Hey to our readers out there who have been following us, wherever you might be! We wanted to let you know that we greatly appreciate you reading our posts and taking interest in what we do!

We hope that the articles that we post inspire you to be creative with your own spaces and that they help you in this very busy world to find some kind of peace in your own homes'.

We are Canadian !

Currently here in Canada, its our summer and its warm :) tonight I enjoyed sitting out on the deck with a tea and relaxing with my flowers. I love looking at my flowers and tending to them, whether its with weeding or watering, it gives me a chance to really see how much they're changing and how far they have come since I planted them earlier in the season. While I'm doing all this, it also gives me the opportunity to reflect on the day and think about what I accomplished and what I still need to get done and what I can still get done that day. Sometimes I feel bad if I haven't gotten out to my garden in a couple of days - I feel like I'm neglecting it and not having me time and not enjoying something that I put a lot of time into creating. Sometimes we need those eye openers to realize how busy we've gotten, working by schedules and seeing how fast time does really go by. 

We're all busy!

So take time, make time to have you time, even when you work full-time and have mouths to feed and spouses, and schedules to keep up, try to remember to fit in you time. You need this time you stay sane. Maybe you have it while relaxing in a hot bath, or reading by yourself before you go to bed... whatever it is, promise me you'll make time!

Paradise Found!

We create our articles for you to essentially help you with creating your space at home to work the best for you, to reflect who you are and to make your home a relaxing space to escape to from the daily pressures of life. 

We would like to open up a new way of doing these articles on the blog though, we will still continue to write articles for any topic, but we would also like you to email us or post a comment on the blog, or write on our facebook page about any content that you would like us to write about. Whether its about floor plans, organizing, de-cluttering, what colours would you recommend? any kind of questions, or if there are any topics that we haven't written about and you would like us to write about a certain topic, let us know what it is and we'll whip one up!

Please be sure to share our posts on your facebook too, we would greatly appreciate it and like our facebook page, then you will be notified right away when we post new content!

Have a great weekend readers and thanks again for your support!

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Outdoor Living Space - Tips and Ideas!

http://tinyurl.com/okhvm4a

It's amazing how comfortable the patio and the "great outdoors" have become. Now you can find chaise lounges and sectional sofa's to cozy up on, not to mention area rugs to bring everything together.

http://tinyurl.com/m65m8u3

When planning your space be sure to plan it strategically. Be sure to plan where it goes so that it is easily accessible from inside the house. As long as its easy to get to, it will be used. Don't forget too that you're adding value to your home when creating an outdoor space!

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When you add a patio to your home, you are adding more space to your own and bridging the divide between the outdoors to the indoors. 

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Materials that the furniture is made from nowadays are more long lasting and stands up better to being out in the elements. Not only do they withstand the weather but they leave less of a footprint on the environment too!

http://tinyurl.com/ltx88ff

One such company that provide various furniture designs for your patio is the C.R. Plastic Production Inc. company out of Stratford, Ontario. They provide products that are built from solid plastic lumber and created in a similar fashion comparable to the classic wood designs they faithfully replicate. Their products are long lasting, maintenance free, comfortable and durable. Another added bonus is that the materials don't fade, rot, split, mildew or stain. 

http://tinyurl.com/kteb8jr

Some things to keep in mind when creating a outdoor living space are

• You should choose a theme or some kind of idea as to why you're creating this space. Maybe you would like to think of it as a vacation spot, so try to include bright colours for a more tropical festive feel. Or maybe you want a calming space to relax so introduce a water feature and some soft neutral colours that are more spa-like.
• To enhance the space add furniture to lounge in, not just tables and chairs with an umbrella. For added comfort and luxury add pillows!
• Adding some lighting helps to make the space have a more romantic feeling and allows you to enjoy the space to later in the evening.
• Fireplaces are fun to have in the backyard because it's something to gather around with family and friends. Plus, it means you can extend the use of your patio space into the fall!

http://tinyurl.com/mbo2u8v

When a home is up for sale and it includes an outdoor living space, you have more value in your home and that home will sell faster.

Using planters of varying shapes and sizes filled with colourful annuals can dress up any space. Shrubs and perennials tend to freeze in containers over the winter unless they were placed close to the home for shelter. 

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Trellis and Obelisks add vertical interest to a space. If you have a balcony trellises area a great way for climbing plants to grow up and add privacy. 

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All weather rugs can be found in 3ft by 5ft or 6ft by 9ft dimensions to bring together a seating area or elongate a dining area. 

http://tinyurl.com/qfh8hwd

So we hope you found this article interesting and helpful! We hope it helps you to create the get-away space you've been wanting in your backyard! 

Happy creating!

- Lindsey and Daniel

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Pallet Projects : So many uses for these things!

You can usually find them at any grocery store hold products in the back room, or any warehouse or being taken around and moved from here to there on a forklift. We’re talking pallets. I don’t know if you have noticed as much as I have that people have found great uses for them. Whether it’s for in your home as a table, or being turned into a garden – it’s amazing how many uses these objects have and it’s great to see that people are re-using them instead of letting them go to the wayside. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wooden_pallet_with_glove.jpg

One place that I have found so inspiring for projects with gardening is a website called Pinterest. Pinterest is a essentially a site that allows you to have an account and “pin” ideas that you find online or websites that you find useful to boards that you can name yourself. The number of boards that you create is limitless. Here are some ideas that I have found!

Visit sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net

For a gardening idea, this is great! If you seal the ends of the pallet, it holds the dirt in and by removing some of the boards on the top, you now have access to plant your seeds! Raised beds have also become a popular form of gardening and I would say that is what a pallet garden is. I just love it when people think outside the box and come up with something totally different than what the original designer had in mind for an object. 

http://tinyurl.com/auoa6on

Here is another great idea to re-use a pallet. Paint the individual boards different colours and then attach hooks. How fun is that?! Or paint the boards all the same colour as your wall colour behind and then its flush with the wall and you hanging objects with appear as though they're floating! 

http://tinyurl.com/aaxnrcd

Displaying some decorative plates in your kitchen. 

http://tinyurl.com/azlvhbj

Pallets being used as a desk. This is great for any space that you would like to have a more industrial feel. Or have a more GREEN approach aka, re-using items that would normally just be thrown away.

http://theownerbuildernetwork.com.au/pallets/

How about this idea for all you shoe-lovers out there. I would suggest painting your pallet to be a neutral like white or soft grey or the same colour as the wall the pallet is hanging from so that the colours of the shoes pop!

http://pinterest.com/pin/24277285460780475/

How about this idea to display some of your priceless pictures! I love how the black frames complement the black shadowing in the wood.

http://pinterest.com/pin/11892386488023966/

Furniture pieces using pallets. This space has a very urban, contemporary, modern feel and the pallets compliment that nicely. 

Well we hope that you have been inspired to re-use something you find. Just because you see an object and use it with one purpose doesn't mean that it doesn't have another!

Like our page on facebook for more great ideas!