Did you celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day?

Yesterday, after a beautiful nap (punctuated by the most perfect soundtrack), I woke remembering

three things.

1. It was National Chocolate Cake Day
2. It was Family Literacy Day
3. I really love naps

So I did what any sane person would do. I decided to bake a chocolate cake.

I have a great chocolate cake recipe but since my husband had previously declared it 'unnecessary' to bake a cake for National Chocolate Cake Day, I decided to find a different recipe to try because I like new things. I Googled "Easy one bowl chocolate cake" and honestly tried the first one on the list. It had good reviews, it was easy and went together quickly. I did two 9" round pans -  it seemed like it should be different (than what I usually do) so I could pay proper homage to the Chocolate Gods.

Twenty minutes later it was in the oven. Thirty five minutes later, it was out of the oven. After brief consultation with my sister about the appropriateness of a filling, I whipped one up, made the frosting and waiting for the cake to cool.

After piano class, it was time to eat that decadent piece of awesome.

And awesome it was. It has been said I have a flair for the dramatic but I summed the cake eating experience like this: It is like a giant slice of sex, heaven and good wine rolled into one, chocolate laden piece of gold.

Click the link to discover the Magic Sex Cake recipe. For my filling I combined 1/2 an instant pudding cup with about 2-3 ounces of plain cream cheese. I then made my 'usual' frosting, which goes like this:

Creamy Frosting
3 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp cocoa
1-1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp cream

I baked the cake in two, parchment lined pans. I spread the filling on one half, topped with cake and smothered that bad boy in my creamy frosting. I refrigerated it because it seemed like a good idea. It was and it is still moist and delicious.

I'll also add two final thoughts. Although i make chocolate cake all the time, I rarely eat it. This cake, however, is all I want to eat. Maybe it's PMS, maybe it's a full moon, but I can tell you although I already had my slice (two, who am I kidding? Lunch needed dessert today too), I am seriously considering doing extra time on the elliptical so I can eat more of that wondrous creation.

My final thought is this - my husband, the King of All Things Chocolate was 'meh' about the cake. He thought it was 'heavy' and although he hasn't turned down a piece, he said he still prefers my other recipe.

He is wrong, but I love him and I will still make him his favourite.

We-Design-Day: Designing and Debunking Part Two

Picking up from last weeks Designing and Debunking, let's finish the Buzzfeed's "15 Lifehacks for your Tiny Bathroom" .

9. Use a stacked plate rack: My counter is too small to support more than a toothbrush stand and a bottle of hand soap. I would think that most truly small bathrooms would suffer the same problem.

10. Magnet board for makeup: I don't have room. I also don't have that much makeup. If you do, be my guest! I can see it being a focal point and a space save and art, all in one!

11. Mason jar wall storage: I could see using this but I would use it for holding toothbrushes and toothpaste (to get them off the counter). The cotton swabs and cotton pads would still sit in their respective containers in the baskets under the sink.

12. Use a large mirror to reflect the space: Mirrors are often used to help create the illusion of space and this is a valid design tip. Keep in mind the scale of the room when selecting the mirror. Having a 4' mirror hung in my small bathroom would be too much and would make me see all the ugly bits I try so purposefully to avoid. I would, instead, use small mirrors on the wall opposite of the vanity mirror to reflect the space (it wouldn't work in my space, this would assume that the two walls would be opposite and not behind other obstructions). One could also use several small mirrors, framed perhaps, as art as well as using them to create the illusion of space.

13. Roll your Towels: I don't actually store my towels in this bathroom because there is truly no room for them. If I did have room, I still wouldn't roll them, I don't like how they don't roll perfectly. I like the idea of rolling hand towels of face cloths for immediate use (again, I don't have room for this but have considered using this in my kitchen).

14. Install pull-out drawers in your cabinets: I like this suggestion, it is valid, assuming your cabinets will accommodate it. Keep in mind, these pull out style drawers will eat up valuable real estate in the cabinet itself. Although it looks flush mount, they typically are not, additionally, they need to be able to retract back far enough for the door to close. I personally use baskets in mine and find this works well. There are also "other" things you need to store under the sink (like the toilet brush).

15. Install multiple towel bars on back of door: Most interior passage doors are hollow core and may not support a sufficient amount of weight to actually hold up against the use. This would also mean folding your towels into 'airing cupboard' size after each use; this slows down the air drying ability because there are more layers of towel. I would opt for hooks or an 'over the door' system. IF you use an OTD system, keep in mind that in places with fluctuating humidity, this may make your door impossible to close. We have one (I bought for our housecoats) and it only works on one door in our entire house.

I realize it is highly unlikely that anyone will run out and actually apply all of the hints in the BuzzFeed article but I wanted to point out why it's so important to not just decorate a space. Design is so much more than paint colours and throw cushions. Always think of the principals of design before tackling any project!

We-Design-Day: Designing for your life (and debunking bad design)

Since being laid up sick since last summer, I've not done much design or DIY work but I have been reading a fair amount and I am continually amazed at some of the "want to be design" advice I see being circulated.


Now, it is no secret that I am a firm believer in marrying 'ability' with education. To be able to be called an interior designer, one must meet a strict set of educational and practical experience requirements. Many (most) of the popular articles, tips and such are being shared by decorators (not designers); decorators have a very valid place in the architectural world and I've worked with many good ones. I am about the technical side of interior design so often pairing my technical ability with a decorator is a good fit because interior styling isn't really my forte. Who does it bug? Mostly us designer types and poor unsuspecting people who hire designers but whose renovations fall short or expectations or fail to meet legal requirements.

That said, one of the other obvious signs of this is seeing articles like this one (pinned all over Pinterest) giving "Fifteen Lifehacks for Your Tiny Bathroom".

