The magic of lanterns

If you live in Montreal, or are visiting during the month of October, be sure to check out the Magic of Lanterns at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. The event runs until October 31st, and the gardens remain open during this time until 9 p.m. so that you can see them in their full splendour.

Photographer's cup of morning joe

My but time flies when you're busy. I can't believe it's been more than a week since I last posted.

I just couldn't resist sharing this wonderful Photoshop manipulation (thanks for the link Lysanne!). The only problem is now I want one! Maybe I can submit a custom request on Etsy to have someone make me one. Mind you, I'd have to be willing to part with a lens. Here's the original photo.

A little aside here about the phrase "morning joe". According to a recent episode of Mad Men, the phrase refers to a Joe Martinson who owned a company called Martinson's Coffee. However, upon doing some fact checking, it seems that its origin is still debated. Other theories are that it refers to Admiral Josephus "Joe" Daniels, who abolished alcohol from the officer's mess so that coffee became the strongest available drink. Another is that it is connected to a song called "Old Black Joe", which was written in 1860, though the song has nothing to do with coffee. Or it could be a derivation of Java, which became a popular nickname for coffee in the 19th century. That's television for you (especially television about advertising)! End of history lesson. Have a great weekend!

Sacred gardens

A while back, I was contacted by the Marcellots, who wanted to use some of my photographs in their upcoming book Sacred Garden. I was happy to oblige as it sounded like a wonderful idea for a book. I received my copy in the mail a little while ago and am thrilled with it! The book is available here on Amazon.

Book description (from Amazon.com):
Discover how peace and tranquility have been tapped through the personal stories of ordinary people, ordinary gardens, and extraordinary spaces. As professional horticulturalists, as husband and wife, and now as authors, Michel and Judy Marcellot explore motivations to garden for peace, for balance, for relaxation, for contemplation, and to memorialize loved ones. Above all, they find joy expressed within and through gardening. Personal stories show how the simple act of gardening changed lives and individuals. The authors chronicle their own paths from naive and idealistic, back-to-the-earth entrepreneurs who wanted to "be of service to the planet, and have a good time doing it," to respected horticulturists and sought after speakers who still embody the same ideals as when they started out. Examples illustrate varied elements of sacred sites and suggest ways readers might create the sacred in their own gardens. Read on and see how ordinary gardeners can attain their own backyard bliss.

Mmmmmmmm .... ponki

If you were to watch the Simpsons in Poland, you'd be hearing Homer saying "Mmmmmm .... ponki" a lot, because "ponki" are Polish donuts. And in my humble Eastern European opinion, they beat any North American donut hands down. For one thing, what's with the hole in the middle of a donut, when you could fill it with cream or jam. That is valuable donut real estate. No self-respecting Polish donut would be caught dead with a hole in its centre.

We are lucky to have a Polish bakery just down the street from us, and whenever we visit Andrew and Maggie and their kids Colin and Robert (as we are tonight), we bring ponki. In fact, the first words out of the kids mouths are usually, "Did you bring the Polish donuts?!?!?!"

Now, I wish I could bring this post to you in some sort of smellorama, because these smell as incredible as they taste.

It's simple, really

My friend Dina was kind enough to inform me that she spotted my photograph "Love is in the air" on the Real Simple website. Holly Becker of the design blog Decor8 mentioned my shop among her top 10 Etsy stores for the month of September. Thanks Holly!

I'm just now recovering from the madness that ensued from being the Etsy Featured Seller last week. It was incredible exposure and it lead to an enormous number of sales. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it sure wasn't the tsunami of sales and emails that resulted. I received so much wonderful support and encouragement from Etsy members. I'm so happy to be part of this amazing community. Well, enough talking, back to shipping!

Etsy Featured Seller

I'm positively thrilled to be the featured seller on Etsy today! You can read my interview here.

Summer redeemed

As hoped and prayed for, we had fabulous weather this Labor Day weekend for our camping trip to Lake George. This was one of the nicest weekends of this lost and rainiest summer ever. We did a little bit of everything from shopping, to taking a steamboat ride, taking in the kitsch, and spending ample time on the beach. I've been to touristy places before, but Lake George takes on a mega-hyper-superduper form of it that rivals Niagara Falls. But, as I say, touristy places are such for a reason. When it got to be a bit much, we headed over to the more subdued and lovely Saratoga Springs. There will likely be more exploring of the Adirondack region in our future.

Now, can I have some more please? No? I didn't think so.