antler chandelier

Hey there! I am super-excited to share this project with you. Over the weekend I got a few spare moments and was able to complete my diy antler chandelier! My inspiration came from the lighting fixtures at the Little Red Market Cafe, in Mortlach, SK. I have not been able to get there yet, but my mom shared with me how beautiful their antler chandelier was, and I decided I'd love to tackle a project similar to it. Originally I wanted to hang the chandelier in my son's room, but after completing it and realizing that everyone would hit their heads on it....which probably wouldn't be good with all the antlers, it's my new dining room light! I'm really really happy with how it all turned out. 

My wonderful mom gave me a simple five-armed chandelier that she was not using, and my brother gave me some antler sheds that he had laying around. That plus some zip-ties and jute string and a hot glue gun I created my own antler chandelier. 

finished product!

My goal for August is to build my fancy x farmhouse table and paint some of my dining room chairs. So by the end of August I should have my brand new dining room put together, and I'm so pumped this chandelier gets to be part of the transformation!

Happy Monday!

~jessica~

rearranging

What a crazy July we have had so far! Two weeks of travelling, family, and weddings. One week of being sick. And this last week of the month is going to be just as busy! I was quite discouraged last week while sick, wishing that I could get my to-do list shortened and not having the energy to do it, but I was able to do some simple rearranging.
Ideas for my home and ways that I can improve my space are frequently going through my head. Discovering new ideas or finding inspiration for home improvements is one of my favourite past times. And while I find this relaxing and enjoyable, I've really been challenged this week on contentment. There are so many projects in my home that I have on-the-go and new ideas floating into my head that sometimes I just forget to be content with the space that I am in. To enjoy the simple moments that I have in the home that my family has created, instead of thinking "well it will be better when this get done" or "if only I could do this..."
So this past week I did some rearranging....no new purchases (but a couple of new gifts!), just working with what I have in my home to give it a little update. It's amazing what doing some simple rearranging can do for bringing a feeling of freshness to a home. 

My mother gave me this beautiful new linen for a tablecloth, it's just absolutely beautiful! And I snagged two "new" chairs from my dear sister-in-law to add to my dining room chair collection. I think it's time to throw a dinner party...

*exciting note: I just completed my antler chandelier and decided to put it in my dining room area so pictures will come soon!

This is the space in my home which is by far the busiest! Our living room is just that, a room we live in...it rarely looks this put together :)

I had to move my farmhouse bench, and for the time being I like that it can serve as a side table/a little extra space for books and plants. I didn't know if it would work here but I'm quite liking it in this place. 

Our home being "lived in" :)

Hope you have a lovely Sunday!

~jessica~

gallery wall

I have not had a chance to update for awhile because of summer holidays BUT this is a project that I quickly got done before holiday time! 

I always love the look of a great gallery wall. They are so inspiring and can be such a creative outlet. I have tried gallery walls in my house and have not quite been able to master them....until I put together this one! 

So here is my before...

This is a short wall that is between the back entrance and hallway. You can also see this wall through the opening in the kitchen (view seen in the first picture). I love this artwork but felt that I could better use it in another part of my home...so I started working on a gallery wall. I wanted it to stretch from the floor to the ceiling, and was able to make it work. By adding some bigger pieces and filling in the in-between spaces with some smaller picture frames, my gallery wall finally came together. First I planned it out on my floor...

And then transferred it to the wall...and here's my final product! Quite pleased with it :)

view from the kitchen

view from the hallway

One thing that I absolutely love about this space is that my little kiddos can provide me with an endless amount of artwork....this piece is called "Monster" by Maggie and Evelyn. 

Happy Weekend!

~jessica~

footstool update

Hey there! Life has been busy and crazy and it's about to get even busier and crazier with all that this summer has planned for us, but hopefully I can still get some of my projects done along the way. Awhile back I had bought a cute little footstool on an online garage sale site. Here it is before....

I decided it was time for a little update. So I pulled out my upholstery stapler and a faux sheepskin that I got from Ikea and went to work!

I just wrapped the sheepskin around, stapled into place, and 10 minutes later I had a brand new footstool that cost me approx. $25. Here it is after...I LOVE it!

And it's being put to good use :)

Happy Friday!

~Jessica~

Canada Day

Yesterday we celebrated Canada Day by having a FAMILY day! Loved being able to spend the day with our kiddos. Going to the lake, realizing it was way to cold to be at the lake, driving home, having a picnic on our deck, setting up the inflatable pool...only to realize it had a leak, family water fight, and a weiner roast for dinner around the fire. Best part, just being with my favourite four.

And celebrated 8 years of being a wife :)

edmonton

Last week we headed out to Edmonton for a wedding/helping a friend decorate her house! We shopped until we dropped! A full day of going from one home decor store to another and finding the pieces to add some spice to her home. Krista is a stay-at-home mom with two little kiddos. Krista's style would be more of a traditional style, and we tried to add a few hints of her favourite colour, purple. We worked with the furniture that she had, except replacing one chair, and decorated this room to fit her busy and life-filled home! So fun! 

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Was such a crazy busy weekend that we didn't have time to finish all the details, like putting books in the bookcase, but I'm sure that will come! Had a wonderful time catching up/visiting/decorating with Krista! Was such a fun project to work on :)