Monday, December 26, 2011

Time to Relax



Well all the shopping the wrapping and the shipping off of presents is over, everyone has received their gifts and all were happy with my choices. I miss my family very much but even more over the holidays, I hope next year we can have a big family Christmas at my house. I suppose I am not the only one that is lounging around in my pyjamas today enjoying the rest after all the hustle and the bustle. I am not into boxing day crowds and the madness that occurs on boxing day shopping, i have been to a mall once in the last year. We have everything we need in the house as far as electronics and stuff, they only thing that gets me shopping is vintage and antique finds.
I decided that even though our family was far away i would do a little bit of baking for the two of us, and some cookies for two of our neighbours. I decided to make sugar cookies and since all of my baking supplies are now in my hoosier, I decided to use the porcelain pull out table top to roll them out on and to decorate them. As I was doing this I couldn't help but wonder how much baking has been done on this table top. The hoosier is 110 years old so I am sure it has seen its share of baking, I felt honoured to be among the women who had used this to conjure up yummy deserts. If only my hoosier could talk I would love to know its history and all that it has seen. I love having it as part of my kitchen and cannot believe how much I can store in it, it holds all of baking supplies and all of kitchen gadgets and utensils. I also found some vintage cookie cutters at different thrift stores and used those to help form my cookies into different shapes. You might think its silly that things like this bring me such happiness but I love knowing that the things I am using have a history and a story of their own.
My grandmother used to have a saying, everything in its place and a place for everything. Well I find a place for everything but i love to think of where it has been. My home is surrounded with unusual items, some might think, but items with a past life and now a new life with me. My style might not be able to be defined, but most of these items have a meaning and a story and they make me happy. should your home not make you happy, I don't fill my home with stuff just to fill it, i fill it with things that make me smile. On my microwave I have a set of cow salt and pepper shakers, they are smiling cows and they are cute and when I look at them and their funny little grins it makes me smile. In my bathroom I have beautiful handpainted alabaster containers and an alabaster perfume bottle on a shelf, they are pretty and unique and they make the room look glamourous. I could go on and tell you about items all over my house but you get the idea, my decorating choices are not out of catalogue, my home is filled with things that are old, unique and a little quirky, like me I guess. But it all works they all fit together like they were meant to be part of a big family and I am lucky to be a part of it. I like to look at my finds and think of their previous lives and I enjoy them and when I am at home I am really at home. your home should be a reflection of you and I believe I have accomplished that and that makes me happy.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

8 more sleeps



Well all the shopping is done and the house is decorated and now I can sit back and relax and enjoy christmas. I am sad that we will be away from family for another year but we are trying to make the most of it. All of our packages have been mailed and we hope the kids and grandkids enjoy the gifts. I have still been scouring thrift shops for more holiday decorations and as always watching for any other bargains they might have.
I found a few more cute holiday decorations and some great deals. I picked up a set of everyday corning wear dishes with a cute flower pattern on them, 10 dinner plates, bread and 10 butter plates and 10 bowls for $4.00. I also scored a bunch of tools that will come in useful when we get our house. They are older tools but in great shape and sometimes older means better built. I picked up a vintage saw,with a gorgeous carved handle, rake, shovel, hoe, pick axe, pitch fork and vintage hand rake weeder. The tools were a few dollars each and will sure come in handy when we move to our own house. The handle of the saw is so pretty that I might just hang in on wall and maybe paint a scenery on it. I picked up a handmade log bench for 3 dollars and a picnic basket with dishes and silverware for 2 dollars. At one of the stores I found a cute pair of beside lamps without shade for 1.00 each, where can you get lamps for that price. I am always on the lookout for cute doilies and embroidered table cloths and embroidered doilies and this week I found some really beautiful ones to ad to my collection. I can't wait to get to Ontario and display my finds in our new house, and start organizing either a store or a regular flea market venue at my home. Until then I will keep collecting and restoring and recovering furniture and dream of our new home and being with family again.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Getting ready for Christmas




With 32 days left until Christmas I thought it might help get me in the mood if i started decorating the house. All of our Christmas decorations are in storage in Ontario so I picked up a few last year and have been looking for more for this year. Most of the thrift stores have all of their decorations out so I have been scouring the stores for some good deals. I have been trying to stay with the white colour scheme of the living room and have been looking for vintage looking decorations. I found some great deals on candle holders and adorable white and beige santa's. The quilted stockings I found last year look great on the distressed dresser that I have the TV sitting on. I have not put the tree up yet because i like to have real trees and it is too soon for them. I have been on the look out for unique ornaments for the tree but have had no luck yet finding any. I have found some cute table ornaments and candle holders to make the room look more festive. I wish we were decorating our home in ontario because it would be a more enjoyable Christmas if we could spend it with family. But we are still in BC and trying to make the most of it, by decorating and shopping for loved ones. I am almost finished my Christmas shopping and will be shipping everything off to Ontario in the next couple of weeks.
I have been slowing down on my furniture purchasing because items are not reselling right now because everyone is focusing on christmas. So I will be working on the items i already have and will be posting them for sale after Christmas. I did pick up a vintage door push the other day, I have been eyeing them at antique sales, but they were always for sale for 200.00 or more, so when I saw one for sale on kijiji for 20 dollars I jumped on it. It is a little rusted but that just makes it more unique, the owner told me he bought it in Manitoba 35 years ago, i wonder where it originally from, if it was on a store door. If only some of these items could talk and tell me their history, it would be great to know their history. I will definetly be installing this on my screen door when we move back to Ontario, for now i will just keep it on the wall and admire it.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Time to add more of my vintage taste to the house


