6.30.2011

from the ever-lovely dace.



images via d a c e

i'm a huge fan of the gorgeous clothing by local designer dace moore. her collections are always beautifully thought out, cohesive, and elegant. from casually chic to sophisticated edgy pieces, there are some really amazing items in this spring's offerings, as always. i especially love the blossom one-piece, top left. not sure that i could pull it off, but it's so fantastic!
the gals at d a c e emailed to let me know about a super holiday sale happening this week for canada day, save 40% until july 4 {use code mycanada}. this is a pretty rare opportunity, i love the fact that you can have twice as many amazing pieces for practically the same cost. shopping, anyone?

6.29.2011

i need a tray for my teapot



because i don't want to spill any drops on my pristine countertops. i love them all, but my favourite is the bottom left. of course, that's the one from sweden whose website i cannot read. i found some shops that carry the coordinating fabric {some of which i may just have to buy} but i cannot find that exact tray. and so i search.

{clockwise from top left}

6.28.2011

erin considine

totally amazed by the gorgeous jewelry from erin considine. stunning colours, beautiful craftsmanship, all over good. you can find more eye candy at her shop.



images via erin considine.

i first saw erin's work on seesaw, you can find the post here. seesaw is one of a few blogs that i still find time to visit daily. updated often, and always full of wonderful finds.

6.25.2011

yorktown colours



a beautiful rainbow of hand-dyed linen pleated zip clutches, just some of the always-gorgeous offerings over at yorktown road.

6.21.2011

rainbow birthday party

and now, pictures. as promised, the balloon garland + the highly-anticipated rainbow cake!! we celebrated dani's third birthday on a typical grey afternoon in june in vancouver. typical this year, anyhow, ugh. but that's another story.


my sweet kiddos under the balloon garland. colours inspired by my little lady's favourite hues -- she is all about pink + purple + turquoise, as most little girls are. i had to throw in the yellow, to avoid it being too sugary sweet. balloon garland tutorial found on design mom. i was delighted by how super easy + quick it was to make! i also embellished the party hats, following instructions from oh happy day.
[a little aside, do you see the turquoise vinyl table cloth peeking out in the corner there? that is a cloth my mom has had since my siblings + i were kids. it is present in every single one of my childhood birthday party photos. awesome nostalgia. also, i swear my mom is not a hoarder.]


cake, stage one. the night before the party, i baked sixteen mini loaves of cake. yes, sixteen. each one a different hue. four colours, with four shades of each. i was surprisingly excited watching the coloured cakes bake, it was pretty fun! time consuming, but fun.


cake, iced and ready to go. candy-coloured rainbows, of course [i am terrible at drawing with icing. i know, the rainbows just look like a big 'm']. dani didn't know that the cake underneath was a rainbow of colours -- she loved the icing, but was completely enthralled by what was underneath!



cake, after cutting the first layer. i LOVE how this looks! it is so much fun. as long as it took to bake each piece, i will definitely do it again. all of our guests were delighted by it, and it just looks so darned pretty.
my one tip would be to chill the cake for a couple hours right before slicing, to make sure it has a bit more integrity. i didn't have the chance, and you can see we had some crumbles in the middle. i would also recommend not dragging the knife through the centre, but rather slice down and lift straight back up, to avoid smearing the icing between the layers.
cake idea + inspiration came from this photo, which i found via the delightful molly.

all in all, i think the party was a colourful wonderland. a super simple theme that is easy to carry out with everything [favours were also colour coordinated, as were napkins, plates, and drinks.] i'd do it again for sure!

the other thing i learned saturday, i am pretty terrible at taking pictures at a party. these photos are rather awful i think. i don't know, maybe it's that i feel rushed, don't bother taking the time to stage a nice photo, or snap a bunch of pics too quickly? whatever it is, i will try better next time. my apologies for the poorly photo quality of this post. so poor, in fact, that i didn't even edit them, so you are seeing them in all their raw glory. so sorry.

balloons!


i know i promised pictures of the highly anticipated rainbow birthday cake this morning...but maybe this sneak peek of balloons will tide you over for a wee bit? i'll be back shortly with pictures of cake + a balloon garland, i swear. as for these, i think there's nothing better for a three-year-old than a living room chock full of balloons. she was having a ball.



6.20.2011

effortless style


sometimes there's a line of clothing that you feel just gets the way you want to dress, or which encompasses the impression you want to make with your attire. for me, it's pamela tang. i love everything she makes, everything she designs. the precisely folded pleats, together with a more casual shaping of elastic thread and gathering. it's the combined feeling of casual + natural + effortless chic. the rumpled linen. the bold earthy colours dotted amongst neutrals. even her product photography speaks of the almost effervescent, whisper of chic. i love it all.





i've posted about pamela tang before, and i've no doubt i will do it again. love, love.

6.15.2011

proud of the boys in blue

image by elsa, via canucks.nhl.com multimedia

i know i very rarely write about anything sports related, but bear with me for a moment. i have been a canucks fan since i was a little kid, and the excitement in our fair city has been palpable this past few weeks, as we watched our team race towards the stanley cup. tonight i was proud of the canucks for playing their hearts out. even though they didn't win, they will forever be my faves. like the sign says, this is what we live for. thanks, boys. you did us proud.

{and please don't think that because of some poorly behaved miscreants that our whole city is full of sore losers. the riots downtown were caused by people looking out for trouble, not by true fans and loyal vancouverites}

i hope to be back to regular blogging next week. it's been a long haul, kitchen is still in progress, and work is still super busy, but i miss it here. thanks for sticking it out!

6.12.2011

the storm in my head

i spent most of the day in bed, trying to fight off the fog. this photo pretty much sums it up, complete with dark and blurred edges and choppy seas. hoping to clear my head tomorrow.



6.08.2011

knocking it out of the park

the folks over at j.crew have got my summer style credo pretty much pegged. simple silhouettes, bohemian casual, shades of blue + red paired with linen + warm neutrals. i'd like one of each, please!





lemlem adama dress in tangerine :: boho embroidered top in vintage sand
rope cloud ikat dress in vintage cobalt :: ticking-stripe tunic in muslin

{i'm especially loving the lemlem line by liya kebede, so gorgeous!}