Vintage Finds & A Kitty Story

Yesterday, we made a little road trip to Nanton, a small town south of Calgary, with David's mother, brother and sister-in-law.  The town has a few antique stores, a candy and ice cream store, and a quaint little cafe for lunch.  It was such a fun day, although good antiques are quite scarce here in western Canada (unless you are in the market for a wagon wheel or 100 ft of old barbed wire).  

I managed to find a couple of pretty vintage finds for fair prices (also rare).

Generally I don't buy pressed glass, but I loved the shape of this urn vase.  I loosely arranged some Masterwort, which is blooming in our garden right now, along with some ferns:

Cicada original etching from Etsy here

I love its neo-classical lines (my favorite historical look):

I also found a darling little Dresden porcelain pot, ca.1910, which mirrors the lines of the antique Eva Ziesel Haviland pot I bought (and blogged about) a short time ago. I am totally into this shape right now and can see the beginnings of a collection:

The detailing on the pot is different all the way around.  This is the back, which is also very pretty, with more white showing:

We had a fantastic day, but heard a rather sad story on our trip.  While visiting the local historic hotel, we stopped to say hello to the resident kitty who lives at the hotel bar:

 He looks like an old boxer, with his big paws, fierce stare and cauliflower ears.  

I asked the owner what happened to his ears and he said that during a drunken winter visit to the bar, a nearby hockey team STOLE THE CAT and took him with them on their bus.  That is bad enough, but then they dumped him out far away in the middle of winter (it can easily be -35C or -31F here in winter and there are miles of open prairie between towns).   

I am not sure how long he was missing but luckily a passerby recognized him as the Nanton hotel cat!  His ears were frostbitten! 

 Poor little guy!  

Luckily, he didn't seem too fazed by his misfortune.  He looked pretty relaxed and I suspect he gets a LOT of attention every day.  But still...I felt pretty bad for the little guy.  I am a serious cat lover and think people who do this kind of thing to defenseless animals should be taken out and shot (after being treated the same way themselves).  Ugh!

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Hope you are having a nice holiday weekend.  It is Canada Day today!  

Happy Canada Day to you!

And Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!

xo Terri

Favorite Things in the Office

My home office is in flux right now and I did not intend to style this small dresser (which will be repainted when the walls are done) but it ended up with a little assortment of favorite things:

One of my favorite things is this old candy box my grandfather gave me when I was 20. He died two years later while I was travelling in Europe, so I could not make it back in time for the funeral.  This little box unites me with him and reminds me of him.  I keep precious loose photos inside it. I love all its wear marks, which it had when I got it.  It must be quite old:

I also adore my small etching/engraving collection and still have to frame these.  I haven't figured out yet where they are meant to go but I think they will go on the walls in this room eventually. The gold picture frame was the first thing I bought in Paris 21 years ago, the first time I visited.  It was about $1 at a flea market (I didn't have a big decorating budget then).  The small ceramic dish with the lavender in it was loaned to me by a friend in university with potpourri in it.  I think of her when I recall that I never gave it back (bad me):

This is the engraving on the wall, which I bought in Paris a few years ago.  Shortly after that, I took a picture framing course and this is the first mat that I cut (very badly).  I have not gotten around to reframing it, but I kinda like its imperfection. P.S. After lots of practice, I can cut a perfect mat now:

Happy weekend!

~ Assorted Silver ~

I thought it would be fun to photograph more of the assorted silver I bought recently, as many of you enjoyed my Danish Princess post (here).

I also decided to try a watermark-logo on my photos (I need to work on this a bit). I first tried using my name in the logo:

And then I tried using Windlost as my logo:

I love this pile of assorted Danish Princess which was amongst the pieces I bought. I was so smitten with it that I just purchased a custom boxed set on eBay to complete 10 place settings!

I love all the varied patterns. They are all silver plate, but all seem quite heavy and good quality. I like both the ornate and the simple patterns:

The cake server (second from left) has a beautiful patina - I did not want to polish it too much and lose this beautiful detail:

These little tiny servers are really fun and very useful for pickles and compotes and odds and ends:

I'm also fond of this gravy ladle which has a very Art Deco vibe:

Do you like the photos?

What about the watermark? I think perhaps I need to soften/fade it a bit more...

I was going to use Windlost for my logo, but I think having my name is nice also - which do you prefer? Using Windlost would direct people to my blog if any of my photos end up on Pinterest or other websites, but using Terri Price Photography highlights my identity as a photographer in addition to writer-decorator!

