The Learner Observer

Look Closely . Learn Purposefully

[thelearnerobserver]

How to Create a Symmetrical Gallery Wall

How to Create a Symmetrical Gallery Wall

For (almost) two years we have had this house, and it’s really only over the last year that we’ve started to put art up on the walls of the main floor. And I mean REALLY put things up, as in: using real nails, not just Command strips/hooks. One of the walls I have been dying to get artwork on is the one in this sort of hallway of our house. It’s a space between the powder room and family room,…

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This is where we'll be eating dinner until frost officially makes its way back, because FINALLY, this sunroom is not only functional (goodbye damp carpet and 4,000 spider webs), but we have everything we need for more al fresco dinners, thanks to melamine dishes, gorgeous plastic cups, and citronella candles from @kspstuff. Oh, and the dining room mirror is already being repurposed out here, because reflecting more sunlight and trees is always a good thing in my books! . Of course, there's a whole blog post where you can see more about how I put this table setting together by mixing and matching from different collections at Kitchen Stuff Plus, and there's even a 20% off coupon at the end of the post for you, so go check it out, and while you're at it, see 4 more table settings in totally different styles from @harlowandthistle, @love_create_celebrate, @thesweetestdigs and @colleenpastoor

[thelearnerobserver]

Outdoor Dining Made Easy!

Outdoor Dining Made Easy with @KSPStuff! #ad #outdoordining #modernhandmadehome

Spring is the perfect time to eat outdoors. It’s no too hot, not too humid, and not too many mosquitoes have reproduced yet! We take every chance we can get to eat outdoors until the frost comes back, and using our covered porch for that is perfect, because even when it’s raining we can enjoy eating al fresco!

With the help of Kitchen Stuff Plus, four of my blogging buds and I put together five…

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Because today we celebrate the great ones. The ones who step up every day, whether it’s for their own children or others’. This one does. He steps up in the midst of dirty diapers, runny noses, picky eaters, messy everything, and he makes them laugh, feel safe, gives them the example of what a loving spouse is, and tells them every single day how much he loves them. . Thanks to all the men out there who step up every day, including my own, who continues to amaze us by being the incredible man and grandfather he is. #happyfathersday2018 . 📷 @flash.adams & @brand_ambition (at Cobourg, Ontario)

[thelearnerobserver]

Sharing an imperfect progress shot because that's real life. I took down our old black mirror, and "tested out" this new one on a high chair, which I am loving. This space is starting to feel more like home because it feels more like "us", you know what I mean? . And, you guys, the table is painted, the table is painted, the table is painted!!! I know it'll get scuffed and beaten up, and surely there will be HotWheels tracks all over the top of this thing, but I'm looking forward to those scuffs. I think this table can take it, and thanks to all the sanding and staining I did, the colour peeking through will be a lovely walnut brown! . Final note: putting hosta clippings indoors is something I wish I started LONG ago! I love their big floppy leaves in here! Thanks to @lemontree_interiors for that hot tip - see more about how they stay perfectly placed in my stories! HAPPY FRIDAY!

[thelearnerobserver]

Keto Turkey Nachos

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and Turkey Farmers of Ontario and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Every once in a while I like to cook dinner. It’s not often, and thankfully I have a husband who happily cooks basically anytime I don’t want to, but when I do, I like to try new things. After trying the Keto diet a few months back (we’re still Keto, but a lot…

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Who’s losing with me? . Between the missing dining room table with multiple random tools in the garage, the furniture being moved around the sunroom, and the little boys who seem to also love moving rearranging chairs...JUMANJI! . Pictured here is a VERY cleaned up version of our most current game, by the way, because the kids played outside all afternoon and didn’t get a chance to destroy the place 😂

[thelearnerobserver]

Starting the morning looking at this little corner is always a pleasure because it’s one of the few areas of our home the kids don’t touch, and with the recent addition of that gorgeous floral painting, I love it even MORE! (Scroll to see another shot of it) . My super talented friend, @artventuresbybri sent that to me, and guess what? She wants to send one to YOU, too! Want to win one? 1. Go follow her @artventuresbybri 2. Comment here with your favourite emoji so I know you did it. 3. BONUS entries: tag a friend who would love to win one of these. . I’ll announce the winner next Saturday. In the meantime, go see more of Bri’s work because she’s SO talented and the sweetest soul. . I hope you have a lovely Saturday! I’m going to go ahead and fill one of these mugs now!

