Bombs away

Quite a while ago....even before I met him....my husband had inherited a cannon from his Oma.  It was thought to be from Indonesia and was the one thing that most reminded him of his Oma and the time he had spent at her house in The Netherlands playing with it as a child. 

The only trouble was....it was still in The Netherlands.  It is heavy, a weapon and made of brass...which meant it was tricky to ship to Canada.  I got in touch with his Aunt and Uncle and tried to figure a way to ship it here for him.  Then his mom stepped in...and I mean this in the best way possible...don't mess with a Dutch mom.  She was amazing.  And somehow it arrived here in no time flat.  We also have to thank his Om Folkert (his Uncle near Amsterdam) for arranging the whole shipment.

When my mother-in-law went to pick it up at the airport with my sister-in-law, the customs agent was great.  She said he told her exactly what to say to get it into the country with no problems.  She then presented it to him for his birthday.  He loved it!!  It meant so much to have a little bit of his family history right here in our house. 

The only trouble was that the original base was too cumbersome to ship...so we had to make one.

Funny how things work out because that same week I was walking back from my morning run and spied some old timbers in our neighbours' dumpster (they are doing a major reno so there's lots of treats daily for me!!....there will be more posts later about other projects from those same cast offs).

They were perfect...old....about 8" square and lots of character.  I ran home, got the wheelbarrow and  loaded up.  No doubt my neighbours think I have lost my mind by now!

I measured the right height for the base and cut it down with the table saw.  I cut through one side, flipped it over then cut the rest of the way through on the other side. 

Then I took out my sander and started cleaning it up.  I was worried about Asbestos etc so I made sure to wear a mask and full face protection when sanding this stuff. As always, start with the lowest number of sandpaper (or coarsest) and work down to the higher (or finer) grade.  I find with old wood it doesn't take very much to transform it.  I like to keep the original character and colour as much as possible so I try not to take too much off the surface.  I love this part of any project because you see results so quickly.   I am not a very patient person.  Soon it was finished and smooth so I gave it a coat of Tung Oil...love that stuff!  Gives a really nice finish that looks natural and still maintains the raw beauty of the wood.

 and then drilled a hole in the middle to house the cannon attachment.....and here it is with the cannon on its new base.

 It looks great in our dining room and now our boys love to play with it too.  That's the best part of family heirlooms....the tradition and love that gets passed down through the generations.

Meanwhile.....I still had quite the length of timber left over so I decided to "get Crafty" and make a candle holder.  I cut off a slice of the timber

and then drilled 3 holes into it for the tea lights.....instant table impact!....this project was so easy that I now intend to slice the rest of that length up to make some more.  I think they would make a nice hostess gift....you?

Catching up....

After taking most of July to enjoy summer and hang out with the boys, I decided last week that it was time to get some things done around here.  Projects that I hadn't had a chance to get to in a while finally got some attention.

A mom from the school had asked me if I could take the 2 doors they were removing from her house for their reno (being done by the fabulous Danielle Nicholas for her new show).  Danielle had recommended putting them together to make a headboard - the height would add huge drama and a great focal point to the bedroom.  I loved the idea and told her I could definitely help her out.  I collected the doors which were in great condition....that was quite a while ago, but finally I managed to get down to business!!

Here are the doors on her porch when I picked them up...they were in great condition!!

I didn't have to do too much to them to get them into shape.  I had to remove hardware, cut a straight edge on one of them to make them butt together properly, give them a light overall sanding and then applied a coat of stain and finally a coat of wax and buffing.  

  lining them up for sanding and finishing.....

 

 Finished door all polished and ready for install

 

I made sure the holes where the door knobs had been would be on the inside of the headboard so they wouldn't be visible from either side of the bed itself.  I also prepared a 1" x 3" piece of oak for the top "trim" for the headboard.  I cut it to over hang on either side of the headboard and finish it off neatly.

Once I had the doors smooth and polished it was time for the install.

 Set the doors into place

 It's so much fun when old houses aren't level!!!

Levelled the doors, attached them to the wall and added the top trim piece....voila!!  This headboard makes such a great impact in this room!!

 

I managed to finish off a few other projects but will save those for future posts!!  I have to work all week at my "real" job so I am very happy I had time last week to finish up all those loose ends.

