Meagan Smith at The Vintage Marketplace

Be Still**

I am always amazed by beautiful creations that pour out of people's finger tips from an image in their mind......and I'm even more amazed when a friend reveals a hidden talent of creating these stunning pieces of art!

I had known Meagan Smith for a while before I had the opportunity to see her work and needless to say, it's an understatement to say that I was blown away when I did.

Meagan and I share a love of a rustic and natural aesthetic. Her adoration of Mother Nature's creatures and beings is evident in every aspect of her work, from what she chooses to paint to the 'canvas' she chooses to paint her pieces on.

Field of Dreams

Free Spirit

She captures every detail perfectly....the delicate tree branches, the fluid movement of a horse....and the fact that she uses wood from around the world, as well as local reclaimed barn board, just adds an extra level of depth through the wood's grain and texture.

Be sure to "Like" Meagan's Facebook Page to see pieces that are currently available and learn more about this incredible woman!

Autumn Leaves

Thumbing My Way

Meagan will be bringing her gorgeous creations to The Vintage Marketplace at the Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton Ontario on April 18th and 19th.

Learn more about my beautiful friend via this excerpt from her bio for this event: 

"From as young as I can remember, I have had a great love for art, and would spend hours in my room drawing and painting. Having grown up in the country on a farm, I’ve always felt a connection with, and an appreciation for, Mother Nature and her creations. It was after a profound personal loss that I was inspired to create these pieces as a tribute to a special person who always believed in me, took interest in, and encouraged my artistic abilities. I have found comfort and closeness in the wisdom of the trees, the spirits in the sky, and the innocence of the animals. These gifts from Mother Nature have become my subject matter. It was by purpose that I came to paint these images on reclaimed barn board. Like the one which inspired me, each piece holds a story, has character, and has been resilient to life’s challenges."

Wise Old Friend

This is Meagan's favourite piece (Wise Old Friend) as it was inspired by her horse Jess (a thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross). It evokes a very sentimental feeling for me too as I grew up beside a farm that raised Clydes and they're one of my favourite breeds of horses.

Be sure to make the trip to Hamilton the weekend of April 18th and 19th to attend The Vintage Marketplace to meet Meagan and see her stunning pieces of art. 

I'll see you there (I might even head there extra early to take advantage of their VIP shopping time between 9-10am)!!

RR

**All images are the property of Meagan Smith**

The Wonderful Willow House

The power of social media and a strong network of amazing local women never ceases to amaze me!

I follow Willow House Furnishings and Design Studio on Instagram and Facebook and have fallen in love with this store through their photos and posts. Not only is their store absolutely stunning, but so is the store's founder and proprietor, Kim! It's funny how you can 'click' with people over social media and then when you have a chance to meet them in person, that 'click' becomes even more amplified. 

A few weeks ago Willow House posted that they'd be hosting a Trends in Fabric event featuring Avant Garde fabrics and I immediately RSVP'd for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I really wanted to finally meet Kim and see the beautiful store/business she'd built over the past 20 years, but I also have a 'thing' for exquisite fabrics. Looking through fabric books, feeling the various textures and weaves, seeing the mix of tones and colours and seeing how a variety of prints with work together is something I could do for hours on end.

I intentionally arrived early to the event so I had time to immerse myself in the shoppe but also so I could have a good chat with Kim. Kim's smile and magnetic personality fills the store and adds another level of amazingness to her already beautifully curated space.

As you can see from the photos, it's the kind of space that implores you to want to re-decorate, to 'spruce up' your home and make it your own through their beautiful one-of-a-kind, rustic-lux pieces. I literally could have taken home entire vignettes just as they were as they'd been styled so perfectly by Kim and her wonderful staff. I did take one piece home with me....but I'll show you that a little later in this post.

Over 40 stylish and design savvy women filled Willow House's Design Studio for the Avant Garde presentation. I'm planning on re-doing my dining chairs as well as window coverings in two of my rooms, so needless to say, I was uber inspired by all of the luxurious fabrics we were shown. It sure sounds like grey is here to stay (YEAH!) and I was so glad to see it being reinforced that it really is the 'new neutral' that works with almost every colour. The jewel tone blues and greens, the burnt oranges, the sunshine and butter yellows...the combinations are endless. I fell in love with the velvets (I'm leaning towards using velvet for my dining chairs to add texture and interest and wee bit of luxury to my space) and will likely use the chairs as a venue to introduce some colour into the space. I always have a soft spot for linens and we were told that they're now even more suitable as window covering due to the dyes that are now being used to prevent sun damage (double yeah as I am planning on using a linen based fabric for my window coverings). 

