Old and New

We were away at the coast over spring break and had a great time with family and friends.

 The weather was a real treat, no snow and buds and blooms popping up everywhere.

Of course a trip without shopping would not be a trip at all!!

We bought a great sink for our laundry room and a set of taps that have cute little hot and cold on them.

I was waffling between a porcelain sink, or farmhouse style  like the one  in the kitchen.

 Or something old with a drain board  attached.

In the end we got a round stainless steel one from Ikea that I love.

The taps are not what I was leaning towards either but I like them and think they will be perfect in the laundry

room.

 Fickle women that we are changing our minds!!

Meanwhile, I also couldn't pass the fabric shop without  a visit, just to say hi of course.

I found some beautiful aqua and green fabrics in stripes, and patterns and solids to make some cushions for

 the  livingroom. Hopefully these fabrics will work with the taupe ticking stripe I already have.

 Somehow a cute kettle  also found it's way into my shopping cart,

 right next to the old blue canning  jars.

 You should never leave your cart unattended!!

This pic of the blue jars is not the best, but I love how the light reflects in them.

 They are so pretty.

The kettle adds a nice pop of colour in the kitchen and freshens it up for spring.

It looks like I'll be busy sewing the cushions and of course working on the laundry room.

  I may not have

 time to do any spring cleaning at this rate!!

Thankyou to everyone who stops by and visits.

 I appreciate all the e-mails and comments, you are all a great

encouragement.

I enjoy reading them all and your blogs too.

Keep decorating,

Old Bench

Have you ever had something in your home

 for so long that you almost don't "see" it anymore?

This is the case with an old oak bench

we have.

 About a hundred years ago (almost)

 my hubby made this bench for our kids.

 When they were about two, they wanted to join us at the table

instead of the high chair.

 But of course they were still small.

The bench fit them perfectly, and some of them even

had to sit on an ice cream bucket on the bench to reach the table!

I am wanting to paint the bench  a pale aqua, or should I do the reliable white that fits in anywhere?

I love that it is solid, chippy, and probably has some initials carved in it somewhere.

Hopefully there isn't any gum under the edge!!

The best part is that it has family history and was made by my hubby.

Another view just for fun. What do you think aqua or white?

slipcovers and paint

One of the loveliest things about blogland is all the inspiration. Last summer I found two great wing chairs. They are comfy, and the perfect fit for short people like me. The only problem was they were a dated 80's floral.  No problem, we'll slipcover them I thought. I had read many posts on slipcovering, and thought it can't be too difficult. ( insert evil laughter here!)

I love to sew, but usually I follow a pattern.Slipcovers do not have patterns, you have to make your own. I will spare you the details, but lets just say the first cover took me 20 hrs of labour, and a few more grey hairs. The second went slightly faster at 11 hrs.  Would I do it again? Probably, I'm already thinking about my sofa and loveseat!!

Here is a before picture of the floral beauty......

The covers are done in a light weight white denim, piping trim on the arms, wings and cushions. I haven't decided yet if I will paint the legs white or black, or leave them dark wood.

The chairs are a matching pair, I made the zipper opening centered down the back and covered with a button placket. The accent cushions are a favourite linen fabric with aqua and green.  I also painted the coffee table and 2 end tables.  This has helped to lighten things up yet keep a casual cottagey feel to the room.

I'm really pleased with the result, and am  looking for my next project.

Hydrangeas

I am sitting here remembering these............from last summer. 

But outside it looks like this....................

 I think I will be doing more of this.........

 And a little bit of this.......

and a whole lot of this. The laundry room is comming together and so are some painted furniture projects.

Laundry Room Sneak Peak

The last few weeks we have been working on the laundry room. This area is not large but is wide open to the basement level family room. We would like bead board ceiling and some open shelving. The hubby is making a wall mounted drying rack to sit above the sink. I haven't decided on a counter top yet but I would like it to extend across the washer and dryer, wall to wall.  This will give us a good work space for projects.

I saw a great little vanity at home depot, so after lurking about with my camera and taking a few shots I had a pic to show the hubby. If he has a picture he can build it!!

This is where we are at.....   getting closer. Sink area still being built!!

grey and white

I love grey and white, maybe because we live in the north and see a lot of white in winter!! My other love is the sea. I find it soothing, and although the sea is miles away, it is always a treat when we go there.

As a reminder of our coastal times, I like to decorate with a beachy, relaxed cottagey feel. The stripes, lots of chippy white, glass, tin, and faded florals are family friendly.  Unfortunately I don't have any pics of our house when we moved in a few years ago. It came complete with thirty year old avocado green shag rug in the living room, dining room, hallways and stairs!!! It wasn't that cosy cottage look we wanted.

Now don't get me wrong, carpet is great, I just didn't like this one!!   I wanted a vintage looking floor that resembled an old schoolhouse, well worn and wide planks.  Our search brought nothing, except one offer from many miles away, and we would have to sell a major organ to pay for it!!

Instead we chose a mid tone oak, 4 inch wide plank, prefinished, with an almost flat sheen. I love it!!  The floor feels warm and solid, yet has a bit of a vintage look to it.  We have had many family gatherings here complete with children, dogs, toys, carseats and baby bouncers and the floor is still looking remarkable.

I am gradually painting our furniture white and adding slipcovers.  (that is a whole other post and adventure). With simple changes I am hoping to get that beachy Nantucket look, with room to throw in some faded florals and aqua.

This is a corner of our living room, the light isn't great, and neither are my photo taking capabilities!!  Stay tuned, back to my painting.......

Backdoor Guests are Best

Our main door that we use daily comes in from the carport. Handy, but a narrow entrance way.  We had been wanting to make some changes to give us more space but couldn't agree on a plan!!  I wanted to take out an existing wall to the spare room and make a huge mudroom-laundry room combo.

But, I got voted off the island!!! The hubby thought you should never eliminate a bedroom!!  boo!!!

Sooooo..... the compromise was removing the existing closet in the hallway, and the adjacent closet in said bedroom. The result was 3 ft wider, and much more space when you came in the door. We love it, and the only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

Here are some inspiration pics that we used. We wanted it to be mostly white, and bright, some storage, some hanging space, and a lot of cuteness, with a nod to the vintage  we so like.

We installed a bead board ceiling, grey slate floors, crown moulding, deep baseboards, panelled wainscotting, all in a fresh coat of white.  I wanted lots of hooks, and a bench with underneath storage. The baskets hold our shoes, sandals etc,

The space feels much bigger, and we notice a difference when the family is coming and going, carseats and diaper bags, and little ones needing help with shoes.

Trim and baseboards are all done, a white linen  roman shade is now on the door, and it feels complete. I'm very pleased with how it all turned out, and am looking forward to the next project.