Friday Find – December 16 {O Christmas Tree}

So I’ve put up the Christmas tree at our house.  We’ve had this artificial tree for several years now – like probably 10 – and it is beginning to show  it’s age.  I’d love to get a real tree but I’ve been vetoed.  Hubby objects for two reasons –

1. they are a fire hazard (sighhh) and;
2. they are messy (you’d think he was the one who vaccuums …).

Try as I might I cannot get him to relent … so an artificial tree it is (after almost 30 years of marriage I’ve learned which battles to pick).  When I bought this tree back in the day, the concept of pre-lit artificial trees was new (and expensive) so I improvised.  I wrapped each branch with lights and waaa-laaa a “pre-lit” Christmas Tree :).

Any-whooooo …. I’ve put this 10 year old self pre-list artificial tree up and … well … I’m not feeling it.  I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t get all warm inside looking at it.  Not in the least.  Maybe it’s time for a change … so I got to thinking about doing a non-traditional Christmas Tree next year and I went hunting for inspiration.  Here’s what I found on Pinterest:

 

Some crafty trees:

 

 

Source: boredandcrafty.com via Deasha on Pinterest

 

Source: pinterest.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

Source: flickr.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

Some natural trees:

 

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

 

 

Source: ehow.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

 

Source: google.co.uk via Donna on Pinterest

 

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via Donna on Pinterest

And some very creative trees:

 

Source: bing.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: blog.friis-co.dk via Donna on Pinterest

Source: vi.sualize.us via Donna on Pinterest

Source: notmartha.org via Donna on Pinterest

These are such great inspiration for next year!  Which one do you prefer?  And if you have a non-traditional tree in your home, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy “Last Weekend Before Christmas” everyone!!!

Friday Find–December 2 {Finally!}

This week’s Friday Find is inspiration from Houzz for the new focal point in my dining room/living room – a red wall!

contemporary kitchen design by san francisco design-build Harrell Remodeling

This has it ALL – the entire colour palette I’m trying to achieve, right down to that gorgeous blue as an accent colour and those roman blinds, although I think I’ll do mine in fabric.  And even though I don’t have a bay window, I even plan a bench seat in the dining room.  FINALLY!!!

Mercury Glass

Pottery Barn c/o www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com

I’ve been noticing a lot of mercury glass items over the last couple of weeks.  I’m loving the sparkly antique look of these lovelies, so thought I’d do a little research on this beautiful glass.

c/o www.johnnyinadress.com

Mercury glass, or “silvered glass” originated in Bohemia around 1840, and was also produced in England starting in 1849 and is considered one of the first true “art glass’ products.  It is basically free-blown double-walled glass that is silvered in between the two walls and sealed.  Although it is called “mercury” glass, the silvering is produced by coating the interior with with a solution containing silver-nitrate and grape sugar.  Once coated the glass was heated and then sealed in various ways, ranging from cork to metal discs.

Crate and Barrel Jolie lamp

The first pieces I noticed were at Chapters, in their home gifts section….

And ever since then I’ve been seeing the glass everywhere.  I love the variation in colour on this pendant – a very aged silver.

c/o www.sherrisreadingjubilee.blogspot.com

The following beauties were found on Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last one is actually a DIY mercury glass.  Check out the tutorial here: www.takethesidestreet.com/2010/11/faux-mercury-glass-tutorial.html.  Hmmm, I may just give this a try if I can find Krylon Looking Glass spray paint in Canada.

The other night, I even picked a couple of pretty little mercury glass birds for our Christmas decorating.  No pics yet, but once I get to decorating, I’ll share.

Have you included any mercury glass pieces in your decorating – Christmas or otherwise?  If so, let us know….

Friday Find–November 25 {Thanks!}

To all my American friends and family… Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: thebottomoftheironingbasket.blogspot.com via PhotoPuddle on Pinterest

Friday Find–November 18 {new discoveries}

Have you found The Foundary?  I was snooping around on the web the other day and came across this really neat site. 

It’s a collection of really cool products that are offered up for a limited time online sale. I’ve come across several of these over the last few years, but there’s something about the products offered on The Foundary that appeals to me.   To quote the website:

Every once in a while, a product emerges from the stagnant mainstream to capture the imagination of our buyers. These folks see a lot of ordinary in their day-to-day, so when they spot something transformative, they have a cultivated ability to recognize it. And then something funny happens. Like a flipped switch from daydream to wakefulness, there's a moment of inspiration. They're compelled not just to buy, but to share.

That's why we built the Foundary. To create a space where we can share our passion for products of substance. We share this passion with Foundary members through daily emails, which announce new, limited-time sales events, each filled with surprises, delights, and a satisfying dose of indulgence.

