Style Ideas: Riding

I'm sad to say it, but summer is almost over. Here is my farewell to cute summer time outfits (but very much looking forward to fun fall looks!) that are perfect for riding around the city on my beloved vintage bikes. Click on the image of the outfit for details on where to buy.

cruiser bike outfit:

fixed gear bike outfit:

Styling Tip: Boots

images via Stockholm Street Style

Home Tour: Eclectic Apartment

This Chicago apartment is a great example of how you don't need to compromise great style when you're on a tight budget. The homeowners filled this apartment with IKEA pieces along with thrift store finds and hand me downs. And remember a splash of colour here and there can add a lot impact in a small space.

ps. I'm so envious of the exposed brick!

Inspiration

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend filled with sunshine and laughter (and perhaps some chocolate). I worked on a few projects for an upcoming deadline for the majority of the weekend, but took a break Saturday afternoon to spend with my sister before she heads back home to London, England. We took a bus and boat tour of Toronto and I was amazed of how much I learned about the city I was born and raised in. I highly recommend taking a tour of your own city!

Mark Twain Eye Chart Quote by Oh Kayk

Pick of the Week: Gold Clusters

I choose these gold cluster pieces from Imogen Belfield as my Pick of the Week because they are just so freaking cool! These geometric pieces that are made in the UK are gold plated bronze and so unique looking. I can totally picture that ring sitting perfectly on my right hand!

I have deadlines galore so I will be working for a good chunk of the weekend, but I'm hoping to squeeze in some quality time with my big sis before she heads back to England. Have a good one!

via For Me, For You

DIY: Cake Stand

I'm thrilled to announce that I am Sweetspot's newest blogger. Today marks the launch of my Handmade with Style blog in the Sweethome section. Every Friday I will be posting a cool DIY project, so be sure to check it out!

Click here for instructions on how to make this easy AND affordable cake-stand.

Fantasy Day....

This week I'm dreaming about a day at the carnival! This past weekend marked the opening of the Canadian National Exhibition (known as the CNE or The Ex) which is a massive carnival in the middle of Toronto that runs annually during the last two weeks of August. I'm hoping to squeeze in some fun time next weekend and go to the CNE. I can't wait to jump on all the midway rides and to dive into all the delicious food - the kid in me definitely comes out during this time of year. A fun day/night at the carnival is my idea of the perfect way to end the summer...

products: jacket - Topshop, jumpsuit - Nasty Gal, boots - Ash, bag - Topshop

images: Retrospect Photo, My Flour Garden, Stoopid Gerl

Wish List: Bow Necklace

I realize that I already put something on my wish list this week and that I'm totally out of hand, but here's some morning eye candy for you. I need this, want this, must have this. Now please.

Bow necklace from Blush

Recipe: Apple Fritters

My friend Alex and I both have a crazy obsession with donuts - especially apple fritters! I've never deep fried a single thing in my life but I knew I had to attempt to make these for her birthday last week. I did a test batch that I completely botched but learned a few lessons and my second batch was perfect (thanks to a little deep frying help from Steve).

makes 12 medium sized apple fritters
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups apple (about 2 large apples)
1/2 cup sifted icing sugar

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

2. Add in milk and egg and mix until smooth. Fold in chopped apple.

3. Using an ice-cream scoop, drop the batter by the spoonful into deep hot oil (370 degrees and 2.5 - 3 inches deep) and fry for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and dust with icing sugar.

Tips:
- Make sure that your oil is at a steady temperature before dropping in your batter
- If your fritters are floating to the top of the pot of oil, be sure to flip them over after 2 minutes

Current Obsession: Wood Frame Glasses

I love that a cool pair of glasses can add so much personality to your everyday look. I'm completely obsessed with wood frame glasses right now and would like to own any of these (especially number two or three).

1. Shwood, 2. Urban Spectacles 3. Gold & Wood 4. Urban Spectacles

Wish List: Satchel Bag

This fall my go to bag is going to be a satchel. I love the options below because they're structured and are reminiscent of a brief case. A satchel is the perfect everyday bag for this upcoming fall season and will go well with all the fall looks I plan on rocking! Which one should I get?

