Home Sweet Home....wait we actually have to do stuff to it?

We have lived in this Condo for fifteen months now and to be honest other then painting a few rooms we haven't done much to it. Here's a little background on our little home buying experience. In 2010 Richard and I decided to get engaged. I say decided because that was just it, it was a decision we made one night when we were taking a walk. By this time Richard and I had been together for four years and in those four years we were pretty determined we were never going to get married. It just wasn't something we envisioned for ourselves.

Then the unexpected happened. We were walking one night on the trails around our first apartment and this conversation came up:

Paula: "Where do you see this relationship going?"

Richard: "What do we want 5 years from now?"

And then the inevitable:

Richard: "I can see us married. I don't think it would be as horrible as we've always imagined."

Paula: "Maybe we could get married. Do you want to get married?"

Richard: "I know I want to be married to you. Alright it's decided, go pick out a ring!"

Paula: "Wait what just happened? Did we just get ENGAGED!"

No word of a lie that was almost word for word of how we decided to plan the rest of our lives. From there we started planning out our wedding in secret for four months, and while planning we made another decision that it would help if we moved in with a room mate, (or flatmate as my British relatives would say) so we can save for the wedding. After finally getting properly engaged in October 2010 we made plans to move in with our friend Janine in the January/February of 2011. We lived in a slowly declining apartment with sometimes questioning residents, and Janine was renting a 3 bedroom house, and had a room mate that was moving out. Seemed like an ideal plan. Everything seemed to be going our way despite the comments from family saying it was a bad idea. Their comments mainly centerd around the fact that we were a newly engaged couple moving in with a room mate. Things would be different.

They were right. Living with a room mate was hard, especially on me. At this time Richard had been working on a crazy schedule which consisted of 4 days on and 4 days off, on a 2pm-2am shift. So when we lived together alone I essentially had four evenings completely to myself. Now with having a room mate those evenings to myself were gone. I very quickly realized that as much as I like being around friends and Richard, I craved those moments where its just me, myself and I. I had no qualms with having a shower and then walking around completely nude with only a towel covering up my girly bits while wearing a face mask and waxing my eyebrows. Moments like this were now gone, and not because Janine frowned on them. To be honest I don't think she would have cared...maybe raised an eyebrow and thought "Really Paula?" shrugged her shoulders then went back to whatever she was doing. No, moments like this were gone due to my insecurities. I didn't even really do this kind of stuff when Richard was around, OK maybe walking around only wearing a towel yes, but the face mask and eyebrow waxing no.

On top of all this Richard and I quickly discovered that we hate repeat HATE houses. It always felt to me like living in a college dorm then in a house with 3 grown ass adults. We weren't exactly the cleanest of people and Richard's beer bottles would gather fairly quickly. I liked things clean and tidy but grew tired of picking up everyone else's mess. Janine grew tired of my PMSing all the time, as most of the time she was pretty chill, and Richard grew tired of the landlords stupid rules. Three people in a one bathroom house was definitely not the best decision. It was stifling in the Summer, to the point where most nights Richard and I didn't even sleep in the same room. We had crazy neighbors who would look through our windows from across the street, and the guy living in the apartment in the basement would always complain to the landlord about loud noises (TV, Music, Computer) coming from upstairs where we were. We hated shoveling the snow off the driveway, something we never had to worry about while living in an apartment. We got complaints about the type of salt we used on the driveway to deal with ice in the winter. We got yelled at about the air conditioners we had while dealing with the heat in the Summer, and so on. We needed to get out. I couldn't deal with it anymore and I was getting depressed the more I was in that house.

After Richard and I got married in October 2011 we started thinking about finally getting our own place again. The thought of continuing to rent became a big topic in our discussions. We didn't want to move and rent a place; and then risk the chance of the price increasing every year; but we also needed to figure out if we could afford a mortgage and all the responsibilities that come with owing property. After sharing our thoughts with Richard's parents they gave us the name and number of their Realtor. We contacted him just to see what we could be approved for and what was currently out there within that price range. We knew we wanted something with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, large living room, in house laundry room, and NO HOUSES. We wanted a Condo. Something on a higher level, where I wouldn't have to worry about creepy purvey neighbors trying to get a gander at my lady bits while I strutted around wearing my towel and face mask. Neither of us thought that within a week of calling a Realtor we would be putting an offer down on a Condo. A condo that had everything we ever wanted with all the extras we never thought to ask. 24 hour security guard, indoor pool, tennis courts, BBQ area, billiards room, car washing station, two gyms, sauna, party rooms, wood crafting room, lockers, and under ground parking.  The only draw back to this Condo was the fact that the unit we looked at needed some TLC.

