Heart # 28

Heart # 27

Heart # 26

A few years ago, we woke up one morning and discovered paper hearts plastered all over our kitchen sliding doors. The girls had gotten up early and cut up all sorts of scrap paper into hearts.
We enjoyed the hearts for a few days. But to preserve the girls' sweet handiwork, I carefully removed all the hearts and framed them in the biggest frame that I could find.

Heart # 25

Heart # 24

One of my favourite jewelry boxes is this thrift store find. It's a really good size with a removable tray. The inlay on the lid and the sides is amazing-someone knew what they were doing. Even the knob on the front of the lid is handcarved.
I may have lost count of the number of wood boxes that I have amassed, but I fondly remember the very first two jewelry boxes that I was given on my sixteenth birthday. One was a large, light blue box with velvet lined drawers. I had no problem filling that one as I have always loved adornments. The other was a small music box with a ballerina that twirled to Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago.

Heart # 23

It snowed again today. The bird feeder was busy as usual. And the deer have been going through our yard, munching on the cedars. Their hoof prints go right along the hedge.
Paid a visit to my favourite junk store and found but did not buy two wooden drying racks. Hopefully they will still be there tomorrow.

Heart # 22

Someone suggested a mixed grill for our Sunday brunch but even though our version was wonderful, we did not go all out like our Scottish neighbours do. Cornmeal pancakes, hashbrowns, turkey sausages, 8 minute eggs, oranges and lots of coffee. Very enjoyable with lots of time to relax, watch a movie, and make some long-distance calls. The more I think about it the more I'm loving no-plans Sundays. It's good for the soul.

Heart # 21

Another crisp, cold, and very sunny day. After a quick visit to my hairdresser, I stopped in at Bookland and could not resist Domino and British Country Living. Across the street, a wooden Japanese mandarin box got my attention so I brought it home. And a few blocks away, a jade bracelet was the perfect fit.
This afternoon I tried two new recipes. Coconut flour brownies which remind us of the ones we had in RC last year. And finally found a great vegan recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to Valodya for grinding two cups of walnuts sans electricity.

Heart # 20

Heart # 19

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Heart # 17

I'm sure there have been many books written about collecting and collections; how to live with collections, how to display them, and most importantly, why we collect. I think my first collection was bottlecaps. I went on to collect stamps and postcards and still do so to this day. The pomanders pictured above are part of Maura's collection. I guess it's true what they say about the apple not falling far from the tree. What do you collect?

Heart # 16

Heart # 15

When we moved into this house, there was no bathroom downstairs, there was nothing. With only two bedrooms upstairs, that meant that we had to build a bedroom and a bathroom for Maura and we had to do it very quickly. Her bedroom has a huge window so we gave her a window seat as big as the window. For her bathroom we built a multi-level shelf that can be taken apart for when she gets a place of her own. This heart shelf is in her bathroom; fits right in with the blue and white scheme.

Heart and soul # 14

Today was a wonderful day even though I'm still fighting off a cold and I had to work. We had breakfast at our favourite coffee shop. I filled my candy bowl at work with chocolate hearts for everyone. And it was quite a busy day but most people were in a good mood. During my lunch hour I had a quick walk in the sunshine and had time to visit Vivienne's Boutique; found a beautiful red and white tea towel and a Canadian flag made of linen from Hungary.
The wonderful aroma that greeted me when I walked in the door reminded me of Italia. Maura made a lasagna so saucy and cheesy that we could barely speak as we ate our Valentine dinner.
She used chicken to flavour her sauce and lots of parsley plus the onions were left whole just like my Mom does when she makes tomato sauce. And yes she even made dessert; lemon squares to enjoy later while we watch our Saturday night movie- Mamma Mia. I said today was wonderful but it would have been perfect if TG could have been here with us.

Heart # 13

To me pottery is always a good thing to buy. I have two sets of these triple bowls and they are so handy. Right now they are sitting on the dining table filled with buttons as I work on sorting my latest find from the thrift store. And tomorrow they may be filled with chocolates.

