Second Hand Score

I don't normally check kijiji (Canada's version of Craig's List) for anything, ever.  But for some reason on Easter weekend I took a peek and did a quick search for wicker furniture.  And what do you know?!?!  The perfect set was right there waiting for me, just listed!

Luckily I had the Monday after Easter off and was able to go pick it up immediately after the seller called me back.  And it all fit in my vehicle perfectly!  It's like it was meant to be.

It's great quality and looks awesome in my front porch.  I got a love seat, 2 chairs, a glass top coffee table, and even a planter all for $200!  I didn't even bother haggling, I knew I had a score.

Still needs a rug

Unfortunately, that Monday was the first and last nice day we've had this spring so I haven't been able to spend any more time in this space.  Please send some positive thoughts up to Northern Saskatchewan and wish all this darn snow and rain away for me...(before I totally lose my mind), and then I can hang out in my sun room.

I blame my obsession on Three's Company.  I was pretty young when it was on and wasn't really allowed to watch it.  It was considered too risqué but every once in awhile I got to stay up late (probably 8:30) and got a sneak peek.  For some reason Jack, Chrissy, and Janet seemed to me to be living the high life in their luxurious wicker palace.

No fewer than 7 pieces of wicker in one room!

Do you have a penchant for wicker furniture?  What's your favourite TV sitcom set from the past?  Leave a comment below~

Trunk Transformation

I think I was about 14 or so when my Grandma gave me this trunk for my birthday:

I think she was the only person who believed me at the time when I said I was going to travel the world.

For a long time, I basically lived out of a suitcase while I travelled.  So, my trunk stayed behind at my parents house.  And, over time, it took a bit of a beating. 

When I finally started to settle down and needed some furniture I rescued my trunk.

I just used some MDF type board that I had cut at the hardware store to size. 

I added a nice super thick layer of foam, wrapped it in quilt batting, and then wrapped the whole thing with some microfiber type fabric.

Added some home made cushions and now it's a bench!

I've picked the lock many times, but now
I just don't lock it.  If I ever remember the special
secret hiding place I put the key, then I'll lock it again~

But it still holds my treasures...

Yes, I was a bit of a Barbie fanatic when I was a kid.  I couldn't possibly let go of them so I keep them in my trunk.  I've also got a bag of Glamour Gals that I can't get rid of either.  They were like miniature Barbies...sort of.  Anyone else out there remember them?

Do you have any of your childhood toys kept in a special place?  Leave a comment!

Seriously Anthropologie???

Seriously Anthropologie????  Don't you ever get tired of people making fun of your crazy prices for things they can make at home???

Apparently not, otherwise why have you listed this lovely chair made from scrap wood for almost $1000???

I get that it's one of a kind.  I get that the wood is from a Dutch fishing boat.  I get that it's "storm weathered".  But come on.  Surely you could've made something much more beautiful than this very uncomfortable looking chair.

If this kind of thing actually appeals to you, you can find it HERE.

Something I don't get....

This is a real tub that's been squashed and you hang it on your wall.  I know, it's art.  I actually studied art, here and in Europe, but I just don't get this one.  You can check out the listing HERE and HERE.

What do you think?  Do you think it's strange to find objects like these in the same store you go to for a pretty scarf and earrings?  Is Anthropologie trying to change it's demographic and I missed the notice?  Do I need to be more open-minded?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts~

Hallway Make-over

I love redoing really small spaces that are little more than thoroughfares.  I think it gives them purpose and maybe even slows people down a bit to appreciate all of the parts of a house, not just the rooms themselves.

I'm still working on my hallway but I  really wanted to show you what I've done so far.

This is the front hallway that you enter into from the front porch.  I felt like it was pretty lacklustre.

 

I took out the two little stools, which really only my cats use to drive me crazy by scratching them and added a few new pieces of furniture.

I got this old shelving unit from the thrift store for about $15.  It was pretty ugly.

I was so excited to paint it I almost forgot to take a before shot.  In the pic below you can get a better view of the 'lovely' wood grain veneer.

