Budget friendly DIY Letterboard

So I have seen these things floating around on my Instagram account and on Pinterest quite a bit. I wanted one so I started looking to see what it would cost. These things are like $200 bucks online and let’s be real, my cash flow for novelty items is on the low to non-existent side. So, I figured I should make one!

I got some inspiration from Pinterest and went to work on my budget friendly version.

First I bought all of the materials. See below for the list of things you will need to complete this letterboard.

Materials/Tools:

• 1 picture frame (mine was 11×15)
• Black felt
• 1/4″ wooden dowels
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Mitre saw
• Cardboard (I used this for my frame backing)
• Letterboard letters

First thing I did was cut my dowels to size with a mitre box. It’s really easy and pretty user friendly if you dont want to use power tools.

I bought 4′ dowels from Home Depot so I got 3 cuts from each rod. There was some waste, but I had my frame already so it couldn’t be helped. If you want to calculate the cuts or get precut dowels you could avoid any waste and maybe save some $$. I used 14 4′ dowels so it cost me roughly $14 tax included.

For the frame, I purchased one from Michael’s, from the clearance rack for $10 and just used some cardboard as my backing since it didn’t come with one. **Make sure when you buy your frame that it will be deep enough for your dowels.** I cut the cardboard to size and hot glued it in my frame. If your frame has a back, you can skip this step.

Next I measured and cut out my felt pieces. I made them about 1 1/2″ wide and a little longer than my dowel length, about 11 1/4″.

Once I had all my pieces cut, I started to hot glue them to my dowels. I found the best method for this was to hot glue the length of one side of the felt and then roll the dowel through the glue so that it picks up the felt and keeps things even. Then I hot glued the other side and rolled it in the opposite direction. Doing this kept the felt tightly wrapped.

I repeated this for what felt like a hundred times and them set the felted dowels in the frame to see how they would fit. I didn’t hot glue everything until the end.

Once I had all my dowels covered I started to hot glue them into the frame. You want to glue them as tightly together as you can. This step is crucial so that your letters for the board will stay on.

I used a lot of glue sticks for this project. The entire bag of 40 to be exact. Luckily they were only like $3 at Michael’s.

Here is a picture of the finished board. I set it up as I awaited my letters to arrive in the mail from Amazon. 🙂

I looked in store for letters but they weren’t available anywhere. So, I did what is becoming a fond pastime of mine…online shopping!

I found Tabbee letters on Amazon.ca for about $20. I thought that was kind of pricey but, thems the breaks kids. Maybe you can find them cheaper.

When they arrived, I was a bit of a kid at Christmas. I tore into them at 10PM at night. Yep, that’s when my package arrived. It had been a long day. The baby was fussy, the other two kids were running around and not going to bed, despite many warnings. Finally, the upstairs was quiet when the mailman came to the door and our dog started barking loudly, which of course drew inquisitive little ones back to the top of the stairs to see who it was. I got them back to bed and the dog settled down and this is what I came up with for the board. I thought it very fitting after the night I had had.

Here is what I spent:

• Frame $10
• Felt $2
• Glue sticks $3
• Dowels $14
• Letters $20

Grand Total = $49 Bucks!!

All in all, I love it and it didn’t break the bank. I was able to complete the project for a fraction of what I saw them going for online. It may not be professionally manufactured, but it is made with love and I’m sure my fingertips will grow back after all that hot glue madness! 🙂

Try your own and let me know how it turns out. Happy crafting 🙂

Brynna xx

 

Mommy brain 101

So this is a story about mommy brain at its finest.

You moms out there know what I am talking about. It’s ridiculous, but it is a real thing. It makes me forget things I should know and do things that are just plain off.

Mommy brain has struck again. This time involving, meatloaf…

I had cooked some meatloaf for my family and we had it for dinner but there were leftovers which I put in the fridge. I ate it for lunch a couple of days and then it sat in the fridge for about a week untouched.

I was cleaning out the fridge and decided the meatloaf had to go. This is where the mommy brain comes in. Due to my fragile state and lack of logic it seems, I decided that a good place to get rid of the meatloaf was to flush it down the toilet in our bathroom off the kitchen.

Walking past the garbage can, I went in the bathroom, dropped it in the toilet and pulled the lever. Immediately after doing so my logic returned and I thought, hmm, why did you just do that. The thought could not even complete itself before BAM, toilet was plugged. I tried plunging without success. Every time I tried to flush it, the water would rise to the top and then slowly drain out…. so I left it.

