I'm loving...

Here's a round-up of things I'm currently coveting.


Sunburst mirror from The Cross Design


Chocolate jug by Bodum from peekkeep.com


Campfire Tealight from The Curiosity Shoppe


Po-Zu slippers available at Lark on Main


Porcelain dishes from Mud Australia


4-pack of prints by Camilla Engman


Knitware Vase by Alyssa Ettinger

We bought a ticket on the Millionaire Home Lottery and I am completely in love with the Grand Prize home. The 4300 sq. ft. home is in White Rock, was designed by Sarah Richardson and is spectacular!


Dining room


Office


Master bedroom

As well as a newly discovered interest in mid-century modern furniture I've recently become fascinated with owls.

This cast iron owl paperweight from The Curiosity Shoppe would make a great addition to a clean desk or sideboard.



I also really like this owl giclee print from boygirlparty.com



And there are 281 pages of "owl" results on Etsy.

I'm loving

I've become addicted to browsing through Etsy and have found quite a few items that would make good gifts or that I would love to own myself.

Here are just a few of the items:


JOY tiny text bowl by paloma's nest


Dude bunny by spidercamp


Owl with pear print by Pistachio Press


Small pool earrings by esdesigns

Other items from around the web:


Out of Circulation - One by Jillian Ditner at Keep Calm


Baby elephant ring holder from Red Envelope. Unfortunately, on backorder until February.


Diana+ camera from the Lomography Shop

Etsy n00b

I've been browsing through different Etsy shops for a while but haven't purchased anything until now.

I can't wait until my print by midcenturyjo arrives!

Coat woes

I have been on the lookout for a new fall/winter coat for some time now and haven't had any luck. The only one I've found that a) fits and b) I like was over $300 and I don't have that kind of spare cash. Ideally, I am looking for a coat that is either brown or a nice print (i.e. houndstooth) or even dark gray, that hits at the hips or slightly lower (so I don't have to worry about it pulling around my big butt), and doesn't have a slit in the back. This season's details like big buttons and a funnel neck are a bonus but not musts. It would also be ideal if it cost under $150. Any ideas?

*****

On the work front, Microsoft has announced that in 2008 they will be releasing a free plug-in for Microsoft Word that will convert Word documents into DAISY XML files. Not only will this be incredibly helpful to our clients but maybe it will even make our production processes more streamlined and efficient. Great news!

I'm loving...

When it comes to home decor I tend to lean towards more traditional style furnishings, so it was a surprise to me that I really love this mid-century modern credenza/dresser. If we ever have a bedroom, and A. approves, this is the type of piece that I would love to have.


Danish Modern R-Way Dresser

I am also loving this cute gocco print desk calendar from ebonypaws.

Gifts for library/book lovers

{Updated Nov 2011: renewed links and added photos!}

Being a library and/or book nerd myself I know that sometimes we are hard to shop for. We have somewhat particular, if not peculiar, tastes and most people think that, if it's worth reading, we've probably read it already. While that is not always the case I thought I'd provide a couple of gift ideas for the nerd on your list.

1. Don't be afraid to give a copy of your favourite book or something you recently read that you loved. Books are ALWAYS welcome and if you go the extra step and add a personal inscription, the gift will be extra special.

2. Since most book nerds have large collections, their friends tend to want to borrow books from them. Need an easy way to keep track of what you've lent out? Try the Personal Library Kit.

3. Any book nerd will tell you that they have long lists of books to read and sometimes it's hard to remember all of them. This Book Lover's Diary provides one handy location to record all of the books that you've read, are wanting to read, quotes that you like as well as other information.

4. Sometimes even the most well-read person gets stuck for something to read. An easy place to turn to for recommendations are books filled with just that. Book Lust by Nancy Pearl or 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Ackroyd are two such books.

5. Most library nerds I know are really into anything that is aesthetically pleasing. Candida Hofer's Libraries is a hefty hardcover book filled with gorgeous photos of libraries from around the world - a lovely addition to any coffee table. Another popular option is this Renaissance Library Calendar. {Updated Nov 2011: no longer available.}

{This is the UK cover, but frankly I think it's nicer.}

6. And, as we all know, reading IS sexy. Let your nerd proclaim it loudly with this t-shirt by Sarah Utter. (Here's the guy's version.) Another option for the grammar nazi in your life is this bad grammar makes me [sic] shirt.

Happy Giving!

Designing dilemma

Calling all home decorators - I have an issue.

