LOVERS OF DARTMOUTH AND THE RECIPIENT OF THE BLUE JACKET

I bet you’re all thinking, “what the heck happened to that pesky blue jacket?”

Well don’t worry; it has gone to a new and better home.  Here’s the story:

I had basically thrown in the proverbial towel on the ol’ paperclip blog project and I’m sure you had too – don’t worry, there’s no shame in admitting it. I mean, who wouldn’t have? 

So you can imagine how shocked I was to receive a surprise e-mail from an unexpected person asking if I was still attempting to trade the jacket.  Truth be told, this sort of made me feel like all of my initial cyber harassing advertising at the onset of the project paid off because down the road, someone actually remembered me.  I obviously wasted no time in replying, and quickly had a real live trade on my hands.

So who is the mysterious trader?  Most Dartmouthians will know who I’m talking about when I say it was Tara from Two if By Sea (mentioned in the previous post). 

Short story:  Tara is as awesome as they come! 

Long story:  Tara MacDonald is a local baker and co-owner of Two if By Sea.  She makes delicious baked goodies (do the baking-related trade items make more sense now?) and is a really sunny person all around.  She has a cool blog that is all about shopping at Joe Fresh for a year (you can check it out on the side panel of my blog – Joe Fresh Everyday), but unfortunately because she is so busy running around being awesome, she’s had to put the blog on hold for a bit (although she assures me that she continues to shop at Joe Fresh).  She is also involved in rowing at the Mic Mac AAC on Lake Banook, and is training for an Olympic distance triathlon!!  Amazing, right?  All in all, Tara is lovely .. here is a picture of her in her new blue jacket!

As mentioned many-a-time, Tara makes the wonderful treats at TIBS.  One of my favorite things about TIBS, is how committed they are to the community.  They have neat family dinners where they feature local ingredients, and they are really doing a great job of bringing the cool factor to “the dark side” of the bridge.  In fact, one of their logos is a big ol’ “I <3 Dartmouth.”  They are located on Ochterloney Street in Dartmouth, so if you’re out and about on this lovely Natal Day weekend, stop in and treat yourself (I know I will)!!

mmmmm

On that note, Natal Day has inspired me .. so keep an eye out this week for some special posting.

As always, I am open for trades, comments, questions, suggestions, and most importantly, smiles! :)

unalounder@gmail.com

THE LATEST TRADE

Drum roll please …. Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for … the announcement of the new trade item(s)!!  I know I’ve kept you in suspense, and that you probably haven’t been able to sleep at night, but don’t worry because today is the day.

First and foremost, please accept my apologies for not posting earlier.  I had a hectic weekend of kayak competition and have also been in the process of moving into a new apartment.  Not to worry though, after many car trips, flights of stairs, takeout meals, and one traffic violation ticket, we have successfully relocated and are back on the World Wide Web.

Okay, enough about me .. on to the trade!

Just to put it out there, I am NOT trading the following items individually.  They have bonded and therefore cannot be split up.  So to recap:  they are a team and are being traded as one package.

The Goods:

Super cute star oven mitts.  Safety by choice not by chance, people.

Extra super cute heart shaped measuring spoons.  Just to make sure that everything you make is made with love (aww sigh).

…. So are you starting to sense a trend here?

An amazing never-been-opened cake pan complete with snap-on cover.  This is possibly the best thing ever.  It would be great for transporting baked goods.  For example, you could use it when you make something to take to a dinner party … like brownies (at my place preferably).

Another still-in-the-box treasure coming up.  A three-tier cupcake stand that holds thirteen cupcakes.  It is so adorable and is great for displaying cupcakes (or muffins) that you may or may not also want to bring over to my place.

The Hello, Cupcake recipe book by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson.  I am obsessed with the cupcakes in this book.  They are so cool and probably also delicious.  Check this one out .. the cupcakes look like popcorn … POPCORN!

Last but certainly not least (actually I have been saving the best for last): a surprise TIBS gift certificate.  By surprise, I mean that I actually have no idea how much the gift certificate is worth.  This could be a serious score for the next trader. 

If you’re an East Coaster, then you definitely know what I mean by TIBS, but if you’re wondering what it stands for, go ahead and check out this link: http://twoifbyseabakeshop.com/ 

Two If By Sea is an amazing café and bakery in downtown Dartmouth.  The croissants are to die for and the coffee is delicious.  Even if you’re not from Dartmouth, chances are you’ll end up there sometime in the future, and trust me on this one; you’re going to want to stop in at TIBS.  You will thank me for the tip, I promise!

That’s all for tonight but my next post will be all about where these great items came from and the new lucky owner of the infamous blue jacket!  Stay posted.

As always, I am open for trades, comments, questions, and smiles.  Leave a comment here or send me an e-mail at unalounder@gmail.com

THE REVIVAL OF THE LITTLE RED PAPERCLIP

Say what?  Thelittleredpaperclip lives on? Yes, yes it does and believe me y’all, no one was more surprised about this fact than yours truly.  A welcome and unexpected person sent me an email not too long ago asking if I was still interested in getting rid of ol’ Blue.  I have come to loathe that blue jacket (despite its many attractive features), so I jumped at the chance.

I’m not going to go into detail about it today because I know that it’s a holiday and that no one has time to sit around and read a blog with all of the festivities going on.  Also, the actual trade itself hasn't taken place yet.  However, I will say that there is a trade on the horizon (in fact, I am expecting delivery on the new trading item(s) this coming Monday), and that it is awesome!  I really love a lot of the things that are coming in the trade package so the hardest part about this particular trade will definitely be giving it up again.

A heads up to all of you baking enthusiasts out there (I’m looking at you V.T, J.C, E.H, E.T, and G.O), this may appeal to you!

All right, so is news about a little trading blog as exciting as the amazing hat that Kate donned during her visit for Canada Day?  Probably not.  Okay, definitely not.  But hey, we can’t all pull off a look like this (I know I don't usually post pics like this .. but I just can't help myself .. I mean .. look at it):

cbc.ca

 Keep your eyes peeled for more info on the next trade.

Happy Canada Day to all!  I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful day and is feeling proud to be Canadian.