Kent and I set a few outdoor project goals for ourselves and have been frantically trying to complete them in time for the Victoria Day long weekend which is this weekend here in Canada.

You may not know this about us… but when we take something on we tend to dive in and swim until it is done… then we crash and say why did we push so hard… and then we do it all over again with another project!

This latest round of sweat equity began as an idea after buying some antique windows…

They  were so beautiful but needed a new lease on life.

We decided they would be fantastic framed into an unfinished space off the back of our garage.

You can see here the area I am talking about.  

It is great for covered storage for wood or a place to put the BBQ when it is raining…

But it wasn’t functioning the way we needed it to.

Kent wanted to add two more hoop top gates and a fence to make it more private, sheltered and also act as a run for the dogs.

We set to work!

This is what we came up with…

The  two new gates match the one at the front of the house and the antique windows add character and interest.

A hoop top window went in the middle section and two rectangle windows on either side framed things up well.

After it was all painted out we got on to phase two…

There is always a “Phase Two!”

The cobbles!!

Kent and I laid over 3000 sq. ft. of cobble stones ourselves a few years back when we built Hoop Top House.

It was a lot of work but we love how it turned out. 

The problem was… we ran out of cobbles and patience so we left the area under the overhang unfinished… 

I knew it was time to get to work when these were delivered …

They look innocent and cute sitting there in their bags…

but I can assure you after a few wheelbarrows full they start to lose some of their charm!

 We started with a new pathway from the patio through the garden.

Then we cleared and levelled the area under the overhang…

I love how it turned out… So much better than before.

 The backyard gardens are waking up…

I love this time of year, the air is sweet and fresh…

Perfect for airing out some quilts…

These are three of my favourites…

The colours are so pretty and the piecing on the one closest to the garage is incredible…

Tiny little pieces with neat as a pin stitching… 

Just beautiful!

The herb garden we made from an antique crib last week fits right in with the faded and fabulous old windows…

I can’t wait to post about the gardens as they bloom…

But that will have to wait a week or two!

If you would like to see what they looked like last year here is the link.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend… It looks like beautiful weather is in store for us here in Bayfield… 

What are your outdoor plans? Any antique windows in your future???

Karen always has fantastic ideas for incorporating vintage graphics.

Her selection of printables is staggering!

I am like a kid in a candy store over there…

The project we are sharing today involves this buffet.

The piece had good form but had been repaired and refinished over its lifetime and was not in original condition.

Knowing when to paint or alter a piece is tricky…

Everyone has different ideas about it but in this case Kent and I both felt it was warranted and would improve not only the piece but its functionality for our home.

Have I sparked your curiosity???

I will give you a little insider info…

We wanted to marry it with this mirror to create a serving area in our dining room…

I hope you can Pop over  to the DIY Graphics Fairy and see  how it turned out!

Last week we were sitting out on the patio talking about wanting an herb garden…

We bandied about different places to have it and design ideas…

Then I had a thought! 

What about that old crib?!?

I found it at a yard sale a few years ago and thought it was adorable…

It has been a bench in the bunkie and was really cute there… but I wanted to see it more.

Kent agreed that it would be fun so he made a box for it and painted it up…

I wanted it rustic because the crib is rusty and worn…

We lined it with plastic and set it in place…

We had chives coming up all over the place so we started with them…

Basil, rosemary and sage rounded it out nicely…

I think it is perfect for our eclectic style…

I love the detail of the ironwork…

The sides still work so we can have them up or down…

What do you think?

Charming or Cheesy?!? 

 Sharing this project at: Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage , A Little CLAIREification Best of the Weekend party,

This past weekend we decided to head back to the region for our anniversary.

It has been 23 years since we got married… that can’t be right can it!?!

It was so long ago the photos were in Black and white…

Ok, Enough reminiscing… off to Niagara we go.

The Blooms were amazing… I had Kent stop so I could take a pic of this beautiful orchard.

I popped up through the sunroof to take the shot and Kent said ” Cynthia, here comes your car.”

