OUR SUMMER LEMONADE STAND (USING IKEA KIDS TABLES!)

They say it's a right of passage to have a lemonade stand as a child. I say throw two IKEA LATT kids tables together, paint them white and you're set to go!!!

Our daughter Noelle, who is 6, told me a few nights before school started that having a lemonade stand was on her list of 'must dos' for the summer and she seemed pretty set on it. Without having much time to think about it, we put the kids to bed, I found the two IKEA tables in the basement and a few pieces of scrap wood and set to work (big thanks to my hubby for screwing the wood into the tables enabling a stand to be made). 

Our IKEA kids tables mainly get used for parties or when kids come over for playdates and were definitely not in the best shape, so after finding the pieces of scrap wood to use as the 'stand', I used some leftover paint from my playhouse project last summer and quickly painted it all. You can see how dark it was when I snapped a photo once the paint was on. This is devoted parenting at its' best, right?! Ha!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

I made the 'LEMONADE' sign the next morning by cutting out large triangles from card stock and sticking some gold foil letter stickers on. I already owned the drinks dispenser that we use all the time for parties and playdates and apparently now lemonade stands too!!! The adorable silver star garland is from Pearl and Jane on Etsy. The girls and I walked up to the flower shop to choose some flowers for the stand and they picked out this sweet combination themselves. They also drew, coloured and cut out the lemons and stems to stick onto the stand for decoration. Aren't they the cutest?! This is definitely my favourite detail of all!!!

Everyone who came by commented that at 25 cents, our lemonade was the best deal around. I guess we wanted the stand to be about having fun and not making money and we even had a jar of quarters for anyone who came by who didn't happen to have change with them. This turned out to be a great idea as we could then give out free lemonade (therefore getting more 'customers') while the kids could transfer a quarter from our money jar to theirs. Watching the joy on their faces when their neighbourhood friends stopped by was priceless; such a great summer memory.A win win for everyone!

We have owned this little silver scale for years and it made a perfect accessory for the stand. The kids filled their own glasses up more times than I was willing to count but I suppose that's half the fun, isn't it??!!

So, there it is. A summer bucket list item ticked off for the kids and hours and hours of fun for us all. Who else has a couple of IKEA kids tables kicking around?

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LABOUR DAY WEEKEND: SHOP MY FAVES!

I simply CANNOT believe it is September 1st!!! The summer seemed to fly by and with a blink, the kids are back to school next week. This time of year always brings back memories of fresh starts, crisp air, new school clothes, and a few fun items for the home.

Today, I've rounded up some of my favourite items to shop this Labour Day weekend, from the porch chair I dream about to the snack box that we use every day throughout the school year (their lunch boxes are amazing too!). I'm excited that my favourite gold mirror is still in stock this weekend (from Ella's room below) and that you can still get the teepee we love and use in our playroom, which is a perfect way to create a rest spot for kids to relax after school.

Wishing you all a happy September and a wonderful last long weekend of summer!

TREND LOVE: THE HALF WALL

Maybe it's me, but it seems like everywhere I turn, kids rooms are being painted with a 'half wall' or 'colour blocked wall'. Although it's not entirely new, the trend seems to be growing with more and more amazing rooms created using this simple paint work. I love that it transforms a space so easily, something you could do in a weekend with such low cost.

Starting off with one of my all time favourite kids rooms that feels cozy and perfectly pulled together at the same time. How dreamy are the colours?

via Avenue Lifestyle

This fun and playful boys room has just the burst of colour it needs to make the wall decor, like these wall shelves pop.

via Live Loud Girl

If you have a small wall or little nook, this trend is perfect behind a desk to carve out a special work area. Just love that globe on the shelf too!

via Heju

The dusty rose, mix of plywood and subtle hints of copper are a colour combination I adore. That DIY desk is everything!!!

via vtwonen

Mixing rich wood tones and this dark blue creates a room that feels vintage and modern at the same time. As you probably know, I love kids pillows and these animal ones on the bed are so cute! 

via Trendland

Love the blackboard bottom and the giant plywood letters, but that gymnastics pommel bench steals the show by bringing in such a warm and worn in vibe to the playroom that feels so unique and special. 

via Millennium

If you love this look, you can find more of this trend over on Pinterest on my Half Wall board. To achieve this look in your own kids' room, I recommend painting the bottom colour 40" up from floor to top of feature colour. 

