Creamy White

~ Good Bye Canada, Hello....AOTEAROA!!!!

2011-09-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

What a pleasure to be back blogging! After a huge break from being here, I finally got some time to do it and here I am, sitting on the floor, with my computer on my lap, but just having tones of fun!
Now, after one year without blogging (but thinking a lot about you all, believe me!)I finally decided to come back, and for good!
I still don't know what I'll be doing here in New Zealand ( I mean, if I'll be painting furniture, selling crafts, who knows?) but one thing for sure: I'll be experiencing this amazing country, filled with lovely people, surrounded by nature and what a wonderful place for my family and I to be! :-)

We arrived a month ago, but for almost 3 weeks we didn't have internet at home (which was OK!). Then, we just had a few matresses on the floor, and a car to go around and explore a bit of Bay of Plenty, where we decided to live.
It was winter, and in fact, we had a few cold days here for us, even coming from Alberta, Canada.

Packing a whole house in Canada wasn't so bad, but the sad part was when we had to leave our puppies there and come here.
They stayed a month in Canada because they couldn't come regarding some tests they needed to do before departure but luckly I met an amazing girl from Melbourne, Australia, a few weeks before we left who offered to take care of them. I'm so blessed to have met Alana and what a lovely friend I've made!
Life is not complete without our doggies (if you love your pet, you know what I mean). Now, they are already here in New Zealand, in Quarentine for 10 days, and we are counting the days to pick them up, which will be next Monday, September 19th. Yey!!!!!

So, here I am, in New Zealand!!!! Can you believe it?
We live in a life style block, that's how they call it here. Cool, hey?
Every country has a different way of saying that, but if you look up now and see the picture of my blog front page, the clothes hanging on the line, you know what I'm talking about. So, I'm living a country living style, for sure!!!
Soon I will buy some chickens, maybe some sheep (they are sooooo cute!) and become a real farm girl, ladies, very similar to the way I grew up and our 3 kids are having a blast here, enjoying so much every day, every moment.
Now, they wear uniforms, walk bearfoot, and sing Maori songs eveyday at school. What an experience!!!

So, dear friends, sorry for my absence... but I had so much to deal with over all this time and for me, when I come here is to give something good for you, and at all this year, I was really focused on things to happen with our move, so my mind was more into that than anything else.

Well, I'm back and here are some pics from my new world.

Thanks for all the comments while I was away from here, and even if you didn't make any comment, but just thought about me, I appreciated too!
The lovely energy that we share blogging is what make us to come back!

Your friend, Li :-)

Picture taken from our varanda!

Lavander bush

Lovely neighbours :-)

Annikki saying "Hello" to them

Couldn't forget the beach...

only 15 minutes away from us :-)

Life is beautiful, it has to be!

Have a good one!

Love,

Li :-)

~ Back into business! ~

2010-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear friends,

Before anything, I want to say a big THANK YOU for all of you who's been leaving me comments even though knowing I'm absent. I really appreciate all of them and now that I'm back, I'll do my best to catch up with all of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Well, where should I start?
The Summer was wonderful. No rush for anything, just enjoying the kids, going to the Lakes around, being more outdoors then ever!
Then came Back to School, where all of my kids were challenging a new school for them. Now, they are all settle and life goes on smoothly here.
But, yes, I did lots of projects during the summer as well!!! I had also to do something for myself, and as I love summer I also had the chance to paint in the garage with the door open, so I could feel the warm wind coming inside and see the gorgeous blue sky. Just perfect, hum?
Two weeks ago I also was part of a Art Show in the city where many artists from all kind were showing their work. It was a very interesting experience for me, since I still don't call myself "Artist" at all. But anyway, most of the friends I invited came over (some couldn't attend) and it was so nice to see them there, supporting my work and also it was lovely to meet new people.
I had to rush to prepare a portfolio for the exhibition but it turned out really well.
Now I'll show you all the pieces I did and pictures from the event. Have fun looking at them!

Hope everybody is doing fine and having lots of fun in your lives!
I'll come soon again with a new post!

Here are some pieces I did during Summer. I hope you guys like it!

At the Art Gallery

That's a nice friend of mine and Me!

Thanks all for stopping by and until next time!

Have a lovely week,

Li :-)

~ Do what you love; love what you do ~

2010-07-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hello pretty ladies,

Today here in Alberta we had lots, but I mean, lots of rain! For a moment I thought I was back in the tropics! Note that I'm not complaining here. Actually, I love rain. It cleans the roads, the air, everything looks so green. And I love green!

While we've been having a blast outside between lakes, festivals and lots of rain as well. I also been working while the kids are playing just in front of me!!! Yes, and here is a piece of furniture I did this week. It was fun and I just put this one few minutes ago for sale, so as I miss coming here too, why not show you guys this lovely cottage style dresser?

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time and I'll be back with more projects soon.

The grey top. I just add a different color for a bit of contrast here

And Anthropologie pulls, from $14 each to $2.95 on sale! What a bargain, hey?

That's the dresser before:

Lots of scratches on the top and everywhere!

But nothing like a sander to help in the process, right?

That's it girls, a brand new dresser.

I can't wait to finish the kitchen to show you guys!

Have a awesome weekend!

Love, Li :-)

~ OFF from Blogging (for a while) ~

2010-07-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Readers,
It's been a while I haven't post anything here. Since the kids finished school it's been a wonderful time for us to recharge the batteries, sleep in and enjoy the beautiful weather we finally are having here in Alberta. Today we spent the day in a beautiful Lake 1 1/2hr from us and it was wonderful. But the thing is: I don't have time to come to the computer anymore. Because we are spending too much time outside (and too much for us here is never too much, believe me!) I barely have time to open my computer. By the time I think to come and write it's too late or the kids are asking for me to join them for a evening family movie! I simply can't resist that...
So, I'll be OFF from blogging for a few weeks or so. I'll be working in the kitchen Makeover, painting furniture and don't worry, I'll keep you posted when I'm done.
But for now, I think that's it.
I wish you all a wonderful time, no matter where you are, which season you are having, but simply a wonderful time with yourself, family and friends!

With love,

Li :-)

Here are some pictures for you. My daughter were too shy to pose this time...

Moraine Lake,Banff, Alta...It can be chilly there.

"Namastê"

"Chilling out in the Street Car"

"And the boys chilling out with their Popsicles!"

Yummy!!!

Enjoying a nice summer day!

Enjoying simple things in a simple way...

Until next time!

Happy Summer for the North hemisphere and a cozy and lovely winter in the South!

Much love,

Li :-)

~ A Green Kitchen ~

2010-06-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear friends, I've been talking about my kitchen for a while but other things came on my way that were more important, so I had to stop this project and turn all the way to "my kids" and forget the kitchen a bit.
The school year is almost at the end and my three kids are very excited for the summer that finally arrived here in Alberta. Now the sun goes down around 11pm and the day starts early too! @ 4am. The only thing I have to say is: Let's us "Canadians" enjoy the summer. In other Provinces they have flowers, vegetables, fruits way before us here, but that's the way it is. My pot flowers are done, herbs, and the tomatoes....I'll probably see them in the middle of August.
So....the KITCHEN!!!! As I've been debating about the color, this and that, I decided to go with white and PRONTO!
I would love to hear your opinion, since the walls I "might" live it the way it is (it's called Sage color), but if you think it will be better in other color, I really appreciate your comment! When I did bathroom make over, I have to say following some advice from you guys, made my job so nice and at the end I loved that I change the wall color! Even though "painting walls" are not my speciality, I enjoyed the results at the end.
So, today I'm busy preparing also our 1st GARAGE SALE for Saturday. As the weather is promising, we are going to give it a try. I've never did one, so wish me luck! What I hear the most is garage sales are too much work, at the pend people get stressed out, and on and on...but as I am a person who believe "you don't try you will never know", I'll try a garage sale. We have lots of very good items and as it will be a beautiful weekend!
As I show my kitchen pictures how it is right now, I'll also write a few ideas I had.
All the material we got so far are "Eco Friendly" made out of recycled and not-toxic. WE changed the floor to a laminated imitating stone (really interesting one) and is a recycled material as well. A year ago we bought new appliances and searching in our budget and also for something nice, we ended up buying stainless-steel which are easier to recycle in the future as well.
Okay, here it goes my little kitchen:

I'm thinking to paint all the cabinets in white and change all the knobs and pulls to stainless steel ones. For the drawers, I'll go with cup pulls. What do you think?

This is our PANTRY and the door that lead us to the garage.

As the budget is short, I won't change the sink (which I would love to) and the counter top. They will remain the same. Do you think just by changing the color of the cabinets will look better?

In this space I used to have a table with bar stools. We did this cork corner to protect the wall from the previous iron chairs we used to have. Should I paint it in white as well? I kind of like it the way it is...

And this big frame will be a chalk board I'm planing to do. We need a board in the kitchen for reminders...

And the plates on the wall will be gone. I have a wood shelf and I put 5 little hangers for our 5 breakfast personalized cups that will be in the left wall where one of the plates are.

This is a laminated floor: they come in big plates that attached one into the other and they are made out of recycled material and are non-toxic. I also painted the kitchen a years ago with non-toxic paint as well.

Here is where the I'll replace the plate to the white wood shelf.

I'm planning a kitchen island instead of the table. We need more space to cut the veggies, cheese, etc. and we barely use the table in the kitchen.

OK friends, I think that's it. AS I've been more out than in, at least today I could save some time for this post and I'm already taking the cabinets off (the hardest work!) and soon I'll be painting them (outside!) Yuppie!!!!

Feel free to drop me a line with any suggestion. I love to read them and all the nice ideas that come from you all!

Have a awesome week, coming already to a weekend!

Love,

Li :-)

2010-06-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

~ A Beautiful Award from a Wonderful new Blog! ~

2010-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and happy week to all of you!
As my Monday started (and it's going to be a very busy week here!) i can't forget to mention a beautiful new blog from a sweet and lovely lady. Her blog is My Summerhouse and her name is Laura. I've met Laura probably 2 weeks ago and it's was just wonderful to meet another new friend around the globe. So, I took a trip quickly to Perth, Australia, and had an opportunity to see her amazing and inspiring Blog! I'm sure you will all love Laura and her beautiful work and ideas. She'll love to meet new friends too! :-)
Laura also gave me this beautiful award. And here I'm going to post it and I also have to write 7 things about myself:
I'll be short, Okay?
Here it goes:

I'm a humble person and I watch carefully what I say. Once I read this quote: "the bad thing is not what enters in the mouth, but what it comes out of it", and I really believe that!
Love to cook;
Love to spend time with my family, friends, our dogs;
Love to travel!!! It's always an unforgettable experience and rejuvenating;
Love nature, animals, kids, old people, everyone;
I accept who I am and always say "Thank You" for one more day!;
Love to help others.

