We wrapped up week 1 of 3 (haha...sure) of online We wrapped up week 1 of 3 (haha...sure) of online learning and we’re all losing it a little. Things that are helping: pretending that we’re in the Mystery Machine, headed for a campground with a mystery to solve! Jude says the camp counsellor is pretending to be a ghost while Luca was busy getting “Honey” into her sleeping bag for the night. And then a pirate showed up, so this story is really getting good 😂

@playmobil is honestly a life changer because the kids get to build AND use their imagination. It’s a win-win, and let’s face it, we could all use a little win these days.

How are you all coping with kids at home?
Why yes, this is exactly what my dining room table Why yes, this is exactly what my dining room table looks like right now. No, there aren’t markers, papers, toys, food, crumbs and tears on it. Nope. Nope. Nope. None of the above. Everything’s cool and calm over here, folks.

(If it’s not abundantly clear, I am joking.)
What does your Monday morning look like today? We’re over here prepping for online learning (note computer on dining room table) and I’m using our @playosmo to get our kids engaged in some math and language activities before we really get going. Every time I post about our Osmo, I’m asked: “do you really like it?” And my answer is always “YES!” I mean, just look at these kiddos. Jude is obsessed with the tangram and Luca loves sounding our words - he was trying to figure out whether to use ‘k’ or ‘c’ for ‘cat’ here. To them, they’re “playing”...but we all know what’s REALLY going on! #unboxingosmo #osmosocialclub
Well it would seem that I just CANNOT figure out r Well it would seem that I just CANNOT figure out reels, but I’m not letting that stop me. I made one showing you the materials and steps to make this super easy ornament storage so would you go watch it, pretty please?

I’ve been using this method of ornament storage for 7 years and it all started with a cardboard box, some red cups and a single layer. A few years later I upgraded the system to multiple layers, used foam board and white cups and voila! Scroll over to see what I mean.

Would you try this? It’s super easy and you can probably still go ahead and just use old cardboard and whatever cups you have on hand. It’s the best thing I ever did for my holiday decor!! Just make sure you use double sided tape or hot glue to attach the cups - loose cups are no bueno!

If you do this, show me, ok? I wanna see everyone put away their ornaments with no breakage! 🙌
Ready for lots of THIS over the next couple of wee Ready for lots of THIS over the next couple of weeks...but with a puppy in the middle of it all. We’re picking up Taco on Friday so prepare yourself for puppy pictures ALL over the place.

Also: I’ve been feeling uninspired lately and have taken a little break from both posting and consuming when it comes to social media. I’m trying to soak up the holiday magic, read things other than captions (as I write this that seems weird), and even writing more things down.

This time of year always makes me reflective - less because it’s the end of a calendar year and more because it’s my birthday in 9 days. Yes. It’s on the 25th. Yep. Christmas Day. No, seriously. Yeah, Christmas baby! I don’t mind it now, but I didn’t like it as a kid. Oh you know someone who also has a birthday on (or very close to) Christmas! Cool! <— that was just me reacting to like every single conversation ever about having a birthday on December 25th. 😂
I’m still thinking about these adorable little @ I’m still thinking about these adorable little @tubicenlighting lamps that you just touch to turn on and off. And this cutie little door all decked out with a smart doorbell and lock. And the beautiful blue kitchen by @remodelcanada.ca. And all of the vanities from @canaromatoronto. And this gorgeous hardwood flooring from @coswickcanada.ca.

Can you believe this was all under one roof? @improvecanada has 350 showrooms and it was so much fun seeing how many we could get to yesterday.

I’ll be sharing lots more about @improvecanada in the coming months, but if you’re curious and want to go see it for yourself, they’re open! You can call and book an appointment or even have a customer service rep help you make an appointment at showrooms suited to what you’re looking for. Pretty great, right?
#improvecanada # ad #makeitright
So I made a thing and I’m totally in love!! Now So I made a thing and I’m totally in love!! Now I just need to gather all of the boys for an adorable family photo. Christmas miracle, maybe?

