Life Happens, Shit Happens...

"Life happens, shit happens. And it happens a lot..to a lot of people."- Colleen Hoover

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind at my place. My door fell off. Yes, it literally fell off the hinges and not in the "that's ok some new screws can fix it" kind of way. It fell off in the "need new door, new frame, new moldings and a new landing" kind of way. My work schedule has been hectic and I finally (FINALLY!) finished my new kitchen cabinets and had them installed by a kind neighbor. That is why I have dropped off the face of the earth.

As I am writing this, my house is being filled with dust and I have no side door. I am bundled up in front of an infa-red heater with a hot cup of coffee, listening to measurements and hammers and saws. Old houses can be tricky. One can be opening a can of worms when you do any work and that is exactly what is happening right now at this very moment. Sigh...Shit happens!

Happy last day in frigid February! Below are some of my favorite things. Please note; there are no pictures of broken doors...they are not my favorite at all!
-m

Curious Pearle...watching the new oil tank go in.

Best cookie cutters ever?

Hank the Snowman...lived in my front yard till it rained. Please note his buttons are wine caps, we like to keep things classy!

Caledonia house coffee roasters...

A Charlottetown farmers market fav! I love waking up with my Two Mexicans every morning!

A new print picked up on a lazy Sunday in Lunenburg!

Weeds Are Flowers Too...

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."- A.A. Milne

It is official. Tulip season is here! Oh-mah-gaahhd. I know what you are thinking...enough with tulips already, but what is not to love. Fresh and cheery, they are a sure fire sign that spring is close. They are basically free ($7.50 is close to free is the flower world) and you can pick them up at the grocery store. If you take care of them, they will last for up to two weeks! Tulips also have an interesting history, they were the cause of one of the very first economic bubbles (as in increase and fall) way, way back in the 1600's. At one point a single tulip bulb cost ten times a skilled craftsman's annual wages. They became a status symbol world wide but mainly in Europe as people has never seen such saturated and bright colors  before. They remain an important symbol in the Netherlands and (obviously) are still enjoyed world wide! Did I bore you with my history lesson?

Here are some tulip tips...
1) Trim them! They will last longer if they can make better use of the water you put 'em in.
2) Leave them in the sleeve for an hour in your vase. This will help them stand up tall and get accustomed to their new surroundings.
3) Remember that one cent currency we are attempting to eradicate here in Canada? Well a couple of pennies in the bottom of the vase will prevent your tulips from opening up all the way and having the pretty petals fall of prematurely. 

Follow those tips and your tulips will be the most lovely company to enjoy with your morning coffee! Happy one month and two days till spring!

Dining room beauties!

Beauties from Laura!

...and just because I love the little plant stick I made at pottery class, I thought I would share it with you!

Don't Just Stand There With Your Eiffel Tower Smile....

"Don't just stand there with your Eiffel Tower smile. Tell me you love me and tell me in French!"
- Jared Kintz

With la-la-love day fast approaching, I thought I would spotlight a petite French bakery located in the heart of Halifax (cause what is more romantic then delicious French pastry!). Le French Fix Patisserie is the brain child of Geoffroy Chevallier, a pastry chef born just outside of Paris. His years of experience have made him an expert in Parisian pastries and he is currently taking Haligonians by storm.

French Fix is located on the corner of Prince street and Argyle street. It is quaint, just four tables but the coffee is strong and the display case is teeming with the most lovely of French pastries. There are several flavors of macarons to choose from, salted caramel tarts, croissants and pain au chocolats, just to name a few of delicacies they offer. You can watch the chef work his magic in an open kitchen and the decor is inviting and minimalistic, just the way I like it. They do croque monsieur sandwiches once a week and have started selling take and bake croissants...TAKE AND BAKE CROISSANTS (!!!!) 

Last week my sister and I enjoyed a lazy afternoon sipping macchiatos and devouring pain au chocolats that rivalled the ones we had eaten together in Paris. I am told they will be offering pastry classes in the near future. Oh la-la, sign me up!

You can find hours of operation and pictures of their butter laden masterpieces here- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-French-Fix-P%C3%A2tisserie/196033110431832?ref=ts&fref=ts

Don't just take my word for it, check it out and keep it local!
-m

Marrying An Old Bachelor...

"Marrying an old bachelor is like buying second-hand furniture."- H.J Brown Jr

I do own a lot of second hand furniture. On-line sites such as KIJIJI have afforded me a beautiful bed frame and headboard for my bedroom, while solving the dilemma of my queen sized box spring not fitting up my middle aged staircase. I did sleep on the mattress on the floor until I could find an affordable box-spring-free bed that suited my taste at a price that was right. My dining room table is second hand as are my chairs and my buffet and hutch. They have all been painted, stained and sanded within an inch of their lives but I would not have been able to afford the look I wanted had I not gone all second hand and all do-it-yourself-er on them.

When I moved into my house, the previous owners left a ton of stuff behind ( le sigh...). There were dozens of quarter-full paint cans that were colors that hadn't been present on the walls in years. There was wood, old blinds, a work bench and a half-ton truck worth of junk to go to the dumpster (anyone have a truck I can borrow??). The other day I was down there contemplating what I could squeeze into my little hatch-back VW when I saw three decent sized pine boards. I took them upstairs, only to deduce they were the perfect size boards to make a headboard for a double bed! Hallelujah! One less thing to drag to the dump and I conveniently have two double beds severely lacking in the head-board department! So here is what I did...

I drove to Home Depot and went straight to my favorite paint expert (we are actually on a first name basis now!). I bought three samples (the ones you would buy to test colors on a wall), at three bucks a piece and in gradient colors of purple. I went to the hardware section and bought three packages of 3m Command Strips that hold up to 9 lbs. I draped my table in garbage bags and propped the wood on cans of stewed tomatoes (they were on sale...I have too many to know what to do with!). Using a  foam trim roller I painted each board one of the gradient colors with two coats of paint. When they were dry I attached the command strips and secured them over the bed in one of my spare bedrooms. The result was a headboard spot on with the ombre' trend that is sweeping the nation. With total cost of twelve dollars and total time spent of about one hour including drive and shopping time. Bam! Check it out below and happy DIY-ing!
-m