It's always wonderful to receive anything from you guys: from a comment to an Anward. They all make me feel so good, so alive!

Now I have to pass this award to 15 Blogs and I know it's not easy to choose 15 when there are so many, but here are the one's I picked for this time. They are all wonderful blogs and beautiful and talented women behind them. Here are they:

RAZMATAZ

RUBBIES PLACE

MACARTHY DESIGNS

DRIFTWOOD INTERIORS

LOYALIST COTTAGE

COTTAGE DREAMERS

LUV DECORATING

COZY LITTLE HOUSE

FRENCH BUTTONS

MAMA WITHOUT BORDERS

THE VG HUIS

ANGELA WALKER JEWERLY

CAPPUCCINO COTTAGE

SHORT SOUTHERN MOMMA

PAINTED WHYTE

THE OLD WHITE COTTAGE

COTTAGE ON ROSEWOOD

Thanks Laura for giving me this wonderful Award and also for the opportunity to spread it with these other friends!

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Until next time,

Li :-)

~ Falling for Blue ~

2010-06-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I know I've been very bad with my posts, but time is getting even shorter for me from the past few weeks. Do you feel the time is running to fast? By the end of the day I wish we have more hours to accomplish everything I want to. And rest!!!

The good news are:

I SOLD my very first piece of furniture (the picture will be on my side bar)
I FINISHED the cabinet for my "first client" (which became my second)as well!!!!!

It Feels so good, friends...
When I finally decided to put my first piece for SALE, which I've been postponing (I don't know why),I had to choose which piece I would sale.
So I picked my little desk/chair and posted on kijiji almost two weeks ago, on Saturday night.
Sunday I got first contact and the same person came on Tuesday to pick it up. I explained about the technique of the paint and believe me, the guy really watches those house and home TV shows!
He bought it for his wife and with no doubt, he said she would fall in love with the piece.
Now, I have to finish another desk (it's almost done) to replace that one, and who knows will be gone as fast as the previous one?
This was my first experience selling, and I have to say that I was quite happy, not only because it was a fast sale, but because the person who bought it really liked the job I've done it on that desk. It's a wonderful feeling when the client appreciates your work! For me, that was the best part of the sale!

About "falling for blue?"
Oh my, I just LOVE blue, so I painted this little cabinet in blue and I made the shade of blue myself. A few months ago I bought on the Mistint section a little can for $2.50 in a nice blue, but I wanted lighter, so I kept mixing blue with white, until I got the shade I wanted.
It's fun to make your own shade of paint. I felt like a little kid learning how to mix colors!
Here are the results:

BEFORE the paint:

The cabinet was done from a friend who is taking carpentry course and he made this piece as a project.

After primed and 2 coats of paint, I started distressing it, a little bit here,

and there...

And I can't forget to mention the iron mesh I used, and with the staple gun, I did the job all around;

Here is a picture when I started using the blue over the primer

Volilá mes amis, another project done!

On my next post I'll ask a opinion from you about my kitchen. Yes, I'll finally start painting the cabinets next week. I'm just waiting for the weather to get better so I can enjoy painting outdoors.

I hope you are having a very good week with lots of sunshine in your hearts!

See you soon and enjoy the rest of the week!

Love,

~ Kids Corner and for the love of Brown! ~

2010-05-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, as much I have a passion for white things I still can't think of having a "White Sofa". Why? Well, I don't have "little devils" at home. I should say, I have little artists and two little puppies who love to dig in the dirt! Our 5 year old is in love with pens, crayons, paint...maybe he's been seeing "me" painting too much around and he's getting inspired! Other day, Nick( my hubby) came home with new "sharpie pens" (those ones you can't remove it, for nothing). He brought from Univ. to work in a cardboard and Ewan found them. Can you imagine what happened? Yes, he draw beautiful dots on his white duvet. Luckily, the cover wasn't there (it was for washing) and I couldn't say much, except to show him he ones he can play with...

So that's why I can't YET have a nice, bright, white sofa in our living room and in our family room.

OK, here is part of our basement. The other part is under remodeling.

I'm not a "basement person". When I first moved to Canada I used to live in a apartment, close to UofA. Beautiful views and could see the city from above.

Then, moving to a house with three kids, it was the first experience I had having a basement.

I love to see the day light, the green(when is green) and the snow. So, I barely come to the basement, except for laundry and for a quick movie. It made me a bit claustrophobic. But since I made a few changes I can come more often and enjoy sewing, watching family movies with the kids and having a good time "underground".

So, for the love of "brown" and a few whites around, here is a pic of the "kids corner" I finished and the space we hang out with our blankets (it's always cool down there).

I hope you guys enjoy it and like it!

It was the closest thing I could make it to feel good down there.

Any suggestions to make it better are very welcome here!

This wood box was a gift from a nice neighbour from a block away from where I live. What a lovely gift! I left the way I got it (I think the old look is gorgeous!)

This one is from IKEA. It used to be pine and I painted in cream color and the drawers with chalkboard paint

This dresser I bought for $20 at Kijiji and painted, distressed and changed the pulls. They're all from LeeValley.

This chair above was another free gift from someone who didn't want it anymore.

And remember the little bench I reupholster a while ago for my bedroom? The left over fabric I used for these two chairs!

These are some Art Work from our kids. Oops...this blue one, the frame is a bit uneven...sorry Folks

I saved a few can and spray them for extra pens and pencils and the other two ones from IKEA-$.99cents each, and the table I got at Salvation Army, for $10 and sanded and wash painted.

An overall look from the stairs...

That's it everyone, I think I'm going to enjoy my little one a bit now until I have to pick the other two.

I wish a wonderful weekend for all of you!

Until next time :-)

~ A Ruffle Flower for You ~ DIY

2010-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, thanks for all the lovely and supportive comments on my last post. In fact, the snow melted after a few days and now we can enjoy the real spring in here. It's just gorgeous the weather right now!
I miss coming here, posting, looking for your posts! But I got pretty busy here with the kid's competitions, so that's why I've been away from the computer. After all the driving around I also needed some time for myself to just relax. So, that's what I did. Every Spring I have allergies (pollen, dust, etc.),so that's another thing that's been happening with me right now, but I have to live with that. Now, I feel much better and have to carry on with my life and projects that has to be done here.

I know I missed so many posts from all of you, but I'll try to catch up with all when the sun goes down.
OK, when I first started my blog I met this wonderful lady, far far away from where I live and I connected with her right away. I love her blog, her simplicity in how she live her life and do her projects. Her name is Ange, from Chair Up. If you never been to her blog, now it's a good time to take a visit and leave Ange a comment. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet new friends!
Anyway, when I first did a ruffle flower, Ange asked me kindly if I could show it how to do it, so this post I am dedicating to Ange and all of you who would love to learn an easy project to decorate your home, your purse, a tiara, a flip-flop, anything your imagination can think about.
It's such an easy project and you can do it with any piece of fabric. This one was made with white cotton and it was a left piece I had from the shower curtain I made as well.
So, dear Ange, this flower is for you and the ones who love ruffles flowers!
So dear friends, enjoy this simple project. As I missed Mother's Day here, and sending warm wishes to all of you: a mother, a mother to be, those that are not mothers, but are caring (so they are mothers anyway!), to all of you, beautiful, creative,caring women I've met here and I'm still meeting every time I come here.
I have a piece I'm working right now to my first client. I'm very excited to see this project done. So my kitchen...Oh, my kitchen, has to wait a bit.
So soon I'll show you this cute piece of furniture ready to go to my friend's cozy bedroom.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are having a sunny and warm week!
Here is the DIY for the ruffle flower:

You will need:

a piece of fabric (this one was 1.20cm long) and the width I cut about 6cm wide.
scissors
sewing machine or you can do it by hand as well with a thread and needle

I like to iron the fabric before start any project made with fabrics

make a little pic in the fabric with the scissors

And tear the fabric all the way to the end ( I love the rustic effect!)

Sew in the ruffle mode (I hope that's how you say this)

when done with sewing, start pulling the thread for the ruffle effect

tie a knot on both ends to make sure it won't loose the ruffles and leaving some thread on both ends as well;start a flower by making a circle and continue until you finish with the fabric;

now, with the end of one thread, pull in through the center of the flower to meet the end of the other thread

flip it over to meet with both threads together and tie a knot to make sure the flower is secure.

That's it! The Ruffle flower is done!

these flowers are going to be on our daughter's room. She loves flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, fairies...

I hope it was understandable the way I explained the process of making this ruffle flower. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll be pleased to help you!

For some, enjoy the spring with the beauty of the flowers and the warmth of the sun and for others, the cozy fall, with the leaves changing colors and the breeze of the wind.

have a beautiful day everyone,

Cheers, Li

Xmas In May???

2010-05-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

Good Day everyone! Today it was hard to get up from a cozy, comfy bed. Why? Well, you know when you get up, around 5 am because your little one needs help to go to the bathroom and you see everything white?So, I thought I was still dreaming... Ewan got back to bed right away, since he had a few more hours to sleep, and I went to the living room to check if I was really dreaming or if it was real what I was seeing.

I could even pinch myself to see if I was sleepwalking, but no, it was very real. Sometimes the weather network is not a 100% and I wish they were wrong this time... As my brother-in-law says, I live in a place that is white inside and out!!! Literally!!! He has such a good sense of humor.

When I woke up my kids to school, they asked if school could be canceled today and if they could go back to bed. Poor kids, I know we've been waiting for Spring to arrive , and they couldn't miss today, they both had a big test this morning. So, sorry kids, you guys have to go to school. It could be worse, you know?

So, as I'm a very positive mom, I promise when they come back a nice hot chocolate with cheese bread I make. Just to warm up their spirits!

My son Nick said it looks like Christmas!!! In May!!!

I love their imagination, and to complete his one,he said they should be allowed to have gifts as well... Smart boy.
Here are the pics from my reality today:

No flowers in the pots yet

Even the dogs are lazy today...

I would love to be sitting there now

I was supposed to start a post about a ruffle flower I made, but I will leave it for another day...Sorry Folks, but for those who can't believe this can happen at this time of the year, this is just a positive way of looking for a snowy day with warm heart!
AS we can't enjoy the green grass, the flowers (I'm glad I didn't plant mine) and playing outside, we can at least enjoy the warmth inside and hang out here, in our own place where is always warm and cozy, right? We have to look in the bright way, always!
Wishing you all a warm (inside and out) lovely week!

Until next time,

Hugs,

A Game and a New Blog on the Block!!!