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NAYVIAH'S NURSERY

A NEUTRAL NURSERY {& HOW TO STYLE TO SELL}

If you've been following along on my Instagram over the past couple of weeks (and if you don't, come follow!), you'll know that I've been busy decorating a new baby nursery. Well, this project is different than any I've done before as it is set up in a house to sell!!! That's right, this neutral baby room was set up entirely for staging a home.

Other than sharing the nursery reveal, I thought it would be fun to share how the space came together, how my thought process was different for this space given it is set up temporarily and most importantly, how to style your nursery to help with selling your home!

I started with two key pieces of furniture: the crib and the ladder shelf. Given the room is set up so temporarily, I left out a chair although if this space was going to be used with a baby, I would have moved the crib over and added one in. 

Here are my key tips for styling your baby's room for sale.

Keep colours neutral:

When I saw the room, I knew that a simple white crib would be perfect and this one from Babyletto fit the space well. A white crib works perfectly for either gender and I wanted to keep the space neutral so prospective buyers could envision a baby boy or girl in the room. I just love this cloud mobile from The Butter Flying. This colour palette works equally well if you are setting your nursery up and waiting for the big day for a gender surprise too.

Make the most of the space but leave options: 

My goal was to make the small room feel bigger, to highlight how babies only need a few things and to show that by keeping the clothes organization elsewhere (there is a built in storage solution in the closet), you can keep the room tidy and calm. Although this space is quite minimal, this also enables the new owners to see that they could add in some of their own personal touches easily (such as a special photo on the wall or some art). The key here is to keep the paint soft and bright, bring in just enough furniture to give an idea and leave the window coverings open to enhance natural light.

Add in some personal (but not too personal!) touches:

I wanted the prospective owners to feel connected to the space when they walk in. A few sweet baby outfits hanging usually bring the oohs and aahs and adding books and some simple toys could helps parents envision sitting and reading to their baby in this space. These little details also made me dream of snuggling a newborn again!!! 

If you love the soft, organic, neutral vibe that this nursery has, you can find all of the details to shop the look below. 

01. // White ladder shelf; 02. // Irregular dot decals; 03. // Wooden book shelf; 04. // Mama brown bear; 05. // Babyletto white crib; 06. // Cloud felt garland; 07. // Large soft sheepskin; 08. // Seagrass belly basket; 09. // Linen star pillow.

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FRIDAY FINDS: PILLOWS!

I can hardly believe how quickly the summer is flying by. With our year of cool weather here in Vancouver, it really feels like summer has only just started and we are already at the end of July! With the kids home more, I have been spending less time on the blog and more time in the backyard playing frisbee, making mud pies and eating popsicles. I mean, it is summer after all.

If you caught my post on Instagram this week, you will see that I finished a new little neutral nursery (top photo of this post) and the reveal is coming next week. In preparing for this, I found myself searching for pillows for the room as well as for e-design clients and thought you might like to see some of my favourites that I found along the way. I mean, everyone can use a cute new pillow or two for the kids, right?!

Happy Friday friends. I hope you are savouring the sunshine and the extras hugs with the kids if they are around more, like mine are.

01. // Tassel pillow; 02. // Patterned square; 03. // Star pillow; 04. // Washable moon; 05. // Sweet bunny; 06. // Pretty flora; 07. // Cloud pillow; 08. // Teepee pillow; 09. // House pillow; 10. // Pretty pink; 11. // Moon pillow; 12. // Bear pillow.