Today I’m really excited to share my new thrifty pillar candle holders with you! I found these guys for $6.99 at our local Value Village. They are actually solid wood, and are hand carved… So my dream-style!
So they started out looking a little purple in color when I first found them… Not one hundred percent perfect for me, but I’m sure they were perfect for somebody else at one point in time! Continue reading
Have you ever been to a flea market before?! If not, then you totally need to go! Even if you’re not that much into finding pieces of furniture to flip, there’s almost always something for everyone! Car parts, furniture, antiques, collectibles, toys, and usually lots and lots of junk… Sometimes items jump right out at you, and other times you may have to sift through, but if you wonder around enough, you’re sure to find something!
This weekend I was able to spend my whole Saturday at one of my favorite flea markets, back in my hometown, the Annual Stirling Agricultural Society Flea Market, which is always held on the first weekend of May. Continue reading
Spring has finally sprung on the farm! Although I’m a real snow-lover, as most of you know, I’ve been waiting and waiting for spring on the farm!
The last time we were down, we ended up having a real weird streak of weather and it turned out being negative twenty-four degrees while we were there! Like, what the heck?!!
This last weekend when we were down, however, ended up being just gorgeous! The Easter bunny even came for a visit!
One of my favorite things to do when I’m at the farm is to explore and take photos while I’m doing it! Continue reading
Well, I’m pretty sure that we just had frost again the other night… but I don’t care because its April, and we all know what that means! April showers bring May flowers, and I just can’t wait!
Even though our Canadian Thanksgiving has already come and gone, the American Thanksgiving is just around the corner… That’s why I thought that I would take the time to put together a very simple Thanksgiving Vignette to share with my American friends and family!
My mom recently gave me this really neat candle holder that is made to sit within a wine bottle. I decided that I wanted to try to build my vignette around this… And instead of using a wine bottle, I would use one of my antique bottles from my collection! (I love my bottles, and I get really excited when I get to use them!)
Next I decided that I would use this new serving tray that I just picked up last week. I found this beauty in the old train station in the little town of Stirling where I grew up. The trains and tracks are now long gone, but the old train station is still standing and over the last few years has been filled with beautiful antiques and collectibles, and is now one of my favorite little spots to hit up and see what I can add to The Project Pile!
This tray could be very old, or it could be vintage… I still have to do my research, but can’t wait to find out! I also still have to see if I can find a way to buff out the scratches, but we’ll save that for another day. Any suggestions?!
The next thing that I added to my tray were the cobs of corn. I snatched these little guys off of the stalks that I have out on the front porch, and haven’t had the heart to take down yet.
I also had some left-over mini pumpkins and gourds, so I added those to my vignette as well.
I then played around with the placement of my antique bottles and the candle, until I came up with something that I liked.
I didn’t want to cover the entire tray, because I just love how pretty the patina is, but I still had a lot of bare space on the tray… that’s when I remembered my little supply of bittersweet that I had stocked up on earlier this fall. I just added a few sprigs here and there… and – voila! All finished!
It really took only about 10 minutes to throw together this Thanksgiving vignette, and I really, really like it! I hope you have enjoyed this post and feel inspired to create one of your own!
So I’ve been wanting to re-do our master bedroom for a few years now…. We’ve been in our house for about six years, and I’ve got a few rooms finished (or almost finished!), but I have been completely putting off the master bedroom because it is just a huge room to paint! It has beautiful vaulted ceilings, and the color it is right now really isn’t that bad, (beige), but I feel like it needs a little more pizzazz!
I’ve finally been able to decide on a color pallet, somewhat similar to the colors that I’ve painted my kitchen, living room and dining room. (Surprise! Surprise!)
My amazing friend and neighbor, Courtenay from over at The Creek Line House suggested that I create a “Mood Board” for my master bedroom…. I wasn’t really sure of what exactly a mood board was, so she sent me her mood board that she created for her beautiful master bathroom as an example! She’s just so helpful! (Psst! Take a peek at The Creek Line House Master Bathroom Renovation Mood Board…. It’s really quite fantastic!!)
Sometimes you just need a little inspiration or motivation from the right people to get the ball rolling! So, without any further ado — I present to you, my Master Bedroom Dream Makeover Mood Board! (Click here to view the full PDF version: Master Bedroom Mood Board V04)
This mood board is a collection of inspiration colors, textures and pieces for my future master bedroom makeover! I love the look of a cooler aqua and grey color pallet, mixed with warm cream tones…. The assorted textures of wood, rod iron and lace will give the room a softened, yet slightly bold look! In case you can’t tell, I love the “old-world-antiquey” feel, and I feel like this unique mood board reflects my tastes perfectly!
Now, notice that I used the term “future” master bedroom makeover…. We’ll see how long it actually takes before I get around to it! I’m currently 7 and a half months pregnant and spend most of my time chasing my 2 year-old, wild-child, beautiful little Miss Lacee Grace…. Plus I think I’ll wait until I’m not pregnant to climb 20 feet up on the ladder to paint the walls! But — that doesn’t mean that I can’t start shopping! 😉
If you like any of these items, here are the links to all of the sources for my inspiration pieces!
