Delicious Designs


So apparently I need to squish into a bathing suit in 6 days. It's definitely a depressing thought but instead of going to the gym, I opted for a slice of pie.  The Pie Shack is in my hood and not only does it do a rockin' good pie, the decor is also pretty damn tasty.

Warm & Fuzzy, just like Christmas!

Tim ( The Friendliest Guy Ever) will be the first to tell you that he turns to the team at Flik & Co to help decorate the shack. The detail is truly incredible and almost appears effortless. It motivates you to want to paint the frame on that old mirror or reupholster that wrank living room chair.

Doesn't this make you want to experiment with Driftwood?

Remember when you threw out that old door.....

The door is now a table...knock, knock

The bottom line is that inspiration is all around us. I'm a sucker for good food but I also appreciate delicious design, especially when it's attainable. The decor at The Pie Shack motivates me to be crafty and creative with items around the house.  If only it could motivate me to go to the gym!

For more info visit: thepieshack.ca  
                         flikandcompany.com

What is a girl to do?

Progress is coming along in our new shack but now it's entering that critical decision making time. I need to decide what the hell to do with my kitchen which is basically the size of a closet. I'm used to working with small spaces(insert funny remark here) as our last kitchen was tiny too(the joke continues).  Anyway, here's a pic of the old kitchen.....

Not bad for a Cheap Chick Kitchen? 

Okay, so here's the deal with the old kitchen. We had a budget of -200 bucks and wanted to pull something together. We spent 8 dreadful hours in the kitchen section of Ikea to come up with the design plans. Honestly, on the cabinets, counter and sink we spent about $ 3,000. I would love to have a white granite countertop in this space but it wasn't in the budget so we went with the butcher block. If you can't make up your mind on a counter or you're cheap...it's a great option.

Under cabinet lighting....not expensive and worth it!

I may be cheap but I'm no dummy and even though I didn't blow the bank on the last kitchen, I did learn some important lessons along the way;

1. Spend money on a good kitchen sink. Think about it, we use it every friggin day. It takes a lot of abuse from you, your kids etc. So, invest in a good quality sink that will keep up with you and your hard living life.
2. Invest in a practical kitchen faucet. I love the look of some of the European designs but if someone comes over, I don't want them spending 10 minutes trying to turn on my bloody faucet. Find a practical style you love and make sure it's durable. (The one in this pic...pure crap) I was too cheap!
3. Silent drawers and cabinets. If you've ever lived in a rental and heard the people upstairs...you know why this is important. Plus, kids love banging stuff...give them a pot not your cabinets to play with.
4. Good Lighting. I look like crap in the morning so if Brad Pitt is going to show up I should at least look good while I prepare him some Folgers. Put lights everywhere....under cabinets, in cabinets, on the ceiling..everywhere. Do it in the early stages though or it will cost more to bring in Mr. Electrician.
5. Floors. Okay, I'll blame my husband for this one. After spending every weekend searching for kitchen floors, he decided to be ultra-cheap and purchased the crappiest tiles every produced. 6 months later, they were cracked and pissing me off. We replaced them with engineered hardwood a little later. We learned our lesson. You'll be using your kitchen (or at least walking in it) everyday so invest in something you'll love even 5 years from now and something you can do anything (anything!) on,

Enough of my rants....I have work to do...here's what the house looks like now...HELP! 

You Light Up My Life.....

I'm envious of a lot of things (people with nice butts, houses that are always clean and let's be honest those folks who have huge account balances...I know you leave your ATM slips in plain sight just to piss me off) but I also admire great lighting in a house. If it's dark and dreary outside good lighting makes a word of difference (and when you dim those lights the cottage cheese on your thighs disappears,trust me.) Anyway here's a few thrifty finds...

(Isn't she lovely?) This 1950's chandelier rocked my world when I was searching for something for our bathroom. Found at  a shop in Queen West, I managed to talk them down and paid about $240.  Just because the shop has a price in mind doesn't mean you can't make a deal!

I know some people love to pay hundreds or thousands for a dining room light fixture but I have a hard time making that kind of commitment. So here's a cheap cheap suggestion. I found this one on homedepot.ca they have some unique lighting options that aren't available in-store. This one set me back just  about $149 including delivery.

Remember when I talked about dimming the lights in the bedroom? You can do it with this lovely light. In our old bedroom I went with two of these to held set the mood. Really easy to install and cheap! Again, found on homedepot.ca for about $159 and if you go in-store you'll find that they sell different colours of crystals so you can easily swap out the clear ones for colours that match your mood

Let's get this party started


I'll admit that I'm a Cheap Chick but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the finer things in life.
The best thing is that when it comes to revamping your house, you don't have to spend a fortune.
Incredible finds can be found anywhere...you just need to dig. Friends, I'm here to help. Join me on an incredible journey to find beautiful items at bargain prices.


Let's get started.....First take a look at my most recent project...HOME.
So we just bought a house that is need of some TLC (ok a MAJOR overhaul)

(Here's the outside...not too bad? Just wait)

(The living/storage room)

(The view from dining room to the kitchen)

(Voila...The Kitchen....Yummy)

Okay, so I don't want to come across as Negative Nelly (also a Cheap Chick from what I've heard) because this house does have incredible potential. That's why I'll show you what's possible all within budget when you have a vision. Time to go shopping...I'll show you what I find shortly! 

Ash

Cheap Chick

About Cheap Chick

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