So Canadian, eh? & the ultimate summer chair

I was so honoured when Barbara at Hodge:Podge asked me to be part of her So Canadian, eh? series. Barbara has been introducing her readers to decorators and designers from all across Canada, and today’s instalment is her interview with me :-) Click here to pop over to Barbara’s blog and check it out. And while you’re there, be sure to take a look around at all of Barbara’s great design projects. The diamond tufted headboard that she made for her daughter is one of my very favourite projects :-)

There’s just something about an Adirondack chair that says “summer” to me. It’s relaxed, comfortable, casual – the perfect spot to sit and read a book, sip a cold drink, chart with friends, or just enjoy soaking in views of the water or sunset.

Image via Adirondack Chair Blueprint

The first Adirondack chair (originally called the Westport plank chair) was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in Westport, New York, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, and needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. The original Adirondack chair was made with eleven pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at a slant to sit better on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also had wide armrests.

Image via Deviant Deziner

Thomas Lee offered the design for his chair to Harry Bunnell, a carpenter friend in Westport who needed a way to make money in the winter. Mr. Bunnell realized the chair was the perfect item to sell to Westport's summer residents, and  without asking permission from Thomas Lee, he filed for and received patent #794,777 in 1905. Mr. Bunnell manufactured his plank chairs for the next twenty years. Today, the Adirondack chair is a staple in backyards, on patios and decks, and even in houses all around the world…

Image via Completely Coastal

Image via Shoreside Bride

Colourful Adirondack chairs…

Image via boston.com

Image via Forma Pura Living

My friend Victoria painted her Adirondack chairs orange…

This one takes painting your chair a step further…

Image via Alderman Arts

Of course, I have to include a purple Adirondack chair :-)

Image via Chair Blog

Adirondack chairs in Nova Scotia…

Hahahha! isn’t the fish chair cute? :-)

And another take on a “Fish”irondack chair…

Image via Washington Post

A couple more variations on the traditional style…

Image via Gear Patrol

Image via Furniture Home Design

There’s even a lucite Adirondack chair!

Via vivre.com

No reason why you can’t use Adirondack chairs indoors as well as outdoors.

Image via My Design Chic

Ah, the perfect ending to a perfect summer day – enjoying a beautiful sunset from an Adirondack chair :-)

 
Image via Hub Pages

Hello Summer!

Wooooohooooo! Summer has officially arrived!

Image via Flickr, photo by Sator Arepo

No, that isn’t me in the picture – I wish! But that’s how excited I am that summer is here :-) I love everything about summer – long sunny days, starry nights, BBQs, eating outside on the patio, biking, gardening, not having to put on a coat and toque and mitts and boots before going outside to scrape ice off the car windows… Eeek, let’s not go there!

Image via RedBubble, artist Lucy Hollis

My very favourite thing about summer is spending weekends at the cottage. This past weekend was my first full weekend there, and I sucked every last minute out of it! I was outside from morning till night, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, walking the dogs, reading, washing the car… right up till my last swim of the weekend at sunset last night. Ahhhhh, good times!

The dock at the cottage…

Time to jump into the lake for a swim…

After we swim, we can do some kayaking…

Well, actually, this is more like the kind of kayaking I do, minus the awesome view!

Squirt likes to swim too…

and she follows me as I kayak around the lake…

Beautiful sunny blue summer skies…

Of course, we need a pair of cool shades to protect the peepers…

And don’t forget the sunblock ;-)

A fuzzy beach towel to dry off with after we’re done…

After all that action, we need to eat! Ever have a BBQ in a donut? :-)

The BBQ-Donut was designed and developed by German inventor and entrepreneur Sebastian Schmitt. This puppy is part lounge, part table, part BBQ, and part water floatation device :-) It comes with a sound system and travels at about 2.5mph.

But if you’re a landlubber, this BBQ might be more your speed… ;-)

Once you’ve got this Nascar BBQ fired up, why not grill up a few racks of juicy mouth-watering ribs (vegetarians, close your eyes!!)

OK, you can look again… mmmmmm, juicy succulent freshly-picked berries :-)

YUM!!!!!! And what’s better on a hot summer day than sipping an icy-cold strawberry daiquiri complete with fresh strawberries…

The Best Strawberry Daiquiri EVER!

