Candidly Cozy

One of my favourite colours is red. It's powerful, loud, and proud. I was able to get my hands on a great piece that was screaming for red. Sometimes you just know when it's right. This time it was right. The vintage side table was feeling unloved, and I knew it could find love again with a bit of attention. Being a free item from my dad, gave me the internal permission I needed to go bold. I felt I had nothing to lose but time and energy. I did have to invest in paint, but having the supplies from previous projects encouraged me to try. This is how I determine safe risks, what is the cost verses the reward. Have a heart to heart with yourself, and set a limit on the investment, will you learn something, will you earn something? Better yet if you can manage to do both. Following my previous steps in applying chalk paint, I was able to finish this project in a day.  I reused the fabulous original hardwear, and went with a dark wax finish this time. I was able to sati...

Photos tell stories. Who you love, where you've been, and what you've done. I became interested in photography once I had children. I wanted to document every special fleeting moment, and to treasure those moments again years down the road. But, once the children got older, and less amiable to posing for pictures, I began focusing my lens on the world around me. Since then I discovered the enjoyment I feel when I try to make the most mundane things look interesting, and to share what I see with the world. How to display and admire my favourites has become a quandary. Frankly, there's only so much room in ones home to hang photos and art before you begin to look cluttered and disorganized.  We all can't live in castles on the hill. My solution to this was to create a revolving interchangeable display for photos, cards, art, certificates, mementos, and anything else that deserves a place of honour. I can change it on a whim, and to whatever suits my current fa...

I like free stuff! For me it's easier to say yes, and dispose of an item myself, than it is to say no, and possibly miss out on that one special thing. Within reason of course, don't go dumping that horrid 1962 sofa bed on my front lawn, I assure you I wouldn't be very happy about that. One of the best givers of free stuff is my dear old dad. He's a treasure hunter of sorts, and isn't afraid to share his finds if he thinks I can " do something " with it. Recently he brought me several pieces of old weathered wood. Oh my, so many possibilities! Once I looked them over, I knew right away what I wanted to do with one of the pieces. It was the perfect shape and size for a rustic serving tray. It had the character I was looking for, and it was a very light wood, easy to move around with little effort, especially once loaded up with dishes, or holiday centerpieces. I only needed to make a few tweaks.  Abandoned wood reborn.  1) Before I could d...

It's thrilling to see potential in something others would discard, or dismiss. In our garden shed we had just the item, an old toboggan, well used and abandoned by children who once rode it like a magic carpet in the land of snow and ice. Once the toboggan lost it's magic, it came to rest buried in the deep recesses of a corrugated metal coffin. Until now.  While venturing out of town, browsing quaint little shops and boutiques for inspiration, we came across a shop that had converted old wooden sleds into sweet little shelves, the perfect spot to display precious trinkets. I knew I wanted one! It was my partner in crime who mentioned that we still had an old sled in the shed. So I looked lovingly at my live-in-handyman, smiled sweetly, and suggested we give it a try.    DIY Toboggan Shelf   1) First the toboggan needed a good cleaning. It was musty, and a bit mouldy from storage. A nice bath of bleach did the trick. We tossed the ...