When we first moved here it was supposed to be only for 6 months, so I bought a bunch of cheap furniture online that I figured we would sell when the 6 month contract was up. Well we have been here a year now and looks like we will be here a little longer and I just can't look at this crappy livingroom anymore. I have been picking up the odd piece here and there, still not going too expensive because we are saving for our home and move back to Ontario. But I am now decorating the livingroom with stuff that is a little more my style. I am leary to buy a livingroom set because that is a large item to move and I worry about it getting wrecked in the move, but not sure how much longer I can stand this ugly set we have now. I have tried to add pieces to the livingroom and it does look good but the couch and love seat still stick out. I can't put slip covers on them because they have wood trim, so not sure what I will do there. Might have to look for a set that I can live with and buy my ideal set when we move.
I picked up a very cheap cabinet to store all of my precious Tobey jugs and bulldogs, I think the cabinet would make a great display cabinet for my store when we move back to ontario. I have new handles for it as the ones on it are too modern for me. I picked up the white candle stands for 2 bucks do you believe that. On the hunt for candles to fit them, can't not believe how expensive candles are, looking for a deal.Got rid of the bulky coffee tables and end tables and cheap TV Stand, by adding a few distressed items and white furniture it has really brightened up the room. Found a cool trunk to use as a coffee table, took hubby a while to get used to it. He is used to the traditional livingroom look and does not have my vision or my passion for junk and old discarded items but he is slowly coming around. I have updated my bedroom as well a piece at a time, the room is so small I decided to decorate with mostly white in the room and it has really opened it up. I found an amazing deal on a coverlet and shams and pillows but am going to wait till the winter is over to use it, because little miss maggie sometimes runs in from playing outside in the wet snow and heads right for the bed. And because the coverlet is mostly white i don't think I want her little paw prints all over it. With my limited space now because the garage is full and hubbys precious motorcycle is in there now too. i have a very small space in the basement to work, I can only work on small projects over the winter. I have to clear out some room in the basement as well and a few trips to the flea market to sell some items is definetly needed. The indoor flea market just started up last weekend, so I am going to wait a bit to see how busy it gets. Loading everything up and hauling it there to only bring it all back if it does not sell is not fun. I have some large items on kijiji so we will see how that goes. check out the items at the bottom of the blog to see my items for sale.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fall is here


I love the fall colours but thats about all I love about fall. The cold weather is here and garage sales are a thing of the past, nobody wants to freeze their butts off having a yard sale. So this means that my bargain hunting is limited to second hand shops and stuff online and the odd auction.
Fall does bring the odd craft fair which does bring some items, but most items are sold at wholesale prices and there is no room in there for me to make any money. I am going to try to set up a small area in the basement to work on a few projects over the winter, the odd sunny day I might be able to work on a few items outside. The garage is full and hubby is storing his motorcycle there for the winter so there is no room to work in there, plus the fact that the garage is not heated and its friggin freezing in there. I long for the day that I we have our own place with access to the garage from the house and a  huge heated garage where I am free to do anything I want anytime I want.
It will be so nice to have our own home to decorate as we please and have the space that we so desparetly need, this house is so small. But for now until the contract is over this home and we will make do with what we have,
I have been checking out some blogs that I discovered by reading a magazine called Romantic Homes. I have fallen in love with a few of the blogs, sites and stores that I have found through this magazine. And I have fallen in love with the look of Vintage Shabby Chic Cottage look, that mixed in with a little bit of industrial look and that will be my new house. check out http://www.thebellacottage.com/  and http://www.karlascottage.typepad.com/  http://www.myparisfleamarket.com/ , there are just too many too list but these are 3 of my favorites so far.
Looking at these sites make me realize that if i want to own a business like this it is going to take alot of work alot of stock and lots of cash. I may have to start small and just let my business grow.
I picked up a few cute items the other day and will try to work on them over the winter, weather and space permitting.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Did Somebody say Antique Auction

On a drive the other day out of town hubby and I spotted an antique auction sign and decided to check it out. Well I think I have found a new addiction for sure. 3 hours later we were on our way home with the car packed as full as we could get it. This particular auction was not only antiques but they were also clearing out items from a local museum. Most of these items from the museum were being sold as grab bag boxes, they would show you a few items you would bid and you would get 3 boxes full of surprise items plus the items that you bid on. We got some great deals and when we got home we got to search threw the boxes for hidden treasures, it felt like Christmas. As a picker I think I could really increase my sales by attending more of these auctions and then reselling the items. I am going to rent a table at the local flea market for a few weekends and see how that goes.Now mind you some stuff we didn't even know what it was, but most of it is probably marketable. I will probably keep some stuff but most of it will be resold for a profit. We bid on a few things that we wanted for our own house and these items we got for an incredible price. I LOVE AUCTIONS LOL But I can see how you could get carried away quite easily at these things. We did not buy any large furniture pieces which was hard for me to pass up on, but we just have no room in our house. I am going to try to move some things around and definetly go back to this auction and buy furniture.
We did pick up an antique wall phone that I absouletly love and have always wanted. Hubby bought a couple of small radios that are very cool looking and work great and a bango that he got for 20 dollars lol. One of the boxes had about 20 old books in it and some of the books were signed by their original owner in 1942 while she was in grade 6, which I think is pretty cool. You will never find me shopping in a brick or an Ikea, i love the old stuff and things that are unique and have a history. Another item I bought was an antique bubble gum machine on a wrought iron stand, the glass globe has been replaced with plastic but i am hoping i can find a glass globe to make it all original. check out the pictures to see the bargains we picked up, even hubby had fun, thats a first, Brian hates shopping but the auction was fun, its impossible not to get caught up in it.

Friday, October 7, 2011

What do I collect?

Last weekend I went to an antique fair and at one of the booths a lady asked me what I collect. I thought about it a sec and realized I really do not collect one thing, I collect many. Not sure how I came about collecting so many things. I guess it starts out by seeing one item and I like it so I bought it, then I came across it again and thought how nice to have two. Then it becomes an addiction I guess everytime you see one you have to have it lol. I wonder when I crossed over from wanting to surround myself with things that make me happy to having so much of an item that I could fill this ladies booth with my collections. I guess I tell myself that one day I will have a store of my own and these collections with come in handy as product. But would I sell my collection that I have spent so much time collecting and have on display in my home. Will I become one of those people that is concerned more with making a buck then hanging on to what makes me happy. I have sold some things that I really like and it has me sad, one item I actually bought back when the woman advertised it on kijiji. It was a dresser that I destressed and spent alot of time on and regretted selling it, one day I am searching the internet and there it is, she stated she just could not find room for it, so I bought it back for half of what I sold it to her for. so I made a profit and got it back.
I suppose there will come a time when I will feel the need to downsize and sell some of my collections. But for now I will enjoy them and probably still add to them from time to time. And I will probably start new collections when I see items that interest me. I was once in a antique store where the lady had a lot of stuff for sale and among it she had her own items on display with stickers that said mine,meaning not for sale. i could maybe do that in my store that i hope to have someday, or maybe I will tire of them and sell them, who knows, our tastes change our wants change. Until then here they sit all strategically placed and on display for all to enjoy, me especially.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Hoosier finally made it out of the garage

I now have my hoosier cabinet in the kitchen, I felt like a kid at christmas when we carried it in. I could not wait to arrange all my baking supplies in the cupboards and display all of my kitchen treasures along the top. Its like having 6 more cupboards in the kitchen and now I feel so organized I just might have to bake something lol.
I am slowly getting the garage organized but instead of getting some pieces out i actually added some more stuff. I know I know bad bad Tobey. I saw a couple of chairs I could not resist and if I take the chairs from the dining room to paint as I had planned to do, we have to have something to sit on don't we. So the new chairs were needed,( hey its my story.) And the butcher block table I picked up for ten dollars was a steal and I would have been crazy to leave it behind. Just need to paint it or spruce it up a bit and then i can put it in the kitchen too. I know i just added on another project to the growing list of projects, but I will get to it.
Went to check out a small antique fair today and i was quite proud of myself, i saw lots of stuff i wanted but only came home with a few cans to add to my collection and an antique spitoon that i had to have. Don't ask my why I thought it was unique and had to have it.
This week I am getting back to work on the green dresser and the vanity, have shopped for paint and hardware and have everything i need to finish them. I also found some great pieces of wood to make my antique sign just need to make up some stencils. I met a lady today that runs her antique business out of her barn, and I thought what a great idea for my consigment store. If I operate it out of where I live I can save on paying rent for a store, and I can work at home and run the store. Just need to advertise and make sure i am not too far off the beaten track.  Can't wait to work on having my own store, but for now i will just dream about that and work on finding just the right home and shop. And get back to work on my stuff in the garage.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Yard Sale Time is Almost Over

