Sustainable Design, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Everything
I don’t remember when I got hooked on being green. I mean, I’ve always adored nature. Trees. Lakes. Dirt. My family’s annual (and sometimes bi or tri-annual) camping trips (usually to the majestic Rockies) led to a love of the
“Oh my god, [I’m] back again…” and I obviously have Backstreet Boys on the mind since watching their riveting documentary “Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of” on Netflix the other weekend. (I’m not even being facetious, it was surprisingly moving.)
Land news! No, I haven’t finished (nor started, really) another house design. Devin’s computer has gone on the fritz and it’s the one that has AutoCAD on it so everything happening on that front is happening in my head. And
We had never been so close to actually doing it. Selling our comfy, cozy, happy home and moving out to the wilderness… of rural Parkland County. We talked to a realtor. We started madly doing all the projects that needed
Here I go again. My second attempt at this post, which was sadly lost during a Tiny House Nation marathon. In my last entry I put up a few images of our recent family trip to Maui and, I don’t know about everyone
An epic failure has occurred over here at Of Houses and Trees, folks, and my heart is a-broken. I probably put a good two to three hours into a post about my favourite locally-owned Stony Plain home decor stores and – right
I realized I haven’t posted an update on one of the main focuses of this blog, which is my own adventures in designing a brand new home, in a very long time… I actually don’t think I’ve ever posted an update on
I’ve been infatuated with tiny house living since the moment I heard about it. Not surprising since I’ve always had a love-on for the little. From the plastic toy toilet I used to hide from my sister as a child (I didn’t want to share), to the miniature potbelly pig I desperately wanted for a pet as a teenager. I’ve been cultivating my weird obsession with tiny versions of full-sized things my whole life. And now, here is a movement that not only bolsters one of my many eccentricities – it also validates it. Because tiny houses aren’t just adorable, they could save the planet too.
A tiny home is 500 square feet or less, although I’ve read about people building homes as itsy bitsy as 96 square feet (about the size of a smallish bedroom). Did I mention the average Canadian home currently sits at around 1,900? So… what are we doing with the extra 1,400 square feet? Why, filling it with stuff, of course!
Back when I was redesigning our master bedroom, I had a hard time answering a kind of silly question. Do I want a duvet? Now, is it important whether we fall asleep beneath a duvet, a quilt, a comforter, or a pile of dirty clothing? No. Of course not. What’s important is that we fall asleep in a warm home in a safe neighbourhood where our biggest problem is what type of bedding to buy. I know this. However, there is a dark side to everything – even blankets. Impossible, you say? Read on…
My original reason for not wanting a duvet was that they’re lumpy. No, that’s not the dark part. I’m still getting there. Every duvet I’ve encountered in the past wouldn’t lay flat and what’s the point of making your bed if it looks like there’s a bunch of turtles hiding beneath the covers? (Ummm, I love turtles so that would actually be awesome.) I also tend to like myself a heavier blanket to help calm my wiggly legs and duvets are pretty fluffy.
Along with catching up on blogging in general, I need to catch up on blogging about all the DIY projects I did before my daughter was born. True, I’ve done a few homey things since she came into my life that blessed September day, but for the most part it’s been 16 months of laundry, dishes and more laundry (and of course playing!). The laundry sitch has been particularly hairy of late because our washing machine is on its way out (and BTW, this is our second laundry machine to futz out on us this year).
The first one was nearing that magical ten year mark that somehow in appliance years equals 90 human years, so that was that. Then, we got a replacement free of charge thanks to some lovely family members. Unfortunately, that one didn’t belong to said members originally and thus we don’t know how old it actually was. And now it’s dying too. Sob.
