Retro Cabinet: Painterly Approach

I picked up this great little retro cabinet a long while back, and it has pretty much sat in our sun room all summer. All I really managed to do in the past year is give it a light sanding.

Being that it was just a cheap laminate finish, I didn't hesitate to paint it.

Mini Project: Left Over Paint

I found this magazine table ages ago, and have yet to do anything with it.

I enjoyed the diamond pattern that make up the top and shelf, so I knew I would eventually paint it.

Having more than half a can of paint left over from my mini project, I thought I would give it a try.
As you can see, the top of this table is worn, and can certainly use it.

Mini Project: Painting Stuff

Mini Project Time!!!

I came across this little holder (sadly, without anything to hold) at VV Boutique.
It stands about 9 inches tall, and is painted an ugly gold-vomit colour.

As you can see, I finally perfected my psychokinesis... (or is it levitation?) skills.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do with it, or if I can find anything to fit in it, but sometimes you just gotta go with it.

I got it home, put some dental floss around it, and hung it on the clothesline in the back yard.
I found a really great blue spray paint in the workshop that I really don't remember buying.
Plus, I was feeling especially thrifty, and didn't want to purchase another can.

Fencing: Part 3

........And........

I finally finished the fence.

This is where we last left off with our fence.
Just one measly section to do, which was so frustrating.

Holiday Decor: All Hallows Eve

I have finally had a moment to do a little more blog-worthy things since I started at my new position.

FINALLY!

Anyway, with the onset of October I felt the need to decorate a little.

This is what our front deck looked like at the beginning of the summer before my flowers bloomed, so it serves as a good before photo.

 It all started with some vinyl bat cutouts that we found at the new-to-Canada, Target.
Score!

Unnecessary Junking: Pakenham

It has been a while since my last blog post.
This new job has me staying much later, but is so much more gratifying than my last.
All that to say, that by the time I get home, walk the dog and eat... there is no time or daylight left to do anything outside.

Poo.

Where Clocks Go To Die

This is the house where clocks go to die.

It feels like a sad and slightly morbid thing to say…  but it is kind of true.

Why?

I had a slight obsession with cloches, AKA the bell jar.

Having said that, I am cheap; no really! I seriously hate spending full price for anything. Anyone who has tried to go shopping for a cloche recently knows that they are pretty expensive. I am not totally sure why, but they are.

Fencing: Part 2

My last post ended with, well, posts!
You can find the last post, here.
With all of the posts brackets in place, the posts were ready to go up.

By this time our nephew had gone back to BC, so it was back to being just me and Hubby doing all of the heavy lifting.

Fencing: Part 1

We had a perfectly serviceable fence… well if you leave out the part that it was only 30’ long, and the back yard stretches for about 50’, so it keeps nothing in or out… and if you leave out the fact that chain-link is uglier than sin. Also, lets not mention that there are 6 other poles that are in the ground that hold no fence at all; an unfinished project, perhaps? Or maybe a fence that had been removed? I dunno. Either way, it doesn't match the wood lattice fence on the other side of the yard. Nor do the two connect along the back.

Okay, so the moral of this story is that I have no idea why the heck there is a useless ugly chain link fence in our yard.

Vintage Finds as Wall Art

We were at our friends' (Justin & Kym) house this summer for a BBQ, and came across this little gem.

The rusty wheels and peeling paint immediately caught my attention. I was in love.
So I asked what the deal was with this little board stuck in between the patio railing, and the house.

I turns out that Justin's daughter, Ariel - who is an artist/jeweler - found it on her way home one night.
(Check out Ariel's website) - Beautiful stuff!
Of course, I asked what would happen if it went missing... and they both laughed and said I could have it.
There was alcohol involved so I may have taken advantage the situation... he he he.

Growin' Stuff: First Harvest

I am super excited to show off my very first harvest!!!

If you remember back to our garden box first being built back in this post, you will see what a slow start we had.

Shopping Eco-Friendly in Ottawa: Terra 20

I am sad to report that this past weekend was the first time I went into Terra 20.

What is Terra 20, you ask? Well, I asked too, and essentially it is an eco-friendly department store.

And, it totally is; it is huge, and it is inspiring.

Much of the product is locally sourced too, which is fantastic.

This is just inside the entrance; a glass waterfall fountain.

So far so good!

Item Re-Think: Picture Hangers

On the blogosphere, I have been noticing a lot of people using clothespins on their walls to hold photos, mail, or any other item that it seems appropriate for.

I love it!
What a great idea. These ones are an over-sized version that hold children's artwork.
Brilliant.

Photo from: http://freshfurniture.info/how-to-decorate-your-home-with-your-child-39-s-artwork.html

But how can you use household items that represent you?

Awesome Interiors: The Collector

This years Ottawa Magazine: 2013 Interiors Edition came out, and yet again, it did not disappoint.

There was one particular article that caught my eye, however. It was called "The Collectors".

The description reads:
"Baseball cards. Butterflies in shadow boxes. Vintage couture. What is is about collectors and their collections? What objects do they pursue and why? Five gatherers discuss their flights of fancy". By Cindy Deachman

DIY Wedding 2010: The Big Day

The BIG DAY!!
It all came together on the big day.