For some people the end of summer means no more boating or cottaging, for me its a sad time because it means no more garage sales. Yesterday I had to go to sears to pick up hubby's birthday present, and I realized I have been in Kamloops a year and this was my first visit to the mall lol. When I shared this information with lady i ended up chatting with at a kiosk, she could not believe in a year that i had never shopped there. That goes to show you how much I shop for myself, for clothes shoes etc. my junk finds and my furniture buying takes priority. Since i am usually working on something that gets me dirty or covered in paint or stain, I don't dress up much. My choice of dress has always been jeans and tshirt, or capris and in the summer I live in my sandals.
I have been working on a few projects at a time in the garage and hope to complete some of them soon. Hubby wants to store his motorcycle in the garage over the winter so I need to make room for that. When we buy a house in Ontario we are going to have to get a huge garage with half for him and half for me, and two sets of tools. (he never puts anything back in the right place) I am cutting back on my buying for now because the house and the basement is getting a little crowded, most of it is going back to Ontario with us so it has to stay, but there is the odd thing I can probably sell to make more room.
I discovered a new magazine and blog the other day that I love, if your like me and you love junk you have to check it out. The magazine is called Flea Market style and the blog is http://www.junkrevolution.com/ it is so nice to know that i am not the only crazy junk collector out there. Reading their blog makes me want to open up my store that much more, going to have to really work on that when we get back. If we ever get back to ontario, this contract seems to never end. I think in the spring we might look at me going back to Ontario and hubby flying back and forth on his time off. I miss my family and I really want a home of my own to play with.
My hubby does not share my love of junk but I am slowly bringing him around, he liked a lot of the things I showed him in the Flea Market magazine, so thats a start. I know he would let me do anything I want in the house but its his home too and i want him to love it too. He wants a man cave that he can decorate anyway he wants, this terrifies me but i might have to give in too it. And he wants to also design his half of the garage too, as a total control freak its going to be hard to let him to that, but like I said its his home too, so going to have to bite the bullet on those two spaces.
yesterday was spent cutting grass and cleaning up around the yard , and letting little Maggie play in her pool. Today I am going to try to get some work done on my projects,and get some stuff sold, I hope.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I did some Canada wide picking of my own this month

I just returned from a 3 week across the country trip to see family and friends. I am always on the lookout for unique items and collectibles and being on vacation does not mean that I can pass a garage sale or antique store anymore than I can on a normal day. it is an addiction i know but I love it and I love the things I find. I am still working on adding the pictures of my finds on to my blog, should be on here in a few days.

One of my stops was along the highway, and i am sure glad I stopped there and will definetly go back there on my way back to ontario when we move back. The building I stopped at is run by a feisty lady named Vivian who turns 80 in Sept. I think i saw a glimpse of what my future might be lol Vivian has been collecting for 30 years and she has a little bit of everything, you can spend hours there and not see everything. she has used every bit of space and shelving to display her items and she has a lot of items. Outside you will find all kinds of treasures too and if you can't find what your looking for there, she has 3 tractor trailers full of more stuff. I didn't have alot of time to spare there you could be there for hours and still not see everything. the building isn't heated so Vivian is only open from May to October, her prices are reasonable for retail, so if your picking to resell I don't think you can get bargains there, vivian knows what they are worth and she wants her price. She told me she had the guys from Canadian pickers call her and she told them she did not want them there (I did say she was feisty). She said she didn't want them telling her, her business and trying to get her down in price or chasing customers away. I will definetly be going back I saw some large items I would love to own.
I also stopped at a few road side sales in Ontario, one I went too had many items I wanted and had to leave behind because I had the car and not the truck, and I had to leave room for Maggie. I did manage to squeeze some stuff in until Maggie started to look a little squished so I knew my shopping was done lol
If I had unlimited funds and a big truck I could have scored big time, but where would I put when i got home, going to have to wait until we buy our house in Ontario to do that kind of shopping, that and winning the lottery lol
I really enjoyed checking out some of the shops in wasaga beach area and Collingwood with my sister. I scored some Toby jugs and an antique croquino board and chinese checkers board. We were in a cute consignment store and it really made me want a store of my own like that. I would love to have a consigment store in the huntsville area, i know it would be a great success i can sell some of my own stuff have a shop in the back to work on things and sell consignment items too. one day one day

Sunday, July 3, 2011

July already where does the time go

I really am disappointed that I can not share a bunch of finished projects, I am currently working on a few at the same time, but nothing is finished. Have sold quite a bit and had a yard sale and set up a table at the flea market and really downsized the garage. since then I have purchased a hall seat stand in shaker style, it was painted yellow yuk so i am currently stripping that one, lots of work. Still working on the green dresser but unfortuantely i need some carpenter work done on the top that is really warped, so that is on hold for a bit, don't have the tools or the know how to repair that will have to have someone do that. My little bulldog Maggie has had two surgeries this month, one to help her breath and one for an eye injury and with a death in hubbys family that has been demanding alot of my time as well. Losing a close family member is heart wrenching and I still can't believe she will not be in our lives anymore. Jeannie loved all of my finds and my projects and got just excited as i did over the great bargains I found. I feel your loss very deep in my soul Jeannnie.
I also have my eye on a hoosier cabinet that is over 100 years old, it needs some refinishing but not much, a hinge and a knob and some cleaning up, but it is incredible and I want it so bad. I have been comparing prices of ones for sale in antique stores and the lady that is selling it has it priced fairly. I would love to have it to store all of my baking supplies and unique items that would look great along the top of the cabinet. just have to justify spending that much when i am trying to save to take a trip to ontario. Might have to sell something else to balance it out.
As for stripping the hall stand, it only has one layer of paint but it has spindles along the top and sides and they are a bitch to strip, they are very close together and it is so hard to get in there with the stripper and the steel wool. but I will keep plugging away at it because i know it will look incredible when i am done.
I am going to try to complete some projects this month, did I mention I have also made a deal with the landlord to paint the outside of the house and the garage for free rent for a month,trying for two months not sure if he will go for it, why do I do this to myself. I need to be cloned, or hire an assistant someone that will work for free lol

