Dinner Party Dreams

I want to host a dinner party. Actually, I'd love to host a series of them or maybe one giant one where all the different people in the different areas of my life come together and eat good food and drink lots. We don't currently have a large dining table (and definitely not the beautiful set up pictured above) but don't guests always end up sitting around the coffee table to chat anyways? Our friends do! (Although maybe that's because we don't have a proper dining table?) Regardless, it's nice to welcome people into your home and make them things. I roasted a whole chicken a few weeks ago that was, if I may get boastful, very delicious and gave me a good dose of culinary pride. I'm good with seasoning and I love using the oven since it's baby friendly because it's cooking by itself while you play with the baby. 

This weekend is the beginning of the fall holiday season - we'll be over at friend's tomorrow evening and we've got family plans on Sunday and the holiday Monday. It'll be nice to eat lots of turkey and treats. The holidays can sometimes feel burdened with planning and busyness but you do it because it's nice to get everyone together. A worthwhile ordeal. It's a good kind of chaos. 

This time last year we told our families that we were having a baby. It still felt so unbelievable at the point - and goodness! - how far away it seemed from the realness of an actual baby. Now that baby is four months, nearing eighteen pounds and showing me more of his personality every day. The adventure just keeps growing.




*Image from Tarafirma - the dinner party post is here.

Interior Lust: Eye Swoon at Tales of Endearment

When I am imaging the whole "how would I do my house if I had a house and budget to do a house" dream, I am torn between different styles. There's a part of me that loves colour - I really really want a navy velvet couch and have for years now - especially jewel tones because of their saturation and the elegance they lend a space. But then I see black and white done right and well, that's always such an awesome combination. I go between liking the whole vintage/rustic/reclaimed vibe and then really simple modern design. I'm not sure if I'd be able to zero in on one look that fits me the best. I'm the worst shopper in the world. I'm so indecisive and have buyer's remorse almost instantly on a lot of what I shop for even if it's something that really is not a big deal in the function of my everyday life. I got a new phone. Bought a teal case on impulse at the store. Had had had to return it by the next day because I couldn't stop thinking about all the reasons it was driving me crazy, couldn't let go of how much better I thought the white case would be and couldn't let it go until I exchanged it. It's really quite pathetic! 

But on to the lovely photos above. They are from interior designer Athena Calderone's home in Amagasett, NY and I think the whole house is just awesome. The vintage pieces are sobered by the modern lines and clean palette. The colour accents are eye-catching but not too much and the whole thing stinks with personality. It looks lived in and loved; curated yet cozy. I love how balanced and eccentric it is. This is the vibe I'd want for my space - cool but approachable. A discovery but first and foremost, a home.


Found a while ago over at Tales of Endearment

Colour Cool: Julie Thevenot

It always blows my mind when a designer has a collection that spans several different mediums. How awesome is it to be able to design art and jewellery and clothing and do each so well? Taking a look at Julie Thevenot's shop proves that he work is really about designing a lifestyle and she executes it from top to bottom.  My favourite pieces were the Spirit Giant wall display and the Small Exile necklace. Both would fit quite nicely in my imaginary lifestyle.

Discovered over at Pennyweight.

Visit Julie Thevenot for more information.

Art at Home

These paper balls were part of our wedding decorations. I have been hanging onto them for just over two years now wondering how I could reuse them because I really loved their colours. A few nights ago, I found myself standing on a side table, pulling some black thread through each one and arranging them - at first randomly and then with a bit of a plan - to make this little installation for our bedroom. It's a great contrast against the dark blue wall (which for some reason is turning out black in these photos) but I love the shape they produced and they have been a welcomed pop of colour for the space. 

We are trying to get a second wind for sprucing the apartment up, having only gotten to do some minor painting and hang a few pieces of art this past May before Felix arrived and we were too busy to care about anything else. I'm the worst for second winds whenever we move into a new space. I have lots of energy at the beginning but then I quickly lose steam. I wish I was better at the constant tweaking like some of my lady friends are but I'm just too lazy. There, I said it! I'm trying to be better about getting organized so that I feel better in our home. I have to just remind myself how happy I am when I put a little time into a project and get the awesome results above.

So here's to some constant improvements, some art at home and a little bit of colour in your life.

InteriorLust: Masanori Oji

I wish I could blame autumn for my recent fascination with brass but that's not the only reason I've been craving the warmth and energy of this wonderfully hued material. Something about brass feels so earthy yet modern, polished yet industrial and I kind of wish a owned a house so I could start replacing all its hardware with lots of brass. It's got a certain kind of cool factor, no?

The lovely pieces above are by Japanese designer Masanori Oji. I discovered his work through my Mjolk stalking last week and have been drooling over these designs ever since. I love the simplicity and the execution of each piece and how the choice of metal just brings everything alive with a soft shimmer and glow.

1. Paperweights

2. Bottle openers (yes, really! Have you ever seen a bottle opener look this classy?)

3. Pendant lights



All images are from Oji and Design. 

These Here Parts

There is baby stuff all over the apartment. 
We try to tidy it all up but you really can't beat it. First, there's so much of it even though we've tried to keep it paired down. And second, it's a matter of necessity - blankets double as wraps and drool catchers. Toys are clean and safe for their destinations (the mouth, always the mouth!) and keep that little hand from yanking your hair out. His hand, not yours. Seriously, Felix grabbed a big chunk last night and ended up with several sad looking strands in his tiny fist. Now I'm finally understanding that ponytail that so many moms sport round the clock - it's not only convenient (and a slight laziness), it's preventative! Keep the locks away from the baby so you can keep them at all. 

So even though this baby owns this house now - and owns us for that matter - I am still finding a way to carve out some simple pleasures. Namely (as I mentioned previously) reading. Glorious reading! I've missed it so much. I read all the time. I'm always looking at news and blogs on my phone but it had been a good while since I had finished an actual book. Now I'm on a kick and I'm so happy about it. Not sure how everyone else reads but I tend to go through waves and patterns. Usually I'll go through a period of a specific genre, typically non-fiction and then every few books, I'll pick up a novel or two. I think because I've been reading in shorter spurts (due to, ahem, some else's schedule), I've been big on the non-fiction. It's the kind of genre you can drop and pick up without worrying about forgetting about plot/character details. Recently there has been lots of Malcolm Gladwell because the man is such a brilliant story teller. Then there was The Natashas by Victor Malarek, which is slightly dated but so haunting that I couldn't put it down even though it's ruined a bit of humanity for me. And now I'm in the middle of the book featured above that was trapped under a coffee and look, a toy! It's Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá which is so enthralling that every other page has me raising an eyebrow. It's also pretty funny and I highly recommend it.

In the second picture is the softest, sweetest elephant that was a gift for our little man from one of my best friends, Amy McCulloch. Amy lives in London, England where she is Commissioning Editor at Harper Collins Voyager. She reads even more than I do and is the person who I credit with making fantasy fiction cool - to me at least. She sent us Game of Thrones way before it launched on television with a note that read, "This is going to be big, trust me!" But the biggest news is that Amy is herself a writer and has just landed a two-part deal for her own fantasy series, The Oathbreaker's Shadow (find a brief synopsis of the story here) which will be published by Random House in Spring 2013 but you can pre-order it here or here or here. I'm so proud of her - she's been working on this since we met years ago and I've seen firsthand how hard she's worked on it and how passionate she is about the story and about her writing process. She's the hardest working person I know, so incredibly smart and creative. I can't wait to turn every page.


Follow Amy McCulloch on twitter and check out her author facebook page.

*I hadn't intended to turn this whole post into an ode to books and writers but there you go. You write what you love. I snapped that shot of the elephant not realizing Amy's literary connection to this whole entry but it just so happens that it fit perfectly. I still can't figure out the perfect name for him. I suggested Dorian Gray to Chris one night as we were putting the baby down but he thinks that the reference is far too cryptic and depressing for a child's stuffed animal. I have to agree but now what to name that little fellow?

Interior Lust: Mjolk

There are certain sites I will always visit for inspiration. Some of them are "mommy blogs," where I read about family life, birth and breast feeding. Others are lifestyle blogs. Some are tumblr sites where I go when I want to imagine I live off in some cabin somewhere and bake pies on my reclaimed wood kitchen island (you know, fantasy land?). And other sites are just for feeding my need to see really, really, really good design. Mjolk's online shop is just that.

