We made it happen

Do you believe in manifesting your future? Vision boards? Asking the universe for your hearts wishes?
I know it all sounds sort of hoey hockus-pockus but I have experienced it enough in my life to recognize it when it happens.
Where is this going you ask?
Once  I knew we wouldn't get enough votes to win first prize I knew we would win the draw for Canada to get $500US for Annie Sloan products. Heather felt the same way. So when David read the list of winners names to me at work on Dec 13 I thought he was joking. But it really happened.

We won!

Cool eh?
So I've been making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty......
sorry too much Christmas radio.

Making a list of colours I want.

I've had great fun playing with this Paint mixer

The rest of the reasons.....

The contest is over. We got lots of votes, 178 to be exact. Not enough to win but we had great fun.
So in no particular order here is the rest of the count down.......
8.
I have chairs to paint, I'm afraid to count how many. The latest is a cute vintage stool.
I found a similar one done with a Union Jack. http://relovedrubbish.blogspot.ca/2012/09/chalk-painted-union-jack-chair-on-wheels.html
There are also folding chairs and Windsor back chairs. And I have my eye on these six. I bought them as well as four others yesterday.

7.
I have frames,many frames. Small ones, huge ones
6.
I want to try to make some art with the paints.
5.
I love colour. simple. To sit and mix colours would be heaven. I have a book to alter for that purpose.
4.
I have Christmas gifts to finish. A lingerie chest will be painted with ASCP Graphite and silver foil for accents.
3.
I want to sell furniture. That way I can continue to buy it too. Maybe a pop-up store is in my future!
2.
My daughter would be able to give me an awesome gift.
1.
I will paint her some dining room furniture, maybe she will take some of my chairs!

reason number ...9

 get to do silly and creative stuff like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no brass was polished making this strip and only one cracker broken.



Top ten reasons to vote for me...

Number 10


Vote

Vote daily please

To give David something to do when I work evenings. Left on his own it is all about the Legos.
Surfing Kijiji, ebay, and craigslist, not to mention flyers, online ads, cross border shopping leads to this.......

Santa, all I want for a Christmas.......is to win.....

This contest.


Please please vote for this Entry. My beautiful daughter Heather and her son Lynkin. He is the sweetest thing in my life. People always told me how special grandchildren are and I thought sure. But man o man I get it now. Pure utter sweet joy is what he brings to my life.

I have promised to paint her some furniture.
How is someone supposed to choose a paint colour. It took my 50 years to Choose a favourite colour. Yup, drum room please, pea soup green. No wonder my first can of ASCP was Antibes Green. I love working with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. I love her commitment to small entrepreneurs.



I want them all.   Thank you.

Painting in progress

I read the instructions on the can, in the book and started.
I used two light coats and had this brilliant green. Then applied the clear wax, using a stencil brush with bristles about 1/2" in diameter.

You can see how it gets toned down when the dark wax is applied. Lots of "wax on, wax off".

He it is all painted and waxed. Love how the colour turned out. But not sure if there is too much dark wax.

First Annie Sloan piece almost done

I had two Annie Sloan Books, her paint from The Melon Patch wax from The Painted Bench in Hamilton  in Hamilton. The colour you ask, Antibes Green What to paint? How about these?

I picked these up at Value Village for $6.99 each. Very solid, heavy even, with interesting detail. Made in Canada by the Lafontaine (1962) Inc Co. 

No sanding the top was nasty looking quite smooth. I did give it a good clean. Even I know not to paint over dust.

Check in tomorrow for the after.

Flooring or florring

Yup I meant florring.
As in FLor. I've seen them used many times by Candace Olsen. squares almost 20x20" in an incredible array of colour, pattern, stripes and costs. They are hard wearing, hopefully super hard wearing.
I choose this fine stripe for the entrance way.

And this pattern for the livingroom area. The sofa is a solid turquoise colour and the chair is a tone on tone sort of velvety paisley that reads as a solid. I needed some pattern. Well this is more than some patterndiv>

I love it.

You paid what for your new lamp!

I can't decide what my favourite score was on our recent thrifting trip. But this white lamp is a definite contender. I'm auditioning it in various spots. I think it might live on my bedside table.
The shade was borrowed from another lamp. The diameter is fine I think but it should be a bit longer.
Anyone else find shopping for lamp shades really trying?

 I have had the poster for a few years. Try decades. It is from an exhibit at the ROM called Silk Roads -China Ships.

Oh ya, the price. SIX bucks. Cha-Ching!

Thanksgiving thrifting road trip....wait til you see what we got

Have you ever enjoyed something so much that you immediately want to turn it into a tradition?
Many of you were enjoying Thanksgiving traditions last weekend- spending time with family, reflecting on life and the many things to be thankful for, and food of course.