When my husband came home I told him the tale of the lodged meatloaf. He gave me his sideways glance of disapproval and tried to plunge the toilet, without success. We proceeded to have a conversation about what compelled me to flush the meatloaf and all I could do was laugh about how ridiculous of an idea that was. Clearly, I was not in my right mind. 😉

“Why would you flush a cold, solid chunk of meatloaf down the toilet? Why wouldn’t you just put it in the garbage?”

Through uncontrollable giggles, I explained that this very thought had come to my mind as well, but unfortunately a moment too late.

In addition, I gave my husband the small detail that the meatloaf, which was about 2 inches in width and 3 in height, had not been broken up first. When I told him this and he looked at me in disbelief I could not control my laughter. His response was, “Why would you flush a cold, solid chunk of meatloaf down the toilet? Why wouldn’t you just put it in the garbage?”

Through uncontrollable giggles, I explained that this very thought had come to my mind as well, but unfortunately a moment too late.

Mommy brain at its best!

I received another lashing when my 4 year old daughter came home from school and wanted to pee on the potty. Upon trying to flush the toilet, the water rose to the rim as it had 10 times before. My husband told her what happened and she was very cross, telling me that people don’t want to sit on a potty with the water that high. Her logic, while cute, was accurate.

For the next two days my husband and I would try to plunge the meatloaf free, without success.

Over those two days all I could think of was Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers yelling, “MOM, THE MEATLOAF” and it made me laugh at the situation I got us in.

Today I gave it another go and a huge bubble came up from the deep, like a submarine making it’s way to the surface. The meatloaf was free! The water left the toilet and a tiny bit of my sanity washed away with it.

I’m excited to let my husband know I fixed the toilet. I think maybe in the future I will recall this story as the time I fixed the toilet, not the time I lost my brain down the drain, starring, our leftovers!

Brynna xx

 

Welcoming baby #3…Here we go again!

Back on the blog and back on maternity leave! Since my last post, we have added another little one to our brood. ❤

Daniel. Isn’t he just the sweetest thing?!

We are up to three now. Three! Three incredible, beautiful babies. I am seriously feeling the love around here.

This may be it. According to my husband “this is it”. I will remain on the fence, even though just a few weeks ago I was cursing pregnancy up and down and was certain I would never ever remotely allow the thought of growing another human to enter my brain.

Why is that? How do we as mothers forget so quickly? For me, I’m sure it’s because once I conquered childbirth, (despite the begging and screaming for medication that arrived too late), I felt the indescribable relief of this little boy leaving my body and once I held him in my arms, I realized why it was all worth it and perhaps why maybe, I say maybe, I could do it again.

Love for your newborn is a scary thing. It makes you drunk on life. It makes you ignore all reason. It makes you forget all the hard parts. I’m not talking the beginning hard parts; the shrinking uterus, sore nipples, sleepless nights hard parts. I’m not even talking about the up to your elbows in poopy diapers part, and oh my did I forget how many times a newborn poops…and that it somehow finds its way out the leg hole of the diaper at record speed. Every. Single. Time. What’s with that, seriously?!

No, the hard parts, for me anyway, are the toddler years. The hard part is taking two kids in two different directions in the morning. Or fighting traffic in the evening to get to their school and daycare before it closes and cursing the driver in front of you who doesn’t know which lane is the passing lane and which is the slow lane.

Hard is wrangling a 40-pound toddler onto the toilet and bribing them with stickers if they will “just please try and push out some poop!”

The hard part is having a very cranky child or two clinging to your legs whilst whining and repeatedly asking for milk at 5 p.m., when you are trying to make pasta for the third time that week because that is all your children will eat. Hard is continuously making healthy dinners and then negotiating one bite of food off their plate so that at least you can say they ate a bite. Hard is wrangling a 40-pound toddler onto the toilet and bribing them with stickers if they will “just please try and push out some poop!” The list goes on and on…and on and on. Don’t even get me started on bath time and bed time.

Yes, all of those things are hard. But yet, in the couple weeks it’s been since I started writing this post, (children occupy a lot of my free time these days) those hard parts have gotten a little easier. I think having the newest baby has added even more love and structure to our home and the adjustment period is over. The kids seem to be listening a little better these days, or maybe we have found a bit more patience since the new baby arrived. All I know is I hope it continues!

My husband said the other night, “we have 3 kids under 5, a dog (who is still a pup), we are potty training, we are trying to have a life of our own and still try and find time for one another. It’s madness.” Yes, madness it is. But then there are little moments where the kids are playing nicely together and laughing, and it makes all the hard parts not that hard. The joy that comes from those giggles means we are doing the best we can and it is mostly working. We have our bad days like anyone else. Me, I have my meltdowns and “yelly” days, but mostly I think the new baby has helped me calm down a lot and take things more in stride. Really that’s all you can do when you are in this baby/toddler stage. Otherwise, you just have a hoarse throat and mom guilt! 😉

I think knowing this could be the last baby has made me put life on pause a little bit and just take the time to enjoy the present. Because despite even the hardest of days, the present is pretty good!

Brynna xx

 

Day to Day Thoughts of a Thirty-Something Mom

I have often thought about what I would say if I could go back and talk to my 20 year old self. It wasn’t so long ago that I was in my twenties. It wasn’t long ago, yet it almost feels like a past life. I was young. Not only in appearance. Not only in taut muscles and fresh-faced skin, but also in my behaviours, in my interests and in my complete and utter love and devotion of me! HA, I was kind of on easy street. At the time I thought I was so completely bogged down by life. I was a little naive. I was selfish. 

Looking back, it was GREAT! It is incredible how just the simplest of moments were taken for granted. How busy and important I thought I was. How when brought up in conversation, I had so much on the go, I mean, I could barely find the time to do my laundry.

That is laughable now.

Now, I really do find it hard to find time for laundry. Perhaps this is because there is exponentially more laundry to do. Now, a married thirty-something with two kids, I get it. Slow down. Appreciate. Well, ok, let’s be honest, I am working on those last two bits. But the fact that I am working on it, means I recognize the importance of living life and not just living life.

“I have learned to manage stress on another level. But from what I hear, I am still in the easy stage.”

I know that each stage in my life has prepared me for the next. It has given me the strength and knowledge I needed to move forward. Within the span of 5 years I got married, bought and sold our first home, had two kids, bought our second home and settled in for what I hope is a place we will stay for a bit. I have learned to manage stress on another level. But from what I hear, I am still in the easy stage.

I’m not at the little league stage, or dance recitals, or even school. I don’t have to run the roads every weekend for competitive sports or get out there and show how involved I am by volunteering on the PTA. Right now, life is good.

In all likelyhood, I will do all those things. I hope to be that involved mom that my kids look up to. The mom who can do it all. If being a parent has taught me anything, it is that you can fit a lot more into your day than you think. In fact, the busier I am, the more organized I become. The less time I have, the more I seem to carve out moments for spending meaningful time with my kids and even still, for making time for me!

“Me time” means something different now. It means staying in touch with friends and not holding silly grudges. It means taking time to go to yoga and trying to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can be around when my kids and grand-kids are grown. It means taking an interest in things I once didn’t spend much time on, like politics, making smart financial decisions and being aware of who I am and what I want from life.

Thirty year old me is a different selfish than my twenty-something self. Now, I am selfish because I ask for entirely too many hugs, from both my kids and my husband. I give an extra tickle, belly kiss, or act completely foolish just to hear my kids giggle. I am selfish in that I would rather save for our future, than splurge too much on material things in the now. I selfishly experiment with my cooking and use my little family as my guinea pigs 😉 And, I selfishly close the bathroom door for a moments peace, albeit brief, as a closed door seems to invite the never-ending questions and “mama’s” that inevitably seem to start once your kids notice you have left the room.

I think if I could go back to my 20 year old self, I would tell her to savour all the little extras. All the me time, all the disposable income (DAMN YOU DAYCARE)!!! I’d tell her to enjoy those mornings in bed, when you can’t decide whether you are going to sleep in or maybe do absolutely nothing with the day, just because you can. Oh, and go ahead, drink that last beer, tomorrow is Saturday and why else would they have all day breakfast joints?!

I would tell her to truely appreciate the freedom that is being young and wide eyed about life. But most of all, I would tell her that although my twenties were great, there is something so much more incredible ahead. Something that is worth the jogging pant, no makeup, I don’t shower because what’s the point, zombie like state. Motherhood. It’s fantastic…for reals.

Brynna ❤

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rice Pudding/Rice Kheer

So in my last post, I mentioned I have been experimenting with my cooking. I have tried to make some things a little outside of my comfort zone. This includes some mild Indian cooking. I have been trying to get my kids to explore different flavours, and so far it has been going well.

I don’t think it matters what cuisine you are used to; there are certain foods that you like and there are certain ones you don’t, no matter how many times you try to. Over time my taste buds have evolved and I find myself liking things I wouldn’t have touched as a kid. I hope that this is the case for my daughter…and eggs. No matter how many times and ways I have prepared them, she is just not a fan. Like, who doesn’t like eggs?! So instead I get creative and mask the eggs in various dishes so that she doesn’t know she is eating them…like pumpkin french toast…mmm.

Anyway, today’s post is a twist on a dessert that I have enjoyed since I was a child. Rice pudding! It is one of my favorite desserts that my mom would make for us. My mom is the ultimate busy bee. No matter how tired she was, she always had a healthy, home cooked meal on the table for dinner. She would also often make dessert…and some really good ones at that.

