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Bar Harbor

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend! It’s been a little while since I’ve done an ‘out and about’ post so I thought I’d share a recent trip taken with my girlfriends! Since we’re all nearing the big 3-0, we thought it would be fun to get away for the weekend for a girls’ trip while we still can! Meaning, it will probably be a lot harder to take one of these weekend trips if one of us has, say, a baby or something (leaving the fur babies was hard enough).

Since everyone in and around Massachusetts seems to flock to Cape Cod at every opportunity throughout the summer months, we decided to avoid the hoards of people and and experience something new!

I’m not sure how I originally stumbled upon Bar Harbor, but a quick Google search later, I was sold. Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert (pronounced like dessert) Island along the coast of Maine. We actually thought people were mispronouncing the name of the island they inhabit until our trolley tour guide explained otherwise. Oops!

A quick 6-ish hour drive from Boston (which included multiple pit stops), the town kind of sneaks up on you. After a long stretch of road during which you’re thinking ‘where the hell am I?!’ as you drive by countless gun shops, you arrive at this adorable gem of a town!

All picturesque rugged shorelines and a quaint coastal New England vibe. It was absolutely perfect! Quiet enough to give us the break we all needed and had enough going on to keep us from getting bored. And breathtaking ocean views everywhere you look.

One of my favorite things to do on vacation (and I understand this makes me sound like a total weirdo) is to venture out on my own first thing in the morning to explore and take photos. So, at 6 am on Saturday morning, I grabbed my Nikon and headed out to capture Bar Harbor. Before you write me off as completely insane, I have some valid points.. 1. minimize the amount of time your travel companions have to stand around rolling their eyes as you snap 20 photos of the same thing. 2. Most everyone is still sleeping and there are less people walking into your pictures.

Plus, the lighting. By no means am I pretending to be some photography expert, but you can get some awesome pictures when the sun is sill kind of low on the horizon. I’m quite proud of my first successful silhouette shot..

The rest of the weekend was a total blast too! Hanging by the pool, spa treatments, shopping, and remembering how fun it is to just hang out with your friends without a million things to worry about.

We did manage to squeeze in some nature/history with a trolley tour to Acadia national park which took us all the way to the summit of Cadillac mountain!

We’d heard that watching a sunset from the top of Cadillac mountain was kind of amazing. And seeing as how we were there on the longest day of the year, it promised to be a good one. Obviously, there was no way we were going to miss it. With dinner and shopping taking a little longer than expected, we had to literally race to the top of a mountain to catch the sunset. Ever thought you would be in such a situation? No, neither did I.

Well, it certainly didn’t disappoint. I mean, is this for real?!

I know that my fondness for sunsets/sunrises is greater than the average, so I’ll refrain from bombarding you with 75 sunset photos. Last one, I promise..

Overall, we had an amazing time! I would totally recommend Bar Harbor to anyone considering a vacation in the New England area and really look forward to visiting again in the future! Like I said, there’s plenty to keep you occupied but it wasn’t at all packed with tourists or overwhelming.

In case you are planning a visit to Bar Harbor at some point, I thought it would be helpful to include some of the details of our trip!

We stayed at the Harborside Hotel which had a great location! It was literally on the water (above picture was taken somewhere on the hotel property) and a quick walk from where most of the shops and restaurants were located. The room was very comfortable and had a balcony with an incredible view! My favorite meal of the trip was seafood risotto at McKay’s which was incredible. Coffee Hound was our coffee spot for the weekend and featured a large variety of yummy flavors. If you are a dog lover (or are buying a gift for one), Bark Harbor has some great stuff and a big selection of breed-specific gifts (because I totally needed more Boston Terrier stuff).

I hope you enjoyed reading about our fantastic weekend! I’d love to hear what you think! Ever been to Bar Harbor? Planning any fun trips this summer?

Good News…I’m Alive!

Hello old friends! It’s been a while, how have you been?

First off, I’d like to apologize for my random and prolonged absence. And I don’t have a particularly good reason for it. You see, work got a bit stressful. And after spending copious amounts of time staring at a computer screen, the last thing I wanted to do was to come home and spend even more time sitting in front of a computer.

Believe it or not, maintaining a blog is a lot of work! In addition to generating ideas for content and completing a project, you then need to photograph said project (in decent lighting), upload and edit photos, write a post to accompany them, and promote the project on various forms of social media. It’s definitely more time consuming than one would guess.

But I’m not here to whine about blogging. It’s a hobby. I don’t currently generate any sort of income from the blog, and I’m not entirely sure I want to. A few months ago, and a few failed projects later…the ‘generating ideas’ part started to feel a bit stressful. And when something starts to become stressful, it starts feeling less like a hobby.

So, I decided to take a short break, originally intended to last a couple of weeks. And then a couple of weeks turned into a couple of months. And it became increasingly difficult to find inspiration in the 15 foot piles of snow. To be truthful, I considered giving it up completely. And then I started to realize how much I missed it! I missed having something I’m proud of. I missed having a creative outlet, interacting with people, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with sharing my ideas with the world (or the handful of people that read my little blog).

Now that I’ve gotten that sappy monologue out, I suppose I’ll get to the point. Which is, I decided to stick with it. But in order for me to do that and be successful, I need to reevaluate Tulips & A Terrier. I know that realistically, I probably can’t churn out unique and original craft and decorating projects consistently on a weekly basis so I need to expand my subject matter to include some other aspects of life.

