One Year Anniversary!

One year ago today was by far the most amazing day of my life!

It was a cold, bright day and everything went off without a hitch. We decided on a December wedding because I hate the rain. Thankfully our wedding was last year and not this past weekend with all the rain we had.

Here are a few pictures from the over 3000 we have!

My gorgeous parents walking me down the aisle!

 



My little cousin Nicholas! He is so sweet.

 



 

Getting ready for our first dance to At Last.

 

 

 

 

Man Cave

As I mentioned on Monday we're finishing our basement. Half of it is going to be a work area for the mister and the other half I'd like to make a man cave. The basement isn't big so I need to make sure it doesn't feel cluttered and cramped.

We already have a Foosball table and I hear rumours that a dart board has been bought for the space too. I would ideally like to buy him a poker table for Christmas and possibly a comfy chair.

Side note, the mister doesn't know I'm thinking of doing any of this for Christmas and yes I realize I have less then three weeks to complete this project!

Ideally I'd also like to have a mini bar cart in the basement with his favourite drinks and some glassware.

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I thought I'd post some man-cave pictures for inspiration. Let me know what you think.

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I'd love some man cave tips and ideas if you have any!

Powder Room Renovations

Sorry for being MIA over the last week. The last week has been a crazy ride to say the least. Thankfully it's a new week.

In the matter of a couple days we decide we were going to finish our basement and the renovations are happening fast, very fast, The framer started on Friday, the plumber and electrician are there today and the drywall is starting tomorrow. This said, we have to make very fast decisions. I bought lights and picked out floor samples on Saturday.

One of the big things I need to tackle in the next day or so is the powder room. We are going to move the toilet and sink from our main floor powder room to the basement and buy nicer pieces for our main floor. I've seen a few vanities that I like but nothing that's knocked my socks off.

Let me know what you think about these pieces.

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Which is your favourite and why?

Don't be shy, I need suggestions!

Christmas Pots & Stockings

Christmas decor has hit my house! Over the weekend I did some shopping and decorating. Being that it's our first Christmas in our house we needed a lot of stuff.

One of the things I was most excited to tackle was the pot on our front porch. I bought the greenery from a local nursery. The birch is from Wal-Mart and the branches are from mother nature herself!

I saw these stockings a few weeks ago at Chapters and just new I had to have them. I bought an extra one of our baby for next Christmas too.

Have you started decorating yet? What's your favourite decor piece in your house?

One Of A Kind Show 2012

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the One Of A Kind Show media breakfast. I was so excited to walk the floor and see what all the talented artisans had to offer.

The morning started off with a delicious breakfast put on by Glory Hole Doughnuts. These doughnuts were like no other doughnuts I've had before. She had so many different flavours and options, it was fabulous!

Another great feature about the show was the great Christmas decor. There were so many wonderful trees and planters, all a great inspiration for my own house.

My first purchase was from Olive. I bought a men soap bar for the mister's stocking. They have  huge arrange of bath products. I strongly suggested checking out their booth.

One of my favourite One Of A Kind finds are these. I've bought them before and they're one of my favourite kitchen necessities. You take these powders and mix them with plain yogurt and serve with a delicious crackers or some veggies. It's honestly the perfect snack and much healthier then the store bought dips.

Another thing the mister and I cannot live without is delicious spices. This spice from The Garlic Box is perfect for pork chops, veal chops and chicken. I cannot wait to make a delicious meal with this!

Some of my other favourite booths were the children clothing booths. I saw more adorable onesies then I could handle. I didn't buy any, I'm going to wait a few more weeks to buy baby stuff but boy they were adorable!

I also loved all the wooden salad bowls, cutting boards and pepper mills. I wasn't in the market for any but if you are I certainly suggest checking them out.

I hope you have time to check out the Christmas One Of A Kind Show before it's over on December 2nd.

Rose Petal Bellini

I was quickly flipping through the LCBO Food & Drink magazine last night and was in awe of how great everything looked. From food to cocktails, their Holiday 2012 magazine didn't miss a beat!

I came across this recipe and thought it was too delicious sounding not to share.

½ tsp (2 mL) rose syrup
1 tsp (5 mL) rosewater
½ oz (15 mL) Goldschläger
2 oz (60 mL) lychee juice, chilled
Sparkling wine, chilled
Red rose petals for garnish

1 Build the cocktail in a Champagne flute starting with the syrup then adding the rosewater, Goldschläger and lychee juice. Top up with sparkling wine. Garnish with half a rose petal.

 

How great do these look and sound?

 

Now imagine them in this adorable glass from Chapters.

 

What do you think? Can you picture yourself serving this at your next party?

Holiday Mantels

I hope you had a fabulous weekend! My weekend started off not too hot due to a cold that has been coming and going since October but aside from that it was good. I spent Saturday walking around the newly renovated Yorkdale mall and let me tell you it's like a dream. The new section is fabulous and stores are amazing. You'll hear more about my finds later this week.

Now onto holiday mantels. A nicely decorated holiday mantel goes a long way in my books. Since the husband and I are buying all new Christmas decorations because it's our first Christmas in our house things are adding up. I've opted not to get a garland for the mantel this year and will save it for next year. In the meantime, a girl can still dream, right?

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Have you decorated your mantel yet? Which of these mantels best represents your style?

Holiday Stockings

As you've probably noticed on here and if you follow me on twitter I'm excited for the holidays. This is the first time I have my own place to decorate as I wish. I've bought a few things so far and plan on spending a lot of time this weekend decorating and making our house feel very festive.

One of the things on my to do list is find fabulous stockings. I've seen a few here and there but nothing that has jumped out at me and perfect for our mantel.

Let me know what you think of these stockings!

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I'm loving burlap. I saw a ton of it during the holiday home tour in Stouffville.

 

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I'm loving the leather on these ones.

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I love the fur on these stockings from Switch Studio.

 

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Which stocking is your favourite? 



Party Planning Via Lonny Magazine

I was clicking through an old edition of Lonny Magazine and came across this great piece on party planning. I for one love hosting parties both big and small and enjoy adding a special touch to each event to make it unique.

Whether you're hosting a dinner party for 6 or a big soiree these tips will for sure help you along the way.



• You want to make sure that you have all your accessories picked out before hand to decrease your stress level on the day of. The last thing you want is to be running around like a crazy person trying to find glasses or linens.
• Whether you're preparing the food or you've hired someone, make sure the menu is finalize beforehand. Also make sure the grocery shopping is done a day or two before so you can spend the day inside and not worrying about making numerous trips to the grocery store.

• Set your table. If you're going to be using formal menu cards make sure each guest has one on their place setting. This adds a personal and special feel to your table.
• In the end the most important thing is that everyone has a fabulous time!

I know this is tough to read so make sure to click over to the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Lonny Magazine for the full scoop on Party Planning.

Do you enjoy hosting parties in your home? What size are you most comfortable with?

Stripes, Stripes and more Stripes!

We are in the midst of getting quotes to have our house painted which means I have to start thinking about the nursery and colours. I won't spoil the colour scheme I've been thinking about in this post but I will share one idea.

I am in love with stripes. I'm we're thinking about doing them in the nursery and on two walls in our family room.

Are you a stripe person? Do you have a stripe wall in your house?

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Which is your favourite? Do you love them or hate them?

Cottage Living

Thank goodness it's Friday! This week has been long. Our pup was neutered on Wednesday so I've spent the last couple days tending to him while working full time. I'm ready for the weekend.

Tonight I'm heading north with my girl friends for our annual cottage weekend. No we're not going to go for long hikes around the lake or enjoy the beautiful scenary cottage country in the fall has the offer. We're going to be sitting inside around the fire place, talking until our jaws hurt, eating junk food and drinking too much wine. Well I'll be skipping out on the wine part, but you get the idea.

I figure in honour of the fabulous girls weekend I have in store I'd share with you a gorgeous cottage in the Muskokas. No we're not staying here but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream.

Check this place out. This 7,000 sq ft cottage over looks Lake Muskoka, has a wine cellar, a gourmet kitchen, 5 bathrooms and 5 bedrooms. Do you really need much more?

Is this not amazing! Could you not see yourself spending the summer rest of your life in his stunning cottage!

For more images and info click here.

 

 

Have a great weekend!

Jazz Up Your Legs!

Being that we're knee deep into fall, I think it's time we start talking fall fashion. I personally love fall and winter fashion more then summer. There are way more options for these seasons then you get during the summer.

One of my favourite fall trends is tights. A fabulous pair of tights will totally change your look and add that jazz to your outfit. Don't you agree?

I've found a few options that I really think almost anyone can pull off.

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What do you think, are you going to jazz up your legs this season?

Holiday Wreaths

I spent my Saturday swooning over fabulously decorated homes during the Holiday Home Tour. Each home was unique and lovely. Unfortunately taking pictures was prohibited so I can't share what I saw but I can tell you that I was loving the front porches of each home. From the wreaths to the pots everything was done to perfection.

I am on the hunt for two perfect wreaths. We have a double front door so I need two wreaths. I searched a bit on Saturday after the tour but didn't find anything that I liked. I did see plain wreaths that I may buy and add to myself.

Here are a few I'm liking and would love to have hanging on my front doors.

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Have you started thinking about decor for the outside of your home? Do you have a certain theme you're sticking to?