Looking Back on July

Well there goes July...I can't believe how fast this summer is going!  We started our July long weekend with a BBQ with friends at their beautiful home in King City.   (I've had my eye on these chairs for a long time.)

It's hard to believe, but these are faux flowers from IKEA...had me fooled! 

We then had two very different, but equally beautiful, weddings back to back...one was a city wedding at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto & the other was a full on country wedding in Thornbury.

If you follow me on Instagram you've seen some of these pics before & know that I loooove blooms. At the first wedding the flowers were so simple but beautiful in shades of white & cream.  Absolutely stunning with the soft grey tablecloths & white accessories.

See what I mean by very different weddings...we went from beautiful all white bouquets to gorgeous full-on colourful bouquets....so pretty!

Although we had rain for days before this wedding, the sun came out & the wedding day was perfection.  It was in a field surrounded by apple orchards.   

(All photos are mine taken with my iPhone.)

If you want to see more crazy good wedding photos, check out one of my favourites, Sinclair & Moore...so inspiring!

Have a great weekend!

Canadian Tire Canvas Spring/Summer 2017 Preview

Now that it's starting to warm up here (and the six inches of snow that fell a couple of weeks ago has melted), we're all thinking about the backyard and patio.  I was recently invited to a Canadian Tire event, showcasing their 2017 CANVAS Spring/Summer collection #mycanvasstyle.  The venue was set up using all their CANVAS merchandise including interior and exterior items. I must say, I was very impressed with the outdoor lanterns & chandeliers...and here's a bonus, some are even solar!  
Here's a little peek at what I saw.

See what I mean by their outdoor lighting?  The  Cassara Lantern is one of my favourite.  As a gardener, I'm always looking for new planters and sometimes it's hard to find great style at an affordable price. I'm loving this & this...from CANVAS.

How cute are these inflatables for the pool?   

Summer Trip to Wasaga

So that was summer...

I started the day with a few tears as my son started college & my daughter started grade 11...but I'm ok now.

I have no idea where the time has gone, but we did manage to get away for some great family time at Wasaga Beach this summer...and yes, it's a complete miracle but our teenagers will still spend time with us.  I don't think I've been to Wasaga since I was a kid...it really hasn't changed that much.  Most of the cottages are very small & a little outdated with the odd one being completely gutted.  I spotted this one on the way to the dog park...yes they have a dog park on the beach, which is amazing for those of us who can't leave home without them. 

Check out this beach house...perfection!  Looks like it's in Cape Cod. 

This was Axel's first real experience in the water...apparently he can't swim......but he's cute.

We also took a quick trip into Collingwood (because my fave store is there) & ate a very cool new taco place called Bent Taco.  I strongly recommend it!  Oh, & get there early cuz the line up is crazy.

(All pics are mine taken with my iPhone.)

Have a great day!

Some Florida Architecture

With freezing temps outside here (just north of Toronto),  it was so nice to get these pics from my husband last week from sunny Florida.  He drove with our kids and three other teenagers (and extremely loud music) to the Gulf Coast (near Destin, FA) for March break to volunteer with World Renew.  They helped a woman who had her house destroyed by flooding and has been rebuilding it for the past nine years.   They had such an amazing time (and a great bonding time).  Our kids are 14 and 17 so it was a great opportunity to teach them to give back and help those in need.  At the end of the week, the woman broke down in tears and was so grateful that volunteers who she didn't even know would come all the way from Canada to help her. 

They were able to fit in a couple of afternoons at the beach. Knowing how much I love architecture, my husband sent me these photos.  You may recall last year he did the same thing when he went down East for business and sent me these pics. 

Here's some of the kids "working".  That's my daughter getting  a free ride.  All the kids said that even though they worked hard they had a blast, and all want to go back next year. 

Muskoka Summer Escape

I've been a little slow on the blogging end lately - trying to get my kids ready for school and fitting in a mini vacation just before school started.   

If you've been following me on Instagram you'll know that we went up north with friends to Muskoka for some final summer fun.  (Just a little aside, I love Instagram.  It's like art in a box.  You can follow me there too:).  Our friends invited us up to stay with them in Muskoka at BG Signature Properties which is absolutely stunning.  I always like to share great style when I see it so here's a little taste of what we experienced.

Above is a view from the main cottage of the boathouse which I would be quite content to live in.  It sleeps about four and we put all four teenage girls in it (hormones).  Unfortunately I didn't get any inside pics of it because the girls had "moved in" by the time I got there. It had a kitchenette in the middle and a sitting area to one side and bed on the other.  The design here was very well thought out.  Each space had a view of the lake - beautiful! 

I spent a lot of time on these lounge chairs.  

I just love these English benches which were beautifully placed all over the property. Again, great style. 

When the kids weren't on the water slide (yes it had a water slide) or in the hot tub, they were usually on the trampoline - so much fun!!!

Hope you all had a great Labour Day weekend and finished your summer in style. 

I'm going to be sharing the inside of this beautiful place coming up so stay tuned!