Bent out of Shape

With the dog days of summer here I decided it was time to get the back yard spiffed up a bit.  We love to entertain out there so I wanted it to be all set to go. 

Most of the yard is looking good but the dining nook need a little TLC.  The wood furniture we bought over 10 years ago was showing its age.  First I sanded all the surfaces down and applied a coat of tung oil to finish it.  Simple enough and now they look refreshed and almost new again.

I have always wanted an outdoor "chandelier" and thought about getting an old one to either retrofit with candles or plug in when we wanted to use it.....but then I looked around the workshop and saw I had several lengths of steel rods left over from various other projects.

 And a light went on.

I started by searching for some tea light holders that I could use to hold the candles.  From here I bent the metal into a circle that would wrap around the holders.

Then I just started bending the different arms into curvy shapes that ended in a vertical.  I wrapped these together with some thinner metal wire and added a hook to the top to hang it.

Voila!  Instant (almost) candelabra. 

 I love the way no two arms are alike and the sense of whimsy it adds to the space.  It creates such a nice sparkle that now I can't wait to have guests over to enjoy it!

MIA....but I'm back!!

Phew.....don't even ask me where June went...and July is almost half over!! Crazy!!  Forgive me folks,  it's been while since my last blog.  It's been nutty busy, but the kids are in overnight camp this week (just try and wipe the smile from my face) so I have some time to catch up.

We wrapped up the school year in style this 2012.  Quite last minute we decided to go to NYC with the kids to show them the big apple.  And it was fantastic!

We have been to NYC together as a couple a few times and I had been several times prior on work assignments.  I have to say I never tire of that city.  It had been a while since our last visit so some things had changed but the pulse and excitement never fade.  We asked the kids to each make lists of their "must see" things and places.  We asked friends who had been there or lived there for advice on restaurants etc and that helped us set the agenda while still leaving room for being spontaneous.

We started by driving to Buffalo to fly out of that airport - the rates are ridiculously cheap and it allowed me my Target fix as well.

We landed and arrived at the hotel (The W at Times Square).....didn't really love this hotel but the location was convenient....I just found the hotel a bit too trendoid for my taste and the staff a tad pretentious....add to that the fact I'm convinced I was bitten by bedbugs, and let's just say it left me wanting!

Anyway, I digress......

Our first day we spent walking endlessly around just to see the sights.  In hindsight heading there on one of the hottest weekends wasn't the smartest idea.  But we managed.  We did adjust the schedule and took more breaks but still were able to see a ton.  Note that most of these photos I had to pull from "google image" after we lost our camera in the taxi ride....

Some highlights of the trip (and in my opinion not to be missed):

The World Trade Center Memorial Site.  www.911memorial.org/ We had to book tickets online (they are free but you need them because it is a timed admission).....at first I couldn't get them but it said check back frequently and eventually 4 tickets came available.

This was one place all 4 of us really wanted to go to.  And we weren't disappointed.  I must say that when it comes to making a memorial and a tribute, the US does it better than anyone.  Standing there looking at the infinity fountain set into the old foundations of the buildings was moving beyond belief.  Really a powerful and meaningful way to remember such a horrific event.   The museum was fantastic too and had video of survivors and relatives of survivors....needless to say I stood there with tears streaming down my face. 

Next up was Top of the Roc at Rockafeller Center....a friend recommended this instead of going up the top of the Empire State Building and we weren't disappointed.  You get 360 views and can then see the Empire State building...sorry, those pics are on the camera.

We rented bikes and headed into Central Park....a great way to spend the day and see the whole park.  We rode the entire way around it and took in the sites.  Cam loved the reservoir and the scenery and Luke got to go to his pick Strawberry Fields. 
Here he is at the John Lennon memorial mosaic.

My husbands fave spot was The High Line  http://www.thehighline.org/....an old freight train rail line that had been closed, slated for demoliton, saved and revamped as a park.  Only in New York could they make this work so well.  It is probably the best use of reclaimed space I have seen.  You climb 3 flights of stairs and walk along the park for more than 20 city blocks.  It is a great way to see the city from up high and you can stroll along not worrying about traffic or stop lights.  Genius!!  We walked from the north to south end and exited at Chelsea Market...another very cool spot to visit.

