Antique photo

This is a photo that belonged to my Great Grandma that I found while I was going through some of my stuff about a month ago:

I've had it sitting on my desk and I find myself frequently staring at it wondering who it is and the story behind it. I'm pretty sure my Great Grandma had it hanging in her room, with just a dressmaker's pin, with some other pictures above her dresser.

It has a name on the back with the year 1925 but I have no idea who this person could be:

The scribbled out part appears to be my Great Grandma's name and address. So could someone have sent this to her, like a postcard, or did that get written on it sometime after? Such a mystery.

I wish I remembered if my Great Grandma had told me anything about it when she gave it to me. I keep thinking she might have told me who sent it to her, like a cousin or friend, but I really don't know for sure and think it might all just be in my head.

I need to put it in a frame to keep it protected because I just want to keep picking it up and examining it. It's 5 and a half by 8 inches so I might have to get a custom frame or something. I'm very lucky to have all of the things my Great Grandma gave me and I'd like to have more of them out on display where I can admire them. It really is sort of ridiculous that some of the things I treasure most, that are truly priceless to me, are in totes where I can't even see them.

"New" chair

Last weekend my grandma and I reupholstered my $35 chair I bought at the flea market (a long time ago!). Here's what it looks like now:

It looks sort of grey from far away but it's a neat black and white pattern. Here's a close up of the fabric:

It's soft and pretty cozy to sit on! A vast improvement from the super scratchy and super unattractive fabric that was previously on the chair:

This is a pic from October 2010 when I started taking off the fabric. Yikes...I am not exactly speedy with some of my projects, am I?

Once I took off the fabric, I sanded the legs a bit and then spray painted them black:

The chair got a new back and some layers of cotton batting for a little more squishyness:

There's my fancy staple gun. That bad boy sure fired a lot of staples! I pity the person who ever ends up with this chair one day and decides they want to reupholster it...I may have used a few more staples than necessary! We also used tacking strip on the chair back that caused my grandma and I a lot of physical and mental anguish...okay, I'm exaggerating...but it wasn't very easy!

I don't have any pics of putting the fabric on since my camera battery was dead (and I didn't take my charger home...smart stuff) but here's another shot of the finished chair for your viewing pleasure:

It's home will be in my office/the spare room. Thanks grandma for spending 4 hours working on this chair with me! We now understand why it costs so much to have things professionally reupholstered...they work hard for their money!

A very productive weekend

Can you actually believe this?:

We hung up the white frames in my office/the spare bedroom! They're above my little white desk. I don't have them all filled yet but today we decided to get them up on the wall and I'll worry about that later. Isn't my husband epic at hanging up picture frames? We used those handy little velcro picture hangers that we also used for the frames in our bedroom. I helped with the measuring tape and that was pretty much it. I'm very happy to finally get this project done (well, almost done!). It was February when I asked you for advice on how to hang them (I actually strayed a bit from my original layouts...sorry little round frame)!

Today I also hemmed (with that super iron-on hemming stuff) my new curtains for my office. I got them at IKEA a couple weeks ago. They're the HEDDA BLAD and I think they're pretty cute. Seriously, $19.99 is ridiculously cheap for a set of curtains! Here's a close-up pic:

I've got a few more projects to finish up and then I'll give you a tour of the whole room.

Dave also got the tv hung up on the wall in the living room (I guess he did that on Thursday night...our project this weekend was watching tv!). Here's a pic of all the hardware he had to install:

He had to cut some pretty big holes in the wall for the two plates that direct the cables. Scary stuff! But he did a great job and we're very happy having the tv mounted on the wall above our new tv bench. Our living room is still in a bit of a state and I haven't finished redecorating so you will have to wait for some 'after' pics down the road.

I really really really love weekends!

Somebody's been spray painting

Yep, it was me! I finally spray painted the little owls that I bought at the flea market in February (you can see a pic of what they previously looked like here). They are now white thanks to many, many, many coats of spray paint:

Awww! I think they're adorable. I've found them a home on the little white nightstand in the spare bedroom/my office. I may just have to move them to my desk though so I can look at them more.

