An Ottoman For Jess

After

I am way overdue for an update and this isn't even a holiday edition.  Still - it was a really fun project that allowed me to take a break from packing (I recently moved away from Toronto to Ottawa - more on that in another entry).

So picture someone surrounded by boxes and packing tape, eagerly pulling material off an old ottoman  ONE WEEK before her movers are set to arrive.  Yep - that's me.

My friend Jess had this awesome ottoman that look deceivingly innocent but I've been told is a cherished piece by the family as there are so many memories associated with it but that there is every possibility that some famous feet that may have rested upon the material.  I can only speculate!

Before

The really neat part of this project was the material chosen to recover the old traditional brown floral that had seen much better days.  Jess found an amazing modern twist on an art deco patterned material and while I would have walked past the colourful bolt - her eye went to it immediately.  The result is a traditional piece of furniture with a colourful modern twist.  I'm so pleased overall with how this turned out.

The secret for this piece was to treat both the cushioning on top and the base as different parts - covering each piece first and then attaching the elements together afterwards.

Fall Fun Touches

I'll admit that I'm obsessed with Christmas but I'm not really one to decorate for any other season.  This year seems to be the exception as I stumbled on so many cute items for both Thanksgiving and Halloween alike.  I went to West Elm for the first time last week and discovered all sorts of fun Halloween items on for half price.  I indulged in a glittery bat garland and some cute (bordering on creepy) plates.

I'm really big on cards for Halloween for my family and friends and sometimes the selection for this season is even better then Christmas.

Oh - and don't forget a wreath for the door.  Regardless of the season - I always stick with themes that don't revolve around a single day celebration.  Rather than a Christmas wreath - I prefer a winter theme (ie. snow men, snowflakes etc).   Along these same lines, I opted to stick with leaves, wheat and multi coloured gourds to cover both Thanksgiving and Halloween.

For an extra Fall flair - why not add a dash of essential oil to the wreath.  I added a few drops of the Body Shop's Pumpkin Nectarine home fragrance oil to the wheat and the grapevine portion of the wreath.  Now each time I enter my home I get a very subtle scent that instantly reminds me of pumpkin pie and falling leaves.

Chandelier Revisited



After



I recently received a chandelier - complete with actual crystals from a friend of my mother's and instantly knew where to hang it. My kitchen. The issue - it was brass and a little scuffed from the travel to my house.  The solution...paint it!



Before



If you are planning on doing this with an old chandelier - here's a tip - make sure you take a photo before with all the crystals in their correct location because this isn't the easiest thing to reassemble once it is hanging from the ceiling and a picture takes out a lot of the guess work.

I used various shades of brown, burnt sienna and copper paint and stippled over the brass finish.  The effect blends in beautifully with my kitchen (and hopefully makes it a little less country - I'm not allowed to paint out the wood cabinets but if I were - they would be painted white so quickly your head would spin). 

I will admit that any type of electrical work scares the bejezus out of me but I haven't let that stop me yet.  The neat thing about this piece is that I can paint it again if I choose to move and have it go with another colour scheme.  One thing is for sure - it will never be brass again.

Confessions of a Nature Collector

Post number 23 and I have a confession - I'm loving specimen type decor right now.  No, I'm not referring to taxidermy or harboring any other type of dead animals in my house but I've slowly been collecting bell jars and pieces of nature for a display.

I had rocks and shells from my travels as well as iridescent striped feathers that my aunt would send me in letters from her farm.  When I found a beautiful display cabinet at Home Sense - all of these pieces came together in my mind to be collected in a nature table of a sort.

I also came across old fashion natural history template pages online that I incorporated into the display.  My one fake in the display are the blue robin's eggs - they aren't eggs at all but some high end soap I bought at Soap & Water in Oakville.  I had no idea when I bought the soap that I would be using them for display purposes but I think they fit in well.

These display cases are so inexpensive and can be used for a variety of projects from a collection of old keys or even a wonderful place to hang necklaces and other jewelry.

As for the bell jars - I have a collection of old clocks and books that nestled in nicely with these shiny glass domes on my coffee table.  In the tiny bell jar, I found a cute mini plant that seems to tie it all together.  To be honest, only the tall dome is a real bell jar - the wide one is a cake dome and the small version was a cupcake dome but I've repurposed them for non-baking display.

I also found these great vintage looking books at Home Sense.  They are hollow and fantastic for keeping items such as remote controls, coasters and other clutter that lives in the living room.    I think I'll need to stay away from that store for a while.

