Marianne Canada

"I keep my glue gun in a holster."

Marianne is the Special Projects Editor for HGTV.com. She was the girl in college who saved her waitressing tips to buy a Knoll chair and the perfect vintage couch. All these years later, she still has both, and she's ever on the hunt for unique pieces to add to her home. Marianne's style is almost always vintage, rarely ever mass-produced, but still leaves room for the occasional trip to Ikea. She's not afraid to be patient, it took her 7 years to find the right rug for her living room and she's been hunting for a vintage leather chair for longer than that. Her greatest design fear? Her home looking like everyone else’s. Clean but eclectic and always, always livable.

Check out my weekly craft video series here.

What's the Color of the Month?

Marianne Canada ON INSTAGRAM

Follow Marianne Canada on Instagram

Marianne Canada ON PINTEREST

Follow Marianne Canada on Pinterest

POSTS BY Marianne Canada

The Nursery Files: Hanging a Gallery Wall

by Marianne Canada May 17, 2013 3 Comments

Now that we’re closing in on my due date, I’m ready to finish this nursery. The last big project I’m tackling is hanging the eclectic assortment of art I’ve been collecting (and in the case of this monogrammed string art, making) with this space in mind. Hanging a gallery art wall can look overwhelming, but it’s really a snap. Sherry and John over at Young House Love have some great tips for using newspaper templates when hanging a lot of art in a space. In the end, I laid out the artwork on the floor first and then eyeballed it on the wall. I think it turned out pretty great.

How to Hang a Gallery Style Art Wall

I was able to check one more project off my list this week, recovering the glider cushions. If you remember from this post, this glider had great lines but the dingy white cushions had to go. I knew that as soon as I spotted this modern fish-printed fabric that I had found the perfect pattern. My friend Emily’s mom (thank you Teresa!) made slipcovers for the existing cushions and boom! The glider looks brand new for just $30 in fabric costs.

Recovered Nursery Glider

Only a few more last-minute details and then I’m ready to unveil the finished room, not to mention ready to have a baby.

Catch up on The Nursery Files from the beginning:

Weekday Crafternoon: Anchor-Stenciled Boat Bag

by Marianne Canada May 14, 2013 1 Comment

I don’t know how the weather has been in your part of the country, but here at HGTV Headquarters we had a long winter and unseasonably cool spring. The chilly temperatures have just made summer more tantalizing, and with Memorial Day only a couple of weeks away, I’m ready to kick off summer and head out on the lake. On my arm? This adorable stenciled boat bag.

Didn’t I say I was excited about freezer paper stencils? Ever since I heard about them on Alison’s blog, I’ve been hooked. They are easy to use and the results are amazingly crisp and professional. Download our free “Boat Bag” and anchor stencils, and you’re all set to make your own nautical-themed tote bag.

How to Stencil a Boat Bag for Memorial Day

Are you gearing up for a fun Memorial Day weekend? Do your plans involve heading out to the pool or lake, or will you stick closer to home? I’m counting down the days until that long weekend…

Missed an episode of Weekday Crafternoon? Catch them all, and more from Marianne, right here.

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Paper Cloud Mobile

by Marianne Canada May 7, 2013 5 Comments

Yep, it’s time for another project for ye olde nursery. I’ve been plugging away, making art for the walls and even a Rocking Sheep, but this week my energy was focused on making an inexpensive-yet-adorable mobile for Baby Boy’s abode.

Armed with our free printable template, card stock, fishing line, and an embroidery hoop, you are less that $5 away from making this show stopping mobile.

DIY Paper Cloud Mobile

Dreamy, isn’t it? For more episodes of Weekday Crafternoon, head over here. See you next time!

The Nursery Files: DIY Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesies

by Marianne Canada April 26, 2013 4 Comments

With the rocking sheep and paint treatment complete, the biggest projects for my nursery decor are complete. And it’s a good thing, we are closing in on my early June due date. This week, I’m waiting on a few things to be delivered, so I’m keeping busy washing teeny baby clothes and filling up my new dresser. I have some really cute stuff, but you can’t have too many onesies, so this week I’m printing off these adorable freezer paper stencils from The Alison Show to make a few myself (congrats to Alison on her newest arrival!).

DIY Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesies

I am so enamored with freezer paper, my mind is already spinning with a dozen ideas to use it (hello, Weekday Crafternoon!). What do you think of these homemade onesies?

