5 Fab Finds: From Europe to Maple Ridge, Avec Amour

Shopping in the Latin Quarter

Hubby and I returned from our trip to Europe a couple of weeks ago ( I know, unbelievably lucky to have the lives we have!) and I am eager to share some of my insights, travelogues and meanderings. Of course, I took over a thousand pictures. (I just love digital, don't you?) So its taking me awhile to sort them out and find themes...stay tuned.

But. One of the things I love about Europe is the boost it gives to the creative/artistic side of me. It is like one giant Artist's Date (for those of you familiar with the work of Julia Cameron: The Artists Way - highly recommended btw). I come back inspired in all kinds of ways.

I am just crazy for all the design elements I see - from buildings, to doors, to dishes, to chairs, to signage. Not to mention fashion. Oh, I mentioned it. In that case...

On this trip we visited both London and Paris (poor us!) and here are a few of my fab finds, or just fashion-stuff I noticed.

Jean Jackets - ubiquitous, and I mean everywhere:)
And worn with everything. I bought two.

Find #1. We spent a really spectacular day shopping on the London high streets - Oxford Street and Picadilly Circus - in a typical London rain. I bought Jean Jacket #1 at Selfridges and the absolute last m-sized jean jacket left in London at The Gap in Picadilly - thanks to the most helpful store manager on the planet. Why two? One cropped, one not. Of course. Didn't I already have one? Of course. Who doesn't here in NA? But these are from London. And that is something I noticed - there is a real trend toward American-styling in clothes and food, a shift in the five years since I was last in Europe.

Find #2.  With spring and summer come flowers, and in Paris I saw them everywhere. Floral printed dresses, blouses and jammies...women with flowers pinned in their hair, decorating shoes, pendants, rings, handbags and belts. Floral prints were also featured on the Liberty fabric floor in London. I love these cloth pin-on flowers, like the taupe one on my jean jacket. I bought two in the Latin Quarter (namedropper!). I might give one away. Be nice to me.

Find #3. I'm also a bit crazy for toile fabric. In Lindau, an amazing harbour town on Lake Konstanz, I visited Marie Lind fabrics (omg). Did I mention we also toured the Bodensee? Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I bought the little black and white pillow-cover in the picture readymade. I'm already unnaturally attached to it. (The gingham one in the background is from fabric I bought in the south of France five years ago - I know - poor me!)

One of my favourite new scarves alongside of one of my favourite old cardis

Find #4. Scarves! I'm an addict. And when I travel, I like to pick up one or two as a kind of combo indulgence-souvenir. The one pictured above came from a little boutique in the Latin Quarter (ahem) called Anoki. Hubby bought me a necklace there five years ago, that I still get compliments on. I'd say a scarf is the one accessory no wardrobe can do without. And if one is good....

Look at these beauties.
L-R Montmartre, Lindau, Montmartre, London

Find #5. This fab find came from Maple Ridge and was inspired by a trend that both hubby and I noted on our recent trip. Speaking of the American influence on style...cowboy boots. Or to be more precise 'cowboyish boots'. Western-style boots were worn in all kinds of combinations, by women and girls of all ages. Boots in general I noticed are worn pretty much year round - less weather-dependent and more outfit-dependent I'd say. After our high street escapades to find me the perfect jean jacket(s), I assured hubby that weren't going to hunt down boots to bring home. But, as luck would have it, last week I dropped into my local Value Village and found these - and on sale for half-price. Ah, life.

Boots, beautiful boots...a truly fab find!
$13 at the Maple Ridge Value Village

Nattily dressed, I'll keep sorting through my pics to share in future blogs and Facebook posts. Meanwhile, we're dreaming up our next trip. Italy, anyone?

Au Revoir.

Cunning Cannisters

I love happy little projects. The kind of activities where I find myself humming along while I dream them up, or while I start to put them together.

For many years I have had a beautiful set of pottery canisters. They were made by Betty Warren of Texada Island, a potter who was a dear theatre friend of my mothers. My mom had the cannisters for years and when I moved out she passed three of them on to me. One had been broken along the way, and of the three that remained, one had a chipped lid. I loved them and used them in all my kitchens right up until this year. Another lid is chipped and the set is looking weary. I still use them in my cupboards to store dried beans and back-up sugar for jam-making, but they have become decidedly shabby *sigh*.

First, I replaced them with a second-hand set of copper ones from the local Value Village. They worked well enough but were a bit 'kitschy' for me. I've got my eyes open for a perfect set, but in the meantime, I decided that I'd like glass. This summer, while out stocking up on new jam jars (how is it these jars never really make it back? I know they are being lovingly reused somewhere...), I came across large glass canning jars from Bernardin. Now as most of you know, I have an imaginary French Country kitchen, so these jars gave me a little frisson of excitement.

And, I suppose, since I acquired my first set of cannisters when I was 17, I reverted back to my broker-than-broke, first-out-on-my-own days and came up with a happy little decoration project to make a temporary set of glass cannisters to hold my day-to-day staples. This is a perfect simple fall project and a great idea for cash-strapped students or others who might be on a budget. And I offer it here, as November really settles in and we are well and truly in deep autumn.




Select a fabric you love. (Mine is 100% cotton gingham that I purchased in a market in Provence). Measure according to the canning jar lids. Use pinking shears to cut.



Trace a circle around the lid with a pencil. Trim along line with pinking shears. Using an old craft paintbrush (one you don't mind throwing away) coat the lid with Mod Podge (I LOVE this stuff - it's my one weakness - you can use it for all kinds of craft projects) and while still wet, attach the fabric circle. Coat with another layer of Mod Podge. Let dry and and add rings and lids to jars. Voila!



Another side benefit of this project is that when I finally do find my perfect replacement cannisters, I can re-use the jars to preserve some kind of delicious monster foodstuff. Next year's squash, perhaps?

And as an extra fall bonus, here are a couple of links to some great canning sites. Dreaming up next year's harvest!

 http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/home/1.php

http://www.punkdomestics.com/