obsessed with scarves

After spotting this scarf a few weeks ago I have been on a mission to find some interesting scarves to update my wardrobe. I don't really have the budget to give my closet an overhaul - so adding in some scarves in modern colours will hopefully help my sad closet.

I purchase two (#1 and #4) on www.Zulily.com. At $17 each - they were totally budget friendly. I'm a wee bit obsessed with Virgina Johnson's shawls but at $195 each they are a little out of my budget. A girl can dream. Side note re: Zulily.com, they ship to Canada for a super reasonable rate - something that is rare in online shopping land.

Ps., I had to google whether the plural of scarf was "scarves" or "scarfs". 
P.p.s., To be upfront --- If you do shop on Zulily and use the link to their site, I get "referral" dollars should someone buy something. Feel free to visit without the link, which gives me no credit dollars.

dishes // bone china

A few weeks ago Kay was asking via twitter where to find good white dishes and it made me think of our dishes that I adore. When Aubrey and I were married 8 years ago we received formal china for entertaining. But we totally cheaped out on our everyday plates. Total regret.  Our everyday plates were heavy and chipped easily (they may have been ceramic?) Although they were inexpensive per piece, it still adds up to be an investment when you buy a number of place settings. So should you be looking for everyday plates, I wanted to tell you about what we did.
As our everyday plates dwindled (due to chipping/cracking/breaking) I decided that we should maybe invest in good "everyday" plates. My Mom has beautiful dinnerware and she's the one that told me about bone china. Bone china is lighter and more resilient to chipping than our ceramic plates.

Although we picked up our set of bone china a few years back at the William Ashley Warehouse Sale just as recently as last week I was at HomeSense and found plates that were bone china. How can you tell? Pick up a piece and turn it around. You can see that it says what it is. As above, it says in small type "Bone China".

Anyhow, that conversation on twitter really sparked this post as I really adore our dinnerware. So if you're looking for new awesome dishes, maybe source out bone china for your house.

Update: We have the Dutchess brand of plates & bowls via William Ashley and a set of 8 of the Wedgwood "Night and Day" small bowls in addition (as shown above) The night and day bowls are perfect for berries or ice cream. :)

thanks for the help....

I got a amazing feedback on where to find blue & white pottery much like the ones I found antiquing in cottage country. Shadi snapped a photo of a page from HGTV magazine (shown above) and it showed these Chinese Ginger Jars are from a shop CWonder.com. (Thank you for taking that photo!) Robbin via the comments told me that Bowing having a collection (and they are on sale!) and LouLou via the comments sent me a link to the Bombay Company's collection. Of course, there is Chinatown which is actually where I did find one similar a year ago, but the pattern wasn't totally to my taste. But I should go back down for fun to search out more treasures. Anyhow, just wanted to say thanks for the help but also - pass along these links should you want to find some too! xo Linds

The 4 Best Antique Spots in Cottage Country

Over the last few years I've discovered a handful of great antique shops in cottage country. The recipe for the perfect shop is is location (like a barn or run down warehouse), clutteredness (there must be a thrill of finding things"), assortment of items (because each visit is different) and also - the friendliness of the owners. That for me, makes a great shop. Going into a well staged store just isn't the same. So here are what I consider to be the best 4 spots to find cool finds in cottage country this Summer.

1. Argyle Antiques

Argyle, Ontario



Argyle Antiques was my first introduction to country antiquing. Growing up my parents would drive through Argyle to get to the cottage. (See my last post on them here) In an old barn, it is stuffed with a treasure trove of fun things - and at great prices. I'd recommend popping in if you're looking for furniture - I always spot wood pieces I wish I could take home to refinish or paint. I think it's only open weekends, but if you can stop in I really recommend it. If you want to recreate our "road trip" be sure to stop in at the baker/shop across the road and pick up a butter tart. We always get one to share amongst the passengers in the car. Ps. Have to mention that the owner is really, really nice. Love this spot!