I love the simplicity of this dessert and decided to do a spin on traditional rice pudding with the Indian dessert, rice kheer. Kheer has a similar method of preparation but with additional spices that I love. This is a really simple dessert to make, which makes it a win in our house! Enjoy!

Ingredients List:

• 1 1/2 Cups cooked Basmati rice
• 2 Cups milk
• 1/4 Tsp salt
• 1 Egg beaten
• 1/4 Cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp cardamom
• 1/4 Tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 Cup golden raisins
• 1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Method:

• Mix cooked rice, milk, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg in a saucepan over low to medium heat.

• Stir every few minutes for 15-20 minutes or until the pudding starts to thicken.

• Next add the sugar, beaten egg and raisins and stir constantly, ensuring it is well blended. You may add a 1/4 cup more milk to the mixture to help blend, if needed.
• Continue to stir constantly for a few minutes to ensure the egg is set.
• Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla extract.

• You can serve rice pudding warm or cold. My preference is warm with a little bit of milk poured over top, just like my mama used to do ❤

I hope you enjoy this light, flavourful dessert as much as I do. Feel free to experiment with little additions of your own to make it even more tasty. Perhaps you could try sweetening with maple syrup or honey instead of sugar and see how it turns out. 🙂 Have fun!!

Brynna

Homemade Butter Chicken

So, I know I have been a while in between posts and all I have to say for this is; I have two kids and a husband y’all. I’m busy! 😉 But I am baaaack and with a new tasty recipe to boot.

As you know I am back to work now. You can read my pre-back-to-work meltdown here. More of a sad realization really. Anyway, I have climbed that mountain and will tell you about it in another post down the road.

As for my job, I work in a very multicultural environment. I have coworkers that are French, Irish, Bengali, Aboriginal, Jamaican…it’s great! I love to hear their stories of where they come from, how they got to where they are and also, what they consider to be comfort food. Authentic cuisine. I have been thinking a lot about food lately and how as individuals, our comforts are so deeply rooted in what we eat and the culture we grew up in.

I want to explore different cuisines and share my successes and flops with you. Well, maybe not my flops…but I will tell you about how to avoid them.

See, I make my family eat not so appetizing meals so yours won’t have to. You’re welcome.

Today I am working on my spices. I have tried to make butter chicken a couple times and this time it actually worked out. My husband and kids went back for seconds. And as all moms know, your kids are your toughest and most honest critics. How honest you say, well, last time I made butter chicken, they both spit it out, refused to eat it and we ended up giving them a peanut butter sandwich instead. I chalked that one up to a real loss. Thankfully tonight’s meal was a win!!!

My husband doesn’t do well with spicy and really, neither do our kids. Canadian cooking isn’t what you would call spicy cuisine. So for the butter chicken tonight, I made it mild.

I used basmati rice for the first time and it was so incredibly fluffy and amazing. Ugh, so good!

I started with the rice and thinking it would be similar to my minute rice measurements, I made 2 cups rice to 4 cups water. Umm, yeah, it literally made a full pot of rice. Luckily, I came up with a great recipe for the leftovers, but you’ll see that in my next post.

I advise you follow the package instructions and soak the rice first and rinse it. It makes a difference.

So here is the butter chicken recipe. I hope it turns out for you and you like it as much as my family did.

Mild Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cardamom

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon tandoori or garam masala

2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion

2 large tomatoes diced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup thick cream

Basmati Rice, to serve

Method:

1. Make Basmati rice as per package instructions.
2. Put oil into large heated skillet and add cubed chicken and sliced onion.
3. Sautee chicken and onion for a few minutes on medium heat until no longer pink and remove from pan.
4. Add the butter and all of your spices to the pan; garlic, ginger, cardamom, cumin, coriander, masala and mix together.
5. Allow the spices to cook for 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat on low and mix frequently. It will thicken up quickly.
6. Next, add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes and chicken/onions back to the pan with the spice paste. Allow that to cook on medium-low for 5 minutes and then add the cream.
7. Continue to cook on medium-low heat for another 5-7 minutes stirring often.
8. And that’s it. Serve with rice and enjoy!

I really think the rice made the dish. It was so fluffy. It soaked up all the sauce and was light and airy. This would go great with some naan bread if you have that on hand.

So, give this recipe a go and let me know how it turned out.

Enjoy!!

Brynna

How to make the perfect smash cake…and perfectly smash it!

My little boy turned ONE not long ago and to capture this sweet age, we opted for a cake smash photo session. I had to bring my own cake so, I wanted to make something pint sized.

