fredericton finds

I was in Fredericton, New Brunswick on business last week. My job requires me to travel a fair bit and depending on my schedule, I'm usually able to squeeze some shopping in (airport shopping even excites me!) and last week was no exception. It's great to be able to shop without distraction - I'm by myself, can't run errands or do things around the house and typically, I have at least one evening while away without commitments. Unfortunately, I also use travel as an excuse to not go to the gym or worry too much about exercise which obviously increases my shopping time, and sadly my waist line, but I still think opting to shop is worth it.

This time I was in search of a wedding shower present for the coming weekend. I originally thought I would find a small store with local products - pottery, candles, jewellery - that kind of thing. I stumbled upon a couple of shops but nothing really fit. It was getting late and all of the shops downtown were closed so I headed to the always reliable Winners. Winners has a little bit of everything that you would normally give for a wedding shower and equally as important, many potential gifts for me (I typically apply the "one for you, one for me" rule when gift shopping).

I wandered around the home decor and kitchen stuff departments. I was debating between a round wooden-framed mirror and some charming dessert stands that would be perfect for a bakery, not so much for a shower present. The debate was halted when I spotted the entire back wall devoted to picture frames. I decided on five frames (the odd number seemed more appealing than an even) of different sizes with varying designs and styles, but all with the same silver finish so they looked as though they belonged to the same family. I was fairly proud of myself for coming up with something a little out of the ordinary but practical. And it was a great gift idea because not only is the bride getting married, but she has a nine month old baby and with babies come oodles of photos. I was also proud of myself because I ventured into the Winners beauty section for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the selection. I came home with a 4-in-1 curling iron, mineral makeup and a skin care set.

Okay, so I cheated on the "one for you, one for me" rule as five frames constituted one gift but I was lonely with plenty of hotel room time to kill trying out my new products. And by the way, hotel room alone time is perfect for pampering - head to Shoppers for some facial and pedicure supplies.

One last great Fredericton find was Coffee and Friends, a coffee shop on King Street.  I had the dark roast which was delicious and a pumpkin cream cheese muffin that made my morning. I'll be back.

Not too shabby for my first post. Stay tuned, more to come...