Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blossoms

Hello Friends! I am sorry I have been away so long! It was definitely a little longer than intended, but we did have a fantastic visit with our family and friends. I have a couple of close friends who are pregnant and I probably won't get to see them again before their sweet little babes are born, so I was very glad to have this opportunity to catch up! It was a low key visit and I was sure to get in a couple of solid naps! Oh, and I did some fantastic thrift shopping with my mother in law. I can't wait to show you my finds!

As much as being away is lovely, it is always so nice to be home. I was happy to be back in our little cottage and to get a some cuddles with our sneaky cat. I also had fun finding new homes for all of my thrift store finds. Anyway, it's been pretty rainy here, but the other day we had some beautiful sun and it made me so excited for spring. I went out in our yard and was exploring and thinking about gardening and I happened upon a pretty little pink, blooming bush. It was pretty scraggly, so I cut a couple of the branches and put them inside. I put some in our kitchen and some in our bedroom.


In this photo you can see one of my finds- a lovely little cotton apron that looks as though it has never been used. It has the prettiest lace details and pockets. I'm in love! (Oh, and don't mind the ugly hole in the wall :)


And here are the blossoms in the bedroom...


I don't think that I have ever shown you pictures of our bedroom, so I guess this is a little sneak peak. I actually found a few things for our room while we were away, so I'll give you a tour soon! I've never been totally happy with our room, but I'm starting to like it more.

Anywho, time for me to get ready for work! Have a fantastic Tuesday friends!

P.S. This post is linked up to Good Life Wednesdays over A Beach Cottage!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Blog Love!

I'm here! I'm here! And I am excited to tell you that the wonderful blog, Timber and Tin, has given my blog an award...



It's an award for up and coming lovely blogs and I'm so pleased! Thank you! And now, it is my turn to hand this award over to three other lovely blogs.


On a different note, I may be a little absent for the next few days because my husband and I are on holidays for a few days. We're visiting some family and friends in our hometown! Hopefully I'll be back in a couple of days, though. Until then, enjoy your weekends!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Kitchen Shelves: Take 2

Hello Lovelies! I hope you all have had a wonderful week! I've been keeping busy and today I'm just enjoying some time at home with my husband. We just finished having a delicious brunch- banana pancakes, bacon and eggs and I think I may be nearly ready to take a nap. But before I settle in for a snooze, I thought I would show you a little project that I recently took on.

First, I'll give you a little background. About a year ago, I helped my parents decorate their guest room and one of the things we did  was add beadboard wallpaper. Here's the room before and after (don't mind the lack of trim, my Dad added it after I left)...

Before

After

This was the first time I used beadboard wallpaper and I loved it. The results were fantastic! After completing this room, we had some leftover wallpaper and my parents let me take it with me. There wasn't a whole lot left, but ever since we moved in to our cottage last summer I have been looking for a way to use it. Just so you know, I am absolutely obsessed with beadboard!

This brings us to my latest project. As you've probably guessed, I found a way to use that leftover wallpaper! In our kitchen there is a big shelving unit that we use to store our dishes, cookbooks and jars of food. It's a simple white shelf and previously had no character. Actually, around the time I started this blog (this past fall) I attempted to add some charm to the shelf by painting the back blue. Here is a picture of the shelves when we first moved in and one of them painted blue...




The blue paint was makeover number one for these shelves and now it is on to makeover number two- adding beadboard wallpaper to the back! This was a very easy project and it didn't take long at all. I just measured the back of the shelves and cut my wallpaper and then put it up! It was so simple and I am in love with the results. Because our cottage has a fairly open plan (it's so small that it's hard not to see every room) it feels like it adds character to the whole space! So, without further ado, here are the shelves now...




And here's some more pictures just because I took a ton!




It's hard to see the beadboard in the last two pictures. Anyway, that's how I decided to use my leftover beadboard wallpaper. I'm so glad to finally have some beadboard in our home. I can't wait until we own a place and can use it more! And now, I'm off to either have a nap or read a book. Either way, it's going to be an activity that requires little energy! I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sewing Adventures: Cushion Covers

Last week I showed you the lovely fabric I ordered off of Etsy and just the other day I told you that I received the package in the mail! I was so excited when I saw the little brown box just waiting for me to open it! Isn't mail simply delightful? I almost prefer to make my purchases online because I also get the anticipation of waiting for its arrival! Anyway, here's a reminder of the fabric that I purchased...


And here's the fabric all sewn up into a couple of cushions...




I was on a bit of a roll in the sewing department, so I made a couple more cushions using a piece of fabric I had draped over the back of my couch. You can see it here...


The fabric was actually a small tablecloth that I purchased from a home decor shop. I love its colour and texture. While I liked the look of having it on the back of the couch, it was very annoying because it always fell down and got all wrinkled. I've been meaning to sew it into a cushion cover for some time now. So, that's what I did.



I also sewed a smaller, lumbar cushion out of the fabric, but the only picture I have of that one is this...


You can see the smaller cushion in the corner! I'm very happy with how they all look together and  to boot, I got four new cushions for very little money. Because I already had the inserts and the tablecloth, I only had to pay for the new fabric which cost me around $16 (including shipping). Not bad! Have you purchased anything from Etsy or another online shop lately? I hope you have just as much fun waiting for mail to arrive as I do! 

P.S. I sewed the buttons on the baby sweater that I knitted. So, as promised, here are a couple of pictures...



P.P.S. This post has been linked up to Good Life Wednesdays over at A Beach Cottage.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Window

I'm back! The past couple of days have been a little crazy here. We were supposed to be hit with a major windstorm, but it just sort of passed us! I have to admit, I'm always a little disappointed when big storms are predicted and then they end up being nothing. Well, the winds weren't nothing, they just weren't what they were supposed to be. It was a little anti-climatic. They even cancelled school yesterday and then it ended up being rather nice and the even sun made an appearance!

In the past couple of days I've also had some good opportunities to get some knitting done and I just finished a baby sweater for a friend. All I have to do now is add some little brown buttons! Once I've got those sewn on, I'll post a picture here for you to see!

So the other day when I went to the antique store and found my crate, I also found an old window. The owner gave it to me for three dollars! Along with vintage crates, I've also been keeping a lookout for an old window, so I was so happy when I found this one! And for three dollars!



When I bought it, it was actually painted a dark purple on one side and a bright yellow on the other. Not exactly the look I was going for. So, I got out my paint and mixed a few colours together until I achieved a light grey-blue! I painted one side this colour and the other I painted a green. The same green as my chalkboard, which is 'Saguero' by Martha Stewart. This way, if I feel like changing it up a bit, I can simply flip it around to show the green side! Once my window was all painted and I said goodbye the purple and yellow, I found a lovely spot for it above my couch.


I like having the wreath hanging from the window. Before it just sat on the shelf...


And now it hangs happily from my window! 


In other news, I got my new fabric in the mail and I've already got to work sewing some new cushions! I just love it and I can't wait to show you!

I'm linking this up to Good Life Wednesdays at A Beach Cottage!
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