I'm back

Kate,

Hawaii was wonderful.  We stayed in a beautiful beach house the first week that I'm not sure pictures can do justice to but let me just say I was like "really!? I get to stay here for a week!!!" I can't wait to show you all the pictures.  I've realized that maybe missing the first two weeks of September when you have children has added a bit of stress to my life.  Getting back into the swing of things, not to mention the time zone, has left me frazzled.  I feel like I've been thrust quite suddenly into fall and back to school (although I haven't even gotten Peter back into Nursery School).  There are a bit too many balls that I feel I am juggling- I will not bore you with the details because it's pretty mundane. I think I just need the weekend to sort everything out. I will say that although I miss the spectacular sunrises and sunsets and Hawaii in general, I am quite enjoying the weather here.  I hope everyone else has transitioned well to fall, back to school and new schedules.  I can't wait to feel on top of things next week.

-Amanda

We did it!

 

We have been talking about this for a while, ruminating about how exactly we want this business to look, feel and reflect us. We've finally figured it out and we're ready.

Introducing KATE AND AMANDA DESIGN. The interior design business that will tackle even your smallest design projects.

Please visit us at kateandamandadesign.com for details or click on our logo.

We can't wait to bring you our design goodness xx.

Re-blog: Jillian Harris Design

Amanda, I would move in here in a second! This is the Pacific National Exhibition Prize home. Someone is winning this house and I'm pretty envious... although it would require me moving across the country away from everyone I love most, so it's not actually in the cards at all.

The things I love about it: the palette - white and wood and a touch of greenery, the kind of bohemian feel, the gold hardware and all the light streaming in.

Photos via Jillian Harris Design.

So glad you are coming home today. It's been a long two weeks without you - but really looking forward to some stories over a coffee. Oh and Mimi misses Pete.

-Kate

Birthday Celebration #35

Amanda, As you know, yesterday was my thirty-fifth birthday. It was a grey and rainy day. I decided to embrace it and stayed home for most of the day, made muffins and played with the kids. I had a couple moments of contemplation since birthdays tend to bring that on - one was, wow, I can't believe I'm 35! It feels like yesterday that I was dating Chris and staying up really late. But my other thought was, of course I'm 35. I've got wrinkles around my eyes and now I go to bed at 10:30 pm.

Anyway, the highlights of the day were the tulips Chris and the kids gave me in the morning, the dinner I had out at La Cubana with the hubby and the surprise birthday gift that he gave me since I thought I had already received my birthday gift. What I liked most about the gifts were how "me" they were.

Some pics:

In no particular order: A book about Scandinavian decor, one of my favourite flowers, a tiny marble bowl with a gold spoon, a marble slab, a wooden tray and a gold picture frame that I actually like without a picture in it.

Happy Birthday to me!

-Kate

100 ways...

Amanda, While you bask in the Hawaiian sun, it's gotten cool all of a sudden here. That fall brisk air has arrived and I'm embracing it. I know you hate the fall, but there is something so lovely and fresh about it for me.

I do think there is something about the fact that I'm a teacher so the fall means new beginnings and my birthday is on Saturday so i've always had a  positive association with this time of year.

So this morning I opened the windows and the back door. I let the cool breeze in and turned on the oven. I made homemade cheese crackers and oatmeal raisin muffins and let the smell waft through the house. Love it!

The cheese cracker recipe is from a great website and cookbook that I recently discovered called 100 Days of Real Food. The website documents a family's 100 day pledge to live off preservative-free, whole food. The website has a recipe index that is fantastic for ideas and I bought the cookbook too since it's always great to read something on paper.

I know, they don't really look like crackers, but they taste good and the kids love them. Please note: I added a 1 1/2 tsp salt to the recipe.

The muffins I found after a quick google search but I modified them quite a bit - applesauce instead of oil (use a 1:1 ratio,) honey instead of sugar (I used no sugar at all and 3 tbsp honey instead). The recipe can be found here.

When they were fresh out of the oven I cut them in half and served them with a dollop of butter.

-Kate

Reblog: Dublin Cottage

Amanda, Apartment therapy published pictures of this cute little cottage in Ireland that is totally my taste. I especially love the dining chairs and bench around their table, the black wall and the credenza. I am also inspired to use a variety of greenery as my next floral arrangement. So simple and so beautiful.

