The Week in Pictures and Michael Jackson

We were away last week at the cottage.  For the first time this year we had no work to do at the cottage.  All the rooms are done.  We enjoyed catching up with friends and neices and nephews.

  I am still bitten by the bug to find another cottage project, but I am not sure we would find another spot as interesting as this one.  Most people tell me I am mad.  But I love a Sows Ear.  While I was out shooting some of these photos, I ran into our Real Estate agent on his boat and planted the seed.

A Cormorant sunning himself.

I seem to have a thing for tenders lately.....

Now this is a color scheme. 

 That blue with the Mahogany and White would be lovely in a room.

Seaweed.

Artistically blowing in the breeze.

Hanging from an anchor.

Being a boating novice, I assume this is some kind of fender.

The color is so vivid against the white.

Red Cleat.....

I love a sailor with OCD

Bare wood.  Galvanized steel.

Plain old rope.  Makes a lovely photo.

This little guy hates the dock, but loves the boat.

He reminds me of Michael Jackson.

Photo Contest Entries

A few weeks ago, fascinated by a little old row boat in the harbour as opposed to the grand yachts that were present, I got thinking about simplicity.  How in today's society we tend to make things extravagant, embellished and often over the top.  But when simplicity prevails, so does beauty.  I wanted to challenge that with a contest. 

If you peel back the layers of almost anything,

it is the underlying beauty of something in it's most basic form,

that is the most striking.

I asked blog readers to send me photos that most reflected this statement.

I received the most beautiful and striking photos.  If you sent more than one, I selected my favourite and entered that one.

Here are the entries

From Desiree at http://vosgesparis.blogspot.com/

If you have been on Desiree's blog, you will recognise this photo. Her blog is full of amazing design photos of her home using her signature palette of Grey and Zinc. (and White).

This photo represents everything pared down beauty is.  A simple candelabra with white candles. A bare concrete wall, and a stack of natural linens.  Replace this picture in your mind with a brass candle stick with blue candles, wallpaper on that wall and a stack of multicolored linens and you will envision why this reflects my statement on simplicity so well.  Pared Down. Basic.

From Mise at Pretty Far West

"A turf shed, falling apart but jaunty."

Mise has a wonderful sense of humour and a blog that focuses on real life, not staged blog photos and grand ideas.  She seems from her blog like a lively and fun person who you would want to invite to your party.

I love the looseness of this photos, the simple roof line and yellow door, and the old, well used tractor randomly parked in the grass.

Rock pool in Northern Wales

"There are many rocks and boulders and along the beach, little pockets of rock pools full of clear water. In a way almost like a mini version of 'coral reef'. Beautiful colours of purple-red and blue-green algae and long shiny dark fingers of seaweed. There are limpets and cockles and just below the surface tiny crabs make a shy appearance from beneath the coloured pebbles. I stand in wonder and for a brief moment in time.The world is at peace"  Molly Golver

Molly Golver submitted this photo along with this paragraph.  If this isn't finding beauty in the everyday, I don;t know what is.  The subdued colors of nature in this photo are inspiring.

If you have dreamed of living in the Welsh countryside you will want to visit the

MollyGolver blog.  Olive writes with a wonderful honesty about life in the country.  Her photos are gorgeous and make me want a country life.

Kirsten Myers from South Africa sent this photos of the beautiful single rose.  She explained that her mother send her flowers every year for her birthday....a big bouquet.  She likes to take the bouquet apart and make smaller groupings of single types.  Like this rose.  Beautiful as a bunch but alone, you want to pick it up and smell it and touch it. Kirsten has a brand new blog, one that she is just getting going called Lake Lifestyle.  I think given she is in South Africa, this one is going to get interesting, especially for those of us on different continents....we can get a peek at South Africa.

Karen from Ow, my Angst is a fairly new blog to me.  Her blog has a bit of this and a bit of that, tales of motherhood and life and a feistyness I love.

Karen's photo shows French Toast.  A simple breakfast made with love served on her everyday dishes. What could be more simple and homey and comforting than a homemade breakfast.

Marcie at Lemons and Laundry is a stylish gal from California.  You cannot pigeon hole her style, she has such a varied and fun loving blog.  I loved this picture of the wooden pier.  Simple old technology, the sea advancing and retreating underneath.  This photo is so lovely I can almost hear the water rushing underneath the piers. 

Jacqueline from Beauty in the Ordinary's blog title is a giveaway about her blog style.  She and her sister amuse with wit and genuine interest and intelligence the beauty in the Everyday.

Wet wood

warped by summer sun

maintains its essence.

It's beautiful.  The colors could be interpreted anywhere in fashion or design.

Erin from Erin-artandgardens is a photographer and professional gardener as well as a painter. Her blog clearly shows her passion for nature and the simple things.  You have to look at her paintings which are inspired by nature and her emotional attachment to it.

  Erin has started a collection of milk glass bowls.  Simple, basic and ordinary, to me they epitomise the beauty of Simplicity.

Ah, the freshness and beauty of White.  Clean Fresh Sparse.

This triptych of white is such a gorgeous expression of Simplicity.

Zuzu from sent this in titled "Morning Still Life"

Shouldn't every morning be this simple.? 

If you want to see what the simple life is all about visit Zuzu's fabulous off the grid teeny tiny cottage at her blog A Cottage in the Woods.  She lives the SIMPLE life.

Penny from The Comforts of Home Said "what could be more simple than a sunflower.  I have to agree.  A good old fashioned flower, rugged and unpretentious.  You simply must visit Penny's blog where she chats about her home, cooking gardening and the comforts of home.  It's quite lovely.