More after the jump.....
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shopping therapy at homesense

Last night when Aubrey came to help with bath & bedtime with Oscar - I made a dash for the car and decided to go for a much needed retail therapy trip. The joy of wandering HomeSense slowly without a screaming, wiggling child is heaven. I picked up a few things for the kitchen but I'm reluctant to buy much until things can have a permanent home. Here are some shots from last night that you may have seen me tweeting. [Top Left] That ottoman was $69 and if Oscar had a pink bedroom you'd better believe that I would have picked that up. [Top Right] That little whale pitcher was very Jonathan Adler and was $16 and he made his way all the way to the checkout with me, until I decided to leave him at the store. I'm trying to be mindful of bringing in less random "stuff" that wont have an purpose all the time into our home. [Bottom Left] HomeSense has a collection of very organic wooden bowls that are absolutely gorgeous. [Bottom Right] And HomeSense is my go to spot for baskets. I never, ever buy baskets elsewhere. Just some shots from last night from the needed "Time Out" for Mommy. ;) xo Linds

Angus & Company, Shopping in Toronto

As the kitchen renovation has an end date in sight, I've once again found myself being drawn to the softer decorating process for our home. I'm looking at finding an area rug for our TV room, blinds for the kitchen, decorative objects. There is a shop in Toronto, Angus and Company that I have been in on occasion - I recently started following on twitter, and then "liked" them on facebook and my heart has skipped a beat on more than a few occasion at the photos that they post. That starburst mirror I fell in love with - I called to ask how much it cost (turns out it is $1,700 approx). Unfortunately it is out of my budget but I don't doubt its value. Honestly, they really know how to style a room and use a mixture of old, and new items together. Although the majority of items are well over my budget, this is one of my favourite shops to follow and hopefully be inspired by for our own home. xo Linds
All photos via Angus & Company's Blog

Best Grocery Basket

While living with my Mom I noticed she had this gorgeous red shopping basket. It has the nicest handles that are cushioned, making it nice for when you're carrying heavy items. I liked them so much I picked up two for our own house. Right now they are $9.99 (reg $39.95) - so kind of a huge bargain. I'm going to put two of these into my car so when I go grocery shopping I put these in my shopping cart. This way I avoid bags at the checkout, and easy for carrying things into the house. Anyhow, just too good not to share. xo Lindsay

kitchen accessories | cb2

Next up is an imaginary shopping trip for kitchen accessories to CB2. They have a drink dispenser - I love the cork top. :) The ceylon water pitcher is really reasonably priced and I think would be a fab way to drink more water - having it flavoured with a little cucumber or fruit. I'm all for white dishes, so this little three bowl serving piece would be in my shopping cart too on my imaginary shopping trip for accessories.

*After doing these posts I have come to the realization that I am severely dehydrated as a lot of my picks are drink/water related.

kitchen accessories | pottery barn

One thing I'm really looking forward to (above having a brand spanking new kitchen) is putting new kitchen accessories into the space. I've resisted buying anything for the kitchen for a long time, as I wanted to make everything *new* when the kitchen was complete. I thought it would be fun to dedicate a week to kitchen accessories from my favourite shops. So here are my favourite picks from great stores. Enjoy!

Ever since my first visit to the Elmwood Spa, where they have water dispensers with fresh fruit and cucumber, I have wanted my own drink dispenser for our house. I feel that the addition of that dispenser, will obviously make my house "spa" like. ;-) I've been searching for awhile, and I kind of freaked out when I saw that Pottery Barn had a full page dedicated to drink dispensers.

The photo above is from this dispenser.  I'm also a fan of this Mason Jar dispenser but I think you'd need a few grouped together to make an impact plus it looks a bit small on its own? I think I'd go for this one in the end if I were to splurge on one. :) Pottery Barn has a crazy amount of kitchen stuff but this would totally be what I would grab on my imaginary Kitchen Accessory shopping spree. Do you have one? Am I nuts for wanting one?

kitchen accessories | crate and barrel

One thing I'm really looking forward to (above having a brand spanking new kitchen) is putting new kitchen accessories into the space. I've resisted buying anything for the kitchen for a long time, as I wanted to make everything *new* when the kitchen was complete. I thought it would be fun to dedicate a week to kitchen accessories from my favourite shops. So here are my favourite picks from great stores. Enjoy!