I had intended to make something healthy. I wanted to be completely organized, but in true Brynna style, I was not! So instead of making one of these healthy recipes, I went the easy peas-y box cake route. I know, horrible mom, right?! 😉 At least I had good intentions.

I didn’t have a tiny cake pan, but instead of going out and searching for one with my limited time and budget, I improvised. I had seen this method a few places and so I decided I was going to try it…the baby formula tin cake.

It may seem crazy but, it works. You can use your can opener to get rid of the lip of the can which will make it easier to remove the cake once it has been baked.

I mixed the cake according to the instructions on the box and surprisingly, the entire box only filled about 3/4 of the formula can.

Next, I popped it in the oven and using the nine inch pan cook time as my guide, I baked this wee cake into a beautiful little smash cake.

This little guy couldn’t wait for his big photo shoot. Or maybe he was just drawn to the sweet smell of yummy cake wafting through the house. Either way, he was ready to eat cake.

Once the cake was done, I let it cool for a good hour and then dumped it out and cut the rounded top off of it and this is what I was left with.

I sliced it in three to add the good part, the icing. I wanted a nice blue icing. I mixed up about a half cup of icing sugar with a tsp of butter and a tablespoon of milk, give or take, as well as a few drops of blue food colouring. Then I spread it in between the little slabs of cake.

Now, I’m no pastry chef. But this little cake was made with ❤ love ❤ so I ignored the fact that it was a little lopsided and uneven.

I covered the whole cake with a crumb coat (thin layer of icing) and put it in the fridge overnight to firm up. In the morning I mixed up more icing and coated the whole cake again. I also added a bit more blue food colouring to my remaining icing so I could have a contrast for my little detailing around the perimeter of the cake.

I am a frugalista in some ways. I think I get that from my momma. For as long as I can remember, my mom has saved her milk bags and found a number of uses for them. It may seem silly, but I now do the same. One of their many uses….a piping bag for icing.

I bought a four pack of icing tips from the dollar store but don’t see a point in buying piping bags, so instead I use milk bags. Simply cut the corner and insert whatever icing tip you want and pipe away!

I piped around the top and the base of the cake with the darker blue and my little wee smash-able cake was ready for tiny fingers to dig in!

It was simple and imperfectly perfect 🙂

My little guy seemed to enjoy it. Here are some shots of him taking care of his cake business. He went to town on this little cake and made the whole experience all I hoped it would be. I also used the little bandana bib I made for him a while back. It looked so cute!

He was a little uncertain at first but then he began digging in.

This cake smash was a success and clean-up was a breeze 🙂 I love this little man!!

 

Awe, that little face just makes life good, doesn’t it?!

Ciao for now,

Brynna xx

Turn your fireplace into a dramatic focal point, on the cheap. PART 2

A while ago, I posted PART 1 of our fireplace makeover. I decided to white-wash the brick and I love it! I had an idea of what I wanted before we began and I knew that included a big, chunky, barn beam mantel.

So, before I even did the white-washing, I was on the hunt for a beam.  I scoured local sales sites and found a posting for a bunch of beams that had just been taken out of a hundred year old barn. The price was…unreal. He was only asking $5 dollars a foot which worked out to $30 bucks for this beauty!!!

After I found this sweet piece of wood, it hung out in our basement for a few months. While I chased children around the house, did laundry and tried to remain sane, this beauty got better with age. Finally, one Saturday, we tackled the mantel project.

It was a hundred year old barn beam which meant years and years of barn dust and who knows what else. We had to give her a good cleaning. We used a wire brush attachment on our drill and did a quick cleaning of all the nooks and crannies. Then we went over the entire beam with a palm sander to smooth off any rough bits and to give it a more finished look.

Initially, I thought I might want to stain it a rich brown, like our hardwood floors. But after sanding it, it was exactly what we wanted.

The great thing about old beams is that they have so much character. This one in particular had the ax marks from them shaping the beam, by hand. Super cool!

In order to mount this beam we had to drill into the mortar between the bricks and screw in bolts so that the mantel had something to hang off of.

Please see my disclaimer in Part 1 of the makeover and make sure you are working within your limits. Do your research before starting a project of this kind.

Method:

Before you start making holes in your fireplace, make sure you measure the height of where you want the beam. Check out this article I found for a guideline on proper placement.

Once we knew the height we wanted the beam, we began drilling holes in the mortar between the bricks about every 6-8 inches. We put one bolt every brick length. Perhaps overkill, but I wanted this mantel to be secure for life!!

For this step we used a drill bit that is meant for brick and mortar. We wrapped the bit with tape at the depth we wanted to drill each hole. If you have a wood burning fireplace take extra care at this step because you don’t want to drill into the chimney flue. We measured the depth of the brick and stopped short of going past that.

