Another Use for Burlap

Last year I decided to do burlap runners for Christmas dinner.

I had no idea how much to buy so I went my usual route and bought way too much.

{The stuff was cheap and I didn't want to risk another trip back to Marshall's with Fiona.}

Well, since then I have been finding all these little uses for burlap.

Fiona's birthday banner.

Jenna's shower gift.

Now, our newest addition to the stairway art.

These patches belonged to Jeff's Grandpa.

Heather {Jeff's Mom} brought them over a while back and I loved the way they looked.

Jeff and I both have a love for antiques and anything nostalgic.

We're the ones who get a call if there's an old piece of furniture up for grabs.

We love the look of these pieces.

Mostly though, we love the thought that our home is filled with pieces of the past.

Pieces of our families.

Weekend in the City {Wedding Style}

It's over, just like that.

No more weddings this summer.

Jenna married Steve this weekend and it was fabulous.

I was so honoured to be a part of this wedding as I was the last.

I loved that they were so different yet had many similarities. 

Different: Picture locations

Let me just start by saying that those who know Jenna know that my girl has connections.

They also know that if she has her mind {or heart} set on something, step aside, it will happen.

For location #1 she had us climb up a ladder and through a trap door {I'm not making this up folks} to the roof of the Sutton Place hotel.  

The remainder of the locations were also urban and just as fun.  

Nothing, however, topped the finale at a XXX sign on Jasper Avenue.

Same: Favours

Jenna also had some locally sourced and hand packaged favours.

I was able to snag a couple extra of these great smelling soaps during tear down the next day.

Different:  Guest list.

Jenna and Steve had an "Adult evening of dinner and merriment".

I always love kids at a wedding, seeing them tear it up on the dance floor is great.

You know what else is great?

Zero responsibility!

Grandma and Grandpa came over to hang with Feefs and Ced while we partied.

And party we did!

{I shouldn't say zero responsibility since I did still zip home throughout the day to nurse.

Thanks to the bridal party for being so accommodating.}

There was only one exception to the rule.  We all needed this Mama {below} to stay longer than an infant nursing schedule would allow so Chloe joined the party.

Same:  Flash Mob.

The Father-Daughter dance transitioned into a mash up of "Stayin' Alive", "YMCA", the "Chicken Dance", "Macarena", "Greased Lightning" and "Single Ladies".  It eventually got everyone on the floor for "I've got a Feelin" and was a perfect kick off to the night.

{I have no pics since I was involved.  Can anyone help me out?}

Same:  So much love and a touch of nostalgia.

The day was so easy going and real.

Jenna had a part of her Grandmother's veil {which her Mother also wore} made into a gorgeous comb.

Different:  Formal shoes.

My glutes got a good workout!

Same:  Comfy shoes.

Being ever the thoughtful friend, the Bride bought us bridesmaids some picture/dancing shoes.

Different:  Midnight lunch.

The urban feel of the pictures was complimented by some street meat courtesy of Fat Franks!

It was a huge hit, genius right?

Same:  Beautiful.

Jenna said in her thank-yous that Pinterest planned her wedding.  

But even Pinterest couldn't have infused this much heart and soul.  

This day had Jenna written all over it.

{You know you're special if Bridget Ryan MCs your wedding.}

Congrats Jenna and Steve!

I Feel Like a Grown Up When...

I listen to CBC.

{Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the non-Canucks.}

I have fond memories of my Dad cooking Sunday Brunch while listening to Radio 1.

For some reason when it starts to get cooler I feel the need to turn the radio to AM 740.

It's like fall comfort food for my ears.

A Seamstress?

I've been really enjoying some new titles I've taken on recently.

I thought I had them all figured out until yesterday.

I got a beautiful note from a friend {thanks Bri} and it blew me away.

I have called myself a blogger but she called me a writer.

I have called myself a bridesmaid but she called me a friend and seamstress.

Hers are so much better!

You see...

When I found out that Diana was getting married I immediately panicked. 

{Edit: First I was overjoyed for her, then the panic.}

This is a friend who hand-makes beautiful gifts for weddings and showers.

I'm not talking simple hand-mades here.  

We have gorgeous full size quilts and knit blankets care of Diana.

I didn't know if I'd be able to conjure up something quite as thoughtful.

Then, as we looked at some Etsy shops for wedding dresses, I found myself thinking "I can do that".

I used to sew, I used to love sewing.

But, as with many things, who has the time?

Not to mention that clothes are so cheap {a la Joe, H&M, F21} that is isn't cost effective anymore.

