Archives for March 2017

Three Simple Steps to a Spring Brunch Buffet

Welcome everyone! This week I’m joining eleven other bloggers for our “Year of Feasting” blog hop. This is our first season to share together and I’m showing an easy, three simple steps to a brunch buffet. Special thanks to Giant Tiger for sponsoring this post!

Now that my daughters are older and all out on their own, its rare to have us all together at the same time unless it’s a holiday. Their schedules aligned this last weekend and they were all able to come home for a visit! Celebrations like this rare event usually centre around food! We almost always have a brunch buffet. Everyone helps out by cooking and or cleaning and its a great time to feast on foods that we don’t normally have everyday. The only difficult part of putting on a buffet is food preparation. But if you’ve got friends and/or family, it’s great if everyone pitches in by helping to cook or by bringing a dish. Here are three simple steps to prepare a brunch buffet.

Step 1

Prepare a centerpiece

I love a buffet because it’s so casual and less formal than a sit down meal. I don’t feel like I have to be as spot on with my tablescaping, aka lazy! I still like to have a centerpiece of some sort and I will use whatever I have on hand. This old vintage toolbox was in the garage and I pulled it out because I thought it would look great packed with little spring plant pots I found at Giant Tiger. To simplify, you could place a vase with fresh or faux flowers, branches from outside, etc.

Because the box is so deep I added some little cups to bring up the height.

Then I just laid a piece of plywood over the cups so that my plant pots would be higher and make more of an impact.

I filled up my toolbox and added a couple of white faux flowers I had too. It filled out beautifully and the bulbs will continue to grow and blossom. Such a simple and beautiful spring centrepiece.

Step 2

Lay out your dishes.

I love white dishes and have them in abundance. I find it makes table arranging so much easier too. You don’t have to worry about piecing different dishes together, everything just automatically fits. I pulled out a piece for each food item. I like finding dishes of different shapes and heights as this adds some visual interest…I later used my “open hands” ceramic piece as a dish for the berries! Some lovely gold coloured silverware in a an old milk glass vase, some plates and white napkins, a few candles and you’re done. To make things easier you can always use disposable dish ware if you really want to simplify things.

I found these pretty little cushions at Giant Tiger and they go well with all the blue and white I have going on. They make the nook feel even more inviting.

Step 3

Fill up those dishes with food

This is the exciting part! You already have your dishes ready for each corresponding type of food so just fill and display! I loved this cake stand for our banana protein pancakes along with the little jug for syrup.

The crock pot on the counter is the perfect thing for keeping baked beans warming!

This is also the hard part as everyone waits around for you to take some photos of the food! Lol. Which they didn’t wait for long!

I hope you enjoyed this post, thanks so much for stopping by. Please continue on and see what my friends have cooked up too!

Blessings,

Kim

THE DIY MOMMY – LIFE IS A PARTY – VINYETE ETC.

PERSONALLY ANDREA – KIM POWER STYLE – THE LEARNER OBSERVER

WOMAN IN REAL LIFE – FLOURISH AND KNOT – LOVE CREATE CELEBRATE

AMIDST THE CHAOS – PMQ FOR TWO – THE DREAM HOUSE PROJECT

Spring Home Tour | Part 2

5:00 am by kim 33 Comments

Spring Home Tour

Hello again everyone and welcome to my Spring Home Tour Part 2! This week I’ve joined up with 20 Canadian bloggers for the Canadian Bloggers Spring Home Tour hosted by Shannon at AKA Design and Christina at The DIY Mommy For those of you who are new around here, my name is Kim and I’m so excited to share a little more of my home with you all!

In my previous Spring Home Tour Part 1, I shared My living room and the breakfast nook. This week I’ll be sharing the dining room, the guest room and the Master bedroom. I try to make this as simple as possible and start with a good spring cleaning. Then I change out the winter throw pillows and bedding for some fresh spring ones. Mostly using pieces that I already have. A few little fresh and faux flowers and greens and my home is ready for spring! So let’s begin the tour, grab a cup of something comfy, sit back and enjoy!

Guest room

In the guest room I changed out the winter bedding and added some spring bedding I’ve had for years in beautiful shades of blue and sage. I used the same colours for the throw pillows as well. A few fresh and faux flowers and greenery and everything looks bright, fresh and ready for spring!

The guest room is the sunniest and brightest one in the house and a favourite of Jack who loves to lay in here. He also loves to follow me around so If I’m taking pics, he’s sure to be in them! This room is used mostly by my daughter and Son in law when they come to visit so it’s nice to keep it warm and welcoming.

I’ve white washed this dresser and then sanded it down, which I may do again. 🙂 I have a tutorial for that here.

Sources

Master Bedroom

In the master, I changed out the bedding from winter to spring, added some fresh flowers and the green magnolia wreath. It’s nice to have faux florals and greens, unless you’re able to keep up with fresh ones…which I’m not! Lol. I made the blue velvet pillow and the little one in front of it was made out of a throw rug. I have a tutorial for that here. The rug is from my daughter and I thought it would look great in here. It goes so well with the blues in the bedding.