We used 1/2×8 inch lag bolts and 1/2 inch lag shields for mounting our mantel. They are thick steel and can handle a great deal of weight; especially when used in large quantities, like we did. 🙂

Once we had drilled our holes for our bolts, we shop vac’d out each hole to remove any dust and debris.

Next we inserted the lag shields. These are awesome little things. They do for bricks and mortar what wall anchors do in drywall. They go in smoothly and then when you screw in the lag bolts the shield expands and is anchored in place.

After we had inserted all the shields, we screwed in the lag bolts and again we marked on the bolts with tape at what depth we wanted them to be screwed in to.

Using a ratchet we screwed in all the lag bolts and leveled each one as we went.

After we had secured the bolts in place, we had to saw off the head of the bolt so that we could attach the beam.

I didn’t take a photo of this step (sorry!) but this is what we did. Using an angle grinder with a thin center grinding wheel (one meant for metal), we cut off the ends of the bolts. You can also use a hack saw if you don’t have a grinder.

**Note – when using the grinder, the bolts can get very hot while you are sawing. Please take proper precautions so that you don’t get burnt. Also, ensure you are using eye protection. There is a chance when cutting metal, that tiny pieces could fly off. **

Next, you will need to drill holes in the beam that correspond with the bolts so that you can mount the mantel.

We drilled the holes for the bolts to fit in (try to make the holes as tight fitting as possible) and then dry fit the mantel to make sure all the holes lined up. Luckily, they did 🙂 so next we added Hi-Heat Silicone to each of the holes in the beam and around each bolt. This can be found at your local hardware store and was suggested to us by staff there for this type of project.

After applying the silicone we slid the beam onto the bolts. We also put silicone along the back of the mantel, where it would be up against the brick.

When sliding it on, it was a super tight fit. We had to use a mallet to literally bang it into place. We were pretty sure that the effort it took to get it on, and with the silicone, that baby will be there for a while…or until our tastes change and we decide to demo the fireplace ;).

Here is the finished piece…I’m in love ❤

It took a long while to get this baby done but I am very pleased with how it turned out. We have plans for built-in shelving on either side, but for now, that will have to wait.

Here is the breakdown of costs for the entire fireplace makeover.

Cost:

White Paint – Free for this project as I had it laying around the house.

Black BBQ Spray Paint – $7

Beam – $30

Lag bolts and Sheilds -Approx $40 (Perhaps you could source these for cheaper)

Silicone – $4.50

Total = $81.50

So, to makeover this fireplace and turn it from 1960 retro to 2015 chic, this beauty only cost about $80 bucks! I’d say that’s not bad considering it literally transformed the entire room. We like it so much and we love that we now have a place to hang our stockings for Christmas. Best of all though, I can display pictures of the people I love most in the world.

Have you ever completed a project that was so totally you? Well, this mantel is utterly me. I am a little country, a little rustic charm and a little rough around the edges; but when you put all that together, it makes for a nice presentation…which I hope is also me 😉

Now on to the next room in the house…

See you soon,

Brynna xx

Turn your fireplace into a dramatic focal point, on the cheap! PART 1.

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We refinished our fireplace in two parts, that is why you see PART 1 in the header. Today’s post covers the updating of the brick, but PART 2 will cover the mantel that we installed. PART 2 is to come, so check back for that transformation soon.

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Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to start revealing all the changes we have made to our stately two storey.

We have had a year of many changes. A move to the city, new jobs, a new house and a new baby. We are what you would call tired. But, I am not good with being still. I always see work when I look at our home and want to get it done, like, yesterday. But then there is that little thing called money aaannnd you kind of need some of that when tackling renovations. Luckily, this entire project was only about $80 dollars. Yep, $80 buck-a-roos.  I think it looks much more expensive but, you be the judge.

So, my hubby and I both grew up in the country. We are city dwellers now, but still like a little country charm. That’s why when we saw our house, we fell in love with the fact that it had a fireplace.  The problem is, this fireplace was straight out of 1969, and not in a good way. I wanted to marry the idea of urban warmth with a little rustic charm.  I wanted a refined looking fireplace; not grandpa’s hunting camp, throw some logs on the fire, kind of fireplace. So that is how I came to the conclusion that I would paint our brick fireplace.

Here is how it looked when we bought the house.  Look at those honey coloured floors. Eesh!

Luckily, we got those floors refinished (by professionals) to a nice medium brown. I have never been a fan of parquet but surprisingly the darker stain made it look nice. You can see the finished floors further into the post.

Initially, I thought white, fresh and clean. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like that it was going to cover up all the beauty that is brick.  I know some people think it is a cardinal sin to use paint on things like brick, or solid wood cabinets, or trim…or anything wood for that matter, but for me, sometimes you just have to go for it and hope for the best. Clearly I have no problem with painting wood as per this transformation. Brick is another story however. There is no sanding it down, no refinishing it if you don’t like it. It is permanent. So I knew I had to get it just right, the first time. I did a little looking and found that white washed brick was exactly what I wanted.  It allows the brick to still be a star and there is a variation in colour, which was really important to me.

Supplies:

• Paint – One quart roughly $18 dollars – You can really choose any colour you want. I mixed one part paint to two parts water. It doesn’t take much paint at all. You could even buy one of those little samples for like $5 bucks to cut costs even further.
• Paint brush – A roller is MESSY! I found a paint brush was a little slower but it did contain the disaster zone.
• A drop cloth – I used a fancy, giant tiger head blanket (oh, you know the ones) to keep our floors clean. Worked like a charm. Also effective…real drop cloths.
• Plastic garbage bag – We have a gas fireplace so I initially draped a garbage bag over the insert so that it wouldn’t have paint splatters that I would have to clean up after.
• Rubber gloves and painting clothes – This is a messy project so be sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind if they get splatters on them.
• Painting mask – depending what kind of paint you are working with, it is always a good idea to use a mask made for paint fumes and try to ventilate the area if possible. Safety first, right?!
• Broom
• Painters tape
• Black spray paint for BBQs (to paint our gas insert) I used “Rust-Oleum Specialty High Heat – BBQ Black” paint which is sold at Home Depot for around $7

So, like everything that I do, I got right to it! We had some white paint left over from painting the house, so I grabbed that. The thing is that you can make the paint as thick or as thin as you would like just by adding more or less water.  I wanted even coverage and a fairly thicker paint mixture so here is my method of application. I put one part paint to two parts water. By diluting the paint, it allows for some of the brick colour to show through the paint.

Method:

Ok, so here are the steps I took to transform our fireplace but first….

***DISCLAIMER*** – I am a DIY-er mom, not a licensed professional. I learn on the fly and probably don’t always complete my projects as well as a contractor would. If you feel uncomfortable performing any part of this project on your own then please hire or seek guidance from a professional. Renovations are meant to be fun, not dangerous and so it is good to work within our comfort zone 🙂 

• I started by getting into my painting clothes and putting on my mask. Then I laid out my drop cloth and garbage bag to protect the floors and the fireplace insert.

• Next I swept the bricks with the broom to remove any cobwebs or dust.
• Taking my paint mixture and paint brush, I began painting the bricks, working my way from the ceiling to the base of the fireplace. I noticed after my initial run over the bricks with paint, that the colour of the brick was still darker than I would like. I made a second pass over the whole fireplace to make it a little lighter.

• I suggest leaving the fireplace overnight after you paint it because a lot of the paint gets absorbed into the brick and the colour may be lighter or darker after it dries. I find letting it dry gives you a better idea if you need to go over it again or not.

After letting the brick dry and feeling happy with the result, I proceeded to painting the gawdy face of the fireplace insert. It was a sexy, shiny gold, but that wasn’t really what I was going for, so it needed to be changed.

I covered around the base of the fireplace with painters tape to protect the hearth. Then I taped plastic all around the insert. This method cuts down on the chance that spray paint will transfer to your newly lightened brick or anywhere else in the room. Ensure you are using paint that is meant for a BBQ. This type of paint can withstand a much higher heat than regular paint so make sure you are using the proper paint for this type of application.

If you too are working with a gas insert like mine, please be sure to follow these safety precautions… Make sure your fireplace is off and that the pilot light is out before you start spray painting. This is crutial when working with a combustable material such as a spray can. Aerosol and natural gas do not mix. Also, with spray cans the smell can be quite strong and you should ventilate the area well.

Once I had painted the face of the fireplace insert, I left it overnight and the next day I touched up the hearth since it was difficult to not get any black spray on the white hearth.

Here is the before and after…

Et VOILA!! I am so happy with how the painted brick looks against the contrast of the black insert. Going with a white-wash actually allowed for variation in the brick colour. It is a more natural look and I don’t think it looks like painted brick at all.  Also, I find that with the reddish/orange brick underneath, it actually gave the finished appearance a more grey undertone. It is exactly what I was hoping it would be and I LOVE IT!!!

Next up, adding that rustic flare I was speaking of…a barn beam mantel. Coming soon 🙂

Hope you like it.

Brynna xx

What I learned after baby #2

You would think that having already gone through this once, the second time around would be easier. In some ways, the second child is a lot easier, but in other ways, I don’t know if it ever gets easier.

