Fishly News

Off we go...a family vacation and last post on Fishly News

2013-01-30T05:53:00.000-05:00

Of we go indeed! We are escaping the cold Ottawa weather for a week of sun, fun and Disney characters!

But this is also the last post on Fishly News. For two and a half years I've been coming here on a regular basis - sharing our renovation adventures, our crafts, family vacations and many recipes with you. What started out as a small little corner of the web and was read by my mom, sisters and best friend, has grown to capture a much larger audience. For the last year I've been working on improving my skills both behind the camera and in the kitchen - it is that part of blogging that I enjoy the most and this is what I want to stick with going forward.

This is a big and scary step for me - walking away from growing readership numbers, walking away from mentions and featured photos and posts, walking a away from part of an audience that I know is interested mostly in our renovation adventures or craft ideas and walking away from a schedule I know and am comfortable with. But I need a change - I need to break the mold, challenge myself, focus and dream big. It's time to let go of something I love, to work on something I love even more.

Where am I going and what am I planning? After we return from our vacation, I'll be blogging at Audrey's exclusively. It's my new Wordpress platform that gives me more flexibility and allows for much better display of my photos. My first step was a custom logo that my sister created for me - the second step will be some platform tweaking, some customization,some new widgets and plug-ins that will make the site as good as I want it. But I'm not rushing this - one little step at a time.

Most importantly, the focus of Audrey's will be a lot more me and where I'm at now. I'll be sharing recipes and food photography - but I'll also share snippets of our life, our family and travel adventures we might have. While you'll find a great birthday cake I created, or a trip to the sea, you probably won't find posts about bathroom renos, curtain choices or driveway replacements anymore.

I really hope you'll join me at Audrey's and that you'll follow along. It's our next chapter - a different adventure that I'm looking forward to sharing with you. Thanks to all of you for your time on my blog, for the comments, the emails, the conversations and making me feel like people are listening to the random things I'm sharing on this site - it's been such an amazing ride!

“Find what you love. Don’t stop until you find it. You’ll know when you do.” —SwissMiss

Postings will be less frequent on Audrey's - probably once a week, but I'll have to find my new rhythm - my new groove. Thanks again and I hope to see you soon in my new corner of the web!

Airports, panels, parties and design camps

2013-01-28T06:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a whirlwind! I am back from Salt Lake City, where I spent three days at ALT Summit.

My head is full to the brim with information, inspiration and fun memories. Truth be told, I'll have to process a lot of it over the next couple of weeks in order to make the most of it for myself and my blog. There is nothing like being in a venue with 600+ people that know what blogging is, that have great ideas, done great stuff, are willing to collaborate and are just genuinely nice. I don't think I've ever been at an event with such a collaborative and adventurous spirit.

While I enjoyed the business focused panels, I got the most from the design camps I attended, the networking and the amazing keynotes by Chris Anderson and Stefan Sagmeister! The keynotes were so inspiring, so forward looking with out of the box thinking that just resonated and inspired!

Everything was organized so well, the parties were amazing, the sponsors fit the needs of bloggers, the food was great, and, and, and...

Photos - by Justin Hackworth and Brooke Dennis for ALT Summit 2013

PS: Getting to Salt Lake City from Ottawa is hard in the middle of January. Both my travel days were disasters with broken planes, weather cancellations, rerouting, etc...blehh. But I finally got there, and I finally got home to hug my family.

Heading to Salt Lake City

2013-01-23T05:44:00.000-05:00

I'm on a plane right now, heading to Salt Lake City for ALT Summit. I wasn't planning on going, but then I won a ticket in December, so how could I resist? I'll be busy attending a bunch of panels, workshops, round tables, parties and listening to key note speakers. But most importantly, I'll get to meet some new and old blogger friends! I'll see you briefly next week before we head out on our family vacation!

Winter in the Neighbourhood

2013-01-21T06:08:00.000-05:00

It snowed this past weekend - another winter wonderland and a temperature reprieve before the cold front moves in and makes it impossible to spend time outside. We went sledding, threw snowballs and spent time in a snow covered playground. I love our neighbourhood.

