Well Lit

Found this kinda cool lamp tonight, while I was out and about town hunting for a new canopy to shade us from the heat of the sun on our upper deck; as sadly our old one needs to be put to rest after having sheltered us for many years now.  But of course, I became sidetracked as I steered past Home Sense; drawn in by the heaviness of my wallet as a reminder that I had a gift card from Christmas still waiting to be spent!   After Big D finished building and detailing a stunning little custom table for under our bedroom window at the top of the stairs, and offering me up a private oasis to close the door and write – my very own ‘WO-man cave’,  I knew I needed a new lamp to adorn it.  And at last, I have found the perfect one!

So, in keeping with my utterly random, nonsensical, semi-frequent and relatively consistent ‘non-themed’ April Photo Challenge, number 16 is of my new desk lamp (above)!   I love its monochromatic tone, combined with its tiny pattern and nubby texture. It is a warm ambient light to illuminate the end of the path up the stairs to our room when the hall is dark.   And…. it works so well with the other decorative accents in our compact room.  I love being in this little space!

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A is for Alphabet

I have an affinity for all things pretty… including fabrics with textures, patterns and intermingling colours.  I have always loved fashion, and I have a great many memory of Saturday shopping trips with the Bobs (a.k.a. my ma) and my Sistah.  We’d scour for great deals and load up on fab finds.  Both my ma and pa had a great sense of style, with a multitude of clothes and shoes to choose from on any given day.  I remember the vast array of my dad’s wardrobe with his Harry Rosen suits, me stuck polishing his alligator shoes, and he demonstrating the art of the double windsor knot.  My mom, who detests wearing the colour green, for some reason had this hat that I vividly remember, that looked like a pale green sheer skull-cap with the lightest white and chartreuse organza petals.  I distinctly recall a flashback of the back of her head (hair tucked in), while she wore it on a car ride to church on the dusty dirt road in the old cream coloured Ford Mustang.  I desperately wish I had a photo of it for today’s photo challenge #7, but I only have my memory for this blast from the past.

My photo today instead, is of my ‘alphabet scarf’… a cute little fun find I picked up on a road trip to Hamilton on our way to visit the eastern branch of the perogy clan; when mom was up for a visit from Edmonchuk a few years ago.  As you can imagine, shopping is still one of our greatest past times and to this day, we continue to bond over a great deal on cute gear.

 

 

When the Cows Come Home

I was so excited to find out that the ever talented, fun and engaging Kate Green was transposing her art into delightful home decor accents, and I knew I needed to grab one of her amazing creations.  She has this innate connection with colour and brushstrokes of whimsy that match her magnetic personality.  The parcel came in the mail yesterday, when I was away from the office, and  the moment I walked in the door this morning, I plunked my butt down and feverishly tore open the envelope; with utter delight I shrieked with joy!  My Highland Cow Pillow had arrived, and I knew it was going to look smashing in my mud porch!

Many a moon ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kate through my dear compadre, and partner-in-crime, Jelly, when I was trotting about town and running my Interior Decorating business.  We shared many a laugh and good conversation together during those days.  It wasn’t until recently that we reconnected when Jelly brought together some wonderful and talented women for a gathering of fun and chuckles; and kindly included me in the mix.  This is when I discovered that Kate had branched out from her painting and cake decorating business (yeah….  so uber talented, is she!) and was now showcasing her remarkable talents in the home decor accent arena.  (YAY for me… because my wall space was pretty much taken, so now I could add some of her colourful fun with pillows – because one can ever ever ever… have too many.)

Feel free to check out her incredible talents on the links above or through her etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/KateGreenDesign  Now, Kate… when you’re ready… I would love a bird nest shower curtain...just sayin’... 😉

Photo Challenge #5 (and counting…)

Me and Mary Jane

Today I met with my friend, Mary Jane.  I haven’t seen her in a really long time.  It was quite nice.  She is quite practical.  Cute in a mature kind of way.  A little flirty, and fun.  Today she made me feel great!!!  I felt taller, and slimmer and  it made me wonder why I don’t hang out with her more often.  She is quite the fashion icon, and everyone seems to know her.  In fairness, I have to be in the mood to chill with her, and feel a bit self-conscious unless I am wearing just the right ensemble with some fab accessories.  I guess it’s been about a year since we’ve hung out, and today we did a fair amount of walking around.  We tend to see each other mostly in the fall, when we are better able to find the time to spend together; particularly when the weather cools and the autumn leaves start to fall.  And then, we’re practically inseparable until  late spring.  I suppose you could classify her as a seasonal friend.  She was locked in my shoe cabinet until today, when I broke her out of retirement.