Got baby fever? Catch up on all of The Nursery Files!

Weekday Crafternoon: Kid-Crafted Block Prints for Mother’s Day

by Marianne Canada April 23, 2013 2 Comments

Mother’s Day is a big day in the Canada household this year. No, not because I’m getting bigger (though I certainly am), but rather because this year both my birthday and my daughter Lulu’s falls on Mother’s Day. You’d better believe my husband is feeling some pressure on the gift-giving front. But really, all I want for Mother’s Day is time with my family, so this year Lu and I made gifts together. She’s about to turn 4 and loves to stamp things, so we’re making block-printed napkins to give the moms in our family.

This is a great project for kids and adults of all ages. All you need are some fabric paint, buttons, and other found objects and you are ready to stamp everything from napkins to tablecloths and more.

Kid Crafted Block Print Napkins for Mother's Day

Want more Weekday Crafternoon? Check out the brand new show page to see all past episodes and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks!

The Nursery Files: From Rocking Horse to Rocking Sheep

by Marianne Canada April 19, 2013 16 Comments

You may remember that I linked to this mega-adorable rocking sheep way back in my first nursery post of this series. In my follow-up post, I boldly declared my intention to attempt to make my own rocking sheep out of an old rocking horse and an Ikea sheepskin. But I’ll confess, I didn’t really have a plan beyond buying a sheepskin last time I made an Ikea run. Then, last week, I found a rocking horse on Craigslist (I wasn’t joking about being addicted to it!), so it seemed it was time. Vintage Rocking Horse and Chalk Paint After doing some research, I decided to paint the body of the horse with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I was intrigued by the claims that you don’t have to strip, sand, or prime furniture before painting, and that you’re left with a matte finish free of brushstrokes. I will admit I was a little skeptical, but this paint is kind of magical. I slapped it on to the beat up, varnished wooden rocking horse, and two coats later I was left with this lovely charcoal grey fella. He looked so nice I was tempted to leave him as-is, but the sheepskin beckoned so I powered on. Rocking horse painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint For the next step, I gathered my supplies: a roll of wax paper, a utility knife, scissors, a pen, a hot glue gun and plenty of glue sticks, and one Ikea sheepskin. It’s easy to see why these cuddly skins are so popular with designers (Emily Henderson just listed them as one of her all-time styling essentials), they are so thick and soft. If real sheepskin isn’t your style, they also come in a faux version that looks great.

CLICK TO SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT!

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Painted Glass Vases + GIVEAWAY!

by Marianne Canada April 16, 2013 34 Comments

Cinco de Mayo is my favorite margarita-based holiday (make mine non-alcoholic). I, personally, love that this holiday gives us a reason to go color crazy with a table setting–it’s the perfect way to kick off all of those backyard barbeques coming up. Dress your table in style with these easy-to-make (and easy on the eyes!) confetti-dotted vases:

These pretty table toppers are even better in person. I can’t tell you how many people stopped by my crafting studio to coo over them; they are really adorable! Wouldn’t they be perfect paired with these piñata cookies?

Learn how to make these DIY confetti vases on Weekday Crafternoon

Are you celebrating on Cinco de Mayo? Do you prefer a gathering at your casita or will you hit up your favorite Mexican restaurant? No matter what you’re planning, you can win one of these sweet dotty vases by leaving a comment below. Buena suerte (good luck)!

Watch all the episodes of Weekday Crafternoon right here.

You may only comment once to be considered, and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited by law. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 years of age to win. All entries (comments) must be entered between 12:00 p.m. ET on April 16, 2013 and 12:00 p.m. ET on April 22, 2013. Subject to full official rules. By leaving a comment on the blog, you acknowledge your acceptance to the Official Rules. ARV of prize: $25. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, d/b/a HGTV, 9721 Sherrill Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37932.

Congrats to Levieta, our winner!