Dot Obsessed

No - I have not decorated a room in polka dots but believe me - right now that may have been better.  I've been progressively  working to lose weight and have noticed that I've replaced eating with shopping - so not good.  So when my friend Wendy let me know that she had started selling Stella and Dot jewelry, I didn't think that much of it at first and later thought I'd be a good friend, support her new venture and book a party.

I should have known better - the moment I received the catalogue, I was hooked.   I found myself wanting to create the most exciting party I could, helping my friend create interesting displays and wooing my friends with the promise of baked goods.

While I knew it would be great for my friend if people made purchases - I'll be honest that this wasn't my priority.  It was more fun to be creative, get together with a group of girls, open a bottle of wine on a Friday night and giddily try on piece after piece of fun jewelry.  I think this is what sets Stella and Dot apart from other home parties - there are no fancy speeches, no hard sells - it is about trying on pretty girl things, oohing and ahhing over the sparkle, and just plain having a good time.

I have until mid this week to decide what I want to purchase and narrowing down the list will be difficult but I'm up to the challenge and will wait eagerly for my order to arrive in the fun multicolored packaging!

A huge thanks to everyone who came out - especially to my girlfriends who hung out until 1:00 am, chatting philosophically about the world and families - that is another blog entry for another day.

Tempted to purchase something yourself - by all means - click here but I warn you that the site and its contents are addictive!

Summer Flowers

I really love this time of year - fresh fruit, seasonal vegetables and the flowers!  Even my discount grocery store carries a wide variety at this time of year for a few dollars a bundle.  I see this as an opportunity to bring the summer inside, filling as many vases as possible while they last.

 If I find that I don't have enough filler for the arrangement or the size of the vase, I've been known to raid my garden for leafy stocks and additional flowers. This arrangement (left) for my bathroom was a combination of flowers that cost under $20 from the local grocer and a vase I had rescued from Value Village for very little money.

I'm also lucky to have a flower shop that sells wholesale flowers by the bundle near my home.  The pre-arrange flowers tend to be quite costly but if you are willing to take a chance and build your own arrangement, I've found that I walk away with a more flowers for less money.

I have to admit that there are some flowers that I'm not partial too.  Carnations bug me to no end - mainly what is done with them - everything from being dyed weird colours or mixed with baby's breath and other in expensive filler.  The only exception I've seen where carnations work was a creation I saw the real Martha create - all one colour, all bundled together and no other flowers or greenery added.  Beautiful.

I do hate waste and many of the bundles that come from the grocery store tend to have cheap fillers such as purple statice or baby's breath.  Rather than throw these away, I like to fill small vases with these as well as flowers that may have been damaged and cut short during the journey home.  These are great for putting on the bedside table in guest rooms or to add a little colour to any corner in your home.  Happy arranging!

Chair Days

Solid wooden furniture is a thing of the past - unless it is made by a professional carpenter in which case you are paying a great deal for the privilege.  Even the most high-end stores use particle board as the backing for drawers or on the underside of chairs.

  

That's why when you find a well-made piece of furniture at a second hand store - you grab it and run.

I was excited to find this old chair for a mere $20 at a local second hand shop and was thrilled to get started on applying many coats of white paint and a material swatch I had found at a textile sale.

The finished product turned out well and I thought it would be a nice piece for my bathroom although I really do visualize it with a nice desk one day (solid wood desk that is).  Let's hope I find that some day soon. 

Before

After

Whimsy and Cinderella for Juliet

Before

My niece is turning 3 this year and is ready for a "big girl" bed.  When her mom asked what type of bed she wanted, Juliet quickly replied "A Cinderella bed...with glass slippers."  It is incredible that one little sentence from one little girl could cause such a tornado of activity - mostly caused by her crazy aunts who immediatly charged into action when they were asked for help.

So how does one go about creating a "Cinderella" bed without purchasing all the lovely crap items that a certain mouse lead conglomerate produces on a regular basis?  We opted to stick to a royal theme and added elements from the movie to create a little whimsy and elegance perfect for a little lady.

 We started with the crown - a beautiful focal piece from a local antique shop in Toronto to anchor the room and have white tulle curtains dreamily flow down to the bed.  As the crown was not meant to be mounted to a wall - I was ever so grateful for my brother's mad design skills and the fantastic wooden mount he was able to create.

We choose beautiful Michael Miller fabric in glittery damask and crown patterns, added little mice from Ikea and of course, glass slippers!

And the whimsey - we added hand made blue birds to hold back the netting, similar to the blue birds  that hold up Cinderella's veil at the end of the film.

My sister-in-law accessorized the room with a beautiful mirror, hung at toddler height for a cozy costume nook and added some vintage flair in the form of an antique lamp and her Cinderella storybook that belonged to her when she was young.

