Vintage Produce Crate Upcycle To Laundry Hamper

August 30, 2013, 6:31 am

≫ Next: Painted Armoire in Mercury Glass White

≪ Previous: Simple Master Bathroom Shelves

When I found this metal produce crate it was very rusty and grungy but I thought it would work as a small laundry hamper for our basement guest suite.

The crate was $3 at a re-use store and I used a metal brush to scrape the grunge off and washed it well. I like rusty items, but this was still way too messy so I decided to spray it with Krylon Chrome spray paint.

Last night I sewed a simple laundry bag with a drawstring to line the crate. The fabric is leftover from the white tablecloth drapes I sewed for our family room and patio doors. Please excuse the yellowish photos, I've got a lot to learn about photography and good lighting in our basement is a challenge on the best days. Early this morning it was even more of a challenge.

Our basement guest suite bathroom is small and there isn't room for a laundry basket or hamper. I didn't want a traditional laundry hamper sitting in the hallway because it is visible from the TV sitting area so I think this little vintage basket works well. It is big enough to hold our boy's socks they always take off when they are hanging out down there and it can catch towels when guests are visiting. The drawstring bag will make it easy to transport to our second floor laundry room when full too.

A wood bottom and casters may be added at some point, but I really like this inexpensive little vintage makeover.
Here's the cost breakdown:

rusty metal produce crate $3
white linen fabric $0
Krylon Chrome spray paint $6
Total: $9

Do you use traditional garbage cans and laundry hampers or do you have a creative re-use?

I'm sharing this at the following great link parties...
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Work It Wednesday at The Happy Housie, Amy at The Blissful Bee, A Place of My Taste, and The Turquoise Home
Be Inspired at Common Ground
Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now
The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

↧

Painted Armoire in Mercury Glass White

September 2, 2013, 11:33 am

≫ Next: Our Living Room ~New Pillows and A Painted Crate

≪ Previous: Vintage Produce Crate Upcycle To Laundry Hamper

Repainting and waxing this large storage armoire in our family room is a project I am glad to have checked off my list. I like it so much better now that it is white.

This is the second time I tackled painting this armoire and I shared the change from blue to white here. This weekend I tackled waxing and buffing and now after quite the arm workout I am happy to say it is finished.

We use the upper part of the armoire for office storage and I would still like to add corkboard to the inside of the upper cabinet doors. I have the cork and just need to take the time to apply it. The bottom section is used for canning jars and plastic storage containers.

This is the armoire from the kitchen side. The white doesn't stand out as much as the blue did. I love lots of white in my furniture and woodwork and then adding interest with pops of colour or texture.

The armoire was painted with the same colour I used on the buffet and hutch in the eat in area of our kitchen and the little bookcase under the window in the family room, Ben Moore Origins in Mercury Glass.

The Mercury Glass is a different tone than our woodwork white, more of a greyed white.

I still need to deal with drapes because I took the pair of white tablecloth curtains on the patio doors down to wash them and they shrunk. When I went to let the hem down I realized how sun faded they were and hung the drop cloth pair for privacy for now. It looks odd but I will soon make or buy five new panels. I also plan to move the curtain rods in a bit tighter to the windows so the curtains don't tuck behind it.

The big green bottle is a recent addition to the galvanized sap pails and watering can and the wire basket filled with pinecones. I like the pop of green with all the neutrals. It will soon be time to add a wheat sheaf for Fall.

Lots still to do but I really like how this area is coming along. In the past week or two I have finally bought some Annie Sloan chalk paint and wax that I'm dying to try just as soon as I finish a couple of other projects. I also picked up two dressers and a pine twin cannonball bed for our guest bedroom. That should keep me busy for quite a while! Hoping you are enjoying your Labour Day weekend. It's back to school for my guys tomorrow (Gr. 9 and Gr. 11) and back to work for me.

Sharing this at the following link parties...

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch, The Farmhouse Porch, Confessions of A Plate Addict, and White Lace Cottage

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

↧

Our Living Room ~New Pillows and A Painted Crate

September 3, 2013, 6:00 am

≫ Next: A New Mirror and Early Fall in Our Entry

≪ Previous: Painted Armoire in Mercury Glass White

When I stumbled upon this modern floral fabric with a mix of my favourite neutrals and aquas I knew it would be perfect for some new pillow covers for our living room.

