Enjoy The Sunnyside

When I was in Vancouver about a month ago I took a trip to Deep Cove. Oh what a strange and lovely place it was! It looked like somewhere straight from David Lynch’s mind. Dim light, towering mountains, calm reflective waters, and an ever-presence of fog. It was so beautiful and mysterious.

Within the small handful of shops on the main drag I found Sunnyside. What a bright gem on this 2-block shopping strip! Upon entering, I was immediately engulfed in the most wonderful scent – a medley of all the handmade candles, teas, bath salts, and soaps on the shelves. I visited that shop 3 times while in Deep Cove (I was only there for a day trip) and I purchased many lovely things to bring home.

They make their own candles, bath salts, and soaps in scents inspired by the Cove. Taking a deep breath of any in their collection relaxes my whole body immediately. Along with those beautifully scented goods, they create and sell their own tea blends and have them all for sale in the shop, tea leaves or tea latte style. They also carry beautiful hand crafted pottery, inspiring books, and sweet planters. I stocked my bags full, and will need to replenish in time for Christmas.

All images courtesy of enjoythesunnyside.com

Father’s Day

My dad is hard to buy for. He isn’t the ‘typical dad’ who loves beer, golf, fishing, or awkwardly fitted slacks, so the ‘typical father’s day gifts’ that are pushed to the front of shop windows don’t grab me. He is pretty quick to the draw when it comes to cool gadgets, so he’s already beaten me to the punch (not that they are in my price range anyhow!) And although he says he doesn’t need anything, I could never go without getting him a gift. This year, though, I finally figured out a gift that would be useful and uniquely tailored to him with everything he loves. A gift box!

1. Carriage 44 Soaps
These soaps are all natural and handmade in Montreal, and they smell amazing. The No. 1 Soap, which is a black pepper and charcoal soap, is supposed to be a deep cleaner and make your skin feel baby soft. The Dead Sea Mud soap is a great exfoliator and is rich in nutrients. And they just smell amazing.

2. Candied Ginger
My dad loves candied ginger. I’m pretty sure he’s eaten the whole jar already.

3. Gentleman’s Hardware Harmonica
My dad loves music, and this was a great way to slip a little non-edible present into the gift box.

4. Big Bro Espresso
My dad loves coffee, and I have been told this is the best espresso around (I myself do not dabble in the coffee drinking). Roasted in Toronto’s east end by Pilot Coffee Roasters, it’s a nice way to add something local and support an independent business!

5. More Candied Ginger
Yeah… he loves it!

6. Local Ontario Cheeses
I had a lot of fun picking which cheeses I would put in this box. It was a gift for me too!

7. The Grinder Pinotage
Fruit, chocolate, and espresso are the notes for this wine, and it seemed to fit right in with the theme of this box.

You can buy boxes from a local hardware, craft, or dollar store, but I had no such luck with my search. A trip to Value Village, however, presented me with the bottom half of this box, which fit all my gifts perfectly. I wanted to have something for the top, so I went to De Serres, purchased some wood pressbaord, and cut it to fit. To make it look a little nicer, I used my gold Sharpie to write a message on the lid. And voila! A perfectly transportable, delicious, and unique present for father’s day.

Oh and that wooden board at the bottom of the following photo, it balances wine at a 45 degree angle to the table. It’s pretty ridiculously neat.