Style at Home - January Roundup

This was my first magazine for 2012 to arrive in the mail. I can't believe it's almost 2012. This is the year we'll be moving to our condo (pending no crazy delays!). This issue had some interiors that were just my style. I'm also pinning and blogging the finishes and decor I like so that we can take it to our meeting when we pick our finishes... which should be in January! Eeeek!

This house is a 1900 square foot Victorian brownstone in Toronto's west-end. The homeowner is David Barclay and Jessica Cotton was the designer. I loved this room in particular. David describes his style as a mix between "modern, Victorian and Boroque", which is right on the money. Out of all the rooms in this house, this one is the most modern, and probably why I liked it the best. I love everything from the loud modern art (The "Do You Still Love Me" piece is from Montreal-based artist, Antoine Jouet) to the sectional to the pillows to the Union Jack carpet. 

This 2600-square-foot Vancouver home is owned and designed by Kelly Deck. This house mixes feminine and masculine touches so well and has a great neutral palette with pops of blue. Some design elements that stand out for me in this room are the herringbone-patterned hardwood floor, the narrow-armed sofa, the blue zebra print slipper chairs, and the rustic meets industrial coffee table. 

Here we have a few more narrow-armed sofas. This style looks so much more modern to me, but still has a traditional edge with the tufting. For those living in tighter quarters, a narrow-armed sofa is a better use of space  - the arms don't intrude on the overall size so you get more seat space for less floor space. I like the "medium" Style Garage one the best!

I'm not kidding when I say I spent a good hour looking at these photos and reading the recipes. I kept saying, "Kevin, doesn't this look good??" or "Wouldn't this be nice for a casual dinner with some of our couple friends??" I even really like the dishes! Navy blue, gray and yellow... so pretty!

I saw this Canadian Tire ad. I think it's advertising the panini press, but I was drawn in by the kitchen! This is pretty much what we're going to aim for with the condo: white shaker cabinets, gray-white backsplash, potentially white counters, and wood or laminate floors carried through instead of tile. And the pulls aren't too shabby either!

Kevin and I are leaving today for Florida. We're going on a Caribbean cruise :-). We're driving down to Florida, which may sound a little crazy, but I'm excited because I've only seen NYC and Washington D.C. I might not be as excited on the drive back, but I can't complain! I also intended to do waaaaay more than I could humanly manage before going on vacation (hence the lack of posting this week), and finished almost none of it (still have to do laundry and pack before tonight), but I'd like to wish each and every one of you a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

Take care and best wishes for 2012!!!

Ryan Gosling Loves Crafters and DIYers

While perusing Pinterest yesterday, I came across this site and it made me laugh. If you're a Ryan Gosling fan (like me!) and a crafter/DIYer check out this site.


Here are a few of the pictures I liked:

Um, yum. I had a crush on Ryan Gosling when he was geeky Sean from Breaker High... and then I saw The Notebook (my favourite movie!! Judge me all you want!) and my crush reached a new level! Tell me I'm not alone!  

If only men were hot and liked crafts... I'm sure there are a few out there.... somewhere.

Have a great weekend!

My Christmas Decor Inspiration

Christmas decorations are so varied. Some people stick with simple whites, silvers, and golds, while others will use practically every colour under the sun. I grew up with my parents decorating the house with a real tree, multi-coloured lights outside and in, wreaths, garlands, tinsel, Santa figurines... you name it, we had it. I guess you just kind of accumulate a lot over the years and probably go for it a little more, decoration-wise, when you have young kids who still believe all the magic that Christmas brings. By the way, the jig was up when I was 8 and I saw my parents in the living room wrapping presents. They weren't even trying to be sneaky anymore! Seriously, I'm so gullible, they could've kept that charade going for at least a few more years...

Anywhooo, I thought I'd share some inspiring Christmas decor images that I found on Pinterest :-) My style is definitely falls into the more subdued, maybe even abstract side of Christmas decorating.

Tree:

If I had to have a traditional tree (be it real or fake - I have no preference), I'd decorate it like this. I love the white and silver decorations, the sheepskin rug underneath, the green and white palette for the wrapping paper. I even love how the tree seems kinda droopy. 

[via]

If I didn't have the space and Kevin didn't object, I'd do something like this. I love the simplicity of it!

[via, clockwise from top left 1,2,3,4]

Wreaths:

I love wreaths. When I see one on someone's front door, it kind of sets the tone for what I should expect for the interior decor. Here are some non-tradition wreaths I scoped out:

[via 1,2,3,4,5]

General Decor:

All the other little touches around the house are what help to create that Christmas-y feeling.

[via 1,2,3,4,5]

Do you go more traditional or more modern with your Christmas decor? 

7 Things About Me

Last month I received the "Versatile Blogger" award thanks toTanya @ Dans Le Townhouse. So here are 7 things about me:

1. I don't eat mammals. It's just seafood and poultry for me, although I couldn't tell you the last time I had any chicken or turkey. I never liked meat, even as a child. Then I found out meat was animals and really didn't like it! After multiple failed attempts, I remained vegetarian for 3 years and ate some chicken the night before #6 on this list. After that day, I reincorporated seafood and poultry in moderation, but not mammals. It just seems weird to me to eat such big animals.

cow,pig,lamb

2. I can't talk on the fly. I've had several jobs that have required public speaking and presentations. As long as I've had a chance to practice, it's all good. But this problem presents itself when it comes to jokes (especially the first time I tell a joke), stories, and leaving messages on answering machines. I give way more details than necessary, usually laugh halfway through, forget what I was saying... no good.

