Confession # 6, I Stalk Vintage Trailers

I stalk vintage trailers... and one of my favourite tin cans of all time is this '54 Shasta! The first time I spotted it was about four or five years ago when I was checking out trailers for sale on eBay. I believe they were asking $10,500 for this particular trailer. I am not sure if it changed hands or not...something tells me the reserve bid was not met. It really captured my attention because they had great photos of the restoration process.  Every once in a while a photo of this Shasta will pop up on Pinterest and it makes me wonder where it is now.

                                 

I love the yellow and red color scheme! And how handy would that dolly-wheel thingy be? You could easily manoeuvre your mini-mansion around your driveway or campsite!

Here's an interior shot...gorgeous birch panelling, wall sconce and  banquette seat cushions. I have never come across a photo of the sleeping area, but I can only imagine  how sweet it is. 

Do you have a favourite tin can that you stalk? Do tell :)

NS Artist "Shout Out"

When I wrote my blog profile I asked myself the question, "what will I blog about?" I think this post falls under the "a little bit of everything" category. Recently I discovered the works of a local artist, Susan Sweet.  Susan has a studio in Maitland, NS, less than an hour's drive from where I live. She works mostly in acrylics, but I see from her blog that she also uses other mediums such as pastels. Many people commission Susan to paint their  four-legged friends. Scrolling through her blog you will find lots of horses and dog portraits. Tons of cows too...

Here's "Pink Hereford". Just look at those eyes!

But I think my favourite pieces are those depicting Cobequid Bay, part of the famous Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world! 

Check out Susan's blog if you would like to see more of her wonderful work. 

http://susannsweetartist.blogspot.ca/

Snowshoes, Skates & Sleighs

I  know Christmas was last week, but I just have to show you these photos. Nova Scotia got hit with a blizzard today and this is what my front porch looks like tonight...the North Pole!

Do you see that rocker?  I dragged that wicker chair home from the thrift shop a few years ago.  And it's really hard to see (because it's covered in snow) but the cushion on that chair is made from my dad's  red plaid hunting jacket. 

Those vintage snowshoes are special too. They belonged to my cottage neighbour. He used to wear them when he had to check on telephone poles in remote areas. When my neighbours were selling their cottage a few years ago  they put them out with their trash on garbage day.  I couldn't let them go to the landfill so I dragged them back to my cottage :)

I don't think I'll be sitting in my wicker rocker sipping coffee anytime soon, but I love my front porch all decked out for the holiday season!

                              

   

Old Days, Old Times, Old Friends

Can you believe that it is the beginning of another year? Another year to get it "right"! I cannot believe that it's almost been a year since I started this little blog. My first post was actually on Jan. 28th, 2013. But this morning when I woke to a lovely, sunny (but -22C) day, all I could think about was this little verse (where I substituted "New Year's" for "Christmas").

Never a New Year's morning,
Never the old year ends,
But someone thinks of someone,
Old days, old times, old friends.
                           ~Anonymous 

Happy 2014 to one and all!

I Heard a Bird Sing

Many years ago I came across this little verse (by Oliver Herford) on a Christmas card.

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December
A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

“We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

One can only hope that winter will be as short and sweet as this verse...

All Is Calm, All Is Bright...

This year I have five Christmas trees in my house. Most ever. Not sure how I ended up with 5 but it happened. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really a "tree" person. I like all the other things that go along with Christmas but I just can't wrap my head around the idea of bringing a 7-foot evergreen, needle-dropping tree into your house. So I have four artificial trees this year, and one natural tree (a Balsom Fir) in the living-room. Not showing that one, although it's not too bad by our standards, Ha! But this little one is in my dining-room. It's about 20 years old and kinda crazy looking. This year I have it perched in a Ganong Hard Candies bucket and decorated with cookie cutters and red glass balls. 

And here's my mantel all decked out with fresh greenery. I love the way the pine branches droop over the edge. The picture above the mantel is a print by Trisha Romance called The Museum.    Maybe I will do a post about  this artist in  January. 
Have a wonderful Christmas. Hope you get to celebrate the holiday with family and friends!

The Three Bears

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved the story of The Three Bears. When she discovered a hooked rug pattern depicting the bears she asked her aunt to make it for her. Auntie Gwen agreed and the mat was started. She worked on it in Nova Scotia in the summer months,  and then took it to Florida to continue the hooking throughout the fall and winter. But somehow the mat never got finished...
Four years ago my aunt was admitted to a nursing home with a special ward for Alzheimer's patients. As my cousin and I readied her house to put it on the market, we discovered the half finished Three Bears mat. Well finally, after four years in my closet, I found someone who could finish Gwen's mat. (Thank you Lynn for taking on this little project with such enthusiasm.) When I last visited with my aunt I took the finished mat with me. I truly believe her eyes brightened up a tiny bit when I showed her those Three Bears and their bowls of porridge :)