Now, it should be revealed that I have a tiny bathroom. A really, tiny, tiny bathroom. The en suite on our master bedroom measures an enormous 6'x10'. In this space, we have a small vanity, toilet and stall shower. It is the kind of bathroom that two people cannot be in (but in all honestly, I don't want to share the bathroom with my husband). There isn't wall space for art, towel bars or towel storage. Like I said, two people are hard pressed to fit in the space. We can't open the shower stall door without bumping the wall and if you lean to your left while seated on the toilet, you'll hit your head on the wall.

Looking at the pictures of this article, which I realize are meant to be applied to your own tiny bathroom and may actually only be suggested so that you can try to apply them in a small space, the bathrooms are huge, thus negating any potential credibility the article may have had. Some of the comments reflect that. To me, design, and sharing design, needs to be taught and shown in the light in which it's meant to be applied. This is how I approach design and I know not everyone does.

I can also tell you that a few of the suggestions put forth would not work in a small bathroom. Below is my unbiased, unsolicited opinion. (Number corresponds with the number in the article - the 'hacks' are applied to my own TINY en suite bath).

1. Apply a frame to a basic mirror: This wouldn't work in my small bath for two reasons: The first is it is a medicine cabinet (to provide a tiny bit of storage) and the second is because even if it was a flat mount mirror, the clearance around it wouldn't allow for more than a 1" wide "frame" and would end up throwing the proportion and scale of the space off by trying to crowd too many things into a small space.

2. Spice racks for holding necessities: Another "no go" because the I'd be forever banging my elbow on them and they'd interfere with the opening/closing of the medicine cabinet.

3. Coat hooks for towels: While this is a good suggestion, a small bathroom likely won't have the wall space to make the piece pictured actually work. There is only one wall where this *may* work in our en suite however the risk of me hitting my head on it every time I flipped my head over to put my towel on my head is higher and I wouldn't do it.

4. Use small storage solutions: This was one of the things that inspired me to write this. Go take a look at the picture again and tell me if it will work. Understanding spatial relationships is a very big part of interior design. You'd never close the door - the little do-dads hanging on the door would bang into the crap sitting on the shelf (and likely the shelves themselves). The eyeliners - the door won't even close! There is less than 1/4 clearance between the door and the shelf... There is a reason medicine cabinets don't already have these kinds of things in place. Also, many of the doors used in bathrooms aren't metal - because you know, metal rusts when exposed to really damp conditions. Sticky strips might work to adhere them though, if you don't mind not closing your cabinet door.

5. Bobby pin strip: This would work. But from a purely aesthetic perspective, why would you want too? Stick them in decorative box, jar or other such thingy and display as useful art.

6. Second shower curtain rod: This is actually a very good idea and although it wouldn't work in my en suite (because the shower is a little less than 3' square and we're tall (I'm 5'11, my husband is 6'3)) in our small main bath, it might - but keep in mind that it still could be a slip hazard and a head bumping hazard (that's my inner safety representative speaking).

7. Shelf above door: Although in principle, this isn't a terrible idea, depending on the location of the door, this may not work or would throw off the symmetry of the room. Our door is mounted less than 2" from the wall so although I could place a shelf above it it may make the room appear lopsided. Furthermore, my door is 80" AFF, thus leaving only 16" for storage (assuming you've got 8' ceilings like me). I like the idea of storing my rolled towels up there, however, but I dislike dusting so I'm not sure I'd store anything that needed dusting.

8. Create a Focal Point: This is a design concept that I've seen applied to bathrooms before and I think if your bathroom is of the right size, it would be fine to use (but not TWO focal points like the bathroom illustrated has - the 60's inspired mirrored sunburst and the vase on the table with the sticks in it - OH and what about the door the table is blocking? May we not need into that space at some point?) But I digress... In my 60 sq. ft. bare bones en suite, it would not. Anything that didn't belong in a bathroom or wasn't 100% necessary has very little point being in the room in the first place. I am not a fru-fru designer, however, so maybe it's just me. I dislike 'accessories' and stuff that needs maintenance. This is why I work in institutional design.

This is a long list so I'm going to end it here this week but do check back next week as I continue through the list and sort out reality from fantasy of the "Lifehacks" article. Thanks for stopping in!

It's done... I think...

Last night, I wrote a sentence, in what I thought, was just the end of the thirty sixth chapter. I spent an hour looking at the sentence. Tonight, I've spent another hour looking at the sentence. The longer I look at the sentence, the more I think that it is actually the last sentence in the last chapter in the story. It doesn't wrap up any loose ends, it doesn't give you the answers, it just ends and right now, I think that is the perfect ending. As much as I enjoyed several popular book series (50 Shades, Twilight, Harry Potter), the authors wrapped up the stories and gave us all the answers in a nice, tidy package. Being handed the answers really pissed me off. Sure, we all love happy endings and in my head, with my own story, since the fourth chapter, I've been waffling on what my happy ending would be. The deeper I got into the story and the more involved with the characters I became, the more certain I was that even if I know what happened, I'm not so sure I need to draw those lines for anyone who may read this story. Part of what I've always loved about reading is being able to draw my own conclusions and make my own inferences on the why and how certain things happen. Having that taken away from me always leaves me feeling empty. Does the author not think I'm capable of writing my own happy ending? Does the author not trust my ability to draw conclusions? Maybe it's just as simple as the author needs to get the story out of their head and to them, that means painting the entire picture. As much as I abhor serials, I know that there is more of my story to be told, in fact, while in the shower this afternoon, I actually thought of a completely different side to the story that I may need to tell. However, for right now, I would say my labour of love is complete. Edited to add: Now what am I going to do? It's been done just over 25 hours and I'm already tapping the keyboard wondering what to write next...