To help ease our minds about taking on the challenge of buying a place that does need some work we asked Richard's family to take a look with us. After viewing the place and learning what needs to be replaced and fixed up they said with large grins on their faces "Make an offer. You will never find a brand new Condo this size for as good a price as this. Make the offer." So with our minds eased we took the plunge made the offer and the next day got the word that the offer was accepted. We were now first time home owners and could finally say the Bank owned our ass for the next 20+ years. Yay we're real Adults now!

Wait...oh crap...what did we just get ourselves into? We have to be actual adults now. What happened to never wanting to own property, or get married? What happened to us Richard?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ok so mini panic attack over. Back to being an adult again. So some of the TLC things that need to be fixed to this Condo to make it better, here are my list of goals.

Short Term Goals:
Paint walls/trim/ceiling and overall decor: 
All walls were either white or wallpapered in a floral design. We've decided to go with colour as we aren't afraid of it but decided to go with warm autumn tones. Both Richard and I love the Fall and wanted it to feel like that season when walking in to our place. We want to keep furniture to more natural wood grains and darker metals, and earthier palettes. I want to bring extra colours through the use of  bold patterns and shapes to make it feel warm and inviting through pillows, and rugs. I love taking photographs and I want a gallery wall to display photos and decor.The trim is dirty and just needs a fresh coat of white paint. Also the previous owner must have been a smoker cause there are yellow smoke stains on the ceiling. Gross.
Window treatments:
All windows right now have vertical blinds that don't block out the sun very well, and I want new blinds and curtains put up. We have ten windows in the Condo, eight of which are seven feet tall and two of which are five feet tall. That's a lot of windows, I know cause it took me an hour and a half to clean them all on the weekend. We also happen to face West, so we get beautiful sunsets every night, but we also get the blazing hot sun for 6-8 hours a day. So we need really good blinds that follow these requirements:
1. Block out the sun.
2. Look pleasing to the eye.
3. Easy to clean.
4. Long life.
I don't mind spending money on good blinds as long as they will last. I have been looking into different options, but when you count the fact that we do have 10 of these fairly large windows I know this is something that will cost between $200-$400.
Hardwood or Laminate Floors:
The whole Condo (1400 sq ft) is carpeted...well about 90% of it is carpeted. It wouldn't be to bad if it wasn't stained in certain areas. In the dining room it looks like someone died from spontaneously combustion. Ya there's not a whole lot we can do to hide that. Besides Richard and I both prefer the look and feel of wood floors. While hardwood floors would be great they are extremely expensive so we are looking into laminate floors with a hardwood look. This is something we can save some money on if we purchase the flooring while its on sale and install it ourselves.
Furniture:
We really need to upgrade our furniture. We've been lucky enough that the living room furniture we currently have was all free. The downside to this is that it has a floral blue and pink design to it that doesn't really go with our warm autumn paint tones. Also because it was fairly old when we got it almost 6 years ago it is starting to tear and fray. I am currently looking into an over-sized L-Shape couch, and building our own entertainment unit with the help of my Father-in-Law.

And just overall try to complete each room. I think it's impossible to ever be truly done with a room. We will always want to add something new or change something around, but I just want to get to a point where the major issues we have with it are complete.

Long Term Goals:
New Appliances:
All of our appliances in the Condo at some point will need to be replaced. This includes: Fridge, Stove, Washer, Dryer, and possibly a dishwasher again. We actually replaced the dishwasher when we moved in because the old one, during the house inspection was deemed broken and had a leak. It would also be nice to have a matching Fridge, Stove, and Dishwasher for an overall completed look. I am leaning towards stainless steel appliances, and a fridge where the freezer is on the bottom and the fridge portion is on the top. As for a washer dryer I would like front loading for both, so I can build a folding table on top of them. Our laundry room is a good size but most folding and ironing (when I feel like doing it) is all done in the living room.
French Doors:
Instead of a balcony are condo has a Solarium which has eight feet tall glass sliding doors. I want to eventually replace these with french doors and place french doors on the door openings of our living room into the hallway. I think it will really finish the look of the whole place but also gives it a English feel. In England most houses have french doors separating different rooms.
Renovations:
*enter sad face here* Both the master bathroom and main bathroom need full out renovations. Sinks need to be replaced, toilets need upgrading, lights need to be replaced, new mirrors, the whole nine yards. The shower in the M.B needs retiling and fixing, and glass doors added. And if I can manage it I want a f**king tub that covers my knees and breasts at the same time without turning myself into a pretzel all because I want a bubble bath.

Also I don't know who designed our kitchen but there are cupboards in there that I can't even get to. I know it will expensive to do but I have dreams of a marble counter tops, a barn sink, and drawers and appliances for all my baking desires and cooking needs. I know taking on large renovations like a kitchen or bathroom are major in time, labour, and money, but if/when they are completed not only will they look fantastic but they will also add value to your home, so in that sense they are well worth it.

