If the shoe doesn’t fit

Get a new shoe rack! Chris and I have been super busy the last couple weeks and finally have some projects to share with you. The first is a super easy shoe rack made out of two cedar planks and two L brackets. You could make this out of whatever wood or shelving you have lying around, I just love the smell of cedar though — especially right when you walk in the door!

The old shelf we were using was old and rickety and basically falling apart. It was also big and bulky and took up a lot of space. Having just one shelf much lower to the ground made our narrow hallway a little more spacious. The materials we used are listed below.

Oh yeah, and trying to get a picture of the space was no easy feat since it’s so narrow, so please excuse the shifty shots!

before during after_closeup

Materials

  • 2 x planks of wood (cedar smells nice and does well with wet stuff)
  • 2 x small strips of wood (to act as extra support between shelf and bracket)
  • 2x L brackets (Chris found these in our basement)
  • 8 x screws
  • Drill
  • Set-square
  • Level (we didn’t use one cause we had it resting against the floorboard)
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This dresser may contain nuts

Following a pot of coffee and a quick breakfast, Leanne and I took Oscar for a walk, with a quick stop to the Home Hardware in the Glebe. I like going there with Oskie-boy because it’s one of the few stores in Ottawa that he is welcome.

Last weekend Leanne’s mom handed us down an old dresser she inherited from her father — the wood grain looked awesome, but the brass handles and knobs had to go. This was a quick and easy DIY project, especially with the help of Marty cat.

The only hassle was to find handles with mounts that fit the width of the existing holes, which turned out to be impossible with hardware from the 70s. I ended up making new holes, and used the new hardware to cover the old ones. All said and done, it cost us $30 and took less than 20 minutes. Too easy.

Helpful hint: Rub a walnut on wood blemishes to make them disappear!

marty_measuring marty_drilling

dresser_before_and_after

 

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Six months later…

Six months ago today, we tied the knot and became The CZEDs.

From the very beginning we both knew we wanted our wedding to be as DIY and “green” as possible, with help from friends and family of course. For the venue we went with the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Kleinburg, ON. The entire centre runs on green energy and the menu is all organic and locally sourced. Everything from the decor, to the flowers, wedding dress and invites — all was made by us, a friend or family member. The entire process was so much fun and the actual day turned out amazing, we loved every minute of it.

Our wedding party consisted of our brothers and sisters, Michelle, Jenn, Dan and Nick — it was literally a family affair. We even got our brother-in-law Joe (Michelle’s husband) to be the ring bearer and our little cousin Quincy as flower girl. Uncle George, now known as “The Reverend,” led the ceremony. It was so special to have a family member be the one to marry us, even if it wasn’t “official” (we went to city hall prior to get our license). The MC for the night was Chris’ best bud Jacob, a Nova Scotian who has the biggest of hearts and an awesome sense of humour.

We are so stoked to have such wonderful people in our lives and can’t wait to share with them, and you, the next 6 months and beyond here on the blog. Stay tuned for future posts on more DIY projects, home renovations, recipes and other shenanigans that we get into. Until then friend, cheers!

save_the_date engagement invitation ring bride_hair boutteniere flasks bride_bouquet first_looksigns_in_pots programs ceremony_site bridal_shoes bridal_party decor_balls signature_drink seating_chart time_capsule centrepiece first_dance

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake
Bride’s Processional: “Heartbeats” by Jose González (The Knife’s cover)
Recessional: “All I Want Is You” by Barry Louis Polisar
Bridal Party Entrance: “A Family Affair” by Sly & the Family Stone
First Dance: “Slow Dance” by John Legend
Mother-Son Dance: “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
Father-Daughter Dance: “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry

Vendors:
Venue: Kortright Centre for Conservation
Flowers: Mrs. Czed (Chris’ Mom)
Wedding Dress: Khala Morgan, a friend of a friend and she’s awesome
Wedding Photography: Kara Lodder Photography (Jenn’s friend from school) – amazing!
Engagement Photography: Jenn Kavanagh Wedding Photography (Leanne’s sister and the best ever)
DJ: Justin of Indie Wedding DJ, he is the best of the best of the best!
Invitations: le DESIGN

 

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