A doormat that speaks your mind

I'm currently on the hunt for a new doormat to replace the rather ratty specimen left on my front step by the previous owners. 

And, while I'm no closer to making a decision, I am mighty tempted by this cute specimen which has been making the decor blog rounds. 

This mat tells your guests how you really feel, with a chipper "Come in" greeting them on entry, and "Go away" when they're ready to depart.

Or, you can use it as a type of open and closed sign, turning it to "Go away" on those evenings when you'd really rather settle in with a cup of tea and a good book than with company.

The natural coarse fibre mat, designed by Sam and Jude, measures 15.75 by 26", and retails for about $40 US.

I spotted it, with Canadian shipping available, at Generate Design.

A problem of priorities

The new casa Speedy is slowly starting to come together. Walls and floors are getting a thorough washing, surfaces are being dusted, repeatedly, with the hopes that the drywall dust will soon be banished.

Boxes are slowly emptying, and odds and ends are being assigned new homes. Mr. Speedy has a makeshift home office up and running — makeshift because his snazzy new desk is surrounded by boxes, and his "desk chair" is pulling double duty from our dining room set.

At the moment, my biggest challenge is prioritizing. Because, of course, I have about 7,000 things I'd like to do at any given moment, I find it hard to choose (and complete) a single task.

For example, while washing down walls, floors, etc., is a serious priority, I wonder if I should be following that step immediately with painting, or if I should just unpack and then paint at a later date.

It's also tougher to prioritize the unpacking, now that most of our essentials have been unearthed — should I unpack and start colour blocking our books or should I dig out those winter clothes? (I think winter clothes might win, after all the lousy weather this summer, I may need them sooner rather than later!)

And, of course, there are also many improvement projects on my radar, some small and some not so small. To name just a few:

- We have a broken screen in our back door, which will definitely let in bugs, and, with our luck, probably squirrels too, as well as that fat, slightly mangy black cat that likes to lurk in our yard. I've named him Frank.

- Our garage roof needs new shingles.

- Our bedroom is getting a full on makeover (read more about that here and stay tuned for the details of the full plan!), but which of the other rooms should benefit from a new paint job in the near future? Pretty much every wall needs a touch up or new coat of paint.

- I need an office space. A gal can only type on the sofa for so many months, and while I've got a cute table I can use as a desk, the room needs a chair, a light, and serious shelving and storage solutions, along with a thorough cleaning, to get into fighting shape.

- The light in the basement blew out the day we moved in. We replaced the bulb, and that didn't help, so we need to install a new light fixture. Otherwise, it's going to be a very dark winter. But, we're both more than a little timid when it comes to monkeying with electrical work ...

- The hall closet is a jerk. The handle on this folding door closet was installed to look pretty, which means it doesn't open or close easily. When you do pull on it hard enough to open it, it smacks you in the face or nearly knocks you over. Plus, all those foiled attempts at opening and closing are wearing on the handle, which will likely pull off in the near future. This has resulted in Mr. Speedy deciding it should always be open — which makes the hallway feel narrower, and just looks messy. This is probably an easy fix, we just have to remember to actually buy the new handle.

- The kitchen cabinets, and dining room storage cabinets, need to have the ornate brass handles replaced with something sleek, silver or nickel, and contemporary. This is a style update only, so I've been taking my time narrowing down the choices.

And oh yeah, we still have a stack of boxes in the basement, too!

How do you decide which projects to tackle first?

Conquering clutter

Most, if not all, of us have felt overwhelmed by clutter. Whether it's a pile of papers waiting to be filed (or, god forbid, opened!), a mishmash of toys, books and knick-knacks, or, as in my case, a collection of cords and chargers with nowhere to go but on top of the coffee table, it can be a real bother.

Clutter makes an otherwise perfectly stylish room look messy. It complicates finding things, including important documents and bills. And, worst of all, it stresses us out, making our homes into uncomfortably long to-do lists rather than cozy havens to unwind after work.

Yesterday's story about weeding out the root causes of clutter – like procrastination and over-shopping – is an excellent way to get started on organizing your house and reclaiming your calm.

But, as always, there's more to say on the subject than what can fit in my wee little piece! For starters, Sunnyone left this fab comment on the story: "When I became a home owner the best advice I ever received was to never leave a room empty-handed."

This is really a great tip, and something I try to do in my own home. Every time I pass through a room, I try to grab anything that doesn't belong there or do a quick straightening up. Of course, sometimes the stuff still piles up, but it certainly helps slow the process!

The other key piece of advice that I wanted to share is to reward yourself. Sure, having a clear coffee table is a bit of a reward, but you deserve something more tangible for all that hard work! Whether it's a cookie, a glass of wine or a fab new lamp, a bit of incentive always helps with the clean up process!

