style on style

i'm a pretty laid back girl. my favorite outfit is a pair of comfy jeans and a white sheer t-shirt. that's why i love this katie holmes look so much ...



she takes this comfy/sluggish look and turns it up a dial or two. the scarf around the kneck and puff sleeved cardigan is the perfect little dress up piece to take this up a notch without over overboard or making it look too plain jane. i'm not big into too many celebrity looks but katie holmes, after meeting tom has really caught my attention. i love her suttle sophisticated style. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! i want her stylist.

so chic!

Yummy

Funky Aprons

I received an email from Jessica the other week from Domistyle with their new catalog and fun new products added to their line! I don't know about you, but if you're a host like me and love to spend your hours in the kitchen, an apron is a must. These aprons are just fantastic. Modern, chic, fem and totally cute!

Postcups

I saw these on desire to inspire's blog and just fell in love with them. What is this you ask .... well see for yourself....



bailey doesnt bark has custom postcups you can have personal messages writen on! How cute is that?! I think I just might get one for my husband for v-day. Something he can keep with him throughout the day at work to remind him of my love for him :) *SAPPY*

Re Jin Lee is the founder and designer of Bailey Doesn’t Bark, a contemporary wares, textiles and paper goods company. See below...

These ants on my____ cups / spoons are kind of creepy when you see how realistic the ants actually look but it's definitely creative and quite amusing.


tea anyone??? :)

Vday from Olive Rue

this is the prize I'm aiming at!

Olive Rue has started her 1st Annual Valentine's Day Giveaway and I've entered my ballot. All you have to do is leave her a comment detailing the best Valentine's Day you have ever had. Based on the comment-ee she will have someone draw a name to pick a winner on Feb 7th :)

I have entered with my best valentines day details, but here it is for all of you to read as well.

Flash Back To Valentines Day 2003
My best vday didn't actually fall on Feb 14th. If it did, it would have been too obvious. Instead, after work on a Thurday evening (the 13th) my then boyfriend, now husband, picked me up at the Eaton Center (Toronto's largest Mall downtown Toronto). I worked a few minutes away from there and we had planned to meet after work to subway home together. As much as I could of caught on, I didn't suspect anything because we had made vday plans for the next day. So, we meet and he tells me that he has to go pick something up from a friend of his who just happens to be in town for the weekend at the Sheridan Hotel across the street.

We go - he walks us up to a room and as soon as he opens the door I notice a row of rose petals leading into the room. Now I realize what has just happened. The room was decked out with all my favorite flowers (tulips, daisies, gerbras and so many more), on the bed was a basket full of my favorite things, books i haven't had time to read, chocolates, teas, etc....

This was my vday weekend. We played hookie the next day from work and stayed over at the hotel for the next 2 days just reading, cooking, walking around town, talking, laughing ... one of the best qualitiy times ever. I'm not big on big expensive feats but the kicker is, his friend actually was in town that weekend and he had vouchers for the Sheridan which he used for our hotel stay. We ate and cooked in the hotel together and all my flowers he got for my aunts florist for cost!

This was my best vday because it was the only day that lasted an entire weekend with the one person I love the most in my life. Quality time we never had time for. But aside from that, my husband is the most non-romantic person in the world with no imagination or creative bone in his business minded body. So the fact that he went to all the trouble of putting this together for me really showed me that he cared and that he went out of his comfort zone put me first. I love him!

Day Beds

I'm all about functionality and practicality, and to me, "day beds" yell out practical and functional!



I've been wanting to invest in a good day bed for awhile now but never got around to doing it until we moved into a space with a solarium. What better than a beautiful day bed in the sun filled solarium where we can sit and read, have guests sleep in or just a lounge out area.

Here are just a few day bed ideas for you to consider:

1.Seating
Day beds are great for extra seating or a seating alternative in a small space, great for bedrooms. It's deep enough to fill up with pillows and use as a sofa or as a guest bed for guests or a simple afternoon nap. Not only that, but snuggle up on a day bed while watching a movie, it's one of the most comfy, romantic things!


2.Outdoors
Day beds are also great outdoor eye candy. Whether on a porch, backporch, back yard or just smack dab in the center of the yard, it's luxury magnified. Can't you just imagine a good girlfriend talk over coffee outside on a day bed???


3.Storage/A side thought
Day beds are also great if you have space underneath for extra storage and an afterthought in a space. Extra seating in a living room or family room where you can dress up but also leave aside as an accessory to the space.


here are some more great day bed images!
all images from pottery barn

The Perfect Yard

all images from my home ideas

My idea of the perfect backyard would be a place for outdoor dining, relaxing, entertaining, gardening and play. The designer's solution for the image above was to prune back the hedges to open up the yard to light and create a series of sunny living spaces. What I personally love most about this yard is that it has designated spaces for everything in an enclosed private yet open space.

Another thing, I've always wanted a guest house in my back yard. A place where I can go to relax or a place we can put guests in without feeling as if we constantly have someone in our own house. It gives them their privacy and us ours. The above image really incorporates everything I want in a yard, therefore it's the perfect yard in my books!



Imagine waking up to this view?! It's -35 today so all I can do is imagine.

A Hairy Mess

i'm at a stage in my life where my hair is neither here nor there. a chin length bob that's trying so desperately to pass that "will i curl in or will i curl out" stage which is the hardest stage for me to get over. i always give in and end up cutting my hair around this stage but... i'm trying to grow it out.

for my wedding i grew my hair pretty long. but i quickly got tired of it soon after the wedding and cut it all off when we got back from our honeymoon.



now i want my long hair back. it's been 2+ years and i'm dying to have my locks back. i was even thinking of getting extensions to help with the grow out process but i've heard so many horror stories. so now i'm left with this hairy little mess.

my ideal hair....



i love the soft natural looking curls, i'd kill for those curls.

Baby Bash

within the past 2 weeks i've received word from 4 girlfriends that they're expecting this year! i'm telling you, it's a domino effect. once 1 girl gets knocked up, there goes a whole handful all together. so the baby room conversations started up again and i'm so anxious and excited to help them all.... :)

here are a few tips i like to give soon to be mothers.

1. PLAN AHEAD
whether you have a room set aside for the new addition or have to settle with creating a separate area for the baby in an already occupied space, plan ahead. get a good idea of where the baby's space will be and make sure you have enough space for everything you'll need. a baby may be small but they require a lot of "stuff" so plan ahead!

2. KNOW YOUR MUST HAVES
like i said, babies may be tiny little humans but they have some must have requirements. when i create baby rooms, i always keep in mind these must have items: storage. storage is a must and should always be calculated as a priorty when planning a nursery. for diapers, clothes, blankets, accessories, lotions etc... babies require a lot of changing of all kinds so easily accessible storage is a must have.


3. ROCKING CHAIR
when you're child is crying at 3am and you require to feed them every 2 hours there after, a comfortable chair by the baby crib is a luxury you'll not soon forget. make sure the chair is first and foremost comfortable with an arm rest which helps when you craddle your child in your arms for breastfeeding and secondly, i recommend rocking chairs as the slight rocking motion helps when you're half asleep trying to get your baby to fall asleep.



4. DON'T DO THEMEY
i'm not one for theme rooms and as cute as it may be for kids, they grow up real fast. unless you want to be re-decorating your childs room every few months or years, keep to a neutral room that your kids can grow up in. i create baby rooms for the parents, i mean the baby's not going to appreciate anything in there so really it's for the comfort, style and preference of the parents. however, you want a space that you can change and adjust real quickly without too much effort for your child so keep the room neutrally grown up.

Michael Del Piero

Let me introduce you to designer Michael Del Piero whose work I recently fell in love with. She has an amazing ability to create sophisticated interiors with clean lines and a refined palette paralleled by an expert approach to creating textural richness. Michael's unique gift for infusing her sophisticated compositions with carefully curated, personally sourced exotic finds from around the globe results in inviting and unpredictable interiors with a careful balance of elements.



Stunning.

Bungalows

it finally stopped snowing this afternoon. surprisingly, most of the snow has melted off the ground and the snow trucks have piled the remaining slush up onto the curbs leaving a streak of shining black concreate in a midst of white.

the non stop down pour of white this winter has me missing green and all the wonderful lush beauties that come with the crisp spring air. here is a great image of a beautiful garden and home i covet.



a country bungalow home in the beautiful northern city of Chiangmai, Thailand complete with its own private pool and lush tropical garden.