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Spring is here

With the weather being so nice it is hard to stay inside or work on projects in the garage. I have been busy working on my garden and planting flowers in beds and pots. I have never grown herbs before and i decided to try my hand at that as well. i love using unusual items in my flower beds , like tractor seats to hold potted plants and a milk can to hold another, I also found a cool looking birdhouse school house that I have placed in the garden. I found an old metal tire rim and filled with soil and flowers, as well as an old metal wash tub. I hunted at the salvage yard and found 3 metal tubs from the inside of old washing machines and have painted them and filled them with soil and flowers as well. I like to make my own hanging plants because I refuse to pay the high prices that the garden centers charge. I have just bought an old porcelain double sink and i am looking for a spot to put it in the yard and fill it with flowers. My bird feeder and bird bath is a popular spot and I love watching the different birds that stop by for a drink and some food.. I have a little duck that has made a nest on the bank of the river, and I check on her daily to make sure she is ok. I am feeling very protective of my lil duck and can't wait to see her little babies, I counted about 5 eggs and i am hoping all of the babies survive. I have also noticed a pair of doves in the yard and my regulars, the canada geese and the woodpeckers. We also have a marmet that has made a home in one of the dead trees on the bank of the river and I am hoping that he does not harm the eggs or my garden, Maggie has not spotted him yet and i hope she doesn't because I think she would chase it. She leaves the birds alone and is fine with sharing the yard with them, but the squirrel she chases and i think she would try to play with the marmet.
This is also my favorite time of year because it is yard sale time and outside flea markets woohoo, I have picked up a few items, an oak swivel chair to go with my roll top desk and lots of items for the yard.
I have had a lot of action on some of the items i had for sale and am slowly making room in the garage and will be working on some new projects in the next couple of weeks.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Gardens and Moms

 My latest adventures have been to find objects for outside to personalize our space and add some colour with flowers and plants.There are some really interesting old junk pieces that look incredible in the garden with a little of imagination and some good earth and flowers. Yesterday I found an old metal container that will look great by the front porch with some vine like flowers in it, and I had hubby roll an old metal tire rim into the flower bed which i will fill with dirt and flowers. This will fit in nicely with the milk can and tractor seats already there. I found a cute little wooden wagon that I have placed in a flower bed along the house, the former tenants had filled the flower beds with wood chips, which were just a haven for maple bugs. I have since cleared out all the wood chips and have replaced the soil with peat moss and manure and plan to plant impatients in different colours, the area gets quite a bit of shade and impatients should flourish there.
My lilac bushes are just starting to bloom and the beatiful smell coming from them reminds me so much of my Mom. My mother always had lilac bushes planted in the yard and she would cut branches off and place them in vases in the house bringing the lilac smell in doors. They say smell is the strongest sense to trigger memories and the lilac smell sure proves that. I guess it's only fitting that they should bloom now so close to mothers day when my Mom is so much on my mind. I believe my love of flowers and attractive gardens comes from my Mom who would spend hours outside watering and caring for her flowers, I remember her on her knees with scizzors trimming grass around the rocks that bordered her flowerbeds. Today when i filled the wheel well I recalled my Mom placing tires around our yard at the cottage and filling them with flowers and making them look great and I realized how much like her I am. Some daughters including mine would panic at the thought that they had become like there mothers, but today I am proud that I have inherited some of my mothers qualities and interests.  I happy that I have these memories and I hope somehow that my Mom can see all that she has given me and how incredible she was, I hope one day my daughters will also make this discovery and be thankful for the little things that have passed from Mother to daughter.
Happy Mothers Day Mom

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wow has a whole month gone by already

 I can't believe that I haven't posted in a month, I guess I have been so busy with my projects and yard work since the weather has been so nice. I have completed a few of the projects that I bought for resale. The girls bedroom set is restored painted and sold, the little girls desk is finished as is the babies dresser and change table. I have decided to clear out some of the garage and basement and have a yard sale this weekend, we will see how that goes. I am eager to do some things outside but wish we weren't renting this place so I could go crazy and do whatever I want. We are thinking that even though we are only here for a year we might try to find a cheap place to buy that needs work and buy fix it and flip it when the contract is over. that should give me lots to do, the only thing is most of the places we have looked at don't have garages and i need one.
I find trying to divide myself between wife, bulldog Mom and caretaker and furniture restorer is sometimes a hard one, i don't have enough hours in my day for what I want to do and need to be cloned for the things I have to do. The problem with having a 3 year old bulldog who is like a spoiled demanding toddler is 3 years olds grow out of it and maggie won't lol Everytime I get set up to start a project she wants me to play with her and entertain her, thank god hubby is off for two weeks so he can play bulldog Daddy and let me get some stuff done.
i found an amazing dresser vanity at the salvation army and only wish the bedroom here would fit it, but hopefully one day i will have a bedroom bigger than a postage stamp, in the meantime the dresser is in the sunroom along with my hutch that won't fit in the diningroom lol (its a very small house, but on the river with amazing views and huge yard so that all makes it worth while.
As I was saying gorgeous dresser, also found an old iron bed frame that I have bordering the garden right now and I also found an old Raleigh bike that was built in 1969 that i had orginally bought for the garden but it is in too good a shape for that i may just ride it. I am up too 5 antique dressers now, i hope one day to turn two of them into bathroom vanities, and I have also picked up a gorgeous wooden chair I can hubbies throne and vintage rocking chair. I scored another porcelain light to go with my set, that I also hope to use once we buy a house, and a couple of tractor seats and milk can. As I sit here writing this I know I should be working on something out in the garage but its a cloudy day and I have my coffee and I am watching the robins and the geese in the yard and i think this may be a day of rest and relaxation, tomorrow will be a busy day getting everything ready for the yard sale, and we all know the yard sale day is going to exhausting. so today I will give my tired body a rest.

Friday, March 18, 2011

I can't resist a good deal

When I see something I like or something I think someone else might be interested in and I can get it for a great price, I can't resist. I have a spare room in the basement where I store my finds and yes it is getting a little full, I don't want my hubby to think I have become a hoarder, so I think its time to start posting some of my stuff for sale.
I am still working on my bench and hope to recover it soon but I am still dealing with the hundreds of nails that I to be removed to remove all of the upholstery. I have hunted for the material to recover it and my antique stool but have not found what i am looking for, I have an idea in my head of what I would like and I hope I can find it soon.
I am also working on my chairs and the antique trunk, yes I know I should just concentrate on one project at a time, but if I get frustrated with one item I can move onto another and then go back to it. It keeps it interesting and keeps it a hobby and something I want to do instead of feeling like work.
I am still trying to figure out what to do with my telephone table, paint it or leave it the way it is and just reupholster it. I am also debating what to do with the antique chairs I bought, paint them or strip them down and stain them, reupholster the seats or add wood and give them a wooden seat. so many decisions so many projects and so little time, I think I need to be cloned.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Still trying to restore my wooden love seat bench

Hundreds of nails and dust and dirt from the upholstery and not even half done stripping it down. I figured if the upholstery was that dirty the wood must be too, so I tried cleaning it up and guess what, my bench is not painted an antique beige as I had thought, it was just dirty lol . The paint is white and I can see a nice wood underneath but not sure if i want the work of stripping it all down after all the work involved in the upholstering. I have so many natural wood pieces sometimes its nice to have some painted pieces too so it is all not matchy matchy. i have been shopping for material but I am having a hard time finding just the right fabric and pattern to do this piece justice, my search continues.It's hard to pick a pattern and match a livingroom set that we don't have yet. When we return to ontario we will be buying a new set which I would like to be white slip covered country look, i have two reupholstered chairs in a beige fabric so I need a pop of colour so my living room is not too bland but not sure how bold i am willing to go. change is not easy, I have had the blue livingroom in the 80's and now i hate blue, I have had the green livingroom in the 90's and now i want white and a pop of colour. Having a white couch is something I may regret with a 5 grandchildren and a dog that likes to sleep on the couch, but slip covers come off and wash so I am willing to give it a try.
Pics of the ongoing love seat restoration are shown below in my before and after pictures.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The fun of upholstering

Some people like to just upholster over the exsisting material, I am not one of those people. I guess that would be the easy way to do it, but my curiousity gets the best of me and I want to see what is underneath. I want to know if this is the original material used on the items and if there is another material underneath. if your like me and you like old furniture and antiques, you like to take things back to the way they looked in their day. Another reason i like to strip all of the material off is to make sure that the foam or stuffing is clean. Recently I purchased a cool looking wooden love seat, the lady I bought it from said it had the original material on it and that all it need was for the foam and backing to be fixed. Well that was not the story, I not only uncovered an old material underneath, I uncovered 2 layers of old material and dirty dirty backing and foam. the loveseat was disgusting and dirty and needs all new upholstery and foam.
I have been working on it for two days and after millions of small nails and a dust mask I have only just begun to get the 3 layers of material off and clean it up. One thing about unearthing the original material is that it helps to give you ideas of what to use to recover it. Because my livingroom chairs are an off white pattern and i really hope to have white slip covers in the new house, I want this love seat to have a punch of colour. I am hoping that I can find a material that brings it too life and will also look good on cushions for the couch to bring it all together. Lets hope that the new house also has a livingroom to house all of my treasures, and gives me the look i am hoping for.
Because the upholstery and backing is so dirty and lets not forget the million little nails yet to be pulled, it is going to be a while before I can recover for sure. I want to keep the wood the colour that it is but I will have to wait and see how it looks after some clean up. Oh the joy of restoration .............

