On a personal note

So this past weekend marked another year over for me.  I am now officially in my mid thirties (holy shit!!) although I'm at the beginning of my mid thirties...(I'm scrambling here to make myself feel better about it).  I think everyone has that birthday every half decade or so that just feels different.  That makes you take stock and think about what you've accomplished and have yet to accomplish.  Things that you want to improve in your life, like how to be a better partner, daughter, friend and of course mother.  Sitting back and actually reflecting on what works in my life and what I need improve upon has always been a struggle for me.  When it comes to myself, like most of us, I don't really want to hear about my negative attributes.  I get defensive and yes, sometimes angry about it but I feel like being in your mid thirties means that it's time to start being accountable for your actions and attitude, not sometimes, but all the time.  So here it goes, I'm going to try and stop making excuses, try to stop procrastinating, accomplish what I set out to accomplish, be it a change in diet or consistently exercising and of course taking a leap of faith and being a bit more fearless.  I need to worry less and enjoy more.

As for my birthday weekend, being in mid August I'm used to nice weather and not this strange "Augtober" we had for the past few days.  I was intending on a spa day and a dinner out but instead opted for a weekend up at my Aunt and Uncles cottage, just the 4 of us.  I finally got to go to Port Carling to the Grand Electric there.  It was great other than the downpour that kept us in doors.  We had an amazing Sunday swimming and sitting out on the deck followed by a lovely surf and turf dinner at my parents. (I had 3 lobster tails!) 

With all my reflecting also came a deep sense of gratitude that I have such a wonderful family and life.  All the below pictures are from my parents backyard last night.

On a superficial note, I did manage to get myself a few things I've coveting.  More on those later!

-Amanda

Peter's Room

Kate, When I embarked on decorating Peter's room I knew I had to use what I already had and make the best of it. I had the black dressers, which were my childhood set that Mike had painted for us for our old bedroom before we had built ins.  Plus, I had heard that black in a bedroom was lucky for a boy...don't ask me where I heard this but I just remembered it.  The drapes were once in our dining room.  The coca cola sign was from my parents house and it was in some long forgotten corner.  His light fixture is an old fan that we spray painted black.  The queen bed was ours before we decided to get a king.  I decided I didn't want Peter to have an actual bed yet because he fell off one and smacked his head pretty badly.  So, until he stops moving around like a maniac while he sleeps, on the floor the mattress will stay.  I've always loved the look of wainscoting but instead of installing it we just decided to paint it in.  There are a lot of cars, trucks and buses because that's what he loves and I wanted his room to be a place that he felt was just for him.

-Amanda

Old Charm

Amanda,

Because our last house was a century home, full of character and charm, I sometimes really miss the idiosyncrasies that come with it. Especially when I happen upon a Toronto Victorian full of quirky mouldings and a spiral staircase. Take a look, courtesy of hgtv.ca

And of course exposed brick is always amazing. 

-Kate

Key Lime Parfait

Kate,

A few weekends ago I was grocery shopping and came across some key limes and jumped at the idea of making some key lime parfaits.  Everyone that had them said they were great so I thought I'd share the recipe I used here. It's not the healthiest but sometimes you have to go all out, right! I also prefer the cold mousse like texture over the actual pie. Plus they are no fuss, easy peasy to make.  If you want to go healthy here is another option.  I'm going to try it out next. The pictures are courtesy of my mother who liked them so much that she made them this weekend.  She made them look prettier than I did as well.

-Amanda

Tiny little vases

Amanda,

Remember I said I bought some mini vases at ABC Home in New York? I had always admired how the single flower looks, especially in a grouping.

I plucked some purple littles from my neighbours garden and voila!

So cute, right?

-Kate

Colette

Amanda,

Bri texted me yesterday and said that I had to come to King West because I would absolutely love this new Cafe/Restaurant that opened in the Thompson Hotel. She said I would freak out over the french design and she was right. This place is beautiful. Better than Paris. Well, maybe.

Take a look.

Beyond the gorgeous environment, my croissant and coffee were delicious, the girls loved their cookies and their is a park across the street so you don't need to leave the kids at home!