You will see some amateur photos and a lot of photos from our photograper, Andrea Blair.
We were so happy with how our day turned out. Was there anything that we would have changed? Of course! But when you start nit-picking on the details, you forget what the day is really about: Love, Fun, Family, and Friends. We had the 'Fun' in spades.

This is the covered bridge at Sun Peaks Resort. We were married right in front of that heart-shaped rock.

Growin' Stuff: Garden Box

Since my black-thumb has decidedly turned a bit more of a brown... I thought I would try my hand at a vegetable garden this year.

Hubby and my 16 year old nephew who is visiting from BC, got started on a garden box for me while I was at work last week.

Unnecessary Junking: Kingston, Ontario

A few weeks ago, I went to Kingston to visit my husband who was there for a week long stay. Kingston is a super cute city with a lot of heritage. In fact, Kingston used to be Canada's capital before Ottawa was named as such.

Anyway, the hotel that Hubby was staying in was directly across the street from this Antique/Flea Market.
Yes, I know people... this does spell disaster for a chronic thrift-er like me.

These photos really don't show how huge it was - there were several barns to go through.

These were the two main buildings that greeted you from the highway.

DIY Wedding 2010: Part 5

Shoes!
I love Shoes!
Since I did some creative ridiculousness with Hubby and the groomsmen's shoes in Part 4, I decided to post what I did to my own shoes as well!!

I bought these very cute shoes at a local mall store. They had just enough of a vintage feel to go well with my dress. Plus, they were at a comfortable height so I knew that wearing them for long periods would not be a problem.

DIY Wedding 2010: Part 4

I totes forgot to post Part 4 on Monday!
Whoops!
Okay, so in Part 3 we talked a little about me and my girls: our attire and accessories.
This time, we are going to discuss the boys!

As you know, the colour scheme of our wedding was grey, black & yellow. This is hubby's outfit shown with his tie, and the two ties for his groomsmen. This all worked out beautifully, since the main tie has the most punch of colour, and the groomsmens ties pick up on the colour of my dress AND the bridesmaids dresses.

Junking: By Proxy

I had to work today.

Did that stop me from junking? Hells no!

Never underestimate the power of a smart phone!

DIY Wedding 2010: Part 3

There are just sooo many things I wish I had photos of, but I suppose the photos I DO have will have to do!

In the previous posts, Part 1 shows our planning beginnings, and Part 2 goes into reception decoration.
Part 3 will go into a little bit of the attire.

I like fascinators and fancy barrettes, so I thought I would try my hand at making something for my BM and my MOH. I started with some craft feathers, a couple of inexpensive clips, and some Value Village jewelry.

DIY Wedding 2010: Part 2

In my previous post, DIY Wedding 2010: Part 1, I showed you the beginnings of the DIY projects for the wedding. In this post, we move into the table decorations!

Table numbers were important, and just like with the books from the last post, I played with various patterns.

Classic Car Show: Details

Its all in the details.
Classic car manufacturers really understood this while still paying attention to sleek lines.
It was so influential, in fact, that the streamline-deco that we all love so much was influenced by the early transportation designs; planes, trains, and automobiles.

Last night, I had the opportunity to meet up with friends, Jeff & Helen of heLENS photography at the Hazeldean Mall's Tuesday classic car show. It also gave me a chance to use my new-ish phone yet again.
I gotta say, I am super impressed with it's photo feature.

I decided to concentrate on the details, with a couple of full car photos here and there. This one in particular was taken for Hubby since he loves the rat-rod. I gotta admit, there is something charming about the rust.

It is also important to point out that none of these photos have been retouched, cropped, or photoshopped in any way (except the watermark). I really wanted to show how impressive my phone is. What is the phone, you ask? Oh, well let me tell you! It is a Nokia Lumia 920 (Windows phone). No this isn't an advertisement... but maybe it should be. *wink, wink, Nokia....

DIY Wedding 2010: Part 1

While looking through some old files on my computer, I came across photos from our wedding back on August 3, 2010. As I was going through, I noticed all of the photos of projects that I had done. Almost 3 years has passed since the wedding, and 4.5 years since I first started planning the whole thing.

SO, having said all of that, I thought I would spend a few weeks blogging about all of the DIY things that I did. This is the first of 5 Monday posts on wedding projects.

Let's get started!
The first thing we needed to do was decide on a colour scheme. Grey, black, and yellow won the day.

After we decided on a date, we made our STD. Can I just say, that I think using the acronym for Save-The-Date is immensely fun for me. Heeeeeeee. STD. Moving on.

Real Estate: 1843 Stone Stunner

In Carleton Place, there are many beautiful homes along the river.
On my morning walk with Grey-dog, I came across one such home with an open house sign, and of course it prompted me to Google Barbara Couch's Remax website.

Built in 1843, this stone stunner has beautifully manicured property.

Wheel House: Literally

I know my blog is called "In My Wheele House", but the Acrojou Circus Theatre has taken it to a whole new level.

Weeeeeeeeeee!

Image from www.mymodernmet.com

The acrobatic performers slowly make their mobile home roll on down the road in a performance art piece.

Junking: Unneccesary Items

Okay, as you know from yesterday's post photos, I went to the McHaffie Flea Market in Morrisburg yesterday. As promised, here is what I actually brought home:

Lets start with the usual... I am always looking for a good cloche.... and, I found one.
I have big plans for this that include Jay & Silent Bob... more on that later. $3.

McHaffie Flea Market: Morrisburg

We just had an amazing junking trip to the McHaffie Flea Market today!
This was my first time to this one, which has not only an average size outdoor section, but also has an incredibly expansive indoor section.

Today's post will be mostly photographic in nature - I managed to get a few good pictures that show the wide diversity of items that we came across.

CARS! Looks like there are some red-lines in there.

Superhero Office

I am a big fan of embracing the things you love, and displaying them prominently. That is certainly the case for Hubby's office. As an IT guy, he has a lot of visual clutter in the form of electronics, and so his office falls a little on the bland side. For anyone who knows my Hubby, you know that he is anything but bland.

So, with that in mind, I took some of his fun comic book posters and framed them. After this weekend's Ottawa Comicon (at which we both had a great time) I thought this a timely post.

As you can see, the office practically runs as a server room.

Jim Power & Mosaic Magic

I  came across this Vimeo video a while back, and was really affected by how it made me feel. I love not only this gentleman's determination, but also his story, and his love for his city.

Jim Power and the Mosaic Trail from Etsy on Vimeo.

I Love Lamp: Moody Blues

This MCM floor lamp was one of the first items I bought at the Almonte Antique Market with my X-mas gift certificate... and it is the fifth project in my "I Love Lamp" series... I might love lamp too much. This is starting to get obscene!

My Husband: Weekend Plumber

I feel the need to prove my husband is still alive ( after the last post ) and show off his weekend project!

I guess I should start by telling you that last year, our garden and all living in it were as dead as can be. Note the completely dead hanging baskets. Sure my Hostas are doing okay, but they are hearty.

We have 2 outdoor taps, so we went down into our crawl space and turned on the water to outside. The front tap, didn't do anything, the side tap, shoots water out the side of the copper that leads to the spigot, and most curiously, the corner of our patio has a bubbling pool of water springing up.

Ugly Cement Patio: Makeover & Dead Bodies

What's that you say?
You wanna paint your patio, but there is a dead body in the way?
No problem...

In four easy steps, you too can have a fun and interesting patio and be the talk of your neighbourhood!

Infographic: Bauhaus Style

I am a huge fan of Bauhaus style! Maybe its because of the holistic style of teaching, where different disciplines (painting, architecture, furniture design, etc) of art were taught together?


Philip Johnson's Glass House, borrowed from: Architectural Digest



So why am I discussing this today? I recently when to the ARIDO (the interior design professional association for my province) Annual General Meeting, and watched a fantastic documentary about Philip Johnson called, "Diary of an Eccentric Architect". Philip Johnson is also a Bauhaus alum (and Black Mountain College, which anyone in my profession knows was an important art & design school). I have loved his glass house since I first saw it.

Patio Table: In a Pinch

Fortune smiles on us once in a while, and for us, it was last year when our friends Jeff & Helen gave us a beautiful patio table set. For FREE!! Being that it was late in the summer, AND we didn't really have our back patio ready for such a thing, we stored it. Sometime between then and now, we managed to lose the connector for the legs. Doh!

Before I get into the DIY aspect, I wanna mention that my friends Jeff & Helen are probably a couple of the neatest people I know. My hubby and I have had the pleasure of being in a couple of their horror shorts and some of their photo shoots.

Check out heLENS photography to see her work.
Or here to see us as models. LOL!!!

Junking: Unnecessary Items

I may have created a monster.
My hubby calls me at work to tell me that he found a new thrift store. Great!
Then he says that he found a chair and he was going to send me a photo right now.
What? Umm, okay? Wait, why isn't he at work? Oh, here is the photo... hmmm, not too bad.
So I tell him, if he likes it to pick it up.

That was last week.
Today, we had different plans, but somehow ended up going junking.
First stop, our favorite little honey-hole.

Renovation: Victorian in Powell River

A few years ago, I was visiting my parents in Powell River. Their friend, Victoria, lived across the street, and was renovating a home exactly like their house. The area is called, 'the Old Townsite', and the style of home is found throughout the area. According to the Powell River Historical Site, this architecture was defined as 'the street facing gable'.

There is a fairly good chance that the second house in this photograph is my parents home, about 100 years ago. My Mom can confirm...

This house, however, is absolutely the one across the street.
Victoria and Steve had passed by this house many times, always feeling that one day they would buy it and renovate. One day, it went up for sale, and so they seized the opportunity. Of course, this is not the condition that the house was in the day they bought it...

Boring TV Wall Part 3: Globe Chalk Wars

I bought this globe last weekend. Seen here. We just happened to be out, and I grabbed it for fun... Kinda got a thing for globes and maps.

Boring TV Wall Part 2: Fun Full of Chalk

The last time i posted on this project was back at this post.

Well, there has been a few more projects on the go since then.

I found some cheap VV Boutique picture frames, and painted them white.