Rambling Renovators: May 2011

Finds At The Fair

Another weekend, another antiquing adventure. We had great fun at the Christie Antique Show - and not just because we were kiddo-free! Chloe had her first over night stay at my parents house and they watched her while we were out tromping through the muddy fields in search of old treasure.

Well, we didn't really come back with old treasure... just a cool wool military blanket. And then there was the perfect harvest table that got away. I've been on the hunt for a table for about two years now and we finally found one in the last hour of the show. It was the right size, was painted and chippy in all the right places and the price was ok. Then we broke the Cardinal Rule of Thrifting/Antiquing/Flea Market shopping - if you like it, buy it. Yes, we walked away from the perfect harvest table to mull it over. We went back to the car to check dimensions and make sure it would fit, thinking that no one would buy the table in the 20 minutes we were gone. Of course, we came back and it was sold :( Argh.

Oh well, I'm willing to wait until the next perfect harvest table comes along. We had a fun time at the show - it seemed to have more vendors, more goods, and more people than last year! I also met up with some fab bloggers: Chris from Just Beachy, Shannon from What's Up Whimsy, Chanelle from designBLISSinc, and Sarah from Cozy.Cottage.Cute (who scored a truckful of finds - can't wait to see them on her blog!) and I also ran into my neighbour/reader Geeta. Here's a few things that caught my eye:

Bunting in bedrooms is a hot look right now (Chloe has some of her birthday bunting in her room). I thought these vintage pennants would look great strung up in a teen boy's room, or at the cottage to give sort of a campy, home away from home feel.

These oversized cardboard cutouts were so fun. I think they came from a carnival; they looked like those signs at the watergun racing booth. Wouldn't they be great in a playroom or a toddler's bedroom?

Lots of old frames and vintage keys, just waiting to be turned into your latest art project.

This vendor from Quebec had lots of industrial vintage furniture. I don't know what I need a metal secretary cart for - but I want one!

Antique shows are also great places to pick up ideas for display. This booth had lots of cool things in bell jars. I especially like the baseball glove.

A beautiful chest of drawers. Look at the detail on those handles!

A gorgeous chandelier. Can't you picture this as the striking centrepiece in a grand foyer or over a rustic dining table?

There was a set of four of these retro carollers. If only they didn't cost $540, otherwise you can be sure they'd be showing up on my lawn next Christmas!

I loved these nautical buoys. Perfectly chipped, fantastic colours.

A super long parsons bench. These are pretty common at antique shows. I love them in a matte black. Their simple shape and country feel would look great in a modern setting.

And how was your weekend?

Living Room: Sneak Peek

I know what you're thinking - what happened to the living room renovation? I've kept you waiting much too long. Bad blogger!

Well, you're going to have to wait a little while longer. We still haven't gotten the glass in the hutch replaced and the fireplace needs to be grouted and I'm hoping to find some accents at the antique show this weekend to finish off the room.

HandyMan has forbidden me to show any full photos of the room until its all done. He's still a bit miffed that there are photos of the unfinished window seat in Chloe's room floating around on the interwebs. I get it.

I can share a sneak peek though. Here is the newly tiled fireplace (without grout)! Didn't HandyMan do a spectacular job with the tile? :) :) :)

Such a simple tile but we had so many problems choosing it! I wanted classic, he wanted modern. We wanted marble but couldn't agree on a polished or honed finished. I wanted a brick pattern but HandyMan thought it would look too much like our kitchen backsplash. HandyMan wanted a solid slab of stone and I wanted defined tiles.

We looked at so many different tiles... pencil thin tiles, tile mixes of marble and glass, scallop-shaped tiles, white tile, grey tiles, beige tiles! Initially we were thinking of using the herringbone tile you see below to create a field on the upper part of the fireplace and surround it with larger pieces of marble, somewhat similar to our bathroom floor. The problem though when you mix tiles is that very often they are different thicknesses. (And actually, sometimes even sheets of the same tile are different thicknesses... it depends on the lot, on the machine it was cut on. So many variables!). After two hours at Saltillo trying out every combination of marble, we still couldn't find a mix of tiles that would work together.

So we ended up getting a custom cut tile... 2"x12" Oriental White marble cut from 12"x12" tiles. The brick pattern is classic, the larger tile size is modern... and in the end, everyone is happy.

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The birdhouses have been posted on the LePage Facebook Page! Only 3 of the 11 bloggers & designers sent their entry in which is so disappointing for the organizers, especially since this was to bring some attention to Habitat for Humanity, a great organization. But I'd still like your vote (the winner will win a $30,000 donation from Henkel in their name to Habitat for Humanity Canada, plus an additional $500 cash donation from Henkel to donate to the charity of their choice).