2010-04-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies,

I hope you all are having a wonderful and sunny week! At the moment, we are having rain, but it's wonderful to have the feeling of fresh and clean air. Not to mention, the grass and the flowers love it!

Dear Donna, from Donnatela Style invited me a couple of days ago to participate in a fun game.

So, here I am, after a few days doing it. It's about my sixth post. Do you remember yours? Neither do I...but it was quite interesting, because I had to go back in time (not so long ago) and the feeling when I did that post. I was in the middle of the winter here, when we have very low light from the sun and very cold temperatures!!! I remember I had to cheer me up somehow (and apparently it was just for myself!), 'cause no comments at all!hahaha. But even if it was only me and the computer, I got the warmth feeling remembering spring/summer was close, or at least in my mind.

So here are the pictures from my 6th post!

I made the table and hubby help me with a few details, like screwing, putting all together with me.

Got the chairs on sale from IKEA and stained them to match with the rest.

As we have this Hot Tub, and I was lucky because the previous owner left the stain for repairs, i stained the Hot tub and the table and chairs. It was wonderful to do this outside and when I could feel the warmth on my skin!

Thanks Donna for choosing Creamy White to participate of this fun game! I really enjoy it!!!!
Now, let's talk about the new Blog on the Block: Linda, from Painted Whyte has a brand new blog here for us to visit, exchange ideas, get more inspired! If you don't know Linda and her blog yet, got take a visit and enjoy her transformations and her talent! It's for sure a visit you will enjoy as much as I do!
Congratulations, Linda, for starting a blog and Welcome to this wonderful Place called Blogland!!!!
Ok, everybody, I have to go now...two little dogs are crying because they are all wet and muddy. And of course, mama Li here has to give them both a nice bath! I'll take pictures of them dirty and next time you will know what I was talking about!

Toddles,

~ Moving things around ~

2010-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog Friends, It's been a while since my last post. Kids had competitions, rehearsals and tests at school, so time here has been very short for me to come and write. But I'm missing you guys dearly!!!!

Remember the space I made for myself? Okay, I had to find a place for the table and the mirror to be, right?

So, I decided to move them to the "Foyer". It used to be there a dresser I got at a garage sale, but it wasn't working very well there. The decision was: move the dresser to the basement for the near future "Kids Corner" I'm planing. Soon you will know, because I just sanded the wood table I got at Salvation Army for $9.99!!! It will be for the kids to study, do crafts, art work, etc. And the dresser, of course, to hold all the supplies and paper work from school. It's going to look cool, I promise!

Okay, here is the Front Entrance of our house and the "Foyer", inside:

The two bottles I saved from our boys drink called "Jones" when we go to Starbucks. Luckily, I went to a Antique Mall with a friend other day and found those blue ones...but here in the picture, since I took these ones in the end of March.
And the candle holders, underneath the table are from Pier1. Again, got them on sale for $2.98 each and they used to be green and one red. Just sprayed them in white.
I hope you all had a wonderful week and wishing you a warm and beautiful weekend!

Hugs from me to you,

~ Bathroom Makeover ~ Finally done!

2010-04-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Blog Friends,

I have finally finished the bathroom makeover. Probably after a month working on this and other projects as well, I feel good i finished this one. It's always one last thing to do, when you have a schedule in front of you. Next: the Kitchen! Yesterday, while talking with sister Liane on the phone, she explained to me the difference between Makeover and Renovation. I think I was saying mentioning Renovation instead of Makeover, sorry ladies, this waas just a little makeover. At least now I know the difference! Thanks Sis!

So, this makeover was so inexpensive that I will list what I spent:

Curtain shower: I had the white curtain, so I just added the ruffles on the bottom with fabric I already had as well;

The curtain rod: from "nature". We had a very strong wind a couple of days ago, and this branch was on the ground and I just trimmed to the size of the window. I wanted more pointy, but I can change it any time, right?

The bathroom cabinet: just painted and changed the nobs and pulls. Total cost for this: $ 29

The rest...I had everything.

My dried sage from my last year garden,

a little jar I just added a wire to hang up;

the IKEA hooks, I had in the garage and extra when I did a mud room! But it cost me $16;

the shelf I painted and I got three years ago. My neighbour left outside for someone like me to get it!

The floor: the same. I wouldn't dare to change it!

I decided to make window shade inspired by Ness, from Marley and Lockyer. When Ness post about the one she made, I completely fell in love with. Mine isn't exactly like Ness (Because od the fabric), but as I enjoy sewing(hers are linen, absolutely GORGEOUS!)I give it a try with the fabric I had at home.
Ness always make beautiful things, not to mention the pillows she sells! I would love to have one of each myself for my house!Just clicking above on her bolg's name you can go and visit her. I'm sure you will fall in love too!
The DIY I'll do it soon, together with other projects I want to show you.

So, let's get started:

Here is the window without the shade.

and the floor will remain the same...

This is how the cabinet was before the paint!

I added one more row, but then my daughter suggested, as I had a last strip left, to add one more.

The window shade I made with a fabric I got a time ago to make pillow cover. I just had to buy the organza ribbon.

That's it Pretty Ladies, mission accomplished!

With a little budget and lots of energy, we can create a new atmosphere to any space in our home!

I hope you like it!

I'm off for my daily things around the house!
Bon semaine! Have a wonderful week! Boa semana!

Hugs,

~Anthropologie and Brazil and a nice Giveaway from HOME AND HARMONY

2010-04-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce a Sweet and Delicate GIVEAWAY from HOME AND HARMONY. I love the delicate things RIE does and also how she can make wonderful things for her house and in a very nice budget. She is definitely one of mine! Her sense of style is so nice, and I'm sure you're going to enjoy this as much as I do. Just by clicking in Home and Harmony above you can find out how to do an entry to this wonderful giveaway. Good luck everyone!

Now, let's talk about Anthropoplogie...

With the summer just around the corner here, and I can't wait to start wearing shorts, sandals and probably be gardening soon, I would like to share with all of you nice pictures from Anthropologie catalog for this month. I got the catalog by mail, and when I opened the first page I had a blast going through it and recognizing all the places in Rio. Yes, the pictures were taken in a beautiful city called Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. I have to admit I got a bit home sick, but just looking at them made me happy!
When I first met the store was almost a year ago, when they opened here in Edmonton, close to where I live. A friend of mine, who bought a house in Phoenix as a gateway from the winter, told me about the store, and she said that every time she visits the store she would think about me: the way I dress, my summer sandals (from Brazil) and the way I like to decorate.
So, when they opened the store, I waited a few weeks to pay my first visit (I just don't like the crowd!).
One day, after I left the kids at school, I decided to go, right after them open, at 10 O'clock.
Wow, I had a blast there...it really reminds me the stores in Rio de Janeiro and how "cariocas" dress themselves during summer time. As Rio can get chilly during winter because of the rain and humidity, the stores sell knitting cadigans, sweaters, and like Anthro , they don't have any heavy coat, just dress up ones.

So, these pictures were taken in Brazil and you can have an idea how Brazilians like to dress them up.
From these pictures you can have a perfect idea about Rio and how many artists go there to be inspired.
Diana Kraal recorded her last album in Rio and I saw an interview with here when she says it was one of the most interesting places she ever been.

Have yourself a BLAST!

This is in downtown Rio. This place used to be not very safe to walk, but now the city decided to preserve all the old monuments and "Arcos da Lapa" or Lapa Arcs is where you can find the artists, musicians hanging out after 4pm!

A typical "cafezinho" or little coffee with a very strong taste,
in a nice marble table!

A sidewalk in Rio and a summer dress, sandals, purse, and the hair is always flowing in the wind...

A table setting with Papaya and my favourite "bombom", a little chocolate wrapped in the bright yellow paper. And the taste...it's to die for!

I love the mosaic

I know, I know, her dress is GORGEOUS, but look behind her...The history of the furniture, the details, the old scale...Priceless!

Leblon on Sunday, when they close the main street in front of the beach for the people to walk, skateboard, jog, take pictures like this one!

The Portuguese influence in the tiles

and the sidewalks, made from portuguese stones. You really step in history over there.

That's why Anthropologie and Brazil have so much in common and I think they found a wonderful place to show the similarities.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! And good luck with your entry!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Hugs, Li

Ruffle Flower

2010-04-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

Good Day Ladies,

I've been working a lot in the cabinets here and at night, when is quiet around, I like to do small projects, as this flower I did with left over cotton I had. To not throw the tiny piece of fabric out, I did this ruffle flower to attach on a pillow, purse, blouse, wherever with like it! it's so simple to do it. But I didn't take any pictures of it, but I'll do it next time, when I'll make more.

Now, I'm thinking also about making a big one, the same size of a pillow, and make a round pillow! I'll try it for sure! The crochet flower I have done a long ago, when mom thought me how to, but right now I'm more into sewing. Maybe in the future...

I'm glad I didn't post this one yesterday, because this morning, when the kids had gone to school and i was having my coffee and checking email, blog, etc, I decided to take a look on some blogs I love to visit, and coincidentally, Tina, from Rubies Place has posted one very similar to this. Well, I love that lady! Don't you? Everything she does, how she treats us, absolutely everything about Tina and her Blog. I'm so glad (and I'm sure you all are too!) to have found her and has Tina as a friend! She is creative, sweet, amazing Mom and woman! What I found so interesting is even though we are so far away, we have so much in common. Not only Tina, but many women I've met through blogging!

I love to see how creative people around the world are, using their imagination, even with a little piece of fabric, plastic, wood...

This is for you Tina and all the women I've met here!I wish I could give you all a BIG HUG as a compliment for all the creativity things you all have been doing. And until I can write and do this, I'll be eternally grateful for meeting you all!

Have a lovely day and weekend for some of you!

~ My Story ~

2010-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies, I thought it would be good idea to write about me and the story that brought me here, to Canada. It's a nice way for us to know a bit about each other. I would love to hear from you and if you feel like it, tell about your story as well. I love learning from diferent experiences people had been. Hope you enjoy it:

Little Finland, Penedo, where I grew up and met the love of my life! This is Santa Claus House! You can book a visit with him!

pictures from Flickr

Sorry, couldn't make them bigger.

I used to walk after school with my sister here...

A few Stores, Cafés along the main street.

I was born in Brazil and I’m the youngest of 4 girls. Dad was a Vet and mom an Artist. I also grew up in a farm surrounded by animals, and after my dad retired we moved to Penedo, a cute little Village up in the mountains, 2 ½ hrs from Rio de Janeiro, colonized by Scandinavians, to be more precisely, from Finish. We moved from a farm to an acreage and still we were close to the small city to go to school, and do the other errands. I met Nick, my hubby, when I was 11 when we moved to Penedo, and his parents are from Finland as well. We were very good friends, as we still are, but just got together (dating) when I was 22.

