Design Find: Urban Barn Sofa

Happy Monday! Did you have a great weekend? Mine was fun! Zach and I went to our first hockey game of the seaons, Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa won! It was fun to be at a professional sports game, drinking beer, screaming at the refs, and high-fiving strangers :)

I'm going to dedicate this weeks posts to great design and furniture finds. If only I had a pool of money to spend on all the lovely things out there!

I.love.this.sofa!!! If I were in the market for a new one, this would be it. I can see myself curled up on a Saturday afternoon with a delicious cup of coffee and a stack of fresh magazines.

Urban Barn Cedric Sofa

Photo from the National Home Show, courtesy of Canadian House & Home.



Academy Awards Weekend!

My favorite awards show of the year is upon us again! Sunday night we'll be settling down with some delicious snacks and comfort food, wine, and blankets...and cheering on our favorite nominees! Who do you want to win?

Here are my top 4 wishes:

1. Best Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman in Black Swan



2. Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Amy Adams in The Fighter



3. Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3



4. Best Picture: I haven't seen all of the nominated movies, but I did see a few of them, and Black Swan is definitely my favorite! I loved it.



Modcloth: Cute Dresses for Spring / Summer 2011

Red-y and Rarin' To Go Dress



Modcloth, for those of you who've never heard of it, is a fun and affordable fashion / home shopping site. It was started by two clothes loving high-school sweethearts who wanted a place to offer an assortment of fashion goodies. Modcloth has unique one-of-a-kinds, indie designs, and a variety of trendy pieces to suit any wardrobe.
Bonus: Their inventory is constantly changing. You can check back throughout the day to see if new items have been added since your last visit.

Modcloth also provides the shopper with the chance to add feedback and advice on new inventory, through their "Be the Buyer" program and their blog.

Here are my favorites:

Smoky Mountain Town Dress

In With The Neutral Dress

Daytime Darling Dress

Already Blue-ming Dress

**This would make a cute bridesmaids dress for the Summer season!!

Take a Gander Dress

Dianthus Fields Dress

**This would be a pretty dress to wear to a wedding!



Fun with Ikat

Ikat: a fabric in which the yarns have been tie-dyed before weaving. Merriam-Webster.

Ikat is my number one favorite fabric. I think that it is beautiful as a throw pillow, curtains, area rug, upholstery, bedding...just about anywhere in the house! This gorgeous fabric comes in every possible color combination, so it can blend well into any decorating style. My favorite is the green ikat fabric by Madeline Weinrib. It would look so fresh and fun on an indoor/outdoor throw pillow.

Recycled cotton throw blanket. Green with Glamour.

Ikat slipper chairs. Photo from Decor*Pad.

Ikat fabrics by Madeline Weinrib

Ikat area rug by Urban Outfitters.

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I love this beautiful ikat pillow! Photo from Apartment Therapy.

Fun Streamer Ideas!

Do you have a party to plan in the next few months? I found these fun and colorful streamer ideas on Oh Happy Day. Aren't they cute? They create a lot of color and texture, and are completely inexpensive to make!

All photos and ideas are credited to Oh Happy Day.



Blue Kitchens

A common theory in kitchen design suggests that blue is a bad choice for color. This is due to the fact that there aren't many blue foods, and it's assumed that blue takes away from the dining experience. I think it's quite ridiculous and untrue actually. It's one of those old "rules" that doesn't make sense anymore...especially in a design world where anything goes.

Here are some kitchens that prove blue has a place in the heart of the home:

Blossom Interiors

Fifi Flowers

Decoarchive

KTB

The Glam Lamb

Hooked on Houses

SHOES: New Spring Arrivals

I did a little shopping for my birthday yesterday, and while I was at the mall I noticed that Aldo had some really cute new Spring arrivals! Shoes weren't in my shopping plan / budget this time around, but if I had an endless supply of money, I would have left with all of these:

Samara booties in Taupe.

Ramires booties in Natural.

Smerkar rubber boots.

Keithly peep-toe pumps.

Peachtreecity high-heel sandals.

Kochler platform pumps.

CB I Hate Perfume

*This post is dedicated to my fellow partner in smells, Alli*

The title of this post is misleading. I actually love perfume! CB I Hate Perfume is an unconventional perfume company that I just discovered. They specialize in bottling smells that you would never imagine could be bottled, such as: Gathering Apples, Winter 1972, In the Summer Kitchen, and Walking in the Air. The scents are meant to capture an experience, memory or feeling. One of my favorite descriptions is the one for Ocean / Eternal Return: "Eternal Return is the scent of sailing toward the shore. It is a blend of Fresh Ocean Air, Wooden Ship and a faint hint of Cypress Trees growing on the cliff above the water...".

I also enjoy the description for Narcissus: Clean running water over mossy stones, the wind gently blowing through green leaves...

You can order the perfume in an absolute or water version (different strengths).

BHLDN: Bridal Wear

Happy Valentine's Day friends! It's a beautiful day to celebrate love & marriage...

...as mentioned last week, the brilliant people behind Anthropologie have just today launched a new bridal wear line, BHLDN. I just spent an hour devouring the entire website, every pearl, piece of lace, ribbon and hair piece. I love it all! Here are some of the highlights, but you must go to the site and see for yourselves!

Burnished Organza Gown

Eyelet Medley Sheathe

Cascading Goddess Gown

Savoy Dress

(Did I mention they have bridesmaids dresses too!?)



Crystallized Chiffon Headband

Unabashedly Gloves

Anthropologie Wedding Line!!!

I almost fell off my chair this morning when I heard this wonderful news on Cup of Jo!! The brilliant people behind Anthropologie have created a new bridal wear line!! I immediately when to the new site, BHLDN (pronounced Beholden), and signed up for the newsletter. The line is officially being launched on February 14th, the most wonderful day of the year AND my birthday! Here is the email information that I received, along with a sneak peak photo "borrowed" from Cup of Jo (thank you!).

I am 100% getting married in one of their dresses :)

Sartorialist Eye Candy

Today was a stressful day for me. I didn't have much time to blog, but I did have time to enjoy some recent photography from the Sartorialist. Here are my faves (all of these women look like they enjoyed the day more than me!):

Poppytalk Finds

Today I discovered a delightful online "street market", Poppytalk. They showcase hundreds of different merchants of handmade, vintage, and custom goods. Many of the merchants sell through Etsy, but they also promote their products through Poppytalk.

All of these adorable finds are affordable and super cute:

"Each Day" Calendar

"Best Year Ever" Calendar

"Come Fly With Me" Pillow

...this would be so cute in a kid's room!

"Vintage Script Hearts" Ceramic bowls.

(Would be so cute to hold jewellery, keys, etc!)

"Road Less Travelled" Quilt

"Summer Wardrobe" Photography/Art

"Last Duck Love" Letterpress greeting card. So cute!