Intermiel in Saint-Eustache

Intermiel is a honey producer in Saint-Eustache, Quebec and I love to go there. Not only because it is relatively close to Montreal - about 45 minutes no traffic - but because the drive up is so lovely. All along the way you will find farmers selling their wares as well as apple orchards and another favorite place of mine, La Maison Lavande. 

Today I decided to go and stock up on beeswax supplies at Intermiel and lavender at La Maison Lavande and was happily surprised to see that Intermiel had completely renovated their boutique and learning spaces (this is a popular school field trip). Here are a few pics from my visit. 

Many different kinds of honey

Beeswax and beeswax candles

Many products made with their honey

The tasting area - YUM!

The different kinds of honey

The Candy bar

Checkout

This is a great place to bring your kids. You can taste the honey, learn how it's produced and walk away with some very interesting products without breaking the bank. Please click here for more info. 

Up-cycled wood patio surround

    Contemporary Patio by San Francisco Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Growsgreen Landscape Design

This patio surround is made entirely from up-cycled wood and has an artistic bent with it's uneven lengths. Although I might have opted for a more uniform color on the upper part, I like the fact that there are peep holes. They let you see some greenery and makes the wall less confining. 

If this deck/patio were mine, I would add a variety of tall and short grasses to the bottom half of the surround. Grasses would add an element of sound and Zen to the space. There is nothing more relaxing that hearing grasses waving in the wind and the symmetry of the evenly spaced tall and short grasses would give it a very uniform and zen look.  Add some soft candlelight on the table and you have all the ingredients for a very romantic evening. 

These are the grasses I have in my front garden. They only get the plumes in the Fall when the temperature drops but I can see them waving from inside my home and it's so beautiful. Very peaceful. 

xo Tracey  

A Re-purposed Steel Home

I love the idea of re-purposing construction materials. Given my long career in design I know firsthand how many perfectly good items get tossed aside. This story however is the exact opposite. It is the story of how metal broker S. J. Sherbanuk created his dream home out of old scrap.  

The home is situated in the town of Blue Mountains in Grey County, Ontario, and is comprised of a series of sheds made mainly of re-purposed steel. Each shed corresponds to a section of the house with the tallest tower housing the kitchen, bedroom and workout room. 

You wouldn't think that a steel structure would work well in a forest but although a bit unorthodox, the house seemingly fits right into the landscape nestled among the trees. I know I wouldn't have any trouble living there, how about you? Would you like to live in a re-purposed metal home surrounded by trees? 

For more photos and the complete story by dwell please click here.     

Alpacas, Lavender and a beautiful day in the country

Some of you may know that I am learning how to knit (see my first knitting post here). Well I guess a more correct declaration would be that I am re-learning how to knit. I first learned how to knit when I was a kid and promptly decided that it was a lot of work and took up needlepoint instead. All that back and forth - knit and purl - was not my cup of tea. Fast forward what seems like a hundred years and Tracey (me) has fallen in love with all things woolly. This includes gorgeous wool blankets, cushions, chunky scarves and floor cushions made out of felt. I can't get enough of it. So I decide to take knitting classes. Then I fall in love with alpaca wool. Then I decide that I have to meet the ones who produce this soft and luxurious wool so off I go to Alpagas des Hauts Vents to meet the alpacas.

The beautiful female alpaca that you see above and below is called Shablis and she is not only soft to the touch but incredibly mild mannered. I rubbed her cheeks and patted her head while she stood there and took it all in, quite content with all the attention. 

I learned a great deal about alpacas today thanks to our host Sara. Did you know that Alpaca's are from the camel family and they have no top teeth so they cannot eat anything hard? The female alpacas also have no "heat cycle" so they can breed at any time. The gestation period is 11 months and the babies - called cria - are usually able to stand and nurse within an hour. 

Each grown Alpaca eats approx. one bale of hay per month and their poop is one of the richest organic fertilizers you'll ever find (for those of you who like to garden). 

 

Alpaca wool is hypoallergenic and doesn't contain lanolin like sheep's wool so you can spin it straight off the animal. Although Sara doesn't spin the wool herself (she has enough to do between taking care of the alpacas, goats, chickens, dogs, cats and kids) she has an on-site boutique that sells her alpaca wool as well as some pretty awesome local creations made using her wool. 

I couldn't leave without picking up a few items such as this beautiful scarf (bottom right with the white) and I can't wait for Winter so that I can wear it!

I can't say enough good things about Alpaga des Hauts Vents. So if you're ever in Havelock or on your way to Parc Safari I would highly recommend taking a small detour to visit the farm. Sara and her husband Jean-Yves will be more than happy to introduce their alpacas to you and your little ones. 

I like to buy locally but if you can't make it to the farm you can always buy on-line. Here is the link to her shop.

If you're ever in Monteal and you feel like taking a drive in the country I would recommend taking the "Circuit du paysan" which will bring you to many local farms, including this one, and other attractions such as a lavender farm called "Lavandou" that I will post about soon.

All photos ©Tracey MacKenzie

DIY: Recycled Bottle Cap Light

This is a pretty simple and fun DIY. All you have to do is save your bottle caps, glue them together with a glue gun, add a light fixture and presto - a light is born. 

Instructions:

Line up your bottle caps to form 6 panels with one panel containing a hole for your light fixture. 

Glue the bottle caps together using a glue gun. 

Once the glue has dried, glue 4 sides and the bottom together (5 panels total) 

Add your light fixture with a bulb and then glue down the final panel. 

Keep in mind that the light bulb has to be the same size as your light fixture in order for you to be able to change the light (think Christmas light bulbs - oval shaped).  If you prefer to have access to the light bulb you can simply rest the top panel on the sides for easy access. 

via

Recyled plastic made into shoes

Being an animal lover and avid recycler nothing breaks my heart more than to see pictures of birds who have swallowed plastic or sea turtles that are stuck in drink wrappers. Try as we might to reduce plastic, it is still turning up on the shores of many beaches. As such, three friends, Charles Duffy, William Gubbins, and Billy Turvey, got together to come up with a way of communicating the link between waste and consumerism, “and the disposability of contemporary products” in a project they call “Everything You Buy Is Rubbish”. Using plastic waste they found along UK shores the three friends made a pair of shoes out of the rubbish they found. Check out the video on design milk to see how they did it.

photos courtesy design milk

From Garbage to Gorgeous

I admire the Brits. They are so industrious when it comes to re-using materials in an unusual way and this house is just another example of their brilliance. Made almost solely from waste and recycled materials, this house, constructed at the University of Brighton's Grand Parade campus, is an ongoing experiment in waste management. The story of how it was built is worth the read. Can you imagine walls filled with used video cassettes and jeans for insulation? How about toothbrushes? Click here for the whole story and all 54 pictures of the process. 

Walls filled with jeans and video cassettes act as insulation. 

Raw wood tables + dining on the beach

I'm a big fan of eating outdoors. Add a raw wood table and I'm smitten. Add a raw wood table + the beach and I will never leave.

I can just imagine the lanterns lit as night descends with the palm trees swaying in the background. My kind of Heaven!

For more raw tables see post on my website. 

Prefab Contemporary Office

This practical and gorgeous prefabricated contemporary office from KitHAUS was designed by Tom Sandonato and Martin Wehmann.

The KitHAUS K3 is a fully insulated, pre-wired glass and metal structure that is easy to install in your backyard. Also offered fully furnished for an instant office or guest room, the decking extends from the inside out to further expand the living space. You can also add more modules to create more living space without having to add onto your house. Hmmm, I'm thinking Yoga/Meditation space......

Plywood scraps to beautiful modern furniture

Re-cycle and up-cycle. Two words that I love and the folks over at rePly have taken those words to heart with their latest furniture collection. Using recycled plywood scraps, each piece is hand crafted and unique. Check them out.

Flower Shop in Singapore

A chalkboard painted work station, up-cycled wine crates and re-cycled vases are the staples of this eco-friendly flower shop called Daughters by Floral Magic located in Singapore. Having a chalkboard work station makes it easy to label the drawers and the up-cycled wine crates are perfect for displaying their recycled bottles and jars come vases. I really love the idea of the chalkboard work station so you know what that means...something is going to be painted soon! 

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DIY: Recycled Newspaper Sprouting Pots

photo via

There are a lot of ways that you can make your own newspaper sprouting pots but this is what I deem to be the easiest and cheapest. Yes, you can buy a fancy newspaper pot maker here but why spend money when you don't have to. All you need is a can, or a variety of cans depending on the sizes you want, some newspaper and some tape. Pretty easy no?

These instructions are for a can of tomato paste. 

Instructions (photos follow text):

First get your newspaper out and fold one single sheet into three.
Next get your can of tomato paste.
Place can on newspaper with about 1/4 of can above the edge of the newspaper.
Wrap the newspaper around the can leaving it loose enough for easy removal and secure with tape along the edge.
Flip can over and fold down each side to touch the bottom of the can and then tape closed.
Remove newspaper from can.
Place newspaper pots in a tray - anything that will hold them upright will do.
Fill with potting soil and plant seeds.
Keep seedlings moist (not too wet) until you are ready to plant them, newspaper pot and all (the newspaper will decompose naturally in the soil).

Single sheet of newspaper with can of tomato paste.

Newspaper folded into 3 with can of tomato paste.

Newspaper wrapped around can of tomato paste and side secured with tape.

Flip can over and start to fold newspaper inwards. 

Continue folding until all sides are folded.

Secure bottom with tape.

Finished sprouting pot.

Continue making them until you have your desired amount. 

Place the pots in a tray. Fill them with potting soil, plant your seeds and one day you'll have this!

this photo via

Happy Gardening!

xo Tracey