Anyway, I couldn't resist to reblog...

Clearly a cottage in Ireland falls under a different category than a cottage in Ontario. There is nothing overly rustic here.

-Kate

Peek Inside: Perle's bedroom

Amanda, This bedroom is special. It's got so much: big windows that look out onto the city, concrete walls that make it feel cool, floral wallpaper that makes the room warm and defines the feel of the space, a modern bed and a vintage nightstand, then finally so many personal pieces that make it only Perle's room - like the gallery wall and the pictures of family and friends on her bookcase and the personalized blanket and the wall hanging (made by her grandmother.)

When you meet Perle you have the same impression. She is an almost-three-year old who exhibits all the dichotomies that her room possesses in all the right ways. She is small but mighty, she is the cool toddler that can also be super sweet and caring, she can run with the boys or the girls, she looks like a 2 year old but has the mind of a 5 year old. She's amazing. She's also my god-daughter.

Peak inside:

-Kate

Cottage Loft

Amanda, As you know, we have a barn on our cottage property. There is space above it that we call The Loft since it's just enough room for beds and a bathroom. It's the place that we hung out in as teenagers to get away from our parents and a perfect spot for overflowing guests.

My parents took on the project this summer of renovating the space to make it more comfortable. They rearranged rooms, added a ceiling and new floors and doors and painted it my favourite colour.

Here are some pics. I think they did a great job and it looks sweet and quaint in all the right cottage ways.

-Kate

Living Room update

Amanda, It always starts with a little thing. In this case it was the mantle. I looked over one day and decided I didn't want the black anymore. I liked the look but since our first floor is entirely open concept I felt like the sight line jarred a bit when you looked from the back of the house to the front. I wanted... wait for it...a white mantle with more of an organic feel that complimented the rest of the house.

So I painted the mantle. We had all the paint in the basement so that was easy. And since I was going for that light organic look, I pulled the mirror from my bedroom which is a washed wood look and threw it up there and then played around with the plants I have in the house until it felt right.

Chris found a coffee table on kijiji since it was always the piece that was missing in that room - the thing that stopped us from having a coffee there or reading a book on that couch.

Lastly, I found a great carpet at EQ3 for $100. A total steal. And exactly what i was looking for... woody tones, light and bright.

Anyway, to Chris' chagrin, we are constantly evolving over here. But I can't help it!

-Kate

Speaking of smoothies

Amanda, I made the best smoothie ever this morning. It was a random combination of things we had in the kitchen including some healthy things I could hide from my kids.

It was delicious. Just delicious. And I felt really good after I ate it.

I'm trying really hard to get back on track over here. I'm running more, and that fabulous class that we go to on Mondays is kicking my butt in all the right ways. Chris is pretty regimented about having a smoothie in the morning but i've always been attached to my cereal - yep, I love my carbs. But this smoothie might just turn things around for me.

My favourite Smoothie recipe

vanilla greek yogurt

almond milk

half a peach

handful of blueberries

10 spinach leaves

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

BLEND!

-Kate

This and That

Kate,

Like most people, I love the way Olivia Palermo dresses.  She recently did a 30 looks for 30 days story on her site and of course I loved everything she wore.  Her combinations are chic yet daring but it's not really for my lifestyle in particular all the time.  I did however fall for a shirt that can be dressed up or down and is pretty perfect for fall.  Right now I'm thinking of leather jackets, boots, a great pair of skinny jeans, a great flat, a grey sweater and a plaid shirt.  Well, Rails has an awesome plaid shirt.  I love the draping and the prints. Check it out above on Olivia and here and here.  I'm not sure which one I like better.

Smoothies are HUGE in my home.  Like I'm talking we drink them almost daily.  It's my way of getting lots of goodness into my family.  Plus they are easy.  The only thing is that I tend to do a lot of the same one over and over again and it can get a little boring.  This is my new favourite one.  I found it on lunchpailsandlipstick.com which Kate has already blogged about.  The only thing I add is spinach because why not?!  You can't taste it and it's good for you.

Hoping that you are all enjoying your long weekends!

-Amanda

Peek Inside: Heather & Damien's house

This house is particularly special to both Amanda and I. We have mutual friends, Trish and Mike, who originally owned this house - a historic brick home in Etobicoke that used to be a fire station. Trish and Mike did a fantastic job of renovating it and opening up the main floor and then subsequently sold it to Heather and Damien (very good friends of mine,) who have since poured their heart and soul into this open concept space to make it their own. If you were to meet Heather, you'd say, wow, does that girl ever sit down? She is beyond energetic, upbeat and hilarious. This translates to her home. Her incredible energy has her hosting you in a way that she preempts your every desire. Do you need water? Wine? Chocolates? Cheese and crackers? Fresh homemade brownies? She's on it. Which is half the reason why I love Heather's home. The other reason is because it has a warmth and comfort that comes through the abundance of pictures everywhere, the pink accents, the numerous pillows, the jars of candy and fresh flowers. It just screams, enjoy.

Anyway, you be the judge.

-Kate

Packing

Kate,

I've heard through the grapevine that you are a master packer.  I'm not surprised by this. Katherine told me that when the four of you showed up in New York that you only had one bag!? Is that the truth?  If so, you need to give me a lesson because I think I'm awesome packing 2 bags for the 4 of us.

I've always been the type of packer who puts together outfits so that I don't end up having a lot of extras that I never wear.  I also try and keep jewelry and shoes to a minimum by packing lightweight and neutral choices. When I backpacked through Australia and Europe I always put all my tops, pants, sweaters in separate bags so that I could just pull them out easily and stay organized.  The above are some of the outfits I came up with for Nelson B.C this summer.  I'm thinking this next trip to Hawaii will consist of a lot of dresses instead which will hopefully keep my packing to a minimum.

Speaking of which I need to get moving on laundry and packing for 3 ASAP!  If anyone has any tips or tricks with packing please share!

-Amanda

First birthday

Kate,

My baby is one!  I can't believe it.  It went so much faster the second time and it left me a touch sad.  I already know how fast it goes from here on in.   I can't get over the fact that she wont be my little baby for much longer.  It was a great weekend of celebration though.  It makes me laugh when I think about how Mike and I always said we could never have a baby in August because it's so busy for us.  Literally within 6 days we have my birthday, our anniversary, Mike's birthday and now Isla's.  Poor planning on our part but then again, Isla was supposed to be a September baby and decided to make a busy week, even busier, by sharing her father's birthday.

As you know I made Bo Ssam for her birthday party.  I wanted something that was going to be easy, would allow us to be free of the grill and kitchen for much of the party and be affordable since, let's face it, when you add in wine, cake, appetizers, pizza for the kids, loot bags and decorations it starts to get expensive.  I had Bo Ssam at a friends place a while ago and kept it in mind for the next big get together and I must say it went well.  Every last bit went!  Here is the recipe I followed.  The only thing I did differently was add hoisin sauce as an option.  Sorry that I didn't take pictures of it!  I just lined everything up in the order you're supposed to put it together.

The chalkboard picture is something we did so that we could remember her milestones.  I'm not really a baby book kinda of gal so I thought this would be a nice momento.  We have had the chalkboard wall for while so it was a very easy project.  Mike wrote it all out since my writing is not the nicest to say the least.

All in all, I think the party went well and I can honestly say I think I enjoyed myself the most this party out of any because I really wasn't trapped in the kitchen.  I hope I'm getting better at this entertaining thing!

Oh yeah, most importantly, the ice cream cake was from Ed's Scoop.

-Amanda

Logo

Amanda, I've been playing around with Illustrator, trying my hand at logo design. Wow, graphic designers sure have skill! I have no idea what I'm doing and really cannot get beyond the basics.

Regardless, I did come up with a couple options.

If you are reading this, and you're not Amanda, please still weigh in. We've received feedback from some of our readers that they feel uncomfortable commenting on our blog because we are addressing each other. But we would love to hear what you think! About everything!

Here they are.

1.

2.

3.

I know: ridiculously simple. But the truth is, we aren't really frilly people and the logo should represent us - a clean and classic aesthetic. The logos are for something we are working on right now. Something we will be revealing quite soon... so which one do you like the best?

-Kate

Trending

Amanda,

I love these hanging plants that seem to be gaining popularity. There is something so whimsical about them and it's such a great way to add plants to your decor - easy-to-maintain plants like succulents.