The Nursery Files: Painting a Graphic Accent Wall

by Marianne Canada April 12, 2013 19 Comments

As you may already know, I’ve been planning to paint one wall of the nursery a rich indigo blue with a graphic herringbone-meets-chevron pattern, inspired by this wall on the Brick House Blog. I started by measuring the accent wall so I could figure out the width of my panels. It turns out the room is a perfect 12′ x 12′ square, so I decided for simplicity’s sake to make 6 2-foot-wide panels across the accent wall. After taping off the sides, ceiling, door, and molding, I used a laser level to ensure that my vertical tape lines are straight. Taping wall for paint Once the panels are measured out, it’s time to start adding the diagonal lines. I started by eyeballing the angle of the first line. After that, it’s simply a matter of measuring out the stripes. I like the varied width in my inspiration photo, so I worked with 6-inch and 4-inch stripes with the occasional 3-inch stripe thrown in. Once my first panel was complete, I used the laser level again to mark out the adjacent panel’s first stripe. Once your angle is established it’s pretty quick work to tape off all of the stripes. Adding diagonal tape lines Have you ever tried to tape off a stripe pattern, only to have the color bleed under the tape and look messy? Hoping to avoid this, I followed Jenny from Little Green Notebook’s advice and painted a thin coat of my base color over all of the tape. Is this extra work? It sure is! But I spent so much time taping the wall that I didn’t want to risk anything. This seals your line and gives you a crisp, professional result. Also recommended? A cute assistant. Painting base coat Now it’s time for two coats of my color choice for the room: HGTV HOME by Sherwin Williams in Indigo Batik. Then, the moment of truth. I let the paint dry overnight and then oh-so-carefully started removing the tape. And…voila! I think I held my breath the entire time we were pulling tape off, but thanks to the base coat of white there were only a couple of spots with bleed through and I touched those up in a snap. What do you think? Removing the tape and seeing the finished wall. We’re in the home stretch now! Time to start moving the furniture in and tackle a few more small projects.

Follow The Nursery Files from the beginning:

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Monogram String Art

by Marianne Canada April 2, 2013 8 Comments

I don’t know if you’ve caught on from my other posts, but I’m expecting a little boy in early summer, and nursery preparations are in full swing. Being a do-it-myself kind of girl, I’ve been thinking up craft projects for the nursery for weeks. I wanted to do something with the baby’s monogram that was a little unusual, and I finally thought of the perfect thing. Why not take straight-from-the-70′s string art and make it modern? I just love how it turned out:

What do you think? I love the graphic impact and can’t wait to hang it in the little guys room. It gives great texture and interest to a gallery wall and is definitely not just for a nursery.

DIY Monogram String Art on Weekday Crafternoon

Want to make your own piece of custom string art? You can download the letter template here. And as always, if you’ve missed any past episodes of Weekday Crafternoon you can find them all right here.

The Nursery Files: Adventures in Craigslisting

by Marianne Canada March 29, 2013 13 Comments

My friend and coworker Camille and I have pretty different tastes when it comes to design, but there is one thing we agree on: We both love a bargain. And so, for this week’s installment on my nursery design, I thought I’d riff on her Adventures in Antiquing series and share my latest furniture find, as well as some tips for turning a diamond in the rough into a showpiece for your home.

I’m a Craigslist junkie. I have the app on my phone and iPad and also check it regularly on my laptop. Obviously, furnishing the nursery has been at the top of my mind lately, because I was lacking a dresser for the room. Since I want this dresser to double as a changing table, I wanted a long and low solid wood midcentury-modern dresser, and I didn’t want to spend more than $200. When I found this Franklin Shockey sculptured pine dresser on Craigslist for under budget, I knew it was The One. These dressers typically sell for $400-$1000, but this particular example was a steal because the finish was in pretty bad shape:

Franklin Shockey Sculptured Pine Dresser

I could see past the dried-out wood and scratches and knew this was a great piece. And so, I started off by giving it a good cleaning. Once it was dry, my husband, Chris, treated the exposed surfaces with Howard Restore-a-Finish, then gave it a generous coat of Howard Feed & Wax (I had to skip these steps because these products give off fumes that are a no-go for pregnant ladies).

Restoring the wood finish on a vintage dresser.

The dresser still needs a little more TLC — maybe some wood filler on the deeper scratches — and I might take Young House Love’s advice to use a brown magic marker to blend in more shallow nicks. But for now I am thrilled with the results:

Mid-Century Modern Dresser with restored wood.

This dresser is just my latest Craigslist find (I really am an addict), and made me think about some other items I’ve been lucky enough to track down. Like this midcentury couch and wacky 1970s globe lamp:

Mid Century Modern Couch and 70's Globe Light

Those are just a couple of favorites from a house filled with Craigslist bargains. How about you? Do you have any tales of triumph from Craigslist? Go on, make me envious.

MORE NURSERY FILES: