We moved from the suburbs to downtown Vancouver a month ago now. We feel pretty settled in for the most part and are really enjoying being in the city so far! We didn’t downsize too, too much when it come to square feet but come summertime obviously the yard will be a huge change.

People on Instagram have been asking for a house tour, so this is a very unofficial and unfinished tour for you, or more so, little snippets of the space. Also, a chance for me to throw a bunch of links up here for you find items you’ve asked about.

I’m in love with our coffee table from Sunday’s. I spent wayyyy too long searching the internet for a rectangle coffee table that was 14″ or shorter and it was extremely difficult to find. But in perfect timing the Vancouver local, Sunday’s, launched with just what I had been looking for.

That lamp will not stay on the floor 😉 there will be a chair in it’s place and I have yet to hang art above the couch. Here are the details of our sofa + round basket.

So, then if you spin around from facing the living room you’re looking at this angle…

We opted for more living room space instead of a dining table. Even though I absolutely loved my dining table in our last place (R.I.P), storing it for later was a battle I lost ;). We did a little kids table area, which has been awesome! I do miss sitting down at a table together for dinner, but to be honest at this stage that didn’t happen most nights of the week anyway, so for now this works well. We can rotate their table and the window ledge works as a bench for more kids.
The island with counter stools is for the “Grown-up” dining.
–Kid’s table
–Kids chairs
–Shelves

Our paper light fixture above the island is the Arlo Cloud Pendant from EQ3, I wanted something airy that didn’t distract from the view out the window and I think it blends in nicely while still being a feature.

Can you see the foam corner protector on the island in the photo above? I was annoyed when David put those on right away and ruined the aesthetic haha. But, the next morning when Skip woke up he ran into the island so hard he literally bounced off. Thank goodness for David’s practicality or it would have been a happy moving day ER trip ;).

Oh, and the pretty ceramic mugs are from Woash. If you’ve watched The Family Stone a million times like me and remember the scene with Luke Wilson give SJP the ceramic mug and says “that’s Cybil’s favourite”, that’s this mug to me.

Above is the front entrance, it’s a really long hallway with closets, which are great for storage, but obviously in an apartment you need as much storage as possible. So with my pretty vs. practical internal battle I struggled to find the right entryway console table but I’m super happy with how this IKEA hack turned out. It’s 2 IKEA BILLY bookcases with OXBERG doors pushed together with just a piece of smooth project pine from Home Depot on top of them both to make it feel like one unit and I think the wood makes it feel a little less “IKEA” if ya know what I mean.
–Runner from Rugs USA in 2’6″ X 12′
–Bench

Up next, let’s go to the kids bedroom. The apartment is 3 bedrooms but we liked the idea of them sharing because A. it’s cute and B. it gives us a guest room/office.
-The Signs are something I made before Skip was born. I ordered felt letters off of etsy and hot glued them onto canvas cut into the shape of a banner.
–Crates & shelves
–Bunk Bed
–Waffle Blankets (I ordered a custom larger size)
–Book wall shelves

Just a little corner of our bedroom. Our bedding is from Last Light Collection it’s the comfiest (and prettiest) linen bedding. In our last house I had it in a grey colour (you can see the colour on the pillowcases) and now have it in white for a brighter bedroom here. You’ve probably wondered if linen bedding is worth the investment. I have to say yes, honestly, every night I get in bed I notice how good it feels, never gets old.
–Light fixture is one my mom found at a shop in Arizona and I had it shipped because I loved it so much!
–Stump
–Bedframe

Lastly just some bathroom details. I didn’t photograph the guest/office because it’s not that interesting yet…

This post is in partnership with Tom’s of Maine. All opinions are my own.

I went to visit Kennebunk, Maine last month to meet the wonderful people behind the Tom’s of Maine natural toothpaste brand. I had the privilege of seeing their factory and just by chance ended up being there while they were doing the very first run of filling the new recyclable tubes. These tubes took a lot of work to create because it must still function like a regular tube yet be recyclable (in your curb side bin). Until now, toothpaste tubes have been made of mixed materials which means they must be landfilled, but this new tube is made fully of #2 HDPE, which allows it to have a second life. 

I’m quite passionate about creating less waste and so this genuinely excites me and makes me proud to be an ambassador for a company that is working to be a leader in products that are both good for your you and the planet.  

Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening toothpaste is the first variety you will see released in the new tube but by the end of 2020 all Tom’s of Maine toothpaste will be in the new recyclable tubes!  

Now to actually make this as awesome as it is, you have to do your part too! To recycle at home, first check to be sure that your tube has the blue recycling flag. If it doesn’t, it can’t be recycled just yet. If it does, then just put the cap on and put it in your curbside bin but remember that recycling practices vary by municipality and if a town doesn’t accept #2 plastic, the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Recycling Program, a partnership with TerraCycle, is a recommended option for recycling all personal and oral care packaging regardless of the brand. 

Just buying items that are recyclable isn’t enough – we are responsible for making sure they are going to get that second life. I’m not always perfect with my recycling efforts but that was actually one of the 2019 goals I set for myself because I think it’s important to play your part and not just rely on the companies to do the work. 

I’m part of the lululemon collective and will receive a commission if you make a purchase through the links below.

I purchased my first pair of lululemon leggings a few years ago and I don’t think I ever changed out of them. Kidding 😉 but they were one of the best clothing investments I ever made. They just feel so much better than the other yoga pants I had tried and that’s what made me fall in love with lululemon pieces in general. I’ve found lululemon to consistently be great quality and they think of all the little details to make everything as functional as possible. 

I’ve pulled together some of my favourite things that I own and some extra items that I think would make great gifts for her + him, Especially for you last minute shoppers because you can have items priority shipped to arrive Dec.24 all the way up until the 22nd. (Check your lululemon.com for more details because some exceptions apply). lululemon has free returns which makes it safe to shop for clothing as gifts. 

Check out their “We Made To Much Section” to shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday Happening Nov.28 – Dec. 2!

Just a few notes about some items I included below: 

-The Mock Neck Long Sleeve I’ve been wearing since the weather has gotten colder and I love it as an alternative to a hoodie. It adds structure & style but it’s still warm and comfier than a knit for doing stuff around the house and going to the park. 

-The Belt Bag I added to the list because all the employees in the lululemon store were wearing these crossbody style and it was so cute!! I didn’t leave with one, but I think I’m going to go back for one (or hope that David sees my gift guide…). 

-The Men’s At Ease Hoodie has such a nice waffle texture when you see it in person and fits nice and relaxed which works great under David’s jackets. 

-David doesn’t have this basic white tee but it looks like the perfect white tee, so Santa might be bringing him one of those.

Happy Shopping!