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8/6/2019 0 Comments DIY Summer Inspired Console During one of my weekly trips to my local Ottawa Salvation Army thrift store on Richmond road, I found this tired console, hiding behind other furniture. I moved things around to get a better look and found that it was solid wood, still had its original hardware and it had beautiful bow front drawers.    I was inspired by our warm summer months, coastal and beachy feels for this console. I began by stripping the top back to the natural wood finish. I layered on Fusion All In One Finishing Stain and Oil in Cappuccino, Driftwood and White onto the raw wood. Starting with the darkest stain and layering on Driftwood and White to give a weathered grey finish. I love how it turned out.   To update the base of the console I used Snow from FAT paint, a crisp clean white. Click here to learn more about FAT paint. I don't typically paint furniture in neutrals, however the bright white is such a beautiful contrast and makes the weathered wood top the star. To protect the gorgeous white paint, I used FAT paint's Clear Top Coat to give a slight sheen and durability. Click here to see how to apply your Clear Coat. To give a little depth and highlight the details, I used Fusion Mineral Paint Pearl Metallic paint and painted all of the molding. Learn more about Fusion Mineral Paint here. I love finding furniture that still has its original hardware. Don't worry if your hardware looks old and tarnished, you can easily bring it back to an authentic lustre, by giving it a good scrub with Bar Keeper's Friend.  I love how this turned out! By adding in this soft pink, fun pineapple art it gives a contemporary and warm feel. The gold decor accentuates the hardware. This once tired thrift store find is now a gorgeously updated piece. Don't miss out on an outdated piece of furniture, you can easily and beautifully refinish it to be the centerpiece in your home. Happy thrifting!
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I love thrifting! I especially love to thrift when I am looking to change things up in my home with seasonal decor. One of my top tips whenever I am searching for items is to hit my local Salvation Army thrift store often. Here are my top 5 thrifted items that I found at my local store on Richmond road in Ottawa that are perfect for the summer season. 1. Art Deco Wall Sconce  I found a pair of gorgeous art deco sconces with an ombre metallic finish. This find will be perfect with flameless candles and hung on a patio. 2. Thrifted Wine Glasses  Buy wine glasses instead of plastic glasses when entertaining. It will up your entertaining game and is environmentally friendly. 3. Thrifted Art  I found this gorgeous piece of art filled with stunning shades of blues, greens and rusty oranges. Thifted art is a great way to get inspiration and changes up your seasonal colour schemes. If you don't love the colour of the frame you can easily paint it. 4. Natural Woven Baskets  Thrifted baskets for plants are always an amazing find. It is a great way to inexpensively infuse more texture and natural fibers into your home and it is a stunning way to display your plants. 5.Thrifted Plates  Finding colourful, unique plates is a great way to save money when entertaining. Not only are you being kind to the planet, you are also making a make a colourful impact on your table setting. Next time you are looking to make a seasonal change to your decor, make sure to hit your local thrift store to get some inspiration. Happy Thrifting!
Thrifting for chairs is a great way to find inexpensive, excellent quality chairs that can easily be transformed and seamlessly incorporated into your home. Check out my 3 tips to on how to upcycle your own thrifted chair.  1.Move Past The Finish Don’t focus on the colour or the overall tired look of a chair. I found this outdated looking chair at my local Ottawa Salvation Army thrift store. At first glance, this chair does look a little sad and not very comfortable. All of that can be easily changed, but if you take a closer look at this chair it is in excellent condition; it’s sturdy, solid wood and the legs are gorgeous! With a new foam seat, fabric and a stunning colour of paint, this chair would be an easy upcycle. Make sure to look at the overall structure, details and material of the chair. Click here to watch a video on how to get the best finds when thrifting. 2. Prepping Is The Key  The first step in upcycling a chair is to prep it first. Chairs typically will have grease and oil build up, use TSP to clean them. Fusion TSP is my favorite to use. Once cleaned, use 220 sandpaper and gently scuff up the wood to give it a little tooth. Give your chair a quick wipe down with a damp lint free cloth to finish off your prep. Click here to watch a video on how to properly prep your furniture. 3. Paint It    To transform and update your chair, paint it in a fun colour. Two of my favourite paint brands to use when I am upcycling furniture is FAT paint and Fusion Mineral paint. They both are very easy to use and don’t require any heavy duty sanding or priming. Learn more about FAT paint and about Fusion Mineral paint. I love the look of a bright modern colour on a vintage chair.  Reupholstering the seats with new foam and fabric is fairly easy and came make a big impact. Head to your local fabric store to find the perfect fabric and more information on how to reupholster your seat. Make sure to hit your local thrift store, they always have a great selection of vintage chairs to choose from and you can create a custom look to seamlessly incorporate into your space. Happy thrifting!
