Paintings, pillows, Property Brothers, oh my!

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

My good friend Catherine and I headed into Toronto a few weeks ago for the Fall Homeshow.

Neither of us knew what to expect, but we’re both enthusiastic about our homes, so we decided it would be a fun way to spend a day together. We decided to go on the Saturday so that we could check out the Property Brothers.

As you can see from the photo, the PB presentation was a mob scene. Soooo many people, Catherine and me included.

Apparently, ’tis the season for me to be dazzled by TV personalities. Just like with Sarah Richardson a few weeks ago, I was impressed by Drew and Jonathan. Their presentation was straight-forward, funny and down to earth. They had a lot of good tips for people about everything from renovating to decorating to financing. I actually really like their show because I’m all about seeing the potential in a place and then working to make it live up to my vision. Plus, I think their designs are usually pretty liveable. BTW, there’s also a little known third property brother whom we also got to see.

Away from the main stage, there were lots of booths and lots of vendors. I had expected more exhibits, but pretty much every booth was someone selling something. Nobody was pushy, but I guess I was just looking for more inspiration than actual products.

There was one particularly inspiring exhibit by Habitat for Humanity where bloggers, handymen and women and other people had all upcycled various items from the ReStore. There was lots of creativity from shelving units to furniture to wine fridges and even a light fixture.

And amongst all of the vendors, there were two that I now covet.

The first was textiles from Andrea Hylton home. She had amazing pillows and blankets in beautiful colours and patterns. There were mellow earth tones, saturated jewel tones and sophisticated fabrics that would work upstairs. There were funky patterns and bright colours that would work in the basement. Can’t you just picture this green mohair throw paired with Strandmon in the basement? I could have bought everything in her booth.

The second booth where I again could have bought everything was artist Beverley Jenkins. She does amazing oil paintings. I love original art, and some day I’d love to have a few pieces of my own. I would have started with the birch forest at right below without any hesitation if only it hadn’t been out of my budget.

The really unique thing about her paintings is how highly textured they are. She sculpts the paint on with palette knives making a three-dimensional canvas. I tried to get a picture of the paint, but I’m not sure it really comes through.

Catherine was the perfect partner to go to the Homeshow with because she’s all about embracing whatever comes. So while the vendors may not have been what we came to see, we got into the spirit, trying out crazy chairs that gave full-body massages, watching cooking demonstrations, having detailed conversations about shower heads with a plumbing vendor, filling out surveys, entering contests and getting our pictures taken in our “dream” room at the Scotiabank booth (mine was the kitchen. Catherine chose a great backyard patio).

All in all, it was a fun day, and I did end up coming home with some inspiration. The best part was getting to spend time with one of my best friends. Catherine just bought her first place this summer, and she’s been busy painting, decorating and making it her own. Check out her blog to see her space.

Who else has made it out to a homeshow recently? Is anyone in the process of decorating a new house? Are there any other Property Brothers fans out there?

Thankful

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Today I am thankful for, in no particular order, pizza, nephews, chainsaws, a wiggly-butt dog, furry-purry puddy-cats, an understanding husband, a generous father-in-law whose usual response to his daughter-in-law’s many requests is “that’s doable,” breakfast, Matt’s shop-vac, my drill, my sander, a brother who traveled more than 1,500 km to be home for Thanksgiving, a sister who drove 200 km, family near and far, traditions, leftover turkey, the farm, sleeping in, chocolate, our dishwasher, weekends–three-day weekends even better, my husband’s defensive driving skills during a close encounter with a deer (he wasn’t injured although the car still isn’t feeling too hot), s’mores, surprise lunches at work with my parents, campfires.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

What are you thankful for?

Snapshot

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Fall sunset along the creek.

Tomato trials

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Our first year as tomato farmers is not turning out so well.

We had a bumper crop of green tomatoes, but rather than ripening our tomatoes are rotting.

We’ve had a couple of frosts and tenderly covered the tomatoes with a tarp to protect them, but our care was apparently unnecessary. The plum tomatoes ripened and remained edible, but the big round tomatoes have become pockmarked with big spots of I-don’t-know-what.

So much for my plans for fabulous flavourful homemade tomato meals.

Anyone have any idea what went wrong?

Paving paradise

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I love the town that I grew up in.

That town doesn’t exist anymore.

It’s not like the economy collapsed and everyone moved away. The opposite happened: everyone moved in.

New housing developments on the north, south, east and west edges of town have caused a population boom. And more houses are being built everyday. In fact the population of my formerly small town is forecast to double to more than 36,000 people over the next 10-20 years.

The result of all of this growth is predictable: traffic gridlock. My parents, who still live in the house I grew up in, make a point of not going out during dinner time because they spend all of their time sitting in the car not moving.

