What a real Premier sounds like!

"We, in this province, are caught between these two cultures. The culture of the past, with its problems of back-breaking labour, disease, child mortality, premature ageing, inadequate medical facilities and limited educational opportunities, and the culture of the future, as represented by modern industrial states ... 

We must be careful not to over-romanticize the past with the result that we only recollect or think of the finer aspects of an earlier Island life and reject to recall the more grim aspects of living in Prince Edward Island ... Similarly, we must not forget that many Islanders today are not leading a particularly rewarding life ... 

What we must endeavour to do is to identify those advances which have helped in the past and can help in the future to eliminate a number of the debilitating and crushing problems we face and, at the same time, not lead ourselves into the mindless repetitive and de-humanizing aspects of the affluent society. 

Balance, to my mind, is the key word."

- Premier Alexander B. Campbell, 1973

Twenty-Something Days of Xmas: Happy to be home

Well, it's been a long, busy week, including a whirlwind weekend trip out of province. Long, busy, but great! But now here I am, home in Charlottetown, in sweats, on the computer. No shopping, the parties are done for the night. In honour of being home, how about some house and home gift recommendations, then, shall we? Six days' worth!

This recommendation is less for a gift than it is a store. Cottage Industry is a cool modern home decor shop downtown, on Grafton near the CIBC, that carries hip Canadian furniture lines and funky odds and ends. I'd love to outfit my space in modern stuff like this Gus sectional. (Someday!)

Moving Designz, also on Grafton, is another spot to check for neat household items and furniture. They've got lots of smaller items, like coral, vases, and toiletries if you're looking for cheap but stylish home buys. Their esthetic is more fresh, cheery and feminine than Cottage Industry, which leans more to the modern-rustic-industrial.

I am also a big fan of Cattails Woodwork by Brenda Watts, out of Hermitage, PEI, where you can get a badass Burled Maple Charcuterie Board, above, famous flamed French rolling pins, and cute wooden acorn-adorned things. Brenda also has an Etsy store that you can check out if you can't pick up her wares in person!

For your nerd friends who have homes, and empty walls measuring fifteen feet or more, you can get them this Entire First Level of the original Mario Bros poster from Packmania. 

My mom got a sheepskin for me as a baby, and I still have and use it. You should do the same for a baby you might have (or someone else's, that also works). Springwater Farm has great sheepskin products of all sizes, available at the Charlottetown Farmers Market on Saturdays.

And, for the last of the six days, MacAusland's classic, famous wool blankets. People debate whether or not you can be an Islander if you weren't born here; maybe you should only earn your status as a true Islander once you own one of these beauties from Bloomfield.

Whew, six more days along in the Twenty-something Days of Xmas. Stay tuned, especially if you procrastinate and still don't know what to get!

Twenty-something Days Of Xmas: So Fresh and So Clean

Ah, soap. A classic Christmas gift in the MacDonald household to our poor mother, who is up to her ears in all things lavender and triple-milled. And yet we keep giving soap, and she keeps putting it in her clothing drawers. On the bright side, those dressers are going to smell awesome for the next hundred years... but if we have to give soap, I say we start buying nicer, local stuff. Sorry, Yardley's! Meet your replacements.

From Moonsnail Soapworks, located on Water Street in Charlottetown, some Exotic Swirl Natural Soap. Listen to this doozy: "A touch of the Orient! A warm and romantic bar scented with a blissful blend of patchouli, sweet orange and ylang ylang pure essential oils. Each bar has unique swirls of spice for a fun funky effect." Yeow. All Moonsnail's soaps are made in PEI, delicious smelling and evocative. I also love Spearmint Swirl, Dad's Licorice, Chai Tea, and everything else, but this one just hits all the right notes.

Similarly, the Soap Drawer has small-batch, made-in-PEI soaps with scents that I can only describe as scrumptious. I love their spicier scents, with orange, clove, and cinnamon, but their soothing scents - oatmeal, goat's milk, et al - are equally lovely. Their wares can be purchased in Charlottetown at Emmett & Ellie's on University Avenue.

Here's some PEI soap I haven't tried, but would love to, hint hint! The Great Canadian Soap Co. is based in Brackley Beach, PEI, and its soaps look like delicious cupcakes/fudge/squares. I mean, they actually have a Cocoa & Oatmeal hand-milled soap - I would love to wash my hands with a spider cookie! Yum!

So go out and buy your moms, and other loved ones with personal hygiene, some soap - even if it does just scent their socks and t-shirts. At least they'll carry the sweet smell of Island businesses flourishing!

Twenty-something Days of Xmas: Overman

Day Four of Twenty-something Days of Xmas brings us some of the coolest local jewellery you can buy: Overman earrings. I own a few pieces of Overman jewellery - including a fabulous pair of custom Darwin & Finch earrings - and love them all. I would love if these were my next pair! They are made with tiny bulbs and filled with miscellaneous watch parts. Get 'em for the brightest bulb in your life!

$30.00

Online or at the Overman shop on Water St., Charlottetown

Twenty-something Days Of Xmas: Foodie Gifts

I was so tired yesterday that I forgot I was just starting a gift guide countdown, which I guess I said  I would do every day. Obviously that's a lot to ask. Every few days... but an item for each day! Yes, that's what will happen.

Two more gifts for two more days! Just like finding fashionable gifts (see my first post), it is super easy to find Island gifts for your foodie friends. You can pretty much throw a red sandstone rock and hit someone carrying a bag of organic spicy alfalfa sprouts, drinking a local craft beer, or talking about one of PEI's gazillion food-related events like PEI Burger Love or the International Shellfish Festival. (Honestly, what event ISN'T food-related on PEI, really?)