Canadian summers are so short that we try to soak up every minute of it. Using our outside spaces to gather and entertain guests is a great way to enjoy the warmer weather. Creating a beautiful table setting can be costly but you can save money by thrifting. It may even leave you with some extra money in the budget to get a nice bottle of wine or a decadent cheese to enjoy. When decorating outdoor spaces you can go with a more neutral table setting to let the beautiful colours of a landscaped yard stand out or you can have some fun by adding in some gorgeous colour to accentuate your space. One of the colour combinations I am loving right now is green and blush pink. Here are a few photos that I am inspired by.  Photo credit House Beautiful  Photo credit House Beautiful  Photo credit House Beautiful I stopped by my local Ottawa Salvation Army thrift store to see what I could find that would work with my colour scheme. Here’s what I found:    One pro tip to help you visual when trying to pull your look together is to use a table at your thrift store to set up your place settings. By doing this, I was able to try out different items and see what worked best for the look I was trying to achieve.  I love these thrifted pieces that I found! By adding a linen tablecloth, silverware and some gorgeous peonies in the blush vase you have created a stunning space on a budget. Next time you are looking to decorate, make sure to hit up your thrift store! Happy thrifting! Click here to get more tips on how to find get the best finds when thrifting.
6/15/2019 0 Comments Up Your Home's Curb Appeal- Paint Your Door In One Of This Year's Trendiest ColoursIt’s hard to believe that Summer is almost here! It’s time to refresh and bring in fun, bright colours into your home. One thrifty way to make a big impact to your home is to paint your front door. You can simply up your curb appeal just by painting your front door in a trendy colour that you love. Painting your door is so easy to do. It is a great way to have fun with a stylish colour, it will put a smile on your face when you come home after a long day and make your guest feel welcomed, even before they step inside your home. There are lots of paint brands on the market but two of my favorites paints to use whenever I upcycle is, Canadian-made Fusion Mineral Paint and FAT Paint. Click here to learn more about Fusion and here to learn about FAT paint. They are both easy to use, have gorgeous colour palettes and do not require priming or heavy duty sanding. With so many gorgeous colour trends you can have some fun. Here are a few of this year's hottest front door colours.  This happy and inviting blue is on trend and will definitely have your guests feeling welcomed. Get this look by using Robyn's Egg from FAT paint.   Painting your door in this fun yellow will make your house the cheeriest on the block! Accessorize with a few planters and yellow flowers to tie this look together. Get this look by using Fusion Mineral paint Prairie Sunset.   Draw your inspiration from nature by painting your door in sage or muted greens. Get this look from using Bayberry from Fusion Mineral Paint.   Become the trendsetter on your block by painting your door in one of this year’s hottest colours. Soft pinks and blush have a more elegant and contemporary feel and are not overly feminine. Get this look by using Blush from FAT paint.  Blush by FAT paint Taking the right steps is essential to achieving the best results. Don’t worry... I’ve got you covered. Check out my steps to up your curb appeal and paint your door. Prepping is key Prepping is key when painting. Using Fusion TSP to clean your door will remove any oils and grease. Once it’s dry, use 220 sandpaper to scuff up your door, giving it a little tooth while removing any paint that may be chipping. Then use a shop rag and clean water to rinse off the residue. Click here to watch a video how to prep.  Wood door or metal? If your door is wood you can begin painting. If your door is metal or has an oil based paint on it, use Fusion Ultra grip first to help your paint adhere. Click here to learn how to apply Ultra Grip for best results. After waiting 12 hours you are ready to get started!  Brush or Roller? After choosing your front door colour, using a microfibre roller and a Staalmeester synthetic brush will give the best results and a smooth finish. Using the roller on longer sections of the door will avoid brush strokes while the brush will help get into hard to reach spots. Avoid painting your door while the sun is shining directly on it, or you risk having the paint dry too fast and causing brush strokes. Paint your door with 2 coats of paints. If you are using Fusion, wait approximately 4 hours in between coats, with FAT paint, you can continue painting as soon as it dries.