-Kate

S'well

Kate, Your talk of a water bottle made me think about one that my friend Jenna won't stop talking about.  She was like a walking advertisement about it.  First she texted me about it with pics and then when I saw her she showed me it and told me about why it's the best.  It's called s'well and I've meant to mention it for the past few weeks because if there's one thing we all need in the summer it's a good water bottle.  This one is stylish as well.  I especially love the one below from the textiles collection.  Jenna had a mint green/aqua looking one which made me want to drink from it because it looked so refreshing.  You can read all about why it's the best water bottle here.

-Amanda

ps.  It's also charitable so get on it!

ABC Home

Amanda,

I met up with a friend, Natalie, a couple days ago. She lives in New York now and follows our blog. She is the sweetest thing and has a calm about her that I would love to bottle (you would to.) But that's not the point of this: she advised me to go to ABC Home on Broadway and look at everything on all 6 floors. So I did.

Now, part of my experience may have been influenced by the fact that it was the only hour this entire week/trip that I was alone and that in itself was a bit glorious, but this place is gorgeous. A bit overwhelming at first, but if you treat each floor like its own paradise, then you're ok. And by ok, I mean, you want to buy most things.

I settled on these little vases for single flowers, a cute bag for Mimi and a water bottle - I will post pictures when I'm back.

Here's a glimpse of their market/oasis:

-Kate

This is how you do a backyard

Kate,

About a month ago I was at my Aunt and Uncles place for my cousins wedding shower and I had to snap a few pictures.  It amazes me what they did with their space.  Many many years ago this was just one big open space like any other west end Toronto backyard and slowly but surely they kept adding on to the space with hard work and creativity.  My aunt did all of the beautiful stained glass pieces and they built the quaint little art studio in the back and picked up the gorgeous door and painted it the perfect shade of red. My uncle built the bench and they had the cushions custom made out of outdoor fabric. Everything is beautifully unique.  You can feel that a lot of work and thought went into this little oasis in the city especially with the sound of the water trickling from the fountain.  It's quite a lovely and inspiring space.

-Amanda

NYC brownstones

Amanda,

New york is so freakin cool. People are cool - even the moms at the playground down the street, restaurants are cool - like the tiny coffee shop that might go unnoticed if it weren't for its following, and the houses are cool - all these beautiful brick buildings with loads of character.

I keep tripping over my feet glaring at the brownstones all over West Village. Here's one nearby that's for sale. It's listed at a mere $14,000,000 because every inch of space in NYC is precious. Worth every penny?

Love the black and white art and the herringbone floors.

Gorgeous galley kitchen with tonnes of light.

Hello marble.

Not one but two outdoor spaces.

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend!

-Kate

Etsy Roundup

Amanda,

Via CurrentClassic shop on etsy.com

VIa Ohalbatross shop on etsy.com

Via Sisauvage shop on etsy.com

Via Seaandasters shop on etsy.com

These picks are a reflection of so many things I love: marble, wood, pastels and inspiration. It's so amazing how creative people are - etsy never ceases to impress me.

-Kate

Hello new barstools

Amanda,

My pretty new barstools arrived! I was nervous when only two were delivered yesterday, but thank goodness the other two appeared on my doorstep this morning.

As you know, we had Restoration Hardware barstools that we bought over a year ago when we first moved in and even though they looked great they started to chip almost immediately. Fast forward a year and my friend Andrea suggested I call the company and see what they could do for me. Imagine my gleeful surprise when they said they'd take them back  - full refund. What AMAZING customer service that is!

My new barstools are a lot more feminine, softer and warmer. Love em.

Purchased from Design Within Reach.

-Kate

Shelter

Amanda,

When Chris and I got married at our cottage, one of the biggest hurdles was where everyone was going to sleep. We had to find a dozen different options for lodging and that wasn't easy to do up north.

So when I saw an ad for Shelter Co in a magazine this past weekend, I thought, what a brilliant solution to our hurdle... too bad its 6 years too late. Beyond that, however, is just how fantastic these tents look - they are stylish and roomy. It almost makes me want to camp.

-Kate

Mila's Birthday Cake

Amanda,

We missed you today. The ice cream truck came to our street (a surprise for the kids) and they were literally screaming with excitement. We had just blown out the candles on Mila's birthday cake and they heard the ice cream truck music and it was like a bull rush to line up. Peter would have loved it.

