Eau de Cologne

This glamorous print by Hennie Haworth would make such fantastic wrapping paper for a beauty shop to use for gifts:

Here are some close ups of the fabulous illustrations:

It would be darling framed in a ladies' bathroom too!

Happy Weekend

This Larry Laslo design makes me smile - it's so bright and happy!

I hope you have an equally bright and happy weekend!

Fabric of the Week: Les Aeronefs

I love this whimsical yet masculine print from legendary fabric house Pierre Frey. I can totally see the hot air balloons making a colourful bold statement from pleated drapery panels in a little boy's room, or as a fabulous arm chair to tuck into and read stories before bed.

It also comes in a wallpaper border:

and the theme can also be found on Tableware  too:

Pierre Frey is available through Primavera in Toronto

Her??

Apparently the Arrested Development movie is a go after all. I’m crossing my fingers it comes out before I’m old enough to be gangy.

 

I hope Mrs. featherbottom is in it!

Hazy Icons

I am so taken with the latest works from Joshua Jensen Nagle:

Liz, Marilyn and Elvis – they’re all fabulous but I would probably go for Marilyn first.

Loving Tory's Punk-Inspired Fall Look...

Ever since I saw the image above from Tory Burch's Fall look book I have been eagerly awaiting for the items to appear on the website for a closer look. Slowly but surely they’re making their way there and they have me drooling after the punk-inspired-yet put-together look.

Here are my favourite Fall picks that encompass some of my favourite trends this season: leather, studs and military:

WILLIAM JACKET, $995

STUDDED SHOULDER BAG, $395.00

LEATHER LEGGING , $995.00

AMULET BELT, $195.00

ANOUCK JACKET, $495

BLACK SKINNY CUFF WITH LOGO STUDS , $95.00

VIRGINIA DRESS, $365

MILITARY MESSENGER, $475

CALLUM JACKET, $495

Yet to make an appearance online, the Donna boot looks like a beautiful marriage between last season’s Tory Whitney booties and my newer tougher Hogan sneaks. I would love to slip these babies on for a try!

Toronto Spotting in Time Traveler's Wife

Toronto often subs in for New York or Chicago every time a Hollywood production sets up shop, so when The Time Traveler's Wife shoot came to town 2 years ago Toronto put on its Chicago cap once again. Despite pretending to be Chi-town, locals can catch unmistakable glimpses of Toronto throughout the film.

One of the pivotal sets that is instantly recognizable is the McLean House at the Estates of Sunnybrook, which happened to be this year's Junior League of Toronto Showhouse! After spending so much time there it was a trip to see the characters walking through the halls, eating in the dining room and walking down the spiral staircase. Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana even get married on the grounds in the film. Upping the local ante is the fact that a few members of Broken Social Scene are the wedding band!

In the movie you can also see Bana jogging along the path at the beaches in Toronto's East end but perhaps my favourite Toronto spotting happened during the shoot off set when I bumped into him at my local Loblaws. He was standing in the frozen food aisle in a baseball cap looking ruggedly handsome. No one gave him a second look so I said hello and he was very sweet telling me how much he enjoyed Toronto because it is so similar to Australia.

Have you seen the movie yet? Did you read the book? I for one bawled my eyes out but let me know what you think..

Sundried Tomato Fusili with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Dressing

Inspired by a recipe by Barefoot Contessa, I made this scrumptious pasta salad last weekend after craving a light yet filling lunch. I changed some of the ingredients to better suit my tastes and was really pleased with the results. This is a great side dish to serve for a summer meal but note it is best enjoyed when eaten the day it was prepared, otherwise the pasta absorbs the dressing and gets too mushy and chewy.

Sundried Tomato Fusili with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Dressing

Serves 4 as a side dish

Pasta:

• 1/2 box of fusilli pasta
• 4 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2/3 cup of goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

Dressing:

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 tbsp caper berries, drained and chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt to taste

1. To make dressing, combine garlic, sun dried tomatoes, caper berries, balsamic, olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and salt in a food processor.
2. Cook the fusili in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is al dente.  Transfer the pasta from the pot to a large bowl to cool and drizzle in a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking .
3. When the pasta has cooled off but is still warm, add the chopped tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and dressing to the bowl and combine.
4. Mix in the goat cheese, parmesan and basil.

Le Sportsac Le Rips Off John Robshaw

While browsing through my sister's Teen Vogue I was caught off guard by this familiar-looking advertisement from Le Sportsac:

It is a complete recreation of the John Robshaw ad, except they swapped the jolly-looking Indian man for a blonde PYT and stuffed the vintage white car with handbags instead of cushions.

