Day Bed

I had a spare room with junk growing in it but I didn't want it to stay that way.  I wanted this:

(...but knew I couldn't have this so I adjusted my vision!)

After 8 months of hunting on kijiji I found a daybed which was black, not my first choice, but I felt I could lighten it with accessories.

 That ugly  pile of metal turned into a beautiful daybed. 

I dressed it with a vintage pale blue chenille cover and used a set of old drapes as a bed skirt.

The blue black combination on the bed worked beautifully with a table I have had for a while.  I found this years ago and the top was red so I painted just the top pale blue and left the legs as is.

I love the vintage legs and crackled black finish.

I added in a chair that worked within the colours of the room and it was done.

It's nice to no longer have the mess of a junk room.

 

Patricia

Light and Shabby Union Jack

I have long admired the soft and shabby Union Jack pillows I see on ebay and on blogs and I thought maybe one day I could make one.  Something bothered me about them though when I looked at them on google images & I finally realized  It was the seam lines.  Fussy I know, but I hate them - I think they detract from the overall soft look.  Once I decided not to sew it the project flew along.

I got out my scrap fabric,

 (was a curtain tie back I could never get rid of)

A small scrap of Rachel Ashwell British Rose (?) I have held onto for almost 10 years, and started ripping.  I didn't want this to be perfect, so I ripped the strips so the edges are slightly frayed which suits the soft look I was going for

I added  these strips to a pillow I love but with a pattern that really gets lost in the background.

Umm - maybe not

Better but I decided it was fighting with the background fabric which is so soft so I kept this and decided to use the back side of the fabric which has a "quieter" pattern.  I applied all of it with Stitch Witchery Fusible tape and an iron on medium and...

Taa Daa!!

And with a shiny crown pin

I like the slightly frayed fabric and the overall soft look of it without the seam lines.

One of the easiest projects I have ever done which made me realize I should have done it sooner.

Patricia

Google Plus

I got a new ipad last week (I had planned for a while to get one,  then went to a charity silent auction and it was time) so I thought I would try to blog with it.  Hmm as far as I got was google + which distracted me completely. As I scrolled through my pictures I noticed how beautiful the images were all together so I took a picture... of my pictures.

A Study in Pillows

Wellington at Christmas

Eye Candy in Las Vegas

Pink, White & Blue



And finally, Crowns

I love this little run on pictures all together.  Now I just have to figure out how to blog and upload pictures on my ipad.

Patricia

Beautiful Obsessions

I have seen a few things lately that I loved the look of so much I had to get a picture and I thought I would share them.  I was at a Canadian company called Chintz & Co. which is packed full!  It always has been and that's part of the joy of going to Chintz - you are on a search!

This view of the shop shows you there is stuff everywhere!  On my search I saw this light that I would love to have but it needs a larger space to shine in then I have.

A Chandelier on an elegant tripod with a sheer shade is just so glamorous! 

My favourite piece was this:

I would love to own this piece but at almost $700 I just get to drool over the picture.  It's just amazing.

This I could afford; a little murano glass mirror which I have yearned to have for years. About 10 years ago I saw one just like this in a store and I walked away from it because I could not afford it. When I finally found it again Ebay made it affordable!

I loved this little charming french looking birdhouse in Creston, B.C. which has little growing plants in it.  It was in a little area between shops where you could sit.  Just a tiny bit of charm where you least expect it.

Patricia

 

Vacation Time

It was time.

Time for a vacation.  Really really time, so I packed up my daughter and Lovey our cat and hit the road.

   I live in Alberta and part of the joy of summer vacation in BC is arriving at the mountains.  It was at this moment when I realized I was starting to relax.

We went to visit my Mom and her boyfriend Allan who live on the side of the mountain overlooking the town of Creston, BC.

This was my view for my morning coffee,

It beats Starbucks anyday.

I drive a small PT cruiser but when I saw this in Idaho I suddenly wished I drove a truck so I could take it home with me. 

It would be fabulous in my garden but I had no way to get it home so I had to walk away.

One day I went into the garden to harvest the sour cherries.

After washing, pitting, washing again and mixing them with 2 Tbsp Tapioca flour, 1 cup of sugar and a 1/4 teaspoon of Almond flavouring they went into a  flaky pie crust from The Joy of Cooking:

1/2 pound butter

1 1/2 cups of flour

2 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

Ice cold water to mix

Made in the food processor and baked at 350 for 1 hour the result was the most amazing pie ever.

Vacation puts everything into pers[ective

Christian Lacroix

I have a sweet work friend who works at a flea market every weekend and when I went to visit her she had this beautiful Christian Lacroix lacy Evian Bottle.

It just suits a branch with flowers.

This is a difficult wall with the Furnace control, light switch,plastic panel and door bell box above all of that - really what could be uglier? But I move pretty items into the area to distract the eye from the ugly.



Flowers and a venetian mirror is just the prettiest combination. 

Enjoy the summer,

Patricia 

Shabby Chic Vintage Ikea

It's always interesting to see the effect of Shabby Chic work it's way into mainstream manufacturing which was the case at Ikea recently. 

These amazing drapes are lined and are made of a heavy heavy cotton that feels like sateen. They instantly reminded me of finding vintage fabric that would be made into drapes. I spent time talking myself out of these because I don't need them, but don't they look like something you could buy at Rachel Ashwell's shop?

This lampshade (there are also hanging pendants like this) reminded me of projects found on the blogs of very talented women.  I'm debating if I should try to make this on my own.  It was just a wire frame with white fabric ruched and held in place.

Tucked in a corner were these vintage images of the Eiffel tower (in the snow - perfect for a Christmas card) Venice, Big Ben, Grand Central and a building in Sweden ( I have no idea which - sorry!) all with postage.  So perfect with a vintage feel.

I purchased three white frames.

& Voila!

Ikea impressed me with it's vintage turn.  There were a lot of other looks but these were my favourites.

Pink Peony from my garden with pink rocks in the base - too pretty.

Cheers,

Patricia