My First Living Room!

We finally have a sofa! Which means we finally have a living area! Like a real-life grown-up one : )

Those who know us will understand...this isn't any ordinary furniture delivery! We didn't have a sofa for 4 and a half months. That may not be long in the grand scheme of things, but it was frustrating at the time. Part of that homey feeling is having a comfy cozy place to curl up, and the only place I could do that was the bed. Now I love our bed, but I hardly felt like hanging out there all evening...every day...for 4 months! I kept falling asleep :)

It took us a couple weeks to pick out a sofa, mainly because I was too picky we wanted to get the best deal :)! But a sofa can be such a central feature in a space, so the look and feel really mattered to me. But after placing our order in July, the store kept pushing back the delivery date because of a warehouse issue, until 12 weeks had passed and they were saying it would still take another month!

For a moment I actually regretted making my husband sell his old sofa set before the wedding. If you’re reading this honey, don’t get any ideas, it was just one very..Very brief moment.

We finally canceled the order (getting a refund was a whole other issue). I shopped around again and found something great at Leon’s. Best part: delivery within 2 days! I honestly don’t know why I didn’t check that store the first time around!
The sofa is gorgeous and so comfy and I looove the lines! Not too straight, not too curvy, love it!

I was afraid a light colour would get dirty easily…but we don’t have kids yet so if we’re ever going to have a light sofa now’s the time right :)
Plus we opted for a fabric protection on the sofa – it’s so very cool! Liquid drops just sit on top of the fabric rather than soak in, and the fabric still looks and feels the same.
 

We are both really happy with the new look of our living area. It’s amazing how different the place feels with a sofa! We have a place to curl up and relax other than the bed :) And I have no excuse to hesitate about inviting people over now...they're going to have to taste my cooking someday anyway :)

The two side chairs were from Homesense awhile ago. We got them to go with our original sofa order (which was a luscious deep green), but they work well with this sofa too.

As for the cushions, we didn't like the ones that came with the sofa, so I got these lovelies instead. I wanted something that worked with the cushions I already had on the side chairs. These were a bit of a splurge, but the sofa was a gift from my husband's super-sweet parents :) so I could spend a bit on the cushions. Plus it was honestly love at first sight when I spotted those orange patterned ones! I tried a bunch of pillows alongside them (literally 7 different cushions, my husband must have thought I was nuts :) until I found this bright green one. It's a great pop of colour, I totally love it! It's rich and elegant and heaven to touch too :)

 

It’s honestly a world of a difference coming home to this new space, I adore it. It feels warm and inviting and cozy, but still really classy. Just what a honey sweet home should be :)

I’m excited to dress up the walls and add some curtains next : ) 

What do you think?!

Linked up at:

Good Life Wednesdays
Remodelaholics Anonymous

Before & After: A Table Makeover

One afternoon when we’d first moved in, my husband and I were unpacking when I stumbled across him trying to tape his hometown flag to the wall...After gently reminding him that we aren’t living in dorms anymore :) I suggested framing it and giving it a proper place of honour in our home. Framing it felt somewhat counter-intuitive to his down home east-coast roots, but he eventually agreed it was a reasonable compromise :) 

The flag is huge so custom framing was out of the question, but I found a beautiful large country-ish frame at IKEA.

Not quite as big as the whole flag, but it would work.We wanted to hang it in the hallway to our bedroom but for the life of us we couldn’t drill through that wall, so the flag ended up in our front entrance.

What started as an idea purely to please my husband (and reassure him that I wasn’t taking over our new place with my decorating obsession!) ended up being a great piece of art that I really love! It may or may not be a bit crooked in the frame..but..well I'm learning to cope. It definitely brings interest to the front hall, and most importantly it’s something really meaningful for him and me. 

Well...I should also admit that putting it up gave me an excuse to search for a console table to use underneath it :)

I saw some I loved at Homesense, but I figured an entry table wasn't a necessity (depending on how you define necessity) so I didn't want to spend much on one at this point. After a month or two of keeping my eye out I finally found something on Kijiji! A gorgeous wood console in need of some tender loving care and a new home : )

It was an amazing deal at only 15 bucks!!! (yes, that warrants three exclamation marks!) Although it was in pretty rough shape when we bought it, and I'll be honest - it did not smell great. The seller was really nice, but my husband and I are just not used to pet odours. The owner’s dog had chewed away at all the edges pretty badly. I forgot to take a pic before sanding but here is some similar damage on a coffee table we bought from the same place.

Yikes!

I had to purify the table according to our Islamic tradition – any Shafis out there can appreciate that task! : )

Then we sanded the whole thing down...as best we could being first time sanders! I borrowed an electric sander from my best friend’s Dad, but I don't think I used it properly because it was leaving scratches on the surface. So I did the rest by hand, although my arms almost fell off in the process...almost, it was a pretty close call, but praise to God they made it through.

I had no idea how to salvage the corners so I just rounded them out with the electric sander.

They're not all perfectly even, but I'm trying to convince myself that perfection is overrated :)

I used some wood filler on the biggest dents.

How come spackling always looks so easy on TV? I'm just hoping it gets easier with practice. A tip for anyone else who tries this for the first time: don’t use too much, and try to get it as smooth as you can while it is still wet. After sanding the whole table, the last thing I wanted to do was a lot more sanding! 

Also, while the filler does take stain, the tone will be slightly off from the real wood.

After prepping the table I applied a wood conditioner.

It's supposed to help with an even stain application. I’m not sure if it helped because I still see some patchiness, but I’ll have to try a project without it someday to see the difference. 

Then I applied a water-based stain & polyurethane combo using a sponge brush.

Anyone know if it’s better to stain and poly separately? And is an oil-based or water-based stain better for an even application?

I liked the colour of the table after one coat, but the top was a bit too patchy so I applied a second coat to the top only. (Plus I ran out of time since I had guests coming over!) At first it was a bit redder than I wanted, but now I actually love the rich warmth of the stain.

I also changed out the handles for something a bit sleeker, but still in keeping with the look of the table. (Ignore the dust! I've been working on another project and there is sanding dust everywhere!)

 

And voila, a new console table!

It was my first big project and we are really happy with it. The detail in the legs is my favourite thing :)

And I loved the process, it was sooo much fun that I couldn't wait to get started on my next furniture makeover - more on that to come!

In addition to the $15 for the table, I probably spent about $25-30 on the supplies (sandpaper, wood filler, conditioner, stain, brushes, etc), but I did have a ton of everything leftover.

Another before:

And after:

Let me know what you think!

Linking up at:
Coffee and Conversation Thursday  
Twice Owned Tuesday 
The DIY Project Parade
Show & Share 
Transformation Thursday 
           

My First Vignette

We've been living in the new apartment for 4 months now, but between all the craziness the past few months - the honeymoon and post-wedding hoopla, the moving and furniture shopping, getting back to work and figuring out new routines, not to mention the whole learning how to live with (and feed) a man thing :) - our home is still a work in progress :) But what home isn't? 

Anyway one of our furniture finds was a beauty of a dresser from IKEA to use between our dining area and workspace in the apartment. It provides a lot of extra storage as well as a buffet surface, and best of all a space for me to decorate :) So a couple weeks ago I finally got to creating my first little vignette! 

It started with an idea I've seen in stores and on a few other blogs - decorating with pinecones. I loved the idea of natural decor in our home. 

Pinecones are all over the christmas aisles as pot pouri or tree ornaments, but why on earth pay when you can get them free? So I asked some of my sweet students to collect them for me at lunch time. They returned after lunch with enormous smiles and three tiny little pinecones in hand :) 

Since I needed just a few more, my husband and I went out one evening to collect a whole bag full. I washed them all to remove any mud - and yes, a few creepy crawlies did come out and almost get me, but praise to God I didn't incur any serious injuries. 

When it came to displaying them, I've read on a lot of blogs to use what you have. But as newlyweds just starting out we haven't got much in the way of decor supplies...just some leftover wedding stuff that wasn't right size for this anyway. 

So I went shopping for some vases and bowls on the cheap. I found some great ones at Walmart, but the two I wanted were totalling 35 bucks! So I shopped around at Goodwill and Value Village and scored these shapely beauties for 3 and 4 bucks each! I'm pretty sure the smaller one is exactly the Walmart vase...nothing beats a great deal :)

I filled them up with pinecones and added a little colour with cinnamon sticks and some fall fillers I found on clearance at Homesense. 

The two vases were looking a little dinky alone though, so I wanted to add something taller. I tried these great candlesticks, but they were a little too dark and chunky next to my shiny dainty vases, so I returned them.

Then I found the perfect tall & thin apothecary vase at Pottery Barn, but it happened to come with a $90 price tag...ouch! Enter this great toilet paper holder I'd seen previously at Kitchen Stuff Plus:

It was $20! Sure it's for toilet paper, but who's gonna know? 

