Five Things on a Friday – 8/15/25

Happy Friday, friends! This end-of-summer August/September time of year is my favorite. Golden light, cicadas singing, sun-baked afternoons, I just love all of it. We have a busy weekend ahead with birthday parties, soccer games, and multiple projects on the go, but I’m hoping to find some time for a little porch sitting too, so I can just soak all this late summer goodness in.

We survived yet another year of summer camping. We love tent camping, and we’ve gotten really comfortable with it over the years, but it still really feels like quite an accomplishment to me every time we go. Although the weather was a little coolish, we did all the usual things this year with campfires, beach days, ice cream at the camp store, and some good long bike rides. It’s amazing how much reading you can do when you’re in an area with terrible cell reception and there’s no power to allow you to work. 🙂 I think one of my favorite things about camping has become the fact that we just sleep so well outside under the stars, and we always go to bed nice and early, wake up late, and rest often throughout the day. I always come back with sandy toes and messy hair, but feeling like I’ve made it through something and I’m rejuvenated and ready to jump back into real life. Read all my best tips for learning to love tent camping in this reader-favourite post: How to Love Camping (Even if You’re Pretty Sure it’s Just Not Your Thing)

I’ve come to realize that my garden is a spring garden, and that’s something I’m hoping to work on a bit over the next year. It’s looking amazing (if I do say so myself) in May and June, but it’s been a little worn out and depressing looking overall for the last few weeks, as you can see in the photo above. I grow a lot of lavender, so that gives it some mid-summer color, but now it’s really kind of sad. While other gardens are bursting with blooms in August, mine is rather subdued looking. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I really prefer only blue and white blooms, so that narrows down my plant choices a little bit. Still, I’m hoping to add more mid-late summer bloomers to keep the fun going for next year. If you have any favorite sun-loving blue and white perennials for this time of year, send me your recommendations! I still stand firm in my belief that a garden obelisk can go a long way towards helping keep things looking decent even with everything starts to go awry in the garden.

Our little town finally has an antique market of our own, and to say I’m thrilled is an understatement. Much as I suspected, our area has just been dying for something like this for the last few years, and the owner tells me that they’re actually expanding because they have a waitlist for vendors waiting for spaces to open up! If you’re local, the market is called Simple Things Antiques and it’s located right on the main road in Thamesville. It’s very much like other antique markets with booths selling all kinds of great things for home decor, collectibles,  dishes, and clothing. Some are just packed full of treasures and funny finds, and some are more curated and put together with a definite vibe and style in mind. It’s on the smaller side, but the kids and I had a great time and spent the better part of an hour looking through every booth. Jack said he actually preferred it to the bigger markets, and I have to agree in some ways. I found some amazing deals, and this spot just had such a cozy, small-town vibe to it. Definitely pop in for a visit if you’re ever in our area!

The kitchen project has been moving much more slowly than I had hoped, but we made some big leaps forward over the last couple of weeks. We’ve taken down cabinetry, rebuilt it, and put it back up, opened up walls to figure out how to make my vision of two sconces on either side of the window a reality in our “interesting” old house (it was anything but easy), and closed the walls back up again like nothing ever happened. The sconces with their adorable wicker shades are now up, and we’re moving on to finishing up the tile and trim. Painting has been a bit of a process, but I’m inching my way along as we’re getting other things done. You can see some of the progress we made on the painting last weekend, and I just finished the last of the cabinetry paint last night! The color I used is Benjamin Moore’s “Mount St. Anne.” Next, we have an amazingly beautiful new faucet to install, more trim around the kitchen, and more painting. We even have a “phase 2” of this project that we’re hoping to move on to once we get through this part. It’s a little update, but since this is an old house, the process is definitely anything but simple. It’s so good to see it starting to come together! I know it’s going to be such a happy space, and I’m so looking forward to sharing it with you soon!

Big news, friends. Big. News. After 19 years of marriage, Chris finally allowed me to get a magnolia! I didn’t grow up with magnolia trees, so I just find them so beautiful, and they seem to grow so well here, from what I’ve seen around town. I’ve wanted to add one to our property for years, but Chris has always insisted that they’re too messy. Well, last week on our anniversary, I walked out to the side porch and found the cutest little magnolia tree waiting for me! Chris and Jack helped me plant it in a place of honour right in the front yard, and it seems to be doing quite well from what I can tell. Can’t wait for it to bloom next spring!

NEWS AND FINDS

I was on a podcast! My blogger friend Shannon has launched a podcast to go along with her new coaching business, and she invited me to be on as one of her first guests! We had a great chat about business, starting messy and figuring things out along the way, Art & Spaces, and my tips for anyone looking to start a new venture. You can listen in to my episode on her website here.

-I was recently sent a box of Maëlys body care products to try on Instagram, and it’s been such a fun little experiment. I’ve honestly been doing such a terrible job of taking proper care of myself this summer with everything going on around here, so I took it as an opportunity to start a new ritual. It’s so important to remember how good it is for your mind and body when you take the time to take care of yourself just a little bit. Maelys believes that targeted, specialized skin care isn’t just for your face, but should be for your whole body. They sent me two body serums as well as their night cream, and I have to say that I didn’t expect much, but so far I’ve been really impressed. Actually, I’m not sure what kind of sorcery is in there, but I have a spot on my arms where I feel like the skin looks like it has gotten a bit too much sun (oops), and I noticed a big difference after one application of the B-Glossy serum. One! I’ll report back on how things go as I use it for a few more weeks.

Pictured Above (these are US links, but this brand is also available at Shoppers in Canada): Get-Dreamy | B-Glossy | Re-Lure | Cordless Lamp (Amazon Canada)

-Have you heard of Farmer’s Defense protective sleeves? You can see my reel with me trying them on and testing them out here on Instagram. They’re such a brilliant idea and really the garden tool I didn’t realize I needed. The fabric is light and breathable, but it’s somehow tough enough to protect from scrapes and scratches, UV rays, skin allergens, and even bug bites. If you tend to get covered in itchy scratches when you’re working in the garden like I do, these are a lifesaver. Of course, they’re great for home gardeners and other outdoor enthusiasts, but they were originally intended for farmers and ag industry workers, and the reviews from these professionals really say it all. Definitely check them out if you always come in from the garden looking like you’ve just fought your way through a jungle. 🙂 Use my code CREEKLINEHOUSE for 10% off your order!

-New on my shop page: I recently shared some finds from our hardworking back hall mudroom, including my favorite bags, the baskets I used up top on the shelf, and below in the cubbies, and other items from this space. Browse my mudroom finds on my shop page here.

Also in my shop, find everything you need to bring this earthy modern traditional kitchen moodboard to life with muted colors and affordable decor finds.

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