At this age, I moved to Rio to start Physiotherapy at University. To pay for rent and school, I had to work. So, I got a job at a very nice store in downtown Rio. It was a store filled with different objects from Italy and also from local artists, called Cartoleria. After 2 years I became a Manager. At the same time I was struggling with my studies, and finally I decided to quit Univ. From that day, I said to myself: "One day I will have my own business". I was enjoying so much managing and meeting new people.To not be away completely from studying, I started an English course. We were planning to get married and travel a bit. I had no idea my life was about to change completely! So, Nick got an invitation to come to Canada for his Post Doctoral Fellow at UofA. He was about to finish his PHD in engineering, so we got married, two days after the wedding he defended his Thesis and we arrived in Canada in May 1996, a month after.

After 2 months he had an option to stay 4+ years and so we did. It was quite difficult in the beginning because I thought being here for a year was fun, but 4 more? We never planned to be away that much from the family and friends...

We came with pretty much noting, just a few clothes, and that’s it! So, we applied for our Visa, got it 5 months after and I did lots of volunteering jobs in the meantime to kept in touch with people and learn better the language. I had plans to go back to Univ. But to be honest, I’m quite glad I didn’t.

I was also very shy to speak, so mostly, I was a listener, a very good listener!

After 3 years I got pregnant with our first child, but unfortunately, with all my 3 pregnancies, we had 3 BIG losses in our family down in Brazil. I also had the kids by myself because no one could come to help me a bit.

My dad was the first one, when I was 7 months pregnant with Annikki, then almost 3 years later, 15 days after our baby boy Nick was born, my father-in-law. As no one is “made of iron”, I started to get really depressed. But one day, an Angel sat over my shoulder and whispered: GET SOME HELP! And so I did. Otherwise I don’t think I would be here to tell you this story.

I started a medication and at the same time migraines were killing me. It was awful...so, taking one for depression and almost a bottle of Advil for the headaches, a month after, I decided to quit both. I said to myself: enough is enough. I can’t deal with this anymore. Instead of searching about the disease (which I knew enough about it) I searched for another thing: HAPPINESS.

I got books in the library, book stores, everything you can possibly imagine to help me, from Louise L. Hay “You can Heal your Life” to “The Teachings of Abraham” (all of them), by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Then, I started to see “light” after reading and understanding those words and messages and I could appreciate life in a way I couldn’t before. Today, it’s been 6 years I’m totally cured!

We all have UPS & DOWNS once in a while, but I try to be positive as much as I can. My mom passed away (the 3rd loss in the family) not long ago, after our third kid, Ewan, was born. I miss her a lot, and not being there with my sisters was the worst part, but we can’t prevent things like this to happen in our lives. Nick wanted 5 kids, a big family like I had, but coincidence or not I don’t want to take any chances! I’m very happy with our 3 kids! And I know he is too.

You know, life is beautiful. It has to be. My story might be a bit sad because of all the losses, but I grew so much from all of this as well. Before, I would never open up my heart and my life to say anything. Actually, nobody ever new. Now, my message is this:

We need to talk. Find someone you trust, but don’t keep to yourself if you have something even close to this. And don’t stop the medication like I did! I was quite brave to do it. This was my experience!

Now, I think wrote too much! Sorry, ladies! It might be from my background: Italian/Spanish!

I call myself “a Citizen of the World”. I’m an explorer, love to learn new things, new cultures. And new languages! I see in our kids with the same spirit as we are: free to learn, to fly...

The best gift? To wake up every morning and feel that I’m HERE!

To wait for my daughter to come to my bed and give me a kiss;

To wake up the boys and see the “grumpy” faces, because they want to sleep more;

To hear the phone ringing early in the morning and it’s Nick wishing us a good day and saying he LOVES US!

To be able to work with my hands, help others, blog!

To phone my sisters and friends whenever I want (we pay only $0.04 cents a minute to Brazil) and talk as much as I want!

To be a Stay at Home Mom and proud to be with my kids.

To enjoy life and what I do.

Now, after all these years, I really know what I love to do. I have no regrats for quiting Univ to be who I am and to be a mom. I love my job as a mom, a wife, a friend and everything we can name it!

I never do things that doesn't bring me joy and so I teach my kids the same. They have to enjoy what they do, otherwise it won't be complete!

Well Beautiful Ladies, I hope my story wasn’t so sad. I have an amazing life now and realized that I always have. But sometimes there are some dark clouds over us, and we just need to blow them out! This is a story to show you that everything is possible here in this Planet. You just have to BELIEVE!BELIEVE.

Sorry about my writing ladies. My Grammar is not a 100%, but I’ll improve, I promise. Just writing here is an amazing way of practicing my writing skills. Learning another language is not only "saying", but also learning how to say it "properly". I did lots of mistakes (still do) and sometimes I wonder if I'm rude, or something. Traslating everything and quickly is just funny, and we have the tendency to put our native always first. But I'm trying to only think in english here.

Wish you all a wonderful week, full of joy, happiness.
I have lots to do here. The bathroom is almost done...

Peace and Love always,

RAZMATAZ GIVEAWAY

2010-04-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

ALL PINK AND SPARKLE! Now it's time for a wonderful giveaway from RAZMATAZ! Chania and Lorraine open a online store and you can now not just DREAM, but buy her amazing products online! And They are having this amazing Giveaway this month!You can't miss that!

Just click here for details: here

I wish you all good luck!

HAPPY EASTER,

Li :-)

~ A little space for myself ~

2010-03-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! As I'm working "still" in the bathroom (I know I'm a bit lazy) and also making a nice space for the kids to work with their creations downstairs, I decided to have a space for myself too. I think I deserve it! And I have this desk/chair I got when I was visiting a friend in Calgary that needed to be painted. I got the set for $15 on sale @ Salvation Army. It was 50%off that day and my friend and I were so happy to be there without even knowing about the sales!
Here is the chair the way I found it:

And the table:

These nobs and a cup pull I found 2 months ago @ Anthropologie and they were on sale for $2.95 the nobs and the cup pull for $7.95. The fabric was another wonderful find. I got 50cm only, because I just needed to cover the seat of the chair and cost me only $0.80! It's a good match, isn't it?

Here are the results of the desk, chair and frame I had as well:

Now I have a place for myself here in the living room to check my emails, be inspired, and at the same time look outside and see the sun! Our home faces North/East and the sun shines a lot here in this room. The table with the mirror that was in this space before, I moved to the Foyer. I'll show you guys soon in another post. I also haven't decided yet if I should make a cork board with this frame or a chalk board...What do you think? I would love to hear from you!

Easter is approaching and we are here enjoying the Spring Break. The kids are really enjoying sleeping in and they are all very excited for Easter. We are going for a nice walk today to get some branches for our Easter Tree. I hope you all are having a good week and If I don't come back here until Easter, I wish you all a wonderful time with your families, friends, or even if you are by yourself, enjoy your time! We are never alone!

Happy Easter everyone!

With lots of love,

Li :-)

~ A Light White/Grey Country Cabinet ~ Before & After

2010-03-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Ladies, I've been dreaming to finish this cabinet and to show you all, you can't imagine... And finally I did it!!! Hooray!!!
When I got this piece at a Thrifty store near by, I was dreaming already to put it in this big wall we have in our living room. This one is a solid wood, which was wonderful to work with. Before I bought this cabinet, we were thinking to by an electric fireplace. But instead of spending around $500(I'm so glad we didn't), I found this piece for $80 and refinished myself. It took me a few months (it was too cold in the garage to work) and in 2 weeks, between painting the top, kids, blah, blah, blah....and one more day to paint the bottom part, I finally finished last Thursday. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too slow...some friends call me "laid back" though, but I don't rush with my life and sometimes we have other priorities.
Anyway, my love for refinishing furniture started when I was a kid. Back home, where I was born, in Brazil, we weren't lucky enough to have all Barbie's houses, clothes, furniture, not to mention accessories for them! So, my mom would helped me making the clothes for my dolls until I could do it myself and the furniture for the "pretend house", a man who worked in a farm I grew up, used to make it. I was in charge of painting the little furniture.
So now, when I get my hands on "working", my inspiration and passion come alive and very much from that time. I just love to do this.
The color I used to paint this cabinet was plain white as a base and I mixed grey to get a new color (two teasp.). It's hard to believe there is some grey in this cabinet, but comparing with plain white you can see the difference.
I didn't know if I would distress it or not, but when I did one door, I really liked it. Here is the final result:

These two chairs need a re upholstery too!

The white milky vases are all from Thrifty store ($1.99 each)and a Cuia Matte (little brown bowl with a silver straw) , where I drink "matte" or "chimarrão" with my friend, from South of Brazil.

Before I put the ring pulls,

After, with the ring pulls. They are from Lee Valley and cost $2.65 each.

It was fun to see everything coming together.

Mr. "curious" Jasper sniffing around!

That's how the cabinet was before the total makeover:

So, this piece came with no glass on the doors. Instead of glass, I chose "iron mesh" and cut them on the side of the frame.

Don't you ever underestimate the power of a new coat of paint!!! And don't be afraid of distressing the wood either. Even if you think you did to much, you can always go back, paint it again, and decide what's the best look for the furniture. This cabinet was be biggest piece of furniture I painted so far. But I had a blast when I finished!

Hope you all like it and have a wonderful beginning of the week!
Here is Spring Break for the kids, so that means, they'll be around and I'm sure we're going to have lots of fun!
See you soon,

Love, Li

Sunshine Award!

2010-03-24T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hello Ladies,
How fun is to get an award? Specially if it comes from someone who appreciates you? Well, today I got my first one! A lovely human being called Chania, from Razmataz gave it to me. I'm thrilled! And Chania also made a post a few days ago about my blog and my work. I think she really appreciates what I do! And I do appreciate what she does too, and many others. As you can see, I love to share with others what I know and help them do it themselves. So, I'll be always showing the steps through my blog.
But receiving this award was too much fun! It's a kind of recognition, right? I loved it!
I think the SPRING is here, even with lot's of snow on the ground. But who cares? We need to feel the spring in our hearts first, and then let the nature do the rest. I know it will come soon.
If you don't know Chania, please, go now and visit her blog. It's something you can't miss.
Thanks Chania for caring and appreciating my "hand made" things.

