Wood Backsplash in the Kitchen?

I had an epiphany...

I was online reading some blog posts when I came across this picture.

the lettered cottage.

Lightbulb. Wood in the kitchen. Wood for a backsplash. Why not?

The large space above our stove has been sitting empty with pencil marked subway tile sizes... But the truth is I'm not sure a large wall of white is going to be that spectacular. I'm just afraid it will be way too much white.

look closely you can see the pencil.

And then it just dawned on me. Wood. Warmth. Natural. Edgy. And completely different than what people would expect.

I'm not ditching the white subway tile completely... Nope it can go over here above the mountain of dishes in the sink and behind the endless appliances that need to be put away. Oh and don't forget the bottles.

Now that's real life... Don't tell... but I usually have a sink like this!

A little wood, a little subway tile... The best of both worlds. Am I crazy? Here's what colour I was thinking for the wood...

this one. via skip to my lou.

or the colour on these cabinets. via repmagz.

I think I might. I think I might. What do you think... Go for it?

P.S. Sorry for the messy kitchen.

What I Call My Home Office

As promised last week, when I revealed the 5 best home offices... Here's what my current office looks like.

the dining room table

what you don't see - the piles of stuff on chair seats

my supplies - in the storage room downstairs

where my computer used to be

Ain't she purdy? HAHA Actually "she" is driving me insane. My family and friends would be saying, I can't believe her house actually looks like that. And that's because they know every time they walk into my house you might see a little mail on the island, some dishes in the sink... and the odd hairball from the never ending shred fest my cat has going on. Other than that... spick and span. I'm a neat freak!

What the heck happened?

Well, I got pregnant, had Little P and it all went down hill. Okay, in my eyes in all went down hill. In everyone else's there like it's not even messy... well except for that so called dining room table office.

But, I need to be near the little man. He usually takes sporadic naps throughout the day - no telling when he'll crash. But when he does it's usually in the "booby pillow" on the couch and I'm not moving him. You know... let sleeping dogs lie.

So... the dining room table it is. But, I'm thinking of moving... duh duh duh. Not downstairs where it's supposed to actually be... YET! But, to the master closet that is supposed to turn into an ensuite someday... (see here)... we're really behind on this project. But, there's a tonne of room in there for an office and I'm pretty close to the wee one if he decides to wake up in the middle of WWII screaming for his life.

All I know is I need to get this mess out of the dining room... I'll keep you posted.

It's "Favorites Friday" | The 5 Best Home Offices

I need to get a new home office. Truth be told - I've taken over the dining room table. 1. So much more convenient... Little P is either playing or having a snore fest right next to me and well everything is right around me. And well 2. I'm not sure I'm ready for the basement life of an office... creative people need light... lots of light... and lots of I dunno. But I'm sticking with the excuse that creative people hate basements and need light.

Anyways, I really don't have a choice. I'm going to the basement and moving little P and everything with me... minus the kitchen and couch. The only thing I have to decide is how I'm going to make it work. And well, since it's Favorite's Friday, I thought I'd round up five of my favorite spaces on Pinterest that I've been looking at while I design this workspace I'll hopefully be working permanently from in the future!

1. I adore this home office and it looks like it's the farthest thing from a basement. But I need a large working space like this just because I always have so much on the go. via buzzfeed.

2. I don't see windows! This home office looks perfect for limited space. via pinterest.

3. Bright and airy, I love the sophistication of this home office. The colour palette is to die for. via ballard designs.

4. I love the shelving/cubbies in this home office, I could sit all day staring out the window... I mean getting work done! via fieldstone hill design.

5. This one may be simple, but with so much stuff to store the shelving would be perfect. Plus I'm thinking a huge table is going to be a must to fit a sewing machine, computer and more. via pinterest.

And just because I can, here are couple of storage pics I've been swooning over.

via livejournal & les petites emplettes.

And here's my dream office. board with even more ideas I'm loving.

Oh, and you know, if I find a few minutes in my days next week, I'll take some pics for you and show you what my current "office" and storage space looks like. I really can't find anything. And you should have seen the dining room this week when I was testing out my quilting skills for the first time.

HMMMPH. Are houses ever big enough?

Happy Friday!

I Have Creative Problems!

I have to write this on my phone app or else I'll never get another blog post out. The truth is I have creative problems... As in I cant stick with one project. Today I'm learning how to quilt... 

And I should be listing my illustrations as physical products in the etsy shop but I have too many ideas on the go... I'm procrastinating!

source. unknown.

Oh... And of course, I've been dreaming about opening my own store. My Pinterest account has an overload of pins of ideas... As well as ones for attending craft shows. Truth is I'm terrified of both. 

