Too Much Fun = No Rest For The Weary!


The past few weekends (and weekends still to come) have been quite busy...but in a really, really great way! There has been little rest...I am a tad bit weary..but...it is soooo worth it!

A wedding....DIY projects...a Blogger Party....too much fun!

A good friend from University got married at the Ancaster Mill and friends from across the country came to attend! The venue was spectacular....the rustic charm of the Mill has been so well preserved and integrated into the modern renos that they have done. 



Isn't this cake topper fun! His 2 loves...his motorcycle and his bride! Simple and beautiful table settings...that we quickly filled with an assortment of beverages.




Seeing as this was a Mill at one point in time, it was amazing to see how they incorporated the waterfalls, that would have once been for a more practical use, into the beautiful ambiance of the grounds. Thank you Dave and Monika for having me!


The next weekend, my friend Maria texted me that she had found a great coffee table for one of my DIY projects, so I headed to her shop to pick it up.



This home is just down the street from Maria's boutique....I have 2 words for this home... 
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!



I got the table home, gave it a good sanding and a few coats of paint (I sprayed the table versus applying pain with a brush). I did have a bit of a 'hiccup' with one of the cans (the applicator broke) so the plan changed from the the table being a Satin Nickel to a Glossy Almond....




Here it is in my living room....I'm really happy with how it turned out!




I even put together a Fall center piece using last years dried Hydrangeas, a tall Crown Jar, a wire tray and some gourds ..(I even snuck in my bronze bird).

Then.....it was time to get ready for a party...a Blogger Event at Blush in Guelph.



Here's my #OOTD....the invitation (how gorgeous is it!) asked us to wear some sparkle....I ended up going with a dark pair of DKNY jeans, copper booties, a shimmery tank, blazer, flowy scarf (from Blush) and the amazing bracelets that came as part of the invite.




The shop looked absolutely amazing and there were so many yummy goodies to ensure we kept up our energy as we mingled, chatted and shopped. (I treated myself to the black and white geometric dress)




Hey Lovely! ... It was great to meet fellow Canadian Bloggers such as Stephanie, Krystin, and Renee.... Make sure you have a look at Blush's Blog to see all who attended! Michele, THANK YOU for such a fun afternoon!




Louis even joined the party! SUCH A CUTIE!!

After a super fun afternoon of meeting some great gals and some oh-so-needed retail therapy...I had to get on the road to the Muskokas for some meetings for work the following day.



Had some sushi and Sapporo at Wabora in Bracebridge.




This was sunrise the following morning at the Sherwood Inn where we were having our meetings...

This weekend I will be attending BlogPodium in Toronto...I am REALLLLY looking forward it and the opportunity to meet even more amazing bloggers that I have gotten to know through various social media sites...but can finally put faces to names!

The weekend after that I am off to Homecoming at Western University (or, the University of Western Ontario as it was called when I attended). I try and go every year and it's always a blast!

So....looks like I won't be getting much sleep...at least for the next few weeks...but as they say, sleep is highly overrated!!

RR

Mason Jar Madness!!

Or...in my case, Crown Jar Craziness!

They are literally EVERYWHERE these days!!

These are something I grew up with...we used them in the workshop to store nails, screws and odds & ends but they were also used in a more traditional way in the kitchen to store preserved produce and maple syrup our neighbour made.
Seeing as they have always been a staple in my home and I have found a way to take a traditional item and add a bit of a modern but still rustic twist to it...keep reading for how you could win one of your own!


Lonny Magazine's Facebook page recently featured these Ball Mason Jars (see below) in an article by Ginny Branch about alternative wedding ideas.




These are a collection of my family's McDonald Sealers (namesake collectibles are always fun). I just love their colour and shapes.



I was flipping through Style at Home the other day and saw the photo on the left below...cast porcelain Mason jar styled vases. 
I looked up from the couch and across the room and looked at something very similar sitting in my living room...a painted Crown Mason Jar that I had done as a DIY, holding peonies from my family's garden. 






I had made this jar and arrangement for a friend for her birthday earlier in the year....A little raffia and grey glossy paint just made this arrangement!




Painting jars is nothing new to me....I've been doing it for a few years now and my Dad used to also do this many, many years ago.

They are available for order in my Rustic Retrievals Etsy shop or if you're wanting to place a larger order for something like a wedding, shower or other event, you can email me at rusticretrievals@gmail.com


The jars are available in a variety of colours....essentially we are only limited by the variety of options provided by the companies that produce spray paint.



I'm currently putting together an order of fuchsia, apple green, white and black jars to ship to the US. Can't wait to see them all completed!

And now....it's CONTEST TIME!!!

Rustic Retrievals has had a great week and I would like to celebrate with a give away...

It's simple...just leave a comment below or on my/Rustic Retrievals Instagram/Facebook page under the picture correlating to this blog post, telling me what colour jar you would like and why you chose that colour.

I will draw the winner the end of next week and the winner will get their personalized Crown Mason Jar sent to them to use around their home to hold flowers, kitchen utensils, pens, pencils....the list is endless!

Best of luck and keep the comments coming...you can also comment more than once to increase your chances of winning!

RR





40 Years...

St. Patrick's Day has always been more than celebrating the Irish with our family. My parents tied the knot 40 years ago, on St. Patrick's Day, in the snow storm of the century!

To help celebrate this amazingly special day, I wanted to get them the perfect bouquet. I turned to Sweet Violets in Guelph and as you can see...the final product was just that...perfect!


We'd selected the flowers and then it was time for them to work their magic...I love how they let the greenery, petals and stems accumulate on the floor around them as they put together their gorgeous arrangements.









Just....love....this.....

With it being their 40th....my brother and I really wanted to try and get them something of meaning...of significance....

I think we succeeded...

When we lost the house to the fire, we lost all of our photos, including Mom and Dad's wedding album.

We had contacted our local photo studio, who is still operating 40 years later and who had done the photography for the wedding....and......THEY STILL HAVE THE NEGATIVES!!

I don't think I could have thanked Mr. and Mrs. Snyder enough! What are the chances of that after 40 years??

We're going to print them all out in 4x6 initially to have another look at them (and make more decisions re: sizing from there), but for now, I asked that they print one for the anniversary so they could have one on 'their' day after 40 years.....


Here it is.........

How cute are they?!?



I had found this green glass mouse and had to get it too....it's a mix of  significance of my brother and I...and Mom and Dad know why :)


While we were all home reminiscing, we couldn't help but remember the same weekend last year......we had taken a road trip to the beach to enjoy the amazing summer like temperatures...



This is the morning of March 17, 2013....


and........




This is March 17, 2012......

These pictures just show what a difference one year can make....we've been through quite a roller coaster over the past 12 months...but St. Patrick's Day....Mom and Dad's anniversary...was perfect!

Love you LOTS Ma and Pa!! xoxo

RR