Weekend Treasures...

This past weekend, there was quite a bit of relaxing for me... outside of the city! Friday after work I met up with an old friend and the two of us headed up to her cottage for a weekend of hanging out, relaxing and catching up. We had a fantastic time! One of my favorite parts was our vintage/thrift shopping on Saturday!


My girlfriend knew of a really great place she had visited before and wanted me to check it out. I was more than happy to tag along and was thrilled to show up and see this....

There were so many goodies, and on top of this store, there were two more nearby! Both of us left with quite a few treasures each, and I just wanted to share what beautiful little pieces we fell in love with. Let's start with my finds...

Some little owl coasters I picked up. Marked $1.00 a piece, but I may have got them cheaper as we managed to talk the people down on our entire collection of items that we picked up.

Fell in love with this little red lantern the minute I saw it.  I had seen a similar one on Etsy for $24. This one, I picked up for $4! I was so happy with this find, and it still makes me smile when I look at it.

Loved this old wallpaper they had. The colours are great and it looks almost like it was hand painted (sure it's not). Best part, only $2 for an entire unopened roll!

A little pocket change tray that I picked up for B for $1.00! Love it!

Just loved the blue colour of this bottle, it had to come home. Especially for only $2!

This is my adorable apple paper weight! Isn't it fantastic? I just knew I couldn't leave it behind!

That's it for my treasures, but of course, my friend didn't come home empty handed either...

She fell in love with these two decanters, and I can see why. Aren't they beautiful!?

She also adored these scales and made sure they came with her as well.

Sadly, not all of the lovely things that I found made their way home with me...

There were two of these beautiful lamps... for $30! What a steal! Unfortunately, I couldn't justify bringing them home knowing I didn't really have anywhere to use them right now. Boo!

How about this incredible vintage suitcase? I could totally see it being turned into a great side table... and only $10. It honestly killed me to walk away, but I knew I had to.

So those are my weekend finds, and there was so much more I would've loved to bring back with me. My girlfriend and I are already talking about and planning a new trip back up to the area near her cottage for some more shopping in the future.

What great finds have you come across recently!?

Full Circle

It's so strange that on this exact day three years ago, I boarded a plan in Toronto and flew to New York City on my own (much like I will do this later today). Only, on that trip I was flying to New York to meet with only one person I had never met before. Someone who already made me smile, laugh, trust and feel like I never had before. Someone, who in the past three years has touched and changed my life in ways I could never imagine.



Very first photo of us ever taken - in Grand Central Station

Three years ago today I left for a whirlwind weekend in NYC with the man that I now share a home with. It was the biggest and best risk I have ever taken in my life and I am so thankful every day, that I followed my gut instinct on that trip.
Thank you B, for being every thing I never knew I wanted until you came into my life. It seems that no matter how low I feel, or how crazy life seems to get, just having you here makes everything make sense again. These past three years have been better than I could have ever asked for, and I know that the years to come will bring so many more great times and memories for us.


Thank you for being you and for loving me the way that you do. I'm so lucky to have you in my life, and I love you just as much today, as I did that day you swept me into your arms at the airport.

Whose Dream Home?

Happy Monday morning! I hope that you all had a great weekend! Mine was busy, but it's a very exciting Monday for so many reasons. The first of which, is I am starting the day off by announcing the winner of my House Beautiful "Your Dream Home" Sourcebook giveaway.


Thanks to everyone who entered, it was so exciting to see a mix of regular readers and some new friends! So without further ado... let's get to the exciting part, shall we? Our winner is...

Congrats to Christine from Just Bella! A copy of House Beautiful "Your Dream Home" is now all yours!

I will email you shortly to get your contact info. Thanks again to everyone who entered!

One Last Thing...

... before I'm off for the weekend! Just one last reminder that if you haven't already entered my giveaway to win a copy of House's Beautiful "Your Dream Home", head on over here.

Contest will be open until 11:59EST on Sunday September 19th. The lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday September 20th! Please make sure you leave an email address so I can reach you!

Fancy Friday Love

Happy Friday to you all! I'm so glad Friday is finally here! What a busy week, what with normal life, work, projects and my first week back to classes! Unbelievable. I'm very much looking forward to this weekend and heading off to my friends cottage for a nice little girls weekend away. Should be a nice little escape and a chance to reconnect with good friends! Enough looking forward, here's a quick look back at the things I loved this week!

Did you see Christine's gorgeous vanity table?

Doesn't she have an incredible knack for styling? My GOD she is talented... and that whole space is beautiful top to bottom! *swoon*

WANT this wine cellar, photographed by Eric Piasecki and featured on Desire to Inspire this past Monday!

I'll take 2! I'm sure there is more than enough room in our tiny home. Right?

Just love this photo that popped up over on Little Blue Deer early this week...

