A Tale of Two Chairs

In hoping to acquire some vintage pieces for our bed and breakfast, Mom and I have taken up hunting through the local antique markets.  St. Jacobs has two excellent places to wander through, the St. Jacobs Antiques Market and Market Road Antiques.  Since we purchased our new home and business in May but only got it in August, we had a lot of time to dream... and wait.  So back on June 10th, in Market Roads Antiques, we spotted these two chairs. 

They were refinished (maybe they were even white at one time judging from the white paint on the wood under the seat), reupholstered and had a few nicks and notches, and were a little low for chairs with the seat at about 16 1/2 inches.  Still, we really liked the wood, the fabric and the shape of the chairs and they felt good but they were $85 each and we really didn't know where we'd put them or what table we could pair them with so we left them behind.

In August we saw the chairs again, still waiting for the next phase of their life to begin.  And on Sept. 20th, we visited with the chairs again, taking them out of their booth and sitting a spell.  Yes, they were comfy.  Mom joked:  "If the chairs are here the fourth time, they're coming home with us!"  
  And so it was:  on October 24th we found a great big upholstered chair and a great matching table for our Fox Hole room... and there were the chairs.  But timing is everything:  now they were only $40 a piece AND, in another booth, was a delicate table with the same color wood and the same burl wood grain!  We put the three together and it was an instant hit!  Wow!  

These three pieces now sit cozy in our Meadow Room's bay window, a perfect spot to read or sip tea with the breeze and bird song drifting through the windows.       

Our Grand Opening Hallowe'en Bash!

I nearly forgot to share our Grand Opening photos!  We wanted to thank all the fellow bed and breakfast owners and FEBBA members and assorted folks and professionals who helped us and made us feel so welcome and so hosted a Hallowe'en Grand Opening party on October 28th so everyone could see our B&B, meet and socialize.  

Willow wanted to be our official greeter but... we decided that wasn't such a good idea.  She stayed in the back room.

It was a pleasure to bring out all my Hallowe'en plates and platters and whip up all the food for our party, and I must say we created quite a fine spread with lots of variety including gluten free coconut-pecan cookies, veggies and breads with 3 kinds of dip, devilled eggs, and lots of sweet treats!  

Yummmmm....

Decorating was also a lot of fun!  Our sun room served as a second area where folks could nibble and chat... if they didn't mind the bony company!

Thank you to everyone who came and made our party such a success!  Cheers!  And if you wanted to come but couldn't, let's arrange a date:  there's always coffee and treats!  

Before and after

Before and After

I switched the image on our business card a little while ago and I just thought to share the two photos.  Although both were taken in the sunshine with a clear blue sky, the "after" photo is a definite improvement, much more welcoming.  Of course, removing the poor, tilting, half-dead cedar was a huge help (also increasing visibility from the street) but I think it's the sunlight on the brick that makes the second photo so much more appealing.  

The Flying Leap!

So we bought a former guest house in Elora!  The house, an 1891 triple-brick beauty, became ours on August 8th, our furniture and possessions moved in on August 18th and my last day at work was August 21st, with a lovely send-off with many warm wishes and congratulations.  We slept (on the floor) in our old house for the last time and were completely moved August 22nd (with a little help from some friends:  thank you John and Pam!).  And of course we're naming our bed and breakfast The Flying Leap, aiming to open September 19th!
  I can't believe it's been less than two weeks as I wonder about who just completed my Tuesday night shift and the complete loss of any sense of routine.  It's been a roller-coaster of highs and lows, moving is a TERRIBLE thing to do, especially if you have LOTS of stuff... ah well.  The house, Elora, the people:  it's all good and will only get better.  Neighbours actually stop and introduce themselves (that never happened in Stratford!), our neighbour behind us brought over a casserole on moving day (thank you Leslie!), and my morning walks are along the gorge trail, overlooking some of the most beautiful rocky crags I've ever seen (I bet there are lots of bats!).

We have accomplished so much, going from this, our dining room and kitchen:

to this:

Wow, there were actually tables under there!  

When the going gets tough, the tough... hide under the kitchen table.  Can't say I blame her one little bit:  Willow found a safe place underneath and crashed after days of following us around.

Yet, in all this chaos and activity, there was still time to enter one of my pieces in a local exhibition celebrating the Year of the Horse!  

The opening reception was this evening at the Elora Center for the Arts, a catered event that had an eclectic, though seemingly exclusive, group mingling about the interesting and varied art and informative displays (which I really enjoyed).  

And there was my Tairo the Unicorn!

  

I'm very proud of this little accomplishment and hope that Elora will be a place where I can grow and flourish as a person, entrepreneur and artist.  It certainly is the Year of the Horse, hold on to those reins!