Not A House, But A Home

New Computer and Windows Live Writer

2012-02-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I reached my boiling point with my old computer. It’s refurbished (2006) and I’ve had it since my university laptop clunked out on me in Jan 2007… in the middle of my thesis no less! I bought this computer because it was the cheapest one at $400. I borrowed a keyboard, mouse and monitor from my parents for the rest of the term – I only had 4 months left of university anyway. In all honesty, it served me pretty well during our 5 years together, but I knew it was time for an upgrade when:

I’d turn it on then go eat breakfast because it takes that long to boot up
I’d wake up in the middle of the night because the fan would start whirring really loudly
I couldn’t upload all the necessary upgrades to install Windows Live Writer, which I keep hearing over and over again will change my blogging life for the better.

I called my brother, who is a whiz with computers, to ask for his advice on what computer to buy. He asked me my budget and told me if I could wait a few weeks, he could make me a custom computer. SWEET! He lives in Ottawa, hence the wait – my parents visited him for Family Day/his birthday so they brought it back with them. Daniel took pictures throughout the building process – check ‘em out!

I now have Windows 7 (smell ya later Vista!) and Windows Live Writer! I’ve been tinkering around with it a bit and so far so good… well I guess I should save my judgement until after this post gets published…

Does anyone else use WLW? Have any tips or suggestions?

CB2

2012-02-23T08:07:00.020-05:00

I recently ventured to CB2, Crate&Barrel's younger, hipper, and (relatively) cheaper counterpart. CB2 opened their first Canadian store at Queen and Bathurst in Toronto on January 20, 2012. The 2-story store is actually a heritage building that was built in the 1800s. Most Torontonian's are familiar with the building in its previous state - purple, and lots of it. CB2 spent $3 million restoring the exterior of the building to its original beautiful state, which involved stripping the brick of the purple and gutting the interior, but they did keep a few pieces of nostalgia, most notably The Big Bop sign hanging in the stairway to the second floor (you can see it on the top right photo)

Photos sources clockwise from top left: 1/2/3/4

The store was packed when I visited and was stocked full with new spring 2012 collection. There were lots of bold colours as well as neutrals to round them out, and I noticed a pretty heavy Scandinavian influence - simple lines and natural woods.

Here are a few items that caught my eye:

I loved these plates - the salisbury steak one for my meat-loving man, and the tofu steak one for me :) The white bookshelf is also great. Kevin and I have been eyeing the Expedit unit from Ikea, but this one has some potential too...

Have you checked out CB2 yet?

Photography Challenge - Day 7: Fruit

2012-02-22T08:05:00.001-05:00

My choices in the fruit bowl for this photography challenge were dried orange, a grapefruit, and this apple... I pretty much give up on fruits in the winter (clementines excluded!) because they lose a lot of flavour. I can't wait until the summer!! Ultimately I chose the apple because it has a bit more contrast with colours than the grapefruit and orange.

As per Kerry's suggestion in my last photography challenge, I put the apple in front of a neutral background so that the colours could pop. Comments and feedback are appreciated! :)

If you want to check out my previous photo challenge days, here are the links:

Day 1 : Self Portrait

Day 2 : What You Wore Today

Day 3 : Clouds

Day 4 : Something Green

Day 5 : From A High Angle

Day 6 : From A Low Angle

Condo News: Construction Update and Security System

2012-02-21T08:05:00.016-05:00

Kevin and I attended a condo meeting recently. The meetings are held every 6-8 weeks to keep us informed of progress, which I appreciate. The main subject of this meeting was previewing the security systems, but they also had one of the construction managers in to talk about the progress on the construction of the building... A hot topic amongst all the buyers!

The security system (ADT) presentation was what I expected. I've never lived in a traditional high-rise building before, but all the information seemed pretty standard to me. The ADT representative (who looked like Jack Layton and seemed really nervous to talk in front a crowd) also talked about the access points in to and out of the parking garage. He said we're getting one key fob, which we can wave to enter the parking garage from outside, to enter the building from the parking garage and to enter the building from the street. I'm glad it's all on one device.

This is how the telephone entry system and fob key will be

The security guy also talked about the telephone entry (buzzer) system (pretty standard), fire alarms, elevator security, the CCTV system, and other general security around the building. While pretty much everything he had to say was pretty standard, I appreciate hearing it. I wouldn't say I'm a super secure person, but I've had someone break into my university apartment before and have had things stolen in supposedly "secure" places - plus my dad's a locksmith - so being aware of my security is something that makes me feel a bit safer.

In all honestly, I didn't give a crap about security when compared to my desire to find out about progress time lines for the construction. I drove by the site a few weeks ago and even tweeted an Instagram photo. Let me tell you, it is woefully behind schedule. Figures. I know. These things never get completed on time. But it's still SO DISAPPOINTING!

The first delay was Consumers gas, then the hydro company, then there was a delay getting permits from the City of Toronto. Basically there have been delays at every turn. The dig-down for the 4 level underground parking is 14m deep, which requires a crazy number of 4ft wide cement columns for support...152 columns to be precise. They anticipate the dig-down will be completed by the end of March, then the foundation-laying can begin!

I asked when they thought occupancy would be. It was originally early summer in 2012 and then it was later summer 2012. Now they're saying occupancy, starting from the ground up, will start in November, December 2012 to January 2013. Our unit is on the 10th floor of a 12-story building, so we're on the end of that time line. I feel like those goal dates are still pretty lofty, so Kevin and I could potentially still have a year or MORE before occupancy... We were told that we're going to get official notice (written) in April that outlines the delays and new anticipated move-in dates.

The waiting game is painful...

To not end this post on a dreary note, we were shown a demo video of the exterior and common spaces of the building. It was pretty awesome. I mean, I don't know necessarily that we're going to have that exact patio furniture, but it looked pretty swanky! They also showed us mood boards of the finishes and textiles for the common spaces and they looked great as well! That part of the meeting really got me excited about moving and helped me visualize things. Kevin and I are just chewing on the bit, ready for this place to be done already!

To see other condo news posts...
Our Condo Floorplan!
Condo Finishes Waiting Game
Keeping It In The Family

Photos sources: key fob, intercom

Impressive Zinio Customer Service

2012-02-20T10:43:00.002-05:00

Let me start this post off by saying I wasn't going to post today. Today is Family Day in Ontario (and Alberta and Saskatchewan), but I don't have the day off because I'm a public servant. I went to bed in not the greatest mood because I knew I would have to work today, even though I had a great weekend at home with Kevin.

