A Family of White Farmhouse Dining Chairs

These chairs were my big find this week.  A whole family of vintage white farmhouse chairs.  I am a huge fan of white chairs.  I especially like the juxtaposition of old and new, mismatched to the table yet perfectly matched chairs.  A set of white chairs add repetition and rhythmn to a room. 

Take this dining room for instance. How gorgeous is this room above?.  That massive table and crisp, simple white chairs.  (sorry I can't find the source). 

This image is from Country Living Magazine.  It's very Rachel Ashwell, very fresh and very livable.  I would so do this in a victorian style house.

And then there's the beach house from http://www.countryliving.com/ . Chunky, sturdy white chairs with a pale table top and saw horse legs.

 So why am I going on about white chairs.  Because I love white chairs, and because we found the best white farmhouse chairs ever. Yesterday, Lorraine and I went hunting.  Fresh from the "man tries to steal our table" incident, we have a New Strategy.  New rules. New game plan.

1.  Never leave the prize unattended.

2.  Keep quiet and inconspicuous.  No squealing, clapping or jumping.

3.  Visibly mark the "prize" as ours.  (sit on it, pick it up, put your purse on it) so there is no confusion as to who got it first.

4. Inform a person of authority (sales clerk) ASAP that we intend to purchase it.

Anyway we were in our favourite haunt, and she was way out of range (we should get walkie talkies) when I saw these....

A family of five white farmhouse chairs, all with just the right amount of worn paint and heavy and sturdy and just so farmhouse perfect.  And a bonus.  Just in the back right you can see a 6th chair, the black sheep of this chair family.  Identical to the others, but for some reason left unpainted.  A lone wolf.  Which made me think of Vincente Wolf.  He has been known to paint wooden chairs all one color and make just one slightly different in color.  This chair could be gray-er, cream-ier, pink-ier.....

Anyway, I immediately corralled them into a huddle, threw down my coat, purse and my leg on one and sat firmly down. I watched and waited feeling very smug and eventually Lorraine breezes along and suddenly notices me sitting down.  "Oh you're having a sit down" in her lovely London accent.  "Oh, you're sitting on some chairs" (I can hear her voice getting higher as she identifies them as treasures)  and even higher and more excited "Do you like those chairs you're sitting on?"  By now the whole shop had noticed the chairs, but clearly knew who they belonged to.

Anyway, long story short, this is the vision for these chairs.Something like this...chunky table, casual white chairs and white walls....

Image from www.housetohome.co.uk

Or for a less matchy poo look, different chairs unified with white, easy to accomplish with an assortment of chairs..

www.decor8.blogspot.com

I am participation in Furniture Friday at http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com/

Sarah Richardson's Farmhouse - Part 2

It seems that everyone really enjoys Sarah Richardson and especially her show "Sarah's House".  It also appears that I am behind 4 Episodes, so I will catch you all up over the next week or so.  Above is one of the guest bedrooms with a herringbone rug (chosen by Tommy of course)(when is Tommy going to get his own show) paisley curtains and a crazy headboard.

I love this.....check out that nailhead trim

Glitzy lamps with a farmhouse table...

Flea market finds...

I love the paisley curtains too.  The upholstered chair is from Sarah Richardson Designs.

The next bedroom brings in the cranberry color she started with in the mudroom, and paisley again on the pillows.  She had the nighstands sprayed this color.

The victorian chair was recovered in a stripe and the curtains if you can't tell are polka dot.  Personally I love the quilt and the bed, but I am not keen at all on the spotty drapes, the chair fabric, bench fabric or the blue on those built-ins.  And this shocks me...it really does... because I have never, ever NOT liked a single thing that Sarah and Tommy have chosen.. 

Dying to know what her fans think of it...

Next  time I will post the kitchen........

All images from www.hgtv.ca

The "Sparkle and Pink" Giveaway Winner

Lorraine and I are so happy to announce the winner of our "Sparkle and Pink" giveaway.

All the entries went into a bag and Lorraine pulled out the winner!

 It is Lisa from All the bits and pieces
Lisa, we  have contacted Lisa by email, but just in case it went to your junk pile Lisa, please email me with your address.  Lisa mentioned in her comment that she would pick the jugs if she won, so that is what we will mail along with a gorgeous silver tray.  We had a look at Lisa's blog and it seems like she is a very busy mum to 3 young children, and what mum couldn't use a pretty gift just for herself.

We want to thank everyone for entering the giveway and also for leaving us such good feeback on the shop, and also for the encouragement and supportive comments.  It really does make a difference to have good feedback and such lovely followers.  We are also thrilled to have so many new followers. Congratulations Lisa,

Chania and Lorraine

Sarah Richardson's Farmhouse

Canadian designer Sarah Richardson is a well loved designer, popular here in Canada, in the USA and, she seems to have a loyal following in Australia.   She has recently purchased a 150 year old farmhouse near Creemore Ontario.  Each week a new room in the farmhouse is featured on her HGTV show Sarah's House.  While the show is running, I thought would post the pictures so you can follow along if you don't get her show on your cable service.

Here's a little picture of her house-a very typical Canadian style farmhouse, one you could find anywhere in Ontario.  Price $500,000.  Renovation budget $600,000.  It has a large acreage, but to me that still seems like a whopping $ for such a house.  Probably because it is within an hour of Toronto, so you could commute. 

She started with the mud room and powder room, building these custom closets around on old vintage piece she found at Christie Antique Market.  Interestingly, she had an antique restorer, fix it up for her ,and he told her it was not that old, (1950's he said) despite it's very ancient look.  She went with a cranberry paint on the doors here..a change from black painted doors which are so common with designers right now.

She built the powder room right in the middle to create a division and space for coat racks and a further "room" on the other side.

Canadian Farmhouse Style

A brass sphere was drilled and wired into an unusual fixture in the powder room. Interesting juxtaposition of the wallpaper, fixture and farm table vanity.

Next week I will show you the bedrooms.  Seeing the mudroom, I assumed that the color scheme would carry the Cranberry through to all the rooms.  Apparently NOT!.

All Photos from www.hgtv.com

What to do with Granny's Silver Tray

I often see silver trays like the one above at flea markets and antique shops, yet seldom see them actually used by anyone at home.  Perhaps because they seem a bit old fashioned.......

Or too formal.......

....or way too high maintanance or have no purpose.....this one above has just the right amount of tarnish...

Throw all your dresser "bits" on one....this photo above is my dresser tray full of things I never put away properly.  It keeps me tidier to have one spot to set them down and not scattered around.

This one I put in the bathroom to corral the soap and other pretties.

I also use them for bar trays...you can set them on a buffet or any cupboard or dresser, add a pretty dish for sliced lemons, and they look great.

I like to use them to display interesting bits on the coffee table.  They unify collections and give them more weight and substance.  Smaller items can make the place look cluttery when scattered around, but grouped with other interesting bits, they are like a little showcase for treasures.  Here I scattered some of my seashells, a twinkly eiffel tower ornament with pretty ribbon--too pretty to put away...and a handful of really disgusting tasting, but very pretty to look at candies, to make an interesting, contemporary vignette on my coffee table.

If you have not entered our Sparkle and Pink Giveaway, you still have time, so click here

I am participating in Metamorphis Monday over here at Between Naps on the Porch.

Impromptu Good Friday Party

Photo from www.worldwidewine.com

I looked out the front window yesterday afternoon and saw someone leaning against the car resting.  It was a neighbor out exercising who had paused to rest.  I offered him a drink and he, Blake and I sat on the porch.  Another neighbor came by, and another.......then the kids arrived from Montreal....the sun was shining, and we ended up with a wonderful improptu porch party of 17 people.  One neighbor brought over shrimp, I put out cake.....and it got me thinking, how spring and summer are

 so much more social, and also how impromptu parties can be so much more fun than a planned party.

My favourite one was a bonfire party last March (Good thing that one was walking distance) Have you had a great Improptu Party?  I would love to hear about it....

Grand Opening and our "SPARKLE AND PINK GIVEAWAY"

Hi Everyone !

I hope you like our Magazine Cover Ad...not a real magazine of course, but we thought it would be a fun way to advertise Razmataz.  Each month it will change with a new photo and features to let people know whats going on and whats new. 

 Today is our big day - the grand opening of our Online shop RAZMATAZ.  Lorraine and I have been filling our shop with all kinds of vintage treasures including Silver, Linens, Furnishings, Collectables and Salvage and New Gift items, such as our handmade soaps.  We also have custom drapery and upholstery as part of our design services.  If you live near Oakville or Burlington Ontario please come by and have tea with us at the shop. (call first or email as we are appointment only)  The plan is to have several Market days a year, when we open our doors for local buyers and the rest of the time we will be by appointment only and of course Online Shopping.  

And so...to celebrate we are holding a giveaway.  We call it our "Sparkle and Pink" giveaway because the winner will get this...

  

This gorgeous tray is the SPARKLE

AND your choice of

This set of 4 beautiful J & G Meakin Hotelware coffee cups and saucers in the best pink ever.

These are a rare find, I have never seen a set of 4 complete with saucers in this color.

OR

This set of two J & G Meakin jugs.  The big guy is a whopping 11" tall and makes a gorgeous jug for the flowers.  The little one is perfect for cream.  This is also an unusual find as these big pink pieces are just not out there.
That's the PINK

How pretty is this?

This giveaway is worth $85.00. To Enter our giveaway, here is what you need to do.

1. Go onto RAZMATAZ and have a look around then leave a comment here about what kind of items interest you (market research for us) and if you win, whether you would pick the coffee cups or the jugs.

 (1 Chance)

2. Post about the "Sparkle and Pink" giveaway on your blog with a link to this post, and leave me a comment to tell me you did. (2nd chance)

3. Become a follower- or add Razmataz http://www.razmatazblog.blogspot.com/ to your blog roll favorites list on your sidebar.......(3rd chance)

We will be drawing using a random selector (Lorraine and a jam jar filled with little bits of paper) On Wednesday April 7th. Let us know in your comment if you posted or followed or added us to your blog list so we know how many times to enter your name.

Thanks everyone and good luck!

Pretty bits

Thought you may like some more pictures of "the shop".  April 1st is our official day to have everything ready.  We have been polishing, photographing and madly entering things into the computer and most of all having fun.

 April 1st will also be the start of our "Sparkle and Pink" Giveaway, and we have been trying to decide on our lovely gift. (we like to add some little extras).  So please check back on Thursday April 1st, and we should have things sorted.

Blogger Award

I am really thrilled to have been give a Beautiful Blogger Award by Carrie over here at

 The Vintage Wren . Carrie has a lovely blog where she writes from the heart and is a treat to visit, so if you have not already been there...go now.  Thank you Carrie.

I have to now share 7 things about myself, and because I have trouble narrowing things down I have condensed a bunch of them into one x 7.  So here they are.  ( I recently had an award so I kinda re-used this list)  Is that allowed? 

1. I was born in Nairobi Kenya, left when I was 6. In Kenya we lived in a railway car for a month. A snake killed my cat, the African kids threw stones at me on the way to school, I almost drowned swimming in the Indian ocean when I was 5, my grandmother owned a donkey called Semolina and a shot gun, monkeys ate our tea, we slept under mosquito nets, we had a "houseboy", elephants would block the road, a pole snatcher stole my blankets. And that's all I remember of Kenya before we took a long boat ride to England.

2. I lived in England for 6 years. My relatives are all English. My mum managed on her own with the 4 of us while my dad worked in Saudi Arabia. We never knew my dad's family although they lived in Nottingham, we were not allowed contact. It was one of my lifes goals to find them. I found them all via the Internet in 2008(10 siblings) almost 60 years after he left home at 17. They are mostly in the UK and Australia. They are lovely. I wish I had had them growing up.

3. I moved to Canada when I was 12. I was a big nerd and teased a lot about my British accent which I promptly lost. I met my husband in high school at 16 and married him and had kids in my early 20's. My son is 24 and is in commercial real estate and lives in Montreal. He has a wonderful GF who I adore. My daughter is 22, a makeup artist and hairdresser and she lives 10 minutes away. I don't feel British, Kenyan or Canadian really.

4. I used to be a Medical Office Administrator which is the new name for Secretary. I worked for a family physician who got arrested for billing fraud and the police raided the office and I had to go to court. I then went to work for, as my kids used to say "the bum doctor" and worked for a rectal surgeon. Rectal surgery was not at all what it was cracked up to be, so I made a move to Orthopaedic Oncology where I worked for the most incredible but somewhat crazy (I mean that in the nicest way) surgeon who performed limb salvage surgery (adults and kids). Sadly he died tragically at 48. I went back to college at 45 and got my diploma in Interior Decorating. I got straight A's in college after being a pittiful student all my life.

5. I am a self employed Interior Decorator about to open an online shop of vintage housewares and home goods, a collector but not a hoarder. I have about 30 collections (keep checking the blog, I am sure you will eventually see them all). I challenged myself to read a book a week for 2010, but have only read 4 so far. I try to read Canadian Authors as I believe in supporting the Canadian arts. I like to shop at flea markets, not malls. If you were to buy me a bithday gift, it should be old, worn ,tarnished and battered.

6. I love my Gracie dog, Hannah cat and miss my Mooch boy who died of leukemia. I love, love, love to cook and bake and love Ina Garten and wish I had met Julia Child. For a treat for my daughters 8th birthday she asked for a store bought cake!

If I didn't decorate I would open a cafe. With vintage cups and flowery dishes with homemade buttertarts and organic tomato soup. I set my table with vintage linens and old dishes. I am organized but not tidy. If I was vacuuming and found a Smartie under the sofa, I would so eat it.

7. I am a late bloomer. I didn't get my hair right until last year, struggle with my weight, my mind jumps from here to there and I have so many things on the go but not completed. I do fiber art making hand made felt, would love to learn to paint, love my little cottage and my garden. I found my confidence last year and myself too. Oh... and I was named after a waterfall in Nairobi called Chania Falls. It is pronounced Chania like Taunya, but with a ch.

That's it. 7 things you didn't know before.

 

And now I have to pass onto 7 people, so here are some wonderful blogs that I read daily.

1.  Cranberry Cottage with Melissa over here

2. Lulu at Dusty Lu here

3. A perfect Gray who has an interesting call for posts here

4. The lovely Beach Vintage here

5.  Pebbledash from the UK here

6.  Pretty Far West. (hilarious) here

7. Mamas Without Borders here

 

If I have left out one of my favorites, it is because I had to nominate 7 people recently and I did not want to award you twice so quickly but I wanted to, you deserve it.

Giveaways all over the place! Including MATTHEW MEAD!

There are so many great giveaways right now on some of my favourite blogs.  Just so you can keep up with them all, I am listing them for you to make your life easier.

1. Maria at Dreamy Whites has a gorgeous giveway of a Queen size duvet from Annette Tatum here

2. Joni at Cote de Texas is having a Doxa pillow or gift card draw here

3. The lovely Tina at Rubies Place has 3 pairs of beautiful earings.  Take a look here

4. Her friend Anna has a hand knit mug cosy at Lola de Anna right here

5. Over at Donatella Style there is a copy of Rachell Ashwell's new book.  You can see this here

6.  Nellie at McCarthy Designs is holding her first giveaway over here.  She is giving away some gorgeous paper products and cool wall tattoos.

7.  And Ness at Marley and Lockyer still has her lovely pillow giveaway here
8.  Matthew Mead Giveaway- This one os a good one. see below:

Head over to Holiday with Matthew Mead to find out how you can win the opportunity to have your blog or online shop mentioned in the magazine. Holiday with Matthew Mead is a "book-azine" celebrating and offering inspiration for the Christmas holiday season. To be released in October 2010, Holiday is offered via online orders only - in limited quantities - and will not be sold on newsstands. But, by simply following the BUY HOLIDAY MAGAZINE link below their banner, you can reserve your own copy of this beautiful magazine, with guaranteed delivery of the magazine straight to your mailbox! Holiday with Matthew Mead is144 pages of holiday inspiration with well-known and admired designers, bloggers and top-notch features, printed on beautiful paper and not drowning in ads!
Now, head on over Here for your chance to win!

And Just in Case you are wondering who is giving away those pink vintage hotel cups in the photo...Razmataz...right here starting Thursday.  April 1st is our official opening day of our online shop and to celebrate, we are going to hold a giveway starting Thursday  April 1.  We are calling it the "Sparkle and Pink" giveaway.  The winner will be receving those cups, plus something sparkly...a surprise right now.  Check back this Thursday and we'll fill you in on the details and the rest of the prize. 

From old and drab to Modern Vintage

When I spotted this china cabinet in a consignment store recently, I knew immedaitely it could be interesting and certainly more current if it had a facelift.

Made out of walnut, it was solid and well crafted, but heavy and dark and really quite typical of so many cabinets of its era.

 

To make it fresh, I removed the Chippendale mullions, sanded the whole piece, and gave it two coats of Farrow and Ball's Pointing.

I added vintage glass knobs.  I then broke the glass before it was reinstalled, so more is on order

I think it looks much fresher now...

Especially filled with monocromatic white ironstone and creamware.
PS.  A blog reader suggested I use chicken wire instead of glass, and that reminded me I have some industril stainless steel rectangular grid mesh that would look great and keep it more modern looking.

Don't miss our Sparkle and Pink Giveaway here to win 4 vintage pink cups and a gorgeous silver tray.

I am participating in Friday Furniture Feature at Miss Mustard Seed . (This was from last Friday, but Miss Mustard was away, so I am including it for this friday.