Ice Marbles

2013-01-18T05:58:00.000-05:00

Earlier this winter we made ice marbles. Have you seen them on Pinterest? They are a fun way to bring colour to your snow covered front path and a great project to make with the kids.

Gather as many round balloons as you plan on making marbles.
Carefully add a few squirts of food coloring to the balloon.
Stretch your balloon over a narrow faucet and carefully fill with water. You can go quite large, but remember to leave enough room so you can safely knot your balloon without the colored water splashing all over your hands and sink.
Carefully place your filled balloons in a bucket and transport them outside. Let them freeze completely and remove the balloons.

Tataaa! Beautiful colored marbles – each with a slightly different pattern and color. Don’t be surprised if people stop and comment on your new addition to your front walkway - the furnace repair guy asked a lot of questions about them.

PS: The marbles won’t be perfectly round since water settles a bit before freezing and you’ll have an indentation from the air bubble. If you place them in snow it will take a couple of days to completely freeze – snow is an insulator and you’ll be surprised how long it can take – make sure to rotate the balloons every so often to speed up the freezing.

PPS: I also wrote a post on the Neighborhood blog about these and how to make a perfect snowman. Check it out.

Dotty Lamp Shade - Yay or Nay

2013-01-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

I've had this glass base lamp from IKEA for quite some time. The tricky thing with this lamp is that the lampshade is a different model than any other IKEA lampshade or any lampshade I've seen in stores. I've been trying to change it up, but have not been successful in finding something that would fit the the lamp.

I was thinking about lining the existing lampshade with gold, but the fabric is too sheer. Then I thought about adding a black shade, but was worried it would be too dark. So I pulled out my yard of Dalmation fabric, which is a nice quilting weight and allows for a lot of light to pass through. I liked the pure white colour and the fun black dots - nothing too crazy, but still a small change.

I cut a paper template and traced it on the fabric and then cut it out. Right now I just adhered it with tape to see how it would look like. If I decide I like it I would attach it with spray adhesive and the top edge would look much better. What do you think? Enough of a change or still too plain? If yes on the fabric, should I add a black trim at the top and bottom? Or should I forget about it and get a new lamp, or use fabric paint, or keep searching for a new shade?

It doesn't allow for as much light to pass through, so I'm really torn.

Coffee Table - the wait was worth it

2013-01-14T05:50:00.000-05:00

The coffee table in our living room has been a bit elusive in the past three years. We've been holding on to our big brown blob ottoman because I've been unable to find something suitable and within budget. I knew I wanted round to counteract many of the straight lines we have in that room. I wanted something at least 36" in diameter to offer proper scale for the room and enough space for our stuff and the kids activities. Next on my wishlist was a solid wood table and at least 15" in height to offer comfortable usability.

To test my size theory I used an old curbside find, which was a whopping 40" in diameter. I liked having such a big solid table, but the table was on its last legs and not a pretty site. Over the Christmas holiday I found a nice oval option on sale, but once it was in that space it took up too much room, so I returned it. Round coffee tables in most stores are either too small or very, very low at 12". Others that I saw online were quite expensive. So I searched Kjiji once again the same day I returned the oval coffee table - and look what popped up? A 36" solid teak coffee table at 16" height, made in the 1960s in Montreal - $80! Score!!! I went to look at it and confirmed that it only had two minor nicks on the edge and some minor discolouring on the table top - the table is gorgeous and super solid! Worth the wait, right?

Planning on more blue

2013-01-11T05:33:00.000-05:00

left: House and Home right: Joakim Blockstrom, via Desire to Inspire

I'm in complete January planning mode. My calendar is full right into February, but in my mind I have a ton of time to tackle some new and fresh decorating projects in our house. Last week I blogged my plans for the family room and office - I'm sure we'll tackle those in one of those cold February weeks.

This week I"m looking at our master bedroom. Last time you saw it it was pretty neutral with small hits of yellow. Since then a couple of minor changes have happened and some larger ones are planned.