So here's the story:

About a week ago I got an email from my friend, Sara, who told me I should read this month's issue of Chatelaine magazine because it had some great small-space solutions in it. I currently have two magazine subscriptions (Canadian House & Home and Style at Home), which I read mainly using Zinio.

About Zinio:

Zinio is the world's largest newsstand and bookstore. With its many digital products and services, Zinio creates better ways for people to discover published content, get more of it and do more with it. Now, readers can purchase content once to be read on any screen. Zinio provides the ability to shop for, search inside, read, share and save digital content in 23 local newsstands in any country in the world.

I barely even glance at my paper subscriptions anymore because with Zinio I can read them over a week earlier than the mailed version. I also found a Zinio app for my iPhone so I can read my magazines anywhere - no computer necessary. Sweet!

So yesterday, while perusing Zinio on my iPhone, I decided to check out the digital price for this month's Chateleine magaine: $2.99 for one month, $12.99 for a 12-month subscription. Really? $12.99 for 12 issues? They were practically giving it away. How could I say no? I put through all my information, but I got an error message...

Gah! That sucks! I'm not the most patient person. I love buying things and getting them immediately, which is exactly what I was expecting, so this error message was less than ideal. I followed the instructions and sent them an email, including the above screen shot. I wasn't expecting to hear back for at least a few days though (agony!) because it was 1. Sunday night, and 2. it was a Sunday night preceding a holiday. Double gah!

Much to my surprise, I got two emails from Zinio within a couple hours (but I was already asleep), where they were apologizing for the inconvenience. Emails like this are always appreciated! First up was this one:

Then this one:

That's right...FREE. I read this at 6am this morning thinking, "Sweet, they're gonna give me a free issue." No folks, the whole subscription is free! Woohoo Donald L! You are the shizzzz!

The value is $12.99 - nothing huge, I know, but it definitely started my day off right :) And I love being able to share positive customer service experiences. Note: I always love to share negative customer service experiences too and have been known to blacklist companies forever. Le Chateau, I'm talking to YOU!!!!!!!! Worst customer service EVERRRRRRRRRRRR.

To continue on in my positive mood, I had an absolutely clear drive on my way to work this morning and got here in record time because there were no cars on the road.

So far today is feeling like this: (seriously, if you want to get your day off to good start too, watch this video).

Liebster Award

2012-02-17T08:08:00.008-05:00

In the last week, I was lucky enough to be the recipient of two Liebster Awards. The award was passed on to me first by Beatrice from The Crafty Bee and secondly by Krista from Nook of Wellington. Thanks ladies! I love when these awards get passed around because I learn about my blogger buddies and I also get the chance to find out about new blogs.

Some background: the Liebster is awarded by bloggers to other, newer bloggers, who have fewer than 200 followers, to spread the word and help the new(er)bies gain wider recognition. The award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy when accepting:

Choose five up-and-coming blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) to award the Liebster to.
Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.
Share 5 random facts about yourself.

And here are 5 random things about me.

1. I'm a middle child.

My brother, Daniel is 30 years old today(!) and my sister, Michelle will be 26 years old in less than 2 weeks, which makes me a middle child... Some of you may have heard of the dreaded "Middle Child Syndrome". Well let me tell you, it's true! I have noticed that I more closely relate to people who are also middle children, specifically when the middle sibling has one same-sex sibling i.e. Boy-girl-girl (my family), girl-girl-boy, boy-boy-girl, girl-boy-boy OR boy-boy-boy/girl-girl-girl.

I read this on Urban Dictionary (not a credible source, I know!) and burst out laughing! So true!!

Oldest: Hey I just turned 16!
Mom: Lets go pick you out a car!
Oldest: Yay!

-1 1/2 yrs later-

Middle: Hey I just turned 16!
Mom: Oh.. er.. well we're still paying for your sib's car, so you'll have to just borrow from her when you can..
Middle: >.>

-2 yrs later-

Youngest: Hey! I just turned 16!
Mom: Yay! And I just finished paying for the other car! Lets go get you a car!
Middle: Hey! I should be the next one to get a new car!
Youngest: but its MY birthday
middle: Thats stupid
youngest: MOMMY SHE JUST CALLED ME STUPID!!
mom: Be nice to your little sister on her birthday!! Come on, birthday-girl! Lets go get that car!
Youngest: WOO!

2. My favourite show is 1 Girl 5 Gays.

I love love love that show. I could watch it all day. Vish, David Roberts, Dean, JP, Thomas, Michael Yerxa, Dylan, Juan, Jonathan S, Jonathan N., Gerry... those guys are all awesome!

via

3. My Myer-Briggs personality type is ISTJ.

According to Wikipedia:

The MBTI tool consists of multiple choice questions that sort respondents on the basis of the four "dichotomies" (pairs of psychological opposites). Sixteen different outcomes are possible, each identified by its own four-letter code, referred to by initial letters. (N is used for iNtuition, since I is used for Introversion). The MBTI is approximately 75% accurate according to its own manual.

I – Introversion preferred to extraversion: ISTJs tend to be quiet and reserved. They generally prefer interacting with a few close friends rather than a wide circle of acquaintances, and they expend energy in social situations (whereas extraverts gain energy)
S – Sensing preferred to intuition: ISTJs tend to be more concrete than abstract. They focus their attention on the details rather than the big picture, and on immediate realities rather than future possibilities.
T – Thinking preferred to feeling: ISTJs tend to value objective criteria above personal preference. When making decisions, they generally give more weight to logic than to social considerations.
J – Judgment preferred to perception: ISTJs tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability.

Yup... that's me to a T!

4. I signed up for a half marathon.

On May 27th, I'll be doing the Toronto Women's Run Half Marathon. I did the 5mile/8km in October and I loved the experience. In all honesty, my training has taken a severe nose dive in the last 2 weeks, so I really need to get back to training! The longest distance I've run so far is 6 miles/10km.

