Monday, March 26, 2012

Black Pair of Oval Side Tables

Monday, March 26, 2012
SOLD!

Just refinished these sleek oval side tables.


They are solid wood and both come with a piece of glass that can be removed if you so desire.


In excellent condition.  Painted solid black.  They measure 26' x 21" x 22 1/4" h.
$115.00 for the pair.

Black Side Table

SOLD


Painted black, distressed and sealed with a latex satin finish.  The inside of the drawer has been red-washed and new hardware was added. Measures 16" d x 18" w x 28" h.





Thursday, March 22, 2012

Vintage Market!!!!

Thursday, March 22, 2012
I received some exciting news today!!! I recently sent in an application for The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market
and found out today that my application was approved.  I will be a vendor in June at the market!!!

Check out the link http://www.theoldefarmhouse.ca/vintage-market/ for more details on location and time etc.  And stay tuned for some sneak peaks of what you can find at my booth in June!

Jen

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Distressed Canvas Artwork - My First Pinterest Project

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that Pinterest is somewhat addicting?  It can be a time warp like anything on the computer really, but it is a great source of inspiration and I love searching for new ideas and projects.

This project was one of my first pins and I actually completed it last summer but am just posting now!  Again, better late than never right?:)

Here is the link to the tutorial that I followed:

http://deliacreates.blogspot.com/2010/12/distressed-canvas-gifts.html

Delia, another creative gal who posted this tutorial was even kind enough to email me back when my first run at the project didn't' go so well.  Thankfully, my second time around went a lot better and I'm thrilled with the end result.



 Her instructions are very straightforward and the project is not difficult but I will offer you some advice and share the problems I encountered in hopes that you don't have the same issues!

The first time I completed the canvases, I did not apply enough gel medium and I don't' think I sprayed the photo enough.  Therefore, the ink and my image did not transfer well.  They kind of looked like ghosts:)  After rereading and emailing Delia for advice, I decided to try it again.  Thankfully, I was able to reuse my canvases by painting them out white (with latex wall paint) but I did have to get my photos reprinted.

This time I made sure to apply a good amount of gel medium and even sprayed a bit of water onto the canvas while I was spreading the gel to make sure it was good and moist. (for a lack of a better word?) After laying down my photo and smoothing it out, I also sprayed it again until I could see the whole image through, and then followed all instructions as she has listed.

I hope this post was helpful to you and maybe even inspired you:)  If you decide to try this project out, I would love to hear from you!




Oh, and of course a shout out to my crazy talented friend Dina who took these gorgeous photos for me:)
http://klutchphotography.com/#home/

Jen


Friday, March 16, 2012

The Multitasking Mother

Friday, March 16, 2012

As a mother of 2 1/2 a children.  (2 of my own and one stepchild:) I have been asked a few times "how do you get all these projects done?"  And my answer is.....

Today, while one naps, and one is at a playdate I am working on my posts.

Some days while I am sewing pillows, I occupy my children with crayons and paper.



Sometimes they choose to not use the paper and feel my white dining room table and cabinet look like a great blank canvas.  EEK! She is not yet 2 years old, so she will be forgiven for this sin:)  And thankfully, this came off with a little elbow grease.


And as you can see I pay close attention to them while I am consumed in my projects, as I was sitting right here sewing these table runners while she did this.....


And some days, I simply rely on the television to entertain them.  I painted these side tables this month right in my dining room.



Some days I feel bad for not "playing" with them all day long while we are together.  But besides being a mother, there's another part of me, I guess you could say my creative "junky" side, that I just can't turn off.  I crave projects like an addict.  A good thrift store find or admiring a project I just created and completed.

So, I guess just like any addict, if you have an addiction, you usually find a way to get your fix.  Sometimes, it involves sacrafices and consequences.  Last week one of them was red crayon:)




Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Goodbye to my little "Empire"

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
It was just this past Sunday when I said aloud "this old dinosaur ain't gonna last forever," and what do you know, the belt breaks the next day just as I'm about to start some sewing projects.



I honestly don't know where this machine came from.  I know it was passed down to me from my mother but she doesn't recall it being hers and nor does my my Beppe "Grandma in Friesen.".  One day not too long ago, my Beppe who often states her sewing machine is so old that it came from Noah and the Ark, was even surprised when I showed her the machine and said it might be older than hers!  lol.  She too,did not recognize it or know where it came from.  So, apparently I somehow inherited this mysterious machine from someone? And there is a good chance I may have dementia in my future:)

Anyways, it wasn't fancy, but it did the job. I sewed plenty of pillows, Halloween costumes,  curtain panels, window cushions and various other items over the last few years but now it has been laid to rest.

I have to admit, for some reason I loved the fact that my machine was so ancient and simple.  It made me feel like I was enjoying the simple things in life when I sewed.  :)

But, when the belt broke Monday morning, my neighbor who had left her machine here from our last week sewing date said I was welcome to borrow hers for the time being.  So I plugged it in, and admit I was somewhat intimidated by the many options and buttons.  But, like riding a bike, I threaded that baby like it was just yesterday I was sitting in sewing class in high school.  When my foot hit the peddle and the sound of the needle going up and down hummed oh so quietly, I was suddenly...well, over my "old" machine.  What's that saying,"you don't know until you tried it??  Well, I shouldn't have tried it, cause that was it, I needed a new machine and a decent one.

That's where craigs list comes in handy.  I promptly tracked down a machine, and set up a time to pick up.

Simple pleasures = a starbucks and a sunny drive to Aldergrove with some good tunes when my daughter is home from school and I've been held hostage in my house since last Thursday due to sicknesses.  It may be used, but it's definitely newer than my last machine.  I tested it out this afternoon and it's like an item of luxury.  I love it.  And I even like the pink on it:)


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