Category Archives: Lifestyle

Mirror Mirror || Picture frame details in the bedroom with @TheBrick #Sponsor #HomeDecor

I love how a simple mirror can make a room look so much bigger than it is. Easily one of my favourite wall decor finishers is an elegant mirror, both for function and for design. When the Picture Frame mirror trend picked up last year I was so excited. I love detailed mirrors in general, naturally when I saw the classic touch of this frame detail on this full length mirror from The Brick I know I had to have it for our Master Bedroom.

When choosing a mirror for your space here are three easy tips to help narrow down the choices:

Function: Ask yourself, how will I be using this mirror? If you need it for seeing a head to toe outfit choice. Full length is for you, these types of mirrors are usual found in a bedroom, front entry way or dressing room. I LOVE how they open up a space, making it look so much larger.

Design: Are you looking to add a decorative detail to your wall? In this case, smaller mirrors are an easy way to add a beautiful touch to your room. Mix smaller mirrors into wall picturescapes or above a waist high dresser.

Size: Know the measurements of your space and find a mirror that fits within your size constraints. I had a large blank wall to work with, so the sky was the limit! Bigger the bigger. But when choosing a smaller mirror for above a piece of furniture choose one slightly smaller than the width of the dresser, as an example. Continue reading →

Get your space back! The toy struggle || Storage Solutions with @Thebrick #sponsor #homedecor

living room stylish toy storage solutions how to declutter your space

We have all been there or at least seen it… the living room over run by toys. The kids have taken over, if you are anything like me, you want your living space back! I don’t want to lie to you and say my house is a decluttered toy free oasis at all times but I will say I’ve found a storage solution that makes tidying the daily fun easy. Meet the Adept Wide Storage Cabinet from The Brick. With three adjustable shelves on either side, this storage cabinet provides ample space to tuck away your clutter. We have had it for over a year, made of a durable wood / laminate combo, it has held up with our kid’s daily use. I love the fossil oak hue and gold finish handles this cabinet is both stylish and functional.

Too large for your place? The Adept Wide comes in a narrow version for your small place storage needs.

My secret is out! I can’t name the number of times people ask on social media how I keep our living room looking so tidy with two kids. Now you know! It’s time to declutter and organize your life, let me tell you it feels good.

Disclaimer: This post was paid by The Brick but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disneyland Tricks & Tips: How to do Disney like a seasoned pro… #travel #disney #disneyland

Here are my insider tips, tricks and hacks for experiencing Disney like a seasoned pro:

A stroller at Disney is your best friend, do not attend without one. Even if your kids are a little too big to use it for it’s obvious purpose. It’s where you will store everything you need for your family throughout the day. And it’ll help you save money in the park on purchases like expensive drinks, snacks, blankets, extra clothing, and extra footwear. You are allowed a small soft shell cooler and a stroller through security… but no selfie sticks! They will be taken away as a forewarning. I suggest filling your stroller with drinks from Target or Walgreens. On average a drink within Disney will cost you between $5-$8! When you can get a pack of 12 beverages at Target for the price of 1. You’ll need a place to store snacks and layers of clothing to put on/ or off throughout the day depending on weather. Especially if you are starting during the day and staying until the evening, the temperature will drop. Strolling parking is available everywhere! Simply park your stroller in a designated spot leaving it to go about your business in that section of the park. It’s as simply as that. I tie a bright coloured bandana or balloon to ours to find it. There are a lot of strollers! A stroller will hold everything you need, help you not make pricey purchases and make you hands free to have fun!
Target is one of the best places to buy just about anything! Stock up on cheap snacks, drinks and apparel. Any Target near Disney will have an a Disney related souvenir and clothing section. Anything from sweatshirts, collectable pins, hats, tees and sweatpants can be found at approximately 1/3 the cost outside the park. They even had Disney rain gear for rides like Splash Mountain. In the park it’ll cost you approximately $8 for one Disney rain poncho, while Target had them for $2. We go on our day of arrival to score many of the expensive extras seen in the park. Plus, it’s a great way to pick up souvenirs at a fraction of the cost. By saving on snacks and tiny extras we were about to let the kids indulge little bit in the park and find amazing toys at the many gift shops.
Work the Fast Pass System! A Fast Pass will save your life with young children that cannot wait in the long lineups. If you are new to Disney, there will be two lines: Regular and Fast Pass holders. Basically Fast Passes skip almost the entire line. The new system has an app that can be purchased for $10 a day and you can do your fast passes electronically through the app. If you were doing Disney for one day it can be relatively convenient to pay the $10 per person per day for the convenience of the new fast pass app. But for us we did Disney several days in a row and we were a large family group. Each person in your group has to pay that $10. For us we could not justify an extra hundred dollars a day to use an app. Instead we would designate one adult as the fast pass holder. They would carry all of our tickets, hustle to a separate section of the park to obtain fast passes for our entire group while we waited in line for a longer ride. By the time they returned with our fast passes they would join us in line. We found the system to work well for our large group, we rarely waited longer than 20 minutes for any given ride. Please note, some rides are more popular compared to others. Unless you get a fast pass before noon for many of the “popular rides,” there will not be any more fast passes available that day. California Adventure: Guardians of the Galaxy, Toy Story and Cars. Disneyland: It’s a Small World, Madahorn, Starwars, and the Haunted Mansion. If a ride is displaying a wait time of 15 minutes or less do not waste a Fast Pass on it. Instead try to use your Fast Passes on rides that have between 30 to 60 minute wait times. You can check the wait times on the app for free or it’s displayed at the front of the ride. Get a Fast Pass for a busy ride, thing on the less busy rides in that section until your Fast Pass window starts.
If you have time, there are several Disney Store outlets in the area. We scored a handful of limited edition stuffed animals, jackets and action figures for 70% off the park prices. If an Outlet day is on the agenda, why not? You will not be disappointed by the prices. Plus, stores like Coach, as an example sometimes will carry limited edition Disney bags and accessories on sale. Luxury Disney does exist if that floats your boat.
Book your dinners well in advance, reservations are key or you will eat dinner at grab and go locations only. Many popular restaurants book up months in advance, especially when your a group of 4 or larger. By saving on breakfast, lunches and snacks by bringing a cooler splurging on a few dinners within the park was totally worth it. Many of them are an experience within themselves, let alone awesome food. And if you are looking for a beer or a wine… those are only available at a few locations in California Adventures, Disneyland does not serve alcohol. Here are a few restaurants to target for reservations: Blue Bayou, Carnation Cafe, Mendocino Terrace at the Golden Vine Winery, Plaza Inn, and Ariel’s Grotto. Continue reading →

A Dining Q&A with @TheBrick || Why I changed up my space after only 1 year… #sponsor

I think this must be a January thing but I’ve just spent the entire week purging the house. More notable, the kid’s clothing and my glassware. I need my monthly brunch session more then ever! In the past month, I’ve gotten quite a few emails wondering why I changed out my dining set, why I choose the Bari set from The Brick and how much storage my sidebar really has. So I wanted to do a Dining Q&A, hopefully answering the questions some of you may be having in your redesign / organizing January mood. Let’s get right to it:

Why did I redesign my dining room after only one year? Why the Bari set?

Short answer, my previous table was about 1.5 -2 feet too long for the place. We have access to our kitchen from each end of the table, over time it was very apparent that I had picked a table far too big to make my space functional for everyday. Did I love the ample seating, YES! We host dinners and brunches often but the Bari set fits our space so much better for day to day. And I don’t find it too tight adding a few extra chairs for Sunday dinner. I’m lucky enough to work with The Brick, I found a modern table set that was slightly smaller but still, if not more stylish than my last table. I love this new modern space.

How much storage does that sideboard really have?

The big question related to the functionality of my space, was the additional of this Jade server sideboard. Obviously, with my window I cannot have a large curio cabinet that would have floor to ceiling storage. If I had the wall for it, I love the Keswick Hutch, I highly suggested it if you had the space for it. But in all honesty, our Jade server has almost just as many shelves and because the top is at waist level, I love to add design accents and seasonal decorations to our dining space. The top can also serve as a food station when serving several course meals that involve many large serving plates. And the closed storage is perfect to hide clutter or mismatched plate sets. I hide ALOT in that server, it’s an organizing must for a dining room.

Thank you so much for the questions via, the blog, email or social media. I’m happy to help!

Continue reading →

New Year, New Rug || @TheBrick #sponsor

I love a good rug! It’s crazy how much of a style impact a rug can make to a room. We had an unfortunately family related accident happen to our last rug. Let’s just say, little kids and juice can be a white rug killer. But it did last us almost a whole calendar year, which is pretty good for a high traffic area like the living room with two babies and a large dog. I knew I wanted to keep the rug light in colour for the replacement because the white opens up the space making it airy. We finally made the decision to go with this incredible Sparkle Shag Area Rug. It’s so soft, cozy and glamorous with that touch of sparkle. It’s the perfect addition to our space. Continue reading →