Discovering Canada's First Railway Tunnel [ & my Hometown Summer Favourites List ]

It felt like we had traveled back in time when we attended the Grand (re)Opening of Canada's First Railway Tunnel !

The Downtown core of Brockville was filled with the Modern appeal & swarms of people crowding towards the Massive Duck & Ribfest. Simultaneously taking place, a celebration for the Re-Opening of Phase 1 of Canada's First ever rail way tunnel. The back drop, a Traditional Carnival equipped with a carousel & vintage Ferris Wheel, which was also celebrating that weekend (its 100th year)!

(if you follow on Instagram you may likely saw the photo of my first bowl of Dip & Dots...
which got pumped out of my hand & ended up on the ground like a pile of very sad melting glitter)
Being that we live so close & will have lots of opportunities to go after it isn't quite so busy... when we set out in the morning to the Market we hadn't intended to walk through the Tunnel. We had been watching all the work take place though since moving downtown & wanted to experience the unveiling of it all!

We hadn't considered that by placing ourselves near the front to take it all in we were also some what volunteering ourselves to enter & walk the Tunnel... As the crowd of people behind us pushed us up towards the opening we realized now was our opportunity & so I am proud to say (& have the sticker to prove ;) ) that Cody & I were two of the first 100 people to walk it!

Above Photos ^  By: Cody Humble

It truly felt like we had traveled back in time while walking on the board walk. Surrounded by the Historical Architecture of downtown Brockville, the cobble stone street corners, & the Market (which has been in existence in one from or another even prior to the original opening of the Railway Tunnel back in 1860!) & abundance of local & Family owned businesses, I relished in the beauty of my Hometown.

I linked some of my Absolute Favourite Spots below! 

(Please Note: This is in No Way a Sponsored List, & all opinions are my own! 

... & No I didn't eat all of these Sweets in one day, it is a amalgamation of past photos)

The Farmers Market is home to so many amazing Local Business including but certainly not limited to Primrose & Willow which I talked about a bit in my DIY Mini Vase Floral Wall Hanging  post.

Gibson Family Farm (which I could not find a link for) they make the most delicious Maple Sugar & BEST Dark Amber Maple Syrup I have ever tasted!

O'Mally Kourt Fudgery has a flavour of Fudge for EVERYONE! & if for some unheard of reason that you do not like Fudge... they have just about every other Sweet Treat you can fathom too!

At Richards Coffee House I recommend the Frozen Coffee, while Cody goes for the Fresh Fruit Smoothie!

Sam & Harry's Place is a bit of a ways away from the Downtown core however it is worth the short trip up King St for what I consider to be the BEST Chip Truck in town ... Not to mention the Fact they have a Snow Cone Shack in the back, A bean bag toss , FREE Water & Coffee.. & the most generous and kind owner(s)!

Cowan's Dairy Bar is essentially a Hometown Hero... while this business isn't even downtown there was just no way I could make a list of my Favourite Spots & NOT include this heaven of a place!

The Tunnel is FREE to the Public to Enter & is Open Daily until September 30th from 9am - 9pm! If  this hasn't already been crossed off your Summer Bucket List...Don't miss your chance before they close it again to start work on Phase 2 & if you happen to check out a New spot off my list, be sure to leave a comment about what you got!
 The perfect excuse to sneak in one more Summer activity with your Friends & Family OR if you haven't made plans yet for Labour Day! Head downtown before back to School! 

Don't forget your walking shoes!

DIY Mini Vase Floral Wall hanging

This is such a simple summer DIY decor project! We haven't had a tun of great weather this Summer, so when not at work I have been doing my best to live in the moment and soak up as much of the sunny days as I can. This however is a great rainy day or evening project! The entire project takes about 5 minutes to put together & it turns out so pretty hanging with some fresh blooms!

Supplies Need: 

• 2 - 4 Mini Vase(s)
• Rope
• Hot Glue Gun
• Fresh Flowers (if you are local to Brockville be sure to check out Primrose & Willow )

How To:
Step #1. Start by cutting 8" lengths of rope (one per vase)
Step #2. Tie one end of a piece of rope to the top of each vase. Leave about 1 inch of overhang on the shorter end of rope with 6(ish) on the other (depending on the width of your vase
Step #3. Wrap the short end of rope around the top of the vase & secure using your Hot Glue Gun
Step #4. Tie the other (long) ends of the rope together staggering / layering the lengths they hang.
Step #5. Create a small loop (which will be used to hang) & secure in a tight knot.
Step #6. Trim off any excess rope from the top.
Fill each vase with a small amount of water, insert your Fresh Flowers & hang it somewhere that it will get some natural light! 

Cheers to soaking up the last Month of Summer!

Get out and pick some fresh flowers, OR head to the farmers market & support a Growing Local Business!!

5 Tips for the Thrift Shopping Minimalist

 I sat down to write this at like 11:59pm on Thrift Shop Day... does that count for anything?... didn't think so. . . 

I shared a post a while back that I got a tun of questions about that included a bunch of outfits and pieces I had thrifted, & so I have decided to put together a list of tips to keep in mind when heading to the Thrift Shop!
As a minimalist heading to a Thrift shop is not something that is done with the intention of bringing home a SLEW of new Items! I really don't like clutter and avoid owning any unnecessary items, so the Thrift Store can be a dangerous place if you don't keep the right mind set! Below are a list of things I keep in mind when heading out to find my next Thrifted Treasure!!

None of the photos in the compiled sets were shot for this Blog, which goes to show just how much wear I get out of some of my absolute favourite thrifted pieces!

#1. Go through your closet. Check out what you already have, to create the Outfits you'd like to have. Weather you are looking to create a capsule wardrobe or not this is a great tip to avoid heading home with something you don't end up wearing because you don't have anything that compliments it well. Or worse... finding out you already had something similar, tucked in the back of your closet.

#2. Prepare a List in advance. Jot down a list of items you'd like to add to your wardrobe. This will help you stay on track or head home with a bunch of items you don't have much use for.

#3. Do some research on different styles or outfits you might like to wear for the coming season. Scroll through Pinterest or flip through some magazines and get an idea of what looks you like or think you would like to try on. Thrift shopping is a great time to take risks and try different pieces without blowing your budget if it turns out you don't LOVE it as much as you originally had thought.

#4. Look for Fabrics, Colours & Sizes! Don't let the abundance of stuff become daunting. Avoid searching through every single article on the rack by looking for high quality fabrics, avoid cheap or thin feeling fabrics or anything that is visibly worn. Keep your eye on the colour, scan over the racks & look for colours that you wear frequently, or that catch your eye! Lastly take advantage of sizing organization! Stick to browsing items in your size! A good fit is key in an item looking great to skip anything that doesn't fit GREAT!

#5. The 5 Outfit Rule - Think to your self if there are 5 different ways you could style or wear the article with items you already have in your wardrobe. If not consider leaving it behind!