Cold Toast File Organizer

I bought these guys at a yard sale.

Apparently they are for cooling toast.  

Why you might ever have this much toast and why you might want it cold, I cannot explain.

What I can tell you is that as soon as I saw them I thought of file folders.

So I sprayed one up and tried it out.

Summer is a great time to browse around for interesting, inexpensive yard sale items that you can repurpose.  What can you find to give new life to?

The Adventures Continue

 Our exploration of Winnipeg continued with a trip to the mint,  

where for 5 bucks you can get a penny collectors book to display a penny from every year between 1920 and 2012.  This was a big hit and a great activity for the kids.  They are about half done but still have several penny jars to dig through.

Michelle enjoyed a little hiatus and travelled to Niagara Falls,

as well as the CN Tower.

She assures me that Winnipeg is far, far more exciting than either Ontario sight.

We took a drive to Gimli, where you cannot, in fact, access the pier.

See?  Super exciting.

But happily we had friends at Matlock so we got to enjoy a day at the cottage which was lovely.

There's been the new experience of eating perogies and farmer's sausage,

a trip to Dollarama where Michelle shares my disgust at items not actually costing ONE DOLLAR,

and some fine dining at Ikea.

We had dessert with Nannie (Dino's mom),

bronuts,

and we had a tour of the Human Rights Museum.

If you are wondering what on earth more there can be to do in Winnipeg, stay tuned!  Adventures will continue.  Maybe I should write a summer guide to Winnipeg fun after this!

Fun Summer Decor

I'll catch you up on more adventures Wednesday but for now have a look at the fun items I got to use to decorate for summer!  My friend Jen has no end of amazingly cool stuff and sometimes I get to change up her seasonal look for her.  

Summer themes can vary quite a bit.  For Jen it's all about FUN.  From movies and popcorn to great vintage toys.  Pops of bright colours and lots of yummy treats.

It's fun to dedicate an entire shelf, 

or a whole wall to a new seasonal look.

Try to maintain one or two colours throughout to pull the look together.  I used as much red and yellow as I could.  When I needed more of one colour I searched Jen's shelves for appropriate book spines and threw them in to keep things cohesive.

Don't be afraid to use practical items as decor.  This popcorn popper is adorable!  And we popped up some real popcorn and threw it around to keep things fun.

It's possible Jen's kids thought I was a bit crazy.

Summer is a great time to experiment with decor if it's not your norm.  

Have fun with it!  

 What kid wouldn't feel welcomed home for summer with this fabulous spread?!?

What I Got at the Red Barn Sale And Why

The Red Barn sale never disappoints.  

This year I came away with a few fun finds.  I'll show you what they were and then tell you why I look for these items at sales like this.

Books

Cute retro hard covered books are always useful in decorating.  Sadly others agree so sometimes they are expensive.  When I see a pretty one that's cheap I snatch it up!

Vintage Cans

I use these vintage cans as pops of colour in my kitchen.  

You can put a pot inside with a cute plant or just leave them empty.  

Serving Utensils

Do you ever find you don't have enough serving utensils when you host?  

When I see some pretty pieces being offered up for $2 or $3, I grab them.

Trays

You know I love trays.  To corral items, to inject colour, to use when serving.

When they're Hudson Bay trays, I love them even more!

Stools

Cute little stools are always handy spots for plants or to set a drink.

Often you need to add height in decorating so this is an easy way to lift something up.

Blankets

I use lots of blankets around the house for colour and as fillers.  Wool blankets are especially fitting for my living room look but they are so expensive.  So when I find one for $10...it's SOLD!

Extras

And they there are those extra items that just catch your eye or fit a need.

I got these 2 suitcases to use as a coffee table with my new couch.  I haven't decided how to set them up at the right height yet so for now one is acting as a side table.

The Unexpected

And finally, my favourite, the unexpected find.  

This is my very favourite treasure.  

It was $5 and honestly I feel so excited about it.  

I can imagine it in so many spots!!

 I realize it looks awful now, but once I've chosen where to use it 

and after it gets a make over, it will be fantastic.  

What would you do with a $5 black metal hanging shelfy rack?

Adventures

So what should be seen in Winnipeg?

Well obviously, there's been some coffee.

Because, joy oh joy, Michelle doesn't drink tea!  

She likes a brew.

Now, it did take me awhile to figure out that wasn't beer

...but when she asked for one at 10am I clued in.

We've had our "pudding"...which is dessert.

There was a visit to the Forks with a half hour boat tour.

Quite enjoyable!

As well as some very lovely poolside relaxation.

We went to a movie,

and spent a day at the zoo.

Over the weekend we introduced Michelle to Kenora,

where she attended her first social and had her first swim in a lake. 

We paused at the centre of Canada,

then went for some good ol' BDI.

The adventures continue this week!

Our Guest

For the past 29 years, Michelle and I have been pen pals.

Last night we met for the first time ever!  

She has come from England to stay with us for 3 weeks.

And would you believe that I forgot to take a shot of us together at the airport?

(Do you think she'd freak out if I ran down and did a quick pic of her asleep??)  

Maybe.

So you'll just have to meet her next week.  

I'll fill you in on our adventures.

Welcome here Michelle!!

Our New Bathroom

We've had a flurry of activity over here.  

I've cleaned stuff I didn't even know could get dirty.

And our basement bathroom which used to be an empty room,

I always forget to take my before shot, before things get started!

has become our guest bathroom.

Dino did an amazing job and it was so much fun to decorate!

Here's towel hanging and storage.

A collection of "in case you forgot" items.

It's important to leave some empty space so guests can spread out their own stuff.

My two favourite finds are the vintage bathroom art,

 

and the vintage look faucet.

I love him!

Our preparations are in anticipation of our house guest who's arriving June 9th.  

I'll introduce you on Wednesday!

Moving

I'm currently helping a client prepare her home to sell.

There are many thoughts on how staged a home should be.  My client was given two very opposite opinions.  I thought this article on home staging was a good one.

Oops.  That's small print.  But you can see the biggest "DO" is "Declutter Your Space".

Agreed!

And that's what we've been doing.

A little declutter goes a long way.

And it's not hard to do.  

Treat yourself to a quick spot of declutter and enjoy the new space, 

even if you're planning on staying put for awhile!