Destination Friday: Escape to Majorca

Okay, this Villa isn't for rent, it's for sale,

but a girl can dream, can't she?

I travelled to Majorca several years ago as a stop on a Mediterranean cruise.

 A majestic island tucked neatly below Spain, 

with mountainous terrain making for spectacular cliffside homes at every turn.

I think the greatest luxury a home can have is space, 

and am so impressed with the restraint practiced here. 

Instead of filling these rooms, they remain airy and spacious -

a place to breathe.

A far cry from the holiday madness upon us, yes?

til next time..

Just Add Tea..

I have a cold.

I think that I'd like to spend today here, please, with a good book and heaps of tea..

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- x

til next time..

"Glamping" - Tents Anyone Would Stay In!

WhenI was young, the idea of sleeping in a tent was exhilerating.

Outside, on rock hard ground, frozen by morning, wonderful - I'm in!

As D. does not like to camp,

other than at The Royal York Hotel (as he so famously reminds me each time I bring it up!)

I usually pitch a tent out back a few times each summer for our kids.

It's cramped and they end up sleeping on me, and I'm a wee bit grumpy by sunrise :)

Now, if we went to Ellijay's Martyn House ,

I may feel differently about camping.

I found this unusual place via Cynthia from Simply Positive.

It is a bed and breakfast, with each guest staying in gorgeous sleeping tents from India.

 Each tent has it's own balcony, loo and fine-linens heaped on proper beds- 

all wonderfully co-ordinated in a different colourway  - hence, "Glamping"

Spectacular, aren't they?

If the accomodations don't win over D.,

maybe this will - a projector plays movies in the dining tent :) Ah, the way to a mans heart..

The owners live in a house on-site, and they make all the gourmet meals themselves. There is picnic lunches available for adventurers who want to try white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, or the patient who enjoy fishing. There are on-site massages, yoga, and art classes for a slower-paced vacay. 

 They offer a venue for events as well - wedding, anyone?

Now, that's the kind of camping I would enjoy..

anyone else?

til next time..

Fall is at the Front Door..

Time to gather up all the bits and bobs from summer and batten down the hatches for winter..

we live in a snow belt, which is superb for skiing but means that

 usually we will have had at least one snowfall by Hallowe'en!

We end up putting up the Christmas wreaths and so on ridiculously early

 because it's really just too cold in December..

the neighbours don't mind - they do the same!

But that means that fall decorations have a relatively short lifespan, so I don't go overboard.

Yesterday I potted a Mum out front, spiffed up the wreath on the front door,

and added some stems to the vase in the front front hall..

Although I love the look of urns, everyone has them,

and I've never been one to want something everyone else has ;)

 so I usually keep a low wide pot here with something seasonal.

 love a simple wreath..

The Begonias are a wee bit overgrown :) 

Will replace these with some tall wheat sheafs in the next couple of weeks..

Was at the dollar store grabbing school supplies for the kids and found these stems - $3! Love it!

The doggies were following me around, so thought you might like to see a pic.

Don't mind the enormous vent under the table - had a beautiful old basket there for umbrellas

but our canine companions were left alone a bit too long one day and decided to "play" with it..

will replace shortly, hopefully it will last a bit longer this time!

D. and I both have businesses based out of the house, so we are home with them the majority of the time, and they are spoiled rotten with oodles of attention.

Do you switch up any decorations as the seasons change?

Here is some inspiration I found..


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want one? from etsy..

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Or go for something a bit more unusual.. a cool DIY..



I'd love to hear what you guys do for decor..
off for a (extended) family dinner today,
have a great sunday!
If you are near Toronto, don't forget to enter the giveaway for Home Show Tix!

til next time..

end-of-summer spectacular

So as summer rounds the bend,

I'm savouring the last moments of lounging with the family.

If there was anywhere I'd choose to be staying this week, it would be this space,
found a la The Diversion Project.

Some homes are about the decoration, and some homes are about the architecture.
This one is architecture, and it's wonderful to see it left at that, with the unobtrusive decor.

The open loft-feel, large expanses of glass and heavily horizontal planes

 remind me of the stunning modular Dwell homes that I dream of building when we are retired :)

How cool is the kitchen window?
And that island, with it's concrete base and steel top.

Dreamy dreamspace.

I love the way the reclaimed timbers were brought all the way to the ceiling, for a wrap effect. 

And staying in the second bedroom would be sleeping in a treehouse, no?

This is the killer bit - the pool.

The sparkling azure tile beckons,

and I think we all deserve an afternoon in that hammock, don't we?!

And this slice of bliss is built into the structure, at most separated by a pane of glass.

How's that for an end-of-summer paradise?


I'll be back to more regular blogging next week, once the darlings are back to school,
so looking forward to catching up with all of you in the next few weeks :)

(and getting our projects around here back on track!)

xo

Yay or Nay: Natural Swimming Pools

After growing up in Ontario, where getting to the lake is THE summer ritual,

I'm always shocked at how many people don't like to swim in lake water.

(although I won't go into the ocean, at least not past my knees - blame Jaws :)

And that has me wondering how many of you would venture into one of these:

a natural swimming pool, or swimming pond.

The whole bonus here is that your water will not be chemically treated, 

nor will your pool require cleaning (and if you've ever had a pool, you know that's a BIG bonus!)

but a carefully selected complement of plants will clean the water, 

creating a self-sustaining swimming pool.

I have a preference for more formal, classic pools,

and so really like this one -

a chlorine to natural pool conversion.

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Although natural pools are relatively new here,

they're quite popular in Europe already.

Have to admit, when I first heard about them, 

images of overgrown, lilypad-filled ponds surrounded by copious amounts of boulders sprung to mind....

and some are!

But they can also be quite sleek and unobtrusive.

 If you're wondering what the cost of these pools is...

Toronto locals Ponds in the City say a 20' x 25' swimming pond starts around $25,000,

which is comparable to a regular pool of the same size.

What do you think?

A yay or a nay in your books?

Survivor Contestants Take Note..

I admit, I'm procrastinating..

the chair I'm supposed to be re-covering is sitting sadly beside me,

 fabric neatly folded on it's seat..

just a quick post and I'll dive into my sewing, really :)

Found this cool structure and thought you might find it as interesting as me..

it's made from Bamboo!

Made by an Indian company called Wonder Grass,

who are trying to get the word out about this amazing,

 sustainable and very strong building material.

This is meant to be covered by fabric, which reinforces and strengthens the frame..

wouldn't that be a cool addition to the garden?

a little hideaway..

Although these guys have also made a prefab terrace system available..

their real goal is to try and get people in India to begin using bamboo as a building material 

for homes..  this makes you re-think complaining about the color of you walls, doesn't it?

Wonder Grass shows the potential bamboo has to reduce the amount of wood we use,

no matter where we are..

and I do love that geodisic dome... wonder if D. could swing one of those?!!

off to work on the chair - after a cup a tea, LOL

til next time..