Artwork: Half frames and Rasterbator

For Christmas this year, I thought I would do something personal with some old photos, but with a twist.

I used a website called Rasterbator. It is super rad. You can create large scale prints using just your 8 1/2" x 11" printer... or like me, you can just have your image "rasterbated" (hehehe) to a 18x24 size and print it at a printer.

Holiday Treats from ABI

Our office get a lot of holiday treats this time of year... This is why I gain weight over the holiday.
I don't usually blog about all of it, but this one is just freaking adorable, and hand made by ABI's (Advanced Business Interiors) own, Jamie-Lynn Pokrzywka.

She is known for her mad cake decorating skillz... and now cookies.

Holiday Wrapping: Brown Paper

Wrapping gifts can get a little boring with usual wrapping paper.
This year, I decided to use a boring brown paper and embellish it.

At Work: Salty Surprise

I came into work this morning to find a lovely little gift from Shaw Contract Group!

"Design so colourful, you can taste it".
What tastes more colourful than Magic Unicorn salt?

This is a great start to the day!
Thank you Deanne!

Travel: Georgia - Day Three (Part 2)

We were back to Barnsley Gardens by 2pm, giving us our first moment of down time.
What to do in the south? Why, go skeet shooting! Obviously.

Why yes, that is a golf cart fitted with a gun rack.
That's how we roll...

Travel: Georgia - Day Three

Day Three already!
I found myself with a little bit of time before breakfast, so I went for another walk through the Barnsley historic ruins. The night before was great, but it was even better to walk around and see the grounds in full daylight.

Travel: Georgia - Day Two (part 2)

... before leaving the historic Barnsley ruins, there was a little snack to get our evening started.

 Did I mention that this trip was all about food?

Travel: Georgia - Day Two

Back to the reason for this trip... Shaw Carpet!
At the design center, they had an awesome installation of both LVT and carpet. It was so striking.
They also had a great distressed metal wall.

Travel: Georgia - Day One

We went on a business trip to Georgia courtesy of Shaw Carpets. I was very excited, as I have never been to "the South" before.

Our trip started in Atlanta, in the Loews hotel.

365 Day Wreath: Jute Basic

Self imposed challenge time!

Today, I am making a basic jute (burlap) wreath out of a coat hanger and some jute winter tree cover.

First, I unwound a wire hanger. The best and easiest are the ones from the dry cleaner...
They use a cheaper quality hanger, and that makes it easier to manipulate (and I really like to manipulate stuff...)

Reclaimed Wood: Harvest Table

Our dining room table is weird; the proportions are off.
The base is pretty substantial, and then the top only overhangs by an inch or two.
It served its purpose well, but the last couple of family visits have shown that we need something bigger. The current dimensions are 35" x 45" (889x1143).

Sewing 101: Sleepigan

What to do when your toddler outgrows her sleepers?
Well, in the case of my child, she only outgrows them in length. They still technically fit in the arms and waist, so why not continue to use them if you can?

I know a lot of people who cut the feet off of them to get a little more use out of them, but for our cold climate, I think a cardigan makes more sense.

Sewing 101: Shirt gets sacked

My awesome friends Jeff and Helen got me a rad shirt when I was pregnant with Millie.
I loved it.

Hey, no snickers about my crazy preggo photo.
Anyway, after the baby bump was gone, it was a less than flattering shirt.
I suppose that should have been obvious since it was specifically made for a pregnant woman.

Growing Like a Weed: DIY Measuring Stick

Wow, a year has gone by so quick.
Our little DIY project, Millie has gone from a little drooly bundle to an energetic happy toddler.

For her 1st birthday, I wanted to measure her for the first time.
The problem with this is that no one stays in the same house for 30 years like our parents did, so marking up a doorway with measurements over the years no longer has the same effect.

Event: 3rd Annual Tin Barn Market Flea

I am usually a dollar short and day late when it comes to this event.

The first time, we were there the next morning and discovered that the yard sale was really just leftovers from this fantastic event the night before. The second year, I just wasn't on the mailing list. But this year... this year I was on it, and waiting with baited breath.