All images courtesy of etsy.com

I'm getting so much better at taking care of my greenery. I was told a while ago to pick a day to water my plants and stick to that day so that i never forget. Also, do you remember Michelle saying that she brings all of her plants into the bathtub... waters them and then puts them back? It's a great idea if you don't have that many. So everything is still living over here. In fact, I even transplanted a clipping the other day! My aunt would be proud.

-Kate

Leopard pumps and other goodies

Kate,

You want to know the problem with Birks?  They are so darn comfortable that you wear them with just about anything and then end up with a pretty distinct tan line on your feet.  If you look at the top picture it's kinda hard to miss the mark across my feet!  I guess I need to start applying sunscreen to my feet as well.  Anyways, I've been looking for a pair of leopard shoes for a while and although there are plenty I liked these were the winners.  You can find them here and they are on sale.  Club Monaco has a beautiful collection of shoes.  Especially all the new fall stuff.  If you don't want to order online and live in Toronto the Bay and Bloor location apparently has the entire collection.

Mike kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday but I took care of it myself.  I bought these amazing coated moto jeans.  They are ridiculously comfortable.  I live in black skinnies so I wanted to add a little versatility to my wardrobe with a coated pair.  Speaking of black skinnies though, I need a new pair as my last ones had holes in the bum which I didn't figure out until after I got home...that was really fun, showing off my bare bum without knowing it!  I have several pairs I'm liking right now.  You can find them here, here, here and here.

Last but not least.  These shades are my new favourite.  I love the matte black and big frame. They are available online and in the states in CA, NJ or Hawaii.  Lucky for me I'm going to Hawaii in a week so I'm hoping that they have that exact pair there.

Happy Friday!

-Amanda

Peek Inside: Kingsway Cottage

Kate,

This home in the Kingsway is a dream.  But it wasn't always that way.  Yes, the bones were always amazing but it took Deb's great eye to transform it into a place that I really never wanted to leave.  Especially in the summer, when the pool was open and the lanterns were lit all around and the little pond in the front trickled.  Deb also made a cabana on the side into a moroccan theme.  I remember being so excited to show you this place because I knew you were going to love it.  All the small details made it special.  Like how the center ceiling colour in each room matched the alcove jutting from each room.  It was subtle but such a nice detail.  All the beautiful art and sculpture done mostly by Deb's grandfather or brother and of course the way she decorated it.

The home was dark when it was first purchased and Deb promptly painted out all the wood a creamy white.  The wall between the dining room was opened up with an arch to mimic the arch shape in the sun room.  Ceiling moldings and pot lights were added in the dining, living and sun room.  The heavy ornate molding in the sun room was painted a creamy white.  They added custom built cabinets in all four corners of the dining room for extra storage.  Beadboard and custom pilasters replaced much of the stucco walls.  The bathrooms were renovated.  It's already been established in the blog that Deb has tons talent in this arena and is very hands on but just in case you missed this Deb reupholsters most of her stuff herself.  Most of the chairs in the space were found treasures that were brought back to life.  Hope you enjoy the tour.

Breakfast pudding

Amanda,

How did your chia pudding turn out? Max and Chris loved it over here, I liked it and Mila was indifferent. I might try substituting the almond milk for regular milk next time to see what kind of difference that makes. However, there is not a spoonful left - which is a tell tale sign that it should be a repeat in our kitchen.

Recipe courtesy of Giada and can be found here.

-Kate

White Milk Glass

Amanda, My mother in law collects vintage everything - she is incredibly sentimental and loves anything with meaning. I was at her house last week and saw this little vase with bumps on it (the description doesn't do it justice) and there was something about that vase that I loved so I told her if she found another one, I would be grateful. Anyway, while up at the cottage on the weekend I popped into this roadside antique shop and found the same kind of glass in what looks like two votive candle holders. Then, my mother in law came over today and surprised me with the another version of the little vase I had complimented... she found it at a second hand store.

Anyway, what I love most about them is actually what I discovered they are called - it's white milk glass. Doesn't that sound nice? Don't know what I'm going to do with them but they're just so pretty.

Speaking of white, I painted my mantle white today. Three coats - the first one was without kids, the second one was painful because the kids wanted to help and the third one I rushed through while I distracted them with a movie. More on that later....I have to figure out how I'm now going to style the new look.

-Kate