So if you want to get making some awesome Island food, here's some things you'll want to try! First up, a Paderno Cast Iron Deep Fry Pan with beautiful sunny yellow enamel. It's made on PEI, has a 25-year warranty, and is likely perfect for grilled cheese.

$99.00

Next up, J.J. Stewart Chocolate Sauce with Ginger. The sauce is made with 'darkened chocolate' in small batches, each jar 'hand-poured, hand-labelled, and hand-polished.' The food and drink company - they also make kick-ass small-batch root beer -  is based in Little Sands, PEI, and their products are available at the PEI Co. Store, Terre Rouge, and hopefully at some more craft fairs before the season is over!

Under $10

Check back next time, whenever that is, for more PEI gift ideas! And be sure to check out Lot 65, which inspired my list, for even more fun Island gifts. Cheers!

Twenty-something days of Xmas

Today I was touched and excited to find that fellow Island blogger and cool fashion lady Rebecca at Lot 65 included my Etsy shop in her Island Christmas Gift Guide. I agree with all her ideas - believe it or not, PEI has a lot to offer to the sartorially inclined for such a little place. 

So, in the spirit of things, I'd like to try putting together my own gift guide of sorts; a little bit Island  (or Canada, at least), a little bit DIY, a little bit of thrifting, and a little bit of Etsy.

First up in the Twenty-something Days of Xmas, Dreamboat Lucy sea glass jewellery. These ladies are from Kensington, PEI - one of my favourite small Island towns - and have been garnering all sorts of buzz for their cool clothing and accessories. I could go on all day about their wares but I'll stick with the sea glass jewellery because earrings and sea glass are my two favourite things to find and collect. Because the sea glass is authentic, no piece will be exactly alike. I love the saline patina, the colours, and the blend of modern, tough, and natural. 

Visit their online shop to see available designs. While you're at it, check out their cool new blog, too!

All images are borrowed from the Dreamboat Lucy Winter 2013 jewellery lookbook and online shop.

Homey

Peter and I were hoping to host some visitors over the weekend, so the apartment is still unnaturally neat and tidy right now. So here are some pictures.

The living room (with my family's dog, Mia, for the afternoon)

Sniffing around. Conclusion: yes, I do in fact live here.

 

And the sun room (or, the laundry room, I guess) - the best hangout spot in the apartment.

Orange! The table was repainted orange; thrifted Navajo-patterned rug, pillow cases, Hudson Bay throw.

You need a wool blanket if you hang out in there!

 

The JR's sign - an old bar in Charlottetown until the 90's, I think - we found at the flea market. 

Thrift Week 2012: Important Brands Edition

Moving along, Thrift Week 2012's third post brings us some pretty fabulous brand-name finds. My two favourite types of brands: high-end designer, and heritage (local, at that). First up, a Great Northern Knitters sweater, possibly vintage but likely not - it's in excellent shape so I'd be surprised. People do take good care of their GNK sweaters, though, so who knows! Either way, they used to run about $140, I bought this one for just under $5. Huzzah!

(For anyone not familiar with Great Northern Knitters, it was a wool products company based in Charlottetown that was famous for its ridiculously thick, cozy Island wool sweaters, mittens, worksock-patterned garments, and more, all made on the Island. It closed a number of years back and has more or less been replaced by Northern Watters Knitwear.)

Next up: Oh, just a vintage Christian Dior Monsieur t-shirt, monogrammed all-over, for, oh, $2.95. Yeah. And it's not the first Dior I found this week, if you can believe it! 

Dig and ye shall find. Happy hunting!

Microfilm: Hats

From the vault, saved from Prince Edward Island and Maritime newspapers from the late 1800's to early 1940's.

Microfilm: Fashion

A selection from my vault of neat-o microfilm: fashion edition! Sourced from PEI newspapers from the late 1800's to 1940's.

Mid-century Modern

Found this neato mid-century modern tray at Value Village for only a couple of dollars. Over the last year or two, I've taken an interest in mid-century design, and am starting to know what to recognize when I'm out thrifting.

The tray is silver, made in PEI (!!), and I'm pretty sure the legs are butterscotch Bakelite (!!!) - so I might have really found a gem.

Antique wooden tobacco pipe; The Body Shop Shea lip butter, Ginseng pulse-point lotion, and satsuma antibacterial lotion;
McDonald's free drink; PEI Music pin; Fortune cookie fortune; Genuine Order box;
vintage German verb die; vintage polka dot bow tie.

The 70 Mile Yard Sale: The Finds

Now that our purchases from our 70 Mile Yard Sale (70MYS?) excursion have settled in, it's harder to corral them to get some good pictures. Missing from this non-exhaustive list are two genuine non-ironic vintage nature promo tees, a vintage Molson Canadian baseball tee, some retro kitchen stuff, some antique books and so forth. Pics to come, maybe! But for now:

Mixed in to our growing record collection were some Beach Boys and some 60's compilation discs. (Not really pictured.)

A handmade-in-Alberton-PEI mixed-wood pen holder, for, yes, $1.00

An enormous cobalt-and-turquoise vintage enamel flower pin so big, it eats other enamel flower pins.

Some ultra fancy deco clip-ons from my new favourite yard sale spot, just outside Murray Harbour, PEI

Some more jewellery (of which there was sadly little), including some black faceted gem clip-ons and a rhinestone grape pin

A pristine, handmade vintage 60's turquoise dress. FOR TWO DOLLARS.

More deets of the above dress, so awesome.

An antique cigarette roller, "The V-Master," with papers (!) included:

Vogue Strips, "Hi-Dro" - can you even buy these anymore? Whew. The set and papers were only eight bucks!

A Pyrex gravy dish saucer, to go with my gravy dish! Only a buck.

Will post some more scores. Maybe I'll post a drawing of my map sometime too!