It's DIY Season!!

I'm sure there are ways to DIY in the winter in Calgary. It's just that I'm often too cold or snow covered to figure out how. That or our garage is a muddy mess from the cycle of snow storms and chinooks that make up the winter season around here. And on the off chance a sunny and warm day does grace us with it's presence, we're all so shocked and vitamin D deprived that we drop everything we're doing and literally soak. it. in. 

All that to say, it finally feels like DIY season around here (read: warmish. dryish. bearable, basically)! We've busted out the plans, the power tools and the paint cans! We've got some work to do this summer on our house and we can't wait to get at it! We've been in our home about 4 years now and the little lady is needing some TLC here and there. Can't wait to journal the progress!

Pic is unrelated but so cute I had to include it. If you can look past the snout, you'll notice that's Lincoln ;)

Pedestal Possibilities

My friends, I've  been inspired to make some changes in my kitchen. You see, since Ryan and I were first married, we've had the same dining room table. It's dark chocolate brown, like pretty much everything else we own from the start of our wedded life together. And it's been good to us. Particularly in our old home when we desperately needed a few new things here and there, to spruce up the aging town house that was what we called home those days. fond memories :) 

Anyhoo, I'm realizing that our kitchen nook, filled with that big table and matching chairs is a little blah. Worse than blah, it's like a ghost town. Tumbleweeds, well more like Memphis fur bunnies, blow daily across it's barren and unused surface. The only time we even think about sitting down to enjoy a meal there, is when we have guests. And that just won't do. not any more. 

Enter my inspiration. Cozy pedestal dining tables, with mis-matchy chairs, inviting textures and layers, more wall interest, and hopefully in the end, a super cozy nook where we'll be more inclined to enjoy our breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks, board games, card games, newspaper reading, blog surfing, and whatever else lends itself well to this soon-to-be-cozified space.

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So, I set my sights on kijiji, Value Village, Goodwill and the like. My mission? Pedestal Possibilities. 

And, I'm happy to report Mission: Accomplished. I was really fortunate to find an ideal table rather quickly. One email to who I would later find out was a sweet, older Scottish man named Peter who lived just outside the city, and I had myself a solid oak, pedestal table for $40! Score.

The finish on the table isn't too bad, and could be left as is. But I'm not looking for the woodgrain to show. Call me crazy, but I like my furniture painted. Most of the time.

I know. I'm a wild child. 

Anyway, here are a few more details on the table itself. It's solid oak, with an extendable leaf option. The inner workings are pretty neat too. For this to surprise me, I'm thinking perhaps I'm too used to our university Ikea furniture...buuuut, when the table opens, it has gears!! Like a super sophisticated metal track system. I'll take a pic when it's all finished and set up for you to see. Pretty swank though. And for $40, how can you go wrong?

As for the table itself, it's in pretty fantastic condition. No structural issues at all. Everything is solid. The only wear and tear is scratches and scuffs. Which I'm all for when it comes to a project like this. Some edges are in good condition though.

While others are scuffed from what I imagine were many afternoons of craft-time-with-Grandma-and-Grandpa. So sweet. I love knowing that the furniture I refurbish, and make my own, comes with a story of it's own.

The pedestal itself is the part I love the  most about the table. It's so sturdy, and just ornate enough for me. without being busy or fussy. yay for balance.

So, step one was to disassemble and start sanding. Trust that I whipped out Walt, my trusty palm sander. Walt and I...we've got a good thing going on. He makes me feel so handy, when really, I'm not. 

Together, we sanded the heck out of the table, leaf and pedestal. 

And that's about where we left off with this project. Next up: priming. After that, the whole table is going to get a coat of white paint. From there, I think I'm going to attempt a soft grey, dry brushing effect over the whole thing. My attempt at a driftwood, reclaimed and beachy sort of look. Of course, I'll keep you posted about how that goes. And hopefully, relatively soon, this little pedestal beauty will be gracing our kitchen nook :)

Quick Fix

It seems like little trays like this abound at Goodwill stores. Cheap little metal trays with cute details but less than desirable finishes. Probably old trays that once served cucumber and egg salad sandwhiches at a 50th anniversary soiree, in a small town community hall, long, long ago. 

I imagine. 

But I digress. Back to the trays in general. 

If they were actually silver, I'd buff them up and display them as is. But instead, they're just beat up, cheap metal, often dirty and stained. I had been reluctant to purchase any of them, because in the store, they're just so undesirable. However, at $1.99, this little one was just cheap enough to entice me to take the plunge. 

Turns out, all the little tray needed was a few coats of ORB spray paint, and voila! An adorable little candle tray, brought back to life through the magic of paint. And now, I can see that this tray always had super cute details that were simply too subtle, hidden by it's former finish. Like check out those sweet little embossed handles, or the quanit little dotted border. All hiding in plain sight. Much better now, I think.

And that's what I call a Goodwill quick fix.

Matchy Mirrors

Quite a while ago, I stumbled upon two mirrors on clearance at Winners. At first, I didn't know what to do with them. I loved the shape and the price.

But they were different finishes. Neither of which I was fond of. 

So what's a girl to do? 

Spraypaint!! Yessiree! And did I ever have a good time spray painting these beauties. Sure, a rogue bug or blade of grass found its way into almost every sticky coat of high gloss white pray paint I applied. Nothing a little sanding and repainting couldn't fix though :)

I'm super happy with the end result. The high gloss white looks great against the wall. I love how a new coat of paint has done wonders for the original frame and bones these mirrors always had. I mean before, I could hardly tell they had such delightfully sculpted edges. Now, thanks to the glossy white, those edges are on full display!

Currently, the mirrors are situated above one of the love seats in our living area downstairs. They reflect the kitchen beautifully and definitely make the whole room feel bigger.

Overall, I'm thrilled with the way things turned out. Lesson learned? Spray paint is awesome. Always has been, always will be. 

I have a feeling spray paint and I are going to have a long, healthy and very pretty future together.

Goodwill Loot

I recently got myself some pretty sweet loot at Goodwill. And imagine my surprise and elation when I just so happened to be at Goodwill while everything was marked 50% off! O yes. It was a good day.  

I only ended up walking away with two items though, because I am really trying to only bring things into my home that I love. Like, luuuurve (as my fave Canadian Celine Dion would say ;). So the other day, that's exactly what I did. Love rule fully enforced. 

I got this shelf for $1.50, which was originally...you guessed it...$3.00. It's going to get a nice coat of paint and will help me finally finished my bathroom project mentioned in this post of yore. Ya. Procrastination is my middle name. 

Then, for $2.00, I got this sweet apothecary type glass vessel with lid. I'm thinking the quicker this little ditty gets filled with homemade biscotti where it can be proudly displayed on my counter, the better. 

On that note, did you know that biscotti are super easy to make? One day I'll share my go-to recipe. They're delish and they go perfectly with an afternoon coffee craving.

Yay. Coffee!

So, that about wraps up my Goodwill loot grab. Besides, I think singing the praises of a good cup of java is a perfectly awesome way to sign off. So, I'll leave it there.

Pompoms

Two weekends ago, I hosted the kick off to a bachelorette weekend for my amazing friend Amy. It was a sleepover for the bridesmaids to start our weekend of festivities off just right. Feeling adventurous, and somewhat brave, I decided to try my hand at some Martha Stewart tissue paper pompoms. 

Now, my love for Martha Stewart and her vast empire is a little deeper and more intense than I have time to get into right now. Let's just say, ours is a story that would take hours to tell. One day, I'll write more thoroughly of my fascination. For now, just know that I hold her in high regard. 

Not the jail part so much. But all the rest. Yes, all the rest. 

Anyhoo, as I was about to get started I realized I was feeling somewhat inadequate, as is normal when attempting a Martha project. So, I did what any person would. I brought in the big guns. The liquid courage if you will. Armed with a glass of white wine, I felt as though I could take on the world. Er... Martha. Which is really, almost the same thing. 