[thelearnerobserver]

It’s FRIIIIIIIIIIIIDAY! You know what that means? Basically nothing, when you’re a parent 😂 But it does mean we can do a Friday intro. . 1️⃣I have a major black thumb, but I spent the morning gardening (I know, who even am I?!?) and now my whole body hurts. I’ll hopefully spend some more time in the garden tomorrow and finishing up my dining room table because... . 2️⃣I love to get my hands dirty and looooove the satisfaction of doing something myself. Especially if it’s something I’ve never done before, like sanding down my wood veneer table and re-staining it. . 3️⃣I don’t love having my picture taken and usually either do a really awkward pose orrrrrr cover my face. Scroll over to see what I mean. . 4️⃣I have an obsession with ice cream. Even just typing this is making me want some. Flavour? Always chocolate. Bonus if it has brownies in it. Oh man, my mouth is watering now! . ▶️Now tell me, what’s the first thing you do when someone turns to snap a photo of you? (at Prince Edward County)

[thelearnerobserver]

This week the lovely ladies that run #myrenovatedreality chose my laundry room to be featured, which means I also get to guest host! Isn’t that so nice? . As you all know by now, this laundry room was a labour of love, lots of sweat, and definitely some tears - as most renos are! . . It's your turn to show off your amazing renovation pics using the #myrenovatedreality tag! We’ll share our favorite next Friday & invite the winner to guest host. We love seeing #beforeandafter images! . . Make sure to follow your hosts: . @ourhumbleabode @design_central_project @ourfiftiesfixerupper @yellowbrickfarmhouse And this week’s guest, @thelearnerobserver ( that’s me!) . . Tag a few renovation junkie friends to play along!

[thelearnerobserver]

The view from the mudroom on a good day. On a really really really good I-just-vacuumed-AND-mopped-the-floors day. And this door that no one ever sees from the other side that cost $45, with hardware given to us by our neighbours. I love this door and that when shoes get kicked at it, when fire trucks get pushed into it, and when little messy hands push and pull it, this door is all like “pssshhhh. Been there. Done that.” And it still looks so good. This is why I like having old things in my house. . Swipe to see both the door and my abnormally clean floors. Believe me, they DO NOT look like this today.

[thelearnerobserver]

Let me start the week by showing you something I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned before: how we built this sink cabinet. We used stock cabinetry from @homedepotcanada and made the doors along with the piece around the sink using hardboard. It’s far from perfect, but I’m so darn proud of it! And isn’t that a great way to start the week? Thinking of something you’re proud of?

[thelearnerobserver]

Oh hey, Saturday! Could we spend a little extra time right here, please? Oh, what’s that? It’s 5:45 and the kids are waking up? Someone is screaming “I want mama?” You don’t say... I guess it’s time to get that coffee IV in and start the day. We’ve moved on to pulling every single thing out of my bedside table drawer, putting on chapstick and watching Max and Ruby. Who’s more annoying in that equation, by the way? Max? Ruby? Such a toss-up. Have a happy happy Saturday!

[thelearnerobserver]

How about a little transformation Tuesday? Scroll over to see what this living room looked like when we moved in. It’s amazing how well these horizontal panels work in this room, and how they saved us a boat load of money, thanks to a once terrifying fireplace and a not-so pleasant surprise under that wood paneling. . The room finally feels like it’s us, and it works for both wild toddlers and quiet adult conversation. It’s truly a family room, with something in it for everyone: a little pink for me, a workspace for Marquis, and plenty of space to play (and to store toys) for the kids. Win win win!!! (at Cobourg, Ontario)

[thelearnerobserver]

1 in 8. That’s the estimated ratio of people that suffer from migraines and those who don’t. I’m 1 in 8. . 1 who learned to pretend like my head wasn’t pounding. Like I wasn’t nauseous. Like loud sounds didn’t pierce my brain. . I had migraines that lasted 3 days once a week for years. Yep. YEARS. A neurologist absolutely changed my life, as did my pregnancy. Now I’m so much more capable of managing migraines and I don’t get them nearly as often, and they don’t last as long, either. . There’s a whole blog post with my story (link is in my bio), and how you can find out if your headache is more than “just” a headache. @ymc.ca #sponsored #1in8haveit #selfcaresunday #momslivinghappy #motherhoodalive (at Cobourg, Ontario)

[thelearnerobserver]

How I Finally Stopped Living with Weekly Migraines

How I Finally Stopped Living with Weekly Migraines @1in8haveit #sponsored #1in8haveit

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and 1 in 8 Have It and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Recently, my husband looked at me and said “I think I might have a migraine. I feel nauseous and the light is really bothering my eyes.”

See, after years of living with a chronic migraine sufferer, he knows what the symptoms are. He couldn’t believe how terrible he felt,…

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How about a little Saturday transformation? That’s not a thing? Oh well. . See how our laundry room went from a small and awkward kitchen to a laundry room with very little storage, to what is now basically my favourite pink room in the house. (Yes, it’s the only link room...for now.) . We ended up with rain, so no market for us today and ALL I wanted to do was yard work 😫 . Other than watching Moana for the 262nd time, I now have no idea what this day will hold. Toddlers running around the entire house, I’m sure. And laundry. . . . #apartmenttherapy #sodomino #theeverygirlathome #currenthomeview #homewithrue #inmydomaine #simplystyleyourspace #ckstyleaccordingly #smmakelifebeautiful #everydayibt #mypinterest #lindsayhillloves #smpliving #bhgcelebrate #lonnyliving #beckiowensfeature #lcdotcomloves #brightwhitewednesday #michellejaneensfridayfaves #handmademodernhome #cdnblogsquad #torontoblogger #canadianblogger #hometohave #cljsquad