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3 In Adventures/ Make Something

DIY by the Sea – Part 1

So, I just spent the most amazing weekend away from home, painting, making new friends and exploring a new-to-me part of Nova Scotia.  When Wendy from Front Porch Mercantile first started talking about DIY by the SEA at White Point Beach Resort back in October, I knew I wanted to be there.  And let me tell you, the weekend did not disappoint!

White Point - DIY by the Sea

Our first night there, we went around the room and talked a little about ourselves and whether or not we had painted before.  Most people hadn’t, which surprised me, I had assumed that people who loved to paint would come to something like this, guess I was wrong…. 😉  But we got right into it, painting up our anchor that night, a nice, easy project to start with.

White Point - DIY by the Sea

Now, I love all the thought that was put into the projects we did.  White Point Beach Resort is an ocean side, old school resort { by old school, I mean spending summers by the ocean, archery, sailing, swimming while living in little cabins along the shore } so our overall theme was nautical.  We painted whales, anchors, and the colours followed suit, lots of reds, blues and turquoises.

White Point - DIY by the Sea

The other thing is that White Point is HUGE on Canada 150 and I love that!  They even have a heart with a maple leaf inside lit up on the bank, very visible from all the ocean side windows in the main lodge.  So, doing a Canadian flag was awesome.  I’m thrilled with how it turned out, the knot on the upper left, and adding the 150 on the bottom.  It’ll be a great reminder of all the fun we’ll be having celebrating this big birthday.

White Point - DIY by the Sea

Even though we were all working with the same supplies, everyone’s projects were so personal and varied.  It was neat to see the thought process everyone put into their work – where they were going to put it, what room, or if they were gifting it to someone, what colours they would like.  So, even though we started with something similar, they all ended up very unique! Here we all are with some of our finished products!

White Point - DIY by the Sea

We did 8 projects in the course of the weekend.  Saturday was doing a lot of first steps on projects and not seeing the end results until later that day or even on Sunday after things completely dried.  Trying to think of how or where you’d use all the different projects made you really stop to think about what colour combination you wanted or where something might look best.  I love how my crate with the jars turned out, they are perfect for the dining room table, but would work equally as well in my living room or kitchen, too.  I guess that’s the benefit to using the colours you love throughout your whole home!

White Point - DIY by the Sea

We certainly had a lot of laughs over the course of the weekend.  Donna Hatt, the Marketing & Product Development Manager, really broke the ice for us on Friday.  I think laughter is a language that unites people.  There was singing, dancing and that was just Pam and Wanda….  The projects were great, hanging out at White Point was amazing, but, again, for me it was the people, making new friends and finally getting to meet Wendy IRL!!  Here’s two of my new friends, Holly and Suzanne, painting a piece of furniture.  I spent a lot of time with these two and my roomie, Tracy, and I’m so thankful for new friends!!  White Point - DIY by the Sea

We may or may not of also ‘borrowed’ a table from the back room and gave it a bit of a makeover, too.  Of course, we didn’t tell Donna that until it was too late and we were packing up to roll out on Sunday. That’s what the girls are working on in the photo above….it give everyone the chance to see the prep work required, how easy it is and how incredible the transformation can be.  We loved doing small projects, but really, I think a lot of us want to paint furniture.  Like Wendy told us, don’t start on your grandmother’s chine cabinet!

Here’s the before:

White Point - DIY by the Sea

And here’s the after:

Ugh – due to technical difficulties, there is no After picture at the moment….maybe next post?

I can’t say enough wonderful things about the weekend.  It was a much needed get-away for me, to be creative, branch out and meet new people.  White Point was amazing, which I’ll talk more about in my next post, and I seriously can’t wait to go back.  This time, I’ll bring the family, I kind of think they’ll love it, too!

Thank you to Wendy and Lise for all your hard work doing the prep work, washing the brushes, trying to keep us in line.  Donna, thank you for all the work you did to make sure we had a fabulous time at White Point and making us feel so welcome!

I especially need to give a huge THANK YOU to At Home on the North Shore for sending me to this weekend retreat! It’s always exciting to get to scout out new ideas to share with our readers and to be freshly inspired by our amazing province and its people.  I feel very fortunate to be able to represent not only the magazine but also our area in this way.

To my new friends, you guys made the weekend for me, so thank you!! Tracy, thanks for not being an axe-murderer 😉

To be continued,

Lori

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 In Adventures/ Life

Weekend Escape

Sometimes, you just need to run away.   I felt the weight of the world last week.

