My turquoise room. Now that it is all tidied up I may actually MAKE something in here. Usually we are painting on the kitchen island or building something on the potting bench. It is a great place for storage and Macy says she could sit in here and read all day (and that makes me happy). I painted the walls when we moved in three summers ago; I was inspired by  Alicia Paulson's  so very cute sewing room. I cannot find a link to studio photos, and she has since repainted to the colour of our bedroom. I am sure the old pictures are there somewhere and when I can find a link I will add it. My tastes have changed in three years, but everything in here still makes me smile. We live in a circa 1965 split level, so this is one of the two small bedrooms on the lower level. This is what you see when you walk by. You used to see more, but I finally put a few things away. My paternal grandfather made the sewing cabinet for my mom in the seventies -- more great storage. I......

We still have the same old fireplace and Canadian Tire sconces that came with the house (they're on my hit list) and the narrow mantle that was designed to hold one, maybe two credit cards. I can't wait to get rid of the lights entirely (and put in an overhead light as we use this room for our dining room) and redo the fireplace in river rock. Someday. I crocheted my first bunting and WOW, does that add colour! So fast and easy to make too with Crochet with Raymond 's perfect (and FREE) Granny Bunting  pattern . Thank you Alicia! I have very little DK yarn (no yarn shop in our city either, which should be illegal) so I used what I had on hand -- worsted weight, which worked fine. I am anxious to get to my little yarn shop in a wee town north of here to get something finer to work with. Anyway... I love it. I also crocheted a few medium and small flowers in DK cotton for the lilac twigs my lovely neighbour unknowingly donated to the cause (she won't mind). I......

** Two minutes if you don't count my five attempts to print with the dictionary paper taped to a sheet of regular paper. I finally gave up and did it the right way by changing the page size to a custom size. As much as I love my iMac, using my Canon i9900 with a PC was much easier. I had actually printed this first on a piece of watercolour paper but it was too stark for this thrift store frame (and my taste). The vintage image is courtesy of  The Graphics Fairy  of course! The vintage salt and peppers are my daughter's. A gift from Holly; a dear elderly lady who moved to California from Canada years ago. She lives across the street from my snow bird parents and she sends lovely treasures home for us each spring. Thanks for peeking! Linking up to: ...

It dawned on me that I haven't really posted any close up photos of our pebble backsplash or photos to prove we actually did finish our crown moulding! I love our beadboard with the pebble backsplash. I have not had any regrets that we didn't tile and the painted surface is holding up perfectly after two years, even by the sink. I sealed the pebbles with about four coats of regular tile/grout sealer (which reminds me, I should do a touch up soon) and have not had anything not wipe right off. I tape up a fancy paper towel curtain when I'm cooking anything with tomatoes or if Mr. CF is cooking bacon. Of course I don't use the back burners when this is up. I think the backsplash ended up costing about $80 for the rock, grout & sealer. The fellow that put them up also installed our countertops, scroll down for photo here , so that cost wasn't figured in to the $80. A very reasonable alternative to tile and I love the look. Linking up to: ...

One of my most treasured pieces is this blue linen cupboard. It was made by my paternal great grandfather Syd; his wife Eliza Anne crocheted the lace around the bunny's neck. It is she who is feeding the chickens (in my banner above) amidst a group of guests seated in the shade of their first farmhouse in Alberta, circa 1910.  I decided that I needed a crocheted flag pillow, and here is my first attempt. I used Susan's gorgeous maple leaf pattern found  here . I am not much of a red person, except when it comes to our flag. I figure I'll be all set for Canada Day in July. And believe me, with it calling for more snow tonight, I am really looking forward to summer! Syd and Eliza Anne's wedding photo. Ontario, Canada, 1906. I modified Susan's leaf pattern only slightly (made the bottom two points a bit smaller and the stem shorter) to look a bit more like the maple leaf on our flag. The pillow measures about 5" x 8.5" and is crochet......

Although it is still snowman building season here we are determined to make it feel like spring inside. Macy loves to decorate so we got a start on the weekend in the entryway. We are loving our new parlour cabinet, purchased from a lovely neighbour across the street. It already had the treadle sewing machine removed when she received it in the 60's. It matches an oak chair of Macy's paternal great grandparent's that sits in the entry. Unfortunately it will be some time before anything is green  here in Alberta, so our trusty fake fleurs will have to do for now. If anyone needs snow for a display, I'd be happy to ship you some. We raided my car and trailer collection at my desk for a hint of pink and summer fun to come. The Mr. Peanut salt & peppers are one of my most treasured momentos. They belonged to my maternal grandmother who passed away when I was ten. The McCoy shoe, bird and chick, porcelain hand, and crochet thread all came ......

Funky Junk Donna's   Saturday Night Special  theme this week is Mason Jars and I can't miss that. I have always loved mason jars... our daughter's name is Mason and although we didn't name her after the jar, you might think I did if you saw my kitchen. The turquoise jars with MASON on them are extra special around here. Another of my favourites is this large jar that Ball made for an anniversary. I spotted it in Target on a trip to Montana a couple of years ago and it had to come home with us. It received a nest and eggs for spring but it usually keeps oodles of marshmallows at the ready for rice krispie treats or s'mores. Max's treats get the Bon Bon jar. My great grandmother's Sunbeam usually sits where the mason jars are now. I like seeing the eggs in their new spot -- it reminds me that spring may arrive one day. We got a wee bit more snow last night so I'm not holding my breath. Mr. Pillsbury Doughboy was a 1979 mail in offer I got w......