North Captiva Architecture

Amanda, So North Captiva has a lot of the typical Florida architecture and design.  The houses are rectangular with blue or grey shakes and lots of windows. Balconies and pillars on the outside and shell themed decor on the inside.

I found two gems, however, on my run. Two beautiful modern homes with ocean views. The first is a stunning mix of wood and glass and metal cable fencing.

This second house is positively outstanding. The pictures don't do justice to its large scale and proximity to the beach. Not to mention the landscaping alone is out of this world. But most importantly it is a really good looking house.

Have you seen anything your way?

-Kate

I'm Here

Amanda, We made it to Florida. Yesterday we flew, we drove and we hopped on a boat and arrived on North Captiva at 4:00. It was a long day. But that waft of warm air when we emerged from the airport was pretty sweet.

Our house is literally on the water. If you look out any of the windows all you see is ocean and air.  I'm embracing it even though there's an element of feeling captive.... No cars and boat access. What am I going to do without stores?

Well, I'm finding inspiration in my surroundings.

That last pic is Chris fishing. Happiness is....

Anyway, remember my post about loving neutrals? The colour of sand? Don't these pictures just say it all?

-Kate

Hearts!

Kate, I couldn't help myself.  Just a quick post on these heart wall stickers from Ferm Living Shop.

http://www.fermlivingshop.com/collections/kids-wall-stickers/products/mini-hearts-wall-sticker-black

Super cute, right!?

-Amanda

North and Crown

Amanda, Two finds for when you return. Great little stores that are close to home and full of little gems. Not one-stop shops but little treasuries.

One is Crown Flora. My obsession with terrariums continues. While my DIY creations are just fine, the terrariums at Crown Flora studio are works of art. They are next level.

The studio is on the south side of Queen st, where it meets roncesvalles. Across from it is a store called North Standard. It's very Oh Canada. Their candles smell like our trees, and they have the cutest tin mugs with a bear on them.

In case you don't spend all your money in the states, it is nice to boost the local economy.

Northstandard.com and crownflorastudio.com

-Kate

A little girl's dream

Amanda, Last night I was out for dinner with the Tuesday night girls for Heather's birthday. We went to Church on Queen (a converted Church turned restaurant.. Really cool dark vibe in there) but that's another post.

Mellany was talking about the most recent "Women in Toys Conference" that she was a part of and an award she presented to the woman who came up with Goldieblox - the engineering toy for little girls. See here:

It was just a coincidence that I came across a similar new toy, designed for little girls with engineering in mind but that would have knocked our socks off when we were kids...

A design your own house kit!!! All the materials to build, design and even wire your own home. How cool is that?

Similar to Goldieblox, two female engineers came up with the concept and they call it Roominate.

See here:

To find out more, go to Roominate.com

M2 is definitely getting one for her 6th Birthday.

-Kate

Sweet Smells

Amanda, I'm starting to use up random items in my fridge before we leave for Florida. I had a couple lemons that were looking tired and I thought I would make one of our favourite stove candles. It is such a great way to make your house smell beautiful and dispense of citrus fruits.

With two dogs in the house and poopy diapers I am often paranoid that someone walking into my house might be accosted by the wrong kind of smell. I don't love the smell of incense and I tried one of those Lampe Berger and could never get the right scent.

So my go-to is a bit of lemon or orange rind and ginger in boiling water. Let it just simmer for as long as it lasts. But if I don't have ginger sticks I might use vanilla or another extract and today I tried some grapefruit... that turned out really well too. Use your imagination! Its definitely a personal preference.

My house smelled lovely. Too bad I was the only one home.

-Kate

Mr. Jason Grant

Amanda, I miss you already! I went to the phone to call you and realized you were on the plane. I was planning my week and realized I had nothing to do tomorrow. Can't believe you are already basking in Florida sun.

I wanted to call you because I sat down and read my new book (A Place Called Home by Jason Grant) and felt so inspired. It is such a beautiful book and is chock full of gorgeous ideas. Homey ones. The stuff that turns your house and your property into a welcoming space...

Here he he is with his book.

Jason is a cute Aussie who styles for a living and has turned his adventures into a book. Best of all, however, was my discovery that he also has a BLOG!! Yay. We can follow him and his great ideas.

www.mrjasongrant.com

Here are some outtakes from his blog:

It is so exciting when you find hours of inspirational web surfing ahead of you. I know you will love this new find. Since you're relaxing in FLA you can peruse to your hearts content.

