Thrifting in Saint John

Of course there was no way I could NOT visit the Value Village in Saint John.  They had some amazing stuff there - so much of it I would have snapped up in Toronto, but my mom was with me and her enthusiasm was... underwhelming. :)  However it was seniors day and she got me an extra 20% discount so she did make herself useful (plus she probably saved me from having to pay extra for an over-weight suitcase.)  But how awesome is that huge brass seagull above??  SO awesome, that how awesome.

I kinda liked these quirky brass duck bookends too.  They got an eye-roll from mom.  

How about this pretty hand-painted set?  They would be great espresso cups.

The amazing this about thrifting in SJ is finding local pottery like this lovely planter by Crimmins Pottery.  Mum was more interested by these ones, although the top one had a crack, and we decided we didn't love the pattern on the vase below.  The butter dish in not Crimmins, but rather another NB potter and it came home with me (it got the mum-stamp-of-approval).

Seriously??  A piano?  And not a bad looking fireplace screen beside it either...

And forget antique stores - how about this antique sewing machine and table for $30 bones??

This silkscreen from Nova Scotia almost came home with me - I thought I could reframe it  and really show it off.  Yeah, probably should have nabbed that one.  Ah well.

This print of the Rothesay Netherwood School was tempting me as well, not because I went there, but more because it just reminds me of home.  Again prettier in another simple black frame...

I ended up with some costume jewellery and a pair of Crimmins candle sticks, plus the butter dish.  Not too shabby!  Plus it was fun to go with mum, despite my grumbling.  She was that little voice on my shoulder, except standing beside me and up-ing the ante with frowns and eye-rolls.  Not that she isn't also gifted at thrifting - in fact she picked up most of our beach toys from Value Village, and they were a huge hit, and I am super pleased with the butter dish.  When we got home she showed by a beautiful bowl she had from the same potter.  What do you say mumma, shall we hit the VV's in Toronto next visit? xo

First Day of School: Survived

Well, somehow we all survived the first day of school, despite the fact that my kids are clearly nuts.  There were lots of emotions going on, and things began to fray around the edges in the late afternoon, but we did it.  Will started French Immersion and came home speaking "French" with all his cars (Je m'appelle Corvette!).  Cam found the huge bin of cars at his nursery school and was in heaven.  They also painted with cars, which sort of blew his mind - he did 4 paintings.  These photos crack me up, especially Cam's Zoolander face...

And another year begins... I am one lucky mumma.

My Dresser Project - Any Advice?

One of the projects I am most excited to get started with is this dresser I got a while back on craigslist.  I know that painting it will make a drastic difference to the room.  But I am having trouble deciding if I want to go stark white or light grey.  I am worried that the white will be too jarring, and I am worried that the grey will just look like dingy white.  Here are a few colour options I have picked out from Sarah Richardson's Para Paints collection:

Promise - yellowy grey 

Powder - bluey grey

Bisque - warm beige-y white

Snowfall - pure white

I am thinking I will keep the brass hardware and maybe polish it up a bit, so I think I need a warmer colour to go with that.  Help a girl out - what should I do?

So many projects...

OK TEAM!  Vacation time is over.  We're home, we're starting school tomorrow (WAHHHH!), and I have been looking at my place with fresh eyes.  GAH!  So much to do.  After a month by the sea, this place seems so dark, with so many kinds of wood going on.  I need to freshen it up, paint things out, and there's no time like the present!  In no particular order, here are some of the things on my list:

Project #1 : The second-floor doors. For some reason, all the doors were left unpainted in the centre, on both sides.  Plus, the paint that is there is yellowing and dingy.  It will be no small task, but I would love to paint them all out a fresh white colour, with tiny colour surprise.

Project #2: While I was home I got another spool bed for Cameron at an auction.  It isn't quite the antique mahogany gem that William has, but it wasn't too much $$ and I am itching to give it a fresh coat of paint.  I have an idea for Cam's room, but will save that for a further post.

Project #3: The dining room wall.  I have had a bunch of frames sitting in the basement for months and months, but I think I finally know what I want to put in them.  I got some stuff at Ikea to put in the boys' room to display their artworks, so these are moving upstairs and the frames are going up here.  Hopefully it will clean up this area a bit.

Project #5: When I got home and looked around I swear this awesome dresser I got on Craig's List was sucking the light out of the room.  I am going to paint this guy too, either a white or a light grey - any votes?

Project #6/ Project of the century:  I am doing it.  I am painting out our gumwood wainscotting in the entryway.  I have dithered, I have debated, I have searched my soul, and am going with my gut (and Sarah Richardson).  I may leave the door frames wood, and probably the newel post, hand rail, and steps.  I was going to get it professionally done, but who has the cash?  So I will chip away at it, bit by bit, until it is done.  And maybe my Aunt Daphne will stop by some time... :)  I would love to replace the tired carpeting on the stairs too.

So just a couple of little projects... I am excited to start getting my hands dirty!   Plus I have been mulling over a business idea... more on that later.  Nothing like a change of season to get energized! :)

"Going Home" Guest Post from Jennifer of Rambling Renovators

Well, my stay in New Brunswick is winding down, but I still have a few more Going Home guest posts for you!  Today I am happy to have the famous and fabulous Jen from Rambling Renovators here to share her thoughts on going home.  Those of you who know Jen know she is an amazing designer and blogger, co-founder of Blog Podium, and one of the most kind and generous people out there.  This girl is a giver, and a do-er!!  Take it away Jen...

