file it under "done"

Young adults or children generally mark "significant" birthdays with an accomplishment.  (On a 16th birthday, you get your driver's license.  On a 21st birthday, you mark the birthday doing more "adult" activities...etc.)

Once you reach *ahem* bigger milestones (30's, 40's, 50's etc.), you take on larger activities, like a huge party or travel to bring in the new age.  But in between those milestone birthdays, similar to what most normal people do at New Year's Eve, I make new resolutions after my birthday.

Last year, my resolution was to ensure I create memories.  Leading up to this was the creation of this blog, which for the most part, documented those special moments.

This year, my resolution is to be more disciplined.

To keep my energy focused on being more efficient and...just get things done.  No procrastination or excuses that keep me in my comfort zone.  In fact, now I do what makes me uncomfortable, having the  discipline to do, no matter how tired I am or difficult the task might be.

So, this past week, I pulled out my "get dirty" clothes, dusted off my paint brushes, and finished a few projects that I've made excuses not to finish.  And while my projects are still in progress,  I've completed quite a few in such a short time....and now I can say, "file it under DONE".

Refurbishing a Metal Filing Cabinet

Now that school has started, it means more paper comes into the house.  Unable to find a "pretty" filing cabinet (is there such a thing?), I took our old filing cabinet, and gave it a facelift.  Here's how it went.

1)  Empty file cabinet, and use painters tape to cover handles.
2)  Using Rustoleum's "Flat White" Exterior spray paint, spray even (and very light) coats of paint, making sure you let it dry in between layers. (I used about three layers).
3)  Using a stencil, tape your design to the front of the drawers.
4)  Using craft paint, using gentle dabs (not strokes!), apply your colour.

Done.

the art in life

As I seek balance and quiet simplicity in our lives, I sometimes just sit and take in the beauty of nature and the simple things that surround us.  Clouds.  Flowers.  Fruit on the counter.  Especially in the winter light where the sunlight is crisp, my surroundings seem very still, and I can focus and take that perfect photograph.  Capturing all the intricate details and textures.  When I look back at the photographs I've taken, it evokes a type of sensory memory (the way you'd smell freshly baked cookies and think of Mom) or a sense of calm.  

I love how nature can be inspiration for how we can recreate those feelings in our homes.  For me, it's the colour of a room that sets the tone for how it should make you feel, and hopefully evokes a wonderful childhood memory or create a sense of calm.  I don't necessarily follow the latest design trends, but instead use a simple approach, using nature as inspiration to  create a classic home as a backdrop for creating beautiful memories. Here's how I've used nature to inspire our current home, and some samples of how colour in a room can evoke emotions.


White roses (or roses in general) are always classically beautiful. Taking a cue from the various shades inspired by this rose photo, you can see how white with platinum/mink, silver and grey tones were used in our home, making it elegant and classic. (The paint shown are from the Sherwin Williams "Chip It" app).

Every time I see the vibrant pink in this photo (a dahlia flower from last year's garden), it evokes a playful memory...pretty in pink tea parties when I was a little girl.  When you take the pink to inspire colour into a room, you can see how the colour makes a room feel vibrant and playful.  

This is the $1000/night Eloise suite at The Plaza,
designed by whimsical fashion designer, Betsey Johnson

Some of our our most beautiful family moments happened near white sand and turquoise water, and this photo represents that relaxed, vacation feeling.  When using beach inspired colours, you can see how it makes a room feel calm.  A place where a family can relax.

This was photographed during our visit to Turks & Caicos

Room designed by Victoria Hagan

I particularly love this last inspirational photo...I hope that the art of nature will translate into our own future (dream) recreational residence, a place where we will always feel calm and relaxed.


And I hope you too, discover the art in life.

Beautiful Dresser

I love to shop.  Let’s just get that out of the way.  And since having kids, I now dress vicariously through them.  

Unfortunately our little girl’s closet is literally a half-sized one (not even 1/10th of the size of the dream walk in closet featured in Friday's post), and with all the clothes her crazy mother buys for her, she’ll need more places to put her stuff.  I love this pretty pink dressing chest from Posh Tots...for a paltry $1000.

Isabella Dressing Chest from Posh Tots

I’ve been looking for similar dressers on Craigslist and eBay, with no luck.  Most are too large or still too expensive.  Then, I remember an article from a design editor at Style at Home magazine talking about great finds at Value Village.  So, I headed off…

Not only did I find the right sized dresser, it had nice simple lines.  The wood was solid  (minus a few scuffs), and $15!  And since there was a 50% sale on (disappointingly not on furniture, but on clothes), the manager was in a generous mood, and said he’d only charge me $10 for this dresser!!!

Imagine all the possibilities...repositioned
crystal knobs, added moulding and
detailing, pretty paint.

Sold…to the lowest bidder? Well, I hightailed it out of there faster than you can say "sale"...and brought this baby home.  I was so giddy that I completely forgot to think of all the excuses I will have to make to justify this purchase (I paid more for my lamp than this dresser, so I can always re-sell, repaint or relocate to a possible cottage some day...at least that will be my "story").  

