My best friend's wedding

My best friend forever got married this past weekend!  It was such a whirl wind of excitement, planning, emotions, anxiety, fun and most of all love.

I am so happy for Ashley and Matt, who are now taking a well-deserved "mini-moon" together, to relax after this big event.  They are planning a larger-scale honeymoon to Italy next May.

Ashley had a beautiful garden party style wedding in her Aunt and Uncle's backyard.  Her colour scheme was gray and yellow with accents of white and green.  It was so fresh!  The wedding was complete with the big, crisp white tent, lanterns, lush greenery, a bathtub of beer (yes - bathtub!), white twinkle lights and an in-ground swimming pool that some guests (and the groom) may or may not have jumped into later in the night.

To keep it simple - it was perfect.  Ashley totally blew my mind by executing the most beautiful backyard wedding I could have imagined.  I say she blew my mind because she was never one to day dream about all the details of her future wedding or go crazy with a wedding pinterest board before (or even after) she got engaged.  Unlike me, her best friend, who awkwardly purchased wedding magazines without an engagement ring and who basically had a wedding planned for every season so that I would be prepared.

Ashley went into her wedding planning with a fresh pallet, free of any preconceived ideas or plans.  And I think that is great.

Her concept was that she wanted to DIY as much as possible, keep the cost low while filling everyone up with the love her and Matt share along with delicious food and lots of beer and wine.  She didn't want things to feel stuffy, overly formal or too "planned out".  Kind of like a fancier backyard BBQ with a wedding to kick things off.

And she succeeded in doing just that.  The wedding reflected her and Matt perfectly.  They are a very down to earth couple, who focused on the important aspects of the wedding without getting caught up in the silly details which is so easy to do.

Here are a few pictures of the wedding venue, so that you can have a small appreciation for all the hard work Ashley put into her special day.  All while looking amazingly beautiful, I might add!

And here are a few action shots during the ceremony which was held in the front yard.

In the limo, on our way to the wedding!  These are Ashley's beautiful sisters on the left.  

And the bride, herself, who could not have looked more stunningly beautiful.  Matt's a pretty lucky guy!!!

The photos above were taken by me and a few of the wedding guests.  Here is a sneak peek from Ashley's amazing wedding photographer Tiffany Richard from Photography by Tiff.

Congratulations Ashley and Matt!  I wish you the all the happiness in the world as you grow together in your marriage!

xoxoxo

Painting laminate furniture

How was your long-weekend?  I hope it was a nice combination of fun in the sun, socializing with friends and family, topped with a generous dose of (insert favourite beverage here)!

We had a great weekend - my first weekend spent at the condo actually!  It was nice to wake up and enjoy our new space instead of having to rush off to work.  I still sort of feel like I'm on a vacation, living in someone else's home.

Although we were quite busy socializing with friends, I did find the time on holiday Monday to tackle a portion of my painting project.  And for my first attempt at painting furniture, I think it went pretty well.

Saturday, Derek and I decided to shop local and we hit up the Benjamin Moore paint store on Beachwood for our supplies.  After leaving there having spent almost $140 we decided that it probably wasn't the most economical store for our project.  Live and learn, right?!

We purchased all the necessary supplies that any beginner requires...

• a small foam roller
• an angled foam brush 
• paint tray with disposable liners
• a large plastic drop cloth
• sanding block
• paint

The nice lady at the store suggested we go with their Aura Interior Paint.  Maybe because they claim that it is the finest paint they've ever made, "offering the most advanced way to bring colour to life", but probably because it's the most expensive.  Either way, she hooked us.

One gallon of decorator's white (CC-20) cost us $73.  (GASP!  That $!@% cray!)  We went with the satin finish.  The good news is that it's a great colour (can you call white a colour?) and I plan to use on other pieces of furniture.  It also comes with a built in primer which meant I could skip that step.  The website insists that "Aura paint covers like no other, with even the deepest shades never requiring more than two coats."  My project actually required three coats.

