by lisa@lisacanning.ca | May 17, 2017 | Lifestyle Design
Spring is FINALLY here and I swear all I want to do is throw all the doors and windows open, diffuse some essential oils and sing Alleluia [cause the Canadian winters are so GOSH DARN LONG]. But the amount of clutter that has accumulated in my house while we've been cooped up is kinda embarrassing. I seriously need to take my own de-clutter challenge.
This week I am most definitely going to tidy up- and if you are too here are some tips that really help me and my family.
1. MAKE MONEY ON VARAGESALE
When possible, I like to make money on items that I no longer need. With the various ages and stages of my six kids, selling my gently used and new stuff that just doesn't work for me anymore helps to keep the clutter low, and put money in my pocket for new items they will inevitably need. But I have often stayed away from it from the sheer hassle of posting the item, taking photos, waiting for people who don't show up, or playing telephone tag or email tag forever. At the end of the day the inconvenience was just not worth it. But recently, I posted on my Facebook wall for recommendations on an efficient way to sell my no longer wanted items and someone suggested the online app VarageSale– and let me tell you, my efficiency woes have been solved.
It's an app that makes buying and selling new and used items really efficient, and super safe. People are rated based on their ability to communicate and show up for their purchase or sale, and all communication is done through the app so you're not chasing people so to speak on various forms of communication. I have bought and sold baby items, home decor items, even clothing. And I have yet to have one person not show up, or haggle me at the door or anything like that. So clean out all your unwanted stuff, make your house loose a few pounds and make money at the same time : )
2. DEEP CLEAN AND PROTECT WITH CONCROBIUM MOLD CONTROL
Now that your house is a little lighter, let's deep clean it. I was recently introduced to Concrobium Mold Control Spray– this safe for people and the environment spray creates a protective layer to inhibit mold from growing on surfaces like wood, drywall, metal and plastic. I just used it to clean, and protect my plastic outdoor dining chairs, and used it to get rid of an unfortunate layer of mold that built up in my mini bar fridge that we turned off [but never cleaned- gross].
And then for all the winter items that you might be putting into bins for the season and storing in a potentially damp place like under the stairs, or your basement, consider using Concrobium Moisture Grabbers. These packets absorb moisture in a small space, which will help to ensure mold does not grow. Use it in bins, under the stairs, under sinks- anywhere moisture may cause mold. It uses the same materials found in diapers which I think it pretty cool. They can also help absorb gross smells in gym bags- love that.
3. WASH YOUR DISHWASHER
We renovated our house a few years ago and put in a new suite of appliances– but lol, I learned the hard way that proper maintenance of appliances is important, especially in a house like mine where appliance run more than once a day. Do you know you are supposed to wash your dishwasher??? I did not- and apparently I am not the only one as only 27% of Canadians have cleaned the interior of their dishwashers in the last twelve months. From regular use, minerals build up on the interior of your dishwasher that can inhibit it from performing optimally. This can be solved super quickly by running a packet of Affresh in your dishwasher in a cycle [it's also sae to use with dishes in the appliance]. Affresh works with all major dishwasher brands and can be picked up on your weekly grocery run.
4. BRING IN THE PRETTY
Now that the house is all cleaned, bring in some pretty. I am a big fan of the convenience Bouclair brings to my life. In one aisle, Bouclair curates on-trend, colour coordinated collections- which make bringing the pretty in after you have spring cleaned just so easy and efficient. Favourites for me include their marble serving platters, concrete candle holders, printed napkins for easy entertaining and coloured trays.
IA great big thank you to these brands for partnering with me on this sponsored post. I love to work with brands that bring value, efficiency and beauty to my life, and I hope to yours as well.
by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Jun 6, 2015 | Interior Design
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 is PC Home– love the pop of colour and streamlined, whimsical design. I picked up on the colour with Flor carpet tiles in turquoise.
I used some fun graphic outdoor pillows from Bouclair Home.
Little hits of yellow continue in accessories from Bouclair.
To create a little bit of coziness and privacy I used 3 reclaimed architectural salvage doors from the Door Store in Toronto fastened to my fence, and hung small candle lanterns from Bouclair using twine.
For more of my tips watch on the video here– happy outdoor decorating!
