Review: Bissell Deluxe Deep Cleaner

During the demolition of the kitchen, rooms that we hadn't intended on getting dirty still got dirty. Dust & dirt seemed to find its way into the smallest spaces even with the greatest preparation. As we got closer to the move back date I decided a thorough cleaning of the house was in needed prior to moving back. First, I'm a neat freak but the second more import reason it was important was Oscar. I was especially concerned about the dirt and dust that had gotten into our bedroom carpets. Oscar lies on them, plays, and his mattress is right on the floor. I didn't want anything left in those carpets that could be harmful to the little guy.

In comes a carpet deep cleaner. I had previously rented one so I knew I loved them but because of the size, and the pain in renting one for a single day, I decided to research consumer products meant for the home. In comes the Bissell  Lift Off Deluxe Deep Cleaner.  Bissell shipped this gorgeous machine to me and it was like Christmas the day it arrived. If you're like me, and kind of have a itch to clean, or are contemplating whether a carpet cleaner is right for you, you may get equally excited at what I'm about to show you.

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Sponsored: Ikea in the palm of your hand

Ikea contacted me to let me know about their new Ikea app and asked if I would be interested in trying it. As my Dad would have said "Do Pigs like Mud?" (We have weird sayings in our family)  99% of my DIY projects around here use Ikea - my Ikea Rast Hack, Ikea Kitchen bench project, DIY Desk that uses Ikea cabinets, my Sarah Richardson inspired frame project and my easy keepsake art trick that I do with their frames. And recently, Aubrey and I are in an out of Ikea a lot lately as we're ordering our kitchen cabinets through Ikea.

Before I get into the app - I'm not sure about you, but I shop at Ikea in 2 ways. There is the "Let's go and browse" visit, when you want to take your time, be inspired and even just linger in the market place seeing what is new. And then there is the "I'm on a mission" shopping trip - where being prepared and organized is key in making it a successful trip.

Read more about how this changes my shopping after the jump.
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Sponsored Pot: Home Depot Match The Look

I was delighted when the Home Depot asked if I wanted to take part in a fun project. Myself, along with 5 other Design bloggers have been asked to pick an item from their new dreambook and the game is that you have to guess which item I personally picked. If you correctly guess, you could win $200 to spend at Home Depot. :) Before we get into that, [record scratching to a halt] when I got a preview the Dreambook awhile ago I kind of fell off my chair because of this photo...

The subway tile wall. This is *exactly* what we're doing in one of the parts of our kitchen.  When I was flipping through their online catalog it dawned on me that the Home Depot Dream Book is the adult equivalent to what the Sears Christmas catalog was in our house as children. You flip through it, dog ear pages, dream a little. This edition of their dreambook is actually pretty awesome -packed with inspirational shots. [I do recommend you flip through it, it's very well done] Anyhow, enough about my kitchen reno and taking inspiration from the book...back to the Home Depot contest.

Here is how it works. There is a page in the Home Depot Dreambook that was chosen as my page. And on that page there is a product on it that I have picked as my style. So you visit the dreambook page and guess which item is my "pick". At the end of the week, one of the contestants who correctly guesses my item will win a $200 gift card to Home Depot.

1. Click here to visit the Home Depot facebook connect page
2. Click on the product you think is mine

Contest open to Canadian Residents. Comments closed to avoid confusion [comments here wouldn't act as entries]

This post has been sponsored by Home Depot - I have been compensated for my participation in the contest. Words and opinions are my own.

Sponsored Post: Canadian Tire Tree Ornaments

The following post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Canadian Tire. Please read the bottom of the post for the details of this sponsorship.
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Yay! We have our Christmas tree!! Aubrey and I have been collecting special ornaments to fill it with since we got married, and this year we're going to add some new ones to the tree as Canadian Tire sent us a a few beautiful, and, child friendly ornaments. I saved this post for last because I LOVED the ornaments. To see what ornaments I got, read more below.
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Sponsored Post: Outdoor Decorating

The following post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Canadian Tire. Please read the bottom of the post for the details of this sponsorship.
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I've shown you two things so far from Canadian Tire, the Christmas Balls, the Christmas Decorations geared towards the little ones, and for this post I'm going to show you Outdoor decorating. Now, I'm pretty happy with the way I've been decorating the front of our house so what I thought I would do is take the products that Canadian Tire sent, and use them for our back garden. I actually think that the the backyard is a neglected decorating space for the Holidays. After all, isn't that what you are looking at while you are all warm and cozy indoors? So here is how we used Canadian Tire products that were given to us, in our garden. First up, the Noma Indoor/Outdoor lights.
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Sponsored Post: Decorating for the kids

As I previously mentioned, Canadian Tire approached me to be a part of their "Decor Crew" this season. The following post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Canadian Tire. Please read the bottom of the post for the details of this sponsorship.
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In my last post I showed you how I worked the Christmas Balls that Canadian Tire sent me into my Dining Room. Today's post, (my second post out of four) is going to show you kids decor. When I opened the box that had a big red bow from Canadian Tire, I spotted 4 fun things, obviously geared to the Master of the House - our One and a 1/5 year old child, Oscar. Included in the box was [1]Tabletop Snowman [$14.99] [2] Topsy Turvey Christmas Tree [$24.99] [3] Santa/Snowman Stocking and [4] Cup & Saucer to leave something for Santa.

See what was an instant hit, when you click on the "read more"

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Sponsored Post: Finding ways to work in trends at Christmas

As I previously mentioned, Canadian Tire approached me to be a part of their "Decor Crew" this season. The following post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Canadian Tire. Please read the bottom of the post for the details of this sponsorship.
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My home decor lends itself very much to traditional  but I love to work in pops of trendy colours/patterns via accessories. It's a way to get the of the season/year, very economically as it's a matter of simply replacing certain pieces, vs. a whole room design. I apply the same method of decorating to Christmas - I stick with a traditional decorating, but every so often I kind of like to try new looks in areas of the house where not a lot of investment have to be made, or, commitment.

Canadian Tire sent me three boxes of sparkly Christmas Balls in super mod colours and I took the opportunity to try what I have always wanted - hang ornaments from my chandelier. 

See how I used them when you click on "Read More"

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