Uschi and Kay | Mama Cormier

…..a nice diversion on a cold ‘spring’ day

Yesterday, my youngest daughter and her friend, S, had a booth at the Spring City of Crafts show in downtown Toronto. The venue was at St. Paul’s Church and was considerably smaller than the venue for the Christmas show.

The girls displayed some of the products that they sell through their blogs and they set up a photobooth where people could choose from the props they brought and have their picture taken for free. On Monday they can go to G’s or S’s websites and download their photos. Uschi and Kay Have and Hold Design Becca Gilgan – Photographer

There were numerous vendors there selling anything and everything from dolls, clothing, pottery, soaps, bags and plants and everything in between. The thing that always stands out for me is how young the vendors are. Their wares tend to be very hip and trendy but there seems to be something there to suit a wide range of tastes. As you can see from my photos I tend to gravitate to hand crafted and sewn items. Some of the vendors were present at the Christmas show so I didn’t take pictures of those same items. Enjoy!

: Hand crocheted dolls

: 100% organic cotton rattle

: Dolls by Charlotte & Stewart

: Larger dolls by Charlotte & Stewart

: Disemboweled Doll (you can zip the bowels back into the doll)

…. the only day we could get most of the family together was for Good Friday

When your children grow up and leave the nest to begin their lives with their own partners getting together for the holidays can sometimes be difficult. Our children now have two families to consider when planning where their time will be spent for celebrations. This year Easter Sunday coincided with a special anniversary and a baby shower was being hosted on Saturday. Consequently the only day that suited everyone involved was Good Friday.

I’ve been down for the count all week with a viral respiratory infection and have spent much of my time searching for easy fun ways to decorate our table for our Easter lunch. I didn’t have to go far or search too long before I found inspiration in the form of paper tulip dishes that would greet each guest as they sat down to eat. The idea came from my daughter’s wedding blog over at Uschi and Kay

For instructions go to:

DIY Paper Tulip Dish

For the other table decorations my inspiration came from Kate’s Creative Space. This woman’s creativity blows me away. I love her blog.

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before but my husband is a great cook and he planned, shopped and prepared the entire meal by himself. Last night he prepared the Ham, Peas and Rice Stuffed Phyllo Logs and Fresh Strawberry Pie. Today he continued prepping the Melon and Grape Salad with Basil Yogurt, baked the logs and prepared the Asparagus and Fresh Beans.

At the end of the day each of my daughters took home one of the mini daffodil plants, the paper tulip dish and a slew of chocolate and candy Easter Eggs. It was a lovely day. We had a few laughs, we talked to our son in Rotterdam via Skype, we sat on the deck and I didn’t cough too much. Happy, happy, happy!