M A Y . . .

(*All photos taken by me with my iPhone)

(**Quote via Pinterest)

Black & White Out Back

Last year I did a little post about black & white outside because it's one of my favourite colour combos for outside or inside.  (Actually, I have a lot of black & white in this house...not sure why.   It just sort of happened.)   It just makes all the other colours stand out and I love it with the dark green of boxwoods, ferns and grass.  It's just such a classic look.   So I was a little excited when I happened upon these cushions at the Superstore a few weeks ago.  The little cushions were $9.00 and the larger ones were $20.00.  They also had roll cushions and lounger cushions in the same stripe, but they're going very fast.  

It's been so cold here I've only purchased a few of my annuals, and haven't planted any in the ground yet.   Last week I had to bring them in at night because we had a chance of frost.  The ones above are the African Daisy and the Double Petunia.

Here's a pic of the seat cushions.  The previous owners built a bench right into the railing of our back deck so these cushions fit perfectly here for extra seating.  I really need to get painting this back deck because it's chipping.  I'm thinking of painting the deck and the back fence in a very dark grey - almost black.  Which might be a little hot on the toes on the back deck but would look spectacular on the fence.   It's a great backdrop for plants and would really make my Hydrangeas and Rose of Sharons pop out.  It's a project that might have to wait until Fall or next Spring.

And some more news....my French Lilac that I planted five years ago finally bloomed.  (Now imagine this Lilac with black behind it instead of the weathered wood...amazing right?)

Here's a closeup of the Lilac...love all the textures and colours.   My peonies are just about ready to bloom and they are one of my all time favourite flowering shrubs.

And one more thing....I started to paint my stairs...eeek!  But I screwed up and now I have to remove some of it.   I don't like painting, and I really, really don't like removing paint.  

 More on that later.

Cottage Stalking - Jackson's Point

So now that we have warmer weather, I've totally switched from house stalking to cottage stalking.  If you follow me on Instagram you know that I recently went away for the day with some friends to Jackson's Point, ON which is on Lake Simcoe.  This place is beautiful!  It's about 45 mins North of where I live, and reminds me of Cape Cod...with gorgeous homes & cottages on one side of the road and the water on the other side.  Like most of the areas around Toronto, this place is booming... like $1 million cottages booming!  Most people are tearing down and rebuilding, so there is a real mix of old and new.

This first little blue & yellow cottage is for sale and as luck would have it, there was an open house so we all (like six of us) took a peek.  (I guess you would call what we did "open house crashing").  Here's one shot I took of the sweet inside.  It's still on the market so you can see more of it here.   

I absolutely love Craftsman, Cape Cod and Victorian homes, and there really was a mix of all three.  I kept turning my head from side to side because the houses were sooooo amazing!  

This last one is a bit of a tear down or fixer-upper.

  Personally, I like the style so I would probably fix it up.

(All photos are mine taken with my iPhone.)

It's amazing what a week of warm weather can do...these trees now have full leaves.  We seem to have completely skipped Spring and gone right to Summer here.  

I've heard some people calling it "Sprummer". 

You can check out my Pinterest boards if you want to see more houses/cottages.

Have a great week!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

 

So here's a few gift ideas for Mother's Day that I'm loving right now.  I'm not much of a teacup person, but these are so fun!!!  I know the salt and pepper shakers are a little odd for a gift, but they are incredibly chic.

I'd love these beautiful Turkish towels for our master bathroom.  In fact I'd like three...hint, hint.

And I think most cooks would love these aprons.  I'm not a cook, but I think these would make me want to cook (or maybe just look like a cook).  Check out that bow...such a beautiful detail!

 French soaps and scented candles are always must haves  for me.

Have a great week!!!