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Showing posts with label Cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cats. Show all posts

Monday, 16 November 2009

Sun on desk

Posted on 03:46 by kumar
If I were a true blue photographer, I wouldn't be a storm chaser: I'd be a sun chaser.

After a media photo shoot in my pad (SO excited - will link to article when it comes out this weekend!), I caught the sun sliding across my desk, as you see here.

I had to catch it quickly, though, as it was moving fast.

I love my desk area now, by the way.

I took a dining room table from the trash and covered it with dollar store wall paper by Ralph Lauren.

The lamps are thrift, and the spanky new phone is my recent thrift score. The desk chair was found in the trash, as was the chair to the left of the desk.

The green Toronto Harbour prints were found at Value Village for a few bucks each.




The blue head vase by the white lamp was one of my very first trades - I saw it in a junk store window when I was a starving student and traded a bunch of my jewellery with the owners - they were happy as they gave the bling to their daughter, and I was thrilled to have my first head vase.

See the finial on the top of the blue lamp? It's actually a tortoise shell drawer pull from an old vanity.

And before I knew it, the sun was gone ....
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Posted in Art, Cats, Creativity, Dollar Store, Garbage picking, Grunge Philosophy, Lamps, Thrift store decorating, Value Village | No comments

Monday, 28 September 2009

Plucked from the trash

Posted on 04:41 by kumar
Ok, I have a problem with velvet and chairs.

I was walking home the other day and saw these gorgeous green velvet bucket chairs across the street. They were even made in Canada!

Reader, you already know I have too many chairs, and too many velvet ones at that. So I didn't even turn the chair over to see what kind of shape it was in ....

But I did nab one of the cushions, just to keep my hand in, you understand.

I plopped it on the seat of this faux bamboo chair (found, come to think of it, by the same apartment building trash), whose seat was falling out. The velvet cushion keeps the chair intact now and looks better than the 1970s caning across the original seat.

Needless to say, the kitties are loving it - here's Dinky hanging out on it.

Meanwhile those chairs are still across the street, being rained on, wah. Should I have brought one home even if I had no space and a few too many velvet pieces in green and blue?
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Posted in Cats, decorating, Furniture, Garbage picking | No comments

Friday, 18 September 2009

Hairy chairy

Posted on 05:32 by kumar
Remember the chair I recently bought (see this past M onday's post)?

I haven't had a chance to sit in it.

As you see here, Dag uses it as a bathing perch. Dinky frequently sleeps on it but I just happened to catch Dag in action the other day.

I'm only mildly annoyed, because it's just so cute that my kitties want to hang out in the new chair.

And Dag looks so darn cute doesn't it?

You can see that I've moved the chair and added a more comfy cushion, in anticipation of being able to watch the TV ....


Obviously, I haven't had a chance to do that yet.





When one of them does manage to vacate the blue velvet, I sometimes catch a glimpse - fleeting as it is - of cat hair matted over the seat.

Sigh.

Hopefully the novelty will wear off for the kiddies soon. Then maybe I'll get a chance to enjoy my "new" chair.
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Posted in Cats, Furniture, New | No comments

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

Trash couch re-do

Posted on 07:20 by kumar
This is my couch re-do, my Barrymore loveseat found in the dumpster, slipcovered by Lisa Buckland and her crew at Potato Skins in Toronto!

Note: any scrunchy bits you see are the fault of the couch's owner, not the slipcover Gods at Potato Skins.


The fabric is a suede-like microfibre that wears well and doesn't pick up as much kitty hair - it also makes it more difficult for the little critters to scratch. I love the deep blue.




This is how it used to look before, with a shapeless velvety cover I bought from some department store over it.

You can see how scrunchy-bunchy it was.

And the cat hair - don't get me started.

Slipcovers can look just like reupholstered pieces, especially if you get the uber custom kind that zip on. My kind is the less expensive version where they measure the couch and make a piece of fabric that you drape and fold and then pin into place. I even had the cushion covered!



Speaking of cushions, don't you just love the gold lame circular pin-cushion pillow I picked up at the Sally Ann Thrift Store for $1.99?
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Posted in Blue, Cats, decorating, Furniture, Garbage picking, Salvation Army, Slipcovers, Thrift, Thrift store decorating | No comments

Monday, 22 June 2009

Worn rug finds happy home

Posted on 17:19 by kumar
Remember the 100 year-old Persian rug I bought for next to nothing? (click here to read about). It's currently rolled up under my brass bed as my CAT was destroying it. It'll stay there until he dies or I sell it (the rug, not the cat, silly), I guess.

This past Friday I was doing a shopping column in North Toronto and went into this shop I've been meaning to check out for some time, Around the Block.

It sells second-hand fine furniture on consignment. This hand-stitched rug didn't have a maker's mark, alas, but I loved it for two reasons: one, it was worn. I love the worn look - it means feet have walked over and people have lived around this carpet. An added bonus is that CAT could scratch til Doomsday if he wants; it'll only add to the overall look.

Two, it had the dark and light blues so rare in rugs of this kind.

Did it matter it was a long runner-type carpet? What do you think: I'm the grunge queen! It was only $95, a screaming deal.

I love the way it defines the space. That's my dining room, by the way.

It'll be my B-day gift from my Mom and Dad.

A bonus: this rug will complement the one I have stored away, so when I do take it out they'll be friends ....

Around the Block, 1903 Avenue Rd. 416-546-1760 unique@aroundtheblock.com
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Posted in Cats, Consignment, Deals, decorating, Eldorado Second Hand Store, Gifts, Imperfection, Shopping, Shopping Column, Shopping North Toronto, Toronto | No comments

Sunday, 15 February 2009

Persian Conversion

Posted on 19:20 by kumar
Ok, this may not be completely grunge queen as my new Visa card financed this purchase, but hey, the deal was too good to be had and I've always wanted a blue Persian rug. This one was found in a shop on Broadview Ave. and it's around 100 years old. My folks have a blue Persian rug of a different blue hue, and I was really wanting a blue one to solidify that emotional connection for me ... but blue is hard to find, and blues and pinks in combination are especially rare. All I can say is I've got good shopping Karma to have found this one with kudos to shop owner Nima. I'm in the process of translating this rug, from Maymeh, Iran - I love that it tells a story. My cat Dag, who you see in this pic, loves it too - so much so he's scratching it whenever he can! Check out www.pealac.com - you really must go to the store, though. Rugs are 50 percent off until end of March.

When Dag isn't hairing up and scratching the rug he's lounging on my green velvet chair with his partner in crime, Dinky. I've hardly had a chance to park my butt on the damn thing - my kitties are like nosy biddies: every time something new comes in they commandeer it! Here's hoping the novelty wears off soon ....
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Posted in Cats, decorating, Furniture | No comments
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kumar
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