I love the neutral base of our living room because I can easily add my favourite aquas, turquoises and blues. The white walls, white painted tables, white slip covered chair, and ruffled pillow slips give me the lighter softer look I crave and the leather sofa and wood dresser add the rustic element I love so much.

The pillow fabric was fairly expensive for my budget, so I only bought enough for three pillow fronts and used a heavy canvas from my stash for the envelope backs (with my sil's 40% off Fabricland card it worked out to about $5/pillow slip.) The new 18" pillow inserts were $9 each from the fabric district in Hamilton, ON.

The fabric background is off white with light beige, grey, blue, turquoise and aqua floral motifs. A hint of modern and the colours are so me.

Over the summer I painted this crate from Michael's craft store with leftover blue paint, sanded the edges and then stained it. For now I tossed some extra pillows in it but I may add casters and use it for quilts or throws.

Like the rest of our home our living room is evolving and not finished but I am really liking the way it is looking (blurry photos and all!) I am keeping an eye out for a larger end table for the right side of the couch (the little one belongs in our basement tv room.) An area rug isn't in our budget right now (unless I find an awesome deal.)

The curtain rod needs to be hung up and I will add a pair of white panels.

We have a matching chair to the white slip covered chair that is currently in our family room that I may bring in here and put in place of the white Windsor chair. The Canada flag pillow I made also belongs in our basement tv room.

So you can see there are still projects in the works, but the very next project in this room will be adding the new frames I bought to expand the gallery wall above the sofa. It will involve taking the frames down, starting the spacing from scratch, tracing the frames on kraft paper and some wall putty. Thanks for stopping by!

↧

A New Mirror and Early Fall in Our Entry

September 9, 2013, 4:38 pm

≫ Next: Upcoming Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

≪ Previous: Our Living Room ~New Pillows and A Painted Crate

I'm settling back into a work routine and really missing the long summer days spent at home. With last week being the first week back for me (and my guys heading back to school) I have only added a few early Fall touches to our front entry.

At the end of August I had the pleasure of meeting Chania from Razmataz at her and a friends vintage/yard sale. One of the items I picked up was this little brown wooden bench. I may end up painting it but for now it is a great perch for a wood berry wreath and a scented candle on the hall cupboard. The ironstone pitcher holds our eyeglasses spray and cloths. The long crate on the ledge stores our eyeglass cases and sunglasses in one handy spot.

I switched out a dark framed mirror that was too tall for this vintage one that I recently painted white. The white frame looks much better with our white trim and I think it is a better size for this wall. Bonus that the mirror was free and the primer and paint was from my supplies.

This is the before of the mirror that we found curbside while on vacation and staying with family. My sister-in-law told us about the Goods Exchange Day that was happening the next day where residents in nearby Owen Sound place usable and unwanted items at curbside for people to pick up from 8 am to 6 pm on the Saturday. We only went to a couple of streets later in the day but I was happy to find the mirror.

We don't have a garage or mudroom entrance so our small front entry area has to be organized and functional. I recently shared the entry hall closet re-organizing. Last week I decided to add the large crock for stuff our oldest son uses for his goats or when visiting his 4-H calf. He can put the fly spray, brushes, ropes and halters in the crock and I don't have to keep moving them off the cupboard.

Fall scented candles are my favourites year round. I am totally a cinnamon bun, maple, apple, pumpkin or caramel candle type. They smell wonderful and have fewer calories than the real thing ; )

I will be adding more Fall touches in the coming weeks, but I like the little changes made so far to our entry hall. Saturday was our local fair and it poured rain all morning and throughout the Dairy show. Sunday was a beautiful and pleasantly warm day for our 4-H Rabbit show and the Fair was very busy. Tuesday and Wednesday the temps are rising to horribly hot and humid (40C with humidity) but it looks like it will cool down to pleasant temps for next weekend and the next Fair.

Have you had a chance to add any Fall touches to your home, or are you finished already?

I'm hanging out at the following great parties...

