I needed a pillow

So today I went in search of a pillow for this chair - it looked a little bare I thought.................

but got a little sidetracked as usual and came home with













this

and this

and this

 

and this

oh yeah
and finally this

just in case you think I don't have focus  xxx

Ok, I will say it

I never say it - even if somewhere deep down in my soul of souls I think it for a fleeting
moment or two...................
I never let the words escape from my lips because winter is so long and so cold that it
seems a sin to allow such words to be spoken. ( do you know where I am going with this? )
I never admit it - not out loud anyway - it doesn't seem right to complain when a few short
months ago we were questionning if this was ever going to happen.

But really - this is just #$@%^$  ridiculous....................
Enough already -
No air conditioning because we did not think we needed it in this new place - the breezes off
the park are amazing - but today - omg - I have had 4 cold baths trying to shake off what
35 degrees celcius ( 45 with the humidity ) can do to a person.
Not a pretty site -

Went to a movie to try to feel normal - but that only worked as long as the movie did
( btw go see The Hangover Part 2 - hilarious )

Calling tomorrow to see if we can have central air installed as quickly as
possible - but now I think it may be too late - I am sure they are bombarded with business
right now..................and construction holidays are upon us -

Off to take my 5th bath ( I don't dry myself at all - walk around the house dripping wet - and am
dry within 2 minutes - no joking - try not to picture it )

Debbie and Sandy if you are reading this I am so wishing I had your backyards this week. Even with air
conditioning I think I would sleep on a raft in the pool outside.

xxx

Poolside dreaming

New obsession perhaps?

I have another project - another buffet - hutch!
If I can't sell this piece it will go in the dining room - because who needs a spare
6 inches of space in any given room?
It is going a glossy white - the hardware will be spray painted black because
I love the scale of them, check out the size of the handles on the bottom
doors ( sort of a chinoiserie look? ) here is the before in all of it's 70's glory.
As you can see I have already scraped off the horrendous gold pattern
on one of the windows.

Will post after as soon as finished which may be awhile because work
at my Mother's is in progress now.

xxxx

Antiquing...............

Back in February John and I came across an antique store near our house and fell madly in love with this piece.  It is over 200 years old and it's from Eastern Europe - Bulgaria I think - it is a farm house table
( actually opens up to sit 4 people as a table )
And although I still love it - it's a beautiful piece if you are into this type of thing and I am - I keep staring at it wondering if we got ripped off - we spent a lot of money on it - ( the antique dealer says it will only appreciate in value )
Kijiji and CL have spoiled me - I have found so many beautiful pcs through them - that I find myself
questionning this purchase - constantly.
Whenever someone comments on a pc I have refinished myself - I practically scream in their faces
50 bucks - or 30 bucks - or whatever ridiculous amount I have paid for it - like my badge of honor.

I won't dare say what we paid for this - it doesn't sit right with me.

Here it is...........
Happy Wknd  xxx

I want this so bad..............

New listing around the corner - a 3 storey Victorian - it needs a lot of love - but it comes with a garden apartment you can rent out - and it is so filled with potential it has me fantasizing nightly about it.

Way out of my budget ( can you imagine - we just moved into this one last September and if I could,
I would sell it and move on ) something very seriously wrong with me - because I do love my little
Victorian flat..............but this other one has so much space.............

Below are some pics from MLS -

Have a wonderful weekend...............

xxx

And she's finished!

All done!

Again - before




















and after ;)

Pic's are not so great because off of my cell phone -
Have to figure out how to use my digital camera now
( which is still in the original box 7 years after buying it,
how embarassing really )

But I just love this unit - absolutely perfect for storage.

Off to my Mom's to start on the living room.
Pics to follow as I go from room to room there.

xxx

Staging my Mom's duplex for sale

My mother is selling her duplex - and the downstairs needs a lot of loving ( she lives upstairs ) I used to live there so I feel somewhat of an attachment to it - but my brother lived there with his kids for the last 8 years
and lets just say  that he did not inherit the obsessions I seem to have.
But it gives me an outlet and gets my creative juices flowing just thinking of getting in there and working some magic.
It also gives me a space to store some of the furniture that is overflowing in my house!
I will post before and after pics as I do each room -

In the meantime here is another pic of a before and after project

Salvation Army purchase - 15.00 - before

and after - handles were 3 dollars each - paint was 12.99 - so total cost for this
pretty turquoise bureau was roughly 30.00 ( I always have primer on hand so
did not have to buy that )
not too shabby?

I am loving the heat by the way - but it ain't fun painting in it - lol

xxx

DRESS A TABLE, ANYONE?

So this is what you do when you are riddled with obsessions.