Last week, our local paper reported that plans for a long-debated bypass road have been approved. The road will be constructed on the north edge of town and is designed to funnel people around the town core.

Great in theory. Obviously much needed. However, the north end of town is a wetland.

The article in the paper said that the provincial environment minister “was satisfied the city had developed measures to mitigate the impact on a wetland.” Ummm, you’re building a road through wetland. I don’t think there’s any way you can mitigate the impact of that.

Watching all of the new houses being built in my town was one of the things that solidified my decision to move to the country and to buy the biggest piece of property I could. I didn’t want to be part of suburbia. I wanted to preserve the world and protect it.

Half of our property is wetland. It is restricted by the local conservation authority. So is the land where this new bypass road is going to be built. Governments and municipalities put these protection measures in place and then ignore them in the name of convenience and progress.

Everyday I drive past my childhood town. I see the massive construction developments that are adding thousands of new houses. I see the power centres that have pulled shoppers away from the independent businesses in the town core to the big box stores on the fringes. I see the roads that are paralyzed with more cars than they were meant to handle.

I see little thought to intensification, public transit or (sub)urban planning.

I am disappointed that this road has been approved. But looking back even further, I’m disappointed that so many houses were approved for construction. I realize that nothing stays the same, but this isn’t progress to me.

Bidding war

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Anyone curious how the farm auction turned out? You’ve already heard about the auction on the farm and my good fortune in finding the items I thought I’d lost. But what about the auction of the farm?

Remember I mentioned that the whole property–the stone farmhouse, the big barn and all 17 acres–were going to be sold? The big day was a week ago.

I’ve seen one house sold by auction before, but never a whole farm. Auctioning a property is a bit different than other auctions in my experience. Terms are spelled out very, very carefully before any bidding starts. For this sale, the only thing up for negotiation was the price. The winning bidder was making an unconditional offer to purchase the farm–no home inspection, no financing, no sale of their own house, no negotiation on the closing date. And they had to hand over a $50,000 deposit as soon as the auction was over.

Once the sale got going, things moved much more slowly than a typical auction. The auctioneer of course started high. He got no action and slowly lowered the price until people started bidding. He stopped the bidding a couple of times–he’d given us a heads up that he was going to–giving people a chance to talk things over and hopefully talk themselves into bidding.

Matt was not one of those people. He spent the whole auction trying to stand completely still and not make any motion that could be construed as a bid.

As the numbers climbed, it got down to just two bidders. Finally, the one shook his head. He could go no higher. Having lost a few farms in more traditional bidding wars, I felt badly for him, knowing how painful it is to come so close but still walk away farm-less.

The auctioneer took one more break, but the second bidder truly had reached his limit. When the auctioneer started again, it was to slowly and deliberately say, “I have [magic number] once. I have [magic number] twice. I have [magic number] three times. Fair warning.”

There was no climactic, “SOLD!” I expect that the bid was still under the reserve set by the sellers. Instead, the high bidder went into the farmhouse with the sellers to negotiate a final price–which of course was kept secret. The crowd stuck around until the auctioneer came back out onto the porch to announce that the deal was done.

Have you ever been through a bidding war or seen a whole property auctioned off? Have you ever accidentally bid on something or do you make like a statue like Matt?

What once was lost now is found

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

So remember the other week when I went to an auction and missed out on a couple of items because I was too slow on casting my bid?

Remember how I mentioned the farm itself was going up for auction?

Well, a week ago there was a preview where prospective buyers could tour the house and the property. We’re not prospective buyers, but we are nosy neighbours, so of course we went over to take a look.

The house is beautiful. It’s a great stone house that’s been beautifully restored and updated. Amazing thick walls, stunning wide plank floors, surprisingly big bright rooms. But the house wasn’t the highlight for me.

Browsing through the barn, I saw the metal boxes that I’d wanted to buy at the auction. They’d been bundled into a lot and sold, but obviously the buyer hadn’t wanted the extra items. Seeing them made me wonder what else had been left behind. I wandered over to the other side of the barn where I’d last seen the wagon wheel hub, which I’d also wanted. Under a metal barrel lid and amongst some of the smallest kittens I’ve ever seen was the hub. Score!

I trotted back to the house, found the owner and offered him $5 (the two lots sold for just $2 each at the official auction). After a quick check with the auctioneer to make sure the buyers probably weren’t coming back for their items, the boxes and the hub were mine. And even better, the owner gave them to me for free!

Everything needs a hit with the hose. My plans right now are for the hub to simply be a decoration, perhaps on the fireplace hearth. The metal boxes might hold jewelry or office supplies.

What would you do with them? Have you ever struck gold after you thought you struck out?

Abandonment

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Do you ever see those formerly grand old houses, neglected, abandoned, abused and imagine repairing them? Rebuilding them? Restoring their beauty? Appreciating them?

