Spring Renos in Lockdown?!

Hello, my Ontario friends; lockdown #3? If you are anything like me, staying at home makes you see ALL of the things that need to get done. I know the list of my projects keeps growing and growing.

We may be on lockdown but don’t forget that Improve Canada is ready to help you with all your renovation needs!

Improve is open by appointment only, limiting the number of people inside at all times. They are extremely safe with the new COVID restrictions; it was a delight to look around. The concierge service is AMAZING; they book your appointments and will help find you the right vendors!

Springtime brings means cleaning, decluttering and organizing; which ultimately means projects, projects, projects

Improve Canada gave me so many good ideas when I was there a few months ago; I can’t wait to get back there to get even more ideas and pick up a few things!

Are you planning a home renovation?

A few things I like to do while planning to keep things a bit more orgaznized:

I always have a vision of what kind of feel I want the room to have; light & airy, farmhouse style, modern, cozy, contemporary etc.

I will also sometimes look at Pinterest if i’m second guessing myself to try and find things that go with my vision.

Now time to make a list of what I need! I literally write everything down, ideas, things to purchase, things I can do myself, things I need to hire someone to do etc.

I break things down like:

Lighting and Decor
Fixtures and Hardware
Flooring
Furniture

Improve Canada has ALL of this, so i’m going to show you what I found that I would love in our Master!

I fell in love with the lights in the Tubicen showroom (Unit 282, 283) – Check out these reading lights that I think would look amazing beside our bed. How cute are they??

Art De Vie Renovation has so many options to choose from; they have everything from carpets, laminate, hardwood and vinyl. Not sure if it will match your area? They are more than happy to give you some samples to bring home to see if it’s a good match for your home. I am a vinyl gal now and they had such beautiful ones to pick from.

Decor:

I am sure you all heard me rave about Zenporium; I love their stuff, their blanket ladder is to die for and would look good in any room, same with their beautiful benches.

But seriously, how cute would this blanket ladder look in your bedroom beside a fireplace?

The amount of gorgeous items in Canaroma’s Showroom (Unit 232/249) is just unbelievable. I have already picked out my bath for when it’s time for the freestanding tub I’ve been dreaming about! They have everything from bathtubs, showers, hardware, vanities etc.

Ion has a showroom there as well; I feel in love with this chair – it would look so cozy in the corner of our room!

These are just some of the items from only a few of their showrooms!

So what are you waiting for??

Get your list ready and go make your appointments at Improve Canada – you will not be disappointed!

Let me know how you organize your projects

Looking for some beautiful artwork?? Improve Canada has you covered!!

Improve Canada is OPEN by appointment only, so if you are looking for the perfect piece of artwork to hang on your wall and spruce things up a bit, I suggest you give them a call! 

Let’s backtrack for a second; in case you didn’t see my previous blog on Improve Canada. Improve Canada is the largest home improvement centre with over 350 designer and home improvement showrooms all under the same roof! Kitchens to bathrooms, lighting to flooring, designers/contractors and more!

In this blog, I am focusing on the gorgeous artwork I saw from Gallery M2 while visiting Improve Canada! These pieces would look beautiful in any home.

M2 Gallery has tons of beautiful paintings, photographs, custom work and some pottery as well! From abstracts to landscapes – they really, do it all!

If you are looking for that perfect piece, head to Improve Canada and check out M2 Gallery, you will not be disappointed! 

This piece here I was very much in love with!

Updating your Home Decor?

Have you been updating your home during this time?

Let’s first start by telling you what the fabulous Improve Canada is all about! Improve Canada is the LARGEST home improvement Centre, with over 350 designer and home improvement showrooms under one roof. From Kitchens to bathrooms, lighting to flooring, designers/contractors and more!

Sounds a bit overwhelming? Don’t worry, there are maps everywhere, including handheld ones, plus their staff is helpful and will be there whenever you need anything!

Over the next little while, I will be sharing some of their beautiful showrooms; I’m so excited to do so!

First, stop, beautiful Zenporium! I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely love wood pieces, so naturally, I fell in love with this showroom!

