On our last day in the city, I managed to get my reluctant hubby to stop and let me out to take a look inside. Well, he had barely come to a stop before I leapt out (of a huge Suburban...our eco-friendly rental car) and nearly landed on my behind! Oh well, I knew my time was limited...what's a cracked tailbone in the pursuit of a great shopping experience? I felt like one of those contest winners at the grocery store who has 3 minutes to fill his/her cart before someone blows a shrill whistle and ends the fun. Well, my whistles were in the car feeling quite impatient and counting down my "ten minutes" (we were going to the mall of all places...blah...) so off I went.
From the minute I stepped into the store and heard that old-fashioned jingle as the door swung shut, I felt my breath catch: I was in a little girl's paradise and I had ten minutes!!!!!! Now, I love my husband dearly, but it is moments like these that I wish he wasn't such a non-shopper and that he'd understand my need to spend the afternoon marvelling over the authenticity of the miniature reproduction this and tiny vintage that. This place had piles of charm just peeking out from its shelves. Hand-crafted doll houses decorated with scaled-down versions of decorative perfection: tiny chandeliers dripping with tiny glass beads...that actually light up!!! Hanging baskets of flowers ready for the wrap-around porches, little lawn mowers, farm house sinks, baby cradles; if you can dream it, it's in that shop!!! Then there was me...with my meagre ten minutes...!!
Well, I snapped into action, allowing my eyes to dance over as much as I could when I spied what would be
the purchase of my entire trip.........there in front of me, was the most realistic, scaled-down version of the fairy door of my dreams!! Now, it wasn't exactly a fairy door, but it would do a stand-up job as a substitute!! It had gorgeous moulding as the door frame, a tiny door handle, and...hold your breath for this one...a stained glass insert!!!! I dared not breathe as I asked the price. With the clerk's response, my excitement drained from me. It was well over one hundred dollars...definitely not qualifying as either a practical purchase (which it didn't have to be) or a purchase that I could sensibly justify to anyone, including myself. You see, I have problems with certain pricing points. If something is $19.95, no problem. If it is 17.95, the number doesn't sit well with me. If the price is $39.95, again, okay. If it is 52.95...it's probably not going to come home with me. In the same vein, I can buy five things for $20 each, but have a lot of difficulty buying something for $100. It's weird, and I can't explain it, but it just is. If I am going to spend $100 on a single item, it has to be
big!! A fairy door for that price just doesn't qualify...
The shop keeper, sensing my disappointment, laughed and reassured me that I could find a very similar unpainted version,
sans the glass (which was fine with me), for
next to nothing!!! Sure enough, at the back of the store, was a little display of unfinished doors with lovely frames and a selection of door accessories to purchase as well. I was thrilled to find the most beautiful wooden door and frame, handle with door knocker, and even accessories to set the scene scattered throughout the store. I paid in total, about $39.95 ( a good number) when all was said and done. That even included a little "cast iron" mailbox and some rubber boots for the "fairies" to slip on when they leave the house.
In my efforts to be authentic to the
fairy door people (who actually know the
folklore behind these sweet, little doors) I decided to pick up a resin version for the inside of my entry as well. It was cheaper (in total, with accessories, $15) and painted up beautifully.
Now, you all know I did this for my little girl,who unfortunately wasn't even with me, and I was dearly wishing she was as she would have been able to charm her Daddy into letting us stay a lot longer. Unfortunately, since this trip wasn't about the adults (is it ever?), I had to adhere to our schedule and take our boys to the mall! Sure enough, as I was paying, my dear, sweet hubby called me on the cellphone to "encourage" me to hurry along and let me know that the "bus" was leaving very soon...with or without me!!! The nerve! Do you honestly think the other
man of my dreams would utter those threats to his wife??? I don't think so...!!!
With only seconds to spare, I hopped (climbed) back into our gargantuan vehicle where I had been unceremoniously relegated to the back seat while I was in the shop. The indignities I suffered just because my fellow travellers were mostly male!!!! You can just bet that the next time I return to Toronto, I will be the driver, I'll drop the the testerone at the mall first, and I'll save all my spending money for that adorable, little shop. You can bet your money on that one!!!!
While I was in Toronto recently, I kept driving by the most intriguing little shop by the above name. Unfortunately, each time, we seemed to be driving to a destination and had a time line to keep. There is not a whole lot of shopping spontaneity when you are travelling with three kids and an early bird husband!
I tend to purchase my fair share of home decor magazines each month. A few like Country Home, Canadian Home and Country and House and Home are usually in my cart (among others), and Country Living usually has a very good chance of making it in there, but usually garners a quick glance-through first. Although it goes head to head with Country Home on the stands, it falls short sometimes. Personally, I have a lot of favourites over at Country Home (uhmm...can you take a guess...???) and one is the outgoing editor, Carol Sheehan, whose editorials I am so going to miss now that she is retiring. In fact, I feel obliged to dedicate an entire post about her and will do so later in the week. 
its delightful pink cupcakes gracing the cover ...tantalizing me with their pink confection. Also, this month features the Country Living House of the Year and I never miss that one! Sigh...while it is indeed a beautiful home, I felt rather deflated that it was, again,a home that most of us could only ever dream of. Of course, I am not so naive as to think that they are going to showcase a tiny lacklustre home, but I was discouraged at the outright unattainablity of it. Everything high end, custom...perfect. Lots to love, but I was left with a plaintive voice in my head asking, "Why??" 
Besides, the great color, I love the unusual manner of displaying all the varying objects. My favorite arrangement is the grouping of tiny animals above the chair rail.
When it comes to finding accessories for a home, I can be a bit of a snob. I don't necessarily think that a house has to be filled with very costly items or rare antiques, but I don't like poorly made items that are sold by the thousands. Occasionaly, I find a chain store item that I love anyway, so I decided to share them. The first items I want to share are these beautiful butterfly prints from Pottery Barn. The prints have a wonderful array of colors, and the simple black frames, can work in almost any room. The small 8"x10" frames start at only $39.00, and my personal favorite, the "Quad scape" is only $299.00 for the set of four. I really love these prints, but if I start seeing them all over the place, I reserve the right to change my mind. I know, I know, so snobby.
