Up & Coming

There are projects in the works, my friends!!

For starters, there will be colour going up on the doors & walls. I've been in the new condo for nearly 11 months and with the exception of the guest bedroom & the master bedroom, the builder beige walls remain untouched. For the inside of the front door I've chosen a lovely coral, "Ooh Long Tea" from PARA Paints, which will add a fun hit of colour to the entry foyer. The colour was pulled from the front entry rug which I purchased on ebay. Since the entrance sets the tone for the rest of the home, I want to make this area bright and lively. I'm super excited to get this paint project rolling!!

So September Happened...

"Where does the time go?"

As I age (gracefully, of course), I find myself uttering that phrase more and more. Where has the past month gone? I was sure that after Labour Day I would get back to blogging on a regular basis, and yet here it is October 6th and I'm still lacking posts. I don't pressure myself to create "scheduled posts" or have an "editorial calendar" like some bloggers do, but I do want to keep in touch with everyone who still pops in here looking for an update. Hopefully things will get rolling again now that I have a few fun projects on the horizon!

No excuses, but... September was a busy month. I spent several weekend shifts at work, packing and preparing to move our office & warehouse to a new location. In between all the work I managed to squeeze in some fun stuff. According to my Instagram feed, here is what I did in September:

Enjoyed the TIFF screening of Violette at The Elgin Theatre on Yonge Street.

Celebrated my 43rd birthday with family at El Catrin in The Distillery District.

Toured the Princess Margaret Showhome in Oakville with interior design by Brian Gluckstein. It's so gorgeous!! Have you bought your ticket yet?

Hung out on the set of Canada's Handyman Challenge with Bryan Baeumler, Mike Holmes, Scott McGillivray, Paul Lafrance & Jenn Robertson. Season 3 is coming to HGTV Canada early in 2014.

Attended Blogpodium, a fun and super inspirational conference for bloggers. I had such an amazing time catching up with old friends and meeting new people:

Purchased this stunning wool & silk Ardabil rug at auction. I was so tempted to keep it, but it's for the new office.

Discovered that Ritchies is another great resource for antique rugs. This hand knotted 11' wool runner was an absolute bargain that I couldn't pass up.

Whipped up these sweet little baskets to hold markers and notebooks using fabrics from Tonic Living. I love the fun colour combos! 

So...what have you been up to?

Christie Antiques Show Chronicle

Even when I don't really NEED anything, I still love to make the trip to the Christie Antiques Show. It's always fun to look, and it felt like there was more than usual to see this time; I was there all day! Arriving early means getting a good parking spot and the pick of the crop, so I was at the entry the gate just before the 8 am opening.

7:55 am. Apparently I'm not the only early bird. I arrived at the entry gate along with a few hundred others:

8:10 am. I made my first purchase; a yellow basket weave McCoy flower pot. My grandmother used to have several of these on her kitchen windowsill. And yes, I was wearing gloves, it was a very chilly morning:

8:15 am. I spotted a beautiful set of Aynsley china and immediately fell in love. There were enough dinner plates, salad plates and soup bowls for 12, and the set included a lidded tureen and a teapot. The asking price was $395, but the seller offered it to me at $325. I totally regret not making the purchase:

 

8:24 am.  I tweeted a pic of this Eastlake style footstool upholstered in orange velvet. Both the velvet and wood were in great condition, and its tiny proportions made it super cute, but I passed:

 

8:30 am. I was reminded of my age when I saw a Crissy doll. My sister Debbie had the same doll when we were kids. An item from childhood showing up at an antiques show cannot be good:

9:11 am. A pair of Beswick dogs caught my eye, and at $95 for the pair, they weren't a bad price for such popular collectibles. But since I recently thrifted a pair of ceramic dogs (see this post), in the end I decided against these:

10:53 am. My second purchase was a vintage glass towel bar. It's in great condition - no chips or cracks, just some paint from its previous home. I have yet to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with it, but something creative is in the works. I am embracing the wabi-sabi:

 

11:35am. There are no words:

11:49 am. There were a lot of beautiful rugs at this show, even more than I remember seeing in past years. I've talked about my rug addiction in the past, but I managed to stay on the wagon. Sigh. So many beautiful patterns and colours. J'adore:

 
12:03 pm. These bamboo style iron chairs were in nearly new condition - no rust or grime. The vendor had 9 available at their shop near Niagara-on-the-Lake. These would be perfect for outdoor dining & garden parties:

Noonish. Time to break for lunch and enjoy a little 'tweetup' with some fellow bloggers. We shared our finds and talked blogs. Here we are from left to right: Laura of Sweet Maple, Moi, Amy of Love on Sunday, Kisha of Chronicled, and Jen of Rambling Renovators:

4:08 pm. After 8 hours of antiquing, it was time to head home. I took a quick photo of my last purchase before hopping in the car.  I love all things brass, and this set of 6 tiny spoons from Thailand were too cute to resist: 

If you missed this one and you're interested in attending, the next Christie Antiques Show happens on September 7th. In the meantime, check out your hometown for local shows and flea markets. You never know what you'll find ;)

Rug Rehab

Once I started looking at rugs, learning about how they were made and the effort goes into creating a hand knotted pattern, I became a bit of an addict. Rugs truly are an art form which I have come to appreciate, but it's gotten to the point where I have to be cut off from purchasing any more. I bought my last rug a few weeks ago - a 2'x3' wool Hamadan which I found at Karakashian Rug Gallery at Bay & Yorkville. At $125, it was such a good deal that I just couldn't resist and the gentlemen at the store were so nice that I was more than happy to make a purchase. Karakashian will be closing soon, so if you're looking for a rug at a great price, it's worth paying them a visit!!

After deciding that the size of the ebay rug was fine to use at the front door I needed to find one for in front of the kitchen sink, and this pretty in pink little number was just right for the space. Such a beauty!!

 

In comparison, these Hamadan rugs from Ikea are lovely, but these are a bit smaller and not as unique. In a stunning turn of events, at $149, they're actually more expensive than the rug from Karakashian.

 

Gotta run - I'm off to rug rehab ;-)

Vintage Persian Rug: Process of Finding "The One"

For me, the great debate of 2012 had nothing to do with politics. Instead it was all about choosing the right rug for the living room in the new space, and it was the subject of many, many posts throughout the year. In the old condo the living room had broadloom so a rug wasn't required, but with laminate floors the new place would definitely require the warmth of some texture on the floor. Also, with an open concept living and dining area, the addition of a rug would also help to separate the two spaces.

The hunt for the one began almost a year before the eventual move in. I attended auctions and estate sales, visited consignment shops and endlessly scoured listings on ebay, Etsy, Kijiji and Craiglist. The breakthrough moment was when fellow bloggers Christine of Bijou & Boheme and Vanessa of Decor Happy tweeted about finding an antique rug dealer at Toronto's St. Lawrence Sunday Antique Market. Meeting Amedeo was the Best. Thing. Ever. He let me take several rugs "on approval", and I ended up trying SIX before finding the perfect one. Don't believe me? Here's proof:

My VW Beetle with four 6'x9' Persian rugs piled into the back seat:

Thanks again to everyone who cast a vote when I needed opinions about which of these three initial choices was the best. In the end, Rug #1 (left) came out as the winner, Rug #3 (right) was first runner up and Rug #2 (center) came in dead last behind Rug #4 (nonexistent, still to be determined).

I also really liked the first rug, but there was something about it that wasn't quite right for me - I think that the colours were a bit too bright (I may have used the word "circus" to describe the colour scheme). After so many tries, I was getting discouraged, but when I unfurled rug #6 I immediately thought to myself, "This my rug. This is the one." The size was just right (6'8" x 10'6"), the colours were bright but subtle. Perfection at last. Here it is in the test space at the old condo:

 

When the sun is shining the colours are vibrant and cheerful, while in the evenings the hues become soft and warm. I love that this rug has some personality - note the bunny and the bird woven into the pattern. Practically speaking, as an investment, I'm in this for the long haul.  A hand knotted Persian won't wear out in my lifetime, and the variety of colours provide a limitless palette to work with if when I decide to change things up.

 

I'll miss those auctions, estate sales, and endless hours of trolling through shops. What will I do with all my spare time? Ummm... maybe get the master closet organized, paint the bedrooms, hang some artwork. Okay, no worries, lots to keep me busy!!