Fireplace Makeover

I've been spending some time on Pinterest lately looking for inspiration to update my stairs. That's when I came across this image from thisoldhouse.com. 

Our fireplace already has a draft stopper installed so this should be easy! My husband is always eager to help me with my projects when they involve wood and the outdoors. He was excited about the project so we all piled in the car to go look for some logs. (Yes, his eagerness did surprise me as some projects go months or more without interest. Best not to question and just enjoy!) We found some great birch logs that had already fallen down but weren't rotting yet. My husband has been busy cutting them up and I have been busy painting.

I was starting to think that this project was going to be completed soon when my husband informed me that the wood is still a little wet. So we should let it dry for a couple of WEEKS. Yes, weeks, I was not ready for weeks. I'm going to get everything else ready and paint the stairs. When I'm ready to put everything back, hopefully the logs are dry enough to attach.

Here is a picture of our fireplace before to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. The green semi-circle is the draft stopper that I am painting black and attaching the logs to.  The brick is now white so I think it is just going to look fabulous!

Latest Wreath

I'm so excited about having my application accepted for a booth at this years Evergreen Artisan Market. It is to be held on November 7, 2014 here in town at the Rawlinson Center.  This will be my first craft show so I've been quite busy making my rolled paper roses.  To add some variety, I decided to experiment with adding colour. I decided on a teal watercolour paint to liven things up.  So what do you think? I think I love it! 

Summer 2014

It's hard to believe that summer is long over and winter is around the corner.  As a family we were so busy this summer it went by way to fast.  We didn't get many of the projects done around the house but we did make many memories that will be hard to forget. We were fortunate to have visits from family and friends that were filled with great conversations, laughter and giggles.  The girls and I have never been west of wherever we are living (with every move we seem to inch westward), which is Saskatchewan at the moment. So we spent a week at Elk Island National Park in Alberta and then later took two and a half weeks to drive through the rocky mountains and out to Vancouver Island.  I won't bore you with all the details but I think it was our best family vacation to date. I took hundreds of photos but will leave you with a few family selfies that were taken with my phone.

This one is of us on the ferry on the way to Vancouver Island.

Here we are on the way home, stopping to check out the Hoodoos in Alberta's Drumheller Valley.

 This one my youngest took at the Fisgard Lighthouse Historical Site just outside of Victoria, BC. 

It's my new favourite of us.