BLOG — Sixtee is the new Fortee

Sweet Peas - How to start these easy to grow beauties indoors now

Is there anything more rewarding than growing your flowers from seed? Sweet Peas are easy to grow and give an abundance of flowers all season long, filling your home and garden with their intoxicating fragrance.

Tata Harper Review - cruelty free luxury skin care

I don’t know when I have been so enamoured with a skincare line. Tata Harper exceeded my expectations. If I’m going to splurge on my skincare, this is the brand I turn to.

LifestyleVicki BouchardDecember 18, 2023Tata Harper Skincare, Tata Harper, Nourishing Oil Cleanser, Regenerating Cleanser, Clean Beauty Line, Plant Based skincare, Natural skincare, aromotherapy, retinoic face oil, Creme Riche, Tata Harper facial, Tata Harper BrandComment

Deck the halls for Christmas

I love decorating my home for Christmas. My Mum used to take great pride and put a lot of effort into making our apartment in Montreal look amazing over Christmas and I have tried to carry on that tradition in my own home, starting with my first Christmas in my little apartment at the age of 21.

InteriorsVicki BouchardDecember 15, 2023Christmas decorating, Christmas mantel, Christmas tablescape, How to decorate for Christmas, How to decorate a mantel for Christmas, Using natural greenery to decorate, candles, Natural Christmas decorations, Christmas mantel ideas, Tablescape for Christmas, Gift wrapping ideas for Christmas, Pretty Christmas wrap, Neutral Christmas, Neutral Christmas wrappingComment

Institut Esthederm review

I was gifted some skin care and it took me on a whole new road of discovery and inquiry.

LifestyleVicki BouchardDecember 10, 2023institut esthederm, skin care, luxury skin care, skin care for mature skin, mature skin care, anti aging skin careComment

My fab four English roses

How can I choose my favourite David Austin (English) roses!? Honestly, that is an impossible mission, however, these four I have come to love and rely on year after year.

Stunning floral photography by Jamie Beck

I have been following Jamie Beck since sometime in 2017. When Covid set the world upside down, Jamie began her Isolation Creation work of still lifes.

My three favourite dahlias

I don’t usually pick favourites. Ok, maybe I do, but I don’t tell the others 😉.

GardenVicki BouchardNovember 19, 2023dahlias, cut flowers, cutting garden, flowers for cutting, cafe au lait dahlias, poodle skirt dahlia, amber queen dahlia, pompom dahliaComment

Our bathroom renovation-goodbye 1960's

As you may know, we moved homes in 2020. Our home, like our last home, is a period property circa 1912. The renovations required to make our new house our home were exciting.

InteriorsVicki BouchardNovember 18, 2023bathroom update, bathroom renovation, bathroom makeover, free standing bathtub, pedestal sink, glass shower stall, bathroom refresh, heated floors, freestanding showerComment

my garden highlights

This time of year in the garden is one of looking back and reflecting and of looking forward and planning. Here is a look back, in pictures.

GardenVicki BouchardNovember 11, 2023garde, english cottage garden, astrantia, salvia, roses, english roses, nepeta, bee balm, summer garden, tulips, daffodils, bird bath, hummingbird gardenComment

My Top Five perennials for a cottage garden

Over my gardening life, I have developed some true loves. Some must have plants that do well, no matter what garden I am in or what style my garden is. As you know, my garden is in the English cottage style but these five perennials work in any garden.

Our Bengal, Gracie.

Pets enhance our lives so much. What a special day it was when we welcomed Gracie to our family.

Our fireplace makeover

Our home, while a modest craftsman style has a rather impressive entrance with high ceilings and wood panelling. As you entered the living room, you were faced with a bit of an eyesore.

My freestyle bouquets - step by step

Select your vase, collect your flowers and throw everything in. Don’t worry about the final result as it will be beautiful. You can’t go wrong with beautiful flowers and there is no wrong way to build your arrangment.

Vintage table setting for timeless style

Every table set in my dining room is set with vintage china and cutlery that has been passed down from generation to generation or that I have been lucky enough to acquire and covet for many years. Monogrammed vintage linen napkins are highlighted with silver napkin rings that used to adorn my grandmother’s table.

InteriorsVicki BouchardOctober 25, 2023dining room, formal table settings, fall tablescape, autumn tablescape, vintage china, vintage silverware, formal dining room, vintage linen napkins, silver napkin rings, fall floral arrangement, autumn floral arrangement, classic table settingComment

Make your home office your sanctuary

Surround yourself with your favourite things and your office will become your sanctuary.

InteriorsVicki BouchardOctober 9, 2023home office, personal space, she shed, creative space, antique desk, wax seals, inkwell, stationary cabinet, french style loveseat, antique books, bar cart, notebooks, antique lighting, antique wall sconcesComment

Our cottage in Somerset

HAVE A PEAK AT OUR INCREDIBLE COTTAGE IN RURAL SOMERSET.

There is so much to see in and around Glastonbury. The abbey, the chalice well, the ancient stones of Stonehenge and Avebury, the beautiful cathedral in Wells, Lacock Abbey, and many quaint villages, no matter which way you turn.

Travel, InteriorsVicki BouchardAugust 23, 2023english country cottage, somerset, rural england, country kitchen, country interiors, southern england, glastonbury, chalice well, glastonbury torComment

My mid summer garden.

I can feel summer peaking as I write this post. We are heading into late August. That’s the time my dahlias finally start to bloom and my cosmos and zinnias in the cutting garden are still going strong. Even my sweet peas are holding their own.