Monday, September 10, 2012

And all that Jazz.....

If  you are into wine and Jazz then you should head off to the Lewiston Jazz Festival which is held usually the last weekend of August (not Labour Day weekend).  We go every year and really have a great time.  They close the entire downtown 'Village of Lewiston' off and have all the wineries, restaurants and other food providers lined up with different performers at various spots along the street.  There is a main stage with have great headliners and this year there were "Canadian" Jazz performers which is very nice.  They even sing our national anthem along with theirs.  Of course, we have great Jazz Festivals here in Canada that I have also attended but it is fun to get away too.  I usually include some 'retail therapy' as well when I go.  One duo I particularly like are the "Tune Babes" who deliver great music and a bit of comedy as well.

One of the nice things about Lewiston is all the history and the and many beautiful old structures dating back to the 1800's>  Some of these buildings played a part in the Underground Raiload and assisting the slaves across to Canada and Freedom
Fairbanks House - 1815
 1815
 1817 Church was one of the structures involved in the Underground Railroad
 Formerly The Kelsey Tavern - 1820
Frontier House - 1824
 1834
 Museum 1835
 1869
Early and just getting started
 April of the Tune Babes
 Lynne of The Tune Babes duo
The Barton Hill Hotel & Spa
 Nice Bar in Barton Hill
 Looking outside - love the black painted french doors 
A second floor patio of the Barton where one can enjoy a meal or just some wine
and get a great view of the Niagara River 
 Here I am checking out a beautiful doll house in the Lobby
 Yours truly and spouse ready to enjoy the festivities


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Great Day at SOFA...

Today, I was up at SOFA www.visitsofa.com with at least 50 other designers & decorators to view the recently opened New Showrooms and they are amazing.  We had lovely refreshments (always a great idea for us) and then had tours.  They are really putting it out there for designers and decorators and they recognize the importance of dealing with 'trades' only and not selling to the public. They really support us in our businesses.   Great place to deal with and all due to the Marketing Director, Linda Kafka who has changed the face of SOFA since she arrived.  We had a meeting outlining all the fabulous changes and events coming before we visited the wonderful showrooms.  Some are new and some have been there a while.

 
 Now on to the fabulous tour.....
 
Thought I would start with Distinctive Appliances www.distinctive-online.com who have opened a huge showroom featuring 13 high end brands from Europe including condo size appliances.  They will be hosting cooking demos and lessons as well as private client appreciation dinners in future.
 


 So many fan hoods...




 And how about this outdoor cooking centre...

 Out next stop was the marketplace where there will be several companies displaying their products
 One I love is the  French Market Collection of  Furniture, located within the Marketplace, http://www.frenchmarketcollection.com display....
 A new showroom will be Ultra Luxe Linens  www.ultraluxelinens.com who by the way are President Obama's preferred supplier!  They  had some sample books, however product lines will arrive very soon.  The offered these delicious cupcakes to tide us over!
 Another new showroom is Dudson Group http://www.dudson.com which features high end tableware from England including a "green product' which has been fired only once, to cut down on the carbon footprint.  Good for them!!
 Some of their 'buffet' type serving pieces
 Love this "appetizer" tree where you attach individual appetizers for everyone to select from.
 How fun!!
 Beautiful China

Durham Furniture http://www.durhamfurniture.com  - great Canadian Made pieces with so many options. 
Minster Interiors http://www.minsterinteriors.com offers the most gorgeous area rugs available from all over the world.  They offer every price point from machine knotted to hand knotted, silk, wool, etc.  They have a wonderful designer/decorator program
 



 As well as area rugs they now offer gorgeous chandeliers of Swarovski Crystals
 And very unique Metal Art....
 Another new addition to SOFA is Surya Rugs http://www.surya.com/  who also have gorgeous offerings and a wonderful Designer/Decorator program.  they also have original art, pillows that are 'color matched' to the rugs and throws & 'pouffs'.  A beautiful showroom
 This interesting rug looks like rocks



 Some of their pillows...
We finished off with Canadel,  http://www.canadel.ca a furniture maker who not only creates beautiful pieces, but they have their own forest where they grow the trees, harvest the wood and dry it so that it stands up to Canadian temperature changes.  How unique!! 
Jane Lockhart just re-designed their showroom and it is lovely

Some of the different wood finishes available.



 





 
So if you are reading this blog and are either a designer, decorator or someone who wants to make some changes in their home, get  yourself a designer/decorator and head on up to SOFA, located in the International Centre. You will be glad you did!!
 
Thanks to everyone who welcomed us today.  It was fabulous!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Technology part 2...

Anybody who reads this blog regularly most likely saw my post about the trials and tribulations of my computer. Well I will not be deterred. I will forge my way through all this social media and have spent a fair portion of my time recently getting to know the ins and outs of it all. Recently I attended a great seminar at SOFA where we had a 'hands on' presentation and it really shed some light on the subject. Right now I am trying to figure out just how to get all those little icons on my website,blog, linked in etc. I will tackle this and succeed. One great thing is that they can all be attached to each other which will make it much easier since nobody can spend time updating several sites. So once again thanks to SOFA www.visitsofa.com and those who presented.

Pretty soon you will be seeing me everywhere..... tweeting, blogging, and uploading photos. Gotta love this!!

Bye for now... I think I will go and pin or tweet something..........
 


 
 
 
p.s. I got a new computer for my birthday so now I can really embrace all this social media!!