Feature Friday #2

IT'S FRIDAY!

Each Friday I will randomly pick 2 followers from my sidebar and do a feature on you - with a link to your blog.  It's my way of thanking those who follow my blog and spreading the love. FEATURE FRIDAY #2 

Hop over to Lara's place at Fresh + Simple  She loves thrifting and is in the process of  decorating her country duplex in the beachy coastal style we all love and guess what?  She's a white paint addict!  Did I happen to mention - the girl has some mad photo skills.  Thanks for following Lara.

Your gonna love Deb - a fellow Canadian girl at Cappuccino Cottage who's as sweet as can be. When she stops for a visit it's like having your best friend over for coffee.  She's transforming her lakeside cottage in British Columbia with her love of all things vintage, chippy and white.  Stop by and tell her I said hi.  Thanks Deb


 

 

It's A Girl !

:::

♫ ♫  I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again. ♫

Well that's not true, I'll be back.  I'm off to New Jersey to visit my beautiful daughter Gina.  She has just had her second ultrasound and they have found out IT'S A GIRL!  We are off to spend 4 wonderful days together.

I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of some gorgeous nurseries. 

...adorable

This was a vintage crib turned into a daybed

Jennifer Lopez - Twins Nursery

 

And of course, what well deserving new mother wouldn't want to have this delish room to retire to after a long day?

 Sources:  PeopleFrench LuxuryCountry LivingApartment Therapy  Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

Lipstick on a Pig? - Chair gets a Makeover

:::
Have you ever heard the saying "You can't put lipstick on a pig"?  I remember the first time I heard it I almost fell over with laughter.  Well let me tell you, this chair was a real oinker. 

I found it at the Courtice Flea Market two weekends ago.  As soon as I spotted it, I felt that excitment we have all felt rummaging through row upon row of vendors wares.  After seeing that Mr. Vendor only wanted 10 dollars for it, my husband was already carrying it to the Jeep.

I couldn't wait to get out the white paint.  Once I came home and took the necessary (for blogging) before pictures I started to dismantle the seat.  The material was wretched and smelled like...well you get the idea.

The fabric I used, although I think it's adorable and was an IKEA steal at $3.99 a yard is only temporary until I find an equally good deal on a perfectly delish French grain sack...(good luck with that I know...pricey).

If anyone knows who sells them for a reasonable price, please let me know.

Linking up to:

Interview with the fabulous City.Cottage Store

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I'm so excited to feature and share with you all, the most gorgeous little shop about 10 minutes from my home and how it changed my life.  The awesome Jenny Smith, owner of City.Cottage was so kind to let me do a mini interview. 

I recently found her gorgeous store and fell in love with the charm and beauty of everything there. From the second I walked through the door something inside me changed.  You see, for some time I had been feeling a little blue.  Maybe it was the empty nest syndrome I had been so miserably dealing with...heck, maybe the 45 year old hormones were in overdrive, all I know is as much as I wanted to snap out of it a year and a half of feeling this way was starting to feel like this was the new me and trust me, I wasn't happy about it.

Like I said, from the moment I walked into the sun filled City.Cottage I have felt uplifted and inspired to revisit my love of all things white, casual, cottage and shabby.  I can't explain how inspired and purposeful I felt looking at every square inch of shabby chic goodness.  I finally did leave her store with a handful of adorable robins eggs.  What Jenny doesn't know - is on that day she not only handed me my perfectly wrapped little bag of goodies, she gave me inspiration, purpose and a happiness I hadn't felt in some time. It was that very same week I started my blog.  I'm so grateful...Thank you Jenny.

Ok I digress ;-) enough about me, here we go:

When and what inspired you to open your store?

Other lovely stores.  I fell in love along time ago with a beautiful shop called White On White and everything changed from that second on, I went home painted EVERYTHING white and have not looked back.  People used to come into my home and say you should do this for a living, interior design isn't really where my heart is, it's creating a shop that inspires others to fill there home with beautiful finds, and NOT breaking the bank.

Photo:  City.Cottage

What advice would you give to someone wanting to open a shop?

Do it, dont give up and be patient and if its in the stars for you, it will happen. Also I believe it is a wonderful thing to do something different, that no one has in your town or city, that is what sets you apart and keeps the people coming back.

What is your favourite room in your home?

Well, I just moved into a great loft, with exposed brick, high ceilings and wood floors. It has been super fun finding unique stuff for my own home, and it's a work in progress.  I plan to post it all when I'm done. Recently I found the shabby-est old cubby on Kijij for $60 - dragged it home,  took 5 hours peeling, scraping , cleaning and painting it. Now I am in love with her.  I think you should love every room in your home and make it a place to retreat to.  I think that's why I love Cottage/farmhouse style so much.