• 1 can Bacardi's frozen strawberry daiquiri mix
• 2 cups ice (crushed if you have it)
• 1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
• Handful washed & hulled fresh strawberries

Put first three ingredients in blender and blend till smooth. Add berries and blend for a few more seconds. Pour into glass and drink!

Warning: You’ll want to lick the glass clean. Don’t be shy, go ahead and do it!!

Or maybe a glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade is just what you need to refresh you…

Easy Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup water

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a glass till the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add water. If you add ice, reduce the water a bit to prevent the lemonade from becoming too diluted. If you like extra-tart lemonade, add more juice. Toss in a slice or two of lemon for a bit of extra flavour.

Of course, summer isn’t summer without ice cream!

How cool is this colourful SuperKid ice cream from Laura Secord?? :-)

And check this out — a couple of years ago, Paul at Kitchen & Residential Design posted a recipe for making homemade ice cream in a Ziploc bag. I had to try it… and it really works!

Plastic Bag Ice Cream

• What you'll need:
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I used icing sugar)
• 1/2 cup milk or half & half
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons rock salt (table salt works too)
• 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
• 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

How to make it:

• Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt.
• Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
• Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal the large bag carefully.
• Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes. (I recommend wearing over mitts to keep your hands from freezing!)
• Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that.

Happy Summer!

Who let the dogs out?

Last night, hubby and I went to “In The Dog House,” a fundraising event at the brand new Ottawa Humane Society. A number of well known Ottawa personalities were thrown into the dog house and had to raise pre-determined amounts of money in order to get bailed out. There was also a silent auction, and local businesses and restaurants provided appetizers, desserts, beverages, and music. Stuntman Stu from Majic 100 was the MC and judge, and Sandy Sharkey from 93.9 BOB FM was one of the dog pound celebs. Sandy is a huge supporter of the OHS, and is always involved with their fundraising efforts – Sandy, you rock!

The event raised $75,000.00 for the OHS’s “Breaking Ground Building Campaign.” How awesome is that?! The current OHS location on Champagne Avenue is old and too small to handle the 11,000 animals that come through its doors every year. The new building is HUGE, has lots of room both inside and out, and it’s also green. Here’s the old building…

Image via Capital Neighbourhoods

And here’s the new building – much better, yes?!

Image via Ottawa Humane Society’s Facebook page

There’s a wall in the lobby area with the names of all the major donors. Hubby thought it was amusing that the Government of Ontario was outdone by an anonymous donor – by a million dollars!

A couple of pictures of the interior… I love the light fixtures and the wood ceiling area. The windows at the tops of the walls go all the way down the main hallway.

This is the cat room, which has a 3-season area where the cats can practically lounge outside. Inside view…

Outside view…

And some pics of the exterior. I love the combination of materials – wood, stone, concrete, and metal.

I love this wall – there are a couple of other walls like it.

Need to have dog runs, of course!

The BOB FM sign kept blowing into my pictures!

It really is a beautiful building. All the dogs & cats & other furry & feathered friends will be moving into their new digs next week. I think they’ll be very happy here while they wait for their new homes :-) You can read more about the event and OHS’s building on Sandy’s blog, and on the OHS Facebook page.

And while I’m on the topic of happy animal “tails,” have you heard about Wall-E? He’s a puppy that was dumped at a shelter in Sulphur, Oklahoma along with his brothers & sisters. The vet at the shelter made the tough decision to euthanize the puppies because of space & health issues. Wall-E was given TWO euthanasia shots, but somehow he survived both!

Artist Ron Burns created a painting of Wall-E, and is selling prints for $40 plus $5 shipping. 40% of all money raised through the sale of the prints is being donated to the Murray County Animal Shelter in Sulphur. Click here if you’re interested in buying a print. Mine arrived last week, and I love it!

Images of Wall-E from Ron Burns’ web site

You can read Wall-E’s amazing story here, or check out the video below. He’s SUCH a cutie!

Wall-E’s been adopted by a family that wants to remain anonymous. I hope they have lots of happy years together filled with doggie kisses and tummy rubs :-)

Happy weekend!