To balance the other side of the dresser, I added one of the floral arrangements I'd made previously (see here). I also found these gorrrrrgeous candlesticks on clearance at Winners ($6 & $7) - I was in love!! 

The tinted glass of these curvy beauties suited my vignette perfectly - warm colours with a bit of sparkly glass. I added some deep red candles, also on sale from Bombay, and voila! My first vignette :)

I love the rich fall colours and the way it brightens up this previously bare corner of the apartment and makes it feel so much cozier. And I'm seriously loving the combination of nature with a little sparkle of glass.

What do you guys think? 

P.S. Linked up at:
Thrifty Decor Chick : November Before & After Party
Creating a House of Grace : Twice Owned Tuesday Party 

Dollarama Eid Decor

Eid Mubarak! I hope that all of you who celebrated Eid had a blessed and festive day :) 

I have to admit I was feeling a bit lazy to decorate this Eid, especially since it’s just the two of us at home and we were invited out anyway. But my sweet sister-in-law encouraged me to get my sparkle on and make the place feel special :) Plus you can’t help but be inspired by all the dazzling decor in the new Christmas displays.

I’ve seen some gorgeous decorations out there that aren’t Christmas specific and could be used for any holiday! I’m definitely looking forward to the boxing day sales so I can pick up some glittery goodies to use for Rabi’ al Awwal & Ramadan next year.

For this Eid I wanted to keep it simple and easy, and most importantly, cheap! So I took a trip to Dollarama and came home with a big bag full of gold treasures :)

In the main archway of the apartment I put up a couple of tinsel garlands and hung some gold stars. Simple but festive! 

The placement is great because you see it as soon as you enter the apartment but also from anywhere in the main room.

I also found these shimmery flowers and glittery golden branches that I loved! So I picked out a simple tall vase to place them in, as well as a roll of ribbon for a quick and easy way to dress it up (and hide the stems of the florals). 

I just wrapped the ribbon around the vase with a bit of tape, and added some gold wrapping paper I already had inside. It took literally 2 minutes to create this arrangement: 

I bought some small gold balls and pinecones too. I know I know, you can get pinecones for free and paint them! But I wanted something quick and easy and these were still super cheap!

All I did was put them together in a glass apothecary bowl I recently bought (only $9 at Superstore!) and voila! It really can’t get easier.

 

I dressed the entrance table with a sparkly Dollarama fabric and some candles I had around the house. My little Eid sign was an impromptu craft project gone wrong :) But my husband liked it so we left it out.

And with that, I was able to put together a little Eid vignette near our front entrance! 

I also fortunately never took down the lights that I had put up last Eid (as in 2 months ago) so that added a bit more twinkle to the place as well. 

Not counting what I already had, I spent a grand total of $19 at Dollarama, which isn't too bad if I do say so myself :) 

I'm so grateful I could make our home look a little special for Eid, after all my husband reminded me that celebrating is a sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. And I love that I was able to create a really festive yet simple look.

I’m excited to go all out next Eid, but for now this was perfect! 

Cheap & Easy Floral Knock-Offs

Last month, my Mum was heading to Homesense to look for some accents for her family room makeover. Yes, she re-did the family room AFTER her design-obsessed daughter moved out, almost cruel isn't it :)? Anyway I went with her to help pick out some things and ended up browsing the florals. My husband had recently brought our side tables out of storage (which we got last year FREE from a generous friend :) so I was searching for something to dress them up. 

I've never really shopped for decor or florals before, but I was surprised at the prices! I loved this simple and elegant arrangement:

But it was 25 bucks! Some of the fancier arrangements looked hard, but this I could totally do myself! So...I did :)

I picked 3 stems of fake hydrangeas that were $13, and for a bit more interest I chose a grassy & berry filler ($6 or $7). When my sweet Mum saw me shopping she insisted on paying, so everything ended up free :) 

I originally got cream hydrangeas, trying to go as gender-neutral as flowers can be, but when I brought them home my honey wanted more colour! So I exchanged them for the red ones I actually wanted :)

I already had two square vases at home leftover from my wedding centrepieces, so I put them to use. (FYI they were from Dollarama, so $1.50 each!) 

A bit of trimming and arranging and a few minutes later and I ended up with these two pretty arrangements:

I've been moving them around, for now one is on a side table and another has found a home in my first vignette (another post soon :).

I love the deep fall colours and the warmth these arrangements bring to whatever corner they are in! 

Best of all, I made 2 arrangements for less than the price of one store-bought one! Although in this case they were totally free :)

What do you think?