Around the house
Mon, 21 Oct 2013As much as I am dying for a new house, I keep trying to keep myself from going crazy while stuck here by continuing to do small projects and picking up little things here and there I totally don't need or have room for (LOL). Here are the latest bits and bobs that I've worked on or purchased.
First up - I got a little tired and bored with the centrepiece on my dining table. Because my house is so small and my dining space is in the middle of the kitchen, it means the dining table is prime real estate for displays. (You can see photos of what has been hanging out on my table for the past several months here). I went to Value Village Friday and found a wooden tray for $3.99, then went around the house collecting pieces I thought would work for a fall theme. I have a red and orange batik table runner I may put down too (but the cats tend to lay on the table where there's fabric on it).
While rearranging the dining table decor, I decided to switch things up a bit on the display shelving in the kitchen (this is what it looked like). It's the same colour scheme as before and alot of the same pieces but I was dying to get my Catherine Holm enamel pot out of storage.
I unearthed a few things from the basement that I was anxious to put to use again, like a couple of vintage floral frogs. One of them is now on the kitchen counter with some ceramic branches (actually oil diffuser reeds) next to Larry, my Chive gnome.
I don't recall sharing my vintage radio here on the blog so I snapped some photos yesterday. My husband and brother-in-law have a little side business called Daff Design where they gut old radios and refit them with modern components (like speakers and bluetooth). This one is on the opposite wall of my desk so I play music via my Mac through it while I'm working. Handy, and looks cool to boot!
When I was perusing the aisles of Value Village Friday I came across a large storage container. I thought it was pretty sweet, but saw the $60 price tag and moved on. Saturday morning I remembered it and showed my husband a quick photo I had snapped of it on Instagram. He liked it too so I hopped in the car and went back to the store to grab it (the cashier told me he didn't think anyone would pay $60 - sucker that I am). It is made of fibreglass and was used in the military (it has a sticker on it that says National Defense and Petawawa). It is 20" wide and about 2.5 ft tall. I'm thinking of using it in the upstairs bathroom instead of the 2 ceramic stools I have in there that I hate, to store extra pillows and linens in it. It needs a good cleaning first.
I picked up yet another wooden crate last month (a beautiful one found at High Jinx) and thought it could be put to good use to store some of my favourite wool blankets I wouldn't dare actually use in a house full of cat fur. Fed up with them being stashed out of sight, they now reside in the living room where I can admire them often.
With the cold weather making it's way here, I started pulling out rugs and sheepskins from storage to keep things a little cozier in this drafty house. This season I decided on some wool Flor carpet tiles I had received to review on the blog a while back as the living room rug. LOVE these - I am a huge fan of the versatility of carpet tiles (esoecially when cats seem to aim barf at carpets).
Reader Comments (20)
I really love your kitchen shelving display!
Thanks Barbara
And thanks to the other commenter - whose comment I just accidentally deleted :(
so fun to see your house on your blog! it's just as charming as I would expect it to be.
Trust me. You don't want to build a new one. I am doing that and it is honestly the most stressful time in my life. Never, ever renovate.
That was me you deleted Kim, No worries. I had just commented how lovely your vignettes are and I am sure the rest of your house is too even though you detest it. I totally understand though I am currently in a rental and can think of a million things I would do to it if I only could.
thanks emily!
Nik, my house is such a piece of crap and i know building a new one will probably have me wishing my new home was at the mental hospital down the road but i am soooo looking forward to the experience. :-)
sorry again Maggie. i am kind of at the stage someone renting would be - can't really spend any money doing anything significant because there's no point if it's all going to be torn down. so all i can do are little things to keep me from hating this place too much.
I love those FLOR carpet tiles! May I ask which pattern they are? Can't seem to find them on the FLOR site... hope they are still available.
Kim, I love your honesty and your creativity. Thank God you and Jo do this blog!! It's how I keep my sanity about my own hopes and dreams. I recently found yoga to be a great way to deal with, of all things, my attitude about my house. I'm gaining new insights unimaginably applicable to living in a house that isn't perfect. Sounds hokey (I have resisted yoga for ever), but true. Biggest advice about building new/renovation: get the contractor and architect collaborating right away in order to bring in an accurate estimate...don't let the architect develop full construction plans before teaming up with the builder to work out budgets. My husband is a residential architect and he insists on teaming up early with a client's builder for solid estimates so that no one gets disappointed or frustrated.
Maya, the Flor tiles are Askania carpet squares in Grey from the Floresse line....which they don't seem to carry anymore :(
Ruth, my husband and I started doing yoga recently (but not your typical yoga...it's DDP yoga created by some ex-wrestler) and we love it. having a 12' wide house isn't so conducive to having adequate space for it though :( And your advice sounds VERY WISE!
LOVE your blog Kim :) I'm wondering where you got the ceramic branches/oil diffuser reeds? Thanks!
Thanks Rachel! I bought them at a little shop in Chinatown that closed down a year ago. :(
Hi Kim,
The kitchen shelf display is great. LOVE it !!
Greeting from L'Orignal, ON. to Ottawa :D
Shirley
Thanks Shirley!
Beautiful home! I have been looking for kitchen shelves like that and was wondering where they are from?
Stacy, they're from Ikea (I bought them years ago - not sure if they still carry them). And thanks!
Hi Kim: I love the white pottery plates and bowls that you have on display. I've been searching for some and haven't found any that I like as well. Would you mind sharing who makes them?
Cynthia, those are my FAVOURITES! They're called Wonki Ware, from South Africa, and I got them at greenlightshop.ca (when they were located here in Ottawa - now in Toronto)
Love your kitchen shelves, where did you get the braces for them?
Thanks Tracy! The shelves and brackets are from Ikea. These are the brackets: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90136136/
I came across you kitchen photo on a search! Any chance you mind sharing where your black cabinet hardware is from?