I made these sweaters for all of us last weekend using my @officialcricut Joy and now I may need to start personalizing a LOT more shirts around here! It was my first time using infusible ink and I love how the sweaters stays super soft! I may just be wearing this for the rest of the year!

O.S. If it wasn’t clear, our last name is Murray 😆

Have you made matching Christmas sweaters? What would be on yours if you did? # ad #cricutmade
Are you crafty? Do you know someone who is? Or may Are you crafty? Do you know someone who is? Or maybe you’re like me and you like to think you’re crafty but lack the patience to take out a whole bunch of things to make one tiny craft? Well then I have the thing for you. Meet the @officialcricut Joy! It’s tiny but mighty, and you can just have it casually sitting on a shelf waiting to be used when inspiration strikes because it takes up basically no room at all! I made these labels using mine, and you can swipe to see another easy project you can make with a Cricut Joy. It’s the perfect little gift! I even wrote a blog post about why I think so. I’ll share another Cricut project with you later this week!! # ad #cricutmade
Can you believe this room was completed two years Can you believe this room was completed two years ago? And I still love it as much today as I did then. And I still believe that my kids can have a fun, comforting space even if they don’t get to decorate it themselves with superhero bedding and Lego everywhere! But ALSO, I would never judge you if you’re that parent who does let your kids decorate with all the primary colours because you do you, boo and if it makes you and your kids happy, I say do the dang thing!!!

Ok that is all. Have a wonderful judgement-free day!
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DIY, Outdoors, Sponsored · December 1, 2014

Backyard Makeover Part 1

Sponsored Post

It’s DECEMBER. I know, you all already know this, but I need to point this out because it’s December and I’m writing about a project we completed months ago. Actual months!

If you keep up on Instagram, you have already seen that we took on a rather large project this Summer – the backyard makeover! Yep, the whole thing! There was landscaping, deck cleaning and painting, and it’s not even finished yet, but the hardest parts are done. Here’s where we started:

THE LANDSCAPING:

So this was a big undertaking – like 60 square feet of undertaking! We started with the digging, which is so stinking hard! Six inches deep and so, so, so many roots from those lovely bushes on the other side of the fence. My mom, Alex and I managed to get this done on the first day:

Landscaping day 1

 

The next time we dug, my dad came along and, of course, it was a huge help because he’s the master landscaper. We definitely could not have ever done this without him and my mom! Here is the other side:

Landscaping day 2

Next, we removes all of the old lattice underneath the deck. It was super torn up and not pretty, so it had to go!

Removing old lattice

We then put down a layer of gravel, rented this lovely machine from The Home Depot and made everything all nice and flat!

compressor on gravel

Here’s a full view of the yard:

Gravel

Then all of the brick had to be moved from our garage out to the backyard. So. Many. Bricks. I never want to see that many bricks again!

bricks piled up

We started with the area closest to the fence, and it has a cool circular design, which I looooove! We got all of this done in one day, which I thought was pretty amazing considering how much we covered! My dad is a machine!

Day 1 of bricks

 

Once all of the bricks were down, came time for the sand. Basically you sweep this stuff on until all of the teeny tiny holes are filled. Water it, and you’re done. It makes a huge difference, as you can see here.

Sand in bricks

 

That’s it! It sounds like it’s no work at all, but this took us weeks to complete because our schedules didn’t allow for all of the work to be done at once. 

Next came the lights! Yep… lights went up before the deck was painted because we wanted to use the patio and the fire pit!

patio lights

 

Oh my gosh… I love it so much!

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THE DECK:

Here’s where the Home Depot  REALLY came to the rescue! With 400 square feet of deck to clean and stain, we had our work cut out for us. Frequent trips to HD and relying on quality product and tools was key for this part of the makeover!

Step 1 was cleaning, and boy, did this deck ever need it! It had been so long since it was last stained that there was no stain left, except in a few corners and underneath the shed!