I have to tell you, I loved this stop and I learned so much. Beauty really is everywhere we turn! They have everything; chairs, benches, serve-ware, tree sculptures, bowls & vases, lighting, decor, you name it, they have it!

Zenporium is a small Toronto based business; they specialize in rustic, modern, eco-friendly and mod teak designs. Their wood pieces – made of guilt-free wood; they ensure that their materials are salvaged, reclaimed or responsibly harvested.

While they had many stunning pieces, the ones I couldn’t take my eyes off of – made of salvaged fishing trawlers ( is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a type of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets pulled along the bottom or midwater of the sea at a specified depth.) Fishermen in small villages along the tropics take great pride in their trawlers, decorating them with brilliant colour schemes and local designs. Old trawlers would be burned, beached, or sunk in the ocean depth. Recently, however, creative artisans began salvaging the high-quality teak wood from retired trawlers to build furniture.

Check out how stunning they look:

Guys, their tree sculptures blew me away too – originate from COFFEE bean and tea leaf plantations in Indonesia; it was so interesting to hear all about them! Once the plantations are ready to plant new trees, the old ones are uprooted and retrieved by local artisans who then make their beautiful masterpieces!

I could go on and on about this beautiful showcase as I was really in love with how artistic and stunning their pieces are, while my photos do not do it justice, I will let them do the rest of the speaking!

If you are looking for beautiful wood pieces, I highly suggest you go to Improve and check Zenporium out, you will not be disappointed, that is for sure!

“I Like Warm Hugs”

Are you feeling anxious lately with everything going on in the world lately?

It is a completely understandable feeling right now, my answer would be yes. I mean, I’m stuck in the house with 2 amazing but crazy children and a puppy that is non-stop! There are moments when I want to just put earphones on and curl up under my weighted blanket in my little world. Don’t get me wrong if I am stuck inside I am super happy I have them with me, as they are the best and I love them to bits but sometimes we just need our quiet time too!

I have always wanted to try a weighted blanket and it completely passed my expectations! For those that haven’t tried it before, it feels like a warm cozy hug! I could sleep forever with it on and apparently, my husband can too because I keep catching him stealing it! 

So you can imagine that when I received my weighted blanket from Dream Hug Canada at this time, I was ecstatic. It honestly makes a world of difference with all of the emotions I am having lately – and those sleepless nights where my brain just won’t stop, this has made it so much better and I can sleep through the night! 

We could all use a little bit of extra comfort these days, am I right?

 

This blanket helps lower your anxious feelings and makes you wake up so refreshed and relaxed.

Here are some things weighted blankets can help you with:

Improve Anxiety – Def works for me

Improve Mood – If I sleep more, my mood is better so yep this is a check!

Improve Sleep – Def has helped mine

Help Alleviate Restless Leg Syndrome – I do not have them but I can understand how it would work!

Combats Stress – Def has helped me with this too!

This blanket comes in two pieces, there are ties on the inside to hold the pieces together and it’s super easy to do. When you want to wash it, you just undo the ties and put it in the wash!

If you have yet to try a weighted blanket, head to Dream Hug Canada and use the code erica50 to get $50 off of your purchase!

Now I must go cuddle up!

Check out the photos – even my puppy tries to steal it if I leave my spot!

SLIMY FUN

Okay so I am soo so beyond late on this one!!

The kiddos were so extremely lucky to have Zimpli Kids send them some of their goodies! We love some sensory fun!

Guys these are soo fun and while they look messy they really aren’t!  I mean of course there can be a little mess but where’s the fun if there isn’t?!?!

This turns your water into fun goo/slime…and what kid wouldn’t love that?!?  Gelli Baff and Slime Baff are amazing products for turing your bathtime into an even more fun time than it already is!  However you can use these in buckets outside or inside with some toys and have an amazing sensory journey!  Both products are 100% safe on skin, stain free, non toxic and guys they are even easy to clean!!   They give you a dissolving powder with it, all you have to do is add it to the bath or bucket and it turns back into liquid…just like that it’s cleaned up!

