Oh what a night ( with Annie Sloan !!! )

Good morning all !!!

When I tell you I'm flying by the seat of my pants, you have no idea, I literally can't catch up with myself lately :)
Ok - where to start?
We went for the 2nd viewing yesterday to see the cottage - and now we're going to try to sit down this weekend and work out the pros and ( cons ) of purchasing this little gem...............

Then we flew out of there and rushed back home so that I could get ready to celebrate Caroline's
from Piorra Maison opening of her second store !!!

OMG - it's just fabulous - in a very hip trendy part of Montreal - most people bring plants to store openings I bring doors - as in this one

You'll remember it from this post  ( HERE  )

as soon as it was done I knew I would be giving it to her - but couldn't mention it here because Caroline reads my blog  ( she's nosy like that )

I even had it signed by..............................Annie Sloan ( it's not a forgery either - and I didn't transfer it on - I actually got the owner of Annie Sloan's hand to do it!!!

How did you do that Suzan? ( you may be asking yourself )
Why I simply asked her of course !!!
(Annie's trip to Montreal coincided with Caroline's GRAND opening )
I even got the owner of Annie Sloan's hands to stand in front of it

and then I somehow managed to get the owner of Annie Sloan's hand to wrap itself around me
( never mind what the other hand is doing - which is saying " she's nuts " )

And then I let her mingle a little LMHO....................

It was a blast - I met people who know me through my blog - what a surreal thing it is to have people you've never met - approach you and mention the house you're thinking of buying or a red dresser you painted months ago - or ( BRACE YOURSELF ) show you a portfolio of furniture they've started painting because they were inspired by this blog !!!!!!!
Unbelievable - completely unbelievable..................

Ok - I've been on a guilt trip the last few weeks - I haven't had time to visit any of you - or to reply to any comments - ( I know I've mentioned it before - and I don't mean to sound like a broken record - but I really do feel bad about it ) so..............................
I decided this week what I was going to do - it's give away time again.
This time it's a THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND GIVE AWAY and it's brought to you by
Piorra Maison and Annie Sloan ( and me - because hey it was my idea completely after all )

AND - believe it or not - I got the owner of Annie Sloan's hand to sign it for the lucky winner!!!

What do you say?
Am I forgiven?

Here's all you have to do  - and these are my rules - not Caroline's or Annie's -
LIKE Piorra Maison's facebook page HERE and Annie Sloan's HERE - you absolutely do NOT have to be a follower of this wacky ( mine ) blog to win this ( but you have to leave a comment so I know you've entered the draw ) and you don't even have to be a blogger ( because non bloggers are people too LOL )

Good luck everyone !!!
( maybe I'll enter it also because I'd love to have a signed copy of this book too LMHO )

Thank you for being a friend
( I've travelled down the road and back again
Your hearts are true, you're my pals and my confident's )
And if you threw a party........................
I'd bring you a door :)

On the way home
John says - I can't believe you told Annie Sloan she was bossy
Suzan says - I WAS JOKING !!!!
John says - I don't know if she knew that
Suzan says - Of course she did - it was because I was being bossy
John says - well she mentioned something about you calling the kettle black
Suzan says - SHE WAS JOKING !!!!

But that would be GRAPHITE, Annie - that would be calling the kettle graphite.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

( Hi Susan with an S - I remembered your name :)
And Annie - you're as sweet as everyone says you are - and I'm really not that bossy lmho

Famous last words

Annie Sloan @AnnieSloanHome Follow @simplyvintagous Suzan, thanks for the funny blog post and for making me laugh in Montreal. xx

Much love to all,

Decorating with Food - and a special " DOG " story

Until I actually get another piece of furniture painted - you're stuck with food - and houses


I usually decorate with foods around this time of year - ( isn't nature accommodating like that? ) there's just so many beautiful colors - and even just a bowl of apples can be beautiful - or a glass jar filled with tiny crab apples.................
OH NO - I think I accidently deleted the photo LOL - seriously - I may just be losing my mind ( slightly - I still have some of it left - but there seems to be pieces of it missing )
I just went to upload the photo and it's nowhere to be found - and the apples are now in the garbage which John took out this morning - or I would have removed them from the garbage for this post LOL

Ok - let me go see if I still have the photos of my cranberries..................be right back

La la la - lallala - la la ( that's background music while you waited )

