Thursday, October 29, 2009

Happy Halloween ~ with a True Ghost Story

Happy Halloween!
~~~ A True Story from my Childhood ~~~
When I was about 10 years old my cousins (2 girls and 2 boys) moved into a beautiful stone farm house on a 100 acre property. It was the typical center hall plan layout with a staircase in the middle of the home and it had a hidden staircase at the back that went directly to the kitchen. I am an only child and loved spending the summer with my cousins. I got to be the 5th sibling. As kids, we just loved all the different ways to run around that house and play hide and seek.



The house was truly beautiful in the daylight, with the large windows on all sides and deep window wells. The gorgeous antique glass seemed too pretty to cover up with window covering. Since there were no immediate neighbours in the country the windows were left uncovered. At night the property was always extremely dark however. . . . and the shadows from all the old maple trees moving in the wind became quite spooky.




From the very first day my relatives moved into that home everyone felt that the front parlour room to the right of the main stairs had a very odd feeling. It felt occupied. Taken. Non welcoming. No one wanted to lay claim to that room. Very unusual for a large family.

It was immediately called "The Nothing Room". Since old Victorian homes don't really have basements all the non essential boxed items, that usually would have been delegated to a basement, went to the Nothing Room instead. It took a long time for those boxes to get unpacked. They were stacked and forgotten for months. The room had a pull out couch eventually, but no one ever wanted to use it. Even at Christmas time when there was a shortage of places for guests to sleep . . .no one wanted to sleep in that room. Not even the adults or any of their four cats.


My cousins family eventually began to inquire about the history of the house and who had lived there previously. We learned that a woman had indeed died in the parlour and under suspicious circumstances.



The following summer . . . the previous owners came to visit and asked if it would be possible for them to have a picnic at the rear of the property . . . where the ashes of their mother had been buried in a Maple tree. They also wanted permission to return every year on her birthday. Sure enough, they confirmed that their mother had died in the Nothing Room.


After the family's first birthday picnic my four cousins and I ran all around the 100 acre property looking for Mrs. Usher's Tree. We found it eventually. It was a hallowed out tree (rather like the one above) and marked with a small plaque.

From then on we felt a little more at ease about the house. Just knowing who "the presence" belonged to made us all feel a bit more comfortable. We still didn't ever sleep on the pull out couch though. That was for Mrs. Usher !



Although I have never seen a ghost I can certainly say I believe that you can feel a ghostly presence. What do you believe? Do you have a story to share?

Monday, October 26, 2009

Ottawa 25th Vintage Clothing Sale ~ Nov 15, 2009

The 25th Ottawa Vintage Clothing show is just around the corner. It is on Sunday November 15, 2009. Three weeks until the big day! I am a vendor this year at the show. I will be in booth #11 ~ in the Ballroom, at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, downtown Ottawa.


A few weeks before the show I start to think . . . do I have enough? I want to go on a spending frenzy and buy more, more, more! But alas, after looking at all my treasures I can conclude that I do indeed have enough. My husband concurs!!! The hard part is deciding what not to bring, LOL. For now, . . . I'll focus on my favourites.




Two rhinestone bows adorn this royal blue gown. These are oldies . . . with the "C" clasp at the back.




This gown flows so beautifully.




As many of you know . . . I have a love for lace. I think I will bring less than I did last year . . . but I will still have some beautiful Victorian pieces to offer.


The aprons and vintage lingerie did very well last year. I will sort through them all and make my final selections this week.



Edwardian lace is just amazing. These old undergarments make wonderful doll dresses ~ if you can bear to cut them!



This all white 1950s vintage Prom Dress will be the Belle of the Ball at the show.







Red and black can be difficult to photograph I find. This black beauty is stunning . . . I hope you can see the detail in the photos.





Just perfect for Christmas or New Years Eve.




The red gown is a designer dress by ~ Edith Flagg ~ California





This teal prom dress is silk. The matching jacket is so sweet.



A very full skirt that shimmers in the light.



I have 25 vintage coats this year ! Can't wait to get my new garment racks delivered.




I just love this cream Swing Coat with the matching mink muff and collar. So pretty!



Plaid is really in this year. I have dozens of plaid items ~ coats, shawls, scarves, dresses and skirts.




I love the pattern on this coat. Very 60s.



I have lots of casual dresses and skirts too.





Hope to see you at the show !!! Stop by and say "Hi"

Monday, October 19, 2009

My Silpada Party

Two posts today : ). I had my gal pal party last Friday and it went very well. My friend is a rep for Silpada Designs. You can see the catalogue online at www.silpada.ca. I had about 20 ladies over for wine, snacks and bling : ) It was a great evening.




I can't believe I didn't take a single picture! I had my camera ready but was too busy having fun and being a hostess. I guess it is better not to be flashing the camera at your guests : )




I wish I had taken a few pictures though.
I snapped a few pics of my favorite items in the catalogue.



If you love silver jewelry, Silpada is for you!


It was a fun evening. Thanks to my hubby for taking our son and some of my friends boys to see a movie! And thanks to my daughter for helping me get the house ready (for several days!).
~~~~

Project Finished ~ Dresser Reveal

The dresser project is finished and it looks lovely all in white.
~~~~
Here is the Before Picture:



It is all set up in my daughter's room and was quickly topped up with teen trinkets on the top.
~~~~
Here is the After Picture:



It holds a lot of clothing which is great for teenage girls!



The Home Depot wooden appliques worked out well.

Two per packet (much cheaper than Lee Valley).


The glass knobs I bought on eBay worked out well too !



It is nice to have the project finished : )

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Happy Thanks Giving Canada!

I am late with my greetings . . . that's what happens when the computer is disconnected and the painting bug takes over. I have painted 3 rooms and a dresser in the last 7 days. I ordered glass knobs on ebay for the dresser I am refinishing. They might arrive this week. Can't wait : )


Hope my fellow Canucks had a great Fall Weekend and enjoyed the changing of the seasons with family and friends.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Decorating Mode ~ Paint, Appliques and Quilts

Look what I found at Value Village (thrift shop) recently. A pretty pink and green quilt with matching pillow shams. How could I resist? I like roses and my daughter loves stripes. We both liked the bright green accent color.

The quilt purchase soon lead to buying a green throw . . . .


and the new favorite color has lead to the discussion of paint chips.
We'll see . . . so much for the bargain, LOL.




I have been working on refinishing an old dresser that will be quite pretty when it is done. I am painting it white and added a little texture to the front with scrolls and wooden appliques. I will add crystal knobs when it is done. I hope to have it finished next week. I am having an evening get-together for my neighbours and girlfriends. My daughter's room will be the designated coat room . . . so the pressure is on to finish the dresser. I have a full week to go, so I think I am OK for time. Here is a peek of my work so far.


Here is the before picture. It was pretty dark and needed some TLC.
It has a nice shape though.



I have also been selling and buying stuff on my Kijiji. Have you ever used that site? I love it. It is for local items that are too big to mail. I sold the kids swing set (not used for several years now) and used the money to buy this beautiful cream Wing Back Chair. I was very happy with my "trade."


I also found this pretty love seat for peanuts and delegated our old one to the basement. It certainly is far cheaper than buying new. With teenagers and multiple pets it is a better way to go.



This picture is for Brenda : ) You mentioned you were looking for a nice neutral color. We just painted the bathroom "Alencon Lace" . . . love the name by the way. It goes with any color scheme and provides a nice soft background.


So . . . I think I am in decorating mode or something! Must be the nesting instinct before winter. It is nice to get the painting jobs done while I can still open the windows. Enjoy the Fall while it lasts :)