Love your space but want to make it feel more like your own? Try adding texture to your walls and get an instant feeling of personalization.

 Whether you’re renting, renovating, or the proud new owner of a home, here are some simple ideas to help make your space your TruHome.

Get Your Wallpaper On

Fashion designer Bridget Smatlan of Fridget Apparel brings her design skills off the runway and into your home with her custom wallpaper installation service Tops Wallcovering. The savvy designer has an eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to using correct adhesives and surface preparation techniques. If done correctly, wallpaper can add an instant boost and focal point to any room.

Art for the Commitment-phobes

Looking for a more low-profile way to give your walls a little je ne sais quoi ? Edmonton-based Oliver Apt. designed a series of magnetic frames to hold your beloved art, music posters, and prints. The Prof. Prints series retails for $30 CAD and comes in three sizes and the choice of white ash or walnut finishes. Each kit includes countersunk holes to screw directly to the wall, as well as gold and white twine for hanging.

Plaster on the Warmth

Who says green living can’t be fashion-forward too? High Street’s Carbon Environmental Boutique proudly carries the American Clay line of natural earth plaster. These non-toxic plaster finishes come in a wide selection of earthy-tones, and can be applied on traditional wall surfaces – adding warmth and texture to your living space.

Hang Some Modern Nostalgia

Macramé is back in a big way, and nobody knows how to use it better than interior designer Julie Adams from Of Quartz Interiors. Check out her website and sign up for one of her plant or wall hanging workshops to make your own macramé work of art. You can also purchase ready-made wall hangings from her online shop.

Finnish with Fabric

Sometimes the simplest solutions can make a big (and memorable) impact. This is definitely true when it comes to using textiles as art. If you want a temporary solution to add colour and texture to any size of wall, try framing fabric and watch how it instantly transforms a space. We are especially in love with the selection available from Finnish design company Marimekko.

This weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day, and all of us @TruHome would like to recognize the important roles mothers play in our lives. Mothers are as diverse as the places we call home. So whether your mom was a working mom, a homemaker, a world traveller, a nurturer, a logician, a sophisticated lady, a warm hug, a corporate powerhouse, the life of the party, or a little bit of all; one thing is true – she is worth celebrating.

To mark this special occasion, we asked Edmonton blogger Rachel Jones @Edmomton if we could share her roundup of favourite Edmonton mom bloggers. Be sure to check out Rachel’s other posts to learn more about what’s happening for moms in YEG. You can also follow Edmomton on Facebook & Instagram.

If you are a mom or mom-to-be looking to buy or sell a home, give TruHome team member and#yegdt resident mama Elisse Moreno a call. You can also  check out listings in these great Central Edmonton neighbourhoods: Downtown |  Oliver | Queen Mary Park | Garneau | Strathcona | Ritchie

Since starting Edmomton, I’ve discovered sixteen local mommy blogging mavens: Carole, Sarah, Christine, Dajana, Lori, Jennifer, Teela, Hannah, Orane, Lindsay, Kimberly, Kristina, Marisa, Athena, Chelsey, Jessica and Krysta.

 

Some have built huge followings over the years, and some are fairly new, breaking ground with some punchy material. Get to know them through their writing.These moms share intimate, brutally honest, funny, useful, trendy, on point, brilliant, sweet and straight-forward stuff. They reveal the honest truth about motherhood. They provide answers to questions. They share exciting ideas. They’re creative and wonderful. 

 

I bet you’ll love them as much as I do.

 

-Rachel Jones

In no particular order, here are my Top 16 Local Edmonton Mom Bloggers:

1 | Carole Anne Devaney – My Writing Space

If you watch Global News on weeknights at 6 o’clock, you’ll recognize Carole Anne. She co-hosts and is a well-known anchor in Edmonton. She became a momma in 2014, and just announced her second pregnancy on her new blog, where she shares “the good, bad, and the ugly” about her life as a working mom. In 2009, she moved from Ottawa to Edmonton to become a reporter with CBC, and never looked back. Her blog has been 5 years in the making, and is a cheerful, poignant read about new motherhood. I love her newest post, Dear Trolls.

Follow Carole Anne on Facebook & Instagram.

