Mass Love

Not only am I glowing from within because I am in my home away from home, aka Miami, and not stuck in a snow bank in miserable Toronto -- but I am also thrilled because Kim over at Desire to Inspire included me in her WINKS (weekend links) post today!

Desire to Inspire is a mainstay of my daily blog-surfing and I love the fellow Canadian shout out- thanks Kim!

I am also excited because Grace over at Design*Sponge is going to be posting 'before and after' shots of my bedroom this Thursday.

To have such welcoming feedback and support from two design sites I love makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm also so excited that I've been added to the blog rolls of other blogs I adore, such as:

let your creativity flow
absolutely beautiful things
material girls
scented glossy magazines

I'm very glad I took the plunge and decided to start a blog of my own this year. Thanks for all the love everyone!!!

To cap off this lovely accomplishment I am going to dine on jalapeno hamachi at Nobu and perhaps sip a cocktail at the heavenly garden patio at the Shore Club.



How enticing does that patio look?

Attention Ontario: Craigslist Find Alert!

A pair of retro chairs from the early 1970's.  All original and in very good condition for a whopping 50 bucks!

These are just waiting to be reupholstered and turned into fabulous statement pieces like the french armchair I found at

1st dibs:

 

Perhaps they could sit at the head of a dining table?

Check it out if you think you can make it to Aurora to pick them up!

A Dose of Spring for those February Blahs

So far this month there has been approximately 85 cm of snow dumped on Toronto, bringing the tally for the season to about 162 cm so far!

It is so bleeping cold, the snow has made getting around the city impossible, and every day I have kittens trying to commute back and forth to work on the icy roads.

Luckily, I'm paying a visit to the family condo in Miami for the long weekend, but until my flight tonight, I've been perusing the offerings on Williams Sonoma Home's website for Spring.

Blues and yellows and creams - oh my!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring cannot come soon enough!

Home Office Hutch

For those who are not blessed with large homes teeming with extra rooms, a large desk with a hutch is a good alternative to having a whole separate home office.

A desk/hutch combo contains the essentials of a home office: a work surface, shelves for display, drawers for storage and often a tray for a desktop keyboard.

Although not as functional for projects requiring a large work surface, such as crafts, for someone working from home one of the hutches below would  be adequate enough. I love them in the white finishes!

Room Service Home, Library Center, $2998

 

Williams Sonoma Home, Stanhope Desk, 5,950.00

 

Pottery Barn Bedford Corner Hutch, Over 1000 (depends on what add ons you choose)

 

IKEA, Johan, $129.00

 

Crate and Barrel, Chatham Desk/Organizer, $898.00

 

 

PS- On the topic of home offices, I'm loving Style & Grace's post on home work spaces.

She has a great rundown, including Celerie Kemble and Aerin Lauder's office spaces.

Who could resist the stunning Mary McDonald office! Of course I am loving the white desk.

Artist Spotlight: Andrea Marcus

This post is about an artist I think a lot of people in the online design/art community will take to: Andrea Marcus.

In my opinion, Andrea is one of the most innovative artists out there today. She is wildly creative, passionate, and her talents are incredibly versatile.

    

Andie is renowned in Toronto for her stunning glass work, which is displayed in the studio cafe in Toronto's Four Seasons hotel -- but it is her most recent project that has really struck a chord with me.

                    

    

The above image is the complete work and the one below is a close up so you can see the detail that goes into each work.

 

 

The process of Andy's work is both unique and time consuming.

First Andie paints each canvas. Then she proceeds to  form a variety of small shapes of a melted plastic-like material on silpat sheets or directly on to the canvass. She then glues the shapes on to the canvas in beautiful patterns and designs.

The result is a stunning 3-D work of art that is bold yet delicate with its floating designs and rich texture.

 

 

                       

 

Here is another close-up- love the bright psychedelic colours!

 

 

 

The black is so sexy!

 

 

I love the aquatic feel of this one. It's so organic. It reminds me of the movement of seaweed!

 

 

I'm lucky to have my own smaller work by Andie to display in my bedroom.

 

It fits perfectly in my black and white scheme and adds an organic texture to the room.

 

My younger sisters say they look like black spiders!

 

I think it's fabulous!

 

 

 

You can't see the details with my crappy camera so here is a close-up:

 

Also a side view so you can appreciate the fabulous texture.

 

 

 

Andie's star is beginning to rise,  so I suggest checking her out now if you're interested in having your own piece. On a recent visit to Toronto, international popstar and artist Mika was so taken with Andie's work (which was displayed in his hotel) that he ended up spending an hour at her house contemplating which pieces to purchase for himself!

 

http://andreamarcus.com/