October 2009 - Posts

Green Watch: Treehugger.com and Words from the Senior Writer

"Suited Case" by Erik de Nijs via Treehugger.com We try on Style Sheet to regularly touch on green design , but our makeover obsession sometimes gets the better of us. While much of what we feature -- in this new world order -- has elements of Green ,
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Top 5 Friday: Fun With Wallpaper, Part One

What can't you do with wallpaper these days... It's such a versatile design element that packs a lot of style punch for your dollar. Of course, wallpaper can run you $5 to $500 dollars a roll, but as Scotch Mommy and I concluded last week: if you really
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Live Blogging of Holmes Inspection Episode 5: Join Us Tonight!

Live Blogging time! 8pm EST -- It's my first time live blogging so go easy on me, okay? Tonight, Mike tells a couple looking for romance that their two fireplaces aren't the relaxing feature they hoped and of course, he makes it right in the end. J oin
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Event and Photo Gallery: Beautiful New Appliances

Boy did I luck out going to THIS event, at Caplan's Appliances in Toronto. Not that you would have to twist my arm otherwise, but the marketing team behind the launch of North America's first independently-owned Miele showroom , felt it appropriate to
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Photo Gallery: See what 25,000 Lit Pumpkins Looks Like!

This is just to get you guys excited for a little last minute carving. Look at this exemplary spirit! Keene, New Hampshire (pop. 22,843), is the town known the world over – really, it’s world-famous –for its 20-year-long pumpkin carving tradition. The
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Video Question of the Week: How Scary is Too Scary? Share Your Stories!

It’s funny, I walked around the office and got people to share their most frightening memories of trick or treating , and one story in particular seemed to come up again and again: “There was this one guy in my neighbourhood…” Yes, that one person that
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Halloween Decor: The HGTV.ca Flickr Group Gets Spooky

The Halloween of today boasts an enhanced, graphical experience of extra ghoul that would make any grown up wish he were trick or treating again. There are still quite a few enthusiasts in our HGTV Flickr Group who are trying to keep the spirits alive!
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Bargain Saturday: Billy Turns 30

Unless you're filthy rich and have all of your bookshelves custom made for your grand library, you've probably owned a Billy bookcase from Ikea . You've at least seen them in other people's homes. Well Ikea fans, it's Billy's 30th birthday and Ikea is
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Top 5 Friday: Easy No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas

For many, squeezing a handful of pumpkin guts is as integral to Halloween as pumpkin pie, but increasingly, I'm seeing people trading in the annual pumpkin gutting for more inventive, less messy alternatives . I've got a two and half year old that's never
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Moving Mayhem: Bye Bye Wood Trim - Part 2

I promised a video of the fully primed trim and I am a woman of my word, even though it was so dark this morning we all thought it was the middle of the night. (When is daylight savings time coming?? I feel like a vampire.) Here is my little video, enjoy.
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Shoestring Makeover: Downtown Condo Bathroom

Above: before, after Even though it’s the smallest room in my 550 square foot condo , up until last weekend, my bathroom has seen no love. Mismatched towels, a cluttered vanity, and a bare shower curtain liner held up by 11 (not 12) dollar store hooks,
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Live Blogging of Holmes Inspection: Join Us Tonight!

Live Blogging time! 8pm EST -- Who’s up for it? Well, I am, for one, because as you may have noticed, I rarely skip an opportunity to chat (“Elana disrupts others around her” was a standard comment on my report cards for years). What’s Mike making right
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Video Interview: Cheeky Bryan Baeumler of Disaster DIY

So, yeah, Bryan Baeumler is a saucy guy. I know it sounds like I swoon with every host I interview, but what can I say? I’m an impressionable person. Anywhoo, at this past Toronto Fall Home Show I got Bryan in front of the HGTV.ca cam for a little status
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Moving Mayhem: Bye Bye Wood Trim

So after much hand-wringing and poll-taking, we finally took the plunge and started painting all the beautiful old oak trim in our 1930s west-end home. I have a teeny video for you to see what the trim looked like before. Tomorrow I will have another
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Design Dilemma with Cheryl Torrenueva: Could be a Grand Staircase