5. I once met Mariah Carey.

My friend Sara's mom won second row tickets and backstage passes to Mariah Carey's Charmbracelet concert. Don't judge! Sara and I are both biracial (half-black half-white) like Mariah, so obviously we thought she was awesome lol! When we got to the backstage waiting area, the security people told us that we were not to ask for autographs, even though we told specifically to bring her latest CD so she could sign it. Oh well. They had a "professional" photographer there who took this photo of all of us, then mailed everyone a copy. Right after this shot was taken, everyone was standing around awkwardly.. I guess no one had told Mariah that they'd told us we couldn't ask for autographs, so she turned to me (me!) and said, "Do you want me to sign your CD?" I said, "Yeah ok!" Then I whipped out my CD while frantically motioning for Sara to get hers. Sara got her CD signed then security kicked the whole group out of the backstage room, which conveniently opened up to the road in front of the main entrance to the Air Canada Centre. Once outside Sara and I jumped up and down with joy for about 10 seconds before thinking better of things because everyone was giving us death stares and we were worried someone would try to steal our signed CDs from us. Yes we were geeks. At least I'm not an overweight geek anymore :)

I would like to pass this award to:

Sarah from {rad: Renovations Are Dirty}
Kerry from This Tinder
Amanda from Amanda Cromwell Designs
Lauren from The Wee Lass
Shannon from EightFootSix

Happy 30th Birthday Daniel!

2012-02-17T07:33:00.004-05:00

I wouldn't normally post for a sibling's birthday, but my big brother turns 30 today! My family is taking Friday off (Family Day on Monday makes it a 4-day weekend!) to go visit him in Ottawa, but I had to stay behind because I don't get Monday off...grrrr

For those who do have Monday off, have a great long weekend! Be safe and have fun :)

Canadian House & Home - March Roundup

2012-02-16T08:06:00.001-05:00

The March issue of Canadian House & Home is all about COLOUR...something I always struggle with. I'm such a grey and beige lover. This issue definitely helped me see why I should get out of my neutral comfort zone and into the world of kaleidoscope colours!

I read through the March issue about three times.. and every single time I looked at Ferm Living's peacock pillow I thought, "Neapolitan ice cream", which of course makes me want this pillow! Anyone else see Neapolitan? No? Alright then, moving on...

I've mentioned before how much I love grasscloth. It's so purrrdy and textured.. what's not to love? It's usually a material one sees in very neutral colours and understandably so, as the texture alone has enough impact. But check out these lovelies here: red, pink, purple grasscloth! I especially love the purple Ansai Sisal one through Design by Colour. It is by far the least expensive so my inner grasscloth lover must be a frugalista! By the way, that capri teardrop lamp by Jonathan Adler ain't too shabby either. I'm really digging the proportions and the smooth base.

While I'm more a fan of white textured bed linens, I had to post these duvet covers and quilts. They're so pretty! I'm a sucker for stripes so my top pick is the preppy navy and white striped duvet cover from West Elm. Which one do you like best?

This home is a tall Victorian semi in central Toronto and it used to house a boys' school. Currently, it is the home of Alexandra Bennett her husband, Brian Moore, and their family. I looked at this picture over and over because I knew there were elements of it that were great, but it took me a few look-throughs to pinpoint them all. First up, is the painting - that's easy. It's beautiful. Looks like a peony to me and was painted by Vancouver artist, Bobby Burgers. Second up, the blue door. Look how TALL it is! Victorian's generally have taller ceilings, but that door is a masterpiece. Stunning. Third up, the beautiful thick white trim and baseboards. Those baseboards are practically knee-high on their daughter! Very luxe. Also, I need this quote by Alexendra to remind me to use colour a bit more: "It's only paint. It can be changed"

Photography by Virginia MacDonald

You know I love a good DIY. Everybody loves a good DIY, right? Well, this DIY here is canvas material that was hand painted with water paints in a chevron pattern, then stitched into a roman shade. Love! Great idea. I love the soft colours. Someone needs to try this out. That someone would be me if I had a window to cover!

Photography by Michael Graydon

How do you feel about colour? Do you splash it all over your house like Alexandra or do you use it more sparingly? Maybe you're like me and you barely use it at all (grey and beige are colours too dagnabbit!)

Photography Challenge - Day 6: From A Low Angle

2012-02-15T08:04:00.009-05:00

I took a bit of a break from the 30 day photography challenge, but I'm finally back! Today's challenge was about taking a photo from a low angle. A low angle...what does that even mean? Taking a picture of something on the ground? Taking a picture of the sky or ceiling? I wasn't too sure, so I ended up taking some really weird pictures of the vaulted ceiling in my bedroom. While the ceiling looks great in person, it doesn't translate so well in photos. I turned to Wikipedia, which stated a low angle shot is from a camera "positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up." Alright, that makes sense! A low angled shot is basically a little camera trickery to make something seem bigger or more imposing. I took a couple low-angled shots of myself to make my 5'4" self seem "big and imposing" and I ended up with some horrifically unflattering photos. I'll spare you the details. Then I thought it would be cool to make something small-ish look huge-ish using the low angle method. That's where my little green elephant comes in. I recently purchased a super cute green elephant piggy bank from Urban Outfitters. I love elephants, so obviously I had to snatch up that little guy as soon as I saw him.

So, here is my attempt at making my little green elephant look large:

Here's an angle from slightly above the elephant. He looks pretty big here too lol. In reality, the elephant stands 7 inches tall from foot to trunk.

I'd love to hear your feedback! Did I succeed in the day 6 challenge? The top picture is definitely a low-angled shot, but I think the elephant looks bigger due more to the closeness of the shot, rather than the angle of the shot.

If you want to check out my previous photo challenge days, here are the links:

Day 1 : Self Portrait

Day 2 : What You Wore Today

Day 3 : Clouds

Day 4 : Something Green

Day 5 : From A High Angle

Happy Valentine's Day! Cookie edition...

2012-02-14T08:08:00.001-05:00

Kevin and I don't make a big production out of Valentine's Day. I like wearing something red or pink and baking some cute heart cookies, but that's about it. I don't think we've ever gone out to dinner on Heart Day, but we are this year. I guess there's a first for everything!

Kevin loves shortbread cookies, so I usually end up making them for him for Christmas, his birthday and Valentine's Day. My absolute favourite recipe to use is from The Joy of Baking. This recipe has served me extremely well and I highly recommend it!

Shortbread Cookies:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract (I use a about 1.5 teaspoons)

Note: use the best butter and vanilla you can afford - it makes a difference!

INSTRUCTIONS
In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Shortbread cookies will keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.
Makes about 20 shortbread cookies.

I put the cookies I baked into a glass jar ($1 from Dollarama) and made a little label to go on the front. I bought a $0.29 piece of striped pink card stock from Michael's to frame a white piece of card stock that I decorated with adhesive stickers (kind of like stick-on tattoos, but for paper - $1 from Dollarama). I used a star-burst hole punch at the top of the label, strung a piece of silver ribbon through it, then tied the ribbon around the lid and curled the ends. It's not super fancy, but it's just a way to personalize a cookie jar... and it only cost me $2.29.

Do you have anything planned for your sweetie tonight?

Kitchen Island Potential

2012-02-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

I've always wanted a kitchen island. In our last apartment, I really want to get the Utby table from Ikea, which isn't technically an island so much as a table, but I would've used it as an island and put some counter height chairs around it. Kevin nixed the idea because he wanted a tradition 30-31 inch high table...womp womp. In the condo, I think I might be able to swing a small island (Utby, you might be able to come home with me after all!) in addition to a dining table. I'm refraining from buying anything before we move in (heck, the place isn't even built yet), but I spotted this picture in House of Fifty magazine and let me tell you, there was some major swooning going on...

Do you have an island? Or do you wish you had an island, like me?

Photo source: House of Fifty Issue 4 Spring 2012 Pg 24

Tutorial: Fluttering Hearts Frame

2012-02-08T08:07:00.003-05:00

I love doing crafts and projects and must talk about it incessantly (hehe whoops) because a few months ago I got asked to put my mad skillz (sarcasm) to use and make a wedding guest book. The bride sent me some inspirational pictures and told me she wanted white hearts on a white background with 2 pink hearts - one with her and the hubbie's initials, and one with their wedding date. I spent an afternoon doing the project, but the wedding ended up being called off (eeek!) before I ever had the chance to show it to the bride.

Valentine's Day is around the corner and I thought this would make the perfect DIY gift tutorial. You could definitely also make this as a wedding guest book and have everyone sign in the hearts, or you could use coloured/patterned paper or pages from your favourite book for the hearts. It's completely customizable, super cute, and only costs about $20 if you're buying all of the supplies from scratch!

Supplies:

Shadow Box Frame (mine was originally $13 from Michael's but I waited until they were 50% off)
Mat Board (already had)
Paper or Cardstock (already had)
Glue Stick (already had)
1 inch Heart Punch (mine was originally $8 from Michael's but I used a 50% off coupon)
Ruler (already had)
Pencil (already had)
Something with a not-too-sharp edge like a paperback novel

Total cost for me: $11.50 + existing supplies

Instructions:

Step 1: Remove the paper template in your shadow box and use its dimensions to cut your mat to size

Step 2: Once cut, figure out how much border you want around your hearts. The frame I bought was perfect for 49 stars (47 were sign-able for the guestbook). Knowing I would be making 7 rows of 7, I found and marked off the centre of the frame. I started by making the centre horizontal line, then the centre vertical line. This helped me keep the lines straight. Note: I only marked the first heart's location (the one in the centre). For the subsequent hearts, I just used my ruler as the guide and made sure the bottom points of the hearts were 1.5 inches apart horizontally and vertically.

Step 3: Punch out those hearts! I used just over 1 sheet of white craft paper and cut out about 50 hearts - I cut a few extra just in case.

Step 4: Using the spine of a book (or something else with a hard 90 degree edge), put a crease (not a complete fold) vertically down all of your hearts, except for any hearts you want to stand out from the rest. When I originally made this as a guest book, the hearts were pink, but now they're glitter and they're kind of awesome :)

Step 5: Glue your hearts to your mat! Start with the centre heart. Alternately glue the left side then the right side of the hearts so that you get this pattern... look, they're all a-flutter!

Step 6: Enjoy!

This project took me an afternoon to do and I'm very very pleased with the results! If you give it a go, I'd love to know how it went for you.

Do you have any DIYs up your sleeve for Valentine's Day?

Our Condo Floorplan!

2012-02-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

Here is our condo floorplan! I thought it was high time I showed it to you. Our unit sold out pretty fast (there were only 3), so I had to scan a printout I had instead of grabbing the image from the online gallery... hence the lower quality photo.

Here are some details!

It's 716 square feet - not huge, I know, but we're happy with it. It's 50% larger than our apartment and we were perfectly content there.
It has one bedroom, one den*, and one full bathroom (ensuite) and one half bathroom
It's a corner unit (south-east facing: ideal!)
It has a balcony - some units only had Juliet balconies, which is still something I guess, but we wanted some kind of step-out outdoor space.
We have one parking space and one locker
The two black circles are cement columns
The weird gap in the middle of our unit is where the stairs are...
We're on the tenth floor of a mid-sized building so we're not worried about "stair noise"
And it has TWO FULL WALLS of windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that pretty much sums it up. Any questions??

*condo developers in Toronto clearly VERY loosely define what is considered a den. To me, this is just a big(ger) living room and a not-so-sneaky way for developers to ask for more money!

Style at Home - March Roundup

2012-02-06T08:07:00.003-05:00

The March 2012 issue of Style At Home is all about decluttering and storage solutions in smaller spaces - two ideas that go hand in hand. They're also particularly relevant as we get closer to spring... and spring cleaning!

I'm pretty sure I gasped when I first saw this. This vacation home is located in the Laurentian countryside, just north of Montreal. Guylain and Katrine Verdier are the homeowners of this 5000-square-foot house, which was designed in collaboration with Marc Julien and Denish Cyr of JCB Architectes and designer Jean-François Ménard. There is so much to love about this space. I love that there are wood floors and ceilings as you don't often see wood ceilings - gorgeous. I love the cabinetry, the backsplash, the touches of reclaimed wood throughout the space, the lightness, the airiness. They did a fantastic job of mixing modern and rustic elements. The space feels light and flowy because of the windows, the white shaker cabinets, and the acrylic chairs, but is well anchored with all of the wood - the floors, ceilings, bookshelf, and dining table.

Photography by Nicolas Ruel, Styling by Lucie Desmarais

This townhouse is owned by Catherine and Nick Chan, and is located in Toronto's King West area. It was a pre-build purchase, so the homeowners brought in the services of Ryan Martin and Amy Kent from Croma Design to help bring their vision to life. Ryan describes Catherine's style as "modern, clean, spare" with "a lot of texture" and I think they captured it perfectly! The minimal aestethic with the beige and grey palette really lets the textures shine - check out the grasscloth accent walls (swoon!), the bedding, the bed, and the sparkle above the couch. All perfection! If I could combine the kitchen and dining room of the Verdier's house with the living room and bedroom of the Chan's house, I think I'd have the perfect space.

Photography by Michael Graydon, Styling by Christine Hanlon

This console table caught my eye. I love the long and skinny legs. It's also quite narrow, so it would work very well in a small space... perfect for condo-dwellers!

