Hidden Gem

So a few weeks ago, we went to a local spot I have been wanting to go to for quite some time. A very close friend of mine, told me about a place her and her mom frequent for unusual finds, and of course I had to go check it out (thanks LC!! xo)

For those of you who live near me, you may have heard of a place called Timeless Materials. If you have not gone to check it out, you dont know what you are missing!

I wasn't sure what to expect when we went in, but I swore my eyes were moving so fast my brain couldn't process it all...I had hundreds of ideas crossing through my mind every second. This place is a treasure hunters dream!

I have to warn you, you need to think outside the box. You aren't going to find pretty done-up pieces in here, but you will find tons of ideas.

Timeless Materials is located in a 1840's 3-story restored barn in Ontario Canada. Along with their sister company Kieswetter Demolition they salvage building materials, furniture and architectural items and repurpose them.  

Here's just a peak at some of the treasures we found...

Aren't those staicases amazing?! Been looking for an antique firehall bell?! Look no further!

The day that we went to check them out, there was a huge thunder storm and it was so unreal to be on the top floor of this 3-story barn hearing the rain thundering down on the rooftop. Very cool.

We had tons of ideas running through our heads when we left, but the one we both had in common was a reclaimed wood fireplace mantle. We'll be back!

Have any of you had the opportunity to visit Timeless Materials? If so, what was your favorite "find"? :)

Master Ensuite Bathroom Sneak Peak!

This has been a long time coming....and I mean LOOOOOOONG! We started this bathroom reno back in June, so we are THRILLED that its practically done!

All the bathroom needs now is the finishing touches....pictures, towels, some decor and its done!

Im going to wait until we get the finishes up to show you the full reveal, but for now here is a peak of what is to come:

let me remind you of the before shot:

I first have to say, that is not our decorating in the "before shot" (previous owners...just had to make that clear) :)

Both shots are taken from the same angle....so we definitely made huge changes to this bathroom.

I can't wait to show you the rest!

Oh, and the Main Bath is finished too! HORRAY!!! Pics of that to come shortly ;)

ALMOST THERE! :) :)

Canada's Best Antique Fair

Fall brings many things...back to school, craziness at work (for some...including me!), colder weather, leaving changing on the trees, and a very exciting event....The Christie Antique Show!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the fair, its held twice a year, and is one of the best Antique Fairs around. We planned to go to the spring fair (last May), but didn't get a chance to make it. I was PROMISED we could go check out the fair this fall, but unfortunately we aren't going to make it...again :( Next year, expect me there with bells on.

For those of you able to go, I would definitely check it out! Its held this weekend on September 10th, from 8:00am- 5:00pm rain or shine. Its known as Canada's best antique show, so be prepared for lots of people and tons of amazing finds! For directions to the show and information check out their website.

Here a glimpse of some treasures the fair has brought in the past:

all images courtesy of Apartment Therapy

A few things you'll want to remember before heading out to the fair:

- Go EARLY!  You'll want to be there early to scope out what you are looking for, and get the best picks.

- Have an idea of what you are looking for, so that you aren't overwhelmed by what is there and loose sight of your objectives for going

- Bring CASH and lots of it!

- Have a map of the fair and keep track of where you see things you might want to purchase

- Go to the back of the fair first and work your way forward- less crowds (something my parents taught me when we used to visit Disneyworld during March Break-lol!)

- Be prepared to negotiate, but you might get the best deals near the end of the fair, however....

- If you see something you love, buy it. You might miss out on a great piece!

Although Im not able to go, I'll be checking out some things closer to home this weekend, so I'll keep you posted next week on my findings! Please post if you go to the fair and find anything! I'd love to see what you are able to pick up at the fair :)

(Ugly Duckling) Chair Progress- Tutorial #1

Seeeee...I am working on it:

:)

I have to admit, this chair is the biggest pain in the you-know-what. Whoever made it must have thought that staples were the best thing ever invented...that, or they were testing out (and having a lot of fun with) their staple gun.

So Im at a few hundred staples and counting, but Im almost there. Yippee! Then comes the fun part of choosing a fabric to reupholster with.

Im going to give you a few separate tutorials on how to re-do a chair like this. I have to let you know that this is not an easy project- definitely the hardest one Ive done yet. It takes a lot of patience and time. There may have been a few times when I wanted to throw the chair out the window, but we wont talk about those ;)

So here's how to begin (and dont forget to take pictures of everything as you go, so you remember what the chair looked like to begin with!):

You'll need (for Tutorial Part 1):

- Camera

- Scissors

- Flat Head Screwdriver

- Plyers

- A LOT of patience

1. Take of the main cushions that are sitting on the chair and set aside (easy peasy).

2. Remove the screws underneath the seat to release the lower cushion.:

3. Slowly take apart the seat base.You want to save all of the fabric as you go, since it will become your template for the new fabric you choose for the chair:

4. The seat is now off the chair, but we need remove the fabric from the seat. Begin removing all of the staples from the seat. The staple removing will take you the longest and can be most time consuming part of the process. I used a flat head screwdriver to pull up the staples and then a pair of plyers to remove them completely.