I've switched the lampshade to a white one, which delivers much better lighting. I've replaced the curtains with plain white panels with grommets, and I've added a cobalt blue rug and indigo blue cushion, replacing the black and white and yellow ones.

Next up are plans for more blue - bold blue. I want to paint the headboard wall a dark navy blue. I'm sure it will change the look of the room completely. I also want to make a throw from the gorgeous blue fabric I already have. And lastly, I want to paint our white dresser bold blue or turquoise and add leather or brass hardware. The overall look will be layered shades of blue, with patterns to break it up - much bolder than what we have now and much cozier.

Except for the dresser these are small and easy changes - a weekend project here and there. What home projects have you planned already this January?

left: Design Sponge right: Style at Home via Apartment Therapy

Bathroom Closet Door

2013-01-09T05:54:00.000-05:00

Talk about dragging out a project and never finishing the final details. Almost a year ago we revealed our bathroom reno and at the time I said that I wanted to do something with the closet - paint and floating shelves. Well that closet sat without paint, or door, or shelves for almost 12 months. Finally this Christmas holiday we did something about it.

After much back and forth we decided on a frosted glass door. It allows us to tuck away all kinds of things, including our laundry basket without anyone seeing it. The glass looks really fresh and makes the bathroom look brighter. I find the glass ties in nicely with the mosaic glass tile and blue on the wall.

Once we decided on the door, purchased it, trimmed it to size and painted it, it was supposed to be a fast and easy job to get it hung - well, it turns out the closet walls aren't plum - they bow in at the bottom. Hubby had to do some extensive door frame adjusting to finally get it in. We are very happy with the result. Another check on the long to-do list!

PS: We were super pleased that Apartment Therapy chose M's room as one of the best big girl rooms for 2012 and again for one of the most appealing book displays in 2012.

*hard to take a picture in this tight room and this was taken in the evening so the light is not very good.

Three Kings Cake

2013-01-07T05:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Three Kings Day (Epiphany). To celebrate a Swiss tradition I made a three kings cake. It's a yeast based bread/cake with smaller rolls arranged around a larger centre, a little sweet and perfect for breakfast. In one of the rolls a tiny white plastic king is hidden and the one person that gets the roll with the king is king for the day.

M got the king, so D was quite disappointed, but since we have two crowns, he got to wear one as well (keeping the peace). I used this recipe (in German) which turned out quite nicely, but you do require time for the dough to rise twice before baking it.

Do you celebrate Three Kings Day?

Moving from Playroom to Family Room Office

2013-01-04T06:19:00.000-05:00

Top left: Karlsson & Uddare via SFGirl by Bay, bottom left: Line Klein via Mimi+Meg, top right: Stylizimo, bottom right: From the desk of via SF Girl by Bay

As the kids are growing up, our needs are changing. We have reached the point where our small office nook in the playroom isn't sufficient anymore and the kids need different types of toy storage. We've decided that this year we'll give our playroom a few tweaks to turn it into a family room and office.

First up will be a much larger desk, placed right under the window. Enough room for 3 work spaces and enough chairs and filing space. We are looking at using kitchen counter tops for one long 9 foot run. I'm still debating on mixing and matching chairs or getting a matching set.

left: RUE, top right: Apartment Therapy, bottom right: See me Everywhere,

Next up is toy and craft supply storage. Although the IKEA Expedit has been very popular for a couple of years and some people are looking for new and different storage solutions, we are finally getting one. Why? Because it fits perfectly into the nook where we now have our desk. We'll stack a smaller one on top of the regular sized Expedit and will have floor to ceiling flexible storage - enough room to finally have some of our books on the main floor, but also enough space for boxes and buckets of toys or drawers to organize all the craft supplies. And at that price we would not be able to DIY a storage solution for less.

