Fresh Find Friday!

Love is in the air...

all available on Etsy: Liberty Peacock Clutch, Chiffon Brooch, Powder Pink Angel Wings, Whipped Cream Scarf, Pink Love

High & Low

One of these rooms below cost twice as much as the other. Can you guess which room has the higher price tag?

Image #1
High $10,257

• Sofa: Hampton two-seat with cotton slipcover $1,989, Ethan Allen, ethanallen.com. 
• Cushions: Bill Sofield 26" square mohair $390 each, Studio B, Toronto, 416-363-2996; studiobhome.com. Throw:Mohair in Pebble $265, Elte, 888-276-3583; elte.com. 
• Scarf: Cashmink in Burnt Orange $45, Indigo and Chapters, chapters.indigo.ca. 
• Steamer trunk: Classic brushed steel $3,200, Camilla House Imports, 800-661-0257; camillahouse.com. Bowl: Locally handmade wood $270, Manor, Toronto, 416-544-1700. 
• Lamp: Surveyor wood and metal with paper shade $915, Elte, 888-276-3583; elte.com. 
• Chair: Kartell Louis Ghost polycarbonate $469, HorseFeathersHome, Toronto, 416-486-4555; horsefeathershome.com.
• Log table: Cypress Natural Tree-Stump $279, West Elm, Toronto, 416-537-0110; westelm.com. 
• Deer head: Big-Game beech wood $269 US, Generate Design, Montreal, 514-295-4678; gnr8.biz. Wallpaper: Code 1317 $900 (for a 100 sq. ft. surface), Wall You Need Is Love, wallyouneedislove.com. Rug: Pauly Shore 8' x 10' polyester $865, Elte, 888-276-3583; elte.com.

Image #2
Low $4,695

• Sofa: Karlstad two-seat with long cotton slipcover $599, IKEA, 866-866-4532; ikea.ca. 
• Cushions:Emerson 10" x 20" wool/acrylic $33 each, Indigo and Chapters, chapters. indigo.ca. 
• Throw: Lutz & Patmos Honeycomb acrylic/wool in Ivory $89, West Elm, Toronto, 416-537-0110; westelm.com.
• Shawl: Indigo Life rayon in Burnt Orange $24, Indigo and Chapters, chapters.indigo.ca. 
• Steamer trunk: Mayfair brushed steel $2,480, Restoration Hardware, 800-762-1005; restorationhardware.com. 
• Bowl: Wood $10, HomeSense, 866-466-3707; homesense.ca. 
• Lamp:Surveyors mahogany with antiquenickel- finish details and paper shade $669, Ethan Allen, ethanallen.com. 
• Chair: Ghost acrylic $279, DeBoer’s, 800-265-2637; deboers. com. 
• Log table:Salvaged white oak $150, Urban Tree Salvage, Toronto, 647-438-7516; urbantreesalvage.com.
• Deer head: Bucky large cardboard $52 US, Cardboard Safari, 877-895-9453; cardboardsafari.com.
• Wallpaper: Design by Color BC1581919 $87 (for a 100 sq. ft. surface), Blue Mountain Wallcoverings, 800-219-2424; designbycolor.net.
• Rug: Shaw Living Shaggedy Shag 8' x 10' olefin $188, Lowe’s, 800-445-6937; lowes.ca. 

from: Style At Home

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

It is continuing to rain here in beautiful southern California. No major mudslides...but my backyard has a few inches of standing water!

Mudslide

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka (I like vanilla vodka for this cocktail!)
• 1 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 oz Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

Directions

Fill rocks glass (old fashioned glass) with ice and pour all ingredients over ice. Stir gently.

from: Celtnet Recipes

{Tuesday Thoughts}

"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

-Berke Breathed

photo: Michele M. Waite

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Maharam Geometri Grommet Drapery

"Buy ceiling drapery track and the least expensive linen you can find and drape all the walls. White linen in a bedroom, a darker color in a dining room. It smooths everything out and feels moody and interesting. You can even hang art from chains on top of it." -Betsy Brown

photo by: Thomas Loof

Fresh Find Friday!

Featuring {Katrina Schaman}

Katrina Schaman is an emerging Canadian artist residing in Toronto, Ontario. Born in Kitchener in 1982, Katrina has always felt a great desire to create. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours from Queen's University in 2005. 

