Brick by brick.

Lately I've found myself obsessing over brick walls. Well, okay, maybe obsessing isn't the right word, but I keep finding myself being drawn to and loving room shots that feature, you guessed it, at least one brick wall.

http://bromeliadliving.blogspot.com

I've found myself especially in love with painted brick....there's just something about it. It's got the perfect mix of industrial / cool factor, yet when painted is warm, inviting and screams "Dan you need to buy place with at least one brick wall."

http://pinterest.com

However, unless my financial adviser can suddenly pull a rabbit and enough coin for a decent down-payment on a non-ghetto place out of his hat, then I've got a couple more years of dreaming about lofty spaces with whitewashed  or painted brick walls, high ceilings, windows with soaring views and worn and weathered but amazing hardwoods. That or if my loft dreams are a bit too much, then enough coin for a fixer-upper where I can take a trip to the hardware store for a couple 4' x 8' sheets of 'faux brick'...some drywall mud, a couple cans of paint, find some tips from a Debbie Travis column and fake it till I make it.

http://www.debbietravis.com

Regardless of where I end up, a brick wall, whether it be genuine or a Dan weekend (or week long) project is a must! This afternoon I was digging through a couple folders on my computers, both at home and around the office and kept stumbling across shots that keep stumbling across brick wall after brick wall, after brick wall.

Tell you don't want to hang out in any of these spaces!?!? 

Pretty awesome right?

Yah, I figured that you'd agree with me!

And while painted brick walls might be my current love / borderline obsession, I want to know what's got you fired up! Wallpaper? Walls painted in soft spring tones or deep right solids? Tell me! Tell me!

Xo,

D-

Nesting.

January. Cold. Bleak. Blah.

Though it's only the 2nd, I know most of you are looking forward to the end of this month. After all of the hype surrounding Christmas and the New Year, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that's dreading falling back into the daily grind. 

And if you're me, January also means returning to the city and being away from family, cold weather (this is 'Winterpeg' after all), dark nights, and little motivation to spend time outdoors for fear of freezing my poor fingers or toes.

It's easy to get down during this time of year - which has lead me to do whatever it takes to stay upbeat and motivated until spring (or a vacation of some sort) appear.

I've decided to go into nesting mode -

http://pinterest.com/

The best part of my own nesting mode? No baby necessary.

All I want to do right now is tackle some projects around my place to make it feel that much more cozy and comfortable - a haven of sorts from those cold nights when all I want to do is make a b-line straight to my car from my office...driving home as quickly as I can. And what better time to create that haven than the month where I'm most likely to be inside the most?

And the best part? I think I can do everything on a budget. Or rather, I think I can tackle everything for little coin....I loathe the word budget...

I haven't figured out exactly what I want to accomplish yet, but I've already started to put together a bit of a list -

(before any of this goes down, I make sure that my iPod is charged and loaded with new music...)

-Paint bedroom

-Come up with an inexpensive headboard solution (it's time for a 'grown-up' bedroom)

-Scour the thrift & junk shops for another nightstand that I can refinish to accompany the one that I picked up this past summer

-Artwork for above my couch...something fun and different than the collage of frames that I'd previously had on display

-Possibly (depending on extra coin) repaint my living & dining room (again)...I made the mistake of buying cheap paint when I did everything earlier this fall...it's impossible to clean and in some spots is already marked up & looking nasty...which is why I haven't 'reveiled' what I did.

-Sort through totes of old college textbooks, notes, paperwork

-Arrange new filing system for bank statements, important documentation

-Par down the contents of my linen / tool closet - give away unused and older pieces, sort through tools...do I really need what seems like 90 paintbrushes or varying quality and size?

-Sort all holiday decorations before packing back up. How many Christmas balls do I really need? Anything that's old or past it's prime will take a hike.

-Organize kitchen cabinets...come up with a storage solution for spices / baking supplies...besides just throwing everything in the cupboard.

-Hunt down some inexpensive flat sheets that I can sew into curtain panels.

Whew.

And that's just what I came up with off the top of my head....I'm sure that with a few more minutes I could come up with a gazillion more ways to shake-up and improve my nest!