Love to all,

Antique bench ~ Before & After ~

2010-03-24T15:44:00.001-07:00

Hello Ladies! I think I forgot to include this little Antique bench on my bedroom renovation post. I was quite lucky with this one, because I got it for free. Someone apparently didn't want this beauty anymore, (it wasn't a beauty before)and as I am a kind person who feels sorry for things left alone outside, I got it to give a new life to this poor little bench. I had to take 3 layers of fabric and I was quite discussed with I was seeing. I do have pictures, but I don't think it's necessary... But even with all the dust and dirties ( I wore a mask to protect myself!) I saw a potential with this one. So here is the result and the process of making it look nicer:

I bought this linen fabric, a more of a country style on a huge sale at the store. I paid only $1.25m. So, I still have some left for a future project. First I ironed the linen to to not have any wrinkles.

Then I cut the fabric + quilt batting. The fabric has to be a few cm bigger then the quilt batting. So when you fold it, you have extra material to hold all in place. I believe I left between 5 to 7 cm.

Place the bench seat upside down on top of the batting then fabric.

Then you will need a staple gun to fold both fabrics and staple everything together all around the bench.

I used 2 layers of the quilt batting to make the seat softer.

Then you start stapling, all around...

And in the corners, do the center first,

then fold one side first, staple. And then the other side, just like this.

Ready! The seat cushion for the Antique stool is ready to use it!

I sprayed white paint, 2 coats, let it dry, and lightly distressed the frame of the bench.

That's it Ladies, one more thing done.

Another piece for our bedroom

I hope you like it and until my next project!

I off now to help the kids with homework.

Have a lovely day,

Toddles,

Li :-)

Renovation 101 ~ Master Bedroom~

2010-03-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Ladies, I'm about to show you the first Reno done here in our home. Still more to come, but this was the first project we finished so far (completely!). We are doing in a very little budget, which means I won't be able to change the counter top in the kitchen, sink, etc. But the reason for doing this, is to have a house with a good feeling (better that it is!). A Cottage in the city! We are very well located here, close to schools, library, shopping mall, hospital, etc, but at the same time we are in a "private" place, in a Cull D' Sac, or Crescent?

All of ours friends, literally got lost when they first came here to visit us. We call this place "Our Private Island". I hope the reno will look nice for the potential buyer! But so far, we are enjoying our home so much that this feeling is going to continue for the next one!

OK, let's make this short. The first place that it is "completely" finished is our bedroom. I know already saw it, but I made refinished a cute antique stool and would like to show you the before and after and also the whole view of the bedroom. Let's get started:

The only 2 things I got instead of "me" doing it, was the bed and the Armoire. I've always wanted to have one and all I could find was way to much for my budget. Finally I met got one with a very good price! I'll make a post just about this amazing lady I met that bought the Armoire from.

The side tables I refinished myself. I got both from guy who got them from a Antique Store somewhere in Ontario. He even showed me the receipt!

When Nick and I decided to keep moving with our plans, the tables of course, needed a makeover too. So I painted them white and distressed.
The floor....ah, the floor. We changed to light wood (Nick is Finish!) and is all recycled material (we call a green bedroom).

It used to be a carpet, pink, with green walls.

It was too overwhelming for us! We both love light colors and like me, he loves white! Unfortunately we lost the pictures from the renovation. it was so much fun!!!!

The paneling is wall paper and we did at the same time we did the floor, 2 1/2 years ago. So we chose light blue to half of the walls, just to have a bit of contrast in our bedroom.

The frames I bought them all at a Thrifty Store near by. The little ones as $0.99 and the bigger $2.99. I love to shop at Thrifty's stores!

I think that's pretty much it! The Chair, side tables, walls (1/2), frames, pillows, they were done by me, and the floor and 1/2 of the wall by hubby Nick. The duvet cover and sham is from IKEA. I got them on sale as well.

It really feels good when you accomplish something. And the good thing about DIY is of course, the savings you make, and also the MEMORIES you create! They are priceless!!!

This room can show me we can have a nice place without spending to much. I'm really enjoying doing things like that and I don't think I'll buy anything else without first thinking if I can do it myself! I would love to say thanks to a lovely CELESTE, from COTTAGE DREAMERS. Last week she made a post about a ruffle pillow, where she got inspired by mine. The result was fabulous and it was so sweet of her to mention my name and my blog to others. Thanks Celeste! You should go and check her blog, if you haven't done so, where she is doing an amazing jog in her Cottage!
Today we had snow again and it's a bit cold outside. I don't have fun painting when it's cold. Our furnace in the garage is broken and to fix it is way too much. So, I'll wait for tomorrow, when they are promising it's going to get better!

I hope I'll see you guys soon...

Have a lovely day Ladies!

Love, Li :-)

Thanks for visiting and I hope you guys like it!

Li :-)

A different ruffled pillow...

2010-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm really feeling like a "Queen of the pillows" today! And I think I'll be doing this even more for a while, since I got 7 crochet ones by mail to sew it! To be honest, I love them a lot! Sewing is very relaxing for me, specially if I'm not joining the family for a movie, like happened last Saturday night here. To still be around them and enjoy their company (where I can even ask them a opinion during the sewing), I brought my sewing machine to the Craft table "quite" close to the kids and hubby and started my new pillow.

I just cut strips without measuring (I like things uneven sometimes). These ones are around 7cm wide. They don't need to be exactly the same size, but at least similar. The length, usually I do 2 1/2 times over the width of the pillow. So, if the pillow is 40cm wide, I'll cut the length around 100cm. But again, this is an estimate.

Then you just need to sew each strip of fabric, pull the tread to get the same size of the width of the pillow, sew again on top of the thread you already pull to attach each strip to the fabric and Pronto! The ruffle effect is created! Simple like that, really! This one I sew on top instead of the middle of the strip. I hope I'm making myself clear in this process...
This pillow it's so similar to a nice skirt I had when I was a child...And on a shower curtain I think will look really nice too, don't you think?

Ladies, feel free to ask me any question! I'll be happy to help you! The pillow is done and ready to be on a comfy bed or even by itself on a chair. It's always a pleasure to have something new to enjoy! Specially made by us!

It doesn't take much time to do a project like this and the result is quite good, isn't it?
Ps: I already sewed one more row of ruffles on the shower curtain!!!! While the boys were having a nice lavender bath, I quickly taped the places that needed between the walls and the floor. Now I just need to paint the bathroom, Ladies! I'm almost there! Soon we'll have a new bathroom. Thanks again for the nice comments.

I hope you guys like it and I wish you all a wonderful beggining of the week!
Love, Li :-)

~ For the love of Birds~

2010-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had a BIG SURPIRISE arriving from 15.000 miles away. While I was helping my dearest friend Tete to start a blog herself (If you guys enjoy poetry from a sweetest heart) you can't miss to visit her blog: http://dropsofjoy-therezinha.blogspot.com/ The door bell rang and was the post officer with this yellow box comming from Brazil. I got so excited that I openned the box right away and showed her the beautiful things that was inside. My mother-in-law sent this box filled with beautiful crochet she made herself. It's all Crochet and she gave me as a gift this Lovely curtain which I'll definatly put in our bedroom + 7 pillow covers!!!! Oh my Gosh...I think I'll be even busier sewing more pillows in the next couple of weeks.

I've been collecting lately a few "bird things" and coindence or not, the curtain has a beautiful bird on it! Just too lovely...

I would love so say thanks for the wonderful comments and for the ideas for my bathroom. Yes, I'm working on the 3rd row of ruffles for the shower curtain and next week I'll be painting the walls in Pure White!

Here are some pics from the love of birds I have got.

The lamp shade I got "again" at ANTHRO". The original price was $48 and I paid $14. Good bargain, hey?

Mr Salt and Mrs Pepper!$2.95 @ Anthro + plate $3.95

Myself trying my best to take a nice shot!

The "surprise box"!

Well beautiful Ladies, I loved so much all your opinions from my last post. You all voted to white walls and one more row of ruffles, so here I am enjoying myself sewing and I'll be enjoying even more when it's all done! This is a wonderful terapy for me! I love decorating and putting my hands on work.
Have a lovely weekend!
Take care, Tchau,
Li :-)

Shower "Ruffled" Curtain

2010-03-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Remember a while ago I said I'll be doing a little renovation in our bathroom?
Well, while the furniture is drying up in the garage and I need a "big guy" to help me put the top part on the floor to continue with the rest, I decided to start a little project for the bathroom, before I loose interest in ruffles!!! What am I saying...I just love them so much! They are delicate, simple to make and at the end always give a nice touch to the fabric. Even a plain t-shirt will look nice! Hum...I might have to do that soon.
As the shower curtain was plain white and I think needed something to bring up the charm (I would love to buy one I saw at Anthropologie, but to expensive for my budget!) and I bought 5 m of white cotton fabric on sale last week($4.5 per meter with 40% off), I said to myself I should give it a try to do ruffles at the bottom of the curtain. Even though ruffles are simple to make, these gave me a bit of a headache, since I had to pull the tread from 5m of fabric!!!!! I cut the strips straight from the top of the fabric to the end. Actually, I just make a little pic with the scissors and them rip off the rest of the fabric with my hands. The stripes is about 4cm wide each. The bottom one is a bit bigger. I like to leave as much rustic as possible, and also save me time of doing ham on both sides of the ruffles. I almost gave up, but as the sewing was progressing, I said to myself that now that I've started, let me at least see the result with one ruffle! It was looking to good to not continue...I still have one more strip to sew and pull the tread to attach to the curtain, but I found two columns of ruffles looks really nice, instead of three. The good thing is, if I want to sew more I can sew and add to the curtain later.
Our bathroom is basically light green and I'm about to paint the walls pure white. What do you think? Should I leave it green or go for white? I would love to hear from you!

I sew 2 rows of the ruffles. Do you think 3 would be better?
The green paint is almost unnoticeable because of the light from outside, but it's green, believe me!

Can you see the green walls?

Well Ladies, thanks for stopping by and I hope you like the shower curtain. I'll see you very soon.

~ A few more pillow covers~

2010-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

AS the day goes by and I'm on a break for a tea with my lovely daughter (we love to hang out together!), I want to show you the pillows I've finished a couple of days ago. I showed the shirts on another post, now they became cut little pillows for our beds. Just remember to save nice shirts you're not going to use them anymore and Voilá, new pillows to decorate your home!

This is for Annikki's room!

A few more for my bedroom,

A closer look...

And this one I bought rickrack in two different sizes and sew them in a white cotton fabric

Have a good one!

~ A Little Corner ~

2010-03-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies! After a busy but very nice weekend, full of things to do and organize here in the house, Nick and I decided about the projects that has to be done. Little by little it's getting the way we like it, and it's been wonderful to be able to do this ourselves. Yes, he is a big helper here in this process as well, 'cause I'm not very good with making holes in wood, nailing, etc. So, when I finish painting, distressing, he does the rest! Some of my work is about Nick and I, and I'm so glad he enjoys helping me. It's also a time we can be together, talk about our plans while the kids are entertaining themselves.