And lastly we might rethink our seating options - I would like to have something loungy and comfortable that doesn't take up too much space - maybe something that could serve as a single sleeping option if needed. For now we're sticking with our old and true PS Sofa bed, but down the road I envision something less bulky.

top: Pottery Barn Teen, bottom: CB2

A beautiful winter day

2013-01-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

Are you back at work today? Did you have a few days off to rest and spend time with your family? I'm back ready to start 2013 with lots of energy - January looks like it's going to start with a bang - my calendar is already pretty full.

We spent last week around town enjoying close by winter destinations such as Montebello. I find Montebello to be particularly magical in winter - it just seems like it was built to host all kinds of winter activities and then invites you for a nice meal and hot chocolate around the amazing fireplace. It's only an hour away from Ottawa, so we packed up the car and had a great lunch, followed by a dog sleigh ride and some ice skating. Four generations spending time together outdoors - that's what the holidays are about.

PS: Have a look at the Winter Wonderland Cake we made.

It's a wrap - 2012 edition

2012-12-31T06:22:00.000-05:00

Another year passed. I know it's cliché, but where does all this time go? 2012 was good to us as a family - we seemed to have passed a few major kid milestones early in the year and now enjoy life with a very independent 5 and 3 year old.

My blogging year was also good to me - I saw incredible readership and engagement growth and it's so much fun coming to this space three times a week - thank you! This growth is scary to me though as well - it makes we want to do even better, to spend more time on the blog and produce more content. In times like that I have to tell myself that this blog is a hobby; it's a place for me to be creative and share with you - I'm not giving up my day job and I'm not giving up my family for this space, but I do want to do as well as I can with the time and tools that I have. I'm thinking about changes and I'll share those with you once I decide if I want to take the risk.

Here a collection of posts that give a little glimpse of what we were up to:

We added some magic to our garden
We fell in love with Cape Cod
I got to go to New York City and I saw Martha!
We finally finished the dreaded fireplace and lived to tell about it
I'm having fun contributing
Everyone went crazy for these cookie recipes
Our home was featured on Design Mom
We worked on a big boy room
I got to see the Boss
We had a pop-up dinner on the beach
I collected colours
I put together a house tour and invited you over
I tackled another blog on a different platform
We put Easter in a Box

I wanted to ensure that I looked back at all we did - the life we have is great, my family is healthy and happy and I couldn't ask for more. I hope you all had a good 2012 and feel pride in the things you accomplished. Have a great day and I'll see you in the New Year! Cheers!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2012-12-24T06:12:00.000-05:00

A few takes of our holiday card photo shoot - fun was had!

I'm taking a couple of days off to spend with family and to enjoy the holidays. I'll be back on the 31st with a 'it's a wrap' post for 2012. Have a great week!

Friday Food Files - the final episode!

2012-12-21T06:05:00.000-05:00

Today I'm publishing my last Friday Food File! During this past year I published almost 50 Friday Food Files, some as simple as a bowl of cereal or a sprinkle doughnut, others more elaborate such as brownie meringue cupcakes, my sister's wedding cake or this birthday cake, this birthday cake and even a pretty ice cream cake. But I also shared some healthy options, such as a quinoa salad, cod on Cape Cod or lunch in a jar. I've really enjoyed this project - it allowed me to improve my photography, my food styling and pushed me to try new food adventures. Some posts were thought out and well planned, others I shot in the moment or right before a wedding reception! I'm particularly proud of the 12 days of baking post, which was so much work, but was by far the most popular post on my blog ever - and something I never would have attempted a year ago.

I'm closing today with a healthier option - a pop of colour and zing amongst all your winter comfort food and holiday sweets. I hope you like it.

I don’t usually follow a recipe for my soups – that’s the beauty of a soup, you can throw in most anything and end of up with a great meal. Here is roughly what I did, but feel free to adapt.

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut and Ginger

2 pounds of butternut squash, cubed
1 generous tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass
1/2 tablespoon of minced chilli
water
salt and pepper
cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a deep soup pot, add garlic and cook until fragrant – less than a minute. Add the butternut squash and toss until covered in the oil and garlic, let warm a couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, chilli and stir well. Add a bit of water to cover all the squash.

