Canadian Art Deco Hope Chest Found

I finally got proof today that a Hope Chest I bought at a garage sale years ago is actually a piece of Canadian Art Deco.  What a find!

I found it years ago before I decided I would get into Interior Decorating.  I fell in love with the simple lines of this chest even though it was covered in chipped paint and a couple of damaged areas and a missing lock.

If anyone knows how I can get another lock and key for this chest I would be greatly appreciated to know.

After taking off about seven layers of paint and shellac. I discovered that it was solid red and white cedar with a bookmark grain!!! It looks like a butterfly I can't believe people painted over it!!!

This had been abandoned by a family after a relative died in a nursing home.  The yard sale was items they didn't want to throw away.  I got this chest for $100 with a bookcase and a lamp.

This chest was made by the Chesley Chair Factory in Chesley, Ontario.  It was part of their Heirloom Collection and they stopped manufacturing them in 1939.  This town is in Bruce County in Ontario, Canada.  So it never left the country as far as I know, but I'm most likely the second or third person to own it.  You can still smell the cedar when you take the linens from it.

This was a piece people could afford and so there are many on the market right now; however, I only found one that is similar in style to this one, but I prefer the grain on the one I have.  I don't know if the ones on kijiji.ca are being sold by people that know what they have as they are asking for about $300-$500 for them.  I'm afraid I used varathane to finish this before I knew what I had so I may have lost some of it's value, but it's been returned to how it was when it was first bought.  They used shellac to finish them originally.

There is a bookcase now beside this chest and not the blue totes you see.  These totes were a temporary holding place for a book collection of my husband of books we just don't want our son to destroy because there is no way of getting replacements.

As you can see I'm using it to keep our linens in it, the real linen closet holds towels and cleaning supplies.  I wanted a lock on the cleaning supplies when my son became obsessed with cleaning.  I love the fact that I can use this beautiful piece and hope to get the rest of my bedroom to reflect it.  Maybe not in art deco but in the warmth of family and tradition.

Paris in a Cup

I this cocktail shaker and glass at Carlton Cards Shop near me.  I couldn't resist.  They must be part of their Valentine's Inventory because they were 75%.

I love that they convey romance without being all bubble gum pink and covered in hearts while they are still fun.

Canadian Design Being Defined

RemoteStylist.com is advertising a truly Canadian take on Interior Design and Decor.  A real chance to define true Canadian Trends and people making it. 

Take a look at this:

http://mp.remotestylist.com/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39

and on twitter #cdndesign

Enjoy!

Just added to my online portfolio.

Today has been busy with family day, taking photos of my school work for my online portfolio and actually uploading, editing and arranging them on Behance.com.

All the pages of my work can be seen at: http://be.net/wendymartinturley

This includes all my major course projects, highlight assignments and the Textural Nursery.

Textural Nursery Part 2

I've just started to explore Google's Sketchup Program and find it fasinating.

Below are a few pictures of my first attempt to turn the Textural Nursery into a reality again.  Just in time for my son, Ben to ask me to repaint his room too! Well at least this last paint colour lasted 4 years.

For those that don't know what I'm talking about this is a rough reproduction of the Nursery I created for my husband, whom is blind, so that he could be a fully functioning father.  Yes! This means he never complained when changing a diaper or burping his son! 

On the shelf above the crib is a green lamp that has 1 15W chandelier bulb in it.  The back of it was later removed and attached to the wall, the switch is on the cord. It has a picture of Teddy bears playing in a treehouse.  The frame actually has a teddy bear wearing a sweat and oddly someone gave my son a teddy bear named, "Jaden" that looks almost identical to the teddy bear in the picture.

The brown pictures were a couple of small puzzles I found with teddy bears in them that I put together with glue and card backing.  With 3M picture velcro used to keep them on the walls, Ben has removed them so many times to "look" at them that I've lost count.

The baskets are sorted to hold all the things needed for an individual job.  Just grab and do. No worrying about mixing up the baby lotion with the baby body wash.  With no rug on the floor, it meant no hazard for tripping.  We did later add a green curtain that matched the bed, but it obscured the window in the photo.  The baskets were actually lined in the same dark green too.

This was done with less then $800 CAN, the bed was left behind by a roommate.  I made the curtain which slid on an adjustable shower curtain rod.  The crib and change table were from Sears and later destroyed after the second recall on them. 

The white container was for cloth diapers, we had an environmentally responsible diaper service clean and keep us stocked.  This is a diaper pin free nursery, another request from my husband as he feared poking Ben and himself.

The blue bin is a rubbermaid container used to store the copious amounts of stuffed animals.  It now says Ben's Stuffy Box in I'm afraid bold black marker.

I will take pictures of his room as it is now before I redecorate it this summer.  He wants green and race cars, such a boy.

12th Wedding Anniversary Post Part 2 (Photos)

The flowers I found at my doorstep on the 13th of February.  This is how Peter set the theme for the day.

My son Benjamen giving me a critique of where each flower should go.  He was fasinated by the variety of shapes, colours and smells.

After two years of my going crazy over school and he feels the need to remind me that we still matter after 12 years of marriage.  Ladies this man is physically blind and still found ways to surprise me.  No man has an excuse now!

This is Peter after a full meal at Kelsey's.  This is NOT the time to tell him I have a sinus infection.

The waitress spotted the camera and insisted on taking the photo for us when Peter spilt the beans about it being our anniversary.

We had a great time just the two of us. Having time together is so hard and it makes it more special.

12th Wedding Anniversary

Okay, I've taken the night off work and such to go for dinner and a movie with my husband for the first time in over 2 years. 

Left the little guy with Grandma and wouldn't you know it.  He gets a fever!  Happy Anniversary to Us. 

Pictures to come in the next blog as I've tired myself out too much right now to upload them.

Just a tip.  If you love a true feel good movie that leaves you feeling like marriage really has meaning and people do have potential to overcome anything.  The go see "The King's Speech".  My husband who's blind got up at the end and said, "That was well worth the price.  I enjoyed it."

I loved the details they added to the different sets.  From the Estates and Palaces to the comfortable home of the common man to the basement office of a poor man who was only trying to help those that needed and wanted help.

I believe this movie will give recognition that everyone that's got a "social"/"physical" barrior is also truly a human on the inside.  We all have feelings, issues and experiences.  Just let us express them in our own ways and just maybe we all will learn something.