Monday, September 26, 2011

The Grower's Daughter 2nd Annual Vintage Tag Sale

Click photo to view invite.

The Grower's Daughter is hosting it's second annual Vintage Tag Sale!

See the invitation for details and please feel free to email me for more information.

I've spent the year assembling a collection of the most beautiful finds: Aged Ironstone, Rustic Furnishings, Industrial Decor and other Salvaged Finds.

This year's sale has a little bit of everything and a ton of treasures.

There are some great little shops in the area to browse, countless wineries to visit, as well as the Annual Thanksgiving Shows happening at Balls Falls Conservation Area and Vineland Public School being held the same weekend, so it's the perfect day to come down!

We'll also have our Flower Market full of Fall Garden Decor and gorgeous Seasonal Bouquets, as well as our Cafe where you can grab a freshly brewed coffee and something sweet!

See you there!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Inspirations

Country Home

Today is one of those wonderful Saturday mornings in the Fall.

It's slightly overcast, with little hints of sunshine here and there. It's the perfect weather for open windows and linens on the line. Everything feels relaxed, but productive.

I can hear the hum of the washing machine as I make pastry for a Pumpkin Pie (the first of the season), and I can faintly smell the smokey scents of a neighbor's wood stove coming through my kitchen window. There is a roast cooking with chunks of carrot, onion and potato for dinner tonight, and I'm just about to mop my floors. I've been to the market, and out for breakfast, and am just about to put a sleepy boy down for a nap.

I love Saturdays like this.

Here are a few images that I have brought me a lot of inspiration lately.

Happy Saturday.

via Little Emma English Home

This image has really inspired a makeover in Willen's room (which is not nearly finished yet as I just haven't found the time, and quite frankly, don't mind). The crates are great storage and I love the wired frames with bits hanging from it. I am also very much in love with that gorgeous mirrored cabinet, particularly the colour.

Australian Country Style

I love this table and set of chairs. I also am very much drawn to these two styles of wood - dark and rich colours, as well as natural and softer finishes. They even work extremely well together. I also love the simple detail of the stairs and the overall relaxed feel the room has to it.

Country Living

Again, these natural woods are so beautiful. I also love the sofa and chair and of course, this gorgeous rustic table!

via Little Emma English Home

What can I say about this kitchen? It's just so perfectly well worn and lived in. It's gorgeous.

Country Living

I also love this room. It's symmetrical, which I'm always drawn to. I love the creamy walls, and the painted beds with crisp white linens. I like the simple frames in black for a bit of contrast, and I like the simple chair which makes a perfect night stand. It's simple and beautiful.

Country Living

And finally, this gorgeous room, which I believe is the upstairs apartment of an old converted Post Office. It's a little more romantic, but the textured of this house, and the details are just stunning. The exposed brick is perfectly worn, and the beams are so full of character and the mouldings... breathtaking. Oh, and the furnishings aren't too bad either!

Friday, September 23, 2011

First Day of Fall

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

Happy First Day of Fall!

Yesterday, the final day of summer, was the perfect weather to send off a great season. It was sunny and 22 degrees here in Ontario, and quite literally, a perfect day.

Today, being the first day of Autumn, would technically be the perfect Fall day weather wise. There has been a steady stream of rain coming down the entire afternoon, with no signs of letting up. It's cooler, and dark, and all around gloomy.

However, I'm not complaining! It may not be the crisp, cool, and colourful day I was hoping to get for an annual short trip planned to celebrate the arrival of a favourite season, but it's perfect in it's own way.

Cozying up on a dark afternoon and chatting over hot coffee is still a very nice Fall day, and that's exactly how we spent the morning. My cousin and I have a few special holidays that we like to throw into our calender. The first being annual Spring drive which is set aside to pick up Starbucks, and head out to bask in the warming sun on a still chilly morning, while we drive through the valleys and spot early signs of spring.

Next comes the holiday we celebrated today: Our annual Fall drive. The morning begins with a stop at Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte and an accompanying Pumpkin Scone and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin (which we share of course). Our first stop is usually a favourite little farm stand called Inn The Pines. We browse the baskets of fresh produce grown right on the farm, watch the barnyard animals scurry around the grounds, and pick out a few gourds for small Autumn vignettes. Next we make our way out to the valley once more, to catch the early glimpses of the changing of the leaves. This is a really a beautiful thing to witness in Niagara. To conclude our drive, we usually end up at Whitty Farms or Natures Corner Bakery later in the afternoon for yet another coffee (and yes, something sweet... again) before heading back home.