Cover with lid and let it cook on medium-high until squash is soft and breaks apart easily with a spatula. Use a immersion blender to smooth soup (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender and blend it in batches. Watch out with the hot liquid). Once smooth, decide if you are happy with the consistency or add a bit of liquid if you like your soup not to be too thick. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped cilantro. Enjoy hot or cold.

Holiday Open House

2012-12-19T06:12:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we gathered friends, family and neighbours at our house for a holiday open house. It was a large bunch of people (50+) - an eclectic crowd that normally doesn't hang out with each other. It's my favourite type of party. I know everyone, but the rest get thrown together, make connections, meet new people and have fun with people they probably would never meet otherwise.

The kids love it as well - they get to see their friends, but also get introduced to new faces. It's a casual and fun way to celebrate the holiday season.

Because of the large crowd of people we kept the menu simple. Some bubbly, red wine, a small keg of beer, juice for the kids and large amounts of hot chocolate.

Food was served for snacking - towers of Tim bits (doughnut holes), popcorn, aged cheddar and brie, crackes and baguette, smoked salmon, spiced pecans and herb pastry pin-wheels. Everything was store bought except for the spiced nuts, pin-wheels and hot chocolate.

We decorated with white flowers and seasonal greenery and added paper snowflakes and stars to our chandelier. The kids gathered in the playroom and played or watched the Polar Express running on the TV. Piles of boots and coats and lots of merry sentiment. What a lovely evening! Do you entertain around the holidays?

PS: you can see my post on a holiday open house on the neighbourhood blog.

Our Christmas Tree

2012-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post is sponsored by The Land of Nod

This year I was truly smitten with the colourful ornaments from Land of Nod. I saw them first in the summer and then was lucky enough to partner with them on a holiday give-away last week. Well, the lovely folks at Land of Nod also sent my family a large assortment of ornaments and garlands to decorate our tree.

In the past I've decorated our tree in all silver, white and blue. Last year I decorated in silver, white and red and this year we combined our existing white and silver ornaments with the rainbow coloured ornaments we received. I love the full colour scheme we have this year - it's such a happy tree. I also like the textures of these felt and paper mache ornaments and how they combine well with ornaments my kids made.

Growing up our tree was always a rainbow of colour, a collection of old and new ornaments and hand-made kid creations. I believe our tree will start looking more and more like that - less storefront glitter perfect - more handmade and happy.

Land of Nod sponsored this post, but all opinions are my own.

Friday Food Files

2012-12-14T06:54:00.000-05:00

M and I decided to make latkes this past weekend. I had never made them before, but they seemed pretty straightforward to make. I cheated by using small potatoes and skipping the peeling and I used regular flour instead of the potato starch, which makes them not gluten-free. Everyone loved them, so I think we'll have to tackle these again.

Potato Latke (adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled (I bought the small ones and didn't peel)
1 medium yellow onion
Coarse salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil

With a food processor, grate potatoes and onion. Toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. In 2 batches, pile potato mixture on a clean dish towel and really squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl and mix in eggs, flour, and baking powder.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium (a bit of potato mixture should sizzle when added). In batches, carefully drop 2 tablespoons potato mixture into oil for each latke, pressing to flatten. Cook until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes per side, adjusting heat as needed. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with desired toppings.

Top with sour cream or apple sauce (or ketchup as my kids did!)

Glittery Snowglobe Teacher Gifts

2012-12-12T06:42:00.000-05:00

I know teachers like gift cards, but handing over an envelope with a plastic card is a little boring we thought. So this year we finally tackled the glitter snow-globe jar with gift card. I have seen a bunch of snow-globe inspirations on Pinterest in the last couple of years and mine is based on this one from the Creative mama.

Glittery Snow-globes with Gift Card

empty jar*
Hot glue gun
Gift cards
cheap small ornaments
glitter
metallic spray paint or regular paint
ribbon (optional)

Clean jars and remove labels (this part nearly made me give up, why do the labels have to be stuck on these jars with so much glue!!)
Paint lids any colour you want
Add a strip of hot glue along the centre of the inside of the lid and place the short end of the gift card on it. Hold the card a few seconds so the glue has a chance to harden and holds up the card.
Add another blob of hot glue in front of the placed gift card and attach an ornament.
Add some glitter to the bottom of your jar (I used the tinsel glitter left from this project, but finer glitter would work better I think)
Add two more ornaments and fill with water.
Screw on lid tightly and add ribbon.

We are also working on glitter snow-globes with trees and miniature deers, but those are being given to family so I won't picture them here.

* Next time I would go out and buy a set of mason jars. No labels to remove, nice metallic lids and wider opening to get the things into the jar.

Holiday Gift Wrap

2012-12-10T06:23:00.000-05:00

Once again we are using kraft paper to wrap our presents - last year I used silver kraft paper along with the brown, this year I got red. The kids stamped the brown paper with potato stamps. Making wrapping paper was a fun family activity. I also decided to use wool instead of ribbon. It's a bit more casual, and much cheaper. You can also 'up' your wrapping a little by having nice folds on the top of the gift and using double sided tape to keep the folds down.

PS: taking pictures on the gloomiest day of the year is not a good idea :)

Cannelle et Vanille Holiday Give-away

2012-12-07T06:08:00.000-05:00

This give-away is closed. Congratulations Rochelle!

Today's installment of the Fishly News give-away week had to revolve around food and food photography, right? and you know how much I adore Aran's work and that I was lucky enough to attend her workshop earlier this year? Well, Aran's first cookbook - Small Plates and Sweet Treats, came out at the end of October and I was eager to order it right away. I recently made the Brown Butter - Candied Apple Clafoutis pictured above and as expected it turned out wonderfully. You can find that recipe on page 72 along with a seasonally organized selection of gluten-free recipes. I also posted my adapted version below the contest details.

Today you have a chance to win your own copy of the book! It's a great collection of recipes enhanced by Aran's wonderful photography. A pretty good finish to a great give-away week, right?

What do you need to do for a chance to win the Small Plates and Sweet Treats cookbook?

Leave a comment below to enter.
For an extra entry, tweet about this give-away with @GiuliaDoyle and @CannelleVanille. Then come back and comment again, letting me know about the tweet.

By when do I have to enter for a chance to win?

Comment by no later than Thursday December 13, 2012 at midnight EST.
Winners will be announced on Friday, December 14, 2012 on this blog and on Twitter. I will be contacting the winner by email.

Contest Details

Anyone with a Canada or USA mailing address can enter (except Quebec residents - see why here)
Make sure to leave your contact in your comment(s).
The prize will ship anywhere in Canada and USA.
Delivery of prize might not be in time for Christmas.

Brown Butter-Candied Apple Clafoutis (adapted version, NOT gluten-free)

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon of unsweetened apple juice
1/4 stick of unsalted butter, plus more for pie dish
4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons of natural cane sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 10-inch deep pie pan.
Pour 2 cups of the apple juice into a small saucepan. Cook over high heat for 12 minutes, until the juice is reduced to 1/2 cup, let the reduced juice cool.
In a large pan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until the milk solids start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced apples, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, half of the vanilla seeds and the remaining 1 tablespoon of apple juice. Cook the apples over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining vanilla seeds, flour and salt until smooth. Add the coconut milk and reduced apple juice, and whisk until combined.
Pour the custard into the prepared pan. Top with the cooked apples and their released juices. Bake the clafoutis for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and the edges are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Land of Nod Holiday Give-away

2012-12-05T05:21:00.000-05:00

all images from The Land of Nod

This give-away is now closed. Congratulations Shannon! I will be in touch to get your mailing address.

I'm back with the second installment of the Holiday Give-Away week! Today's special gift comes from The Land of Nod. Have you seen their site? I want to buy so many furniture pieces for our house, everything is beautiful and so well thought out. Well, this year they also did an amazing job with their holiday gifts and decor. I had a chance to get an early glimpse of their ornaments at ALT in NY and loved so many of them that I'm really happy for you to get a chance to win some.

