Eat.Live.Shop.: August 2009

Garance Dore x The Gap

Fellow Blogger as well as super talented Illustrator and Photographer, Garance Dore has teamed up with The Gap to celebrate their 40th anniversary. A limited edition series of tees (only 69 of each kind) will be available for purchase at her exhibit featuring a collection of her illustrations and photographs during fashion week . Since I have the best sister ever currently living in London right now, I'm hoping she will score a tee for me (hint hint, wink wink Nicole)!

For more information on the exhibit click here.

Fashion's Night Out

With all the buzz surrounding Fashion's Night Out, I'm desperate to be in New York on September 10th! Marking the start of NYC Fashion Week, Fashion's Night Out is sure to enliven consumer spirit and to satisfy every fashionista's cravings! American Vogue joins forces with NYC & Company, the City of New York and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, to bring us a night of shopping, entertainment and lots of free goodies! With 700 retailers participating in the event, here are just a few of the festivities in store: complimentary brow services, goodie bags, celebrities galore, limited edition and custom wares, free food and cocktails, DJ's, complimentary styling sessions, meet the designer and so much more! Check out The Cut for the full event guide.

Weekend Scrapbook

Sleepy dog. My new mailbox (finally!) that was on markdown for $10. Yummy soda-love the bottles. Inside Buddha Dog. Buddha Dog receipt and my name misspelled. Yummy Buddha dogs-a must have. Sunday afternoon stroll down Roncesavalles. My new BC booties purchased at Imelda.

Have a great weekend!

Photograph by Bucks Country Frames.

Print by Stoopid Gerl.

I went to the CNE last night which is a huge fair/carnival that comes to Toronto during the last two weeks of August. It always marks the end of summer, but I had a blast and even won two of the games!

I love these vintage inspired prints I found on Etsy. My mind is still thinking of fun rides and yummy carnival food!

Have a great weekend!

Current Obsession: Leather Cuffs

I've been finding myself wearing leather cuffs now on a regular basis. I love them all-plain leather, metallic leather, big studs, small studs, wrap around styles, interesting clasps etc. Leather cuffs are a great way to update your wardrobe without spending a ton of cash. They have an edgy look to them, but don't be afraid to mix them with your light feminine pieces. They look great on their own, but they create a nice statement when stacked together. Happy cuff shopping!

Metallic cuffs by Brave.

Leather cuff with brass stud mesh trim by J Dauphin.

Wide studded cuffs by Brave.

Leather cuff with gold detailing by House of Harlow.

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

I've been craving strawberry shortcake all summer, so I finally decided to make some last night for dessert since I had one of my girlfriend's over for dinner. They turned out great and I was very pleased with the biscuit recipe I found on Epicurious.

Makes 6 servings

Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing biscuits

Topping:
2 cups of sliced strawberries (or a single container)
1 1/2 cups of whipped cream
1/4 cup of sugar

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda onto a sheet of wax paper, then sift again into a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist).

3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 6 times. Pat out dough on a floured surface with floured hands, reflouring surface if necessary, into an 8- by 5 1/2-inch rectangle. Trim all 4 sides with a knife, dusting knife edge with flour before each cut. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then into thirds crosswise to form 6 (2 1/2-inch) squares, flouring knife between cuts. Transfer biscuits with a metal spatula to an ungreased baking sheet, arranging them 2 inches apart, and brush tops with milk or cream. Bake until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.

4. In a medium sized bowl, mash 1/3 of the strawberries. Then slice the rest of the strawberries and place in the bowl along with the sugar. Stir gently. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

5. Top each biscuit with the strawberry mixture and a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Mackage Pop-Up Shop in NYC

Coveted Montreal-based outwear line Mackage is set to open their very first retail shop in NYC next month. The temporary pop up shop will be open for the month of September in NYC's Meatpacking district. Their entire fall/winter line of puffy down filled, leather, wool and fur coats will be available. I've always been a HUGE fan of Mackage, so here are a few of my favourite pieces from the new collection:

Ruckercorp Furniture

I recently stumbled upon Ruckercorp and was in complete awe of this line of furniture. Ruckercorp is designed by Chris Rucker. His designs are innovative and his choice/use of materials are genius!

