Blush Pink Eyelet Blouse and White Jeans

I prefer wearing white jeans to blue jeans, especially in the summertime. Perhaps it’s because I had never even owned a pair of white jeans until I started blogging. Now I have three pairs and I love how I can wear any of my blouses and tops with them.

This time I paired them with a blush pink blouse that I wore to visit my dear friend Maria in Fort Erie. A little drizzle doesn’t stop us from enjoying an afternoon of shopping.

Lasting Impressions is the store where I got the lace dress that I wore on one of our weekend getaways. They sell gifts, clothing, accessories, home decor and more.

Buy local, support small businesses!

 

An Afternoon in Paris

It was Maggie’s idea to have lunch in Paris

While waiting for our riverside restaurant reservation, we had time to stroll around town and relax.

Three fashionable tourists

I wore my new floral blouse with blush pink cotton pants that I bought at Madison Clothing Boutique in Collingwood recently. The pants have sparkly sequins patches and a crinkled linen-look, made in Italy.

I love supporting small businesses more than ever during this difficult time.

Maggie stands out in a crowd in her bright, fuchsia blouse (bought on one of her holidays in Italy). I love how she paired it with white capris for a summery look. 

May looks youthful in her cute white skirt, that she wore with a shiny top (made in Canada) and stylish sneakers.

We enjoyed lunch on the patio overlooking the Grand River.

A perfect summer day!

Paris is always a good idea!

Blue Mountain Village

Blue Mountain Village is a little tourist town by Georgian Bay near Collingwood, a very popular ski resort in winter but there are also interesting things to do in summer.

Once upon a time, there used to be a thrilling summer attraction on the mountain, The Great Slide Ride. We’d take our children there in the summertime to ride up the mountain on the ski lift and get in a little cart and whiz down the mountain on the windy slide. It was pretty scary and apparently dangerous, they closed it in 1998.

There are also caves to explore, hiking trails and of course, the beach. Blue Mountain Village and Collingwood are by Georgian Bay. Wasaga Beach, the world’s longest freshwater beach is only about 10 miles (almost 17 km) away.

My favourite place to shop is Madison Clothing Boutique which I discovered on our vacation in Collingwood last year. They have two locations: Collingwood and Blue Mountain Village.

“Madison Boutique carries very unique clothing lines from Italy, LA, USA and Canada.”

This time I bought a blue lace blouse, two pairs of pants made in Italy and a new pair of non-leather sandals.

When we arrived home from our weekend getaway, our youngest son surprised us with a delicious gourmet dinner, especially for our anniversary. Our granddaughter baked us a decadent vegan cake!

Baklava

Baklava

Vegan Cake

Baklava and Coffee

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

Never stop saying I love you to someone you love!

 

Denim and Lace

What I wore for a weekend getaway to Collingwood, Ontario.

For our 50th wedding anniversary, my husband bought me this whimsical lace dress. We were on our Niagara Falls weekend and while browsing through a little boutique Lasting Impressions (near Chrysal beach) he found it and knew it was just my style. I loved it immediately!

I decided to wear it as a duster over jeans. I love dressing up denim for a rough and refined look or what I call rugged elegance, combining masculine and feminine.

Jeans were always boys’ clothes in my opinion when I was young. I didn’t even own a pair of jeans for the longest time. Whether casual or dressy, I like to wear something feminine when I wear jeans.

When we go on road trips, we stop to enjoy the journey whenever we like before arriving at our destination. Collingwood is about a two-hour drive from our house with several small towns along the way. We stopped in Elora and bought some delicious vegan baklava at a bakery.

Last time in Collingwood was for The Elvis Festival. There’s always time for some shopping to support local stores. We enjoyed a romantic dinner for two at a Thai restaurant on their private patio (delicious vegetable stir-fry served with rice noodles).

Hat: thrift shop $2.99
Lace dress: Lasting Impressions
Cami: older than I can remember
Jeans: Hue
Purse: thrift shop $3.99
Non-leather sandals: made in Costa Rica

What better way to end a perfect day than a walk along the beach at sunset. I love how the days linger in the summertime.