3. I was born in England... in an ambulance. I don't know anyone else born in a vehicle, but if you're out there, gimme a shout! Apparently it's a pretty exclusive club :-) And as for England, all of my family is from there, except for one of my cousin's kids. My mom's parents moved to England from Jamaica as young adults, which makes my background English and Jamaican. Shout out to all my fellow mixed kids

{via}

4. I'm a morning person. I love mornings. At my work, we can start anywhere from 7-10am and I choose to start at 7. I wake up early on the weekends too. But... almost every other person I know is a night person, so this can be problematic. I'm usually face-deep in my drink if I'm out past 10:30pm. Also, it's boring to be the only one up if you don't have anything to do! I always find myself twiddling my thumbs waiting for others to be awake, especially on the weekends.

{via}

5. I barely bruise and I've never broken a bone or had any cavities. I've had 5 bruises tops in my whole life and they've been from serious blows/falls. I've never even come close to breaking a bone (although I've probably jinxed myself now!) and I'm that keener who flosses every day and has a toothbrush at work to brush my teeth after lunch.

{via}

6. Ten days before my 16th birthday, I had jaw surgery for an under-bite. To recover, I had to have my jaw wired shut for a month. To add insult to injury, my parents moved to the suburbs that year, so I had just started grade 11 off at a new school. I was there for 3 days before I had the surgery. I was also almost 40 lbs heavier then and had bad skin and short hair. High school was not good to me

7. I live in a house with 5 cats and 1 dog. My family has always had pets. Multiple cats at least, and no more than 1 dog at a time. Six pets is an all-time high for us though. Also, a slew of our pets were named after characters from the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer*.

{via} ..I cut and pasted Angel's head on to Xander's body.

• Buffy*, a tabby - the original, but unfortunately went outside one day and never returned
• Spike*, a tabby - not actually ours, but he was a neighbourhood cat who sometimes came in our house
• Angel*, medium haired tabby, 8 year old male (Dad's)
• Giles*, long haired ginger, 7 year old male (Brother's)
• Kitty, medium haired calico, 7 year old female (Brother's ex)
• Riley*, long haired black and white, 6 year old female (Mine, and she's Kitty's sister from another mister, no joke!)
• Marty, short haired tabby, 6 year old female (Sister's) - named after Marty McFly from Back to the Future, Michelle's all-time favourite movie.
• Jesse, black Scottish Terrior, 8 year old female (Mom's)

Anything surprising on this list?

I'm pretty sure every blogger has already been nominated at this point! I was a little late in the game :P

Have a great day!

Canadian House & Home - December Roundup

The December issue of Canadian House & Home has some great decor and gift giving ideas for the holiday season. Here are some things that caught my eye:

Up until now, I didn't know what you called putting out a candle... other than blowing it out. Turns out it's called snuffing and you do with a snuffer. This would be a great gift for a candle lover. I especially love the one for the minimalist and the glamour-puss. Chrome and sparkle get me every time!

The first time I had a chai latte, I fell in love... and have been in search for a decently priced milk frother ever since! My mom and sister recently discovered chai lattes too, so maybe now would be a good time to invest in one. When a small chai latte costs almost $4 a pop at Starbucks, it makes $100 for a frother seem like a steal!

I'm not usually a fan of snow globes, but I love these ones. The monochromatic finish really takes it up a notch and would look great in any home that decorates with a more subdued palette during the holidays.

This bookend is by Jonathan Adler. I saw one of his bookends in Style at Home as well and posted about it here. I think Sherry's affinity for white ceramic animals has rubbed off on me!

 

I love the finish work in this room. The trim, the moudlings, the bay window, the recessed pot lights, the dark wood floors, the fireplace (with...is that marble?). Very classic. Shelagh Kellam is the homeowner and also the interior designer for this place.

And I love when people configure a nook into something functional! This breakfast bar conceals the radiator below and is flanked on both sides by tall cabinets. Homeowners Claudio Cerrito and Scott King worked with designer Patti Rosati. For me, this would be a perfect spot to enjoy some tea and toast in the morning... and do a little spying on the neighbours :-) Hey, what can I say? I'm nosy.

4 Years

Yesterday was mine and Kevin's four year anniversary :-) Happy anniversary, my love!

Keeping It In The Family

A few months back my sister, Michelle, got a permanent library job in mid-town Toronto... 5 km from the condo Kevin and I bought. She was originally looking pretty far west for a condo, but ultimately decided to join me and Kevin in our building. We're on complete opposite ends of the building: Kevin and I are on the tenth floor in the south east corner and Michelle is on the 3rd floor in the north west corner. Should be interesting!

Michelle got a phone call a couple weeks back regarding finishes. The builders are doing the appointments from the first floor to top floor, so we'll have to wait a while before our appointment. I'm so excited to pick! Everyone tells me it won't be a fun process, but as of right now I'm looking forward to it :-)