This week on Design Dilemma with our style steward, Cheryl Torrenueva , of Home Heist and Restaurant Makeover , we tackle a patchy staircase. With its many elements such as stair tread (top), stair riser (face), spindle, handrail, baseboard and possible
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Home Tour: Shabby Chic in New Brunswick

This summer I had the pleasure of visiting my good friend Jonathan and his roommate Lisa while I was passing through my hometown of Moncton , New Brunswick. And, as luck would have it, they have an adorable apartment with lots of amazing vintage finds.
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Question of the Week: In Real Estate, Who’s a Bigger Pain: Buyer or Seller?

Ever had a series of open houses and sat in your car across the street while picky families with turned-up noses marched right out of your front door? Ever dismayed at a tiny condo that was over-renovated and way overpriced? Well it’s fall, and In the
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Shop Review: Fairhome Interiors in Burlington, Ontario

Nestled into downtown Burlington ’s shopping district rests Fairhome Interiors . The sleek and sophisticated interior opens to an equally stylish interior. Shoppers will find a store that houses both a home decor retail store and a decor consultation
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Bargain Saturday: Thrifty Decor on a Platter

Left: Etsy find, magnate tray , USD $17.00, right; my latest Value Village find, $1.99 As you may already know, I'm an obsessed vintage hound. I scour my local thrift stores at least once a week (and I have a family, which means I'm truly committed) for
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Join Us: Facebook and Twitter and Flickr, Oh My!

Hey! You on the computer! Did you know that there's more to the HGTV.ca community than just good ole' Style Sheet? We're all over the internet - you can become a member of our Facebook group , follow us on Twitter , post your own home and garden shots
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An Umbrella Moment, Brought to you by Fall

Two things: gray, rainy days are yucky, and a good, sturdy, cheerful umbrella is hard to find. (Sturdy and cheerful are not often found in the same sentence.) A little while ago I was alerted to the Cheeky Umbrella company (photo above), based in – you
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Top 5 Friday: Autumn Gardening Tips

Although I live in a condo and don't have a garden , I feel for you burgeoning green thumbs with nothing to do when the weather turns chilly and frost warnings threaten to take away your hobby until spring. Because I suspect that you may have given up
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Real People Reno: Woman vs. Kitchen

Dawn's kitchen before; Dawn's kitchen after. Dawn here, the woman implicated in my headline, is one of our cherished regulars. We cyber met while live chatting during an episode of Holmes Inspection , which btw, is happening again tonight . During our
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Live Blogging Event Tonight: Holmes Inspection, Episode 3

Are we on episode three already? We are! Time is flying but there are still a lot of homes for Mike to tackle on his brand-new show, Holmes Inspection . This week Mike and the crew come to the rescue of David and San Yee who received a grade of "above
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Moving Mayhem: One Month in and We're Still Not Unpacked!

t's been just over a month since we moved and I'm getting a bit fed up with this ongoing feeling of discombobulation. On Saturday I spent a good two hours at our storage spaces (plural!) looking for my daughter's hockey gear, our winter coats and boots, all of our DVDs, and Hallowe'en costumes.
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Splurge vs. Steal: Mid Mod Pedestal Table - A $1500 Difference!

I really don’t wish to spit the good folks at Knoll in the face, but people need to be reminded of this years-old discovery: The Saarinen Round Dining Table, $1,646 IKEA’s DOCKSTA Dining Table, $279 Debuting the in 1956, designer Eero Saarinen unveiled
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Question of the Week: How Do You Decorate For Halloween? (and a tour!)

While up on another floor one day, I was struck by the black and purple Halloween decor exploding from the cubicle (or pod as we call them around here, rather sci-fi-sounding, I think) of Kim Stringer. Of course, I had to ask her some questions (Why purple?
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Bargain Saturday: Autumn Berry Wreath

PC Home 20-inch Berry Wreath, $12.99 (PC hurricane and candle not included) image courtesy of PC Home I try not to do too much seasonal redecorating -- it's a slippery slope from "I'll just update a pillow or two..." to "I need a summer couch!" That said,
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Top 5 Friday: Trends and Styles in Window Coverings

I took a bit of a break from serious trend roundups in the last couple of weeks, I'll admit it. I had a lot of judgment pent up in me for some reason, so I did some cathartic unloading on a few unsuspecting decor items. It was fun though, and I'm good
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Real Estate Marathon This Weekend!

