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Sweet Dreams

I heard about this sweet little blog on twitter. You must check it out. It is simply adorable.

New mama Adele envisions what her little Mila dreams about and brings it to life in these fanciful scenes. I marvel at Adele's creativity... and am envious that she has a little one that sleeps so soundly.

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I'm also blogging about this here. That's my new blog - Little Folk Design - about all things kid - design, parties, rooms, toys. I come across so many lovely images and products for children that I wanted to put them in one place. So rather than put them here (when what you're really looking for are Before & After photos and posts about our latest renovation) I thought I'd put them there. I might be a little crazy, trying to maintain two blogs, we'll see how it goes.

HandyGal?

Amongst our friends and family, HandyMan is the go-to-guy for power tools (you have seen his garage, right?). Now I know how to use some of the tools but usually, when I do, HandyMan is right there by my side, telling me what to cut, how to measure, and how to build whatever project we're working on. I've never really had a project all my own (one that required power tools, anyway) but I hope to change that before the summer's end.

I read a lot of blogs and sometimes I see the ladies getting right in there, down and dirty with the tools. Like Chris at Just Beachy. See this kitchen island? Yup, she built it.

She has also built a pergola, wainscotting, bathroom tiling, reupholstery and sewing... I could go on and on. Her house is a DIY masterpiece, and she does all of it - design, execution, build - on her own (though hubby does help with some of the heavy lifting).

DIY Diva is another blogger I've mentioned before. She and her guy are currently turning an old gas station into a gorgeous country home - complete with donkey shed. Need to know how to hang wallboard by yourself - on the ceiling - and you're only 5'2? She'll show you how its done.

She can also show you how to build a picnic bench, lay fence posts, build crown molding and other tough tasks. If that weren't impressive enough, she has a tool collection that makes HandyMan weep with envy.

Pretty Handy Girl is one my newer blog reads, but oh, she definitely lives up to her name! Here's two of her great projects: a garden bench made from a headboard and footboard, and a cozy reading nook built in a closet!

Seeing all these projects has got my gears going! I want to build! I want to buy lumber! I want sawdust flying in my face! So what do I hope to tackle? Well, I want to do this kitchen playset from the plans by another handy gal, Ana from Knock-Off Wood.

You've seen Ana's site, right? It is chock-full of plans to make furniture inspired by the likes of Pottery Barn, Ikea, West Elm and more. The plans seem straight-forward and easy. Just what I'm looking for. I mean, look at how The Crafting Chicks took Ana's 2D plans and used them to make this 3D thing of beauty:

Isn't that the CUTEST play kitchen ever?! Oh, how I would have loved to have this as a kid. And if Chloe's lucky, she will have one too, made by me.

Blog Spotlight: Mon Petit Amour

Are you a mom-to-be looking for some nursery design inspiration? Then you want to head over to my friend Morgan's blog, Mon Petit Amour where she is featuring Real Canadian Nursery Week. These are real rooms put together by design savvy moms and dads, all doable and full of DIY projects. You might recognize one of the rooms featured later this week ;)

And you Canadian mommas might want to poke around Morgan's blog. She features some great Canadian and U.S. retailers and sellers whose baby products are available for shipping to Canada. I know I always hate coming across some cute little thing only to find out I can't get it delivered to me (darn you DwellStudio line for Target!)

Photo of Morgan's own woodland themed nursery.

Falling Down The Rabbit Hole

I have a love/hate relationship with blogs and design sites in general. I love reading them. I love finding inspirational photos, learning DIY tricks, and coming across crafty ideas. I love falling down the rabbit hole, following a link that leads me to a new great blog and then another one and then another... until I realize 3 hours have passed and I still have to clean up the kitchen and put away the laundry and my daughter will be up in 5 minutes for another feed and I could have been oh so much more productive with my time and finished any of the 14 projects on my to do list and... you get the picture.

All of this makes me wonder about these newfangled free online e-magazines. Unconstrained by typical production and distribution costs, these mags weigh in at around 150+ pages. So on the one hand, they are chock-full of more design ideas and interesting articles... but this means I will spend even more time immobile, butt in chair, straining my eyes as I zoom in and zoom out to read the computer screen. Will these abundant design sources really help me to make better, savvier choices when decorating my own home? Or is it like standing in the cereal box aisle - faced with dozens of different choices, why do I still reach for the same Oatmeal Crisp cereal?

