{ Archive for October, 2009 }

halloween recipes

halloween recipes halloween recipes
Have you gotten into the spirit? Everywhere I turn today, there are signs of Halloween, from the young children I passed this morning, standing in line for the school bus to the decorated offices at my workplace. It’s the perfect time for adults to release their inner child and have some fun. If you haven’t gotten in on the fun, it’s not too late to start! Here are four easy Halloween recipes that are sure to put you in the spirit of things. Try ‘em!

Recipe: Great pumpkin cookies
Recipe: Spiderweb sugar cookies
Recipe: Friendly ghosts
Recipe: I’Scream cake

cool cubic switchplate

007eb full cool cubic switchplateSwitchplates can often make a room go from pretty to pretty fugly, so when I spot a cool one, I’m all over it like white on rice. I adore this funky cubic switchplate that adds a fun dimensional aspect to boring electrical outlets.

$8 US, Design Glut on Supermarkethq.com.

britney spears at pottery barn kids

No, everyone’s favourite pop-tart isn’t launching a collection at Pottery Barn Kids… But I’ve heard she has been dropping some cash there recently while decking out her little guys’ digs.

Rumour has it, BritBrit snatched up…

pbkpiratebed2 britney spears at pottery barn kids…The Pottery Barn Kids’ Pirate Bed in a rich Sun Valley Espresso finish. The trundle makes it absolutely perfect for sleepovers. And check out the Pirate Mast & Sail mounted to the wall behind the headboard — what an awesome little detail, and a testament to how thoroughly PBK explores its themed collections for kids’ rooms.pbkpiratebed1 britney spears at pottery barn kids

Seriously, how fun is that for a little boy bed?!?

Britney also allegedly picked up a couple of these ginormous Sun Valley plush Santas. This stuffed St. Nick comes in two sizes, as depicted – a petite Pere Noel at 18-inches, and a whopping 40-inch version.

pbksanta britney spears at pottery barn kids

Available at: Pottery Barn Kids

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linda and harriett stationery

linda and harriet linda and harriett stationery
It`s been a while since I blogged about stationery, no? Today`s fabulous find is from Linda & Harriett. Offering a wide assortment of notecards, greeting cards, notepads and personalized stationery and invitations, Linda & Harriett`s letterpress ink is soy-based. The greeting cards and note cards are printed on 30% post-consumer and 100% carbon neutral paper. So not only are they gorgeous, but they`re green, too.

The card collection includes all the usual messages you`d expect: Thank You, Thinking of You, Happy Birthday and a sweet collection of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays cards. But my favourite are the paper petal pins (pictured top right). Reconstructed by hand from letterpress misprints, even the scraps don`t go to waste. Stylish and socially responsible. If this was Facebook, I`d give that a thumbs up.

Visit lindaandharriett.com for a peek at the entire collection and check out the personalized letterpress stationery and the custom invitations and announcements.

are you hgtv’s next big design star?

What do Steven & Chris, Peter Fallico and the Suzanne Dimma all have in common?

Now household names across the country, they all got their start on hit shows produced by WestWind Pictures on HGTV.

Here’s the exciting bit… You now have a chance to join their ranks, with WestWind Pictures and HGTV Canada’s new hunt for the Next Big Design Star!

hgtv are you hgtvs next big design star?

Canadidates have one month to produce a maximum 2-minute video to display their design savvy. The video must have a short intro with the candidate’s biographical details, and then maybe a quick do-it yourself project, or a design-on-a-dime idea. Throw out all the stops and wow the team with your energy, personality and talent (think Mary Tyler Moore show opening credits!), then email the compressed video file to the folks at WestWind by clicking here.

After the November 27th deadline, 20 to 30 of the best entries will be selected, and finalists will be contacted in early December for a live screen test.

Good luck!

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waterford wedgwood’s elegant table setting

Waterford Wedgwood had a pretty spectacular table vignette at their booth at the Canadian Gift & Tableware Association show this summer.

wwtable waterford wedgwoods elegant table setting

With eight Louis Ghost chairs set around a table that’s swathed in rouched, silky linens, the effect is totally ethereal, and quite dreamy.

wwsetting waterford wedgwoods elegant table settingEach place setting represented a different designer’s contributions to the Waterford Wedgwood collection, including this subtle and sophisticated arrangement of Jasper Conran’s Tulle platinum-band bone china.