Deck cleaning

See how the handle on that brush is bending in the photo? Not long after, the whole thing broke in half – and he kept going anyway! We used a deck cleaner first to get all the grimy stuff off the deck, and you can see there was a lot of it!Before cleaning, the deck looked grey when dry, but as soon as water touched it the mossy green came right out and it was super slippery! Didn’t seem safe… 

We moved the shed off the deck because it made no sense up there. You can see a more natural colour back in the wood after it was cleaned – so much better!

Deck before and After #1

Deck after cleaning

We then proceeded to power wash the deck because it still seemed a bit dirty despite the first clean. Again, HUGE difference! This step really helped the wood to kind of shrink a bit so there were fewer gaps in the grain.

Deck cleaning round 2

Tip- wear pants when power washing or your legs will look like this:

dirty legs

Also, consider real shoes and not flip-flops. I clearly had never done this before!

After all the cleaning was finished, I got to painting! Starting with the railing and seating around our deck. Here was coat #1:

Painted Rails

I ended up putting on 2 thick coats and some spots needed a touch up/3rd coat. Being that there was nothing on the wood and I was going for opaque white, it wasn’t so bad! A gallon of stain did the trick!

Painting the rails

Then came time for the floors. I used a 4 inch brush and good knee pads for this part. No rolling for this gal! Because of the deep grooves in the wood, I wanted to be able to get in there properly with a brush. In all honesty, it wasn’t that bad. I got the whole deck done (only one coat of stain because this is awesome stain) over two days.

Painting the deck

And just like that, our deck and the patio are finished!

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And here it is at night!!!

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That’s it, you guys. That’s the yard. And in case you’re wondering, we’ve been able to use this space well into the chilly weather because roasting marshmallows and cooking hot dogs on the fire pit is pretty much the best ever!

A big huge massive thanks to The Home Depot for helping us out with this project. No way we would have been able to do this without them!

Now we just need Summer to come back! The backyard makeover will continue, but just some minor changes and gardening so we can enjoy our new amazing space!

Oh, and don’t forget about the Penny Paper Co. Giveaway! You have until Friday to enter!! 

Written by Thalita - Visit Website

In: DIY, Outdoors, Sponsored

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Comments

  1. Raven Corwin, aka Meggie says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Really need a LOVE button for your blog! What a comfy, charming, *useable* space you created. Well done, all of you :) (Totally with you on the marshmallows!)

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:37 am

      Thanks so much, Meggie! We love love love the space and it’s been so nice not to look at busted lattice, you know? And marshmallows are ALWAYS a good idea ;)

      Reply
  2. Vanessa says

    December 1, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    Looks great, lady! Love the circular pattern of the brick!

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:40 am

      Thanks, Vanessa! It was a tricky thing to do, but handy dads are kind of the best, aren’t they? ;)

      Reply
  3. Annet M says

    December 1, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    Really great. I love the circle of bricks!

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Thank you, Annet! It’s my favourite part :)

      Reply
  4. Steph says

    December 2, 2014 at 10:24 am

    It looks amazing! Great job :)

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Thanks, girl! Two years later, we no longer have a sad, dry deck to look at!

      Reply
  5. Nana Chiarinelli says

    December 2, 2014 at 10:39 am

    Aqui no Brasil a gente não tem tanto o costume do “Faça você mesmo”, então fico muito surpresa com as coisas que vocês fazem por aí…
    No mínimo tenho que dizer que vocês são muito prendados!!!! hehehehe
    Parabéns, ficou lindíssimo!
    beijocas, prima

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:44 am

      Obrigada, prima!! Acho que este costume é bem coisa de Americano/Canadense mesmo! Por aqui, muita gente faz isso, então temos que aprender, né? Beijinhos!!

      Reply
  6. Kristin says

    December 10, 2014 at 10:32 am

    I don’t know why I am just reading this NOW, but I LOVE it!!!!! The lighting makes such a difference.

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      December 10, 2014 at 10:51 am

      Ha! Thanks, Kristin! Those lights are my most favourite thing ever, and that they were on clearance at Target just makes them that much more loveable!

