Pure Brilliance

I'm always amazed at the fantastic and inventive ways that so many people manage to reuse and recycle.  Earlier this week, I was reading Decor8 and came across this bit of brilliance...

{Image via Decor8}

It's an old sideview mirror from a car - being used as a makeup mirror.  So smart and so lovely!  It's from the home of Swedish stylist and writer Susanne of the blog Me and Alice.  

It makes me want to run out to the salvage yard and look for one for my bedroom!  How about you?

An excuse to pause...

We arrived for our mini-vacation up in Thompson last night, after 7.5 hours in a SMART car - yes, you heard me!  It was surprisingly roomy and it only cost $24 in gas!  So now that I'm here, I've got forced relaxation on the brain.  I'm a pretty impatient person and I put a lot of pressure on myself to feel like I'm accomplishing things. Sometimes you take a holiday to relax and recharge.  But life has a sneaky way of forcing little pauses on us throughout the day, every day.

I'd like to be more aware of these pauses and use them to my advantage.  To take a deep breath,  relish the moment or take note of my gratefulness.  New agey?  Maybe.  What I'm gonna do anyway?  Yup!

Think of all the little pauses you encounter throughout your day.  Like...

Waiting for your computer to load something...

Sitting in your car at a stoplight...

Waiting in line at the grocery store...

Riding the elevator...

Cooking something in the microwave...

Waiting for the dog to 'do his business'...

Calling someone and waiting for the phone to pick up...

Turning on the shower until the water heats up...

Waiting on hold to order pizza delivery...

Waiting for your toenail polish to dry...

There's so many!  So even when I'm crazy busy, I'm going to work harder to embrace the pauses.

How do you take time to recharge?

Thursday Blog Share: I'm a winner!

Yay!  What a way to start my last day of work before long weekend holidays - by winning an awesome giveaway over at Annie's lovely little blog Twin Yolks.  So this ties in nicely with my Thursday Blog Share, just head over to check out foodie Annie's musings on local growing, pretty things and delicious recipes.

What did I win?  A gorgeous set of custom-made polka dot napkins and a flower fabric pin and clip, both handmade by Kate's Etsy shop Stella James Designs.  She has many pretty things for sale at very appealing prices.  I can't wait to get my package in the mail!

Happy Thursday friends!

I'm off to Thompson with J and the Gus man to visit family (it's both of our hometowns) so I'll be trying to unplug as best I can....but knowing me, I'll still find my way onto a computer!  What are you up to this long weekend?

Spray Paint Love

Is it too geeky to express how excited I am about this new Rustoleum product?

It's called Univeral and it's being marketed as providing more coverage with less spraying, it can spray from every angle (even upside down!) and it has an ergonomic comfort nozzle (because there's nothing worse than spray painting for an hour and leaving a painful nozzle imprint in your finger!).  You can use it on everything from wood to metal to wicker!

I just picked up these basic brass candlesticks on the weekend at the Salvation Army and I can't wait to try this new product on them...just have to find out where it's sold! 

Anyone know where you can find it in Canada?  Walmart and Home Depot seem to carry only the basic line, but I'd love to get nicer colours and cool new finishes like this one.

Cooling Off

My lord it's been hot out here!  Yesterday J and Gus and I were really suffering, with our INDOOR thermostat registering 30 degrees!!!  We only have a small A/C unit in the upstairs bedroom.  Soooo, we decided to kick it old school and run through the sprinkler!

We were making homemade pizza and sweltering (I know, not a good cooking choice on the hottest day of the year!), so J went on a cold beverage run.  He grabbed some beer for himself and picked me up this sweet white wine by Barefoot.  It's called Moscato and it's a tad sweeter than a riesling.  Love it!

I was also wishing I had fresh rasberries on hand to whip u a batch of rasberry lemonade...
A nice drink choice for those who don't indulge (and for those who do with a splash of lemon vodka!).

How are you keeping cool this summer my friends?

Before and After: Vintage Blue Bedside Table

Part two of the big weekend project reveal is here.  This bedside table was another antique I picked up a few weeks ago.  The drawer is dovetailed and the solid wood makes it extra sturdy.  It was a lot of work to prime, paint and finish all the nooks and crannies but I think it turned out lovely.  Here's the before for a reminder.

I chose the same turquoise blue I used for the Beachy Blue Accent Table (CIL's Blue Niche) and I added some paper detailing with a cream and blue vintage wallpaper pattern and a pretty glass knob.  The old pull was an odd measurement so I just decided to fill in the double holes and drill one in the middle. 

