Dingy Dresser

This was a thrift store find/birthday present. It had smooth drawers, solid wood, with a few coats of ugly grimy paint. jackpot.
With the wood in good condition this was a stripping project. Some quality time was spent with scrapers, liquid stripper and sandpaper to get rid of the gross.


With a few coats of BM penetrating stain and two coats of low lustre polyurethane and I have another piece for my bedroom set.

Lamp Post

I found this little blue lamp at the S.A. for $3. I liked the blue, but hated the gold/brass plated trim. I had read an article awhile back at Style North about stripping the brass plating off yourself and when I saw this lamp I knew it would be a good first experiment.






But the makeover didn't stop there, I needed a new shade. I found this beauty for $2, and an old white sheet which had a subtle pattern on it when held up to the light. The white on white pattern won't compete with the other fabrics in the room or be a boring white shade.

And the winner is....

Our Dining/Living/Kitchen paint colour has been selected. We are going with Benjamin Moore HC-169 Coventry Gray. Check back for the results.

Primed to Paint

I've been tempted lately to do a bit of painting in the new apartment. The kitchen-dining-living room in the house was a newer addition to the victorian apartment. The other rooms have crown molding, ceiling medalions and chair rails. The kitchen space is a seperate area with less character, but lots of windows and nice window trim. Unfortunatly this area also comes with the deaded apartment yellowy-white. It's got to go.
I'm leaning towards a gray for the walls. Here are some of the ideas which could work in this space.

Chandelier Transformation

The lack of overhead lighting in our apartment makes the desire to have a pretty chandelier very appealing....but that lack of overhead wiring makes the prospect too much work for a rental. My recent Sally find was the perfect next project. The wiring was disconnected on the chandelier and looked like it may have been outside for awhile but for $4 it was worth a shot... check out how we are making use of our find.

Clustered Collections of Colour

In our old kitchen I started a nice little collection of green glass to put some colour in our boring kitchen. The pieces are all random but the colour makes them all work well together.

Easy Breezy Curtains

1 Thrifted White Twin Sheet $0.99
1 Vintage Floral Sheet $1.99
1 Standard Curtain rod $3.29

Throw in a sewing machine, iron, spray starch, a couple of hours and we have ourselves some airy summer curtains.

Mirror Mirror...Not on the wall

I have spotted a theme in my thrifting recently...mirrored accessories. A set of mirrored drinking glasses, two mirrored vases and two picture frames with mirrored matting. I'll upload some photos soon of my finds-- and in the meantime here are some other great mirrored accessories out there.

What I've been doing this week....

The past week has been a nightmare. The noises which we thought were from the neighbours cat turns out to be RATS, and they made their way into our apartment. Panicking that we were stuck in this lease for another 11 months I used my keen negotiating skills (crying to the building manager) to cancel the lease that day.


20 car and truck loads later we have all of our things out of the apartment and moved into my sisters place. We are sleeping on the living room futon with our furniture and clothes piled to the ceiling.... at least it's rat free.



Oh and I forgot to mention. Ratsville is already on the apartment listings ... and they upped the rent! Classy.
On a lighter note at least I now know that I have something in common with a supermodel.

Fanclub

With the temperature pushing 30 degrees (Celsius)the past few days the memories of months of snow are fading and vague recollections of hot sun and warm nights are returning. To avoid complaining about the welcome warmth it is best to prepare yourself for those sticky nights. Luckily there are some great fans out there to beat the heat without messing with your style but those vintage fans can mess with your fingers, so keep them away from the kiddos.

Midweek Montage: Wartime Posters

I have always been fascinated with the history and time period of the World Wars. Throughout university my non-business electives were divided up between War History and Oceanography (interesting combo I know). Add in the ~salvaged bliss~ element and imagine my excitement when I first saw the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters popping up in home decor. I instantly wanted my own, but within months the market was saturated with these colourful re-creations ...so I reluctantly passed on my own.
Even though this KC&CO slogan was rarely used during the war there were other common slogans and sayings from Wartime. I have included other posters which sent messages to the home front and troops and I plan on incorporating some into my own designs.
















Posters from British National Archive

Branching Out

Spring is here and some out door scavenging may be in order. These painted branches look great but can also have some use... unlike a lot of things I bring home. Sticks of Lake Mushamush beware, I'm coming to get you.





photo 1, 2, 3

Hoot Hoot

Found this little guy at Value Village to watch over the apartment for us when we are out. Nice new addition to the white out wall after a coat of paint.