Tea at Stratford

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea

- Bernard-Paul Heroux

My hubby is an avid green tea drinker.  He claims that it is the secret to his good health and well-being.  I, on the other hand, enjoy the aesthetics and ceremony that goes with enjoying this beverage.  So on our last trip to Stratford, he was ecstatic checking out the quaint tea shops.  Our first stop is Harry Ten Shilling at Downie Street for afternoon tea.  One can enjoy light lunch, dessert or traditional tea inside the delightful tearoom, or, take it outside if weather permits.
 

 

Next stop is a few blocks down York Street at Distinctly Tea.  The store boasts of a wide assortment of tea blends, tea pots, tea cups and accessories.  For the occasional drinker like me, I can try out various flavours in affordable, single-serve bags.

 

On top of the traditional food-themed tours, a guided tea tasting should be added to Stratford's offerings of themed culinary experience.  We cannot wait to go back and discover more hidden gems in this gastronomic paradise.

Have a tea-rific day!

 



pwp #24 -- hello

Here is one more everyday moment with my DD...

I keep jars of candies by the living room (more for visitors as we are not really candy or chocolate lovers).  But from time to time, my DD would sneak in and get a piece, just because.  This was one of those times when she asked if she could have one. I told her "yes" if she would let me take a photo of her, lol.

Here is my layout...

I used Project Life Blush core kit for the cards, Simple Stories' SN@P patterned paper, Martha Stewart cardstock, Kelly Purkey's Right Now stamp and Ali Edwards' Fun Flair set. I also used Papertrey's Smokey Shadow and Raspberry Fizz ink.

I am also entering this to Leigh Penner's Pages with Papertrey challenge which is a number challenge this time.  And that is to create a layout using two...two photos, two stamp sets, two dies, etc.  I obviously did not use a lot of Papertrey products here.  But hey, promise that the inks were from Papertrey :)   The layout had two photos, two Project Life cards, two stamp sets and two Papertrey inks.  

Thanks for stopping by! 

i {heart} summer

As I was browsing through my favourite crafty blogs, I came across this post by Leiger Penner here.  She made this fabulous card using one of my favourite colour combos...

white and (navy) blue. 

I knew upon seeing her card that I wanted to use that as an inspiration for a scrapbook page.

So a few days later, here I am with my version of a striped white and blue layout...

This is a photo of my DD running wild at the park with her 2 "giant" parents at the back.

I used Papertrey's Headline Alphabet and Heart-to-Heart dies.  The florals are from WPlus9's Fresh Cut Florals set (been seeing this a lot on blog-land so why not?). 

Close up of the photo... 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lavender Shortbread

I still have a "hangover" from the Lavender Festival...I can still taste the lavender-infused delights!  One of the delectable desserts I sampled during the event was lavender shortbread.   To satisfy my craving, I experimented with my traditional shortbread recipe and added a dash of the culinary lavender I got at the festival.

Culinary lavender from NEOB

Shortbread batter rolled up into 1" balls



The delicious smell of freshly-baked shortbread and the aroma of lavender filled my kitchen



I can't wait to devour the shortbread, garnished with a sprig of lavender cuttings (also from the festival)

Do you have an original recipe using essential oils and ingredients such as Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemongrass & Orange?  Then join the Food Fight for Foodies contest for a chance to win 1 of 4 fabulous prizes and an opportunity to be featured in a leading Niagara magazine.

 



Enjoy your weekend! 

 

my ballerina bunny

My DD started formal ballet lessons last school year.  As a culminating activity, all classes participated at a gala performance at the end of the year.  This was the first time for her performing on a big theatre-style stage.  I was so happy that she enjoyed every minute of it.. from the costume change... to the back stage preparations... to the actual performance.  She loved the entire experience!  Guess this will not be our last trip to the theatre.

I used Papertrey's bitty dots patterned paper, sticker embellishments from October Afternoon and enamel dots from MME.

Some close ups...

She is the one in the middle, happily hopping!

... my journaling...

I made another layout capturing some of her backstage and dressing room moments. 

I used Kelly Purkey's Right Now stamp set, patterned papers from Crate and Fancy Pants (Trendsetter collection). The "awesome" flair badge is from Ali Edwards' Fun Flair set which is my new favourite.  I also used Papertrey's Headline Alphabet and Calendar Basics.

Here's a close up...

 Thanks for stopping by!

just a typical day

It's been a while since I last created a page for Leigh Penner's Pages with Papertrey challenge.  So today, I made one using one of her fabulous sketches found here.

This is again one of my DD's everyday moments at the park.  This summer has been pretty erratic for us -- if it is not raining (yes, we've seen rain in the past few days here), it is burning hot.  So when the temp is just right, we head over to the park and let our DD run loose.

I used Papertrey's Seeing Stars die (the bigger star) and cardstock.  The smaller star is made from a Stampin' Up punch. I also used Simple Stories' sticker elements, diagonal stripes patterned paper from SN@P and and old yellow hearts patterned paper from my stash (I am guessing it is from Pebbles).

Some close ups...

I am loving the bright primary colours of this layout (gives me that superhero vibe.. which is quite appropriate given what my daughter is trying to do in the photos, LOL)...

Thanks for stopping by!

a caribbean wedding

I created this cake for a couple who had an intimate wedding ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Following their honeymoon, a special Caribbean themed reception was held for relatives and friends back home in Whitby, Ontario.

This 3 tiered cake is made of lemon, chocolate and red velvet. All floral decor on the cake are edible. 

I hope you're enjoying your summer.  Have a sweet week!

Bebsy