Five for Friday {July 31, 2009}

...The weekend rolls in, a respite for some from the grind of the week, a start of a new round for others. Mid-summer air hangs heavy and warm, the world like rich cocoa, our nerves often a little frazzled, and yet we know that summer is gift too precious to truly bewail. Embrace this season while it’s still smiling on us with celebrations of gentle beauty and glistening light...





{To keep your skin soft as a summer cloud}


{The toasty months can zap moisture from your skin in a flash, which means that lotion is just as important now as it in the colder season. Stay dewy, and adorn your vanity, with an adorable bottle of Surfer Girl Mango Tangerine Shea Butter Lotion. 12oz container, $22.95 (US) from Dolce Mia.}


{To dance the warm nights away}


{Old school shoe lovers rejoice! This site sells a plethora of modern recreation saddle shoes in numerous colours and styles for both women and men. Pink and white ladies saddle shoes, $79.00 (US) from Muffy’s.}


{To capture the brilliant essence of perfect summer light and just-picked peaches}


{An incredibly lovely, serene, sun-kissed photo from the pages of wedding photography blog, Simply Bloom.}


{To relive a treasured childhood – and retro – favourite}


{Scrumptious looking cast iron skillet pineapple upside down cake, the perfect dessert to bring to a family barbeque or Sunday afternoon picnic. Recipe on, and photo from, Inn Cuisine.}


{To lay down in and spend a carefree afternoon daydreaming}


{Resplendently beautiful, old world romance is taken to such fashionable heights in this stunning, shabby chic bedroom. Photo from Dwellings and Decor.}





I must thank you everyone who wished my husband and I well over the past week. I’m very happy to report that darling husband is doing a bit better. My health has its good moments and it’s not so wonderful ones, as I have a number of serious chronic illnesses, but I am doing somewhat better than I was last Friday, too, which is terrific – summer weekends are so precious, I don’t want to miss out on more of them than absolutely necessary.

I truly hope that you’re all doing splendidly, and wish you a deeply wonderful, relaxing, sunshine filled weekend!

Perfect summer sunlight {Monday Muses, June 29th}

Even a thunder storm on Wednesday couldn’t seem to shake off the wild heat that came pouncing into Toronto last week, which must certainly mean that any lingering specks of spring are now a distant memory.

Brutal as the famous Ontario humidity here can be at times, I don’t detest summer in the least; it’s a season that conjures up countless childhood memories of my youth spent on the opposite, west coast side of the country. From the ludicrously sweet, juicy peaches we picked by the bucket for free from neighbours to running barefoot across the griddle-hot beach all August long, I hold summer dear because of what it meant to me as a child.

Looking back I see many of these memories in my mind’s eye with a tinge of hazy, soothing, maize hued sunlight. The sort of atmospheric aura that instantly made everything a little prettier and lulled your mind into a continual sense of daydreaming where the present could just as easily be a glimpse of the past.

A slew of photos that capture this sense of hot, enchanted, vintage inspired light have caught my eye lately, and as such I’ve decided that each of the seven beautiful images below are my Monday Muses for the week.

♥ ♥ ♥


{Care of Violet Folklore}



{From the pages of Kisses and Cross Stitches}



{Sourced from Daydream Lily}



{Unearthed from the pages of absinthe & betty Smith}



{First viewed and loved on Dustjacket Attic}



{Discovered via Raspberryroses on Flickr}



{Smiled upon and borrowed from rose-coloured-rain}


While the heat can be stifling at times – there’s no denying that – it is also passionate and serene, gentle and soft like an aged, favourite blanket plucked from the dryer and wrapped snugly around you. I don’t glamorize every element of summer – not by a long shot – but there is something about popcorn coloured sunlight on a gorgeous summer day that never loses its endearing appeal.