A Winter Walk in Kensington Market

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-27694 blk-brdr" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/globe-sculpture-sign-kensington-market-toronto.jpg" alt="globe-sculpture-sign-kensington-market-toronto" width="640" height="480">This is Kensington Market, an area that we go to all the time, to get vegetables and fruit, spices and international ingredients. There's a shop representing most every nationality, tucked somewhere in the tightly packed streets. It's been a market area for over a hundred years.It's not only food here though; you can also find awesome vintage clothing, used record, army surplus, independent restaurants, bars and cafes.Also, above and in between the stores are homes ... lots of people live in the neighbourhood too.It's a great and popular place, and we certainly are not alone in our love for Kensington.Regular visitors to my blog will have seen quite a bit of this part of town in pictures before because it's so picturesque, but while I've shown you what it looks like in spring (here), summer (here) and autumn (here), I noticed that I've never shown it in the wintertime, when things are covered in snow.In fact, an image search indicates that very few people, if any at all, have posted pictures of the area during the winter. If you didn't know otherwise, you might think that the market closes down when the going gets cold. I'm here to show you otherwise!

Make a Sachet that Smells Exactly How You’d Like It To and Lasts Forever

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-27669 blk-brdr" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/dadas-place-primavera-flower-granny-square.jpg" alt="dadas-place-primavera-flower-granny-square" width="640" height="640">Follow Up (five years later) :  Hi and thanks for visiting.  I love this useful item so much that I’ve made a few more, for different seasons.  Click the links if you’d like to see the autumn one, the Christmas one, the Valentine one and another one like this one, that I made for a gift in a different colour scheme.——————————-Hello!  While this might look like a post about crocheting, it's really more about how you can make an aromatic sachet, that is scented with your favourite essential oils or perfume, and that can be refreshed whenever needed.The idea is to make a little cotton pillow, that tucks inside a pretty cover. Then you can add your own scent to the pillow, where it is absorbed within the cotton cover and stuffing. Adding oil or perfume will inevitably stain the pillow, but you'll have a nice looking cover to go over it, that hides any discolouration.

Drugstore Beauty Department Finds

A few posts back I mentioned that our local drugstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, was having a 'spend your points' event in their Beauty Department. This is where people who collect points at Shoppers could redeem some and get a higher return, if they used them to get cosmetics or fragrances. So, during that particular weekend you could get more free stuff than usual! Since I usually save the points that we earn by buying many of our everyday items at this store, I went over to have a wee shopping spree.

I had a little list of products I was interested in trying out, but that list kind of went out the window when I saw that they had some Chanel Number 5 Perfumed Dusting Powder in stock.

I love the smell of Chanel Number 5 and have previously used my Shoppers points to buy the Eau de Cologne. This time, I wanted the powder! Have you ever tried a perfumed body powder? They are quite lovely, especially during the summer.

A Visit with my Parents and Their Cute Dog

I've just been north visiting my mom and dad. It was, without doubt, the coldest holiday I've ever taken, although I was in very warm-hearted company.

I traveled by bus and stayed for 5 nights, while Nick stayed home with Eddie the cat.

On the evening of my arrival, there were reservations for dinner at a nice restaurant, one of my favourites anywhere. That's where this shot of my dad was taken.