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MY #CASACANNING BEDROOM REVEAL!!!!
The time has come! My bedroom in my new Florida house (affectionately called #casacanning) is complete and I am THRILLED. I feel like grown ups live in this space. I am so grateful. This space began with this incredible wall decal called Bohemian Palms by Urban Wall ...
Beauty on a Small Budget Challenge Reveal | How to use black and white in a bathroom
So excited to share my completed #CILPremiumBeauty bathroom! But first, HUGE congratulations to the TWO winners of the $250 Home Depot gift cards courtesy of CIL Paints, @aliasmith06 and @jemsw16!! Please email me your address via my contact form so we can get...
ORC WEEK 5: RACE TO THE FINISH LINE
It's week 5 of the One Room Challenge, an online challenge to get a room designed and finished in 6 weeks hosted by Linda at Calling It Home. My favourite part about it is the camaraderie that exists between all the participants as we race towards the...
Home Decor & Renovations
Before our renovation my basement was a dark and dingy mess of wood paneling, cedar shingles on the walls, and a scary dirty furnace room. It was essentially a massive storage room that no one wanted to spend any time in.
Savvy Mom
As the cold weather approaches and we prepare to spend more and more time cooped up inside, fall is the perfect time to declutter and get the house ready for the colder months ahead.
HOW TO GET A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP
I am a former night owl. (You can read all about my transformation from night owl to early riser here.) While I occasionally slip back into bad habits I feel the impact of the absence of my preferred sleep routine so much it's usually not difficult to get...
ORC WEEK 4: HOW TO STAY FOCUSED TO FINISH STRONG
I have heard Linda over at Calling It Home say that week 4 of the One Room Challenge, this crazy fun challenge where designers and bloggers are challenged to complete a room in 6 weeks, is the hardest. Boy is she right. Because looking at my photos and thinking that...
5 SUPER QUICK FAMILY HEALTH WINS FOR BUSY MOMS
As a busy mom of 5 kids, up until VERY recently I made an abismal effort to be healthy. Vegetable intake was the little garnish on top of the pasta. My car was a literal storage area for Harvey's take out paper bags. Poutine was consumed twice...
ORC WEEK 3: THE CONQUER OF CLUTTER CONTINUES
Hello friends- so excited to be sharing another installment of the One Room Challenge, where designers and bloggers are challenged to completely design and renovate and style a room in SIX WEEKS. Crazy, I know. But let me tell you it was incredibly motivating...
CONFESSIONS OF AN INDECISIVE DESIGNER: HELP ME PICK MY PAINT
I am always astounded by how difficult decisions for my own house are. For clients, I can make decisions at lightening speed. For television sets, we simply don't have time to ponder things for too long. Yet in my own house, I can think and think and...
ORC WEEK 2: HOW TO BUILD A DESIGN SCHEME
During the last One Room Challenge I blogged a little bit about the process I go through to build a design scheme. Today I am going to expand on this topic and provide a few helpful tips if you are starting a project of your own! But first, if you are...
HOW TO BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME ON A BUDGET: #CILPremiumBeauty Contest
Fall is probably my favourite time of the year. Sweaters, cozy comforts, and of course all things pumpkin spice. But fall also makes me nervous- knowing we're moving into colder temperatures, shorter days and more time cooped up indoors...
ORC WEEK 1: Oh boy this is ugly
Pretty darn excited it is that time of the year again- One Room Challenge! The crazy time time of the year that designer / bloggers / decor enthusiasts the world over embark on the challenge to renovate and complete a room in 6 short weeks. Yes, we be cray cray. And...
Simplifying Safe Products: The Honest Co. at Well.ca
As a mom of five it is a huge priority for me to protect my family from harm. I feel like that is a principle that unites all parents- the desire to to keep our babies safe. While we can't protect our kids from everything, we can control what comes into our homes...
#RIVERDALERENO PUBLISHED IN STYLE AT HOME MAGAZINE
So excited to share that a project I am so proud to have completed is in this month's Style At Home. I completed this project which we tagged as #riverdalereno across my social media platforms so feel free to take a peek at all the behind the scenes process...
HOW TO SURVIVE A ROAD TRIP WITH KIDS
Happy summer! Is it really August- the time when back to school shopping hits full marketing swing and fall fashion look books come to be? I am in full fall denial and am going to soak up every remaining minute of summer- I hope you are too. We just survived a pretty...
4 STRESS REDUCING CLEANING QUICK WINS
With my kids home from school I am loving spending aimless time relaxing with them in our house. Challenge is- with 7 people, now in the house very full time, we make a lot of mess. I have to work hard to keep my house in a somewhat sane state! We recently had a...
HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR WHAT MATTERS
The most common question I get asked is hands down, "how do you do it?" And I will be the first to admit- having 5 kids under the age of 6 and running a business and attempting to maintain a healthy marriage, friendships, volunteer in my community, etc....
iRobot product review
With 5 kids under 6 years of age the opportunity to sit down is ALWAYS WELCOME. So when I was offered the opportunity to test out the iRobot Braava I was very excited. So were my kids, let me tell you! The pros: This is a pretty nifty piece of...
WATCH LISA TALK SMALL SPACE OUTDOOR DECOR TIPS
Recently I was interviewed by BuzzBuzzHome on the topic of how to decorate a small outdoor space. It was a super fun piece to shoot (and gave me some motivation to decorate my own outdoor space, which I usually neglect to be quite frank!) My patio set...
FATHER’S DAY IS AROUND THE CORNER!
In the sleepless haze of new baby time, it's so easy to forget important dates coming up- Father's Day is Sunday June 21 this year, incase you needed help remembering also. This image is from a Father's Day segment I did on the Marilyn Denis Show...
SURVIVAL TIPS FOR NEW PARENTS: HOW TO ADJUST TO THOSE FIRST GROGGY DAYS
Just over a week ago we had our 5th baby and it has been an interesting week to say the least! As I have eluded to on some of my instagram posts it has definitely been a transition, growing our family from 4 kids to 5, and I am in need of my own...
IT’S A BOY! WELCOME BABY CANNING NUMBER 5!
With so much excitement we welcome baby #5 to our family. Joseph Andre welcome to the world. My Thursday was a fairly ordinary Thursday, except for the fact that I was 2 days overdue which is quite unusual for me compared to my past 4 pregnancies. But come the...
HOW TO EFFORTLESSLY SELL YOUR HOME IN 48 HOURS
On the day we finished our laundry room 2 houses very similar to ours (except with zero upgrades) went on the market on our street. While I am NEVER leaving this house after all the work we've gone through (ok, ok, never say never), the thought of...
5 STEPS TO AN ORGANIZED LAUNDRY ROOM
Last week I finished the #oneroomchallenge crazy event of completing my laundry room in 6 weeks. We legitimately went from dungeon to dramatic difference in 6 actual weeks. You can read all about the adventure and see some fun reveal pics here. Thanks so so so so...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 6: LAUNDRY ROOM REVEAL
Phew! It was a mad race to the finish but the audacious challenge of completing my laundry room in 6 weeks for the One Room Challenge is now complete. Let's keep it real: it wasn't like anyone was keeping track if I didn't finish. I am basically 9 months...
HOW TO BALANCE WORK AND FAMILY WITHOUT FALLING FLAT ON YOUR FACE
I think all parents could use one of these trophies from time to time. Cause being a parent- let alone a working parent- is a juggling act that is deserving of an award. Being a working parent is no easy feat. It requires a great deal of organization and...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 5: RACE TO THE FINISH LINE
If it's your first time to the blog- welcome to my little corner of the internet where I talk about Interior Design, Productivity, Family and my design business. Happy to have you here for another installment of the One Room Challenge, this fantastic...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 4: WHY I LOVE DEADLINES
For a good part of 2014 I ran the design team on Buying and Selling with the Property Brothers. So I am used to racing to the finish line. To get ready for reveal days, we would sometimes work until 2am to get an entire main floor to camera ready perfection. It...
THE COOLEST ECO-LIGHT BULB I HAVE EVER SEEN
Where possible in my home and in my business I try to operate as eco-friendly as possible. This includes composting, recycling, reducing paper use, and using energy-efficient light bulbs. But let's keep it real- the spiral shaped bulbs are not the most...
5 MOTIVATING PEOPLE YOU SHOULD FOLLOW TODAY
When I am overwhelmed with life I have a few tools in my back pocket I go to often. But my favourite technique to battle overwhelm is to simply fill my brain with as much good stuff as possible- meaning reading things that fill my soul, make me better,...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 3: DEMO AND FRAMING
If this your first time to the blog welcome! To refresh your memory, I'm participating in the One Room Challenge, this fun and ambitious project where I am completing a room, in real time, in 6 weeks. Get caught up here and here. And did I mention I am having a...
DRESSING THE BUMP: DENIM FOR THE WIN
Who doesn't love a great pair of jeans and a slouchy sweater? This basically has been my uniform during this pregnancy, especially as I near the end! I've only got about 6 weeks left of this pregnancy. It's super surreal how fast it has come but we...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 2: BUILDING A SCHEME
When I start a design for myself or a client, I start with coming up with 5 words that will describe the design and I basically use them as a filter for all design decisions. Doing this for clients is really helpful as it ensures the goals of the project stay on...