The Ocean.  A Crashing Wave.  When we want life to be simple most of us would want to be beside the sea, listening to the rhythm of the waves.

Tara Beaulieu from scarborough seashells has a gorgeous business based on found items found by the sea.  Her creativity is so wonderfully evident on her blog.  This photo was taken on a March morning in Rhode Island.  I love the elongated frame so we can see the whole wave.

Tamarah from Shabby Vintage Junk has one of the most fascinating blogs ever.  She has an eye for junk that you would NEVER believe rescuing discarding items and bringing them back to life.

In this photo, Tamarah is drying on a rack (Road Find) some scraps of linen that she has tea stained.  You will have to jump over to her blog to see what she did with them as she has so many things on the go I can't remember.

This photo would make such a gorgeous painting.  This is what still life is all about and what makes it so engaging.  A simple and beautiful white jug, old books and vintage dumbbells.

Kerry Martin sent in this entry and I think it has a wonderfully artistic composition and the shadows are lovely. Kerry's blog the Tranquil Townhouse has oodles of fun stuff, plus she paints, plus she does the best weekly recap of photos from all over the blogosphere.  You MUST go see.

I am completely in love with this rusty old garden tap. How I would love to fill my watering can from this.

Polished, shiny tap....no way.  This is perfect. Tamara from A Treasured Past has a blog just brimming with delectable finds and interesting pieces.  If you love this photo, you will love her style.  I do.

Suzan at Old Grey Mare Primitives has a blog that I read eagerly each post.  She has an amazing house and an incredible knack for styling.  She also makes jewelry, crafts and hosts Project Genesis on her blog.  She cares desperately about the environment and the world and what we can do to protect it.

Her daughter Hannah sent in several photos and this one of a pomegranate was my favourite.  So simple in black and white, the photography is beautiful and shows clearly the simplicity of the fruit.  Smooth skin, round and without seeing the color, rather plain, but lovely.

So There you have them.  The wonderfully creative talents of your fellow bloggers.  You should visit their blogs as they are all so varied and interesting and you can see more of their fabulous photos.  I still can't decide, but I will announce the winner by Monday.

Sulky Little Babka Doll and Other Cottage Bits......

I have been collecting some new things lately.  Such as Babushka dolls.  Never had them as a child, but find them interesting and colorful. 

I rather liked this solemn little one on the right......I have never seen them with sullen expression.

Perhaps there was a rogue doll maker in the factory

who put frowns on all the little ones.........

Juggling pins........because you never know when the mood will strike...

Seashells are so interesting.

I also collect the tackiest tourist thing of all time...

The Snow Globe...

I will show you my collection one day

Seashells on anything......boxes, plant pots

And Cubbies to put them in......

What sorts of things do you collect????

Weekend Photos

The produce at the farmers market this weekend in Lion's Head was worth photographing.

The vendors always seem suprised when I swoop in with my Zoom lens and

photograph their luscious veggies.

  

They are getting used to me now and "pose" the produce.

It's worthy of a picture.

I was entertaining a crowd of 15 for dinner and I wanted to serve all local, fresh farm vegetables.

Finally Local Garlic in town......I have been boycotting the grocery store garlic from China

I celebrated by serving Ontario Pork Tenderloin marinated in balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and

cloves and cloves of garlic.

The Buskers for Cancer were there to keep the morning festive......

Organic coffee......hand knitted goods,

 homemade cheeses and soaps.

 

Sunflowers and Sunny people......

Fireworks over the lake.

A late Breakfast .......

Safe trip home..my friends leaving on their hot new Pearl White Motorcycle

Sulla Strada-And I Am Not Even a Tiny Bit Embarrassed.

As part of Project Genesis, (A project to find ways to make the world a better place, use less and do less damage) I wanted to show you some of my real treasures. 

Pieces that I have in my home or cottage that I absolutley love and would never get rid of.

All of them we found Sulla Strada......I will explain at then end of this post....

This gorgeous wrought iron Potting Stand weighs an absolute ton.  The perfect 1950's green paint makes it perfect for the cottage next to my little green deck chair.

I love the arches....I wonder who designed it....I use it to house my shell collection.

I bring back shells from holiday and put them in jars.  These are my Cuban shells in that jar on the left.

This art deco dresser is used in my spare bedroom.  It has beautiful carving and match booked veneers.

Carved feet and burled walnut.....

One of my favourite chairs....a Chinese Chippendale bamboo side chair.

Re-upholstered in a scrap of RM Coco animal print....

This plaster mirror in my living room also weighs an absolute ton. 

It came with a restoration and auction number on the back....

It works well with the scrubby old table...a perfect juxtaposition.

The bed on the left is an old metal bed that came complete with side rails.

It is an old Simmons bed frame.

It beacme the perfect mate for another twin bed at the cottage.

I have 2 of these cement flower urns that greet my guests at my front entry.

SO,  How is this in keeping with Project Genesis?????  Is this not consumption.....albeit vintage recycled items.????

My Secret...All of these things were found Sulla Strada.....

ON THE ROAD.

Yes, put out for Trash.  Garbage.  Rubbish.

And all rescued from the landfill site.

One mans junk........anothers treasure.

I have not an ounce of shame or embarassment stopping my car and hauling anything off the road.

If you want to see more Road Finds.  Take a look at the blog of Tamarah who is the absolute queen of Sulla Strada.  You can visit her blog http://shabbyvintagejunk.blogspot.com/ here.

For more Project Genesis click here