Pretty epic what a can of spray paint can do!

Na na na na na na na na Batman

So Dave's been wondering when I would post about the new Batman statue that has been added to his fine collection...and I guess today's the day. He's actually had the statue for a while now and was so happy to finally get it since he's been looking for it for quite some time. It was released in 2003 and was a limited edition, you know!

Are you ready for this epicness?:

It's based on a Jim Lee drawing. Dave has the poster of it hanging on the wall in his office. If you haven't read my posts about his super superhero office, you can read them here and here. Dave would really like that!

Anyways, it's a nice statue. I like the cape. Just like I like the capes on the other statues. I actually like the Jim Lee Superman and Batman statues the best out of Dave's collection. It could be that they were the most expensive. That's how I roll!

So his shelves now look like this:

...and this:

The sketches are by Tom Grummett, who drew them for Dave during Free Comic Book days (for charity). They're pretty sweet. You can only imagine how much Dave likes them!

So that's that. I'm sorry if you are not married to someone who collects superhero paraphernalia because it's just really, really great! Insert winking emoticon here.

Art wall: I need your help

I would really like to start putting some nails in the wall and finally get my white frames hung above my desk but I just can't decide how to hang them. They don't even all have pictures in them so you have to use your imagination a little. Take a look below...then be so kind to tell me your opinion (or tell me if you have any better ideas!)...1, 2, 3, or 4?:

My new print from Etsy

There was a special envelope in the mail today that came all the way from Spain! It contained this cute little print:

I ordered it from Cosas Minimas by Blanca Gomez on Etsy. I posted about this cute little pic way back in April and finally decided to order it for the art wall I'm planning to do over my desk in my office/the spare room (which I have been talking about forever...I know). I love it...super sweet and it's going to look so cute in the vintage square frame I bought at the flea market a while back. Stay tuned...the frames will be going up in a few weeks!

p.s. Danielle - two posts in two days...I'm back on track! Thanks for reading!

Cute art

Every once in a while I like to look at art on Etsy's website (if you've never heard of it, check it out because there is so much amazing handmade stuff there). I have yet to order anything, but I'm really considering some digital art for my 'art wall' above my desk in my office. You could look for days through all the amazing art on Etsy...and I think at this point I'm only at about 3 or 4 hours! I really love the whimsical prints of Cosas Minimas by Blanca Gomez. These are two of my faves:

Cosas Minimas Smoke Print - Image from Etsy

Cosas Minimas Rainy Day Print - Image from Etsy

So cute! They just make me happy. I love the coloured and overlapping circles (which are also in other great prints) in the first one. As for the second, it's just adorable...the yellow dress...the cloud...the single yellow raindrop. Clearly cute! And I don't know why but I think there is something about raindrop shapes that I'm loving lately. I see them in art, on mugs, in fabric...and I like it, like it, yes I do!

Dave loves stuff

As I was writing my post on Saturday, I was actually typing the word "comic" in the sentence about 'if Dave had his way we would have less flowery art, 2 less bird items, and a whole lot more comic book related items' when he walked through the door after a visit to his comic book shop with a new batman statue. Seriously...instant gratification at its finest!!! He wanted me to post a picture of it so you could all see it, so here it is:

I will admit the cape looks very cool (you know, as far as capes on statues go). It is perched on the shelf with his other batman statue in his office. You can only imagine how happy he was to add another statue to his collection.

I'm sure Dave would also like me to tell you that it is from the Superman Batman Public Enemies series (and that he also has the Superman statue). I'm also sure he would like to tell you many other things about his statues...as well as things about current or past comic book storylines...or upcoming movies based on comic books...or almost anything else related to comic books really!