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch, The Farmhouse Porch, Confessions of a Plate Addict, White Lace Cottage

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

↧

Upcoming Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

September 17, 2013, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Simple Rustic Fall in Our Dining Room

≪ Previous: A New Mirror and Early Fall in Our Entry

My calendar is marked and I'm going to the Oliver and Rust vintage style barn sale on Saturday October 5 th!

Meg of Oliver and Rust has a gorgeous home and her vintage style is so inspiring. The Oliver and Rust vintage style barn sale will include solid wood restyled furniture painted in the country European style that Meg does so well. There will be dressers, end tables, occasional tables, coffee tables, china cabinets and many more items to choose from, including the pieces pictured in these photos.

There will be handmade décor to add to your home or give as gifts, including pillows made from new and vintage materials and farmhouse style signs. Preserved boxwood and juniper like you see in Meg's home and other favourite blogs will also be for sale and I'm hoping to pick up some for our home.

I often find myself re-visiting Meg's home tours and blog posts for inspiration. I love the way she displays her vintage finds, architectural pieces and interesting collections. The barn sale will include a great selection of vintage and antique décor including items like French dough boards, shutters, architectural windows and poles, baskets, silver platters and candlesticks, unique trays, scales, bottles, mason jars, antlers, blankets and lots and lots of white and transferware ironstone.

This is the kind of vintage style barn sale that I have been dreaming of being able to attend and finally, finally this one is close enough to visit. All this vintage, handmade and restyled loveliness in one spot on one day. I can hardly wait! And I just know it is going to be so worth the drive (just over an hour from Toronto, people!) Invite your friends and make a day of the sale and a beautiful Fall drive to Welland, Ontario.

Meg has been kind enough to let me share her photos and the details:

Oliver and Rust vintage style barn sale

Saturday October 5, 2013 from 10am sharp only-5pm

location: 237 Doan's Ridge Rd

Welland, Ontario

(Please note this will be a cash or paypal only event.)

To see gorgeous photos of Meg's home be sure to visit the Oliver and Rust blog at www.oliverandrust.com

or visit their facebook page at facebook.com/oliverandrust to view the oliver and rust October show album for photos of many of the items that will be available for purchase.

↧

Simple Rustic Fall in Our Dining Room

September 23, 2013, 5:34 pm

≫ Next: Welcome October, Fall Fair Animals, and Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

≪ Previous: Upcoming Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

Fall has arrived and except for a few warmer than normal days we are noticing the change to cooler mornings and evenings.

Now that I am back to work after the summer, and the guys are back to school, my free time is more limited. I have been slowly adding some Fall touches to our home and got a chance to snap a few photos late this afternoon in our dining room.

On the farmhouse table I layered an off-white check runner over the white gathered edge table runner. The black toolbox used as a centrepiece is filled with a wooden berry garland and white pillar candles wrapped in birch bark. The toolbox was a yard sale gift from my sister-in-law. I painted it black and added the wood stars a few years ago.

Simple, rustic and easy to move when we have company for dinner. The best part is that it took about 15 minutes to pull together using items we already had. I hope to share more of the simple changes to our home for Fall soon. I'm off to walk our dog with my sister and niece, and it is cool enough for jeans and a hoody -one of my favourite parts of Fall. Do you go all out for Fall decorating or are you keeping it simple?

I'm sharing this at...
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

↧

Welcome October, Fall Fair Animals, and Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

October 2, 2013, 8:32 pm

≫ Next: Rearranging the Gallery Wall in Our Living Room

≪ Previous: Simple Rustic Fall in Our Dining Room

I can hardly believe that October is here already. We have been busy with Fall Fairs most weekends and I haven't had much free time for projects around our home, or posting either!

This was the first year for a new 4-H goat club in our county. Both our guys showed our oldest son's goats for the first time at a local fair in September. They placed 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd.

If you get a chance to visit a Fall Fair in your area, do it! I put together a few quick collages using some iPhone photos. The chicks look so cute and soft!

There is so much to see and do and all ages seem to enjoy the Agri-Awareness tents.

Our oldest son had a Dairy show every weekend in September and both boys completed Rabbit Club too.

My favourite part of this time of year is crisp early Autumn mornings at the fairs wearing jeans, a hoodie and riding boots and walking in the dewy grass while the farmers and young people are setting everything up.

We are enjoying great weather this week (in the late teens and early 20C's.) The leaves are changing with lots of gold, oranges and bright reds. It is going to be a great Fall drive to Welland, Ontario on Saturday (October 5th) forOliver and Rust's vintage style barn sale. If you are local to southern Ontario you should check out my post on the barn sale here.

I hope you are having a great week. If you get a chance, head out and enjoy a local fair or small business event. Fall can be such a beautiful season and winter will be upon us in no time.

↧

Rearranging the Gallery Wall in Our Living Room

October 7, 2013, 4:42 pm

≫ Next: Architectural Salvage In Our Living Room

≪ Previous: Welcome October, Fall Fair Animals, and Oliver and Rust Vintage Barn Sale

The gallery wall above the sofa in our living room has been a work in progress for some time. I was struggling with it and I was working with framed pieces we already owned. The number of nail holes in the wall was a good indicator of the haphazard approach I was taking.

I had plans to make it wider and recently picked up some new frames. I also pulled a print from another room. I'm really liking how it is looking now. All the frames are black and the mats are black or white. So far the gallery contains some favourite cow themed art pieces and photos. Clockwise from top left I have: 1. a Holstein cows in field piece I cross stitched many years ago, 2. a Nancy Noel Amish boy with calf print, 3 and 4. our oldest son showing his first 4-H beef calf and dairy calf projects, 5. a Duncan winter cows print, 6. a Charolais calf our son showed that won best calf in breed at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and 7 and 8 are new frames that I plan to add photos to of our youngest son driving tractors (he's a tractor enthusiast, not so much cows like his older brother.) The 'Feed and Seed' sign is one I painted.

This was one of the arrangements I tried but it still seemed too narrow compared to the width of the couch.

I decided to take all the frames down and start fresh.The wall behind the frames was full of nail holes from my many miscalculations so I filled all the holes and started with a blank wall. I placed the framed pieces on the floor on kraft paper, including three new frames (I only ended up using two new ones.) I would rearrange the frames, walk away, and then come back and try again.

When I finally settled on an arrangement I traced all the frames on the paper and we taped it to the wall. Then I used my picture hanger tool to mark the spots for nails, lining the frames up with the pencil tracings.

When all the nails were placed, we tested the frame placements and then removed them and took down the paper template. All the nails were properly placed and no extra holes in the wall -yeah!

Do you think it fits the space better now? Tomorrow I will be sharing some architectural salvage pieces that I have added to this room.

I'm sharing this with...

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch, Farmhouse Porch, Confessions of a Plate Addict, White Lace Cottage, and The Everyday Home.

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

↧

Architectural Salvage In Our Living Room

October 8, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Black and White Transferware Plates in Our Living Room

≪ Previous: Rearranging the Gallery Wall in Our Living Room

I love the character and charm that architectural salvage pieces can add to a home. There is so much history in these old pieces and I love imagining the homes and farmhouses they once adorned.

This weekend I was fortunate to find some affordable salvage pieces at Oliver and Rust's Vintage Style Barn Sale. Meg had an amazing sale and has collected and painted some really great items. I could have stayed all day soaking in the vintage loveliness but my sister-in-law came along and she might have thought that was weird :) It was great to meet another blogger in real life too. I was really drawn to her painted pieces but ended up buying three salvage pieces- an old six-paned window, a perfectly chippy tall column and a small baluster.

These rustic pieces would work in lots of places in our home but for now I put them in our living room. Like the rest of our home, our living room is a work in progress on a tight budget but I really like how it is looking. I would love to find a large affordable area rug and I have plans to add larger end tables next to the leather couch.

This is the chippy baluster I bought. I will be looking into ways to seal the chippy paint.

I love the chunkiness of the column, possibly an old porch post. There are so many ways to display old windows and this paned window may end up on a wall.

I am still adding a few Fall touches to our home. This large candle is wearing a cosy that I knit last year (hey, if mugs can have scarves why not candles lol.)

The chippy single pane window leaning on the large white mirror was from a different sale last year. I added the trio of stemmed candle holders with maple pecan votives and the large pine cone to the dresser vignette for more Fall texture and scents.

A berry garland with rusty metal stars fills a footed mercury glass bowl. Although not the greatest photo, this shows more of the six paned mirror.

This is the photo gallery with a cow theme that I shared here. I think it fits the space above the sofa much better now.

Another large pine cone and two seeded glass lanterns were added to the coffee table. Simple and quick -just what I need in these busy days. I know I have lots of accessories going on, but I enjoy seeing our collections. Rustic, casual, and reflecting our family. It has rained on and off since Friday and I was fortunate that the sun came out early this afternoon, just in time to snap a few photos when I got home from work at 3.

I'm sharing this at the following great link parties...

Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours

↧

Black and White Transferware Plates in Our Living Room

October 13, 2013, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Fall Finds and Happy Thanksgiving

≪ Previous: Architectural Salvage In Our Living Room

While visiting the Aberfoyle outdoor antique market this past summer I stumbled upon a box of vintage black and cream transferware in a cardboard box. When I inquired about the price of the largest platter, the vendor told me I could have the whole box for $20 but that I had to take it all. Broken and chippy pieces too. Some pieces I kept and the chippy and broken pieces I discarded.

Earlier this month I shared how I finally rearranged the gallery wall above the leather sofa in this room. Then last week I shared updated photos of our living room including some recent architectural salvage finds. Today I finished hanging the farm scene black and cream transferware plates to the platters already on the wall.

On the left when I had just the large platters, and on the right with the addition of the dinner plate and pair of side plates.

I really like how the smaller plates add the other farm life scenes to this grouping. It is a rainy and cloudy day today so the plate details are not showing up as well as they could. You can see closer details of the transferware scenes in this post, plus photos of some of the other pieces I saved from that same box. I moved the Kimberley fern into this shady front room. It gets just enough light and is less likely to get bumped into.

I love this little spot with the comfy chair with a white ruffled slipcover. Even though the white denim slip cover I sewed is washable, there is a reason for the cream throw covering it....

when I am in our living room reading or taking photos, my shadow Remington lets us know this is her favourite spot. We celebrate our Canadian Thanksgiving tomorrow and will be hosting some of our family, 20+ people, so today we are doing a bit of prep work. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers and a happy weekend to everyone else.

Sharing this link at the following great blog parties...

Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.

↧

Fall Finds and Happy Thanksgiving

October 14, 2013, 7:00 am

≫ Next: More Fall in Our Family Room and Kitchen

≪ Previous: Black and White Transferware Plates in Our Living Room

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and readers!

Today I am sharing some photos of recent finds, both new and vintage.

This vintage pudding bowl will go on the kitchen hutch with my ironstone collection, including similar larger bowls.

This large white oval bowl is a new HomeSense find. I will enjoy using it to serve our Thanksgiving dinner today. The mini white pumpkins are from the grocery store.

This aqua handled wooden rolling pin will be added to my collection on the counter. I thought it was a great deal at $7. I may try to sell a few of the red ones now lol. The colour is so me!

This jug with cheese board was an antique store find in Niagara and I would like to list it.

In the same antique store (a huge old home right on Lake Ontario, actually) I spotted this little cream bottle and dice ($3 for all.) My guess is the smaller dice are quite vintage, They are smaller than modern dice and are quite worn, even chippy. The bottle will be added to my collection on the kitchen hutch and the dice will go in my basement game piece collection.

I found another vintage small ironstone oval plate, perfect for a soap or trinket dish, or for display. I love putting little oval plates like this under soap pumps on counters. I may list this one.

From a local gift/coffee shop I picked up some replacement votives of my favourite Fall scents (I enjoy them all year.)

The grocery store also had these cute small white pumpkins for $2.49. I might have to go back for more -they are so cute! We are hosting a large family dinner today. My sister's family, a brother and sil, my dad, a niece's family and a nephew's family. Lots of teenagers and 4 great nieces and a great nephew. We will have all the usual -turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, lots of veggies, rolls, caesar salad, meatballs (my hubby and guys are not fond of turkey) and pies for dessert. Yum! I can hardly wait and thank goodness for a dishwasher and extra hands.

Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.

↧

More Fall in Our Family Room and Kitchen

October 18, 2013, 4:14 pm

≫ Next: Painted White Framed Corkboard

≪ Previous: Fall Finds and Happy Thanksgiving

Today I am sharing some more photos of our home decorated for Fall, this time in our kitchen and family room.

With limThe hutch in our kitchen is simple with lots of neutrals and a few Fall scented votives.

The open kitchen shelves have a pair of pumpkin soup tureens added to the vintage scale, ironstone and vintage Crown canning jars. Orange is not a colour I use in our home except for small amounts of orange in seasonal décor.

The plaid flannel quilt and pillow are pieces I sewed a few years ago. I love how soft the flannel feels. The plaid and sherpa throw on the chair is temporary.

On the ruffled slip covered ottoman I added a tray with a faux berry wreath, ceramic and metal Cinderella pumpkin and a lantern.

This is the before of the solid pine tray that I picked up at a garage sale.

I painted it using leftover pale green for the base colour and white for the top coat. A light distressing, wax and in no time a whole new look for $2.

On the armoire between the kitchen patio doors and the family room windows I added a wheat sheaf and pinecones for some natural texture.

The vintage galvanized watering can, sap buckets and large green bottle are favourite pieces and I like how they add some interest and height to this cathedral ceiling area. I'm still searching for new drapes (or fabric to make drapes) since the white matching pair on the patio doors were too faded to rehang.

I placed a scented pumpkin spice candle with berry and star candle ring on the battered wood drop leaf table that we are using as a computer desk. Our (Canadian) Thanksgiving was this past Monday and with 21 family members for dinner it was a loud and fun celebration. This weekend will be a much easier pace and I hope to get some Halloween decorating done.

I'm linking up to the following parties...

Be Inspired at Common Ground

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

↧

Painted White Framed Corkboard

October 30, 2013, 4:07 pm

≫ Next: Happy Halloween and a Vintage Gold Framed Chalkboard

≪ Previous: More Fall in Our Family Room and Kitchen

I have a bad habit of collecting supplies, starting a project and then not finishing it. This cork board is one of those projects.

Late this summer I painted a gold mirror that I shared here, that we are using in our entry hall. At the same time I painted a wobbly gold frame that I found for $1 at a garage sale. I spray painted the old frame white but I wasn't happy with the coverage so I used some homemade chalky paint for the final coat. I bought a roll of cork from Target for around $10, stuck the roll in our office armoire one day in a quick clean up and left it there. For about two months -there's that bad habit.

This weekend I decided I was tired of seeing the frame leaning up against the kitchen wall and got the supplies back out to finish it. I added the peel and stick cork to a foam core board backing (free from my niece.) I hammered in a saw tooth hanger and in about 15 minutes I had a completed cork board.

The fresh white paint really highlights the pretty floral and leaf details on the frame (and covers up a few chippy parts.) For photo purposes I hung the completed board on our unfinished fireplace wall. It measures a nice 30" x 20".

That's one more unfinished project checked off my list. Now I need to decide where to use it and hopefully it won't take me two months to decide! Are you a start and finish immediately type or are you like me and often drag projects out?

For a total of less than $11 (with leftover cork) I have a fresh new/vintage cork board.

I'm sharing this at the following parties...

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

↧

Happy Halloween and a Vintage Gold Framed Chalkboard

October 31, 2013, 4:11 pm

≫ Next: Christmas 2012 Around Our Home

≪ Previous: Painted White Framed Corkboard

Happy Halloween! I was going to come home from work today (where we had a fun Halloween party with lots of food and games) and snap a few photos of our Halloween decor indoors and outside. Unfortunately it has been pouring rain and extremely windy most of the day and into this evening. The creepy cobwebs are sodden messes blown high in the trees and my guys have just about given up on picking up and rehanging the outside decorations. We usually get 80-110 kids to the door but tonight the Trick or Treat traffic is really slow. We will be lucky to see half of that. So, no Halloween photos but a project instead...

I have painted and sold a few chalkboards but I'm keeping this one!

For some time now I have been searching for a chunky gold frame that I could make over into a chalkboard.

Earlier this summer I found this framed piece at a garage sale for $5. While the subject matter was nice, the scene was just printed on the backing and very faded. I tried living with it for awhile but it clearly was an inexpensive piece with fake brush strokes.

I loved the linen type inner border though. Two coats of Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint that I had on hand transformed the backing into a chalkboard. After the paint cured for a few days I put it back in the frame. I still need to condition the chalkboard with chalk but I couldn't wait to take photos, overcast afternoon and all.

Now I have to decide on a Christmas message to write and practice, practice. Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and I will be packing away Halloween. Bring on Christmas! I know it is too early for many but I can't help dreaming and planning. My Pinterest board is filling up with lots of inspiration.

I'm sharing this with...

Inspire Me Please at Liz Marie blog

The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush

Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours

↧

Christmas 2012 Around Our Home

November 18, 2013, 2:50 pm

≫ Next: Pottery Barn Inspired PEACE Sign

≪ Previous: Happy Halloween and a Vintage Gold Framed Chalkboard

Between family, work and volunteer commitments I have been absent from blogging this month. My spare time in the evenings and on weekends has been spent finishing some home projects and making plans for Christmas this year (our Canadian Thanksgiving is over in mid October so it's fair game for us Canuck's now!)

Our Porch Christmas 2012

I'm sharing a look back at Christmas décor in our home last year for inspiration and to get me in the mood for planning and prep. Some new items have already been purchased and I will be finding some new ways to use our regular decorations. You can click on the titles under the photos to link back to the original posts with more details.

Our Living Room Christmas 2012

I will still be using lots of neutrals and naturals and adding more red this year.

Our Dining Room Christmas 2012

Our Family Room Christmas 2012

Our Kitchen Christmas 2012

Our Basement Guest Suite Christmas 2012

I hope to share a few items I have made and painted recently and some glimpses of Christmas décor in our home as well. But first I have a bathroom to paint and some furniture to move around.

↧

Pottery Barn Inspired PEACE Sign

November 23, 2013, 7:48 am

≫ Next: Christmas Pillows and a Leather Recliner

≪ Previous: Christmas 2012 Around Our Home

Inspired by a Pottery Barn sign, I just finished painting a PEACE sign for our living room Christmas décor.

The vintage wooden skis are a pair that I have been using for the last few years, found for $10.

Christmas Styles | Pottery Barn luxe/ski lodge

This Pottery Barn photo from their Ski Lodge collection inspired the sign.

The Pottery Barn version seems a bit bigger and thicker but I was using supplies I had on hand late one night when inspiration struck. I don't know about you, but inspiration usually strikes for me right about when I should be climbing into bed for the night! My goal was to use only supplies on hand so I started by painting a pine board from the basement stash two different whites. Then I printed the font on the computer, cutting the letters out and tracing them onto the board.

I painted the letters with a bright red, two coats. I let everything dry for two days, mostly because I was too busy to get back to it. Then I quickly roughed up the board with sand paper. I added the wrong type of stain and had to wipe it off with a wet rag, causing the red paint to bleed a bit -oh well! The board was top coated with some watery white paint and that helped a bit.

Next time I will use a liquid stain or dark wax and distress the edges more but I still like it and enjoy seeing this sign in our living room. I'm so glad the weekend is finally here and I can get some more work done on our Christmas decorating.

I'm sharing this easy and affordable Christmas sign at the following great link parties. Hope to see you there...

Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different...Act Normal

Be Inspired at Common Ground

↧

Christmas Pillows and a Leather Recliner

November 24, 2013, 5:13 pm

≫ Next: White Denim Bags with Pockets for Christmas

≪ Previous: Pottery Barn Inspired PEACE Sign

I sewed some new pillows for our family room to bring more red into our Christmas décor.

The JOY pillow was fun and easy to make. I picked a font on the computer, traced it onto some leftover muslin, then filled in the letters with a mix of bright red craft paint and textile medium. I stitched it into a simple pillow cover after the paint thoroughly dried (to make the piece easy to handle and in case I messed up lol.)

Our family room tree has a red and black buffalo check ribbon so I was happy to find this flannel fabric. I stitched some simple pillow slips and they are very soft and cosy. I'm still looking for an affordable pair of lamps to replace the turquoise ones I painted.