Well that's our story behind purchasing our first home and all the changes we need/want to do to it. The room I am currently working on is Richard's office (I know I have mentioned that a few times before). It will be a challenge but hopefully you will stick around and watch how we try to transform the space and make it our own.

A Few of My Favourite Things

"When life gives you lemons, just say F**k the lemons and bail."

Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

This sentence has been going through my head for the last couple of weeks. I've really taken a break from all things lately. My blog, exercising, etc. Life sometimes throws you a curve ball and when that happens to me all I want to do is drop everything and lie in bed with a good book that I can lose myself in, or cry while eating a bowl of ice cream. But eventually I  have to say to myself "OK Paula today you have to get off your ass and do what makes you happy. Stop being a sorry suck and look to the positive."

I know this all sounds pretty cryptic and sorry for that but, this blog isn't a place I want to use to complain about things or talk about things that make me sad and depressed. This blog is for the things that make me happy and to show off my talents and passions. So with that said, I think the best thing to do to get back into the swing of things is to do another edition of My Favourite Things.

So much for this being a weekly blog post. Unfortunately it takes me a while to write these suckers so for the time being this is something I will be putting up when I can, as opposed to every Wednesday. Hopefully at some point this will be a weekly post but just bare with me here, until I can get my crap together. 

For this edition of A Few of My Favourite Things I wanted to talk about art. I love art in all it's forms. In school I was always most excited for anything to do with creativity. I hated all things History and still do, don't get me started on French or Math. English wasn't too bad I guess. If we read a book and I enjoyed it I could tell you all about it, but I hated been forced to read a book that didn't grab my attention and therefore, all assignments that went with it where either never done or done in a way that I knew I would pass. Thank you Cole's Notes. I felt all those subjects where just a waste of time, and I always counted down the periods until I could finally walk into my Art, Photography, and Drafting courses. These were the classes I loved and lived for.

A couple years ago a good friend of mine taught me how to crochet a blanket. Since then I have created blankets, hats, and scarves. I just find crocheting so relaxing and I love all the different stitches you can do and patterns you can create. I have a whole pinterest board dedicated to different crochet projects I want to try from things as simple as bookmarks for stocking stuffers, and coffee cup warmers to full out sweaters. I usually do most of my best T.V. watching while sitting and crocheting for hours.

Some crochet projects I LOVE and can't wait to try. 

                            

 

<1><2><3> <4>

You can see more on my Pinterest Crochet Board here.

I am currently working on completing a blanket I started for my nephew for his baby shower....a year ago. His 1st birthday is coming up in the next few weeks and I am desperately trying to finish this thing. However this blanket is becoming a bit of an issue as I keep screwing it up. If I'm not missing a stitch on a row, I've added too many. It's starting to frustrate me beyond belief, but I'm determined to finish this thing if it kills me. 

I love you Caleb but you may just end up with a wonky looking blanket. For this I apologize in advance. 

A hobby of mine is photography. I may not know all the ins and outs of a camera. I may not even be the greatest at it or have a lot of talent, but I love capturing moments and details. I love the photos where somebody is crying because they've just been proposed to, or laughing so hard because someone did something they found hilarious. They might not look magazine worthy in the photo but its the emotions behind the photo I love. I'm not big in to staged photos but sometimes they are necessary, like with weddings. I also love detail shots. Getting up close to something like grains in wood or the eye of an animal.

All photos above are my photos. Please do not copy and use as your own.  

The first Christmas Richard and I had together he bought me my very first Camera, a Canon Rebel XT. It's an older model now as cameras progress quickly and new models come out every year. I do want to upgrade at some point as new features such as higher shutter speeds and larger ISO's, among other things, are on newer models. I've been saying for years I want to upgrade but prices on camera aren't exactly cheap. Photography is definitely an expensive hobby to have as you often find what you think will be a simple picture to capture often requires some high quality equipment to pull off.

Here are some cameras I love and am really looking into upgrading to.


Canon Rebel T3I D-SLR 
This is not the newest model D-SLR in the Canon family, but is one that has all the features I want or could need. Because this is something of a hobby and not a profession I don't see the reason to upgrade to the latest and greatest, but look at the price tag! Holy Expensive Batman. I would most likely have to sell my old camera to help pay for this one, which is something I am really considering doing. I think I keep putting it off because of the price tag but also because my brain keeps saying 'You already have a camera so there is no real rush to get a new one'.





