Tip of the week

Tidbit of the Week: What’s popping?

August 15, 2014August 15, 2014 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Tip of the week

History on a Thursday,

With the rain and all, it was feeling like a PJ “night in” when I arrived home from work.

I sat down tonight to a undeniably large bag of Sensations Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn made by Compliments – it was purely amazing by the way.

I must admit that I am that geeky person that reads the back of the snack bag to see what the write up is…always in anticipation of a photo of a field or some nice looking person with a wholesome smile.

I found out that Kettle Corn originated all the way back in the 18th century. Where was it found you ask? It was sold at Fairs! Kettle Corn is actually cooked with some sugar in iron kettles [hence the name I would say] and afterwards it is seasoned with salt.

Apparently I even like old-fashioned food!

There are many different stories around where the this crunchy stuff was derived from but I am going with Germany.

So here is the thing if you find any popcorn related antiques or vintage items [some examples to follow in a later post] for sale, I imagine they will soar in prices in the coming years. More so anything that comes from a Fair and even the Circus. They (these kinds of events) are not as popular as they used to be so popcorn related merchandise may become more scarce or rare.

This is my personal opinion that we can look back on in years to come. Hopefully the only other thing that will be popping [other than your popcorn] is your wallet after you sell a little piece of popcorn history in the future- man I’m corny.

Jewelz

Tip of the Week: Collecting, Designing and Records

July 8, 2014 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Tip of the week

Mondays can sure be hectic!

Why not take a few minutes to read something that inspires you or makes you smile? I usually take a few minutes a week to read quotes about collecting, designing and antiquing.

Eli Broad is one interesting and successful entrepreneur. He definitely appreciates the arts and has a way with words. A few of my favourite quotes from Eli are…

“The first thing I started collecting was stamps. Until I started discovering girls. That was the end of stamps.”
“The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn’t even thought of – and then meet it.”
“Collecting is more than just buying objects.”

His quotes always teach me a thing or two or provide a new perspective. I can relate to a lot of his business talk. I enjoy how some of his quotes are blunt or straight to the point.

There is yet another man in this world that I can relate to [from a design perspective] and that is Nate Berkus. He seems to heavily promote personal style vs. straight out of a magazine style a.k.a that room looks nice but I sure wouldn’t want to live there. His design style is classic and comfortable in my opinion.

I remember the first time I saw him on Oprah and said to myself – this guy is going to be BIG. I think his interior design style can be put into one word, timeless. His shower curtain is hanging in my bathroom. Yes- there are some things I buy new 😉

I connected with these sentences:

“I believe your home tells a story about who you are and who you aspire to be. We represent ourselves through the things we own. I don’t believe in trends. I believe in collecting things that you connect with. We should surround ourselves with things we care about, that have meaning.” Words well spoken!

Before I go there is nothing like a little music to sooth the soul. “Once you start collecting records you learn more and more about jazz and blues.” That is a quote from John Mayall a singer who has more under his belt than just singing. I am not sure I used that phrase correctly but anyway I really took to this quote. I can really relate to it!

I find the more and more I go through boxes of old records at sales the more I get to know about some of the great jazz and blues records. Some of them aren’t even well known or laced with famous people on the covers but when you listen to them they all sound a bit different and make you appreciate sound more and more.

Now time to sing a new tune. What coming to this blog? Vintage style and what’s on my radar as the next BIG vintage thing… it is not a scale this time.

Hope to see you soon!

Jewelz

Tip of the Week: Uses for Old Furniture & More

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Antique Furniture, Tip of the week, Vintage Furniture

Nobody said recycling couldn’t be creative!

I am happy to report I finally found my country homestead and will be moving in on July 14th.

Time to get my decorating hat on and bust out the old items that will lead a new life in my new home. I have come across some mega inspiring tips over the years and some crafty uses for old furniture and various objects- check em out.

