Mlle Magpie

Pastel Pretties

 

 

 

Working on a big clean up and organization of the house before my youngest daughter's First Communion and older daughter's Confirmation in May. So very busy with all my work outside of the house that I don't know how much I will get done at home. Will just keep plodding away at it...

 

 

 

 

This is a part of my vintage dress collection. So pretty to look at. They're not all fitting in my vintage prom dress closet so I had to buy a rack to hang some of them on. I think they look so nice in the family room in the basement, but husband doesn't think so, so out of the family room they will go... :)

 

Mlle Magpie

Birthday Flowers

 

 

These are some of my birthday flowers - I turned 48 this week (and got 48 roses!). Not much time for blogging lately as life keeps getting in the way. It doesn't help that I'm now working at three different hospitals.

Anyways, very much looking forward to a break during the kids' school break in March. We're going to be going to Florida en famille for some much needed warmth and sunshine. It will be nice to relax, go barefoot and wear flip-flops again...:)

In the meantime, I've got my beautiful flowers and this weekend I will get birthday cake!

 

Mlle Magpie

Rachel's Shabby Chic Store in NYC

 

 

 

If you guessed Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Shop as my favourite store in New York, you know me well. This store is smaller than her previous one in Soho, but still utterly pretty and delightful.

 

 

 

 

Love the vintage bicycle in the front window display with pretty ribbon-wrapped gifts.

 

 

 

 

A most eco-chic way to deliver one's Christmas gifts. Indeed, completely practical as there was no snow in NYC when we were there right after Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fabulous large inspiration board a la Rachel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could have spent a lot more time browsing and enjoying this shop but I was with my teenaged son :)  I did manage to get my bestie a couple of small things that she wanted and I got some ruffled white bedding for myself that had been on my wish list for a long time. Sigh. So romantic and dreamy...

 

Mlle Magpie

l'Atelier de Colette

 

 

 

While in Toronto a couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to be able to squeeze in a quick visit to artist/teacher/friend Colette Copeland's wonderful atelier. It was so lovely to see her and walk around in her creating space - really, her studio reminded me of an atelier in Paris! Even the coffee she made me reminded me of a Parisian cafe.

 

 

 

 

Colette is SO talented. She is a regular contributor to the Stampington publications such as Somerset Life. It was such a pleasure to actually look around and see all of her interesting and beautiful creations scattered about her studio. I have already collected several of her creations over the past year from her Etsy shoppe and had actually planned to choose one of her paintings to bring back home with me. I ended up getting two (!) paintings which I adore. Not only that, Colette gifted me with a few special little creations of hers to take home too - lucky me!

 

Since it's been so crazy busy at work and at home lately, I haven't had a chance to figure out where to hang my treasures from Colette but I do look forward to sharing them with you in the future...

 

Mlle Magpie

 

Anniversary Roses

 

 

 

We are back from our long weekend visit to my parents' home. These are some of the 50 creamy white roses that I bought for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. They opened up beautifully over the weekend. I'm hoping they will end up drying out nicely so that they can be kept as a keepsake...

 

Mlle Magpie

Wedding Anniversary

 

 

 

Whew, somehow I survived the ultra busyness of September. It's been just crazy at work and at home with the kids. Fortunately we will get a bit of a break as this is the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada and we will be off tomorrow to visit my family in Toronto.

 

 

 

We'll be celebrating my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary en famille.

 

 

(vintage wedding cake toppers from my collection)

 

 

Being married for 50 years is quite the accomplishment in this day and age...

 

 

Mlle Magpie

 

Aging is a Good Thing

 

I love flowers and think that one can never have enough of them. I had bought this book of Redoute reproductions when it was on super sale at a bookstore near my workplace a couple of years ago. 

 

 

 

There are about 30 or so floral images inside the book and I had always planned on ripping out my favourites to either frame or just hang up on a wall. Especially in the winter time when fresh flowers are very expensive, I thought hanging up a grouping of these would be a wonderful idea. However, the pages inside the book were all a bright white and just didn't seem right to me. 

 

 

 

 

Nothing a little distress ink couldn't fix, though.

 

 

 

 

So I gathered all my favourite images and away I went to give these new images the vintage look and feel that I though they should have. 

 

 

 

 

Such a fast and easy improvement and now they just look right to me.

 

 

 

 

Mlle Magpie

My Souvenirs From England

 

I've been so busy at work lately that I haven't had time to post about the pretty things I brought back with me from my trip to England in July. 

 

 

 

 

First off, at the market in the centre of Cambridge I spied this beautiful faded pink vintage eiderdown. I had never seen one at a flea market and husband agreed it would be perfect at the foot of our bed in the wintertime for some added warmth. It will also bring some colour and pretty to our bedroom too.

 

 

 

 

 

At the same stall (really the only one carrying vintage items that day), I saw this old wooden basket. I also saw a collection of small vintage bottles; the lady told me that they are old paste jars from the 20's. I thought they would look nice with some flowers in them. Here at home I have them displayed inside the wooden basket with little blooms plucked from our garden.

 

 

While in Cambridge admiring everything in the large Cath Kidston store, I found these floral espadrilles. Normally I'm a real "flats" kind of gal but I know husband likes a bit of heel and since they were so pretty and on sale, it was a win-win kind of situation.

 

 

 

 

In London, my most favourite discovery was the fabulous home section at the "H and M" store on Oxford Street - an incredible selection of homewares with fantastic prices. I was a bit overwhelmed with the discovery and had a hard time choosing a few things to take back with me. In the end I chose some linen pillow covers.

 

 

 

 

Very Jeanne d'Arc Living don't you think?

 

 

I also picked up this pretty ruffled table runner that I've put on our living room coffee table.

 

 

 

Very inexpensive and quite shabby chic.

 

 

I know "H and M" has an online shop but it looks like for now they only ship to Europe. I wonder when these fabulous things will be available in North America...?  

 

Mlle Magpie

 

Ballet Sunday

 

 

My girls were performing in their ballet school's yearly performance yesterday. Here is the vintage tutu my littlest one was wearing. They were both wonderful in their performance and Grandmother from Toronto was lucky enough to come into town and see them in their show too. I'm so proud of them :)

 

Mlle Magpie

Colette's Creations

 

While in my hometown of Toronto over the Easter weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting up with the marvellous Colette Copeland. Artist, teacher and now friend. We met at Bizzy B's, a "stamp and scrap" shop near High Park where I got to buy a couple of Colette's fabulous stamps. She has designed a line of stamps for Stampington called "Carved by hand" and many of you may know that she is a frequent contributor to the Somerset publications. For example, Colette can be found in the current Somerset Studio magazine.

 

Here are a few of Colette's creations that I have collected over the past year.

 

 

I love that I have been able find vintage frames for her pieces from my frame collection at home.

 

 

 

 

 

We had such a lovely visit. I also received a gift from Colette as I was her 300th sale in her Etsy shoppe - this lovely creation using vintage paper and lace on salvaged wood. It's  perfect for me! Thanks so much, Colette!

 

 

I'm already looking forward to seeing dear Colette again when I'm back in Toronto this summer. This time I'm hoping to visit Colette in her studio and maybe learn a thing or two from this wonderful, delightful and generous artist. Lucky me!

 

Mlle Magpie