Tomorrow I'll be painting the biggest furniture I ever have, so I'm quite excited to start and can't wait to show you guys the results.

After I finish a few more things we have in my"studio", I'll go paint the kitchen cabinets, the two bathrooms, and we also decided to redo the kids rooms. So, this is going to be a big challenge for me here in the next few weeks, as we set a time to finish all by the end of April. Finally we'll have an Open House and don't worry, I'll put all the shots in just one post, which I'll call OPEN HOUSE! Isn't it exciting?

I also want to start my week saying thanks to all of you who have been following me and leaving such wonderful comments. Writing in English is kind of new for me, as I've never done it before. Only little notes, stuff like that. So, yes, thanks Girls for your understanding and for your patience! This is a wonderful opportunity for me to practice and get in touch with the world!

Going back to the job...

Here is a little table I finished and added new pull rings. I lightly distressed it and I'll show you how to do this easy "distressing" thing in the next post! I'm quite sure you all know already!

Stay tuned...

I got the ring pulls at Lee Valley. They cost only $2.80 each, and the table a bought through Kijiji, for $10.

A bit of distressing here and there...

This little corner in our living room needed a makeover!
I'm so happy I finally did it!

And that's the table before:

It eels so good to have one more thing done...
I wish you all a lovely, but lovely beginning of the week!

:-) Li

Getting a few things done...

2010-03-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hooray!!!! I can't imagine after so many months with the furniture in the garage, which now I call my "Studio", I am finally working on them. And today I finished 3 pieces, actually 4, but still deciding the which nobs I will choose from to put in this 4Th piece.
But at least I can show you some of them and I had a blast working this afternoon. It was way warmer then before, I could open the door to get some fresh air, I saw sun shinning all day. It was a beautiful! I love when I can feel them warmth from the Sun.
Here are some pics of them:

I lightly distressed them

and add this glass nob from Anthropologie

How they were:

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!

See ya,

:-) Li

A Dusty Monday

2010-03-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Hello Dear Fellas, how are you all doing? I hope you guys had a very relaxed weekend and are ready for one more week of adventures. Yes, life for me is an adventure and always filled with new things. Yesterday my hubby gave me two new toys and I have to say I felt like a child opening a present on Christmas Day! For years I've been painting things, renovating some, and as practical as he is, he thought it would be better if I had the right tools to work. And he was right. I've been sending with my hands and painting for so long I can't even remember. I like to use paint brushes, don't get me wrong, but I have a huge (at least for me is huge), I should say, a big piece of furniture we bought a while ago + others and I assumed he was tired of looking of them sitting in the garage. And I am too!!!! I like things flowing, so, he gave me a sender and a air compressor with the paint gun to make my job easier and more enjoyable during these cold days we have.

It is a simple sender, very light in weight and easy to use it!
I got a nice fabric for this chair on the left...

So today, while the kids were in school, I had to do a bit of work, and I had a very dusty afternoon, sending everything you can possibly imagine. From side table, a desk, an end table to this big Hutch. I think if I had to send them all only with the send paper it will take me quite a while...I'm so happy with my new toys! It didn't take me much to do what I had to do and tomorrow a new adventure begins...PAINTING!

And look who showed up to make me a visit?

Jasper and Alice!
Just sneaking around...

They follow me everywhere !

Thanks for visiting and until next time. If you have any questions about sending, I'll be happy to help you.
Hugs,
:-) Li

Feeling like a Queen

2010-03-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

Friday, Friday! Nothing like start, not only the week, but the weekend with fresh washed bed sheets, change the bed cover, and having a cozy bed waiting for you at night or who knows for a little nap in the afternoon? Friday is the day of the week we love the most here! We can sleep in the next day, make breakfast on the weekend with the whole family together (daddy always leave home quite early during the week) and just enjoy ourselves. No plans at all for the weekend...Oops, I almost forgot! We might be going tomorrow afternoon for a movie. It's been a while we haven't done this and we've been waiting for Alice in the Wonderland...the kids are very excited here to see this one. We all love Johnny Depp!

So, yes, I made a nice pillow (actually I made three) but I'll post all them together in another post for sure, I promisse. So today I'm really feeling like a Queen! The house still have the beautiful Carnations leaving a nice smell around, all the beds are done, floors...everything looks good for a nice weekend here and I wish the same for all of you! A cozy, enjoyable, fun, quite, whatever you decide, but a wonderful weekend for you all!

Until next time!

Love, Li :-)

Pink Carnations

2010-03-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, there are a few things we don't let run out here at our home, and one of them are fresh flowers. Some friends ask me if I spend a lot on flowers. Well, I really don't know because they bring me such JOY, specially because we have a very short spring/summer up here and I don't mind to spend a few extras on them. These carnations I bought this morning while grocery shopping. I couldn't resist to get them and lucky or not, they were 50% off the regular price. I've been enjoying so much cooking, trying new recipes and nothing better than have these beautiful flowers close to me while I cook. They are beautiful just for the simplicity, the delicate color, just to be...

Au Revoir... Li

Kitchen Chalkboards

2010-03-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

It's interesting to know how many things we can do with so little, I mean, with cost $0 or very little. After a visit to a friend a couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Pottery Barn. Unfortunatly we don't have it here. What an amazing store to visit!While browsing and enjoying my time there, I saw so many nice projects we can do ourselves without spending much. This one here I could have bought there and you can find it at PB catalogue, but I decided to not spend much (I already had the plates at home) and instead to paint the plates, even though I have the chalkboard paint I went to something similar and something I can reuse in the future. I got a chalkboard adhesive instead, which didn't cost much anyway. It is reusable, easy to cut it and I can remove them whenever I want. Piece of cake, hum?

Kinf of feeling hungry now...think I want to bake a nice cake tonight...

Bon Appetit! Li

Vintage Fabrics

2010-02-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hello Folks, as I'm starting to get excited here (it's really warming up outside!) I always take some time to clean up my closet and I found some nice vintage Scandinavian fabrics, crochet bed cover my mother-in-law gave me on my 30Th birthday, and some quilts shams I like it a lot and would like to show here. I never understood until I came to Canada what a spring clean up really meant (and also a closet clean up!). Yes, where I used to live before we don't do this because we can do this anytime, in any season. But here, it is a big deal and it feels soooooo good to do that anyway. today I spent some time doing that, looking for things we don't need anymore and taking some time thinking what can I do with a few things before I give them away.
Well, I'm quite excited too because next week will be even warmer and I'll start painting some furniture that are sitting in the garage for ages! I hope I can keep with my promise, since a few things can come up unexpectedly. But I really hope I can find some time to do that. I am missing painting... I also have this book that teaches in a very easy way how to do different types of cushions. It's lovely and again this book was a nice find and it will help me a lot with some projects I want to do in the future.

Au Revoir,
:-) Li

Passion

2010-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

Passion for white has a long story. But to make the long story short, I kind of worked more with whites with myself over the past few years, from clothes, duvets and sheets for the beds. The furniture itself came little by little, starting from the kids crib (It was one for all the kids; they are 3 years apart!) beds, dressers, frames...then came our own bedroom. The Bed of my dreams. I waited for over 10 years and on our 13th anniversary Nick (the hubby) surprised me with the bed. It is a Canopy bed from Pier1 Imports, a beautiful store, but doesn't have much white things there, just a few pieces. The bed was one of them. Anyway, I think I'm making the story long now. Going back to my childhood, I always loved white, since a kid. White blouses, dresses, skirts. My uniform was pretty much jeans, white t-shirt and a Converse. I remember every New Year's Eve, the preparation for all of us in the family dressing white. It is a tradition in Brazil, and It is something I'll carry on with me to the end, because it is a beautiful way to start the new year, bringing PEACE to your soul. I love that tradition.
So, the passion for white, then came blue, light colors, baby blue, baby pink. They all mix so beautifully with white and every time I come home I can feel the peace, the smell of the incense, not to mention the fresh flowers Nick always brings home from the market. I can see myself picking my own flowers from our garden, the herbs, the eggs from our chickens... how wonderful it is to dream. And I really want mine to happen, so I don't stop dreaming.
These shirts I have for over 10 years and as everything has their time here in the Planet, I think I'm going to transform them into a nice, cozy, lavender pillows for Annikki's and our bedroom. What do you think? I might be sewing today. It looks pretty damp outside and nothing like having a warm, cozy place to hang out with your family and enjoy something you like to do, like sewing for me.
I'm listening right now to Aretha Franklin. Just love her!!! Her voice, the emotion she puts when she is singing it's absolutely fantastic. I wish I could be sharing this song with you all...
I'll see you soon...

:-) Li

Tic-toc, tic-toc around the world

2010-02-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

I feel so blessed to have friends around the world, and now meeting even more people from blogging. But to keep in touch with them and not making a mistake of waking them up in the middle of the night or to early in the morning, I thought it would be a good idea to have clocks on the wall with the current time of the countries I usually phone. So here is a little and simple project if you need to be in contact with your friends and don't want to make the same mistake I used to do. I got three clocks @ IKEA for $9 each and got letter stickers. You can find them at any stationary store. Just find the type of letter of your preference. I think it looks cute.

I'll see you guys soon,

Tchau,

:-) Li

Candles, insence and music

2010-02-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday every one! Maybe I should say Happy Tuesday for some of you around the globe?
Anyway, here are three things I usually don't let run out of it here at Creamy White: candles, incense and music.I don't watch the news, prefer music though and they always make me happy.
With all the windows closed for many months of the year and with all the cooking inside the house, incenses are just perfect to give every room a new fresh smell and bringing a calm and relaxing feeling, as well as candles and a nice music. I pretty much listen to may different kinds of music, don't have a specific type, but I really like music form the 80's, 70's, nice rock, sometimes classic, etc. I could go on and on about this topic...but gets to personal, right?
I'm finishing a photography course this Thursday, so here are some pics for the last class. I hope the teacher likes them.

Enjoy the week,

:-)Li

Art Work

2010-02-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

Many people spend thousands and thousands in Art Work. I really wish I could though, but at the moment the Art Work I collect are from my kids. And it is also a nice support for them continuing painting, drawing, creating! So, why not make a nice display of these Pieces of Art?

Remember the bathroom I'm about to finish? Well, I still have a little touch ups to do, but right now I'm playing with the decoration, and I want to share this little Art our daughter made for Father's Day last year. The other pieces from the kids I'll post soon, 'cause today it is the kind of "lazy"day we are going to do some craft, painting and pretty soon they be ready for our own private Art Galley under our own roof!

Thanks for visiting Creamy White.

:-) Li

Old shirts? New pillow covers!