Every fall, Matt and I spend a weekend at his aunt’s and uncle’s cottage. We follow a two lane road north, driving past large farms that stretch between small towns. The leaves are changing and the trees on either side of the road are shades of gold, red and green.

Coming into the last town before we reach the cottage, the speed limit drops and on our left is an old brick house. It sits on the crest of the hill, plywood squares covering its lower windows. The red brick is solid, while the porch sags. The paint is chipped, the shingles are flaking, the weather vane is bent. However, the charm is still evident.

The beauty and the character and the potential and the tragedy of this house attract me every single time I see it.

But I know a project like this is beyond me. To restore a house like this takes more effort, more money, more time, more energy and more passion than I have.

However, someone else has felt the same attraction, and they have decided that they have the means to truly appreciate this house.

This weekend as we crested the hill, I gasped in delight and surprise as I realized the house was being renovated. The joy I felt in seeing it finally being cared for is hard to explain. I live three hours away from this town. I don’t know anything about this house. I’ve never been in it. I have not met the owners. I have not seen the floor plans. But seeing the new third story, the fresh cedar shakes on the roof, the stripped wood on the turret, the scaffolding stretching up every side, I was very happy.

I find great meaning in houses–even houses that aren’t mine. Caring for my house and its property, creating a home is a special experience for me. And I don’t think I’m the only one that feels this way.

What about you? Do you ever dream of fixing up an old house? Or have you jumped in and done it (or doing it) already? Do you have an abandoned house that you admire?

BlogPodium lessons learned

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Going to BlogPodium was a bit of a surreal experience. I still feel like a newbie to this whole blogging thing, but a professional conference made me feel almost… professional.

I will admit I was a little star struck, starting right at the beginning when Handyman from Rambling Renovators checked me in at the registration table. Thankfully, I restrained myself and didn’t blurt out, “Hey, you’re Handyman!” right to his face.

HandyMan and Jennifer, the Rambling Renovators and BlogPodium organizing team
BlogPodium official photos by Annawithlove Photography

I felt like my head kept whipping around doing double takes of, “Hey that’s Jen from Rambling Renovators/Sarah Richardson from TV/Karen Bertelson from The Art of Doing Stuff/Margot Austin from House & Home!” or “I’m sure I recognize her. How do I know her?” It turns out my brain has a hard time translating people I’ve seen on screen, in print or on TV into real life.

I did manage to overcome my geeky excitement and introvert tendencies to actually remember why I came to BlogPodium in the first place: to learn about blogging, connect with other bloggers and figure out how I can develop my blog.

I’m going to start with two simple lessons before going into more detail about what I learned from each session (warning, it’s long).

What worked:

It may seem silly, but wearing a distinctive outfit and posting it on my blog beforehand actually helped me to connect with people. Lots of people came up and introduced themselves to me just because they recognized my bring pink plaid shirt. (By the way, I went with the blue purse, the yellow wrap (which I ended up not using) and my pearl studs, for those that are wondering).

What didn’t work:

I wish I had done a better job of connecting with people before the conference either over Twitter or through the BlogPodium site. I think that would have helped with some of the initial awkwardness of walking into the room and not knowing anyone. As well, for the next conference, I will prepare an “elevator pitch” in advance to explain who I am and what my blog is about.

And now on to the sessions:

The day started off with the keynote presentation from Sarah Richardson. Sarah’s confidence, positive attitude and openness really impressed me. She talked about the need to evolve to stay relevant in the design and media careers. Or as she termed it, “I’m the last woman standing surrounded by contractors.” Thinking about HGTV’s current line-up, I can definitely see where she’s coming from.

BlogPodium official photos by Annawithlove Photography

As important as evolution is, she talked about how she focuses on designs that last and creating a signature style. This lesson applies to blogging (writing style) as well as how you treat a room. The most unique moment of the presentation was when Sarah described her design sense. Rather than using standard labels like modern or traditional, she uses four words: shore, lane, boulevard and sidewalk. Each of these represents a different element of her style from her signature blues and greens, to her love of the country, to the polish of “the finer things,” to youthful family friendly fun. Isn’t this a unique way of thinking about your work?

Sarah’s presentation was very powerful for me and was an amazing kick-off for the conference.

The first session I went to was on what bloggers can learn from magazines with Corinna vanGerwen.

The way Corinna described it, magazines are the original blog. They’re all about content, bringing images and words together, sharing ideas and inspiring people.

