down, you don’t mind turning on the oven again. There’s nothing more comforting than the aroma of cakes and muffins baking. If you don’t have time to bake you can always pick something up from the grocers. Displaying it on a cake stand or platter makes it look homemade and welcoming, great for when company comes by.

Thanks for joining me for my fall tour in the breakfast nook. I hope you were able to get some inspiration for your own fall home. Next up on the tour is Back to the South and In case you’ve missed any other tours from this week, I have the links down below.

Blessings,

Kim

Monday

DIY Beautify || Raising a Farmhouse || Unlikely Martha || The Welch House || Life on Shady Lane

Tuesday

Frazzled Joy || North Country Nest || A Purdy Little House || Hood Creek Log Cabin || Peonies & Orange Blossoms

Wednesday

The Whimsy One || Polka Dot Poplars || A Home to Grow Old In || Virginia Sweet Pea || Lincluden Cottage Life

Thursday

Semigloss Design || Keys to Inspiration || Reinvented Collection || Of Fairies and Fauna || Rosemary and Thyme

Friday

Kim Power Style || Back to the South || Living Large in a Small House || From House to Home || Centsably Creative || Life is a Party || The Organized Mama || || Our Crafty Mom

Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

5:00 am by kim 6 Comments

Thanks for joining me today along with 10 other bloggers as we share some of our favourite slow cooker recipes! Fall is my favourite season and I love it when the air starts to get cooler and we go from barbecues and salads to more hearty indoor comfort meals. There is nothing more hearty than a delicious beef bourguinon made slow and easy in your slow cooker. This tasty slow cooker beef bourginon recipe has a little work on the front end but once that’s done you can enjoy the aroma of it cooking away while you enjoy your day!

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe:

Ingredients:

5 slices of bacon chopped
3 lbs stewing beef
1 cup good red wine
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup flour
1 lb baby potatoes
5 medium carrots chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
10 0z mushrooms sliced
8 oz pearl onions
2 tbsp fresh thyme minced
fresh parsley finely chopped for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Add chopped bacon to a pan over medium heat and brown for 3-4 minutes. Remove bacon and place in slow cooker.
Salt and pepper stewing beef and place in the pan to sear in the bacon fat in small batches. Add beef to slow cooker.
Pour the cup of red wine into the pan and deglaze all the bits from the bottom.
Whisk in beef broth, soy sauce and tomato paste. Once those ingredients are incorporated, whisk in the flour and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add to slow cooker.
Add the potatoes, chopped carrots, pearl onions, sliced mushrooms, minced garlic and thyme.
Stir all the ingredients together and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beef is tender.
Once it’s done, finely chop some fresh flat leaf parsley on top and you’re ready to serve.

This delicious meal can be served with a crusty loaf of bread and creamy mashed potatoes. It’s definitely worth the added time it takes to sear the meat once you taste that rich dark gravy. It makes a great week night meal or a special Sunday supper with the family. I hope you try it, I promise you won’t be disappointed! Don’t forget to check out all the links below and visit the rest of the bloggers for some more great slow cooker recipes.

Blessings,

Kim

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon by Kim of Kim Power Style

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Jo-Anna of A Pretty Life

Cheesy Sweet Potato and Bacon Soup by Tara of Suburble

Weight Watchers Crock Pot Chicken Tacos by Virginia of Fynes Designs

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken with Peppers by Christina of The DIY Mommy

Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Cake by Kendra of Joy In Our Home

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Chili by Christine of Amidst the Chaos

Slow Cooker Apple Sauce by Jen of Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Slow Cooker Beef Stew by Shannon of AKA Design

Mexican Pulled Pork by Sarah of Flourish & Knot

Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Dip by Dannyelle of Life is a Party

Guest Room Makeover Week two

6:00 am by kim 4 Comments

Guest Room Makeover Week two

Hello everyone! Here is a peek of the guest room I’ve been working on over the last couple of weeks. On week one I started by white washing the dresser. I shared a little tutorial on how to do that here. The bed was really the jumping off point for my modern farmhouse look that I’m going for in the room. I found the bed on kijiji for a great price! It’s originally from IKEA but is now discontinued.

In week two of the makeover, I’ve added this neutral jute rug called the “lohal’ from IKEA. I have this same rug in my living room and I love it! I looked at many different rugs but I really wanted to keep the major pieces neutral and the price worked with my almost next-to-nothing budget. When my main pieces are neutral, I can switch out the soft furnishings and change the colour/style whenever I get the hankering to. If you know me, you know how much I love adding blue come the spring and summer!

