What I've been doing this week....

The past week has been a nightmare. The noises which we thought were from the neighbours cat turns out to be RATS, and they made their way into our apartment. Panicking that we were stuck in this lease for another 11 months I used my keen negotiating skills (crying to the building manager) to cancel the lease that day.


20 car and truck loads later we have all of our things out of the apartment and moved into my sisters place. We are sleeping on the living room futon with our furniture and clothes piled to the ceiling.... at least it's rat free.



Oh and I forgot to mention. Ratsville is already on the apartment listings ... and they upped the rent! Classy.
On a lighter note at least I now know that I have something in common with a supermodel.

Fanclub

With the temperature pushing 30 degrees (Celsius)the past few days the memories of months of snow are fading and vague recollections of hot sun and warm nights are returning. To avoid complaining about the welcome warmth it is best to prepare yourself for those sticky nights. Luckily there are some great fans out there to beat the heat without messing with your style but those vintage fans can mess with your fingers, so keep them away from the kiddos.

Midweek Montage: Wartime Posters

I have always been fascinated with the history and time period of the World Wars. Throughout university my non-business electives were divided up between War History and Oceanography (interesting combo I know). Add in the ~salvaged bliss~ element and imagine my excitement when I first saw the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters popping up in home decor. I instantly wanted my own, but within months the market was saturated with these colourful re-creations ...so I reluctantly passed on my own.
Even though this KC&CO slogan was rarely used during the war there were other common slogans and sayings from Wartime. I have included other posters which sent messages to the home front and troops and I plan on incorporating some into my own designs.
















Posters from British National Archive

Branching Out

Spring is here and some out door scavenging may be in order. These painted branches look great but can also have some use... unlike a lot of things I bring home. Sticks of Lake Mushamush beware, I'm coming to get you.





photo 1, 2, 3

Hoot Hoot

Found this little guy at Value Village to watch over the apartment for us when we are out. Nice new addition to the white out wall after a coat of paint.

Antique Maps

I found some maps on ebay for just 99 cents. They are smaller maps from a Hammonds Atlas printed in 1912. Canada for me and Australia for the BF. With two ugly clearance frames and a quick coat of spray paint, we have ourselves Aussie and Canadian mementos to go along with the Vegemite in the cupboard.

Midweek Montage: Headboards

After moving into our new apartment our upholstered headboard looks a bit tired. Next to the standard 'antique white' apartment wall colour the fabric looks sad, dreary, depressed, lame... you get the picture. Here is a collection of headboards to inspire a necessary before and after.

Monkey See Monkey Do: Patterned Pillows

After seeing a few pillows that Sarah Richardson used in her designs I knew I needed some of my own. Victim and results are below.

Telephone Table Transformation

A cheapo kijiji telephone table ($10) was just what we needed for our front entry way. Foam, fabric, paint (and a little panicking when the paint was still tacky 15 hours after the first coat) a dehumidifier and the heat turned on in May and we have ourselves some salvaged bliss.

Photo of the Day

Another striped pillow from Sarah Richardson. Must find some fabric this weekend and make some pillow covers, bring on the weekend.

Midweek Montage: Insulators

I have seen these telegraph insulators (not knowing what they were) around over the years but have just recently picked up the first in my collection. Since then I have noticed these glass beauties still on poles in the area. I would love to have my own window full of them.

Sally Finds

A quick stop at my friendly neighbourhood Salvation Army was fruitful as usual. The highlights included:

• an interior decorating book from 1965, which has some great photos of all kinds of 60's styles.
• couple copies of Architectural Digest from the spring of '85.
• 2 green glass canisters for the kitchen.
• Great plaid bag which has a separate lower level to keep not so fresh gym and curling shoes separate.
• 2 mirrored frames which are going to hang in the bathroom.
• and a large gold framed mirror, destination unknown.

White Out Conditions

Nothing like a can of white paint to bring some uniformity to thrift store finds. A wall of frames can always have new editions to keep the look fresh. Panels of fabric or wallpaper can also be added to the frames to add some colour depending on your mood. Right now I'm sticking with the white.

Curbside Makeover

Another orphaned piece of furniture that I have adopted, but it was looking a little drab. I stained the arms a darker brown from the previous yellowing oak.



I tore the upholstery off and used it as a pattern to make the new cover out of a metre of damask fabric from the remnants bin. Results are below.