Finally, and probably one of our most important, our last holiday is the 1st of December - The Official Ringing-In, of the Ringing-In, of the Holiday Season. That's the actual name. We thought it made the day more official. As you may as well have already guessed, this day begins, yet again, at Starbucks (coffee is a big deal to us) for our first Peppermint Mochas and Gingerbread Lattes of the Holiday season. This is a day for us to stay inside, by the fire, wrapping Christmas gifts and checking our lists. It's for writing our Christmas cards, and enjoying a Christmas dinner at 2 in the afternoon with Candy Cane ice cream for dessert, and for exchanging a little something we've probably been saving since Summer. Oh, and most importantly, we watch It's a Wonderful Life... every single December 1st. And you want to know something special?

It has snowed at some point, even if in the smallest of amounts, each year since we began this tradition many years ago, and in most cases, it's the first snow of the year.

But, that's still a few months away. Let's not get carried away. After all, today is just the first day of Autumn.

I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones who gets excited about seasonal beverages! What's your favourite festive sip?


The farm stand. It's quaint with just a little bit of everything.

The geese - my favourite. They were especially happy today with the coming showers.

The beautiful gardens.

A couple varieties of squash - I picked up two Butternuts for a pot of Roasted Butternut Squash soup tomorrow.

Pretty Radishes.

Apples, freshly picked from the surrounding fruit trees.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Christie's Antique Show - September

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

This past weekend I made my way back to the Christie Antique Show. I didn't have as much time to browse, so I bee-lined for my favourite booths and ooed and awed over all their pretty things. These are from my two favourites (as featured before) Feathers and Tattered & Torn.

There were so many pieces I wanted to bring home with me.

Here are some highlights of their gorgeous booths.

Enjoy!



This piece would have made the most amazing kitchen island.


Joanna had the most beautiful collection of dress forms.


This pew should have come home with me. I was just about to check the price tag as she stuck a sold sign on it saying "This one went for $200." That's it? Why did I hesitate to look? It's aged and greying and just plain perfect.

This lovely pair of portraits from Tattered & Torn came home with me. I have yet to find them a home but they add the perfect contrast to my all-white walls. Also, I loved that mantel.

A pretty little collection of clocks.

My sister picked up a dresser almost identical to this. I was quite jealous!

I thought this was a fun little coffee grinder in a pretty shade of blue.


Ironstone...


I'm off to finish my laundry and get my house organized. Tomorrow, Willen and I will be spending the night at my parents house, before my sister and I head out on our road trip down to the Country Living Fair! We'll be meeting my parents in Ohio, and will take our time pulling off to dig through antique barns, browse boutiques and sip our Pumpkin Spice Lattes the whole way down!

I'll be back Saturday night. Have a lovely rest of the week.

Friday, September 9, 2011

From The Market - Peaches and Hydrangeas

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

Yesterday was market day in town. The threatening showers and cloudy grey skies didn't do much in the way of keeping people from making their way down to the town square.

I picked out a basket of peaches in hopes of finding a good canning recipe for some sort of peach jam or chutney. I'm not sure which yet, but in the mean time, they will sit and ripen on the window's ledge. This year I have yet to can a single thing and I'm determined to stock my pantry with something before the season is over. If the weather continues as it has for the last few days, I'm afraid I won't have as much time left as I had imagined!

I also found these lovely hydrangeas in a dark shade of green. I believe they are called Antique Dark Green, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen them before.

I'm about to head into town to pick out an engagement gift. I love gift shopping - and also, gift wrapping! After that, I have to finish painting a hutch, sew a slip cover for a chair, pack for the Christie Antique show tomorrow, and then spend a relaxing Saturday night at home with my boys.

I hope you all have lovely weekends.
Happy Friday.




Saturday, September 3, 2011

Saturday Morning


[Country Living]

As I sit here this morning, sipping my cafe au lait sprinkled with some pumpkin spice, enjoying a house full of the aromas from the freshly baked banana loaves, one would be inclined to think it a quiet Autumn Saturday morning.

If you were to actually see beyond these few lovely factors, you would see the following:

1 - I ran out of room on my chalk board when I was writing out my list of things to do for today.

2 - I feel like I'm in a foggy fish bowl. It's that humid outside.

3 - The grass must be cut today. Joy.

4 - The entire cast of Thomas the Train is scattered across my living room floor, along with, what seems like, enough track to get me to The Island of Sodor.

5 - There is a trail of oatmeal around my dining room because my son decided it would be fun to play airplane mid-breakfast. I was busy baking and didn't notice.

6 - Not a single step is free of a bag of supplies, still waiting to be put away from Wednesday.

7 - I had to re-spin a load of whites because they wrinkled before I managed to fold them and put them away. I don't know how that happens.

8 - By the time I did actually manage to sit down to my latte, it was cold.

But,

It's a long weekend, and none of that seems to bother me this morning. I have all day to putter around and get things back in perfect order (or as perfect as they will be), before our weekend plans begin.

Any special plans for this last weekend of summer?

Happy Saturday.