Vintage wicker chair find

It’s been a while since I shared my junkin’ finds, so here we go.

This fabulous, grand and vintage chair was $10 at GW. I had my eye on it for a couple of weeks and was certain that someone would scoop it up before me. I’m not sure why I hesitated, but with some shifting of furniture in my living room, it fits in perfectly.

It’s quite unusual and I’ve never seen a chair like it. There is an attached long basket on the side, and I can’t imagine what is is for? My son thinks it’s for a rifle :)

It’s not in great condition, but it’s sturdy and looks great in my room. The cushions were the perfect size to serve as  bottom and back cushions, so that saved me some money.

The vintage wire basket is from a Canadian egg farm that has been in the area since the late 1800’s. For $3.00 it was a good find

This tray was purchased a couple of years ago and this is one of it’s many incarnations.

I made a few velvet pumpkins from my fabric stash, but couldn’t be bothered to search out real stems, so I put some butterfly knobs in and I think they look sweet. Not very pumpkiny, but that’s ok.

I also found this little side table for $12.

It’s made by Baker Furniture and while not in perfect condition, it is in great structural shape and it’s just pretty.

I am gearing up to repaint my living room. Choosing the colours is always the hardest thing. From floor to ceiling measures 16’ and I’m looking for a way to visually bring the height of the ceiling down. It’s either going to be fabulous or awful, but I’ll never know until I get to it.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Stamped fabric diy cushions

I worked for several hours on this one cushion making the piping and then sewing it together, so I wanted to make something that would coordinate, but that wouldn’t take forever to make. I am trying to bring more navy blue into my living room.



Yesterday as I was making stuffed peppers, I noticed that the shape of the peppers were quite lovely.



I finally managed some time today to make two more cushion covers to coordinate with my new cushion, and I made it with the pepper! It was like I was back in grade 1 :)



I mixed 2 parts paint to 1 part fabric medium and brushed it on. I wasn’t careful with the placement as I thought it should look organic.

Not too shabby.

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Tutorials and Tips Link Party at Home Stories A to Z

Wedding sign diy

A few months ago I had pinned a fabulous sign tutorial by Liz at Love Grows Wild, and hoped that one day I could make one. I finally had an opportunity to make one for my son’s friends, who recently got married.  Please go and visit Liz at Love Grows Wild for the full tutorial! Like Liz, I used vinyl rather than painting it, which would have taken forever.

I sped this one along as I wanted it done quickly, so I used my hairdryer between coats of paint and I was done in no time flat, one hour tops. I used the paint that I painted my kitchen with, which is such a fantastic blue. The can is almost finished, so I may have to get more.

For those that would like to duplicate it, the fonts I used are:

Family name and date is DaunPenh which can be found here

Wording is Callie Hand which can be found here

Dollar Store Craft–updated frames

I bought these frames from the dollar store for $3 each, not sure why it’s called a dollar store when it’s more than one dollar…anyway :)

I painted them with a brush first and I have to tell you, I am confident that I’m the worst painter ever! So I spray painted them and they still aren’t perfect but they are good enough for me. The corner pieces came in a pack of 4.

I am working on updating my spare bedroom, with things that I already have in the house so that it doesn’t cost me any money. It is satisfying to make something out of nothing. I definitely need a rug and that will be a diy coming up soon.

That’s the weekend done, back to the grind. Wishing you all a wonderful week.

Faux bamboo side table score

Please tell me you are not tired of seeing my thrifty finds, especially when it comes to faux bamboo?!  Oh my goodness, this piece melts my heart.



I don’t know a lot about this type of furniture, only that I adore it. This piece is quite unusual and I’ve searched online to find something like it, but cannot. I guess it’s for books, but wouldn’t it be fabulous in a luxury master bath for holding towels?



It’s in great shape with a few nicks to the wood, but it’s mostly intact. The dividers are all carved and gorgeous.



The family I bought it from said that they used it for cutlery and napkins when they were entertaining.



As a beside table it would also be fabulous, with lots of room for your books and magazines.
Have you ever seen a table like this? I have emailed Beth at Chinoiserie Chic to see if she has ever seen anything like it. If anyone knows, she will; If I were an idolizing type of person, she would be the one ;)  UPDATE: I guess Beth is a busy woman, because I've never heard back from her :(

Traditional Chinoiserie

I went out on a limb this time and went for a traditional Chinese look for the two remaining chairs and side table that I recently bought.



With some convincing from my BFF and inspired by Waverly’s new line of Chinoiserie fabrics, purchased at Tonic Living, I chose black and red lacquer.



I kicked the chairs up a notch by adding old gold rub n’buff to the crevices, but maintained some constraint on the table, it would have been a little overboard (according to my daughter LOL).



