IDEAS THAT WORK

Mugs and Flags at
Chipman Hill Suites

By Susan Fullerton

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Chipman Hill Suites is a unique collection of ten charming properties located in the historic uptown area of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada’s First City.

Once upon a time, 25 years ago or so,
maybe more, my husband and I went to a Renaissance Festival in Florida. We
bought a pair of handmade, top end, pottery tankards there. That was the first
time I ever saw or heard of this family run pottery called Deneen Pottery, in
Minnesota.

Subsequently, we took an innkeeper's course in
Vermont………guess it was more than 25 years ago, as we've been in business
for 25 years…..and as part of the tour, we were shown around a really (at the
time and hopefully still) lovely inn called the Pitcher Inn. We bought one of their mugs, also from Deneen, and we still have it.

This firm specializes in mugs for inns, B&B's, etc.

The custom-designed flags were offered by TOLAND, the U.S.
company we have done business with for years. When I first heard about their custom
designed flags, and the fact that they are printed on both sides, so that if
they hang out perpendicular to the building, both sides look the same, I was hooked. And the price is
right.

Interestingly enough, we wanted to have some Canada 150
Flags, printed on both sides. I couldn't find what I wanted here, for what I
wanted to pay, so I had this company make them for me and they were such a
great hit.

— Photos by Chipman Hill Suites Innkeeper, Margaret Donaldson

Restored Monastery
offers Regeneration Packages

QUEBEC — Le Monastère des Augustines is a restored 17th
century monastery hotel offering wellness retreats with calm and inviting
guestrooms in the original cloister, mindful eating (with breakfast served in
silence), wellness practices such as yoga, and opportunities to learn about the
rich heritage of the Augustinian sisters.

The monastery was originally the
first Augustinian hospital established north of Mexico. Today, much of the
original character has been preserved with religious artwork, antique furniture
and a museum.

The hotel’s packages are designed to promote rest, renewal
and self-discovery. Their five and seven-day Regeneration Stay packages are
designed for the modern busy person to find rest and gain tools for achieving
better balance in their overall lifestyle. While at the monastery, guests enjoy
practices that are beneficial to body and soul, and get expert advice on
nutrition, holistic health and restorative treatments.

For example, the
five-night Regeneration Stay includes accommodations in a restored original
cloister room, three healthy meals per day in the restaurant (including silent
breakfast), green juices, a holistic health consultation, two 60-minute massages
or reflexology treatments, two private movement sessions, aromatherapy, access
to all wellness activities (including morning practice, meditation, yoga,
Pilates, and Qi Gong), a guided tour of the monastery’s museum, and an
end-of-stay consultation.

Grail Springs hosts #WeAreTheChange Summer Festival

TORONTO — This past weekend, July 13th to 15th, Grail Springs Retreat Centre
for Wellbeing in
Bancroft, Ontario, played host to the ground-breaking women’s festival and
conference, #WeAreTheChange.

Hosted by Grail Springs
founder Madeleine Marentette and MC’d by award-winning comedian Carla
Collins, the
event aimed to help women define, shape and lead meaningful social change in
people, animals and the planet.

Featuring an all-star group of workshops and
speakers, the event also featured an outdoor spa, morning yoga, an evening
sound bath concert, opening and closing ceremonies, music, drumming, an evening
forest illumination walk, and many more activities.

For
just over 24 years, Grail Springs has been dedicated to improving the physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of their guests. Located across one
hundred acres in the heart of the Canadian Shield, #WeAreTheChange provided attendees with a restorative and rejuvenating agenda, brimming with activities
geared to defining and shaping a better future for themselves and others.