Building a Custom Home – What We Learned and Why KCB Developments Is the Only Saskatoon Home Builder We’ll Use

March 8, 2019 by Kathryn 2 Comments

When my husband and I first started the search for our dream house, we were confident that we would find the perfect one before long. We were pre-approved for our mortgage and shopping in a buyer’s market.

But while we did look at many great homes and even had an offer on a house at one point, nothing was quite right. Neither of us knew anything about building as opposed to buying, but after months of house hunting we learned that a large lot in our dream location was for sale at a discount price.

Suddenly, building just seemed to make sense! We purchased the lot, started hunting for a Saskatoon home builder and eventually discovered KCB Developments.

The owner, Kurt, quickly found a house plan that we fell in love with. And after a few tweaks to the plans, we signed the papers and got ready to build!

Just over a year later, I’ve started to think back on some of the things I learned throughout the experience. If you’re considering building, these are some tips you might want to keep in mind! [Read more…]

6 Ways to Create a More Zen Design in Your Room

March 4, 2019 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Bringing more zen into one’s life has become increasingly popular – one way many are accomplishing that is by meditating, with some 18 million Americans now practicing meditation, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Creating a room with more zen design makes the ideal space for meditating, but it’s also perfect simply for creating a more relaxing atmosphere.

[Read more…]

Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Kid-Friendly

April 20, 2017 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Combining décor and functionality is hard enough, but adding kids into the mix makes home design feel almost impossible. Maintaining a clean space, providing comfort and adding safety features are just a few of the ways you can make your home more kid-friendly. Keep these facets in mind and transform your home into a safe, happy shelter for your entire family.

Furniture That Provides Storage Space

As any parent with young children can attest, it’s easy for the living room to turn from elegant sitting room to toy box overflow. It’s important to look for furniture that does double duty when it comes to style and storage. From ottomans that open up to provide the perfect book storing nook, to side tables that feature drawers where you can toss pencils and crayons that aren’t getting used, looking for furniture that provides storage solutions is essential. Shop for storage furniture on CrateandBarrel.com. [Read more…]

Make Your Home Look and Smell Holiday-Ready with 3 Simple Tips

November 14, 2016 by Kathryn 39 Comments

The holidays season is coming up quickly and that means it’s time to start getting ready for holiday guests and entertaining! I absolutely love decorating for Christmas and this year, I’ll be decorating in a new place as we’ve recently moved to a pretty little Saskatoon townhouse! But of course, the holiday season is also one of the busiest times of the year and that means that I can’t spend days and days perfecting my home’s holiday look. Luckily, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve! Here are my top three tips for easy holiday decorating!

1) Minimize Time and Mess with an Artificial Tree

For years, I was one of the biggest advocates of a real tree. The beauty, the scent and the classic look of a real Christmas tree was just unbeatable as far as I was concerned. But then one year I caved and decided to try an artificial tree. Not only was I able to set it up in less than five minutes, but it also came pre-lit with pretty white lights, saving on decorating time! And best of all, there was no watering, no sweeping or vacuuming fallen needles and no awkward disposal afterwards. [Read more…]

Kid’s DIY Toy Closet Makeover Made Easy with RBC Rewards Credit Card and The Home Depot Canada

September 14, 2016 by Kathryn 27 Comments

With the boys back in school for six hours a day, I finally have extra time to tackle some of the jobs that have been piling up around the house. For me, autumn is a season of organizing for the upcoming cold weather months and this year, I’ve got a lot of organizing to do! Luckily for me, RBC has found a way to make that organizing more rewarding with a very special offer! Now until October 31, RBC Rewards credit card holders in Alberta and Saskatchewan will earn 2X RBC Rewards points for purchases made at The Home Depot Canada! With all the great organizational supplies the store has to offer, I knew the timing was right to tackle Benjamin’s disastrous closet.

The problem with my youngest son’s closet is that he can’t reach the top bar, so using it for clothing storage doesn’t make sense. I’d put some boxes for books and toys on the floor instead, but the system didn’t maximize the space available and was awkward to keep organized. So I headed to my local Home Depot store and grabbed the Closet Maid Closet Maximizer system. Featuring hard shelves for durability and easy no-tool installation, it looked like an easy way to make the most of Benjamin’s closet area.

A quick tap of my RBC Rewards credit card at the self checkout and I was ready to head home and get to work. Assembling the unit was a breeze and in less than twenty minutes it was in place and ready to be used. Then it was time for me to get to work and organize Benjamin’s toys in a way that was functional for him and attractive to me! [Read more…]

Quick Home Redecoration Tips this Summer

March 28, 2016 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Summer is coming right up – are you feeling it yet? Bring the feelings and color of summertime into your family’s personal space with some simple summer home redecoration tips and tricks including everything from furniture rearrangements to the scents of the season!

Natural Living. To bring instant organic appeal, try planting succulents in a big shell. The tiny plants can last for a long time and will require little care, making them the right addition to a summery end table or basically anywhere. Putting this on (or near) natural elements will add character and texture to this chic display.

Open It Up. Look at your home as a summer rental space, and you’ll automatically see it in a different light. Pull back the curtains and throw open the windows, get rid of decorations that are gloomy, dark or fussy. Remove heavy accessories, throws and other unnecessary small décor until there’s “space” in your space. [Read more…]

Try These 5 Surprising Cleaning Tips Using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser #15MinuteReno

October 19, 2015 by Kathryn 22 Comments

Recently I shared some fabulous tips and ideas for getting a home sparking clean and ready for Thanksgiving fun. But as every family knows, there’s more to holiday cleaning than just tidying up before the big day! After the turkey is finished and the pie has been devoured, a house can often need even more tender loving care than it did to be ready for Thanksgiving!

Thankfully (get it?), Mr. Clean was ready and willing to help me out with the post-Thanksgiving cleanup too. With plenty of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and a bit of time, these five tips are how I gave our little apartment and our favourite things a thorough cleaning when the fun was over and the food was finished. [Read more…]

Easy DIY Home Office Organization Makeover with HP-Giveaway #SpringCleaning

May 5, 2015 by Kathryn 402 Comments

Last week I shared an easy and fun kitchen organization project I created using nothing but my HP Stream 11 laptop, labels printed on my HP Envy 5530 printer and some cute mason jars. I loved the way these simple labels not only helped me organize my kitchen but also added some personality to my décor! That’s why I decided to turn on my laptop once more and do a little more spring cleaning…this time in my home office!

My office has a tendency to get pretty disorganized, especially with all the papers and calendars I use, so my goal was to tidy it up while also making it a pretty and inspiring space. I decided the first thing I would do is make my own file boxes by cutting old cereal boxes and covering them with fun printed paper. To keep with my spring theme, I found some flower images I liked, printed them out and then glued the pictures onto the boxes. A quick coat of spray varnish for durability and my file organizers were ready!

[Read more…]