No topcoat is needed over Fusion. If using FAT paint, use FAT paint Clear top coat to seal your gorgeous colour and to give it durability. Click here to watch a video on how to easily apply your clear coat.  Painting your front door is an easy, inexpensive way to have fun with trends and up your curb appeal. Looking for more tips on how to refresh your decor with? Watch our Daytime Ottawa and CTV Morning Live segments for more tips. Happy painting!
A great way to refresh your decor is to change up your wall art. I love hitting the art aisle whenever I stop into my local Ottawa Salvation Army thrift store. It’s a thrifty way to change your decor seasonally, introduce new colour schemes or change the mood in your space.  I love the bright, bold colours in this canvas. By simply adding acessories in yellows, oranges or the Pantone’s colour of the year Living Coral, you can seamlessly incorporate this art into your space. Click here to watch my CTV segment to learn tips on getting some of this year colour trends in your space.   One of the many reasons I love thrifting is the thrill of finding unique pieces. These pair of stunning one-of-a-kind Mexican art is definitely one of them. The elaborate detail and the cheerful colours will brighten any space.  Using black and white art is also a great way to add a little drama to your space and gives more options when introducing accent colours. This piece of would be perfect with accents of Millennial Pink!
An easy tip to follow when you are thrifting for art for your home is to look for pieces that you love. By introducing art that you love in your space it will give you an easy jumping off point to refresh your space. Click here to watch our CTV and Daytime Ottawa segment with tips on how you can easily refresh your space. Happy thrifting! 5/23/2019 0 Comments DIY Thrifted ChalkboardI found this hidden gem at the new Bells Corner Salvation Army thrift store in Ottawa. I love the stature of the ornate frame! This gorgeous wool retro needle point design, is a throwback to colour by number art. Both are amazing on their own, but the styles do not work well together.  I decided to transform the frame for a project I was working on and create a chalkboard menu for Strawberry Blonde Bakery. Check out my steps to creating your own thrifted chalkboard.  The first step was to carefully remove the needlepoint design; I will use it for another project.  I started by cleaning the frame with Fusion TSP. Once dry, I lightly scuffed up the frame with 220 sandpaper to give it some tooth and then wiped it off with a damp lint free cloth. By taking this important step, I have a clean surface to start with and will not run into problems with my paint adhering. Click here to watch a video on how to prep. Fusion Vintage Metallic paint was the perfect choice to refresh the frame and give it more of an elegant, classic feel. By using a rounded Staalmeester brush, I was able to get a beautiful smooth coverage in 2 coats of paint. Click here to learn more about Fusion Mineral Paint.  After waiting 4 hours for the paint to completely dry, I used Fusion black wax to highlight all of the gorgeous detail on the frame. I used a wax brush to get into all of the details, wiping back and pushing the wax to add some depth. Once I applied it where I wanted, it was done!   I hit my local hardware store for a piece of hardboard and cut it to size. I used 2 coats of chalkboard paint, one painted horizontally and the other vertically and waited an hour between each coat.  Once dry, I "seasoned" the chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk all over the chalkboard. That’s it! Now it’s ready to head over to Strawberry Blonde Bakery new location, adding a gorgeous vintage vibe to their space. Looking to learn more on how to get great finds when thrifting? Click here for more tips! Click here to see our lastest course and workshop schedule.  Thrifting for furniture is an inexpensive way to find quality, unique pieces to decorate your space. There are so many great pieces you can find that just need a little bit of updating. Don’t miss out on a piece with great potential just because you don’t like the colour! Click here to learn how to get the best finds when you are thrifting. Check out my tips on how you can easily transform thrifted furniture into beautiful pieces!  Before  After Prep is a Must! The most important step when painting furniture is to always prep first. Prepping is a 3 step process where you first clean your furniture with TSP- Fusion’s TSP is my favourite. Use 220 sandpaper to scuff your furniture; scuffing the whole piece as if wiping down your kitchen table. You do not need to pull out the hand sander, way too much work! The final step is to wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust or residue. Click here to see how to prep your furniture.  Before  After Paint it! Transforming furniture is easy and fun when using quality furniture paint. With many brands you do not need to prime, strip or do a heavy duty sanding before painting. Two of my favourite brands to refinish furniture with is FAT paint and Fusion Mineral paint. Both are durable, have great adhesion and have a wide range of gorgeous colours to choose from. Learn more about FAT paint here and Fusion Mineral paint here.  Before  After Have fun with colour! Painting furniture is a great way to add a little colour to your space and play with colour trends. You could add a bold colour to your space without having to make a long term commitment. If your tastes change you can just repaint it!