1. Topshop, 2. Topshop, 3. Proenza Schouler at Net-a-Porter, 4. Free People, 5. Fossil, 6. Pour la Victoire at Urban Outfitters

Inspiration

Here's a little morning inspiration from the Interior Styling Group. I love these simple and soft vignettes.

by Zimmerkuechekabinett

by Ethanollie

by Johnny Vintage

Book Club: Love, Loss, and What I Wore

This month's book club meeting didn't involve a book review but instead involved a 'field trip' to see Love, Loss, and What I Wore. We headed to the Panasonic Theatre on Yonge St. last Thursday night and as anticipated the theatre was filled with all women ready for some laughter. Love, Loss and What I Wore is based on the best selling novel by author Ilene Beckerman. Using clothing and accessory references that all women can relate to, the show involved a collection of vignettes and monologues - some had us peeing our pants and some were quite emotional.

The book club girls and I agreed that the show had a slow start but got better as the night progressed. I found myself completely relating to the monologues that involved the dressing room and closet nightmares with lots of 'Do I look fat in this?' and 'I have nothing to wear!'. Our finally consensus: The perfect show for a girl's night out!

Styling Tips: Skinny Belts

dresses via Bicyclette

I hope you had a great weekend! It was great getting away from the city for a couple of days, but the weather was terrible and needless to say I didn't get the tan I was hoping for. I did manage to indulge in lots of food, lots of sleep and lots of family time!

Pick of the Week: Hand Painted Shoes

I first saw these hand painted vintage shoes by Montreal artist Tyson Bodnarchuk at Labour of Love a few weeks ago. They immediately caught my eye because one, I'm a total shoe whore and two, they're so unique! And at $65 a pop, how can you go wrong?

I'm off to the cottage this morning for a couple of days and I couldn't be happier. It's my first time getting away all summer and I'm so looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation (and perhaps a sun tan)!

Fantasy Day...

This week I'm fantasizing about a day trip to the vineyards. I've never been on a wine tour and would love to go (and you sure won't catch me spitting out any wine)! A picnic lunch, a bike ride in the countryside, lots of wine tasting all done in a cute outfit of course is my idea of the perfect day....

Products: shoes - BC, straw fedora - Urban Outfitters, bag - Madewell, dress - Kain, picnic basket - Crate & Barrel

Images: Southern Flinder Ranges, Design*Sponge, Canada Photos

Happiness

I jog pass this graffiti every morning and it always gets me thinking. Am I truly happy and what exactly does being truly happy mean?

Question of the day: What does happiness mean to you?

Recipe: Peanut Butter Cups

They do say that chocolate can be a girl’s best friend (alongside a glass of wine of course), so why not indulge in some homemade peanut butter cups? All you need is a little bit of time and a lot of chocolate and you’ll have the most delicious peanut butter cups you’ve ever tasted. Make sure you put some aside for yourself because I promise you these will be gobbled up in seconds!

Makes 60 mini peanut butter cups
What you’ll need:
Plastic peanut butter cup moulds (I used 3 trays) - available at Michaels
Plastic squeeze bottle
Small paint brush
2 bags of milk chocolate chips
½ cup of butter or margarine
½ cup of peanut butter
1 cup of icing sugar
2/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs

Directions:
1. Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat until completely melted.

2. Coat your peanut butter cup moulds with the melted chocolate using your paint brush about 1/8-inch thick (make sure to coat it well). Refrigerate until hard.

3. Meanwhile in a saucepan combine the butter/margarine and peanut butter over medium heat until melted. Mix in the icing sugar and graham cracker crumbs and remove from heat.

4. Once your chocolate moulds are hard, remove from the refrigerator and spoon about ½ tablespoon of peanut butter filling into each cup.

5. Pour the remaining melted chocolate into your plastic squeeze bottle (you may have to reheat the chocolate until it melts again) and then top your chocolate cups with the melted chocolate. Give each tray mould a few taps on the counter to let go of air bubbles and to even out the chocolate. Freeze for about 2 hours or until firms. Enjoy!

Tip: Since I only had 3 peanut butter cup mould trays on hand, I had to make them in batches. If you would prefer to do them all at once, be sure to get at least 6 trays.

Wish List: P&C Pencil Case

As a kid I never wanted my summer to end, but I really did love back to school shopping whether it was for new shoes or for a fun new binder (I caught the shopping bug very early)! In the spirit of back to school time I think I should get one of these stunning leather pencil cases from Present&Correct. They are each embossed with school-like graphics and are all made and hand finished in London. Now my only homework question is which colour should I get?

