I wonder if you’re tired of me singing the praises of Ikea? The Swedish retailer has such wonderful items for less than $20 that it’s hard to resist featuring them in our 20 Below series. Today I’m a fan of this spotted dog – otherwise known as a dalmatian – which is part of Ikea’s soft toy collection.
Gosig Vovven soft toy dog, $7.99, Ikea
When I was in NYC last month my sister introduced me to the wonderful world of Soda Stream – an at-home soda maker.
Corie’s Soda Stream
Corie and her husband are big-time cola fans and so they decided to invest in a Soda Stream so that they could (a) save money and (b) stop carrying cases of cola on their walks home from the grocery store (along with their 3 boys, remember?). It’s been working out brilliantly for them so I thought I should give it a try myself.
my white Soda Stream, $150
I am happy to report that the Soda Stream has been working out quite well for me too! I set it up in less than 5 minutes (it would have been faster if I didn’t take so many photos), the instruction manual is written in a multitude of languages (which makes this linguist very happy), and the design is sleek and white (although many colours do exist).
snapshots of my Soda Stream
So how does it work? Basically you fill the Soda Stream bottle up with water (I use the tap – woah!) and then you screw it on to the Soda Stream machine, pull the trigger a couple of times, unscrew the bottle, and then add a cupful of your flavoured syrup. That’s it! It’s less than a 1 minute process and the end result is perfect.
So far I’ve only made sparkling water and diet cola but there are many more syrups to try. I’ll be putting it to good use at my next party, that much I know (I think the pink grapefruit will be great for punch)!
A variety of Soda Stream machines are available from retailers around the world. The carbonator cylinder (which is the secret to making the bubbles) can be easily replaced via Soda Stream. Price per bottle works out to anywhere from 30 cents to 88 cents.
Many thanks to Melanie K. and Soda Stream for providing me with the Soda Stream Starter Kit.
Last night I watched the 1966 rom-com How to Steal a Million starring Audrey Hepburn (who isn’t a fan, right?) and Peter O’Toole. I knew it was going to be a good movie as soon as I saw Audrey Hepburn driving a sweet red sports car and wearing an all-white ensemble!
Have you seen this movie? What did you think?
Read more about fashion from this classic over at Fashion in Motion.
For some people I know, there’s nothing better than playing in the snow. For others (aka me), this isn’t the case. Even though I’m more a beach-gal than a snow bunny, I still do find some delight in the form of beautiful snowflakes – real or otherwise.
paper snowflake star DIY, via Life is Beautiful
felt snowflake ornament, $6 for set of 4, West Elm
velvet snowflake pillow, $29.95, Pier 1 Imports
Swarovski snowflake pendant, $145, Lord & Taylor
Banjo & Matilda snowflake cashmere sweater, $365, Net-a-Porter
Each year around this time my sister Corie and I become semi-competitive. Why? Well, because we’re each on the hunt for the most perfect agenda for the upcoming year. Last year Corie found Sarah Pinto‘s colourful agendas on a trip to San Francisco. One year she bought me a most beautiful agenda with a cut-out cover from Japan. A few years ago she settled on a fun Lilly Pulitzer while I opted for a plain Letts of London.
This year, I know I have won the agenda search competition!
You see – a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon the work of Zurich-based graphic designer Julie Joliat. O.M.G. I could barely contain my excitement when I saw what was on the computer screen in front of me. White. Graphic. Swiss (you know how attached I am to Switzerland!). The most-perfect-for-me 2013 agenda! Corie was on vacation at the time so I couldn’t call her to brag so I had to keep calm (I mean, people might think I’m really nuts if I went on and on about my discovery, right?). I went ahead and placed an order for both of Julie’s designs because, well, I just had to!
above photos by Julie Joliat
I have rarely seen so many extra useful pages of information in an agenda book which makes me additionally happy with these ones. Weekly and monthly calendars are followed by several useful pages which details things like laundry symbols, clothing size conversion, vintage French red wine chart, and cooking ideas (possibly my favourite guide).
above photos by Jordana
So, if you’re anything like Corie or me and you are in need of a 2013 agenda, then let me please strongly encourage you to get one of these designs. And place your order asap as both are limited editions (300 copies).
