hiatus

dear valued reader(s),

brick.a.brack will be on a short break while i'm writing a million papers, and researching for debates, and studying for exams! but stay tuned because i have a bunch of great posts in store for you this summer! i'll be back in june with a fun photo series, some great summer reads, thrifty finds and some big news! (hopefully!!)

much love 

 miss. brick

xo

lemon cookies

i made more cookies! and they are the most yummy things i've ever tasted! it was nice for a change to try something that didn't have chocolate in it, while still being savoury and sweet and truly delish! and i can't believe how easy they were to make...one box of lemon cake mix, lemon juice, lemon zest (which i added...), some eggs and oil, roll in powdered sugar and bake for 7 minutes! check out the recipe by clicking on the first picture!

gingerbread

so, i made some cookies the other day. they were pretty yummy. crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. i haven't been having too much luck baking lately. my last two ventures (a yummy chocolate, earl grey tea cake [stuck to the pan] and peanut butter oat squares [i put too much salt in them, however the dog though they were dope]) were utter failures. it was very discouraging because it was the first time(s) i used my stand mixer. but now i'm back in the groove. enjoy drooling over the pictures!

i'm sorry, but how good do these look! check out the recipe by clicking on the last picture!

the voice

sometimes i just need this voice to speak a little louder...

chai tea

or if you're dyslexic like me thai chi (only sometimes, when i'm thinking too fast...) it's my new favourite thing thanks to aunt cathy. right now i'm just rocking the tazo (which is a little too anise-y for me) but i want to go and find a nice, queen elizabeth quality loose tea to brew at home. i just love the spices and with a splash of milk it's a delightfully smooth treat! and it smells like freaking christmas!

this week on pinterest

now that spring is here, i am getting a crusin' bike...

i love the mix of style in this room

and how the pink just keeps showing up!

this is so quirky i can't not like it

may day illustration by mary blair

it just reminds me of the little golden books

i used to read when i was a kid

i don't know if i'd wear these

but i wouldn't mind a larger version on

my front door!

<3 labyrinth

this photo cracks me up

lucy was ahead of her time

this is the greatest idea ever!

sometimes thirfting is awesome!

I got a phone call from the bibles for missions in beamsville last week informing me that i won something (well, i guess it's not technically winning if i then have to pay for it...)!!! i guess they had tried to contact like four other people that were below me on the list so yeppie for me. i honestly didn't even remember what it was other than i knew it was sea foam green. but how excited was i when i saw this:

can you believe this?

i giggled like a little girl when i saw it!

i love tea

have i mentioned that?

and i mean i wouldn't have placed a bid on

it if i didn't like it in the first place...

oh, i also got this painting

and some pillow cases...

whatever...

artsy fartsy

i've always like the sound of artsy fartsy

leslie's map

i've been sitting on this story for a while. i'm sorry. i just wanted to do it justice! so, leslie is a lovely lady that i work with who shares my thrifting and repurposing passion. this just goes to show you that with a little imagination an old, unused, family treasure can have a new life with a little elbow grease and some thrift store frames.

the map was in her boyfriend's parents garage

hung on the wall behind some ladders and other yard equipment

it was in pretty rough shape

so they had to carefully cut it down off the wall

i can't believe she found such beautiful frames

at thrift stores! must find out where she goes...

skilled workers hanging the new found artwork

the imperfections give it great character

and just think of the story that it has

something old gives charm to this beautiful new home!

thanks leslie!

crazy diamond

going grey

i'm not going to lie, when i found my first grey hair i was mortified. when my hairdresser mentioned it, i was a little embarrassed. now i keep noticing more and more, lightly tinting my natural auburn (i believe it's auburn...) hair at my temples and a one inch section opposite my part...i've been dying my hair for as long as i can remember and i've been every colour under the sun. i can't even count how many times i've told a hairdresser to never let me dye my hair this or that colour ever again (and inevitably doing it anyway...). lately i've been contemplating just letting it grow out. i know, sounds crazy. i think i might be (and so does mr. brack). i'm just so sick of all the upkeep and i very rarely get my colour done. but it's exhausting. and for what? to spend money? to look attractive? i think i might be done with the whole thing! gasp. shock. i'm not the only crazy though. apparently it's like in or something. perfectly sane youngins like me are voluntarily dying their melanin rich hair shades of grey! (don't get any ideas here ladies, this is a family blog...) so, i guess here goes...i can't guarantee i won't renege on this in a month or so. but that's the beauty of it.

