Saturday, August 31, 2013

Dear Summer.....So long for now...

Another summer has flown by.... I'm literally sitting here thinking to myself.."where the heck have the past few months gone!?"....


I was sitting on the patio the other morning with a latte and a magazine, there was a slight chill in the air as black walnuts fell around me..a sure sign that Fall is well on its way.



A last 'pop' of summer colour...




One of the last bonfires....




My back deck bounty....it's harvest time!




The Sea Buckthorn is ready to be picked!




Even the sunsets take on a different glow at this time of year....




Sunflowers...the PERFECT Fall flower!




Beautiful bouquets at the market...perfect for a Fall table scape.




I've already started Fall wreaths for clients....let me know if you'd like me to put one together for you!




Charlie and I went for a walk this long weekend...the morning mist and colours look like Fall is just around the corner.




YEAH!! It's sweater and jeans time again! Love this ensemble from Blushshop!




As much as I love the long, sunny days of summer, I am ready for Fall....the cooler days/nights, the changing leaves, the bounty from the summer's growth....You'll still find me on the deck/patio/beach....I'll just have a nice warm sweater and quilt with me!

I have to say, I think Fall may be my favourite time of year!

RR

P.S. I've also 'claimed my blog..Follow my blog with Bloglovin




Friday, August 30, 2013

The allure.....

....of the majestic boathouse...

There is something romantic about a boathouse....being right on the water, hearing the water lap against the hull of the boat, the hours spent on the dock soaking up the sun or wrapped up in a blanket looking at the stars...

They are a key part of the quintessential cottage experience...

To me...a cottage just doesn't feel quite complete without one.

Our boat house at 'camp' on Clearwater Bay, just west of Kenora,  held many memories of bombing off the end of the dock into the quite chilly waters of Lake of the Woods, the many fish that were cleaned and filleted by my Grampa/Dad/Uncles, the boats it housed that pulled us water skiing or that we lounged in as we fished and the HUGE Snapping Turtle and Musky that called it home.

If I am ever lucky enough to one day have a cottage, I really, really hope it has a boathouse...the feeling of pulling up in the boat, getting the angle just right to moor, climbing out onto the dock...it's just the perfect welcome to the cottage from the water.




boathouse



#Muskoka #Cottage



Muskoka Boathouse



Boathouse



Lake Joseph Muskoka



Chris Craft in a Boathouse



Muskoka Boathouse in the early morning light



Yellow Boathouse Lake Muskoka






great boathouse - design by Peter Higgins Architect




Love this boathouse.



house with boathouse



Muskoka two bedroom boathouse



Great boathouse with the cottage upstairs.



Lakeside boathouse. The life!



The Boathouse




Lake Muskoka Boathouse | Altius Architecture, Inc.


boathouse


Hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

RR

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Some words for the week ahead....




I can ,,





I need to remind myself of this every day. <3







Go.


Happy Sunday and hope you have a wonderful week!

RR

**Photos can be found in my Pinterest folder "Words to Live By' but was unable to locate sources.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Faux Bois Reveal...

Remember these..??


And this....?

Willow, Storm



I had plans to have these chairs (with great bones) re-upholstered with this faux bois fabric from Tonic Living.




Well...


They're done.....


FINALLY!!


And here is the finished product!...










It may have taken a bit of time, but I am soooo happy with the end result! I really do love how they turned out!

Now....to find the perfect pillows for them ;) .....

RR



Friday, August 9, 2013

Pyrrha and FIG

I'm a HUGE fan of shopping locally and even more so of purchasing/supporting a truly Canadian product!

I was downtown Guelph with some gal pals a while back and we walked into a shop called POD Designs. It is SUCH a funky shop, with amazing selection and variety of products...I didn't know where to start!

The two main items that caught my eye were the Pyrrha Jewelery and the FIG Clothing.


FIG ClothingPyrrha



Here is  the bio on the designers and creators of Pyrrha Jewelery:



DESIGNER BIO

From their Vancouver studio, jewelry designers Wade Papin and Danielle Wilmore handcraft the heraldic talismans cast from 18th and 19th century wax seals that have become the Pyrrha signature. “Jewelers traditionally try to make everything look perfect, say Danielle and Wade, “but we like to show the maker’s hand. We celebrate the original cracks in the waxes.”
The pair designed the Pyrrha Talisman collection after they came across a box of 19th century wax seals. “Making jewelry out of them was inspired by a desire to give the fragile waxes new life and permanence.” say Danielle and Wade. The handcrafted, thoughtful pieces are a striking contrast to the glut of overseas factory made, mass produced jewelry that is so common in their industry. Wade and Danielle explain, “everything seems to be cranked out at a staggering pace and then left for dead. Because we live in such a throwaway society, it’s necessary to create some things that can be kept."
The story behind this jewelry is incredible! Each piece is so unique and inspiring, I am still having difficulty choosing which one I would like for myself! 
This is one of their new pieces that I am really leaning towards....
Follow Your Dreams Talisman Necklace

Follow Your Dreams Talisman Necklace

This handcrafted talisman necklace features an eagle with wings spread, which is symbolic of the freedom obtained by following your dreams. The rose signifies the passion that is ignited by doing what you were meant for.

