There's No Place Like Home

The Art of Making a Sweet Home

I've been considering a new place to live after spending 6 years in the same house. The more I look at the ads on the internet, the more I like my current house. Okay, I know the house is old but not in a charming European way. Well, it's not huge either but it's quite spacious for my needs. To top it off, the neighborhood isn't necessarily trendy, but it's close to downtown. Yeah, I definitely think that soon I'll need to move into another place to start off a new life but for now this is still home. And, more importantly, it FEELS like home. It has the decoration I like, the souvenirs I brought from my trips, the wall color that I chose. This house brings many memories to mind: Christmas and New Years' celebrations, Mom's 60th birthday, Mery's baby shower, countless parties with friends and the list goes on. I hosted many family members and friends here in this house, and they all spent many comfortable nights beneath this roof. This is the place I missed the most while travelling abroad, and this is the home that welcomed me back in Montreal after every trip. 

I ♥ my home. 

I this cushion made for my friend's birthday, and I just thought it'd be appropriate for this post.

Sweet Graduation! (DIY #3)

L'Art de Faire / The Art of Making it Sweet!


I apologize for not writing on my blog these past weeks, but my return home has proven to be quite tiring after a 6 months trip. It's true I've been quite busy since my last post, but today I decided to share something special. Well, two days ago was my graduation day! Yay! I finally did it! So I woke up this morning and the inspiration for this post was very clear to me. In my opinion, graduation is an important event that calls for celebration - no matter how you decide to do it. Some prefer small family gatherings with plenty of delicious food, others will opt for drinks out with friends in a cool pub. I shared an intimate lunch with my husband at a restaurant of my choice :) So for this post I decided to share a recipe of fondant graduation caps from Glorioustreats blog to decorate your own cupcake and sweeten up your graduation day! Congrats!

Photo and recipe from glorioustreats.blogspot.ca

Tulips that Last All Year Long! (DIY #2)

L'Art de Faire des Tulipes en Tissu / The Art of Making Fabric Tulips

The Canadian Tulip Festival is celebrating its 60th commemorative edition this year. Thousands of visitors participate in this yearly festival to admire the 1 million tulips that are in bloom in Ottawa during this period. The tulip was a gift in perpetuity ti the Canadian people for providing a safe harbor to the Dutch Royal Family during the Second World War, and so the festival celebrates the tulip as a symbol of international friendship. The festival just started this year and it goes until May 21, 2012. For more info on the festival, please visit the official site at: http://tulipfestival.ca/site/whats_on/en. 

Unfortunately the tulip season doesn't last long. For that reason I have decided to share a little tutorial on how to make tulips out of fabric so that this beautiful flowers can decorate your space all year long! So here is our DIY#2: fabric tulips.

Materials:

- BBQ wood sticks

- fabric (cotton) 

- batting

- needle

- thread

1) Paint the BBQ wood sticks in green and wait until they're completely dry. In the meantime, you can cut all the fabric that you have chosen for the flowers in the following measurements: 5x9cm (tulip P), 7x13cm (tulip M) or 9x15cm (tulip G). The size and quantity of tulips may vary according to the size of your vase. 

2) For the tulip, fold your rectangular piece of fabric in half with the right side inward. Sew it sidelong. 

3) Then, make some stitches on one side to "wrinkle" it and leave a long thread to tie it up later.

4) Insert the tip of the BBQ wood stick through the seamless hand to the other side that already has some stitches. Pull the thread and tighten it up (make  a knot around the stick). 

5) Turn the fabric over the stick. Note that you will have the shape of a fabric glass in the tip of the stick. 

6) Fill it up with cotton batting.

7) With a needle, make only two stitches in the middle of the fabric "glass" to close it in the shape of the flower petals as seen in the photo. 

8) To finish it up, you can add a beads or buttons in the middle of the flower for decoration, then make as many tulips as you wish for your vase arrangement.

Credits: the original Portuguese-written version of this tutorial can be found here: http://tricoeafins.blogspot.com.br/2011/09/tulipas-de-tecido-passo-passo.html

Flowers for Mothers

L'Art de Choisir des Fleurs / The Art of Choosing Flowers

Today I was on a mission to buy some flowers for Mother's Day. That's right, a Mission. What seems to be a simple action has actually turned out to be quite challenging in the end. It is so difficult to choose only one bouquet among so many beautiful  kinds of flowers. The colors, the smell, the shape, the durability, the quality, the arrangement of the vase, etc make it difficult to choose flowers for such a special person. For this reason I decided to share a few tips on how to purchase cut flowers: 


1. Buy flowers that are inside the shop, out of the sun and away from car fumes;
2. The stem ends should be green or white, and look freshly cut; 
3. The flowers should be in clear water and clean containers (except for tulips in muddy water); 
4. The leaves should not have signs of yellowing or blotching (especially for lilies and chrysanthemums) - if you are buying roses, they should not have dried bunches.
5. Ask at the shop if the flowers you want to buy open in the vase or not. If yes (e.g. roses or lilies), choose a bunch with fewest open flowers. If not (e.g. gerbera), buy the ones that are fully opened. 


It is important to be well informed when purchasing flowers, especially if you plan on keeping them for a long time. Read about flower descriptions along with detailed tips on caring for flowers at home. Ask about seasonal availability, alternative names, and other important factors before you start the pleasurable adventure of choosing the right flowers for you! 

This is a photo of the kind of orchid that I chose for my Mom. 

Credits: tips provided by the Market Fresh site. For further information about birth flowers, flower myths and origins, etc, you can visit the Market Fresh site at: http://www.marketfresh.com.au/flowers/home.asp

Until We Meet Again

L'Art de Dire à Toute à l'Heure / The Art of Saying See You Later


Tonight my friends in Sao Paulo are all gathering for my farewell party at a nice place with live music. Good friends, a lot of talking, cold drinks and much laughter are all on the menu. What more could I wish for? Nothing, that's what. It will be a great evening and I will snap a photo or two to share them with you on a future post. It feels a little sad to say goodbye after 6 months of great fun but I know it is just really a "see you later" or "until next time". It might seem a little strange but knowing that I will be missed is a special feeling, actually. I will miss them too, but I also know that my dear friends are always there for me no matter the distance. And... well, it gets better! My close friends in Montreal are all waiting for my arrival! It will be a long flight back home but I better get ready for my welcome home party as well. Oh yeah!  I guess my point is that there are times to say goodbye and times to meet again. This little poem says it all:

Goodbyes are not forever.

Goodbyes are not the end.

They simply mean I'll miss you

Until we meet again!

~ Author Unknown

Art in Earth

L'Art de Vous Faire Penser / The Art of Making You Think 

I've been reading a lot of sites and blogs about art in general. I like to search for new ideas and inspiration, even if they're about techniques I've failed to master (e.g. knitting). Sadly, I couldn't decide on a theme for today's post :(  but I found something totally worth sharing! 

Credits: photo extracted from Knitting Daily Facebook page 

http://www.facebook.com/KnittingDaily

Food Cans Made Pretty! (DIY#1)

L'Art de Récupérer et Récycler / The Art of Reusing and Recycling

That's right! Our first DIY project will help save the environment while decorating your home or any other space that needs a special touch. This project is so easy that it doesn't require step-by-step photos. First, use a can opener to carefully remove the top part of the can if you haven't done so already. Then, give cans a good wash out to remove any food remnants. Add natural fiber ribbons or threads around the can to make a nice bow and voilà! It's done! 

Simple decoration made out of food cans is a spectacular way to reuse what would otherwise go to the garbage. So remember: if you're not going to reuse it, recycle it!