[ making pumpkins ]

IT'S Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend {it always seem to sneak up on me since it's so early in the fall} so I thought I'd better get going on a few decorations around here.

I've loved velvet pumpkins since I first saw them a few years ago but couldn't find the supplies I needed while in Dubai. So, now that we're back in Canada, I thought I would finally make a few to add to my antique dough bowl on my dining room table.

This is a very easy project and I had 5 of them made in less than a couple of hours. First, gather supplies...

tips: If you have trouble {like I did} finding velvets, you can use velour or low-pile fabric with a bit of a fuzz ~ really, anything can work if it's not too stiff. If you are using real stems, be sure to clean them well and bake them on a cookie sheet on low temp for a half hour or so to dry them out {or use some plastic ones from a craft or dollar store if you can find them}. The pumpkins turn out best if you use both beans {or pebbles or rice, etc} and craft stuffing to stuff them with. I used glass pebbles I found at the dollar store which I prefer to natural beans or rice if I plant to store them for future years. For glue, I used E-6000 glue but I'm sure a glue gun would work well. 

Trace a plate on the backside of the fabric and cut out...

Sew a running stitch all the way around the circle...

Fill with pebbles about 1/3 and then fill the rest with craft stuffing and pull tight, careful not to break the thread {I used double thread or you can try dental floss for added strength}...

Sew hole closed by pulling edges together and knot off thread. I went one step further and pushed my needle down through the middle of the pumpkin to the bottom to create one big stitch and pulled it back up which added a cute little pinch to the pumpkin shape but this is optional...

Glue on stem and you're done!

You can make them various sizes in a variety of fabrics and they make a charming little grouping. And the best part is, they'll be ready for you again next year!

Happy crafting!

lisa

[ seat with a view ]

PERHAPS it's because I'm a Pisces, but I'm always drawn to water. There's just something so relaxing about gazing out over sparkling water. My dream is to have a home with a water view someday but for now, I'm lucky to live a block away from Lake Ontario where I can enjoy this...

I love going out for a walk and making a stop at this little park. We're having some amazing late summer weather this week and all the more reason to linger a while on my favourite bench...

I love the dedication plaque on the bench. I think someday I'd like to donate a bench to the park so more people can pause a while and soak in that pretty view. Do you have a favourite spot you like to go to enjoy a view?

lisa

[ boxes boxes everywhere! ]

IT'S moving day! And we're drowning in cardboard!

With 3 separate truck deliveries, checking off box numbers and directing boxes to the correct rooms has me wiped out, especially when some items won't be ending up in the same rooms they came from. It's tiring trying to decipher what the Dubai movers wrote on the boxes ~ lamp covers are lampshades, office side tables are filing cabinets, soft table is an ottoman... Luckily everything is in and tomorrow is reassembly/unpacking day ~ hopefully I can find a spot for everything! But when in doubt ~ into the basement it goes!

lisa

[ house keys! ]

TODAY is the day! After spending a couple of months in hotels, we finally have the keys to our new home! Our container of furniture from Dubai will be delivered tomorrow along with everything we've had in storage for 3 years ~ gosh, I don't even remember what we've got! It's going to be a busy week but I'm so excited to start settling in to our new home and start decorating! Stay tuned!

lisa

[ a new home! ]

WE'RE excited to say that our home inspection was successful and the sold sign is now up! Now we just have to wait until mid July to get the keys!

We love this home - an original tudor-style home built in the 20's with a couple of additions added on over the past 12 years. It has some really lovely details...

Older homes always have such lovely character that is difficult to replicate in new-build homes. And the current owners have done a great job of marrying the newer additions with the older home, making even the original red brick exterior and inlaid wood floors blend seamlessly. Their love for this home is evident.

I think it will be very easy to settle in and feel right at home. This truly feels like my dream home and I can't wait to get our things moved in and start decorating! 

lisa 

[ oh canada! ]

SO WE landed safe and sound and pushed a bit of luggage through customs to last us until our shipment arrives...

It's been great being back to the old stompin' grounds we left in 2005. Of course one of the things on the must-do list was getting my guy a decent hotdog and we knew just where to go ~ to see Jimmy at his hotdog cart outside of the Canadian Tire store...

Jimmy hasn't changed a bit and neither have his hotdogs ~ still $2 and loaded with bonus pieces of sausage. No other hotdog cart can compare...

We've also been house hunting and my goodness, prices are just not what they were 9 years ago when we left this city! I called up the agent who sold our house back then and he toured us around to some really cute ones. There's one that really stood out amongst the rest...and....we already put in an offer!!

It's on a pretty tree-lined street...

Just a home inspection to do this week and then hopefully it will be ours! {well, in a month or so}. I didn't expect to find one that we loved so quickly ~ maybe it was meant to be? Fingers crossed it all goes well!

So that's what we've been up to the past few days ~ busy! So happy to be back!

Happy weekend! And Happy Father's Day!

lisa

[ life's decisions ]

HOW OFTEN have we all had to weigh the pros and cons of a major decision ~ is it the right choice? Is it a mistake? What does our gut tell us? Sometimes that's all we can go by ~ our gut. Taking a huge leap of faith that everything will work out the way we hope.

Well, we've reached that time ~ time to close the chapter on our expat adventures. It's been 7 1/2 years since we first moved overseas, first to Ireland and then to Dubai. Making that first leap was the hardest and I still remember the knots I felt in my stomach as I boarded the plane to what would be my new home for 4 1/2 years. I was excited and terrified at the same time. Adapting to a new country, trying to fit in, learning the lingo and hoping to make a friend ~ leaving behind everything familiar, friends and family, my comfort zone. I think we all imagine at one time or another what life would be like living in a foreign country and we certainly wear rose-coloured glasses thinking of how incredibly glamorous it would be. But I think only fellow expats can ever truly understand what it's really like and how incredibly difficult, stressful and lonely things can be at the same time. Living somewhere as an expat isn't like being on a holiday and while you are trying to settle into your temporary digs, life goes on back home ~ parents get older, nieces and nephews get bigger, friends make new friends.

