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SELF QUARANTINE TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR MOMS
Let's keep it real. Having kids at home all the time during this unprecedented time of self isolation due to the Coronavirus can be really stressful. How will you get your own work done? How will you keep them from fighting? How will you keep them entertained? How...
DRESSING THE BUMP: MIXING PATTERN AND TEXTURE
Almost every Friday for the remainder of my pregnancy I will be a series on "Dressing the Bump". Pregnancy can be a tricky time wardrobe wise as you want to feel great, look great but you kind of feel like a blimp. Comfort becomes mega important as...
5 THINGS TO DO TODAY TO ORGANIZE YOUR OFFICE
Starting this post with another note of thanks- thank you for all the love regarding our newest addition to our family. I am so touched by all the lovely comments and phone calls and texts. Pregnancy absolutely gets me into big time organization mode-...
DRESSING THE BUMP: VOLUME 5
Firstly, a few brief words about my earlier post this week on how mental illness has touched our marriage. Thank you for reading, sharing, and for the words of support and words of solidarity. Let's keep talking : ) Today I'm talking about something...
HOW TO SUPPORT A SPOUSE SUFFERING FROM MENTAL ILLNESS
Today is #BellLetsTalk day, so I'm interrupting a regularly scheduled design post to talk about a topic quite personal to me, and a little vulnerable- mental health. My husband has for much of his adulthood suffered from anxiety and depression. When...
WHY YOU SHOULD SAY NO MORE: STRATEGIES ON USING THIS WORD TO LEAD TO MORE HAPPINESS
My lovely colleague Vanessa Francis posted this to her Instagram today: This resonated with me big time this morning. Saying "no" is a skill that has taken me a really long time to learn. But what I have learned is that saying no really means saying yes to...
MUST SEE ITEMS AT THE INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW TORONTO
It's that fun time of year again- when design lovers (often dressed in black!) descend upon the GTA for Toronto's Design Week. For me it is always a great time to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, and of course get inspired by new products and...
LISA ON LOCATION: AYA KITCHENS
With the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show on in Vegas right now I've got kitchens on the brain. Having just recently designed my own kitchen I can attest the end result is so worth all the effort of the many steps it takes to get a kitchen from concept to...
5 SHORTCUTS FOR DECLUTTERING: SAVE TIME AND INCREASE SANITY!
Who has been there- school permission slip lost in sea of papers, hats and mittens buried in a pile of miscellaneous clothing, floor so covered in various shades of neon plastic blinking toys you barely remember what colour your area rug was. For a really long...
LISA ON LOCATION: WHY FAUCETS ARE THE JEWELRY OF THE KITCHEN / BATHROOM
I have always said that faucets are like jewelry for kitchens and bathrooms. It's the bling and detail that I argue can make or break a space in terms of how custom or high end it feels. As I talked about in my guide to buying appliances, decide where faucets lie...
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING ON EMPTY: 5 TECHNIQUES TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS AND FILL YOUR TANK
I have 4 children. Under the age of 5. I run a business. And I attempt to fit in hobbies and personal time. I am exhausted just writing that. So running on empty is a feeling I am regrettably very familiar with. Last week I shared how 2014, while an incredible...
HOW TO SELECT KITCHEN APPLIANCES- THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Kitchen renovations can be pretty daunting. There are just so many decisions and many of them are permanent, and a big time investment. From doing this with so many clients, and last year on my own house with my #canningreno, I know how difficult the decisions...
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE 2015 AMAZING
This year I am determined to make some changes. 2014 was a wonderful one for many reasons- we underwent a huge renovation, work was plentiful and rewarding, and my husband started a new job that has blessed our family immensely. But 2014 was also very challenging. The...
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
One family tradition that I cherish is that we celebrate 12 days of Christmas. No, I don't have milking maids and french hens at the ready- but for the period between Christmas and Epiphany we are full out, rocking around the tree, making a joyful noise. Tree is...
KEEPING IT SIMPLE THIS CHRISTMAS
First of all- congrats to Maggie who won my Scotch Gift Wrap Giveaway! Thanks to all who entered via commenting, Twitter and Facebook. I so appreciate you! Now on to the topic of simplicity at Christmas. Aren't kids at Christmas the best? This is my daughter...
GIFT WRAP GIVEAWAY!!!!
Today I have a giveaway that I am hoping will help simplify the holiday hustle and help with some last minute prep before the big day. This year I have been really intentional in keeping it simple- so I hope this giveaway will help you simplify too! I love...
Building a Master Bedroom You Can Be Proud Of
As evidenced by this image, our master bedroom pre #canningreno was kinda horrible. We had a closet with no doors that basically looked like it was exploding at all times. Paint chipped everywhere and the space was never designed- just a thrown together mess of...
DIY paint your way to a pretty holiday
You know what I love about paint? It's an easy way to add a big amount of change for a relatively low investment. So when CIL asked me to share some ways to use paint in your holiday decorating prep I was excited to get my hands dirty. But not too dirty :...
