Shrug Love....

The sequence mini dress is cute, the photo is original, her legs are envy worthy but the over the shoulder sweater is to die for! I love the curvy and slouchy sleeves that become the body and the fine stripes add to the flow! Now if only I could find a pattern - or even see the back of it... then maybe I could use my new sewing machine to re-create this!

French Vogue via trust your style

In the Neutrals

Lately light, airy neutrals have been popping up, and after all the colour predictions from the beginning of this year, I am embracing these calming neutral tones.

Paul Whicheloe Via Desire to Inspire

Michael S Smith

Photography Mikkel Vang Stylist Christine Rudolph via desire to inspire

Terri from Wind Lost

Martha Stewart

H & M via Apartment #34

Petrina Tinslay via Emma's Design Blogg

Domino via Sfgirlbybay

David Tsay via Sfgirlbybay

Via Garance Dore

Has anyone else noticed an increase in muted tones and neutral colour palettes?

Clever Living

Ferm means clever in Dutch, and is a very telling word for the company Ferm Living, who make very ferm products.  They also have a blog (Clever Spaces) showing clever creative uses for their clever and creative products... 

I love the gold and purple of the tree bomb wallpaper....clever name!

Wallpaper stuck on the inside of a lamp, you can only see the design when the light is on... clever, yet again!

I love this workplace!

Would go great in a black and white room!!

This wall decal was scribbled over, and then removed... the reverse effect!

Messy Boots

As the rain poured down yesterday I went rain boot shopping with one of my friends. I must admit, it is surprisingly hard to find a good pair of rain boots in this wet town! Well that is, it is tough to find a good pair that does not have a nauseating busy/tacky pattern, are not more than 100 dollars (come on they are rain boots after all!), do not have heals or aren't some drab cold weather colour. We didn't have any success yesterday, but it did remind me of this great project posted on Apartment Therapy Boston last week on how to manage your wet and muddy boots once you seek comfort in your cozy abode.

This DIY is simple and cheap. Katie, the mastermind behind this idea explained that she took two unrelated IKEA items and put them together to form a boot tray. She used the lid of the"Ladis" plastic storage bin and some shiny garden stones. Together they became this innovative, easy to use, and smart looking boot tray!

This will give me one less excuse to not fulfill my new years resolution!

Easy Eco Mondays - Be fish Aware

Since moving to Vancouver I have developed an appreciation for fish... not only because they are tasty and so readily available here, but more that they are almost intertwined with life. Fish design, and drawing are found everywhere, while remnants of fish can also be found washed up on the shore. This constant reminder makes me question... what fish (or seafood) can be consumed in a sustainable fashion? I am of course not the only person wondering this so I went on the hunt for some resources.

Keller + Keller

Jocelyne Beaudoin

• David Suzuki's Green Guide has some top choices: Catfish (US farmed), Clams (farmed), Halibut (wild, pacific), Pollock (wild, Alaska), Rainbow Trout (farmed) and Tilapia (US farmed).
• The Environmental Defense Fund also has a list of fish ranging from Eco-Best to Eco-Worst. Everything from Mussels to Crab to Shark are on the list. They also have a sushi fish list.
• Monteryey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide and now a feature where you can have it synced to your iphone, so you are up to date and can make informed decisions on the go.
• Foodgal a fellow blogger even recommended a sustainable sushi bar Tataki Sushi and Sake Bar in San Fransisco (if you are every visiting)

As I go out to buy my weekly groceries, I will keep the Seafood Watch guideline close to me!

Victoria Granof

(Note: This week is the State of the Salmon Conference here in Vancouver, it is the second international conference dedicated to the conservation of Pacific salmon. Fitting time to be thinking about fish consumption!)

K.T. Tables

My dear friend Katie moved into her first one bedroom apartment. It's a beautiful pad with huge windows tons of sunlight and a great open flow. Now comes the fun part - decorating! She already has a couch, TV and bookcase, so now we are on the hunt for coffee tables.... simple right? Well not quite, Katie has strict thoughts of what she wants from her pieces of furniture (and rightly so!) For the coffee table Katie wants something with an open bottom so she can put her feet under the table, no glass or metal and a simple design (and maybe some storage...). So with that criteria in mind, I have found some that I think will fit, and are available in Canada.... Take a peak Katie....

I know you don't want metal, but these ones are dark and feel lightweight, might be what you need next to your couch!

Modular Coffee Tables by West Elm

Haven Coffee Table from Pottery Barn

Remember the table we saw last Sunday? These are other options... and not as expensive! The second one even folds out if you want to make it into a low dinner table!

Delmonte Coffee Table from Sears

Marakech Flip Top Cocktail Table from Sears

Simple and sleek, storage, foot room, no metal or glass and about the right size.