Ruckercorp featured in W Magazine photographed by Lee Clower.

Wish List: One Shouldered Bag

I love the idea of the 90's one shouldered bag and when I laid my eyes on this bag, I knew it was THE one! This backpack style goatskin bag by Km Rii is full of amazing detail such as distress panels, studs and metal hardware. This is one killer bag!

Weekend Scrapbook

Cows at a nearby farm. The marsh. Nathan (our dog) swimming. Lake view #1. Me getting ready for the annual baseball game. Steve up to bat. Lake view #2. Kicking my feet up lake side. Nathan pooped after swimming. Gorgeous sky. Campfire. Yummy smores.

All in all a very nice relaxing weekend at the cottage!

Recipe: Watergate Salad (Pistachio Salad)

I'm starting the weekend early and heading to the cottage tonight for a little R&R and to spend some time with family and friends. Before heading out, I'll leave you with this recipe which is super tasty! It's truly for those who aren't very handy in the kitchen. It's an easy, light, refreshing summer dessert. Enjoy this Watergate Salad (also know as Pistachio Salad) recipe!

pistachio pudding mix
8-12 ounce container of whip cream (I used the low fat version which was great!)
8 ounce can of crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup miniature marshmallows

*Mix together all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. It really is that easy!!

Have a great weekend!

Barneby Gates Wallpaper

Launched earlier this year, Barneby Gates is a wallpaper collection designed by Vogue Living Editor, Vanessa Barneby and Fashion Textile Designer and Illustrator, Alice Gates. The entire collection is printed using traditional printing techniques. A combination of printing processes such as surface printing, flexographic printing and gravure printing have been used to achieve different effects and to give the designs a classic, contemporary feel. I absolutely love how unique their prints are!

Metallic 'Deer Damask' print.

Photograph collage print 'This Other Eden'.

Odd Molly Introduces Skin Care

As a girl who is completely obsessed with bubble baths, smooth silky skin and very moist lips (it might even be a bit of a problem), I can honestly say that Odd Molly's line of skin care smells absolutely amazing and the products feel great against the skin!

'The inspiration for the skincare line comes from odd molly’s clothing collections, which are based in large part on pure, natural materials. Cottons and silks that feel fantastic against the skin are important and self-evident ingredients in the line.

The skin care products are accentuated by unique ingredients from every corner of the world, such as shea butter from the savannas of Africa or cactus juice extract from Mexico.'

www.oddmolly.com

Elizabeth and James Fall 2009 Footwear Collection

Here's a sneak peak at Elizabeth and James' Fall 2009 footwear collection which will hit stores early September. The above styles are available for pre-order at Saks Fifth Avenue. I'll take the first two please and thank you.

Images via Nitrolicious.

Weekend Scrapbook

I had a busy weekend and didn't quite keep up with the picture taking (I was too focused on the amazing weather we had), but here are a few bits from my weekend. Enjoy!

Our patio. Freshly painted toes. Girls night out. Weekend project which will be a future DIY post. Home-made green chile cornbread. Sunday's BBQ chicken dinner.

A Few Of My Favourite Things...

Happy Friday! It's suppose to be a gorgeous weekend weather wise in Toronto and I'm super excited! It's the first weekend pretty much all summer where there isn't any rain in the forecast. So here's a few of my favourite things for summer:

Ice-cream!

Miniature ice-cream cone watercolour by JBarnum.

Bicycles!
Multi bike print by den10studio.

Sunshine!
Hand screen-printed print by Slidesideways.

Who's Got Mail?

I'm in desperate need of a new mailbox and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are some great, unique styles out there. Which one is your favourite?

Brushed stainless steel mailbox from Save Your Mail.

Zinc plated steel mailox from Home Depot.

Brushed stainless steel mailbox from Umbra.

Stainless steel mailbox from Save Your Mail.

Eat.Live.Shop. Featured on Design*Sponge!

I was really excited today when I found out that my most recent DIY project was being featured on Design*Sponge. It is truly one of the most inspirational blogs in the design field and I am beyond flattered that they chose to feature my project. Thank you to all the Design*Sponge readers for their lovely comments!

Click here to see the full post and the full instructions on my new table.