2 | Miss Sarah – Many Unexpected Detours

Sarah Chan is an incredible and spirited person — she’s a piano teacher, volunteer, community leader, gala organizer, mom of Dexter (7) and Alice (4), and wife to Mayor Don Iveson. She lovingly refers to her clan as the “Chiveson” family. As a long-time personal blogger, Sarah shares details about the projects she’s working on, her passion for biking, what’s going on in her family life, and her current social advocacy efforts. If you read her blog, you’ll get know her better, and learn a little bit about what she’s involved with in our community.

Find Sarah on Instagram & Twitter.

3 | Just Another Edmonton Mommy

I adore Christine — the down-to-earth momma of three who was born and raised in Edmonton, loves this city, and puts her heart into her blog. She shares tips, recipes, date night ideas, and anything cheap, free, or feasible for all sorts of like-minded families. Living locally is her specialty. One of my favourites is her list of 72 cheap and free things to do with kids this summer, here in YEG. She supports local charities and loves sharing the funniest little tidbits on her kids. Christine embodies what it’s like to be a momma in Edmonton.

Find Christine on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

4 | Edmonton Mama

Lori Godin is a pro at saving money, traveling, finding the best shopping deals, sharing simple life hacks, and simple tips on “momming” (as she calls it). Lately, I’ve loved reading about her thoughts on parenting during camping versus at home and how much screen time kids should really have during the summer. She’s an excellent writer with a flair for sharing funny stories and travel recommendations. Lori also authors Raising Edmonton.

Follow Lori on Facebook & Instagram.

5 | All Kinds of Lovely

Dajana Fabjanovich is certainly that — lovely. Her twin boys, Luka and Oliver, were born in February of this year. They are Dajana’s  beautiful IVF miracle babies who have spent a lot of time at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Stollery Children’s Hospital. They are now strong and healthy and growing quickly! Her blog is a charming one to read backwards, tracking life events and favourite things. Dajana has been writing for a while on food, fashion, travel and decor — but most recently, her posts are all about motherhood. Lovely.

Find Dajana on Facebook & Instagram.

6 | Bitchin’ Housewife Lifestyle Blog

Jennifer lives up to her blog namesake. She writes a witty, fun lifestyle blog all about health, nutrition, fitness, self-care, motherhood, and combining it all. On her site, she said that “we give so much of ourselves to our jobs, families and people around us, that sometimes we forget to centre ourselves.” She right, and she provides reminders weekly on her “Self Care Sunday” posts that I love to take inspiration from. You rock, Jen. Keep it up! You inspired me to paint my toenails, wax my moustache, and put on a face mask tonight.

Keep up with Jennifer on Facebook & Instagram.

7 | Night Owl Mommy

Teela is an adorable new mommy blogger here in Edmonton. She journals her DIY projects, fun ideas, crafts with her sweet daughter Harper, and anything she finds off Pinterest that’s fun and spunky. The pictures she shares are beautiful, colourful and light-hearted. She is currently crossing things off a summer bucket list and adventuring around the city. I love her blog and her style — so happy, sweet, and positive! Follow her as she chronicles the happier side of life.

Find Teela on Facebook & Instagram.

8 | The Momoirs

How cool is Hannah? Probably the coolest. She is momma to two of the cutest, cheek-pinchable boys, teaches yoga, and is a self-proclaimed wine lover. The best part — she loves to swear, is very honest, and fully exposes her true self on her blog. Through her raw, funny, and sometimes emotional writing, you can empathize with her and relate to her experiences — like her most recent post: That Time I Almost Became Famous. Hannah, thank you for being so real and up-front with the truth. We all love your posts.

Hang out with Hannah on Facebook & Instagram.

9 | Orane Boucher

Orane is a very unique and trendy momma, blogging about her life with her husband and son, and sharing many beautiful photos through Instagram. She’s originally from Paris, so has a flair for fashion, make-up, and the finer things. However, she acknowledges that life is not perfect, and pictures can be an artificial representation of life — making her authentic as well. I’ve loved reading her recommendations on rainy day activities with toddlers, where she pulls advice from her mama side.

You’ll love Orane’s aesthetically-pleasing Instagram feed.

