Handling the Dresser

When I last left you, this was the state of the dresser that we purchased for the Nursery. After testing to make sure it didn't have lead paint in it- which it didn't- yay; I then had to decide what we were going to do with it, and specifically if I was going to do it myself. Although I feel my pregnancy has been fairly easy (knock on wood) all things concerned, the one struggle that I have consistently had to deal with is not being able to do everything I want to do independently. Asking for help is hard, especially when you are used to doing things on your own and you enjoy doing those things.

That said, my super friend Dixie Anne agreed to paint the dresser for me, and I couldn't be happier. She has been keeping me updated by texting photos of her progress:

1. Here are the drawers all primed (love your thumb DA)!!!

2. Here is the frame primed and ready for paint!

3. And here is the finished product she texted me last night- so exciting:)

The next step for this project, will be to replace the handles for an updated look. My dream handles are little white anchors from Anthropologie, but for $10 a pop, i'm not sure they're worth it. Here are some of the ones I have liked so far.

What do you think? Any that stand out as favourites in your mind?

West Elm Hack: 3 Jar Chandelier

As I noted in an earlier post, we have been humming and hawing over lighting decisions for most of the rooms in the house. The search came to an end of the dining room and kitchen a few weeks ago, and I am proud to say we have new lights hanging above the island and dining table!

For the dining table chandelier, we took advantage of the West Elm 20% off lighting sale and purchased their 3 Jar Chandelier.

Photo from West Elm

They didn't have any in stock, so I ordered over the phone and opted for store delivery to save the shipping and duty charges. After making the scary drive downtown (which included an Ikea pitstop for hotdogs and an As-Is visit), I made it to West Elm and picked up our light.

When my dad was here last week, he had installation on his project list. Chris saw it before me and told my dad I wasn't going to like it. He was right, it looked too modern in our space, the pewter coloured metal didn't match the bronze pendants hanging over my island and the silver cord didn't match anything. We thought about taking it down and selling on kijiji, but having been without a proper light for so long, and the fact that it had so much potential, I decided to give it a makeover.

Before the makeover when Chris took it down.

So I used a Sherry Petersik trick and bought a can of oil rubbed bronze spray-paint. After taping the light sockets, all of the metal parts got a few healthy coats of spray (multiple light coats works best). Although it doesn't match my bronze pendants exactly, it's much better.

The cord still had to be improved, so taking a cue from our wedding Boutonniers, I decided I would trying wrapping jute twine around the cord. I was able to get away with only gluing the top and bottom of the cord making it easy to change in the future if need be.

I love the way it turned out. It fits the vibe of our old house so much better than the original version. 

Last Day of Aberfoyle

Last Sunday was the last day of Aberfoyle for another year. I love going on closing day because despite the cold, you can actually get some really good deals as it is the Sellers last chance to make a sale (the cold probably helps).

This was the first thing I noticed when I walked up to the market from the parking lot. I have dreams of owning a truck just like this...or a little older...you know for when I own a business in a quaint little town (think Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride).



The next bright light in my Aberfoyle trip was meeting up with this cute chick. It's been a while since we've seen each other, and I always love the time we spend together. For the record, this isn't her bike...but she really wanted it to be...you know for cruising around town!

As always, there were many things I loved that I didn't take home with me. Here are a few of my favourite things that didn't make the cut:

Top Left: Sweet grey chair; Right: Nice car blanket, perfect for Christmas styling. Bottom Left: Wooden crate that I was considering as a side table; Right: Sweet candy can from Halifax

I thought long and hard about this guy. I was thinking he might be perfect in a small corner I have in my kitchen, but alas I wasn't sure he would fit and wasn't totally sold on the price.

Last but definitely not least, I saw this guy as we were heading out, and he looked like someone had left him behind...many moons ago. There's something very sweet about this little guy, and I am sure he was loved by a few children before he made his way to this can!

In the end I picked up some hooks for my front entryway and bathroom as well as a little side-table that needs a bit of a makeover for the low price of $20! I will share the table in a future post:)

Happy Wednesday everyone- i'll be back on Friday with a Halloween themed post.

Distressed Door DIY

When we first moved into our sweet cottage home, the door to our basement was painted brown. I didn't really know why...was it to match the beams because i'm pretty sure they're stained. I knew I had to do something once the kitchen was painted gray (it was so hideous I refused to take a good before picture).

Chris pulled the door off its hinges and I gave it three coats of paint after one coat of primer. Once it was perfectly painted, I realized it wasn't perfect. It was missing something...patina, so I preceded to sand all the edges, bumps and dents to create a distressed effect. What is even more amazing is that somehow I carried this very solid wooden door into the house and hung it back up on the hinges all by myself. This had nothing to do with priority or help not being available, but everything to do with impatience (Chris was away for the weekend) paired with intense stubbornness of a woman who hates asking for help. 

A Rocking We Will Go

As I shared in this post earlier this summer, I have an old wooden rocker that I am slowly but surely refinishing. When I started out, I got this far and then rethought stripping it altogether.

Between the weather and my passive flaking, stripping and a wee bit of sanding...I got this far:

It is complete shabby chic, and as much as I love that, it's not quite the look I was going for in this piece! Tonight I filled the holes with wood filler, and soon this puppy with get a coat of primer and two coats of a very lovely blue/green shade! It was probably the quickest I ever picked out a paint colour (read: I had help from a hungry man...never put a trip to Lowes in between him and dinner), but I'm quite satisfied. I'll share the finished project next week!