You dress your table,
frequently..........( I think they now have a name for this - tablescape )
but that is just a nice way of compartmentalising a particular disorder, lol

I place more importance on my table decorating than I care to admit - except
here of course - here I will bare my soul

Current table setting - I say current because it could be and probably will be totally different next week!
( the smaller silver charger plates and the white saucers that are sitting on them are from the dollar store!!!!)

This is one I found browsing the web - makes me want to join them for dinner - doesn't even matter what we eat - even Mcdonald's would be delicious here





Groups of flowers are lovely aren't they?

Think I will make a candle lit dinner for John and I tonight, off to take steaks out of the
freezer -

Dress  your table ladies....................

xxx

Kitchen Dreamin'

I have never never been lucky enough to have a large kitchen - and they seem to be getting smaller
with every move -
This last house we are living in is a 100 year old Victorian - with the original kitchen space ( although
previous owners have updated throughout the years lol ) so extremely tiny.

If you have to have a small kitchen - wouldn't this be lovely?



or this



what about this



ok now I am really dreaming in technicolor ( the stove is probably worth more than I can spend
on an entire renovation.........



pretty ( again love the stove )

I am loving all white kitchens right now........................
My current kitchen is like a jewellery box - so many color that it
blinds me a little

Good night to all and to all a good night

xxx

My Chair is suddenly all over the place!!

I had previously posted this chair - picked it up from CL in the winter - it was brown - and fabric was
orange - brown - it did not have any tufting on the back - this was the end result................I never
got around to upholstering the small pcs on the arms - I seem to always leave a little job to do on a pc
of furniture for some reason - probably because I tend to do 2 or 3 projects at once........

Now I see there is one being sold in England for 395 pounds - very very similar!

And if you go to elte.com - and click on catalogue - ( I am sorry I cannot get a pic of that
for some reason )  you will see one even closer to mine - it's on the 2nd page.
listed at 575. 00 dollars.

And then there is this

Also being shown as dining room chairs in this months Canadian House and Home

I love the chair - but maybe am loving it a little bit more now!

xxx

Questions of the day

Can a woman ever have too many shoes?

Can a sofa ever have too many pillows?

Ok - still a lot to learn about blogging - tried to figure out how to add a follower ( so I could let friends know how to do it ) and have added myself as a follower to my own blog - and cannot get rid of myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is how it's done...................

Underneath the Followers section on the right side - you click on Follow - if you do not have an account with google - or yahoo - or any of them - at the bottom you click on " create an account "

You simply type in your email address and you create a password..............( I think )

Is anybody out there? Is anybody reading this?

This is becoming a very personal diary - lol

xxx

BEFORE AND almost AFTER

And this is where it stands now - pls do not take notice of the inside - I have not " arranged " anything yet - handles have not been installed - there are still little finishing touches left to do - I will post a final picture at the end - but it is almost done - and I am really happy with the result.

STORAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxx

the body and doors after 1 coat of paint - project took 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of paint

Tools of my trade part 2 -

Note the lipstick in with my supplies - I searched the house high and low for this and found it on the table after many hours.................only I would be applying lipstick while doing my projects -

too funny

After doors were washed - I hand sanded them lightly

this is applying a coat of primer - as important as this step is - it really does not have to be a neat process - you really just want to give it a base coat -

An important tip to remember is that you do not want to wait to long after this step before you paint - unlike waiting a day or 2 between coats of paint - the first coat of paint after primer should be done within a few hours - for some reason professionals say it adheres far better if you follow this simple rule.

I painted out the trim areas by brush on the body of the unit - and rolled on the rest.

DECK out my HOME: Vintage Buffet & Hutch

DECK out my HOME: Vintage Buffet & Hutch:

Please click on the above link - this is absolutely incredible - cannot believe what was done with a garage sale find - AMAZING

xxx

Top section completely primed

Once trim has been painted by hand - I use my small roller to paint the entire pc -
I am painting in stages - top first - than bottom - because my kitchen is so tiny I have
nowhere to put everything while I am painting - so bottom is packed with items!!!!!
I am cheating also ( would not do this on a pc for someone else - but this is for our
place and so I am taking a shortcut ) I am not doing the bottom and top separately -
I am painting them both while in place - so whenever it is removed there will be a
rectangle of old ugly wood - but honestly this pc is so heavy that if I were to paint
it separately we would probably scratch the hell out of the bottom one anyways trying
to put it in place -
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!
Total amount of time spent on project so far?
1 hour -

More tomorrow
xxx

Once furniture has been thoroughly cleaned -I use my brush to go around all the corners and edges -

TOOLS OF THE TRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 items - and lots of elbow grease

TSP - cleanser solution -

Paint brush -

I used to use the cheap disposable ones - but am now using a brand called Purdy - on the pricey side ( compared to the cheap ones ) but very easy to clean - and wow what a difference a brush makes -

Small paint tray and sponge roller -

could not live without this = always have 2 or 3 spare ones ( just in case )

Next step to follow!