We have decided that we want to inject a little bit of spice into our condo in the form of new throw pillows for the couch. Here's the problem - up until now I have stuck to a colour palette of yellow, gold, blue and brown because the space is so small and I didn't want it to look all crazy. Now, however, I am sick of the gold and beige coloured throw pillows that basically blend into the beige couch.

I bought a rug that I LOVE in Afghanistan that has some dark fuschia, brown, green and yellow in it. I was thinking of perhaps going with fuschia or red and brown but now I'm not sure.

The duvet cover is a light blue, the wall that the couch is on is a goldy yellow and the fireplace surround across from the couch is brown.

Here is a picture of the offending couch.



Suggestions?

Gifts for book lovers

Do you have a book lover on your shopping list who is particularly hard to buy for? Head over to 50books.com and check out the Second Annual Holiday Gift Guide for some seriously kick-ass suggestions.

On with the holidays

So Halloween is here which can only mean one thing - it's time to start thinking about Christmas. One thing that always gets me in the Christmas spirit is all of the holiday music. I'll listen to anything from an N'Sync Christmas to the classic standards. Stereogum has a nice list of new Christmas releases.

One of my personal recommendations are the Maybe This Christmas compilations.

Any particular Christmas albums you'd recommend?

The evolution of beauty

Dove has always been known for promoting real and natural beauty and they generally use normal, but still beautiful, women in their advertising. It's refreshing to see a large corporation acknowledge the fact that most women aren't 5'10" and 115 lbs. Their latest commercial, called Evolution, takes a nice looking girl and transforms her into a billboard model, all in a 60 second spot. You've probably seen snippets of this commercial on TV and now you can watch the whole thing.

Watch: Evolution

Calling all drivers

At some point in the maybe not-so-distant future, A. and I may buy a car. We went to the Vancouver International Auto Show this past weekend and saw a lot that we liked (not that we can necessarily afford mind you) which gave us a good idea of what we will be looking for. As part of my research I like getting the opinions of people who have actually driven the vehicles we are interested in. So, what have you driven in the past and really liked? What would you never purchase? Any tips? The cars we are thinking of at the moment are the Honda Civic and the Volkswagen Golf (most likely used for both.) I'm also trying to toss in the Toyota Corrola because I'm a big Toyota fan.

So tell me what you like and dislike. Go...

Blurgh

I've been lazy I know but I don't have a heck of a lot to say. A. and I just got back from a week in Kingston which was fun. I've posted pictures from our day spent in Ottawa on Flickr. We got back late Friday afternoon and then spent the evening at Celeste's for her birthday party.

In lieu of actual content I give you my sweet ass new toaster. I heart it.

They're multiplying!

After cleaning out my bathroom I confirmed something that I have suspected for quite a while - I am a product hoarder. I have a mass of small bottles of shower gel and lotions that I'm never going to use. The question is, what do I do with them? I don't have space in my condo to be storing things but I feel bad throwing them out. They've never been used and it seems like such a waste. I need suggestions.

Movin' on up

I can't believe that Christmas is on Sunday! How did the month pass so quickly and why aren't I finished shopping yet? I think this is unprecedented - I usually have all gifts bought and ready to go by the end of November but then again, my year has been slightly different than years past. One thing I am really looking forward to is getting home to Calgary and seeing all of my friends and family. A. is also coming out for a week to visit so that will be fun as well.

I just got back after spending a lovely four days in Kingston with A. I was afraid I was going to get stuck in Toronto on Thursday night because a huge snow storm moved in and they were cancelling most regional flights. Thankfully, after an hour delay we were off the runway and landed in Kingston with no problems. We didn't do a whole lot on the weekend but I had a great time. We even played Trivial Pursuit with his parents where I kicked some ass. I feel a rematch coming on in Calgary...

My month unemployed in Vancouver has been pretty uneventful. Mostly I've stuck close to home and done a lot of relaxing (aka. being lazy.) I did however, go to an interview for a higher position in my department at the library and was offered it the next day so when I go back in January I will now be a supervisor. That's a little scary but I'm sure after an adjustment period I'll be okay. I also like that now my title is actually Library Technician and not just Library Assistant. Woohoo, moving up in the world.

I do have a question for the few people that read this blog - what kind of gift can you get for a younger sister who will shortly be moving into her own apartment? I need something cool but small enough to lug onto the plane (and doesn't necessarily have to be home related.) Usually I don't have any problems buying Brooke a gift but this year I am completely stuck.