To vote, Like the LePage Facebook Page, then click on the brick birdhouse photo, and Like it. Thanks for your support!

Christie Antique Show Meetup!

Time to clear out the car and get your shopping list together for the Christie Antique Show is happening this Saturday! Canada's largest antique show features over 300 dealers and a wide array of goods. I've been waiting for this show all year - it's THAT good.

And since many of us (readers & fellow bloggers) will be there as well, let's meet up! It'll be a quick chance to compare finds and say hello before you head back out into the fair frenzy.

When: 11:00am, Saturday May 28th

Where: At the brick pavilion behind the food vendors. See yellow arrow on the map.

If you're new to antiquing, here's some tips on how to bargain at the fair. Some of my tips for enjoying the show:
- start the show at the south end (near the food vendors), away from the crowds
- if you buy a large piece, pay for it and have the vendor keep it at the booth. Make sure to take note which booth and aisle you purchased at. Just before you leave, pick up all your purchases.
- a hat, comfy shoes, and water are must haves. Bring your own food and snacks too if hamburgers and fries aren't your thing.
- leave the little ones at home if you can. Its usually a crowded, hot day and the uneven terrain and packed aisles make it difficult to move a stroller about

Hope to see you there!

Birdhouse In The City

What a great weekend! The world didn't end, the sun was shining, and I'm still off today for Victoria Day. I shared a sneak peek of the birdhouse Facebook and Twitter, but if you didn't see it, here it is...

Hmmm, that house looks familiar ;) For the LePage birdhouse challenge, I needed to build a house that represented me or my city so I started with a traditional red brick structure. And what can be more Toronto-esque then putting a modern addition on the back of that trad home? A comment by Kelly on this post got me thinking about blending the historic and modern. Thanks Kelly for the inspiration!

The main house has room for a few birds and so does the addition. I used the upper deck to store some birdseed. To give a sense of the city, I mounted the birdhouse on a long board and added silhouettes of the city skyline in the distance. I have no clue how they will actually mount this birdhouse (all the birdhouses will be installed at the 2000th Habitat for Humanity Canada house in Winnipeg) - but at least its pretty, ha!

On to the details... LePage Products provided the birdhouse structure which HandyMan assembled for me. Then I applied some free printable brick wallpaper (more typically used for dollhouses) using Outdoor Mod Podge. I created roof shingles using wooden shims cut down to size and added some model trim from Michaels and mini flower pots (filled with real forget-me-nots). A flag/perch was created with a dowel and a flag I made in Photoshop.

I also found a little wooden box at Michaels which proved to be a treasure trove... the mesh top was used to make faux stained glass windows, the box hinges were used as hinges for the doors on the addition, and one of the screws was used as the front doorknob.

HandyMan made the structure for the addition and I covered it with flat wooden sticks to mimic the look of siding. We added a second bird hole in the addition, making this a multi-apartment abode :) Scrapbook paper mod podged to the board creates a modern grassy base.

So that is my Birdhouse In The City. Is it good enough to beat Sarah and Mike? I'm not sure, but I'd love for you to vote for it by "liking" it when it appears on the LePage Products Facebook page later this week!

In the meantime, there is a little girl here who is very disappointed she doesn't get to keep this birdhouse. Guess I'll have to get cracking on a replacement.

Happy Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Its the Friday before a long weekend here in Canada and we're gearing up to get lots of things done.

First up is finishing up the birdhouse for the LePage Products challenge. Hopefully, I'll have pics of that up this weekend! Voting begins next week and I'll be sure to let you know where and when (though, let's be serious, I know it will be impossible to get more votes than Sarah Richardson!).

Most of the weekend will be spent with our hands on this...

... that would be our custom cut 2"x12" Oriental White marble tile from Saltillo. Its a long story but we couldn't agree on a precut tile, or the ones we could agree on didn't come in the right size or finish, so this is a happy compromise. Fingers crossed we can get it installed on the fireplace before the weekend is over.

Other than that, hopefully the weekend will also include some BBQing, some playground sliding, and will be as sunny as these images from my Pinterest...

Source: bhg.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Source: newlyweddiaries.blogspot.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Source: everythingfab.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Source: turquoisetulipsandbliss.blogspot.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Source: bhg-digital.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Jen @ Rambling on Pinterest

Have a good one!

Problems with Disqus?

A few readers have let me know that they've been having problems when they try to leave a comment on this blog. It seems mine is not the only blog experiencing this and from my google research, there appears to be an incompatibility between Disqus and mostly Internet Explorer browsers.

{We're disappointed to hear this - your comments make our day!}

I'm hesitant to remove Disqus because I've found people generally comment more and conversations happen. So, for now, Disqus will stay but I will take it off if things get more out of hand.

