Toronto Garden Tour

The Toronto landscape may seem to "outsiders" as though it's entirely made of steel & glass structures, but we have our fair share of green space. After being snuggled up inside for the winter months, I am looking forward to getting outside again and visiting some of the wonderful parks and gardens sprinkled throughout the city.

Here are my top 5 gardens to visit this spring & summer:

Allan Gardens
19 Horticultural Avenue

High Park
1873 Bloor Street West

Edwards Gardens
777 Lawrence Avenue East

Toronto Music Garden
475 Queen's Quay West

Casa Loma Gardens

1 Austin Terrace

Ranunculus

With spring on the horizon (although today it feels as though it has already arrived), our thoughts turn to the sight and scent of fresh spring flowers. Simply perfection.

Ranunculus
Photo courtesy of Joydeep Sen Sarma

Fabric, Fabric, Fabric

What a difference fabric makes in our homes. Consider how your space would look and feel if all the wonderful textiles were removed - your home would be a lifeless, naked shell. The abundance of fabric in our lives is a testament to our love for beautifully woven threads - silks, linens, cottons, and even polyester.

This past Saturday, my friend Jackie and I spent a few hours in one of our favourite stores - Designer Fabric on Queen West. We were like kids in a candy store, searching for the perfect colour, texture and pattern.


We are (finally) working on several projects for Jackie's home now that the draperies for my condo have finally been completed. For those of you who have been waiting, here are photos of the completed living room curtains:



My next project, as you know, is to reupholster the occasional chair I found this week, and I need to purchase 3 yards of fabric to do the job. I found several options, and although my first idea was to use a stripe, I am considering many other possibilities:

Option #1 is a robin's egg blue with chocolate dots,
(no content info), $20.99/yd:

Detail:

Option #2 is a white, robin's egg blue & beige combination,
(55% viscose/45% polyester), $41.99/yd:

Detail:

Option #3 is a plush robin's egg blue swirl,
(100% microfibre face with 65% polyester/35% cotton backing), $14.99/yd:

Your opinions and comments are welcome - tell me what you think!!

More Real Estate Dreaming

I enjoy browsing real estate websites in my spare time, and I know I'm not the only one that does this! Of particular interest are homes in Port Hope and Peterborough, and just for fun, apartments in New York City.

I just found a real gem on Manhattan's Upper East Side, listed on Corcoran.com

Approximately 1,100 square feet
Asking $559,000
That's $508.18 per square foot

Maintenance $1,359/month

Now before you start calling the loony bin to see if there's a room available for me, compare this suite currently on the market across the courtyard from my place here in Toronto:

1,032 square feet
Asking $550,000
That's $532.95 per square foot
Maintenance $430.23/month

The real estate market is not that far apart these days as a result of softening prices in the United States. If not for the elevated maintenance fees in Manhattan, these two units would be equally affordable. But consider this...the New York apartment is 3 blocks away from The Met and Central Park, 8 blocks from The Guggenheim, and right around the corner from EVERYTHING ELSE!!

Now then, let's get down to details. How do I plan to purchase this apartment? Fingers crossed!!!

Coming up Next

Project Elusive Chair is now well under way.

If you'll recall, this is the original chair I had in mind for use as an occasional chair:

And here's the chair I found yesterday on Craigslist:


It's in good shape, it's just the right size, and it's about to undergo a little makeover. I'm currently getting upholstery quotes and considering what fabric to go with. I've already been browsing online for something in a stripe...




Guess where I'll be this Saturday morning? Here's a clue: