Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everybody!

In honour of our great nation's birthday I've taken a few pictures of a really sweet Royal Canadian Mounted Police paper doll game I found. Apparently it used to belong to a little dude by the name of James Roberts way back in the day. I particularly enjoy the, ahem, mildly boastful claims under the "Living Legend" blurb.

Here's hoping that you've all got some beers on a patio to enjoy, maybe some BBQ to tuck in to, fireworks to see, and a Canadian or two to hug today xo

Happy Bunny Day!

Like for most kiddies, when my sister and I were little Easter Sunday was a source of great excitement. In our Easter baskets the Bunny always brought us a brand new jump rope, a big pail of sidewalk chalk, perhaps a pez dispenser or two and lots of chocolate. After the backyard egg hunt we'd get to go out for brunch with Nana. I got to wear a frilly spring dress and it was awesome. 

This evening Brett and I are having a bunch of friends over to watch the Game of Thrones season three premiere. Brett's making nachos and I bought a dozen adorable Easter themed cupcakes for snacking (the plastic egg and bunny decorations on them are actually rings! How cool is that?). I'm going to have at least four glasses of champagne and I may even put on a frilly dress. 

I hope you're all having a relaxing weekend with family and friends and getting your fill of yummy eats and chocolate eggs. Happy Easter! xo

(Mid century die cut Easter decorations from the lovely (and now defunct) The Melissa)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last year around this time Brett, myself and our photographer friend Phillipa braved frigid February temperatures and had an awesome day putting together a vintage Valentine's themed engagement shoot.

We hit up a frosty Cherry Beach with some heart shaped balloons to get all lovey dovey.

Then it was on to the George Street Diner for a quick outfit change, a yummy vanilla shake, and to play around with a few cards from my beloved vintage Valentine collection.

(1940’s style blouse, 1950’s velvet flocked skirt, 1970’s fur trimmed coat, and cocktail hat from Magwood. Gold brocade dress from Cabaret. Brett’s Lodenfrey toggle coat from 69 Vintage.)

(photography by Phillipa Croft)

Oh Christmas Tree

Merry Merry Christmas everyone! I'm off to spend a couple of days at my in-laws house in Oakville with Brett, my sister in-law, Kirsten, my baby sister, Zara, and my parents. Mum and Dad have flown in from Halifax and Zara has come all the way from Spain! I plan on doing a lot of hanging out in my pj's, making a significant dent in my copy of Game of Thrones, eating and drinking my weight in shrimp, wine, and cheese and generally slothing it up with family. I hope that whatever you get up to this week your holidays are filled with much comfort and joy xo

 

Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath Tutorial

Hey! Want to make a totally gorgeous vintage Christmas ball wreath? Of course you do, they look awesome! Read on fellow crafty, Christmas lover...

You will need:

-1 foam wreath form. I used a 16 inch one which is rather large but I had a lot of ornaments to use. A form with a smaller diameter would look just as lovely too. I found mine here.

-a whole lot of tinsel garland. Basically enough to tightly wrap around the wreath once.

-wire to make a hanger with.

-a hi temp (<--- important) glue gun and lots of glue sticks

-scissors

-a borderline hoarder amount of vintage Christmas balls and assorted old ornaments. In the end I think I ended up using approximately 40 plain coloured balls, 30 snazzy balls, and 25 mini balls. Keep an eye out in vintage/thrift stores and Christmas markets around the holidays for old ornaments. eBay and Etsy are excellent resources as well. Look for vintage ornies during the summer or other non holiday seasons rather then the months leading up to Christmas in order to get the best deals.

-sweet xmas jams to set the mood. May I suggest A Charlie Brown Christmas or Merry Christmas: Bing Crosby.

-enough rum toddys, spiked egg nog, big ol' mugs of scotch, etc. to get a good base buzz going. Trust me, it will make all the difference when you inevitably burn your fingers on scalding hot glue.

Start by gluing one end of the garland to the wreath and wrap tightly all along the length of it. Make sure to secure the tinsel to the styrofoam with blobs of glue at various points along the way.

Once the wreath form is fully entombed in tinsel grab some wire and make a little hanger. Just wrap it around the wreath a bunch of times and form the two ends into a loop. Make sure to position the loop/hanger at the back of the wreath as opposed to sticking out the top.

Line up plain balls, alternating by colour, on the inside and outside of your wreath. Once you like the look of everything start gluing them to the tinsel and to the sides of their neighbors as you go. Make sure to hold the balls for a second or two to let the glue dry and remember to point the tops downwards to the inside.

After that it's just a matter of filling it all in with your snazziest balls and ornaments. I glued down the disembodied Santa head, reindeer and elf before gluing the balls around them. Fill in small gaps or awkward spaces with your littlest balls.

And there you have it! Instant family heirloom. Hang it on the wall or on a door that doesn't get too much use, pour yourself another glass of rum and egg nog and stand back and admire your work.