Kelsey Two Drawer Cocktail Table from Sears

I think you can fit your feet under these ones! I love the natural wood of the first one (although it might be too country for you, and the second one is pretty much my classical favorite! There is a storage shelf, but it looks high enough - some baskets or IKEA boxes on there and you will get your storage and coffee table in one!

Cordoba Coffee Table from Pottery Barn

Chloe Coffee Table from Pottery Barn

Last but not least - simple but perfect. Great wood grain, nice solid legs, and a smooth top. You could put baskets/boxes under the table for storage and then move them when you want to put your feet under the table.

Jackson Coffee Table from Sears

A few things I figured out while searching. There is a surprising number of coffee tables without room to put your feet under them. For simple designs The Bay and Sears are good options, they are starting to carry more modern designs. Check out Crate and Barrel, (see below) there are some great ones on that website, I don't know if they ship to Canada but it might be worth a trip to the US!

Sundays are for cozy couches....

I was side tracked by beautiful weather and a heated curling match yesterday, so I missed my post on coffee tables. But no worries, I have just finished it and it will be up in a few minutes! Until then, I thought I would inspire you with a beautifully warm image... something a little cozy on this rainy Sunday morning!

Living Etc....

White walls can still be cozy right?

Re-globed

I just can't seem to get away from these Globe lights! I was my first one a couple weeks ago and now again today! Maybe it's a sign? I was going to put up the Chandelier in my room this weekend, but now I am having serious second guesses!

House Beautiful via If The Lamp Shade Fits

(I'm in off site training all day, so unfortunately this is all the posts for today! I'll be back tomorrow with the follow up for Katie! xo)

Design Love...

Don't you just love clever design?  This coffee table from Alex Suvajac made me gasp in amazement by the form.  I found it through for coffee tables for my friend Katie all week! Unfortunately this table isn't Katie's style, but if it was, I would have to convince her to buy it!

 Via The Canadian Design Resource

The Domino Effect

So the news is out, Domino Mag is done. 6 Feet Under. Finito.

I have a different view of the whole situation however... I'm not shocked, saddened, depressed or wondering what this world is coming to. I am optimistic. Why? Because this is a new era of media. Just how the radio was eclipsed by the television, the Internet blogs and magazines just might be taking over the world of paper...

I will miss simple rooms like this

This isn't the only magazine to bite the dust in recent past and I am not sure if we can solely blame these closures on the recession. Could it be that this is the re-invention of the shelter magazine business? I am not sure how relevant receiving our monthly pounds of glossy paper is to us anymore, especially since we can now find inspiration online everyday (and paper free!) through websites and blogs. I think it's sad for employment in the creative sector, however I am optimistic that in the future it might be possible that Internet magazines will have budgets to hire stylists, designers, professional photographers, editors, writers (I'm sure I'm missing a lot of people) and the support staff...

And funky ones like this....

I don't doubt that us bloggers had a role to play in the demise of Domino. I find myself drawing inspiration from other blogs and Internet articles more than I find myself rushing out to buy a magazine, scanning the images and posting them. We all know from Apartment Therapy, Design*Sponge, InHabitat and TreeHugger that blogs can create employment, and be a viable business, (note I don't know for sure that they pay their employees, but I assume that they would have to) so that makes me wonder is the closing of Domino a sign of where design communication is headed? And if so, is it such a bad thing?


What to blog? I wonder if many of the other shelter magazines follow the same fate as Domino, where will us bloggers go to get our beautifully styled images from? I better sneak over the Domino and grab as many photos as I can!! (I'm just joking, I don't even usually post domino sets! I hope this gets people out there looking at non-professional work, and maybe even discovering a diamond in the rough!)

Silence in Finland

What an amazing cabin - this Finnish curved cabin is called the Silent House. The curved lines of the house blend so well with the surroundings, that I think you would just want to be silent while there, blending into the nature a [literally] round you....

I adore that light gushing through the windows... the elongated shadows subtly remind us we're at a high lattitude, and the crackling fire place makes the Finnish winters that much more bearable!

Via Marie Claire Maison

Office Day

It's my first day back at the office, and I am currently surrounded by paper and up to my ears in emails! Here's a little something until I find a moment to post something a little more substantial!

One day I am going to wear this to the office....

Shawn Patrick Anderson

And my office walls are going to be lined with books like this....

Tim Evan-Cook

And I am going to design cool, functional shapes like this....

Michael Larras

But until then, my office cube will do!

Westcoast Bound

I am ecstatic to be returning home.... back to the westcoast after two months away!

Keller + Keller

My rain boots are ready!

Easy Eco Mondays - 3 Rs sign

Make a beautiful sign to remind you of the 3 Rs Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!

I love this post from ModCottage. It goes through step by step of how to make these awesome signs. It would be ideal to make it like Em does, with re-used wood!!

Keep it outdoors...

I hope you all have a great weekend outside! I'm going to shake off some January blues and get some fresh air, and hopefully make some of these.....

Via my friend Robyn Crookshank