I think I’m going pink....now, stay tuned!

Simple De(light)

Although our sitting room gets lots of sunlight (we sometimes call this the “sunroom”), we still needed a little table lamp when we enjoy the room in the evening.

I love the Robert Alley Doughnut lamp at Macys, but $435 (not including shipping, taxes and duty) for a little table lamp is pretty pricey.

Robert Abbey Doughnut Lamp at Macy's

I’ve been told that Restore is a little place that interior designers love to visit.  There is a treasure trove of new and antique type things (amongst the dingy as well).  Because the money goes to Habitat for Humanity, many local retailers donate their end of lines, and you can find some really great deals.

So, I found this lamp at my local Restore.  It only cost $30 (including tax!).  And the money went to charity, so more guilt-free shopping!!!

Using dish soap and a damp cloth was
the easy solution to clean this lampshade 

With a little spray paint (or maybe not…I'm still contemplating about painting it completely black, brushed nickel, or oil rubbed bronze), a little clean up of the lamp, and fabric edging on the lampshade edging (to cover a little dent), this would look fabulous!

Now...hoping to shed some light...stay tuned!

Simple Mail Sorter

I've noticed in many interior design magazines, that it is quite trendy to use antique toast racks to use as “mail sorting racks” in their home.

Here’s a real antique one found in the UK.  Note that it is £44.00 (or about $88...that must be some kind of bread!)

Toast rack from Steptoes Antiques

Since I’m using this for mail, I wanted one that was less expensive.  I found a scuffed up stainless steel version (i.e. NOT antique) at Talize, a thrift store that sells mostly clothes, but also sells household “knick knacks”. This has simple lines, and for $2, it will suffice to sort our mail.

I spray painted it a champagne bronze colour (mostly as a test...i'd love to use this colour on legs of an oval glass table...very french art deco!), and now it has a subtle look of an antique (and since it was so inexpensive, I would have no qualms re-painting this a different colour in the future, to match my ever changing home décor).

I used Krylon's Brushed Metallic spray paint
in "Champagne Nouveau" in Satin finish.
Found at Canadian Tire or Michaels for about $6

I do covet a real antique toast rack for our dream home/cottage someday, to actually use for toast (I can imagine using it at a pretty brunch…it would look so pretty on a marble countertop, wouldn’t it?), but that would be for another day.

Now….I’ll toast to that! 

Simply Good(will) Table-Reveal !

This has been quite a fun DIY project, mostly because this is my test...if I can paint this table, I can attempt at a larger table for our kitchen.

Here's what I did with my $5 table.

Using sandpaper, lightly sanded all paintable surfaces.

A medium grit sandpaper worked.

Then, using a damp cloth, I wiped the table clean from debris.

I was temped to use TSP, but plain water worked fine.

I primed the table with this great oil based primer  
I only used about 1/20th of the can.

Zinsser Cover Stain is amazing, found at Lowes for about $12.
It works well on all kinds of wood, including damaged, varnished or veneered.

Spray (yes spray) painted the table using satin black paint.  

Almost suffocated myself with the fumes...
don't forget to wear a mask!  This Krylon spray in Satin
Black can be found at Michaels or Canadian Tire for about $7

I waited for about 24 hours before doing another coat, 

and paint odd places I missed (like underneath).

If you get drips or streaks,
use a small foam brush (from Michaels for $1),
and lightly brush the drips, then continue spraying.

Remember my inspiration?

Crate and Barrel Esme Bruno Pedestal Table

Here's how my version looks in our sitting room. 

The sofa is supposed to be in our living room...
this is just a temporary spot.  It will be replaced with two sitting
chairs, with this table in between.

Similar to the Crate and Barrel table in style, but definitely not $600 (or even half that).  Total cost...about $20!!! (with primer and paint to spare for another project!)

Beautiful savings.

{This post is linked to Coastal Charm, Miss Mustard Seed, My Repurposed Life, House of Grace, The Shabby Nest}

Simply Good(will) Table

On weekends, my husband and I try to catch up on our reading. Whether we're reading an article online, or leafing through flyers (me) in preparation for the next week, we try to relax in our sitting room.  However, we're big coffee drinkers, and had no where to put our morning fuel.

When I dropped off our usual spring donations at the local Goodwill, a little table in the store caught my eye.  For $5, I had to get it.  (You can't even buy the wood for that much... and the money goes to a good cause, so it's definitely win-win!).

I love the lines of this table.  So simple and classic, with good bones (it is very sturdy).  However, it definitely needed a little "polish". 

I am hoping to refinish it this weekend, so it looks like the Crate and Barrel one (albeit, the C&B one is MUCH larger...and $600!!!), here:

Crate & Barrel's Esme Bruno Pedestal Table

More pictures of my progress to follow...


Now...stay tuned!