-Kate

Weekend/Evening enjoyment

Kate, Instead of my picks for lovely pins this weekend I'm going to point you to different websites another way.  In the evening after the kids are asleep I like to peruse the internet for fun articles and finds whether it be recipes, fashion or design.  I thought I would share some of the things I've enjoyed this week.

I'll kick it off with this article from Garance Dore.  It made me laugh a few times and I like a peak into the world of fashion.

http://www.garancedore.fr/en/2014/02/11/the-stream/#content

I love skinny delicate rings and this slideshow gave me plenty of options.

http://www.whowhatwear.com/dainty-small-rings-winter-fashion-2014?ps=hp&m=sub&pt=slideshow&cat=shopping

This recipe.  I made it the other night for friends and it was a hit.  There was not a bite left. Karen made a fresh salad with orange, green onions, avocado and cucumber to balance the richness.

http://juliasalbum.com/2013/01/creamy-mushroom-pasta-sauce-with-caramelized-onions-and-spinach-recipe/

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

-Amanda

Initials

Kate, I always loved the letter K you had up on your mantel so when the gold and silver versions came up for purchase I jumped.  I have had them in my bedroom and now they are in my wall unit in my family room.  I have received a lot of compliments on them.  A friend of mine was also talking about doing a gallery wall and I suggested she add in her initial.  She was pretty excited about it.  Hopefully I will get a picture of the completed project!  For such an inexpensive item they have a lot of versatility and impact.

-Amanda

I know, I know.

Amanda, I know what you're thinking, "wow, Kate is totally obsessed with Valentine's day." So please let me explain. It started with a simple stop at Chapter's today to buy my real obsession (Starbucks coffee) and I wandered into the kids toys section and was perusing the clearance section and saw this awesome balloon helicopter that Max would LOVE. Added bonus was that it was $2! Sold. Then I had to buy Mila something... since it's Valentines day tomorrow I settled on pink and red play doh. $5! Perfect, my Valentine's gift purchases were done. However, when I got in the car I realized I had half an hour before I needed to pick up Mila, so I thought I'd just run into Old Navy where I happened upon an $8 heart sweater and a $5 King of Heart tshirt. Naturally, I also couldn't leave without the heart boxers for Chris since they were also $5.

What about those candy bags you see in the pictures? Well, those had already been purchased along with the candy, so I wasn't about to take them back.

I know it looks like I am a crazy Valentine lady who posts about everything Valentine's, but I just couldn't resist sharing the finds!

Don't worry, I won't post about the Valentine's sprinkles I bought for our pancakes tomorrow.

-Kate

Pretty Paper Place

Amanda, You've been to The Paper Place, right? Its sweet, sweet, sweet. The paper looks like material and the designs make you want to create something, or wrap something or learn origami.

My mission was just to find one pattern to frame something (a cheap way to make wall art.) Of course, it was easier said than done when you have sooo many options.

I also got derailed by the valentine section. I picked up some heart straws for Mila's nursery school class. Adorable.

The ladies there let me snap some pics:

It's really a paper wonderland in there.

-Kate

The statement necklace

Kate, When I was admiring your post on the baby shower I noticed that Julia was wearing a statement necklace.  I LOVE statement necklaces!  I have a few but only really love one, which is a mix of pearls with a brass chunky chain, that I got from Club Monaco.  I've dressed it up, for a wedding, and dressed it down for a dinner out, and it just adds a lot to any outfit.  The other reason I love a good necklace is because, as you know, I can barely wear any other jewelry since giving birth to Peter! So sad, but I can barely get away with wearing my engagement and wedding rings a few days before I get a nasty allergic reaction to them.  The same thing happens with earrings but the reaction is even quicker. We are talking hours before my ear lobes are red and swollen.

So I have adjusted and moved on to necklaces.  Here are my current obsessions.

#1- Anthropologie.

#2-Banana Republic

#3- Sabine.  Available on Piperlime. (Most affordable)

#4- Jenny Bird. Side note- This reminds me a lot of the one I already have but I do LOVE it.  Also, Mike's cousin has it so I would be copying her.  Then again, she lives in New York so it's not like we run in the same circles!

#5- Amber Sceats.  I also like her Freya and Oracle necklaces.  These are the most $ of the bunch i.e not happening!  Available at Gee Beauty.

Kate Spade also always has beautiful statement necklaces but I have enough to decide through already.  I would love feedback!