So, I primed and then painted it the same colour as the wall behind it and added some gel stain to give it some character.

I just painted it on with a scrubby brush and wiped it off with paper towel to get the effect I wanted.

Then I just loaded it up with books and knick knacks.

I'm actually pretty surprised at how well it turned out.  It fits perfectly and it's a great place for me to put all of the crafty things I make.

I also gave this thrift store coat rack a few coats of peachy paint and stuck it in the corner to hold my many, many coats.

                 

  

And here's the thing that I think really makes it warm and cozy.  My mother thinks I'm a little weird for putting drapes somewhere other than on a window but I love the look of fabric around doorways.  (Remember Karen Blixen's house in Out of Africa?  She had curtains on every door, probably for more practical reasons, but I still love the look.)

Remember when I hung new drapes in living room and I gave the advice to never try to hang drapes on your own?  Well, here's another piece of advice...you should always follow your own advice!  I'm so glad these ended up looking so nice because it took me forever to hang the rod...by myself~


Another awesome thrift store find!

So that's my new hallway.  It's a work in progress but it's getting better with each piece I add.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Just ignore the lighting though, it's a little off in this small space.

Have a crafty week everyone!

Dance of the Broken Dressers

Isn't it amazing how adaptable human beings are?  We can learn to put up with just about anything.

For instance, take a look at my dresser.

It fell apart just before Christmas, while I was rearranging things in my bedroom.  That board that nails onto the back of the dresser is apparently a very important piece.

When mine fell off while I was lugging the dresser across the room, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal.  However, when I went to put the drawers back in place they were all in a zig zag line.  And then some kept falling off the tracks because the space was suddenly too wide.  Who knew???

Anyway, a few months after that my mom gave me a hand me down from my sister.  I put it in the porch, waiting for the weather to warm up so I could paint it.  However, while transporting it to my house one of the drawers fell to the ground and snapped the side.  The backs were already missing, but I thought I could easily fix that.  I didn't look very closely and thought, no problem, I'll just glue the side back together while I'm at it.  After buying everything I realized that the break was a little more serious than I thought and beyond my expertise (and energy).

So, that's two dressers down and my clothes still spread all around my room...5 months later.

Then I ran into this beauty at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store.

I thought that middle column of little drawers was so cute.  The perfect place for sweet nothings.

So, I sanded it, primed it, and coated it with a blinding shade of white.

Then I went out to purchase drawer pulls to replace these ugly ones.

Ummmm, yeah, I needed 11 drawer pulls!!!!  I forgot to add that into my costs when I bought it.  I searched high and low for something affordable that didn't look uglier than the ones that came with it.

And then a chance visit to the local Habitat for Humanity Restore changed my life.  OK, well, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I seriously think the clouds parted, the light shone down, and the angels were singing.  I found these adorable pulls hidden away in a corner of the store in the back room.  (Yes, there's a back room that I had never noticed before.  I'm going back today to see what else is back there that I missed.)

These pretty little things saved me so much work.  I thought I was going to have to clean and paint the ugly leaf ones.  But these ones fit great and I think they're perfect.

So, it's almost done, and all of my clothes will be put away and organized very, very soon (I can't tell you how excited I am).  There's just one little thing.  See those two top drawers?  They have spots for single pole pulls and I just happen to have a basket full of awesome ones.  So awesome, in fact, that I can't decide which ones to use.  So take a look at everything and vote.  I'll let you know next week which ones win and show you how it all looks together.

My walls are this colour:

(Fiji A525 Benjamin Moore Aura Paint)

My bedding and furniture are white but the curtains and other accents are this colour:

Also, most of the metals in the room are gold (I know, very old school, but I love gold and pink together.)

Which pulls do you like?  I can't find a poll widget that will work for me so just leave a comment below~

Pink Butterfly



Clear Butterfly









Pink Knob



Floral Orb





Floral Shell Bunch

Green Antique



Thanks for your help everyone!  Have a great looooooooooooooong weekend if you're in Canada.  Don't forget to leave a comment below~

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