We haven’t used it in the bath but we have used it on sunny days in the backyard and inside on rainy days – my kiddos had a great time and I highly recommend checking their products out!  We hid stuff in them – and we just felt the different texture and had a great ol’ time!!  We will continue on using them over here that’s for sure!

 

If you have tired them let me know how your kiddos liked them and if you haven’t then get over there and check them out!!

 

Raise Your Hand if you’re a Mom and Eat in Peace

Annd no one raises their hand….I mean I am sure that there are a few extremely lucky mommas out there that get to eat with silence and don’t have to hide in the closets like I do over here.
It’s also a little worse now since we have added a little puppy to our family and if I turn my back that pup is into EVERYTHING!

So I wanted to share two of my new favourite companies that I was lucky to discover through the world of Instagram :).

First off I want to tell you that if I think something I try is shit I will tell you it’s shit and warn you against getting it or I just won’t write anything at all about them 🙂

So both of these companies are ones that make it easy and quick for us mommas to eat whether it’s on the go,  in our closet or while our kiddos are munching down their meals :).

I am now forever in love with smoothie bowls!  I mean don’t get me wrong I always enjoyed my smoothies but this just brings my smoothie game to a whole other level!

So the first company I’ll talk to you about is called Evive Smoothie  !  Guys these are so cool and guess what?!?! for all my Vegan friends they are made for you too!!  They come in frozen cubes – you literally pop the cubes, cover them with your favourite liquid (water, milk, almond milk you name it) , you blend instantly either through a blender or you can take it on the go and devour it once it melts then you shake it and giver’.  They have a whole bunch of different flavours and so far I love all of the ones I’ve tried!  They are 100% natural ingredients – full of fruit and veggies!  They are plant based organic with no added sugar, super quick to prepare taste amazing and hey my kiddos love them too!  So go check them out now and I am sure you will fall in love like I did!  If you guys want to give it a try add the code ERICA 10 to get $10 off your first order!!

For the second company that I have fallen in love with.  The OatBox.  Guys I have never tasted Granola or Oatmeal so good before and I love both!!!  Some info about their product:

They are committed to providing us with the highest quality products. They source simple and natural ingredients, their oat flakes are organic same with their rye flakes and their honey is premium raw organic honey!  Also you have to love a company that gives back  – for every subscription purchase, we donate a complete breakfast to a child in need!!  They have a monthly subscription where you get different flavours every month, they have a few different packages to choose from so go check them out now – I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed !!  If you do decide to try them (and you should because they are delicious, quick and healthy) you can use the code erica20 and it will add $45 worth of products in your cart for only $20 – this will include their amazing breakfast bars, oatmeal, granola an Oatbox glass jar also 6 recipe cards with amazing ideals of how to prepare your breakfast/healthy snacks!

My favourite thing to do is to make smoothie bowls with both products!  You def can’t beat it!!

 

Let me know if you’ve tried these companies and what your thoughts are!

My DIY PowderRoom Reno!!

Hey guys!!

 

Okay so two days in a row of writing…crazy right??

However I just got the finishing touch to my bathroom reno because Schlage is amazing and sent me a stunning door knob that i’m actually a little bit obsessed with!  It’s crazy what a difference just one door knob makes!

So months and months ago my amazingly talented girlfriend Patrica came over and helped me do my powder room, she has taught me a lot this friend of mine and i’m so so appreciative of her!

Our powder room was pretty boring and I had a pretty amazing vision (well at least I think it was amazing lol) of course pintrest boards helped me along the way as well!

So we found a cheaper way of doing shiplap (after I talked to another gf of mine she gave me some ideas)  we got those big sheets of MDF boards and got them ripped into the widths that we wanted (if you are a Durham person Peacock Lumber is amazing) and then we of course had to do the cutting of the lengths as we went along.  Patricia she does the saw, they terrify me I’m not going to lie, I do some measurements but sometimes I mess them up (if I’m being honest of course..not everyones perfect right?).  My neighbour lent me his table saw as well as his nail gun and compressor, we figured out the spacing and we went to town with that nail gun!  After all said and done the shiplap was up and ready to be painted.

I will be honest I didn’t really LOVE painting it and getting in all the cracks and that but hey it’s how it turns out that matters right?  The Floors guys are PEEL AND STICK vinyl tiles and  well I love them and have them at my front door as well! 