DIY Shade: Black Out Beaver

"Black Out Beaver"? It made you nervous, didn't it? Ha!

Okay, don't fret... it is all innocent.

Millie's nursery is fantastically light filled. I love that I rarely have to turn on the light in there.
Having said that, we are going to be moving Millie into her room, and out of ours. With summer days lasting much longer, the amount of light filling that room becomes a problem.

Solution - Blackout panel.
I decided to make a super easy black-out panel using items I already had:
An old airline blanket and canvas.

I cut them both to the size of the window, and stitched them together.
Easy.

Artwork: Half frames

I picked this illustration up a couple of years ago in Smith Falls.
To get it out of the way, I just hung it as-is in its scratched green frame.

I sort of forgot about it until this last couple of weeks.
Re-discovered, I decided to do something with it.

Real Estate: She's a Brick House...

Mighty, mighty, just letting it all hang out, ya she's a brick house.
Okay, so perhaps a Commodores song is a little too literal.

 However, this unassuming little gem really is might, mighty. Check it out for sale on Comfree!

Weekend Organizer: Bungee Cords

Hubby's weekend project is a bungee cord organizer.

Spring Garden: Teknion helps!

This week, Teknion reps dropped by our office with this years 'garden in a bag'.

Last year it was Mint, and it was wonderful.

This year's bag is oregano! Woot!

Even though there were a few snow flakes in the air today, I am heartened by the hope this one little bag brings me.

Thanks Teknion!

Product Testing: New Use for Olive Oil

You might have heard of using olive oil for a wide variety of uses from polishing stainless steel to conditioning leather to (and this might be the weirdest,) cooking!

Well, I might have come up with a new use...

Curbside Shopping: Radio Teaser

THIS!!

I was leaving for work, and saw one of my neighbours put this beautiful little creature out on the curb.

What I love most about items like this, is it is just the right amount of 'busted' to let me put my own stamp on it, and not feel obligated to restore it. In fact, I doubt neither the radio nor the record player work still. Truly perfect.

Stay tuned to what ends up happening with this Addison Standard Broadcast cabinet,

Real Estate: Mill Conversion

Gorgeous... and for sale. Check it out on their website!

Since Lanark County has a lot of old grist mills, it is pretty common to see them converted into residential apartments. I love it. This one is from the 1820s.

This is a great example of adaptive reuse.

Product Testing: Bissel Little Green Machine

Spring Cleaning has begun!
I bought this little green machine about 3 years ago, and so far have only ever used it on carpets. Today, I am trying it out on upholstery for the first time.

Real Estate: Good Bones

This gorgeous home for sale in my neighbourhood is fabulous. Oh, what I would do with the decor on this one. Having said that, they did a great job making this 1890 brick Victorian a blank slate for its new owners but kept all of the magically things that make it unique.

Check it out, Click here!

With a little light landscaping, the curb appeal of this gorgeous facade went up ten-fold.

Mission Chair: Reversible Reveal

The sneak peak for this project was 3 weeks ago. I finally put the finishing touches on this Mission style chair. To check out its sad story, check out the blog post, Chairpalooza.

Before it was in pretty rough shape, but the bones of it were still in great condition.

After, it turned out pretty fantastic. Grey-dog agrees.
So, how did I get from the sad chair to this gem?

Bookcase: Organization and Display

A bookcase is an interesting piece of furniture. More often than not, it becomes a cluttered mess of collected items. Nothing ends up standing out, except the eyesore of it all.

When we lived in our condo a few years ago, that was exactly what happened to our Ikea bookcase.
Once in our new house, it was a new opportunity to make the book shelf everything I always wanted it to be. Of course, it is always changing, and so I thought I would take go ahead and show you its current iteration before it transforms into something else.

 Starting with a blank slate (a blank house at this point), we positioned the bookcase on a wall so that it was the first thing you saw when you headed toward the TV room.

Mission Chair: Sneak Peak

About a year and a half ago we found 4 chairs (find post here) destined for the dump. The owner happened to be curbside, and told us that the chairs had been saved from a hotel that was being demolished.

I am working on one of those chairs now - a mission style - year unknown.

The cushions had to be thrown away since plants were growing out of them.