5. Take your seat and turn it over. Use the screwdriver to pull up the old fabric and loosen some of the staples on the seat. Then use your plyers to pull the old staples out:
 

6. Once you have removed the staples from the seat, slowly pull off the fabric as you go, as you want to save this fabric for later, to use as a template.

7. After you have finished that, we will need to start working on taking the back cushion off the chair frame. Again, you want to save as much of this fabric as you can, so that you can use it for a template later on. Use the same process as before. Using your screwdriver to pull up the staples, and then using your plyers to pull them out completely:

8. Once you have your back cushion off the chair it may look simlar to this (upside down):

You will want to save this for later, if you plan on using the fabric covered buttons on the chair again, and if not, for a template.

Your chair will now look like this:

Main cushion off, main seat off and back cushion off. Now to remove the back padding of the chair (this part has taken me the longest so far).

9. Begin by loosening the staples again. Again, save as much fabric as you can without ripping it too much. Dont worry about saving the piping around the edges. You'll have to make new piping (which I will give you a tutorial on later) to match your new fabric choice.

10. Use your plyers to get under the staples and remove them. Try not to damage the wood too much, especially if you plan on staining the chair:

After this stage is complete, you are working with your empty frame, and can begin working on the frame itself.

I have decided on staining my chair, rather than painting it, and going with a light coloured fabric. 

In the next tutorial, I will show you my empty frame (Im almost there!) and the next step :)

Thanks for bearing with me on this one, its a tough (but hopefully rewarding) project!

Dresser Discovery

Recently I acquired this used dresser...

It has dovetailed joints, made out of solid wood and tons of character. Some of the drawers slide easily and others need a bit of work, but otherwise its a great piece.

The guy we bought it from (for less than $30) didn't seem to really know much about it, except that it had been in the family for many many years. He had painted it himself black a few years back, but the paint job isn't great.

After seeing these neat pieces, we might want to paint this piece a funky colour...

source

source

 source

source

source

source

But this one is still my fav (obviously for the colour):

source

What colour would you pick?!

Lunch Break

In honour of the first day of school, I thought it might be suiting to post about a yummy lunch that Ian and I made the other week. (I also figured this mght keep you entertained until I finish writing about the progress of the ugly duckling chair!)

We watch a lot of cooking shows in our house (aside from the constant HGTV shows we are always watching), and although Im not a cook (I do like to bake), my wonderful husband loves to cook and sometimes I amuse him by helping...sometimes.

This day in particular, we decided to make a chicken sandwich...but it couldn't be just any chicken sandwich.

hungry yet?! I am...lol.

So here's how to make Melian's Chicken Sandwich Supreme with balsamic coleslaw. Fair warning, this sandwich is not exactly "butt and thigh friendly" lol.

Ingredients (for 1 sandwich):

1 Focaccia Bun

1 Grilled Chicken Breast

Lettuce

Tomato

3 strips of Maple Bacon

Granny Smith Apple (sliced)

(and the best part) 3 pieces of Fried Cheese.

The hardest parts of the sandwich to make are the fried cheese and the coleslaw, so here are my directions for both.

Fried Cheese:

Cut the cheese into 1 cm thick slices- I would recommend a hard cheese like cheddar. Place your cheese slices in the fridge until you need them.

Heat the frying pan to a medium heat.

While your fry pan is heating, take 1 egg and beat in a separate bowl.

Place 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a separate bowl, and 1 cup of flour into a separate bowl.

Dip the cheese slices into the flour, then the egg and then the panko.

Place directly into the flying pan, and only cook until the panko begins to brown. Your cheese will melt quickly, so remove the cheese as soon as you see the panko has browned/before the cheese starts to melt.

Note: The colder your cheese is, the less quickly it will melt in the pan, so keep it in the fridge until you need it.

Coleslaw:

For the salad:

2 cups cabbage, sliced (1 cup per person)

1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded apple

For the Dressing:
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Assemble the cabbage, shredded carrots and shredded apple in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients of the dressing. Slowly add the olive oil, while whisking vigorously to create an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now for the sandwich....

Toast your sandwich buns first and lightly butter or margarine. Add all of the sandwich ingredients together- lettuce, chicken, bacon slices, tomato, apple slices and the cheese (the cheese should be the last topping on the sandwich so it doesn't get too soggy). Coleslaw can either be eaten on the side, or on the sandwich itself. 

Hope you enjoy!