Thrift Store Chandelier

A while ago I wrote a post about some things I found at my local thrift store. I found an awesome chandelier that  I bought for our front entrance way. I knew I wanted to change it in some way, but wasn't sure how.

I started off by taking all of the 'crystals' (plastic crystals) off of the light. They were held on by pieces of wire that were secured by being bent around itself. They were super easy to remove.

At first I thought I wanted to paint it, but then I realized that I would probably put hours into painting it, only to have it look almost the same as when I started. I decided to leave it as is.

I got my Dad to help me install it. I still have a fear of doing electric work, so I left it up to someone who knew what they were doing.

 Chandelier Before

Chandelier After

I was so pleased that it actually worked once it was all wired up (you never know when you buy from a thrift store!)

It's so much nicer than the basic builders light that was there before. It was so worth the $9.99 that I paid for it and then some!

It's my Birthday Today

Today was my Birthday. I took a day off from work, as I don't really have any desire to work on my Birthday. For at least the past 8 years I haven't worked on this day, and I'd like to keep up the tradition if possible.

I had a really nice day today. I met up with my Mom, Dad, sister and my two nieces who I adore. We started off the day with some Starbucks. Right now I'm really into their Cinnamon Dolce Latte (sweet cinnamon latte) with no whipped cream. It's sweet and spicy and rather delicious. We also did a quick tour of the new Ikea in our town. I'd never been and wanted to check it out when it wasn't the weekend. Essentially it had everything the old Ikea had, but it was just more spread out and had more things in stock. We then went out for lunch. I got a side salad and lobster and shrimp linguine. It was really yummy and really filling at the same time. We ended our day by looking around a few shops and picking up some MDF moulding for our other bathroom to frame our mirror in the same way as our other bathroom.

My wonderful family got me some amazing gifts. I've taken some pictures of some of them to share.

 My husband got me this wicker and bamboo trunk. I've wanted one for behind the sofa for a while now and finally found this one. It's got a lid with room for storage inside and a drawer at the bottom.

He also got me this room divider as the two came as a set. I still have to find a more permanent home for this, but I love the way it looks.

 My Mom and Dad got me this vase to go with my vase collection. The colour of it is so pretty and looks amazing when the sun is shining. I've moved some of the vases around and will repost shortly.

Mom and Dad also got me this beautiful necklace. It's made of sterling silver and amethyst (my birthstone).

Another gift from Mom and Dad. It's a teacup with a lid and a tea infuser for loose leaf tea. It's going to be perfect for work. Maybe I'll get to drink some of my tea while it's still warm!

 My nieces got me this book. Very cute.

This is from my sister and my brother in law. It's a deep plum coloured vase that's around 3 feet tall. It's going to look great with some long grass, flowers or twigs in it.

My Mother and Father in law sent these glass snow drop flowers and vase to me in the mail from England. They are made near where we all used to live at the Sunderland Glass Centre. They are so delicate and pretty. I'm glad they all made it in one piece.

 

My godmother paid me a surprise visit tonight. She gave me this framed painting of my hand print from when I was little. I thought this was so thoughtful of her. She's been holding on to this for around 25 years and has moved a few times too. It made me feel very special. I'm going to hang it in my craft room, as it goes way back to when I first started making crafts and art. 

I got so many more nice things from everyone including some shirts, a sweater, a scarf  and so much more. I had such a nice day and wouldn't have changed it at all. 

Amigurumi

These are some of the amigurumi I've made in the past. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small animals or objects. It's pretty fun to do and you end up with some cute toys. I've sold a few and given even more as gifts to my nieces and to others for baby showers. I haven't made any in a while, but I find I go through phases with the crafts I do and I'm sure I'll start again sometime soon.

Moorcroft Pottery

A few years ago my husband's great Aunt gifted us a little ceramic vase while we were visiting her in England. She didn't tell us much about it other than the fact that it was quite old and was made by a company called Moorcroft. 

Moorcroft vase (far left)

When I got home, I looked on the internet for more information. I found out that Moorcroft pottery started being produced in 1897 in England and continues to be made today and is very collectable. I also found out that the best way to date a Moorcroft piece was to look at the markings on the bottom. 

The mark on the bottom of the vase meant that it was made sometime between 1928 and 1949. I still haven't been able to find a vase with the exact same pattern on it, so I don't know it's exact age. 

A while back I was in a newly opened Value Village looking through the housewares shelves. I came upon something that immediately caught my eye. I picked it up as quickly as I could as if hundreds of other people were trying to get it (no one was interested). I knew the style right away and flipped it over. It was also a Moorcroft piece as I suspected. I was super excited and showed my Mom. She didn't know about Moorcroft at the time and she didn't seem to share my enthusiasm.

Face of the Moorcroft Hibiscus bowl. (Also shown in the picture above on the far right)

It's hard to see the Moorcroft and Made in England stamps on this one, but this marking indicates that the bowl was made somewhere between 1950 and 1986.

I looked this one up on the internet and it was a bit easier to find information about it and the exact same bowls for sale. They seem to be going for between $110 and $210 in Canada and America. I was even more pleased with my purchase, seeing as I paid a whole $1.99 for it. Quite a good little purchase!

I never intended to collect Moorcroft pottery, and I could never afford it at full price, but I really like the stories behind the two pieces I have. I always keep an eye out for more Moorcroft pieces when I'm looking on thrift store shelves. I'm sure it was just a fluke that I happened upon this one, but who knows!