BEST GIFT GUIDES ON THE WEB
So my entire family is sick... like really sick. Like send us chicken soup but leave it on the porch cause you don't want to come in to this germ pool sick. My husband and I have been hit too so basically, Canning's are down for the count. But we're not...
WHO WANTS TO SIMPLIFY THE HOLIDAY HUSTLE?
The whole notion of simplification and making life easier when possible has really been on my mind. With the number of kids that I have and the juggling act running a business can be- I need simplicity wherever possible. I can attest to how making my...
3 reasons to visit the Broadmoor. 1 reason sports loving husbands will love.
I recently had the awesome opportunity to stay at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado for Platform 2014 (more on my experience at that conference here). I promised a post featuring the beautiful features of this location- so here goes: my top 3...
GIVING THANKS
To all my American friends, a very happy thanksgiving weekend. I hope you got to be filled with love and joy, and a whole lot of calories all at the same time. We hosted our own little feast for American friends living in Toronto and ate our fill. There is...
The most important job I’ll ever do
As I have mentioned previously I'm being brave and being a bit more personal on my blog. Still lots of good interior design stuff (like here, here and here) but for today's post, I'm talking about the job of being wife and mom. Last weekend, my...
LISA ON LOCATION: FLOR
Remember when it was sunny and warm in Toronto?!?!? We sure do. As part of my #canningreno crazy project turning myself into the client I have been visiting my fav retailers to help outfit my space. Earlier when it did not require 700 layers of clothing...
Top 10 quotes from Platform Conference 2014
Last weekend I had the beautiful experience of visiting The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado for Michael Hyatt's Platform Conference. I could write 10 blog posts on how fantastic this location is (I promise a post on the features of this location to...
AN INVITATION
I have spent the last 2 days at the Platform 2014 conference in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has been an inspiring, invigorating few days with some of the best speakers in the country. More on that later. I am so inspired that I'd like...
#CANNINGRENOCOUNTDOWN UPDATE
I recently posted the gargantuan list of things still to be done, and my ambitious ambitious goal of getting it all done before November 30. As this date quickly approaches I am coining a new hashtag: #canningrenocountdown. Here's a quick update- progress makes me...
LISA ON LOCATION: THE HOME DEPOT
Renovating a house requires lots of coordination- so any chance I get to streamline the process of purchasing products I take it. And I certainly took at The Home Depot this summer shopping for materials for my #canningreno. While big box stores can be overwhelming to...
WHO ELSE WANTS A BEAUTIFUL HOME? I DO. HERE’S THE LIST I NEED TO GET THROUGH TO GET THERE!
I want a beautiful home. Since April of this year, we've been working on the rather ambitious project of our #canningreno. To remind you, we basically gutted 80% of our semi-detached home in North York and have slowly but surely been transforming it into...
LISA ON LOCATION: MODERN SENSIBILITY
In the beginning years of my career I worked on a lot of condos- to the point that I had basically memorized the floorplans of certain buildings in Toronto! So I really appreciate what small space, dual-purpose furniture can do for people living in tight quarters....
HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT PAINT
Over the last 8 weeks I've been traveling around the Greater Toronto Area on a fun tour with CIL Paints and the Home Depot. During #CILontheroad, experts have been in cities across Canada giving paint and decor advice every Thursday evening. It has been great fun and...
EXPERT CLEAN UP
Over the summer the lovely Vicky Sanderson invited me into her home to assist her with designing her laundry room. As she describes in her recent Toronto Star article, I came in at a time when she was overwhelmed by the number of options / decisions...
Canadian Family
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LISA ON LOCATION: ARTEMANO TORONTO
I have always loved the Castlefield design district in Toronto- and when Artemano opened its doors not too long ago I was enthralled. A visit to this store is like visiting a gorgeous hand carved jewelry box- full of pretty hand crafted things. I paid a...
The Canadian Press
This article was posted on the Canadian Press news wire and was featured in numerous publications including: Huffington Post The Province Brandon Sun Winnipeg Free Press Canada.com Download
From the archives: Motherhood and Finances
Fun surprise on this sunny Saturday - I was recently interviewed by the lovely Melissa Leong of the National Post on the topic of motherhood and how it impacts finances. I may be somewhat biased but I think my kids are pretty darn sweet in it. As I say in the video,...
Toronto Star
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The Globe and Mail
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From the archives: It’s a Girl!
Please join us in our joy as we welcome baby Rose (so excited to have another little girl!) into our family! They say the more babies you have the faster labour goes. Well fast was certainly the case yesterday morning. Let’s just say I was...
National Home Show
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Home Decor and Renovations
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New Condo Guide
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Metro
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Times Colonist
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Times Colonist
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The Western Star
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The Telegram
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The Chronicle Journal
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Prince George Citizen
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Huffpost Living
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Home Decor and Renovations
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