jumping on the bandwagon

I'm incredibly happy that wide leg jeans/trousers/pants are, apparently, making a comeback.

As seen on uber fashion blogger Karla of Karla's Closet

...and Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere

 by EmersonMade

(Apparently they were all over the fall runways). I'm not one to necessarily follow fashion trends too seriously, but I think this is a bandwagon I'll jump on and stay on. Because wide leg pants just work better on me and my curvy figure than skinny jeans. I don't know why it's taken me so long to admit that.

Wide leg pants I've missed you and I'm sorry I ever abandoned you.

Let's be friends again.

(& by the way, Gap has introduced new black pants (for anyone looking) and they are wonderful - and very well priced at $69 CAN. I'm usually a fan of Club Monaco's Tex style for my pants but the Gap ones are incredibly similar for half the price...and this weekend they were on sale - $45!)

Pet Peeves

I've been meaning to share one of my pet peeves for some time now but then it just struck me as I thought "Why share just one? I have plenty I can share!" lol. So here goes. My top pet peeves - in no specific order.

1. The (I feel) misuse of the word "icon"

Fashion Icons?

Okay, this is actually a big pet peeve of mine. People/media throw this word around sooooo casually now and it annoys the heck out of me. Ashley and Mary Kate, Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, the girls from Gossip Girls etc. are NOT fashion icons! Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga (much as I love her) are NOT pop icons....I could go on and on naming people that others call "icons" who are not. My definition of an icon? Well, first, they have to have some kind of longevity. If they've only been "known" for two or three years - they're not an icon. I'm thinking you need at least 20 years in whatever industry you're in (unless there's an unfortunate untimely death - which often leads to icon status. Think James Dean. Marilyn Monroe. Marvin Gaye...). And that's just the beginning...some kind of official award/recognition would be nice. And the ability to appeal to a wide audience. And some kind of long lasting impact - whether it's cultural or humanitarian...something. And, this one is hard for me to explain, but they should kind of...be a voice...or something...of a generation, a group of people, an idea, a movement, a decade, an era....Sure I think some of the above could be on their way to becoming an "icon" - but as of now? Nope. So who DO I consider icons? Hmmm Michael Jackson = icon. Madonna = icon. Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy = icon. Iman = icon. Bob Marley = Icon. Maybe it's just my thinking though...

2. People who stand on the wrong side of the escalator.
One side is for standing, the other is for walking.  Don't get mad at me when I say "excuse me" to get by you when YOU'RE standing on the wrong side.

3. People who don't say thank you (by a wave of the hand or some kind of acknowledgement) when I let them in while I'm driving.
Self explanatory.

4. The word "epic"
I'm getting tired of seeing everything described as and referred to as "epic."

5. Multiple use of LOL
Unless you're really laughing out loud all the time....(I'm guilty of using this too much as well)

6. When I'm listening to a song on the radio and the announcer doesn't say who the artist is.
I've been hearing this one song over and over again and not once have I heard the name of who actually sings it! Ugh!

7. When people constantly use the wrong there/their/they're
Once or twice, or on occasion, I can understand. ALL THE TIME, that's another story. I just had a quick review of this with my 18 year old brother. Reading his facebook updates were becoming painful....

8. When people say something silly about Canada/Canadians
But that could just be ignorance. Or maybe some people really just don't know....

Hmmm that's all I can think of right now...but I'm sure I could come up with some more if I give it some thought.

What about you? What are your pet peeves?

a SNEAK PEEK at the apartment #412 etsy store!

Hand knit zig-zag throw in green ombre effect.

Hand-carved vase with gold underlay - this is stunning.
When you look close there are peacocks and birds in the carvings!

Hershey kiss shaped glass container.
Totally chic holding small supplies on the desk, no? Or keys at the entryway?
Or rings on your armoire....

Vintage brass apple. Can use as a finishing accent or a paper weight...

Vintage hobnail milk glass vase with gold trim.
This is so pretty and would look beautiful with flowers.

Vintage brass tray. Can be used for mail at the entryway or on your desk.

I finally FINALLY found a vintage alabaster marble lamp! I've been keeping my eyes open for one.
I LOVE the veins!
(Blogged my love for them here and here.)
Debating whether to put this in the Apartment #412 Etsy Shop or not...

This is just a sneak peak at some of the items that'll be in my Apartment #412 etsy shop! (measurements and any markings will also be listed in the etsy description).

I'm really happy with the items and love them all. I would proudly display any of them in my apartment and it's been incredibly hard for me to decide what to open the shop with - I kinda wanna keep them all!

But I'd love to know what you think - thoughts?

Packing

This is what my apartment looks like right now. I have 10 days to move everything.

A part of me is a bit sentimental packing everything up - this is my first apartment after-all. I decorated it from scratch and owned very little when I moved in back in February 2009. 

As I'm packing things up I'm doing some serious purging. I have tons of magazines and am determined to giveaway, recycle, donate at least half of them. I'm going through all my files, all my drawers - heck all my cd's, and clothes and only packing up what I truly love. Everything else goes...

It's weird knowing that I won't see the things that are in these boxes again for at least 1.5 years. I wonder how I'll feel when I cut the tape, open the box, and see them again. Will I think "what the hell was I thinking?!?" or will it be like Christmas morning....

Apartment #412 - The Etsy Shop : Opening Soon!

(sorry, I’m blogging from work (shhhh!) so this is a picture-less post – but I’ll try to keep it short)

Yup, you read correct. I’m opening up an etsy shop – Apartment #412!

I think I said I was going to do this earlier in the year but just never got around to it. Now that I’m moving and putting all my stuff into storage and I can’t seem to stop thrifting (and finding, I think, great items) this seems to be a good compromise. If it can’t go into my home I still want them to go to good homes – like yours! So I hope you all weren’t just “talking the talk” when you said I have a good eye for this kind of stuff or that you would have bought a particular item I showed if you had seen it – because as of November 1 you’ll be able to! It’s been incredibly hard for me to sort through the items I already have (but never put out) and the items I’ve bought more recently (including this weekend!) to decide what to open the Apartment #412 etsy shop with – I love them all so much and want to keep them – but I’ve narrowed it down to a few items to start out with and as soon as I figure out how to calculate shipping costs I’ll have a “soft opening” of the shop to see if anyone actually buys anything. Some of the items I’ll be opening with?

- Vintage Brass Apple (nice accent for your desk, bookshelf, entry table…)
- Vintage Brass Lilly (this is really cool – it’s just the head of the lily. Again, a nice for your desk, bookshelf, entry table…)
- Set of 6 Crown Sheffield Knives with (Bakelite?) Horn Handles (incredibly chic for table setting for the upcoming holidays, dinner parties..)
- Leaded Crystal Glass Container (It’s shaped like…a hershey kiss. Perfect for jewellery or a glam way to hold office supplies on your desk, or keys at your entry way…)
- Vintage Brass Fleur De Lis Candleholders (Wall mounted. So awesome.)
- Hand-knit Zig-Zag Throw in Green Ombre Colouring (Very Missoni-esque)
- Set of 3 Mis-Matched Milk Glass Candle Holders (Can also be used for single flower stems)
- Small Vintage (Porcelain?) Dish with Floral Print and Scalloped Edges (very shabby chic chic. Would be lovely as a ring dish or a nice way to hold small office supplies (paperclips), or for keys/spare change at the entryway…)
- Set of 4 Black Hexagon Glass Mugs (The shape makes them awesome and then the colour elevates it to another level)
- Vintage Orange Italian Leaded Glass Curvy Vase (Makes a statement even when it’s empty)
- Vintage Brass Tray with Handle (Perfect for mail)

How does this all sound? I hope it sounds good – because the above is a good indication of the kinds of stuff my etsy shop will have. Small home accents. Lots of glass and brass. (I’m only sorry I didn’t pick up that brass bamboo magazine rack last week! Or the mustard yellow lamp with the crackled finish…)

And everything will be very reasonably priced. I’m not doing this to start a full-time or even part-time business. It’s because I can’t stop thrifting (lmao) and I figure the extra cash can go towards my upcoming Indian Adventure.

I hope to have all of your support in this new venture - whether it’s by buying or just blogging the opening, when it arrives, on your own blogs. And I’ll probably do a shop giveaway of some sort for the opening too. So stay tuned because I’ll definitely keep you all posted of what’s going on!

The Town

So I just got in from seeing a late night showing of 'The Town' with my sister and her boyfriend and thought I'd do a quick post in case any of you are wondering what to do for the rest of your weekend.

Go see 'The Town.'

I really enjoyed it and would say it's probably my favourite movie of the year (so far).

No fancy CGI stuff. No highly unbelievable story line. Just a good ol' fashion gritty heist flick with really solid acting, just enough action, drama and suspense. (There were even a a few laughs..appropriate for the movie not jokes). Affleck is definitely back and Renner's performance was solid. I found him really believable. (Not that the others weren't). And I don't watch Mad Men but I read that the guy who plays the main FBI agent is from it...and Blake Lively's in it too. She's practically unrecognizable (which I think is a good thing and will come in handy if she wants to have a career beyond Gossip Girl...which I've never watched either).

So if you're wondering what to do on this Sunday - go see it. Then tell me what you think!

& if you need any more convincing just do a quick google search. Every review I've read has been positive and some even talk about Affleck for a best director nod at the Oscars....