If you’re wondering what we’ve been up to for the last couple of months…

With temperatures shifting slowly (very slowly. too slowly, actually) above freezing, we’re starting to spend some time outside. So, you can look forward to seeing some posts about our little outings. Also, in an extremely uncharacteristic move, I’ve decided to start a garden. A flower garden. So far, this consists of a dead hydrangea and a couple of sprouts but I’ll be sure to share with you if anything grows. I’ve caught this guy peeing on and trampling said garden so I’m not too optimistic at this point.

I’ve also recently been experimenting with essential oils and have developed quite the obsession with coconut oil and it’s many uses. I’ve been whipping up face masks and body scrubs in my kitchen, and have been rather pleased with the results! So, I will definitely be sure to share some of these with you in the near future.

Well, friends! It’s been good catching up, and I look forward to seeing you more regularly in the future!

Burlap Throw Pillows

Before you even say it, I already know what you’re thinking. Can this girl make ANYTHING other than throw pillows? When it comes to sewing, the answer, simply put, is no. Actually, I should change that to ‘barely’. I went through a purse-making phase a few years ago, but stopped wearing them out in public when I realized how homemade they really looked.

My other failed attempts at branching out from throw pillows included an unwearable wrap skirt and a poorly fitted corduroy coat for Jack (it fell off whenever he tried to move).

I’d say I have a decent grasp on throw pillows though. So much so, that I felt myself qualified to make you a little diagram the last time I made some.

These aren’t too different from the last pillows I posted. I actually used the same set of stencils, same paint, and same technique. Really, the only difference is the fabric.

I’ve been reeeeally feeling burlap the last few weeks. Maybe because it’s so rustic and fall-ish. Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this pale burlap while aimlessly wandering around Jo-Ann Fabric the other day! The fact that it was 3.99/yard combined with my 50% coupon made it quite the steal.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how easy burlap was to work with! The fibers form a bit of a grid, which makes measuring and cutting super easy! It absorbed the paint nicely as well. I was going for a stamped look, and these pouncers worked perfectly.

What do you think? I like how they look a bit beachy with the nautical theme. One thing I will note – I made these to use on my brown microfiber couch. Turns out burlap sheds! Who knew? I guess I’ll just have to find another place for these. Possibly on a lighter piece of furniture.

Falling Over Summer…

I have to say, this ~~oppressive~~ unpleasant heat wave has managed to make me get over this summer real fast. I haven’t even gotten to the beach yet ( gasp!) and I’m already yearning for all things fall.

I’m sure this is completely premature and I’ll be back to normal next week when the temperature dips below 90. In other recent news, my laptop keyboard has suddenly decided to stop working, causing me to write this post using an iPhone. Since it’s still under warranty, I’ll be shipping it off for repair next week. So, please don’t be alarmed by the lack of posts.

In the meantime, Jack and I have barricaded ourselves in air conditioning and are spending some time reminding ourselves of exciting things ahead! In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a tiny bit impatient and am already looking forward to the next season before the current one is even in full swing.

With that said, here’s a little collage of what I’m looking forward to this fall! Please excuse the poor picture quality. All photos were taken with an iPhone 4 and before I started this little blog (I’m kind of surprised at how much I’ve learned about photography in this short period of time!).

A bit about each photo, clockwise from top left –

Baking, baking, baking! Those close to me can probably expect to gain a pound or two this fall. Thanks to Pinterest and endless food blog inspiration, I have a million things on my to-bake list. Isn’t the smell of something baking in the oven sooo much better than any scented candle? Oatmeal raisin cookies are my absolute favorite!

Pumpkins! I have so many ideas for decorating with them this year! Many of the ideas involve glitter. I don’t think this comes as a surprise.

Living in New England and getting to experience some of the most stunning foliage the world has to offer. If you’ve never seen fall in New England, you don’t know what you’re missing. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures so that you can get an idea.

Having a chance to show off the wardrobe of a certain well dressed Boston terrier. Halloween costumes aside, he does get cold very easily so he prefers to don a light sweater on chilly days.

Apple picking! First of all, it’s so much fun! Secondly, you end up with a ton of delicious apples to eat and bake with. The farm we go to also sells the most heavenly apple cinnamon donuts ever.

Proper Sunday dinner without the use of a grill. I love filling my home with some amazing and comforting aromas on crisp fall days. Spending the afternoon making Sunday dinner is my favorite. These mini chicken pot pies were not only adorable, but also pretty genius. Everything stays nice and warm and everyone gets plenty of crust!

I can’t wait to share all of these things (with better pictures!) as they happen in a couple of months! Did I mention we’re going to Iceland? Yes, current miserable heat and lack of keyboard aside, there’s lots to look forward to here!

Why, Hello…

Hi there! Welcome!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my very first post! I’ll take this opportunity to give you a brief intro to myself and my brand new blog (eek!).

My name is Lusine and I live in the Boston area. I also happen to have a Boston Terrier (whom I obviously had to incorporate into my blog title). My boyfriend also lives with us. I’m about as girly as they come. I love anything pink, ruffled, sparkly, or bearing a bow. Seriously, slap a glittery bow onto something and there’s a good chance I will purchase it, whatever it may be.

I also love crafts and DIY! I’m always starting some project or other, looking up a new project, and scouring craft and design blogs for inspiration.

Enough about me…this is why I decided to start a blog!

A couple of months ago, on a particularly gloomy Monday morning I was getting ready for work. While picking out my clothing for the day, I looked around the room as though for the first time and realized that our bedroom ~~was a complete dump~~ could use a major update!

We then decided to embark on a major re-decorating spree! Starting in the bedroom and working our way through the house. I decided to start a blog to document and share our progress. You can expect to see lots of before and afters, DIY projects, and anything else that inspires me! Thanks again for reading!