The other great find I came across was FIG Clothing!
From their website:
"FIG Clothing is a Canadian sportswear brand for active, urban and elegant women who love to travel. The collection is inspired by adventure and practicality. It is designed for those in need of versatility. Each mini-collection is made of its own unique fabric to provide maximum freedom of movement. FIG is essential for travelling in comfort!"
This is their Fall 2013 Safari Collection.
Photo: La collection SAFARI - Automne 2013. Quel est votre coup coeur ?

***

The Fall 2013 SAFARI collection. Do you have a favourite?

www.figclothing.com
The Guelph and Elora POD stores are holding a contest today (Friday) that if you go in and try on a FIG item, you could win $150!

Photo: POD is having a FIG Friday #Contest! 
Pass by their store in #Guelph or #Elora!

http://poddesign.ca/
I have a few pieces of their clothing already and I LOVE them for their comfort, style and durability! They are my new 'go-to' for outdoor wear, travel and sports gear!
Pyrrha is based in Vancouver and FIG is based in Montreal, so they truly do encompass both coasts of this country and it is so good to see amazing products being produced right here at home!!

If you have a chance this weekend...get out and explore your town/city and see what other Canadian businesses you can support and let more people know about!


 SPREAD THE CANADIAN LOVE! SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!


RR

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Slight Change In Plans....

So...we had a cottage booked for a weeks vacation that my friend, her kids and I had planned for almost 2 months...or...at least we thought we did. When she called to confirm pick up of the keys, she got the news....we had been double booked and the people who they had also booked were already there ....
Needless to say...after our anger subsided (we do have a free weekend coming our way though after this complete mess up on their part) we hopped online to see what else we could find.

Most cottages were already booked for the week (of course) but I did find this great cottage rental website via Cottage Life.... I also found some cottages in the Bayfield area that I would realllly like to go to this Fall!

My friend and I are outdoorsy types so we decided to have a look at some of the Provincial Parks to see what they had available for campsites...





Well...we were in luck! I had heard about how some of the Parks have permanent camping structures called Yurts and we were able to reserve one for 2 nights at MacGregor Point, just south of Port Elgin (and literally right around the corner from the cottage we were to have rented)!! I enjoy tent camping as well, but the thought of having a bed, electricity and a solid structure overhead helped to soften the blow of going from a week at a cottage to a few days of camping. 




As you can see, the Yurts are PERFECT for winter camping too  as they're quite well insulated (no, it did not snow while we were there) and we plan on going back for a weekend of cross country skiing and snowshoeing. 

The change in plans also meant a trip to Canadian Tire for some camping supplies...and the great thing about this time of year is that a lot of the gear is on sale!! I'm a BIG fan of Coleman products (they even have a Lantern App for your smartphone) and my new set of pots and pans sure came in handy!

Coleman


So we packed up the vehicles and off we went. First stop in Port was for lunch down by the lake, a walk around the harbour (see below) and then for groceries that needed to be kept cold...and ice! 




Then,.. off to the Park to check in, get our permits and get set up! Once we were set up, we set off on a hike around a wetland called the Tower Trail.


 

There was literally a tower we could climb and take pictures of the beautiful and serene setting...we saw turtles, a variety of birds, frogs etc... The kids loved it!

Then, it was back to the site to get dinner ready...I was a camp counsellor 'back in the day' and those fire making skills came in handy!



Camping food porn!!

We settled in for the night and kept cozy around the fire.....





The next day was filled with more hiking (we did the 6km Old Shore Road Trail) and we also headed to the beach for some relaxation (I also had a conference call from the shore as well).


We had a picnic here while hiking the Old Shore Road Trail....


My friend and her kids...


Amazing views and scenery...



The Beach....the Lake.....Time to just relax...


We took what could have been a very upsetting situation and turned it into an adventure...We have also started a great new tradition...let alone finding all of these new places to explore and come back to!!

I'm thinking maybe Algonquin next summer......

Hope you all had a great long weekend and if you're on vacation this week like I am...ENJOY!!!

RR

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...