I figure since December is officially tomorrow the holiday season can begin! Get ready for some holiday fun around here for the next few weeks- cookie exchange (more on that later), DIY gift tags, DIY tree ornaments, gift ideas and more!
Lets begin with some holiday outfit inspiration. There are a ton of parties at this time of year which can start adding up when it comes to your wardrobe expenses. So I choose this Elizabeth and James bustier dress (the perfect LBD) and came up with 3 entirely different looks. Click on the images for the where to buy info.
Wish List: Woolen Mugs
I thought these woolen mugs from the Drake General Store were adorable. They're perfect for the long cold winter nights ahead!
One of a Kind Show Wish List
As I mentioned last week, I spent a good chuck of the day on Thursday scouring the One of a Kind Show for unique gift ideas and of course a little something for myself. I thought there were some great new artisans and I found several exciting items!
How could I not fall in love with these stunning bags from Jack & Marjorie. Each bag is made by hand in Toronto using primarily army surplus materials such as military tents, wool blankets, duffel bags, rifle sling straps etc. The Nakano style above was my absolute fav and I kind of regret not taking it home with me...
Next pick are these pieces from Lost Nation (G-08). Each item is made by hand using reclaimed and found materials. The booth was stunning and I wanted everything in it!
I fell in love with these felt Misfit dolls by Usus. The Misfit group is a collection of eco-friendly dolls that encourage us to appreciate are 'perfectly imperfect' selves. We giggled over some of the names - Frances Funbags, Megan Muffintop, Frankie Four Eyes, Bucky and Monty Monobrow. I absolutely LOVE the concept of the Misfits!
My last pick are these gorgeous wood gift tags by Flakes Paperie (booth E-13). The booth was so well put together and I wish I took a picture of it! I also fell in love with their 2011 wall calender - I'll try to get an image for you because it was fabulous!
First up are these incredible chalkboards from Kino Guerin (booth J-48). Each chalkboard is made using cherry and roof slate (which is actually from the roof of the designer's house).
Happy Monday
After a extremely busy weekend, all I want to do this Monday morning is stay in my pajamas! Do you think I can get away with going to work in them? I went to the Crafternoon Tea on Saturday afternoon, spent endless hours at the workshop preparing for the opening of a new store (more on that later this week) and baked 100 cookies for the Cookies & Champagne networking event tomorrow. It's a busy week ahead but I'm excited to share a new project that we've been working on for weeks and that we'll be spending the majority of the week putting together the finishing touches. Stay tuned and have a lovely week!
image via Toast
Cookies & Champagne
I'll be heading to this cookies & champagne networking event next week and I hope you will join me! A girly night with a cookie exchange and champagne - what could be better? For tickets, click here.
Picture Wall Update
Steve and I created a picture frame wall a few months ago, but after a recent purchase at Love of Mine, we decided to make one small change. Here's the original wall:
And here's the wall with our new addition - the amazing ram head!
And here's the wall with our new addition - the amazing ram head!
New Blog Design
Elizabeth did all the graphics and the layout design. She translated my ideas to perfection! She really did go over and beyond and I couldn't be more thrilled with the new graphics and design. It's exactly what I wanted!
Libby worked her magic and coded the new site to reflect Elizabeth's design. She was an absolute pleasure to work with!
The previous design will always mean a ton to me because Steve and I created the entire layout and graphics ourselves without knowing anything about graphic design and HTML. But I was ready for a change. After nearly 2 years of blogging, I have finally found my voice and realized my aesthetic and I wanted a new design to reflect this. I hope you like it as much as I do!
I'm off to the One of Kind Show media breakfast and I can't wait to check out all the goodies. I'll keep you posted on what I find!
Toronto Event: Crafternoon Tea
I really looking forward to the Crafternoon event in Leslieville on Saturday. It'll be my first time attending and I'm excited about all the homemade fabulouness I'm going to see there. Hope you can make it too!
Cool Shit: Meka
Cool Shit #2 for the week (I couldn't resist) is this modular luxury housing by Meka. The concept behind the company is that these pre-made houses are built from shipping containers. They are eco-friendly with a clean modern sensibility and are extremely affordable at $100 per square foot! How it works - purchase the model, it arrives in a few weeks 95% built and your new home will be set up with all the proper installations in less than 2 weeks. Not too shabby for an inexpensive AND very cool looking home.
{above images of Meka home in Manhattan via Inhabitat}
Blog Re-design
The new blog re-design is almost ready! We're just working out a few kinks and adding some details, but everything should be complete in the next few days. Until then, sorry if things look a little hectic on here.
DIY: Rope Necklace
How fun are these rope necklaces that the girls from Honestly WTF made? Loves them! They took inspiration from a necklace they saw in the Proenza Schouler resort 2011 collection and came up with these beauties. Click here for all the DIY instructions.
Trying to get our Etsy shop updated is taking up a ton of my time, so I'll do my best to post at least once a day! In the meantime check out the two new items we just added to the shop: a reclaimed wood and steel magazine rack and maple slab side table. Also we're featured on Sweetspot today - click here for the article. Happy Tuesday!
Recent Project: Secretary Desk
Here's a recent project I finished for a client for Salvage Interiors. I refinished the wood and gave it a dark rich stain. I painted the front panels of each drawer a greyish green colour and distressed them with the sander. I finished the piece with a mix of new hardware and voila an instant face lift!
Edit Posts
Also I wanted to thank the fabulous folks from Curbly for the feature they did on Steve and I for Salvage Interiors! You can check out the full article here.
Edit Posts
Also I wanted to thank the fabulous folks from Curbly for the feature they did on Steve and I for Salvage Interiors! You can check out the full article here.
{Before}
{After}
Cool Shit: Animal Shot Glasses
When I stopped by The Drake General Store on Queen W last week, I fell in love with these animal shot glasses from Goody Grams. I didn't fall in love with the $45 price tag (for just one shot glass!), but I decide this is some cool shit and I may have to go back for one soon!I had a busy weekend with a lot of work but I also had some playtime Saturday night at the Canadian Design Bloggers event. I met some fabulous ladies and had a really great time! The event was so well planned (thanks to the fab hosts Daniella and Vie)- endless cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, great giveaways, amazing gift bags and of course great company. My only regret is that I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone at the party, but I guess there's always the next one (fingers crossed that there will be a next time)!
Pick of the Week: Porcupine Ornaments
I'm already in the Christmas spirit this year and CANNOT wait to get my tree up (even though it's only mid-November)! I ordered some ornaments from Kissa Design and received them earlier this week - holy amazing! I'm so happy with my purchase and I'm excited to see them on my tree this year. Each ornament has been hand-cut, hand-formed, hand-assembled and are absolutely stunning.
{above are the ones I ordered - love!}
Have a fabulous weekend! I'm heading to the Canadian Design Bloggers meet up tomorrow night and I'm super stoked to meet all the incredible Bloggers!
Have a fabulous weekend! I'm heading to the Canadian Design Bloggers meet up tomorrow night and I'm super stoked to meet all the incredible Bloggers!
DIY: Bookmark
Head over to my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot for all the details on how to make these wood bookmarks (hello perfect gifts!).
Guest Post: Alex's Etsy Finds
Hello hello dear ELS readers! Alex here with another Etsy post! Winter might not "officially" be here for another month, but it's notoriously early every year. Ask my ticking heater. So I've been searching all over Etsy for the coziest items out there. There really was no shortage of amazing stuff, I even found some cozy cashmere undies! Check it out.
1. Cashmere undies by Sartoria (a fellow Torontonian!) - $33
2. Snow pattern slippers by Aykelila - $52
3. Little Women vintage 1911 copy by Cozy Studio - $45
4. More slippers by Aykelila (because they are amazing and hand knitted!) - $52
5. White hand knitted bed throw by Seamless Stitch - $80
I had to add in the Little Women book for sentimental reasons as it reminds me of past Christmases and warming up by the fire reading. Even if I didn't ever do that.