We don't regret the leap we took ~ we have been able to experience different things and meet some interesting people. We've seen places we may not have seen otherwise {I certainly don't think we would have ever visited Dubai if we hadn't lived here!}. But we've also been on the receiving end of emails informing us of medical emergencies back home and undergone major surgeries ourselves with no support system to help us through. Those are the ups and downs of this type of life. If nothing else, being an expat has given me an entirely new appreciation for where I'm from and I'm excited to go back.

This has been our weekend ~ getting packed up and our container loaded for the slow boat shipment back to Canada. In 6-8 weeks we'll see our things again, hopefully ready to set up into a home we'll have for a while. We've got 3 weeks or so left in Dubai to tie up loose ends, do those last few things we haven't done here yet and say good-bye to some friends. But my world traveller days are over and I can't wait to be a Canadian resident again {and to shop for a home!}.

lisa

[via weheartit.com]

[ hello! ]

I'M BACK! Gosh, it sure feels like I was gone a long time! We were talking about that in the cab from the airport how it felt like we had been gone from here forever.

We had a great trip back to Canada and it was so nice to see the folks and the siblings! Unfortunately we didn't see any cherry blossoms ~ everything's having a slow start this spring. The weather was pretty crappy ~ I think any rain we may have missed living here in Dubai, we made up for on our trip. But we still enjoyed the fresh air and sights.

Well, back to real life. Now to unpack and start the laundry...

lisa

[via naturesdoorways.tumblr]

[ hippity hoppity ]

WE ARE headed to Canada to see our folks and take a little break. I wonder if the Easter Bunny will find us there?

Have a wonderful Easter!

lisa

[ happy weekend, Thanksgiving and Eid ]

TO ALL of my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving weekend! 

{aren't these Lily Pulitzer-inspired pumpkins cute?}

Here in Dubai, we're heading into Eid-al-Adha, otherwise known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

Eid-al-Adha also marks the end of Hajj - the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca {in Saudi Arabia}, a religious duty that must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in their lifetime. It is the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year. The Hajj is a solidarity of the Muslim people and their submission to Allah.

[Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca during Hajj]

The pilgrimage to Mecca {the holiest city in the religion of Islam} is considered to stretch back thousands of years. Processions of muslim people converge simultaneously on Mecca on the week of the Hajj to perform a series of rituals which end with the sacrifice of an animal, whose meat is then given to charity and shipped to poor people around the world. The celebration of Eid-al-Adha then begins.

~

So whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving, Eid or just the end of a week, have a wonderful one!

lisa

[pumpkins via ppeachyykkeenn.tumblr.com; mosque via flickr]

[ montreal in dubai ]

ANYONE who's been to Montreal knows that topping the list of must-eats is a smoked meat sandwich and some poutine. So imagine our surprise when we heard that there's a new little place open in Dubai specializing in just that...

So of course we had to check it out!

A traditional smoked meat on rye, pickle on the side and an order of poutine {fresh cut fries, cheese curds and gravy}...

And the verdict? Pretty darn good! And since I wouldn't typically have both in one sitting, half of my sandwich to bring home for lunch!

It's always so nice to find a little taste of Canada. We'll definitely be back!

lisa

[ art in parks ]

ONE OF the highlights of our trip back was being able to visit a couple of outdoor art shows. Some of you might remember this back in 2010...

Yup, that was my booth at the Muskoka Arts & Crafts Summer Show {read about it here}. So much fun and I really hope I can do it again someday! 

So you can imagine how excited I was to learn that we would be in Muskoka on the weekend of this year's show...

It was fun to see some familiar faces and some new artists this time too. I find these events so inspiring and they make me want to get busy creating!

So what did I buy? Well, it was difficult not to go crazy but I decided to limit myself to a new painting {I've been trying to build up a bit of an art collection of original works and these art shows are an excellent place to do so. This cheerful original is by Marlene Bulas...

But as luck would have it, this wasn't the only outdoor art show we visited! We happened to be in Oakville, Ontario for their annual Art in the Park show as well. Much smaller in scale but so many beautiful works of art...

And you guessed it ~ I bought a painting! This one is by Robin Mitchell...

I'm so thrilled with my 2 new acquisitions {doesn't that sound fancy?} 

Have you been to any fun summer events this year?

lisa

[ junquestock + celebrity sighting ]

ONE OF MY favourite shops in Muskoka is Simply Cottage and imagine my surprise when I discovered that they had purchased the old Muskoka Foundry building and had taken over the space...

I've always loved their mix of casual cottage furniture and accessories mixed with some quirky found antiques and this space is a feast for the eyes...

The fun thing about the weekend I discovered their new digs, is that they were having Junquestock in the back part of their enormous building...

a live band, a BBQ and all the antique junky goodness you could imagine...

And who happened to be there? Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott!

{oddly, this is the second time we've run into Tori ~ the last time was at the Bellagio in Vegas back in 2004}

Anyway, I could have filled a truck with all the treasures I came across, but unfortunately had to limit any purchases to my luggage allowance. What did I buy?

a cute honey tin...

and a couple of little bottles to add to my collection...

I know, nothing overly exciting! But it was cool to run into a couple of celebs and I can't wait to see what goodies I find there the next time I'm in Muskoka!

lisa