So, while I procrastinate at everything... I have a few more products I'm thinking of making... I need way more time to just do it all! My name is Martha and I have creative problems.

DIY Rhino Head | Pin Attempt

If you haven't seen the nursery you must check it out. This rhino head was the perfect DIY project for our budget and now hangs above Little P's crib - and of course, it was a Pin Attempt.

First you need to grab the instruction from over here: (diy faux rhino mount).
Then all you need is a talented hubby, some paint and it's yours! Or a hubby who will let you in his workshop. ;)

It's that simple.

In fact, I've been thinking about creating other animals to sell in the etsy shop. I have some designs put together for different ones, I just need to have the hubs test them out. If all is good, we need to find a way to flat package them and create instructions for assembly. Oh, and figure out who should be doing the painting - me or the customer?

Of course, I have to finish the other Etsy projects I have on the go right now... slowly but surely it will all come together. :)

P.S. this pin attempt was a success!

Look What the UPS Man Brought Me... I love PrintDo!

I've been crazy busy lately working on the Etsy Shop, products, packaging and marketing materials. I haven't forgotten about you, I promise.

But, I thought I'd stop by and say hi and show you what just arrived at my door.

New Business cards from printdo.com. Want to know the best part? They were FREE!

I'm not talking about flimsy, cheap free - like some companies offer. No way sir-ee, these are 16pt matte, the same as what I normally order from a company in California... only printdo is Canadian.

I am super impressed. Not only are they a great price, regularly starting at $19.99, fair shipping costs... they also arrived in less than a week!

I'm super excited and just wanted to share in the great news so you can take advantage of it too! Last I checked they were still giving away free business cards... actually they let you pay what you want... Check them out on Twitter and look for the post below:

Anyways, back to work... baby... and making dinner! Chat soon.

Our "Reno" List for 2013... What the Heck Did We Get Done?

Here it is... the list I posted last year. Let's see exactly how far we got.

- fireplace mantel in the current future formal living room
- redo the family room in the basement (so we can actually have a formal living room)
- finish putting new windows in throughout the house
- put backsplash up in the kitchen (so I can FINALLY reveal it)
- hire someone to paint all ceilings
- finish master ensuite / walk-in closet
- redo main floor bathroom
- redo / finish building basement bathroom
- redo two bedrooms in the basement
- rip apart backyard deck and make stone patio
- create an outdoor kitchen (this is not my idea!! can you guess who wants this?)
- put in a pool and possibly hot tub
- put a fireplace in, in the basement
- add storage shelves to the utility room
- add patio door in the foyer
- okay, put all new doors in the foyer
- landscape everywhere (this is definitely the hubby's job...)
- redo all house siding
- insulate garage


THE NEW LIST FOR 2014

Alright it doesn't seem like we did too much from last year but we are half done a lot of those projects... Here's where we're at:

- finish putting new windows in throughout the house
- but backsplash in kitchen (does drawing on different sizes in pencil count? I'm still deciding on tile)
- hire someone to paint all ceilings
- finish master ensuite / walk-in closet (we are getting close to putting up walls and starting the bathroom, but it's really not on the radar right now)
- redo main floor bathroom - happening as we speak!
- redo two bedrooms in the basement (one more wall, closet and floor and they're finished)
- rip apart backyard deck and make stone patio  changed out mind - lower existing deck!
- create an outdoor kitchen (someday!)
- put a fireplace in the basement
- add storage shelves in utility room
- all new doors in foyer
- landscape everywhere - we started working on this last summer
- redo all house siding
- insulate the garage - this summer for sure - I hope!

It doesn't seem like much, but we really did get quite a bit done last year. This year will be a little quieter though with a little guy running around and me on maternity leave. For sure, we will have the bathroom upstairs done, the backsplash hopefully tiled in the kitchen, the back deck lowered and some landscaping done. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sloanview Quilts | Shop Local

Alright folks... it's time to talk shop. I haven't been able to get a lot of these up here lately, but since I've been doing the marketing for it these past few days... I thought I'd share.

Sloanview Quilts is owned and operated by my mother in law. She puts together these quilts in her spare time (usually in the winter because she is an avid golfer). And she also offers quilting services to those looking to get their quilts finished. Oh and she may even take the odd custom quilt order if you're looking for one - but you'll have to take that up with her. :)

Anyways, I put together a facebook page for her "business" and I think you should go check it out. 1. because her quilts are beautiful. And, 2. because I really like the logo I created... I know I just complimented my own work.

Sloanview Quilts - check 'em out. Shop local.