Christmas Market at The Distillery

The Distillery Historic District
Friday, December 3, 2010 to Sunday, December 12, 2010

This year marked the first ever Christmas Market held in the Historical Distillery District in Toronto and sponsored by Lowes.  This free annual event captured all of the tradition, heritage and charm of a European Christmas Market, while showcasing hundreds of unique and local handcrafted products, perfect for your Christmas shopping list.  What an amazing and fun way to spend some family time.  There was an amazing children’s area. Family friendly entertainment includes musicians, carolers and children’s choirs, holiday themed stage presentations, Rudolph’s Reindeer Zoo and of course … Santa and his roaming elves!

When you have seen enough all you have to do is drop into one of the many great restaurants or beer gardens and enjoy some fab food.  By the look of the large crowds it is sure to become a much anticipated event every year.

 Beautiful Tree all lit up and tons of people enjoying themselves

 A great garden & decor shop I visited

Some of these photos are a little blurry - maybe because it was so cold I was shaking, maybe I need a new camera!

Fireplaces

Everyone loves a fireplace.  It is one of the most requested items on most people's "wish list" when purchasing a home or renovating the one they already have.  There are many types of fireplaces these days, everything from the traditional wood burning, a gas insert, and now the Ecosmart™ Burner fuelled by Denatured Ethanol, which has become increasingly populara.   The styling can be anything from a country style field stone right through to a contemporary metal frame hung on a wall with rocks rather than the usual logs.   These days even electric fireplaces have come a long way and offer the opportunity for everyone to have the look no matter where they want to place it.  A fireplace conjures up the feeling of warm, cozy, relaxed but can also give off a luxe vibe or that of romance.  Don't we all imagine how romantic it would be to have an intimate dinner for two and some wine by the fire.  Or what about just relaxing with a good book and hot chocolate on a wintry day.....

Here are some great fireplace designs.....

We even have fireplaces outside now!

The Painters' Place - Oakville

Pretty much everyone who lives in Oakville and surrounding areas and has purchased Benjamin Moore paint knows the Painters Place http://www.paintersplace.ca/ also known as "Tom's Place" at the corner of Neyagawa and Dundas.  They have great products and also carry other paint brands, wallpaper and decor items.  The staff are extremely knowledgeable and incredibly helpful.  You couldn't ask for better service.

Tom and staff have had a couple of "design" nights that I have attended, where the focus is on topics of interest to consumers as well as decorators & designers.

I recently attended an event where the topic was "updating kitchens and bathrooms inexpensively".  There were a couple of presentations; one from Bath Fitter and the other from Custom Resurfacing Solutions Inc (CRS) Design.  Bath Fitter is a product whereby you can cover your old bathtub, walls and ceiling if you are not wanting the disorder and chaos of a complete "tear out" but want to update the space.  Bathfitter  http://www.bathfitter.com/  has really come a long way from years gone by.... They have some great "tile" look-alike finishes for the walls; some with texture some with a border inset look.  Of course they also offer the built in soap holders.  There are many different styles of the actual tub apron.  Maybe you need a shower update - they also offer this service and glass doors of many different styles and sizes. They can do wonders !

CRS Design  http://www.crsremodeling.ca/ offers a product made from granite and quartz that goes over existing laminate or any older countertop.  It definitely is more cost efficient than removing the entire countertop and installing thick granite.  This product gives the high end look at a fraction of the cost.  What a great idea if you just want to do a little updating and do not plan on removing cabinets or changing the kitchen foot print.

To complete the evening, Tom spoke about the newest Benjamin Moore product line - Kabinet Coat which has replaced Melamine.  It gives a nicer finish and is eco friendly.  The durability is excellent for painting kitchen & bath cabinets and furniture.  The only proviso is that it must be in lighter colours.  If you are planning on a dark shade then Tom says go for Aura Satin.