That should keep me going through January....and perhaps through February as well.

And of course I'm going to drag you along for the ride!

I honestly can't wait to get started! My place is like my haven from the busy world - why not make it that much more of a haven?

Where to begin?!

D-

What solutions and ideas do you have to combat a case of the 'January's?'

Galvanized obsession.

Slowly but surely I'm realizing that I've got a bit of an obsession with anything galvanized. One could attribute it to the galvanized Dutch style flower buckets that I picked up awhile back, but I'm thinking that my love for this edgy, rough and industrial yet slightly inviting, relaxed and familiar look goes back a ways. Way back...to growing up on the farm.

Source unknown

Whether it was the grain bins around my family's farm, the old galvanized pails that I used when I was feeding the pigs (...that's right....I grew-up feeding pigs...), the roofs on our barns, the quonset where my dad parked his tractors or the rusting old pieces of galvanized sheet metal laying out in the bush, the look was and is still everywhere

http://pinterest.com

That said, I am kind of picky with how I like my galvanized metal. I don't like the new and shiny stuff...I've got a mini palm that's living in a convert ice bucket that I found a couple years ago. While the idea is there, it doesn't have the patina and texture that older pieces have. I've thought about leaving it outside for awhile so that it gets a bit of exposure to the elements....but I'm secretly hoping that I can just come across another piece that has a bit of depth to it.

http://pinterest.com

I've been spending a bit of time lately flipping through images that I've archived in my folders - and without really realizing it, I've saved what seems like a gazillion and a half different shots that include this look...a look that I definitely want to try to bring into my own place a bit further...I like shiny and classic...but I'm feeling like I need to mix it up a bit....rough it up a bit. 

Here are a couple of my fave looks & ideas - 

This side table is blowing my mind....

if only I could figure out where it's from!

French designed galvanized dining chairs? Oui!

New goal! To find the metal boxes that I made in my junior-high metal working class....who knew that what seemed like a pain to make at the time (and result in a solid 'C' for metal working would excite me again...)

Love this look! I have no idea how you'd properly clean it....

but really, who cares. It looks amazing!

 

Must replant cedars after Christmas in my Dutch style flower buckets!

Must find! Must find! I NEED to own this table!

I'm thinking that it's time that I start wandering through the sheds and digging through the scrap piles around my folk's farm to see what treasures I can find. 

Perhaps it's time for Dan to get crafty during Christmas holidays...bring on the tin snips and band-aids!

Hmmm....

D-

Tree trimming time!

So I've made you wait long enough! Here it is a week from Christmas and I've yet to share this year's tree with you! I've had the tree up for a couple of weeks now...but in between all of the holiday fun, craziness in the office and chocolate eggnog drinking (that's right I found chocolate eggnog!!), I haven't had a time to tell you about the crazy fun that is my tree.

Since November I've been giving you sneak-peeks of some of the ornaments that I've picked up along the way....and also told you about how I've randomly picked up different pieces on my way home from the grocery store over the course of a few weeks (seriously - I swear I was just going in to pick-up more chocolate eggnog and bananas....).

Decorating was reasonably easy...it was putting up the stupid tree that took forever....I'm one of those anal guys that needs to make sure that the lights are perfect - we're talking about taking three and a half hours to wrap lights around each branch as I'm building the tree...it turned out looking pretty spiffy though, so I guess it was worth it in the end!

After finally deciding on going with a blue and silver theme this season, my goal was to make my tree look kind of fresh and exciting, but at the same time make it look cozy and 'Dan like'...if that makes sense. A bit of bling, a bit of glass, a bit of fun and some burlap....(I don't get how the burlap makes it 'Dan like'....maybe it has to do with me coming from the farm....hmmm....).

After getting a bulk of the decorations onto the tree over the course of a couple of evenings (tying fishing line onto ornaments takes a long time....), I still didn't have a tree skirt to complete the look. In the past this fact hasn't bothered me....but in past years I've been a bit more on my 'A Game' having wrapped my presents early....this year that hasn't exactly happened....so there I was left not knowing what to do, not wanting to drop anymore coin on a skirt, and apparently not ready to wrap everything up. So out came the burlap!