If you are having problems with Disqus, here are a few things you can try:
- upgrade to Internet Explorer 9 here
- use a different browser such as Firefox, Safari, or Chrome
- instead of leaving comments as a "guest", log in using your Disqus, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo credentials

I hope some of these fixes work - and if they don't, well, I guess you'll have to tweet me instead to let me know ;)

Handwritten Recipes

My mom, like most moms, has kept a notebook full of her favourite recipes for as long as I can remember. These recipes are ones passed down from her mother and other relatives, recipes that she's created, tried and perfected, recipes quickly scribbled on pieces of paper as she watches her favourite Food Network shows. I have wonderful memories of my mom putting out big spreads for our large extended family, making meals for 20+ with ease. I only wish I inherited that gene!

And now as a mom myself who struggles to put meals on the table, I think about mom's handwritten notebook often. I'd like to be able to whip up some traditional Filipino dishes when I'm craving the comfort dishes of my youth. I'd love to someday teach Chloe how to make Grandma's famous spring rolls.

I am very lucky that my mom watches Chloe a few days a week and even luckier because mom brings lunch when she comes over too! So now I've asked mom to make dishes from her notebook...

...and I'll be photographing them along the way. The plan is to take scans of mom's handwritten notes and the photos and have them bound into a recipe book, ready for Christmas giving.

The next six months will be a culinary adventure I will gladly eat my way through. I can't think of a more precious gift that my mom will hand down to me.

What's your most beloved gift or hand-me-down from your parents? Is there an object or memento that you treasure?

Here and There

Thanks to Apartment Therapy for featuring this old post about the window film in our bathroom. It was supposed to be a temporary fix, but we liked it so much, we decided to keep it along with our roman shade.

{On a side note, at least the comments were a lot more complementary than the last time our bathroom was featured on Apartment Therapy!}

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You can catch me today over at Decor Happy. Along with some other fab bloggers, I'm sharing one of my organizing tips. Here's a hint... it has something to do with dealing with this:

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Watch out Toronto design bloggers, our friends out West are giving us a run for our money! The lovely Barbara at hodge:podge let me know the Canadian Design Bloggers West network is up and running. If you are a design or lifestyle blogger in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba, then this is one group you want to be part of. They've already got 50+ members and are planning for a June meetup! Follow them on twitter (@dlbWEST) to keep up to date on news and events.

In The Eye of The Beholder

It may seem that HandyMan and I are a pretty good team and for the most part, that's true. We share similar tastes and have found a routine that works for us: I focus on the design, he figures out the build, and we get things done. There is one area though that we find really problematic - agreeing on the artwork.

I tend to like my art literal, a touch nostalgic, more pretty and sweet than dramatic or bold. HandyMan is on the more abstract side of the spectrum, preferring strong modern pieces or graphic photography. So you can imagine that he rolled his eyes when these pieces found their way home with me...

I don't know why, but I love love love this painting of three pigs. I bought it at foc! for $35. I can already envision the perfect spot for it... in our renovated basement, against a wall of white beadboard. No matter that we haven't even started the basement reno yet - the pigs had to come home with me! There's great texture in the painting and a sweet folksy feel to it. Chloe likes it too!

I got this petite piece at the Aberfoyle Spring show. The vendor said it was an example of primitive art from the 1850's. Not bad for $15. Its the first in a collection of vintage art that I hope to amass. For now, I think I'll display it in the new old hutch.

And these little birds flew their way home with me from the Queen West Antique Centre. I think these paint-by-number birds were the most offensive to HandyMan's tastes ;) Decidedly girly in shades of teal, pink and coral (or Honeysuckle, if you want to be au courant), these will go in Chloe's future big girl room (yet another room we haven't started!). They do verge on being grannyish though; I'll have to paint the frames and place them in a more modern setting to offset their kitschy feel. Or maybe I'll put them in oversized glossy Ikea frames with wide mats, giving them more of a gallery look.

Do you and your partner share taste in artwork? How do you decide what to put on your walls? I find agreeing on artwork more difficult then picking a sofa!

Modern Minis

I'm still on the lookout for inspiration for the birdhouse decorating competition, and I've been intrigued by the world of miniature dollhouses. Even though I like my own house to be more traditional, when it comes to dollhouses, I'm drawn to these more modern miniatures...

Mini House 1 by Design-Comm

Modularean Eco House by David Baker

by Paris Renfroe.

This one would make a great life-sized house. I love the open views and glass walls,

and the upper balcony over looking the pool!

Emerson House by Brinca Dada

Bauhaus dollhouse by Kathy Osborn

Villa Sibi dollhouse

If I had the inclination, I'd attempt to make a dollhouse for Chloe - but given our slowed pace around here, she'd probably be off to college before we finished it!

HandyMan and I have dipped our toes into the world of miniatures in the past though...