For the accent colour in the back of the cabinets we chose Pool Blue (2052-50).  It came to about $25 for a quart of the Aura in satin finish.  We both loved how refreshing it felt, and it really reminded me of my inspiration photo:

Monday arrived and Derek helped me set-up on our balcony before leaving to play golf.  I'll admit, it was a little crowded out there, but I managed.  Condo living = learning to deal with tight spaces!

Before I got started I was pretty nervous, having never tackled such a project.  But I remember something I read recently about how beginner DIY'ers shouldn't be scared or hesitant and need to just DIVE IN!  So that's what I did.  Without thinking about it too much, I got to sanding and painting right away!

Here's a little timeline of photos for you....

After one coat.

After two coats.

Three coats!  I actually only did two coats on the back since I would be painting it in pretty pool blue.

After one coat of pool blue:

Digging the blue!

And they are in!  I had to cut my painting session short to head out to my soccer game, and I was only able to finish one coat of blue paint on the one unit.  We still need to paint all the shelves too.  Over all I'm pretty happy, and I think once the shelves are up and they are styled it will look more "coastal modern" and less "little boy's room".

As for how I edged around the inside with blue paint, I actually sacrificed one of my eye shadow brushes.  The angled foam brush the lady at Benjamin Moore suggested just wasn't doing the trick and since it was a holiday everything was closed.  

A few other things I learned:

• wait the complete hour and a half before applying your next coat
• watch out for drips and catch them as soon as you can
• light, smooth coats are better than thick ones

Although I may not have used the best painting techniques or overspent on supplies, I'm glad I decided to just dive right in.  Even if they are not perfect, I think it's a great improvement from the dark brown laminate we started with!

Do you agree?

Derek actually commented that the inside of our condo is beginning to resemble the colour scheme on the outside of the building!  Maybe we were subliminally inspired by the outside design!

I am itching to finish painting so that I can style my book shelves!  Derek said he might tackle the rest of the painting which would be nice.  I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Stress test

I don’t think I talk about my relationship with Derek too often on the blog, other than little anecdotes here and there, which I do to add some humour and hopefully not pukey cuteness to your read.  Sorry if I make you puke – that is never my intention!

Obviously I am marrying Derek because I think he’s the best man in the world for me.  I consider him my best friend; someone who I feel comfortable telling anything to.  He makes me want to be a better person.  And to keep it real, I just love seeing him in his underwear.  Especially the tight David Beckham’s his mother bought him (thanks June!)...that's not weird, is it?

Since we started dating in July, 2009, I would say we’ve had an extremely successful relationship.  We trust each other 100%, there is no jealousy, and we have fun together with many common interests.  I chalk it up to the fact that we are both pretty easy going people with a lot of patience, who treat each other with kindness, above anything else. 

Another reason could be that we’ve basically just been having a lot of fun for the past 3 years.  We have not had to deal with any stressful events or situations so our relationship has never been put under any type of strain.  At one point I even brought this up to Derek, saying “what if we can’t handle it when something stressful comes up?” 

I know that our lives are only going to become more challenging with the addition of children, our aspirations for moving up the corporate ladder, and the cost of owning our own home.

Of course, Derek just assured me that we would be fine, and so I believed him and went along eating my sprinkle ice cream cone while walking through Candy Land.  For the record, my Candy Land is basically the Glebe Garage Sale and a high end home furnishing department store - moulded into one lovely avenue full of boutiques which allow sprinkle ice cream cones inside.

Fast forward half a year and we arrive mid-July, 2012: what feels like the busiest time in my life thus far.

• My best friend is getting married mid-August and I am determined to throw her the most fabulous bridal shower and bachelorette party anyone has ever experienced.
• Our condo closing date arrives and we have to fork over all our savings.
• I must pack and move – something I’ve never been great at, as I am a number one procrastinator.

At this point, I’m thinking: maybe I should not have signed up for sports 3 nights per week.  On the other hand, I have no time or energy to workout so thank goodness I’m playing sports!

Miraculously we made it through July.  It was rushed and crazy and a LOT of fun!  My BFF’s wedding events went off without a hitch, and there were only a few slight wrinkles with our closing and the move.

Phewf!  “We made it!”  I thought to myself.  Our relationship can handle some minor chaos! 

