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Monday 5 November 2012

November!

I know that I have been very very VERY delinquent on my posts lately... I appreciate your patience as I am finding a work/life/family balance.

I continue to paint and upcycle furniture and I am so lucky to have so many great clients and places to sell it. Sometimes it doesn't make it to the blog though. 

I have taken on a part time job, which I enjoy as it involves paint and colour and people ~ all important things to me, but I am working towards getting a better routine as I figure out my time management.

I will be doing a sale in person in Olds on November 17 with several other vendors who do fantastic things with the ugly stuff out there. Stay tuned for more details coming up!

Thanks for your patience and I will continue to work to add some fun to your space!  

Wednesday 3 October 2012

New Listings!

Distressed White Sideboard
{sold}



I have had this piece waiting for some attention for a long time and I don't know why I waited so long to do something with it. It was a great find ~ I really love the unique sliding glass doors on the upper area. They are super thick and really add to the charm of this cabinet.






It has been primed and painted Cloud White then lightly distressed. The hardware is a flat black and the back area of the open storage is lined with a little peek of fun wallpaper. Each drawer has been lined to match. 



I apologize for the ugly surroundings. It is VERY heavy and I don't have any help today to get it moved! I hope that you can see how charming this is even though it is sitting in my basement...



It measures:

45.5 inches wide
17.75 inches deep
34 inches high

Child's Desk and Chair
{sold}



This desk is just SO sweet. It is sized for a child, but it is not toddler sized ~ sort of 3/4 sized. It is the perfect size for small projects like colouring and drawing, but would transition well into a vanity area too.

It has been primed and painted Summer Lime. It is a very pale green. It has been moderately distressed with extra attention to the corners and detailed edges. There are 3 drawers for storage which have been lined with my last few bits of the zebra print wallpaper.



The hardware is a flat white and is lightly distressed as well.



The little ladder back chair fits perfectly with this desk. It has been painted Cloud White and has also been distressed.



I can imagine this cute pair in a little girl's room. It would add just a perfect amount of sweetness to almost any colour palette, but is sophisticated enough to grow up along with her.



The desk measures:

34 inches wide
18 inches deep
29.75 high

Tall Shabby Table
{sold}



This is one of those tables that seems really simple, but once you own it, you can keep it forever. It is tall enough to use for a very small desk or hair/makeup station with a chair, but it is also the perfect size to tuck into a corner or small stretch of wall and use for seasonal display or a place to drop keys and mail.




It has been primed and painted Cloud White and lightly distressed and hand rubbed with a furniture paste for a little extra protection and a smooth touch.

It measures:

23.75 inches wide
15 inches deep
30.25 inches high.

If any of these pieces are calling your name, the best way to let me know is by text ~ 403.700.0877 or by email to lisabaron70@gmail.com. All items are sold on a first come, first served basis with cash pick up in Airdrie. I am happy to hold an item for a reasonable amount of time if you know that you really want it!




Monday 24 September 2012

Rosebud ~ September Edition

I took this picture with Instagram on my way home from Rosebud today. You can see that with views like this, it is not a hardship for me to drive east for an hour....


I brought a few things with me to fill in some gaps in my little corner of the Mercantile. 

Matching Nightstands in Cayman Blue.

A "Wild Side" bookcase.

Lightly Distressed Black Bookcase

Shabby Chair with Chevron Seat.




Here are a few shots of the installed pieces (plus a few left from last time.): 




There is a gray bench and a very sweet headboard for a twin bed as well as a few wire frames and chalkboards. The wreaths continue to be popular and I really try to make each one unique!

I met another one of Rosebud's residents through Kijiji and was lucky enough to be invited for coffee this morning. She is the proprietor of a very unique B&B there. I come away from this town happy every time I go!

This season's play is Tuesdays With Morrie which is getting great reviews. Do yourself a favour and take a drive east of the QE2 and discover what this little town has to offer....