We bought the Natuzzi leather recliner from a neighbour who is downsizing and moving into their daughter's home. They were only asking $50 for it and it's real leather. So comfy and I love a mix of leather and white. With full grown guys in our home this recliner is a favourite spot to sit in front of the big screen TV. The white and turquoise pie cabinet in the corner is just there temporarily. I added a new piece to the dining room and had to do some furniture shuffling. I spent most of the weekend decorating for Christmas and rearranging. Still lots to do though. Wishing my American friends a great week leading up to your Thanksgiving.

Linking up to the following parties...

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

↧

White Denim Bags with Pockets for Christmas

November 29, 2013, 4:44 pm

≫ Next: Christmas 2013 Living Room Coffee Table Vignette

≪ Previous: Christmas Pillows and a Leather Recliner

Instead of my original idea to add a pair of matching wreaths to the doors of the armoire in our family room, I decided to sew a pair of bags and fill them with Christmas accents.

The fabric for the bags came from a pair of white denim capris that were too big for me. I made sure to include the back pockets with pretty silver stitching. After I stitched them into bags I added a lace edged trim to each one.

The bottoms of the bags are stuffed with tissue paper and the tops are tied with a sisal twine. I used stamps with "Merry Christmas" and snowflakes to decorate manilla tags and tied on vintage looking keys.

I wrapped small presents in white paper and used a flannel scrap as 'ribbon', adding red and white baker's twine. The present is nestled in snowy bunches of greenery, a pine cone and berries. I used red and white rick rack to hang the bags from the upper doors of the armoire.

The armoire is so much easier to decorate since I painted it Mercury Glass White (Ben Moore.) And I think these little Christmas bags are as cute as wreaths but since I had all the supplies on hand they were very affordable. If you missed the Christmas pillows I sewed you can find them here, and I also painted a Pottery Barn inspired PEACE sign here. Both the living room and family room trees are decorated and I will be sharing more décor soon. Have you started or finished your holiday decorating?

Linking up to the following parties...
Be Inspired at Common Ground
Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors

↧

Christmas 2013 Living Room Coffee Table Vignette

November 30, 2013, 3:56 pm

≫ Next: Christmas 2013 Our Rustic Country Kitchen

≪ Previous: White Denim Bags with Pockets for Christmas

Today I added fresh pine and cedar to our Christmas decor including the coffee table arrangement in our living room.

Our living room has been decorated for over a week now, but I was waiting for today to add the greenery so that it doesn't dry out too soon.

For the coffee table vignette I used the colours, textures and themes that I am using throughout our living room this Christmas: fresh greenery and pine cones, stars, mercury glass, silver, white, cream, brown and grey. I lined the charcoal grey wood tray with a white vintage cutwork linen piece and then added pine cones, white wood stars, large mercury glass balls, medium shiny silver balls, clear blown glass vase fillers and a mix of small white, silver and cream ball ornaments.

Small ball ornaments were also added to the pair of lanterns along with a shiny silver bell hanging from the top, repeating the balls and bells theme used on the tree and throughout the room.

I love how the tree lights reflect off the ornaments (but not so much how they reflect the photographer lol.) It is fun and challenging to decorate our home using mostly the same decorations as last year and creating different vignettes. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Our living room is fully decorated and now I just need to get some time and light to take photos so I can share it all.

↧

Christmas 2013 Our Rustic Country Kitchen

December 6, 2013, 8:30 pm

≫ Next: Christmas 2013 Our Rustic Country Family Room

≪ Previous: Christmas 2013 Living Room Coffee Table Vignette

The home tours on blogs this week have been amazing and so fun to see. Today I am sharing our rustic country kitchen decorated for the holidays. I added more reds and simple greenery this year. The sun hasn't been cooperating this week but I was able to still get lots of photos. That's a warning, lol. And since there is so much to do at this time of year, and so many homes to visit, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

I think it's fun to find new uses and a new look using items we already own. The only new Christmas purchases for the kitchen were the greenery bunches and the cute red and navy deer sweater plates from Real Canadian Superstore ($3.49/pkg.of 4.) Thanks for visiting! I will be back tomorrow with a tour of our family room.

Joining in on the party fun at....

Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors

↧

Latest Images