As the message of design itself becomes 'simpler', more back to basics, with growing recycled/upcycled/repurposed/vintage trends, the medium of design is becoming oh-so-complicated. For now, I'm inclined to resist this newest of trends. My blog reader is already overflowing and I have so many different inspiration folders saved about, I don't know where to look first. But if you're looking to fill some of your time, here's some e-magazines you might want to check out:

Nesting Newbies
Lonny
Southern Flourish

Hanging with: Our Castle bloggers

Chloe and I dropped by the lovely home of the Our Castle bloggers the other day. Thanks for the tour Meredith and thanks for sharing your toys Mackenzie!

Its so fun to meet blog friends in person. Have you checked out Our Castle? They put our reno skills to shame! They tackle projects that would make HandyMan and I shake in our workboots, like building their own curved stair treads and risers from scratch, rebuilding a sunroom, and taking a 1950's bathroom from scary & pink to spa-like, complete with a hand-laid tile mosaic medallion. Maybe Mackenzie can pass on some tool tips to Chloe in a few years :)

On a fun sidenote, I actually walked through the Our Castle house when it was on the market two years ago and one of my friends was house-hunting. My friend didn't end up getting it, but Meredith and Vez did which is great because they've done a phenomenal job with it - I barely recognized the place. Do check out their blog and maybe you'll be inspired to tackle some projects in your own home!

Blog Cleaning

I've done a bit of cleanup on the blog rolls. There's so many lovely new blogs I've come across lately, like this one, this one, this one, and this one.

I've added a new category too, Family Blogs, since as a new mama I like seeing into the lives of other families. Like the family with twin girls and triplet boys or the homeschooling mom with seven kids (that ALL look like models!). Then there are the photographer moms and the moms with great style (and lovely houses to boot!).

So if you're looking for a new read, follow the links and you may find something you like.

Speaking of something I like... I like, no, LOVE, these scrapboxes by Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. What a creative and thoughtful way to chronicle family life. I think I will have to make some of these - maybe a new tradition, a birthday gift for Chloe to commemorate some of the important moments of her life.

Images from Martha Stewart.

Yo Homies!

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays. Its this the comfiest time of year? When you sit at home stuffed with too much turkey, mashed potatoes, and gingerbread cookies, wearing cozy pajamas, and watching Its a Wonderful Life for the 14th time? Perfect time to curl up on the sofa and enjoy some new blog reads, I think.

Apartment Therapy is holding The Homies 2009 awards for the best in home design blogs. Its a fantastic chance to discover blogs old and new and vote for your favourites. Some of my favourites like Little Green Notebook, Urban Grace, and Making It Lovely are doing well and getting the recognition they deserve. Rambling Renovators is on the list too (thanks to those who've voted for us!) and if you'd like to vote for us, you can do that here.

I'd like to thank you all for visiting us here at Rambling Renovators over the past two years. We appreciate you dropping by, leaving comments, offering suggestions and sources, and taking an interest in what's going on at our house. We hope to do a bit more renovating and DIY-ing and family adventuring in the new year and entertain you with a lot more posts in 2010!

xoxo,
Wanderluster, Handyman, and Chloe

Cans For Comments

Have I told you lately how much I love you, dear readers? Well I do. I get a little thrill each and every time I read a sweet comment from one of you folks. I know that there are people reading this blog of mine, but it still surprises me when you take the time to comment. So thank you! I wouldn't have been writing my blog this long if it weren't for you :)

Now here's a chance for you to leave a comment and help me do some good. I am joining some of my other blogging friends and doing "Cans for Comments!". From December 6-11, leave a comment on ANY of my posts, and I will donate a non-perishable food item to the Daily Bread food bank.

That's right, 10 comments = 10 items of food! It's just that simple. 'Tis the season of giving. Hope you can help me to fill my shopping cart :)

P.S. Feel free to visit these other bloggers who are also participating. Or maybe start your own drive and benefit your local food bank!

How To Sell A House

In today's housing market, it takes a bit of effort to get your house noticed and stand out from the crowd. Gone are the days when an address in a hot neighbourhood, 6 grainy pics on an MLS listing, and an open house were enough to draw the buyers and the multiple bids. Buyers have their choice of product today. So what can you do to catch their eye?

I think Kit over at DIYdiva has an answer. I'm a fan of Kit's... she is a no-holds-barred, tool-wielding, barefoot badass DIYer. Just try telling her she can't do something (like learning how to drive a tractor and install fence posts) and she will prove you wrong and leave you in her sawdust. Over the past two years, I've enjoyed reading about her renovation of her 80-year old house in Toledo, Ohio on her blog. She has done a ton of work - renovated the kitchen, built a pergola, remodeled the bathroom etc. And now that house is up for sale and she has created a website to sell it. But this isn't any old real estate website. She's included a bit about the history of the house, great info about the surrounding neighbourhood, photos and descriptions of the renovation work done, and even a breakdown of how the asking price was calculated.

Its quite a unique approach to selling a house. As a DIYer myself, I would appreciate knowing about the work done on my house by previous owners... was the quality any good? Did they know what they were doing? Or are there 'surprises' hiding behind my walls, things that weren't done right and will cost me a small fortune to fix in future? Kudos to Kit, the care and effort she put into her home shines through on the real estate site and on her blog.

But then there's another thought... by writing about our houses and the tearing down and building up we put them through, do we expose too much to future owners? I mean, isn't home-buying an emotional thing? If I don't know what's behind the walls, then all I see are the pretty paint colours, your staged furniture, the way the place glints in the sunlight. If you tell me your dirty reno stories, you appeal more to my practical head than to my starry-eyed, illogical, heart. Will that entice me to bid over asking? I'm not so sure. What do you think?

I do hope DIYdiva gets wayyyyyyy over asking for her home; its quite a steal, if you ask me. I'll have to keep this approach to selling a house in mind for whenever we decide to sell Casa HandyLuster. Not that that is happening anytime soon - there's still much to tear down and build up around here.

Featured

Our nursery is featured today on Design*Sponge! Love that blog :)

Oh - drop by later today. I have a big giveaway to announce!

Canadian Bloggy Goodness

Hello to all you readers who've made it over here from Trish Snyder's Design News blog at Canadian House & Home! I'm so happy to be included on the list of Canadian design blogs especially with great company like StyleNorth and Desire To Inspire.

Feel free to browse around. Check out the rest of the nursery (we did manage to finish up the rad cover that was missing in the H&H photo) and see the Before & Afters of other rooms we've renovated in our place (widget on the left). And if you're still craving more Canadian design goodness, I've got a list of Toronto blogs down on the left too. Or maybe you have a Canadian design blog of your own? Leave a comment and let me know!

Friendly Folks

One thing I love about the internet is how it can bring you in contact with some wonderful people. Whether it be through chatting on a forum, blogging, or just emailing people about their products or services, I've been able to meet some great people - virtually. I love it when little things happen to remind you that on the other end, behind the computer screen, is another human being. Here's a little thank you post to some of those nice folks who have made my day:

Lindsay at Penny People was kind enough to send me this print for Chloe's room when I helped her with some reno questions. How thoughtful! Lindsay is a fab renovator and DIYer herself - you should check out her desk transformation!

Ariamamma is a lovely etsy seller. I bought a leash from her shop for Chloe's Sophie the Giraffe toy! But (blame it on the mommy-brain), we lost the leash so I ordered another one. Ariamamma sent one + a spare! And she sent this supercute hair clip which holds tight even in Chloe's babyfine hair. Visit her shop if you're looking for cute baby accessories.

And Liz at Wallpaper sent me this pretty album when I won her first giveaway. It was just what I needed - see, I've already filled it up with 200 photos! Liz is a stylish gal so I'm always peeking in on her blog to see her latest find.

So thank you, kind people. A virtual hug is coming your way!

Canadian Content

When I read this post over at Habitually Chic, I was troubled by it. Blogging takes some time and effort so when someone else blatantly steals your words, its disheartening and deflating. And then I found out the offender was Canadian, and a respected Canadian designer I had on my blog roll no less! Well, she isn't on my blog roll anymore. No real point to this post other than I think that's a horrible thing to do to another blogger.

Now for some good Canadian bloggy content, feel free to check out the new widget on the left. I've listed some great Toronto reno and design blogs. Some of these bloggers actually live in my neighbourhood... so they shouldn't be surprised when they catch me peeking in their windows to see what they're up to ;)

Hey, Don't I Know You...?

Do you bloggers out there ever wonder if anyone actually reads your blog? Now I know that its not just me and my mom (hi mom!) reading this blog, but sometimes it feels that way. It feels like I'm writing in my diary, spilling out thoughts and ideas, and tucking them under the bed where no one else can find them. So when a stranger actually recognizes you and says "Hey, I read your blog" it can really feel surreal. That's what happened to HandyMan, Chloe and I a few days ago. We were in a store checking out this lovely

(isn't it divine, with its sparkly candy apple red finish and glass bowl?) when we were recognized. I'm pretty sure I squealed a little bit from the shock then stood there dumbly with my mouth agape. We're no Brangelina so that moment of bloggy celebrity was unexpected. I was so surprised that I didn't think to ask the many questions running through my head... like how you found my blog, or which of us you recognized (must be Chloe. That kid has way too many pics on this blog if you ask me ;o) ), or WHAT YOUR NAME WAS. Ahh, bad blogger with bad manners.

It was so lovely to meet you though. Thank you for your kind words. And all you other bloggers out there take it from me, your paparazzi moment can happen when you least expect it.

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And speaking of that kid who has way too many photos, she's got her own blog now too. Over on mammarazzi I'll be trying out my photoshop tricks, practising to be a better hobby photographer and taking pics of my favourite subject :)

A House In The Attic

If we ever get to renovating the basement, I would LOVE to do something like this.

The Daily Biff found via Tiny Decor Blog

What a wonderful space for children and adults alike. The owners have really made an effort to address the needs of their kids. Chloe would scream with delight to have a little playhouse like the one pictured. Okay, Chloe can't scream yet, only drool and occasionally coo, but what little girl wouldn't love her own house with a doorbell, mailbox, exterior lights, real shingle siding, and an in-house vacuum connection to keep the little house nice and neat! Heck, when can I move in?!

The attention to detail in this attic is impressive. There are built-in trundle beds for guests. A closet with roll-out clothes rack just for dress up. A mini-bar for the adults. And the decor is just perfect. I love the white wainscotting against the gray walls, and the pops of red.

I'll have to sift through the rest of this blog because I can only imagine what the rest of the house looks like if the attic is this good!

Troll The 'Roll

Caught My Eye

See that Caught My Eye widget on the left? It's where I share some of my favourite posts from other blogs with you folks. Here's some I've shared recently.

Kitchen Love via a life's design by megan on 6/10/09

My Daughters' Bedrooms — by Guest Mom Lara Fishman via Design Mom by Design Mom on 5/28/09

I admit it ... I'm addicted via desiretoinspire.net by midcenturyjo on 5/17/09

DC Designer Series: Sally Steponkus via My Notting Hill by My Notting Hill on 5/3/09

The great thing is I can easily look through the archives of all the items I've shared for my favourites - no need to download all these inspirational pics to my computer!

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Speaking of favourites, if you like the nursery we designed for Chloe, we'd appreciate your vote in the Benjamin Moore Share Your Style contest- click HERE. Thanks for your support!

From The Ground Up

This is the gorgeous kitchen that A-M built. They also built the entire house, from the ground up, in lovely Brisbane, Australia. I've enjoyed reading about their journey on their blog The House That A-M Built. Maybe you will enjoy reading about it too.

My oh my, DIY

These days, it seems everyone is recession proofing by doing more DIY instead of buy, buy, buy. We'll be doing a bit more of that around the HandyLuster household too, what with me being on maternity leave and HandyMan's company recently announcing a company-wide pay cut. I guess I can look on the bright side - at least HandyMan didn't lose his job, and being on maternity leave means I get to enjoy the next year with my daughter (yes, in Canada you can take up to a year for leave! We're lucky, I know).

With a baby constantly in my arms these days, I haven't been able to do many of my own DIY projects, but I've come across these by other bloggers. Have a look and maybe find some inspiration for your own home:

Painted thrift store desk by Centsational Girl

Photo Gallery by Bower Power

Painted Porch Rug by Making It Lovely

Upholstered Ottoman by Just Beachy

Chair makeover by daveandjoi

Seafan art by Freckles Chick

Goldilocks birthday party by cakies (okay, this isn't a real DIY home project but it was too cute not to share!)

Blog Love 2008

I love blogs. And this time of the year is a perfect time to discover new ones to add to my reader as “Best Blogs of 2008” contests start popping up. One of my all-time favourite blogs, Apartment Therapy, is running such a contest as we speak. So if you’ve got some time over the holidays, put on your comfies, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and peruse their list of nominated blogs. Be sure to check out their other categories as well like Home Cooking and Children’s Design. Here’s a few new-to-me nominees that caught my eye:

http://design-crisis.com/
http://www.theestateofthings.com
http://chezlarsson.typepad.com/
http://www.coolmompicks.com/
http://smittenkitchen.com/

Got a favourite blog that’s not on their list? Then nominate it (even if its your blog)! It’s a good way to drive traffic to some lesser-known but great blogs out there. Happy Reading!

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