The photo above shows one of my favourite fabrics of the night.....the multi tones of grey with a touch of cream and white, the stripes to add interest, how beautifully it hung...I just loved it!

After the presentation, we were treated to some scrumptious cheeses by C'est Cheese Please ...... 

I was in heaven!....Two of my favourite things in one space... Home Decor and Cheese. Thank you too to C'est Cheese Please for the bag of goodies we got to take home!

Thank you to Justyna Sokolowski for taking this photo!

And here we are....Kim and I chatting like old friends. To say she's one stylish lady is the understatement of the year! I'm really looking forward to growing this new friendship and to also work with her to continue to make my house my home and freshen up my space.

When I walked into the store, a certain piece immediately caught my eye. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know about my love of horses. These creatures have brought so much happiness to my life and I love how you can truly see their souls through their eyes.....

So after walking by this piece at least 15 times...stopping...looking...being drawn in.....I knew it had to come home with me....and I'm SOOO glad it did!

I woke up and walked out to my living room yesterday morning and seeing this immediately brought a smile to my face. Yet another step in making my house truly my home.

I need to extend a huge "Thank you" again to Kim and all of those involved in making the Trends in Fabric event happen. It was such a great evening for many reasons and I can't wait to get back to Willow House!!

RR

Inspired Spaces...Bring on Spring!!

I really do cherish my weekends at home as they're few and far between. Some gal pals were coming to visit last weekend, but due to some crazy weather, we had to cancel our plans (insert sad face here). With the change in plans, I thought I'd take advantage of my time at home to freshen up the space a bit and start bringing in some Spring.

February is such a 'funky' month....we're well into winter, have snow up to our knees, the fun and festivities of the holidays are long over and we see Spring starting to pop up in fashion and decor. All of the bright and airy Spring looks and pieces have us yearning for warm sunshine filled days,  green grass, patios and flowers. Seeing as I don't see green grass or drinks on a patio happening any time soon, the way I like to start bringing Spring into my home is through flowers. Tulips happen to be one of my favs and they're in abundance right now...and...they're oh so reasonably priced!  When you can find them for $10 a dozen, I can't think of a more chic, fun and cheap way to insert some Spring and colour into your home!

I also like to turn to magazines for inspiration, especially this time of year, because part of the February Funk also can bring with it a bit of a lack of inspiration. It's a transitional time when it comes to fashion and decor...we want to bring out all the light and airy Spring pieces, but they seem out of place with snow still on the ground. I find turning to magazines helps with finding that balance right now and I owe a huge THANK YOU to House and Home Magazine for the article, A Study In Contrasts, in their March 2015 issue. The kitchen designed by Barbara Purdy and Olivia Botrie on pages 84-87 is the epitome of my dream kitchen! Every...single...detail and element from the exposed beams, to the colour palette, to the cabinetry, that island (swoon), the windows, the pantry (those doors)....EVERYTHING is absolute perfection. 

When it came time to freshen up my sideboard, I pulled my colour scheme from the pantry in this article...the muted, earthy tones...the creams, beiges, mochas, straw, winter white, light wood tones. These colour and tones are a great transitional colour scheme for this time of year. They're still warm and cozy, but have a lighter and more airy feel to them too.

The final product is very simple and has a natural, earthy feel to it. The grapevine wreath I made from vines in my backyard adds a bit of whimsy, the antique postal scale a dear friend gave me adds a sentimental and historical touch, the feathered wreath from Hive of Bayfield adds softness, the golden metallic tea light holders from The Garage add some *bling* and the oil cans from The Aberfoyle Antique Market add something unexpected and industrial.  They all come together in a muted, rustic chic way to slowly start to welcome in Spring.

I hope you can take some time today (it's a holiday here in Ontario) and read through some magazines and get inspired. Go down to your basement, open up some dusty boxes of home decor items and see what you can bring into your home to welcome Spring. Oh....and don't forget to treat yourself to some flowers!

I arrived home yesterday to a beautiful bunch of tulips from a great friend! Talk about a wonderful Galentine's Day! I can now spend the day relaxing, enjoying my space and continuing to get inspired!

Cheers to inspiration, great design, friendship, Spring and fresh flowers!

RR

Let's Get Physical!

Let's get physical...and no, I don't mean '50 Shades of Grey' physical...I mean let's get up off the couch and get moving!