Needless to say, I have an entire cake left over!! And it is good. It's that classic birthday cake - white batter and vanilla frosting with multicoloured sprinkles. The recipe was passed to me from Michelle - it's called one egg cake and it is simple and delicious. (I made the cupcake version for Max's party.)

One Egg Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Have all ingredients at room temperature

In bowl, mix:

1 3/4 c sifted all purpose flour

1 1/4 c sugar

2 1/2 tsps baking powder

1tsp salt

Add and mix for 2 mins at medium speed:

1/3 c soft butter

2/3 c milk

Add and mix for 2 more minutes:

1 egg

1/3 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

Pour the batter into an 8" cake pan or a cupcake tin. Bake for 30 minutes for cake and 25 minutes for cupcakes.

Let cool and frost with your favourite icing and garnish with sprinkles.

-Kate

Glass fence

Amanda,

Chris installed our glass fence yesterday. As you know, we greatly debated how to childproof the pool - gate, no gate, iron, mesh, glass... we didn't want to enclose the pool in a way that would make people feel like they were swimming in a fishbowl and the layout of our backyard made for tricky fencing lines.

Anyway, we settled on a glass fence at the top of our deck so that I can leave the kids on the deck without worrying about them being unsupervised by the pool and that way the pool area is as open as it can be.

I'm very happy with the glass - I almost feel like you don't see it.

Have a fabulous time out west. We will miss you guys and can't wait to hear all about it.

-Kate

Matchstick

Kate,

This cafe is in Vancouver and I've never been but I love it.  Like I want to move in or make it the place I go to work everyday.  It's called Matchstick and apparently it has a fantastic earl grey and poppy seed sourdough crumble muffin.  My friend Jenna sent me the pictures because of course, she knew I'd love it.  The poured concrete floors, wood, black and white are both warm and clean. It's inspiring to look at spaces like this and envision how you can incorporate it into your home, dream home or office.  I especially dig the black and white wall with the thin piece of wood trim. But back to Jenna, she is always someone I can count on when it comes to taste.  Her taste in clothes, sunglasses, music and design is always laser sharp.  A head of the curve.  No BS, if you will, only the good stuff.  She's always had a less is more vibe going even when it wasn't "the thing."  I think it takes a lot of confidence to start stripping away "stuff" and making sure that what's left is good.  Really, really good.

-Amanda

My new marble

Amanda,

When we were renovating our house I would get really excited to see the "big" progress, like the floors or the walls or the kitchen. Now that everything is done, it's the little things that I get excited about, like my new candle. I caught a glimpse of marble at West Elm today and scurried over to see what this beautiful round carrara thing was and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a candle - the perfect accent for just about anywhere!

-Kate

Vacation rental - Gothenburg

Amanda, The first rental that came up in my search for a swedish vacation spot was this:

Now i'm really starting to think that everyone in Sweden has impeccable taste. Wouldn't it be nice to vacation here?

All pics courtesy of VRBO.

-Kate

Eskayel

Kate, I discovered this wallpaper.  It's so unique and whimsical and there are so many choices.  Here are a few of my fav's although honestly there are so many more I could pick!

Personally I keep thinking about one of these in my powder room or in my master bedroom behind my bed.

-Amanda

Front Doors

Amanda,

This is Andrea's front door.

Even Max was like, "Wow, that's a cool door. Can we go through it?"

I feel a bit obsessed with doors. When I run through our neighbourhood I sometimes just look at peoples doors. Door envy, I suppose. I wrote a post a while back about painting my door black but that would have just been a temporary measure. My dream is to stumble across the perfect vintage door. I often wonder, while jogging, would someone give me their door, if I just knock and ask... maybe they're getting ready to move, or they want something new?

Actually, come to think of it - i'm throwing it out there: Does anyone have a vintage wood door they don't want? 36 X 80?

Here are some high impact doors I found on the world wide web. When they are this nice you can't help but want to go in.

Via thatcreativefeeling.com

Via huffingtonpost.com

Via hudsongoodsblog.com

Have you heard of The Door Store? It's on Castlefield.  I'm headed there if no one responds to my plea.

-Kate