iamayardsale's Profile

Display Name: iamayardsale
Member Since: 3/24/09

Latest Comments...

Don't paint a ceiling line. We have the same ceilings and considered the line but saw it in other homes and it just doesn't look right. Just paint the entire space, including the ceiling one colour. We did ours in a light grey and it's beautiful.

If you do want to have some sort of division, I've seen a lot of places with a small moulding (not crown moulding, more like a small bit of trim) a small distance down. Like this:

http://pinterest.com/pin/177681147770615680/


Advice for Tying Together Decor? Good Questions
5/17/13 7:43 PM

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mexican-Rice-109800

The cilantro dressing used on the rice can also be used on salads. It's a great way to use it all up.


Ideas for Using Up Leftover Cilantro? Good Questions
5/10/13 11:42 AM

Horsehead lamp = awesome. Don't listen to your friends.


Thumbs Up for Horse Head Lamp? Good Questions
4/16/13 1:13 PM

There are a lot of homes in downtown Toronto (where we live) that look like this. I personally really dislike the stone (two houses across the street from us have this and I find that it sticks out like sore thumb among the rest of the brick homes on the street).

I'd get a quote on removing it first since it might be less expensive than you think. However, I wouldn't stucco it (I personally really dislike that look) but would be more inclined to paint it. I think paint would be better than the stone.

Pretty house though!


Can I Paint Over Exterior Stone Veneer? Good Questions
4/11/13 3:57 PM

We got our cat from Toronto Cat Rescue and couldn't be happier! She's lying on the bed next to me right now.


Giving Up Your Pets: A Happy Ending
4/9/13 10:20 AM

We bought a house that had a newly installed Ikea kitchen installed. Honestly, at first I didn't like them since the colour wasn't our thing but after living with an Ikea kitchen for some time now, I wouldn't ever recommend it.

I find that the cabinets are just too short and shallow. They don't even hold our plates! Also, they just feel cheap. It's like I can smell the MDF under the wood veneer.

The few things that aren't bad about them is that the hinges seem so be good and the drawers close quietly. Otherwise, there's nothing particularly redeeming about them.

Friends of ours did Ikea cabinets but customized the handles and countertops so that it looks a little more updated. It looks nice and they seem to have put some real effort into designing the layout.

Still, I wouldn't recommend them.


Are IKEA Kitchen Cabinets a Good Idea? Good Questions
4/2/13 6:29 PM

Who looks at their keyboard when they're typing? I was taught in high school (during typing class - can't believe that even existed) to look at the paper (I learned on a typewriter!) where the words were coming up. Otherwise, you'd have no idea what you were writing.


Can You Learn to Type Faster Without Looking At The Keys? SXSW Interactive
3/19/13 12:36 PM

I'm a photographer so I work from home all the time.

My favourite is to make some sort of delicious sandwich that I would never pack to take with me somewhere.

This week I used leftovers from this delicious cuban pork that we made, with cheese, a few dabs of hot sauce, avocado slices, arugula, salt and pepper, dijon mustard and mayo, toasted on a fresh bakery loaf of bread (roasted garlic). I ate it all week. It was amazing.

I always make sure to have a few sides (veggies, olives, pickles) so that it feels a little special and it helps me to really take the time to appreciate that I get to work from home. Finish it off with a tiny bowl of Liberte Mediterranee yogourt (best ever!) and a cup of tea.

This is pork we made - leftovers were even better!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cuban-Grilled-Pork-em-Lechon-Asado-em-364810


The Work-From-Home Lunch: What Are Your Favorite Go-To Meals?
3/15/13 6:37 PM

Totally second Tonic Living for Canadians. They are amazing and they also do wonderful custom work (we had a set of roman shades made through them - beautiful, affordable and well made).


Best Online Sources for Fabric 2013 Apartment Therapy's Annual Guide
2/8/13 1:46 PM

My boyfriend likes to tell me that I "visit" things. So I will usually only buy things if I go back a few times. There were a ton of items that I saw the first time and thought "I need that". I told myself that if I still wanted it in a week that I would go back and buy it. It's pretty rare that I go back and buy it later.