This time of year has to be the most difficult time to get motivated to exercise. The snow is flying outside, it's freezing cold and it's so easy to just cocoon indoors, curled up under blankets on the couch.

I'm the first to admit, I'm not nearly as active as I should be...or once was. I look back and I literally grew up in arenas and on the ice as I figure skated from the age of 3 all through university. I skated at least 3 days a week, some days 6 hours a day. I also coached, starting with volunteer coaching when I was 11 or 12 and moved into professional coaching around the age of 16, which carried me all through university. I've coached 2-3 year old to people in their 70's. That's what I love about skating...it's an activity that can span the ages.

I got back on the ice for the first time in a few years over the holidays....it felt so AMAZING to lace up my skates and hear the 'crunch' of the blade against the ice as it carves out the edges. My centre of gravity sure has changed over the years, but it doesn't take long to get back into the swing of things. I used to LOVE spinning...sit spin, cork screw spin, camel spin, layback etc...and after trying a few, I wonder how the heck I ever did them as I was sooooooo dizzy afterwards!

Skating is such great exercise! It's a full body activity that allows you to work on your aerobic capacity, flexibility and muscular strength. It's so dynamic and creative and I because of this, I think that's why I've never really taken to running on a treadmill or really any type of machine based cardio. If I'm going to get active, I tend to like to be doing something more dynamic, like going for a hike versus running indoors. Skiing, skating, hiking, roller blading, snow shoeing....now that's my kind of exercise! The great thing about these exercises is that they're not only dynamic, but they can also be done outdoors (and I just love being outdoors).

I believe that's the key about physical activity. You have to find what type of activity or exercise you enjoy and in doing so, you will be so much more successful in achieving your health and fitness goals. Also, if you can get active with a friend, even better! You can hold each other accountable and offer support and motivation on those days that the couch is looking better then lacing up your running shoes.

I'll be posting more about exercise and physical activity on the blog as I continue to grow and expand RR to incorporate a Body Life and Style into my brand and scope of services offered......

I also challenge you to get active this month! Take pictures of you and your friends/family getting active  by hiking, walking the dog, skating, hitting the gym etc etc and post them to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #RRBodyLifeStyle. Keep posting them until March 15th and the winner will win a personalized home exercise program, designed by me, based on your top 3 health and fitness goals ( a value of $75.00).

If you have health and  fitness questions or would like to get started in living a more active lifestyle, as a Registered Kinesiologist (and former Personal Trainer), I'd be happy to help! Just send me an email to rusticretrievals@gmail.com and we can get started!

Make a pledge to yourself to get off the couch and get active this weekend...and seeing as it's Family Day Weekend here in Ontario, why not get your entire family involved! And remember...share those pictures for your chance to win!

#RRBodyLifeStyle

RR

Anchored to Friends...

I came home to this invite and bracelet in my mail box late last Fall... little did I know the Gals Weekend at The Rock would be as much fun as it was! You get 12 girls under one roof for a weekend and there's bound to be tonnes of laughter, great food and drink, amazing company and new friendships made.

I really only knew our hostess and had met a few of the other girls once or twice at a house party or birthday, but I knew any friend of our hostess would be a pretty cool gal and sure enough, what a fantastic group of gals it was! We even had our own hashtag and motto for the weekend... #livelifeanchoredtofriends ... 

This was the view out of the front window of The Rock (aka my friend's family's Lake House in Port Elgin). I always love getting to the lake in the winter as you never know what wonders Mother Nature may have in store for you. Their home is absolutely gorgeous and if I should ever build my own home, I'm going to instill the assistance of my friend's Mom in the design of it as every detail of this home is perfection! 

We even had a mascot for the weekend....

Meet Randy!! I think I need a Randy for my house!

This was a 'no jeans allowed' weekend, therefore, we lounged in our Lulu's, ate, drank, played card games, ate and drank some more, got to know each other, laughed, watched movies and ate and drank some more. Absolute girly perfection!

This is just an example of the scrumptiously yummy food we had in abundance all weekend! Needless to say, at one point I felt I needed to burn a few calories and went for a walk down to the harbour and main beach.

Winter along Lake Huron is always stormy and snowy, but beautiful! This is the lake town I frequented most often growing up, so it felt almost surreal to be on that beach all by myself. I'm used to being there in the summer with it being super busy (see this post from this past summer) but it was really cool to look around and be the one and only person there.

On the Sunday before we left we decided to explore Lake Huron...Literally on top of Lake Huron. The gals scaled 'The Twin Peaks' and had shot putt competitions with the gorgeous ice orbs that had formed.