When not running your business how do you like to spend your time?

Running my business, lol
Its a labor of love, when you own your own anything in life, it makes it hard to put it on the back burner. But it's all worth it in the end. I do not order anything for the shop, I find it all , paint it all and pull it all together. Thats the fun part for me, seeing it all together at the end of the day, and then seeing someone love it as much as I do in there own home.

Photo: City.Cottage

 

Photo:  City.Cottage

Photo: By Me

44 King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario

An Ikea Day and Great Blog Giveaway

Today was a beautifully warm, sun filled day with a few hours squeezed in with Mom at Ikea.  I think she is starting to get the whole "White" concept.  I picked up a few great pieces which I'll share with you in a future post.

In the meantime I want to share - for those who may not know, an amazing blog which Aina has over at Modern Country.  Her style is out of this world and she is celebrating 3 years and 800,000+ visitors with a great giveaway!

Photo below (one of her offerings) visit her to enter and prepare to be inspired...

Source:  Modern Country

Pillow Talk

Happy Friday bloggers!

For as long as I remember, I've loved words and fonts.  I think that almost anything can be made more beautiful if adorned with these charming characters.  Pillows, artwork, furniture, mirrors - you name it.  The possibilities are infinite and the creativity is endless.

I have always searched out items that "speak" to me...pun intended ;-)  So while looking at my perfectly simple little Ikea bolster pillow, I decided to try an iron on transfer.

I headed to the nearest Staples and picked up a package of Avery transfer sheets for light fabric.  Then the hard part.  What did I want the pillow to say.  After playing with different fonts and placements I decided on ~You are what you believe~  ran it through the printer, ironed it on the pillow and voila.

I have to say I like the overall look but I wasn't expecting the background of the transfer to leave a square patch...I suppose I was foolish to think it would only transfer the letters (lol).  If anyone knows a way of transfering only the letters (the same was as vinyl wall words transfer) please, please let me know.

::: Stay tuned for next post showing how I turned my kitchen cabinet end into a chalkboard :::

So The Journey Begins

I have always loved the look of white.  Although Shabby Chic is a simple style, I never felt I could fully commit...until now.

So my journey begins.  I felt I needed to have a test space to try out my new sanctuary, so the guest bedroom was my guinea pig so to speak.  The tiny room was drab and lifeless before and so it all started with a coat of white paint.  Once the walls were painted I knew I was on my way to creating my "white on white" room.

The best part of the transformation was that everything in the space was a true bar-goon.  This little beach picture was picked up at a yard sale for $2.00.  It so reminded me of my kids when they were young - I had to make it mine

This great little mirrored shelf was found on Kijiji for ten dollars and the best part was I only had to drive 3 blocks to pick it up

The huge frame was purchased at my favourite little consignment store in New Jersey called "Time and Again".  It had the most hideous painting inside it (I must admit - it needs a paint do-over)

Here is how it all turned out...

...and now - well I'm hooked!

The best part for me is treasure hunt.  Finding those great little thrifty pieces that you know will look amazing once cleaned up, painted and given a new life.  I've always loved a bargain and transforming something blah into something gorgeous is just the icing on the cake.

Now that my "white on white" room is comple (is it ever really completed) I'm going to take on the rest of my house and make it a house that feels like home.

~Marina~

Shabby Whites New Blog

All things lovely coming soon.

Until then here is a list of 25 things about me or things that I love...

1. I was born in the 60's
2. I love my 2 kids...Gina & Frankie
3. My husband and I live in Toronto, Canada
4. Hydrangeas are my favourite flower
5. My first car was a 1969 Mustang
6. I'm going to be a grandmother
7. As a kid, one summer I found 9 four leaf clovers
8. I've been married twice. My husband now for 9 years
9. My husband is American...born in Brooklyn, NY
10. Shabby Chic makes me happy
11. Favourite scent is anything orange
12. On my daughters 20th birthday I had my nose pierced...a tiny little diamond and I still love it
13. Empty nesters and not happy about it
14. I love the sound of water
15. My favourite item in my home is a huge galvanized rooster
16. I've been a real estate agent, bartender, legal secretary and now a home stager
17. I love spring and summer
18. Travelled to Italy when I was 19 years old
19. I love old subway signs
20. I'm the oldest in my family
21. I have always made my kids birthday cakes
22. Sunshine makes me happy
23. I love anything with fonts or words on it
24. I married my husband in New Jersey and lived there for 5 years with my kids
25. I'm excited to post all things lovely, shabby and white. I hope you enjoy "Shabby Whites" and please comment - I would love to hear from you.

                                                                         ~Marina