We had our turkey a few weeks ago, family was busy elsewhere so we booked an Inn in Connecticut and hit the road. Three pieces of small furniture, two lamps and one large wooden box later we are home.

My weakness is for picture frames, well really chairs, but they take up too much room. I bought these for the frames but one I might keep as is. Guess which one!

This guy is called Pope Innocent by Velazquez.

This is some pressed flowers by Kathy to her grandparents done in 1971.

BlogPodium recaps

Like many Blog Podium attendees my mind is still buzzing from everything I heard. everyone has shared their experiences on these brilliant blog posts.

For starters it was just great fun. So much different than all the professional conferences I have attended over the years.
I've come to think of  that part of my life as being black and white and the rest is beautiful living colour.

Sarah Richardson's speech was fabulous. She shared some of her secrets to success which aren't secrets at all.  Work hard, stay focused, be true to yourself, build relationships, take risks, keep moving forward.
Ideas more specific to design include have  a point of view, have checks and balances, have a signature style, make a space memorable with history and soul and don't forget to add some whimsy.
No wonder we all love her work. She mentioned this Makeover is being published for the fourth time.


The bathroom vanity was $200 from Pier 1.
I have the same mirror in our bathroom painted a different green. I had the builders leave their standard icky mirror off and we put this one up instead.

It was nice to hear from Sarah herself there is nothing wrong with cheap if it is good. That is my mantra for the cottage.

Boxes in the mail are so much better than bills

Sorting through a weeks worth of mail doesn't take long when there is an Amazon box to rip open.

 No I didn't order two of the same book. I ordered one from Amazon and got one in the swag bag at BlogPodium. Will have to decide what to do with the second.

Many books are quite small now including do more great work by Michael Bunger Stanier and Manage your Day to Day edited by Jocelyn K. Glei.

Ont the other hand Decorate by Holly Becker of Decor8 is a tome.

Books one and two probably say read less books like number three but I will consider it research and inspiration! Much like Pinterest.

I look at very few quilting books these days but Art Quilt Maps by Valerie S. Goodwin did get my attention.

Blog Podium is

TOMORROW!

I have lots of none quilting related Moo cards and my gorgeous Orla bag but what to wear!
Apparently this is the main quandary of people going to the conference tomorrow.

Oh dear I haven't put too much thought into it. Do I leave the cottage early on this beautiful end-of-summer day? Nope I'm too old for such silliness! But I will be dressed for comfort and style.
See ya there!!

How I got my bag

I don't have a thing for designer handbags, I'd rather spend the money on books or travel. But I do like Orla Kiely.  My sweet SIL bought me her book.
David and I saw this bag in the window of an upscale second hand store. The store was closed so I couldn't get it. My darling husband works hard at getting me what I want and I love him for it.
I love my Orla bag. The gorgeous colours and her trademark motif. The bag also reminds me to be grateful for my wonderful life.

PS  ipad is correct, it is a lousy camera.

Sarah Richardson contest

Everyone knows Sarah Richardson. Well you do if you care about how your home looks and functions. She has had a long and successful career in design and shares it on TV.

Sarah is the keynote speaker at BlogPodium. blogging has become big business. There are conferences to attend and friends to be met IRL.

People going to the conference had a chance to have tea with Sarah at her office. She is a smart cookie and has bloggers spread the word about her new shows.

The contest was creating a pinterest Board for your ultimate room.
I used this definition of ultimate-

Adjective Being or happening at the end of a process; final: "their ultimate aim was to force his resignation".

As in the cottage will be ours ultimately.

Ah summer...........
We plan for it, reminisce about it, daydream about it, wish for it.
A summer home is a place to relax, read, swim, nap, cook, catch up with family and friends, drink a little wine.
So one of the first things I made for our place is this welcome sign.

A few versions on pinterest were the inspiration.
http://pinterest.com/pin/35958496997852092/



I wasn't in blogging mode so there is no before photo. Oops.

It has been a while...

What do you say when there is a year between blog posts?
Working, playing, travelling, living life. Life is good.
I now feel I have something interest to blog about as we ....

Bought a cottage a summer home.
I innocently said to David one day " We should by a cottage.  are you out of your freaking mind?" was the response.
Well....

We did indeed buy a cottage but the kids said it should be called a summer home. That in a nutshell is the background. Oh one more thing.
It is ours, in that we are paying for it, but it is currently being used as a model by the builder.

So over the next year or two we  I get to scour the thrift stores, pursue the ads, order the catalogs, shop til I drop all in the name of preparing for the day it really becomes ours.
So let the decorating begin!