Today you get a chance to win a set of 6 Colorful Scalloped Ornaments and a set of 12 All the Colors of the Rainbow Ornaments. That's 18 beautiful pops of colour for your tree, table or wherever you want to display these beauties.

What do you need to do for a chance to win the Land of Nod ornaments?

Visit The Land of Nod to see all of their wonderful things and then leave a comment below to enter.
For an extra entry, tweet about this give-away with @GiuliaDoyle and @TheLandofNod. Then come back and comment again, letting me know about the tweet.

By when do I have to enter for a chance to win?

Comment by no later than Tuesday December 11, 2012 at midnight EST.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 on this blog and on Twitter. I will be contacting the winner by email.

Contest Details

Anyone with a Canada or USA mailing address can enter (except Quebec residents - see why here)
Make sure to leave your contact in your comment(s).
The prize will ship anywhere in Canada and USA.
Delivery of prize might not be in time for Christmas.

The Penny Paper Co. Holiday Give-away

2012-12-03T05:50:00.000-05:00

This give-away is now closed. Congratulations to Linda! You will be notified about your win!

Today is a fun day! The start of a fun - just in time for the holidays - give-away week on Fishly News! All three posts this week will have a give-away for you, so make sure to enter today and come back Wednesday and Friday for some more goodies.

To start off the celebration, Lindsay from the Penny Paper Co. is offering readers a chance to win a custom stamp. Have a look at all the lovely options - you'll be hard pressed to choose a favourite.

What do you need to do for a chance to win a Penny Paper Co. custom stamp?

Leave a comment below and be nice and visit the Penny Paper Co. to see her wonderful shop.
For an extra entry, go to the Penny Paper Co. Facebook page and 'like' the shop, and let me know in the comment section.

By when do I have to enter for a chance to win?

Comment by no later than Friday December 7, 2012 at midnight EST.
Winners will be announced on Monday December 10, 2012 on this blog and on Twitter. I will be contacting the winner by email.

Contest Details

Anyone with a Canada or USA mailing address can enter (except Quebec residents - see why here)
Make sure to leave your contact in your comment(s).
The prize will ship anywhere in Canada and USA.
Stamp has to be $24.95 value or less. If you like a larger one you may pay the difference.
Delivery of prize might not be in time for Christmas.

12 days of holiday baking - Friday Food File Special

2012-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had this crazy idea in October to start holiday baking early and to try 12 different recipes, which I would photograph and share with you in one big special issue of the Friday Food Files. Well, I'm happy to report that I managed to complete the project, a few pounds heavier and with a short-term aversion to butter, sugar and any other baking ingredients.

I hope you enjoy this collection of recipes and that you try a couple in the upcoming weeks - they are really yummy and I can't decide on a favourite. Here you go - flip through the pages and make a cookie or two! You can click on full-screen at the bottom right.

12 days of holiday baking

12 days of holiday baking by fishlynews.com | Make Your Own Book

And you can buy the book if you click on the link above, but I can also send you the pdf as a gift if you contact me directly. If you do share it, please make sure to link back to this post and give me credit. Thanks! Happy start to the holidays!

Wreath

2012-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Another holiday related post this week - the wreath! While I still love the wreath I made last year, I wanted to switch it up. I felt like some greenery this year. We cut another wood frame that fits our squarish front door windows. I got magnolia leaves and evergreen branches and used a staple gun and some hot glue (you could use floral wire instead of the staples).

I cut large branches and arranged them so they would cover all parts of the frame, not forgetting the edges. Then I used some of the magnolia to add some interest *. Once everything was covered well, I trimmed pieces that were a little wild and hot glued small pieces in some empty nooks.

We finished it this weekend and woke up to snow the next morning - perfect timing!

* The magnolia was meant to be on the bottom left - oops the frame is not really square - so it had to go on top.