The set is up for sale as it doesn’t fit into my house either in style or in the space to keep it. If you are local to Toronto and are interested, let me know. (SOLD)

And of course, I have to have a before and after. Quite a difference and saved from a life of banality :)



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Updated faux bamboo barrel chair

The weather cooperated with me today, despite some rain earlier today. I completed one of the three chairs that I picked up this weekend.



I hand painted the primer on because I’m still too chicken to put an oil based paint in my hvlp sprayer. I did however use the sprayer for the white final finish. Talk about making life easier.

I bought the fabric from Tonic Living a while ago, but didn’t use it as planned.  I went to Canadian Tire and bought a foam camping mat that measure 2” x 24” x 72”, plenty for several chair seats and a bargain at $21. I used the existing seat bottom which was only nailed in. At one point these chairs had cane seats.

There was still a small gap between the covered seat base and the rim of the chair, so I made some trim out of the same fabric. Once I had the seat covered with foam, batting and fabric, I simply stapled the trim onto that.

It covered the gap perfectly and is a nice and snug fit.

I am learning not to be afraid of my spray gun and for the next two chairs I will use it, for sure! What a time saver and the finish is amazing.

I love Labour Day! I hope you are enjoying yours.

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Faux Bamboo barrel chairs

I have sold all of my faux bamboo Chippendale chairs and made enough to pay 3/4 of the cost of my new fridge!  Moving on, I found a set of 3 faux bamboo barrel chairs for $30 each.

I think the fabric is original and the owners said that they bought them in the early 70’s, one for each of their sons. I get the heeby jeebys thinking about these chairs sitting in each of their bedrooms throughout their teens. LOL. The finish is worn and there are small imperfections to the caning, but they are sturdy and definitely worthy of an update. I was able to find a stamp on the bottom of one of the chairs that said, Made in Italy. The following pictures are from the posting on Kijii.

I started searching to find similar chairs and was able to find quite a few examples of refurbished chairs.

I really like these ones, but finishing the sides as well as the seat is a little too ambitious for me.

source

If the finish on my chairs wasn’t in such rough shape, I would have liked to leave them in their natural state. Oh well.

source

So that’s what I am working on right now. I am going to start with one and see how it goes. I am using fabric that I already bought and didn’t use as planned, so that will save me some money. I hope to be able to reveal the chair on Monday, it depends on if the weather cooperates or not.

I’m going to the Drive-In tonight with my kids, so I have to get a nap in later this afternoon; does anyone else love naps?

Happy Labour Day!

Birthday Giveaway

Before I get to the giveaway…

When I started my kitchen reno back in February, I had planned on replacing my old fridge. If you read that post you knew that my reno deadline was my birthday. Well, it’s my birthday (on Monday) and today I put the final piece in place.

Behold, my new fridge. I’ve waited 15 years to get a new fridge, so yeah, I’m pretty happy.

To celebrate my I’m not counting anymore birthday, I am giving one of you a gift.

I will make a customized “Established” sign for you or a loved one. Once you provide me with the details - the initial, the dates and the name – I will make it and ship it to you. (This gift will not come framed)

These fit perfectly inside of the Ikea Verserum frame, which is what I have this one in.

Enter below. This giveaway is open to all and closes August 24th. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

West Elm inspired chairs

I found these chairs at the Goodwill for 5 dollars each and they were Boring! The brown finish on them scratched incredibly easily but these chairs are com-fee and were worthy of an update.



I was inspired to change the colour based on the teapot that you see on the table. A great colour but a little too simple on it’s own, I found these chairs online and loved the swirly design.



Since I was making my swirls with white vinyl rather than painting them on (which I couldn't do in a million years), I placed them on the back of the chairs.



This update wasn’t without it’s challenges though and this is why I won’t use Valspar spray paint ever again, Blotchy, Uneven Coverage.

I used Indigo Streamer, which is a great blue, but after three coats and sanding in between each coat, it was still blotchy



I went to HD and had them colour match it and it turned out perfectly.

We have a provincial holiday on Monday, Simcoe day. I looked him up and he was a pretty cool dude, not to mention that we get a day off of work, thanks to this fine gentleman. Did you know, he phased out slavery in Upper Canada 23 years before Britain and 55 years before my fabulous neighbours to the south did!  Good thing too, because my maternal Great, Great, Great Grandfather came to Ontario from Missouri as a freed slave, for that very reason.



One day I'll fix the table; I have a pedestal base that I got for free with my coffee table top on it. I like the mismatched vibe going on, at least that's what I tell myself.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you so much for the features, Knock off Decor and One Project Closer. I'm honoured.






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