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Love finding unique stores

On a drive in the country on the weekend we happened across an old Ma and Pa store that sells a little bit of everything. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I walked into the store. But because I had hubby with me I could not explore as much as I wanted too, his time frame for shopping is about 10 minutes then he is running for the door. I can usually send him out for a smoke and that gives me another 10 minutes of exploring but then he is back in the door giving me that lets go look. I am definetly coming back to this store without him soon and doing much more exploring. I did manage to haul away a few items with just a little bit of eye rolling on his part, I wish he would share my passion for junk, but he likes things that are clean and painted or stained and can not see beyond that. I look at pieces of junk and see many uses and what they can be with a little bit of love and some ingenuity. I bought some deer antlers, now let me stress I am not a fan of hunting at all, but I did not kill this deer and I like the look of the antlers and I believe that the deer that belonged to these antlers lead a long and fulfilling life and died of old age. (thats my story and I am sticking to it)
I saw a few more items that I will have to go back and get without hubby, he probably curses the fact that we own a truck lol. But he should feel happy about the fact that I leave alot of items behind because I know whatever I buy has to be hauled back to Ontario eventually or sold before we go back. so on that note I do leave alot of treasures I would love to have behind.
On this trip we stopped a cute little diner and the waitress mentioned that there is a lady in the area that sells all kinds of skulls and antlers and she makes gorgeous chandeliers out of them, so a trip to see her is definetly warranted.
I want my antlers to look unique so I am going to try the gold leafing on the skull part and might look for an interesting frame to mount the antlers. This way they will resemble art and not a dead animal on my wall, hey I said it was my story remember.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Adding alot of white to my bedroom has made the room look bigger and very bright and cheery

Today the snow was melting and it felt like spring, so I did some spring cleaning and decided to brighten up the bedroom. I got a great deal on a white cotton hand embroidered duvet cover, and I found some material at the same store that I turned into bedroom curtains. It's amazing how big the room looks now and how bright and cheery the room looks, just by using a little bit of white in the room. Don't tell hubby but now I am looking at other rooms and thinking that maybe they need some brightening too.
I have been working on my blue toy box and hope to have it finished soon, still don't know what I will use it for but will probably figure that out when I am done. I decided to try the crackle look and age it a bit. I read online that you can do the crackling by using white glue. So I am giving it a shot, you paint one coat or prime your project, then coat it with glue and let it dry for an hour, when the glue is dry a bit but still tacky you paint your colour over top and let it dry. The thicker the glue the larger the cracking and it recommends that you use different thickness to make it look more original. They suggest Elmers glue but any white glue will work.It's time consuming but if you work on a section at a time it is not so bad, and the look is amazing when your done. Doing a larger piece of furniture might be more time consuming, but I priced Crackle and this is definetly the cheaper way to go.
Being on the spring kick I saw a sad looking bird house at the second hand store and brought it home and gave it a paint job, and now I have a cute little semi for my feathered friends to nest and have their lil babies.
And now I am off to bake for my hubby for Valentines Day.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

If you buy mason jars just to display them cuz you love mason jars read my blog

I love buying mason jars especially if they are a tinted colour and unique. I don't plan on using them, well maybe someday who knows. I display them and rearrange them from time to time and when I find new ones I get excited and add them to my little mason jar family. Yesterday I saw a picture in a magazine of a mason jar hand soap with a pump. The next day I searched the second hand store for a cheap soap pump with a metal pump, came home and made my own. Now I have a mason jar in my bathroom, and now that I have seen how easy that was to do, I have lots of ideas now for mason jars, mason jar pendant lights, mason jar chandeliers, mason jar lamps.
Well now the hunt begins for more mason jars, I'm going too need more shelves.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Finding interesting unique things that others have passed up or missed is so exciting