Hi Wicked & Weird readers. I'm happy to be filling in for Lisa today while she's on her trip back home. I've been following along on Lisa's east coast adventures on Instagram... canoeing, biking down gravel roads, hiking through lush forests, I've been getting a sense of what Lisa's lovely New Brunswick home means to her.

What does going home mean to me? That's a little harder to pin down. I grew up in Georgetown, Ontario for the first dozen years of my life. It was idyllic and a little like growing up in a Norman Rockwell painting... my parents were part of the PTA, we knew all the kids on the street, and Halloween meant trekking out for hours on end, just me and my sister and our pillow cases. Years after we moved away, I still visited old friends and we'd reminisce about playground crushes and riding our bikes down Hungry Hollow. Even now, if I find myself out that way, I'll make a detour and drive down the streets of Georgetown to see what buildings and houses I still recognize. It still feels comfortable and familiar, a lot like a warm hug, still a bit like home.

Our Georgetown home, circa 1980.

After University, I moved to the Philippines. Though I didn't speak the language and barely knew the relatives I came to live with, it felt like a place I'd known my whole life. Life there couldn't be more different than what I was accustomed to in Toronto - pollution, extreme poverty alongside extreme riches, devout Catholicism, overcrowded streets. But there was something in the people, in their kind hearts and generous nature, that made me feel welcome. In that hot and steamy Asian climate, this Canadian girl found home.

Old and new(er) architecture at Intramuros, Philippines

In the years before and since, Toronto has been home. It always will be. I can't imagine living and raising a family anywhere else. These days, home is...
... around the table at Sunday dinners at my parents house
... at the annual street party, where kids spend the day riding bikes and learning to use the fireman's hose while parents lounge on each other's lawns and marvel at how lucky we are to live on this street
... in our basement, building and painting and renovating, alongside my husband
... at the cottage, watching Chloe swim in the lake her dad learned to swim in when he was a boy

I've learned that home isn't a place, its a state of mind. Home is a place filled with memories and dreams yet to be. Its where your shoulders relax and your breathing slows and a smile is brought to your face. Home is the loveliest place in the world.


Wow Jen, you really have a way with words.  I think you hit the nail on the head (and it sounds like you have awesome neighbours).  Living in the Philippines must have been quite an adventure - that is such a great photo. And by your definition, I guess it makes sense that one can have more than one "home" - it is a feeling as much as an environment!  Thank you Jen!

If you missed them, here are the other posts in this series:

my original post,

Barbara from Hodge:Podge,

Kerry from First Time Fancy, 

Sarah from ReDesigning Sarah, and

Brooke from Pure and Noble.

Sailing Style Decor Inspiration by Tricia Foley

I mentioned that my parents have a library of home design books - I wish I had time to read through more of them.  Definitely one of my favourite ones is this Sailing Style by New York Designer Tricia Foley.  Although it is a good ten years old, I think it is fresh and timeless, much like the nautical style it describes.  Instead of being packed with perfectly styled images of Nantucket homes, Foley focuses on the essential components of nautical style - white sails, rope, worn brass, maps, and weather vanes - and fills the book with beautiful photos depicting the mood and romance of living by the sea.  The photography by Michael Skott is amazing and captures the fresh salt air, natural textures, and timeworn simplicity of the style.  I highly recommend it for anyone looking for inspiration!  I took some photos of a few of my favourite spreads - sorry about the inconsistent quality (and the rock is just there to hold the pages flat!).

Beautiful cozy reading room (or is there a TV off camera?) love the simple framing of the prints.

Not sure I would keep the enormous dead fish on my wall... but the rest is divine!  Love the oars in the corner.

Gotta love the white slipcovers, and that coffee table...

Beautiful bed, and I love the clean, spare bedding of a blue gingham sheet and single white pillow.

Old quilts and iron beds - and an open window.  Heaven.

Love the styling, green colour, and well-worn feel of this bookcase.

Shells.  Cream everything. So simple, so pretty.

What a great painting and chair, and beautiful barometer on the wall.

Hurricane lamp, chalkboard, bottle/vase - this could be in any magazine today.

GREAT blanket and bed.  I always used to make my bed this way as a kid, with an old white coverlet.

Pretty weather-worn cedar shingles.

Not a bad spot for a bite of lunch! (bet it gets windy though).

Not your typical white kitchen, but how about those open shelves, brass fixtures, and that stone sink??

White and worn cedar.  And look at the curved garden bench.

That curved and panelled breezeway makes me want to weep.  Not to mention the shingles, the windows, the door, the VIEW...

What I wouldn't do for a pantry... I can already hear the squeak of those drawers...

The back section of the book also includes more inspiring resources, stores, magazines, and designers specializing in this nautical style.  If you see this book anywhere - nab it!  My only problem is trying to figure out how to incorporate this style into my house in the city - far away from salt water of any kind...not sure my neighbours would appreciate a lobster trap in the front garden... :)