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Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a mostly quiet, very chilly week here. If you’re having a bit of a cold snap after enjoying a few weeks of “fool’s spring” too, I hope you’re staying cozy!
I had the best luck at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago. Well, actually, it was two thrift stores. I really don’t get out to go look around very often, but I had a feeling I should go take a quick peek on two separate days during this one particular week, and my thrifty intuition was right on. I had to take Jack to a training camp in Windsor, so I decided to pop in at the Value Village there to kill some time. First of all, I came across the most beautiful vintage picnic basket in the perfect dimensions to stack on top of my other similar basket. That alone would have been enough, but I also came across the perfect walnut tray with aged brass accents, a black vintage empire lampshade, and even a set of four brown transferware side plates, which I can always use more of. A few days later at my local store, I found the perfect little vintage handled basket that I’ve been needing for a spot on the wall, and the most amazing double candlestick lamp. Unfortunately, the lamp will need a special shade, and not the empire shade that I found a few days earlier (that ended up on the thrifted lamp that you see above and below). So now the search for the perfect shade begins. I always seem to have the best luck when I go out treasure hunting, so there’s no reason to believe that needs to stop now. 🙂
A moment of appreciation for the details on this lamp base. I found this at Goodwill a few months ago and had just been holding on to it in the basement. I think I paid $4 for it!
We’re just finishing up a little project we started a couple of months ago to fix up our under-stairs storage area. The area under our stairs did have storage previously, but it was kind of a black hole and not so inviting or clean, really. There was definitely some kind of direct path into the area for mice because we had an incident years ago with a mouse eating right through a Hungry Hungry Hippos game to get to the little balls inside. Apparently, they were made from a type of plastic that was very tasty. Anyway, we decided to seal the area off, clean it up, add in some shelving, and fix the door and trim so that it’s both functional and respectable looking. We now have a clean and easily accessible board game storage area. I really like the new gate hinges we added on and the trim that we made ourselves to match the original trim that was already on the stairs. I’ll share more about this project soon once we paint it and add a few finishing touches.
I’m in the middle of a full dietary/lifestyle reset right now after finally discovering that some pesky ongoing health issues were probably actually stomach issues and probably just from years of stress. I’m definitely someone who can’t sit still, and I have to kind of relearn to rest over and over again, and this time, it’s finally caught up to me. I’ll have to keep my food choices really healthy and simple over the next little while, but I’m hoping to find a way to still experiment with making treats. I love my Friday night baking sessions, so I hope to continue those, but you’ll definitely be seeing some healthier dessert and food options here on the blog. I’m trying to lean into lifestyle changes that help me relax a little more, like nightly yoga, not skipping the gym so I can “get more done”, and removing other unhealthy things from my home and my life. It’s a work in progress, and it will be for a while, but ultimately, I think these changes will be for the better.
We got tired of killing $1000 vacuums, so we did a little research and found this relatively inexpensive one to try instead. Let me tell you: we love this vacuum! It has incredible suction, and I hate to say it, but it really is much more powerful than our previous heavy, high-end vacuum. The battery life on this vacuum is great, and we love that it uses the same batteries as some of our other power tools, so we always have extras. If a battery dies, we just grab one off the charger, switch it, and keep working. One of my favorite features is kind of a funny one. It has this little headlight on the spin brush attachment that lights up the floor in front of where you’re vacuuming. That sounds kind of unnecessary, but it really illuminates all the dust, dirt, and hair on your floors that you don’t see without it. I call it the “headlight of horrors”. It really is pretty awful to see how dirty your floors really are, but so satisfying at the same time. Anyway, if you’re in the market for a new vacuum, we’ve been using this one for a few months now, and we highly recommend it.
Gardening season is sort of, kind of underway! It’s a bit too early to really get a lot of work done right now, but I’ve been chipping away at my spring clean-up list on days when it’s not too windy and the garden is starting to show signs of life! A couple of the allium varieties have popped up, the tulips on the sunny side of the house, and even the irises I transplanted last year are looking happy and ready to put on a show. This year’s plans involve finishing the gardens in the backyard and filling in the new obelisk garden bed that we created last year, hopefully with lots of tall, cottage-style plants if I can stick to my vision and not get too distracted. Will this be the year I finally plant wisteria vines to grow up the garage? Last year, my timing just wasn’t great, and they were sold out when I was ready to plant them, so hopefully, I have better luck this year. If you live in a cooler climate like we do, I hope your garden is starting to show signs of life too!
NEWS AND FINDS
-I ordered this beautiful full-length mirror for a wall in Kennedy’s room! It’s pictured above just leaning against the wall before we hung it. So excited to see the last few finishing touches come together in that space. The curtains for her room also came in, and I’m so excited about them. I went with these beautiful toile curtains, which have really completed the transformation of this space. When I think back to how neglected this room looked when we first moved in many years ago, I just can’t believe it’s the same space.
– I’ve been testing out the Aroma 360 Mini Pro Diffuser for the last few weeks, and there’s so much to love about it. The scents for it are all fresh and elegant and make my home smell like a fancy hotel. They actually have a whole collection of fragrances based on different luxury hotels around the world. The one I’m using right now is called My Way. I’m also a big fan because all the scents are completely non-toxic and safe for people and pets. As someone who loves home scents of all kinds, the harsh chemicals that I was releasing into the air were always a bit of a concern. Now that I’m trying to make more healthy choices, this is especially important to me.
-Currently reading: I just finished reading A Little Princess, which was a very quick. cozy, and comforting read. It was recommended to me after reading The Secret Garden, and I’m so glad I took the recommendation. It’s one of those children’s books that’s even better when you read it as an adult, I think. Next, I’m on to something completely different. I found a copy of Anna Karenina while I was out thrifting, so now’s the time to check that one off my list, I guess. It’s considered by many to be the greatest novel ever written, so I’m looking forward to finding out if I agree.
-Speaking of books, if you’re a gardener, I can’t let the spring season get underway without mentioning the beautifully written book Our Life in Gardens. Or, really, anything by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd. I came across their book To Eat in the cookbook section of the thrift store a few years ago and after reading it, I had to order other books of theirs because I just enjoyed the way they write about gardening so much.
-Vita (makers of my beloved all-weather planters) just came out with an obelisk, and it’s stunning. I absolutely love obelisks and Chris even made me one for my garden last summer. The cedar obelisk they’ll be carrying this spring is very similar to mine and it’s at a very affordable price point compared to so many others I’ve seen. I think they’re available for pre-order right now, and they’ll begin shipping in April. Anyway, just had to let you know in case an obelisk is on your garden wish list this year!
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.