Christmas List

I am just beginning to get the Christmas spirit!

Tonight I listened to my favorite Christmas carols on iTunes

(I highly recommend this King's College Choir essential Christmas album).

And I surfed Etsy for some inspiration.

If you are looking for gift ideas for me (I know you are), here are some things I love...

Linen, ruffles and bows, black & white, old script, and chocolate rank highly on this year's favorites list...

Merry planning...

Afternoon Tea at The Banff Springs Hotel

I am feeling rather spoiled (when I am not having blistering migraines this summer). I went for afternoon tea again...this time at the marvellous Banff Springs Hotel, last weekend, with my dear friend M.

Historical photos from The Banff Springs collection, circa 1910

One of the supreme benefits of living in Calgary is our proximity to the Rocky Mountains, and my favorite hotel, the inimitable Fairmont Banff Springs. The Banff Springs was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, and opened in 1888:

A short 1.5h drive puts us here (Mt Rundle, to the right). Life is beautiful!:

Here we are, M. & I, ready for serious eating after a brief stop at the Willow Stream Spa, inside the hotel:

After a brief wander 'round the hotel, we headed towards the restaurants, passing this lovely recital hall along the way (you can get married here!):

Afternoon tea takes place in the breathtaking setting of the Rundle Lounge, which sits above the hotel's back foyer:

Beautiful tables await in this charming old room...(how romantic!)

We had a window seat, which was perfect for watching the fog lift whilst perusing the tea selections. I ordered the Cascade Mountains Peppermint Tea, imported from nearby Washington state (where some of the best peppermint tea in the world is grown):

A charming silver pot of dainty flowers adorned each table:

The views are rather smashing. The Banff Springs sits in the shadow of Rundle Mountain, with views of the icy green Bow River:

The food is not bad either. In fact, the tea was lovely and compared favorably with afternoon tea at The Empress, which I posted about a couple of weeks ago (here). Servings at the Banff Springs were only slightly smaller, but cost $20 less! And, you could have as many pots of different tea as you like!!

I loved the miniature yellow creme brulees and adored the raisin scones (I need a recipe!). I am addicted to them, and their companion...Devonshire cream. If you've not had it, you have not lived.

The day was perfect for our luncheon! Banff is heavenly...

I hope some day you get to visit Banff!

Here is my favorite viewpoint to see the hotel, from across the river. It is most stunning in winter:

xo Terri

Moments in the Bedroom

Hello darlings! I thought I would share some of my favorite decorating moments in our master bedroom (in case you thought I meant something else...). We don't sleep in this room in summer as it can be warm (and nobody here has air conditioning), but sleep instead in our cool downstairs guest room.

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I really adore certain elements of this room, like the silk-linen-wool blend drapes I had custom made right after we moved into the house. I also love the tiny Florentine mirror I picked up at a favorite antique shop:

The bedroom isn't large, so I needed a narrow console table to place against the wall opposite the bed. I found this gorgeous asian altar table quite unexpectedly at a consignment store - it's one of my favorite things in the house:

An antique (1915) Doukhobor fruit-gathering basket sits on the floor

This table serves as a prominent place for my "to do" list. A tray on the table corrals pens, electronics, and papers of pressing importance.

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At the other end of the table are a few favorite objets. The bronze cat statue acts as a paperweight. A cream porcelain bowl holds business cards, loose buttons and papers. The ikat bowl, in my favorite gray-brown colour, is from Anthropologie. The photograph, a favorite of mine, captures a lonely copse of trees in northern Italy:

Before I move on, I must show you my wonderful new giant canvas bag (from Restoration Hardware, $39 on sale). I LOVE matching my wardrobe with my decor (which David says I do already, as I dress mostly in beige and white and blue). This bag is perfect for lugging things to and from the car, and carrying yoga and gym gear:

The bedding in the background is new and very inexpensive (labelled simply "100% cotton"). I usually buy higher quality bedding but could not pass up this delicious duvet cover and pillowcases, with their lovely neoclassical chevron/leaf pattern:

Excuse the green sheet - my previous very soft, very old fitted white sheet just ripped down the middle!

I usually only have a thin quilt on this bed, but have now added the duvet for evening naps and for when we sleep here when we have summertime guests.

I posted my side table before, with its neoclassical theme:

I hope you've enjoyed your visit...!

Spring Favorites & Travel

I am about to embark on a 10-day journey to the east coast to see my darling mother and extended family. I hope to have plenty of time for visiting loved ones, sleeping, sight seeing, spring appreciating, and eating lovely foodstuffs.

