My First Ever… Spring Home Tour

Today I’m excited to share a bit of my home with you guys! I did my first ever home tour for the holidays this past year but since I’ve never actually shared my living space without a Christmas tree smack dab in there- I thought it was time. I’m joining 20 other incredible Canadian bloggers and we’re opening up our homes to share a bit of how they’re looking for warmer weather. It’s funny- I shot this the FIRST day we didn’t have any more snow in our front yard. The twins were not approving of the idea of a ‘spring’ home tour with snow still in our yard so it was perfect timing ;) So as I’d mentioned- I’ve only ever done the holiday home tour and I didn’t show my home so much as the decorations (well except for the dining room, because I’m a fan of that space!).

To be honest- I love parts of our living room but feel like I need some help with a couple things. You guys will help me with that… right? OK here’s the question… curtains! Those ones are navy which I thought I loved BUT the sun has bleached them SO bad over the last couple years that they look awful from the outside. I want to switch it up and do something different this year and Shane is totally on board. Do we go with plain old white? Or something patterned? I’m not crazy fun and up for florals… so maybe an indigo dye pattern? OR I spotted a really nice emerald green velour type fabric at the store the other day… that could be cool but is maybe a bit fancy. What do you guys think?

So after I took all these photos (and after the kids woke up!) I realized the spring hoop chalkboard (a DIY, find it here!) I’d hung in the hallway was in such a dark corner I didn’t even bother photographing it! So I moved it to the mantle to grab a couple shots and like it there SO much better. So that’s where it’s living now. Happy accidents :) If you’re wondering why half the photos have it and half of them don’t!

Also… I say it’s my ‘spring’ home tour… but I don’t do much for seasonal decor, you guys. Just a couple things. Sooo like those tulips and spring-y chalkboards? Yeah, that’s about it. And the twins helped me out and pulled out their rabbit toys and a sheep toy. They also tried to give me a polar bear but I nixed that one. But it is DEFINITELY lighter and brighter than my usual decor. We added some brighter blues to our otherwise navy throw pillows (and that table runner!). I even lightened up the art over the fire place (I know… it’s still navy, black and white!) It was ALL black before and I’ve been wanting to switch it up for a while now. This gave me the perfect opportunity. I’ll be sharing a video DIY for that guy in a few weeks.  Other than the painting, we have some plants (I’m addicted, I can’t stop buying them, you guys!) on the mantle as well as my usual brass photo frame, candlesticks and a toy rabbit. I actually love having the toys out as decor- my kids are just so cute/excited about it that it makes me love them more. There’s also one on the dining table… see?!

I really love our dining room. The table, the map, the lights and the bright white… it’s just a happy place for me. And one of the easiest to tidy because there’s no toys or floor space to get messy really. I used the exact black Ikea jug for a centrepiece that I’d used for the holidays, I just switched out the holiday greens for eucalyptus (my fave!). The kids love that little ‘Yay’ flag I’d made for Bespoke Decor a couple years ago. They play with it but it eventually ends back up in one of our many vases or plants. The indigo table runner is actually giant ‘ribbon’ from Michaels that I snagged on mega clearance #win. I didn’t even need to hem the sides because of it’s ribbon like edges! A couple other things I ALWAYS get asked about our dining room: Yes, the table is a DIY- you can find it here. Those chair seat ‘pads’ are just faux fur cut to size. I’m looking at upgrading them soon and will share a full DIY when I do. And lastly NO these chairs aren’t the best for kids. I love them but my friends kids always fall off of them for some reason. And they’re tricky to clean #scrubbabyscrub. But they look so pretty that it’s worth it for me. I’m not sure Shane would say the same thing ;) These exact ones are from Canadian Tire (so is the light!).

Okay, back to the living room situation. We have been super spoiled to have hand-me-down leather couches that have stood up wonderfully to our babies, but this year I really have my eye on some new pieces. I’ll keep you updated, but for now I’m so grateful for these. What I’d love to do is to have a couch where it is now, but two chairs where the love seat is just to open things up. When you’re in any other space of this main living area, you’re looking at the back of the love seat. Wouldn’t two chairs look so much nicer there? You can see what I mean in this shot:

I had to throw one in with the twins- They have been hanging out over there by the Instax and photos I brought out for them to use this week. They’re totally loving it but I need to take the camera away or I’ll be buying film in bulk #cantstopwontstopapparently. Aubrey is actually hugging the stack of Instax photos in this shot- she’s the sweetest.

Okay… can we talk for a minute about coffee/end table styling when you have little ones around? It’s no joke- it’s near impossible. We keep our tables pretty clear. I have them semi-styled here but these pieces totally wander around the house during the day. We always have magazines out because I won’t be heartbroken if they get wrecked. Most of my coffee table books went up on the bookshelf when Windsor started walking. We have the little ceramic berry basket full of photos and the Instax out because I’m okay with them being dropped and touched and slobbered on. Those Instax cameras are durable!

The wooden beads didn’t last long, you guys. They’re pretty (I made them using wooden beads from Michaels) thinking that you can’t break them… but they also make a weapon if left in reach of a three year old boy. So they made their way onto the bookshelf as well. FYI, the twins helped decide what the lightbox would say this time around- they’re kind of the best. And the more I write the more I realize they make most of the decisions around here. Last table to talk about is the one with the tulips. Risky, right? But that little acrylic tray catches most of the spills (because they do get spilled). And re-arranging the eggs in there has proven to be a great entertainment for the 1 year old. Sooo… acrylic trays for the win? This one was $3 from the dollar store and I am tempted to go back and buy more.

Okay, last space I’m going to share is the kitchen! I just added some tulips in here you guys. And updated my moss chalkboard for spring. Fresh flowers or greenery is my favourite way to decorate. Not only are they one of the most beautiful things to decorate with but I love that when it’s out of season it’s not taking up storage space. Because really, how much stuff do we need to have in closets just for seasonal decor? Am I a cranky decorator? Maybe? Or maybe I just have too much stuff ! I wish I could be a minimalist you guys, it appeals so much to me but we just have so many things I don’t know if it will ever happen. But we’re slowly purging (hopefully more than is coming in to the house!) so maybe one day. Send resources?

Oh! And our entry way! These photos are straight from the reveal last week because it’s all ready for spring! You can check out the whole thing right here and the wreath DIY right here.

Alright guys, that’s pretty much it! I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit more of our home! We really feel so lucky to be in such a great home for raising kids. The renovations we’ve done to the space have made it so much more functional for us. If you want to see the before, you can check that out right here, but basically we opened up the wall between the kitchen and living room, gutted the kitchen, and added in a patio… among many, many other things. It’s feeling like home and we’re finally getting down to the final few items on our list so doing things like this home tour is way more do-able (no tuck tape and unfinished drywall!). I’ve got a few more photos that I didn’t know where to put in this post, then I’m linking up to all the other fabulous bloggers on this spring home tour hop!

Alright, now time to check out all the other homes in the tour! Each day this week, some of my favourite Canadian Blogging friends will be sharing their spring home tours with you as part of the Canadian Bloggers Spring Home Tour. There are some amazing ones (just check out the graphic!) that I can’t wait to check out!

 

MONDAY

AKA DESIGN – LIFE IS A PARTY – LEMON THISTLE – CLEAN AND SENSIBLE

TUESDAY

BROOKLYN BERRY DESIGNS – AMIDST THE CHAOS – THE HAPPY HOUSIE – PMQ FOR TWO – ELLIVEN STUDIO

WEDNESDAY

SATORI DESIGN FOR LIVING – SUBURBLE – SO MUCH BETTER WITH AGE – POP OF PRETTY – THIS LITTLE ESTATE

THURSDAY

THE DIY MOMMY – A PRETTY LIFE IN THE SUBURBS – WOMAN IN REAL LIFE – KIM POWER STYLE – THE LEARNER OBSERVER

FRIDAY

THE CREEKLINE HOUSE – LOVE CREATE CELEBRATE