Charity shop find: retro cocktail trolley

I have an obsession with perfection.

I would love to be the kind of gal who makes her own washing powder, bakes homemade cookies at the weekends and whips up batches of fresh strawberry ice cream on hot summer days. Perfectly brewed coffee every morning, squeezed orange juice on the table with breakfast and cut flowers nonchalantly arranged in casual vases around the house…looking so effortless.

It’s laughable to anyone who’s ever seen my flat, but I always have the best of intentions…and I’m loath to show the world anything ‘unfinished’. Vain? Probably! But sometimes perfection doesn’t make for interesting blog posts, and I’ve come to realise maybe folk wouldn’t mind seeing the thought processes behind some of my random projects! And it would keep me on track as well hopefully, finishing one thing before eying up the next!

Sooo…today, during a ‘quick browse’ in the charity shops near mine, I found this wee gem. It doesn’t look like much now, a bit retro and…I’d like to think it’s got elements of the 70s but in reality it’s probably more likely a product of the 80s! The shelves are ridiculously thin glass, grubby, and I dread to think how it would stand up in my house with the boisterous pets and party-loving friends.

But I can see potential.

Clean this wee guy up, definitely replace the glass (Note to self: make friends with a glazier) for the toughened variety…I had thought a beveled mirrored glass might be nice initially, but upon closer inspection the curved edges would be far to expensive to go down that route! If I keep the chrome finish I may go for a smoked glass, but that will depend on how it ‘scrubs up’. But I think this will make a fabulous wee cocktail trolley. I’ve been scouring antique shops for the perfect mid century hostess trolley for that fabulous glass skull ice bucket I bought in Toronto, my funky cocktail shaker and other such Bon vivant accoutrements!

Family reunion

Something very exciting happened to pooch and I yesterday! We were on Leith walk with friends, en route to a slightly damp BBQ…when we by chance ran into Rhod’s honest-to-goodness real life sister, Sookie! Her owner recognised him as one of the same litter as he was also the owner of their dad London, who sadly passed away last year. Rhod was too interested in his newfound sister to pose for the camera!

Check out that wee cutie, can you see the family resemblance?

Travel review: FUZZ Wax Bar (Queen Street West, Toronto)

Can I just say, I was loving the ‘wax bar’ phenomenon that seems to be taking place in Toronto? The last time I was there I’m sure there weren’t nearly as many depilatory depositories as there are now! I stopped off at FUZZ Waxbar before dinner one night for a quick half leg wax; I’m fastidious about de-fuzzing usually so try to make a point to wax every ten days or so…whether I need it or not!

Check out the hilariously named products they sell…

FUZZ was clean, efficient, and my aesthetician Jana was super-fast. My only complaint? Hot (called ‘hard’ in Canada) wax isn’t usually used for legs, but my aesthetician was happy to accommodate when I requested it. She did say strip wax was more efficient for finer, shorter hairs; however it’s not possible to go over an area more than once using strip wax, so it’s six and half a dozen! Not exactly ‘painless’, as I’ve had waxes with less ouch, but she made up for it with speed. And how cute is their sign?!

Fuzz Wax Bar
701 Queen Street West
(647) 748 3899

Travel review: Ritual (King Street West, Toronfo)

I enjoyed a fabulous fortnight holidaying and working in Toronto, my hometown…I nearly had to be dragged back kicking and screaming! As I wasn’t visiting family this time, I had the opportunity to properly explore the city and I properly fell in love with the place again. So now I’m back I want to share some of my favourite new places!

I spent a lovely hour having my hands and feet buffed to perfection one Saturday afternoon; the first of many spa appointments planned during my two week stay in Toronto! This time my one-woman pamper party made a stop at Ritual.

This place came highly recommended by both BlogTO and Yelp, and I can see why! I have never, I repeat never, had such a thorough manicure and pedicure. The amount of dead skin that came off my soles and my cuticles could have fashioned a mini sculpture of me, gross but so satisfying at the same time.

And at under $50 Canadian for the two treatments, a total bargain for someone who is used to paying upwards of £60 in Scotland!

Ritual Spa
789 King Street West
Toronto, ON
(416) 306 0040

Post-holiday blues

I’ve been MIA for over 2 weeks, basking in the loveliness that is my hometown of Toronto, spending time with old friends I grew up with, beautiful healthy food every day (and of course a poutine or two to shake things up), yoga, exercise…and of course, as it was a ‘working holiday’, doing a job I absolutely loved and would probably do for free.

So when I had to get on that plane home, I really didn’t want to. I’m really missing the energy of the city, and am honestly wondering if I am keeping my options narrowed by staying in Edinburgh. I can’t see me getting the design job I want nor the experience here, because Edinburgh’s status as a World Heritage Site seems up be mutually exclusive from innovative architectural development. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, and I’ve made it my home. I adore my friends, have a fabulous social life and I’m finally getting my home the way I want. But I’m feeling in a rut and can’t see how to get out of it without a drastic change!

In other news, I just heard back from a design internship I applied for in London this year…and I’ve been accepted! It’s short term, and I really never thought I’d get it when I applied. I’d have to uproot myself and my dog for a month, it’s a scary prospect but maybe it’s the kick start I need? I’ve been looking at design courses in London in various fields (product design, textiles and spatial planning in particular) at the same time.

If I’m honest, I can’t see myself living in London long term. But it would be a great stepping stone if I wanted to move back to Canada to pursue a career in design. I was chatting to a good friend in TO and have realised I need to do something if I want to get into my dream profession, because I certainly don’t want to end up like the legions of BDes graduates I’ve known who now can’t find work. I want to be a designer, end of story. No other options need apply.

So maybe it’s time to move on…

Happy Canada Day!!

I may be a little late on this (Blame a gruelling Barreworks workout followed by a dash from Spadina to Dovercourt by accident this afternoon to a yoga class…not to mention my very first spin class yesterday!) but
Happy Canada Day folks!!

My I do love the red and white!!!