Makes me think of early fall... and running off to the country for a little escape. Despite the pale light and colours in the photo, the blankets, pillows, woven basket and worn wood have me thinking cozy thoughts. Incredible what a few pieces in a photo can do to change the whole feel of it.

I just about died when I spotted this kitchen on Desire to Inspire on Tuesday...

Those beams! That STONE FIREPLACE! Doesn't it look just absolutely cozy? For some reason I'm picturing a happy family Christmas breakfast being made and devoured in this space! I WANT it!

If you didn't check out Liz and her blog WALLPAPER yesterday, I recommend that you check her out now. She always has great finds for your home, as well as fashion and make-up tips and suggestions. Beyond her beautiful blog, Liz also has her own Etsy shop, Lather & Soak, which sells her beautifully handcrafter bath and body products! She's oh so talented... check this out...

Watermelon Soap!

I want to try this for myself! Lemon & Fig Organic body wash!

She has a ton of other great stuff, and if you swing by today she has a promotion on to receive 50% off! Make sure to read the instructions she provides to get your discount, and be sure to let me know if you buy something!

So yes, that quickly sums up the things I loved out there this week! I would've had more time to share, but as you probably know a bit of excitement started mid week and I got a little side tracked! With that in mind, please be patient as next week promises to be another crazy one, with my trip to NYC, a few projects and rounding out the week with my birthday and a wedding! *Phew* I'm tired just thinking about it. I think of this coming weekend as the calm before the storm.

What are you weekend plans? Whatever they are, I hope they are fantastic! Enjoy!

The Perfect Thanksgiving Table

Last year we hosted our very first Thanksgiving in our first home. It was myself and B, my parents and B's parents (who came up from Massachusetts). We had a great time, and seeing as Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, I've been looking forward to doing it again ever since.

This year, we will expand the guest list. On top of hosting both sets of parents, B's Mom's best friend and her husband will be accompanying them on their trip up North. We also plan on inviting our good friends who were married back in August. It will be LARGE for our tiny home indeed! So, with less than a month to go until the big day here in Canada, I'm trying to decide how to deck out our table for the big event...

image from here via there

What do I love about this perfectly dressed table? Let me see, where do I begin?

- That copper pitcher with the autumnal blooms is the perfect way to add some florals to your Thanksgiving table. I think it looks gorgeous, and of course the pitcher can be easily and quickly removed to be replaced with those Thanksgiving fixin's!

- Love the idea of spelling out something using the candles, and that the letters are mimic'd in the napkin rings! Perfect little DIY project... but don't know if I would go for something as long as "Giving Thanks" on my table... especially when we are trying to seat and feed 10.

- The paper leaves stewn across the table are the perfect way to add some not so fussy fall fun to your table. They don't have to be removed to put down platters, drinks and plates, and once you are done with them they can be recycled or safely stored away for future years! Also, bonus that it would be a super easy DIY project!

LOVE IT! Now what else can we find?

How about this simply elegant table from Country Living?

Once again, I'm loving the copper holding the flowers in the middle of the table! Hmmm... should I be heading out and starting my search for the perfect copper centrepiece?

The best part is how simple and uncluttered this table is. Though I love the look of my first table, it doesn't seem very practical for a large gathering, especially when you want every seated for the carving of the turkey! I do think that some elegant tapers in gorgeous holders are a much better option than the pillar candles in the first.

Speaking of tapers in great holders....

from the always fabulous Martha

Um - Loving the pumpkins turned into taper holders! Reminds me of my own little candle holders B and I put together for last years dinner...

My initial search has definitely left me with some great ideas! I know I want some flowers, preferable in a copper pitcher and candles. I'm also seriously in love with the idea of those paper leaves to scatter across our table! They'll definitely add some autumn colour to our table, without taking up precious space! I'll keep brainstorming, and I'll be sure to share the final look next month.

Have you thought about your perfect Thanksgiving table, or are you straight to the point and fuss more over the food than the fancy?

Sometimes It's the Little Things...

... that make me happy! (with the exception of exiting trips to NYC to visit an old friend, meet all kinds of fantastic bloggers and watch a taping of the Nate Show). Alright, so I originally intended to share another project with you today, but with so much going on this week I haven't had a chance to get that one last piece of the project done. You'll have to come back next week and I promise to share!


Anywho - so what's one of the little things that make me happy? How about getting those last two boxes I needed to finish storing my DVDs out of site on my bookcase...

Before... and yes, the bookcase needs some styling. We plan on eventually getting some built in's on either side of the fireplace in this room, so I'm not concerning myself with it at the moment.

Here we are after. Nothing exciting... probably not even worth sharing, but it honestly meant a lot to me to clear up that clutter of DVDs on the shelf!

What little things have made you smile recently? (Another little thing that made me smile was when Liz from WALLPAPER asked me to take part in her Beauty Bag feature! Head on over here to take a peek at my Beauty Bag... and Liz's awesome blog of course!) Happy Thursday!