Sources

Headboard: Homesense | Bedside tables: Thrift finds | Bedding: Homesense | Lumbar Pillows: By me | Rug: Homesense

Dining Room

In the dining room I did some spring cleaning and removed a lot of extra dishes etc. I changed out the curtains for one’s that I already had. Replacing the white fur throw pillows for these blue and white linen ones makes such a difference! I’ve had these linen pillows for years and they’re my favourite! For the mantel I placed a couple of topiaries with some vintage brass candle holders I’ve been collecting and a brass terrarium. Some gorgeous hydrangeas and a few little faux fern stems to add some freshness and greenery.

Sources

Armoires: Pier 1 Imports | Table: Thrift find | Dining Chairs: IKEA | Wing back Chairs: Thrift finds |Light Fixture: Homesense

Thanks so much for joining me again for another Spring Tour, I hope you were able to find some inspiration for your own home, and please continue on the tour for more! All the links are below.

Blessings!

Kim

MONDAY

AKA DESIGN – LIFE IS A PARTY – LEMON THISTLE – CLEAN AND SENSIBLE

TUESDAY

BROOKLYN BERRY DESIGNS – AMIDST THE CHAOS – THE HAPPY HOUSIE – PMQ FOR TWO – ELLIVEN STUDIO

WEDNESDAY

SATORI DESIGN FOR LIVING – SUBURBLE – SO MUCH BETTER WITH AGE – POP OF PRETTY – THIS LITTLE ESTATE

THURSDAY

THE DIY MOMMY – A PRETTY LIFE IN THE SUBURBS – WOMEN IN REAL LIFE – KIM POWER STYLE – THE LEARNER OBSERVER

FRIDAY

THE CREEKLINE HOUSE – LOVE CREATE CELEBRATE

Simple Spring Home Tour 2017 | Part 1

5:00 am by kim 43 Comments

Simple Spring Home Tour 2017

Thanks so much for joining along with me and fifteen other bloggers as we share our homes for the Joyful Spring Home Tour. If you’re coming from Haley at the The MountainView Cottage welcome, Isn’t that bedroom gorgeous? You can find links to all the bloggers at the bottom of this post where you’ll find tons of inspiration for your own homes. So grab a cup of something comforting, settle in for my simple spring home tour and enjoy.

I’ll be sharing my living room and breakfast nook this week for Part 1 of the tour and the following week I’ll be sharing Part 2. I called it the simple spring home tour because changing out your decor for spring doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. I simply changed out my winter throw pillows for some more springlike colours and textures. Then I added some fresh and faux flowers as well as some greenery! It really can be that simple and easy.

You may find the odd pet hanging around but they come with the home!

The shiplap off the kitchen here is new and I love it. I added these little coat hooks and it’s a great place to hang your apron..and any odd wreaths you may want to hang up too! The wreaths bring a great hit of green to the space making it feel fresh and springlike.

The coffee table was a thrift find and I stripped it down of all its old varnish to reveal this beauty! I think it’s a one of a kind piece and it’s added such warmth to the living room. I’ve layered it up with a few pieces as well as fresh and faux flowers. Nothing says spring like tulips and hydrangeas!

My home is pretty white and neutral so it makes it quite easy to change things up. Trading out the winter pillows for these beautiful blues and adding the flowers and greenery is all it’s taken to spruce this room up for spring.

I kept it pretty simple but added a little whimsy to my mantel this year in the form of this bust. She has a hollow place in the top of her head where you can place plants. She now has a lovely asparagus fern for hair! I just call her “my lady”. With the addition of these wooden bead “pearls” I’d say she looks pretty striking! Plants always make a space fresher.

The gorgeous pillow on the chair was made by me from a throw rug, you can find the tutorial here. I love the colour blue and come spring you’ll find it all throughout my home. It makes me think I live in a coastal cottage by the sea. The lake is actually down the street, so I’m not that far off… a girl can dream right?

This is our little breakfast nook. Other than changing out the curtains to spring/summer ones, the only changes I made in here were to add these tulips. Once the tulips are gone, I’ll add a plant or some faux greenery to keep it looking fresh. All pretty simple touches that make a big impact

Thanks so much for dropping by! Don’t forget to join me again next week for Part 2 of my spring home tour.. be sure to subscribe and it will be sent directly to your inbox!

Please follow the links below to continue on with this tour, there is so much more to see!