The addition of crystal knobs to the existing dresser and new blue-stripped curtains added to the overal royal theme.

I know a big question is coming to mind - where was my niece when all of this was going down?  We enlisted my mother to keep her busy in the backyard and kept the door closed in time for a big reveal!

So it does take a village - but was so worth the effort as you can see from the reaction below.

Crown Hardware

Thank you to the Neighbors

My neighborhood is very generous with what it gets rid of.  Someone in my building rescued a gorgeous solid wood fireplace mantle and I have gotten a few wood chairs in need of a very little bit of TLC.  I always feel so conspicuous when I pull things from the curb.  I've lost out on some key pieces because someone on the street might "See Me" taking from the trash.  I know I'm not the only one on the street that feels this way.  I've seen so many of my neighbors circling items that were left on the curb and quickly looking up and down the street to see who was watching before they nabbed their treasure. 

I always seem to be on my way to work - weighing the pros and cons of being late in order to haul something back to my house.  I've literally done the dance where I've walked back to the piece and then walked away only to walk towards the item again and finally run from the item towards the bus stop while agonizing over my decision.  If this golden treasure just happens to be there on my return trip home (which it never is - let's be real people) I gleefully haul it back with me. 

So imagine my pure and utter joy when I discovered one half of an old wooden ladder.  I had no idea what I was going to do with this and thought maybe it would be something fun to hang on the wall.  It turned into the best paperback bookshelf imaginable - taking up minimum space while holding quite of few of my favourite books.  If you ask my sister - I have this weird habit of rereading certain books over and over again like I watching certain movies over and over again.  This is weird to her but just another one of my quirky tendencies but I digress - I found the perfect piece to store my hoard of much loved books.

I will probably add another piece of wood for additional shelving at some point but as you can see - a simple white wash over the old wood brought what was thought of as garbage to become a new and useful addition to my home.  So thank you neighbor that ditched the old ladder on your front lawn.  I am grateful!

5 O'Clock at the Oasis - Balcony Makeover

Okay setting up my balcony for summer is almost as fun as setting up my Christmas tree.  Almost.

I love my balcony but the funny thing is that for years I didn't use it - two words - direct sunlight!  Your feet would burn on the wood after a few minutes of being out there.  There used to be some shade provide by a tree close by however this bit the dust in one big storm.

Meanwhile - I had a 10x10 gazebo tent that was lounging in my closet from a previous dwelling.  I was irked that no one had created a balcony sized version of these inexpensive outdoor tents when it hit me - the poles could simply be cut with a pole cutter and the tent could be sewn smaller.

I have to admit - this was one of those projects that I was surprised it actually worked.

I purchased an inexpensive bistro set and a very inexpensive lounger but I did spend money on the lounger cushion to cover the (let's say it) cheap lounger and you would never know what was underneath. It is really difficult to find outdoor cushions in one colour.  Most are covered in obnoxious tropical fabric.  As I don't live on an island and am surrounded by evergreen trees - I was pleased to find a nice neutral cushion. I would also recommend an outdoor rug - whether you have a wood deck or cement, a rug really warms up the space..

For the past few years I've been purchasing small trees to and potting them to enjoy year over year rather than only relying on annuals that need to be replaced at the end of the season.

It makes for a magical start to the day - fresh air surrounded by annuals in bloom and my potted trees.  The lilac tree finally bloomed along with the cherry tree.

I will be spending as much time as possible out here - especially on the weekends.  It is a perfect place to curl up with a book or enjoy a morning coffee.  Hopefully the rain will hold off for the next few days.

The final touch - a star embellished musquito netting and mini outdoor chandelier make for a dreamy space inspired by the fantastic tent in the movie The Holiday.

From the film The Holiday

From the film The Holiday

Cupcakes Anyone?

Last week I tried a new twist on an old favourite for a birthday party - I attempted to stencil designs on cupcakes with food colouring.  I was able to do so on fondant and was so excited when I was able to find tiffany blue fondant at Bulk Barn.

Needless to say - I was really happy with how they turned out.  Simple stencils from the dollar store, black food colouring, fondant and vanilla macaroons were all the supplies needed.    I will say that if anyone attempts this themselves to have very little food colouring on your brush - it has a tendency to leak under the stencil.  Happy baking!

Paris Framed

I've had this old wooden bed frame for quite some time and although it wasn't my favourite, it certainly served its purpose until I found what I was really looking for.  The biggest problem is that I know what style of bed frame I want - it just isn't sold in Canada. In the mean time - this old frame is chipped and looking more ragged by the day.

