Birthday Festivities

Last week was my birthday!  Those of you that follow me on Instagram saw some preview pictures the day of, but here is a short rundown of the day!

My mom and sister tried to plan a surprise party for me last weekend, but sadly it didn't pan out.  I did receive some lovely flowers from my friend Danielle in Nova Scotia!  That was an awesome surprise and so nice of Danielle and her husband to send.  There's nothing like the smell of fresh flowers in the house after this LONG winter.

I also got a pretty rose plant from my Dad.  It's tradition for him to give flowers or a plant to each of us on our birthday :)

So instead of a party, I went out for dinner with my family to a Chinese food buffet (my favourite!) followed by some bowling.  It's been ages since I've bowled but it was super fun!  Check out those glow in the dark shoes!

We came back to my parents' house for some cake and presents.  I had joked a few weeks earlier that I wanted a Cookie Monster cake.  Well, my mom didn't take it as a joke and made such a cool cake!  Isn't it awesome?!

My students were also very sweet and sang happy birthday to me during our morning rehearsal, and I got a handmade card from another.  I'll be sad when this job ends in June!

This week is March break here so I'm hoping to get some projects done and a few more blog posts written. But, it's also awesome just to relax so we'll see how it goes! :P

 

Birthday Time!

Thanks for all your comments regarding my coffee table to ottoman project, and a welcome to readers who are stopping by from Miss. Polly Rogers!  #33 on her Top 45 Best Charming Lifestyle DIY and Tutorials Ever, thanks Polly!

It was my birthday last week!

It was a good day.  I taught a full day at school, then went over to my parents' house where I met up with them and my sister.  It was an interesting night, mostly because of the "guest" or my "present" my sister brought!

Meet Cody!

He's an old english sheepdog, and belongs to a friend of my sister's.  She was dog sitting for the night and decided to surprise me with a 4 month old puppy.  Super friendly, and definitely a handful!  Things started out ok, then proceeded to get a little out of hand! haha

We had a nice Chinese food dinner, and my mom made me an awesome cake!

I got some great presents, like a windshield wiper, a heating pad, and some filters for my Brita water pitcher. Does not sound glamorous but definitely stuff I needed and asked for!  My sister got me a super cute trivet that now has a home in my kitchen, as well as a book that I think will come in handy :)

I'm always excited when my birthday comes around because I know spring is just around the corner!

DIY Birthday Presents

It was my mom's birthday last week, so I had to wait until she opened her presents before I could feature them on the blog!  I decided to go the DIY route this year.  She's redecorating her bedroom (I'll feature it on here once it's all done!) and I thought some new accessories would make for some good gifts.  Bring on the Sisal Rope Container and a Faux Bois Vase!

This project was super easy and turned out really great.  I bought a glass jar from the Dollar Store, and some sisal rope from Home Depot.  I was looking for 1/4" thickness for the rope but they were sold out, so I went with 3/8".  It's a bit thicker, but it still works!  I got the 50 foot roll, so I still have a little bit left for another project!

I have no during photos, sorry...but it's really very easy.  Take your glue gun and glue the end of the rope at the base of the jar.  Then put down beads of glue and stick your rope on as you work your way around the jar (or whatever container you have chosen).  Just make sure you keep your first row of rope straight, otherwise it might end up a bit wonky towards the end!  I did the lid separately, but followed the exact same procedure.  I just stuck the nubbin (is that a word?) at the end right down into the centre of the lid with lots of glue, and it seems to be holding up nicely!

The rope adds a different texture to the room and looks great beside Mr. Owl if I do say so myself!  I've been seeing sisal all over the place lately.

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Centsational Gil on Pinterest



Source: sandandsisal.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Source: sparklepantsgirl.com via Jessa on Pinterest

I also made my mom a faux bois vase. 

This one was a bit more complex and turned into a bit of a gong show towards the end!  If you would like a proper tutorial, I used Kate's from Centsational Girl.  It was really good and she does a much better job than I could explaining the procedure and she has some good photos; although I don't think she ran into the same problems I did!  All you need is a glass vase (I got mine at the Dollar Store), some silicone sealant, some frosted glass spray paint, and some white spray paint. 

My main tip to you should you consider doing this project: 

Make sure you get silicone sealant that you can actually squeeze easily.  Mine was so tough that I had to use two hands to squeeze - one on top and one on the bottom.  Well, who knew that if you used two hands and bent the tube that the tube would eventually crack and you would have sealant oozing out from all over the place and it would be all over your hands making a sticky mess...I sure didn't.  Took me half an hour, Goo-Be-Gone, and soap to get it off.  So I donned some rubber gloves and wrapped my tube of sealant in saran wrap.  That worked for a short while until the sealant started oozing in between the tube and the saran wrap.  I ended up losing the pressure of the silicone coming out the tip of the tube since most of it was oozing out the centre whenever I squeezed!  I had to finish the last four lines using a Q-tip.  Needless to say, the backside of this vase does not look as good as the front!  (and even the front is a bit questionable up close!)

It does look rather spiffy with some flowers in it though.  It's found a nice new home on a nightstand, with its imperfections slightly hidden now by a clock!

The Cat Bought Me a Gift...(And It Wasn't a Hairball)

Hi all!  Well, it was my birthday on Sunday, and it was a great day filled with hot tubbing, lots of food, cake and presents.  I'm now a year older and looking forward to the year ahead!

I wanted to show you all some of my gifts from the sweet people in my life! :)

Gift:  Pink Daisies

Why I Love It:  Every year, since I was little, my Dad has got me flowers, or a plant, for my birthday.  It's a birthday tradition in our house!  They add a nice pop of colour, smell good, and remind me that spring is coming!!

Gift:  Pear

Why I Love It:  Months ago, I was shopping with my mom and sister at Homesense, and there was this giant pear.  They suggested I buy it, since the green matches my colours in my kitchen/living room area.  Well I didn't.  And then couldn't stop thinking about that pear.  This pear though, is slightly smaller, but has an awesome texture, and I love its little metal stem and leaf! 

    

Gift:  Glasses

Why I Love It:  What's not to love?  I got six of each size, and they came from the DOLLAR STORE.  Dollar Store presents are the best!!

Gift:  Kettle

Why I Love It:  I had to throw my old one out.  It had definitely seen better days...and I bought it almost 10 years ago so I guess I was due for a new one!  This will match my appliances!

Gift:  A Silicone Whisk

From:  My Sister's Cat, Beans (or Kitteh as I call her, you know, with a French accent)

Why I Love It:  The clever packaging had me laughing quite a bit!  You will also notice the first card in the picture above...also from the cat.

Thank you so much, and have a great week everyone!  March Break is coming up soon, I can't wait!