Organizing Revolution: Week One - Office Space

Here I am, once again, joining an organizing challenge. Why? Because I am "organizing challenged". I did The Organizing Junkie's 52 Week Challenge two years ago and had many, many successes and have kept *some* of the areas organized still and can attest to the fact that the things I learned that year have certainly have influenced the way I do things now. I use Laura's "PROCESS" often and am a container junkie as I found the only way I stand a chance is to limit myself and create visual boundaries by using a specific container for a specific function. When I started this, I sat down with a coffee and sketched out my zones (I'm a visual person and I like to see everything) and reviewed the PROCESS and see how I'd apply it to this job.

A little background on the space that now constitutes my office... Back in July 2011, we started a renovation - this included opening up what had been my husband's office onto the family room. We moved his office into what had been my sewing room (really, it was a giant junk dump that "happened" to have my sewing machines in it). There are pictures of the reno in this post. Also, in preparation for the move, I did my (then) sewing room) as part of the 52 Weeks of Organizing - that post can be checked out here.

The space has been fully functional since late 2011. Early in the fall, we installed new cabinetry as what I had was not working. Many things were purged then and it was tidied but never really "done" and I was always doing a "stuff shuffle". Enter Christmas and all the crafts we did left the space a DISASTER and much less inspirational than a room referred to as the "Design Studio" should be.

This challenge was perfect for me - I work well with guidance, an audience, pressure and deadlines. Without further adieu, here is my space! My design studio - interior design, craft/sewing and projects office!

After - looking in from family room

Before - looking in from family room

Before - looking out to family room

After - looking out to family room

This is the cutting station but not much cutting was getting done. I'd moved a smaller mat to my portable table since I couldn't find the one on the raised table... Now there is plenty of room and I know where all my cutters are! Plus all my rulers and adhesives are back where they are supposed to be!


This has been my workstation for my "real" job since September when I went back to work a few hours a week. The computer is OLD and SLOW... So we got a new computer. It sat in the box until I decided to start this challenge - that's when my husband decided we should finally transfer everything. Soon, the dinosaur computer will be extinct and this desk will be really neat and tidy. I've also learned that my husband needs a kick in the behind in order to get his filing done. The big pile of papers in the "before" is his delinquent filing... It's now gone from the desk!

I really like that I can sit at machine again... And I've got space to open the other door on the sewing cabinet (that's where my serger sits). It's SO tidy! Once I can start feeling my arm again, I hope to sew something awesome!

The upright storage units are excellent. They are inexpensive, have lots of room but keep me confined (remember I said I need to be limited in how much space I can have?). They create clear and defined boundaries. I sew and have hundreds of metres of fabric - most of which is hung on pants hangers and lives in the tall cabinet on the left. It's awesome and tidy and I can find anything when I need it.

The table also rotates around the room - as an extra return on the computer station, craft table and as pictured here, my design space! I can't believe I once again have room to lay out my samples and catalogs!

Sharing in all the awesomeness of the super Organizing Revolution! It's like these lovely bloggers knows there are lots of "organizing challenged" people out in the world! They should really wear capes!

PS Please ignore the open ceiling tiles. We are waiting to get the electrical completed and inspected so I can't close up the ceiling. It's an eyesore but now that the space is positively beaming with tidy, organized awesomeness, I hardly even notice them!

PSS I CAN'T believe I forgot to make the office reference to the movie "Office Space"! I had it all in my head before I wrote this and then, like so many things in my head these days, I forgot. So yeah, "Office Space"; a way cool movie.

Christmas Countdown - Day 1 - Chalkboard Sled!

For the past few years, I've struggled to do an "Advent Calendar" for TroubleMaker. By struggle, I mean I see so many ideas that I want to employ, I wait until the last second to pick an idea and then play catch up all month trying to stuff, fill, colour, cut and figure out what to do.

But no more. This year, although I had several different ideas in mind and been inspired out the wazoo by Pinterest, I decided on a treatless, presentless countdown device. He doesn't need all the extra candy and because we made a resolution to not spoil him too much (my husband and I made this pact before we got pregnant), I didn't want to get him 25 little things!

I was inspired by a cheap snowman chalkboard in the Dollar store and when I couldn't find a snowman wood cutout at the craft store, I fell in love with a large wooden sled and decided that this would work even better! Using this picture as my inspiration, I started to work.

The runners were broad brushed on with a blend of gold and brown.

I blended four colours for the base coat wash (red, poppy red, gold, black and a colour extender) applied with a dampened sponge applicator.

Once it was dry, I applied a second coat with a dry sponge. I then dry brushed black all over the edges. Next, I lightly sanded the entire surface and wiped it clean with a dry towel. I blended a white acrylic paint with a silver acrylic paint to paint the snowman. I gave him three generous coats (as the red beneath showed through). His nose was orange and his buttons had a base of orange and I painted over it with the scarf colour (a blend of red, black and gold). The hat is pure black and the cloud was acrylic chalk board paint (3 coats). The snowflakes were applied using white acrylic paint on a rubber stamp and I had painted his name on the top.

I had planned on putting an acrylic sealer all over the piece (save for the chalkboard part) but I finished the sled at 9pm last night after a very long day... This morning, I added the string - which consisted of three pieces of jute twine with three bright red jingle bells.

He was so excited to see it this morning, he didn't even ask for a cheap chocolate advent calendar at the grocery store today! I, myself, am enormously proud of how well it turned out. It's been a many, many years since I've done any folk painting (I actually gave my sister all my paints a year or so ago as I hadn't used them in at least 3 years) so I think for being pretty rusty, the Christmas Countdown Sled turned out very well!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be sharing a number of Christmas and holiday ideas between now and December 24th so I hope you'll stop back again soon.


Sharing the season with...

Why people with memory problems (shouldn't be allowed to shop by themselves)!

As I may or may not have mentioned, one of the medications I'm on for managing the pain from the compressed discs in my neck causes "reduced mental acuity . More or less, I forget stuff easily, I know I know something but can't remember it, I get pretty muddled sometimes and I get confused pretty easily.

This could also easily be confused with "Pregnant brain" or "Mommy brain" or "old age" but let me blame the medication, it's easier for me to cope (and subsequently forget about).