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE: FAMILY FRIENDLY LAUNDRY ROOM
Today begins the crazy interior design adventure that is the One Room Challenge. If you aren't familiar, it's a blog series / audacious challenge organized by the wonderful Linda at Calling It Home. Read all about the challenge on her blog here. I'm...
HOW TO HAVE KIDS AND STAY SANE
When I was about to become a parent for the first time (actually exactly around this time 6 years ago!) I ripped a page out of a magazine that listed 30 essential things you needed to have before baby came. I had nothing. Most of it was medical related and so I...
TIME SAVING TIPS ON GLOBAL NEWS
Today was another fun day sharing products that will save you a ton of time so you can get back to living life and loving your kids. You can watch the clip here. Here's a round up of some of the products I shared today with Antony Robart on Global News...
SPRING CLEANING THE CLUTTER
Is anyone else SO EXCITED spring is here? It's still a little on the cold side in Toronto but the non -30 temperatures are so welcome. With sunnier times ahead I am totally in spring mode- so on CHCH this week I shared a few of my favourite streamline your life,...
VISIT LISA AT THE BABY SHOW: MARCH 28-29, 2015
I'm so excited to announce I will be speaking at The Baby Show, March 28 & 29, 2015 at the Direct Energy Centre. I'm going to be speaking on the topic of living with kids- conquer the clutter and keep your home beautiful! Having just finished my own...
TOP 5 ACCESSORIES SHOPS IN TORONTO
I LOVE the part at the end of an interior design project that involved pulling accessories. It's these little touches- trinkets, picture frames, vases, cloches- that make a space feel like a home. Here are my favourite spots to shop for accessories in Toronto. 1....
#MondayMantra: Inspirational quotes to motivate your week
One of my favourite things on instagram right now is the hashtag #MondayMantra. Images marked with this hashtag include motivational quotes and great typography meant to remind you of your purpose and kick start your day / week off right. Here is my round up...
HOW TO STYLE (AND FINISH) A ROOM IN 48-HOURS
For the last 5 years I have been fortunate to work on some great HGTV shows including with the Property Brothers and For Rent. While some timelines on design shows are slightly altered for story telling purposes, one thing that is 100% factual is I...
DRESSING THE BUMP: CURE FOR FRUMPY DAYS
Fellow pregnant mamas- I have found the cure to feeling "pregnant frumpy". I dare you not to feel super feminine and take charge confident in these pants. If I am being honest these are a little bit out of my every day comfort zone- but I must say on...
SECRET TO AWESOME WALLPAPER APPLICATION
When I put up the wallpaper in my living room I did it with a baby on my back (lol, I was determined): And when it came time to tackle the basement, baby was big enough to leave on the floor beside me, so no baby wearing necessary :...
WHY YOU SHOULD WAKE UP EARLY: CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER NIGHT OWL
Up until fairly recently (and most of my life post-high school), I was a crazy night owl. I would work after my kids went to bed and work well into the early morning hours... usually until 2am at the minimum. I justified this behaviour as I felt more...
HOW TO PLAN YOUR IDEAL WEEK
Balancing work and family is no easy feat- especially when small kids can vocalize their needs at such alarmingly loud rates. So in the life of our family, it takes a lot of planning to ensure a certain level of sanity and order. Right now I am working on a couple of...
30-MINUTE GUIDE TO ARTIST PROJECT TORONTO
If you are time strapped this weekend but really want to take in some culture, support local talent and pick up a few trinkets for your house, here is my 30-minute guide to the Artist Project. Big time caveat- I think to really take it all in, chat with the...
SPRING IS COMING AT INDIGO
Today, I thought I'd spread some sunshine on this little corner of the internet. Spring is coming. Here are my favourite items coming to Indigo this spring. Who doesn't love colour on toss cushions- changing out pillows is one of my fav things to do...
TOP 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ADDING A FIREPLACE TO YOUR HOME
If you are living anywhere north east-ish in North America, you have likely been hibernating (or wishing you were) because it has been FRIGID cold here. Like -45 degrees with the wind chill cold. Like why do I live where the air hurts my skin cold. All sarcasm and...
GIVEAWAY: ARTIST PROJECT OPENING NIGHT PARTY TICKETS
On February 19, 2015, Artist Project kicks off with its annual Opening Night Party, followed by an exciting three day art fair that offers attendees the unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from over 250 emerging and...
TRUMP HOTEL TORONTO REVIEW
This weekend was my birthday- thank you so much for all the wonderful kind words. I felt utterly spoiled- one big reason is that we treated ourselves to some much needed rest and relaxation with a little stay-cation in the city at Trump Tower Toronto. Here's...