Five Things on a Friday – 5/8/26

Happy Friday! I hope the month of May is treating you well so far, and you’ve been finding an excuse to get outside and enjoy this beautiful time of year at least a little bit each day. Grab a cozy beverage, and I’ll fill you in on everything that’s been happening around here.

Before we do anything, let’s have a little rose update. You might remember that I told you last week about how I had planted a few bare root roses in my garden. The roses I chose were in shades of butter yellow, cream, and champagne and came from the iconic purveyor of quality roses, Jackson & Perkins. I’m so thrilled to report that I’m already seeing tons of new growth on all five of the rose bushes that I planted. I planted three different varieties: A floribunda, a climbing rose, and a shrub rose, and they’ve all just completely taken off. I’m so excited to see them fill in and bloom later this growing season, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated as things progress.

I’m officially calling it: lace curtains are back. It was definitely inevitable, and really the logical next step after seeing wallpapers, floral textiles, dark wood furniture, plate walls, and other grandma-coded traditional decorating staples. As a lover of all things traditional, I am very much in favour of this new/old direction that design trends are moving in. When I saw that my friends at Curtarra had released a new, updated lace curtain option, I jumped at the chance to try it out. I switched out my dark green kitchen cafe curtain for the new Juliette Rhythmic Ripple Lace Cafe Curtains, and I was instantly in love with how they helped balance out the more masculine aspects of this space in my home. I love the juxtaposition between the pretty lace curtains, the dark woods, and the aged brass accents found throughout this space. This lace has warm white and soft champagne tones, and it creates an elevated, updated effect that still feels firmly rooted in history and tradition. Use my code CH12 for 20% off your entire Curtarra order!

We moved Kennedy into a new apartment a couple of weeks ago, and it was such a satisfying experience, but also so so much work. I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of being shocked by just how much stuff can be accumulated in a home after a decade or so, but we were so surprised by how much stuff a 21-year-old can have in a tiny downtown Toronto apartment after only three years of university. To be fair, it was me who bought a lot of it. And she’s an art student with painting supplies and finished artworks piled high, so all good stuff. But still, so much stuff! Anyway, she moved with her roommate out of their little glass box in the sky, which was beautiful, but not really their style, and into an older building with a cozy, ’70s vibe and parquet flooring, which they love. And, of course, these older buildings have much more liveable floor plans, bigger rooms, and just generally a better use of space, so we’re all happy with the upgrade. The neighborhood is so lovely, so we’re hoping she can get settled in and be happy here for quite a while. You can see more of her work and see these paintings more clearly on her website.

I’ve been struggling a bit with my nutrition lately, and I’m excited to try something new to get me past my plateau. My coach, Ryan, from Oakman Coaching, has been gently pushing me to increase my calories over the past few months, and I’ve come so far! I’ve really increased how much I eat in a day by so much, but I do still technically need a bit more, and I haven’t quite been able to figure out how to fit that into my day in a balanced, healthy way. I feel like I’m always eating! With my strength training that I’ve been doing as well, I haven’t gained a single pound, and that’s just proof that this is fuel that I really needed. Factor Meals asked if I’d like to try a box of their chef-prepared, ready-to-heat-and-eat meals, and I thought it might be just the thing I need. These meals are balanced and fresh, and meant to be an easy, healthful option for athletes and other wellness-minded people on the go. So far, the meals have been so delicious, with options like Roasted Garlic Chicken with Yukon-Cauli Mash and Garlic Green Beans or Harissa Chicken with Basmati Rice, Chermoula Carrots & Zucchini. If you think these meals sound like they might be just what you need too, use my code CF-0040 for $90 your first 4 boxes.

I feel so behind on everything that needs to be done outside, but I’ve been getting things done, little by little, and it’s just so satisfying. My main focus is really getting our porches freshened up with new stain, touched-up paint, and a few other pretty updates. Our weather here is so intense, and temperatures fluctuate so much, so outdoor finishes can really take a beating. I didn’t get any painting or staining done last year (other than the big back deck project, of course), so I’ll be so glad when it’s all done. I also really, really need to spend some serious time washing our siding, but that’s a story for another day. The work is never done! 🙂 Mother’s Day weekend is usually when I try to take a bit of time to work on my planters on our decks and porches around the house, so I’m hoping to tackle those as well, and then it will really feel like summer.

NEWS AND FINDS

-I’ll be going on a mini antiquing adventure next weekend for a collaboration over the Victoria Day long weekend, and I can’t wait!  I have several items on my antiquing wish list, and I’m so excited to visit several different antique markets over the course of the weekend to see what I can find! I’ll be sharing all about my adventure over on Instagram, so be sure to check in with me over there!

-Have you heard of Everist? They’re a Canadian company with viral, concentrated hair care products, and I’ve been trying their EverBoost scalp serum for the last few weeks. I’ve been so blown away by how just a few drops can make such a difference, and my hair has been feeling so much fuller, softer, and, somehow, cleaner since I started using it. The EverBoost serum is also supposed to help with regrowth, and I loved that it has great reviews, but is also one of the more affordable options for this type of product. Everist saw how much I loved the serum and sent over a discount code for me to share with you! Use my code CREEKLINEHOUSE for 10% off your entire Everist order for new customers.

-Current reads: I just finished up the Julie Andrews memoir Home, which I picked up on a whim at a thrift store last year, and it was predictably delightful in a very unexpected way. I loved reading about her very humble and messy upbringing as well as her experience finding success little-by-little, both at home in the UK and in the US. I’ve just started Walk the Pretty Way Home, which was sent to me as a PR copy recently. Myrl Talkington went on to become a sought-after interior designer later in life, but her journey to get there was certainly harrowing to say the least, and I was definitely intrigued. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

“Walk the Pretty Way Home is an extraordinary memoir about finding beauty in dark places. Myrl Talkington recounts her experiences growing up in poverty in the backwoods of Oklahoma after her father, an abusive radical preacher, moves Myrl, her terminally ill mother, and six siblings (one of whom was also abusive) to a remote farmland to avoid sending her mother for tuberculosis treatment. Myrl must fight to make her faith her own, rather than the twisted faith of her father, in order to stay focused on “the pretty road” while enduring neglect and abuse.”

-These willow trellises are my current garden obsession. Such a pretty, charming way to fill an empty wall. I love the homemade look of these, and I think they would be equally beautiful just displayed on their own as they would be with vines trailing up.

-I truly don’t think I can go back to regular sheets after trying the European Linen Sheets from Quince. I have the linen sheets in “Sand,” and the Linen Cotton Stitch Quilt in “Willowleaf.” I heard recently that natural fibers like linen and wool emit a much higher frequency than synthetic fibers or cotton, and that helps them to aid with comfort, healing, and the stability of the body’s natural state. After sleeping with linen bedding for a few weeks, I really think I believe it. It helps that the sheets wash up beautifully and seem to get softer and softer over time, so it really takes no effort at all to keep them looking wonderful. If you’ve been looking into linen bedding, I highly recommend Quince!

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