Mjolk is located here in the Junction area of Toronto, and is run by John Baker and Juli Daoust. The whole shop - both the actual store and online site - is dedicated to wonderfully designed (and carefully selected) furniture and home accessories. The focus here is Scandinavian design but there are plenty of Japanese artists to go around too. Having been visited Mjolk, I can honestly say that it feels more like a gallery space than a retail store. The beauty here (and really, John and Juli's strength) is how well-curated the whole collection is and how evident the simple utility of each piece is. Form and function are side by side.  

I picked a few of my favourite items from the online shop above. I loved the colour schemes and the simplicity of each of the pieces. Something about this collection feels like a very modern autumn to me.

1. Dala horse, made in Sweden
2. Linen tablecloth by Yumiko Sekine of Fog Linen 
3. Linum big bowls by Finnish ceramicist Nathalie Lahdenmäki 
4. Small glasses  by Japanese glass artist Tsuji Kazumi

Follow Juli and John on twitter @mjolkshop



*All of the above images are from Mjolk

Life, Lately

Everyone told me how quickly time would go by in the early days of motherhood. The truth is that it is just not fast - it actually flies by. Zooming past you before you can ever really figure it out. Those first days out of the gate are a haze; not only because you are not sleeping well but because now, three and half months later, I have such a different baby. His face has changed so much already. He's huge and feels so sturdy. He smiles and laughs and reacts. But most of all he is so much more him now. His actions and reactions seem so much more owned lately. 

And I'm so excited to watch it all unfold before me. He's been my little partner for the last few months and I feel like I have earned every single smile he decides to give me. I've been working so hard for him! His food/naps/comfort/needs all before everything else. Before my sleep/shower/breakfast/lunch/work/reading/time-off. I wouldn't ask for any of those missed things back but heck, it sure feels good to get a toothless grin as a reward. I wake up and he sees me, big eyes all wide recognizing me and then it's a smile. That is gold. 

Above Image: This is what my life has been looking like lately. We picked up some books for Felix at a thrift store and he's been enjoying them. He's not quite old enough to "get" what is going on in them but I think he likes the colours and he does actually follow the flow of the pages (or so it seems!). I've also been managing to do some reading, usually while breastfeeding and it's been nice to get back into books and magazines because well, I just love them so much! The September Vogue is obscenely large and I read that when baby boy was napping since it was hard to hold 910+ pages with one hand.

Brass Lovelies

This past spring, I took a jewellery course at the Harbourfront Centre here in Toronto. I've taken their craft courses before and have always found them to be informative and fun. This one, Introduction to Jewellery, was way more involved than I thought it was going to be (there is some serious machinery needed for jewellery making!) and I was thrilled to have had the experience.

Both of my projects were made in brass. The ring was a flat band that I pounded, soldered into shape and polished the heck out of it. I made the cuff first out of molding wax and had it sent off for casting. Once that piece came back, I filed it and polished it.

It was awesome to work on something, creating it out of such seemingly hard materials and shaping it to suit. My instructor Heather Rathbun was also pretty awesome - check out her work here.

WishLust: Lovemaki

I'm pretty into the modern accessories and prints from Toronto-based Lovemaki.

That cloud pillow is too sweet and that bear print is pretty special but my favourite has to be the numbers print.

Such a great colour combination and lovely design.

All images from Lovemaki.

Follow Lovemaki on Twitter here. 



Written Work: Vive Magazine

I've been so caught up in babyland that I failed to mention my latest published work - a piece for the online fashion magazine Vive.

Check out the newest issue Vive Magazine to read my piece entitled "Pursuit of Perfection: Separate the good stress from the bad." Find it on pages 22-23!

I had such a blast putting this piece together (it includes some pointers on how to deal with mounting stresses, professional goals and those nagging voices in your head) because I know, firsthand, how difficult it can be to feel like you've got a handle on everything.

