Summer Sun

 

 

A few months ago, I was asked to make some bridesmaids skirts for a beautiful bride-to-be.  Of course I said yes -- I love to sew and I wanted to tackle this!
I had some help from my mom (which I owe her big time for! Thanks Mom!), after all, she is the one who taught me to sew.

I loved the concept of these skirts.  The girls would each wear a skirt, but can choose the style of white top they wanted to wear.  You know how they say "you can wear it again?" well you can totally wear these again!  I think nowadays it's so important to get more then 1 wear out of things. With these skirts, you can dress it up or down..you can't go wrong with that!

 

Take a peek of these lovely ladies! Thank you to Miranda for sharing these pictures :)

 



oh, hello!

Hi there!

It would appear that life has completely gotten in the way of being able to blog.  That, and the fact that I have SO much to blog about and post about that I just can't yet! I find it hard to think about anything other then my house right now, we knew what we were getting into but this has been crazy!

I'm going to be doing an overhaul of this blog and starting (just about) from scratch. I've never been able to pin-point exactly what I want this blog to reflect but I've got some great stuff coming and I hope you'll join me!  In the next few weeks, I'll be posting some pictures of my home renovation. I mean from the very day we took possession to the dirty stuff like being knee deep in insulation and then hopefully the finished product, bit by bit!  I want to inspire young couples to not be afraid to jump in and tackle something like we did, its a very rewarding way to get into home ownership!

Let's just say -- when I say renovation, that's an understatement!  When we purchased the house, it was bad.  The home had been smoked in for years and years.  The carpet was blue and green, and the house was so compartmentalized.  We tore the ENTIRE thing apart, right down the studs.  As you'll see over the course of the next few weeks, sometimes it looks like although we had made progress, that we took 2 steps back.  We would get things cleaned up, only to have to dirty it all over again.

I hope you`ll join me as I start to show you the progress of our home!

Brisk Photoshoot

I love the snow.  You may think I'm crazy, but I hate the humidity that comes with the summer.  It's impossible to breathe and you can't wear anything without it sticking to you.  In the mornings, when I have to start my car, I run outside without a jacket and start the car.  I love the feeling of the cold air on my skin and it wakes me up.  

I've been wanting to take some really simple pictures to show my yoga mat straps off.  The sun was finally shining, which made for some great natural light in these pictures.  Our fingers and faces were frozen 5 minutes in, and we were knee deep in snow a few times..but they turned out great!! 

www.etsy.com/shop/hasinspiration

Project # 2

I recently finished reupholstering my second wingback chair, and I'm totally in love with it! I highly recommend going this route, instead of buying expensive vintage wingback chairs.  If you're lucky like I was, you'll get the chairs for free, but keep an eye on Kijiji and you may come across a gem!  I spent about $90 on this fabric, and I already had the staples and staple guns.  This is a project for anyone, you don't need to have experience reupholstering...I didn't!

My "Project # 1" post was of the first chair that I did.  I've seen these chairs in some pretty interesting patterns, mostly because they are so old and dated.  While the fabric on these chairs weren't HORRIBLE, they did need to be cleaned and updated.



We went with a brighter fabric for the first chair (as seen below).  For the second chair, I wanted a more neutral fabric.  I knew the second I saw this leafy pattern, that I had to have it!  It was perfect and I'm even more in love with it.

This is the chair before, and after with the fabric for the first one.

And this is the after of the second fabric I chose!

I'll get around to posting a bigger picture of the whole chair soon!

Project #1

 

 

A while back, before we moved into our rental, we inherited these two awesome wingback chairs. I saw the potential in them right away.  I have never tackled reupholstering something.  I am surrounded by fabric all day, every day.  If I'm not, I'm looking at it online to see what I can buy.  I knew what this could be, and when my boyfriend and I bought our house, it finally gave me a reason to finish them. 

 

The chairs weren't in bad condition, the arms and the seat were just a little dirty.  No rips or anything, they looked like they had hardly been sat in!  As I started to peel back the layers, the foam and padding were all in perfect condition and completely reusable.  I wanted something with a pop of colour, and finally settled on this amazing fabric.  It was hard to capture the exact colour on the camera, it's even brighter in person!

 

It took a little trial and error, having to pull the fabric and operate the staple gun at the same time.  For the first bit, I had a hard time getting the staples to even go into the wood of the chair.  Eventually I managed to get the hang of it all.  Surprisingly, no injuries were sustained!!

 

 

I didn't post a play by play of the taking apart and putting back together process.  I was so anxious to get it done, that once I started I didn't want to stop.  If you start by peeling off the back of the chair first, the rest is self-explanatory.  You will see how it was all put together.  I kept each piece and used it as a guide when cutting the new piece. 

 

 

 

 

There you have it! We are going with something a little more neutral for the other chair.  Renovations are underway to the new house, and I'm getting wayyyy to anxious to post pictures.  I might have to post a sneak peak of what we've been up too. 

 

Some people may think we are crazy taking on a total gut renovation, but I don't think we would want it any other way.  It's fun and we can make it our own from top to bottom, start with these chairs!

 

Fabric from Sew Fine Fabric

Wishlist Part 2: Home

This wishlist is the one I'm most excited for.  

BECAUSE I'M OFFICIALLY A HOMEOWNER!  That's right, my boyfriend and I have purchased our first home and we couldn't be more excited.  It's a project and it's far from move-in-ready.  We would go into a home and there was always something one of us didn't like about the property.  This was the perfect oppourtunity to do a house exactly how we want it, but still keep with the charm of an older home.  We didn't want to purchase a cookie-cutter house.  I'm excited to pick out flooring, kitchens, bathrooms and paint colours.  I've always found interior decorating very appealing and this is the ultimate test.  

What Etsy is also amazing for, is home decorating!  I can't get enough of the amazing products these shop owners offer, and it's taking everything I have NOT to go buck wild and buy everything...yet.  Some of these things will be the inspiration behind the pieces I create myself.

Here is some of my favourite looks right now for the Home, all of which I hope to have sitting in my house someday!

Pillow Cover - 5CHomeDecor

Knitted Blanket - KittysFlower

Vintage Kitchen Towels - sadieolive

Industrial Mirror Frame - GalahadFurniture 

Large Wall Art - saradecemberrose

Click the pictures to be taken to the Etsy shops! So excited to take this vision and apply it in my new home!

XO

My Fall Etsy Outfit Wishlist

I find myself searching online for those perfect fall pieces.  Sometimes I forget that they are right in front of me everyday!  I spend hours on Etsy, updating my shop, answering inquiries or adding new pieces.  It doesn't occur to me that most of what you are looking for online with those well known shopping websites, you can find on Etsy.  The fact is, the pieces are often much better quality and they are handmade..you can't go wrong!  If you have any questions, the shop owners are always happy to answer them. If the shop doesn't have what you're looking for, chances are the shop owner is willing to make it for you.  Fall is my favourite for weather AND fashion, so here is my fall Etsy wishlist!

Oversized Cowl - Victory Garden Yarn

Headband Ear Warmer - Plexida

Women's Oversized Cardigan - onor

Leather Tights - coloURlegs 

Vintage Leather Boots - greenbeing

Leather Purse - HandmadeLeatherkomal

There you have it! I could go on forever. Click on the picture to go to the Etsy shop.  Check back tomorrow for my fall HOME wish list!

XO