For Book Lovers

As a total book lover, when I stumbled across Jane Mount and her work for her ongoing project "Ideal Bookshelf" earlier this week I knew I immediately wanted to share it with all of you since I know many of you love books as much as I do.

Long story short, Jane paints a set of books in the form of portraiture and the best part is you can custom order a painting. All you have to do is send her a picture of the spines of the books you want and she does the rest (more details and pricing here). We all have favourite books and books that have influenced and perhaps even help shaped who we are and what we do - I think this is a nice way to highlight those books and I find Jane's work completely charming.

I love books and love looking on other people's bookshelves to see what books they've read and are into. I think you can tell so much about someone by the books they read and choose to display. I proudly have many of my books out on shelves and kind of don't understand when some people choose to cover their book covers with plain craft paper or something else of that nature for a uniform look. The book covers are part of the charm! You know when you see a book spine and just from the colour or little bit of the image you can see or the font - and you can immediately know what book it is? Why would you want to cover it? Crazy.

Even though I'm in the midst of packing up all of my stuff and moving it into storage I already know I'll be ordering one for myself. My first peace of real art - and custom to boot! I'm already having fun thinking about what books I want to include and think it will be a mix of my all-time favourites (Roots, A Thousand Splendid Suns) with some fun ones that I just enjoy (The Know It All and The Year of Living Biblically (both by AJ Jacobs) had me in stitches I laughed so hard). I think I'd also include some books I've read more recently that have helped shape my thinking (Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Who Will Cry When You Die?) Hmmm......I really need to start a little list! I think this would make a great gift for book lovers, or for a nursery/child's room - you could have all of your favourite childhood books painted! Or maybe one for the kitchen with all of your favourite cookbooks?

You can find out more by visiting Jane's site or checking out her Etsy shop where you can purchase ready made pieces.

+All images above from Jane Mount's website & Etsy shop.

+Here is a great article by The National Post on Jane and her work.

(Just in case there is any doubt this NOT a sponsored post. I haven't ever done one of those. I came across Jane's work, loved it, and wanted to share. Simple as that :)

*******

Speaking of books and book covers (can you see where I'm going with this?) one of my favourite bloggers Anna of the popular blog Door Sixteen has, what I think, one of the coolest jobs around - she's a book cover designer! I know right?! She doesn't usually talk too much about her job on her blog but earlier this week she posted an Ask Anna: Book Cover Edition post and well - I think she got close to 100 questions...and she's started to answer them! I find it really interesting to learn more about what people do and in this case I love hearing about her job which totally sounds like a dream job to me. So if you're interested in learning more about what goes into making those awesome book covers that catch your eye, that you can't forget, and that help you to hand over your cash (because lets face it, we DO judge a book by it's cover) be sure to check out Anna's posts.

Happy reading! Have a great weekend :)

Stop The Insanity

*sigh*

Someone really needs to keep me out of my favourite thrift shop.

For some reason I just decided to go in today and have a browse....here's some of what caught my eyes:

I thought this clutch was kinda cool. Has a Native kinda feel.
I think it was about $4.99

I really loved this lamp.
I was drawn to the mustard yellow colour and it had a sorta cracked
like finish in the paint (not in the texture). Hard to walk away from.

This really cool brass thingy...I love the bamboo feel and would use it for magazines.
I kind of want to go back and get it. It needs a good shining with brass polish but for $12.99 not bad.

They had some unopened vintage wall paper. Really fun with this huge floral print.
On a single wall  or foyer I think this would be fun. It was less than $2 for the roll.

Sticking with the retro theme I spotted these 2 needlepoint art pieces.
Not for me but they could work in the right space. I think they were $3.99 each.

And there was a bunch of other stuff I forgot to snap pictures of. So did I end up actually leaving with anything? Of course I did! Who CARES that I'm packing up and moving all my things into storage in less than two weeks?!? I just could not pass up these 3 (only 2 pictured) oversized glass bottles.

I realize it's hard to tell the scale in this picture but they are pretty big - about 2 feet tall.

They aren't that cheap thin glass - these are really heavy and solid. One has a slightly blue green tint, one has a grid pattern, the other is plain. For $5.99 each I KNOW they are a steal. I've seen them used in enough design photos to know that they look incredibly chic filled with branches or left empty as a bit of a statement. Can't wait to unpack them in...oh a year and a half.

:)

ETA:
Totally forgot to mention I also picked up a white ceramic snail vase (I'll take a picture later) which reminds me of my monkey ceramic vase...same kinda feel. Plus it was $1.99. And, well...you know...I just couldn't leave it.

I also got a little black velvet pouch thingy that I figure I can use to hold some makeup or something...it's small, black plush velvet...I just had to have it. I'll find some use for it. And for 69 cents it was a no brainer.

Loving Mason Jars

This weekend I started packing up my apartment so I can store everything at my Mom's while I'm in India.....

So why oh why did I decide to just "browse" at my favourite thrift store?

Of course, I ended leaving up with not 1 but 10 mason jars.

But I couldn't pass them up. Especially not for 69 cents each. New. I immediately pictured them filled with dried goods lining my kitchen cupboard (when I get back from India of course!). I just love the look of Mason Jars used for storage.

They are chic but unpretentious...if that makes sense. And they can be used for more than storage - they come in handy for a multitude of purposes.

And I mean seriously...how cute is this invitation? If I were planning a backyard, laid-back, nature style wedding I would totally consider using mason jars as my theme!

I also love the thought of them in an office on a desk holding a bunch of colured pencils. Seriously. Just google "mason jars" and you'll be surprised at the multitude of uses people have come up with for them.

Any of you have any mason jars? What do you use them for?


*Photo Credits: Image 1, Image 2, Image 3 - Unknown, Image 4, Image 5, Image 6

A Different Kind of Janelle Monae Post...

While most people are now getting hip to songstress Janelle Monae and she's gaining popularity and raves for her music, energetic live performances, and funky style.....

Vogue, August 2008

...when I see her I'm drawn to one thing...

Her flawless skin.

And always perfectly natural makeup

Ohmygosh. I can hardly stand it.

I first came across Monae in the November 2008 issue of Essence magazine:

Essence Magazine, November 2008

I immediately ripped her picture out (the same pictured above) because (1) I loved her makeup look and (2) when I see a picture focusing on makeup with someone who's the same complexion as me I always check out the products used. To this day I still have it tacked up to my inspiration board. She has become my healthy skin and natural makeup idol. Lol.

If you follow me on twitter you know I've been having some issues with my skin lately (seriously, I'm too old to still be breaking out) but earlier this week I went to a dermatologist, got a prescription, and started a new skin routine. I'm also trying to drink much more water. So I'm looking forward to seeing improvement and getting on the road to glowing skin...like Monae's.

Any tips for glowing skin?


*yes I know part of it is probably makeup and airbrushing to the picture...but I still think she looks like she has amazing skin.

Cute Studio Apartment

Can't remember where I got this picture from (if you know please let me know and I'll properly credit it) but this studio apartment has me seriously swooning right now (though I'm not crazy about the sofa).....

(Tea I'm thinking of you.......)

Deep Fried Oreos. Don't Judge Me...

This past long weekend was pretty jam packed. I spent Saturday at my apartment, slowly sorting things for packing (at least that was the plan), Sunday at Canada's Wonderland with the family (where everyone who was tall enough to ride the behemoth chickened out so I rod it BY MYSELF), and Monday at The Ex with the family...lots of family time!

While at The Ex I did something I've wanted to do for a while.

I tried deep fried oreos.

Don't judge me. They were pretty yummy and the opportunity only comes around once a year.

Better that than the deep fried butter*.

*Which I totally admit I wanted to try but the line was too long. Yes. The line for deep fried butter was extremely long.

Any of you ever try deep fried oreos? Or, dare I ask, deep fried butter?

Film, Surprise Birthday Gifts, and Ottawa before India

Still plugging away with my film camera.....

Yup, that's a tomato from MY garden!

I'm particularly pleased and surprised with how well these pictures taken at night turned out...

Downtown Toronto at night

lobster from the best lobster joint in toronto (wish this picture had turned out better)....

I was incredibly lucky to receive VERY thoughtful and amazing birthday gifts this year...

Yes - that is an iPad from my sister her boyfriend and my two teenage brothers. So unexpected and I truly felt so lucky to receive it. And my mom got me the brand new panasonic lumix lx5 camera that I've been lusting for! It shoots HD video (such amazing quality from this little camera - so expect video posts very soon! My youngest siblings (7&9) got me luggage. So cute. All will come in very handy for/in India.

Speaking of India...I also just spent a few days in Ottawa taking part in a 5 day pre-departure training course.

Parliament Building in Ottawa

It was amazing to be surrounded by like minded people who are doing the same thing I am - going abroad to volunteer in the international development field. Between the 24 of us (3 couples) we are going to 14 countries around the world! I now have a couch to sleep on in countries such as Peru, Thailand, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Bolivia, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Tajikistan (among others). Amazing!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes in my previous post and for all of the kind words that were left - they literally make my heart smile.


Sorry for the lack of posting around here. I landed a temp gig that will go until the end of the month (at least) and am also, slowly, packing up the apartment :( Will be moving back home temporarily to save up some extra cash before heading off for India. Since I'm going for sure it just made sense financially. Since I also think I know what type of career I'd like to pursue I'm considering going back to school  - or at least taking a course here and there......we'll see. Bare with me - and thanks for sticking around.

Hope you're all enjoying the final days of summer and have a great long weekend!