i just spotted a real live leprechaun in the cove!

how great are these guys who just graciously posed for a snap in front of the shop?

happy st. patty’s day! where’s your green today?

awhile back, i caught the keynote speech from a blogger conference from one of the pinterest* founders, ben silverman. one of the things he said really stuck with me.

i realize that i spend too much time viewing blogs and not enough time doing the things those blogs inspire me to do.

one of the biggest things is cooking! unless you consider grilled cheese cooking, i’ve never really cooked. my eating habits closely resemble those of my 4-year old niece. bread. cheese. bread. i’m the vegetarian who doesn’t eat vegetables. but the times, they are a changin’…

the internet makes cooking easier for novices like me, you can youtube videos on how to cook a butternut squash, how to zest a lemon, how to prepare asparagus. it’s endless, and i’m loving it.

even if it’s one small thing a week, i think it’s a great goal to  STEP. AWAY. FROM. THE. IPHONE. IPAD. IMAC. and do something that inspires you.

“talk is cheap. it takes money to buy whiskey.”

one of my all-time favorites from my dad. i think i learned that one around age 4. can you imagine a mini-me in pink ballet tights telling my babysitter, “talk is cheap…”

i digress,

the point is…i made these raspberry oat bars yesterday and i’m bringing them to the shop to share them today (lest i eat the entire tray solo.)

happy friday, come visit! xox

*have you guys starting “pinning” yet? i know, i know, one more interweb thing….room6 is on pinterest and i gotta say, even though i’m a complete newbie, it’s pretty neat. in a nutshell, pinterest is a virtual pin board to keep track of things you stumble across (and like) on the internet. for example, if you’re planning a retirement party, you could “pin” images of cakes, food, venues, invites, etc. that you like. you can “pin” images of houses that inspire you, recipes you’d like to make, d.i.y.s you’d like to d.i.y (or have your husband diy for you)…you name it.

cloud clip art found here

one of my new favorite things to do is to google two random ingredients, pick one of the first recipes that comes up, make it and then eat it. last week i made some delicious (and super-easy) raspberry crumb muffins, and today i’ve settled on raspberry pecan blondies. one of the best things about the interweb has to be the recipes (and pretty food pictures).

update! i just stumbled across this delicious sounding recipe from janis at pinecone camp and now i’m torn. can a girl eat too many raspberries? i think not.

raspberry image here, pecan image here

i don’t know about you guys, but i’m loving all the colour popping up everywhere this spring/summer. we’ve been (not so) patiently awaiting the arrival of a brand new coloured denim collection from milk (the same folks that brought us domino). the jeans are made in canada and every few weeks, we’ll be getting a shipment with new colours! it’s going to be hard to choose…we’re expecting our first delivery next week.

we also received a new shipment of your go-to hoodies in fun new spring colours…bright turquoise, vibrant red and a pretty periwinkle blue…just what a girl (or guy, the hoodies are unisex) needs on a drizzly march day.

top: image from milk denim, middle: image from a cute cafe in paris where my mom and i had breakfast, bottom: alternative apparel

new hampers from toronto-based pehr. these are nice and big (18″D x 20″H). they can be used for everything from laundry to toys or tossed in the back of the car for a weekend out of town. made from durable canvas with clean, modern prints. $68 each, available in 2 different prints and 4 colours. now which one do i choose?

it’s raining like crazy in the cove today, which is so weird because as you all know, it never rains around here in march. right…

anyhoo, we’ve got lovely coats to make the rainy days a little brighter. starting from the top:

alodie from soia & kyo: available in S, M, L $135

town from lifetime collective (waxed cotton): XS and M  $198

charlie from lifetime collective (waxed cotton): S, M, L $239

annika from soia & kyo: available in XS, S, M $245

beauty from soia & kyo: one left in size Large (i’m hoping to order more sizes, let me know if you’re interested): $235

after 20+ hours of travel yesterday (i think it was yesterday?) i’m back home in the cove. my mom and i had an amazing time together and explored lots of new-to-us places on this year’s trip. you could spend a year in paris and not visit all the museums!

the trade shows i attended were full of lovely things, albeit a little too fancy-pants for moi. it was like a fashion-off. and no, i did not win- not by a long shot, but i felt like i held my own in the city of lights. it was fun to see all the fall fashions of course, but i had to laugh when i imagined some of them hanging on the racks of my little shop in the cove. this $900 silk blouse is perfect for taking the kids kayaking and for gelato, non?! one of the shows had such beautiful shoes, i thought i might have to open a shoe store (in my head anyway), or at least try to scurry off into the tuileries garden in them. alas, there was only one of each shoe.

traveling allows you to imagine doing and being lots of things and it’s always so nice to break out of your routine. it’s spring break here next week, so i know many of you are heading off on your own adventures soon too. if you are, bon voyage!

i’m pretty jet-lagged (woke up nice and early at 3:30am) and will be taking it easy with the boys today, but i’ll be back in the shop tomorrow. hope to see you soon! xox