I know they are advertising two totally different products but come on -- there is just a little too much in common going on here!

What do you guys think?  

Alexa Hampton Vanity Lust

I am so in love with the Stephanie Vanity Desk from Alexa Hampton's Hickory Chair collection. What a glamorous place to type away on your laptop or primp at!  The straight tapered legs are strong and masculine but the gilded circular motif softens the looks and adds that opulent girly touch- so divine!

After drooling over the pricey piece, I serendipitously stumbled upon the console pictured below on craigslist and was instantly reminded of my lust object.

I have since made arrangements to make it mine. The seller bought it at an estate sale in New York years ago and is willing to part with it for a steal so whether I keep it painted as is or refinish it in a different palette, I am happy to have a versatile piece with great lines.

Back to School…Well for Brunch Anyways

One of my recent additions to my favourite brunch roster is School Bakery and Cafe in Liberty Village.

Helmed by Brad Moore of Xacutti and Eleven fame, this themed eatery has great fun with the classroom concept-  but luckily the restaurant doesn’t rely on gimmicks. School serves up delicious brunch with friendly service and great atmosphere.

The décor of School transports you back into homeroom, complete with chalkboards, vintage typewriters and other educational paraphernalia that is meant to make patrons chuckle.

The creative menu (typed on lined paper attached to clipboards no less!) offers amazing sandwiches, waffles, pancakes and other favourites with a unique twist and lovely presentation.

The heavenly Georgia Peach pancakes were divine with their fluffy whipped cream and tender peach topping, chewy walnuts and delicate peach butter.

For savoury  lovers, the chipotle biscuit sandwich was soft, supple and satisfying. The mix of regular and sweet potatoes in the homefries is pleasant, but the best part is the flavorful chewy biscuit itself.

If you’d like to read more about my favourite brunch picks, check out my top ten brunch go-to’s list at ourfaves.com

It Don't Mean a Thing, If it Aint got that Swag

How fierce and fabulous is this set of 4 Grosfeld House Swag Back Chairs?

They are such statement pieces with the drapery effect of the swag back and the fabulous  lacquered chartreuse frame.

Very Duquette!

Meteor Shower Tonight

Are you going to stay up and watch?

Food Photos for Thought

One of the best parts of having the kitchen back as opposed to the bunker, is being able to actually cook! My mother and I have taken ample advantage of the new facilities and are currently going through cookbooks so we can add a new roster of recipes to our repertoire. I hope to beef up the mount of foodie content here (no pun intended) so below are some tempting images to get your mouth watering for the impending posts!

 

I hope you’re hungry!!

(food by Linda, photos by moi)

Fall Shopping Has Begun!

The weather in Toronto has been so utterly crappy these past couple of months that it feels like we skipped summer. Instead we’ve had a very long balmy spring so contemplating Fall clothing feels wrong even if the timing is technically right.

A weekend trip to Yorkville with the aim of scouting out some Fall wear included a stop at the GAP, whose retooled line of denim ushered in by creative director Patrick Robinson has garnered quite the chit chat in the fashion rags.

Before I could even make it to the jeans though, my heart fluttered over this great Double-breasted blazer, $98. I love the contrasting pinstripe lining when the cuffs are rolled, plus the brass buttons are so preppy. Every magazine has shown the boyfriend blazer over everything from an LBD to skinny jeans so I eagerly snapped this version up to complement my more existing formal version from last season.

I also tried on their new curvy jeans that are cut to fit a girl’s hips and have good stretch, but I have to go to a different location to find the wash I want in the shorter length (short and curvy- that’s me!) For less than 70 bucks, it’s worth the trip for a pair that fits this well and is comfy to boot!

Happy Weekend

I'm signing off for the weekend with one of my favourite rooms ever: Aerin Lauder's glamorous dressing room/office, which was recently published again in Elle Decor.

The brass desk, gracie wallpaper, vintage blue and white crystal chandelier and gilded chair are GLAM GLAM GLAM! When I saw her in NYC last year at one of the numerous Chanel boutiques I almost went right up to her to tell her how much I adore the space but figured that would border on creepy...

Have a marvellous weekend!

Urn-Tastic

The classicist in me is drawn to these traditional urn wallpapers by Adelphi Paper Hangings:

The gold and blue colour combo is so retro while the blue and white paper below reminds me of old wedgewood.

While we're talking urns, I must mention the fabulous work of Ron Dier, whose variety of urns are simply fabulous with their classic motifs and proportions.

Torontonians can find his work at Joan Eiley in Designer's Walk.