I know we all love to fix up and re- decorate our homes, buying shiny new things but.... new is not always the way we need to go. Discarding our unwanted pieces into the landfill. How about another route, in almost every town there are community stores like Goodwill or Value Village. Somewhere to donate our unwanted pieces or find hidden treasures. One place locally I just checked out is "Habitat for Humanity" It was full of old doors, lighting, hardware and furniture. Not everything was a treasure, for me anyway but I saw some potential. Here are a few pieces I saw and an example of how we could use them. IKEA wooden bed slats - could be a storage chest. Old doors make great headboards Shutters re-purposed into magazine racks Leaded glass becomes art over the mantle. Stair spindles make table legs or a great magazine basket Vintage sinks can be used inside or out. A planter or a bird bath maybe. Mix it in with your existing bathroom or kitchen. How about copper lighting- on trend metal like in this cafe. Milk glass globe pendants- retro comeback.
2 Comments
I thought I would share with you one of my favourite on line catalogues and suppliers of great design taste. Known as House Doctor. I stumbled across it a few years ago looking for different cool products and since then have regularly checked it out to see what's new and exciting. To give you a quick taster here are a few of my faves of the moment. . . . . Industrial wall sconce combining metal and wood. Coffee table - modern rustic. Galvanized mobile storage Stylized laundry hamper- good "clean" fun. Set of wooden trays showing shape and art combined. Take a seat on this leather and steel beauty. Pop on over and take a look -see if the House Doctor is in! You will like what you see. Honest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time for one more knitting project. For Christmas my awesome brother in law bought me an unexpected gift. He wasn't sure what to get me so he read my blog and noticed a post about my craving for chunky blankets and a company I mentioned called Loopy Mango They have incredible knitted creations and supplies to make your own. He very kindly sent away to New York for my very own Loopy Mango needles. I don't know who was more excited me to receive such a thoughtful gift or Trev to give them to me. He is a great guy and single too by the way ladies!! ( Sorry Trev!) I bought 6 balls of yarn at Michaels on sale for $5. I wanted a natural creamy colour and found the perfect one. Then I cast on 45 stitches and did a regular knit stitch. It took a little while to get used to the circular needle as I'm a newbie with them. However soon I was happily knitting a little slower than usual but after a few days ( maybe 8 hours total) I had my new blanket. Here's my finished baby- it's so soft and cozy I think I need to take a nap immediately Now I have one in cream I want to try another one in black or grey this time using knit and pearl stitches to make a ribbed blanket. If you are not a knitter you can search for beginner info and video instructions like this link here-http://www.knittinghelp.com/. Happy Knitting!
Last week I saw this fabulous picture in a magazine I recently started reading called INSIDEOUT from Australia. Don't you just love the copper details?! I do. It adds an industrial flair with a touch of warmth. I have been noticing a lot of copper images in magazines and on line. It's definitely a big trend for 2014. You could add something small or go all out like this amazing bedroom. I found some other pics to share. Some are even DIY which I am for sure going to try! I know you can buy copper tape as well as spray paint so watch out for a new post soon! Take a peek at the pics below Last post I mentioned my seasonal urge to knit, well this year my crafty twin Lisa and I discovered something new and unusual- arm knitting ,yes you heard me right. Who needs needles when you have arms! ,I bought some wool in a great teal colour and used almost two balls. Lisa found a tutorial on line and we both gave it a go. I'll be honest it took me a few tries to grasp it but within an hour I had a new scarf for only $12. Check out the tutorial link here from simplymaggie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eClB0RpGBlo The internet is full of more arm knitting but here are a few of my favourites from andreabrena. Love this colourful circular chair. How about an arm knitted rug. Sitting comfy on these great pouffes. It's always good to try something new or something old with a new twist. Give it a try.
Every year about this time I get the urge to knit something! I know, I know that may not seem very exciting but it is. . . . . You can create something colourful and comforting in no time at all, and at little expense. And people are easily impressed by your skills!
Recently I made some boot "cuffs" to add a little cozy touch to any boots. Or if you don't have boots, it's a good excuse to buy some for your knitted cuffs! I had bought some yarn at Michael's for another project but decided not to use it for that so here we go boot cuffs! |