It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Garage sale season is in full swing and we couldn't be more excited!  Here are some pictures from our adventures this far.  We have hauled home a few treasures, but are learning that with collecting comes responsibility.  Purchases must have a place and a purpose...or just be so awesome that sleep would be lost over leaving them.

                                      

(Terra struggled to leave this beauty behind, but she is a responsible collector)

Yes, some things are better left behind.

~A~

Spring Fever

I built this little potting area in a corner of our yard last year. I wanted it to be pretty, and functional. It sits next to my garden plots. I was nervous that I wouldn't use it for fear of 'messing it up'. I am here to say that I used this space over and over again. I found it very functional, very handy and most of all very pretty.

It was a nearly free project ... I just needed a space and a vision. I scored the old farm table for $40. Everything else I had kicking around here.

Spring! I am so happy it's finally here! I was able to get this space ready again for another summer season!

~T~

Coffee & Chalk

 Last weekend we had a lovely spring day, remember that?  Well the garage door was open, the kids were playing outside and I decided I NEEDED to paint something.  Enter in $10 coffee table from the local thrift store.

 I didn't have a plan for the table at this point, nor did I have a spot for it in my house.  Regardless, it  was getting a makeover.  After digging through my "paint stash" for inspiration, I came out with teal for the legs and Liquitex parchment for the top.  Once the paint was dry I distressed it, but still didn't feel it had reached full potential. 

That's where the chalkboard paint came in.  A couple coats to the top and we have ourselves a fun and functional coffee table!  

Now that was the perfect project to get me back in the swing of Re-new's second season! 

~A~

Friends of Re-New - Bernie's Bedside Table

Bernie is someone that I met through my Aunt at a women's retreat this fall. I've dabbled in renewals and making old things new, but I don't hold a candle to Bernie, she's completely transformed an entire Eaton's house just outside of Saskatoon. How's that for a labour of love? She sent us one of her small renew projects, a cute bedside table she brought back to life. 

Check out her blog here to follow her many of her ongoing projects at her home. Here's her project recap:

For many years my family lived in a suburban neighborhood in a 1980’s bungalow that we had built for ourselves. Oak was the wood to use back then, and so we had kitchen cabinets and fire place wall unit custom created as well as a little unit for the back door. We stored the phone book, school directory in the drawers, library books and sundry on the shelves and a key bin on the top.

Fast forward several years and we have moved. We took a leap of faith in ourselves and bought a 1918 catalogue house. We bought a parcel of land outside of Saskatoon and had the house professionally moved. We have painstakingly restored the house to its former glory while updating the infrastructure.  I have been blogging our journey since the inception of the project in 2007 and although I don’t have much of a following it has allowed us to easily see our progress. Our house is slowly finding a home for many antiques interspaced with modern furniture. Our daughter really fell in love with the painted shabby chic look for her bedroom and so we have a few pieces of painted furniture as well.

We are currently working on our basement and that involved the initial de-cluttering. It was for several years our staging and work area as we had no garage or shop and a lot of woodwork to redo. So while we were cleaning it out we came across this little unit from our former house. A few months earlier I had met Terra and started following the Re-New Blog and her last entry gave me the inspiration to try something.

Before

As you can see the unithad seen a lot of wear and tear. With the oak and the square edges it looked so1980’s so I had my husband take the router to the soften the edges. This is the same edge look as an antique buffet that serves as a dresser/TV stand in the same bedroom. Then I decided to try the Liquitex paint that Terra has used in previous projects. It took three coats to cover the wood and get a smooth finish. I then sourced out a new handle that is very period for our house andafter several attempts we made it fit (the screw length was too short for the drawer depth so Ron had to countersink the screws down in).

After

A big thanks to Terra, Anna and Jade for allowing me to submit an entry to their blog site.  I love their sense of adventure and their individual style shines through in what they do. I hope that if you pop over to visit my blog site you’ll get a sense of the restoration style we have and please feel free to leave comments.  


Thanks for the reveal Bernie! It looks fantastic!

~T~

Tins & Tulips

Tin cans, leftover spray paint and a few bunches of the prettiest tulips = spring. 

Happy Easter. 

~A~