In all reality though, these little babies were super easy to pull together. I just followed the instructions from her website, and as easy as 1,2,3... I was finished. Here are the official instructions. But, in addition to sharing her official instructions, I thought I would also illustrate what it looks like when a real person attempts these suckers. 

Because come on. Martha always makes it look easier than it really is.

Carli's Pompomapalooza 

(Read: A real person, who is not an amazing alien from Planet Perfect tries their hand at home-made, tissue paper pompoms) ...

First, you fold the tissue paper sheets (8 to be exact) into roughly 1.5 inch folds. 

Then, you just wrap a bit of thin wire around the folded tissue paper, twist a couple times, and snip with some wire cutters. 

The finished wire-tying should look something like this. Or maybe it shouldn't. Either way, that's what it looked like for me :)

Next, cut the ends of the tissue paper folds into your desired shape. I opted for rounded edges. But you can cut the ends into a point too. That would result in a more feathered looking pompom. Also a fun option. 

Then, sheet by sheet, just start fluffing. Pull each sheet out, gently as to not rip the tissue paper. Eventually, you'll be left with a pompom. Yay!

The final result? Some beautiful tissue paper pompoms that were hardly rocket science to figure out. I hung mine with clear, acrylic thread. The pompoms are super light, so they're not difficult to hang, and I think they look great staggered from the ceiling.

Turns out real humans can complete this Martha project rather easily. 

O Martha. Once again. Ya nailed it.

Add these pompoms to the ever-growing list of why I'm so fond of that woman and everything she stands for.

Except the jail part. Not that part. Just all the rest.

$3.99

That's what I paid for this beauty.

My baby sis and I were trolling Goodwill the other day, when I saw this swank piece. It was listed at $3.99. And yes, I felt the urge to barter. 

Unfortunately garage sale season is still a few weeks away. 

So, I forked over my $3.99 and took this pitcher home with me. It sat in the garage for some time before I got on to fixing it up. But this weekend, I took advantage of our lovely warm weather and got to work on revamping this sad, sad pitcher. 

I opted for some Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint that I've heard about so much about over here. Ordinarily, I'd go for plain white, but this color (can we call it that?), is just so intense. It's dark, but not black. It's super dimensional and sparkly and different from every angle.

So, away I went. 

Action shot. No big deal. 

A couple items to note in the above picture. 

1. Yes, I am wearing crocs. They're my garage-cleaning, yard-working, spray-painting shoes. One time, in university, I wore these crocs to school. It was a low point for me. I was told that by a friend that day.

They were very right.

2. Yes I am wearing my old softball tee shirt. Single tear for the now defunct Dodgers. 

But once again, I digress. On to the Goodwill pitcher transformation!

Coat 1. Lookin' patchy. 

Coat 2. A little more coverage? I think so.

Coat 3. Mmmmhmm. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we've arrived.

Let's zoom in for a few detail shots shall we?

I think the picture below best shows the iridescent quality of ORB. It's not black, not brown, not entirely sparkly and yet not matte. It's just perfect!  It's a delicious concoction of spray-paint that creates the richest and most delightfully pigmented finished product. 

At the end of the day, I have a beautiful little pitcher that went from grungy Goodwill to rustic and restored. It always had these classic lines, but the galvanized steel and gold detailing were competing for attention. With a clean, uniform coat of ORB spray paint, this pitcher can finally be the little flower canister it was always meant to be :)

We Built A Wall Of Curtains

For me, windows are like the eyes of a room. 

Memphis agrees.

Although, he's working with a pretty nice set au natural. Lucky duck. 

For the rest of us mere mortals, here's what I have to say about eyes. While I like my eyes just fine, there are few things that make me look in the mirror with a slightly more appreciative glance than a good coat of mascara (or two) (or three). Look, ladies, you know what I'm talking about. Even when you're running late. Even when your hair isn't exactly done. You slap on a little mascara and, all of a sudden, you look more awake, more pulled together, and you feel a little more ready to take on this day!

Good window coverings, I feel, do that for a room. Even if the room is unfinished, sparse on details or in desperate need of some art above the bed (no, I'm not speaking directly to myself here. yes I am.), a great window dressing does a room a world of good. 