My solution...come up with a new way to refresh the frame beyond a simple paint job. I'm actually quite happy with how this project turned out and it inspired smaller projects along a similar theme.

My main inspiration came from painted letters you would find on food or potato sacks.  Burlap wasn't going to work in my room so I opted for some soft grey canvas that just happened to be on sale (I love the buy 1 metre get 2 metres free sale)!

I found an address in Paris to use as for the design framed by olive leaves and created my own stencil.

Stencils are so easy to create yourself.  Simply print the word, saying or design out as large as you like on a standard piece of paper. Before you cut out your design - put a layer of clear packing tape over it so your stencil becomes hardier and won't be destroyed when you apply the paint on to it.

I ended up replicating a portion of the pattern on to lampshades and simple white pillow cases.  The overall effect is quite nice and cost me all of $14 for fabric.  I'm never sure when I start these projects if they will actually turn out but luckily this one did.

Magnetic Medicine Cabinet

What started out as a weekend project that I've been putting off for some time turned into a bit of inspiration on a lazy Sunday.

My medicine cabinet was clearly made in the 70s - the inside was a strange orange metal that was begging to be painted.  Having had way too much coffee I opted to choose today to paint it the same colour as my walls.

I was trying to come up with interesting containers to hold my everyday supplies when I remembered seeing an interesting idea someone had posted on Pinterest which suggested gluing magnets to old tins to use as containers.

As my cabinet is completely metal, I  suddenly wanted to glue magnets to all sorts of items...the result is below.

The fresh paint and seaside theme of my bathroom lead me to use river rocks and sand dollars as magnets.  A little hot glue goes a long way.  

The overall effect is fun and quirky.

Adding magnets to containers allows me to store additional items beyond what can fit on the shelves.  Like this idea but don't have any metal in your cabinet?  No worries - simply buy some magnet paint either online or at your local Home Depot.  Happy gluing!

A Red Velvet Cake for Anne

Last week I mentioned going to my first wedding shower of the season.  It was a great success and I was happy to be able to make the cake for the event. This cake may look impressive but really - it was quite easy to put together.

The key is rolled fondant - purchased in a tub from Bulk Barn.  Simply roll out the fondant as you would  cookie dough and place it over your layers of cake.  This cake was two layers of red velvet cake and one layer of vanilla with cream cheese icing in between layers and iced on top to ensure the red from the cake doesn't seep through the fondant.  Purchase some satin ribbon and fresh flowers to decorate.  A simple frame with the letter of the person's name is an easy and classic cake top.

Red velvet cake is becoming more popular in Canada.  A Southern U.S. tradition, this cake came about during WWII when a shortage of cocoa and sugar led to some creative substitutions.  The unique cake combines a small amount of cocoa mixed with buttermilk and red food dye to produce this colouring.  Traditionally, this cake is iced with cream cheese icing, producing a flavour all of its own.  Red food dye is certainly not always the best dietary choice as it can have health ramifications in large doses however I've tried recipes that use anything from beets to strawberry juice but the effect is not the same.  So - everything in moderation as they say.

If you are looking to purchase rolled fondant rather than making it yourself, I would recommend staying away from the Wilton fondant and spending the extra $5 on Liberty Virgin Ice White Fondant that comes in a 4lbs tub.  The Wilton fondant dries out rather quickly and becomes hard as a rock so if you don't use all of it in one go - you are out of luck.  The Liberty version keeps for a long time and is easy to mould.  It comes in a variety of colours as well.  Happy decorating!

Spring Showers

Tomorrow marks the first of the wedding showers that I will be attending this year.  This time last year, I was planning a wedding shower for my good friend at my home.

I love planning for these events although it had its harrowing moments.  My house is a decent size however I was on edge each time someone agreed to attend as I was worried about the space at the table.  I was determined that everyone who attended this celebratory brunch would sit down together at one table to eat and chat rather than having guests milling about in separate rooms.

I had hoped to also have it outside but this is always problematic in Toronto - too hot, too much rain - not worth the risk so indoors with the air conditioning was the way to go.

I borrowed chairs from all my friends and purchased tables that filled my now empty living.  Simple flowers in whites and violets filled many different sized vases which decorated the table along with hand made place cards and individual party gifts with matching purple ribbon greeted the guests (the bride likes purple).

I was excited to use all my serving dishes for the quiche and sweet treats.

Overall - the shower was a success with just the right amount of people attending.  Best advice I can offer - have a family member help (special thanks to my sister) and book a long holiday afterwards.  Sitting lakeside at the cottage was heaven!