Hello friends!!

Hope you all are having an amazing long weekend!

I’m so excited to bring you something extra special today! A bunch of my wonderful blogging friends and I will be sharing some Thrifted items that we gave a makeover to during the next few days…. I’ve had a peek at all of them and I have to say, these ladies are talented! I have to admit, I don’t always see the potential in an old neglected item. It takes me a little bit of time and sometimes I even buy stuff and I still don’t have a clue what Ill do with it a week after. So, it was lots of fun to see all these items we found at thrift stores and yard sales get some love and find a new place in our homes! Come along and we’ll show you….

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is finding some local yard sales with our kids and see what kind of treasures we can find. I remember when they were little toddlers and we’d stop by a sale in our side-by-side stroller and they’d find a toy they’d like and more than once, they’d score an extra sweet deal because they were just so darn cute! It’s been so fun to watch as they learn to recognized a good deal and to not buy unless they really need it (and sometimes want)!

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this end table. I immediately loved the size of it and knew that cupboard could hold a few baskets that could in turn hold everything from books to coasters to cords. I quickly grabbed it and brought it home to give it a little TLC!

I decided to use chalkpaint for this table so I didn’t sand it, except for the top. I gave it two coats of paint and let it dry completely. I then stained the top using Miniwax Special Walnut, the same stain we used when we redid one of our craziest hugest DIYs, our  hardwood floors.

I think the reason I love endtables so much is because of the potential they have in decorating them! I love trays and the possibilities are endless! On this one, I added a potted plant from Ikea, a K and a little bundle of driftwood from one of our favorite beaches.

Don’t forgot to check out all my friend’s finds and how they turned them into some beautiful creations! It totally makes me want to get out there and visit my favorite thrift stores… or some yard sales!

Monday

Joy In Our Home 

Anderson + Grant 

Making It In the Mountains

Hood Creek Log Cabin

Personally Andrea

DIY Passion

Tuesday

Canary Street Crafts

Seeking Lavender Lane

Little Bits of Home Blog 

Little Red Brick House  

Pocketful of Posies

Refresh Living

 
Wednesday

The Crowned Goat

Bees N Burlap

Iris Nacole 

Honey n Hydrangea 

Little House of Four

2 Bees In A Pod

Mom Home Guide

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Here’s a couple more of my favorite upcycled projects I’ve shared…

Upcycled Barn Door

End Table Makeover

Hope you have a wonderful day,

Hello friends!!

It’s hard to believe June is whizzing by! Today is our last day of school… finally! We’ve only been counting down since May!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

Do you have any Canada day (or other national holiday) tradition? We enjoy celebrating our great country every July 1st! We always head to the lake for the day, bbq and then meet friends for fireworks! This year, it’ll be a little different. I am SOO excited about my sister’s wedding this week and what a good excuse to break our little tradition!

If you don’t have any décor yet for Canada Day, I know the perfect wooden wreath you can add to your wall or front door!

You can easily make this sign in time for Canada Day…. you might even beat the load of wash that you have in the washing machine! That’s how simple it is!

Materials you’ll need:

• wood sign
• white paint
• red paint
• h, m, e wooden letters
• maple leaf decal

Instead of painting the sign white, I decided to go for the white washed look.

If you’ve never tried this technique, I really encourage you to give it a try! Using a rag, dip the corner into the white paint and smear it horizontally across your sign. Keep doing this until you’ve done the whole sign. Let dry and in the meantime, paint the h, m and e white and the maple leaf red. Once the sign is dry, use a glue gun to attach it to the sign. And there you have it!!

I love how it turned out and it’ll look pretty on our front porch all summer long!

Here’s a couple other projects I’ve done using the white washed technique!

Hall Table Makeover 

Coffee Table

Thank you so much for stopping by! And Happy Canada Day!

  Good Morning Everyone!

Today, I have one of my all-time favorite desserts to share with you! Chocolate cake!

This isn’t any ole’ chocolate cake though! It’s homemade chocolate cake combined with some of my favorite ingredients! Combined, you’ll have one of the moistest, gooiest delicious desserts ever!

Today, I have joined many of my blogging friends to bring you a Monthly Ingredient Challenge! Each month, we feature a different ingredient and we all make a recipe using that same ingredient. This month, it’s peanut butter…. and this is my all-time favorite dessert featuring peanut butter!

This desert was the reason I had to go on a 3km run after supper! But trust me, it was worth it!

 If you’re short on time, you could use a boxed cake mix but the extra 5 minutes it’ll take you to get the ingredients from your pantry and throw them in a bowl is well worth the little extra effort to make this cake from scratch. It is sooo moist and with a hint of peanut butter, it is perfection!

If you can wait, let this cake sit 8 hours or overnight before indulging! I know it’ll be hard but the flavours sink into the cake the longer it sits.

 …See More

 Thanks so much for stopping by today and happy baking!