2010-02-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

I can't think at the moment of anything easier then making these pillow covers. I made them a couple of years ago, when I would never think about having my own Blog. But now that I have one, you will see how easy it is to make them. I usually donate clothes we don't use it anymore, but these I couldn't resist, since I like plaid, floral, white and strips. So get some shirts (for example, those shirts your husband/kids/you don't want anymore) and you can create a fast and easy project to decorate any room you want in your house. You will need:

a shirt, sewing machine, and square pillows. Mine are 40x40cm, so for the cover, add an extra 2cm for each side for sewing. The good thing about this project is you won't need to add buttons and not even do the button hole!. It is already there. You will only be sewing a square and Pronto.

Have Fun sewing! Until next time,

:-) Li

An Almost a Grown Up Girl Room

2010-02-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

The butterfly mobile was made with lavender ribon,a cross-stich hoop and 5 butterflies I got at a dollar store and nylon tread to attach them on the hoop.

Hello Folks, I really like our daughter bedroom and I thought it will be interesting to share it with you guys. It is a tiny place, but filled with little treasures that means a lot to her. Since she chose the color of the walls (a Light Lavender) we added a few things that we made ourselves, like the "butterfly mobile" and the tie-dye pillow in lavender. We also painted the letter "A" in white (I really like monograms), and we got the picture frames in natural color, so we sprayed them in white as well. I upholster the old chair with a fabric I had and with the rest of the fabric I made a little pillow embroidered (the embroidery was made at a store for $6 dollars)with her name.

Annikki also helped paint the walls! She had so much fun doing it and did it pretty well actually, so she'll have good memories from our first house, in her kind of grown up girl room. All pictures taken on this post are from me! Thanks again for visiting Creamy White!

Until next time,

:-) Li

Happy Valentine's and a Board to Remember

2010-02-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Number 5 is for our Family: hubby, myself, and 3 kids, and then 2 more members arrived last summer to our family! Jasper& Alice, our cute Westies!

This board used to have a cork background, so to make it more Chic, I bought a nice wool fabric, stappled at the back and Voilá, a new board is born!

The numbers are from Home Depot(very inexpensive) and I used a black pin to attach the numbers on the board. I also used pictures corners so I can change the photos easily without damaging them.

Dear Blogger, I wish a Happy Valentine's Day to all! Even though some places doesn't celebrate this holiday, it is a nice way always to remember your friends, family, boyfriend/girlfriend, your kids, whom ever is important to you!
I had a very calm day with our 3 kids + 2 puppies! Very relaxing, and tomorrow here in Edmonton we have another holiday: Family Day!!!!! We are in the only Province in Canada that celebrate this date and we also celebrate ourselves here because this holiday, 12 years ago, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Annikki, now 11! Wow! Time really flies...So, let's celebrate, be thankful for our lives, for being healthy, happy! I wish you all a wonderful valentine's and if you don't celebrate, it doesn't matter, just receive my love now.

XoXo, Li

White Vintage Curtains

2010-02-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Which one should I pick?

I have been dreaming for a while of renovate the bathroom in our house, but in a very small budget. So, I have a few plans to start:

instead of removing the floor, I'll paint it in white (still I have to shop about how to) because I have no idea what kind of paint to use over a Linoleum.It's not a shinny one, so I believe I'll find something;
I will add a few accessories to lift up and make it more enjoyable. I love handmade, unique things and that will be the focus point in the tiny bathroom we have in the basement.
For the bathroom upstairs, I'll only put a new coat of "White", which will make the place much bigger and would love to change the bath curtains. But the ones I really loved are a bit to much of what I can pay, so I'm planing to make myself a curtain for the bathroom. These two curtains are simply lovely, aren't they? Well, wish me luck on my project!
The curtains shown in the pictures are from Anthropologie.

From you lovely blogger, Li

Beach Vintage

2010-02-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

As I live a few miles away from the beach, it doesn't mean I can't bring a bit of the atmosphere to our home. Actually, our home is very much a beach, vintage, cottage, Scandinavian style. As we don't have a warm sand and nice blue sea water, at least we have the color I like so much: White. So, bringing the warmth of the beach here is a big deal, since I have to travel a lot to get to the real one! But nothing like being wrapped on the cozy blanket, having a warm place waiting for you! The white brings such Peace and I have a feeling that the whole house is giving me a hug like a warm cashemere sweater. I've been playing with colors for a while but as I always focus on white I did the kids rooms first in white furniture and add accessories in neutral tones. Now I have the time to continue my projects around the house. I'm having so much fun planning, dreaming, enjoying writing here. Is like I've been seen from people all over the world. Even if I'm just talking with myself, I'm happy anyway!

My next step is to purchase a Compressor. I talk with a guy today and he suggested me to have one, so I can paint the furniture in half of a time if I was using a brush only and I'm really thinking about that. I'm planing to buy a used one, just in case I don't like it.

Sometimes what is good for ones can't be for others.

Here are a nice blog I saw today. It's simple, fresh, just wonderful. I hope you all like it!

Thanks for visiting with Creamy White!

See ya,

Beach Vintage

Working with Photography

2010-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks, how are you doing? I'm in the middle of my photography course (three more weeks to go)and the homework is always taking pictures, of course. For this week the teacher asked us to take some from our bedrooms. I have no excuse, since the bedroom is so close to me, as I am seating in the kitchen table having my first cup of coffee today. So, let's get to work, Li!

I took a few shots and didn't like them very much, but we always learn from our mistakes, and the good part is we improve for the next ones to come. So, here are some of my week homework that I'll be presenting tomorrow night. Light is very important for a nice picture like this and I think I've missed that..

Olá Pessoal, estou exatamente no meio do meu curso de fotografia, apenas mais 3 semanas e é claro, a tarefa de casa é sempre fotografar, de preferência, não no automático, e sim, manual, o que temos que praticar realmente o uso de tantos botões que a máquina tem. Bem, aqui segue algumas fotografias que tirei apra a aula de amanhã, onde o professor nos pediu que fotografásse-mos nosso quarto de dormir. Não achei as fotos muito boas, até porque a luz não foi o suficiente para iluminar bem a foto, mas vamos lá, estou aprendendo, e com os erros que vamos melhorando, não é mesmo?

Dêem uma olhadinha e vejam o que acham.

Beijos, Li

Yep Dudes, I hope I'll have at least a little compliment tomorrow night! And I'm really thinking about painting in white those Antique Side Tables!

Toddles,

:-) Li

New Treasures!

2010-02-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! After a few days off, here I am back to work. I went last weekend for a little 3 hours trip with my little son to visit a friend I haven't seen for almost a year and as the weather wasn't so bad for February, I've decided to go on this kind of boring/driving trip. While he was entertaining himself watching a nice movie I had to be alert and also entertain myself too, since the road has no curves and the scenery doesn't change much( I'm talking about driving in the Prairies cover with snow!). That's when an iPod works so well and a can of coca-cola!
Well, we all had such a good time there and that what really matters. But one of the nicest things that happened while I was there (of course, friendscome first!) was that I found online a few items for free (Yes, for FREE!)and others I got at a Thrifty Store where my friend and I went on Saturday afternoon for our day-to-find treasures!

Take a look at the beauties I found there:

With a nice coat of paint and new fabric to reupholster the chairs and the little bench, they'll be brand new!

See you guys soon,

Pão de Queijo/Cheese Bread

2010-02-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It seams not long ago I've just post something here and here I am again. I am in the basement and can't hear the phone ringing, so if someone leave me a message, fine, but If it doesn't...
Well, I had to go upstairs and I saw the light of the answering machine flashing. Yes, a very good friend of mine phoned and left me a message reminding me that I forgot to post a recipe she's been waiting for a few days(to be honest, since last Saturday!!!) But I understand why the "rush"...
Here my friend, this recipe is for you and for the others who have been asking me and waiting that long.
The delicious, healthy and easy to make:

Pão de Queijo or Brazilian Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 of a package of Tapioca flower or tapioca starch(gluten free)
3 eggs
1 cup of milk or water
1 or 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

300gr of grated cheese (mozzarella, Parmesan or Friulano)
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven 375C. In a pan, add milk, oil and salt and take it to boil.
In a mixing bowl, put tapioca flower and add the boiling mixture of milk/oil. Leave for a few minutes, about 2. Add eggs, cheese and mix them all together until they are all consistent.
You can bake right away or put in the fridge for an hour, so the mixture will be more firm and you can make little balls.
Either way will work anyway!
As I can't wait that long, you can fill a muffin pan (don't fill to the top, otherwise it will spill!) and bring it to bake for approximately 25 minutes. They will be golden color when it's ready.
Voilá, it is ready to eat! Or quite... Careful to not burn your mouth, but believe me, it is delicious when is hot, or I should say, warm? Don't forget to make a nice cup of coffee or tea and invite some friends over to try this delicious recipe! I'm going to make myself some tonight so I can later on I'll add some pictures to this post. Now, I have to rush to make some for myself!

Bon Appetit!

:-) Li

Being Conscious

2010-02-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Folks! I hope you all are having a very productive and inspiring week. I got this message today through my email from Anthropologie and would like to share with you. Enjoy and think about it!

The Article says: "Fifty billion plastic bottle were consumed in the U.S. alone last year - 38 billion of which ended up in landfills. Science tells us that these bottles will not biodegrade until the next millennium." by Anthorplogie.

Here is a nice way to bring some flowers and color into your home, office, birthday party, etc, and also being conscious with the Planet Earth. Just use your imagination! Here are an example of some flowers made of a plastic bottle. I'll make some with the kids on our craft time sometime this week!

Have a blossom day!

Love,

:-) Li

Living Light...

2010-02-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have to say: "Nothing like living light!"I can't imagine myself living in a rush. No, no way! My lifestyle has changed so much in the past 10 years and it is changing everyday in a very peaceful way. I always tell the kids if they don't want to get late at school, wake up a few minutes earlier then, because we don't need to rush and it makes such a difference. We like to enjoy every moment without rushing (we try our best!) from breakfast to bedtime. So, as the days goes by, I feel like I've been neglecting a bit of my plans. I don't like clutter, and when I look at my garage...Oh my Gosh!! There are quite a few pieces of furniture there, piling up and I just look at them and feel I haven't done nothing. How sad... Anyway, I promised myself I will start painting this week( I really feel like it, but it's pretty cold in there!) Nice excuse, hum? Today I ended up stopping at a Thrifty Shop just for a quick look, as I had a few minutes before picking up my son at school. Yes, I found a few items: a nice mirror that I've been looking for ages for something like that and a couple of frames to put it together with the other ones I already have. That's it. I'm done for the week with shopping.

I also want to share this book with you guys and a little story. I grew up in a very little town, surrounded by nature, waterfalls, birds. It is a nice place to visit and it is the first place in the state of Rio de Janeiro the Finish people settle, almost a 100 years ago. I don't have any background with Finish, but I spent some time of my life there. This town has the atmosphere, the culture, a Finish Club (where we can dance Polka every Saturday night), the food, sauna and of course, the people. Their houses, furniture, everything they built was in a Scandinavian style, and I had a privilege to live there for 26 years of my life and enjoy all that. How funny life can be, I got married with a wonderful person, half Brazilian/half Finish! So, I feel a bit Brazilian/Finish and now Canadian! Our house is very much Scandinavian/Cottage Style. I think this is the closer style I can get to describe it. Yes, I have a passion for white, light, light blue and many more. But if I feel like red today, I can easily add a bit here and there and pronto: a new look is born. No rules here at our home about colors. I love them! But at Creamy White even though I'm painting most of the things in white, you will see colors as well in the future. Blue, grey, pink...any color you can possibly imagine!

Have a wonderful and light week!

Heihei, See ya,

:-) Li

Get Inspired...

2010-01-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

Books and magazines are a wonderful source for my inspirations. I don't subscribe to any magazine, but I buy them when I find something really interesting and also that I know I'll be looking again and again, even a few years later. They are little treasures! Here are some kind of magazines and books I bought and like to browse when I go to a bookstore:

Enjoy! Get inspired!

BRINGING A BIT OF SUMMER INTO WINTER

2010-01-29T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! Almost three summers ago when we bought our first home (a cute Bungalow in a little private area), I was completely overwhelmed with things to do between unpacking, painting walls, changing floors, etc. So, to quiet my mind and have a little break, I decided to work a bit outside to enjoy the few weeks left for us before the Fall comes. I found in the shed exactly 4 supports for handrail from the basement (left overs) and also 3 cans of stain.
What to do with those things? My mind was quite busy trying to figure that out.
I also had a queen dais from a previous IKEA bed that we weren't using anymore and then I finally had an idea of making a patio table, since we didn't have any to eat outside.
It was an easy project to do and Nick,my hubby, of course, gave me a little help to put it all together. The best part? We had so much fun doing it and even though I can't guarantee that it is a very durable table, it will last a couple of years to come.
And we all have been enjoying eating (when the weather permits) outside!

The pillows used to be my husband's shirts, so as he wasn't wearing them anymore, again, I recycled!!!!

FRIDAY, RECYCLE DAY!!!

2010-01-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days that I haven't post anything here. The truth is: I've been quite busy this week and didn't have much time to work on my projects. Maybe I will find some on the weekend or so...and I can't find my sander!!!! Which makes me frustrated, so I'm working on other things at the moment.

But I thought it would be interesting to show this little "recycle" project I did a week ago. It is indeed the easiest thing I've ever done!

Since we got two cute little puppies 5 months ago, we had to start buying food for them and some come in cans. I am not a big fan of canned food, but these seam to be very tasty! Alice & Jasper love it! But, what to do with the cans? Recycle, of course! And how about save some empty cans for future projects??? That's exactly what I did. I still have some in the garage for further creations, but I spray a few with white paint and they turned out so cute that I've been using them as little vases to put flowers in it. Others, I left them plain!

Here are the final result:

So, before you get rid of them(or if you do Recycle, Recycle them!) think twice! You may always find something interesting to do with things we can't even imagine...

Have an awesome weekend!

:-) Li

A Little bit of Portuguese! And sending Hope for Haiti!

2010-01-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Some friends and family have asked me to write in Portuguese, and today I really feel like doing it that!
I don't think I'll be translating every post from English to Portuguese, but I'll try at least to keep everything smooth with both languages. English has grown on me, but my native language still beats a lot!!!! It is smooth, gentle, like we are always singing(that is what all my Canadians friends say, anyway!) and I really believe they are right, somehow.
So, if you can read a bit of Portuguese or want to try it, feel free to do it!
And don't be shy to ask me any question because I'm here to answer them.

Today I also want to send HOPE to Haiti. My love is with them at this moment and always...

:-) Li

Ok, vamos ao Português, ou melhor, a língua portuguesa!

Na procura de móveis usados, tenho algumas exigências, pois do contrário, acho que não vale muito à pena comprar. Sempro porcuro por peças que sejam de madeira maciça. Compensado, nem pensar!

Quanto à idade do móvel, quando dou sorte, consigo comprar algo da década de 20, 30, como foi outro dia que achei uma escrivaninha dos anos 30. Fiquei super feliz com a compra, principalmente porque o valor foi bem inferior ao que seria, caso estivesse sendo vendido num Antiquário. Depois, com mais detalhes, falarei de cada móvel quando eles estiverem prontos, o que falta pouco.

Quanto aos puxadores....eles dão vida nova, assim como a pintura.

Desde Maio/2009, tivemos o prazer de receber uma das lojas mais lindas que eu conheço, que se chama Anthropologie. Talvez eu diga isso porque ela une tudo o que eu gosto: desde roupas, acessórios, até móveis rústicos, roupa de cama, puxadores (acho que é assim que se chama!), etc. É uma loja Vintage, mais alternativa quanto ao estilo e com muitas coisas relacionadas a década de 70, 80, algo parecido. Infelizmente ela só tem aqui na América do Norte, e agora estão abrindo a primeira no Continente Europeu, em Londres,UK. Acredito que em breve ela se espalhará pelo mundo...tomara, pois assim todos podem ter o gostinho de dar uma passada por lá. Não dá vontade de sair...

Mas o bom é que sempre tem promoções, e como mencionei num dos Posts sobre "Knobs", comprei cada um por apenas $2.95, quando o preço normal era $12.

Neste ramo que estou seguindo, temos que estar sempre procurando por peças baratas, onde não irão "doer" no bolso. Do contrário, se é caro, você tem que colocar muito acima na hora da venda, e daí nem sempre as pessoas valorizam. Preço tem que ser accessível para ambos: tanto par quem faz como para quem compra! Muitas vezes não damos nada pelo móvel que temos e depois de uma reforminha ele fica com uma cara nova, lindo, como novo. Por isso, pense duas vezes antes de se desfazer de algo...

Reformar móveis, pintar, colocar novos puxadores é dar uma nova vida à eles! Realmente está sendo gratificante demais para mim realizar este trabalho. Amo o que estou fazendo e com certeza irei continuar fazendo isso por muitos anos...

Até a próxima e aqui deixo meu carinho a todos que estão me acompanhando neste projeto!

:-) Li

More knobs...

2010-01-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, knobs + a good price are always welcome here at Creamy White! I don't think I need to mention the price, do I? Again, I got them at Anthopologie. Are you guys tired of this name yet? Be sure you will be reading Anthro a lot!
For now, I can't exactly say where I'm going to use them, but I'm sure there will always be a place...

So far, they'll be at a drawer waiting for a nice piece of furniture to come!
I'm off for today, as I need to dedicate some time for painting + kids, etc. Poor furniture, they need a warm and nice place to be, as they are freezing in the garage!

See you very soon,

:-) Li

Kids Room

2010-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks!
Today I'll post a few pictures of the kids bedrooms. I did the cover of the pillows, and decorate the room, of course!The kids really trusted me on that! And also, they helped me organize and arrenge the things around. We sure had lots of fun doing it.

On the big pillows I did a navy tide ye to have a beach look at the boys room and engraved their names on the small ones. I find monograms always cute, so I got the initials of their names to give a nice touch. So, since the bedrooms are the place where they spend a very good amount of time, I let them picked the color of the wall. Why not? The boys chose (after hours of indecision) a very nice Blue called Niagara Falls. I love it! So perfect for where we are,hum? And our daughter chose a nice lavender, very soothing color and it really made her small room look bigger at the end. All the furniture are from IKEA, but in the future, I go get old ones and transform them into new! I can't wait to do that!
Here are some picks of their rooms:

Have a great Monday!

:-) Li

What a find...

2010-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

After a day of fun outside on a warm winter day I ended up going to the Mall (our son was begging to go to the skate park!) And of course, I couldn't resist to quickly go to Anthropologie to take a look at the Sales there.

That's what I've found for an excellent price. These knobs were $12 each and I got them for $12 all together. What a nice find today!

Now I just have to decide in which piece of furniture I'll use them...

Feeling blue today? How about a bit of yellow in your life?

2010-01-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! As the day goes by and I still can't see the sun shining today, I've decided to bring some "light" to our home. And nothing like the color Yellow, that is the color of JOY! It always brings warmth, happiness, no matter how far or close we are from the sun. Here are some ideas to bring some joy to you.
I hope you like them!

If you never had a chance to shop at Anthropologie, believe me, you won't be disapointed! There is always something nice to see there, from dresses, accessories, shoes, furniture to home items. Everything in that store has a special touch. Take a look at these two dresses:

Aren't they adorable? I can't wait to go there again...

The flowers and lemons I got at the supermarket. Eventhough it's -15C outside, inside our home is always warm, bright and light!

Have a great, bright and yellow day!

:-)Li

Não posso me esquecer dos meus queridos amigos que estão me dando força neste projeto! Por isso, aqui vai tudo escrito em portugês, e muito mais do que no inglês! Espero que minha escrita ainda esteja boa...

Como nem todos os dias temos o sol brilhando por aqui, resolvi levantar o meu dia com a cor amarelo. Nada como uma cor para alegrar o nosso dia, principalmente onde vemos mais branco do que qualquer outra coisa. Recebo sempre o "news letter" online da loja Anthropologie, e hoje recebi estes vestidos amarelos, lindos, que achei que um dia, quando eles entrarem na promoção, até me animarei em dar uma espiadinha de perto. Mas como ainda estamos no meio do inverno, eles me alegraram o dia, trazendo a cor amarelo como inspiração.

Comprei margaridas amarelas, limões e Volià, já me levantou da mesmice do branco lá fora.

Minha decoração está toda voltada ao branco. Acho que o branco traz paz, harmonia, e aumenta o ambiente. Resolvi renovar todos os móveis, quarto, banheiro, e assim, posso brincar com cores, conforme o humor do dia, da semana, do mês...

Os móveis eu compro usados e reformo. Este Blog na verdade está sendo para divulgar este trabalho, assim como, idéias que colocarei por aqui. Mas inicialmente vocês verão móveis brancos, mas já tenho algumas tintas de cores para projetos futuros. Surpresa!

Enfim, espero que o amarelo seja uma cor de ótimas vibrações para vocês e de muitas alegrias.

Uma ótima semana e até a próxima.

:-) Li

Getting started...

2010-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first post!

Soon I'll be writting about this wonderful book I got a couple of days ago. It was such a bargain! Only cn$6.99 and it has amazing pictures and ideas for your home. I still have some projects to finish but they'll be here soon!

See ya!