Some of you, who are closer to me, know that I've recently discovered I've purchased duplicates and triplicates of some things (rice, croutons, kid's snack foods, pasta) but I truly outdid myself this time.

With Christmas approaching, I've been unearthing all my Christmas stuff... Which I dutifully cataloged when I packed it up last year. I knew exactly what I had (and where, which is even a bigger miracle). Pinterest has led me to a plethora of new (and cooler) projects to tackle this year so back in early November, I took advantage of a 30% off coupon and shopped Michael's early on a Sunday morning.

Having raffled off all the Perfect Bows I've made in a fund raiser for TroublerMaker's old preschool, I knew I needed to make new bows for my banister  So... I picked a nice plaid, wired ribbon, identical to the previous bows (as I really liked it).

So today, as I finally unpacked all the stuff I bought nearly a month ago, I discovered the ribbon. And found the ribbon I packed last year... Then I found the other new spool I bought at Costco during our annual Christmas Shop in November to Avoid the Insanity of December.

How much plaid ribbon do I have? 100 yards. Which is 300 feet (91.4 metres).

That's a lot of ribbon. Plus I bought the gold and the pine cone for bows too.

So I've figured out my new business venture... Handmade Christmas bows in plaid or pine cone... ;)

This is why people with memory problems shouldn't be allowed to shop alone! This is also why I baked my husband cookies and made him promise to love me forever.

Getting my Craft On! Fall style!

I am a crafty person. I enjoy making crafts. My problem is a lack of time. A few weeks ago, however, while TroubleMaker was spending the night at his Gran's, I got busy... It took a ton more time than it should have as I still have a wounded wing. Using wire cutters with your non-dominant hand is tiresome, painful and not very productive. I also learned I cannot make a bow single handed...

All that aside, it is the best wreath I've ever made. It turned out exactly how I'd envisioned it and I'm immensely proud of the work! I was inspired by this wreath - when I priced out sunflowers at my local craft shop, I rethought my plan and opted for a single sunflower (they were $14 each). My sunflower was actually a napkin ring that I popped off the ring.

I hung it on our front door and it is SO fall! Not wanting to stop there, since I was on a roll, I decided we also needed a centre piece for Thanksgiving... Ten minutes and an existing vase, I whipped it up. I thought I struck pure genius - I always have issues with my silk arrangements staying upright. I've been collecting (not hoarding) rolls - paper towel, toilet, ribbon. I stuck one in the middle of the vase and filled it with leftover bird seed, old popcorn and nuts! I then wrapped it with plastic wrap as my cat, as sweet as she is, cannot leave anything alone and I knew I needed to slow down the eventual spill. See the bumpy green gourds? WE GREW THOSE!!! In fact, we grew like 16 of them!


I'm going to steal a line from the Slap Chop Guy... But WAIT! There's more! Canadian Thanksgiving doesn't have much to do with turkeys (as turkeys are not indigenous to Alberta), but we traditionally eat turkey on Thanksgiving - so why not make some yummy turkey desserts! Inspired by OurBestBites.com and their wonderful homage to the noble turkey, TroubleMaker and I are proud to present our rafter of candy cookie turkeys!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up at a few fun places - please check them out for more inspiration!

Funky Junk Interiors SNS!

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

So many things, so little time... The Sandbox Saga

I am feeling inspired and very random. I have a to-do list a mile long and no plans to actually complete any of it... I'm tired and excited and a lot worn out. Visions of great and amazing things to do to my home and yard dance in my head - driving me a little crazy because I don't quite know how I can get it all done.

This weekend I want to build a sandbox. I've drawn a plan, calculated the sand we'll need and I've marked off the area in the yard where the sandbox will be built. I'm -->thisclose<-- to building it.

And it scares me.

I'm a real, live grownup. I own my home and I'm free to whatever I want to it. This scares me a bit. A lot.

I think it scares my husband even more. He likes my vision - he just doesn't like being the one has to execute it.

We aren't "handy", really, we can figure out just about anything we set our mind too but sometimes the attempt takes a couple of trips to the home store to buy parts. Twice.

Our latest endeavour is my wish to give our son a sandbox. I've got it drawn (in three dimensions even), calculated the board feet, planned a lid (as our neighbour has seven cats) and started to dig out the area. My husband even purchased a wheel-barrow so that we move sand and dirt as needed.

The weather forecast is agreeable, we have the desire.. Will it result in a sandbox?

We-Design-Day: Checking in!

How is your study going? Mine kind of got stalled... My husband occasionally works out of town and last week, he was gone and took my computer... And I ended up working last Wednesday putting a project schedule together for a grant submission.

With summer approaching and projects needing to be addressed, I really need to get this put together!

While trimming our cedars in front of the master bedroom window, I had a chance to examine the odd insert under the window I mentioned here... It was solid and intact. It is likely just heavy condensation causing the bubbling paint... Good news!

I'm going to continue with my evaluation and get my document together. The next phase is going to be applying numbers and getting a timeline together based on the findings. Remember, the plan is to get the study to the 'living document' phase - where it can be updated and changed as needed to fit your life, the needs of your home and your budget.

Next week, I'm going to share my document and show you how we can start putting this all together.

Thanks for checking in and see you again next week!

We-Design-Day: Home Evaluation - Mechanics!

I'm back this week with another part of my study.... How is yours coming along?

Spring is coming up outside, assuming we can keep it from snowing again, and my mind is full of renovation ideas! Knowing that we have deferred maintenance to attend to does help me align my priorities but I can tell you I'd much rather be planning aesthetic components instead of thinking about the plumbing and furnace in my house!

This week, I want to take a look at laundry room, specifically, my big mechanical systems - my furnace, some ducting and our hot water tank are being looked at this week.

The first stop was the hot water tank. This is "new" to the home - we had to replace the hot water tank when it "tanked" in January, 2008. It is a moderately efficient, gas heated unit. We had it installed professionally and it is still in good condition and likely won't need to be addressed for 10 (or more) years.


New chimney and connections were installed as well. I did notice that the unit could really, really use a good dusting... One more thing to add to the housework schedule I've been working on!

Our furnace is original to the house and has been well maintained. It is now approaching 31 years of age and it is one of the things we must look at factoring in to our home study. I am a heat miser so I'd like to think my frugal and deliberate furnace programming has helped to extend the life of the unit but I know even minimal use still causes wear and at 30 years old, I can't expect miracles from the unit. It has a washable filter, thus saving general maintenance costs and the previous owners installed a humidifier when they installed the wood floors.

Again, look at all the stuff in that opening! Colour me surprised - I have no idea what it is (and I've yet to clean it up). Fortunately, our utilities companies do free evaluations of furnaces and check to ensure they are functioning properly. I will be calling late this summer to have ours evaluated and will be scheduling a duct cleaning too. Having the furnace maintenance and the ducts kept clean help the furnace work more efficiently and can work to extend the life of the unit. Furthermore, many government programs have been offering financial rebates for upgrading energy hogs like old furnaces.

In addition to looking at your furnace, you need to check the ducting too. Cold air intakes and the ducts can deteriorate and reduce efficiency (if there are penetrations or disruptions to the ducts or clogged intakes).  Our insulated ducts (the ones that bring cold air in from outside) aren't pretty, but they are functional and in decent shape.

A home evaluation is an involved and detailed process but the information gleaned is invaluable. Thanks for stopping by this week and see you again next week as we start looking at the miles of pipe that take water to and from all over the home!

We-Design-Day: Home Evaluation - Starting your study

Keeping up with my plan to document my home evaluation, I started photographing things around the house. I had planned on doing the exterior first, however, when I woke last Sunday, there was snow everywhere and it was still snowing! So I focused my attention indoors!

Doing close-up photography sure goes to show one where the dirt lurks in a house! So please excuse the large and overwhelming dust bunnies running around the pictures!

First, I started off in the master suite looking at the window casings. I was aware that we had some water infiltration in the past, however I had always thought it has been because we'd left the window open in the rain.

If you look (and I hope it translates in this picture) there are streaks down the wall. It would appear, at first glace, that I'd left the window open. The only issue is this is the end that doesn't get opened.




















Then I started examining the wall under the casing and I found evidence of further issue. See that little bitty piece of peeled paint? That, my friends, can be evidence of water damage. finding this did not make me happy. I pushed around and sniffed (don't ask, I have a weird sniffy thing I do). Now I didn't find anything soft or smell anything odd. The sniff test, for the record, is not scientific. But finding the peeled paint and additional bubbling paint indicates to me there may possibly be water infiltration at some point on the window.

I then started looking at the window structure itself and the wood supporting it. I noted it was very dusty (someone should really dust behind the blinds once and a while) and in the corners, years of ground in dirt. We bought our house in 2004 - it was 23 years old at the time and although it had been well maintained, things age naturally. Couple it with the window's northern exposure, the two large spruce trees that shade and shelter the window, the decorative wooden "trim" installed under the window and it can lead to what I'm seeing in the window. The exterior casings are also shown here and you can see that they are moderately weathered but still in reasonable condition. I do believe my 'problem' is the decorative wood piece on the outside. It's been inset in the aluminum siding this providing an easy access point for weather. I know part of it's rotten (from when I repainted it seven years ago) and I'd love to remove it (I'll take a picture of it soon - if it stops snowing at some point this weekend) but I'm not sure what's under and what exposing it would do. So, I'm smart enough to leave it alone (for now, anyway)!

Disheartened, I moved into the ensuite. I already know I've got problems in this room. Firstly, the exhaust fan conked out years ago and oh, it's so necessary in small space! I already knew the shower pan is cracked and we have a humidity problems in the space and a while back, I noticed darkening at the edge of the shower and under the toilet. Both spots indicated a leak of some variety.

I don't like dark marks under places where water is. I'm not necessarily concerned about mould - dangerous mould anyway. However, dark spots like this mean there could be rot and I don't like rot. Rot means more work. One wants to remedy leaks before dark spots appear. I'd like to say that I did this for my science, but it was mostly caused by busy lives, a husband living in a different city, marriage, new baby, new job syndrome. We got busy and didn't have the funds to manage repairs. It happens to everyone and why having a plan in place is so important.

Here is a picture of our window. Other than needing a good cleaning, a coat of paint and an operable ventilation fan, it's in reasonable condition. It does ice up in cold weather (like big chunks of ice - but this usually occurs at minus 30 Celsius).

Our sink and taps were next - the sink is cultured marble and it's horrible. The big black mark is a chip that had been previously repaired and is now deteriorating. The taps are new (we replaced them last fall). I don't like them but we opted to get the cheapest taps available as we were not in a position to properly renovate the ensuite however the taps needed replacing.

Finally, I looked under our sink to check the condition of the pipes. We've got a proper trap and the plumbing is adequate. The water lines are good and show no sign of corrosion, leaks or sweating.

Putting it all together takes effort and energy and time! Having it completed will allow me the ability to properly plan and develop our maintenance and replacement schedule. I hope you've found today's article informative and educational! If you have any questions or if you'd like additional information, feel free to send me an email! Thanks for reading and see you again next week!

We-Design-Day: Home Evaluation - Ready, set, GO!

Thanks for checking back in with me! I wanted to take some time to let everything we've covered settle. Not only is this a lot of information to digest, it's a lot to prepare too so I want to make sure I cover the right things and make my documentation and information as thorough as possible. Furthermore, I like to share additional resources and in order to do that, I have to make sure they are valid and correct!

