The story of one creative couple, their power tools and their adventures transforming their house into a home.

TEXT IRIS BENAROIA PHOTOGRAPHY ANGUS FERGUSSON

STYLING ANN MARIE FAVOT

A reciprocating saw is not what youd expect to find on a bridal registry. But Jennifer Flores and Sean Stanwick had a specific plan for their wedding booty. Shortly after the couple married in 2007, they purchased a modest 1950s home in midtown Toronto. It was boxy with a red brick exterior and was owned by an older woman who shared the space with her cats. Most notably, the interior was blanketed in pink shag carpeting, including an upstairs bathroom.

Most people wouldve taken one look at the sea of Pepto Bismol and ran, but not these two: "We saw the house as a laboratory we could experiment in," says Jennifer, the perky design blogger behind Rambling Renovators a site that gets 4,000 readers a day and more than 100,000 page views a month. Sean, an architect, is the muscle behind many of the couples projects at home. "I design, he builds - its a perfect match," says Jennifer. "When we got married, we put a lot of power tools on our wedding registry. When we moved from our condo, we got to try them out," she says with genuine excitement, which explains the picture - perfect DIY wainscotting in the dining room and nearby marble fireplace surround installed by Sean.

Theyve had other successes, too: They built an adorable window seat in their three - year - old daughter Chloes bedroom, affixed panelling behind the bed in the master bedroom that was so impressive it landed them on The Nate Berkus Show last year, and have stripped and painted several of the homes nicest pieces of furniture. An extreme craf ter, Jennifer has also recently taken up sewing.

Writing about their inventive designs is the couples raison detre. "Its a fun process to see our house coming together," says Jennifer of the 1,400 - square - foot, three - bedroom dwelling. She particularly likes how blogging, which initially felt like "writing in a vacuum," has created a communal, supportive network among the online design community. Plus, "it really gives you confidence to trust your own taste," she says.

Speaking of acts of derring - do, instead of blasting down all of the walls on the main floor, which is a typical move in renovations of this type, the couple maintained separate rooms. The idea to do so came from the architecture itself. "This 1950s house dictates make me cozy, make me a house for a family, so thats how we approached it," says Jennifer. "And I like the formality of an intimate dining room. I think if its open to the kitchen, you see the mess and you hear the chaos."

With that, she leads the way to the second floor. At every stop are thoughtful touches, such as the DIY radiator cover in the foyer complete with wee cubbyholes for Chloes shoes. In the master bedroom, Jennifer walks over to the modern - retro drapes: "These were very popular on my blog. People love Lhem!" She Lakes hold of one of the panels and, stroking it like its a baby bird, says, "they have full blackout lining and would you believe it?" Her voice drops a decibel. "Including the fabric and custom sizing, they were less than $400." She says this like its the best news of the day. And, for this intrepid DIYer, it really is.