Corinna gave us a top 10 to use in our own blogs:

Find your niche — What makes you different from all the other design and lifestyle blogs out there?
Think like an editor — Look at the topic you want to write about but also how it fits into your overall blog, the best way to tell the story, how will it attract readers.
Use an editorial calendar – Balance topics, formats of posts, length, frequency, themes, and most importantly your own workload.
Write eye catching headlines – Sell the benefits not the features and be clear (puns and plays on words don’t always work). Interesting tip: look to magazine covers and men’s magazines for the best headline examples.
Write for your audience — To grow your blog it has to be more than a vanity project. Get to know your audience by monitoring your analytics, reading comments, following your followers on twitter or pinterest, analyzing your most popular posts.
Practice the art of packaging – Think of different ways to present information, whether it’s a how-to, recipe, list, trend piece, review, profile, interview, charts.
Edit your content to give it professionalism and finesse — Look at the big picture of your editorial calendar and blog theme. Look for length, flow and clarity. Favourite quote (as someone who tends to write long posts): “Just because there’s all the room in the world on the internet doesn’t mean you have to take it all up.”
Have a style guide – Establish standards for grammar, spelling, numbers, prices, names, measurements, etc. Be consistent.
Fact check your work — Credibility and trust are vital.
Identify advertising — Transparency and disclosure are essential in blogging

Session two was from blog to business with Stephanie Sterjovski.

Stephanie Sterjovski presents at BlogPodium

BlogPodium official photos by Annawithlove Photography

Stephanie impressed me with her confidence. She had a very positive, no BS attitude, as you can probably tell from her tips:

Keep it positive. Don’t spread negativity.
You don’t have to know everything. Build your skills. If you want to perfect something you have to work at it yourself.
Readers want content that is fresh. Get off Pinterest and start creating things people will pin. Take your own photos. Invest in a camera. Learn.
Post only about what you truly love and what reflects your brand.

Over a delicious lunch, it was time for a panel discussion about traditional media, new media, and social media moderated by Leigh-Ann Allaire Perreault of Hue La La. Panelists Margot Austin from House & Home, Jacquelyn Clark of Style Me Pretty Living and Lark & Linen, Emma Reddington from Chatelaine and The Marion House Book and Rhonda Riche co-founder of Covet Garden all had really interesting insights to share about the intersection between blogs and traditional media (mostly magazines. One of the most encouraging statements was that blogs are feeding the print product and making it stronger.

BlogPodium official photos by Annawithlove Photography

The session after lunch, grow your business using social media, was another panel featuring Brittany Stager, Neil Gazmen and Meredith Heron. This session was a mix of the philosophical (“It’s not about number of followers. It’s about their engagement”) and the practical (how Meredith uses social media: photograph what I’m working on and post it to Instagram first. Share the Instagram through Facebook and Twitter. Later, use the Instagram photos for blog content. Pin everything from my blog posts. Name every project and use a hash tag. And then repost photos on Facebook).

Whew! It’s paying off for her. Meredith could trace beaucoup de bucks in design work that’s come directly through leads on social media.

The final session of the day was the art of monetization with Karen Bertelsen. Karen was as funny in person as she is on her blog. She was also super open about numbers and dollars, answering all of people’s questions.

Step one in monetizing your blog is growing your readership. Karen advised building readership by sharing your work through other sites and blogs. If one of your posts is featured on Apartment Therapy, your audience will spike (and recede), but over time it will build. Karen also gave a good overview of different advertising options from Google Ad Sense to vertical ad networks to private ads to sponsorship, how they all work and what some of the different considerations are. She gave us a preview of the big announcement that she shared on Monday, which led to tips on working with magazines and other brands.

Some of her other tips:

If someone wants to use your content, don’t give it away for free.
If you want something and see a partnership opportunity, pitch the company.
If you have a question, reach out and ask people or other bloggers who might be able to help you.
Look at your blog as a business and it will become a business .

Rounding out all of the presentations were the amazing sponsors. Look at all of this swag that was in our packages!

This one is my photo

The biggest takeaway from all of the speakers, all of the sessions and my overall experience of BlogPodium was collaborate. Build relationships and work together. Connecting with 250 other enthusiastic passionate bloggers was a good first step. I’m so glad that I decided to attend. Thanks to Jen Flores and the rest of the BlogPodium organizing team for an amazing day.

If you’ve made it to the bottom of this incredibly long post, congratulations and thank you. If you somehow haven’t had enough, read other BlogPodium recaps here.

You can never have too many

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I may have mentioned a couple of times that I have a bit of a thing for chairs. Just in case you missed it, this is the fifth post this month on the topic of chairs (out of a total 11 posts). I may have a bit of a problem, people.

Fortunately, I also have a supportive husband who does things like buy me a wingchair for my birthday and recruits his parents to go pick up another chair when the universe decides to support my habit by bestowing a chair on me as a prize for registering for BlogPodium.

So after a day spent absorbing lots of lessons about blogging, meeting a bunch of great people and picking up the second half of the prize, the decorating book Inspired Styles from Kravet, I came home from BlogPodium to find the Austin chair from Decorium sitting in my living room.

Here are the two halves of the prize together in Austin’s new home in the basement.