Lavender Field and a Surprise

The BIG Five-O!

No, it’s not my birthday. This month is our 50th Wedding Anniversary. To celebrate, we are enjoying some wonderful day trips and weekend getaways!

Niagara-on-the-lake is one of those charming towns we go to every year. This time, we were there for the final days of the lavender season.

Shops are open and the town is in full bloom. What a delight for the senses to stroll along the streets with beautiful flower gardens!

Room with a View!

What a wonderful surprise to stay overnight in a fantastic hotel on the 11th floor overlooking the spectacular Niagara Falls! At night, the Falls are lit up with changing colours. Waking up in the morning to this gorgeous view was a dream-come-true!

Love and blessings!

My Canada Colours: through the years

Maggie and me

I just love my iPhoto feature that pops up and shows movies and memories that make me smile. These are a few of the photos that iPhoto put together for Canada Day through the years.

Maggie and me – Canada Day 2020

Happy July!

 

Shopping Therapy

 It’s no secret that I enjoy shopping. I love supporting small businesses and ethical companies. I love helping the economy. What good is living without a livelihood? People need jobs, it’s an urgent matter.

No surprise, I went shopping on the first day some stores opened. With tears of joy, I bought several things at a thrift shop. Including this asymmetrical grey and pink skirt and some household items.

It felt so good to walk through the doors of one of my favourite Canadian stores (The Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada’s oldest store) I bought this pretty black and white polka dot shrug. I plan to wear it at our next Ladies’ Luncheon.

Thrift shopping

Hudson’s Bay Company

My shopping outfit is all things I’ve shown before.

Dress: Armour Vert, USA from Drizzle and Shine
Long cardigan: Made in Canada via thrifted
Tassel necklace: Boutique in Collingwood
Leggings: Suzy Shier
Non-leather sandals: Marshalls

Shopping is cheaper than therapy and keeps the economy going!

Redecorating our Summer Place

Can you find my little friend Tweetie?

We finished redecorating our Gartenzimmer (Florida room or treehouse as we call it). The perfect summer place to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Great for entertaining and relaxing. It’s like stepping out of our living room right into a cottage without driving miles to get there.

Here’s the new look in black rattan.

Ready just in time to celebrate my daughter-in-law’s birthday

with our oldest son and grandchildren!

I have fun changing the display.

German blue and gray pottery

Wild Rose China and Pink Vases – made in Germany

White Pottery – some from Germany and Italy

Tweetie likes to get in the action, it’s her debut on my blog!

I still love the way we had it since we moved to this house eight years ago–white wicker furniture (which we moved to the downstairs patio and put the loveseat on our front porch). The wicker set is secondhand and we’ve had it almost 20 years (new cushions twice).

How our Florida room used to look …

With all this time off work, you’d think I’d be further ahead in doing projects around the house and garden. Oh well, why do it today when we can always do it tomorrow?

Tomorrow is another day.

COVERED PERFECTLY: stylish – flattering – ageless fashion

I have five COVERED PERFECTLY tops. I love the story behind this American company. Founder Pauline Durban is a remarkable woman and talented designer. The styles are fabulous as well as flattering and timeless. The fabric is super-soft, luxurious and comfortable.

“Fashion especially for women over 40
because looking good never gets old.”
~Covered Perfectly

Shop Women’s Tops, Leisure Suits, Jackets, Skirts, Chiffon Vests and more.

I am ordering three more tops, when you buy two you get the third one FREE.

SLOW FASHION: 30 wears challenge

“The goal of the 30 wears challenge campaign is to encourage shoppers to buy less fast fashion and more slow, quality pieces that they will wear over and over again. The less we buy, over time, the less that will end up in landfills.” ~Melanie DiSalvo

I bought this double-breasted blazer about 15 years ago and have worn it more times than I can count. I’ve worn it on my blog several times with different outfits. It’s a quality jacket: a timeless style that can be worn with any skirt or pants, for elegant or casual occasions.

Have you joined the challenge?