2. Snow pattern slippers by Aykelila - $52
3. Little Women vintage 1911 copy by Cozy Studio - $45
4. More slippers by Aykelila (because they are amazing and hand knitted!) - $52
5. White hand knitted bed throw by Seamless Stitch - $80
I had to add in the Little Women book for sentimental reasons as it reminds me of past Christmases and warming up by the fire reading. Even if I didn't ever do that.
Mini Pie Maker
I'm thinking this mini pie maker from William Sonoma is pretty damn close to being the perfect kitchen appliance out there. You can have your very own homemade baked mini pie (or 4 for that matter but shhh I won't tell) in just 8 minutes! Love!
Current Obsession: Navajo Prints
I've been a tad bit obsessed with Navajo prints these past few months in everything from decor to clothing and accessories. I love the intricate patterns and the mix of colours. All you need is a small touch of this print and it instantly updates any space or look. What's your favourite print right now?
1. Rug - Nizhoni | 2. Slippers - Urban Outfitters | 3. Dress - Opening Ceremony | 4. Dolce Vita sweater - Bicyclette | 5. Socks - Free People | 6. Pillow - Pendleton | 7. Skirt - Nasty Gal
Room Inspiration 17.11.10
I absolutely love Amanda's mid-century modern living room! Most of the furniture in the room was either thrifted, found on Ebay or Craigslist or was a DIY project.
Scarf Inspiration
Continuing with the scarf theme today, here are some street inspiration images involving scarves - these ladies know how it's done!
Book Club: The Happiness Project
The Bold & the Beautiful book club girls got together last week to discuss our October book which was The Happiness Project. I was really excited to start this book because I heard great things about it and I definitely thought it was something I could benefit from.The review was mixed between the girls but the average rating was probably a 7 or 8 out of 10 and all of us said we would recommend the book to a friend. Some of the book was hard to get through but the general idea was completely inspiring to me.
The book is based on the happiness project the author Gretchen Rubin developed for herself based on her life/lifestyle. She decided that she was content with her life but could be much happier. The entire project took her a year to complete and each month she gave herself a new task that she broke down into mini tasks. All of her tasks were created in the hopes of leading to more happiness in her life. Some of her tasks included boost energy, lighten up and keep a contented heart.
The whole idea of the Happiness Project is that anyone can start their very own project that can be tailored to his/her life. I think I was inspired by this book as much as I was because I could fully relate to all of Gretchen's tasks and her personality - actually I think we have VERY similar personalities.
The past two years have been by far the toughest years of my life. I've worked non stop and it's been a challenge to keep my sanity and happiness when my life has been all about work. When I'm stressed, exhausted and have limited time for fun, I tend to not be very pleasant. Work hard and play harder will be my motto for the new year! I've decided to start my very own happiness project in January and although it won't be the same as Gretchen's, it will be similar. I strongly recommend this book to everyone and if you're inspired to start your own happiness project, let me know and we can support each other - because boy I'll need it!
Cool Shit: 20 Hangers Wardrobe
How amazing are these hangers from designer Alice Rosignoli? They are perfect for a small space or for a space that doesn't have any closets. They would look great hung from the ceiling displaying your super cute wardrobe!
{via Generate}
Pick of the Week: Typography by Therese Senneholt
I'm a big fan of typographic art and absolutely love these prints by Therese Senneholt. I would happily place any one of these on a wall in my loft AND I think these make great gifts (hint hint the gift giving season is right around the corner)!
DIY: Wine Charms
Want to learn how to make these wine charms? Then click here for the full instructions on my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot.
Recipe: Doggie Treats
It was Nathan's birthday a few weeks ago, so for the first time ever I baked some goodies for my fur baby! I came across a recipe that included liver (something I'm not a fan of but something I was sure Nathan would devour). The costs of ingredients for this recipes were so minimal that I think I'll be making this again. And the most important part? Nathan LOVED them! Click here for the recipe (I omitted the parsley).
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