Decorating with Baskets

Count all the ways you can decorate with baskets! Baskets have a timeless appeal and they compliment every decor style. They can be decorative accents and they can serve practical needs in every room of your house.

Handcrafted baskets and old baskets that have acquired a lovely patina from usage and age are collectible items. They can be grouped together or displayed like you would a piece of art. They can be set going up stairs, they can be arranged on top of cabinets or an armoire, and they can be placed among items on a shelf creating an interesting display.

For a farmhouse feel, rustic baskets with natural fibres lend themselves well to this simple style. Baskets overflowing with flowers on a table or having them hang from "S" hooks from a pot rack created a rural feeling.

Whatever inspiration strikes you, there is no wrong place for a basket!

The ingenius uses for baskets are limitless because they come in all shapes and sizes. They are extremely versatile, and they can provide practical storage solutions in your home. Baskets in a closet hide personal items and they can be used to alternate seasonal clothing. They are great because they can function as a drawer on a shelf, at a fraction of the cost of a built in organizer!

Baskets with lids can be filled and stacked up like a tower to fill space in a corner. These baskets hide items that you want to keep while keeping your house tidy. Lidded baskets can also be covered with a piece of glass and used as a coffee or end table.

Large baskets filled with throws, blankets or extra cushions in a living room or bedroom add a casual comfortable feeling to the room.

From your typical "in/out" baskets and desktop baskets for pens, etc, or baskets that contain craft supplies, baskets are a functional way to maintain order.

Books or your favorite magazines always look great in a basket! Numbering baskets adds a whimsical element and labeling baskets is very practical. For example, in a mud room having baskets for each family member, or for winter gloves, scarves and touques, helps keep every item easy to find.
In the bathroom baskets filled with rolled towels beside the tub or a basket of TP keeps these items easily accessible.
Baskets bring an organic element to your decor. They add a soft architectural feature which can be simply decorative or also very utilitarian. Baskets compliment any decor style. They can bring culture and history to your home, and they definitely bring order!
When looking for baskets pick ones that please your eye, look for appealing details and keep in mind what the basket will be used for. If you are buying a basket for a certain function, make sure it is well made and sturdy. And use your imagination, a basket originally made for one purpose, may find a uniquely new one in your home.









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Long Beach Breakfast

A scrumptous, hearty breakfast at the Long Beach Lodge and a game of Scrabble. We were up early enough to get a table by the window overlooking the beach. It's a lovely, relaxing way to spend the morning.

I love these vases! Great WEST COAST style. I found out who the local artist is and I bought a vase, as well as a rock tealight holder and rock bookends! I just love them.

Indoors or out, these are fabulous cabin/cottage decor!

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Be My Valentine

A Beach Valentine for YOU!

Ocean Spray...watch out Mr. E!
Even in the winter Long Beach is fabulous! The storms are fierce, the waves are churled white, and the rain comes at you side ways. There was a break in the clouds and from the beach I spied this light house, flashing it's warning beacon through the grey cloud cover.

In the Queen Charlottes, the locals say if you don't like the weather, "just wait 15 mins". On Sunday, as we explored the beach I could say the same. For a brief moment the sun peaked out and lit up the sand in a soft glow. These chairs beckoned us to sit a moment.

The view from our room at The Long Beach Lodge Resort...



I'm struck by the rugged beauty of this coast line. The jagged rocks, the broken shells, the tumbled drift wood, the wind swept trees along the shore, they all echo a story of having survived the storm. And there is an incredible beauty in it all!
May each of you find HOPE in the knowlegde that the storms of life will end. The sun will shine again. And you will be a more beautiful person for having survived it!
Blessings, E









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Joy and Sorrow

This quilt fills me with JOY!
I went to the Sewing and Quilt Show at the Tradex a few years ago, and when I saw this "PARIS DIAMOND" quilt on display in one of the booths, I broke out in a cold sweat and I just knew I had to have it. I have made quilts for each of my children and this one is for my youngest. It's been a labour of love for a few years now, and I am almost finished sewing the binding. I can already envision it on her bed...

SORROW...I went back to pick up the file boxes and they were all gone! A movie set company rented them, and as the boxes were being carried out someone else saw them and bought all 15 of them....ahhhh. I so don't like when this happens...

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Crown Jars and Buttons

My first crown jar I found in a thrift store hiding behind a bunch of stuff. It didn't have a price, and I almost left without it because I have a collection of turqoise Ball jars. AND REALLY how many old canning jars can one girl realistically have??!! BUT a small voice in my head told me go back for it. When the sales clerk charged me .50c I was thrilled! Isn't it amazing how little things can make a girl so happy!
I found these other jars thrifting with Melissa. I paid more for them, but seeing how they are difficult to find and I got them all with the glass lid, I'm OK with that. These jars are going to hold one of my other favorite things that make me happy....my buttons. As a young girl I loved spending time looking through my mother's buttons. She kept hers in an old cookie tin, and I found so much pleasure in dumping them out on the table and searching through them... (Maybe this is when my love of treasure hunting was born.) Today I think back on these memories with fondness.
I was so excited when I found two inexpensively priced jars of buttons! At home I dumped them out on the counter and VOILA you have an "I Spy Game"! Can you find the heart, the antique car and the rose? Melissa and I searched and sorted, and even my kids came and looked through the buttons, each one picking their favorite. My favorite are mother of pearl buttons and I struck gold, the one jar had tons.

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Rainy Days

It is raining and I am hiding.... Melissa introduced me to the wonderful world of BBC....Have you ever watched "North and South"? I love it as much as Pride and Prejudice!
After Melissa left, I fully intended to take photos and post about my treasures, but instead I've been transported back in time to an era that I am captivated by. The fashions, the etiquette, the estates, the decor, the gardens....sometimes I'm not sure if I am watching the movie or just absorbing all the wonderful things in the background.
I have watched it 4 times! By myself and at various occasions in parts with my kids, and now Mr E is watching it with me. I can't wait to watch the last episode tonight.
SO I'm sorry I haven't posted anything. I'm watching TV!! And it is all Melissa's fault. :-)

PS.
I promise I will show you the wonderful buttons I found, and the crown jars to put them in, and I'll show you the quilt that I am finishing for my youngest while I am watching...
I've only got three more sides to hem. YAY!I wonder how many other BBC movies I will fall in love with as I finish this quilt....!

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On the Road Again

I spent three fabulous days of thrifting with a friend, who appreciates the thrill of the hunt as much as I do!
Melissa and I used to go on treasure hunting day trips together to Victoria when our children were little. She and I would spend an entire day from early morning till late at night, "filling our boots", more acurately the trunk with all the things we loved....This trip was no different!
A few days have passed since our road trip ended and I'm still thinking about the rustic wood file boxes I found.... OH DEAR, I think I will have to go back for these! They keep popping into my head...
And last night I dreamed about finding pink plaid wool blankets, and bedspreads with fushia pompoms, and soft pink chenille coverlets.....and of course buttons! BUT IT WAS ONLY A DREAM.
Thank you Melissa for three inspirational days!

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