Goodbye to Silver Falls.....

Today is my last day at Silver Falls, it's true.
My co-worker/pal Jess is taking over the business as of April 1st.
It has been an amazing, challenging insane-o three years and I feel like I learned so
much about myself, business, life. But it is time for me to move on and try some new things. The space at 15 Ossington has been host to a collection of start-up enterprises:
Hunter and Cook Gallery, our first antique shop, LAB Consignment, Chosen Vintage, and now
Jess's Silver Falls and another in-store venture to be announced.
I think that is what pleases me most about my business, that I got to work with my pals and help/encourage them in some way to open their own shops. I'm proud of them for having the courage to go out on their own and make it work!
A big thank you to anyone who helped support the shop, I'm grateful for each and every customer.
If you miss me, I'll be at my antique shop around the corner. Still at 1080 Queen West but
now called Symbolist. I also registered the name as a "partnership" so Jay and I are true partners in business.
Sayonara Silver Falls!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Trip Zone Part 2.

Get off my back okay? I can't even explain to you how Crazy Mcgrazy life is for me right now.

I'll tell you, it would make some goooooood blog material though.

Anyhoo, back to my trip. After Paris we took a train down to the South of France to stay in the beautiful city of Montpellier. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and it was a very peaceful two days....except for all the major party students screaming outside of our hotel ALL night until 6AM. See, there are like, three big universities there and university people are on a constant bender c/o mum and dad. I'm majoring in puking on the street with a minor in never shutting the f*$k up............

Easily digestible public art:

The streets are super wind-y and close together like how you imagine...and old-y...very old.

A beautiful door:

Roman aqueduct:

Watched the Whitney funeral, missed R Kelley:

All very nice, South of France... Then we took a train to Barcelona:

Barcelona was weird, like sorta blander than I thought and the food was icky. Like an olive wrapped in squid dipped in mayonnaise or something....

The Gaudi stuff is undeniably amazing though........

It's a long way up to the Gaudi Parc Guell.....

Gaudi lived here in the 20's:

Next up, Marrakesh (oy vey) and Lisbon!

Trip Zone 1.

I went on a three week trip to Europe/ Africa with Jay and I've been too inside-out and upside-down to post about it.... I'll break it into parts so it is more manageable for you, okay?



We flew into Berlin first and Holy Christ on a Cracker was it ever cold!

Travel Tip #1 Do NOT go to Germany during the coldest cold snap in over two decades.

Luckily I was prepared and had my warmest jacket, long johns and two pairs of mitts.

The Berliners seemed impervious to cold, all open, thin leather jackets and gloveless hands holding tall cans of beer. We had a tight social schedule since we both have friends that live there.










Dave and Iliana at some smoky bar somewhere...







Jay was busy getting talked up by a gigantic German dude with a fresh, bloody head wound....
slightly disconcerting:

Robin and Jennifer were there too:

We did as much as we could in the cold, gallery-ied it up, drank cheapo beer, visited my pal Alex's very impressive cafe Aunt Benny. Then it was sayonara Berlin, hello Brussels:

Guess what? It was just as cold in Belgium! I guess we have been spoiled with our mild Canadian Winter? We're supposed to be the COLD country right?! We live in igloos and all that....

It is hard to look presentable in -million temperatures:

Brussels was a bit of a mystery...can't say I fully got it. Feel like you would have to spend time there to get to know it. The core of the city is like a medieval tourist Disney World surrounded by modern government buildings and hotels. We tried to slum it one night and stay in a hostel but Peedge and I are way to old to sleep in party-time jail cells. Besides, you can get a 5 star hotel on Hotwire for even less $$$$, doy. I saw some Bruegel's and Bosch's here in the flesh which made it all worth while.

Next, we took a peaceful train ride down to Paris as the weather began to slowly warm up.

It's way cheaper to fly in Europe but I kinda hate flying so I mixed in a few train trips.

It was nice to see Paris again, even more amazing than I remember.........

We rented a little loft apartment on airbnb because it is way to difficult to find cheap hotels/hostels in Paris...... it was nice, quiet and in the livable Goncourt area.

Peedge got an awful cold and was sick the whole time we were in Paris, doh!

Foreshadowing Alert: I get this cold at some point as well.
He was a trooper though, healed by the spirit of art we went to the Musee D'Orsay- the Art Noveau section blew my mind not to mention the Toulouse Lautrecs!

We accidentally stumbled upon the Gustave Moreau Museum, one of Jay's favorite painters!

It was his house/studio and you could even see his apartment, set up as he lived:

Some old historical junk...that shit's everywhere!

Artfully applied spray paint:

It's never too early to get your kid addicted to sugar:

A view of Paris from Monmartre... you're a tourist! Just roll with it!

The stairs up to our 5th floor rental apartment. God forbid you should forget something up there, it would just have to wait:

Check out some of the room prices at this fancy hotel. How ahhhhhhmazing can a 6000 euro hotel room be?!!? How are you going to make one night feel like 6000 euros, how?! Extra, extra soft towels probably:

This weird supermarket across from the apartment:

Trying to stay warm in heatless apartment by drinking beer:

Up next: Barcelona and Montpellier!

It will never be the same.

Contents of makeup case pick pocketed in Lisbon:

1 Cover Girl powder compact- pressed.
1 Glysomed hand cream- mini.
1 Eyebrow pencil.
1 Rimmel black eyeliner- waterproof.
1 Chinese comb.
1 Quo retractable makeup brush- discontinued!
1 MAC Stiletto lipstick- discontinued!




Never let your guard down people, or you may lose an irreplaceable 8 year old lipstick.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm alive people!
I was away on a highly complex European Vacation and now I'm in a pile of ketchup...
I have photos for you soon and clever captions,
promise,
Love Me