Weekend project: My office (Part 3)

Well I didn't make tons of progress in my office/the spare bedroom today but we did hang a canvas up over the spare bed:

I bought the canvas at Michael's and attached the flowers (they're from Umbra). I like the white flowers on the white canvas. Plain but nice. And the pic gives you a look at the bedding. A little wrinkled up from standing on the bed to hang up the canvas! I mentioned the $12.99 duvet cover/pillowcases from IKEA in a previous post. The quilt on the end is from Home Outfitters. I sure like green lately! I have big plans to sew a throw pillow after I was inspired by one I saw at the Flea Market this weekend. Keep tuned for that!

I also bought some spray paint and did one coat on some frames for my art wall. I sprayed them in the garage then brought them in the house and put them in the basement but I sure can smell paint in here. They're not picture-worthy quite yet!

Weekend project: My office (Part 2)

I made a little progress in my office/the spare bedroom today. I added some accessories to my desk and the nightstand. I also spent some time trying to figure out what to put in a few of the frames for my art wall above my desk...it could take a while before it all comes together that's for sure! Anyways, here's a pic of the nightstand now:

I moved the orchid from our room. The wooden bowl was a wedding gift from the minister who married us (her husband made it and it's so nice), and my silver bird has finally found a home! On the shelf is a grey box to hold the alarm clock (it's an eyesore and can just come out when we have guests) and a few books. I just used stuff I already had and I think it looks all right for now!

Here's a shot of my desk (minus my laptop):

There's the IKEA lamp I talked about in my last post and I added a little jar my mom gave me that she got in Sweden, the Dala horse was a gift from Dave (he ordered it from Hemslojd), and the artificial daisies are also from Dave (they were attached to the wrapping of a birthday gift he gave me probably 8 years ago - I love daisies...so bright and cheerful). Oh how I love the simplicity...no clutter makes me happy!

Today I went to a flea market (for 5 hours!) with my friend Alissa followed by some clothes shopping with my friend Steph. What a great day! At the flea market, I got some vintage jewelry (I'll post about that another time!), some coins, a pot scrubber, banana bread, and some frames. What a random bunch of things! The frames are for my art wall. Here's a look at what they look like now (the glass is out in preparation for spray painting):

They're quite small and I really have no idea what I'm going to put in them yet. But for 4 bucks I think they are going to make a very cool addition to my art wall. And yes they may be vintage but I have no guilt about painting them at all! That's tomorrow's project!

Weekend project: My office (Part 1)

Well the time has come for my office/the spare bedroom to start coming together! Tonight Dave brought up the newly painted furniture from the basement. And it doesn't even look too bad! My amateur painting skills aren't as sketchy as I thought they might be. Here's a shot of my little desk:

I love white furniture...it just looks so fresh! The desk used to be birch (It's the MIKAEL from IKEA). Next step is to accessorize it up! I just had to set my new little lamp on it first! Dave and I went to Edmonton last weekend, and of course we went to IKEA! The lamp is called LYKTA. It was 52 dollars cheaper than the one I wanted from EQ3! Man I love IKEA! It was so busy this weekend but I loved every second! It's absolutely my favorite store.

Here's a shot of the painted nightstand:

I bought it at JYSK and it used to be Espresso-coloured. Dave drilled holes in the bottom and put in the casters from the desk to give it a little more height. And in the pic you're getting a sneak peek of the new bedding...also from IKEA (called JORUN FORM). A duvet cover with two pillowcases on sale for $12.99. What a deal! I LOVE that place!

My new (but very old) art

Here's the newest addition for my soon-to-come art wall that will be above my desk in my office. It's a calendar from 1955 from my grandpa's old business. My grandma gave it to me a long time ago and it's been in a tote because I couldn't just buy a frame because of the odd size. So I got it custom framed at Michael's and I think it looks fantastic. My pic of it is a bit dark but it'll have to do.

Very vintage! I love how it says 'Phone 14'...can you imagine? My art wall is going to be quite a varied collection. It won't be too much longer until I get the hammer out so I can hang up all the pretty white frames! I just put the last coat of white paint on my desk and the nightstand tonight. This weekend I'll start putting the room together so stay tuned for some pics!