Sneak Peek: Eryn Brinie Fall 2010

As I've mentioned before, Eryn Brinie is one of my favourite lines. Each collection is always the right mix of feminine, classic and trendy. I got to view the spring 2011 a few weeks ago and it's crazy stunning - dresses and blouses galore! Here is a peak at the fall 2010 collection which is due to hit boutiques this week.

Styling Tip: Brooches

Styling Tips will be a new weekly addition to Eat.Live.Shop. and I hope you enjoy my little tips that will pop up every now and then!


brooches via Madewell

Dream Bathroom

Lately I've been fantasizing about my dream bathroom. My current bathroom in our loft is super tiny (about 16 square feet AND it holds our laundry facilities) and I long for a spacious, serene, beautiful room. My ideal bathroom would combine design elements that have a raw, industrial, vintage and feminine feel. I think this combination is something even Steve would agree too! Claw foot tub, farmhouse sink, ornate mirror, dark colours mixed with white accents....pure perfection.

1. glass pendant - West Elm, 2. shower curtain - Urban Outfitters, 3. ornate mirror - Booleanddeals, 4. sink vanity - Vintage Tub & Bath, 5. claw foot tub - Vintage Tub & Bath, 6. accessories set - CB2, 7. wire shelves - CB2, 8. bath mat - CB2, 9. towels - Crate & Barrel

Salvage Interiors' Business Card Holders

We just introduced some new exotic wood options for our Salvage Interiors' business card holders. The options now available on our Etsy shop include Bocote, Zebrawood, Zircote and African Blackwood. Enjoy!

Pick of the Week: Your Pinata

I think pinatas are a fabulous addition to any party - for the young crowd and for the older crowd. Whether you want to take a swing at someone you love or hate, these personalized pinatas from Your Pinata are absolutely hilarious! All you have to do is send them a picture of the person you would like re-created and you'll have your personalized pinata within 2 weeks.

Fidelity Behind the Scenes

Check out this behind the scenes video of Fidelity's fall photo shoot and fall campaign!

ps. I just picked up a pair of their grey super stretch skinny's and I absolutely LOVE them!

Boutique Spotlight: Bicyclette

Paige Boersma recently launched Bicyclette which is a new online shop filled with a ton of goodies! Bicyclette has everything from cute frocks, to fun accessories, to great tees. I personally have my eye on the Dolce Vita silk moto dress. I. must. have. it. now!

What to wear...summer barbeque

When I think of what to wear to summer barbecues, the three c's come to mind: comfortable, casual and cool. I put together these outfits keeping all three words in mind. I can totally picture myself at a barbecue in all of these looks while chomping on some corn on the cob, scarfing down some meat and sipping on a margarita! Hello summer!

Romper Love by eatliveshop featuring Linea Pelle belts

Easy Breezy by eatliveshop featuring TopShop

Summer Cool by eatliveshop featuring Supertrash sandals

DIY: Sundae Bar

My sister who is a teacher in London, England is home for the month of August, so my parents threw a family BBQ this weekend to welcome her back. I was in charge of the desserts, so I decided to do a sundae bar (inspiration from Eat Drink Chic) because there isn't much my sister loves more than ice cream!

See the instructions for the bunting banner at the end of this post.

To create a cohesive table that looks visually pleasing be sure to keep all of your colours consistent. Here I used different shades of blue (my sister's favourite colour) that were repeated in the table cloth, napkins, spoons, labels, toppings, bunting banner and main sign.

Spruce up plain sugar cones by dipping the top of each cone in melted chocolate like I did in the above picture.

Make sure you include lots of options for your toppings. I included blue peanut M&M's, crushed oreos (which I just crushed by hand), blue sprinkles, chopped peanuts, chocolate swirls that I made with a candy mold (similar to what I did here), sweetened coconut and of course maraschino cherries. I also made a homemade chocolate sauce, a caramel sauce and whipped cream.

Click here to download these free blank printable labels from Creature Comforts. I added my words, printed them out and glued them to mini popsicle sticks.

Bunting

What you'll need:
- different shades and prints of paper
- fishing line
- hot glue gun

1. Cut your paper into the size of triangle desired (here I used 8.5"x 9.5"x 9.5").
2. Lying your fishing string on top of your triangles, fold over a half inch of the top of your triangle. Secure down with hot glue and repeat until you get a long enough banner.

I hope this has inspired you to create your own sundae bar!