Alright so back to my amazing door knobs – guys when I opened the box and saw all the different parts I’m not going to lie I was worried for myself haha..but it turns out it is soo super easy to do and I was done it in about 20-30 mins tops!  Schlage has amazing instructions and on the instruction booklet is a barcode you can scan on your phone and a step by step video comes up, it was amazing and it made it so so easy for me to put up!

Here’s a little snap of a before/after photo of my door knobs (there is no comparison)!! Schlage for the win for sure!!!  I was worried b/c it’s not something that would usually catch my eye but the love i have for these knobs is a bit worrisome  haha.

So here you go guys you get my final bathroom reveal (before photos are at the end b/c well they aren’t as attractive!):

Flexitol’s amazing Happy Little Bodies Products!

Hey guys,

 

This post is long due but I wanted to make sure I test it out for a long enough time so I could report back!

My little guy Hunter has sensitive skin – while he doesn’t have huge eczema break outs he constantly has the bumps on his arms and legs – almost like a rash that never leaves.

I never found anything that helps that go down until I got these amazing products sent to me to try!  Let me tell you they really have done a great job!  Hunters bumps are almost non existent!!

We put this cream on him after his baths with their amazing body wash and shampoo.

These products are made with natural ingredients, no steroids, no parabens, no artificial fragrances or colours!!  

I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with these products, I couldn’t have asked for anything better and if you have a babe with sensitive, dry skin or eczema then these are 100% the products for you.
Here’s a little break down of the ones I got to test out and LOVE!!  Click on the titles and it will bring you to the page for more info on them 🙂 

Eczema Moisturizing Lotion:

This cream is amazing and it is what we put on Hunter after his baths.  It is formulated with natural ingredients.  It helps to provide relief  from skin irritation, itching, flaking and dryness due to eczema flare-ups. It is made up of F Calendula officinalis and Peppermint oil, it also contains 5% colloidal oatmeal, which is known to help relieve itching and scratchy rashes, minor skin irritations, reduce redness and soothes dry patches.

Eczema Body Wash and Shampoo:

Well we def love this and need to order more ASAP!!!  It is hard to find a body wash that will not only make their dryness/eczema worse but will actually protect it and provide some kind of relief!  Now again Hunter does not have bad eczema but his little skin is really sensitive and Felxitol’s Happy Little Bodies Wash and Shampoo temporarily protects and helps relieve minor skin irritations and itching due to rashes, eczema even supposed to help with poison ivy, insect bites among others.  It did not hurt our kids eyes and again it’s NATURAL!!!  Contains 1% colloidal oatmeal that’s meant to smooth the skin and can be used as wash on its own but it will also provide some bubbles as well!!

Eczema Relief Cream

Okay so I have yet to try this one as Hunter hasn’t had any “flair ups” but i suspect it is just as amazing as the other products!  This is again made with Natural ingredients and will provide relief right away.  It is a gentle formula and meant to ease the symptoms!

 

If you have not been able to find relief for your little one or something that will work with their sensitive/eczema skin then please check out this company as there products truly work wonders and I think you would be really pleased with them!

 

Also see that cute little kola???  It folds out into a bag and we just love it!

 

 

Mix and match Organic Toddler socks?!?!?!

Okay guys it’s been awhile however I have a new obsession so I thought I would share it with you!!

I was so lucky to have been able to try Q for Quinn organic socks and I am in love!!  Okay soo I am def one that always blames the dryer for “eating our socks”…like seriously though where do they go???  This is part of the reason why I love Q for Quinn, you don’t have to scramble trying to find a pair that match  perfectly (like who has time for that – we always leave the house with 2 different pairs on over here) they are MIX and MATCH – legit you can have 3 pairs of socks and it gives you 9 possibilities so that when you don’t match you still match, it’s seriously genius esp for us mommas!!

They are amazing quality organic cotton with seamless toes and  unreal fool proof rubber grips (for max anti – slip) so if you have crazy little humans like I do who run all over the place they will be good!!