Thrift Store Finds

I went to Value Village on my lunch today and I found a few household items that I just couldn't resist. I think I'm forming some sort of addiction to thrift stores. I've been going with my Mom ever since I was little, but now that we have our house, I really can't help myself. It's great to find some little gems.

Today I found a really interesting painting.

It's an original painting that came in a 8x11 gold coloured frame. The frame is a bit worn and needs to be repaired, but the painting was only $2.99 so I couldn't complain. There was just something about it that really drew me to it. The colours are very vibrant and cheerful, and the subject matter is a little bit crazy, whimsical and happy all at the same time. It's signed 'M Piccini' at the bottom. I looked on the internet to see if it happened to be a famous artist's work, but nothing came up. 

My favourite part of the painting is this girl's face, not to mention the fact that she's wearing a pot of flowers on her head. The whole thing just makes me smile.

I also got this glass pot/vase. I plan on putting it up with my other coloured glass vases. This was $2.99 as well.

Last but not least, I bought this brass bowl. It's painted with a green floral pattern on the outside. I plan on re-potting the bonsai tree that we got for our housewarming in it.

Closeup of the floral design.

I'll post more pictures once I've hung the picture, placed the vase and re-potted the plant. 

A Winter Walk

Last Monday was Family Day in Ontario. We were off work and had a nice relaxing day. I took Lola for a walk in the fields at my parents farm. She loved being able to roam around off her leash and sniff as many things as she could. It was such a nice sunny winters day for a nice long walk.

Housewarming

This weekend we had a housewarming party with our family and some of our neighbours. Most of our friends and family hadn't seen our house yet, so it was great to show everyone around. There were around 30 people and lots of food, wine and treats.

We got some really nice gifts, which were totally unexpected. Here are some pictures of some of them.

A nice bonsai tree from an Aunt and Uncle

 A beautiful orchid from my grandmother

Another wonderful orchid from an Aunt and Uncle

A mosaic light from an Aunt and Uncle.

A glass pig from an Aunt and Uncle. I was obsessed with pigs when I was little.

Even Lola got a housewarming gift! This is from one of our neigbours. It's actually from her friend Abbie who is a miniature poodle. It rolls around the floor on it's own. Lola isn't sure what to do with it. So funny to watch!

Thrift Store Finds - Revamped

I finally got around to hanging my repainted wall plaque (straight this time!) It's on the wall in our house that's between the front entrance and the wall that has my frame and mirror collage on it.

I also managed to finish the lamp I bought at the same time. I painted it quite a few colours before I settled on one. 

 First I tried a dark red. For some reason it looked more like pink.

 Then brown. I found this too dull looking.

I then slapped on some of my trusty sahara gold paint, but it was too shiny.

I decided to make the gold look more antiqued with some brown paint over top. This is what I finally settled on. I think it makes the amber glass look a lot warmer than it did.

I also managed to find a lampshade. I got it at Value Village for $3.99.

Before

and 

After

My Homemade Pizza Recipe

We were trying to figure out what to have for dinner tonight. We wanted something tasty and we were thinking of ordering a pizza, but then I decided to make it for two reasons. The first was that it would save us some money and the second was that we had all of the ingredients at home, so it was actually easier than going to pick up the pizza (the pizza place in our town doesn't do delivery!)

I've made this recipe loads of times and it always comes out great.

Here are the ingredients followed by a step by step guide:

• 2 and 1/2 cups flour (white flour makes a nice fluffy dough or use whole wheat for a healthier choice)
• 1 packet of quick rise yeast (I use Flechman's)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup of milk (you can use water if you're lactose intolerant)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

 Directions:

• Pour the milk and oil into a small saucepan and place on medium-low heat. You want the milk/water to be warm to the touch, not scalding hot. I would probably compare the temperature you want it to be to a nice warm bath. It can't be too hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast and won't rise.

• While the milk is heating, place 1 cup of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and salt and mix until combined.

• Add the milk  and oil mix to the dry ingredients once it has reached the desired temperature. Stir this in with a spoon or spatula for approximately 1 minute.

• Slowly add the last cup and a half of flour (about a 1/4 cup at a time), mixing inbetween. Add flour until the dough is silky. You may need a little more or less, so keep the flour handy. Don't add too much, otherwise your dough will be tough and chewy.

• Once the dough is pliable, knead it by hand for approximately 4 minutes. I usually knead it in the bowl so that I don't have to clean up a big mess on the counter.

• After kneading, cover the bowl with a tea towel. Let the dough rise for 35 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 375 about half way through the rising time.

• After 35 minutes have passed, stretch your dough out on a slightly floured baking sheet. You can use whatever shaped sheet you'd like. I sometimes use my round pizza tray, or just a cookie sheet.

• If I'm having company, I'll usually make individual sized pizzas so everyone can put what they want on their portions. I've also made bite sized pizzas for larger parties.

• Apply all of your toppings. I usually just use canned pizza sauce and part skimmed mozzarella cheese as my main toppings.

Here are some of our favourite pizza toppings:

• Olives
• Peppers
• Sundried tomatoes
• Jalapenos
• Sweetcorn (if you haven't tried this, please do. It tastes great!)
• Anchovies (my husband, not me though!)
• Spicy pepperoni

Be creative. If you have kids, let them put their own toppings on their pizzas. Pizza tastes even better when it has a smiley face on it!

Bake for around 17 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden.

Let cool for a few minutes, slice and then dig in!