Newest Project - Buffet / Hutch

It's a beautiful day here in sunny Montreal - the city is alive with the sounds of summer -
The international fireworks have begun - we are in the midst of the Jazz Festival - all of the
terraces are packed - shoppers are in and out of the stores - Old Montreal is spectacular with all
of the street performers celebrating the warmth and sunshine - boats are drifting in the harbour with music and laughter floating in the air............. there are more tourists than natives.......and what am I doing????

Well I have another project of course - involving painting of course - involving spending these
beautiful days in the house with sand paper of course - am I certifiable? Most definitely.

I found this piece at the Salvation Army - our salvation army is way overpriced - ( do not get
the " steals " our American friends seem to get ) but every now and then I come across something that makes my heart pound - my hands start to sweat - my eyes darting around
like a deer in the headlights - thinking I could do wonders with that...............

Last week was one of those instances - walked in not expecting to find anything at all - and lo and behold - I saw this buffet and hutch for 75.00 and when I inquired about it I found out it was a 50% day off sale!!!!!!! So picked it up for 37.50 ( along with 2 coffee tables - 40.00 each and an antique buffet which could easily be a bureau for 75.00 - more on those projects later )

So................just to let you know I live in a Victorian flat - over 100 years old - and my kitchen is smaller than most people's washrooms - and that is really not an exaggeration - that is simply the truth. I have 3 upper kitchen cupboards - and 2 lower ones - and am in desperate need of storage - so this piece is going to be painted ( maybe antiqued - not sure at this point ) and turned into a county type of buffet.............tons of room for dishes. glasses on the top and pots and pans hidden in the bottom part.
I will post pics of progress as I go along -

This is a picture of it's current state in all of it's 70's glamour ( ugly as sin I know ) Hubby says it's a pc of &^%&$ but says that about everything until I finish them - then falls in love with them every time.


xxx

Sorry do not have the before.................

I am notorious for not taking "before" pics - have to start remembering to do that
before every project -
This chair was a very dingy brown - full of nicks and scratches...............it was
upholstered in a cream ( filthy ) and brown/orange floral fabric - picked it up from
Craig's list for peanuts -

Cleaned it with T.S.P - an extremely important step - this product removes
grease, cigarette smoke, and any other kind of undesirable residue left on
furniture ( great for cupboards too - prior to painting )
It is as important a step as priming is...............

Then removed all of the old upholstery - I cannot tell you how difficult it was
to remove the top part, had to get hubby to chip in with that - there were
aproximately 10,357 staples - and once they were removed we discovered
the piping had been attached with some kind of epoxy glue - there was
a lot of cursing going on for about a week!

Next step was to prime it - followed by a coat of white paint.
Once that was dry - I dry brushed gray paint over the entire
surface - rubbing it in ( and off ) as I went leaving a sort of "antiqued"
affect.

Then I reupholstered - black satin - the seat was very easy as I have been
doing seats for years - but the top!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! again a lot of very bad words
were muttered under my breath. I decided to tuft the top with small silver
buttons for a touch of glam - and then finished it off with silver cord ( this
is a step you have to do to hide the staples )

Although I am happy with the outcome - I don't think I will ever attempt to
do a chair with backs again. Absolute hell on earth actually -

And here we are - drum roll please ( if ever I have deserved a drum roll it is for
this piece ) TA DA!!!!!!!

First and last attempt at this I'll tell you.

xxx

RAINY DAYS &....................

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around Nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down -



Wow the Carpenters really captured my mood today..............Pouring today - bouncing off the streets one moment - and then
the sun teasingly shoots out a ray or two - just enough to give
us some hope - and then off it disappears for another torrential
downpour, ugggghhhh, sometimes rain does my soul good -
cleanses it out as it washes down the city - releases a lot of what
should not be there - leaves it feeling all shiny and new -
but this kind of rain?

this is the kind that drowns your soul, leaves it feeling tired
and cold.................and empty

I need me some sun.



So went to my favorite fabric store and picked up


the above fabric - I will show you later on what it

will be used for,

Off to search for some yellow

Suzan
xxx

Sorry you are going to be a part of this learning process - just wanted to make sure I could figure out how to download a pic from the web!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So thought I would try it with one of favourite chairs - the Barcelona............

I love it in white - but the PINK is pretty spectacular - think very modern

little girl's room - loving it

That's all for now folks -

Will continue this journey tomorrow.

xxx