i can't tell if this is photoshopped, but

the grey doesn't take away from her youthfulness

this is sarah harris, who is 31, and works for vogue

and who rocks grey hair...

adventures in antiquing: my lovelies

sorry i made you all wait the whole weekend to see my haul! i hope it was worth it for you! i truly enjoy having these lovely items in my home...

my aunt cathy said cardinals bring creativity and insight

so i hung it over my desk hoping it will bring a little to my studies

at least it will perk me up if i'm feeling a little blue

i love reading vintage postcards

the pictures sometimes make me laugh...

who would send a picture of oil fields in texas

people in the 50's thats who

it makes me want to send more postcards

maybe one day someone will buy one of mine

and display it in their home...

this one is from a lady named eva to her friend

helene gorges in rochester, ny

(not to be creepy but i looked her up and she was real!

i couldn't find the address but i did find her date of birth and

death; june 10, 1903 - nov 2, 1992)

the post mark says july 25, 1939

holyoke, mass.

just a simple little message

i feel a collection coming on...

so much joy for only $1

right now this beautiful old farming (?) basket

holds my knapsack and scarves

i imagine it used to collect fresh veggies from the garden

or maybe some fresh eggs

(still warm from the chicken's ass...as my papas would say)

this piece deserves three pictures

BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

i don't know if it's 'worth' anything

but to me it's worth some delicious, freshly reamed

juice

in all it's glory

and lastly this beautiful venetian painting

it came as a pair but the other needs a little tlc

i could never paint anything like this

and i love the way it adds a little personality to my home

it's not something that is mass produced

(ahhh...another collection has begun)

the thing i love about thrifting and antiquing is the story an item has; who owned it before, where was it displayed/ used/ loved? i'm all for buying new (mattresses and couches are a must for me...unless i know who's giving it to me...basically if i can't throw it in the washer or reupholster it...) but i love that my home is a reflection of myself and my family. new pieces make new stories and old pieces finding their place in my life. mr. brack always gives me a hard time about getting rid of furniture (i.e.. my beautiful midcentury dresser that houses my tv etc.) but i think it's more beautiful than anything i could get at ikea or stoney creek furniture or wherever...

adventures in antiquing

a few weekends ago, my mom and i travelled to the nited states (as my stepsister, addy, calls it...) to visit my aunt cathy and uncle steve in beautiful rochester, ny for some antiquing! a short car ride later and we were in antique mecca: canandaigua! after three huge markets, sever hours, and one delicious crepe lunch, we were some tired antiquers!

my aunt cathy making dinner (the one with the beautiful, curly hair)

and my mom (also a cathy...) ruining my picture by smiling...

also i love my aunt's decorating style...

it's like french country/eclectic/minimalist/simply beautiful...

the lamp over the marble top table was rescued from

a warehouse in brooklyn...i love it!

the most delish chicken pot pie...

honestly, i could have eaten the whole thing!

must get this recipe...

just a simple salad...

dessert served with warm

devon cream...

yum yum!

her plates are all red and white patterned

picked up here and there...

 

who still has a phone on the wall?

i love this!

aunt cathy with her dad, my great grandfather,

her house is scattered with beautiful old memories

like this one...

no, i didn't write this book...

a cheery, yellow ice crusher...

a lot of the vintage finds out there are cocktail related...

hmmmm....

so many bikes!

should'a bought this beaut...

antique markets carry an abundance of collections

pyrex...

case in point

al gore, what a stud

my mom's cockatiel, griffin

in statue form...

kinky notebooks

nanu nanu

this one kinda creeped me out...

but it really says something about

the impact of the movie...

(love story, incase you didn't know)

(for shame...)

i don't know what the allure of these ducks (?)

is exactly...but if you like them they come in

a billions colours and sizes

i had such a wonderful time wandering around antique markets! so much, that after summer school, i'm taking mr. brack on an antiquing adventure of our own!! 

ps. stay tuned for my lovely purchases!