Weekly Round-Up

{via Amy Atlas}

The most perfect one piece from Seven Layer Pants.

How adorable is this doggy party via Amy Atlas?!!

A must try coconut cream icebox cake recipe from Seven Spoons.

Denim wedding party via Once Wed. A big do in my book!

Gorgeous new bedroom from The Marion House Book.

DIY: Royal

Here's my ode to today's Royal Wedding (didn't Kate look amazing?!). All the instructions on how to make your own bag are on my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot.

Party Ideas: Decor 8 Book Launch

When I first laid eyes on this table from the Decor8 book launch party on Bright.Bazaar a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't wait for someone to post more pictures of it! Holly from Decor8 along with Leslie and Sania put together this table using items from Liberty's collection along with vintage finds. They also made a lot of the details by hand which is always a nice touch!







I ordered Holly's book over the weekend and received it on Tuesday. I haven't been able to put it down! It's packed full of inspiration and great tips!

DIY: Fabric Covered Notebook

I made these little fabric covered notebooks which have come in handy! They also make great gifts! Head over to my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot for the instructions.

DIY: Magnetic Frames

I don't have a ton of wall space in my new apartment and I wanted to have some pictures of my fur baby around since I don't get to see him as often anymore. I decided to use my refrigerator as a place to put my photos. I don't like a cluttered fridge, so I made magnetic frames to create the look of an art wall!





What you'll need:
-mini frames
-spray paint (if you need to change the colour of the frames)
-super strong magnetic disks
-glue gun

1. If you're changing the colour of your frames, remove the glass from the frame or alternatively you could just tape off the glass.
2. Spray paint your frame in the colour of your choice (I decided to be boring and choose black but may change this in the future) and set aside to fully dry.
3. Glue a magnetic disk on each top corner on the back of your frame.
4. Put in your picture and hang on the fridge!

Cool Shit: Pipe-Lights

I'm a big fan of plumbing pipes and industrial lighting so I love this combo of the two. MESH Architectures created a series of lighting fixtures using pipe that are available in different shapes and sizes. Some even feature a touch-controlled dimmer which is definitely my kind of light!

The pipe-lights are available in their Etsy shop.

{via Core77}

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Before & After: Blush Trailor

Introducing my favourite before & after EVER....





Welcome Blush's newest addition, Bow (Blush on Wheels)! Isn't she beautiful? Blush's adorable boutique is located in Guelph, ON (I mention it here and here) and now the Blush experience is available mobile style. I love this spin on the popular pop up shop because it can be brought anywhere and everywhere. It's perfect for girl's nights, personal shopping and for destination events. I seriously cannot get over how freaking adorable and creative this idea is! The owner Michele is an absolute genius!





Please contact Michele at blushshop@gmail.com if you're interested in having Bow come to your neighbourhood.

Congratulations on your fabulous new addition Michele!

Current Obsession: Rope Detail

There's something about rope detailed accessories that just screams summer! And boy do I love summer (hello patios and margaritas!). Rope has a very nautical influence but I tend to like it best when it doesn't give off such a strong nautical vibe.



1. dress - Nasty Gal, 2.. bowl - West Elm, 3. bracelet - Urban Outfitters, 4. necklace - Net-A-Porter, 5. Steven shoes - Shop Bop

Crush: Drawn and Devoured

I'm excited to feature my first blog in this Crush series! I met Katherine last summer at Drake's Scoops + Tees when I was snapping some pics for the blog. She was so bubbly and such a pleasure to chat with! Katherine contacted me a couple of months ago to let me know that my blog had inspired her to start one of her own. I was beyond flattered and completely honoured. It was honestly the best compliment I could ever receive.




When I checked out Katherine's blog, Drawn and Devoured, I was blown away. The first thing I thought was damn this chick has some serious talent. Katherine is an Illustrator and combined her love for drawing with her love for food to create this amazing blog. Drawn and Devoured tells the story of Katherine's foodie adventures in Toronto. She restaurant hops and reviews each one through her words and her illustrations. I can completely appreciate this as I am a total food whore myself and I love learning about new places to eat in Toronto. The concept is genius and I absolutely love it!

Happy Monday + Blog Sponsorship

{via Teri Lyn Fisher}

Ahh I love long weekends! I had a busy weekend filled with lots of family time, a stroll through the St. Lawerence Market and a ton of work. It flew by and I wish it was an extra long weekend but it's back to work today. I hope you're Easter weekend was fabulous and full of chocolate!

Beginning on May 1st I'll have a few sponsorship ads up on Eat.Live.Shop. If you're a small business who is interested in purchasing either a one month or three month package, please email me for more details and information about my readership at eatliveshopblog at gmail dot com.

Weekly Round-Up

{via Freckle Farm}

Eight amazing tips from Decor 8 on how to spruce up your space.

I love this jewellery display DIY from Freckle Farm.

Delicious heavenly chocolate cake roll from Smitten Kitchen (reminds me of my childhood).

Gorgeous spring palette in this photoshoot by Blanaid.

This is the perfect lady like dress via All the Mountains.

I'm taking a long weekend to celebrate Easter with my family. Happy Easter and have a great weekend!

Baking Panettone

I spent Tuesday morning with my friend Vanessa's family making traditional Italian sweet bread known as Panettone. It's a three day process: day one let the yeast rise, day two mix all the ingredients and allow the bread to rise and day three bake the bread. It's a secret family recipe and Vanessa has been raving about it for weeks so I can't wait to try some later today!

Thanks to Vanessa's sister Veronica for taking all of these pictures!

Earth Day Round -Up

To celebrate Earth Day which is this Friday, I rounded up some of my favourite eco-friendly products. I am so impressed with the amazing items out there. Eco friendly products have come a looong way!

Creativity Cards:
I'm totally smitten with the selection of letterpress cards and stationary from Creativity Cards. I love how simple and witty each one is. They're printed on recycled and 100% cotton paper. Most of the cards are sent with their signature 100% recycled brown envelopes.

PS. I could put that parking one to good use!




Erin Templeton:
I'm a huge fan of Canadian Designer Erin Templeton's work and I love her series of recycled leather bags. Not only are the styles amazing, but the old leathers are soft and worn in. Since recycled leather is used on each bag, no two bags are alike!




Canvas:
Canvas is an amazing website that features a collection of ceramics, wooden objects, textiles, accessories and furniture from craftsmen from all over the world. Their aim is to focus on products that are both fair trade and eco-friendly. I absolutely love the coloured recyled juice glass made from hand-blown Moroccan glass.

Big thanks to Vie for introducing me to this site!



Koru:
Koru is a green distribution company based in Canada that sells some great eco-friendly products. I love the idea of the resusable Fresh Snack Packs since they can be put to good use on a daily basis. They are made from BPA free, non-toxic plastic and are perfect for packing up lunches!

DIY: Easter Projects

Get ready for Easter with these super cute DIY projects!

Easter egg bunting via Poppytalk:



Easter Stickers via Creature Comforts:

Current Obsession: Pastels

When I think of Easter the first thing, well actually the second thing, I think of (chocolate is the first) is soft pastel colours. They always seem so fresh at this time of year and I loved them paired with neutrals such as grey or tan. I rounded up some of my favourite pastel coloured items:



1. The Row - Net-A-Porter, 2. RVCA - Urban Outfitters, 3. Topshop, 4. Levis - Urban Outfitters, 5. Shimmi - Net-A-Porter, 6. Jeffrey Campbell - Nasty Gal, 7. H&M, 8. Zara, 9. H&M

Wish List: Bike Bag

{via Need Supply Co.}

Please say hello to the perfect bike bag. My bike and I definitely require one of these babies this summer. I'll take one in this tan colour please.

Crush: Kove

Kove is a Vancouver based company that creates handmade knit accessories. I love that each piece is unique and made with care. The designs and soft muted colours are inspired by life on the west coast of Canada. I absolutely adore Kove's necklaces especially the multi-layered fringe necklace!