Election crap.  People disappointing me.  Being tired from the time change.  Being tired from work.  Just life.  I needed to get away.

weekend escape

And on our drive to our typical escape, Cape Breton, it was November 11th at 11 am.  The radio was playing, the trumpet started and so did my tears.  In light of the sacrfice of so many, whether paid by their life, their time away from family or their wholeness of body and mind, my problems seemed petty and shallow.  Our veterans paid such a price so that the problem that overwhelmed me could be petty ones and not life or death problems.

weekend escape

My girls were in back seat.  I’m sure my tears didn’t go un-noticed.  They were silent and respecful.  They know, school tells them about Remembrance Day, we talk about it at home.  Lena remembers Grampy being in Afghanistan and they both know Uncle Jon is being deployed for 6 months in the new year.  They get it, as much as a 9 and 7 year old can.

weekend escape

We spent the weekend relaxing at the house of my best friend.  She is the most wonderful hostess.  The coffee runs freely, the good conversation and oh, the food!!!  We ate way too much, laughed together, enjoyed some fresh air and the company of each other’s children.  We carried on like fools while trying to get the neighbour’s horses to run along side the fence with great success.  We visited an estate sale, held at a house that was stuck for a very long time in the 60’s…down to the patterned carpet, extensive use of wood panelling and the purple, carpeted bathroom.  { Wishing I had snapped a couple of pictures just to show you – like a time capsule!! }  We even had a girl’s night with some of her local gals who are becoming friends of mine, too.

weekend escape

It was exactly what I needed.  Before the continued crazy of birthday celebrations.  Before the prep work of Christmas.  Before the onslaught of festive parties and concerts.  Before the future starts to unravel.  Before we beckon a new year.  Before what lays ahead.

weekend escape

Time away doesn’t solve anything.  But it makes my days brighter and that counts for something.  I know full well that avoiding everything doesn’t actually help – just so you don’t think I’m completely off my rocker.  We need to step back sometimes and let things fall into place and into order of priorities.   That’s what I did this weekend.  Mulled things over, tried to establish a game plan.  Am I any closer to answers? No, yes, who knows!  Lol!  But that’s okay, too.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I hope that you all recognize when you need an escape and that you have somewhere to run away to.  Somewhere where you will be greeted with open arms and a hot cup of coffee.  Where the conversation can be as deep or as light as you need it to be.  I’m so thankful for knowing Janice will also meet me at the door with a hug and that her house, no matter how busy, always, always has room for a few runaway girls on any given weekend.

 

To be continued,

Lori

In Adventures

Onslow Historic Lumber

It’s no secret that I love shopping at Onslow Historic Lumber!  Rosemary and Steve are wonderful and have become dear friends and all because of the store.  They are my kind of people!  Their interesting store is located at 6 Havelock Street, Truro, Nova Scotia, but you should ‘Like’ their FACEBOOK PAGE and ‘Follow’ them on INSTAGRAM – you won’t regret it!

Onslow Historic Lumber

They carry salvaged pieces from homes around the province; everything from doors, windows, trim and hinges and beautiful old barn board, shutters, door knobs…man, the list goes on!  I have gotten many treasures there and helped clients find what they are looking for, too.

Onslow Historic Lumber

They also sell a stunning line of hardwood floors called Logs End.  Now, I may not be 100% correct on this, but I believe it is all salvaged wood that is used.  You can check it out HERE and see how beautiful it is for yourself.  In.cred.ible.

But they also carry so much more than just the architectural salvage, they carry PAINT!  And I’m a huge paint nerd, I love paint.  But you probably knew that already.  I’ve bought lots of paint there, but more importantly, I’ve gotten so much help and advice on various projects!! I couldn’t have taken on the projects I have accomplished without them!

Onslow Historic Lumber

They carry two lines of paint, Fusion Mineral Paint and Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint.  I’ve used both.  I do have a personal favourite and you probably know what it is.  I’m in love with the milk paint.  But, because some projects have different requirements, there is sometimes when the Fusion just makes more sense to use.

Onslow Historic Lumber

Plus, each line of paint has different products that you can seal your painted piece with.  Again, different projects just seem more suited to different finishes.  But they can help you figure all that out, too!  They carry a few different lines of brushes, too, so you can get everything from start to finish!

Onslow Historic Lumber

Rosemary also offers workshops in the shop, too, so you can learn from the trained expert. She’ll show you everything from mixing the milk paint, to adding the right finish and every step in between.  We recently paired up and offered an afternoon workshop called ‘Creating Home’ in the shop.

