Vacation Time!

As you read this I'll be on my way to Florida for some fun in the sun and a much needed break from reality. I plan on plopping my butt in a beach chair and not moving for the next week! I have some fabulous guest posts lined up for the week. Enjoy! xoxo





images via Allure, Marie Claire

Spotlight: Sama Yoga Studio

A boutique yoga and bodywork studio recently opened up in my west end Toronto neighbourhood and I decided to give it a try. I've only ever tried yoga once which was years ago but I've been thinking it's something I should try again. I go for morning jogs 4 times a week which helps me clear my head a bit, but I've been beyond stressed these past couple of months with more projects on my plate than I can handle and I needed to find another outlet to help me feel relaxed and balanced. I wanted to find a place where I can totally let myself zone out, so it was fate when Sama Studio opened up their doors a few weeks ago.

I love the vibe of the studio - completely zen with a modern and clean look. The space was previously occupied by the amazing kitchen design company, Bulthaup, and Sama was able to take advantage of the design elements left behind. The instructors are so friendly and put me at ease which I totally appreciated since I was a total beginner. Sama also has these incredible scented eye pillows that we use before and after class that instantly help me relax. I'll definitely be back for more yoga at Sama!





If you live in the Toronto area be sure to check out Sama's fundraiser next weekend that will help raise money for hungry families! I'm going to be getting home from my vacation early that morning, but will try to make it out to support this great cause.

Closet Swap With The Someday Blog

Hi e.l.s. readers! So happy to be seeing you guys again! Renee and I are doing a closet swap today...our 10 favorite closet cravings for spring, each under $200. With all the fun looks out there for spring, the hardest part about this assignment was keeping the list to 10. I built my look around my favorite-of-the-look moment, lots of denim, touches of military, edgy accessories like layered jewelry and chunky wood heels - with just a touch of lace to keep the look girlie and fun for summer.

xoxo,
Jill from the Someday Blog - stop by to check out Renee's closet covet there today!

Chain Necklace - Madewell, $68
Swedish Hasbeens Clogs - Endless, $239 (i went over here, but stayed well under in most everything else, so I figured I could splurge on these wear-with-everything clogs!)
Cropped Surplus Jacket - Urban Outfitters, $68
Eyelet Dahlia Blouse - Anthropologie, $148
Selvedge Chambray Shirt - J. Crew, $78
Current/Elliott Trouser - Revolve Clothing, $160
Slouchy Skinny Jean - Gap, $69.50
Grey Leather Wallet - Vallhallabrooklyn, $59
Blue Floral Dress - A.P.C., $140
Leather + Cotton Bracelets - Martin1206, $2.50 (I would buy them 10 at a time...)

Wish List: Harry Allen Pig Bank

I popped into Ministry of Interiors this past weekend and fell in love with this pink piggy bank! It's the most random thing ever but I really must have it. This Pig Bank by Harry Allen is available in a few different colours such as black, copper, and white but for some some reason I'm really drawn to this bright pink one even though I don't have a single item in my house that is pink.

Sample Sale Time!

Join us for our spring sample sale this week! You can sign up for our sample sale updates here. Stop by to say hello while you do a little spring shopping!

Guest Post on Dress, Design & Decor

I almost forgot about the guest post I did for Daniella from Dress, Design & Decor while she was on a vacay last week! I wrote about my favourite place in the world, Paris! Daniella choose all the images and I must say she captured my memories to perfection!

Keep in Mind...

There will always be people around that don't want to see you succeed. Just remember to keep your head up and plow through them!

I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was filled with friends and vodka shots, shopping on Queen W and Ossington, eating out numerous times, and a visit to the antique market. This will be a busy week with our sample sale (details will be posted soon) and then I'm off for some fun in the sun!

via the Whoa!

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Pick of The Week: 20AGE Chairs

After months of upholstery lessons, I have a new found appreciation for this art form. When you find a cool vintage chair with good bones, the first step is to strip it down which can take hours removing all the previous nails, staples, tacks, fabric and materials. And then the fun begins with building it back up again. I love these chairs by 20AGE! 20AGE restores and reupholsters unique vintage chairs and they add fun details such as patch work fabrics and multi coloured silk buttons.

I've been working on a few chair make-overs and I cannot wait to share them with you. I'm hoping the big reveal will be next month!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Miette Wallpaper Cookies

How cute are these cookies by Miette? Umm sooo cute! The infamous San Fransisco pastry shop designed these shortbread and royal icing cookies to replicate the floral details of the wallpaper in their shop. These are making me hungry!

via Design*Sponge

I took a little peak through their website and I found some amazing looking goodies! I love the homemade look to all their creations. I wish they had a shop in Toronto, but my ass might be in big trouble if that were to ever happen!

House Tour: Mid Century Love

I'm in love with this home tour that was showcased on Apartment Therapy! I love all the mid-century furniture and details. It's clean and minimalistic but it still has lots of personality and warmth. Loves it!

Insight Swimwear

I have always loved the use of bright colours in Insight's collections and their swimwear line isn't any different. I'm going on a much needed vacation next Friday and I'm feeling like I might want to buy a one piece. I've worn a two piece for as long as I can remember, but there's something about a one piece that I really like (it may have to do with the fact that I'm not as bikini ready as I'd like to be but shh don't tell). I have my eye on that first swimsuit!

Interior Styling Group Challenges

I hope you had a gorgeous weekend! I had a yummy dinner out with my favourite girls, a catch up with an old friend, a visit to an antique sale and my baby cousin's baptism. All in all, a great weekend!

Last week I posted my images from the Interior Styling Group January and March challenges. And this weekend I got around to doing the February and April challenges, so now I'm finally all caught up-phew!

