It's Cottage Season

I love heading north to a cottage a couple times a year. Unfortunately my family doesn't own a cottage and I'm not super close with anyone who does but I love it nonetheless. I thought I'd share some gorgeous cottage pictures to get us in the summer spirit!

Do you have a cottage or a friend who you can tag along with frequently? Have you done a neat reno on the cottage?? I'd love to hear about it!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Cool Off!

Isn't this weather AMAZING! Aside from the AC being broken in my car I am loving this weather. I don't know about the rest of you, but the when the weather is this glorious all I want to do is hang out outside. That said, here are some yummy outdoor ideas for this week and weekend.

Idea 1: To add some flare to your bbq this weekend why not dress up your bottles?! It's simple, quick and will make your water bottles stand out for sure.

Idea 2: Instead of having four people sit around the table holding down the table cloth why not try this neat and cute trick?

Both of these ideas came from Country Living.

Happy hump day :)

Nicole

Quick & Easy Tuesday Dinner

Since I was slacking last week and didn't post a recipe on Friday I thought I'd mix it up and post one now. Here's a quick and easy recipe I found in the Quick & Easy section on Canadian Living.

Microwave Salmon & Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets (1-1/2lb or 750g)
1/4 cup (50mL) chopped fresh chives or green onions
1/4 tsp (1mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1mL) pepper
1/2 lemon
Salad:
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onions 1/3 1/3cup cup(75 mL) (75 mL) thinly sliced red onionred onions
1/4 cup 2% plain yogurt 1/4 1/4cup cup(50 mL) (50 mL) 2% plain yogurt - I would use Fat Free
1 tbsp lemon juice 1 1tbsp tbsp(15 mL) lemon juice
1 1tsp tsp(5 mL) granulated sugar(5 mL)
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) dried dillweed
1/4 tsp salt 1/4 1/4tsp tsp(1 mL) salt
3 cups of thinly sliced cucumbers
Preparation:

Salad: In bowl, soak onion in cold water for 15 minutes; drain and pat dry. In bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, sugar, dillweed and sa< add cucumber and onion.
Place salmon in microwaveable dish; sprinkle with chives, salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half lengthwise; cut crosswise into paper-thin slices and arrange over salmon. Cover and microwave at High until fish flakes easily when tested, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with cucumber salad.
Additional Info:
To cook salmon on stove top, bring 1/2 cup (125 mL) water to boil in large skillet. Add salmon, chives, salt, pepper and lemon. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until fish flakes easily when tested, about 10 minutes.

Let me know how your Tuesday night dinner goes!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

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3 cups thinly sliced cucumbers

Great finds from the Christie Antique Show

Saturday I went to The Christie Antique Show and had a fabulous time. I don't think there was 1 vendor we stumbled upon where I didn't enjoy their pieces.  I came home with some great loot for our new house!

Trunk that I think we're going to use as our coffee table or possibly in our bedroom

I love the colour of the wood. The piece was only $70.00!!

Mason jars that I hope to keep fresh flowers in and place on our dining room table

Pretty tray with an "N"

Have a great day!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

DYI Centrepieces

As some of you may know I am not the DYI type, I wish I was, but I'm not. Patience and time are not in my favour, I know, lame excuse. Anyways...here's a neat DYI project I found on www.bride.ca and www.goodhousekeeping.com .

A Pleated Vase-Sleeve
Make a simple, seasonal floral bouquet really pop, by placing a plain glass vase into a pleated vase sleeve made of a coordinating floral cotton fabric. How?

1. Buy some cotton fabric of your colour and pattern choice (obviously something that matches your wedding decor theme)
2. Also buy some fusible backing (something glue-able, ideally precoated, from the craft store), for stiffness and to keep the cut fabric from fraying.
3. Iron the fabric onto the backing and press in folds.
4. Snip the ends, if you like to create those points at the top.
5. Cut small slits on each pleat to allow for a ribbon to wrap around your creation.
6. Make a bow with your ribbon to complete the look.

Choose a fabric and pattern that will compliment both the size and colour of the flower and your creation is sure to be a winner!
Add some fresh flowers and cheap vases from the dollar-store and .. ta-daaa.. instant happy spring centrepieces! We love tulips because they come in a variety of colours and are readily available this time of year but, obviously, you can use any flower that you like!

How cute, right?!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Outdoor Summer Weddings

I have a huge fascination with outdoor weddings. I think they're glamorous, lovely and fun, to say the least! I am getting married in a banquet hall in December, therefore I drool every time I see pictures of outdoor weddings. Being that this past Saturday was such a gorgeous day it had me thinking more and more about outdoor weddings. I thought I'd share a few outdoor wedding ideas with you!

Beautiful table decor featured on Wedluxe.

I'm not nearly crafty enough to do this but I think it's super cute and cool! Featured on http://www.styleandsensibility.com/

How lovely is this sweet table?! Featured on The Wedding Co



I don't know about you but I love the second picture so much! Did you have a backyard/outdoor wedding?

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Restaurant Review... Fishbone Bistro

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend! Thankfully the weather was better than predicted.

Friday night we went to dinner with some friends to Fishbone Bistro. Fishbone is a small restaurant in Stouffville specializing in Portuguese Influenced Bistro and it is delicious. We've been twice now and have loved everything about it. The food, service, atmosophere are all amazing.

I forgot to take a picture of our plates because we ate too quickly but I will for sure take some pictures next time.

Be sure to check out Fishbone next time you're in Stouffville for dinner!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Recipe Friday....Champagne Peach Punch

Need a punch recipe for the BBQ you're hosting this weekend? Look no further, here's a yummy champagne peach punch recipe just for you from All Recipes.

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup peach brandy

1/4 cup grenadine syrup

1 (32 fluid ounce) bottle carbonated water

3 (750 milliliter) bottles champagne

3 (11.5 ounce) cans peach nectar

1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate

Directions:

Chill all ingredients. In a large punch bowl combine peach nectar, concentrated orange juice, lemon juice, brandy and grenadine. Mix well and pour in the carbonated water and champagne.               

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend. Stay safe!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Dressing for the Weekend

Probably like most of you, I have a busy yet fabulous long weekend instore. Basically my weekend is filled with eating, drinking and being with friends, does it get much better than that?
I'm always looking for fun, seasonal and trendy outfits to wear when I'm out and I thought I'd highlight some great pieces for the summer months.

I love this BCBG dress

My favourite summer trend is Jumpers. This one is from Anthropologie.

Another Anthropologie find. Long dresses are another of my favourite pieces for the summer!

Blazers are perfect for work and play. This one is from Aritzia.

I'm in love with pants like this. They're so comfy yet trendy and stylish. These too are from Aritzia.



So can you see yourself wearing any of the above?

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Rolling in the Deep

In honour of the Adele concert that I'm NOT going to tonight I thought I'd give everyone a taste of what we're missing!



I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I do!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole