General

Pretty Eye-Candy at HomeSense

September 04, 2012

The last few weeks of summer mean things are ramping up at work, so by the time I get home I’d rather do anything than type on a computer or do anything house related. I took today off to give myself a lovely 4 day weekend to relax and to work on a long-delayed DIY project, but mother nature has conspired against me - it's rather hard to spray paint outside when it's pouring rain. Boo!

Last Friday after a long week I found myself craving something pretty so off I went to a favourite source of all things pretty – HomeSense (I actually went to two locations). I’ve promised myself I won’t purchase anything until I get a little bit more decided on the direction I want my living room to go, so this was purely a trip in search of eye candy (although there were a number of items I could have easily brought home).

It looks like white ceramic animals will continue to be popular. Here are two I spotted, and I’m honestly not sure which one I would adopt - I keep changing my mind.
White ceramic moose
Bring some Canadiana into your home with a white ceramic moose - $15
white ceramic rhinocerous
What about a white ceramic rhinoceros? (similar to the one at One House Love)
I always love the lamp section at HomeSense – there are always a few lamps I love. This trip was no different.
Blue glass lamp
Lovely blue based glass lamp - $70
Orange coral lamp
I loved this orange coral lamp. Too bad I have nowhere in my house where it would go - $50
I rather liked this little console table. I think it would be lovely in an entry way.
mirrored cabinet
Pretty with just a hint of mirror - $350
I loved these mint polka-a-dot sheets by Kate Spade. They also had them in coral which were  delightful too.
Kate Spade mint polka-dot sheets
Kate Spade mint polka-dot sheet set - $60
I liked the scale of this side table – it wasn’t too big which would allow it to be used in a smaller living room. I think I may need something similar in my living room.
black side table
Black side table. Imagine a colourful band around the top - in gold perhaps? $60
I LOVED this basket. It had a rounded shape which was lovely, and was available in several sizes. I picture it beside my couch filled with some cozy blankets, all ready for winter.
basket
This was the medium sized in this style, and was $25
Finally I thought this tufted footstool was fun. I love the bright colourful fabric and pattern.
Tufted footstool on blue ikat pattern
Colourful Ikat footstool - $100
So, would you bring home any of the items above? Do you ever just go shopping to feast your eyes on pretty things – or does that just happen in my world? What are your favourite sources of pretty things?

Design

Help! What should I do?

August 30, 2012

Remember my post late last year about finally having a dining room I could use where I told you about my dream chairs? You know, those Eames moulded DSW fiberglass chairs that are oh so pretty? Well, when walking home after work this evening I spotted the replica version for sale at Kitchen Stuff Plus for just $60 each. Yes, they're made of plastic, but they're ONLY $60!
Eames style DSW chair with white seat
The replica Eames style DSW chairs now available at Kitchen Stuff Plus
Now I have to decide what to do – should I try to sell the black Windsor style chairs I worked so hard on and buy the replica of my dream chair instead? Before I even owned my condo I dreamed about having these chairs around my dining room table (I discovered them while eating in Marks & Spencer's on Grafton street in Dublin with my aunt and grandmother a few years ago), but I spent A LOT OF TIME working on those black chairs.
Windsor style dining chair before and after
My refinished dining chairs
If I do try to sell my black chairs, how do I figure out what I could reasonably get for them on Craigslist? Help please – I don’t know what to do.

General

I'm Honoured

August 28, 2012

In the past two weeks my little blog has been featured on two blogs that I read daily. When I spotted both in my feed reader I nearly jumped up and squealed, but that didn’t seem too appropriate while at work, so I kept my giddiness at bay – at least for a little while (you may have spotted some electronic joy if you follow me on twitter or Instagram).

First up my refinished dresser was featured on Lindsay’s Better After blog:
Better After project feature - Dresser Refinishing
Better After post featuring my dresser
In the interest of full disclosure I did submit this project to Lindsay in the hopes she might share it, but it was still beyond exciting to see it featured as I had no idea if it would be. I love her site – she shares all sorts of projects from around the web, and her introductions are rather amusing.

Last Monday my console refinishing project was featured over on Apartment Therapy. This one was a complete and utter surprise – I have no idea how the people there saw it, but when I saw this in my reader there may have been an ‘Holy SH@#’ whispered by yours truly.
Apartment Therapy featuring my refinished console
Apartment Therapy featuring my console
It’s always nice when others appreciate what your work, so I’d like to thank both Lindsay and Apartment Therapy for sharing two of my most loved projects with a wider audience. It’s very much appreciated.

recent posts

Like us on Facebook

Eamonn & Jack

Follow us on Pinterest

//]]>