{ crafty burlingtonians }

Have you heard of Etsy? If not, let me introduce you to my favourite website. Etsy is devoted to hand made goods. Before you go "ug" - think beautiful, chic, sophisticated, cute, well-crafted items. Well imagine my delight to find 4 Burlingtonians selling their wares on Etsy!

Purse collection for Blythes via iana's shop



Air Wynn glass designs:



Puppy collars by erinder:



Naturally Hip panty liners:

{ a weekend walk . treasures uncovered }

On a walk through the beautiful streets of downtown Burlington, we weave in and out of shops...uncovering hidden treasures along the way.

{ Pane Fresco } - a mandatory Sunday destination...pick up your baked goods for the day or stop in for a tasty brunch.







{ A dog on a mission } - a random dog that made us chuckle...since it looked like it was driving the car.




{ InVU } - yes, I've posted about InVU before, but what can I say...it's my favorite spot in Burlington.




{ Book Nook } - over 20,000 books grace the shelves of this quaint Brant Street book store!

{ a fiesta . a cake . then a siesta }

This past weekend, during an ice storm, we celebrated 3 birthdays. We tried hard to leave the snow behind with a cheap and cheery fiesta-themed party - breaking out the Sombreros, Mexican decorations and even a pinata. The evening was capped up with one of the ugliest birthday cakes ever created (compliments of Fortinos).

{ a saturday evening tasting }

Enjoy an evening of premium VQA wine from Maleta Winery at Paletta Mansion's monthly wine tasting event. Taking place this Saturday evening from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., this is your opportunity to taste Maleta's award-winning Bordeaux-style Meritage.

To book, call Terry Milewski at 906-632-7809 ext. 3.

{ the grand farewell }

In the most recent edition of Biz magazine I came across a really interesting business concept. The Grand Farewell is a Burlington-based company that creates short autobiographical videos of a person's life, made while their still living, to be shown at their funeral.

OK, let's get this over with - yes, it's macabre, morbid, and slightly depressing. But on the lighter side, it's a fantastic opportunity for someone to share their story and define their legacy...and provide a memory that will stand the test of time.

Click here to find out about the process.

Call for a free, no-obligation consultation:
1-905-315-5055
email ron@thegrandfarewell.com.

{ lunar eclipse }

Thought I'd share a few pictures of the beautiful lunar eclipse last week. Stunning! If you missed it, the next total lunar eclipse will be on December 21, 2010. Mark your calendars.

{ THE best sandwich west of the city }

As the title of this post states, I'm going to talk about the best sandwich west of the city. In fact, it was so good the first time that I went back the very next day to get the same sandwich again (and it was just as good!). Artisano Bakery Cafe is an unassuming little spot in between a spattering of outlet stores in the RioCan Center (that's the name of the new outdoor outlet center on Burloak). There's plenty of parking, but the challenge becomes how to navigate around the throngs of Artisano-groupies shuffling in and out of this hot-spot.

Now I can't comment on why everyone else flocks to Artisano, but I can tell you that the best sandwich I've ever had the pleasure of consuming came out of this cafe. Nestled between 2 slices of herb & cheese focaccia sits generous shavings of turkey breast, bacon and provolone cheese, seasoned with their very own garlic-parmiggiano sauce. Then pressed, panini-style, and served warm. It is one of the most delightful experiences...and a must try. The sandwich is called the Turkey, Bacon & Provolone Panini. If you order it by itself, it's served with a gourmet dill pickle slice and your choice of kettle chips or an apple. You can also choose to eat a 1/2 a sandwich (which, believe me, is more than enough) with either a soup or a salad.

So, what are you waiting for?
RioCan Centre Burloak
Artisano Bakery Cafe Ltd.
3505 Wyecroft Road, Building I, Unit 3
Oakville, Ontario
L6L 0B6
Phone: 905-825-5271
Fax: 905-825-2450

Oh, and also try out their other location:
Artisano Bakery Cafe Ltd.
1020 Islington Avenue, #14
Toronto, Ontario
M8Z 6A4

And their set to open another one soon:
Artisano Bakery Cafe Ltd.
353 Iroquois Road,
Oakville, Ontario