      Reply
  7. Elite says

    December 29, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    I really like the chairs and the throw pillow. We have to power wash our deck, it really needs it for next season.

    Reply
  8. Robyn Petrik says

    April 5, 2015 at 9:49 pm

    Wow, what a lovely backyard you’ve ended up with! I love the railing seats, such a smart us of space. I also enjoy the lights you put up. Must be so great to sit out there in the evenings now!

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      April 6, 2015 at 6:10 am

      Thanks so much, Robyn! We’ve gone from having a space we didn’t even want to look at, to basically wishing we could live out there! Haha

      Reply
  9. Adrienne Ranney says

    August 14, 2016 at 3:19 am

    2 things…
    1. I love your whole project and how beautiful it turned out!
    2. You might be aware of this, but your pictures of this project are being used at the Black and Decker website in their DIY /Inspirational ideas section. If they have your permission that’s fine but if not, I don’t know. You should get credit because your ideas are so creative and you did all that hard work!

    Reply
    • Thalita says

      September 8, 2016 at 2:51 pm

      Hi Adrienne! Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you! Also, I totally appreciate you looking out for me and letting me know about that post. I did originally write it for them, so it’s all good. xo

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 20 Charming Brick Patio Designs | grugl says:
    April 24, 2019 at 9:10 pm

    […] Decoist’s own Thalita Murray installed a patio with a circular pattern using brick pavers. See all the details of her backyard makeover at her blog The Learner Observer: […]

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Hey, I'm Thalita! Daydreamer, serial decorator, mama of twin boys, lover of thrift stores, fuelled by coffee! This is the space where I share my DIY triumphs and failures, as well as interior design inspiration and regular life stuff.

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We wrapped up week 1 of 3 (haha...sure) of online We wrapped up week 1 of 3 (haha...sure) of online learning and we’re all losing it a little. Things that are helping: pretending that we’re in the Mystery Machine, headed for a campground with a mystery to solve! Jude says the camp counsellor is pretending to be a ghost while Luca was busy getting “Honey” into her sleeping bag for the night. And then a pirate showed up, so this story is really getting good 😂

@playmobil is honestly a life changer because the kids get to build AND use their imagination. It’s a win-win, and let’s face it, we could all use a little win these days.

How are you all coping with kids at home?
Why yes, this is exactly what my dining room table Why yes, this is exactly what my dining room table looks like right now. No, there aren’t markers, papers, toys, food, crumbs and tears on it. Nope. Nope. Nope. None of the above. Everything’s cool and calm over here, folks.

(If it’s not abundantly clear, I am joking.)
What does your Monday morning look like today? We’re over here prepping for online learning (note computer on dining room table) and I’m using our @playosmo to get our kids engaged in some math and language activities before we really get going. Every time I post about our Osmo, I’m asked: “do you really like it?” And my answer is always “YES!” I mean, just look at these kiddos. Jude is obsessed with the tangram and Luca loves sounding our words - he was trying to figure out whether to use ‘k’ or ‘c’ for ‘cat’ here. To them, they’re “playing”...but we all know what’s REALLY going on! #unboxingosmo #osmosocialclub
Well it would seem that I just CANNOT figure out r Well it would seem that I just CANNOT figure out reels, but I’m not letting that stop me. I made one showing you the materials and steps to make this super easy ornament storage so would you go watch it, pretty please?

I’ve been using this method of ornament storage for 7 years and it all started with a cardboard box, some red cups and a single layer. A few years later I upgraded the system to multiple layers, used foam board and white cups and voila! Scroll over to see what I mean.

Would you try this? It’s super easy and you can probably still go ahead and just use old cardboard and whatever cups you have on hand. It’s the best thing I ever did for my holiday decor!! Just make sure you use double sided tape or hot glue to attach the cups - loose cups are no bueno!