Inspiration 4.18.11

{photographer Janne Peters}

The weather in Toronto this weekend was absolute shit. It rained all day on Saturday and on Sunday it changed from rain to snow to hail. Is anyone else freaking out that it's almost May and we've yet to have a full week with temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius? My pasty white skin is begging for some sunshine, so please mother nature grace us with spring already!

Sunshine and warm weather equals: open toe shoes, cropped pants, flowers (oh how I love flowers!), patios (hello sangria time), bicycling, and pure happiness. So you see, it really needs to happen soon.

Hope you're weekend was lovely despite the weather!

Weekly Round-Up

{via Ruffled}

The perfect finger food recipe via Oh Joy: mini spinach dip bread bowls (this one is for my sister!)

Beautiful spring looks via Butter and Brass.

Amazingly creative wall garden DIY from Ruffled.

Seeing Gwyneth in a hole new light in this interview by J-Zay on Life & Times.

Love these old school Polaroids by Andy Warhol of athletes via Fieldguided.

This weekend couldn't come any sooner! Have a good one!

DIY: Frame Wall

This is the frame wall that recently went up in my new apartment. It's all coming together and actually feels like home now. You can head over to my Handmade with Style blog on Sweetspot for more information on how I put together my art wall.

Current Project: Summer Wedding

Last month my friend's mom asked me if I would plan her wedding. I was both touched and honoured. I love event planning, especially the styling part of it, so the idea of planning a wedding has my creative juices flowing.

I've never planned a wedding before and I need to plan this one in 5 1/2 months, so needless to say things have been a bit hectic. The wedding is going to be a small intimate affair held in their large Toronto backyard. I recently put together a vision board to help the planning process. It's a bit hard to see but I promise I will be posting lots of photos from the big day. The wedding is an elegant garden theme along with some rustic details and a handmade touch.

Recipes: Garlic Soft Pretzel

There's nothing much better than a freshly baked soft pretzel soaked in garlic butter. I made these the other night and while they did take some time to prepare and shape, they were totally worth it. Word of caution: they will disappear quickly so get 'em while they're hot!

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

half a cup of butter
6 cloves of chopped garlic

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. In the meantime, combine the garlic and butter into a pot and melt over low temperature for 20 minutes. Strain out the garlic and set aside.
   
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
5. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.
7. Brush generously with the garlic butter.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Current Obsession: Vintage Marquee Letters

I love the idea of having vintage marquee letters in my office area in my new apartment. I've been on the hunt to find a set that spell out a particular word I have in mind, but haven't had any luck yet. If anyone knows of a place with a large selection, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy these cool spaces!









{images via Apartment Therapy, Retro to Go, SFgirlbybay, Design*Sponge, Ace Hotel}

Inspiration Room

Do you ever come across a space that you can't seem to get out of your head? When I first laid eyes on this room two years ago, it was on the cover of Interior Designer Abigail Ahern's book 'A Girl's Guide to Decorating'. Needless to say I purchased the book on the spot.

There's something about this space that I love, but I can't quite put my finger on it. This room isn't typically what I'm usually drawn to but there's something about the random placement of the hot pink table that I think is just amazing. I also really like the mix of styles from the industrial pendant light to the vintage lamp and table to the modern sofa.

What about you? Do you have a space that you are really drawn to?

Style Ideas: Spring Neutrals

My typical style usually involves very little accessories. I'm a believer that less is more (most of the time). I love incorporating a touch of colour with an otherwise all neutral outfit especially when that colour is turquoise! Now that spring has arrived, I'm ready to put away my heavy knits, dark colours (bye to black for now) and chunky boots. I'm ready for soft colours, bits of colour and fun shoes!

Happy spring!
{click on the outfit for details about each piece}

Wish List: Wood and Faulk Bag

I guess I have bags on my mind this week, but how can a girl resist a cute bag?

I'm in love with this one from Wood and Faulk even though technically it's a carpenter's bag. The mix of leather and canvas makes this the perfect bag for spring (think pleated trousers, loose blouse, chunky wedges and this bag - perfection). I think I need to get it. Now.