Samedi Brocantes à domicile De Matin

This morning, mum and I did our usual Saturday morning bargain hunting and came across a scrapbooker's dream. The garage sale was held by a Canadian scrapbooker who has been published numerous times in the Memory Makers and Creating Keepsakes magazines and books, so of course, we ended up finding some of the most gorgeous papers, ribbon, stickers and other fabulous scrap booking supplies.

I can't wait to begin creating!

Un jour à Toronto

Art from the Gardiner Museum

Shoes from the Bata Shoe Museum
Art from the Royal Ontario Museum
...More Art from the ROM
The CN Tower at Night

Some of my friends and I decided to spend the day in Toronto, Ontario. We had a great time exploring the many landmarks of the city including the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum, the Bata Shoe Museum (Carrie from Sex & the City would definitely have been impressed!) and to finish it off we caught a show at Toronto's Second City.

My favourite part of the day was visiting the Bata Shoe Museum, where we saw shoes worn by David Bowie and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as an assortment of French shoes which were displayed in a Parisian inspired room complete with French chandeliers! Ohh la la!

The Royal Ontario Museum was also amazing, and there we were able to see an assortment of art forms including a totem pole which was centred in the middle of the main foyer, 20th century Canadian flame work pieces including a horse drawn carriage and a nativity scene, as well as a collection of Lalique perfume bottles and china, a paper weight display and art deco furniture....stunning!

Lastly, we visited Second City, a comedy club in Toronto where the likes of Canadian comedians such as Martin Short, Dan Ackroyd, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara and Gilda Radner have performed in the past. The show and improv performed was fabulous.

I saved the best picture for last...the CN Tower in all its glory at night.

Vous Êtes Une Poupée !

Nita @ Red Tin Heart has nominated me for a "You're A Doll Award"! I visit Nita's blog daily and am always inspired by her creative ideas and beautiful photographs. Thank you, Nita!

Now it's my turn to nominate some blogs that inspire me daily:

Deb (my mum!) @ Posted from Home
My mum is my best friend and a constant source of inspiration for me. Her photography captures the beauty in everyday life, and her inspirational quotes

Lidy @ Little French Garden House
Lidy's love for all things French is what caught my attention when I first began blogging, and I've been coming back ever since. Her sense of style is...shall we say, magnifique! And be sure to visit her amazing website!

Flea Market Queen
Flea Market Queen is a girl after my own heart because she is a self-confessed 'flea market junkie'! And anyone who knows me or has read my blog knows my love for vintage items. If you love finding a beautiful bargain, then you must visit this blog, you will LOVE it!

Susie Q @ Rabbit Run Cottage
Not only is Susie a fabulous writer, but she's also a one-woman comedy act! Susie's humour and love of life shines through all of her posts.

Vallen @ Queenly Things
Vallen is an amazing artist who inspires me to create on a daily basis. The humour and quirkiness she brings to each post will have you coming back for more!

Ginny @ Twinkle Pink
Ginny's love for all things vintage is evident in the fabulous swaps she's held over her blog - most recently, her tiara and matchbox swaps which were a HUGE success. Her crafts are always stunning.

Sophie @ Sophie Huneysuckle's English Decor

I love visiting Sophie's blog because of the beautiful photographs she takes of her home. Her style is one part Rachel Ashwell/one part Cath Kidson. Her home is elegant and her love for all things vintage shines through each of her posts.

Thank you again, Nita, for nominating me!

Petits gâteaux De Noix de coco

Here are the coconut cupcakes in all their glory for tonight...

I hope the girls enjoy them!

Cônes De Papier

I have a couple of days off of work (in a row, which is really unusual), so we have a day in Stratford to see a play planned, some shopping in Toronto planned, and a few other day trips in mind which leaves me with one day to have some of my girlfriends over. With summer almost over, I wanted to have a small get together before we all head back to school or begin new jobs in the fall.

We have reservations at a favourite bistro of ours right across from the lake and then we're off to see a movie...we're debating between "No Reservations" and "I Know Who Killed Me"...if anyone has seen either, please leave your recommendations!

Then, we'll head off to Dimitri's, a favourite coffee and dessert bar of ours and...if that weren't enough, we'll head back to my place for coconut cupcakes. In preparation, I made paper cones to put at the back of everyone's chair...these are a few of the ones I finished today. Inside of each, I've added a few little goodies for the girls to take back home with them.