With my daughter, everything was hard. I was new to the whole parent thing and I wanted to get it perfect. I wanted other moms to be like, “your child is the most well-behaved, friendly, well-adjusted, polite, kind little miss I have ever seen!” Let’s just say, I put too much pressure on myself. My daughter is actually all of those characteristics I just mentioned, as well as whiny, sassy, stubborn, independent, crafty, outgoing…she is 2.

Despite being uncertain about everything as a first time mom, my daughter has always been strong. I love that about her. I am all for strong women. When she came out, she lifted her head, wide-eyed, taking in the world around her. She has soaked up knowledge and actively sought the meaning of things from such a young age. I think perhaps that’s why when it was time for me to return to work I felt good about it. In fact, I was ready to get back to a daily routine and a life that meant having a meaningful conversation with someone my own age. Someone who could talk in full sentences and feed themselves. Looking back, I feel a little guilty for just how ready I was. Especially since now, I am not ready at all.

I am staring down my last week of maternity leave and feeling a lot of anxiety about it. I think my husband is tired of me complaining about how stressed I am about the whole thing. I’m not sure if other moms have experienced the same thing with number two but it is hitting me harder this go ’round. My husband likes to think that it’s because I am leaving my son this time. A little momma’s boy. Perhaps he is right.

Our son was a different story than our daughter. The only grief that little boy has given me (so far) was when he shot out like a football fifteen minutes after we arrived at the hospital. I never knew so much pain could be experienced in such a short window of time. Our daughter was overdue by a week, my labour had to be induced and it took a good 24 hours before she looked at me with those big baby blues. She was stalling; finding the right time to make her appearance; exploring every possible scenario in her little Libra head. Our son wanted and needed me from the moment he was born. He latched on and hasn’t let go since. So yes, perhaps he is a momma’s boy and perhaps my husband is onto something there, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to leave either one of them.

I feel like we did learn a lot from being first time parents though. We learned just how much we love sleep. We learned that life is hard. We learned that life before our daughter was NOT hard. We learned that we need to work at communicating and be more supportive of each other. We learned that we can be a pretty good team. We made a ton of mistakes but we are stronger than we ever have been and I know that is completely due to our experiences as parents.

I think that having gone through the first time parent phase really prepared me for the second baby. Aside from having postpartum depression for a good month (which is another blog post in itself), I was at ease this time. I enjoyed my time with the kids more and I didn’t care nearly as much if everything was perfect. I loved just watching them be.

The kids grew so quickly and a year passed much faster this time. I realized my little man was 8….9….10 months old and my time with them was winding down. I have watched as both of my babies have grown into best friends. I see them interact, play and cheer each other on. Our son claps when his sister pees on the potty and she was rooting him on when he took his first steps.

Being a mother has allowed me to spend the better part of the last three years with the two most incredible people I have ever met. I am so thankful for that time and that is why it is hard to face the fact that it is coming to an end. I know that it’s good to return to work, for me. My friends tell me that “me time” is important too…which I know, but I’m still not sure if the idea of “me time” will help me when I drop them at the daycare on Monday. I’m sure I am not the first mother to ask herself that simple but ever so difficult question; am I making the right choice?

My husband, the fixer of the relationship tried to calm me down when I was having my meltdown a couple of weeks back, sobbing that “I can’t leave them” and “I’m going to miss them so much”. He offered solutions, as the fixer does, like, “selling our house? Downsizing? Starting a daycare?” To which I replied, “but, I like our house”, “we are already total frugals” and, “I don’t want to look after other people’s kids, just my own.”

At the end of the day, I know that going back to work makes the most sense. I will adjust and I am not alone. Every other working mother goes through the same emotional realization as me. So come Monday morning, I will be dropping the kids off and entering into the daily stretch of eight hours that won’t include wiping runny noses, or telling my daughter to stop spinning by the fireplace. It won’t involve me making sticky bear sandwiches (peanut butter and honey), or pleading with my son to “calm down, lunch is almost ready.” I won’t have to wipe any bums or have anyone cheering and clapping that I went pee on the potty by myself. It will involve “me time”, adult conversations and eating lunch in peace. No interruptions or whining. It sounds good, no?

When I leave them on my first day back I will be thinking of these things, no doubt. I’m not sure what will be more difficult, knowing how much I am going to miss them, or realizing that they will be having a great time and not missing me nearly as much. I suppose what I learned after baby number two is, that I need them just as much as they need me, maybe more.

So, I’m feeling a little sombre, but I’m looking forward to dancing, singing, giggling and hugging them every night and all weekend long. 🙂

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What are your mommy stories, can you relate to my experiences or meltdowns? I’d love to hear how you coped with going back to work.

Brynna xx