Here’s some of some the cool stuff you’ll find:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(This one is for my hubby’s garage, which we lovingly call “The Lounge”)

If you haven’t already – check out The Foundary!

Sew …. what’s new???

Hey readers, I’ve got something brewing in my garage.  No…. it’s not hubby’s still (I can’t say that too loud, he’s McGyver inclined and may just try it out --- LOL).

Nope, it something better than alcohol, well better than Grain alcohol anyway, never better than red wine you understand – NOTHING is better than red wine.

But I digress, back out to the garage.

A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow blogger Kelly of Jax does design gave me one of several old sewing tables (including the machine) of her grandmothers.  I was beyond thrilled.  You see I have a small obsession with previously loved furniture. (See my last makeover here).  I think it’s partly because of the secrets they hold.  Where have they been, who have they known?  And in this particular case, how many garments have been lovingly created or repaired by this machine?  That’s part of it, but the main reason is the draw of giving these pieces a new lease on life.

So, after I brought my new friend home, I was “alotted” a small space in the garage for my latest find.  Then the fun began.  What did this new treasure hold ….

In the original picture Kelly showed me I wasn’t sure if the top was one or two pieces.  I used to have a sewing table that had a split hinged top.  With this in mind, I was thinking I would replace the top with a nice piece of granite or marble.  But … looks like I won’t have to, since this sewing table has a solid one piece top that lifts off – sahweet!

Now, what secrets is this solid one piece top hiding …

The machine is a Franklin, made by Sears Roebuck Co. in the early 1900’s.  Here are some close-ups:

So, what started off as a cool new furniture makeover, morphed somewhat into a Google research project to find out as much as we could about Franklin sewing machines.  Here’s what we found:

The whole story can be found at http://www.ismacs.net/sears/sears.html, where you’ll hear all about the exciting world of sewing machines :)!  The machine isn’t worth very much at this point, but it certainly has some decorative value if you were going to display it somewhere. 

Next week, I’ll share my ideas and inspiration for re-finishing this gorgeous piece … stay tuned

Friday Find–November 11 {Remember}

                                                                                                     Source: sheseesthestars.tumblr.com via Sue on Pinterest

Friday Find – November 4 {Pinteresting}

While scrolling through Pinterest this week, here’s what a loved….

This looks like such a nice cozy place to relax and sip a cuppa … ahhhhhh

Isn’t this a great idea?  I hate crawling into my corner cupboard to get things – sometimes I have to pack a lunch I’m in there so long :)

And last but not least – House Rules!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

All images c/o www.pinterest.com

Friday Find – October 28th {Lost in Fabric…}

This week, several decorator friends and I have been perusing the online fabric stores.  If you haven’t been able to reach us, you’ll know why when I show you what we’re looking at:

Fabrics c/o www.designerfabrics.ca or www.onlinefabricstore.net  ~  Layouts c/o www.smilebox.com

Both of these collections are inspiration for two rooms in my home.  I’m going to have a hard time choosing, don’t you think?

Where do you shop for fabrics?  Do you shop online or do you prefer to see and feel fabrics in person?

Friday Find – October 21 {Turned Crazy}

First, I must apologize for missing last Friday.  I was away with my girlfriends for our 26th annual Girls Weekend.  I’d tell you more about it, but you know what they say … what happens on Girls Weekend ….. nobody remembers!

Anyhow, I am back in one piece and ready with this week’s Friday find. In more research on the colour RED I came across this photo:

contemporary bedroom design by los angeles interior designer betsy burnham

via www.houzz.com

The picture showed up in my search for RED because of the chair, which is nice but I am crushing on that bed.  Isn’t it fabulous?  Those turned bedposts are crazy!

(source:  House Beautiful – http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/Warm-Is-Luxurious-House-1206)

This is the  Moragas Bed from Gregorius|Pineo and I WANT one!

Friday Find – October 7 {Pop of Red}

I’ve been doing some research on the colour RED.  It’s for a project I’m planning for my main floor, and that’s all you are going to get.  I came across this picture on Houzz during my research and I had to share it with you.

contemporary entry design by san francisco architect awarchitect.com

There is so much to love about this door.  First and foremost the colour, the contemporary Arts & Crafts like design, and the wonderful focus it gives to this entry way.

Friday Find – September 30 {Fall Colours}

Well, here we are at the end of September … sighhhhh.  One saving grace for me about this time of year is the fabulous colour inspiration I get from looking outside.

Here are a couple of photos I’ve taken over the years of fall colours.  They continue to inspire my colour choices and combinations today!

Central Park, NYC

 Central Park, NYC

 

near Perth, Ontario

 

near Gracefield, Quebec

 

What season’s colours inspire you?