Sunday Market at Mabou, Cape Breton

Martin's crabapple pie.

 The highlight of our Sunday was going over to Mabou to the Market, and what a Market it is.  We had gone especially to visit the booth of our neighbors, Gabi and Martin.  They have a booth where they sell their baked goods and other goodies.

Martin of Martin's Bakery.

Our favorite today was the wonderful crabapple pie, made from crabapples from our place.  It was delicious.  We also purchased two loaves of their wonderful bread.

Little visitors at the Market.

There were vendors selling all sorts of vegetables, blueberries, organically raised beef, lamb, pork, chicken.  Then there were the crafts of all kinds---jewelry, knitted goods, beautiful scarves, wooden bowls.

Beautiful vegetables.

Craftsman, "Nature Lost and Found"

    The live music was also quite nice.

Many of these same vendors will be in Port Hawkesbury on Thursday, so I'll see them there.

Aunt Jewel's Kitchen Table

I'm certain that when my Aunt Jewel and Uncle "Bootsie" bought this 1930s (?) table they never imagined it would end up in Nova Scotia. I remember as a child visiting them and Aunt Jewel was making a fresh coconut cake.  My job was to sit at this table and grate the coconut with a box grater.  I didn't particularly enjoy that, but oh I did enjoy her cake.

I don't think the table was a table at which they ate, but more of a utility table.  She would roll out her dough when making pie crusts and bread on the table.  In her later years the table was relegated to the garage where it was dusty, but otherwise in good condition.  Having no children her brother, my uncle, inherited all of her things.  He asked me if I wanted anything, and I was so happy to get this table.  I really had no use for it back home in Raleigh, but once we brought it up to our summer place in Nova Scotia it fit particularly in the small kitchen where we do sometimes have breakfast there.  Most of our meals are eaten in the large dining room table in the sunroom.  But the small table provides a good work table in the kitchen too.  And it reminds me of Aunt Jewel, one of my favorite aunts.

Table before and after.

Made in Cape Breton

Made in Cape Breton quilt. 

As we were leaving Cape Breton last month, we stopped in at the Port Hasting Museum Quilt and Craft Shop at the roundabout to see the quilt exhibit.  It's hard for me to pass up an exhibit of quilts.  Although I no longer quilt (I did once make a quilt--completely by hand---pieced and quilted.) I enjoy seeing the handiwork of others.

There are other hand-crafted items there too.  I especially like the little pins made of zippers.

Zipper pins.

And the wall hangings and pillows are pretty too.

Wall hanging.

Owl pillow.

I bought some pretty place mats with a nautical theme in the blues and reds that I like.

Nautical place mats.

I'm looking forward to using the place mats at our summer place in Cape Breton.  The colors match our dining room/sunroom very nicely.

The "Rug Garden of Eden"

Carmel Pine Hill Red Karastan rug.

Earlier this week friend Virginia and I made a quick trip to Eden, NC to take her beautiful Oriental rug to be cleaned.  Scotty's in Eden is one of the few places in the country that specializes in hand cleaning Oriental rugs.

Hand-cleaning Oriental rug at Scotty's in Eden, NC

While there we stopped in at Pace-Stone to check out their Karastan rugs. Karastan rugs are made in Eden, and the prices there are much less than in retail stores.  I was thinking perhaps I would get one for our guest bedroom.  There were two that had the greens I thought would match the newly painted bedroom. The first one, Fern Canyon Sage,  was a soft green that I was sure would work.

Karastan's Fern Canyon sage rug.

 And it did.

This rug works beautifully in our newly painted guest bedroom.

The second one, Pine Hill Red,  I liked very much but thought perhaps it was too"busy" for the bedroom---particularly with the bedspread that suits the room---but might just be the one for the living room.  In the meantime, Virginia liked the PHR rug too for her dining room.  And we don't mind if we have the same rugs. 

Our favorite bedspread for the guest bedroom.

Karastan Pine Hill Red rug.

Although the colors are good, with the bedspread it is much too "busy".


I really wasn't shopping for a living room rug, but I liked the rug so much!  And it would be a nice change for the living room. (This behavior is quite atypical for me, I go shopping with a particular something in mind, and I don't usually buy things on the spur of the moment.)  I could return the rug if it didn't work. So home it came. Anyway, it was the size Virginia wanted, and she wouldn't have to order one if I didn't use it. It would be hers.

The 8 x 10 is a bit too big for our living room, but the 5 x 8 should be perfect.

The colors are perfect for the living room.  I'll be ordering a 5 x 8 though, because we like a lot of the hardwood floor exposed.  This 8 x 10 will go back to Virginia's where it will live in her dining room. 

This trip turned out to be the" Rug Garden" of Eden for both of us. 

  

A "Redo" of our Guest Bedroom

We recently parted with two of our bookcases in the guest bedroom (That "Empty Nest" Feeling  Revisted).  With the bookcases removed we needed to paint the room.

Wall where bookcase was removed.

I wanted to stay with green, but perhaps a lighter shade.  Steve (our painter) and I chose a pretty Benjamin Moore soft green (Rainforest Dew).  To make the room seem larger Steve suggested painting the ceiling the same color.  That worked very nicely.


It was fun rearranging the furniture in the room with more space sans the bookcases.

The reading corner.

A magazine rack from Dan's lab made by one of his students some years ago.

The Murphy bed.

With the bookcases removed and with lots of books still in our possession, we had to find places for at least a few books in the room.  I stacked some under the small table.

Books under the table.

Needing a small bedside table and needing to place books, I decided to make a "table" of books.  We arranged two stacks of books and topped them with a flat basket, and I killed two birds with one stone---books used and bedside table in place.

A bedside "table" of books.

Steve attached a swing lamp onto the vertical frame of the Murphy bed that adds much-needed light for bedtime reading.

Swing lamp for reading in bed.

Steve always has wonderful ideas regarding placement of art on the walls and accent pieces.  He took several pictures we had and arranged a collage on the wall near the television.

Steve arranged this collage of artwork.

I moved one of my favorite pieces of pottery, the green vase "Eve" by Tammy Leigh, from our master bedroom to the guest room.  It just seems to fit better here now.

One of my very favorite pieces of pottery.  "Eve" by Tammy Leigh. 

The new rug makes for a cozy room, and with the Murphy bed in the up position, this is a great place to settle down with a good book in the corner.

Fern Canyon Sage carpet by Karastan. 

A basket of fluffy green and gold towels and we are ready for guests to enjoy the "redo" of the bedroom. 

A basket of towels.

This was fun!!  And thanks to Steve, who was a tremendous help.  Everyone needs a "Steve", and I need another project!!!!!