Music Monday - Jenn Grant

For this installment of Music Monday, I thought I would introduce another Maritime artist (okay, I do have a bit of a bias, being an East coast girl myself), the lovely and seriously talented Jenn Grant.  You may have noticed her performing on Parliament Hill this past Canada Day, or as a special musical guest on the Vinyl Café, if you are a fan of Stuart McLean's show, like I am.




One of my favourites Jenn Grant tunes is her song "Dreamer" (video above). You might recognize it since it happens to be the title opener for the CBC Show, Heartland (I am a little embarassed to admit, I love it. Anything with horses, I am sold). 




Two of these three videos are from a special set of recordings called Southern Souls, where various musicians performed and recorded some of their tunes in a locale of their choosing. I love the authentic feeling (in addition to the lovely tunes) of these videos and had to share.

Born on PEI (Win!) but currently hailing from Nova Scotia, Jenn Grant is starting to really come into her own in the world of Canadian music, and I for one am glad. I personally love her dreamy folky sound and am pleased to see a fellow Maritimer making it.  Hope you enjoy her tunes as much as I do!

What are you listening to lately?

Ice Pop Parade

It is officially the hottest day on record here in Ottawa, the humidex upped the already scorching temperature to a sweltering 46C (about 115 Fahrenheit). Since my apartment does not have air conditioning I am trying various strategies to beat the heat, some of which include icy cold baths, towel wrapped plastic baggies full of ice cubes on my forehead and lots of fans, but possibly my favourite remedy is  the simple popsicle.

1. Firecracker Ice Pops 2 Sunshine Pops 3 Vanilla Pudding Pops

I stocked up on some boxes of ice pops at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago when they were on sale and today I could not be more grateful to my forward-thinking self. While my lovely sister was visiting though, I bought myself an ice pop mold and have started seeking out recipes, since I feel like homemade versions would be much tastier, and very probably much healthier too (at least in some cases).

4. Striped Ice Pops 5. Raspberry-Yogurt Ice Pops 6. Fruit Salad Pops

I've stumbled upon a number of fantastically frosty ideas on various blogs and recipe sites. I thought I would share a few of the very most tempting looking ones (at least in my opinion) with you all. I have been planning to post on pops for a while now, but how apt that I happen to be finally posting on the hottest day, actually ever (well, according to the records anyway) in Ottawa.

7. Cucumber Ice Pops with Lime & Chile 8. Campari Citrus Pops 9. Lemon Frozen Yogurt w. Raspberry 10. Strawberry Shortcake Pops

What are some of your tips for staying cool and beating the heat on a hot summer's day? I would love to hear them - and hopefully put a couple to good and much needed use!

Island Snapshots

I thought I would share a few snapshots with you that I took while home on PEI. I was home for a pretty quick visit to my lovely island, and spent most of it playing with my too cute nephew, meeting my newest niece for the first time, and visiting with my family.

The cooler windy days at home were a refreshing change from the unending heat I came back to today in Ottawa. I revelled in wading with a squealingly happy nephew in the unusually (for July anyway) cold water off the North shore by our cottage, taking in the smell of the salt in the air, chats with my parents on the deck in the evenings, traipsing around the island with my mom and along the way snapping a few photos here and there to send to a lovely italian lady, watching fireflies flutter through the trees, and generally taking in as much island as I could during my short weekend visit.  Love.

The Bookbinder

I am unabashedly, wholeheartedly, in love with these book-inspired heels from Anthropologie (kindly pointed out to me by my friend and fellow librarian, Lindsey). The appropriately named "Bookbinder Heel" itself actually looks like the spine of a book, happily resting on a shelf. This, clearly, is more than enough to set my little librarian heart a-swooning.

These beauties have officially made it onto my must-buy list. Piggy bank? Prepare to be raided.

Apples to Apples

Thanks to Stella and Miuccia I have been searching for the perfect fruit themed accessories for some time, and have been trawling etsy for ages looking for something that is cute without kitsch. I think I finally succeeded today, when stumbling upon these vintage enameled beauties, above from Rona Horn. I waded through what seemed like endless Peanuts and other comic-themed pendants and earrings and all but gave up hope before seeing these little gems.

I feel a little indulgent buying all three. I am leaning towards the apples, although the watermelons have struck my fancy as well.

Help a gal out with the decision making process - which pair is your favourite?

Friday Favourites v. 2

A few favourite spots I stumbled upon over the last couple of weeks and thought I would share with you all:

Collections of inspiring photos based on colour, or "Hue"

The Sartorial Twist - otherwise known as the biggest time waster (albeit very fun time waster) ever.

The fabulously pretty scarf from Ban.do that has been on my mind (and wishlist) for ages.

An awesome interview featuring an absolute career dream-come-true, shared thanks to the lovely folks at Modcloth

Adorably fun sticky notes that I am desperate to add to my office collection

Handmade quilts as art. These are seriously cool quilts, in my humble opinion.

Utterly breathtaking embroidered portraits = amazed.

A delicious looking cake inspired by the prints from (one of my favourite designers) Stella McCartney. It  might be one of the prettiest cakes I've seen in, well, ever.

An amazing new tumblr that superimposes pictures from the past onto the same locations in the present. Genius, genius idea (so genius that I had to say it twice). Check it out and follow Dear Photograph here.

A list of vintage shopping musts in Toronto that I am keen to explore. Toronto ladies, do you agree? Any to add to the list? I want to know, so I will be prepared to shop next time I visit your fair city.

You knew the librarian had to stick in at least one book-related post, so here it is. A collection of craft and style inspiring books via Daydream Lily

Found anything fun or worth sharing lately? I'd love to know what is striking your fancy!