Photography by Angus Fergusson

This office belongs to fellow blogger, Jennifer Flores from Rambling Renovators. My favourite parts of this room are the L-shaped desk that creates two workspaces, the mix of open and closed storage, and the configuration of the storage - some high, some low. You don't often see the Expedit bookcases hung on the wall, so I appreciate the creative use!

I really enjoyed the interiors in this issue of Style at Home! Do you love the mix of modern and rustic décor as much as I do?

Resolution Check-in: January

2012-02-03T08:11:00.008-05:00

January came and went in a whirlwind, so I thought I would take some time at the end of this month (and each month) to see how my resolutions are coming along. I've done okay so far, but it'll definitely help to do a once-a-month check in. Feel free to share your progress with me too!

MY 2012 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

1. Stop swearing
This has been an epic fail. I'm definitely more aware of my cursing and inwardly wince when I hear myself cursing, so that's an improvement, right? Even if my actual swear count hasn't gone down...
Goal achieved? EPIC #%$&-ING FAIL!!

2. Improve my photography skills
Eeek, still off the bandwagon with my photography challenge. But not all is lost! I'm adding photography to my editorial calendar! I have hope that having it on my calendar will make me more accountable!

Goal acheived? Fail... womp womp

3. Learn Photoshop

This one isn't a cop-out, I swear. I decided Photoshop is not for me because I found Picnik and had an amazing few weeks with it. I even spent the $20-something to upgrade to the Premium package. Then disaster hit. They're closing April 2012. *Sad face* What gives Picnik??! How can you decide to close when I've only just discovered you???

So now I'm on the hunt for something else that is equally user friendly. Apparently there isn't anything else, but I've been tinkering around with Pixlr and I like it so far. I've also been told that Photoshop Elements is a lot easier than regular ol' Photoshop, but it's not free, which is a huge deterrent for me.
Goal achieved? Still out for review...

4. Read more news
PASS WITH FLYING COLOURS!!! Seriously, I have been so good with this resolution. I'm really quite proud of myself. My brother told me he keeps up with news through Twitter. In the beginning of this year I got the iPhone4S and got my first data plan - it has turned me into a twittering fiend...well at least what I define as fiend-ish behaviour, so of course it made sense to me to follow some news feeds. They're great! I also added a few news apps.

Did I mention how much I love this phone? I can barely part with it. It comes with me everywhere. It's a serious addiction. I have a feeling 2013's new year's resolutions will include "putting down the iPhone"...
Goal achieved? Check!!

5. Do more DIYs on my blog
I achieved my monthly goal (so far) to do one quality DIY or tutorial. In January I posted a tutorial for an iPhone charging station. I was really happy with the way it came out and got some good feedback on it.

Goal achieved? Check!

6. Declutter each season
I did a deep declutter of my closet and brought a garbage bag full of clothes to G to the Dub (Goodwill) in mid-January. I also managed not to pick up any new items while there, so double-score!
Goal achieved? Yes-siree!

7. Spend more quality time with the ones I love
This was the most important resolution to me and I'm proud of how I've fared so far. I've had quality conversations with all of my girlfriends in January. They all live out of town/province/abroad so I'm very happy I got a chance to talk to them all. I've also been responding to emails and text messages more promptly. Before January, I used to read emails/texts and mentally respond, then put my phone down and forget to actually respond. Silly, right? Now I just respond immediately to make sure I don't leave people hanging. Kevin and I have also had some quality dates (yay!) and even managed two (yes, TWO!) double dates last month. I think that deserves a pat on the back!
Goal achieved? Yes indeed-y!

Overall I can say I'm happy with my progress. There's obviously still room for improvement cough*swearingandphotography*cough, but I still have 11 more months ahead of me.

How have your resolutions been going? If you made any, have you been sticking to them, or did some of them fall off the bandwagon like mine?

Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup 2012

2012-02-02T08:12:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, I attended the 2012 Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup, which took place at the Brassaii Restaurant and Lounge in Toronto and was organized by the wonderful Vie of Verdigris Vie and Daniella of Daniella Marie.

I had an awesome time. I love this event because it's a relaxed atmosphere and really gives us a chance to talk with and hang out with our fellow bloggers. I got to meet a few new faces, which was awesome. From this meetup, I found some awesome (new to me) bloggers to follow and have added some people to my Twitter account. It's funny, part of me wants to walk right up to the bloggers I've talked with online (but haven't met yet), and part of me wants to hang back and not be so enthusiastic so I don't look crazy. I feel like I already know a lot of them through their blogs and the back and forth we have in the comments and emails. I love the Canadian blogging community! It's awesome!

At this event, we had some fantastic guest speakers:

Lisa Murphy, an online director at House and Home;
Cameron MacNeil, a senior design editor at House and Home;
Cassandra Lavalle from the blog coco+kelley;
and surprise guest, Brian Gluckstein from Gluckstein Design.

I had a bit of a hard time hearing, but took some notes from Cassandra's presentation. Some of the messages were reiterations from BlogPodium, but I appreciate hearing them again. It helps to drill them into my head!

Have a professional looking blog and a consistent and cohesive brand.
Actively seek connections with established bloggers. If you want to guest post on another blog, pitch your specific idea and why you think it would be good on this person's blog.
Attend industry events
Create an editorial calendar
Be true to your voice and style
Practice good blogging etiquette (good referencing is important!)
If you can't do something well on your blog, such as graphics, hire someone out until you learn how to do it

And finally, if you were unable to attend or are just curious about what goes on at these events, Len from Otima was filming and has put together a short clip. Check it out! It's just a teaser while he finishes the complete video, but it'll give you a feel for what we bloggers get up to after a few glasses of wine... just kidding!

Thanks to Vie and Daniella for putting together another amazing event!

Here are my posts to my previous blogger meetups:

Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup 2011

BlogPodium - Jan 2012

What I Learned at Blog Podium: "Blogs+Media"

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000-05:00

On Friday, I attended Blog Podium. This was the first of a series of conferences created by Jennifer Flores of Rambling Renovators and Lindsay Stephenson of Little House Blog. The topic of this first Blog Podium was "Blogs + Media" and the panel was made up by a fantastic line-up of women!

Margot Austin, Senior Design Editor for House and Home magazine (and blogger!)
Kate Moore, CityLine Producer (and blogger!)
Kimberley Seldon, Design Editor for Chatelaine magazine
Jennifer Flores, Published Blogger and Co-Founder of Blog Podium
And the moderator was Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault, CityLine Guest Expert and Benjamin Moore Design Team member.