Not too bad huh? Actually....the pic doesn't really do it justice but my $3.99 roll of burlap that I picked up at work looks pretty snazzy - it's so simple and the complete opposite of everything else that's going on....but it seems to make sense! No sewing, just a lot of fluffing....

And here you have it! The big unveiling! It might not look like something you'd find in a showroom or in a swanky design magazine, but I love it! It's goofy how much I find myself sitting with the lights turned out just admiring the tree....a couple glasses of wine (or chocolate eggnog)...some people do yoga & meditate...I look at my tree. What are yah gonna do? 

There yah have it!

Stay tuned for a couple more shots!

D-

Where did I snag everything from?


Tree - Value Village (Martha Stewart)
Silver owls - Walmart USA
Frosted & sequin balls - Zellers
Tin press birds / stockings / snowflakes - TBS! The Bargain! Shop
Standard-sized solid coloured balls - The Bay / Walmart Canada
Sparkle 'Merry Christmas' - Walmart USA
Swirled blue glass ornaments - Walmart USA
Over-sized coloured balls - PC Home Collection for Superstore / Loblaws
Rolled burlap - McDiarmid 
Christmas lights - Target 

Thrift Thursday (Monday Edition...)

The thrifting Gods have finally started to answer my prayers....well, not really, but you know what I mean. After what seemed like months of random junk at the shops around the city, I've finally started to stumble across some rather neat pieces....all of which have called out "take me home."

Case in point. These pieces - 

I really lucked out this past week when I hit-up Value Village. Lately I've been pretty unimpressed, but struck gold when I stumbled across two Pottery Barn books for $1.99 each...the dust jackets are a bit ripped, but the books themselves are in great shape! They're a few years old, but they've got some neat ideas....and we're talking about Pottery Barn....they're all about creating 'classic looking' spaces...so they're still pretty current.


Also, a snazzy Christmas tree for my office for the grand total of $.49 (with Michael's tag still attached....I'd rather pay the $.49 than the original $10.49 CDN retail) and two glass vases; perfect for more Christmas decorations! Can I get a 'whoop whoop?' No, not even a 'whoop'....hmm....

The next couple of weeks are only going to get busier and busier with the Christmas rush, which means less time to wander around and treasure hunt (I'll be too busy burning Christmas cookies). That said, I can't wait to hit the shops up in January & February when I'll hopefully be able to snag some deals on random Christmas stuff and unwanted Christmas presents. Last year I snagged a new 30PC set of Gluckstein glass balls for $2.99 and a bag of mercury glass ornaments (with tags still on them) for $1.99!

Let's make a day of it! Shops...lunch....Dan randomness....fun!


How 'bout it?

D-

Around the house...

I love lazy Sunday afternoons around Casa Dan. Except for me, lazy Sunday afternoons usually involve me spending a couple of hours scrubbing down my kitchen, dusting my living room and vacuuming everything, plus finishing up my holiday decorating. That said, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Here are a couple of the projects that I tackled - 

I picked up three mini cedars from Safeway earlier this week and finally got around to planting them in a couple of my vintage milk glass planters. While digging around though some drawers I came across a bag of old keys that my Mom gave me awhile back....lo and behold, I ended up with this.

After tackling the cedars, I ventured out into the cold and stole a bunch of branches from my neighbour's tree....(I'm sure that they won't miss them). A bit of fake snow, some balls, one hound's tooth reindeer and a bunch more old keys later, and I ended up with this. I love the way the skeleton keys look on the branches! So unexpected, and not Christmas-y, but still, neat!

Bulb watch, day ___ (like I can remember stuff like that) and they're still growing! I must be doin' something right! I also went digging thru the closet and found yet another vase which ended up being filled with more....balls.

Let's have another glimpse of the trees! When I was scooping up the milk glass left, right and centre this summer, I wasn't too sure what I was going to do with them. I'm soooooooo happy that I finally figured out a unique and different way to showcase them.

