Toronto Light Festival in The Distillery District, with Dinner, Drinks & Dessert

Hello! My friend Julie and I had an excellent Tuesday evening out this week, when we belatedly celebrated this fine lady's birthday.

The annual Toronto Light Festival was on in The Distillery District, so we went there for dinner and a look around, followed by drinks and dessert.

I love The Distillery District, with its beautiful historic buildings, which are gorgeous all the time but particularly at night, in this dimly lit part of the city. (I previously wrote about the area in detail in this post, including some great old photographs from the days, over a hundred years ago, when it was home of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, if you'd like to see.)

The glow of the "TO Light Fest" sculptures, created by artists from around the world, really add to the ambiance, and, although an outdoor festival in the heart of winter in a Canadian city is, undoubtedly, a chilly experience, it makes so much sense to have at this time of year, when the early sunsets allow the sculptures to be seen at their best.

And, there are plenty of wonderful restaurants, bars and shops to pop into, to warm up.

We had a delicious dinner at Mill Street Brew Pub, where they offered a special extra menu of curries, perfect for a cold winter's night.

Thrift Store Finds : Valentine-esque Version 2020

Follow Up : Hi. I used all of these thrift store finds within our Valentine’s decor, which you can see here, if you’d like.

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Greetings online friends!

Hopefully you enjoy seeing items that were found at the thrift stores, as, today, that's what I have for you. Here are some thrifted things I've picked up in recent months, selected for this particular post because I plan to incorporate them into some Valentine decor over the next couple of weeks.

Once everything is set up, I'll take photos of each piece in action, so you can see how cute secondhand things can look, while costing next to nothing.

Everything except for two items (which I'll point out when we come to them) , was found at the Value Village at Lansdowne and Bloor Street West, in Toronto. That's really the only thrift store I go to regularly because I don't drive and it's near a subway stop, but before Christmas, my sister and I drove west of the city, to Etobicoke, where we found a Thrifting Utopia area with four big stores.

The most expensive thing, at $4.99 Cdn, was the handmade quilted table runner. Everything else was in the $1 to $3 Cdn range.

While I personally veer more toward vintage finds when I thrift, because that's the look I go for, I also pick up some newer items, too. In this case, the more current things include a glass vase, a couple of side-plates, a cotton tea towel and some place-mats.

Let's begin with some vintage figurines :

One thing that is always near the top of my "Thrift Wish List", is an authentic old Valentine figurine, such at those made by Lefton in the 50s and 60s (search images for Lefton Valentine figurine, to see what I mean). I've yet to find one "in the wild" but was quite happy to find these three pieces that will work for Valentine decor, but can also be displayed at other times of the year.

A Recipe : Rum and Raisin Sauce for Desserts or Pancakes

Hello!

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a "Rum and Raisin" sauce, that can be served warm or stored in the refrigerator, ready to turn a scoop of plain vanilla ice-cream into a proper dessert. Add a piece of white cake or a crepe and you have something nice enough to serve to company. This sauce is also a delicious alternative for maple syrup on pancakes.

Yes, there is half a cup of rum in this, but the alcohol gets completely cooked off, leaving only the flavour behind.

Raisin lovers unite!

Checking out Eataly Toronto

Hello! My friend Stella and I went to a new place in Toronto called Eataly. It's like a permanent food festival where Italy and Italian cuisine are the focus. There are various counters in a food-court style, a full service restaurant, a gourmet marketplace and learning stations, all together in one large space.

Having opened in November on Bloor Street near Bay (so, easily accessible by subway), this is Canada's only location so far, although there are plans for one in Montreal, as well. There are also a number of Eatalys in several major cities around the world, and, of course, in Italy where it all began back in 2007. (If you'd like to know more about the premise, history and locations, there's a Wikipedia page about them here.)

We were there on a Sunday at lunchtime, which, in hindsight, might not have been the best time to visit a new place that people are excited about. It was crowded, especially in the food-court area and there was a lineup for the restaurant. However, the hustle and bustle was invigorating, people were cheerful and the staff were organized and quick.

Here's a little look around ...

Christmas Decor 2019, Dinner with Friends and a Fun Bonus

Hello! Yesterday I wrote about the vintage Christmas decorating pieces I'd found at the vintage stores. Today I'm here to show you how those things looked, in action, amoungst the things we already had.

There are also some shots taken during a little get together, when my friends Julie and Leslie came over for dinner. We were originally planning to get a little crochet lesson in (I'm teaching them both how), but alas, the chatting, food and bubbly wine got in the way and we never ended up getting the yarn out!