Friday 14 September 2012

For Sale Now

On The Wild Side Cabinet
{SOLD}

This cabinet has been tough project! It has been sitting in my garage waiting for some loving for a few months. With winter coming, Tim is getting anxious to be able to park in his spot in the garage again so I promised I would finish it before the frost came! I picked it up from a garage where it had been stored for a loooong time. It was dirty and disgusting left me feeling discouraged.


I just wasn't sure how to make it shine ~ to be honest, I briefly thought I would just take it to the dump and forget about it. I talked myself out of that (fast!!) and started to clean it up and get a feeling for what it could become, and then I got a little excited and decided to take a risk....



This cabinet got a complete overhaul and went from being a sad, neglected eyesore to a superstar! I used a bright turquoise latex paint and found this amazing zebra wallpaper at Lowe's to finish it off... I was a little nervous to do something so dramatic, but I know that someone out there will love this piece and find the perfect spot for it to shine. I think it would be great in a bedroom, in a fun livingroom or dining room or in an office as a book shelf. The open shelving with a plate groove makes it perfect for display,  books or any type of funky collection. Lots of closed storage makes it practical too!





I added some whimsical hardware to the doors for a little fun and the matching zebra stripes line the drawer.





Lots of distressing makes it more interesting and showcases all the detail.







It measures
70 inches high
53.25 inches wide 
17 inches deep

If this speaks to you, let me know by text 403.700.0877 or email lisabaron70@gmail.com and we will work out a pick up time. It is large, but is in two pieces and will fit into a mini van or SUV with no problem. I can hardly wait to have this beauty installed in its new home! 








Monday 3 September 2012

Creating a Pre-Teen Bedroom

My daughter is starting gr 4 tomorrow and she is nine years old. She has been slowly moving out of the "pink and pretty" type of decor for a little while now, but is still very much a young nine. I had hoped to fend off her requests for a room makeover, but I had worked on her brother's room last winter and she was anxious to have a fresh start in her room as well.

I couldn't really blame her. We had taken possession of this house and moved in all in around 2 weeks which left very little time for decorating. It wasn't a bedroom which echoed her personality and as she and her friends hang out there more, I wanted it to feel like a fun spot. 

I did not want this to cost very much as I have a feeling that her tastes may change as she gets older, but I think that there is a lot in this room that will be able to change with her. I started to keep my eye out for things on my treasure hunts.... I knew she needed bookshelf space. I knew she needed more drawer space. I knew she needed a new bed frame. Aside from these things, I really didn't have a vision..... Then, along came Pinterest. S I G H.

I was SOOOOO inspired by this room. If you are on Pinterest at all, you have probably seen it somewhere as it is a pretty popular pin. Take a look ~ it is so pretty and really spoke to my girl's personality as well. She was adamant about wanting to stay away from pink, but she thought she would be okay with coral (YAY!). I wanted to use bright and energetic colours and chose to paint the walls a bright turquoise.




I also wanted to paint the closet wall with chalkboard paint so that she and her friends would have a place to doodle and have some fun. It would also be sort of a unique feature. To bring the black into the room, I thought it would be nice to have a black and white wallpaper along the long wall. I did a brave thing here ~ I took her with me to Lowe's. They have a really awesome wallpaper aisle and they have a great selection of black and white papers in stock for under $40 a roll. I told her she could choose from any of the black and white they had. I really tried to let this be her choice ~ the one she settled on would not have been my choice, but she loved it and I do love the way it turned out! 

I had found the 2 little matching dressers at a thrift store in spring. I had to buy them because it is hard to find 2 matching dressers that size! Initially I was planning to use them in the master bedroom makeover I am planning, but as I thought it over, they seemed like a great fit for this project! They would give her lots of storage space, but would not overwhelm the room. She is still sort of small, so she can easily reach all of the drawers and they are shallow so they can be kept reasonable neat. (Fingers crossed on this one!).



The bed is a Hemnes model from Ikea. I found it on Kijiji without any of the hardware needed to reassemble it. I decided to paint it black and distress it a little to add the needed character. I went to Ikea (ON THE SATURDAY OF A LONG WEEKEND!) and waited in line at customer service to see if they could find the correct hardware. The models can change from year to year slightly and this exact design (brown stain with round spindles) has been discontinued. They were very helpful and since I only needed about 8 pieces, they did not charge me at all.


