Something from Nothing

Some of the creative projects I like the best are ones that use materials that I already have.  It is so nice not to have to go and buy something but rather to use what I have at hand.  Take this cute little card for instance.  I had bought a package of blank cards years ago and still had some left.  I simply used a fabric scrap with unfinished edges from my recent fabric hearts project, sewed on a wee button from the stash I keep in a tin, and added some stitches with embroidery floss.  The result: a perfectly charming notecard!

Great Glebe Garage Sale

I brought along my fabric hearts to the Great Glebe Garage Sale today.  They looked so sweet hanging all in a row from my makeshift clothesline. My vintage aprons were there front and centre and proved to be the most popular item yet again.

Afternoon Tea at the Chateau Laurier

Earlier this week, on a rainy afternoon, we took ourselves off for an afternoon tea at the Chateau Laurier, that lovely "belle of the ball" of a hotel just down from Parliament Hill.

Afternoon tea is served in the elegantly feminine Zoe's, a quiet restaurant with large windows overlooking the hustle and bustle going on outside. We settled in to enjoy our tea from this cozy vantage point, tucked behind large potted plants in a windowed alcove. And what did you have to eat, you ask?

We started with a selection of fresh fruit, while we pondered the tea menu.

Among the many choices, we ended up selecting the same tea: Orange Spice, a mix of black tea, orange and cinnamon.  The perfect choice to add warmth to the rainy afternoon.

The tea was made at our table from an elegant wooden "old world" tea cart, with the water poured from a gleaming silver pot, kept to the boiling point over an open flame.

As we took our first sips of tea, our three-tiered dessert plate arrived, with Victorian and cranberry scones...

accompanied by a generous amount of strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream.

On the middle tier were dainty finger sandwiches, and to top off the experience, a slice of almond lemon afternoon tea cake and a custard fruit tartlet.

It's Official!

My gardening clogs are out. You know what that means... gardening season is officially here!