When you're lying on the couch, resting and digesting, tune in to HGTV's How To Buy and Sell Marathon all long weekend. Starting Saturday at 2pm ET , we're airing our best real estate programming including six HGTV specials on everything from the 20 Best
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Magazine Review: Martha Stewart Living, October 2009

The Stats Title: Martha Stewart Living, October Issue Cover Price: $5.99 CAN Availability: Virtually everywhere Frequency: 12 times a year The Review Not a shocker, my choice this month. It's October, Thanksgiving and Halloween are upon us, and I'll be
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Macabre Chic: Give this Easy Halloween Craft a Try

Now don’t you go calling this tacky too ( like you did my ceramics lamp )! Don’t worry, I’m over it (not really.) Today’s Halloween craft I discovered last year while compiling a Halloween décor post for your viewing pleasure. I found a version of it
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Join HGTV.ca for the Live Blogging of Holmes Inspection – Tonight!

A new show means lots to talk about, and a new show with Mike Holmes (and that Damon …), even more so! Live blogging is something we started on FoodNetwork.ca, with drama-licious shows like Chopped and Top Chef , and we think that Holmes Inspection is
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Cheryl Guts a Time Capsule Kitchen and Dining Room - See Before and Afters

Oh my lord is this ever a makeover! I mean, the befores are just too funny. So funny in fact, that when I asked Cheryl to send me a little background info, I was relived to learn that this house is not necessarily the norm out there, but an extreme that
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Moving Mayhem: Wallpaper It Up, Buttercup

There was a time, not too long ago (like, two days ago) where I would have fought up and down, tooth and nail, against putting wallpaper up anywhere in my home, except maybe a small powder room. And even then I might not have done it because of the difficulty
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Video Question of the Week: What Did You Splurge On in Your Home?

Just as I dilute the shab of my vintage jeans, a Value Village shirt and grandma sweater with a little designer bag, I throw in a $4,000 dollar custom dining room table to elevate the sea of pre-loved furniture cluttering my home. Well, I don’t just ‘throw
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100% Design in London, UK

If there’s one thing London loves, it’s design in all forms. Straight on the tail of London’s world-famous fashion week, the 100% Design event exhibited innovative design in all forms this past four days. With hundreds of exhibitors, the fair is a decor
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Video Interview: Colin and Justin LOVE Canadiana!

Who doesn’t, I ask you? But still, it’s nice to get a nod from the style-licious (and all-around-a-licious) Colin and Justin , who just yesterday lent their gravitational force to help raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society . But when I accosted
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Memory Lane: Top 5 Forgotten Gems

Boy did this one give us a rollicking good time in the office. I had to close the list for submissions so that we could get on with our day – the discussion got a bit out of hand… What can be said about the following five items that could rival the memories
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Mike Holmes Spotting and a Giveaway: The Launch of Holmes Inspection

Mike and the HGTV.ca Team Making It Right! From the left: Camille, Alicia, Mike Holmes, Mia, Vanessa. Did you watch it? We did! With the man himself in our midst. Mike and his power crew – the team , friends and family including Mike Junior and daughter
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Tour Home Heist Homes in Toronto this Weekend

Colin and Justin kicked off their After the Heist tour last night at Toronto's Metropolitan Hotel. The event (which benefits the Canadian Cancer Society) is an 18 home tour of some of Toronto's heisted homes in their current state. Some have remained
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Makeover: The Tastemakers Gift Lounge

Do you remember that episode of Design Inc . where Sarah Richardson and her team made over that couple’s amazing condo in a “cookies and cream” theme? I’ve always loved that particular episode because the minute Sarah used that analogy I totally got the
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