Marketplace: Mother’s Day Shopping at Etsy

April 30, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Here’s my second round-up of Etsy goods that may make wonderful Mother’s Day gifts.

Clockwise from top: silhouette portrait, $65+, Le Papier Studio; felted organic wool slippers, $75, In Wool; Mother’s Day card, $3.50, The Little Illustrator; Dear Mom greeting card, $3.75, Rittenhouse Trades; white leather purse, $95, Meita Lev; concrete candlestick holder, $38, Zeitegeist Factory; deluxe handmade spa gift set, $38, Tokyo Factory; white decorative bird bowl, $10, The Tweet Life

p.s. Mother’s Day is next Sunday May 11th.

*affiliate links have been used

Uptown: Kitchen Counter Style

April 29, 2014 | 1 Commentary

Now that all the reno dust has settled in my kitchen, I get to play around with my countertop displays. On one side of the kitchen, I’m housing my toaster, kettle, and knife block. I’ve left a large part of the counter free of gadgets because it’s a nice long workspace. On the other side, on the counter between the stove and the fridge, I added my new little white radio, but the line-up isn’t as good-looking as I know it could be.

I put a little request for style advice out on Instagram and the IG community had some great responses (thanks Giulia, Anita, @TouchofPink2012, @erinpconner), so I tried them out.

First, I tried gathering some things into a small tray…

Next, I tested out a larger one…

I had the trays in the house already, so it was no big deal to test them out. I also have little containers in a variety of materials that I played around with – they’d be perfect for holding sea salt (not that I really ever cook with a whole lot of salt, but this is not about practicality, it’s about style!).

Finally, I placed a piece of artwork behind my radio and Soda Stream. The painting that I leaned against the wall might be too big for the space; I also think that I want to hang it on one of the kitchen walls.

And that’s about as far as I got. I need more styling practice. I also realize that I never actually use paper towels, so it’s really pointless to have them taking up valuable counter real estate. More changes ahead!

Erica Cook is such a styling master and I would like to follow her lead. I’ve been on the lookout for fancy black & white bottles of cooking supplies (what I would use them all for is beyond me), but I’ve had zero luck as of yet. Take a look:

Erica Cook’s IG

I am really enjoying being on the styling stage of my house reno. It’s about time!

Update: I just found this article about how to style a kitchen countertop on The Everygirl. The photos are beautiful. I’m afraid of styling the countertop too much – I’d rather have an empty counter so I have space for food prep than a countertop full of cookbooks and bowls of just-for-show lemons.

20 Below: Garance Doré at Chapters-Indigo

April 29, 2014 | Leave a Reply

I was pleasantly surprised to see illustrator/photographer/blogger/influencer Garance Doré‘s stationery collection at my local Chapters-Indigo. Doré’s illustrations translate beautifully to paper goods and I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing more of her work in stores in the future.

Garance Doré assorted girls notecard set, $19.95, Chapters-Indigo

Design: Collecting Collections

April 28, 2014 | Leave a Reply

I’ve written about my collections fairly regularly over the years. Each collection is slowly growing – especially now that I have a whole house to fill – and I love each of them. My Eiffel Towers are currently housed on top of my dining room buffet, my menagerie is sort of spread around the house as is my silver collection, and my milk glass and Sophie Conran pieces have a new spot in a glass-fronted Billy bookcase. I also have an expanding collection of DIY inkblot paintings and mugs. How many collections is too many?

Covet Garden Issue 40

As I was reorganizing one of my kitchen cabinets this past weekend, I noticed that I also have a collection of espresso makers. How’d that happen? They’re such handy little things, so I guess I find them hard to resist.

espresso makers – photo by me

All my collections have their place in my home, so I feel as though it’s okay to keep adding to them. When I run out of room, I guess I’ll have to stop. Then again, I could always move into a larger home?!?

Interiors: New York City Apartment

April 25, 2014 | 8 Commentaries

Over the last decade, I have made countless trips to Manhattan. I feel so lucky to have visited the city’s attractions, to live like a real person, and to have explored so many different parts of of this truly inspiring city. Sure, I could do without the crowds and the grime, but Manhattan is like no other. The city is so energetic, and New Yorkers just love their city. My regular trips to NYC, however, have come to an end now that my family is moving out of the city. I had my last visit over Easter weekend and I had to say goodbye to my family’s gorgeous apartment in the heart of Manhattan. They basically gutted the place (awesome before & after photos!) when they bought it. The 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment is white and bright and spacious enough (yes, really) for a family of 6 +1 (me, yes, it’s true). It was truly wonderful to live (I sometimes feel as though I lived there, too) 8 short blocks from Central Park (that’s a 5-8 minute walk, depending on how much jay-walking you do), about the same distance to Times Square, Lincoln Centre, and Rockefeller Centre. Would you like to have a look at their beautiful home?

master bedroom

living room

kitchen

dining room

bathroom

office

My sister and brother-in-law have put up their apartment for lease, and I know that the future tenants are going to fall in love with the apartment, the building, the doormen, and the location as my whole family has!

p.s. I couldn’t post the second bedroom because it’s a colourful kid’s room. 🙂

Photos by Corie.

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