The Interior DIYer
Cora's room

Secondhand pink bucket chair

On Saturday we took a walk through the center of Ottawa with no set plans. We wandered down Bank Street and I saw what looked to be a secondhand store [within / alongside a shop called Picture Works, which has no details online]. It was full of a jumbled mess of secondhand pieces and I couldn’t not go in. 

I walked down one of the aisles and what did I see but a little pink bucket chair under a pile of chairs and stools. I cleared it off, sat down and decided I had to have it. It was so perfect and at just $30, I really couldn’t not get it. 

The shop owner was eccentrically honest and even offered to deliver it to me for “whatever price you want”. Last night he delivered it as promised and after a quick clean, it is now home in the corner of Cora’s room. It’s so perfect for her space and just what I was looking for in a cosy reading chair. It swivels and rocks back and forth and more importantly, is so comfortable [as I type sitting in it]. Cora’s had a few rough nights getting to sleep [fuck teeth], so it will definitely be a welcome place for us to sit with her until she falls asleep.
Secondhand FTW. 

Baby

DIY Friday – paper storage bag for toys

Since immigrating to Canada, as you’d expect, we’re starting from the beginning with everything. Furniture, accessories and food [like, spices. You don’t realise how long it takes to build up your cupboard until you have absolutely nothing]. We’ve been here 2 months and while it’s going to take a lot longer to get everything we need, I am able to start thinking about small projects to work on. One of them was some kind of storage for Cora’s toys. 
I looked online for secondhand trunks and storage boxes but I didn’t fall in love with anything so I continued tossing Cora’s toys into the corner of her room. Then through an ad on Instagram, I was suggested a paper storage bag for toys. I thought it was cute, light and soft but at $30 [plus tax and shipping], I was unfortunately put off a bit [see first paragraph about how expensive the past few weeks have been].
A few weeks passed and on our way home one day we passed a driveway with paper yard waste bags from Canadian Tire waiting to be collected. I saw them and immediately thought, “How perfect would they be for storing Cora’s toys! If I painted one white, it could sit unassumingly in our living room and chaos would be restored to every aspect of our lives.” Perfect.

The next time I visited our local Canadian Tire I bought a pack of 5 bags for $2.69, headed home and began painting one white [which, by the way, was A LOT harder than I thought it would be]. That’s when I realised I was basically just making one of those paper storage bags I saw online a few weeks earlier. I was hesitant about sharing my project because it looks so simiar to the branded versions and I didn’t want it to seem like I’m copying them, but at the same time, I did think of the idea by myself too. After an overwhelming response to my Instagram stories poll and 100% of the vote going to “YES! BLOG IT!” [vs. “NO, YOU’RE A BAD PERSON”], I decided to blog it!
I’ll be honest in that it was pretty tricky at times trying to paint the bag [it continually collapsed while I was trying to paint the sides and I had the added bonus of teething toddler hanging out of me], so I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to buy one online and save yourself some hassle. BUT, if you’re like me, and like doing stuff yourself, my version cost me $0.53 for one bag [I used white paint I already had]. Not bad for something that Cora might literally tear through one day. 

Baby

‘How to use Instagram’ – Sunday Independent feature

If you turned to page 5 of yesterday’s Sunday Independent Property Suppliement paper, you would have found Cora’s cheeky little face alongside a lovely piece by Nathalie about Instagram parents who went against typical design trends when it came to designing their little ones nurseries, and who found Instagram and Pinterest places of inspiration. 

It’s a really sweet piece and I’m so glad and count myself very lucky to have been included in it. Or should I say, that Cora’s been included! Because let’s face it, she steals the show these days [not complaining]. 
I really miss Cora’s room these days and I find myself saying to myself “Oh I’ll paint Cora’s room a nice muted grey … No wait, I can’t do that AGAIN“, but we’ll see. It was such a lovely combination of colours and was such a calm room for her, I might recreate it a bit in her new Ottawegan bedroom. Thank you again Nathalie, and thank you Yolene for nabbing a copy of our feature and photographing it for me 🐃😜