If you do this, show me, ok? I wanna see everyone put away their ornaments with no breakage! 🙌
Ready for lots of THIS over the next couple of wee Ready for lots of THIS over the next couple of weeks...but with a puppy in the middle of it all. We’re picking up Taco on Friday so prepare yourself for puppy pictures ALL over the place.

Also: I’ve been feeling uninspired lately and have taken a little break from both posting and consuming when it comes to social media. I’m trying to soak up the holiday magic, read things other than captions (as I write this that seems weird), and even writing more things down.

This time of year always makes me reflective - less because it’s the end of a calendar year and more because it’s my birthday in 9 days. Yes. It’s on the 25th. Yep. Christmas Day. No, seriously. Yeah, Christmas baby! I don’t mind it now, but I didn’t like it as a kid. Oh you know someone who also has a birthday on (or very close to) Christmas! Cool! <— that was just me reacting to like every single conversation ever about having a birthday on December 25th. 😂
I’m still thinking about these adorable little @ I’m still thinking about these adorable little @tubicenlighting lamps that you just touch to turn on and off. And this cutie little door all decked out with a smart doorbell and lock. And the beautiful blue kitchen by @remodelcanada.ca. And all of the vanities from @canaromatoronto. And this gorgeous hardwood flooring from @coswickcanada.ca.

Can you believe this was all under one roof? @improvecanada has 350 showrooms and it was so much fun seeing how many we could get to yesterday.

I’ll be sharing lots more about @improvecanada in the coming months, but if you’re curious and want to go see it for yourself, they’re open! You can call and book an appointment or even have a customer service rep help you make an appointment at showrooms suited to what you’re looking for. Pretty great, right?
#improvecanada # ad #makeitright
So I made a thing and I’m totally in love!! Now So I made a thing and I’m totally in love!! Now I just need to gather all of the boys for an adorable family photo. Christmas miracle, maybe?

I made these sweaters for all of us last weekend using my @officialcricut Joy and now I may need to start personalizing a LOT more shirts around here! It was my first time using infusible ink and I love how the sweaters stays super soft! I may just be wearing this for the rest of the year!

O.S. If it wasn’t clear, our last name is Murray 😆

Have you made matching Christmas sweaters? What would be on yours if you did? # ad #cricutmade
Are you crafty? Do you know someone who is? Or may Are you crafty? Do you know someone who is? Or maybe you’re like me and you like to think you’re crafty but lack the patience to take out a whole bunch of things to make one tiny craft? Well then I have the thing for you. Meet the @officialcricut Joy! It’s tiny but mighty, and you can just have it casually sitting on a shelf waiting to be used when inspiration strikes because it takes up basically no room at all! I made these labels using mine, and you can swipe to see another easy project you can make with a Cricut Joy. It’s the perfect little gift! I even wrote a blog post about why I think so. I’ll share another Cricut project with you later this week!! # ad #cricutmade
Can you believe this room was completed two years Can you believe this room was completed two years ago? And I still love it as much today as I did then. And I still believe that my kids can have a fun, comforting space even if they don’t get to decorate it themselves with superhero bedding and Lego everywhere! But ALSO, I would never judge you if you’re that parent who does let your kids decorate with all the primary colours because you do you, boo and if it makes you and your kids happy, I say do the dang thing!!!

Ok that is all. Have a wonderful judgement-free day!
Put the finishing touches on our front porch this Put the finishing touches on our front porch this past weekend and I gotta say, this might be my favourite one yet.

Truth: I actually really dislike the exterior of our house. With exception of the front door, it’s pretty darn ugly. The 1970’s red brick mixed with buttercream yellow and burgundy siding are like the WORST combo ever. Add in little bits of the foundation which is painted blue and the concrete isn’t pretty either.

BUT those things don’t stop me from prettying up this little space anyway. Because for like 99% of us, making a home takes time. Renovating takes time. Even if TV shows and social media lead us to believe otherwise.

Now if you want to see some front porches full of personality and holiday cheer, all by Canadian ladies who get that nothing happens overnight, do I have a great lineup for you! Go check them out! #acanadianchristmasporch
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