Recent Thrift Store Finds

Doctor's orders were that I should get back to walking a bit on my foot after having had surgery, so what better place to go than a trip to the thrift store? Nick dropped me off one day last week and went to the hardware store, coming back to get me after an hour. I was still wearing my ever so attractive strap-on shoe thing (seen in this post), but nobody really cares what you look like at Value Village!Here's what I got :

I love coloured glass, so this little vintage green pressed glass dish flew into my basket as soon as I'd checked to make sure there were no chips. I didn't realize at the time that it was made by Arcoroc France, a brand that I've begun collecting after finding this coffee mug and these wine glasses.

Crocheted Autumn Decorations : A Pumpkin and a Small Doily

Hello! Here are a couple of small crocheted pieces I made this week, inspired by the season - A Pumpkin and a Small Doily.

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25938 blk-brdr" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/crocheted-pumpkin-and-small-doily.jpg" alt="crocheted-pumpkin-and-small-doily" width="640" height="457">

Have You Ever Snickerdoodled?

To answer my own question, I had never had a Snickerdoodle ... until this past weekend that is. In fact, had you asked me about this oddly named cookie a month ago I wouldn't have had any idea what you were talking about. Nick and I both completely missed out on this treat, although seeing that they have their own wiki page (here) we are in a minority.

So this weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving and due to circumstance it was only going to be the two of us, so rather than make a big dessert I decided to try my hand at making some 'Pumpkin Snickerdoodles' using this recipe from The Kitchn.

Since I made them using some of the frozen roasted pumpkin that Nick prepared last fall (described in this post), he thinks that we should call them 'Nickerdoodles' though.

Good Gully

Gulls are among the most commonly seen birds on the planet, breeding on every continent. If you've ever had a picnic or day at the beach bothered by them, you might be thinking I'm pushing things by featuring what could rightfully be thought of as a nuisance, but apparently they are helpful and desirable to have in a city, because they eat lots of things that would otherwise be a health risk to people.

They evolved over 15 million years ago and there are many different kinds. The ones we have most of here in Toronto are 'Ring Billed Gulls'. This species was almost extinct in the early 20th century because they were hunted for their feathers that were widely prized to decorate women's hats.

Ha, I just got so into reading about Seagulls that it just me an hour to write those 5 sentences!

They're actually pretty interesting animals, that can drink both fresh water and salt water, having special glands to get rid of the salt. They also have a little claw partway up their leg that allows them to remain stable ledges and not get blown off. After reading that I checked my photos closely and see I got one showing that claw.

And now enough with the facts and on with the photos ...

Bringing Some Fall Colour Inside : Making a Garland with Real Maple Leaves

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25878 blk-brdr" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/simple-garland-made-from-real-maple-leaves-and-twine-decoration.jpg" alt="simple DIY autumn garland made from real maple leaves and twine fall thanksgiving decoration" width="640" height="457">After I saw that the brightly coloured leaves of one of the maple trees in our neighbourhood had begun to fall, I went out and gathered up a bunch and stuck them between the pages of a magazine. I actually did this more than once, because every time I passed the spot I noticed just one more leaf that was so pretty that I had to have it. And then there was another, and another and so on.It was only when I opened the magazine on the weekend and took the leaves out, that I realized that I had collected over 85 leaves. Here is how I made a garland with them. You certainly don't need as many leaves to make one too!