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Sunday Morning Crepes

31/3/2014

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Crepes
I love crepes! They are so delicate and buttery, and there are so many options when it comes to fillings and toppings. I enjoy both savoury crepes and sweet crepes. In fact, sometimes I like to combine the two types for the ultimate tastebud satisfaction. 
Toppings

Recipe 

Here is a recipe I use for classic crepes, but there are tons of recipes out there that use everything. I also really enjoy buckwheat crepes. Use your imagination when it comes to toppings and fillings. My favourite are, for savoury spinach and cheddar cheese, and for sweet is strawberry and bananas, that is then drizzled with melted dark chocolate. Other great ideas are: maple syrup, jam, Nutella, yogurt, other fruits, eggs, bacon, even chicken. 

Classic Crepes (makes about 10):
  • 1/4 Cup butter
  • 1 3/4 Cup flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 1/2 milk

  1. Melt butter and allow to cool.
  2. Put flour in bowl and mix in eggs one at a time.
  3. Then add half the milk, and continue mixing until smooth.
  4. Add the rest of the milk and the butter and mix.
  5. Let mixture rest for at least an hour (I tend to make the mixture up the night before, and then it is ready for the morning).
  6. Mix again, it should be the consistency of cream. If it is too thick add a bit more milk.
  7. Preheat crepe pan or pan on medium.
  8. Make sure to use lots of oil when cooking as you don't want them to stick.
  9. Pour a small amount of mixture onto the pan and spread it out, let cook for only a few seconds and then flip. They cook very fast since they are so thin. This will take some practice. 
  10. Place on a plate, and then serve with all your toppings. 
Classic Crepes
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Before and After: March Edition

28/3/2014

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Just thought I would share our house as a whole, and all the changes we have made since moving in back in December. Even though we have not done any major renovations (yet), there are still many visible changes that we have completed. 

Front Hall

We haven't done everything we would like to do with the front hall yet, but we did get an awesome bench! I'm currently working on another project for the front hall that will hold all our keys, mail, and what have you. So we will know where they are and keep them organized. 

To Do:
  • Get large mirror for over the bench
  • Finish key/mail storage project
  • Paint!
  • New lighting
  • French doors for front closet
  • Small decorative table
Before & After
Before
Bench
After

Entertainment Room

We had done some work on this room near the beginning, and then left it for awhile. It has become a great space for games with friends or just watching TV. We actually plan to paint very soon, as we already have the paint, we just have to start! 

To Do:
  • Paint
  • Finish baseboard trim (as some of it is missing)
  • More cabinets around the TV for a built-in look
  • Find some more great art to fill in empty wall space
  • Get rid of corner shelf
  • Paint dart board
  • Get a coffee table
Before & After
Before
Living Room
After
Games Table
After

Guest Bathroom

This is the most recent room that we have worked on. Still missing a mirror over the sink, but everything else is pretty well done in here. Farther into the future we plan to gut the bathroom, but this is fine for now. In fact it's now a lot nicer then the other bathrooms in the house.

To Do:
  • Mirror over the sink
  • Change toilet (it's old, and uses way too much water)
Before & After
Before
Bathroom
After

Guest Room

We haven't done too much in here yet, except get new bedding. Eventually we will redo this room to make it amazing for our guests!

To Do:
  • Change carpet
  • Paint
  • Get rid of shelves
  • Put in some side tables and lamps
  • Re-do closet area including doors
  • Maybe get new main door (it's in rough shape) including a handle that matches the ones upstairs
  • New blinds/curtains
Before & After
Before
Guest Room
After

Jeff's Office / Storage Area

This is the least touched room. It has sort of become the place to put stuff we don't know what to do with and it houses all our tools (sorry Jeff!). The only difference between the before and after pictures is it's a neater. We will get to this space eventually and make it a wonderful office/music room.

To Do:
  • Clean up and get rid of stuff!
  • Organize
  • Change carpet
  • Paint
  • Re-do closet
  • Paint main door with new handle
  • New blinds/curtains
Before & After
Before
Before & After
After

Kitchen

We have only made some minor changes to the kitchen, but they are as such to make it a lot more livable for me. One day, we will rip it out all out. From a far it looks nice, but it was poorly put in and is not very efficient for someone who likes to cook, like I do. We changed all the knobs from gold to metallic coloured ones that instantly make it look more modern. And we added a backsplash around the coffee bar area. 

To Do:
  • Take down cabinet above coffee bar area and put up floating shelves
  • (One Day) Put in a new kitchen!
Before & After
Before
Kitchen
After
Coffee Bar
After

Living/Dining Room

Not too much has changed in here either, other then changing the gold knobs on the storage cabinets for more modern handles, new art on the walls, and a new dining room table (but no chairs yet). Unless you count when I announced that I hated the blinds in the dining room because they never stayed up; so Jeff tugged on the blinds and they completely ripped off the wall. He then proceeded to just walk away announcing that the problem was fixed! 