FujiFilm XF1
I love the vintage look to this camera. Yes again another expensive camera, but other then my iPhone camera I don't have a point and shot camera. There are many occasions where I don't want to take my SLR camera with me for fear of breaking it or it getting stolen, like at amusement parks and haunted houses, impromptu dinners with friends. So a good point and shot camera is key. I want something that can take great photos like an SLR with the extended options of setting the shutter speed or ISO and with a higher mega pixel. This is that camera, and like I said the added bonus of it having a vintage look to it is just adorable. This one in particular comes in 3 different colours but I really like the look of the brown.







Now you can take a horrible photo and turn it into a masterpiece with the right editing program. So with that being said I also want a legit copy of Photoshop Elements. I hate this 30 day trial crap that ends up screwing with my computer. I'm not the most computer savvy person out there so legit copies of programs are always best for me. Looking into the options that come with Photoshop and the heavy duty price tag of that (do you see a pattern here, photography is hellish expensive) I think that for what I would need it for, fixing exposure and colour balance, I only need the Photoshop Elements. Which is fantastic since this is only $70-$90 in price as opposed to the $500+ price tag that comes with the full version of Photoshop CS5.

Photos are really important to me, and on my iPhone alone I have 6 apps for photography: Instagram, InstaCollage, A Beautiful Mess, iPhone Camera, Photoshop Express and CamMe. All of these apps I use on a daily basis to take photos, edit them, and post them on Instagram, Twitter and even here on this blog.

I also try to get involved with blog photo challenges and Instagram Hops like the ones on A Night Owls Blog and A Beautiful Mess. 

OK enough about Photography let's talk about my favourite passion of all time: Interior Design. I flip flop a lot when it comes to the question of 'What do I want to be when I grow up?' I've wanted to be a Personal Care Giver, a Paramedic, Receptionist at a Hospital (worked as one at a Doctors Office for 2 years), a Photographer, an Actress. That last one will never work because I'm super shy in large groups of people and I have no talent so that's out. But I still practice my award winning speech in front of my mirror while doing my hair. If you read my About Paula section you will know that a dream of mine is to someday be in a movie, even if it's just as an extra in the background.

Source

All these professions eventually fizzled out and my love for design and decorating always come to the forefront. I think I have always wanted to do something in this line of work. I loved watching shows like Trading Spaces as a teenager and HGTV was always on my TV at my parents house. I even went to college for Architecture, before I realized that I had a learning disability that was affecting the mathematical part of my courses, oh and college also costs money. They frown at people who can't pay for it.

When I moved in with Richard my dreams of becoming something got pushed aside and the stress of paying bills and being an actual grownup became a major priority in our lives. But it was always there in the back of my head. Then we got engaged and planning a wedding really brought it all back again. Designing a space and theme for an event was so amazing. Watching all my ideas come to life and work and look amazing brought all my passions out and made me realize this was what I was suppose to do. On some level I was meant to design and decorate. With this realization comes the decision of: 'Do I risk quitting my job and going back to school, and work at getting the dream job I want?' I have struggled with this decision endlessly. Interior Design is not a subject I can take night courses or online courses for. I would need to quit my job and get student loans to help pay for school. Then the dreaded thoughts of 'what if I spend all this money and I'm not good at it. I can't find a job, no one will hire me.' Or worse I begin to hate the job I've always wanted to have. It's these fears that have made me decide that going to school isn't what I want to do. This is my passion! I love doing it because it's something that makes me happy. The minute it becomes an actual job I will most likely hate it. 

Hell maybe I won't hate it. Maybe I could go to school and become a professional, and live the dream. Maybe I wont fail and I can make a life for myself doing something I love. These thoughts have gone through my head as well, but it all comes down to the decision that this is something I love doing. I'm lucky in the sense that I have a job where at 5:00pm I'm no longer a Receptionist. I come home and I get to do what I love. I have a Condo in which I get to use my passions and create a space where Richard and I can live, entertain, and call our own. I have the Social Committee at work that I get to use to show off my interest and creativity with event planning, and I have friends that like what I do and believe in me and my skills. One in fact who has asked for my help in planning their wedding next year.  

I'm also looking forward to finally showing off my skills on this blog, which was the whole purpose of the redesign to it in the first place. In the coming weeks I will be showing off Before and Afters of Richard's office in the Condo. Which is a HUGE challenge as Richard and I have very different tastes when it comes to design and decorating. Not only is his office his personal space but it also acts as a spare bedroom for guests as well as our dining room. So creating something that shows off his very dark, gothic, and eclectic tastes as well as keeping it warm and inviting to guests when they stay over is a challenge. Especially when one of Richards hobbies is collecting decorative knives and swords. 

Do you have some of the same hobbies and interests that I do? I would love to hear about them! Leave a comment or you can contact me, and don't forget to follow through Bloglovin or Email Subscription for updated posts.