Friday

[ picture from my instagram ]

Last night we celebrated both my Dad and Sister's birthdays at our favorite restaurant. They are only born one day apart so we always combine the festivities. 

I was also busy this week with beginning my office transformation. But before I start the makeover I promised to share the highly cluttered current state.

So much stuff, so unorganized. 

But I have a vision that will require a little effort but not a lot of money, thanks to using stuff that was otherwise unused around the house. And I have started the makeover with a few cans of spray paint!

[ picture from my instagram ]

My $15 red chair is no longer red and a couple other pieces also got a quick coat of paint which I will share next week.

I am also over on Heather's blog, Life Made Lovely, today with a little home tour! I don't know if I've done one single post with most of the rooms in their currents states so be sure to go check it out here. Thanks for having me Heather!

Have a great weekend!

Outfit Snapshots

 Just a few of the moments I managed to look somewhat pulled together over the past couple weeks, also known as those times I took off my cozy sweat pants. Because it went from unseasonably warm to sub-arctic temps in a matter of days. Which really messes with my shoe choices!  

I even managed to downgrade from parka status a couple times! But not for long.

Urban Outfitters Military & leather jacket (I don't see it online but found it in store on sale)

Forever21 'homies' heart sweatshirt

Juicy Couture jeans

Call it Spring ankle boots

Rebecca Taylor blouse

Forever21 cardigan

Joe's Jeans

Forever21 Love/Joy sweatshirt

Joe Fresh beanie

Forever21 blush coat and sweatshirt

Juicy Couture jeans

Zara boots

This post has opened my eyes to the fact that all my favorite jeans are grey... 

Perhaps I need to branch out a little.

Happy Wednesday!

In The Fun Lane Garage Sale

Call it Spring cleaning, call it a purge, whatever it is I am clearing out some of my hoard. This is a special blogarage sale because these are some of my favorite finds/things that I've held on to from previous purges but either ended up never using them or have no room to store them any more. With the cycle of staging the houses over the past couple years it is hard to let things go because I never know when I may have the perfect spot for it... but I am kind of yearning to just let go. I am at the point where I barely know what I even have in my basement storage area anymore because there is just. too. much. stuff.  

So my purge is your gain!

As all my home-item related sales are, EVERYTHING IS FOR LOCAL PICK UP ONLY! sorry to all my long distance friends and readers, but these awesome deals are only for fellow Edmontonians. Because I have had trouble in the past sorting out who emailed or responds first or who is just asking for more info, etc. I thought I would make it easy by simply allowing you to checkout straight away here so you know you either snagged it, or didn't. However, PLEASE EMAIL me at inthefunlane@gmail.com to arrange a pickup time to come get your item after you checkout. Or feel free to email me there as well if you have any other questions.

Thanks so much for helping me clear out! If this goes smoothly I'm sure I can round up more for a second round.

Vintage (maybe antique?) galvanized pot with brass fleur de lis and handles

[ SOLD ]

Large leaning mirror. 82.75 inches tall by 40.75 inches wide. There are 2 small scuffs (like small enough that I just found them when measuring the mirror) on the left side edge.

[SOLD ]

Single wicker lamp with natural linen shade (the shade looks a little lighter in this pic than it is in real life)

[ SOLD ]

Very heavy antique iron scale. A really cool piece!

[ sold ]

Set of 3 antique looking pottery items. Used to stage Lexington and are a very very light blue.

[ SOLD ]

3 tiered metal cupcake stand. Light blue with a cute little bird on top. Would be cute to hold pots as well, as it is metal.

[ SOLD ]

Original vintage seascape painting with ornate frame.40 inches wide by 30 inches tall.

[ SOLD ]

Solid wood antique cupboard. Beautiful paneled doors and the back is also paneled in the same manner so it could be free floating or used as a divider. Inside has tons or adjustable shelves and it is on hidden casters. 4 feet wide by 50 inches tall by 16 inches deep

[ SOLD ]

Antique white dresser from CottageK with pink glass and brass knobs. I don't have measurements off hand but it is a nice and narrow (not very deep) unit so it is good for hallways or smaller rooms. 

[ SOLD ]

Entry mirror from Lexington. Solid wood and very heavy!

36.5 inches tall by 26.25 wide.

[ SOLD ]

Antique blue dresser. Original chippy old paint, this is easily one of the coolest dressers I've brought home. It is definitely very very old and probably not ideal for every day clothing storage. The drawers are fully functioning but are heavy. This one definitely feels like something you would see in Anthro for a ton of money.