Here is our hostess with the mostest (below), Captain Carlie.... Talk about a wonderful, thoughtful woman with a heart of gold who I am very lucky to call my friend!  Not only is she uber thoughtful, but her attention to detail is second to none! She got each of us a memento to remember the weekend by and according to the temp tattoos she also got for us, it was "Party Time" allllll weekend long!!

Here we all are....... This was right before we jumped into a game of Cards Against Humanity.... Talk about a great way to get to know the people you're with!

I can't thank Carlie (and her family) enough for allowing us to spend the weekend in their home-away-from-home. It was a weekend full of so many memory making moments and I hope to see these gals again soon!

LIVE LIFE ANCHORED TO FRIENDS!!!

RR

The First Week...

So how has your first week of 2015 been? Have you kept up your resolutions? Have you 'fallen off the wagon'?

However your first week has gone, I hope you have had a good one. 

Mine has been quite good and I feel as if I've packed a lot of productivity into the past 8 days.

As I sit here writing this, I'm looking at the bags of clothing and boxes of housewares that I have purged and will be donating to local charities. If you read my last post of 2014, I wrote about promises I made for myself for the new year ahead. One of those promises was to Simplify. By purging these items from my home, it opens up physical space which also in turn opens up 'head space'; it has allowed me to take stock of what I have and really ask myself do I Need this vs do I Want this?; and these items, via the charities, will be going to new homes whose families I hope enjoyed them as much as I did.

I have been doing little things like being sure the dishes are all done before I go to bed so there is no clutter on the counter in the morning.

It's these little things that are allowing the interior of my home to in turn bring clarity and space to my soul.  

 I've also started journalling again.... It is so cathartic. I'm writing down every cent I spend in an effort to analyze and adjust my spending habits. I've already saved money! I made my lunch and dinner all week long (I've even made my latte every morning and taken it to work) and not only have I saved money, I've also eaten much more healthy, 'real' food. I've been keeping a food journal too....I'm definitely not eating perfectly, but, I am eating well and know what's going into the food I'm eating as I'm preparing it.

So overall, so far so good.... really good!!

Cheers to 2015!!

RR

Brave Wings...

Cheers to 2015!

I kicked off the year with great friends, yummy food and lots of bubbly (hence the somewhat blurry midnight 'cheers' photo).

It was a Simple yet perfect way to start the year....and remember, this year, I'm ALL ABOUT SIMPLE! There was reminiscing, remembering all the fun we've had over the past 17 years (as well as reflection on some of the tough times), lots of laughs (Cards Against Humanity is a HOOT) and plans made for the year ahead. 

I am very grateful that I not only got to spend New Years with these friends, but for also seeing other great friends this afternoon too. I can't think of a better way to kick off the year.

Charlie and I returned home this afternoon after the festivities, relaxed, had an amazing dinner (thank you so much to my friend from around the corner who brought me some leftover EPIC lasagna from her NYE get together last night - it was a 28lb homemade lasagna like no other you will ever have - AMAZING!) and we then decided to stretch our legs and head out for our evening walk. 

There was snow in the air, the blowing wind adding an extra chill....and I couldn't help but smile. An overwhelming feeling of contentedness came over me.... Life is Good...Very Good!

We wandered home and I began writing this....surrounded by new journals, notebooks, my 2015 agenda and books I am reading/will read..... 

These books will be the venues that will assist me in Simplifying my life... They will allow me to get my thoughts, plans, promises and goals on paper in black and white..... Through the words I read or write on the paper bound in their spines, I will identify my Needs vs Wants, formulate my budget, develop meal plans, journal, write recipes and most importantly, I will keep myself accountable.

I Believe we need more accountability in our lives because as I mentioned in my last post, we create our own lives, our own happiness, our successes and failures....life is not a passive exercise of letting it happen to you. We are accountable for our actions, our words...and those actions and words form what we call our life...our day to day existence.

To be accountable is to be brave. It means taking ownership and at times, that can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes, it would just be so much easier to let someone else make that tough decision for you...to not have to accept responsibility for our actions.

**Print by: life i design **

"With Brave Wings She Flies"....... The braver we are, the more accountable we are and the more I Believe that we can Simplify our life through making changes we may be nervous to make, to realize behavioural alterations that need to be made but we know will be difficult....

Change is necessary to grow. Simplification can be the ultimate in growth. A change to a 'Need vs Want' approach to life keeps you accountable for not only your material things, but your emotional well being as well. Less truly is more!