Heart # 12

I don't usually go looking for tins even though they are a reminder of my childhood. It has to be a very special tin for me to make that purchase. And this was one of those tins; heart shaped, a neat design on the lid, and the right colour. Another heart to add to Maura's collection.

Heart # 11

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Heart # 9

We've never had tea at the Tea House but when ever we stopped for a break, I would always go and wander through the Manor. The gift shop did not interest me much but there was a small room at the back set up like it would have been 100 years ago. I loved walking on the uneven and well worn pine floor into another world, a world of stepback cupboards, woodstoves, farmhouse tables and pottery of all kinds. A world where a rugbeater was a common every day tool. And this is where I found my latest addition to my collection of rugbeaters.

Heart # 8

Heart # 7

Wood is good. I found that out many years ago when I was a stay-at-home Mom. I could handle a jigsaw, a plane, a chisel, even a tablesaw if need be. Made my own templates from cardboard-hearts, tulips, horses, cows, and even rabbits. Sanding was the one thing I did not care for but it had to be done. Once I mastered the simple shapes I moved on to cradles, benches, pegboards and even picture frames. After doing a few craft fairs, I started selling at two local shops so that kept me very busy. But once we moved away from the Big City to a small town where everyone had a woodshop, I stopped working with wood and would only fire up the jigsaw for a gift or a custom order.
All over the house are reminders, like these two wooden heart shelves, that I was able to stay home and nurture both my girls and my creative self.

Heart # 6

Many years ago we took a trip to the Northern islands and I spent as much time as I could on the beach. I wasn't sunbathing, I was beachcombing. I did go to the Old Village to visit a totempole carver. We were very lucky to see a white crow. We visited a wonderful potter. Took my first ride on an ATV. Enjoyed a clam-fishing potluck dinner at the beach. And hiked all over. But for me the best time was spent on the beach, slowly walking along almost bent over double, gathering shells and agates and seaglass. I have since added to that collection with garage sale finds (shells from the Mediterranean) and from my favourite thrift store. These shells are kept in huge glass containers of all sizes in the MB.
I did not come across any heart shaped rocks so this photo framed with barnwood will have to do.

Heart # 5

For this sale I will brave the crush of the crowds, the jostling, the endless lineups. It's always held at the same place, a quick walk from work. I try not to go during my lunch hour because of the afore mentioned lineups but last year I did and was very surprised to pick out the green stone heart, pay for it and still have time for a lunchtime walk.

Heart # 4

One of my favourite streets in the Big City is 10th Ave. It has the best coffee shop that makes the best fruit filled bread. Just down the street is the library. Two blocks down there used to be a great little shop where I used to buy recycled glass jewelry from Australia. I always stop in at the Cloth Shop whether I'm making a quilt or not. Another shop that I used to love to browse in was the French Boutique; it had all sorts of furniture, linen, and lots of chandeliers.
The Expensive store at the end of the block was one I had never ventured into but on my last outing we decided to have a look and before I new what was happening, I was the proud owner of the very costly heart-shaped espresso teaspoons. I love them and I have used them...once.

Heart # 3

I can't even remember when I bought these heart-shaped post-it notes; I may have been influenced by someone who thought they were cute and would be great to add to her collection of hearts.
There is so much scrap paper around these days that I certainly don't need to buy post-its. Any letters we get are cut into four and make a great notepad. The inside and outside of envelopes are great for grocery lists. Labels from canned goods make letter writing more fun. Old calendars, especially the large ones, are great for making envelopes.
Everyday our mailboxes are filled with paper. Its up to us to either recycle or reuse it.

Heart #2

Ever since she was a little girl Maura would sign her name with a heart. So it made sense when she started a collection of all things heart shaped. I found this paper weight at my favourite thrift store and gifted it to Maura. It's so nice of her to let me use it.

Heart #1

For the month of February I will be posting a picture each day of something around my home that is heart-shaped.
This frame was a thrift store find and it was painted an ugly green colour. A couple of coats of my favourite white and my best buttons and it was ready to hang in our foyer.