But then August came, and like those hangovers that creep up a day late, so did the storm cloud over our Candy Land Relationship of vintage trunks and overpriced chandeliers. 

Along with being patient and kind, Derek and I are also stubborn and defensive; neither of us wanting to admit when we are incapable of doing something.  We pout and give each other the silent treatment, instead of addressing a situation and can be very passive aggressive.  It’s not pretty and very immature. 

I guess our busy schedules, lack of sleep, unorganized new condo and the stress of being first time home owners got to us.

It was hard.  Derek wasn’t acting like the man I knew, and I wasn’t acting the way I wanted to towards him.  I made excuses, saying to myself “He should feel lucky I’m not acting like even more of a crazy person considering how bad of a mood I’m in right now!”  In the back of my head I knew where I had been in the wrong and how I should approach the subject, but I was just too tired and stubborn to act like an adult.

In the end, our little storm cloud only lasted around 24 hours and we managed to work things out over a coffee at Bridgehead.  We didn’t plan to make-up in a coffee shop downtown...in public...but it just sort of happened that way.  I apologize if you had to witness me crying into my coffee the other morning.  I don’t know what it is about serious, emotional conversations but I just always end up crying. 

In the end, we concluded that we are team and partners for life.  We have the same goals, share the same values, and love each other to death.  I’m not proud of the way we acted for that short period of time, but I am very happy with the way it was handled in the end and feel confident that we at least got a B on our first stress test.  Hopefully we have learned from our experience and will do better next time. 

A stress-free time in Montreal at Osheaga music festival.  If only we could spend every day lying on the grass, drinking beers and listening to good tunes.....

Going coastal

Maybe it’s the refreshing air conditioning we now have at the condo, or the beautiful sky blue views we see from the window.  Whatever the reason may be, I am definitely loving Coastal Living décor.

And I definitely think it's fate that our kitchen backsplash totally looks like ripples in the ocean.

If you are wondering whether or not you can pull off this beachy look while living miles away from water and surrounded by concrete, have no fear.  Tim Clarke, interior designer in Santa Monica, California confirms that we can infuse inspiration from the coastal lifestyle and essence of the "perfect beach house" into any space, regardless of size or location.  

I'm completely attracted to his signature style of "coastal modern" and how its simple, clean lines are softened by organic shapes and textures to create an airy, calming and fresh environment.

It's perfect, really, since the bones of our condo are just that - clean, modern and fresh finishes in crisp white, sea blue with dark floors and counters to ground the space.  Some organic textures are just what we need to soften things up.

Here are some images which have been inspiring me....

This kitchen from Better Homes and Gardens gives me shivers.  I love the white cabs (obvi) and that fresh robin's egg blue in their built in shelving is so fresh!

These pretty blue chairs around the pedestal table is feminine in a not too frou-frou way.  

They clearly have a gorgeous view of a lake or something, but I think the blue glass vases seen here around the top of the room would complement our view pretty nicely also!

I love the combination of styles in this room: white washed walls, antique looking chairs, industrial chrome lighting and the painted table.

So, I think we are at a good starting point in our condo, with finishes that will create a beautiful base for the coastal décor that is about to come.  And - surprise!  The decorating has already begun!  

Last week, I forced Derek to agree on purchasing a wood/rattan trunk off of Craig's List.  This is something Derek has difficulty with because he really likes to think things through.  We all know that Craig's List does not offer this luxury and after passing on a couple other pieces I had fallen in love with over the internet, he let me have this one.

And we're both so happy he did!

Please forgive the grainy photo of our just-moved-into living room.  But there she is - a beautiful, large trunk which will act as our coffee table while at the same time adding that ever-so-important organic texture to my modern coastal vibe.  And did I mention how much she stores!?

For $100 I am one happy camper sailor.

And yes, her and Cedric the couch are getting along very well :)

I have some DIY plans this August long-weekend to fix up our brown laminate book shelves. 

You remember these, right?

Well, the laminate faux-wood look isn't really in sink with my vision.

Here is an inspiration photo to give you a hint!

So what do you think about the coastal living look for an urban condo?  Do you think it's a nice change or a bit of a tease?  I absolutely love it and can't wait to see things take shape!

In the mean time, I hope everyone enjoys a lovely long-weekend.  I am so excited to have extra time to spend in my new home!

My best friend's bridal shower

My best friend, Ashley, is getting married in about 5 weeks (EEEEK!  I'm so excited!)  This past Sunday I, along with a TON of help from her two sisters, her mom and various other friends and family members, hosted her Italian Bridal Shower.

It was SO fun!  Here are some of the details from the event.

The theme


Ashley and Matt are planning to travel to Italy in the spring of 2013 for their honeymoon - so amazingly romantic and also a perfect shower theme!  Guests were given a hint of the theme through the invitation I sent through Paperless Post, which is a really great website for sending electronic invites/save-the-dates/announcements or whatever!

When the guests arrived our theme was pretty much right in their face as they walked down the driveway.  

Décor


The party was hosted in her mom's backyard around the pool, and I wanted things to feel fresh.  As you can see from the invitation, the event was somewhat of a wine shower (a great idea in my opinion - especially if the bride and groom are already set-up in their home).  From there, we found inspiration for the décor.

Once the guests made their way to the backyard they were greeted with our guest book table.  Complete with a gingham tablecloth.

I potted basil in Italian pasta sauce/tomato cans and we also used wine bottles as flower vases with simple stems from the grocery store.

Ashley's mom had the most beautiful hydrangeas bush in her yard.  I couldn't help but make a bouquet...and then take it home with me.

Food and Drinks

We set up a drink station inside Sue's closed in sun porch.  We served:

• Ice cold lemon water
• Red and white wine
• and maybe my favourite part of the whole shower...an Italian Soda bar!  

Deciding what to serve at an Italian Bridal Lunch was a lot of fun, since you can't really go wrong with Italian food!  We went with:

• Pizza
• Caesar Salad
• Caprese Skewers
• Veggies and Dip
• Meat Balls
• Pasta Salad
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Olives
• Cheese
• Meats

Dessert was an amazing Red Velvet gluten free cake from The Cake Shop.  We served it with fruit and dessert squares.  Ashley's sister also made chocolate dipped biscotti which she created to look like the Italian flag which went perfectly with coffee.  

Games and such

I think I speak for most women when I say I am not a huge fan of shower games.  Including 1 or 2 little activities is cute, but a strict schedule of forced embarrassment is just bad.

We went with 2 games which were set up on a table by the pool.  If you wanted to participate you were more than welcome, but if you preferred to simply drink your wine instead, that was ok too.  

The games we chose were: 

1) Celebrity Hubby: each guest wrote down the name of a celebrity who they thought would be a good match for Ashley (if she wasn't marrying Matt of course!).  It was fun to see who people wrote down and why they thought he would be a good fit!  Ashley read the responses out loud and chose her favourite - it was pretty cute.  And yes, those are pictures of hunky Italian men.  And they were spread around the house as décor also - even in the bathroom!

2) Use your Senses: 3 different types of herbs and 3 different types of pastas were set up for guests to check out.  The goal was to guess the name of each!  This proved to be more difficult than anticipated.

Winners for both games won a basil plant!

We also set up a door prize.  Shanon had the most brilliant idea for guests to enter the door prize by writing their name and address on an envelope.  This envelope would then be used for Ashley to send out her thank-you cards.  We made sure to purchase her lovely cards and stamps so that she was all set.

Favours

We decided to give our guests Jordan Almonds as favours since they are a traditional Italian wedding favour.  We tied 5 Jordan Almonds together in tulle and attached a cute poem

Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat

To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet

Five wishes for the soon to be husband and wife

Health, wealth, happiness, children and a long life!

Extras

I love the idea of using chalk boards or frames to insert instructions/notes/messages to guests at parties.  I purchased some black and gold frames for 1 dollar at Dollarama and used them for different areas/activities at the shower.  This way I didn't have to announce instructions for the games or door prize - guests could simply make their way over and figure it out themselves.

Some scenes from the day

that's the MOB in the middle - doesn't she look so happy!?

It turns out planning a bridal shower is a lot of work!  But totally worth it when I see how happy Ashley was!