Samedi Trouvailles De Brocante à domicile De Matin

Mum and I had a very successful Saturday morning, indeed. Lots of great bargains out and we seemed to snag every deal! At our first stop, which was just down the street, we came across a box of vintage marbles I just had to have...and for only 25 cents! Mum said they reminded her of her school days when she would sit under her favourite tree and play marbles with all of her friends (and she would win every time, although she was too sweet to keep them - she always returned them back when they told her it was their 'favourite' marble!)

Then we came across a stack of books and more silver trays (I think I'll pick up some black chalkboard paint tomorrow and get started on a few more blackboards!)

The final bargain of the day was a retro looking bread bin! A dream find for me, and I have been looking everywhere for one! And to think, we probably could have done more damage had it not been for the fact that I had to get to work...it was bad enough I had only left myself 15 minutes to get there!

Récompense De Sujets De Nice

My mum has honoured me with a "Nice Matters" award! Thanks, mum! Now it's my turn to select 7 other NICE blogs...

This was so difficult, as I love all of your blogs but I thought that honouring you all with one would be cheating! So, here are my nominees...

*Rosemary @ rosespetitemaison

*Manuela @ The Feathered Nest

*Sheila @ A Kiss is Just a Kiss

*Blue @ Indigo Blue

*Pam @ Art and Soul

*Nita @ Red Tin Heart

*Q @ Q's Corner

Speaking of nice, we also celebrated my beautiful lab, Ben's anniversary with us yesterday night! We adopted him 7 years ago yesterday and have been thankful ever since! He has certainly treated us very nicely, indeed!

Bagatelle Anglaise

What better way to cool off than enjoying a refreshing summer dessert with layer upon layer of whipped cream, fresh market berries, vanilla pudding and Italian lady finger biscuits? You're got the best of 3 countries, for one thing: Italian cookies, trifle recipe from England, and prepared in the French Nest kitchen!

This simple, yet delicious, dessert is a real time saver and tastes even better the next day!

Kate's Summer Trifle

(Serves Eight - or, in our case, a family of four!)

Ingredients:

-Whipped cream (Cool Whip works best)

- 2 boxes of Jello vanilla pudding

-2 packages of Italian lady fingers

-Plenty of fresh market berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries (remember to reserve some of the berries for garnish)

Layer lady fingers, pudding, berries and whipped cream...bon appetit!

Surprise Tôt De Matin !

I know the early bird gets the worm, but this bird got more than that delivered to her French Nest! My kind friend Sherry from Q's Corner had put together another box of goodies she thought I might like....and I certainly do!

Inside the box (which, by the way, was as beautifully decorated on the outside as it was filled with beautiful items on the inside), was a gorgeous hat box decorated with French poodles and pom-poms! So adorable! Inside were gorgeous vintage linens, a French plate, tassels, and the piece de resistance...a red beret! (I am so in love with it that I wore it this morning while eating breakfast!)

Thank you so much Sherry! I love it all!

Port Perry (Take Two!)

I'm back from my travels! Did you miss me? I feel like I have abandoned blogging lately, as work commitments have bogged me down lately. But, I am back into the swing of things and I promise you lots of posts!

On Monday night, we had the best time at a dinner theatre watching a Tribute to the Bee Gees...it was fantastic! They received two standing ovations and played for two hours straight! Mum and I, of course, were dancing in the aisles...it's the Latin blood in us!

And then this afternoon, we had the best time visiting Port Perry. We browsed through the most unique shops, sampled some great food, and even had time to visit Erin, a small town on our way back home. Even though the temperature hit 44 at one point, we managed to get from shop to shop and luckily, they were all air conditioned!

We visited a few favourite shops of ours including Delights, which has French inspired home and garden accessories and houses a large collection of over sized French clocks, and Pamper and Soothe, a perfumery shop. Once we entered, I knew I had to get the etched glass container...I think I'll put my bath salts in it!

The second picture from the top is my finished collage which I created out of a variety of paper, vintage lace, buttons, an antique playing card (you know how much I love those!) and a glittered letter. It feels so great to be able to find the time to create again, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Port Perry

Today, on my day off, we are travelling to Port Perry for the afternoon...I will post pictures as soon as I return, as well as pictures from my latest crafts. Hope you all have been enjoying your week!