Here are a few pictures from that afternoon.  We talked about selecting paint colours for your home, how to style home decor items in different ways, and how you could use the drawer that we painted that afternoon.  We had tons of fun, lots of laughs and learned some new techniques, too.

Onslow Historic Lumber

Onslow Historic Lumber

Onslow Historic Lumber

Onslow Historic Lumber

I would definitely say you’ve got to drop by and have a chat, see the shop and maybe book a visit to the barn, where they keep more treasures. { I went to the barn, you can read about it HERE and HERE! } And be sure to tell them Lori sent you!

To be continued,

Lori

PS – This is not a sponsored post, I just really love this store and want to see the wonderful Clark family excel in their business because they love what they do and know their stuff!

 

 

 

In Adventures/ Our Family

Ross Farm Museum Tour – Part 2

As promised, here is the second half of our day at Ross Farm Museum.  You can read Part 1 HERE if you missed it!

Ross Farm MuseumThe barn is a very interesting stop along the way.  The main level is filled with animals – cows, sheep, pigs, oxen and the occasional chicken….AND the barn cats!  But the upper level is filled with all sorts of old pieces of equipment.  I’ve seen lots of old equipment in to course of my life { both Dad and the handsome Mr. Byrne LOVE old farm machinery so picture every drive in the country in my life, scoping out old tractors and equipment! } but there are pieces here that I have no idea what they are used for.  Plus, the structure of the barn itself is pretty spectacular!
Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

I recall from our first visit how struck I was by this chicken fencing.  There’s something so simple and yet brilliant about this fence.  I had great plans of recreating this fence at home when I got chickens but that never happened…so I’ll just enjoy the fencing everytime we visit the museum. { We’d like to go back, we heard about a few special weekends planned throughout the upcoming year. }

Ross Farm Museum

This lock caught Michael’s eye when we went into the general store.  He asked me to snap a picture.  So I did, aren’t I a good wife?!?!?  { I really liked it, too…I didn’t mind the request at all, really, but shhhh, don’t tell him!! }

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

I love this style of fencing.  I grew up on a farm with stone fences all over the place, so to see how they would’ve looked back in the day was interesting.  Even our new place {I use the term loosely…as it will be 2 full years next month… } we have stone fences in amongst the apple trees.  The girls wondered why they would’ve piled the stone like that and angled the wood.  So, we explained that the stones would’ve been collected off the land as they plowed and prepared the land for planting.  And this fence wouldn’t stand if it was straight.  It takes more supplies and time but it is a solid fence, meant to stand the test of time, weather and animals.

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm MuseumRoss Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

There is a working Blacksmith shop on site.  I have since learned that the blacksmith is Matthew, a cousin to a local gal { Hi, Sarah!!! } who was happy to share some stories and facts with me.

Matthew puts shoes on oxen teams here, not just the ones here at the museum, but other teams, as well.  The shoes he makes at the blacksmith shop.  I’m completely blown away with the skill and what blacksmiths can create with something as hard as steel.   He makes things like hinges or whatever they need around the museum, too, I love how they can supply so many of their own needs on site!  And then there are the items he makes to sell at the museum Gift Store….busy guy!!

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

Matthew also was filling in at the cooper shop so we chatted with him here for a long time, too, about building apple barrels and the history surrounding New Ross and the barrel industry.  Michael finds this shop most fascinating, I think this is probably his favourite stop along the way.  All the wood is cut and milled on site and the barrels that are built here are sold in the Gift Store.  It smelled good in there, all that fresh wood, and the stories were very interesting….but as you can see, Hannah was bored…she was waiting on the wagon ride!

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

We did take the wagon ride back up to the main area, at this point the rain had started.  But just that short ride wasn’t enough for the girls, so we waited for our next turn, back in the barn, making friends with the pigs { who, as Hannah loves to say, ‘Had a nose as big as her head!!!!’ }  We did the full round, with a front seat view and the attention of the teamster who was so willing to chit chat with us.

Rss Farm Museum

The rain and cool temperatures made us decide it was probably time to call it a day.  We enjoyed the time and made some great memories as a family here.  I would highly recommend taking your family to Ross Farm Museum any time of year, the staff are sure to make it an enjoyable experience!!  In fact, I think the staff are what makes this museum so much better than a ‘regular’ museum.  These people are connected to New Ross and the land here and thus, it is easy for them to speak with knowledge and passion about the history and life on a farm.