This week, I want to look at how we start to put all the things we've learned together. We know all the parts and the roles they play in our home and now we need to start putting them in a workable format. I like spreadsheets for this – there is software available for things like this – but the flexibility a spreadsheet offers and the ability to expand, adapt and customize it makes it my preferred choice. Before we get there though, we need to ensure we've got a workable document that we can insert our inspection notes and findings and record our evaluations. Additionally, the we need to document conditions with pictures or sketches. This is an essential piece of our report as we need a written record in order to plan our budget and develop a proper project scope.


Design Tip: We need to know what we have in order to define the parameters of our project.

To ease in the development of your scope, I've created a worksheet for you to document your findings. Feel free to print it off and use for your personal home evaluation document. This is the first piece in your "Evaluation Kit".

Tools for your Evaluation:

Home Evaluation Worksheet (direct link to the PDF being hosted on my ScribD account)
Camera
Canadian Wood Frame Construction Book

The book isn't essential but I would highly, highly recommend it for anyone (in Canada, anyway) that does any DIY, home renovation or design work. Having this book when you're hiring a contractor is helpful too. It provides a broad overview of the residential construction process and highlights very important factors that every homeowner should know. It was the “go to” reference guide for me when I was in design school and it is still an industry “go to” guide for practicing architects and designers. If you find a second hand copy, pick it up – the building code changes every few years but most of the fundamentals to wood frame construction remains fairly constant, thus making even an older copy of this book useful.

Once you've printed off the worksheet and have your trusty camera in hand, it's time to go back through your house and look at all the features we've discussed since January! I'll be back next week with the start of my home study to share with you and please feel free to email me any questions you may have about your own study!

We-Design-Day: Home Evaluation - General and Interior Fittings

Thanks for sticking with me during the recent two week hiatus! It's been a little frantic professionally speaking and it's left me exhausted in the evenings when I usually do my writing and research but I'm getting back into the groove. With home renovation season approaching, I want to make sure I've got the bulk of the information shared so we can all work on completing our home evaluation in time for summer!

Having covered all the “big” things that keep our homes up and running we get to look at the “fun” stuff – the things that make our houses our homes. This week we are going to look at the importance the interior fixtures play in our home and how they belong in our home evaluation.

The interior finishes sometimes get overlooked (as being included in a home study) because we do tend to maintain the interiors of our homes more so than the exteriors. It's common for people to paint and upgrade kitchens and bathrooms once they become dated or worn. Innovations in interior design progress frequently and the introduction of new and improved materials to improve the function, increase the energy value or improve the environmental impact are a multimillion dollar industry.

So where does this leave us?

Behind, mostly... But with efficient planning, attention to detail and making informed choices and not always following trends we can steer through the sea of information.

Let's start with the general considerations. Included here are the things “inside” the exterior walls; if you think back to week four the detail showed how our walls look like sandwiches. The batt insulation is the filling, the vapour barrier is our mayonnaise and the gypsum board is our top slice of bread.

Our walls, once installed, are usually mudded and taped. This is to say that a special compound and “tape” is applied to cover the joints, fasteners and corners. It is sanded and a primer is applied to seal the wall board. It is on top of this that we can apply our paint, wall paper or other interior decorative wall finishes. Typically, these interior surfaces are updated frequently, but have you ever not painted for a long time? Paint wears out, just like anything else. All the elements (sun, wind, wet) plus the human factor all abuse and wear the surfaces down exposing the joint compound and allowing the imperfections to show through. It takes longer (as I can attest – seven years in our home and all the screws and joints are starting to show through) but it does happen and like leaving an exposed roof, damage occurs and increases the cost of repair.

Another important aspect to our homes is the floor coverings. They provide comfort, enhance aesthetics and provide sound dampening. Age, flooding and general wear and tear all work to erode the floor surfaces. 

When replacing, cost, allergy factors, environmental concerns and installer ability need to be factored in. Fortunately, these are likely one of the less expensive endeavours you may undertake in your home.

In addition to paint and flooring, the millwork and fixtures in your home will also likely need renewing at some point during your residency. At what point is somewhat subjective. The basic functionality of any kitchen likely won't change but the style of cabinetry, colour of appliances and types of lighting may. This applies to bathroom millwork too.

Sinks, cabinets, appliances – oh my!

Now that we've touched on all the things that we should be looking it, we're going to start pulling it all together over the coming weeks. Thanks for reading this week and please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the topics we've covered this far.

We-Design-Day: Design 101 - A Guide to Interior Design

This article was originally posted in November 2010. With a few renovations coming up around our house, I like to go back to what I know and it's a good refresher!

In conjunction with the changes I’m working on trying to make to my blog, I’ve been working on a couple of serial articles to share. One of which is a regular, weekly feature on interior design. My hope is to provide anyone with an interest a kind of “insider’s look” at small scale design and renovation projects. I’d like to share my knowledge and experience and make it a true ‘how to’ so I can help demystify an interesting and very popular vocation.

My intent is to share some of the history and principals of interior design and work through the process of a project from beginning to end. Having worked in the field for many years, I can provide insight on the construction process, how to hire a designer and general contractor, what to do when things go wrong and how to make changes on the ‘fly’.

So over the coming weeks, my company, Blue Door Interiors, will be sponsoring the “We-Design-Day ” articles and I’ll take you through the entire process of a (small) renovation project from conception to completion. Along the way, I’ll provide some Design 101 education, answer any questions you have, provide free tips and ideas and I’m planning a give-a-way or two as well!

Without further adieu, let’s get We-Design-Day underway!

When I decided to quit my ‘day job’ and return to school, I was 26 years old. I’d spent my late teens and early 20’s in the retail and middle management jobs and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I had the good fortune of being able to examine what I wanted to be when I “grew up” – I’d worked in a few different fields, had experience in what I liked (and didn’t like) and got to pick my profession. Most people don’t get that luxury so I am very thankful that my delinquent youth proved to be useful for something!