I HAVE THEM !!!
These are from the market - I asked if I could have the little bushels and the women said NO..........
That she needed them to show various sizes for sale.
NO?
She said NO?
Well that didn't go over too well at all -

Suzan says - Well I'm only buying the cranberries for the bushels
Vendor says - Mais je besoin ...................( but I need............ )
John says - Why do you do this wherever we go?
Suzan says - How much did they cost you - I'll buy the bushels
Vendor says - peut-etre 2 dollars chaques ( each )
Suzan says - D'accord - je prends

The vendor wraps up the bushels in a bag and hands it to me
Suzan says - Well now I need the cranberries too please
The vendor looks confused -
Suzan says - JE BESOIN LES CANNEBERGES AUSSI !!!

John says - It's becoming very embarrassing being out with you lately
John says - You're at a market that sells produce - not what the produce comes in
John says - What's happening to you?  ( as he walks away from me )

Sheesh - what you have to go through...................
Cranberries next to green basil - perfect !!!
Is that the cutest little bushel?

These " flowers " resemble little cabbages - cabbage is " CHOU " in French - not to be confused with
Chou-Fleur ( shoo fleur, don't bother me ) because Chou-Fleur is Cauliflower ................except in this case
because this definitely looks like a Fleur de Chou LOL
Did any of that make sense to even one of you I wonder???

I even found Garlic Flowers !!!

Last week, when I was throwing out flowers that had died - I discovered these had dried beautifully
( which I'd bought a bushel of these too )

Does anyone know what they are?
They dried so perfectly - without doing a thing !!!

so they've become part of the fall kitchen decor now

should this next photo be a painting?

THEN I decided I wanted to have a photo of the cranberries spilling out of the bucket...............
Well well well..................

I tipped it over ( ever so gently ) and cranberries went flying and bouncing all over the kitchen - to which Soda promptly stuck one in her mouth and went running down the hallway - with me chasing her in full pursuit -
Give that to Mommy Soda - c'mon give that to me - with her growling and snapping at me - she was not going to give this little red treausure up.
So I ran to the computer and frantically googled Cranberries/Dogs just as John opens the back door

John says - What the hell is going on here ( as he looks at cranberries all over the kitchen floor )
Suzan screams from the office - I was trying to get a photograph - and they fell everywhere - and Soda has one in her mouth and now I have to see if this can be fatal for dogs .............
John says - I'm going back out...............I can't take this anymore
Suzan says - CAN YOU PLEASE GET THE CRANBERRY OUT OF SODA'S MOUTH???????????
Suzan says - Oh - it's ok - it won't hurt her after all..................

I got my photo - which is a pretty shi crappy one  ( which is saying a lot because practically every photo I take is crap ) AND I almost killed my dog to get it.................

Anyway - that's how I decorate with food LMHO

Suzan says - I could have killed Soda with this
John says - And to think I've always thought your blog would be the death of me - I always assumed Soda was safe.................

NOW FOR A VERY IMPORTANT LINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tina - from WHAT WE KEEP is doing a post on behalf of Will and Grace - 2 beautiful dogs that were horribly mistreated - and will be having a flash sale on Friday to raise funds for their care.
It's a subject that's very near and dear to my heart - Soda was/is a rescued little dog - when she was found she was covered in scars from beatings - she weighs all of 12 pounds - she had been put in a little box and left outside a building for 3 days covered in her own filth............she found heaven here with us - but so many don't.
I'm taking advantage adding this to my post - because I know how much most of you worship animals - forgive me, but when I hear stories like this I'm moved more than I can say - please please please visit her.

For those of you that don't know Tina - she's the one that sent me this dish towel ( you can read about it Here )
Tina does the most beautiful embroidery work - and is the sweetheart to end all sweethearts!!!

Again you can find her post for the fundraiser HERE you'll fall in love with her ( promise )

I'm off tonight to a special event - a very exciting special event - I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!!!


Have a great day all!
Much love and gratitude to all of you - for being so loyal and visiting even when I don't have the time to visit back - I plan on doing as much " catch up " with all of you on the weekend and at some point in the ( not so far future ) there are a few giveaways lined up to show my thanks:)
Even John's been on board the last week or so - when we get back at night exhausted - he always says -
So - what do the bloggers have to say today - your comments are the perfect ending to very stressful days.
You're all -  (Tina Turner says it best)
Simply the best
( better then all the rest )

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