Pumpkin Carving: Pinterest Method Review

Pinterest is a great source for all sorts of things, including ways to carve your pumpkin.

With that in mind, we spend the weekend trying various methods and aesthetics that we found on Pinterest. Here is our review.

1. Beating the inside of the pumpkin.

What: Bring on the power tools, and egg beaters!

Hallowe'en Costume Repurposed

A few years ago our friends had an adorable costume made for our 1 year old. Being horror fans, they knew that we would absolutely put our daughter in a Freddy Kruger costume.

We of course had to complement that costume with other classic horror characters.
So, what do we with this awesome knitted onesie?

Smokey and the Bedroom

Our master bedroom is a work in progress. I found these great lamps that I refurbished, see post about that here... but it still needed something. Artwork!

So, I ask my husband what he thinks; what would he like to see at the head of the bed?

Mini Project: Kitty Batman

Mini Project time!

My husband received this gift from a funny friend. He got a laugh out of it, but ultimately, the shirt would just sit in his dresser, never worn.

Dining Room: Drab to Dazzling

Our dining room was boring. It featured a light wood valence with 1980s fabric vertical blinds within; a flowered ceiling fan with a special angel watering... something.

A few changes and the room looks completely different! As with all of our renovations, I only want to enhance the original vibe of the house, rather than try and bring it into the current decade.

Retro TV Room: Credenza One

You guys...
It is freaking beautiful.

Sneak Peek: Mid Century Credenza

Remember when I posted about those free chairs?
I spy with my little eye, something that is awesome... right there... behind them!

Those cabinets/credenzas were rescued by my boss a year or so ago, and have been languishing by the back door since then. They are just too great to throw away, but alas, no one had time to spend on them... until me.

I Love Lamp: Pineapple Express

Thanks, Value Village!
I picked up these lamps months ago and then did nothing with them.

Sneak Peak: Matched Set

Hello.
My name is Pat and I am a chair-a-holic.

Yes, people. I've done it again. I brought home more chairs.
If you recall, I brought these diamonds in the rough home a couple of years ago.

Today, my boss, knowing my affliction for the prop, informed me of three such specimens behind our building. My boss is officially my favorite person today.

Thrifting: Lights, Lights, Lights!

This episode of thrifting at the Wheele House, is brought to you by Kijiji and the ReStore!
If you have never checked out a ReStore by Habitat for Humanity, I strongly recommend it.
I always check there first before I head to the Big Box stores for my home improvements.

DIY: Patio Furniture Covers

We had no idea what to expect with regards to our back yard.
It was covered in snow both during the house hunting trip and in the real estate photos.
We were eager for some nicer weather so that we could determine what we were working with.

As you can see, there is a gazebo structure, and it turns out the covers were available in the garage: Score!

Living Room: Rock 'n' Roll

I am still working on the window wall and valance, but in the meantime, I painted another wall.

Huzzah!

DIY: House Numbers

It is the little things that annoy me.
Like how my address looks like it says "Toast".
And why is every single house number on an angle? So weird.

In any case, these tarnished mix of number styles and sizes needed to go.

Free Stuff: Plants

Kijiji comes through again in a BIG way.

I say big, because in neither case could I anticipate what I was actually getting. But I was just excited to get some free plants considering I had to give up so many of mine when we moved.

Living Room: Paint and Planters

Though this was the very first room to receive paint, I haven't gotten around to completing it. And it still isn't done, but I thought I would share some of my progress.

Back when I was still in Ottawa, I pulled together a 5 minute colour concept, that I still liked (with a little tweaking) even after we got possession of the house.

Vintage Finds: Swizzle Surprise

My step grandmother was an avid collector of swizzle sticks.
Unfortunately, she has passed, but the collection then went to my step dad.
Can you believe it? He has brought them with him on this visit and bequeathed them to me!

Check out a few of this steller collection of vintage swizzles!!!
I love this. My personal faves... Don Ho and the gold Polynesian totem.

Bathroom Makeover: Part 1 Sliding Doors

Sometime during the last 52 years, someone decided to add a 3 panel sliding glass door assembly to this tub.

Junking: Retro Bar Stools

Another Kijiji find!!

Kind of unimpressive in the photo, but for $10 I decided to take a chance.
If you want some tips and tricks on how to find great stuff on Kijiji, see this blog post from the Interior DIYer.

DIY: Copper Cabinet Hardware

The next item to tackle on my long house list is cleaning. 

Specifically, the original wood cabinets and copper hardware.

If you need a reminder on what this vintage kitchen looks like, click here.

Shower Room Makeover: Sad to Superb

If you are staying current with the blog, you know that the road to the shower room makeover hasn't necessarily been a smooth one. Click here to see what we had to do.

Junking: Old Strathcona Antique Mall

Yesterday was my first junking day in Edmonton. Having said that, I gave myself a strict 'no buy' policy as we are still unpacking boxes in our new house. But I couldn't help but take some photos of some of my favorite stuff.

DIY: Toilet Wax and Stop

Like, my husband and I are, like, totally adults and stuff.
I know this because we, like, totally did some toilet DIY like a boss! Bosses? Whatever. Shut up grammar nazis... go be mean somewhere else. 😆

Our basement toilet has been leaking; a fact we knew since our home inspection.
Of course this is a simple (so to speak) fix of changing of the wax seal.
HOWEVER...
While looking at removing the toilet, we realized that there wasn't a shut off valve at the toilet. This is very strange.

So, we had to shut off the main valve and install a valve. Then, we turned on all other basement faucets to relieve the water pressure before beginning.

New House: Uncovering History

My absolute favorite thing about a new house is discovering its story... its history.

Under the melting snow is the story of 4 children who grew up here.
I think the date says 13/03/78.
What fun you must have had here, baby Kevin, Caye, Toddy and Chad!

How adorable.

DIY Caulk: Basement Shower

The downside of living in a time capsule is that the bathroom tile has not been renovated, like ever.
And it is NOT pretty.

BUT, before we can do anything about that, we need to ensure that there is another showering option for when we rip the tile out.

Cue the basement shower room.
It is okay, but again, I think the flooring has been there since the 1970s, but it does have a serviceable shower that is new-ish.

Junking: Wood Veneer Fixture

Kijiji came through in a big way recently.

Check it out:

Guest Bedroom Makeover: Dank to Dreamy

My strategy for decorating this house is to start with the worst first!
Considering that we are going to have guests in Chez Wheele in about 20 days, the basement guest room became priority.

Here is a reminder of what it looked like before. Oooh, sexy crushed red velvet... Barf.

And this is what it looks like after!

New House: 1966 Time Capsule

We absolutely loved our last home, which was a big brick Victorian farmhouse built in 1874. It was stunning, and it was where this blog was born.

Our new adventure begins with a move to the other side of the country and a new and vastly different type of home. We bought a 1966 time capsule. We love the vibe and many of the original features, but there are definitely many upgrades that need to be done.