The snow has finally started to melt around here. Hooray! The exceptionally cold and long winter has made me so excited for spring this year. How about you? We even grilled some steak on the BBQ this week! I'm really looking forward to it getting warmer and we can start to eat out on the back porch that we renovated last summer.

I had an early taste of spring a few weeks ago though thanks to Canadian Tire. Along with Christine, Vanessa, and Tanya, I was invited to collaborate on the launch of their CANVAS line spring patio collection.

Canadian Tire is a store that is ingrained in the Canadian fabric. First bike, first pair of skates... I'm sure many of us share the same experience of visiting our local store and browsing the aisles piled with goods, everything from toasters to, well, tires. But this new patio collection? This isn't your grandfather's Canadian Tire.

Elegant Escape by Jennifer Flores



CANVAS is Canadian Tire's line of decor products that let you express your personal style and we we were encouraged to do just that. Each of us bloggers were invited to design an outdoor room. My idea was to create a laid-back summer soiree... a Midsummer Night's Dinner Party.

I was completely inspired by the Vintage Edison Lights and had a vision of strings of these creating a canopy overhead. You can see my more of my inspiration over on my Pinterest board. Outdoor entertaining for me is all about casual dining and conversation. Nights where you linger outside, sitting, laughing, and drinking until the mosquitos come out are what summer is made for. As part of my display, I also created a very simple mason jar lantern. You can check out the DIY video over on the Canadian Tire site.

Yes, I am sitting on the table. #shortgirlproblems

I am really excited with exploring video myself this year so this was quite a fun learning experience. I've still got a lot to learn like figuring how to work a selfie cam, walk and talk at the same time.

See? Awkward!

Are you ready for spring? What's your idea of a perfect outdoor room?