Next up on my imaginary accessory shopping trip for the new (not so imaginary) kitchen, would be Crate and Barrel, an obvious stop for kitchen items. They carry pretty much everything that you would want for a new kitchen - Appliances, dishware, linens...everything. Although they have everything you could want, I fell for their cooking utensils.  Above on the left, the Sebastian Conran collection is so trendy - it looks like the utensils have been dipped in white paint. And because I'm a sucker for green, I'd have some of these Le Creuset accessories too. And while shopping I'd add this to my cart. 

Shop the Crate and Barrel Kitchen Collection here.

kitchen accessories | west elm

One thing I'm really looking forward to (above having a brand spanking new kitchen) is putting new kitchen accessories into the space. I've resisted buying anything for the kitchen for a long time, as I wanted to make everything *new* when the kitchen was complete. I thought it would be fun to dedicate a week to kitchen accessories from my favourite shops. So here are my favourite picks from great stores. Enjoy!  

West Elm is a go to spot for pretty much everything "home" and I noticed their huge kitchen selection when they hosted a Blogger Preview in the Spring. Two of my favourite items are functional pieces, but are so beautiful that they would likely be left out on display at all times. First - the Schmidt Brothers Cutting Board - I love the wood tone and the brand is of the highest quality. Love it. Next up I'm like this Slate + Wood Board. Wouldn't a collection of these for a dinner party be lovely? Who am I kidding, we're not having a dinner party for awhile, but perhaps if I have girlfriends over, this would present cheese and grapes nicely.

Shop West Elm's Kitchen Selection here.

Tivoli Audio

One thing I'm really looking forward to is "accessorizing" the new kitchen. One thing that is on my wish list  is a Tivoli radio that I heard about from Lesley (@smidgeboxdesign). Do you have a radio in your kitchen? I think it may be quite nice to put some classical on very softly at night, or listen to conversations on the CBC. Anyhow, just a little product love. xo Lindsay

Homesense: Chandelier

Aubrey and I found this gorgeous, super, uber cheap chandelier at HomeSense. It's totally our style. The metal isn't as heavy as the more expensive models we have throughout the house, but once it's hanging I'm not holding or touching the metal so ... um, it doesn't matter. :)

We brought it home and are trying to see if it will work. If we like it, we'd be playing switcheroo -  moving the existing kitchen light (seen resting on the table) to the Dining Room.

A few things are making me reluctant. 1st: I didn't mind my previous light. 2nd: The old light had a shade and diffuses light so when you're at the table, it's not right in your face. 3rd: The new light has three bulbs vs. six, but as Aubrey pointed out the missing bulbs are made up for by the fact that we don't have a shade on it.

Overall it sounds like I'm making a lot of excuses not to install it.....But I think it's super pretty. ;)

Pottery Barn Candles

Sitting on my new tray, are another new addition to our house - new candles. Before you go and think I'm totally bonkers for doing a post on stupid candles, read on.


The candle body is very much wax, but guess what. They are 100% fake...



I fell for these when I saw them on display at Pottery Barn, when they had merchandised them in hanging lanterns. The soft glow was enough to make me inspect it further. I thought it looked so realistic. And I love candles, but I'm forever fearful of fire especially now with Oscar. Having a party, knocking one over...Perhaps a little bit of obsessive compulsiveness runs through my blood, so that itching worry is enough to make me go bananas.

Although I have them on our kitchen table (right now) I will say this: For the best look, have them on a somewhere where you aren't staring at the lack of flame, because it's painfully obvious they aren't real when you see that no fire is coming out of it. But if you have them up high or in a lantern, then it is perfect. Because I think you have to see it to believe it...