Welcome to the very first edition of, Memoirs of a 178 year-old Farmhouse! This is the very old, (and very intriguing) farmhouse that I grew up in, and of which my parents still reside in, to this very day. This house was built in 1838, and is one containing somewhat of a colorful history, as at one time, it was an inn with a saloon, bordering the railway tracks in the now sometimes forgotten, community of Anson, Ontario.
I have always been completely intrigued and fascinated with this farmhouse, whether it be antique and treasure hunting, ghost stories, or just plain research and facts. One of the remarkable things about this beautiful old farmhouse is that believe it or not, there are still a few rooms in the home containing the original wallpaper…. and oh — what wallpaper it is!
This is the wallpaper that can be found in the old saloon, or in what we refer to as “the Bar-Room”. In this tiny room, you can actually tell exactly where the bar tender stood, as that spot in the floor is worn down and indented. My parents absolutely hate this wallpaper, but I of course, love it! It looks a little orange-y in the photos, but don’t be fooled… it is pretty pink!
Below is the wallpaper from the old basement stairway…. I can’t be sure, but I assume that it would have consumed the entire kitchen at one point in time. It is definitely tied in first place with the bar-room wallpaper, as my favorite! 
The most ornate original room left in the house, is the room that was at one time used as the parlor room. It has beautiful wooden moldings around the windows and doors, and beautiful intricate wooden paneling beneath the windows. 
Connected to the parlor room of the house, is what once would have been the “Picture Room”. This room would have been full of photos…. I can only imagine what it would have been like, back in its prime…. (If only wallpaper could talk!)
I hope you enjoyed this first edition of, Memoirs of a 178 year-old Farmhouse! Lots more to come, as I cannot wait to share more with you!
Come on in! Welcome to TheProjectPile.com’s Christmas Home Tour — In fact, welcome to our very first home tour, ever! If you are looking for something extremely extravagant and done up to the “nines”, this may not be for you… Most of the Christmas Decor within our home has either been up-cycled from previous years, found in the backyard (Nature Things — Yah!), or it came from the good ol’Dollar Store! With pops of red here, and a sprig of greenery there — I hope you enjoy!
This super-cozy, yet simple corner, is my favorite place to sit and read a magazine, or just take some time out of my busy day to relax. Believe it or not, this solid-wood rocking-chair came from a thrift store for 25 dollars, and is totally one of the best 25 dollars that I ever spent! I used a faux fur blanket and a hand-made burlap pillow to make this area soft and comfy!
To “Christmas-Up” this area, I simply recycled last year’s Christmas Decor by placing the Christmas ornaments into the clear glass holders, that would normally house my regular dining room decor. Such a simple concept, that adds the perfect combination of Christmas and “Sparkle” all in one! 
I purchased one bunch of “Fresh Winter Berries” for 13 dollars, and look at the result! A sprig here and there, totally ties the room together!
I’ve had these little snowman salt and pepper shakers for a coupe of years now, just sitting on the top of my microwave — shoved to the back, where nobody could see them… and I must say, they are my favorite piece of decor this year!
My lovely nephews gave us this adorable “Joy, Joy, Joy” (one of the songs that they always sang when they were little!), Snowman Plate (sorry, it’s kind of hard to see with the way the light is reflecting!)…. It is the perfect finishing touch to my hutch decor.
Adding some old red napkins underneath certain pieces in the room was the final detail used to bring everything together! I really hope that you enjoyed Part I of this home tour…. Remember to stop on by TheProjectPile.com to check out more! 🙂
If you caught last week’s post, you’ll remember that I was super-excited, because I finally tried Chalk Paint! And you know what…. I’m still super-excited about it! Woo-hoo!!!
So, without any further a due, I now present to you, my beautiful Hutch Make-Over!
I love, love, love this piece! I always have…. growing up as a little girl in my parents 180+ year old farm house, it was always a main feature piece in their beautiful dining room. As my parent’s decor-taste changed, as people’s often does, this gorgeous piece was moved out into the barn for storage, where it has probably sat for roughly ten years.
I was so excited to bring this hutch home and start working on it! Needless to say, it was in a little bit of rough shape…. I reinforced the piece using staples and finishing nails, and used wood filler to fill in any cracks. I then started sanding. One front foot was missing a piece, so to make them match, I took my trusty old hammer and tapped off the identical piece on the other front foot. I then sanded them down to round out the edges and make them match. This turned out to be such an easy solution to my major dilemma!
I then sanded down the top of the hutch, and the two front legs. The reason for doing this comes from that age old question — “To paint, or not to paint?”…. So I always try to compromise with myself and do a little of both! 😉
Since I was going to use chalk paint to paint the rest of my hutch, all that I needed to do was sand down any of the previous finish that was flaking. I then chalk painted the body of the hutch. It only took two coats with this amazing chalk paint! If you like, check out some of the reasons of why I decided to use chalk paint, and why I completely love chalk paint!
To finish the top and front legs of the hutch, I decided to use the dark wax that can be used to create a different finish with the chalk paint. I would normally use a stain here, but wanted to try this out instead. And the result? Amazing! I completely love how it turned out!
Ok, and here is the finished product! LOVE IT!
Tip: I used this fantastic trick from the CreekLineHouse.com to get my mirror sparkly-clean! – 10 Almost Life-Changing Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
