shopping Archives - Storefront Life

Hardware Shopping

To me, hardware on cabinets is like jewelry. The finishing touch, a hint of sparkle, a bit of shine. Shopping for hardware is like buying the final accessories to go with a fab outfit.

So, I am very excited that we’re at a point where we need some hardware for the Printmakers Media Cabinet project.

The plans call for the following hardware:

3 pair of inset or concealed hinges
3 cabinet clips (to keep the doors closed)
6 lid stops (3 – right, 3 – left)
3 sets 14” drawer slides
15 – drawer pulls

That’s a lot of hardware… As the cabinet is a faux printmakers cabinet, it looks like it has 15 little drawers (printmakers cabinets used to have tons of shallow drawers to hold metal and wood type and plates). So we need 15 drawer pulls, and traditionally for a printmakers cabinet they should be cup pulls.

If anyone has done a kitchen reno lately, you’ll know that pulls are expensive. From the big box stores, you’re looking to pay between $5-$15 per pull. From a high end hardware shoppe, you can pay in excess of $25 each. Ouch, that’s not in our budget. As much as I love the hardware from Gingers or Restoration Hardware, I was not about to drop that kind of cash.

So where can you get nice, inexpensive hardware?

There are a ton of cheap online shops. However, Canadians beware. Most of the time the online knobs/pull companies will ship UPS or other courier from the US to Canada. UPS is a carrier that charges brokerage to cross the border. Brokerage SUCKS. It’s an unknown fee that the delivery guy will charge you before he will hand over your package. We have been charged upwards of $40-100 in brokerage on things that didn’t even cost that much. So by the time you’ve paid for the purchase, paid for cross border shipping, and paid for the brokerage, you’ve negated any savings from purchasing online. If you’re going to purchase online, try to buy from a Canadian supplier, or where they ship USPS or FedEx, both of which (normally) have the brokerage covered.

Your other option is purchase locally. Often local business can offer you the same or even better rate than buying online. Check out your local hardware store, and ask if they have a catalog of special order pulls. Also take a look at the special order hardware displays at your local big box stores.

My go-to spot for hardware is Lee Valley Tools. Even if you don’t have a Lee Valley in your town, they have an awesome hardware catalog and online store and they will ship to you.

So here’s what I’ve found from Lee Valley for our cabinet:

Drawer Slides:

Cup Pulls:

Hinges:

Stays:

Lee Valley carries everything in stock at their warehouses, and yep, we even have a location in downtown Toronto (King Street between Bathurst & Spadina). The best part of Lee Valley is their volume discount. Most of their items have a 10+ or even a 25+ volume discount (the price goes down if you buy more than 10 etc.) So for the 15 cup pulls we need, they will only cost us $2.55 each. (excuse me while I do a little crazy Elaine dancing.)

Do you have any go-to hardware stores? Grabbed any great deals lately?

*In case you’re wondering, no one paid me in anyway for my views. I just to pass on my recommendations for places I like to shop.

Window Shopping – Post & Beam Reclamation

I love nothing more than strolling around our neighborhood with El Granto & Odin. Coffee in hand, walking wherever our feet will take us. We like to stroll and visit new areas, window shop, and often come home with some new purchases.

One of my favorite places to window shop is the Junction. There are some great shops, and two of my absolute fave shops; Smash and Post & Beam Reclamation.

This past weekend I was wandering through Post & Beam and thought I’d share some of the awesome things I spied there. I would have loved to have brought home every last one of these pieces, but alas our budget is being directed at the coffee bar & backyard this spring.

So here are some of my picks.

The front window display showcasing some awesome lights and iron orbs

Heres a closer detail of one of the iron orbs. Wouldnt this be great with a hanging fixture and edison bulb? (or take a cue from Restoration Hardware and hang a small chandelier inside) — Here’s a closer detail of one of the iron orbs. Wouldn’t this be great with a hanging fixture and Edison bulb? (or take a cue from Restoration Hardware and hang a small chandelier inside)

Wouldnt this lantern be gorgeous hanging from the ceiling of a lovely gazebo? Or as the entryway light for a coach house. — Wouldn’t this lantern be gorgeous hanging from the ceiling of a lovely gazebo? Or as the entryway light for a coach house.

Lovinf this simple but classic mantle. Made we want to bring it home even though the storefront doesnt have a fireplace! Would be cute with stacked logs in the hearth — Loving this classic mantle. Made we want to bring it home even though the storefront doesn’t have a fireplace! Would be cute with stacked logs in the hearth. Oh and check out those warehouse lights! Fab over an island or dining table

Arnt these lovely? Would be great feature in a stately kitchen — Aren’t these lovely? Would be great feature in a stately kitchen

These lights would be great in a powder room or boys bedroom or office (although those bulbs are all wrong)

Love their outdoor pieces including this. Would be perfect for an english style garden — Love their outdoor pieces including this fella. Would be perfect for an English style garden

Made from reclaimed materials, these modern looking industrial stools would be great at a dining table or as end tables — Made from reclaimed materials, these industrial stools would be great at a dining table or as end tables

Did you fall in love with any of these finds? Whats your favorite place to window shop?

Gift Ideas for the Handy Woman

The themed latte’s at Starbucks, and the Christmas music at the mall may have given you an indication that the Holidays are soon upon us. I am a bit of a procrastinator, so I try to start early in my holiday to do’s and my gift shopping. So to get myself started, and to give you all a hand, I will be DIY’ing and shopping for you in the next coming weeks. Hopefully I can give you a few ideas on how to make your holidays extra amazeballs.

So first up, do you have a DIYing Handy Woman in your life? Need some holiday gift ideas. Here are a few of my best bets this holiday season.

A small, lightweight drill. Just because we’re girls, doesn’t mean we cant use power tools! It does mean however that most tools just were not meant for our more petite hands and muscles. So treat your lady to a drill made for her, but for Gods sake, do not, under any circumstances buy her pink tools. You heard me. NO. PINK.TOOLS. We want to be taken seriously. No one takes a woman wielding a pink hammer seriously…

A small hammer. Just like my comments above on drills, I cant stand El Granto’s framing hammer. It’s giant, heavy and unwieldy. Years ago when I moved out on my own, my Dad sent me off on my own with a small toolbox packed with things from his own garage. Included in that was a seemingly Kristen sized hammer. I have used it ever since. Its the right weight, fits well in my hand and I can swing it like a lumberjack.

A Sewing Machine – This one is a bit stereotypical, but its oh so useful. You don’t realize how many sew-able items we have in our homes. If the lady in your life knows how to sew, but lacks a machine, buy her one! If she doesn’t know how to sew, include a few lesson in her gift. (I recommend the workroom in Toronto.)

2 tape measures. Yep, that’s right two. One regular framing tape measure (although again make sure its a reasonable size and weight! The last thing a girl needs is a tape measure so heavy it pulls down their jeans when they attach it to their belt!) And secondly get a tailors measuring tape for her to keep in her purse (cause we’re always out at furniture stores asking sales people for measuring tapes so we can see if it’ll fit in the car or in the living room). Bonus points if you find a retractable tailors tape. That way it will stay neat and tidy in the bottom of her purse.

Her own work gloves. Oh I know, you handed her an old pair of yours last time you were working together in the garage, but they were giant, and terrible, and useless. So get your lady her own work gloves. They don’t even need to be work gloves, a (non dorky) pair of gardening gloves will work. Just make sure they’re made for women’s hands.

A set of commonly used tools that stays in the house. Do you like your flatware? Do you want to keep it looking nice/not have to buy a new set next year? Then make sure you have a set of easily accessible tools in the house, or your wife will be using that butter knife as a screw driver.

A Dremel. Why? Cause you can do a ton of stuff with that mini tool. You can cut, grind, sand, buff, polish etc. Buy a good accessory pack to go along with it, and she will get a ton of use out from it.

A staple gun. Useful for all sorts of upholstery projects, and a generally handy tool with a small price tag.

A palm sander. I don’t know why but sanding, painting and finishing tasks always seem to land on my plate (and my Mom’s plate from my childhood memories.) Make this easier and get her a palm sander!

What is your gals favourite type of DIY? Is she a painter, a tiler, a wood worker? I personally am the trim/detail person. I do all the finikity work, and finish and trim work. So my ideal gift would be a sliding compound miter saw.

If she’s a painter, get her a Annie Sloane chalk paint starter kit.
If she’s an artist, a silk screen printing kit.
Lover of paper goods? How about a letterpress printing workshop.

Good luck on your Christmas shopping, and if all else fails, buy her some diamonds!