[ SOLD ]

Foyer Flip

One of the areas of our home I rarely mention here is the foyer. The last time I tagged it in a post was way back here when we finally hung a new light (4.5 years after moving in). Things move slowly in this zone of the house for some reason...

Which is funny because it is one of my favorites, despite being completely neglected and only partially renovated. I've decided to focus on giving this area a vibe that meshes well with the rest of the house. The little tweaks other areas have undergone as far as more modern/minimalist tones in the past year never seem to translate in here. So we are starting somewhat fresh.

Here is one of the recent 'befores' of this area, and actually this dresser has also moved out of here and the metal one was the last piece of furniture to live here. But of course I got carried away and started rearranging before I thought to take a photo!

My only *new* purchase was a Ribba Frame from Ikea (meaning the Ikea desk, Target lamp and vintage chair came from CottageK, but yes, they are technically new as well)

Don't let my beautiful model distract you! But yes, the stairs are yet to be finished (we finally got our new railings just this Thursday!!! Now I have to prime and paint them and we can get them and the rest of the wood installed)

I wanted clean lines, all white furniture (to avoid competing with the wall of water paintings) and modern items to also contrast the paintings.

A couple baskets add a little texture and storage for quick access to scarves and mitts.

(big, striped basket from HomeSense, smaller woven basket is here at Ikea)

To add some impact I moved my $10 gallery painting from the talented Sarah Swanson over here and layered it over this graphic from TaraPhotoGraphics. This was so much more affordable than ordering a print large enough, the graphic was $5 to download and only $4.33 to have printed off at Staples!

I am really happy with how much lighter is is in here, with summer just around the corner.

Are you brightening up any of your spaces to get ready for warmer days?

Friday

Things are shifting a little around here! A few people have asked if CottageK has sold since they have spotted a couple items around our house that were originally over there. The answer is a very happy 'Yes!'

I actually thought I would have good news to share with you only a week after I listed it mid-November, and again in January... twice. But things always work out how they are supposed to and those sales just didn't pan out. But in this case the fourth time was the charm!

So I have shifted a few things a little closer to home and I can't wait to show you more on Monday.

 

Also spotted around the house? Tinkerbell. Yes, ours is a very magical home.

 

If only Tinkerbell could sprinkle pixie dust on her igloo to magically allow her wings to fit...

 

And finally, congratulations to our Rayban aviator giveaway, Jessica! I sent you an email and can't wait to pop the glasses in the mail.

Have a happy weekend!

It's about that time! A little round up of the bits and bobs that are making me extra happy. 

I understand the concept of coffee table books, but I have never actually bought one until a couple weeks ago. Is this normal for a decor blogger?? Every book ever set on my coffee table was purchased foremost as a book I wanted to read, and while this one does look interesting ( you will see what I mean in the next photo. Thank me later), the bold, graphic text and size of the book are what actually caught my attention and swayed me to bring it home. 

[Lionel Andres Messi by Domenico Dolce]

Do we think this means I'm officially a grown up? I'm pretty sure coffee table books are one of the requirements.

[ a new bottle of olive oil ] 

Something about this bottle just makes me feel like a better chef. Although I must still be a pretty poor one because I can't remember the brand of it for the life of me.

We have a boat load of birthdays in February so I loaded up on cards at Plum Home a couple weeks ago. I am totally in love with these Egg Press cards. They are so cute you could frame one!

These little drinking glasses from Ikea are so freaking adorable that I threw a couple in my cart just to use around the house as pencil holders and little pots. The colors are so happy and the price is right at $2.

I hope my little roundup brings a smile to you as well!

What are the little things making you happy this week?

So this chair...

was on clearance for $18 at HomeSense. The only catch? It's farmhouse red.  Obviously I've never let a little paint get in my way so I am giving it a makeover today. 

The odd part is that a french cross back chair has kicked off my home office overhaul. I know I've shared little peeks and shots from time to time but you would be embarrassed for me if I showed you the full shot today (don't worry, you will see what I mean next week). The problem is that we don't use our home office as an office. So setting it up as an office was a mistake.

What do we use it as? Mainly as a room to store craft supplies and where Wren and I do our projects (ie anything involving glitter or glue). So to make it the most effective I need to de-clutter (duh!) and ditch the desk in favor of a table. In fact, we already have our old dining table in there... plus my huge antique desk... plus a ton of chairs. Cramped would be an understatement at this point, which is how the clutter took control.

So I am throwing some new paint on the walls, bringing in some pieces from other rooms around the house (there is a surplus of furniture since we brought everything home from CottageK) and cranking out a home office aka craft zone.

Here are some of the rooms that I am loving various elements of for our revamp

Lisa Beige's beautiful home via Bolig Plus

my scandinavian home