Holly's instructions for February:
Using tape, thumb tacks, nails, whatever you would like, photograph a collection of your favorite images against a wall. Think of arranging them in a gallery-like fashion. Remember, you are styling a photo to tell a story. Try to choose images that relate to one another and this time you can use odd or even numbers but you need to show more than 5 images in your photo. Use postcards, greeting cards, prints, business card, magazine pages, anything graphic that inspires you. If you wall is boring, consider taping up wallpaper or fabric or even some gift wrap (no shine) as a background and tape or tack your images to that and crop it so that the background appears to be the wall itself.
Note: Nothing should be in a frame. This is an exercise of creativity, not to simply take a photo of pictures you already have on the wall.

Holly's instructions for April:
Let's celebrate the little things this month and work on some macro (close up) shots while focusing on capturing a mood. The mood is to try to show the feelings of romance, femininity, humility, grace and truth. I've included an example of this in my submission below where I've photographed some simply flowers, a doily and some books that I just finished reading. But the focus, if you notice, is on the feeling of softness, relaxation and of course - femininity. Beneath the photo tell us the mood you were going for.

Pick of The Week: TASTE Dinnerware

I absolutely love the TASTE collection by Italian Architect Paola Navone! The porcelain collecion of dinnerware is handmade in Germany by Reichenbach, one of the top porcelain manufacturers in the world. I love the unique silhouettes which are reminiscent of antique pieces.





Where to buy: Art Gallery of Ontario

Fashion History

Coco Chanel's 2.55 may just be the most famous purse in fashion history and oh do I want one! This model debuted in February 1955 which is where the name came from. It takes a dozen people, 18 man hours and 5 lambskins (only the center, the softest part of the skin, is used) to make one of these beautiful creations. Check out this article for more information about this coveted purse.

Interior Styling Group Challenges

I joined Holly from Decor 8's Interior Styling Flickr group a couple months ago. Each month she posts challenges for members to do and I've been trying to catch up. This past weekend I finally got the chance to try out a few and I really enjoyed putting together these vignettes with items around my house! Enjoy!

In the meantime, I'm going to start working on February's and April's challenges.

January's challenge:
Put 3, 5, or 7 of your favorite things on a tabletop. Only 3, 5 or 7, no more, no less. Arrange them in a triangle style - highest in the middle and work your way down.


March's challenge:
Pick an empty wall. Add your favorite chair from another part of the house. Top the chair with a pile of your favorite books or magazines and on top of that, a vase of fresh flowers OR a lamp. You may add other things to the photo, like a pair of slippers or high heels on the floor, or maybe a some art on the wall. But NO CLUTTER the photo, try to keep the focus on the chair and what you've placed on it. The only piece of furniture in this shot should be the chair.

DIY: Tie Dye with Martha Stewart & Proenza Schouler

Proenza Schouler designers, Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez, learn a new tie dye technique with the Queen of Crafts!

Dessert Table DIY and Details: Blue and Orange Theme

As promised, here are all the DIY and table details from the blue and orange dessert table:

The menu for the dessert table included:

• a lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon meringue butter cream by Cupcakes Under Cover
  
• mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate butter cream swirls by Cupcakes Under Cover
  
• mini simply white cupcakes with vanilla butter cream swirls by Cupcakes Under Cover
  
• vanilla martini shaped sugar cookies with candy apple fondant by Cupcakes Under Cover
  
• chocolate dipped pretzels
• personalized chocolate
• caramel corn
• salt and vinegar popcorn (for those crazy people who don't have a sweet tooth!)
  

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels:

Materials:
-coloured chocolate wafers
-chunky pretzel sticks
-waxed paper

1. Melt chocolate wafers using a double boiler or by using a microwave.
2. Dip half of a pretzel in the melted chocolate and let the excess drip back in to the pot. Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.
3. Once your cookie sheet is full, place it in the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour.
4. If you still have more chocolate and pretzels, simply re-heat the chocolate as you need it.

*You can also try sprinkling coconut or candy sprinkles on the chocolate dipped pretzels while they are still warm and the chocolate is still melted.

Personalized Chocolate:

Materials:
-Hershey chocolates
-coloured paper
-hot glue gun

1. Make a 10 3" x 1.5" template using your preferred computer program.
2. Create your personalized design on each rectangle and print out.
3. Trim to size and wrap around your chocolate. Secure with the hot glue gun.

Popcorn Boxes:
I decided to try out a different popcorn container this time around just to add some variety!

Materials:
-card stock-like paper
-scalloped edge scissors
-hot glue gun

1. Using this template from Eat Drink Chic as a guide, create the size popcorn box that you desire.
2. Trace your template out on to the card-stock paper and cut out.
3. Use your scalloped scissors to cut the edge.
4. Glue all the sides together using the hot glue gun. Let dry completely before using.

Personalized Picture Frames:

Materials:
-ornate looking picture frames
-spray primer
-coloured spray paint
-coloured paper (solid and printed)
-glue stick
-various items (ribbon, buttons, letters, etc)

1. Prime your frames and let fully dry. Next, spray with the coloured spray paint and set aside to dry overnight.
2. In the meantime use either the glass from the picture frame or the backing of the frame as your base for your picture. Come up with a design you would like using the coloured/printed paper and various items and secure to your base.
3. Once your frame is dry, place your design in your frame.

Dessert Table: Blue & Orange Theme

I designed a dessert table this weekend for a 65th birthday party. The clients wanted a cake topper of the birthday boy in his famous orange swim trunks lounging in the pool with a martini in hand. The topper helped form the theme for the whole table which was a martini motif along with the colours orange and blue! I worked together with Cupcakes Under Cover to come up with cake, cupcake and cookie designs that worked with the table theme and they did an incredible job! DIY projects and details of the dessert table will be in tomorrow's post. Enjoy!