To Do:
  • New dining chairs
  • Two bar stools for coffee bar
  • Paint
  • New L shaped couch and a coffee table
  • New blinds/curtains
  • Lighting for over the dining table
  • More art
  • Change gold outdoor knobs for matching ones
Before & After
Before
Dining Table
After

Powder Room

There are big plans for this bathroom! I'm hoping to start in the next few months, we just have a few issues to work out first, but it's going to be a lot more modern and fresh looking. Fun and funky is the theme for this room's new look. Can't wait to start it and share! So far, we have added some art accents and changed the gold knobs again.

To Do:
  • Paint
  • Change mirror
  • Change lighting
  • Change accessories
  • New vanity and sink
  • Fix or replace toilet (it has some water issues right now and it's not a simple problem to fix apparently) 
  • Hang art
Before & After
Before
Powder Room
After

My Office / Art Studio

We completely redid this small room soon after we moved in, excpet changing the old carpet which is stained. It's so nice to go to a finished room! This room will probably change in the future if we have kids, but for now I can enjoy the space to do art and work on projects.

To Do:
  • Change carpet
Before & After
Before
Home Office
After
Art Studio
After

Master Bedroom

The only new items we have gotten for this room so far is a new duvet and cover, and a new large mirror. We still have lots of plans for our bedroom, however, we haven't been able to decide on anything yet. It is still a work in progress.  

To Do:
  • Paint
  • Lounge chair for corner
  • Actual bed frame and bed side tables
  • Art
  • Maybe some shelves above the bed
  • New blinds/curtains 
  • Matching knob for outside door
  • New lighting
Before & After
Before
Master Bedroom
After
Master Bedroom
After

Master Closet

We are almost finished fixing up our closet, with only a few minor things left to do. The new grey colour is so warm and inviting, I'm so happy we went with it. Once again, we changed out the old gold knobs for long modern handles. We also put up new lighting in the form of black track lighting that look like miniature stage/film lights. 

To Do:
  • Organize a bit more inside the closets
  • French doors for the entry way to the bedroom
  • Maybe change closet doors to something more modern in the future
Before & After
Before
Master Closet
After
Track Lighting
New Lighting

Master Bathroom

One day this bathroom will be ripped a part as well. For now we have only added decor items to make it more efficient in the meantime as it is our main bathroom.

To Do:
  • Re-do whole bathroom
Before & After
Before
Master Bathroom
After
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Canadian Urban Products

26/3/2014

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Picture
Repurposed Hockey Sticks as Clothes Hangers
I've come across a company called Urbanproduct, that makes amazing objects. The company was founded in 2009, and creates interesting interior design items, including a lot of custom work. It's really neat stuff; I'm seeing some ideas for the future!
Picture
Here's what they say about themselves: 

'up’ is a creative force in the Industrial, Furniture, Product & Interior Design disciplines. We strive to use locally sourced materials, environmentally responsible finishes and methodologies, whilst providing
a standard of quality rarely seen in today’s market.

 A strong focus is on Furniture and Product Design, and although all objects are handcrafted in house, they often fall into the category of Industrial Design. Functionality is key, as is a strong environmental ethos towards our process - which leads the team to producing particularly unique, fun and inspiring designs with as little environmental damage as possible.
Picture
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Update on the Update: Bathroom

24/3/2014

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Over the weekend we added a few more touches to the downstairs/guest bathroom. Still no mirror for over the sink, but the added art makes the room look more finished and inviting.
Bathroom Wall Art
We found these little mirrors awhile ago and weren't sure where to put them. However, they seem to work well over this shelf. I like the combination of the rustic look that still looks modern. Then we just added some (fake) plant life to add to the subtle watery theme of this bathroom.
Flora Picture
Over the towel rack we needed to hang something, as it was a big open space. I found this framed picture of a sea plant that looks like a page from a botanical book. I really liked the colourful red branches and the grey frame. 

Overall, I'm really starting to love this bathroom more than any of the others in the house. Can't wait to get the mirror over the sink!
Guest Bathroom
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Updated Bathroom