That's what I'm talking about today. 

You see our master bedroom has two, almost floor to ceiling height, windows on the far wall. Below is a poor picture but you can see the one window and the start of the other on the far left side. 

For the longest time I had two white, floor-length curtains. They just covered the windows and left the walls on either side and in the middle looking a little bare. For a while I contemplated hanging art, but the spaces were too small and any fix seemed a little kitschy.

So, I decided to create a wall of curtains.

Our house is neutral in almost every way. So, when planning for these curtains, I wanted to make sure I infused the room with a healthy pop of color. I may or may not be allergic to color. By may I mean I'm not. Wait. That doesn't make sense.

What I'm trying to say is that making bold color choices in our home is difficult for me. I want to, but I'm not sure how. These curtains were my first foray into a bolder color palette in our bedroom. I was nervous. But, with great fear and trepidation, I pressed on and chose a fabric and color.

The result? I couldn't be more pleased! The fabric has the most beautiful cross-hatched pattern. I love the subtle detail. The color itself is a muted, yet still deeply saturated (in a way) aqua. It goes well with our wall color and trim. And, at this point, I wasn't wanting to paint the house. So, picking a color that works well with the existing wall and trim was a must.

Here it is when the light shines through.

This was definitely an at-home job. And, while I was home-schooled, and while part of that educational process did include regular sewing lessons...I opted out with these babies and did the ol' iron on hem and clip on curtain loops method. Worked like a charm. My mom was there, and helped me out from start to finish. With both sets of eyes, and opinions, I feel like we got the clips and lengths decently balanced and symmetrical. 

Here is the view straight on, when you walk into the bedroom. You can see how the curtains do a great job of covering that unused wall space, while highlighting the windows. Mascara people! Mascara. 

We don't have high ceilings, so hanging curtains high and wide tends to do wonders for making the space feel larger while helping to create the illusion of height in the room.

Here is a view from the opposite side of the room (entering the room from the attached bathroom). I like how the curtains take up the wall space, so I'm not left with any decorating decisions to make. The curtains are statement enough.

So there you have it. We built a wall of curtains. And now, my bedroom gets a slightly more appreciative glance from me as I walk by. Because even though its lacking some finishing details, its got its mascara on.

And that, as we ladies know, is sometimes all it takes ;)

I've Got Dreams Baby

Big dreams when it comes to fancying up my throne (if you will).  Hey, big dreams, small dreams .... they all matter don't they?

That's what I thought.  Of course they do.

Look, lets be honest. My above toilet area is less than stellar right now. Besides for that beautiful jewelry tree given to me by my bestie, which definitely needs a new home, things are looking pretty bleak.   

Our home is a newer home.  When building it, we tried to make as much of it 'uniquely us' as possible. But now, after a few years of living in it, I'm starting to realize that our home could really use some TLC.  There are a lot of spaces that have been left as-is.

Speaking of as-is: Ikea.  I used to hate going into the as-is section.  Ryan always wanted to peruse the goods, but not me....nooooo.  I was annoyed and overwhelmed by the disorganization and chaos of it all. So, he'd go as-is to his heart's content while I got in line and tried not to buy every little item they stash along the sides while you wait. But now, especially since I've discovered a new found love for garage sales, thrifting and the like.... as-is is my zone, man.  Can't get enough of that mad house.

"Let the other customers struggle with their self control as they wait in line! I've got sneaky deals to find in as-is!" - is usually the braveheart-esque, internal monologue I've got going on when as-ising.

I should say here, that once again, Ryan was way ahead of the curve. My curve that is. But I'm catching up.  Slowly but surely, I am :)

Anyway, back to my throne.  It's sad. So, I intend to make it happy! 

The idea I'm going with is over the toilet shelving mainly.  Here are some pics that are serving as my inspiration for this project. 

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I love the idea of baskets, mason jars, candles and some personal art filling up this space.  I'm looking for a mix of function and just flat-out pretty decor. I spend a lot of time in this bathroom. It's where my soaker tub is after all.  

I'm a girl.  And I want it to be pretty. 

Commence project Potty Prettification.