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The Beauty of Recycling

About 2 years ago I went to a jewellery making class at the local bead store in Ottawa, Sassy Beads. It was a great class where I learned basic wire work techniques, and beading techniques. It turned out to be the perfect hobby for me, because projects could often be completed in one night. As a teenager I had tried to learn embroidery and knitting, but ended up with many half finished items.

Soon I realized that my new hobby was a bit expensive. So I started asking friends if they had any broken jewellery, or items they didn't use so I could transform them. I got so many items, that I still haven't been through them all. If a piece had sentimental value, I would return it to them transformed.

Below are a few examples of what I have made by recycling jewellery.

These are two earrings, which were both missing their matching pair.

So I turned them into this necklace:

I highly recommend trying jewellery making, it's great to be able to fix jewellery as well as make it, and it can easily be done while watching t.v.

Daily Photo

Daily Photo

A New Beginning!

When I first started this blog, I had envisioned myself sharing some of my photography, but didn't have any other focus. Shiny things often distract me, and sure enough I got distracted away from this blog. But when I started this blog I also felt that I really had some great things to share.

I recently lost my job, and I have had a lot of time to think, to craft, to scour the net for inspiration. I have also taken this time to decide to take a big scary step. A step I thought I would never take, but with the help of my wonderful friend Ronjiny, I am now willing to take. I am going to finally start selling my photography, but in what I think is a unique way. We are printing my photographs on fabric, so that the pictures of nature I have captured can now be worn around people's necks as scarves.

It's a unique idea inspired by my mother-in-law, when I mentioned I wanted to do something a bit different with my photography. I am so excited, and scared, and this blog will now be used to document the beginnings of this new venture.

I also will be sharing my crafting adventures, blogs and artists that inspire me, and some cool printables that I have designed.

I can't thank all my wonderful friends enough for always encouraging my creative side.

Come back tomorrow to see some examples of jewellery I have made by reusing old pieces.

Photos of Spring

I find myself yearning for spring! This cold spell is not what I expected!

Brrrr -15 with windchill.

These pictures remind me that eventually it will be spring!

Furniture Stores in Ottawa

Inspired by a recent friends need for furniture in Ottawa, I thought it would be good to create a list of my favourite spots to window shop for furniture in Ottawa. Hopefully she will actually be able to furniture at one of these places, because at this time I don't have the resources to buy furniture. I'll just live vicariously through her!

My tastes tend to be for modern clean lined furniture, with eclectic accessories.

Ottawa is filled with big box furniture stores, so finding places with more modern furniture can be hard.

The other major obstacle is price. Most of the places I will be mentioning can be on the expensive side, but I'm going to share some of my tricks for getting great deals at each of these stores.

EQ3
It's a big box modern furniture store, but I still love it. It can be overpriced but there are couple of places to check out to get a deal. The Byward Market location has two floors, the upper level houses floor samples and other items all on clearance, you have to check it frequently, and I would go on weeknights, but deals are to be found if you are willing to travel to Montreal and have a friend with van there is a secret outlet location, that only found out about because I got lost one day. They won't ship to Ottawa, hence the need for a van.

Structube 

Originally only in Quebec, it now happily exists in Ottawa as well. It's another big box modern store, about the same price range as EQ3. At their newest Trainyards location there are often floor samples for sale at a great price.

Phillip Van Leeuwen

The most expensive of all the stores I will be listing today, it gets put on the list because every week they have a special promotion on a particular item, usually at an amazing price. A few times a year they also have a huge floor sample sale where furniture can be found at 75% off. This would be the place where I buy that one classic item that will last you for years.

Mikaza Home

An amazing store filled with reproductions of modern and vintage furniture designs, that otherwise most people would not be able to afford. They have recently moved to Gatineau, and have a much larger store.

Urban Barn

First opened in B.C., they now have stores all over Canada, but most recently in Ottawa. Great place for accessories at a reasonable price.

Mobilia

A great place for basics and good quality furniture. These are pieces that you expect to keep for years. Floor samples are the way to get the best bang for your buck, or check out their seasonal sales.

Zone Maison

This is the most wonderful place for affordable accessories for your home. I love exploring this store everytime I go to Byward Market, and the fact that I can afford most of the items there.

Bouclair Home

This is becoming one of my favourite places, because of the great lighting, curtains, and bedding selection. They have a great clearance section, where I'm always finding little accessories often under $5! I love how the store is divided by colour, so if you know what colour scheme your room is, just walk over to that part of the store. Everything here is reasonably priced, and there are many locations throughout the city.

Jysk

I call this place the cheap IKEA. Like IKEA it's originally from Sweden, but now has locations all over the world. This is not high quality stuff, but if you need something quick and cheap, this is the place to go. The main reason I love this place, cheap curtains! I love long curtains, ceiling to floor, which is not the standard size you will find. There are only two places that I know of that sell them IKEA and Jysk. Jysk is always have these great curtain sales where you can get two panels for $10.

This also a great place for cushions, frames, and accessories.

Hope this helps all of you trying to find unique stylish pieces for your home.