Although my plan for my home is to decorate it with a country look, with a combination of antiques and unique finds that fit the same look. Sometimes I find things and they are so unique and at such a great price I have to bring them home. Yes shopping in the second hand stores is an addiction, on the days that I am not there I almost feel a loss for the bargains I am missing out on. Today I came home with another mirror, I probably have more mirrors than most people, but it was a bevelled mirror in a gorgeous frame for $10.00, who could resist.
Because my hubby goes along with all of impulse purchases and projects all over the house and garage I also look for things he might like. Today I found a decanter and 4 glasses still in its original box, it was on the bottom shelf and kind of out of sight. When I lifted the box up I realized that it was quite heavy which made me curious to look at if more closely. The box was nothing fancy but after close examination I discovered that this decanter set was originally sold on Fifth Avenue in New York and that the decanter was made in Poland and is lead crystal. I bought it for hubby who likes to have a scotch once in a while and he loves it. What he also loves about it is, that I searched on the internet and found that this decanter and glass set is worth $350.00 dollars or more, and I bought it for $5.00.  I am not sure how it came to be in the second hand store, but obviously everyone thought it wasn't worth anything, which is lucky for us. I am still searching for that one unique find, a Picaso maybe or that item that will help hubby be able to retire and the funding for my store of treasures.......one can dream you know.
I leave so many things behind because I do not have the room for them. I wish I had a store where I could sell some of these items or bring things home and restore them and sell them. I may start some small projects and sell them online for now and maybe down the road open up a shop.
In the meantime I am eagerly waiting for the warmer weather so I can take some of my projects outside and start stripping them. I have so many projects on the go right now, but I like it that way, if I get frustrated I can walk away, go work on something else and then go back to it.
Speaking of which time to get back to work.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Decorating on a budget, get creative

I have never been one to follow the norm, that said I like to surround myself with things that make me happy. I like to rescue items that have a history and a story. I am addicted to the DIY network and love American Pickers and the new show Crackling Antiques. Finding something old that is unique and giving it a new look or a new home is so much fun. Shopping in second hand stores and flea markets and yard sales and spotting a great find is a huge rush then getting that item for a very low price makes it even more exciting. When I find some items I already know what the use will be or how they will look when I refinish them.

There is a lot of stuff out there that have can mutilple uses, you just have to use your imagination. A table becomes an island, a dresser becomes a buffet, or an entertainment unit. An old door becomes a headboard, exterior shutters become interior decor, old flower pots or vases become lamps or pendant lights.

In an age where everyone is recycling and trying to save the planet, why not go one step further and recycle items that might have been taken to the dump. If you have old couches or chairs that you don't like anymore, have them reupolstered or buy slip covers, have a mirror that does not match your decor anymore, paint it, shift furniture to other rooms and give them a new use.

Creating a home surrounded with items that I have created or restored gives me a incredible feeling of accomplishment. Anyone can go to a store and buy furniture from a dept store and put it in their home, but I don't want a furniture showroom house. My home is more personal and unique and all of my collections are a reflection of me and my life, and I love the way everything looks. And isn't that what it is all about, shouldn't your home make you happy, a home where you and your family and friends feel at home.
I want a home that wraps you up like a soft blanket and gives you that ahhh its good to be home feeling.

Monday, January 17, 2011

You won't find me walking around a mall or clothes shopping

Where you will find me is rummaging through stuff at the Salvation army or  a second hand store or browsing kijiji when I am at home. My basement is full of projects on the go, I always have a few on the go. Currently I am repainting a unique box I bought for $2.00 not sure what its use will be yet, but i know I will find a place for it. I found another mirror and shelf that I am going to paint and maybe give it to a family member because I love the way mine turned out. I couldn't walk away from it, the store sold it to me for $2.00, where can you get a mirror and shelf for that price, some people pay more for their coffee.
I also had a great score today, last summer I bought two brass lamps with beige shades that had patterns on them that matched some chairs i had recovered, and today I found a lamp with the same pattern on a different style shade but also a brass lamp. I was so happy to be find the lamp and the price on it was $4.00, a brass antique lamp for 4 bucks. It looks gorgeous in my living room and I can't believe I got it for $4.00.
Today I spent the morning with my dog and doing housework, spent my afternoon touring second hand stores, spent a total of $10.00 and came home with a mirror, shelf, lamp, an old lantern and a hand carved duck. Now tonight I sit here admiring my finds, wondering what I will find tomorrow.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

My many projects

The Harvest table is finished and soon the hutch will be as well, I will post pictures of my $100.00 diningroom as soon as I can talk my hubbie into carrying the hutch in from the garage.
I found a roll top desk online for $100.00 and it looks great with the piano stool.
Some of my finds require updating or cleaning up and others are perfect just the way they are. Currently I am just storing some of the stuff as we are renting temporarily while my husband works on contract. When we return to Ontario from British Columbia I hope to find the perfect house to give all of my things a permanent home. I hope this blog inspires others to rescue and restore things that others think are junk. when I look around my house everything has a story and an emotional attachment. I love looking at some of these items and seeing the finished project in my head and then making it happen with paint or stain and some hard work and time.

Unique Finds

I love discovering unique finds in second hand stores or garage sales and of course I also find great deals online or from buy and sell newspapers. What some people consider junk I find interesting and I love to rescue it and give it a new home.
Some of the items I find are fine just the way they are and others I like to give a facelift with either a coat of paint or stain or a bit of both.
I'm afraid I have become a bit of second hand store junky, but I love to find pieces from the past and am not a fan of the modern look. Some might find my home a mish mash of stuff but every piece has a story. When I look around my home at the pieces I have found it makes me happy and that is all that matters, after all it is my home.