The bookcase is another thriftstore find. I thought it was great to have the closed lower storage and lots of room for books and her endless odds and ends. I loved the yellow in the inspiration room, so I decided to take the plunge with more colour. I really love the way it turned out! I added some black and white wallpaper along the back (it is not the same print as the paper on the wall ~ just extra I had left over from other projects). As you can see in the above picture, this wall across from the bed is a bit tough. That door goes to the Jack and Jill bathroom that the kids share. It is a great feature, but the drawback is that it adds another door to each bedroom, reducing furniture arrangement options. I still need to find some art or a mirror to add to this space....



I added the wire frame in yellow on the opposite side of the window from the bookcase to just add a little more yellow to balance that wall out a bit. I am still on the lookout for some pretty curtains to hang (that is why the frame is slightly off-centre). The bedding is from HomeSense and made by Cynthia Rowley. I love it SOOOO much. It is perfect in there!

This room is not finished yet, but the spirit of it is. I want to find some art and fill in a few spaces and have some fun with the details. I just wanted to share some of the projects I have been working of for my home too!

I had a decorative dress form that I added and she went crazy! If I had known how much she would love it in her room, I would have given it to her earlier. As you can see, she has it dressed in her outfit she chose for her first day of gr 4. So cute!

I tried to add up the total cost of the room makeover including paint and wallpaper and it came in under $300! This was pretty dramatic and just took a little extra time and patience (and work!), but I think it was worth it. She loves her new space and I do too!

I apologize for the darkness in the pictures. I tried with the blind open and with it shut and this seemed to look better, but it is tricky to get the lighting right in this small room!


Now I just need to get inspired for my own room!




Wednesday 29 August 2012

Rosebud Mercantile

Last week I made a trip back out to the Rosebud Mercantile. I had heard that things were looking a bit bare, so it was time to restock before the last few shows of the summer. I thought I would share a few of the items that I took with me.




I decided to take a bit of a risk with this cabinet. This turquoise is my salute to the last few weeks of summer. It feels so beachy and sunny. As everyone who reads this blog know, I am hooked on the trendy chevron stripe right now. I thought that those sliding doors needed a little extra punch and I am very happy with the result. I really distressed this piece so it feels weathered and has more character. It has tons of storage too! So great for extra dishes, games or even as a little bar....




I have been working on doing some fun things with these old window frames with the glass in good condition. I tried applying a chalkboard surface to them, leaving a little 'frame' of sorts around it so when hung on the wall, a little bit of the wall colour will show through. I really like them and think they are pretty unique although I am sure I am not the first person to do this! I tried it on the square vintage red frame in the 2nd and 3rd pictures as well. What do you think? A bit of a statement maybe....? 

In the 3rd picture you can see the cute little twin headboard which would work well on bed (obviously), but also as a way to layer some interesting decor items on a large mantle, in a garden or on a large display area that some houses have in the entry ways. 

The headboard is sitting on a funky grey bench which sort of blends in to the background, but it was a great find! I love the legs and the length is perfect for an entryway or even at a standard table.


This is just a great little nightstand. It is pretty and sweet. I thought I would transition to some more earthy colours as we move into fall. This is a lovely plum with black and white wallpaper on the back and lining the drawer.


I am not done with coral yet! This is a two tiered telephone type table that is just cool. I love it with the blue for a very fresh feeling.




I tried adding a little interest to the top BookPage Wreath and ended up with an ombre effect. It is subtle, but makes it interesting.

The second wreath is made of an old atlas book ~ lots of maps and charts. Good for the person who likes to travel (or hopes to!).

The third is more of the standard wreath. I still love the way this looks on a wall. Unusual and very interesting!


I feel so fortunate to be able to have my things here in such a lovely place. The shows are great and the food is good. If you are looking for a place to spend a weekend afternoon, check out the fall schedule and take the drive!

I am working on the finishing touches for my 9 year old daughter's room and I hope to share it soon!