During my education and work experience, I’ve learned a lot about myself, my tastes, and my design style. I don’t follow fashion and I’m not a follower of trends. I firmly believe that the most appropriate solution for the problems I’ve faced in my career are generally the ones best suited to those who seek them.

And by that I mean it is certainly possible to design for today and accessorize with the latest trends and colours and I certainly can make your home look like the page of a magazine. But coupled with my love for interior design is a love for the environment and blending sustainable design with interior design for me go hand in hand – my first school project taught me that (I specified a compostable toilet, much to the horror of my professor)! I’m about function and form and reusing, reducing and even recycling when designing. We all want our homes to be a reflection of us and the way we live – good design can be attained by combining a good understanding of how a space functions and how the people who use the space live.

I’m about real design for real people.

This week, I’d like to share a few staple pieces of interior design information regarding the history, evolution and some definitions. My first year of design was tough. I’ve never memorized so many things in my life! Included in that memorization was the ‘definition’ of what Interior Design is… It only has changed a little bit from what I memorized and I see I’ve been ahead of my time as they now mention “sustainable design” in the definition.

Interior design is a multi-facet profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and the resources of the client are satisfied to produce and interior space the fulfills the project cools. Interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, qualified by means of education, experience and examination, to protect and enhance the health, life safety and welfare of the public. Definition provided by the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) NCIDQ

To find where “interior design” and “interior decoration” started, one must look a long way back in time… One could say it even started when the first people furnished their caves with pelts and painted the walls, although pelts were functional and the paintings area theorized to be everything from trance drawings by Shaman to methods of communication, it still improved the interior living spaces. When the first peoples started building shelter for themselves, it all began to take form. At that time, however, the exterior and the interior were thought of in unison and as “one” space. As we (man) evolved from grass huts, the building envelope (the exterior of the buildings) strongly influenced the interior shape and function of an area.

The common use of the term “Interior Design” was not accepted into popular use until after the Second World War. Prior to the Second World War, and only really dating back to the late 1800’s, the design of an interior was often encapsulated within the architecture of the building as a whole. Any application to interiors was commonly referred to as interior decoration and specifically regarded only the application of surface ornamentation, colour, furnishings and accessories.

After WWII, a divide began to take place between the ornamentation of a space and how the space worked. This split is where the shape of Interior Design truly began to emerge as a valid and respected part of the built environment (and more than just throw pillows and wall paper).

But today, throw pillows and wall paper are all still a part of it! But I think that’s enough information for one week… Come back for the next We-design-day next week when we start down the process of designing your own environment!

I'd like to give a special "shout" to Clever by Design for helping me so many years ago with my logo and company image! I'm so excited to finally be at a point in my life where I can again fly the banner of the Blue Door Interior name!

We-Design-Day: Interior Fittings - Electrical Systems (week 2)

The electrical systems in our home are an important aspect to the home study. Often, with the things we can't see in our homes, we forget about it. This, I think, is pretty common with the electrical system. Considering that one hundred years ago, homes with electricity were not common, it isn't too surprising to overlook one of the most used pieces of our home!

Let's look at the parts of your electrical system so we can understand how it fits in and what kind of maintenance and work may be required as part of our home evaluation system.

The electricity that powers your home comes in through the main service head from the outside. Depending on where you live and the age of your home, it can be delivered to your home either above ground or underground. It is fed into the home via a meter - the meter is the junction point and how the utility company finds out how much power you are using. It comes into your house and drops into your service panel (also referred to an electrical panel). This is the metal box that hangs on the wall at some part of your house and from it, wires run throughout your home and feed all your electrical needs.

The electrical panel is the place to start. A few things can be told by looking at your panel. Depending on the vintage of your home, the panel may or may not be fused. If your home is about 40 years old or older (and not had it's electrical upgraded) it is likely your home has a fused panel. This means that all the circuits in your home have a fuse protecting it. When the circuit is overloaded, the fuse will blow and require replacing before it will work again. Newer panels (that are not fused) have a breaker, the breaker will trip if overloaded and simply resetting the breaker will fix the outage of power caused. If your panel is a fuse style, add it to your list to be updated. Although it still works and is reliable, fuse panels are "old" technology and improvements have been made and new breaker panels are safer.

Next, check to see if you can identify the type of drop into your panel. Prior to the 1960's (in Canada, at least), drops to panels were generally 60amp. This amperage, with all the new technology we all have in our homes (televisions, computers, home theatres, etc) is insufficient. Upgrading to 100amp is preferred and although a costly endeavor, it too is important to the function and comfort of your home. Some homes are even employing 200amp drops - I suppose a lot of this depends on the service available in your area and your demand on the system.

While looking at your panel, if you can, take a look at the conduit (big, thick silver looking pipe that carries the power to your panel). If you see the letters "AL" or the word "Aluminum" on the pipe, you very well may have aluminum wiring. This style of wiring was commonly used between 1950 and the late 1970's. Again, this is something that is in need of replacement. New code, new developments in technology all suggest this is important to correct. When we were house shopping, my other Mom went with me. Her experience in home insurance inspections was what first alerted me to the issues with this type of wiring. It can be a fire hazard.

The three aforementioned items are the "big ticket" items, other considerations include knob and tube wiring (used more commonly in homes built before 1930). If your home has this, it too should be factored in to your study and replaced.

Duplex outlets, light switches and light fixtures are all part of your electrical system and at some point, will need to be refreshed in your home. The how and when are up to you, your use of them and their function.

I do not expect (or recommend) anyone to do anything "electrical" - the electrics in your home (much like your mechanical system) can be dangerous and it is imperative that only qualified and certified personnel work on the systems. This is one area where it is life or death and is not worth trying to "DIY". I have no issue with replacing a light fixture, exchanging an outlet or maybe even wiring a new light, anything more than that and I always recommend a professional.

Thanks for reading today - next week, we are going to wrap up the Interior Fittings portion of our study.