Our drive home was spent talking about the things we saw and learned and we each got to talk about our favourite thing.  I’ll admit I was surprised with just how taken the girls were with the pigs!!  We did, however, break up our journey home with a stop for pie and sundaes!!  { Forget the pig with a nose as big as Hannah’s head, Lena ate a piece of pie as big as her head!!! }

To be continued,

Lori

 

1 In Adventures

Ross Farm Museum Tour – Part 1

Last weekend we decided to take our girls to Ross Farm Museum in New Ross.  They thought that would be great fun, until they heard it would take about 2 1/2 hours to get there.  Not much for long drives, those two.  But, with the promise of wagon rides, we headed out for New Ross.

Michael and I had been one year, when we had gone to Mahone Bay for our anniversary before children had arrived, but never with the littles in tow.  We both love places like that, where history comes to life.

We stopped part way there for lunch in Hubbards at Trellis Cafe.  The brown bread that came with my seafood chowder was so very tasty!  { The seafood chowder was really good, too, big chunks of seafood – yummy!!! } A very neat spot to grab a delicious lunch, for sure!

Trellis Cafe

Next stop was the museum! The new building is beautiful!  Looks like an old barn, but with modern details.

Ross Farm Museum

The inside is bright and inviting, well laid out.  Of course, they had me at the buntings….

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

They have wonderful areas for displays in the new building and this trip, they had beautiful old quilts on display.

Ross Farm Museum

Ross Farm Museum

First stop on our tour was the school house.  They’ve got old school desks with a pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room and slates on the desks.  Amazing to think of learning in a setting like that!

Ross Farm Museum

Ross Farm Museum

There was a lady spinning wool from the sheep on the farm and she told us all about the process.  We got to watch her card the wool and then spin it.  She gave each girl a length of wool, twisted onto itself and they wore them as bracelets for the rest of the day.  They shear the sheep and use the wool on-site to make various things, just like people would’ve done in the years gone by.

Ross Farm Museum

Ross Farm Museum

Ross Farm Museum

The sheep on the farm are two different breeds, Cotswold and South Down.  These are heritage breeds that Ross Farm Museum received funding to breed so this heritage breeds continue to be around. The other animals on the farm are heritage breeds, as well.  The horses pulling the wagon were called Canadian, and the pigs are Berkshires.  I’m sure the chickens were heritage breeds, as well, but we never chatted with anyone about them.

Ross Farm MuseumRoss Farm Museum

This little lamb was one of two little ones who were born a couple night before our visit to the farm.  They are so tiny and wobbly, as they wander around their stall, looking for a snack and a snuggle from momma.

Ross Farm Museum

While we were there, they were shearing the sheep for their wool.  It took the guy who was shearing them about an hour to an hour and half to shear each sheep, using the old fashioned clippers.  They flip the sheep up on their hind ends and for the most part, they sit pretty calmly for the duration of the shearing….unless you get a feisty one!  He also shears sheep off-site, using electric clipper and it takes him less then 5 minutes a sheep.  Just goes to show how progress has truly sped up the process!

Ross Farm Museum

The house was also a hive of activity while we were there.  They were dying some of the wool, as well as spinning the wool with a ‘walking spinning wheel’.  I’m amazed at what they dyed wool with and the process it underwent to achieve certain colours.  Of course, it was all natural and dine the way they would’ve done it in the past.  The most astounding to me was the bright purple-pinkish colour.  That colour was achieved by fermenting lichen with urine in a sealed jar for 5-6 weeks and then using the resulting liquid to dye the wool.  Now, sounds gross, I know…but who realized that of you did that, you would get the beautiful colour?!?!?!  I can see how it started…I dare you to….and thus the colour was discovered?  Who knows!

Ross Farm Museum

Ross Farm Museum

I love seeing all the old utensils and tools they would’ve used.  They have the nicest little scenes set up, in the house, but even in the barns.  I love going to a historical place like this with my camera and try to capture some of these scenes.  Sometimes the lighting isn’t the best and I come home with blurry pictures.  But, I see the value in this history and of the need to preserve our past.  Time moves on so quickly and we are left looking back  at a blur, not unlike some of my captures from our tour.  But with places like Ross Farm Museum and other museums throughout our province and our country, our past is documented and held at its value.

Ross Farm Museum

I’ll share the rest of the museum in the next blog post.  I didn’t realize I took so many pictures!  But, like I said, I find it so interesting!

To be continued,

Lori