I need a lamp

So Valentine's Day is coming and I'd like to drop a very big hint to my wonderful husband about what I really really want. This lamp from EQ3 for my desk:

From EQ3

Oh I think it would be just perfect for my little desk. It would give off a nice little glow without being too harsh as I sat at my desk surfing the interweb and of course writing little posts for this blog...which by the way is a very enjoyable little hobby! Thanks for reading it!!!

I'm making progress on the furniture for my office/spare bedroom. The desk and bedside table have the first coat of primer on and are on their way to becoming beautiful white furniture. So I really really think this little lamp would be just perfect on my soon-to-be white desk. And Dave, in case you're worried, a lamp is okay for a Valentine's day present...at least with me! If there are any other males reading this you may want to get your special someone something other than a lamp.

Dave's superhero office

This weekend Dave hung up a shelf and his new comic book frames to complete his office. And it looks super (sorry I couldn't resist)! Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

The first pic is of Dave's favorite Superman statue and a sketch done by artist Tom Grummett (drawn in 10 minutes as Dave watched...pretty cool). The shelf is from IKEA (EKBY JARPEN with EKBY BJARNUM brackets), which we painted black.

The next pic is of what is on the matching shelf that is on the other side of the window. It's a Batman black and white statue (and for now there is a graphic novel collection next to it which Dave eventually wants to replace with another sketch). Can you imagine Dave striking this pose when he first bought this statue?...he did, repeatedly.

Underneath the window is the white pleather sofa bed (that Dave picked out) from Leon's. It's not shown here but the middle section folds down into an arm rest/cup holders, which was the big selling point for Dave. I was happy that we now have another place for guests to sleep...and it's actually very comfy to sit on. The Superman symbol pillow used to be big and odd-shaped so I cut it up and sewed it into a nice little pillow for the sofa or as lumbar support for the desk chair.

Next on our tour is a shot of the Jim Lee Superman and Batman posters. Dave has had these for quite a while now. I really do like them although they could be in better frames...but they will do for now. You may notice that his Superman statue in the first pic is based on this art. Dave would really like to get his hands on the Batman statue as well.

The next picture is the shelf that Dave just hung up above his desk. It's from IKEA (LACK) and it used to be birch-coloured but we painted it black. The boxes contain a hardcover book, a reprint of a comic book and an action figure. Dave got the Batman one from a flea market in Minot and I bought the Superman one for him from his comic book shop. The busts are actually piggy banks.

And lastly, here is a pic of the new comic book frames. They are pretty neat...made of plastic with a black matte and you just slide in the comic books. Dave ordered them online here. He put in some of his favorite titles and will likely switch them up. Although the covers have to meet my criteria of not being too gory or scary! It's his office but come on...me or my visiting nephews don't need nightmares. Who am I kidding, it's just me!

And there you have it. Dave loves his 'room' although it would also have a bazillion movie posters and a whole bunch of other stuff if he could completely have his way. And I'm happy because it is contained to this room...and my new office will look nothing like this!

My art project for my new office

This is what I have been working on the past two evenings...a little butterfly art for my office! I'm very excited because this weekend I decided to move a desk into the spare bedroom and make it my office (and it'll still be the spare bedroom). Not that I don't love our existing office and being surrounded by superheroes from every angle!

I will be painting my little desk white and have decided to have a white frame grouping above my desk. So I went to Michael's and found a white frame...on sale I must add...then I used a butterfly punch and punched them out of different scrapbooking papers and used raised foam double-sided sticker dots to attach them to a piece of paper. Pretty cute I would say! The idea wasn't mine...I came across a pic like this on a blog that I love called Chez Larsson. Not only am I blatantly stealing the butterfly idea I am also completely copying the white frame grouping! Although I'm sure mine will look very different from this in the end.

Image from Chez Larsson

Her butterfly pic is at the top of the picture. I really like the look of asymmetrical grouped frames but have never done it before. Everything else in our house was hung with a laser level so it should be interesting!