I have been meaning to post a few things, but got behind. So I thought I would share with you some things that have been on my mind the last few days.

This is presently my favorite room, from a Paris hotel. I should like to live here, thank you. Excuse the awful scan. Don't you think it is perfect for me (although champagne gives me a headache)?

This is my new favorite book ("Living Traditions" by the inimitable Matthew Patrick Smyth). The front and back covers are awfully nice to look at.

And here is Biscuit, my favorite (and only) cat in the background. A very pretty bouquet of spring flowers, a gift from myself to me, sits in the foreground:

These are my new favorite summer shoes ($11) which I can only wear in the house because my arches ache if I actually walk anywhere in them (my feet demand proper shoes):

Close-up of kitty inspecting camera:

This is my favorite shrub in the yard, a double-flowering plum, attempting to flower (at least the buds against the warm window - the rest have barely emerged).

This is the marvellous book I am reading. I love novels of manners and have intended to read this forever. I keep meaning to buy her book "The Decoration of Houses", published in 1898 (I imagine it's a blast). I am set to read her Pulitzer prize winning "The Age of Innocence" next.

And this is my favorite song (presently, and for the last several months since I first saw the video). I finally bought it tonight on itunes for my plane trip. I do hate to fly, but Adele will help. Collective ahhhhh...

(Adele from Later with Jools Holland)

Happy Spring to you all! See you in June!

More Vancouver-Flavoured Love

Despite giving up coffee (including decaf) about six weeks ago (due to unrelenting migraines), I had to stop on my recent trip to Vancouver and have a small latte at JJ Bean. They make a mean cup of jet fuel. After Caffe Fantastico in Victoria, I think this is my favorite java joint. The west coast knows its coffee!

Before my short break, I visited a favorite store in Yaletown where I picked up two very pretty things. I will post about it soon...

Do you have a favorite west coast coffee spot?

Vancouver: The Beautiful Mind of Heather Ross

Last week in Vancouver, I discovered a beautiful shop, called "Heather Ross [in house]". I think it is the loveliest, most serene, and inspiring shop I have visited in a very long time. Entering the shop was like waking up inside in a lovely, watery dream...

Heather is an artist in every sense of the word. Not only is she a trained textile artist, but she is also an accomplished photographer and painter. Every painting in her shop is her own exquisite creation.

Heather has a stylist's eye for composition (and has worked as a stylist and photographer-writer for magazines). The vignettes in her shop, created with her mostly-antique finds, are works of art on their own. I coveted everything I saw, but each object on its own seemed lost without the beautiful others (it almost seemed a shame to break up the compositions...)

The shop itself is a crisp white canvas, flooded with natural light, making the most of her rare and elegant finds, neatly composed in a restrained palette of whites and pastels, or rich earthen hues.

This little swan came home with me

The shop truly has the feeling of an underwater garden, inspired no doubt by Heather's upbringing on the coast and her love for all things natural, all things organic.

Heather's photography, displayed amongst her many interesting finds

This is the thinking decorator's dream shop. I could not extricate myself from its intelligent, captivating spell, and spent well over an hour talking to Heather about her art, her refined taste, and her serious accomplishment as a self-sustaining artist and business woman.

She also quietly mentioned an impending book project, which sent my heart aflutter...a book capturing all this beauty? I cannot wait! I will tell you about it as soon as I know more.

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Heather's shop is both historical and fresh, rich with the patina of well-loved things, but also delightfully new in its juxtaposition of different eras and styles...pottery with silver, rustic with refined.

I noted her wonderful stylist's trick of grouping like objects with like, and using colour groupings, which gives her arrangements such gravity and presence.

I imagine she spends hours curating her shop, quietly moving things around to suit her exacting eye.

Everything seems to have a story to tell...

And if the things themselves aren't lovely enough, her paintings created a quiet perfect backdrop. I think her paintings could become an addiction all of their own...

I wish you could all visit Heather, who is such a beautiful person to match her beautiful mind!

She seems like a very old soul to me, someone who has cultivated beauty a long, long time...

(maybe even in lifetimes before the rest of us).

Next time you are in Vancouver, please visit Heather and say hello for me!

She is as captivating as her creations, so hopefully she will be "in house", perhaps painting in her atelier out back, when you pop in.

Heather Ross [in house]

1525 W. 6th Avenue

Vancouver

(just off Granville)

www.heatherrossinhouse.com