Toronto Television Time

Our salvage studio book caught the eye of Erin McLaughlin, the editor of Canadian Home and Country magazine. (If you are near a big book store with a good magazine selection, please check it out. It is first rate!) She invited us to do some presentations at the Style at Home Show in Toronto this past weekend. Lisa and Amy stayed here to do our book presentation at the Seattle Goodwill and to keep the studio humming along. I packed up close to 100 pounds of show and tell props and bought my husband, Raoul, an airplane ticket to Toronto. He was a great sport lugging these two extra heavy suitcases everywhere, along with our other stuff.

One thing led to another, and I was asked if I would do two live television segments at a local Toronto station. So Day Two of our Toronto adventure found us up bright and early at CHCH television. Click on the CHCH link to see the TV segments.

Here is a picture of us in the green room.

We had a great time meeting the other guests - the mayor of Hamilton and his wife, plus another author of a national book with her publicist.
Here's a little picture of me on the television, along with a peek of the room.

The anchor, Annette Hamm, was so friendly, and had spent some time looking through our book ahead of time. Here she is holding one of our ideas - a jar holding a copy of a photograph (that's our sons - Carlos in his dress whites on his wedding day and Morgan, his best man).

After packing up and getting the props back to our hotel room, it was time to see some of Toronto!
First up - we were walking by the Hudson Bay Company, and this window display was absolutely captivating. Gorgeous dresses created from toilet paper! And to support the breast cancer awareness cause.

Raoul and I are good walkers and enjoy getting to know a new city this way.
We headed to Chinatown and had one of the most delicious dim sum lunches ever at Rol San (323 Spadina Avenue). Across the street was B & J Trading (378 Spadina Avenue), which had been recommended to us. I bought some small paper flowers there with labels in French.

We finished our afternoon with a walk through the Kensington Market neighborhood. Loved this shop - Bungalow (273 Augusta Avenue), with lots of retro clothing and furniture.

I'm sure whomever lived in this charming house would be my new friend.

Then came an edgy shop, Exile (22 Kensington Avenue). It offered even more retro clothing.

The public relations firm hired by the Style at Home Show was Peter Ashworth & Associates. He and one of his staff members prepared this hot shopping list for me. It even included the local Value Villages and Goodwills. But this day had been plenty full and plenty wonderful.

Tomorrow - a look at Toronto's Style at Home Show. -- Beth