And guess what else I did! I figured out the chandelier!!! As you may remember, earlier this week I tried to decorate my chandelier and ended up having a mini meltdown. The ribbon that I was using wasn't working out, I was tired, frustrated not only with decorating but with everything else and basically said "eff it" after three balls. However, new day, new ribbon, better mood and it turned out looking out pretty stellar!

I went digging through my totes and found some of the decorations that I hadn't used on the tree....and then snagged a few more from the tree. My fave pieces have to be the mercury glass double-ball & teardrop ornament that I snagged this summer from The Bay (reg. $12.99 on for $1.99) and the mercury glass bird that I picked up couple weeks ago at JYSK.

A busy day, but a great day! What do yah think?

Stay tuned for the great tree unveiling!

D-

When a good idea goes bad.

As I've been decorating my place for the holidays, I've been compelled to check out various blogs, websites and sites like Pinterest to uncover new and different ideas that I can bring into my own home. Some of the ideas I've uncovered, like planting my paperwhites in my milkglass vases have been hits...which led me to thinking that I could do this to my dining room chandelier -

Source Unknown

Source Unknown

I found these pics in my online archieves and was like "I need to do this" and then proceeded to drag Mister to Michaels where I made him dig through the $1.00 ribbon bin with me. Should I mention that for some bizarre reason the $1.00 ribbon bin was outside by the front doors and that it was -14c and already dark outside as we scoured for our ribbon?

Ten rolls of ribbon and twenty minutes standing in line later, I pretty much had my mind made up that my god awful looking dining room chandelier (I'm still looking for a replacement) would go from drab to fab. (How gay did that last sentence read? Hmm...)

Skip ahead to last night when I started to play around with the ribbon and balls and I ended up with this...

It looks stupid enough that I can't bring myself to spend anymore time cutting ribbon and balancing myself on a dining room chair trying to tie everything to the chandelier arms...It looks like, well, you know.


So now I'm left back where I started with my ugly beast chandelier.

I don't know if it's the ribbon, the balls, the chandelier or the combination of all three that I don't like. How could something that looked so amazing in my head look so goofy when actually put together?

Boo.


Maybe it's time to finally cave and order some new dining room lighting....

But in the meantime it looks like it's back to the drawing board for with this project. Anyone got any ideas for what I can do with ten rolls of assorted blue and white ribbon besides using them as stocking stuffers?

Bah humbug

D-

Chinese fun and games.

To say that I've been a busy boy around the office lately is a bit of an understatement. And though I like to think I've got everything under control and somewhat sorted I'm pretty sure that I'll endup going gray prematuraly. Bring on the Just For Men touch-up kits...

Anyways, as busy and hectic as it can be, it's a lot of fun. I basically get to spend my days shopping! Well shopping, creating packaging, sorting out containers, arguing with factories about minimal order quantities, translating, working with graphic artists to develop packaging, et cetera, et cetera. And while I love all it, it's the thrill of the hunt and finding something new that excites me the most.

It's awesome stumbling across factories half way around the world and uncovering some of the cool pieces that they're producing. And though I can't necessarily show you what I'm currently buying (yet...I will when it arrives this spring) I want to show you some cool pieces that I just found!

I love how I can be trying to hunt down something like flooring or lighting and suddenly I've stumbled across the most amazing assortment of product. Case in point, I was looking for heaters and ended up with these AMAZING furniture pieces on my screen...

Aren't these pieces cool? Even though they're pretty much the last items in the world that I'll ever be importing (with this company anyways)...I'm in love with them! I've already mapped out homes for everything in my place.

This brings me to the question - how do I convince work to bring in a container of this stuff? Remember I work for a hardware retailer...not a furniture retailer.

Knowing me, I'm going to have these pieces on my mind for the next couple of days and will go to bed this evening coming up with a goofy plan on how I'll get them over here and into my apartment. Something like "ooooh....the factory makes garden tools. Let's buy a bunch of shovels for the stores...and oh yah, throw this, this and that in the container for our review."

Then again, maybe I'd be further ahead wandering down to Homesense to see what they have.

Hmm....

D-