I also like Pinterest for this.


It's the Little Things:
5 Ways to Spend Less & Reduce Clutter
1/25/13 5:14 PM

When I see things I want I just pin them on Pinterest on my "Buy Me This For Christmas" board. My family knows it exists and can consult it to know that they're going to buy me something I'm really going to love.


Curbing the Impulse: How to Resist Buying for Yourself at Christmas
12/12/12 3:15 PM

Just make sure that the boot tray you want actually fits boots. The main complaint about the Crate and Barrel one is that it doesn't fit large sizes of women's shoes/boots or men's boots.

In Canada a boot tray is pretty much a must. I just wish they were a little larger!


Winter Ready: 10 Boot Trays
12/10/12 3:40 PM

We also have a Dyson and it's awful. It's possible that it's the same model that one of the posters wrote about above. It just doesn't pick up anything on carpet. You have to run it over the carpet over and over and over again.

The head is clean, the canister is empty, it's functional on hardwood but doesn't work on carpet, even just our rugs. I would never buy another Dyson. What a waste of money.


The Technologist's Tools for Good Housekeeping 2012 Apartment Therapy Tech Gift Guide
12/4/12 1:29 PM

Looks like Saveur just posted a portioned Thanksgiving menu for two:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Menu/Thanksgiving-for-Two?cmpid=fb


Ideas for Thanksgiving Dishes for Two? Good Questions
11/8/12 5:53 PM

We're in Canada and I was off at at friend's place for the holiday (our Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago) but originally I considered cooking a turkey breast instead of a full bird for a small group.

In previous years my boyfriend and I have roasted a chicken (Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk - there's a post on Apartment Therapy about it...sounds gross but it's amazing), made stuffed potatoes (stuffed ahead and then heated while the chicken is being carved) and asparagus or green beans.


Ideas for Thanksgiving Dishes for Two? Good Questions
11/8/12 5:32 PM

Yes, RSVPing is a major problem but I find more frustrating the fact that people simply don't show or cancel at the last minute when they have said yes.

The New York Times did an article on this that I thought was interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/fashion/let-your-smartphone-deliver-the-bad-news.html?pagewanted=all

The last four times I have hosted something - everything from a private birthday dinner where I explained that the space was limited to just 12 and if people couldn't make it to please let me know know right away (four bailed that afternoon), to a casual "come over for a BBQ" - people have canceled at the last minute, often simply sending a throw away text.


Party Planning Vent: What's So Hard About RSVPing?
11/8/12 5:21 PM

Costco. Organic, pre-washed Quinoa. (We're in Toronto.)


Where Do You Buy Whole Grains?
9/13/12 7:58 PM

The rug in the living room? Where is it from?


Long Island Beach House from
Subfloors to Ceiling Home By Novogratz
9/5/12 2:20 PM

As landlords (we have a basement apartment in our home), we have run into this issue a few times. For some reason, no matter how much you stress when the tenant is signing the lease that they must give sixty days, they often don't listen.

I don't mind if they don't stay the full year as long as they give at least sixty days notice.

What we've done that seems to work for everyone is told the tenant if they want to leave a bit early (hey, I understand, tenants' lives change - sometimes they meet someone, their job changes etc.) then they simply have to help us find a new tenant to take over. If we can't find someone then they're on the hook for the money.

We post the ad on Craigslist (we have a version that we used the first time) but add their number on it and it's up to them to manage the incoming calls and book viewings.

Once they find someone they like, it's up to us to meet and approve them. It can't just be a warm body. We need someone who we think will be a good fit for the space. Assuming we like the new prospective tenant and they pay up and their references check out then we go ahead and let them break the lease.

This lets them off the hook and frees us up from having to do all the legwork involved in taking phone calls and managing viewings.

So far it's happened twice and it's worked out.


Tips for Breaking a Lease Agreement:
A Landlord's Perspective
8/23/12 3:46 PM

I use the Ikea folding rack. It's super lightweight and folds up to store in very little space. It would tuck between the wall and the washer.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50228755/


Rolling Rack Alternative for Laundry Room? Good Questions
7/10/12 5:30 PM