Swansea Modern Renovation

I recently photographed another project completed by Katherine Harrison Architecture and Design. Kate has been busy working on the renovation of numerous homes in the neighbourhood of Bloor West Village. Living in the area herself, Kate has a vested interest in these homes and it really shows. She takes great care in everything she designs and makes sure the clients are extremely satisfied at the end of each project. Kate re-designed the first floor of this home, focusing on an open concept design and plenty of storage space distributed throughout.

The minute I stepped into this house, I fell in love with all the decor. 

Anything marble and I'm in love. So of course I loved the custom backsplash.

Dogsledding at Windrift Adventures

With winter not over yet, and Toronto getting a fresh dumping of snow over the last few days, I thought it appropriate to post my recent snowy outdoor experience (there's still time to go before the end of the season!).

Having been wanting to go dogsledding for quite some time, my good friend Michelle and I finally got the opportunity a few weekends ago when we visited Windrift Adventures in Orillia. With it being over an hour and a half away, we woke up pretty early and made our way up north. And it's a good thing we left when we did because by the time we hit Barrie, it had begun to snow quite heavily, whereas Toronto barely had any snow!

Upon arrival, we were asked to sign a waiver and then proceeded to follow the guides to the trail about two kilometres away from where the sleds were already waiting for us.

After listening to instructions from our guides Ren and Cody, on how to handle the dogs, they were harnessed in and instantly the dogs were anxious to start. Getting the dogs to start running requires you to yell "Hike!" to which the dogs respond quickly. Turning requires you to shift your body in the direction you would like to go and stopping or slowing down requires you to stand on a u-shaped metal piece attached to the back of the sled.

Trasher and Mac, our lead dogs, waiting patiently.

Buster and Aero, who are brothers, were our wheel dogs. Aero was the loud one who couldn't wait to get started.

Several minutes into our run, Buster and Aero were replaced with Brynn and Gamble, as they were too fast and we kept catching up to the sled in front of us too quickly.

There were also several spots during the trail that we had to stop at and have our guides lead the dogs through these difficult to cross places. The whole experience was incredible. It's hard to describe the kind of connection you make with these dogs so early on. I loved how they would look back at you in frustration when your foot touched the brake or when they were made to stop.

Midway through the half-day tour, we stopped to drink hot chocolate, eat snacks and Cody made us a fire in the snow. 

Brynn and Gamble.

Tunis and Kenya.

Prince and Darka (left). Hatfield and Lycan (right).

Our dogsledding team.

Michelle getting some love from Taz and Gremlin.

We took this time to pet the dogs, ask questions and relax, as controlling the sled is a lot harder than it looks and basically gives you a full upper body workout. Initially, I had worn mittens, and had to switch to my leather gloves, which had more grip, otherwise my hands kept sliding all over the handle.

We had the best time and would like to thank Windrift Adventures for having us and would recommend them to anyone who has wanted to try dogsledding (they also offer horseback riding in the summer and off-road dune buggy experiences). Not only is it a great workout, but it was an amazing experience, especially if you love dogs. The staff were really knowledgeable, friendly and answered all of the our questions. You could tell that everyone working there loved what they do and was a true dog lover.

Little Rose and Co.

My good friends Mandy and Brad recently started a company called Little Rose & Co. that sells toys made out of wood and I love the concept behind their shop! Their current inventory consists of wooden cameras, tablets, radios, walkie talkies and bowling pins. Having two children of their own, they wanted to make toys that encourage children to use their imagination, hence none of their products require batteries. All of the toys are handmade in Burlington by the crafty couple, who have turned their passion into a business. Below you can see their adorable daughter Delilah modelling the cameras.

If you're looking for a unique toy for your kids, a gift, or decor for your kid's room, you should take a look at their site. Plus, you'll be supporting the nicest people, who put a lot of thought and care into what they make. Also, if you post a picture of your camera on Instagram and tag them, you could be featured on their Instagram page.

 The littlest skull diapers from The Honest Company.

Delilah's spelling of her own name. She yelled at me when I started out spelling it with a lowercase d. That's not my name, she said.

Getting her to stand still for these shots was the hardest thing. Let's just say there was a lot of bribing involved.

Not only can your kids play with the tablet, but you can prop it up on your workstation and use it to write down notes or tasks.