21/3/2014

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Guest Bathroom
We have been working on updating the downstairs/guest bathroom. We didn't change any of the major pieces, but we added some colour and changed out the old accessories. We still need to get a new mirror for over the sink, and some art for above the new shelf, but it's looking a lot better already. The room needed some new caulking and the walls really needed some repair and fresh paint. 
Before & After
Before
Guest Bathroom
After
We took out all the old caulking around the sink, counter, and bathtub area and replaced it all with a fresh coat. We took down the old builders mirror (which you can see how to do in this post), and pried the old towel bar and toilet paper holder off the wall. Then we replaced the gold knobs on the cabinet and the gold door knob with one that matches the new knobs upstairs (slowly we want to replace all of them to be the same). 
Towel Rack
This is our new towel bar, above. Much better then the glued on white porcelain and plastic one. We also bought a new colourful hand towel with a matching bath mat. Below, is the matching toilet paper holder. It does a funky twist that we thought was pretty neat. 
Toilet Paper Holder
Then we put a hook on the back of the door for guests to use to hang their bath towel or clothes on. The one piece of art we have put up in here we had from our old place. It was gift from a good friend, and I still love it. 
Door Hook
It's looking a lot more inviting for guests now, except the whole missing a mirror part. We want to get a mirror with a big frame around it. We found a couple that we liked, but the measurements were wrong for the space. I think that is going to be the hardest part for finding a mirror. Hopefully soon we can find one that will go there perfectly!
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LED Lighting Scheme

19/3/2014

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Picture
This fancy house is call The Chameleon Villa, located in Spain. It has used LED lighting throughout to be able to change its appearance to create a new feel for each space in the house. The house is amazing to begin with, and the lighting helps add atmosphere and ambiance to the place. 
Picture
Check out more photos at Home Designing Blog. 
Picture
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Chocolate Almond Cookies

17/3/2014

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Chocolate Cookies
I decided to make up a slightly healthier twist on the original chocolate chip cookie. I changed up the flours, sugar, and added almonds to the mix. They turned out pretty well, and disappeared quite fast. 
Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Almond Cookies

  • 1 Cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 Cup buckwheat flour
  • 3 Tablespoons flaxseed
  • 1/8 Cup cocoa powder
  • 14 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 1/4 Cup brown sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup dark chocolate chips
  • 3/4 Cup almond slivers

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together butter and sugars, and then add eggs and vanilla.
  3. Then add flours, flaxseed, and cocoa powder.
  4. Next mix in chocolate chips and almonds.
  5. Bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
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New Dining Room Table

14/3/2014

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Dining Table
We longer have a big open space in our main room, or as we liked to call it: The Dance Floor. We bought a dining room table! We picked it out rather quickly, especially for us who have been known to think over things for long periods of time. We had been looking for a table causally before we moved in to our new house. We saw some we liked, and put them into a folder in the back of our minds. However, we happened to be in Stuctube on the weekend and fell in love with this guy. And even more un-like us, we bought it on the spot. 
Dining Table
It's very modern with a slight asian feel to it. It sits six people easily and eight if you needed. However, we didn't end up buying any chairs to go with it yet (we couldn't decide on those), so we brought up the chairs from our games table to use for now. They work in the meantime, but I'd like to get some really funky modern chairs to go with it soon!
Picture
I kind of like these chairs, they are comfy too. Jeff isn't too sure of them though, might be too out there for him. They come in an awesome green colour too, but I'm pretty sure I would never convince him to get those. 
Dining Room
Tonight, we are hosting our first dinner on our new table. Ever since I moved out of my parent's house I have wanted a dining room table, and now, more than ten years later, I finally got my wish. So exciting! 
Place Settings
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Taking Down a Glued On Mirror

12/3/2014

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Picture
We are currently giving our downstairs/guest bathroom a bit of an update. Nothing major, but it needed some maintenance. More on the whole makeover later, as we are still in the process of finishing it. One of the first things we wanted to do was take down the old mirror as it is starting to come apart and rust at the corners. It turns out these builder mirrors, that are put in with the house, are glued to the wall! However, I wanted that sucker down, so after some research we managed to do just that, and safely. 
DIY

How To Un-glue A Mirror

  • Wear long pants, sleeves, gloves,and safety glasses in case the glass breaks.
  • Cover mirror with duct tape.
  • Have one person hold onto the mirror for stability, and then using a chisel and a piece of wood slowly pry at the corners of the mirror.
DIY
  • If it still seems stuck you can use a piece of framing wire to act as a sort of saw along the back of the mirror.
  • It should pop off with some ripping sounds from the wall behind (it will take quite a bit of compound to fill in the holes left behind).
  • Ours came off in one piece, thankfully! And now we can put up a nice framed mirror.
DIY
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Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Squares

10/3/2014

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Rice Krispies
I was introduced to this Rice Krispy Square recipe at a good friends place by his mother. There are a lot of allergies in that house (surprisingly peanuts is not one of them) and so this was a dessert everyone could have. They are really yummy, and like the original, really easy to make and slightly healthier too. 

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Squares

  • 4 Cups of Rice Krispy's
  • 1 Cup of natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
  • 1/2 Cup honey

  1. In a pot heat on medium, until just boiling, the peanut butter and honey, stirring constantly 
  2. Take off heat and mix in Rice Krispy's
  3. Press into a 9 x 9 pan and let cool
  4. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Rice Krispies
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