10 | Modern Mama Edmonton & Area

Lindsay  MacDonald is the Director of Modern Mama in Edmonton and blogs frequently about weekend activities here in the city. She’s my go-to for new ideas. As the mom of two boys and one little lady — Henry, Oliver, and Elliot — she is constantly busy and having fun adventuring around the city. Lindsay teams up frequently with Leah Doyle, Director of Modern Mama in St. Albert and North Edmonton. These wonderful women are actively involved in the community, hosting annual events, partnering with businesses, talking on the local news, and finding ways to engage new and expectant mommies.

Find Lindsay on Facebook & Instagram.

11 | Inspired by Lynne

Kristina Lynne is the new momma behind the local blog, Inspired by Lynne. (FYI, Lynne is her middle name.) Kristina is self-described as an interior designer, house flipper, and lover of books and the arts. She has a obvious talent for design and the way she translates that on her blog is genius. I love reading her fashion articles, as well as taking a look through all home decor tips.

Find Kristina on Instagram.

12 | Stream & Stone

Marisa is a local blogger that covers the important topics of feminism and motherhood. She is the proud mom of a young little boy and is raising him with a sense of respect and balance. What I love about her is how honestly she writes, talking openly about sexism, how it appears in culture and society, and how things need to change. On the topics of food and body image, she can describe her experiences in a way that relates to almost anyone that’s struggled with the two.

Follow Marisa on Instagram & Facebook.

13 | The Salty Almond

Athena Raypold is a local freelance writer who is momma to precious little Fitz. He just celebrated his first birthday! I love reading through Athena’s blog The Salty Almond, linked above — she writes delectable posts on various restaurants in Edmonton and their food offerings. Most importantly, Athena just launched her own freelance writing business and is working on a number of projects. One is particular is on motherhood; it’s called Becoming.

Find Athena on Facebook & Instagram.

14 | Confessions of a Real-Life Mom

Chelsey Borys is the Director of Mommy Connections, Edmonton North & St. Albert. She writes a hilarious, down-to-earth blog of her own, all about her daily life with two little ones. This Hippy Yogi Momma describes her messy, nightmarish life, that she wouldn’t trade anything for. She’s got wine and chocolate handy in case of a bad day. She loves her coffee, her yoga, writing about delicious recipes, and sharing great resources around Edmonton (like the Reuse Centre). Chelsey also just launched the very first Dad & Baby Program in Edmonton. What a trend-setter. Love you, Chelsey!

Find Chelsey (Mommy Connections Edmonton North & St. Albert) on Instagram & Facebook.

15 | Grace & Champ

Jessica Christensen-Holt is the fabulous mama of twins behind the local blog Grace & Champ. It’s reminiscent, sweet, and real — all about mom life with twins. She intends to share it with her son and daughter when they grow up. They can read and laugh, and appreciate the Barfageddon they put their momma through. I loved her post about The Kindness of Seniors, where she wrote about a lovely older man (with a cane, carrying groceries) asked if he could help her. This was the one and only time she’d ever had the offer! For her, being a mom means bringing her family together, enjoying the moments that matter, and not trying to be like everyone else.

Keep up with Jessica’s posts on Facebook.

16 | Krysta’s Little World (Life As I Know It)

Krysta Larson-Tieppihs writes a tear-gerking mommy blog about life’s sweet moments. I first met her when we were both pregnant, about 6 months along. Krysta was about to have her second daughter, Briley, little sister to her first, Aralee. I’ve recently discovered her serious mommy-blogging and photography prowess. She is a former world-traveling Flight Attendant turned Stay-at-home Mom, who sees motherhood as her greatest adventure yet. Aralee just turned three and started preschool. She also takes killer photos of each milestone. So cute and creative!

Follow Krysta on Instagram.

*Photo of Rachel Jones courtesy of Mike Isaak Photography

Spring is just around the corner, making it the perfect time to start preparing your two-wheeled beauty for a few months of glorious bicycle bliss.

Join the Network

If you are an avid cyclist, you will already know that construction is underway for a $7.5-million bike network that will provide seven kilometres of separated lanes for cyclists in downtown Edmonton. When complete, the Downtown Bike Network project will be similar to bike networks found in Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal or other major Canadian cities.

Edmonton Bike Swap

Looking to buy, sell or donate a bicycle?  Be sure to check out the Alberta Bike Swap, Saturday, May 13 from 2:30 – 4 PM at Northlands Edmonton EXPO Centre. This annual event is a perfect opportunity to sell a bike that’s been taking up space on your balcony or collecting dust in the garage, and an awesome opportunity to get a great deal on a new-to-you bicycle inspected and ready to ride off the lot.

