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My Landscape Project this Fall

08/31/2012
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source So this Fall, the plan is to excavate the front and back yard, we are taking out all the railway ties and old plants in the backyard, everything but the two trees there are being pulled out. We already unceremoniously ripped out all the old rosebushes when we first took possession. We desperately need curves…

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Are Patterned Sofas Trendy? Yay or Nay

08/29/2012
38 Comments

One of my lovely readers Becky, sent me this email earlier this week: yesterday in the New York Times Mag I noticed an ad for a couch from sofa.com….a British Company that is now in the Big Apple.The sofa has two different types of upholstery, one on the base, another on the cushions…photo of sofa…

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Maria Killam in Better Homes & Gardens

08/27/2012
33 Comments

Hey guess what, I’m in the Stylemakers issue this month with Better Homes and Gardens! I am included along with some other very talented colour designers giving tips on painting your front door. Many of you already know that my front door recently went a fabulous shade of kelly green! There I am right in…

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My Sister’s Fresh New Backsplash: Before & After

08/26/2012
78 Comments

My sister Elizabeth inherited her kitchen with glazed creamy cabinets, chocolate brown walls (that’s what they were before we painted the walls CA100 Beechwood or BM HC-45 Shaker Beige or PPG 414-4 Dusty Trail) and a very busy and blotchy laminate countertop. The first thing we changed was the colour soon after they moved in….

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A Friday Tablescape for a Special Friend

08/24/2012
26 Comments

My mom’s friend Pirkko has been a family friend since I was born. I had the good fortune of being her neighbour years ago when I was married to my first husband. She patiently listened to many of my stories back then of all the trials and tribulations of young married life as we went…

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Painting House Numbers: Before & After

08/22/2012
29 Comments

After the renovation this summer, we were down to the small jobs and I had my contractor make me a new board for the house numbers. I couldn’t move the location of the board because it was imbedded in the vinyl siding. source Changing the heinous light fixture made a big difference. And of course…

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A Sexy Espresso Machine

08/21/2012
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source I drink my coffee black and I prefer Americanos. For a few years now we have had a Saeco (ours is an older version of this one below). We make a shot of espresso, add hot water and yum, coffee’s ready. source But now that I have a new kitchen, I needed a sexier…

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The Zen of Home Renovating

08/19/2012
24 Comments

‘A Happy Wife is a Happy Life.’ How many times have you heard that expression? Let’s be really clear about something, when it comes to creating a home, wives are usually the ones who are the most upset or annoyed about the out-dated or unattractive areas. I know this because 95% of the time, it’s…

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How to Paint around View Windows

08/17/2012
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I just love Pinterest. Every time I pop on for a few minutes I get happy. Yesterday I landed on this image and totally fell in love. source Of course it’s the windows that totally make this room but I also love the huge black and white leaf print on the chairs and the hits…

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Are Granite Countertops Timeless? Yay or Nay

08/15/2012
97 Comments

source I was clearly a little too opinionated without giving you context yesterday when I posted about my preference of quartz over granite so here’s the reason why I’m not a big fan of granite: I have talked to hundreds of clients who don’t like the granite they inherited. Why? Because the colour and pattern…

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Spectrum Stone and Maria’s New Countertops

08/14/2012
69 Comments

Did you know that you can’t measure for countertops until after your cabinets are installed? Well, that’s why it took an extra few weeks of camping outside when we first moved into our new house. Felix (the owner) & Vincent (sales) Then measurement day came, yay! One of the reasons I used Spectrum Stone to…

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The View from my Kitchen

08/12/2012
18 Comments

I styled my bookshelves and took photos today to show you. Then when I sat down to write this post and inserted all the images, they were just bad and colourless. So I need to take better photos. Sigh. I’m tired, and my vacation is over. Photo by Maria Killam So instead you’re getting a…

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When Walls of Wood really Work

08/11/2012
9 Comments

We stayed at The Echoes Harrison River Retreat for two nights this week. You get picked up by boat and stay in one of 3 cozy cabins right beside the Harrison River. Every single building on this property was wood, inside and out. Perfect for a cottage by the lake or a cabin at a…

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2012 Olympics: The Most Colourful Ever? Yay or Nay

08/05/2012
13 Comments

Have you noticed how huge the exact shade of Honeysuckle pink from 2011 is at the London Olympics? source This is just one of the colourful logos. source Hot Pink and Red: Red is grounding and Hot Pink is Artistic: Great combinations for the Gymnastics competition! source The boring green turf has been ditched in…

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