This is Anything BUT Cheesy.

 

Hello AGAIN!   It feels SO good to be back trying to post again!   Today I am super excited to share my latest!  If my post is a little scattered, it is because I am multitasking.   As I wait for my machines to finish (for my product line) I am posting.  It is also 5AM.   My day started 2 hours ago.   Yes...I am up before dawn for two reasons.   One...the Cowboy had to leave super early to travel to work.   Two...It is supposed to be another hot hot hot day here and I will be using heat presses, ovens and irons again today, so I like to work when it's cool outside and in.   Here in Alberta, air conditioning is a waste of money.   We don't generally have HOT weather for more than a day or two at a time.(except this year where it's been nothing but HOT  lol)    Bare with me.   By the afternoon I should be exhausted!

Lets get on with it.   You guys are about to see what makes a girl like me swoon...I am SO excited.  

The other day I was running a few errands with my "Miss Busy" (AKA Ashlyn) who is now a 16 year old girl who on occasion will go shopping with her mother, but in general she prefers the company of other 16 year old girls...and boys...and they REALLY like to drive around endlessly.  (insert eyeroll here)

Anyway...I ended up in a little  store owned by one of my friends.   She ALWAYS has what the Cowboy and I call 'the good stuff'.   Her dad has a fairly good stash of antiques and what we consider REALLY  good junk that he will on occasion bring into Angie's shop to sell.   When I know he's added new stuff, I rush over to check it out and I rarely am disappointed.  Angie often laughs at my excitement over what she considers ridiculous junk.    Did I mention Angie's daughter is also 16 and is Miss Busy's best friend?

A few days ago I got the tip off that she had new stuff...and I dropped everything, grabbed Miss Busy and we headed over to the shop.   I wasn't in there 2 minutes and I was squealing with excitement!   

I love containers...wooden boxes...crates...anything that I can arrange things in to make displays...but never have I had the chance to buy a round crate until this day.   Did I mention I was excited?   Well that's an understatement!   Not only did I find an old wooden barrel, and an old grape box, but I found a wooden Christmas orange box!  ....and ...AND I found an antique round wooden cheese box!

I did not know Japanese oranges came in wooden boxes!   The Cowboy is only a few months older than I am and he said he remembers this...I do not.   So...I am enjoying this one!
 

It will most likely not get changed in any way, but will become fun storage in my work room.   Have I mentioned that I LOVE boxes and canisters, and containers of all sorts?   Ya.   I have always loved to be organized, and pretty storage containers are an obsession of mine.   I probably have enough canister sets in my possession to outfit an entire apartment building.  Definitely not something my kids needed  to purchase as they struck out on their own.  (insert eye roll from them here lol)

anyway...back to the good stuff....

Angie  told me what she knew of these pieces.   When he was a young man, her grandfather started a grocery store in Hudsons Bay Saskatchewan.   These boxes were saved when he received shipments.   They have been around for decades.   The grocery store business was good to the family.   Eventually, Angie's dad took over for his dad, and then Angie and her husband kept the business in the family and own it to this day.   The barrel, grape box, orange box and cheese box were on display in the store for years.   They have done some changes and no longer needed as many so here I am!   Playing up a storm.

I love grape boxes.   I already have several.   My favourite is one from inside the old house we have and are working to renovate.   I found it in the attic a few years ago.   I have it sitting on my dining room table.   I just picked up a three small flower arrangements and plopped them in it,   I also have a coffee cup in the back that holds pens and paper for quick notes.   The two at the front hide the ugly from the cup of pens, so it works perfectly for us!   There is another one that I hung on the wall in the old house in the bathroom.   It works as a rustic shelf for decorative antique medicine bottles.  

 

I decided to find out a little bit more about my most beautiful find. The round cheese box.    From what I can tell, this box is most likely from between 1930-1950.   Cheese boxes were originally a tool used for transporting cheeses in branded boxes with lids.  The brand on this one seems to be Swift Canadian Co.   I tried for several days to learn about the Swift Candian Co. in Yorkton Saskatchewan, but there was nothing at all that I could find about them online.   Obviously there was  a creamery there, as it says so right on the box, but I could find nothing. 

Round cheese boxes  were first used in 1890 to ship cheese from Europe. These boxes were typically made of maple, ash, or hickory sides which were nailed to pine wood pieces on the top and bottom. The wood was usually printed with the name of the farm or factory and the type of cheese. The box helped protect the cheese from tipping over during transport.

...And now it's MINE MINE MINE!  

Did I mention all the eye rolling Miss Busy did when her mother was excitedly rushing to the till with her treasures?   Oh yes...she was...and still is.  (She was texting Angie's daughter probably looking for someone to rescue her)  

I adore this piece and can't wait to find the perfect location in my house to show it off.   I did consider placing it in the Cowboy's office, but decided that it just didn't mesh with all of the taxidermy and trophy heads he has hanging all over the place in there.   (ya...I am not overly crazy about all the dead things he has in there...but I love that man, and he doesn't complain that my little business takes up a lot of space in our house,  so he can have them.   And... as long as I don't have to touch any of them...I'm a happy girl)  

The lid removes easily, and it is clean and odor free...I can't wait for inspiration to hit and the perfect spot to reveal itself!   It's quite large...I could put one of my bigger sergers in it to store...or a huge silk flower arrangement...I just can't decide.

That's it for me today!   I'm off to get some work done!   I am making some fabulous new giftware pieces to add to my line today!   

Do you have any round cheese boxes?   What did you use them for?    Inspire me!!! 

  Until Next Time...Happy Junkin!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

 

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

and

HCG Warrior Diet  

(it actually works great!   We tried it!)

 

 

 

 

Branching Out

 Hey everyone!   It's been a while since I have shared.   I have been meaning to update you all on what's been happening here but trying to find time is tricky!

My garden endeavors turned out nicely.   I am very happy with the progress I made this past few months.   I am not, however, happy that in the process I managed to do quite a number on my right shoulder!   For weeks I was in agony and could do very little.   My yard work came to a screaming halt and I was forced to sit and watch as my grass grew and my kids mowed for me!  I wish I had photos to share, but my injury made me a tad cranky and I never got around to taking any.   I will make it a point to take lots next spring/summer.  

Covid has changed the way my company does business this year as all of my really good markets were cancelled...so I still have my products in several retail stores as well as online.   It has been a challenge to keep up with all the rules and new protocols.  

I made thousands of masks, donated a substatial portion of them and was taking orders like a crazy woman for a few months.   Now, masks are the new stocking stuffer, so I have been shipping lots of those as well as the usual clothing items...

When fall came, and I no longer was tempted to be outside...I finished up a bunch of the masks to have on hand, and restocked the clothing, accessory line.   I then stepped WAY out on a limb...

...I turned my attention back to my little company, and I stepped out of my comfort zone just a little bit!  19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House has now become 19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House and Home!

Yes!   I finally got brave enough to expand my product line to include items for the home, and am SO glad that I did!   It's been a great success and I have been super busy filling orders and dreaming up new ideas! 

I now offer several different things that will enhance every home!

This is a few examples of what I am talking about.

There are pillows...of different styles...

 

 

 

 

There are some dish hand towels....

as soon as I restock these, they seem to sell out!

 

 

some table runners and napkins...

also selling out as fast as I can make them!

 

And some casual blankets!

 

I have been so very busy!   I am so grateful that I taught myself the skills to do what I am doing...and that I love every minute of it.   Being able to support my family and do what I love at the same time is an absolute blessing.   

I am still designing the ladies clothing and accessory line, and now I'm decorating at the same time. 

As Christmas sneaks up on us again I am excited to be participating in a new store in our little town.   I have rented a decent size space there and many of my designs for home and clothing are displayed for sale in there.   It has been busy in there too so I need to be organized.   I also need to find time to put up the holiday decor, and keep up with my family.  

If you would like to see my complete line of products visit www.chic-a-boot.com and see what's in stock...what's on sale and shop!!!   (shipping is always free to US and Canada addresses)

So...on that note I am off to my sewing space!

 

 

 Until Next Time... Stay Safe...and Healthy!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

This post has been proudly sponsored by 19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House

A Little Cowboy...A Little French Country...and Whole Lotta Love...AND a Story...

Those of you who know us personally, already know that it has been almost a year since we flipped our first property.   Yes…we moved last summer.   We bought the acreage with a flip in mind…and that is what we did.   As much as we loved it out there, it wasn’t in the area we had in mind for a long term home.  We spent just a little more than a year out there…and did a whole lot of work to that place. 



Everything from the fireplace to the kitchen and bathroom cabinets to the exterior of the property got a little Tootsie and Co. touch!   I didn’t share all of the upgrades we did, as I was dealing with health issues and didn't really get time to share them all... but there were a lot…and we were very proud.   So proud in fact that we actually thought about staying there long term.

At first we were very sad to say goodbye to the place…but when we saw how much we made on the flip…the sad went away pretty quick .   hahaha.

We found our new Project house…well new to us…and were smitten right off the bat.  



She’s an older home, and she’s close to all of the things that TEENAGERS like and need.   She looks small from the outside but inside there is lots of space for us all.   It’s even close to a college for the older kids and a very good school for my Busy to finish up her education. 

We don’t know if the plan is to live in this house forever, or instead, just until all the kids are out of the house.  Until  the day comes that we make a final decision,  we will call this house our home…and slowly get her fixed up the way we want her.   There’s a lot of work to do as the yard was badly neglected and the interior needed a little Tootsie Touch.
At first sight the ‘bones’ of this place were adorable.   The yard has promise…and the house itself is super cute.   It was the color scheme on the inside that was the nightmare.

There were several VERY undesirable paint colors used throughout the house…The worst of which was in the living room.  

They say every girl LOVES Tiffany Blue right?   Well…for me, that only applies if it is on a tiny little box…NOT on my living room walls. 



Seriously…it’s a beautiful color…but all 4 walls?  In the LIVING ROOM???  
My son who is color blind even commented to me…  “Mom…please paint”   hahaha  



We all agreed that the screaming blue had to go…so I got busy about a week after we moved in and set my sights on something just a little easier to look at.  This blue looked SO bad with my olive green and earth toned furniture...you have no idea.  



Lately I have been crushing hard on the creamy tones…and they co-ordinate nicely with the earth tones and olive shades that are my living room colors…so it worked out perfect! 
I think that the name Living Room is absolutely appropriate for our front room…as it is the MOST used space in our house.  

Once the walls were updated, I had planned to get busy and paint my way thought the rest of the house…but that was not in the cards.   As it turned out…my health kinda cratered again and my little clothing design company took off in a very big way and I was spending 12-16 hours every day for several months sewing and creating styles for my customers to enjoy.   It wasn’t until this spring that I was feeling up to painting, was caught up enough with work and was able to resume my decorating in the house.   I painted the kitchen, which was a hideous shade of red/coral blech!   You can see that post here.   It was an amazing change…and a change very much for the better if I do say so myself!

It was only a few weeks ago that I got back into the living room and did some more changes to make her look like a space we could all enjoy spending time in.   I started with the furniture.  I gave my antique sofa set a HUGE makeover.  You can see that post here.   After I shared the post about the painting of the furniture, I had several of you email me and request photos of the rest of the room, so I am sharing today to oblige those requests!
Shall we get started on the big reveal of our living room?

When you walk into our house through the front door…this is the first actual room you will see.




The Cowboy picked out some very nice throw pillows to accessorize the sofas and chair...I really like them a lot.   For a guy he's got okay taste sometimes...(wink wink)



The two cream throws on the cushion of the chair and far side of the sofa are for Marty and Ginger.   (our two very spoiled cats)  They love their blankies and that is where they generally sleep. 



See that guy???   He’s supposed to be on the other end of the sofa on his ‘special baby blankie’…



WHAT A BRAT!   He supervises me in almost everything I do…but today...he's being like this! 



The updated furniture has changed the whole feel in this space…we love it.
I went through and edited out some of the things that used to be part of the living room…and added some others.   Getting rid of old memories and reminders is often a very good thing.   There's going to be one heck of a garage sale this summer...



We use this room every day…and I for one am very happy with the way it all came together.  

I wish it wasn’t so hard to get a good photo of this space…I am a tad rusty with the room pics so perhaps is just the photographer.   hahaha.



There’s a little cowboy, a little french country and a whole lot of love in this room. 



Well…that’s it for me for today…thanks for stopping by!

I am headed back to the sewing machine for a few days.   I can’t wait to share my work space with you…it’s getting a nice crisp update too!!

Until next time…  Happy Decorating !!!  ( and re-finishing!)

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

This post has been proudly sponsored by

www.chic-a-boot.com

What’s the MOST Outrageous Thing You’ve Ever Painted?

As many of you have probably noticed…I LOVE PAINT.   Not Chalk paint…but latex paint.   Chalk paint just doesn’t do ‘it’ for me…and I think it’s a colossal waste of time and money…so unless I find a brand that does what I want it to do…there won’t be any chalk paint posts from me.   I don’t do fads, and I think Chalk paint is just that.   This post…like most  of the others I’ve done…is a latex paint project.

Over the years you guys have seen me paint a LOT of different things…and for the most part I was sure of how the project would turn out before I even did it.   This time, however, I decided that I had nothing to lose…and I was VERY skeptical about how it would turn out…but SOMETHING had to change…so either way this project was going to get done.

Do you remember a few years back when I got my antique sofa set?   Of course you do!
In case you don’t …this is the sofa.


Do you remember how much I hated the color of that set, so I decided to try to dye the velvet?   Of course you do!

In case you don’t…this is her after I dyed her fabric…




We LOVED her new color…and I never did get around to updating the wood on it…BUT…after three full years of us using her…moving her...vacuuming her…and even steam cleaning her…the dye faded.

To read the whole post about the dye and the way I went about that project...click here.   

It looked sad.   Just sad and OLD.



This is our everyday living room furniture...we USE it.   I imagine that had it just been in a sitting room, with occasional use…it would have lasted a lot longer…but…it didn’t and so I am in the ‘mood’ to fix it up a bit again.

It was getting an update no matter if I had to take the time out to reupholster it…or not…so in MY mind…I had nothing to lose.   We all hated the way it looked at this time…and the Cowboy even suggested we toss it in the dumpster and find a different set to add to our home.  One way or another…there was going to be a much nicer view in our living room.

SOOO…the most outrageous thing I have ever painted became…my antique French Provincial sofa set.

I just could NOT look at this sad, faded view any longer.   It was at the point where we were embarrassed to even have people see it!   When the decision was made…I was determined to make my idea work no matter what…and if it didn’t…I’d either let them hit the dumpster OR reupholster them.



With nothing to lose…I hit the paint shop, chose my color…and got the girl to mix me up a can of flat latex paint.   I wanted a darker shade…so as to hide that nasty pink…and I wanted something neutral.   I chose a color called Cambridge by General Paint.   It is a dark brown with grey undertones.

I had been researching painting velvet fabric for a few days, and I saw NO posts that were successful in painting velvet…and …and saw that I needed fabric medium…or glycerine…and there was NO way I was going to go to that expense for an experiment…PLUS…living in this tiny little town, there was no way I was going to get my hot little hands on either of those…so I decided to do what I do best…and use my experience with paint…and wing it!

I made my own recipe using specific parts vinegar, water and paint, and went to work on a project that all of my research said could not successfully be done.

WHY IS IT THAT WHEN I SEE THAT OTHERS ARE SAYING SOMETHING CAN’T BE DONE…I HAVE THIS STRONG URGE TO PROVE THEM WRONG????

When I first started…I was using my mixture AND a spray bottle of water, like I had seen in the posts I read of others trying this.    I figured that if I sprayed the fabric first, it would allow the fibers to soak up the paint better…but that was not the case…all that did was create more work for me.   (which is also where I think the others that tried and failed went wrong)



By adding the extra water from the spray bottle…I was diluting my mixture even more than I wanted to and ended up needing to do a second coat!   So…that spray bottle got ditched..and I just went with my little wax brush and painted in a circular motion (pushing down firmly) to make sure that the paint would get between all of the fibers in the velvet. 

This is the type of  brush I found the best to get right into the grain of the fabric…I borrowed this photo from the internet as I forgot to take a photo of mine.



It took a fair amount of time to get the entire sofa set and cushions done…but I finished it!   I then used a regular soft bristle brush to paint the wood parts of my sofa in a full strength paint in the same color!   I could have used my fabric recipe to do the wood as well…but it was faster for me to just use it full strength.



I set up a fan to get it to dry faster because I was SOOO excited to see how it was going to turn out.   It felt like FOREVER before it was dry…when in reality it was only a couple of hours…but an excited Tootsie is an impatient one!

Let me tell you…it was WORTH THE WAIT!!!



MY SOFA PROJECT TURNED OUT WONDERFUL!!!

The first couple of days, it was as you’d expect it to be…just a little stiff…but not crunchy or solid…but the more we used it, the fabric softened right up!



The next weekend…I found time to finish the set…and I am absolutley amazed at the difference it made to the entire room.

We all love the new look AND feel of the fabric…and I am proud to say that velvet CAN BE PAINTED and that it won’t be crunchy and hard but instead soft!



My antique sofa set looks like brand new!…well almost.   I am waiting on my new foam to put into the cushions, because as you can see the old stuff is kinda tired.   That will make another huge difference.

As you can imagine…the fresh look of the furniture has prompted a bit of a makeover of the entire room…and once it’s done, I will share again…but I just could not wait to say that I did it!…and I am glad!

So…that’s it for me for today…What’s the most OUTRAGEOUS thing you’ve ever painted???

Will you try to paint YOUR living room furniture?   If you want my recipe just say the word…I’d be happy to share.

Until next time…Happy painting!!!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

today’s post has been proudly sponsored by Chic-a-Boot…