If you live in the Winnipeg area, it's for sale here.

Okay, now it's time to relax before heading back to work tomorrow!  Enjoy your day friends.

Before and After: Elegant Grey Art Deco Table

What a busy long weekend it's been!  I may have to think twice about taking on two full projects in 4 short days next time.  But I did manage to finish both and here is your first peek.  The antique art deco table I picked up a few weeks ago had such lovely lines that I knew it had to be transformed into something super elegant.  Here's the before...

I chose a pale blue grey by CIL called 'Reflecting Pool'.  It turned out lighter than I thought but I'm still very happy with it.  After much sanding priming, painting and finishing - here's the after shots!

If you live in the Winnipeg area and are interested in purchasing this table, you can visit here.

Stay tuned for pics of the completed Vintage Blue Bedside Table to come very soon...

Have a great day!

The weekend so far....

Here's to lazy Saturdays!  It's gorgeous out and I've been having a wonderful weekend.  Here's what I've been up to...

Like lots of painting!

Like delivering the beachy blue accent table to Lisa, who purchased it for her kid's playhouse and was kind enough to send me a pic.

Like getting ready for Jen and Ryan's wedding tonight!  Should I wear the summery red dress or the elegant black dress?

How is your weekend going so far?

Good Timing

Happy Friday to you all!  I'm off for a few days that will be packed with furniture updates, a wedding, a few barbeques and some special time with my pup Gus.  Here's something lovely to start your Friday.  I know I'm on Etsy WAY too much but when this laser cut wood clock by Uncommon caught my eye - I knew I wanted to share it with you!

Doesn't it look like a modern day doily?  I feel like it's the perfect mix of delicate femininity and rough masculinity - like pretty girl meets brawny boy!

They have many other lovely items in their shop but I was particularly drawn to the adorable clocks.  I don't have one in my house but I'm starting to rethink that...

{All images via Uncommon}

I think it's 'time' for a new clock!  Have a great day!

Table in Progress

Oh Thursday, you are so great when I know I have Friday and Monday booked as holidays!  I'm eager to jump back into some more furniture projects - especially after the great antiques score last week.  Here's a peek at what I'm working on.  I've sanded down the art deco table and it's ready for some colour. 

Because of the elegant lines, I've chosen a soft dove gray by CIL called 'Reflecting Pool'. 

J and I both really like this style so it's going to be tough to put it up for sale!  I wonder if it will find a home in our house....mind you, if I had all the space in the world I would never have started this business!

Sorry I'm slacking on the Thursday blog share, it's been a busy week!  I promise a fresh new one next week.

Have a lovely day!

Building a Biz: Always Be Special

There's a lot of people out there buying a lot of things...and I'm just one gal trying to sell my wares.  So it better be special!  But sometimes I think I get caught up with what I'm doing and forget that I have to always go that extra little bit to really get noticed.

A few weeks back, I finished a bedside table I was working on.  You may remember the Tart Twist bedside table?

I was pretty happy with how it turned out and I really thought the vibrant colour and pretty glass pull was enough to make this little guy stand out.  So I posted it for sale.  And I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

It wasn't selling.  But more than that, something was nagging at me.   The comments I got about the Sweet Blue bedside table were that it had something special, because of the printed paper detailing.  And I knew I should have done that for Tart Twist.  So I did.  I revisited the project and adding that extra special touch.

And you know what?  Within a few days I had three requests to purchase the newly revamped Tart Twist Bedside Table.  A nice lady named Cara came by tonight and took it home to her brand new house that she's decorating.

It was a good reminder to me to always make the extra effort and add the special touch.  Lesson learned!

Stone Beautiful

I have a thing for beautiful dishes.  Since my twenties were spent single and moving around a lot - I've basically amassed a somewhat colour-coordinated collection of white and blue dishes.  'Somewhat' means that I've picked up a set of deep blue dishes at Homesense, some light blue mugs from the Dollar Store, received a few individual blue gift dishes, a cool fish set of dishes I found at Value Village...and somehow they all work okay.  But just okay.

Since J and I aren't married (no comments from the peanut gallery!), we haven't really been gifted with a nice set or been able to register for one.  Someday....In the meantime, I'm coveting these gorgeous stoneware pieces from ceramics designer Diana Fayt in her Etsy shop One Black Bird.  I would definitely need open shelving to show off these pieces of art!

 {All images via One Black Bird}

Isn't the rabbit adorable?  Sigh.

Did you get or register for dishes for your wedding?  What do you love about them?