Thanks to Bouclair Home for providing the fun outdoor accessories for this feature!
by lisa@lisacanning.ca | May 7, 2015 | Interior Design
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 pregnant after all and a few times this week I thought about throwing in the towel. But the entire concept of this challenge- a group of ambitious creatives doing this together, cheering each other on- my heart overflows with the new friends I have made and the invisible cheerleaders I felt I had along the way (and sending my love to my very real cheerleader, friend, and fellow complete a laundry room in 6 weeks cause we're crazy that way Sarah Walker).
If you are new to my blog, welcome! So happy to have you. Here's the before: a scary gross dungeon FILLED to the brim with junk:
And here is the crazy crazy transformation (still cannot believe we did this and I did not go into labour):
TILES: Let's start with the floors and backsplash. On the floors I wanted something graphic and herringbone, and I was prepared to cut every single tile personally. But when I saw these porcelain tiles at Creekside Tile I thought the 12" x 24" scale would work well in my space. In 3 shades of grey, my installer Roberto and I figured out the colour pattern (let me tell you that was a head scratcher to not get any colours touching…) and I am so pleased with the results. For the backsplash, Enrique at Creekside suggested a large scale herringbone in matte white- and with a light grey grout it provides an elegant texture and contrast to my floors.
INDUSTRIAL TEXTURE: This live edge wooden shelf with pipe hanging rod was a bit of a last minute addition (as in the team at One One Eleven are miracle workers). I've worked with Aimee and Chris, husband and wife woodworking team extraordinaire on client projects and TV shows- and so happy to have a little piece of their talent to act as a functional place to air dry clothing. And who doesn't love a live edge- the wood provides a gorgeous texture in any application in my opinion!
LAUNDRY FOR THE MASSES: As my smiling face in my photo at the top of this post would indicate, I cannot wait to do laundry in my new units. The Whirlpool Cabrio High-Efficiency Top Loader has Precision Dispense and the digital controls basically remember your ideal settings for doing laundry. And you guys- my dryer has a steam option and will dry 4 BASKETS OF LAUNDRY IN ONE GO! I needed to upgrade to larger units for my growing family- and chose to go white for some contrast and to match my counters.
STORAGE STORAGE EVERYWHERE: In my pursuit of keeping things family friendly (both in function and in approach to budget) I used off the rack cabinetry from Cutler Modern Living. These multi-purpose cabinets come flat packed so they whip together super fast (pick up to final installation was 2 days total by my super installer Steve). With handy baskets, hampers and trays from Bouclair I'm able to attempt to remain organized with my soon to be 5 kids : )
SPACE SAVING STORAGE: Between designing for clients and styling photoshoots from print and TV, I have SO MUCH STUFF that needs organized storage. I basically had small things like picture hanging hardware, various tools, vases for styling, and cleaning supplies for when I am on set in the most unorganized of tote bags and plastic bins. I never knew where anything was and was always scrambling. Scramble no more- this is the Zobal system by Cutler Modern Living and they have developed this amazing track system that is pretty darn perfect for my needs. With a variety of hooks, shelves, containers, etc. etc. that you customize to your liking- and can change at whim by the way as all the features clip and slide, by the way- this is truly a flexible and practical system for small space storage. I am kind of obsessed and am dreaming up applications for this in stone, glass tile and the like- I chose to install the tracks between melamine that matches my cabinets for a contemporary look. And PS- when cleaning supplies look as pretty as pretty as these Lemon Aide products do, can't help but keep them on display.
BRING ON THE BLACK: I love the industrial edge a matte black faucet brings to a space. I have this exact model in my kitchen- and at first I thought I should switch it up and not have a copy cat faucet in my laundry as well. But I just love it- and why mess with something you love- so the Solna by Brizo makes a repeat performance in my laundry as well.
This was a serious mad race to the finish line (seriously, most of the work happened in the last 72 hours!). But so thankful I finished, and thankful to my brand partners, to members of my design team Carter and Kelly-Lynn, and BIG thanks to Larry Arnal for these beautiful images. And thankful for all of you for following along. The whole idea of designing spaces that allow families to thrive is such an important concept to me. After doing it for clients day in and day out it always feels so good to use my own gifts to serve my own growing family. And while laundry might be mundane and tedious, it is a care we provide to our families that is a valuable, necessary, and can be done with a ton of love.
Now go check out what everyone else accomplished- the results are pretty amazing. For the featured 20 click here, and for the 150+ linking participants click here.
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