Yes, I, like many others, have a few Mary Janes stashed away.  And, I am quite fond of them all.  I always wondered how the name of these utterly fabulous shoes came to be, and here’s the scoop:

Many a moon ago, in 1902, (yeah…. that was a l-o-n-g time ago), there was a comic strip called ‘Buster Brown’.   He looks kind of girly in the comic above, but I guess for the time, that’s what all the young whipper snappers were wearing!  The story goes that Mary Jane was Buster Brown’s sweetheart/girlfriend/babe/hot tamale (coincidentally the same name as the creator’s daughter).  Apparently, a couple of years later, Richard Felton Outcault, licensed the use of his characters to a load of companies to advertise their wares.  The Brown Shoe Company, being one of the most famous of course.  So, both, Buster Browns and Mary-Janes gained in popularity, mostly due to some live skit that travelled across the country, where actors were hired and … yada…yada…yada – kind of interesting from a marketing point of view; very ingenious for the day.   I’m sure I must’ve had a pair of Mary Janes as a young girl (or that would’ve just been wrong, on many levels), but for some reason I have a very vivid memory of little Kevin Horner from elementary school, in his adorable lace up buster brown shoes.  Could the impact of his impressionable soles become the stepping stone for my shoe obsession?

These totally cute brown Mary-Janes I wore today, were must-haves for £5 when my Sistah and I were perusing through a ‘car boot’ sale in England a couple of summers ago.

“The future’s got a million roads for you to choose, But you’ll walk a little taller in some high heel shoes” – Hairspray
Ain’t that the truth! 

Did I hear correctly?… “Buy me… buy me…”

So, what’s a rainy weekend without tea time and a little baking? (Well… I suppose there was a little shopping that preceded the freshly baked muffins, but that’s just a technicality)!

It’s not that I don’t already own a couple of teapots (don’t tell the Big D, ’cause I don’t think he’s noticed; seriously.  Yeah… I know); but I have been searching high and low for just the RIGHT purple teapot for my kitchen.  After all, it’s a non-scientific fact that things taste that much better when served in and on pretty things.  I think I finally found it this time though!   I suppose I MAY have said that the last time, when I found that cute purple teapot at the Bombay company, just before we went on vacation.   (But if I said it in my head, it doesn’t count, and there were no witnesses).   But this one REALLY  does have all my fave house colours.  And it spoke to me.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before… that faint, yet distinct high-pitched “buy, me…. buuuuyyy me” squeak from that oh so amazing item that you have coveted for at least fifteen minutes and you know with certainty that you cannot leave on the shelf; as it would otherwise be destined to exist in a unadmired and underappreciated dwelling.  And that, would be a shame.  Well that’s my ‘sales pitch’ to the Big D, in case he questions me.

I’m not sure if any of you have ever heard that ‘plea to purchase’?  I figure it must just be something that only us women folk are astute enough to decipher.  I’m sure there is an episode of Big bang theory, where Sheldon says “Evolution has made women sensitive to high-pitched noises while they sleep, so that they’ll be roused by a crying baby…”?   So, if it happens when we sleep, it must happen when we’re awake too…. right?  And, if it’s on t.v., well, then, there must be SOME truth to it.  I mean, what are the chances that they would risk putting a quote like that on t.v. if there wasn’t some type of scientific evidence to back it up? So, I’m thinking I’ve got a pretty good case here, for buying my new teapot.

So, after I found this uber fab teapot in THE most perfect colours, for my ohhh so cute kitchen… I made some scrumptious banana muffins.  (Moukie’s favourite, and the easiest recipe that my Sistah passed along to me).  I have no idea where she got it, but it is a tried and true banana bread/muffin recipe.  I am pretty darn sure that people call it ‘bread’ and ‘muffins’ to make it sound healthier.  Seriously, who the heck are we kidding?  Slap on some icing and you’ve got yourself a cupcake! mmmmm…..mmmmmm….mmmmm… sugah!

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy.  (I usually double the recipe, ’cause who can only eat a dozen or so…?…. but this time I tripled it and took a chance, and it STILL came out delish)!  I have no idea if my Sistah will care that I’ve passed it on for the world to see, but she hasn’t read my blog yet, so she’ll probably never know!

Ohh! Great idea from my BFF in the prairie land…. (Auntie Kermin, as Moukie lovingly refers to her as). She peels her bananas before freezing them, whereas I just chuck them in the freezer. But she’s smarter than me, so I think we should do it her way.  Otherwise you end up with this kinda mess:

frozen banana mess

So, grab a ‘cuppa’ somethin’ somethin’ and a few of them there muffins, and ENJOY!

And to quote Tammy Faye Bakker (because I MUST be desperate!):   “shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist”.