I am my own worst critic and can let my feelings of inadequacy rob me of precious sleep and leave me with nothing but anxiety. I've been struggling for the past two years to figure out where I want to go professionally and how to combine creativity with, ahem, a viable job. I've been taking classes, my end goal has changed a few times and I've come back to one of the things I thought I had stepped away from but can't escape: my need to write.

Oh and somewhere in there I got married and decided that a family was going to happen alongside everything else.

It's hard. We have a stricter budget now that I am on maternity leave so balancing that has been tricky. And while I've got all these ideas in my head for new things, my baby boy is such a huge priority right now. He deserves all of me. He's so small at just nine weeks (even though he is chunking up - almost thirteen pounds!). I am tying to keep a handle on this new motherhood thing and balance it with that person inside me that still wants creative challenges around. I don't think it's one or the other - being a mother has made me value time so much more so when I do manage to sit down to work (which doesn't happen as often as I like) I am at least, way more efficient about it since it is precious time away from my little man. 

I hope to keep the energy going because I do have some plans!

New articles I want to write, stories that need to get told, even some ideas for some original prints - all lingering in my head somewhere.

Cover Image Vive Magazine Vol. 4.2

Follow Vive on Twitter and on Tumblr.

Crafty Things: Peaches + Keen

Loving the fun objects from Melbourne duo Peaches + Keen. These happy pieces are original and hand-made by Lily Daley and Lucy Hearn and I think the colours and textures are just plain cool. My favourite piece is the hand-embroidered art work in the first photo- I love the contrast of the gradient image and neon threads plus there's a cat and that's pretty nifty.

Visit the website here.

See the whole line and shop here.

Spotted here.

Cool Factor: FalconWright Goods

Love the simple design and hand-made quality of Toronto-based Falconwright leather goods.

Hand-sewn, original silk-screened patterns.

Pretty cool.

WishLust: Paper and Chain Jewellery

I'm pretty deep in baby land right now but I wanted to share these beauties from Paper and Chain - I had seen them months ago and can't seem to stop thinking about them.
Those bracelets are my favourite.

Check out their blog here.
The full shop here.

Cambie Design and The Spot on Queen

The immensely talented Camille Byrne of Cambie Design is at The Spot on Queen designer market selected dates during June, July and August this summer.

She has richly textured Alpaca blankets, brought in special from Peru as well as hand-picked vintage furniture items found on the eastern coast of Canada.

If you are local in Toronto or visiting the city be sure to check it out!

Check out Cambie's own post on the venue and see the goods here.

Twitter: Cambie Design

Twitter: The Spot on Queen

Weekend Dates:

June

22-24

July

6-8,

20-22

August

10-12,

17-19

 

This Lovely Life

 It has been absolute madness around here lately.

May was filled to the brim with just about everything you can fit into a month.

We moved homes.

There were six birthdays.

Two baby showers.

Two mother's days.

And to top everything off on the last day of the month we received the best gift ever -

a perfect little boy that has made me realize just how deep love can grow.

He came twelve days early and I can't stop smelling his head.

[Above images from the lovely baby shower that my wonderful friends threw for me - styling and images by Cambie Design. Last image is of my darling.]

Written Work: Kinfolk Magazine Vol.3

I finally received my copy of Kinfolk magazine Vol. 3 and just as suspected, it is superb.
Everything from the paper to the photography to the layout is so thoughtfully executed and I'm so thrilled to have contributed a written piece for this issue.

Find me on page 35 where I discuss how my husband and I revisit the places that became sacred to us during our courting period - when we were just getting to know each other and fall in love. Working on the piece made me realize how important the simple traditions are for us as a couple and for our future as a family. Soon there will be three of us and I can't wait to keep building on our special spots.


Buy your copy here.
iPad Version here.

The images above are mine but the beautiful photography for the piece was contributed by Celine Kim.
Congrats (and thanks!) to Nathan and Amanda Jane who always inspire with their work and really know how to put it all together.

Michael Graydon Photography

I discovered Michael Graydon, a Toronto-based photographer, through this post and then spent some serious time looking through his website. It's full of great images; interiors, food and lifestyle shots but I was particularly drawn to his photos of details. They stuck out to me as special and I enjoyed they way Graydon has captured all the textures in these vignettes.