Click here to watch my CTV Morning Live segment on how to get colour trends when your on a tight budget Next time you are at a Salvation Army thrift store, make sure to check out the furniture. There may be a unique but tired piece just waiting to be painted! Happy painting! #Earthlovesthrift I love bringing plants into my space! It’s an easy and thrifty way to decorate. By just adding in some lush green plants, it can create a feeling of warmth and brings nature indoors. One tip to really step it when you are decorating with plants is to find great ways to display them. I hit my local Ottawa Salvation Army Thrift store on Richmond road to see what I could find.  I was so happy to find these amazing baskets! I love the natural tones. It keeps the plants the focus, while the weave of the baskets brings texture and adds depth to any space.  Using natural materials continues to be a big trend in Interior design and is a fabulous way to add an organic feel to your space. Baskets are always something I seem to find whenever I go to the Salvation Army thrift store. Next time you are there make sure to take a look, you will be amazed at some the unique styles of baskets you can find and how you can easily step up your decor game. Click here to watch my CTV Morning Live segment on how to get #Earthlovesthrift
The tough winter we have just endured here in Canada has left me craving all things Spring. I wanted to create spring inspired decor, so I hit my local Ottawa Salvation Army store on Richmond road to see what I could find. I found this fantastic dresser with clean lines and great hardware. It is the perfect canvas for my spring inspired project. The dresser was in great condition, very solid but the finish was tired and outdated. I knew that I could easily transform and update this dresser by painting it. Check out the steps I took to transform this dresser from tired to a gorgeous spring inspired dresser. Click here to watch a video with tips on how to get the best finds when thrifting.  Materials you will need:
 The most important step when painting furniture is to always prep first. Prepping is a 3 step process where you first clean your furniture with TSP- Fusion’s TSP is my favourite to use. Once I gave it a good clean, I used 220 sandpaper to scuff the dresser; scuffing the whole dresser as if I was wiping down my kitchen table. You do not need to pull out the hand sander, way too much work! The final step was to wipe down the dresser with a damp cloth to remove any dust or residue. Click here to watch how to prep your furniture. With the dresser having a laminate veneer, I needed to apply Fusion Ultra Grip in one thin coat to ensure proper adhesion. After 12 hours of curing, it was time to start painting! Click here to learn how to get amazing results when applying Ultra Grip. My inspiration for this dresser was this gorgeous botanical transfer from Redesign with Prima. I have been waiting to find the right piece of furniture to use this transfer and this dresser is perfect for it!  I used Fusion Mineral Paint Raw Silk, a beautiful warm white to paint the dresser. It’s the perfect creamy white to contrast the stunning green botanical transfer. Click here to learn more about Fusion Mineral Paint. After 2 coats of paint, I waited 48 hours before applying the transfer to avoid cracking and ensuring proper adhesion.  I cut each leaf out and placed them individually over the dresser. Once I established where I wanted to place the transfer, I removed the wax layer and gently placed the transfer onto the dresser. Using the applicator, I firmly rubbed the transfer onto the dresser for about 30 to 45 seconds and then gently peeled back the transfer paper.  Once I was happy with the placement of the transfers, I applied 2 coats of FAT paint Clear Top Coat to seal and protect the transfers. The clear coat dries very quickly and I was able to decorate as soon as it was dry. Click here to learn how to apply FAT paint Clear Coat. I found some gorgeous baskets at The Salvation Army thrift store. I hung them to add some texture and to give it an organic feel. This once tired dresser now brings a bright, contemporary spring inspired feel into this space, even when it doesn’t feel like spring outside. Have fun and happy painting!    |
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