The other thing we were pointed towards was Brooklyn.  It is the new hip place to be and again we weren't disappointed.  Had a great Sunday Brunch with the cool kids in Williamsburg and then headed to the Brooklyn Flea. www.brooklynflea.com/ As you can imagine, it was heaven for me.  Tons of stalls set up selling vintage, hand made, reclaimed, food, collectables etc.  Really great place to shop and with a view of Manhattan across the water.

I could have bought lots of things but didn't know how I would fit them on the plane ride home....so instead I settled on a pendant made from an old magnifying glass and a pair of mugs.

....next time we may have to drive down to bring those purchases home!!

It was a really fun trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  It can be an overwhelming city so it's great to have a loose plan and some good recommends to steer you.

Wherever your summer vacay takes you, I hope you travel safe and have fun!

Give me a Sign....

Well it's been a while....things are busy with school wrapping up and summer activities/sports starting.  This week was a catch up around the house.  All those little things that got neglected last fall and haven't been done yet this spring.  But I did manage one little project I was hoping to work on since last summer.

It started while I was out paddling on my kayak last August.  I saw a piece of wood floating in the water and paddled over to pick it up....it was a nicely worn board so I stashed it in the foot hold and paddled on.  It has been leaning against my porch since then and this week I decided to do something about it.

Last summer I had repainted the front porch and made a bench seat out of an old door...

The front porch looks great now, but I have wanted to add a sign with our street and number on it since I repainted.

Sooo....I pulled out the old board and set to work.  This is a super easy project and takes no time at all.  I marked the letters/number out on the board in pencil and then painted them on in a durable paint.  I chose an off black for this. 

  Here it is on the front of the house.....

 I love projects like this because they are quick and have a big impact for little effort.

Finally recovered....

Hey all!  Sorry to have been gone for so long....it took a bit of recovery after the kitchen reno, long weekend and general busy-ness that is my life!

No major projects on the horizon for right now.  I plan to recover the chairs in the kitchen - I want to do them in this fun orange fabric for summer...but that may have to wait a while.

I love the pattern and the bright orange in this fabric....pictures to come once that is finished.

Right now though I am busy planning our charity event.  Last year my son started a longboard/skateboard ride for kids with cancer and it was a great success.  We are back at it this year...and being that my son is a 13 year old boy...you guessed it, the bulk of the work is on me.  I am looking forward to it but Holy Toledo it's a lot of work!

Here's the link if you want to check it out:  www.longboard4kids.com

I also have a super fun project for my real work (as a prop stylist) coming up and will post some pics of that when it's done...for now I can't reveal anything about it.

I have been doing some snooping around though at other interesting things I can get up to and came across this really interesting idea for our very ugly laundry area.

(image from Kelly Deck Design)

It's hard to tell from this picture but it's basically like an armoire/cupboard built around the machines with hanging space above.  I love it because it is simple and would disguise the really awful concrete wall we now have in that space....this may yet be a project for our basement!

So it's not been a super productive couple of weeks design-wise...but it was a much needed break from the contant reno we had going on for the past 2 months....it was totally worth it because I am still loving the kitchen!

The Final Reveal

At long last the day has come....we are finished the kitchen.  Well, there are still a few pieces of trim to put on and the tile backsplash and hood fan...but essentially it's all done.

It has been a very long haul...not as long as some renos I know....but living without a kitchen for so long really took its toll.

In the end taking our time to plan and really search for all those pieces that we really wanted was worth it.  We ended up with the kitchen we wanted and it is uniquely ours.

If you are ever planning a reno make sure you don't skip the planning stage.  If you have things well thought out and even pre-ordered,  the easier the whole process will be.  Taking time in the initial planning stages will pay off in the end. Even if it is annoying to have 600 sq ft of wood flooring, a hood fan, light fixtures and building supplies stored in your basement for 3 months.

So without further ado....here is the finished product.

Kitchen Before:

 and here is the....AFTER......

I keep walking into the room just to stand there and love it.  The space has changed so much and the whole feel of the room is exactly how I wanted it.  

One final touch we put on was a vinyl transfer I bought months ago and waited patiently to put up in the new kitchen.  It totally personifies everything I want our family to be.  I love that it will be in the kitchen for us to see every day...words to live by.