Left to right: Leigh-Ann Allair Perrault, Jennifer Flores, Kimberley Seldon. Photo by Jason Hudson

Left to right: Kimberley Seldon, Kate Moore, Margot Austin. Photo by Jason Hudson

The conversation was awesome! I tweeted throughout and took notes like a fiend! I was the sponge and they were the water. I was there to learn and learn. I. did.

From my notes, I focussed on the messages that were repeated by most members of the panel. So I present you with my:

1. Have a clear and authentic message I.e.: be original and have a distinct voice. People want to read blogs that are 60% content and 40% entertainment.

2. Focus on having a beautiful, well-edited blog. I.e.: Do not use your flash for photos, create posts that are less than 500 words, and break up the text with photos... photos that are properly credited!

3. Consistency! Be consistent with your brand and the regularity of your posts (minimum of 3 posts per week is ideal)

4. Create an editorial calendar!

5. Social media (Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook) and guest posts are a great way to get exposure

I had never heard of an editorial calendar, so I looked it up - it's supposedly a very efficient way of controlling content publication. I'm all for efficiency and have had issues in the past with coming up with post ideas. Using an editorial calendar, everything would already be planned out. So I spent a couple of hours finding a good template and then altered it a bit to suit my needs. Then amalgamated all the notes I have for post ideas (in emails, on my phone, written on paper) and organized them into the calendar (for the most part). Then thought "OH EM GEE. Why have I not been doing this ALL ALONG?!" Well... I didn't even know such an idea existed until very recently. That's probably why. But now I know, there's no going back! Up until now, my blogging has been spontaneous. I draft a post and usually publish it that same day, so I don't have any backup posts on the ready. I'll work a bit over the next couple of weeks to create more content (drafts for publishing) to add to my calendar. I'm so excited! I haven't been this inspired or felt this motivated in a long time.

Does anyone else have any great blogging tips? Do you like my condensed list? Are YOU going to start an editorial calendar now? Seriously... do it! Do it now! You can thank me later :)

Here's what went down at my very first blogger meetup: The Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup 2011

Canadian House & Home - February Roundup

2012-01-26T08:17:00.001-05:00

The February 2012 issue of Canadian House & Home features lots of home makeovers - just the thing I love to see! Who doesn't love a good "before and after"?

I found one feature to be especially relevant to me, Old Is New Again, Reno No. 3. The homeowners Joel Bray (a designer) and Ryan Baldeo gave their 690-square-foot condo in downtown Toronto a huge facelift... and I loved the results! I'm always attracted to makeovers of smaller spaces as that's exactly how Kevin and I lived in our old apartment and how we will continue to live in our new condo being built this year.

Joel and Ryan bought a condo with a very generic layout and turned it into a space with great flow and traditional touches. They made the space feel much bigger by using light colours on all surfaces (floor excluded) throughout most of the home. The traditional touches were brought in with the use of moudling, panelling and cornices in the common spaces and white dolomite marble on the floors and walls in the bathroom.

I love this dresser. The two-tone look is great and I love the tall legs. It's also styled very nicely!

In other news, I found two other features to touch on that would bring great style to a smaller space. The first is flush mount lighting. Some condos (and houses) are built with 8-foot ceilings (ours, luckily will be 9-foot) so having a pendant light or chandelier can prove challenging. In this scenario, a flush mount light fixture would work perfectly. I'm particularly fond of the drum shade and chandelier ones below.

The other feature was the February Style Files, which suggests replacing builder hardware with decorative knobs and pulls. This is a great idea. I'm not too big a fan of brass, but I love the style of these knobs...Perhaps in an oil rubbed bronze finish?

What do you think are the top design ideas to create flow or give a custom look to a small space?

Happy Birthday Mom!

2012-01-24T08:48:00.001-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday. She's now twice my age. I know I always say it, but I hope I age as well as she does! I can't imagine being wrinkle-free in another 27 years...

The older I get, the more people say I look like my mom. I always thought my sister looked like her, but as I look through this collection of pictures of me and my mom (ones I've used on this blog) I can see the resemblance... the nose... the smile... the lack of brow bone lol. One thing I know for sure is that me and my siblings are like carbon copies - definitely cut from the same cloth.

What do you think? Do I look like her? Do you look like your mom/dad?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Tutorial: DIY iPhone Charging Station

2012-01-23T09:26:00.002-05:00

Kevin loves his iPhone. It's probably his most prized procession. For his birthday I wanted to make part of his present, in addition to the store-bought present he got. I was inspired by something similar I found on Pinterest, but in Canada our plugs are flush (not indented) to the wall and I was worried about the material touching the charger prongs and causing a fire.

Enter this idea!

I had an empty shampoo bottle sitting on the edge of the bathtub when inspiration hit. "Would an iPhone fit in there?" I thought. Yes! It would. And so began my project :-)

iPhone Charging Station Tutorial

TOOLS:

Shampoo bottle
Scissors or utility knife
Sand paper
Fabric
Marker
Modge Podge
Card stock (optional)
Glue gun (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Peel off the label and clean the bottle inside and out.
Step 2: Cut off the top of the bottle
Step 3: Draw the outline using a thin marker. Don't worry if you scribble all over it because this will be covered up.

Step 4: Using scissors or a utility knife, carefully cut out your outline. Tip: To ensure you cut the right sized hole for where the charger plug goes into the wall, trace the outline directly onto the bottle.

Step 5: The edges will be rough, so go ahead and sand those down until they're smooth. Tip: If your bottle is light coloured and your fabric is dark, run a dark permanent marker over the cut edges of the bottle. This will help give a more finished look.

Step 6: Cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the diameter of your bottle. To do this, I just laid my bottle on my fabric and rolled it over, then cut about 2 inches of excess fabric around all sides to give myself some wiggle room.

Step 7: Ensuring the seam is in the back (this part goes against the wall so no one will see it), start gluing your fabric to the bottle using Modge Podge. This is the method I used to wrap the bottom of the bottle. When you're done wrapping and gluing, rest the bottle upside down to dry until the fabric is dry and stiff. I rested my bottle upside down on a paper towel holder.

Step 8: Now that the fabric is dry and stiff, use sharp scissors or a utility knife to cut away the excess fabric. Cut as close to the fabric as possible.

That's it! You're done.

Bonus Points: I went one step further and added a little Apple logo for some pizzazz. I free-hand drew the apple and stem onto a piece of thin paper using a thin marker. I placed that paper backward onto the back of my glitter card stock and then traced around the apple using a heavy hand so that the apple became embossed onto the card stock. I cut out the apple and used a glue gun to adhere it to the front of my bottle.

This project was fun, easy, and very inexpensive. I spent just over $2 on this pretty fishtail fabric and only used about 25 cents worth of it! This project can also be slightly altered for any brand of phone - you could even do it for a slim point-and-shoot camera! It's a great way to keep cords and counter clutter to a minimum.

My Trip to St. Lucia

2012-01-20T11:47:00.016-05:00

I don't go on vacation very often, but I was lucky enough to go two times at the end of 2011. The first trip was to an all-inclusive resort, Sandals St. Lucia, with my family and some friends. I've been meaning to share some photos for a while now, so here they are!

Alright, to start off, here's the crew. From left to right we have Luke (with his Movember moustache), Jody, Alana (Luke's girlfriend), my mom, Daniel (my brother), me, Katie, my dad, and Michelle (my sister). After looking at this photo, I laughed because it reminds me of old school 90210 with all the bright colours.

I have so many beautiful pictures I wanted to share from St. Lucia, so keep reading after the jump to check out the rest of them!

The first night we had dinner outside. It rained and was dark so we couldn't really see what we were eating, but at least I grabbed a nice shot of Daniel with my parents. By the way, the whole trip everyone kept thinking that my brother and mom were married.... yuck.

We did an excursion called the Land and Sea or something like that. It was the whole day and it was great! We took a bus trip around the island, had a catamaran ride, and did some snorkling along the west coast of the island.

We stopped at a banana field. It was very cool to see how they grow close up.

This one is a bit more juvenile than the photo above. The tour guide said there is a layer of bananas under each purple leaf layer. So that's a lotta bananas from one pod!

We stopped at the Botanical Garden. It was beautiful! There were tons of birds, plants, waterfalls... and of course a gift shop at the end :P

I think these were coffee beans, but I'm not sure. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Daniel, me, and Michelle at the waterfall in the Botanical Garden

We had lunch in this restaurant that overlooked this incredible view. It was beautiful! In the distance, you can see the two peaks side-by-side - those are The Pitons. They have a local beer named after those peaks.

Michelle, Jody, Katie, and Daniel eating lunch with an incredible view

The weather was so crazy there though. I think it rained most days or at least would get seriously cloudy like this. The clouds would come on suddenly then disappear just as fast.

We also visited a sulphuric volcano. And let me tell you, it STUNK. *Cough cough* Rotten eggs! So gross!! I kept thinking I'd get used to the smell, but then a new cloud of steam would come wafting by. While it was super nasty smelling, there were pools of water all around that were full-on bubbling... bubbling like a kettle right before it turns off. Madness!

By the way, I love family photos! My siblings and I are like carbon copies of each other, so it makes me laugh to see us all together.

I got in a few night shots of the exterior of the main building and the fountain. I was a geek and brought my tripod!

Michelle and me. The resort was very couple-y so I spent most of my time with Michelle.

We did another excursion - ziplining! I think I was the only one in the group who had done it before. If you haven't done it before, give it a go! It's really fun! Although, oddly, we had to wear hairnets for "sanitary" purposes... I'm not sure how much cleanliness a hairnet adds....

Right beside our resort was a national park. I can't remember the name, but it had two peaks that you could climb. The one on the left had trails and was considered the "easy" one, but there were quite a few older/out-of-shape people who couldn't quite cut it and stopped at the bottom. The one on the right had no trail and we really had to be careful not to fall. At some points we were climbing straight up huge rocks. My dad didn't make it to the top lol Actually come to think of it, I'm not sure my mom did either.

The "easy" peak.

Looking at the "hard" peak

There was a weird dungeon thingy at the top of the first peak, so obviously I climbed down into it and made a silly face!

At the top of the second, more challenging, peak.

Me and Michelle

Michelle and Daniel (with odd sweat patterns on his chest) being geeks

Looking down on the smaller peak

We also visited another Sandals resort to do a little water tubing. They only had extra small and large life jackets so I'm smooshed into an extra small. Daniel's friend called it a "cleavage-enhancing" life jacket because I had some crazy cleavage popping out the top! Whatever, I'd rather have it too tight than too loose!

There were a few horses around this resort, but they all looked so sad. At least this guy got to cool down in the water

And lastly, because this blog is first and foremost about design etc. I took a few shots of some of the pretty things I saw around the resort.

This is the moulding on our ceiling in the room. The dark colour made it look very rich and luxe. And there was a huge four-poster bed. We practically needed a stool to get in and out of that thing because it was so high off the ground. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture :(

This is from inside one of the bathrooms in the foyer. Yes, I felt like a creeper taking this shot, but I loved the grass cloth!

My favourite decor was in the restaurant, Toscanini's. The following photos are from the bar, just outside the restaurant section.

These lights look very Bouclair-ish, don't they? I love the driftwood mirror and the wall bar idea, but the bar isn't executed very well. The stools are too high or the bar is too low - something's gotta give.

Here is the main bar area inside Toscanini's. The wine bottle chandeliers were cool. I think I was the only one who liked them though.

And I really liked the stringed glittery beads in the doorway. Yes, it might be a tad tacky, but this is a resort after all. I think it brought it a bit of sparkle and reflected the light off the window very nicely.

There were orchids everywhere. Very beautiful. They probably thrive in a tropical environment because it's so warm and humid.

All in all, it was a good vacation. The food was great and service was excellent. I can't stress that enough. But at the end of day, I don't know if it's worth the cost. Sandals is SUPER expensive for a resort, so I don't know if I'd go there again.

My First Gingerbread House

2012-01-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, is this post late or what?! Kevin and I made a gingerbread house right before leaving for our cruise. I snapped some photos, but unfortunately forgot to post about it! I'm not the most patient person so I was interested to see how working with Kevin on the house would pan it. Well, we're both still alive and you know what?... It was fun! We worked well together :-)

I had a 50% coupon for Michael's so I used that to buy the gingerbread house kit. I can't remember the exact price, but it ended up being $5 or something like that.

Once we read through the instructions a couple of times, I got to making the icing. I had to add quite a bit more water to the icing than the directions specified, but eventually I got the right consistency. The icing is what holds the walls together...

We had to wait in between "mortar"-ing each wall for the icing to firm up a bit. Eventually, our house was intact!

I wanted the entire roof to be covered in "snow", so I watered down some of the icing and flooded the roof with it. A bit of the icing dripped off, but we just wiped away any excess, no biggie.

Then came the fun part: the candy! After eating about 25% of it throughout the icing process, we proceeded to attach what was left of it to the house. We used every. last. piece. on this house! And I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

And my favourite part...the icicles!