Tour Schedule

Monday March 13

Maison de Pax | Lemons to Lovelys | TIDBITS | Belle Amour Blog

Tuesday March 14

The Mountain View Cottage | Kim Power Style | Meaningful Spaces | My Vintage Porch

Wednesday March 15

The Porch Light Cottage | White Lane Decor | Delightfully Noted

March 16

JorDecor | Farmhouse On Boone | A House With Books

DIY Throw Rug Pillow Tutorial

6:00 am by kim 11 Comments

DIY Throw Rug Pillow Tutorial

I’m loving my DIY throw rug pillows so much that I thought I’d share with you all exactly how I did it. I found the rug at Homesense and it was love at first sight! I was thinking about using it as my kitchen rug but it was too darn pretty to be hidden away on the floor. I knew I wanted to see this pattern often. It was a 2.5’x3.5′ rug which would easily give me three different pillows of varying sizes if I added a complimentary fabric to the back. I’ll share with you how easy it was to put together in case you’d like to try it yourself! I used a simple envelope style, no zippers! I did a post years ago on how to make an envelope styled pillow called the “the 5 minute pillow” you can find that here.

Throw Rug Pillow Tutorial

Materials Needed:

Throw rug of your choice.
A complimentary fabric for the back of your pillow.
Sewing Machine.
Measuring Tape.
A good pair of sharp scissors.
Pins.
Thread.

Tutorial:

Start by figuring out how you’d like to cut up your rug. My rug had lines and patterns that made it easy for me to divide it up. I ended up with three rectangles. The middle one being the larger. This tutorial will reference to the middle piece.
Finish off your raw cut side. The rug will have two finished sides (meaning they’re already bound with a hem so no fraying) and 2 unfinished sides. If you have a serger, go ahead and serge the unfinished sides. If you have a regular sewing machine like me that’s ok, you can do a zig zag stitch on your unfinished sides, this is going to keep the ends from fraying which they will! I actually did a very wide and tight zig zag and went over it twice! The edge started to fray right away and I was able to salvage it.
Now you’re going to measure and cut your coordinating fabric. (This will be the back of your pillow and will have two overlapping pieces which work as the “envelope” to get your pillow insert in and out from) For your first piece, measure the length of your rug minus two inches (because that piece will be sewn 2″ inches down from the opening end of your pillow) and add 1″ inch for a hem. Eg. if your rug piece is 10″x30″ than your first piece of fabric will be 10″x29″The width will be the same width as the rug. For the second, smaller piece of fabric, I usually will do an 9 inch flap plus allow for a 1″ hem, making it 9″ of fabric. I use this same measurement every time I make an envelope pillow, only the width will change according to how wide your pillow is). The width for both pieces of fabric will be the same.
Next, sew a 1″ hem on one end of each of the two fabric pieces.
Now you will take your shorter fabric piece first and lay it over your rug piece, right sides together with your hemmed edge facing towards the middle.
Take the longer fabric piece and lay it over your rug piece, right sides together with the hemmed edge about 2″ down from the opening side edge (L side here). Your long piece should be laying over the rug and also most of the shorter piece. So in some places you will have three layers.
Pin around the perimeter paying close attention to pin down where the hems are. Now sew along the perimeter of the pillow about 1/2″ in.
Remove your pins and turn your pillow rightside out. You’ll notice you have a good size pocket to place your insert into. Now take the small flap and turn it rightside out and fold it over the other end of your insert. Go inside and stretch out the corners. You’re done!

I hope this was easy to understand and that your were able to make your own! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment and ask a question if your need to. I’m happy to help! Please subscribe if you’d like to receive these posts straight into your inbox.

DIY Throw Rug Pillow

4:41 pm by kim 3 Comments

DIY Throw Rug Pillow

Have you seen those gorgeous pillows around? the ones that look like they’re made from an old vintage rug? Well I have and I love them, the price…not so much. When I saw this gorgeous throw rug at Homesense, I knew I wanted it for throw pillows! I loved the vintagey denim vibe it had going on and thought it would be great to add to the rest of the blue and white I use to decorate with in the spring.

The rug was roughly 2.5’x3.5′ So I was able to get three pillows from one rug using a coordinating fabric for the back. I kept the lovely fringe from both ends to give the pillows some character. I paid $24.99 for the rug. I had the coordinating fabric and pillow inserts already so I was able to get three of these beauties for the price of the rug!

I had some leftover fabric from another project, a cotton/linen blend, and it works perfectly with the colours in the rug. I used a simple envelope style enclosure so there were no zippers to work with.

I’m pretty excited about my new pillows! Thanks for dropping by today and sharing in my pillow joy! I’ll be sharing the tutorial for how to make these shortly. Also, stay tuned for a couple of spring tours coming up this month.

Archives for March 2017

Three Simple Steps to a Spring Brunch Buffet

Step 1

Prepare a centerpiece

Step 2

Lay out your dishes.

Step 3

Fill up those dishes with food

Spring Home Tour

Guest room

Master Bedroom

Dining Room

Simple Spring Home Tour 2017

Tour Schedule

DIY Throw Rug Pillow Tutorial

Throw Rug Pillow Tutorial

Materials Needed:

DIY Throw Rug Pillow

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