Love the signature Jasper Conran teacup handle – definitely one of the most important features to consider when selecting a china pattern. Seriously!

wwtulle waterford wedgwoods elegant table setting

classy brass from martha sturdy

Although I’ll always associate Canadian designer Martha Sturdy with her stunning and pioneering work in resin, she’s recently turned her attention to other materials – including brass. These recent brassy releases from her Vancouver-based studio really struck a chord with me, as I’m on a warm-metals kick and can’t seem to get enough of these autumnal-hued accessories…

Brass Tray #1210, 48 x 5 x 1″

brasstray classy brass from martha sturdy

Brass Lanterns #915 (5.5 x 5.5″); #916 (5.5 x 9″); #917 (5.5 x 12″)

brasscandles classy brass from martha sturdy

Steel candleholders with brass wire wrap, 18″, 24″ and 36″

brasssculpture classy brass from martha sturdy

Martha Sturdy Studio, Vancouver, 604-872-5205

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ikea’s billy bookcase turns 30

One of IKEA’s staple storage collections hits a milestone this year… Billy — the bestselling bookcase in the WORLD — is turning 30!

To celebrate the anniversary, IKEA’s pulling out all the stops, including the launch of a limited-edition Billy series called Billy Jader.

billyjader2 ikeas billy bookcase turns 30

Billy Jader’s got a playful, graffiti-inspired feel, with what looks like Sharpie-marker scrawlings lining the interior. Look a bit closer and you’ll notice that designer Annika Bryngelson’s actually used quotations from Shakespeare’s love sonnets in the script… Cute!

Here’s the full assortment of colourways available in the new series, which will be in stores for a limited time only. Those colourful little “B” bookends (which I’m rather partial to, naturally) are also part of the Billy anniversary release.

billyjader1 ikeas billy bookcase turns 30

But have you ever wondered who was behind this iconic design?

Oddly enough, his name isn’t “Billy”.

billyguy ikeas billy bookcase turns 30Gillis Lundgren designed Billy in 1979, but had actually joined IKEA as the fourth employee (Wild! IKEA now has more than 128,000 employees overall…) back in 1953. What’s more, he doesn’t even necessarily see Billy as his masterpiece. Instead, he considers the Tore drawer unit (below) he designed in 1958 as the design he’s most proud of. So interesting!

tore ikeas billy bookcase turns 30Lundgren is also the man who came up with the idea of the flat pack, which will very likely be his most enduring legacy.

Fast facts:

* 41,000,000 – Number of Billy bookcases manufactured since 1979

* 15 – Number of Billy bookcase manufactured each minute at IKEA’s Gyllensvaan furniture factory

* Lundgren’s design philosophy: “At the end of the day, I designed for the many people,” he says. “I want to make solutions for everyday life, based on people’s needs. All my products are simple, practical and timeless. They should be useful no matter how old you are, or what your life situation is.”

Billy anniversary series, IKEA, 866-866-4532

cool website: supermarkethq.com

The editors of Style at Home have long been lovers of online arts and crafts marketplace, Etsy. So you can imagine my excitement when I found a similar site called Supermarket. Like Etsy, Supermarket allows advanced crafters to create online shops and sell their goods to the public. So what’s the diff? Supermarket is very design oriented and modern, so there’s no need to wade through any junky items to find what you want. Below are some of the neat finds I found while rummaging through the site.

supermarket cool website: supermarkethq.com

1 Andalucia pillow from Etcetera Media, $78 each.

2 Pod vase from Kim Westad, $80.

3 Hanging cuckoo clock from Decoylab, $28.

4 Hello! blank cards from In-Vita Paper Studio, $11 per set of 6.

5 Letterpress coasters from 12fifteen, $12 per set of 8.

6 The Four Seasons cup set from Bailey Doesn’t Bark, $92 per set of 4.

halloween block party with eddie ross

My fave master of reinvention is at it again!

Eddie Ross, whose fantabulous flea market makeovers were subject to my STYLE AT HOME feature earlier this year, hit the airwaves in the States last night with HGTV’s Halloween Block Party. In the one-off special, Eddie takes the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and applies the aesthetic to a neighbourhood home with delightfully creepy results… Check out the before & after!

BEFORE…

eddiebefore halloween block party with eddie ross

AFTER!

eddieafter halloween block party with eddie ross

Check out Eddie’s amazing work on the interior here!

No word yet on whether or not HGTV Canada will be airing the special… I’ve dropped them a line to check, and will keep you posted! Fingers crossed… Eddie tells me there might even be a STYLE AT HOME cameo at one point during the program… So citing!

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