Well, in wedding dresses, it is.

We found 2 patterns that, combined, made her dream dress.

We sourced some Dupioni Silk in a closing out sale {thanks to a tip from her Aunt}.

I got out the dress form and we were off.

The dress came together beautifully with a few minor pattern adjustments.

Then we decided to add a little fun with some tulle peeking out the bottom.

I couldn't find the right colour so bought some ivory and tea dyed it.

These were my testers. I tried coffee {far} as well but it had a bit of an orange tinge, good old Earl Grey {middle} was the winner.

We also got such a good deal on the fabric that we had enough to make a flower girl dress.

{I altered this pattern to add some red tulle and a layer of lining so that she wasn't itchy.}

I even ended up with a little time for altering my own dress.

Now that I'm a mother {and over 30} I don't find I can wear things as short as I used to.

I loved everything about this dress except the "Jersey Shore" length.

A trip back to the fabric store for a little navy chiffon and I had another 4 inch layer at the bottom.

{These are the before and after shots, you can barely see that 4th layer.}

 So, for now at least, I'm a seamstress.

Maybe someday, when I can make the time for it, I'll really own up to this title.

Update:  Please don't judge our circa 1970's attic space {aka my office} in those last 2 shots.

The Happy Mess

You know the one right?

That satisfying mess that makes you feel like you're accomplishing something.

For example.

Introducing carrots to baby for the first time.

Making your own...anything really.  

{This is baby food and the prep to make jam.}

Dinner from scratch.  

{With some canned ingredients of course, let's not get carried away.}

And last but not least, playtime mess.

Now I'm not saying that all messes make me feel warm and fuzzy.

More often I'm driven crazy by them and find myself in a never-ending tidying frenzy.

But once in a while I own our mess and let it be.

{For a little while.}

One of Those Days

If you were hoping for a happy or cute post today, stop reading.

Today is one of those days where it feels like I'm being crushed.

I have these once in a while when things are crazy at the shop.

The end of the month is coming and we are short on money for bills.

Our bills are a little higher since we hired a new bodyman {more on him later}.

It's also taking many of our customers an extra long time to pay.

{We have lots of money in receivables, this does us no good right now.}

It's been tight before and there has always been a way to make it work.

It will work out this time.

There are some other stresses too though.

Things always feel harder when Jeff and I don't have time together.

We depend on each other to talk things out and reassure each other.

Because of all the hail work we have right now this is not happening.

We are also still trying to deal with Disaster 2012.

Our "loss of business" insurance paid us a pathetic amount compared to what we actually lost.

We have put out money to fix damage and this has not been reimbursed.

Now the company that installed the sprinklers is giving us grief.

This is just too much for someone who is still postpartum to deal with!

Sorry for the bummer but my shoulders feel a little lighter now.

Weekend at the Farm {Wedding Style}

It feels like the summer has been leading up to this weekend and next.

I have been honoured with the title of Bridesmaid for 2 great friends.

{Don't you dare call me a matron!}

And now one of those weddings is done, just like that!

We headed out Friday to set up a bit but there was a bigger task looming.

I was to teach a super secret flash mob.

We danced into the darkness.

Luckily all the friends learning were great with kids so I had lots of help with Feefs and Cedric.

You see Jeff was MIA due to the big hail storm this week.

We are now backlogged with hail damaged cars.

Remember how I said we struggle to find balance in this post?

Well, these are one of those times when the scale has tipped so far that it's near impossible.

Jeff did manage to make it there on Saturday just in time for me to zip out for pics.

The weather cooperated, it was beautiful.

The bugs were a different story.  Those country mosquitos are mighty and no amount of citronella could keep them from my bare legs.

Honestly though, I didn't notice until the middle of the night, the rest was too beautiful.

Diana has always had such a great sense of style.

I've always admired how everything she does looks beautiful but easy and soulful.

They sourced almost everything from western Canada and found a caterer that would do the same.

Their dresses were made in Alberta (more about that later) and BC.

Their favours were homemade jam.

 Fiona couldn't wait to start dancing in her boots and Cedric couldn't care less about his.

He was much more interested in the ribbons on the table runner.

{Ced's boots were from Dan at Stallion with the big boot across the street from the shop.}

 Sunday we were back at the farm for a post-wedding potluck and penny carnival.

It was less busy so I was able to take a couple shots of this fantastic farm.

With a couple of the fam at the end. 

{Fiona and I rocked our boots again.}

 Congrats to Diana and Carly!