Happy organizing!

Ah, so that's what cassette tapes are good for!

Last week, during my morning commute, I did a double take when I saw a woman on the subway listening to a walkman.

Yes, a walkman - not an iPod or other mp3 player, not even a discman, but a good old, tried and true portable cassette player. She was fast-forwarding and rewinding, and thankfully, totally oblivious to my stares.

Seeing it did get me thinking though - whatever happened to all those cassettes? Are they hanging out in people's basements and attics, filling up landfills, or for sale at yardsales?

Thankfully, while doing my daily perusal of the blogosphere, I got my answer: They're being turned into lamps!

Ooomydesign sells a surprisingly stylish collection of cassette tape lamps lamps, including floor lamps (shown, about $330), box lamps (about $60), and small yet sweet lamps (about $40). Contact the company for shipping information.

From the photos, it looks like they cast a pretty fabulous light, and I think this would be a lovely addition to any audiophile's den!

(Via inhabitat)

Poll results: Appliances built to last?

Last week, we featured reader submissions of appliances that just keep on trucking — some of these workhorses have been running since the 1930s! — and asked whether you thought older appliances were built to last longer than modern models.

And, the response was a resounding yes. A whopping 90 per cent said they thought appliances from the past could keep running longer than their modern counterparts.

Eight per cent responded "No", suggesting they think modern appliances are built to last as long (or maybe even longer) than the oldies we featured. The remaining voters said "Maybe" old appliances were constructed to be a little bit sturdier than the new ones on the market.

This week, we're looking to the buying local trend (read the full story and comment) and I want to know if this has extended into your home decor purchasing habits?

Sure, you've got Ontario asparagus, but is that sofa Canadian made? Check out the beauties on offer in the Hot Home column, then vote on the front page poll.

And, don't miss Colin and Justin's chic office design, the latest on a new screen that may block pollen and find out which building gets the highly coveted A+ from the Condo Critic!

Deciphering home stats

Every month there's a whole new batch of statistics on the volume and prices of new and resale home sales, with figures broken down both locally and nationally. Honestly, it's a lot of numbers to decipher, and homeowners can't help but wonder what it all means for them.

Thankfully, there's some solid advice on deciphering those numbers in a White Paper from Century 21 Canada President Don Lawby, titled Real Estate Statistics 101: What every Canadian homeowner should know about home price statistics.

Basically, Lawby says those headline-grabbing national numbers, while they may be indicators of the market as a whole, don't reflect a whole lot on the actual value of your home.

Because these figures are usually based on averages over large markets "such averages are pretty much irrelevant to what's really happening in specific neighbourhoods."

For example, the White Paper explains that the TREB reported $395,609 as the average home price in May, but this price has "little relevance" to prices in neighbourhoods and communities. Prices ranged from $1.53 million between St. Clair Ave. and Bloor St. east of Bayview to $709,000 in a rural area east of Newmarket and $255,000 in Oshawa.

So, for homeowners looking to ascertain the real value of their home, he recommends they look to recent sales of similar houses in their neighbourhood, or their prospective 'hood. He says, "The most relevant housing market is the one that is closest to where you live today or want to live tomorrow."

Lawby also suggests that homeowners look to home price surveys from a variety of sources, including different real estate organizations and economists.

Additionally, if you are in the market, he reminds readers that only listing prices (not selling prices) are available on the MLS, so he recommends asking a realtor to show you recent stats for comparable homes in the neighbourhood to help you get an accurate view of your home's worth.

Adventures of a would-be gardener

So, last Friday I left work totally eager to dig into my gardens. I was ready to take the leap and weed with confidence to create a well-tended backyard oasis, all I needed was the sunshine.

And, sure enough, Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. So I pulled on my cute little purple gardening gloves and went to work. A few hours later, there was a giant heap of weeds ready to be put into lawn bags and I'd learned a few key reasons why I'd avoided gardening for all these years:

1. There are bugs. A lot of bugs. Creepy, crawly, slimy bugs. I don't do well with insects, as recently evidenced by my shriek (which was enough to rouse Mr. Speedy from the basement) when an antzilla (that is, an unusually large ant) crawled onto my shoulder while I was brushing my teeth. I was not impressed.

2. It's dirty. Gardening gloves are helpful, but you'll still get dirt under your fingernails, and some prickly plant bits might still make their way through. Some people find digging in the dirt relaxing. I am not one of those people.

3. It's hard work. Some of these weeds had a month or more to take root, and pulling them out was tough. Not to mention all the squatting and bending in the hot sun.

4. And, last but not least, all my hard work resulted in a very itchy, blotchy rash up both of my arms. I don't know what caused the reaction, but it was certainly less than fun. Thankfully, the rash has subsided, and I can now at least see some humour in the situation! Plus, if anyone talks trash about my gardens, I can now pull out the sympathy card with "I'm trying, but I'm allergic."

So, out of 10, I'd rank my gardening successes at about a 5 — not a total wash, because the gardens do look better, bu definitely not a perfect 10, thanks to the rash and all.

And the experience has helped me determine my philosophy for the garden — aside from some cosmetic weeding, I think I'm going to let the plants in my garden be judged by a "sink or swim" approach — if they don't survive this summer, good riddance. A little bit of sod tamped down in their place, and no one will ever know the difference!

The master bedroom makeover!

With the bulk of the messy renovation work done, it's time to start making the house pretty.

And, because repainting, sourcing furniture and artwork and arranging everything to best suit your needs doesn't just happen overnight (or even over the course of a weekend or week), we decided to call in some help to get one room done, so that we have a sanctuary while we search for things like that comfy yet stylish chair and the perfect shade of paint.

With the help of Lisa Canning, who you may know from Marriage Under Construction, we are getting ready to makeover our master bedroom.

It's currently in a bit of a state. We don't love the nursery blue walls, and obviously, there was some rewiring done so it's currently working the blotchy patched look. We do like our two enormous wardrobes (not shown) which take up the wall facing the bed, leaving just enough space to hopefully create a vanity between them. But, overall, the space is kind of dull.

To start the makeover, we had to figure out our style (read more on that here) and tell Lisa what we wanted from the room — basically a relaxing space that better reflects our personalities, along with a place for me to get ready in the morning, as Mr. Speedy and I are currently tripping over each other in our teeny tiny bathroom every morning.

And, of course, there's a bit of a twist — after the move, rewiring, patching, etc., we don't have much of a redecorating budget!

And, while Lisa's known for doing things inexpensively, this job will certainly be a challenge, as we're aiming for a total budget of — wait for it — $200.

Thankfully, she's up for the challenge, and is currently working on her plans, which will be unveiled early next week. I'll keep you posted as we work to take the room from a blah space to a relaxing place!

Poll results: City strike

As evidenced by the swarm of fruit flies currently hanging out in my garage, the civic worker strike continues to drag along. But, it's not just affecting garbage — everything from daycares and pools to building permits and inspections are also taking a hit (read the full story). It's even stranding some families who are waiting for Habitat homes.

Last week's poll asked if any aspect of the strike — from worries over accumulating garbage to waiting on permits — caused you to delay planned home improvements. We didn't get a ton of responses, but out of the Yourhomers who answered, just over a third (38 per cent) said they'd postponed their plans, while the majority, at 63 per cent, were continuing with business as usual.

This week, we're looking at some hard-working appliances, sent in by readers — some of these have been chugging along since the 30s! — and asking whether you think older appliances were built to last longer than their modern counterparts. Read the story and comment, and share your votes on the front page poll.

And, don't miss Colin and Justin's aqua makeover and our coffee maker roundup!

Learning to garden

Last night, while Mr. Speedy was manning the barbecue, I finally mustered up the courage to pull a giant weed — which towered above my 5'7" frame, and was considerably wider than me — from my garden.

The green, spiky plant reached its gigantic proportions due to my ignorance of all things green and growing (and stories like this don't help me feel any more confident! I don't want to go wrestling with those killer plants...)

When we first moved in, we had an enormous list of things to do inside and out. And because the garden was in pretty good shape, and because I didn't know what I was doing, I let it slide down my list of priorities.

The next time I took a good look at it, all the plants were roughly the same size, so I wasn't sure which were weeds and which were intentionally planted. I didn't want to go hauling stuff out of the garden all willy nilly and accidentally rip out something we'd enjoy.

So, instead of doing the responsible homeowner thing and asking for help, I decided to wait it out.

And now, a few weeks too long later, here we are. The giant green beast — which in fact, I'd left for so long that I had to enlist Mr. Speedy to help wrestle the darn thing out of the ground — was the final straw.

So, starting now, I'm going to try to channel my inner green thumb.

Looking at my garden, I can now pretty much guess what plants are weeds because they're either way larger than everything else (like the monster we ripped out last night) or have just grown ridiculously fast, sprouting out of nowhere and encroaching on the pretty daylilies currently in bloom. A little bit of internet research, and a bit of courage born out of exasperation, should help fill in any remaining gaps.

I've got the gloves. I've got a pair of heavy duty pruning shears. Now all I need is a sunny day to start whipping the space back into shape!