Also lets talk about the insanely cute book written by the founder of Q for Quinn (Melita).  It’s called Quinn’s socks and we love it!  It’s so fun to read with the kids as it’s a rhyming story about a little boy and his socks and about all the the different styles and patterns!

Okay there’s one more thing about this amazing company – they give back!!!  When you buy 1 pair of socks (bet you cant just buy one), 1 school meal is donated they use Mary’s Meals.  Click on the link to learn more about Mary’s Meals – def sounds amazing to me and I can’t wait to help out!

I can’t wait to see Q for Quinn’s new tights collection; they def have my attention!!

“The World isn’t all Cupcakes and Rainbows”

Oh man but how nice would it be if it was?!?!

We all have those ppl that we follow on social media and we think man their life looks perfect.  But it’s just a bunch of squares that everyone fills with happy moments…yes I myself do it as well but I also share things that aren’t “cupcakes and rainbows”.

But I will say…that person’s life isn’t perfect, no ones life is “perfect” I mean really what is perfect??  I don’t think there is anyone you follow on social media that doesn’t have issues whether they make it known or not may be a different story but I can promise you they are going through something or have gone through something that you as a follower don’t know.

This weekend for some reason was crazy emotional for me, I’m not sure what it was but I know that I am not truly happy with myself, I know that the things in the past couple of months have weighed me down..and while I have the best children, the best husband and i’ve had the mind set of “f it i’m going to do whatever makes me happy”…I still have a lot to work on!

I can’t have anxiety about going out b/c I don’t like the way I feel about myself..I have to work on it. I can’t not talk about things b/c i know that other people have a harder life, I need to talk about things to get it out and I am allowed to feel the way I feel.

The pics that I have here are when I was pregnant with Hayden and then one where I was pregnant with Hunter (my rainbow baby).

To be honest I wasn’t one of those people that loved being pregnant..I actually hated most of it if i’m being honest, I wasn’t one of those “cute” pregnant ppl, I was well…i’ll just say not cute!  I was always sick, my back was always sore but on the other hand I was so excited to meet these two little ones…Annd it’s amazing what your body can do!!  Feeling a little baby move inside you, seeing their hands and feet punch out at you is truly amazing..they sometimes literally play games with you while they are inside you…the woman’s body (even though we curse it ladies) is truly wonderful!  This being said I would love to go back to that pregnant stage even when I really disliked a lot of the moments..the good always out weighs the bad.

Not everyone has the chance to feel this feeling and my heart hurts for them.   I am super lucky I have felt this feeling and because of that I would try my best not to complain and just enjoy it…don’t get me wrong I’m not saying I didn’t complain at all b/c I def did!

We wanted a third and we have tried so hard and I am sure the trying is not over but it’s def on hold for the moment.  I don’t talk about the things that have happened because I feel  bad about being sad and I don’t want to sound like i’m complaining to others because again we are so insanely lucky to have the amazing two kiddos we have!!  But I I’m realizing it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to talk about it and it’s def okay to be a bit angry and shed a few tears of sadness and frustration.
Even if you are extremely lucky, even if you have an amazing family, an amazing house and an amazing life it doesn’t mean that everything in your life is amazing and it’s okay to be sad about things when you go through them and when things don’t happen the way you vision or the way you want them to.

It’s OKAY!!   Even though you feel guilty for feeling this way it’s okay to and we have to realize that.  We have to realize that some things are okay to cry about, to talk about and to be completely and utterly gutted about.  So take that time to be angry, take that time to be sad and always always take that time you need to heal and work on what will make you feel better!  Remember that no matter how “Perfect” someone’s life looks from the outside, they are probably battling a demon of some sort! Don’t bottle it up and talk to someone!

That being said – we also have to focus on the amazing and imperfect life that we have b/c the good outweighs the bad and you don’t want the bad to completely consume you..that’s not healthy for anyone!

Let’s talk more about the things ppl don’t talk about, lets talk to each other and help each other rise above!

The photos with Hayden in my belly are done by my amazingly talented cousin: You by Mia Photography

The photo of Hayden and I dancing in the field was taken by my other amazingly talented friend Lesley Cowan Photography