I'm about to go get into bed and start my first journal entry for 2015. I'm going to read a few pages of a new book. I'm going to take a glass of water with lemon with me to drink before I go to sleep.

Again, it's the little things...the Simple things that make up our life.... Hold yourself accountable to the decisions you make.... Be brave. It will be sooooo worth it! Happy New Year!

RR

Promises to Myself!

I truly do Believe this.

As many wonderful days that my life has had in the past 35 years, I really do think that some of the best days are yet to come.

I also Believe that we create the lives we lead...they just don't happen.

We create our happiness, our successes, our fun....and we also create our sadness, our failures and the not so fun moments. We need to find a balance....happiness and success are what we strive for but in order to really appreciate and experience happiness, we need to also experience sadness and failure as we learn from these and in turn, we therefore increase and maintain the positives in our lives.

My promises to myself for 2015 (not resolutions) include a lot of things I'm already doing fairly well, but also some that I want to improve on. If I had to choose a word for 2015 that will keep me focuses on these promises, it would have to be BELIEVE! This word has been pivotal in my life over the past few years (heck, I have it tattooed on my foot) and it sure has gotten me through some tough times but has also reaffirmed my thoughts and feelings in the great times.

For 2015, I Believe.......

For 2015, I Promise myself.....

Again, some of these promises I am already doing and want to continue, while there are some I want to improve on and also add into the mix.

Some I would like to improve on are:

• Eat better.
• Drink Water (I realllly need to increase my water intake).
• Talk Less. Listen More.
• Experience Life. (to me, this means finding balance between Needs vs Wants; living more fully with fewer `things` and having more experiences that result in amazing memories!)

Some I want to do more of are:

• Read books.
• Adventure.
• Feel deeper.

And of course..... BE HAPPY! Like I mentioned above, I Believe we create our own Happiness. Don`t get me wrong....I`m uber happy and have very few concerns with life at the moment...but...(and this is a good but)....I want more! More Happiness! I want more and am willing to do what it takes to make this happen....

I honestly think that for me, simplifying life will lead to even more happiness. This is something I`ll be `testing`through 2015....Simple things like eating better, listening more, going on adventures can only add positives to my life, without adding any type of complication or negativity. Let`s call it a `back to basics`approach.

With this approach, along with Believing that happiness can and will be created through how I choose to live my life, getting back to basics, in every aspect of being, is something I am really looking forward to! I can`t help but think (and Believe) that through Simplicity and identifying Needs vs Wants, life will almost automatically improve in a number of ways (ie. emotional, health, financial etc).

Create that life you have always wish existed for you.... The best days of our lives truly are still ahead of us....

Cheers to 2015! Cheers to Promises to Myself! Cheers to Believing! Cheers to Simplicity!

RR

Thank You for the Smiles 2014!

The sun is setting on another year....

I know I say this every year...but I will again...where is the time going?? Life seems to be flying by in 'fast forward' mode...

I just re-read my post from January 1 of this year and am grateful & proud that the words I wrote almost one year ago still resonate today!

"A life of happiness, laughter, dreaming and believing....Calm.......

I will continue to purge the unnecessary, to set goals, to believe, to breathe....to LIVE!

Ancora Imparo...still I am learning...but... Tout Sera Incoyables...everything is amazing!

As I'm still learning, still hunting for who I've not yet become....I decided it was time to take the next step and launch this new website. It is a work in progress and it has been the perfect opportunity for me to look inside myself and re-visit who I am....the true and honest ME!

I welcome you along on my journey this year....and I encourage you to continue on your own journey....

Orenda: a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to effect the world, or to effect change in their own lives.

Embrace that force, effect change in your life..... 2014 is going to be an AMAZING year...I can just feel it!"

Cheers to the year that has passed....to the fun and adventures that were had.... There has been change (I started a new job) and there has been constants (wonderful friends and family)...

I look back and reflect on the year that has gone by with a smile on my face....and look forward to the year that's about to begin, with that same smile.

Here are some words of wisdom that have carried me through the year and when I needed a 'pick me up', helped bring that smile back to my face....

RR

First Day Of Winter!

December 21st....The first day of winter.

Here, our grass is green and the temperature is going to be above zero here leading up to Christmas..... Winter who?

I really do enjoy winter....the crisp air, the fluffy snow, the brilliant blue sky when the sun shines.....

There's something about bundling up in cozy coats, fuzzy scarves, hats & mitts and setting off in the snow, breaking fresh tracks and enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer. 

There won't be a lot of writing in this post, but just photos to illustrate why I truly do enjoy Winter in all her beauty!

RR