-Kendra

Linking to these fabulous parties:

 Inspire Me Tuesday, Time To Sparkle, On Display Thursdays, Tuesdays At Our Home, Motivational Monday, The Dedicated House, The Makers Link Party, Party In Your PJs, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Whimsy Wednesday, Moonlight and Mason Jars, Work It Wednesday, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup,  Artsy Fartsy Link Party, Inspire Me Please, Grace At Home, Creative Collection, Weekend Wind-down Party, Best of The Weekend,  Super Saturday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, Share It Sunday, Talented Tuesdays, Pretty Pintastic Party, Think and Make Party, Something To Talk About, The Creative Circle,

Happy February, friends! It’s officially time to bring out all things heart-shaped and all the pink, red and white! And time to bake up some yummy Valentine treats!

If you need some inspiration for Valentine décor or treats, you’ve come to the right place today! I’m so happy to be joining Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life and 28 other talented Canadian bloggers for a Valentines’ Day blog hop! Be sure to check out all the other amazing things everyone’s sharing at the end of this post!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you probably know that I tend to gravitate towards easy recipes. If there’s more than 10 steps, I leave it to my husband. 😉 These cookies are one of these easy but oh-so-yummy recipes. They’re quick to mix together, easy to form into balls with my trust-worth cookie scoop, and then deliciously fun to spread cream cheese icing between two cookies.

I’ve already decided that I’ll be making them to send to our kids’ school Valentine parties. Their teachers always rave about our homemade treats we send (like last years Valentine Sugar Cookie Bars) and if their classmates love these half as much as our kids did, they’ll be a hit!

If you try these, be sure to remember to flatten the dough balls before baking them!

1. 1 1/4 cups flour
2. 1/2 cup cocoa
3. 1 tsp. baking soda
4. 1/4 tsp. baking powder
5. 1/4 tsp. salt
6. 1 1/4 cups sugar
7. 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp. butter, room temperature
8. 1 large egg

1. 4 ounces cream cheese (or half a block), softened to room temperature
2. 1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3. 2 cups icing sugar
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Add the butter and mix until mixture crumbles.
4. Add egg and continue mixing until dough comes together.
5. Scoop dough into tablespoon sized balls and place them on parchment or silicone lined baking sheets 2-inches apart.
6. Using the bottom of a glass, slightly flatten dough balls.
7. Bake for 9 minutes.
8. Cool.

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract.
3. Beat until just combined and creamy.
4. Spread on each cooled cookie and top with another cookie.

Joy in Our Home https://www.joyinourhome.com/

   I’d love to know if you try these!! And now you better pour yourself another cup of tea and enjoy pouring through all these other delicious treats and beautiful DIYs!

Valentine’s Day Cherry Pie by Jo-Anna of A Pretty Life

Adding a few festive touches like greenery, throws, and extra pillows will help make your bedroom a cozy place for the holidays. 

This post contains affiliate links. Please note, if you buy anything through the links, you never ever pay a penny more! You’re just helping support my little blog 🙂 For my full disclosure, click here.

This week is an exciting one here on the blog because not only is it the Christmas Festival Blog Hop that I host annually, but I also get to join so many of my Canadian friends in the Canadian Home Tour. Each year Christina from The DIY Mommy and Shannon from Home Made Lovely organize a wonderful group of ladies for home tours. I’m so happy to join them all today! You’ll see all the rest of the ladies who are taking part in this tour at the end of my post!Do you decorate your bedroom for the holidays? Some people might wonder why bother, but if it makes you happy and brings a little extra joy to you, I say go for it! I love adding some extra festive and cozy touches to our room during the winter months and I’m excited to show you some easy decor that you can add to your bedrooms to decorate them for the season as well! 

The board and batten headboard is one of my husbands first DIYs he did in our home and is kind of the anchor piece in our bedroom. Adding a garland instantly gives this room a festive feel. There’s so many different styles of garland you can choose and in the past I’ve had a more simple one but I like this snowy one with extra pinecones and snowballs added in.

This chair from Wayfair (and it’s a crazy good deal right now!!) used to be in our office but I moved it to our bedroom a couple months ago. My husband might tell you that it’s for holding all my clothes 😉 but I do love reading there as well! Add a chunky knit throw and one of my favorite books, and it’s the perfect spot to relax before bed. 

Also, if you still need a gift for your sister, mom, mother-in-law, or girlfriend you can’t go wrong with this Karen Kingsbury book A Moment of Weakness. It’s an amazing story of love and loss, betrayal and would be perfect to enjoy during the holidays. 🙂 

This “joy” sign from my friend LZ at The Summery Umbrella is such a good daily reminder to choose joy to matter what the day may bring. I also love the Willow Tree ornament that my husband gave me for my birthday a few years ago. 

Now it’s time to tour all of the other beautiful homes in the Christmas Canadian Bloggers Home Tour hop this season!

Click on the links below from Tuesday – Friday this week to get beautiful Christmas decor inspiration from my Canadian blogging friends.

Monday

Home Made Lovely | The Creek Line House | Lemon Thistle | Love Create Celebrate | So Much Better With Age

Tuesday

Woman in Real Life | Clean and Scentsible | A Pop of Pretty | Making it in the Mountains | The Learner Observer

Wednesday

PMQ for Two | Joy in Our Home | Amidst the Chaos | One House 2 Barns | The Dreamhouse Project

Thursday

The DIY Mommy | Life is a Party | Satori Design for Living | Rambling Renovators | This Mamas Dance

Friday

Fynes Designs | A Pretty Life | Emmett’s ABCs | Harlow & Thistle | Northern Style Exposure

Be sure to check out tomorrow and Friday as well for the rest of the tours! 

Happy February friends!!!

That means we can officially pull out the red, pink and white, right? Or the gold and black… or whichever colors you choose to decorate on Valentine’s Day! I don’t do much decorating at all. A couple years ago I shared this cute DIY that you can make in less than an hour, but other than that, my decorating for this holiday is limited to baking. We’ll bake all the festive treats we can! 

When my friend Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life In The Suburbs organized this fun Valentine blog hop, I knew right away that I wanted to share this delicious treat! There are 24 other super talented Canadian ladies joining me this week to share everything from delicious recipes to some amazing DIYs! Be sure to check the bottom of my post to see what everyone else shared! 

I have to admit I’m not much a cookie baker at all. I’m more of a bars and squares kind of girl. If you check out my Pinterest dessert board, I’m sure the bar recipes will far outnumber the cookie recipes I have pinned. But when I saw this recipe from Chocolate With Grace, I knew it was going to be a winner in my books!

Sugar cookies especially take alot of time. Making the dough, often chilling it, and then cutting them all out. This Sugar Cookie Bar recipe I’m sharing today, can be whipped together in half the time and doesn’t sacrifice on taste. It is soo mouthwateringly delicious that I know we’ll be making them again. They’d be perfect for classroom parties and to take to  work to share with your staff too!

Fluffy Valentine Sugar Cookie Bars

1. 1/2 cup softened butter
2. 1 cup granulated sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 1½ tablespoons sour cream
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 2½ cups flour
7. ½ teaspoon baking powder
8. ½ teaspoon salt

1. 1/4 cup butter, softened
2. 1 and ½ cups icing sugar
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla
4. ¼ teaspoon salt
5. 1 or 2 tablespoons cream or milk
6. Food coloring and sprinkles, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
4. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.
6. Spread dough into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Do not over bake or the bars will end up very dry.
9. Let cool completely.

1. Beat together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and salt.
3. Beat in enough cream or milk to make a smooth spreadable consistency.
4. Add food coloring if desired.
5. Ice bars once cooled. Add sprinkles.

Joy in Our Home https://www.joyinourhome.com/

Monday

Heart Shaped Pizzas for Valentine’s Day by Jo-Anna of A Pretty Life

Blood Orange Limoncello Cocktail for Valentine’s Day by Tara of Suburble

Ombre Cake Makeover from a Grocery Store Cake by Colleen of Lemon Thistle

Valentine’s Popcorn by Janella of Ma Belle Vie

“Warm Heart” Hand Warmers by Sarah of Flourish & Knot

Tuesday

Valentine’s Day Embroidery Projects by Heather of Home to Heather

Valentine’s Candy Inspired Table Setting by Andrea of Personally Andrea

Valentine Heart Strawberry Pop Tarts by Jen of Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Valentine’s Day Date Night In Gift Basket Idea by Christina of The DIY Mommy

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookies by Shauna of Satori Design for Living

Wednesday

Felt Valentine’s Day Cards by Alex of Northstory

Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark by Joann of Woman in Real Life

Valentine’s Day Wall Hanging by Thalita of The Learner Observer

DIY Valentine String Art by Tash of The Dreamhouse Project

Fluffy Valentine Sugar Cookies by Kendra of Joy In Our Home

Thursday

Easy DIY Valentine’s Wreath by Laurie of VinYet ETC

Raspberry Pie Mousse Cups by Daniela of Lifeovereasy

Valentine’s Day Breakfast by Dannyelle of Life is a Party

Valentine’s Mantel by Jen of Rambling Renovators

Boyfriend Bouquet | Floating Heart Terrarium by Cynthia of Cynthia Zamaria

Friday

Embroidery Hoop Valentine Art by Christine of The DIY Dreamer

“You & Me” Wood Sign by Lindi of Love Create Celebrate

Chocolate and Coconut Coated Heart Mini-Cakes by Jane and Sonja of Sustain My Craft Habit

DIY String Heart Wall Hanging by Melissa of The Sweet Escape

Heart Shaped Marshmallows for Valentine’s Day by Christine of Amidst the Chaos