Quebec City

I just spent a weekend in Quebec city. I've lived in Canada for over 6 years and this was the first time I visited.

It's such a pretty city.

We decided to go since we can't really take any 'proper' vacation this summer (perhaps at all this year) so we decided to get out of town, even if it's just for a weekend.

It was an awesome mini vacation and definitely feel energized now.

How was your weekend?

ebay shopping

So, as it happened, I realized the other day that I had some ebay bucks that were just about to expire. I noticed it a few hours before they would be gone or good. Now, I'm not one to waste money, so off I went into the wonderful world that is ebay.

I only had around $7 dollars, so it's not like I could go nuts over there, but to me $7 is still money I'm going to use. So, I figured I'll just buy something I wouldn't buy otherwise and make sure I only spend the money I have. I decided that I'll try to get as close to the sum as possible.

As you already know I do have a weakness for paper goodness. You know, stationery, envelopes, etc. And, I've recently been writing a lot of snail mail. So, what did I buy??

Photo from the seller, olcollection

Korean stickers.

Don't ask me to explain. I can't. I guess they were random enough for me to really think this was a good idea. In my defence though, I didn't spend a penny of my own money.

So, now you can expect me to send some mail with random Korean stickers on them. Speaking of which... I just thought that perhaps there would be some dear readers of mine who would also like some snail mail from me... I like writing very random letters, so if there's interest in receiving a letter/card/random stickers from me, please let me know! If there's interest in this, maybe I'll organize something... Just leave a comment if you like the idea!

(Funny enough, I have a few people in my life you share my love for random paper/sticker awesomeness. Which means that this purchase is even more justified! This is also why I won't show more of the stickers yet, so it'll be a surprise for them...)

So, what do you think? $6 well spent? (I also bought some craft tape for a dollar)

Friday inspiration

Maybe it's the hot weather that made me soft in the head, or maybe it's something else, but I can't help myself. I've caught myself, more than once, looking at floral dishes and pretty teacups.

I'm not a "pretty" kind of a person at all. In fact, I'm not a "dishes" kind of a person either. Here (as in North America at least) it seems the norm to pick dishes as a wedding present and I certainly didn't want any. I have plates, they work just fine (dishwasher safe), end of story. I never really even thought about it.

Photos from Want

However, I am in some really odd way liking dishes that are not my style at all. Some fun colours maybe, or a funky pattern...

I don't know, maybe this will pass. I know myself well enough that I would get bored of one style very, very easily. So, I think I might just see if I can find a few colourful plates (probably more like a cereal bowl) and leave it at that... I do love the aesthetic of mixing and matching...

So, what's your thought on the topic? Colourful, mixed plates and a few teacups or stay with white/neutral?

Do you put any thought on your dishes?

Bridal getaway - part deux

So last weekend was the bridal shower and then we headed to a spa on Monday.

At the bridal shower, the bride opened a card from the husband to be which said he's sending her and her sister to a overnight spa getaway. What she didn't know at the time, we would should up as well.

The place we stayed at, Wakefield Mill, was beautiful. The spa/hotel consisted of a number of small buildings and a pool area. We reserved the small eco lodge (the red building in the photo below) for a few hours for lunch, a bit of wine and massages for all 5 of us.

Besides spending time at the spa, we lounged around the pool and ate well. It was really just about relaxing and spending some quality time together. We all live far apart from each other, so it was good to spend this time together, catching up.

Once we packed our stuff on Tuesday and lounged around the pool a little longer, we wanted to check out Wakefield itself. There is a little cluster of charming shops and restaurants just outside of the mill, so we spent a little time looking around. The biggest hits were the old-fashioned candy shop and my personal favourite; bacon jam. (it's exactly what it sounds like, jam made of bacon. And let me tell you, it is ridiculously good!)

The area is beautiful and had we stayed longer, I think a long walk by the water would've been wonderful.

All in all it was a great long weekend!

Showers and flowers and parties, oh my!

I don't even know where to start really. Well, the start tends to be the traditional place to begin and even though I'm definitely not a traditionalist, I guess I might follow the norm for now.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. There's been so many things going on. I wanted to write about all these things while I was working on them, but I really couldn't as I was planning a series of surprises (*I* wasn't planning them by myself, but with a team of wedding elves*) for my friend. We organized a bridal shower for her as well as a bachelorette spa getaway. I've actually been in Ottawa for the last few days and only got home last night.

The brisal shower, which you saw a few photos of already, was organized at the bride's (future) mother-in-law's home. We selected theme colours of pink and green for the decorations which we tried using them in absolutely everything. I bought a ton of pink and green paper lanterns from Chinatown and made teeny tiny paper flags out of washi tape. I also made the party favours in pink and green of course.

The favours seemed to be a hit. Each one had a biodegradable planter, seeds to plant into it (four choices; jalapeno peppers, oregano, basil and rosemary), chalkboard clothes pin and a chalk (wrapped in coordinated scrapbook paper)

There was a ton of food, including a pink and green tea party cake and edible arrangements. We all wore hats and played some party games.

It was a great day! The bride was surprised and happy (after she got over her shock of seeing so many people at her mother-in-law's backyard, where she was supposed to have a relaxing day by the pool). The festivities didn't end there, but we also took the bride away for an overnight spa getaway filled with massages, champagne cocktails and some much needed time by the pool. There's so many photos, so I'll show you some of those in another post.

Let me know if there's something you want to know more about, be it food, decor, games or any of the other details of the shower. I learned a lot of things organizing this one, so I'll happily share if you're organizing one or are just curious!

What did you think of the decor?

* elf [elf]
Noun, plural elves
1. mythical creatures, often said to appear in wooded areas and forests
2. a small person
3. a mischievous creature


Wedding elf [elf]
Noun, plural bridesmaids
1. mythical creatures, often said to appear areas near a bride or open bar
2. a tall, majestic person, in 4 inch heels
3. still mischievous