Take a vintage Rake and hang it the wall -it will make an amazing necklace holder. You may wish to saw off some of the long handle for a different look.
Use a Large Ladder or a Mini Ladder as a shelf. One can be a floor shelf (the larger one) and the other a wall shelf. I am going to paint mine vibrant colours or give them a shabby chic “distressed” look. I have also seen someone chain a full length rustic ladder to the ceiling and hang pots & pans from it.
Suitcases, Trunks and File Cabinets can be dressed up and used as occasional/side tables. Or you can open up the suitcase and turn it into a chair by adding some cushy stuff to the inside and some sturdy legs. I have heard of the more solid (outer shell) suitcases being turned into medicine cabinets.
A Mattress Spring posted on the wall (I like portrait direction over landscape) can make an awesome message board for all your memories, to-do’s, mail and more.
Saw-Horses can act as desk legs and a wood palette as a desk top. Or Chair Backs can also double as super ornate table legs.
Got some old school Soda Crates? Paint them fun colours and attach them to the wall in a funky pattern. Use them for shoes, storage or anything that sits around your front door.
Decoupage your favourite Dresser that may have some deeper wear and tear with some interesting comic strips, aged music sheets or any other paper that strikes your fancy. I saw this beautiful shaped dressed the other day that had some bad dents and sharp cut-outs in it -it was selling for cheap and this would of made the perfect camouflage.
Wooden Doors can be turned into a delightful day bed. If you have tons of wooden doors consider using them as a bed head-board or a snazzy room divider. Meanwhile Shutters can make funky back drops (wall hangings) for photos (frames are attached to shutter) with a little bit of work. Some folk turn shutters into organization wall hangings as well.
I have seen antique Bottles and Jars wired to make exceptional lights. Or if that doesn’t turn your crank try turning a candy machine into a lamp. P.S A Chandelier that you don’t feel like wiring can be used as an outdoor bird feeder with a few small tweets -I mean tweaks.
This one time I saw someone fasten old Hardcover Books to the wall (with L shaped brackets) and use them as shelves. The only thing that topped that was when I saw a piano turned into a stunning water Fountain. Next time you see a free piano give it another look.

For those that have not been following this blog (or don’t know me) the past few months have been a rollercoaster to say the least. After many months selling my condo, one deal that fell through on inspection, an up in the air deal that never went through and many rural inspections – it is all over.

Come back real soon for my series – which will essentially be me taking a blank canvas and decorating it in all that is vintage and antique. If your a dude or diva on a dime or just are plain into recycling you won’t want to miss it.

Want to see photos of the above mentioned creative pieces? I will be making most of the items above so stay tuned.

Jewelz

Tip of the Week: Rain or Shine?

June 14, 2014 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in Tip of the week

I cannot wait to show you my finds for the day. One item is a little bigger so I got to pick it up tomorrow. My tip of the week is don’t think on days it supposed to rain garage/yard sales won’t be good.

Every person I visited today was dropping their prices by 50% because they were worried the stuff they had would get rained on or didn’t want lug things back inside the house or garage.

Rain instead of Shine isn’t always a bad thing – it may just be a bargaining chip!!!

Jewelz

Frank Lloyd Wright Timeless Colour & Mis-tints Tip of the Week

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 by Piece & Quiet Life, posted in How To's, Tip of the week

The architect should strive continually to simplify; the ensemble of the rooms should then be carefully considered that comfort and utility may go hand in hand with beauty.
– Frank Lloyd Wright

This afternoon I was out on the town and decided to pop into my local Randall’s décor store. I was curious to see what paint colour palettes they had. There were so many options! My eyes widened and took notice of all the calming blues, anti-stress greens and exciting reds.

I picked up the Frank Lloyd Wright –The Fallingwater and Taliesin Colour Palettes featuring inspiration drawn from the impressive American architect himself. The colours were used at his Fallingwater design and in his original Taliesin color palette from 1955.

The Fallingwater colours are all very rich and driven by nature they include Mountain Forest, Lion’s Mane and Cherokee Red, Frank Llyod Wright’s personal favourite. The thing about these colours is they would look excellent in a home that boasts vintage and antique furniture. When I think of timeless furniture I think of bold pieces that stand out and these powerful paint colours would match really well.

For those that dare to go on the brighter side and could use a little pastel on their wall there is the Taliesin palette which offers 36 hues. You will also find some neutral, cool and warm tones in this line-up all of which I think would look great in a space that is already filled with the warmth of antiques or vintage furniture. Some of the colours in this colour palette would also work well with a more retro space.

I thought I would share this with you in follow-up to a past post How to Decorate Smart with Older Furniture and Home Accessories just in case you are in the decorating mood.

Deep colours have a big impact in a room full of treasures. Don’t forget to check the mis-tint section of your local paint store when buying paint.

Not all stores have mis-tints (this is paint that may not have come out the right colour so a customer chose not to take it home) but most larger paint stores do. My plan is to get all the paint for my new home from the mis-tints section if possible. The cans are $15 vs. the regular $35 plus so there some big savings. Keep in mind in this case you may not have the chance to get a second touch-up can. Ask a person working at the store you go to if they have a mis-tints section, they should know what your talking about.

Come back soon for the scoop on painting antiques…

Jewelz.