-Amanda

Ikea

Kate, Yesterday I went to Ikea to pick up some frames for the home we are decorating.  Again, I promised frozen yogurt at the end if Peter was a good boy.  (Are you noticing a trend...I also added in the threat of the ever dreaded stroller if he was not behaving.)  Finally, I got, I mean Peter got, his frozen yogurt.  Here's the thing, when you threaten with frozen yogurt you are also taking your possibility of a treat away I have realized!  So enough about that, I have decided to share my new favourite thing at Ikea.  Their new lamps.

I got the table lamp version.  Here it is behind my couch on my console.  I'm loving the mix of brass, black and white.

I think I may get the floor lamp as well once I figure out the rest of the room which wont be until I finally get that fireplace in.

-Amanda

Candy crush

Amanda, I used to always have jars of candy on my counter....until it got out of hand.  I loved how people started to expect it there and b-line for the kitchen in the hopes that their sweet tooth would be appeased. The problem was that it was just too accessible to my stay-at-home cravings. So then I started buying candy that I knew others would like but that I didn't. For instance, Brianna loves licorice but I couldn't care less for it. That was the happy medium.

With Valentines day coming up I thought I'd theme my candy - so red and pinks it is. But I couldn't resist the macaroons so let's hope this candy lasts till the weekend.

Hard to resist, right?

-Kate

Keeping warm

Amanda, You know what else is cozy and warm in a winter snow storm?

A dog.

And a fire.

-Kate

West Elm

Kate, As you know I went to West elm last week.  It was quite an eventful trip thanks to the temper tantrum my two year old decided to have!  Before proceeding into the store we had a nice little conversation about not running in the store and listening to mommy with promises of frozen yogurt after if he was a good boy. (Yes, I bribe my child!)  Cue to a little munchkin running wildly through the store, grabbing the little fake birds and vases and then ending with him lying face down on the floor refusing to get up!  Actually the real ending was me picking him off the floor carrying a screaming, thrashing child out while trying to hide my face!  But before the big grand finale of Peter's tantrum I took a few shots of items that caught my eye.

I love the coffee table in the first picture.  It's an oldie but a goodie.  They've actually had it for a few years now.

I'm also really digging the brass lamp.  Really it could go anywhere, a bedside table, office, living room on a console or side table.

The pink lamp was my next favourite thing.  I picture it in my all white bedroom.  I love an unexpected pop of colour.

Lastly, the lovely chevron rug.  I find that a lot of chevron can be really severe but this beautiful rug is a soothing and softer  example of the trend.

 Ahhhh, I love West Elm.  Maybe next time I'll go by myself for a more productive outing!

-Amanda

Those 4 letter words

Kate, My friend Nicole came over the other night.  She's one of those people who always has something interesting and cool to share and is inevitably wearing something I want to steal!  So when she told me about these pillows she bought for her bed I had to see them.  What I love about them is that you can say quite a bit to your significant other without uttering a word.  They are from saidtheking.

-Amanda

Valentine's day

Amanda,

Valentine's day can be cheesy and tacky but a subtle heart here and there is celebratory. My mom used to put white bowls around the house with cinnamon hearts and make a heart cake on Feb. 14th.  When I was in University my girlfriend would receive a shoebox in the mail from her mother full of valentines chocolates, candy and a card. The cutest part was that it was decorated with heart stickers.

My point is that I enjoyed valentines day long before it had any romantic connotation for me. I love the little details. And here are some I have found to enhance the special day.

The gold hearted mug from West Elm fits in with my white mug only collection.

+

Really it just gives me another excuse to decorate.

-Kate

Pasta con zucchini

Amanda, I made my go-to healthy pasta tonight. It's kid friendly and easy as can be. I found it years ago while searching to get greens into my kids and now it's a staple. I tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes.

 Pasta con zucchini

2 zucchini

2 tbsp basil

zest from one lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

box of penne

salt to taste

Grate zucchini and squeeze to remove excess water.  Meanwhile heat oil and garlic on low. Add lemon zest after a minute. Add zucchini and basil. Heat water to boil and cook penne al dente. Strain and combine pasta with zucchini

-Kate

Thinking Spring

Kate,

Amidst all the snow outside I can't stop thinking about Spring!  As much as I love a beautiful pair of heels the truth is that they usually just sit in the closet.  These are a nice compromise.  You can dress them up or down.  Wear them with a skirt or dress and boyfriend or skinny jeans.  I really, really want them!

They are Sam Edelman and you can get them here.

http://www.samedelman.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?p=EC0213951&pg=3012139

Do you like them?

-Amanda