Tune-up for Spring

If it’s a spring tune-up that you need, you’ll appreciate the friendly service at MEC’s Bike Shop, located in Oliver. Tune-up packages range from basic to premium, or you can choose individual bike services and repairs. This is also the place to check out for unique bicycle storage solutions for your house or condo.

Hands-on Help

More of the DIY-type? Then you are going to love the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters (EBC) fully-equipped, volunteer-run community bike workshops at BikeWorks North and BikeWorks South. For a small hourly fee, you will have access to specialty bicycle tools needed to repair and maintain your bicycle, as well as access to friendly  mechanics on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Choose Your Ride

When it comes to shopping for a new ride, Edmonton is home to a variety of of bike shops geared for all levels of cyclists. Garneau’s Redbike is the place to go if you are looking for function and European style. They also have a number of group rides you can sign up for on their website. Western Cycle and Revolution Cycle carry a wide selection of mountain bikes, scooters, and road bikes. MEC and United Cycle offer bikes and other sporting accessories at multiple price-points. Also be sure to check out Velocity Cycle at the new Ritchie Market.

Thinking about moving to a cycle-friendly neighbourhood? The TruHome team can help you choose the best options when it comes to condos and homes in Edmonton’s Central communities. Be sure to explore these great Edmonton neighbourhoods: Downtown |  Oliver | Queen Mary Park | Garneau | Strathcona | Ritchie

Edmonton has a reputation for its low population density and large sprawl. Although it’s great to have space in our beautiful city, it may come at the cost of trying to provide services to outlying communities. We wrote about urban sprawl before, with great discussion from the Edmonton community about the pros and cons.

Last year, the city of Edmonton reported it would cost $1.4-billion to support Edmonton’s last three growth areas. It’s worth the time to check out Mayor Don Iveson’s take on urban sprawl here.  With this in mind, the city has been encouraging different options including infill development and the implementation of garage suites to try and boost the number of people living near Edmonton’s core. So we thought it would be interesting to look at the latest release from Statistics Canada’s dwelling census data.

Officially, the cities of Edmonton and Toronto occupy about the same land area, but Toronto has three times the population! The good news is that the land area that the City of Edmonton occupies has remained relatively unchanged since 2001. The population density has also increased by 15 per cent since 2011. That means for every square kilometre, there are about 175 more residents.

However, the question is how much of this is due to higher density housing, versus just new development in previously undeveloped areas of the city? The census only reports on the total land size of the city, not on how much of that land is undeveloped versus developed.

We decided to dig deeper and compare the change in the type of housing occupied by Edmontonians. Overall, there seems to be a marked increase in people living in medium-density housing. The growth since 2011 in single detached houses was slightly lower than the total growth of number of properties in Edmonton. On the other hand, growth in attached dwellings was higher, at 14 per cent. The largest growth was with semi-detached houses at 39 per cent.

It will be interesting to see if this increase in medium-density housing will be enough for Edmonton in the future, or if we will need to move towards more high-density housing like apartment buildings. Will Edmonton residents be willing to give up their space to keep the city sprawl down? Or will we even have a choice as the city reaches its outer size limits?

At TruHome, we are committed to keeping up with and analyzing the most current data to help you better understand projected growth and housing trends in the City of Edmonton. 

Take your inner artist for a walk on the wild side with ArtTourYEG, a cool initiative that lets users explore Edmonton’s vibrant art scene via Google Maps. The online tours are easy to use and are divided up into three separate experiences, all located within some great central neighbourhoods: Jasper Ave, The Quarters, and City Hall to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park.

Simply click on the icons on the interactive map, follow the directions on foot or using public transit, and learn more about the works of public art by reading the detailed descriptions provided on the online maps. According to the the website, users are invited to:

“Uncover the stories behind our love of quirky steel sculptures, tributes to over-the-top personalities, and sculpture we almost threw away.”

Explore Edmonton from the lens of Indigenous pre-settlement landscape to our modern day cityscape. From cubism to neon signs and art inspired by Picasso, this is a fun and unconventional way to view Edmonton’s controversial art found in the heart of the city.

Innovative art tours and urban exploration – two more reasons why Edmonton is the place to call your Truhome.