I turned and saw this coming toward me…

 She was very pretty!

There are wonderful places to stay in Niagara-on-the-lake…

Here is a link to the Tourist info site if you are thinking of planning a visit.

I also found a great visitors guide on their site… well worth a read.

After such a lovely drive we wanted to wander around… OK, I will admit it, I wanted to shop!

There are so many fantastic shops along Queen St. and the many side streets…

I am especially drawn to the hat shops being a hat girl at heart!

So I was very pleased to walk into Russell’s, a wonderful gem of a shop filled with clothing, accessories, home decor and some exceptional HATS!

The owner Russell Gautreaux has a great eye… I will definitely visit again!

I found a lovely new hat and was happy I did because it was sunny and hot. 

After some more shopping we headed to our home for the night….

We had found the Riverbend Inn on a previous visit but hadn’t had a chance to stay there yet.

It seemed like a perfect weekend to rectify that situation!

The Riverbend Inn is a stately Georgian Manor House built in 1860. 

When we arrived I knew it was going to be a treat!

The Inn has had several incarnations and a very interesting past filled with fascinating owners…

Including a group of 6 sisters, Kate, Gladys, Adel, Mora, Olga and Elga Ansley who purchased the home in 1927. The Ansley sisters converted the large residence into a school for mentally disabled boys. They believed that having a warm, loving family environment for these children to live in would encourage mental and social development, which was a very progressive view for the time.

At the height of it’s success the school housed 16 children or various ages happily socializing with the local community.  

The grounds are amazing…

The balcony from our room had a stunning view. 

Yes, that is my new hat… sigh

Grand is a term perhaps overused… but not in this case. This is one of two amazing staircases at the Inn. 

This is a shot looking down from the top…

and this is what greeted us from the foyer heading up to our room…

After settling in a bit we decided to head down to the bar and have a wine tasting…

The Riverbend Inn is surrounded by its own 12 acre vineyard which is managed by Klaus Reif of Reif Estate Winery.  Preparation of the Inn’s vineyards began in 2002.  Klaus incorporated recent breakthroughs in the vine spacing and viniculture techniques while still respecting traditional winegrowing methodology.  The goal is to yield more consistently ripened fruit from vintage to vintage, leading to greater quality of wine for the Riverbend Inn.

We made a mental note to put Reif Estate Winery on our list for the next day…

I couldn’t believe the workmanship on the bar… so beautiful!

and the dining room… 

Just lovely

It would have been wonderful to sit here for dinner but the patio with it’s views out over the vineyard were calling…

I will show you what I mean…

Kent started with mussels and I had the crab cake… for a main we both chose the lobster Risotto…

It was a wonderful meal.

Yes… I wore my hat!

If you like it and want the full scoop… you can find out all about this style and the wide range they offer on the Tula Website.

Sunday morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise outside our patio…

It looked like another beautiful day…

Off to Reif  Estate Winery we went…

Reif has a wide range of wines and their story is quite interesting. You can find it here. 

You may be interested to note that they also have partnered with Canadian television sensations Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman to create Trend Wines.

Their tag line is

” Designed to be Fabulous “ 

Is there anything this dynamite duo can’t do?!?

It was a fantastic weekend.

I hope you have the chance to explore Niagara-on-the-lake, and if you have already… let me know your favourite places so I can put them on my list for next time!  

I am over at DebbieDoo’s today!

Debbie has a wonderful blog filled with creative ideas.

She asked us to be part of her fantastcic home tour series…  She has featured some lovely homes and I am so pleased that she liked our home and wanted to include it in her series!

Pop over and visit if you can!

 Back here at Hoop Top House…

Kent and I are gearing up for a weekend away… It is our 23rd anniversary on Sunday. 

I know… hilarious! I think I am going to try to squeeze into my dress today… just to see… I will let you know how it goes!

We are heading to Niagara-on-the-lake to stay at a lovely Inn… I will be posting about it next week!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend filled with all the things you love to do!

Our outdoor projects are well underway and I can’t wait to share them with you.

I gave a tease a few weeks back, here is the link if you missed it.

I spent some time recently standing in front of the house assessing our curb appeal.  

Having an attractive view from the road is so important not only for resale but for maximizing your homes potential for your own enjoyment!

Here are some simple ideas…

Play to your homes strengths… If you have a lovely curved lane then add other curves to echo that feature like a curved pathway leading to the front door or round planters at the entrance.

Color block… accent and play up the wonderful colour in your trim work or door paint.

Add annuals that are in the same color family… pillows on the front porch furniture also in those same tones… in other words, repeat the theme.

Add a decorative house number for interest and whimsy.

Shutters, window boxes, tended lawns and well kept gardens all go a long way to adding curb appeal.

The wonderful team at Hometalk put together this collage of all my picks!

Isn’t it pretty!

Please “pin it” to your hearts content and pop over to Hometalk to link to all these great ideas…

I know you will be inspired … 

Well, I am off to do more painting… It is a big project but things are looking good!

 Have you noticed the abundance of glorious wallpapers in the marketplace lately?

 Image  JF Fabrics:  Paradiso: Pattern 5037

I have to admit Kent has had a few eye rolling moments listening to me sigh and squeal over some of the new books making their way into my studio…

 Image JF Fabrics Pattern 1525

and what about the murals…  

Captivating…  Image JF Fabrics Pattern 5166

How fantastic for a loft space…

Muted metallics add texture and interest… this Pattern  is 1527 from the book Kaleidoscope it has a wonderful hand with a subtle striated effect.

One of the new books had me at hello…

It is called Magique.

The palette is fresh and inviting…

Whether you are drawn to graphic patterns…

 Image JF Fabrics Pattern 5108

Or iridescent splendour, this book has you covered…

Image JF Fabrics Pattern 5112

Oh, I am smitten!

These wonderful wallpapers and murals are available through my studio and it is easy to get a quote!

JF Fabrics has added a fantastic search tool to their website, you can look for fabrics, trims and wallpaper online.

I have a link on my sidebar that looks like this.

Just click on it and you will be redirected to the JF Fabrics search tool. 

Check off what you are interested in and then click “Start Search”

To show you I checked “Pink” 

When you find one you want more information on, just click on the image.

I love this beautiful mural so I clicked on it.

Now you have the option to e-mail the page. 

Just fill in my e-mail address: info@cynthiaweber.com

Then tell me who you are, how many rolls or if you are looking at fabrics… how many yds. you want.

Then tell me where it would ship to so I can calculate a shipping quote and give me an e-mail where I can send you the quote. 

That is the important part to remember… if you don’t include your e-mail, I won’t know how to contact you!

So have some fun and explore the beautiful wallpapers, fabrics and trims that JF Fabrics has to offer and if you find something you want… let me know!

I am chomping at the bit to get out in the gardens, but Mother Nature has had other plans…

She obviously did not think my Spring Tea held in her honour was enough of an incentive to warm things up! 

So I decided to concentrate on getting Spring inspiration inside…

What says Spring better than Pussy Willows… so pretty!

You will love this fast and easy project… It has all the right ingredients… No glue, no sew, no Kidding!

Here is all you will need to get started.

 You could most definitely use real Pussy Willows if you have some…

I cheated and used these I found at the dollar store… I thought they looked surprisingly realistic and snapped them up!

You will also need strips of torn silk, you could use any strips of fabric or ribbon but I love the texture and frayed quality I get from the silk. I have used these strips in so many ways over the years, the possibilities are endless.

Here are a few of my other projects using them.  No Sew Fabric Roses, Gift Wrapping with Silk Remnants.

Start by ripping your strips, I make mine about  2-3″ wide, then start with one stem of pussy willow and start wrapping the silk around halfway up the stem. Hold to secure with one hand. Keep adding one stem at a time, making a crisscross pattern with the silk.

Just keep making a big circle by adding in more stems one by one and wrapping as you go… when you need another strip of fabric… just tie another one on and keep going.

Keep the fabric tight to make it secure… Basically you want a big ball at the centre of your starburst… You can bend the sprigs of pussy willows to take the shape you want… 

Once I had all my stems secured I ripped a slightly wider strip of silk and frayed the sides by pulling away ten or twelve threads off of each side… this leaves a beautiful fringe on the silk. Don’t worry about getting every thread removed, I like how shabby it looks with some still hanging on… 

Shape your bow the way you want it… This silk has lovely body and will stay where you put it… I also love the wrinkles you get from crushing the fabric! 

I cut the tails of the bow on an angle and swaged them over to the side in the branches of the pussy willows…

And that was it!

My no sew, no glue, no skill Pussy Willow Starburst…

Do you like it?

The whole project took me about twenty minutes.

Simple and effective… A perfect combination!

It looks like we may have a beautiful weekend … fingers crossed, We actually might get out in the gardens!!

Wishing you a sunny and Spring like weekend where ever you may be!

I am thrilled to have artist Peter Etril Snyder guest hosting on the blog today.

I am sure you have heard me speak of him before… Not only is he a highly recognized Canadian artist, he is also a philanthropist, mentor and most importantly to me… he is a very special uncle!

 Recently I was chatting with him about his new approach to finding inspiration from Google Street View… I thought it was a fantastic concept… so I asked him to share some of the paintings he has done using it.

 If you aren’t familiar here is an intro…

 Google Maps with Street View lets you explore places around the world through 360-degree street-level imagery. You can explore world landmarks, view natural wonders, navigate a trip, go inside restaurants and small businesses all from the comfort of your home… Brilliant! If you would like to check out Street View here is the link. 

Here is Pete to tell us more…

Hurst Road  is a small road in the New Castle on Tyne area of England.

                            Brick stable, near Biddulf  Grange, New Castle on Tyne area.

Without Street view, I doubt that I would ever have gotten to this rural area. Following my nose on Street View has taken me to many places, often to back waters that I would not have visited in the U.K. even though I have vacationed there over 40 times. I should mention as well that the views that Street Views takes with their format are quite different from the angles that I would have chosen had I physically been on the spot. That forces me to look at different possiblilties.

Here is my story book version of a small holding in Vezac in Aquitaine.

I have selected only a portion from the Street view photo ( below) I made little of the cilff in the background but focused instead on the house and barn in this wine growing region of Fance. Using a scratchy almost dry brush application, my wish was to show a light herated view of this  rather grim photo. 

I have always been drawn to the funny trees in France with their severe “haircuts” I choose my subjects in a most unscientific way.

                                                                       Pollarded.

I am either attracted to the subject or not. My paintings are personal and my concern is the aesthetic of the way that I handle the theme. I don’t wish to educate people but rather to delight the viewer.

When I look at a view, I try to decide which qualities of the photo speak to me.

                                                        Chateau, Aquitaine…

Clearly another artist or even this artist may take a different approach, perhaps focusing on the village or the buildings on the hill. I believe that it is this personal view point which makes art. Art is about a personal opinion.

I was attracted to this view from my drive –by shooting on street view.

                                                          Aquitaine Cottage…

Located at just the edge of Sos this small bungalow says cozy comfort, especially in the raking afternoon light. I think that I respond to light effects the way many people respond to music. Almost all of my paintings reflect my concern with what light is doing to the subject. Sos is a community in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France

Having spent several U.K. vacations in the Cotswolds, I was drawn to this small cottage which is of type that we often rent while on holiday.

                                                            Cotswold Cottage…

As I often do, when dealing with snapshots from Street view, I have eliminated the road choosing to focus in on the stone house. I have also greatly reduced the impact of the trees behind the house, rather inferring them rather than describing them in any detail. Just another personal choice that makes this painting mine. This pretty  house is in the village of East Leach Martin, Oxfordshire.

This next painting is a good example of how I extract a bit of information from a Street view shot or really any photo that I take myself. When I photograph a piece if landscape, I try to include as wide an area as possible which allows me in  my studio to focus on some aspect that I might not have even seen when I took the original shot. In this particular photo I have done a riff on the information following my informed intuition developed from 50 years of painting.

                                                                          Newcastle Farm.

This country property is in the New Castle on Tyne area in northern England.

 My fanciful treatment of this open gate near Lambourn, U.K. points one the problems of painting from Streetview.

                                                                     Open Gate.

Often the photos from this marvelous device are crooked as the camera sweeps across the landscape.

This could present problems to the new comer who wishes to try this painting from Street View idea. Fortunately the computer can right many, but not all, wrongs. As with all these small paintings in this series I limit myself to one hour of painting time so that I am forced to keep the approach light. Edwards hill is just on the outskirts of Lambourn, Berkshire, U.K. (Great horse racing country)

 In 1998 Marilyn and I lived in a rented 16th century  house nearby. Driving around this area on street view, I relive many of the experiences that I have had in this area which is close to the famous garden at Sissinghurst.

                                                                  By the Pond.

Marilyn‘s keen interest in gardens has taken me to many extraordinary spots that I would not have found on my own. Everywhere I go I see things that demand painting.

Thank you for taking this journey with me today… If you are interested in any of the paintings I have shown to add to your own collections or if you just want to see more of my work please link over to my Gallery website.

If you have any inquiries here is my e-mail. 

Cynthia also has some of my work available through her online shop. 

I told you he was great…

Thank you Pete! I really enjoyed getting a taste of how you work using Street View… fascinating! 

Yesterday Kent and I headed off to an auction…

We have been going to auctions all our married life and many of our treasures were acquired by putting up our hands at the right time and keeping them up just long enough for everyone else to get tired!

About eight years ago we actually sold our farm by auction… it was a very exciting and nerveracking experience… but that is a story for another day!

The auction yesterday was being held at an arena.

We walked in and I scanned the room while Kent got a bidder number.

( Auction tip of the day… always get two copies of the bidder Number so if you get separated you can each bid… learned that one the hard way!)

This is what I saw while I was waiting for Kent…

I had read the listing online and knew there were a few things that would suit some client projects we are working on… and a few things I was interested in myself!

One of which was a glorious hoop top mirror… sigh, gasp, sigh again…

I was good, you would have been proud of me.

I didn’t run over and gawk at it like a kid looking in a candy store window…

I walked patiently down the line of furniture, stopping to examine several things.

Then we got to the end of the arena…

It was even better than I thought!

I may have whimpered… I’m not sure.

I snapped a pic and moved on…

That unique narrow cupboard that I am standing in front of actually opened up at the back… turns out it is for hanging quilts!

The huge flat wall cupboard was rumoured to be from the linen department of the T.Eaton store…  

And that bake table had me at HELLO…

There were tables and tables of smalls… dishes, crocks and glassware. I got a few pressed glass goblets to add to my collection.

It took quite awhile to get to the furniture…

I must confess, I am usually pretty professional at these things…

I usually keep my emotions to myself, but when Kent put up his hand one last time and the auctioneer said 

SOLD

I giggled, truly, I did!

My feet did a little happy dance right there in the middle of the arena surrounded by farmers, local folk and a bunch of antique dealers…

I didn’t even care!

As it turns out, I am really glad I did show my joy because it prompted a very quiet timid looking elderly man to come over.

He told us that this was his sale… his personal treasures being sold.

It gave me such joy to be able to tell him that we had built a house around a salvaged hoop top door and that this mirror was going to have a place of honour right there beside it… one hoop top beside the other!

Would you like to see how it looks?

I just love it!

The curves are so very pretty…

It was quite a challenge to get it hung up… This beauty is no light weight!

Emmitt seems to approve.

It was a fun day. We found a few other things that will be making there way onto the blog in the coming weeks!

Oh, And that bake table…

Yes well, It needed a new home and I just couldn’t let it down!

You didn’t really think I would have left it behind did you?

If you have never gone to an auction you should give it a go!

It is a fun way to spend the day… and you never know what you might find!

I would love to hear your auction stories if you have any…

Just scroll down and share your best and worst auction adventures!