Granted, these candles aren't inexpensive (it came to over $50 for the three) I had a gift card from Aubrey's awesome Aunt that made this splurge possible. (Don't you love when you can get things that you normally wouldn't be able to because of a gift card?)

Ps., oh yeah, you can also put them on a timer which I have yet to figure out. But that just makes me crack up. You could really throw someone if you tried...*wave hand over to the candles and they magically light up*

A B Sea

I was Spring cleaning my Internet Favourites the other day and came across a link to this poster. Isn't it hilariously cute?  Poster by James Mattison, available here.

Unexpected purchase

Excuse the long intro, but the story is required in order to explain the amazing find...
We have a little antique store in our neighbourhood. It's a weird little store, that isn't very well curated and filled with things that are sometimes just over priced. (All to say, that I rarely go in.) However, last Thursday, on a walk back from Starbucks with the babies attached to us,  Erin and I spotted that the store was having a 50% off sale. We were told by the shop owner that things in the basement she really wanted to get rid of, so to "Make her an offer". And so, the two of us and our babies headed to the dark basement. :)

I saw a side table that was tucked away and was covered in dust....and I instantly fell for it. It was marked at $50, I asked the owner how much she wanted. Want to know how much she wanted? Twenty-Five Dollars! I nearly fainted. I asked her also how much she wanted for a marble vase (marked at $60) and she said..."I'll throw that in for free." I whipped out my credit card and handed it to her. Sold. Erin and I carried the table back home with our Starbucks and our babies in the rain to place it immediately in my living room...



It has beautiful wood inlay detailing and a little drawer that opens on the front.



The table has some marks on the top (See below) but they don't bother me in the slightest.



When Lauren at Style at Home asked in their interview what our decorating style was, I thought that "Young Traditional" summed us up pretty well. And I think below is a perfect example. The furniture feels adult, but the (new) pillows make it youthful. (Do you agree? Or am I totally bonkers)
I think we have a room that is actually coming together! Ok, back to the table - can you believe it was TWENTY FIVE dollars!?



I still walk by it and stop and admire it.

Adding layers to the house

Here is our new table from HomeSense, and a sneak peek at the Dash & Albert Rug from Elte. You may have seen that table  I did this post. With the stair runner and the table, the space is filling up nicely. My Mom said that I'm the process of adding layers to the house. I thought it was the perfect description of the decorating process.


We originally assumed we'd paint that table a fun colour but I'm kind of digging it in the wood.

Impulse Buy

Perhaps it's because the sight of the last post seemed so boring and blah. I just bought two of these beauties.

Elte Shopping in Toronto

We went to Elte today to try to see some carpets and lighting. We left with a Dash & Albert Rug, but mentally I had spent close to $25,000 in a matter of half an hour. My goodness, I adore that store even though I rarely buy anything.

Aren't these beautiful carpets? We need an odd sized area rug (9x10) so we have to go with a rug that is custom made, although I'd LOVE something like one of these.

 We fell in love with some lighting, the one at the top we thought may be a nice one for in the Eat in Kitchen, and the one on the bottom right was one we both agreed would be perfect for the Dining Room.

Oscar fell in love with this horse. (Soooo funny because he does this to his giraffe Stanley at home)

Normally I go in there and get discouraged about what we can't buy, but today it was just nice wandering around feeling inspired.

Etsy Vintage Shopping, Brass Deer

If you follow me on twitter you may have seen a late night post a while ago confessing to some late night Etsy Shopping and the impulse buy of some Brass Deer from Haven Vintage.  So, it was $40 for the two deer + $30 shipping to Canada (they are brass, therefore expensive to ship) I thought it was actually quite well priced, and sucked up the shipping cost. A few days later (yes, it was that quick) I got a knock at the door and a HUGE box was on my porch. It couldn't be the deer. But it was. They were about 3 times bigger than I had anticipated. (Late night shopping = not reading the product description fully) And I was in loooove. I think some red bows around their necks will be next!