I love the texture of this rug and how well it goes with the white washed plywood floorboards we put in last year. I made these cushion covers to add to the bed next week when I show the new bedskirt I’m making. This fall look will slowly transition into Christmas in the next week or so.

It’s next to impossible to do anything without this guy wanting to be in the middle of it, so you may see him in quite a few pics!

Thanks for joining me in week two of the guest room makeover. I really appreciate you stopping by. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do to make sure you don’t miss any posts!

-Kim

How to Add Fall Decor to the Bedroom

6:00 am by kim 4 Comments

How to Add Fall Decor to the Bedroom

Hello everyone! I wanted to share how I add fall decor to the bedroom. When we think of fall decor we don’t always think of adding it to the bedroom. The master bedroom is usually the last room we think of when we think of seasonal decorating. We tend to choose to spend the bulk of our resources on those rooms that are seen by everyone. But I’ll show you how by using a couple of seasonal pieces and changing up your bedding, you can add some fall decor to your bedroom.

I started with this wreath I made from cotton picks which became the centrepiece and jumping off point for the rest of the room. The colour and texture of the wreath go well with the neutral modern farmhouse vibe I’ve got going on.

The white linen duvet is kept on the bed and mixed up with coverlets and patterned pillows depending upon the season. I replaced the blue coverlet I had on for the summer with this cream coloured one for fall, keeping the neutral creamy theme going on. There are a couple of black and white toile pillow shams peeking from behind the white ones. They add a little break from all the white although it’s difficult to see in these pics. The bed is such a large statement piece in the room. By changing up the linen, you can change the whole look of the room.

Hydrangeas are one of my favourite flowers and I usually have them throughout the house. I use faux hydrangeas when the real ones aren’t available. They add that something special to whatever room they’re in and they look great here on the tray..

Lastly, I added a few small velvet and white baby boo pumpkins to the room. Nothing says fall like pumpkins!

By simply adding a statement piece like the fall cotton wreath, changing up the linen and adding a few little pumpkins, I’ve brought some fall decor in the bedroom. Using things that I already had on hand made it a simple and easy project.

Thanks for dropping by to visit! I hope you enjoyed looking at my fall decor and were inspired to add a little fall decor into your own bedroom.

Fall Maple Carrot Cake

6:00 am by kim 6 Comments

Fall Maple Carrot Cake

Hi everyone! I’m sharing this fall maple carrot cake I made this week and I’m hoping you’ll try it out…and like it! Fall and winter are the times of the year when I enjoy baking. There’s something really comforting about having baked goods come out of the oven made from farm fresh produce as the temperature drops and the weather turns chillier. Not to mention the heavenly aroma that fills the house!

This is a delicious maple carrot cake with a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting. I decided to make it a naked cake due to the ease of decorating it. I love naked cakes, they’re rustic and pretty at the same time and if you’re not the greatest at doing a pretty frosting job this is an easy and no-brainer way to do it. Even if you mess it up, it still looks good! I used some of the white mums from my front porch to decorate it up a bit. So easy!

If you’re noticing a large chunk missing from the cake, that’s because I we couldn’t wait to try it!

Maple Carrot Cake

2 cups (500ml) all purpose flour
2 tsp. (10ml) baking powder
1 tsp. (5ml) baking soda
2 tsp. (10 ml) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 ml) allspice
1/4 tsp. (1ml) salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup (175 ml ) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) maple syrup
1/3 cup (75 ml) packed brown sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) grated carrots

Icing

4 0z (125g) softened cream cheese
2 tbsp (25 ml)) room temperature butter
3 tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
1/2 tsp (2 ml) vanilla
1/2 tsp (2ml) cinnamon
2 cups (500 ml) icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C) butter and flour 2, 8-inch baking pans
Whisk together in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

Whisk together in another bowl the eggs, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth, pour into the flour mixture, add the carrots and mix just until moistened.
Bake for 20-25 minutes depending upon your oven. Let cool on cooling rack.

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and icing sugar. Frost tops of cakes and stack. Decorate however you’d like.

Recipe adapted from Foodland Ontario.

Thanks for dropping by and let me know if you tried it and how it turned out!

Kim

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Fall

Bathroom Makeover One Room Challenge Week 6

This week’s progress:

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Demo Week

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Simple and Easy Fall Tablescape

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Simple Fall Decor In Our Dining Room

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Cozy Fall Home Tour

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe:

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