Katrina's paintings celebrate the deep connection between abstract and real forms.  She does not set out to paint specific objects but instead finds them within her work and brings them forward, allowing them to emerge organically with the piece itself dictating its own outcome.

Katrina uses many complex layers in her search for the perfect balance between abstract and actual shapes.

Katrina currently has gallery representation through Toronto's Norman Felix gallery and her work is both for sale and available to borrow for photos, features and design projects.

I hope you don't mind, Katrina... I added the painting below! This is my absolute favorite after checking out your work at Norman Felix. The colors are so vibrant and beautiful! It reminds me of Mexico or summer (so longing to be there now!).

If you're interested in purchasing some of Katrina's stunning artwork or would like to gaze and be inspired, hop on over to Norman Felix's to see more of her work.

Vote Now! {Big Window Challenge}

Which window speaks to you? These are model studio vignettes created by Elle Decor, Bloomingdales and Apartment Therapy using Bloomingdale's selection of furniture and home decor. Go here to vote for Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge.

Designer: Eddie Ross for Elle Decor
Title: The Modern Woman
Designed For: A media mogul and a mother of two

Designer: Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan for Apartment Therapy
Title: The Writer's Romantic Supper
Designed For: Amor

Designer: Eileen Joyce for Bloomingdales
Title: The Urbane Traveller
Designed For: A sophisticated travel magazine editor

I've got my favorite {The Modern Woman by Eddie Ross}. Who's yours?

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

Rain, rain go away...

It has been pouring all week here in Southern California and it is not going to quit! Torrential rains are expected to continue throughout the rest of the week. Yikes. Here's a hot tottie to keep all you Californians warm. 

Hot Buttered Rum

courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1 stick of softened unsalted butter
• 2 cups of light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• Bottle of dark rum
• Boiling water
• 
  
• Directions
• In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into 12 small mugs. Pour about 3 ounces of rum into each mug (filling about halfway). Top with boiling water (to fill the remaining half), stir well, and serve immediately.
• recipe from: Emeril, photo from: here

{Tuesday Thoughts}

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

―Martin Luther King Jr.

*image via Jaqueline Veissid Photography

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Substituting for my California sunshine today...this bold and beautiful yellow interior designed by Kelly Wearstler. Thanks, Kelly, for the much needed rays of sunshine on this dreary, wet and rainy Monday.

Do you yearn for some color like this, but don't think you can pull it off? Kelly's strategy for using bold colors and combinations:  "It is about having a hierarchy of color, where one prevailing hue sets the tone for the space, and the rest follow, whether it is in the form, pattern, or texture. A color should retain its individuality and have its own voice."


Kelly's interiors can always brighten my darkest of days! Who's that one designer who does that for you? 


*image and content via My Home Ideas

Fresh Find Friday!

Hang and Level

So this was on my Christmas list, but I didn't receive it, so I'm heading to Home Depot to pick one up. Hang pictures perfectly straight from now on, one at a time or in rows. Place a picture on the hook, position the picture on the wall, press the button to mark where the nail goes, hammer, hang, and level with the tool. Works for single or double nail placement and all kinds of hangers: wire, sawtooth, d-ring, keyhole. Eliminate guesswork, mistake holes and scratches; save time and frustration. You can also use it to hang clocks, mirrors, plaques, and more. Helps hang pictures up to 20 lbs. 4 ¼" x 15 ¼". Sweet.

Citrus Punch & Children's Bunks

No, not another drink recipe! I'm loving these little punches of tangerine in this space! Longing for spring? Fake it with some bright citrus colors - throws, pillows, candles and artwork in vivid and bright hues will surely do the trick!

What initially caught my attention were those clever bunks tucked nicely against the wall. This would be absolutely perfect in a summer beach home that has numerous visitors and a need for extra sleeping space. What kid (or adult for that matter) wouldn't love to crawl up in one of these for an afternoon nap after a walk on the beach!

Or how about these little beauties? Complete with bolsters, art on the wall, storage and privacy curtains. Nice. This is one vacation where I wouldn't mind sharing a room.

*first image from Coastal Living, second image from Ohdeedoh

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

Here's for you Dad (and for all you other Minnesota Vikings fans)!

Purple Viking

Ingredients

• 1 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
• 1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
• 1 oz blueberry liqueur
• 1 oz sloe gin
• 1 splash sweet and sour mix

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

picture from Greeny Meanie on Flickr

{Tuesday Thoughts}

"The first thing to realize is that you are in control of your own energy. I know it doesn't feel that way sometimes. Depression can take hold like an invading germ; anxiety can cause fear to leap out of nowhere; anger can simmer like a pot on the stove. Yet these conditions do not define you, and in fact you can begin to use basic energy—the kind that comes from food, air, loving relationships, nature's beauty and the flow of creativity—for your own good. All these sources of energy are available to you all the time. They are part of your birthright; they connect you to the flow of life, which is constantly renewing itself."

-Deepak Chopra

*image via it's Mary Ruffle by frangipane

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Get ideas and inspiration from websites and magazines and keep them in a binder. You can also place fabric and color samples in it. When you go shopping take it with you to make it easier to match colors and materials or find pieces of furniture or accessories

Always purchase the best your budget can afford. Sometimes you see an item that is within your budget, but poorly made. How long will it last before you have to replace it? Keep in mind that this is an investment and you don't want to have to replace items every year due to poor craftsmanship. Shop salvage yards or flea markets. Antique and older pieces are made better and have lasted all these years. You can have a piece re-upholstered in your favorite fabric with the money you saved buying used.

Take your time when making decorating decisions. The results will be better than if you rushed to get it finished. Rome wasn't built in a day. And those TV shows take a lot longer than an hour to complete those 'fast' rooms.


*all images from Elle Decor

Fresh Find Friday!

Get in line...

Put an Italian in the kitchen and look at what they come up with. Genius! I love the Fires Line cooktop from the Italian techo-logical kitchen company Binova. The burners set in one line like this allows for more cooking and prep space. It is also convenient for the vertically challenged; less heat to reach across as you're trying to lift that heavy pot of boiling water off the back burner!

Brilliant Turquoise

The color of the year {as stated by Pantone}

Perk up your palatte and cure those post holiday blues with a cue from our friend the peacock - add a punch of turquoise. As stated by Pantone, Turquoise 15-5519, is 2010's color. You'll be seeing this vibrant blue/green hue popping up in home decor across the nation. Infuse bits of this tropical color in your color scheme for an instant "lift me up"!

This wall treatment application is seriously making me re-evaluate my unfavorable opinion of wallpaper. Whether on the walls in a splash of 15-5519, or like this bold wallpaper treatment from Stacy Garcia, turquoise is guaranteed to dish you some drama and a touch of trendiness. Love it!

images & content via Point Click Home

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

I don't know about the rest of you, but I need a break from all this "Holiday Celebrating"! Back to reality and back to the gym. For the past few months, I've been posting drink recipes on my Wednesday Weekend Warm Up series that contain more calories than I usually desire consuming. I'm heading to Sunday Brunch this weekend with the girls and I'm going prepared. Try this recipe that cuts the calories, but not the taste (and now you can use up some of that bubbly you didn't drink last week!).

Mimosa Lite {120 calories}

Ingredients

• 2 oz Minute Maid Light Orange Tangerine Juice
• 4 oz champagne
• 1-2 oz of fresh orange juice

Directions

Add several ice cubes to a tall glass. Squeeze the juice of the orange into the glass. Pour in orange tangerine juice, followed by champagne. Stir. Garnish with fresh orange rinds, curled.

*from: FoodForThoughtToday

{Tuesday Thoughts}

“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.”

―Erica Jong

*photo via Alexandra Grablewski

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Clear It Out

Distinguish clothing and shoes that you wear and items that you need to get rid of. You can do this by the golden rule of closet organizing: If you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it.

Also, if it doesn’t fit you well, it is time to get rid of it. Instead of hanging on to your “skinny jeans” until you lose a few pounds, donate them. Then, when you get down to your goal weight, treat yourself to a new, stylish pair of jeans.

Good Tip: If you are on the fence about an item, “flag” the hanger. As you wear each item, remove the flag. At the end of each season, items that are still marked with a flag should be donated. If the item is in good condition and/or if you paid a lot for it, think about selling it at a local consignment store or online at a site such as eBay.

If the Shoe Fits

If you are keeping your shoeboxes, label what is inside. Post-it Durable Tabs they offer a writable surface and are quick and easy to apply. Alternatively, invest in clear shoeboxes with drawer-front pulls; they allow you to see what’s inside so you can easily access your shoes.

*images via Lonny Magazine, content from: My Home Ideas

::2010::

stoplookandthink