Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Let me introduce myself and fill you in on what you can expect here.
My name is Olivia, I’m a mom of 3 and wife to my high school sweetheart, though we didn’t go to school together, we met at work while we were in high school! I have always been a super creative person. I can remember from a young age doing things like drawing a detailed slice of watermelon for a school project or making greeting cards with drawing of Rugrats on them. Yes, Rugrats. I’m definitely a 90’s kid!! As I got older my dad, who’s a musician (cue lightbulb to where my creative streak comes from), would show me tricks on his Nikon camera that would make a sunset appear more orange, or show me how to create perspective by changing the f-stops. This was back in the day of film cameras...so I had to wait to see the results and remember what we did.
This peaked my interest and led me to take photography in high school. I got to learn how to process film and expose images in a darkroom and just loved every part of it. Next up was photography in college and a successful photography business of my own, doing mostly babies and weddings, but also dabbling in album cover photography. You can check out some of my work on Instagram at @oliclicks and @oliclicksmusic if you’d like!
Once our first was born, a beautiful baby girl, I started slowing down on the photography gigs and started concentrating on being a stay at home mom. I still took the odd jobs that came along, but realized I hated the time it took me away from my girl.
DIY Beginnings
When we got our first home we filled the spaces mostly with things that we already had from our own bedrooms at our childhood homes. Well, after a few years I didn’t really want to feel like I was living in a frat house (you know, with disproportionate and mismatched furniture, not to mention all the visible wires hanging from the various media boxes to the tv...even though we had a conduit in the wall to prevent that).
The problem was that I usually couldn’t, and still can’t, find what I’m looking for. And if I do find it, it’s either way beyond budget or not available in Canada (oh how I miss you Target!!).
So, the only option left was to make things for myself in an affordable, but built to last way. I first built a computer desk, then a media stand with removable shelves. With every project I got more and more confident and skilled, and here we are now, finishing up our almost 700 square feet of deck space in the backyard of our new home.
Our house is now almost 3 years old and I’m itching to turn into less of a house and more of a home that reflects our style and vibe. I’m working with blank slates in every room since the house is a new build. No ancient floors to be redone or decades old wallpaper to be replaced, but plenty of space to put our own stamp on it. Other than building our own dining table and finishing the backyard, we haven’t done much more than paint the high traffic areas of the house and hang a few photos. Well....that’s all about to change and I’m so excited you’re here for the ride!
I‘m all about following your gut and making design decisions that best suit your style and life, and not basing them off just what’s trending right now. So while my choices might not always be your favourite, I hope I can inspire you to stop dreaming and start doing. Because if it makes your heart happy, that’s all that matters!!
Can’t wait to see where this journey takes us! if you don’t want to miss a step scroll on down and subscribe so you’ll get notified when a new post is up. I promise...your email won’t be filled with spam from me!
See you again soon!
Oli