More Reading:
US Department of Energy
More on Aluminum wiring

We-Design-Day: Home Evaluation - Evaluating your home (pt 1)

Disclaimer: All the information given is based on my experience and knowledge and is provided for information only. It is provided as a starting point and is meant to be educational, not authoritative. Always consult a qualified engineer before deciding to replace any key component of your home. Additionally, I live in a “cold climate” and my building experience is within that family of construction and references to building code or methods of construction are applicable to the Province of Alberta only. Building code differs by province and country.


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Once you've got an idea of what should be included in your home study, figuring out the condition of the those things is quite another. Obviously, we can't be experts at everything but I think that with a reasonable amount of information and a bit of research, we can assess the condition of a few key things and the things we can't, we can use the professionals! I always like to err on the side of caution, however, because eventually, everything will need to be replaced (and yes, I know “they” guarantee asphalt shingles for “50 years”, but is it reasonable to think the one piece of my house that is continually and always exposed to the sun, wind, snow, rain, ice and birds picking at it is really going to last that long?).

Where to start? The envelope, of course! Most homes have the same exterior components to worry about – roof, walls, foundation, windows and doors, so let's start there. The existing condition of some of these may be harder to assess than others and the items that are hidden from view can be impossible to assess accurately. I'm going to start from the top down in this case, simply because a lot of judgements we have to make, when evaluating the existing condition of our envelope, aren't always easy to see and the lower we go, the more difficult it is to see with the naked eye.

The Roof:



Damaged Shingles (source)

Depending on the type of roof and the pitch of your roof (and existing laws, bylaws and governing building, occupational health and safety codes) you likely can take a look and figure out the condition of your roof. Some of the components are visible to the eye from the ground (so if you're like me and have an aversion to ladders, you can do some of the assessment from terra firma). One of the more common roofing materials used are asphalt shingles. Inexpensive, readily available and simple to install, there isn't a house on my street without this type of shingle on it's roof. Thankfully, it's also easy to tell when the shingles start to fail. Initially, the corners of the shingles will start to curl. This is especially noticeable on southern and western exposures (as they receive the most amount of sunlight and heat).

Depending on the age of your existing roof, once you notice curling, it would be reasonable to estimate 5 to 10 years until replacement is absolutely necessary. Once they start curling, it's just a matter of time before you see cracked and bent shingles and find an excess of particulate (shingle bits) in your eaves and collecting at the point where your eaves troughs drain to the ground. This past summer, our roof began leaving more shingle bits on our patio than was left on our roof.

Loose insulation (source)

If you're not afraid of heights, climb up on your roof and take a look at the areas around the penetrations (vents, chimneys, skylights). You are looking for signs of damage, wear or failure. Also, as you walk around, use your feet to feel for sponginess. If you feel the roof “give” under you, it's likely the damage goes deeper and you've got water penetration. If you've had water spots on the ceiling inside the home, this could be the cause. 

Stick your head up in the attic space as well – new (building)codes have assessed that an attic should have an “R” value of 50 – this would include batt insulation as well as loose cellulose-type fibre. You can visually assess the structure – look for visible signs of stress – cracks or rot in trusses, broken trusses and the quality and condition of the sheathing. Another thing to look for (in winter) are signs of frost or condensation on metal parts in the attic space. This is another indicator of heat loss and potential “damage” zones as water can be infiltrating the space.

Design Tip: Before poking around with insulation, consider the year of construction, asbestos was frequently used in residential construction prior to 1980 in everything from insulation to flooring. If in doubt always engage a certified professional.



Asbestos information

More information about roofing and what to look for:

When you need to replace your roof

More information about shingles

Windows and Doors:



Parts of a Window (source)



Let's look at windows first... They show us the world and can let the world in, if we're not careful! The technology in windows has evolved dramatically in the last 100 years. From simple panes of glass set in wood frames to PVC casings with sealed gas injected panels. The basic principals of installation hasn't changed too much but the materials used have changed too. A sill plate and a header support the frame of the window (which generally is still all wood) with the window enclosed in the wood frame. It is insulted (now a days with expanding spray foam) to seal the unit from the elements.

The life cycle of a window is fairly long, although the energy loss will start to show as the technology improves and the window ages. Take a look at your windows and find out what they are made of. Wood, aluminium and PVC are the three most common types of casings and start looking at the existing performance to begin your evaluation.

To evaluate the window, try the following. Do you feel a draft (hold a lit candle and move it around the frame of the window if it flickers, a draft could be present)? Can you feel the heat or cold through the pane? Is condensation present or frost and ice build-up during cold weather? To check the frame (if it is wood) tap the wood and check for soft spots or rotted wood. Think back to the last big rain – did any water penetrate the window, the frame of the parts around the window (where it sits in the wall)? How is the movement of the window? Does it open and close well or does it stick and jam? What's going on outside? Water or sun damage, peeling paint, gaps or caulking cracks can all indicate the start of failing windows.



How about doors? Many of the same techniques (to evaluate the condition) apply to the doors as do for the windows: check for drafts, ice build-up around the hardware (lockset, handle, etc.). Again, be sure to check for signs of rot in the frame. If rot is starting, it's best to deal with it first because allowing a rotting door to remain can cause larger issues as the rot spreads to the adjoining structure.

Design Tip: To improve the insulated value of windows, a topical film can be applied for the winter months to better insulate the glass or installing a heavier drapery can also help to prevent heat loss. For doors, check weather stripping and if it’s stiff, worn or cracked, replacing it can help stop drafts and cold. Draft stops (although, the Grandma made stuffed wiener dog isn’t aesthetically pleasing) can, placed at the base of door, also help.


Drafty Dog (source)



More information about window and door replacement:

When to replace windows

How to preserve your windows and doors

I'm going to stop there for this week - it is a lot of information to digest! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email! Next week, we'll continue discussing evaluation the building envelope.