New start new life

a friend and i were talking yesterday about the current state of our economy when we stumbled unto the real estate market and how for the right person, this would be the most ideal time to purchase. very little to no interest rates, dropping property costs and tons of homes for sale. as sad and unfortunate the market is right now for some, for others it's prime time.

a dream of mine has been to flip homes. i've slowly but surely been building a team of reliable partners to start this venture with and in toronto, flipping homes hasn't been that big of a sport. for me though, flipping isn't about make a buck. flipping is for me about turning old unwanted houses into beautiful homes that people can love once again. that's what design means to me, a being a part of someones soul, a reflection of themselves and a place or a thing they can personally connect too. so i'm moving on up from reviving furniture, i want to start reviving homes!

for example, older condos which are getting less and less attention these days with all our super modern condos rising every day, have great potentional to be extraordinary. they have great structural backbone, great space compared to the new condos and every potential in the world to be fantastic!

just some thoughts while sitting here on a saturday morning.
here are some great design inspirations of mine from all around the globe at shoot factory...


talk about open concept. brings new light to the word.



this gorgeous raw space from south africa.


or this fantastic clean white space from singapore.

design is universal and translates perfectly in any language.

Paulette's a tase of heaven .... Mmmm...Macarons

my husband edward and i are both foodies and one of our passions is finding new and exciting gems of food joints in and or around the city all over the world. to this day, there's one thing we say that sets apart good joints to great joints, its perfection in what they create. in other words, do 1 thing and do it well. that's why i feel in love with Paulette.



i fell in love with the concept behind Paulette – a French bakery serving ONLY macarons. if you don't know what a macaron is, its essentially almond cookie filled with delectable ganache. its a marriage of cookie, cake, pastry and mousse.

Paulette macarons is named after its owner, Paulette. this was her favorite cookie when she was growing up. so she collaborated with award winning French pastry chef Christoph Michalak to open the first bakery in Beverly Hills offering pure, freshly made Parisian macarons.



now only if i can have a little taste of heaven here in toronto!

The Sultan's Tent

i'm planning a moroccan 30th birthday bash for my girlfriend next weekend at The Sultan's Tent with her husband who is absolutely clueless when it comes to throwing a party. we met up this evening over mocca's at a cafe and brainstormed a whole bunch of ideas which led me to this moroccan themed post today.



i've always loved moroccan designs. the bold colors, layered textures on textures and the fantastically intricate designs and patterns. it just takes my breath away. if i was daring enough, i would love to incorporate this into my place.



can't wait for The Sultan's Tent. ed and i have been dying to check this place out. and the place, it comes fully equipped with none other than our very own belly dancers! whoot!

Just a hop skip and a plane away

many people have images of their family, loved ones and or friends hanging on and or over their desks at work but me, i have this image. a photo i took of the pier on our honeymoon resort 2 years ago. it's one of my favorite photos. it makes me smile.

since last year we didn't take a single vacation day, this year we're planning a trip for our birthdays in late feb early march. i'm so excited. the best part, reviewing the many millions of all inclusive resorts scattered around the globe. with yummy enticing photos like such....



how can i not get excited. especially when i look out the window and see a foot of snow along with a fury of a snow storm in full force!

Movie of the year 08

we originally wanted to watch Slumdog Millionaire at the Toronto Film Festival but didn't get a chance until just last week over the holidays. the audience gave it a well deserved standing ovation. this factual story turned into a novel now a movie was told seamlessly. the revealing look into the life of Mumbai's slum is just one of the terrifying story lines intertwined with a beautiful young love story. by far my favorite movie of the year.



if you get a chance, check it out. i admit, it's not a movie for everyone as it depicts children in very disturbing ways but if this movie doesn't pull at your heart strings i don't know what will. there's a lot of controversary with this movie being a twisted north american version of what the division in Mumbai between muslims have caused but regardless, it's an eye opening movie that makes you appreciate your blessed life here in north america.

happy 2009

"we are all small and appear to be the same, but as we grow older our true beauty shows, like the butterfly. like a butterfly, we are all different, and beautiful in our own way. in the Christian religion, the metamorphosis a butterfly undergoes is symbolic of the spiritual evolution all Christains go through. in ancient mythology, the butterfly stands for wisdom and everlating knowledge. in Asian culture, the butterfly represents re-birth or a new beginning"

i've been reading 08 updates from many who have only great memories of the past year, unfortunately i can't say the same. this is my butterfly year.
happy 2009 everyone!