Gingerbread houses aren't something that we do in my family, but I really enjoyed it! I think I might try making a gingerbread from scratch next year! Hopefully (fingers crossed) our condo will be done by then so I'll get to do it in MY OWN KITCHEN!! Wooohooo!

Style at Home - February Roundup

2012-01-17T15:14:00.001-05:00

The February 2012 issue of Style At Home is my favourite to date! I think I love it so much because it's all about kitchens and I have kitchens on the brain as-of-late.

If you look through my kitchen inspiration folders, you'll find I have a definite style when it comes to kitchens: white shaker cabinets, dark wood floors, stainless steel appliances, chrome hardware, gray tile backsplash. So that being said, you can see why I would love to have any of the kitchens featured in this issue! So beautiful.

This kitchen belongs to designer, Elle Maison. And look! It has everything I love in a kitchen. Swoon... She also opted for a large single sink instead of a double so that she can soak larger pots and pans. Kevin is the dishwasher in our relationship, so I'm sure he would appreciate something like that.

This home is owned by Sarah and Aaron Smith, and was designed by Aly Velji. I love everything about this kitchen too. The glass-tiled backsplash adds just a hint of colour to the space and I love the effect. I also really love the pendant lights, the roman shade, the marble counters, and the micro-suede island stools.

This homeowner, Christopher Craib, hired designer Jessica Kelly for his kitchen reno. While this kitchen is just a tad too industrial for my tastes, I love love love the backsplash. I love that it's textured and that it is continued all the way to the ceiling. At the other end of the kitchen (not pictured) is a built-in bench. I'm such a sucker for banquettes and benches in kitchens!

Up next is Style At Home Editor-in-Chief, Erin McLaughlin's Ikea kitchen makeover. The kitchen plan was created and executed by Ryan Martin, Amy Kent, and Michelle Lamontagne of Toronto's Croma Design. This is a real chef's kitchen for sure. My (and Erin's!) favourite element in this room is the hand-cut Calcutta Michaelangelo marble from Antica Tile & Stone laid in a herringbone pattern for the backsplash. It's just gorgeous.

A snippet from an article from Scott McGillivray caught my attention and applies to 3 out of 4 of the kitchens mentioned here because a lot of people (me included) probably can't afford counter-to-ceiling marble backsplashes - Scott suggests saving money in a kitchen reno by applying more budget-friendly tiles in a creative way (ie: subway tile in a herringbone pattern like below) or just use the expensive tiles as a trim or in a feature area. Smart!

And last up is fellow Canadian blogger of Rambling Renovators, Jennifer Flores, whose home was featured in Style at Home!! Congrats to her! It's very cool to see a magazine spread of someones home whose blog you've been reading. Her home is already gorgeous and S@H did a great job with the photos.

There are two things that I really love about how Jen and her husband renovated and decorated their home: 1. I love that they use yellow and blue as the accent colours and carry it throughout the home. It creates great flow. 2. I love that they decided to keep the original layout instead of tearing down all the walls to create an open concept house. Sometimes open concept has its benefits, but I think I favour more the division of rooms. Yes, it might make the house seem smaller, but it also creates more intimate spaces (and allows you to make a huge mess in the kitchen without anyone being the wiser :P )

Did you enjoy the February issue of S@H as much as I did?

Discuss: Is Martha Stewart's Reign Over?

2012-01-13T10:03:00.002-05:00

In keeping with my New Year's Resolutions, I have been following @TorontoStarNews and @CP24. Both have been doing a great job at keeping me in-the-know. This morning, I saw a tweet by @TorontoStarNews that said, "Is Martha Stewart's Reign Over?" It lead me to an article by Tony Wong that really spoke to me. Here are a few snippets for ya

**********

“In the current economic climate, this newer generation may not find the Martha Stewart lifestyle financially plausible or attractive,” says Jay Handelman, an associate professor of marketing at Queen’s University. “She has been known to a generation as representing certain lifestyle ideals — old-world cooking, fussy household nesting, and so on. It is likely that her style has come to be out of touch with a newer generation who are now just getting into home ownership...Issues of frugality and environmental sustainability speak to the current generation, and I don’t think Martha Stewart resonates on those issues,” says Handelman.

The explosion of the internet has also meant that it’s difficult to rule with authority even if you have your own TV show and printing press. An explosion of websites such as pinterest.com, where consumers can assemble different looks — from crafts to home design to fashion — has meant a democratization of design. Everyone can be a stylist.

**********

I have been reading decor, design and DIY blogs for a few years now. During that time, the trend has definitely leaned more towards saving money by buying second hand, DIY-ing, and buying local where possible. Sure, I'd love to have a whole house filled with designer goods, but who can afford that?? If I think I can save money by trying to create something myself, I'll do it. I love saving the money, but half the fun is doing it myself. I love being able to point to my dresser and say, "I refinished that." Or point to some tissue paper poufs at a party I'm throwing and say, "I made those." I enjoy the sense of accomplishment.

And Pinterest.... ahh Pinterest. I love it. Who doesn't. I have about a dozen boards on Pinterest and most of them are for projects that I would like to do, but haven't, for rooms in houses I would love, but will never have, for hairstyles and clothes I'd like to try, but won't. Pinterest doesn't make you a stylist, but it definitely helps narrow down your sense of style and can help inspire projects. This about sums up Pinterest for probably 90% of its users:

If you're laughing right now, you know it's true!

What do you think about this article and the movement towards frugality and environmental responsibility... or do you still live the Martha Stewart lifestyle? Bloggers and non-bloggers alike, what are your reasons for DIY-ing? What are your thoughts on Pinterest? Is it a useful tool or just a place for dreams?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

image: here

What a Load of Crock (Pot)!

2012-01-10T08:17:00.004-05:00

I went to my parents' house yesterday to find 2 packages waiting on the doorstep, both addressed to me!

The first one (the big one!) I had to assume was the Crock Pot I won in Brittany's giveaway. The smaller one on the other hand... I wasn't sure what this one was. I just ordered a running hoodie from Lululemon on Friday, but surely that couldn't have arrived so fast... But when I opened up the package it was a Crock Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipe book and 8 (that's right, 8!!!) seasoning packages for beef stew, pot roast, pulled pork, and chicken soup. Oh man is Kevin gonna love this! He calls himself a meat-etarian and considers chicken a vegetable. For reals! While I barely even eat chicken, that man practically eats like a tiger (in quantity and selection - re: meat and lots of it) so I'll be making use of this for meals for him for sure.

Thanks again Britt!!