Love these striped cereal bowls and matching milk pitcher! This is certainly one way to start your day off in style. Available in ink or khaki, these oversized bowls are perfect for a hearty breakfast. They`ll also look great on display on your kitchen table or counter — why hide pretty things behind closed cupboard doors? Leave them out to be admired.
Available at: Chefs
Price: bowls, $9.99; pitcher, $9.99
Nothing says rest and relaxation more to me than cozying up with a hot cup of tea and as the weekend approaches, I welcome the chance to sit down and unwind. Wrapping my hands around a hot cuppa and inhaling the fresh aroma of a perfectly brewed cup of tea seems to melt my stress away. This tea set from Mighty Leaf is a sweet treat for the tea lover and comes with an assortment of tasty teas to try: Breakfast Americana, Organic Earl Grey, Bombay Chai, Orange Dulce and Vanilla Bean. Mmm! I can just feel myself starting relax! Once you`ve got your mug in hand, start a new tradition with styleathome.com`s guide to teatime etiquette, plus find tips for brewing the perfect cup of tea.
Available online at: mightyleaf.ca
These nifty notecards from Felix Doolittle make me think of the Beatrix Potter books I used to pore over as a child. Not only is the artwork reminiscent of Beatrix`s style but the size and shape of the notecards is just like her books … perfect for small hands. (Does that matter or am I just rambling?) If you`re as fanatical about pretty paper as I am, you`ll surely want to add this find to your list of must-shop stationery stores. The designs come in themed collections, notecards, invitations, memo papers, even baker`s labels. Even though these pretty delights are born and raised in West Newton, Massachusetts, you can shop online and have them shipped to Canada via UPS. We LOVE the Internet!
Available online at: Felix Doolittle
There`s been a lot of controversy in recent years about the safety of nonstick pans. Most experts now agree that they`re safe if you observe certain protocols while cooking, like not letting the pans get overly hot, or preheating them to too high a temperature.
Still doubtful? Check out GreenPan products! I absolutely love my frying pan and, in fact, prefer it to other nonstick pans I`ve used in the past. It boasts Thermolon nonstick coating, a new, non-PTFE* form of coating, and you really can use it without oils or butters; just follow the instructions re heating and cleaning and you`re good to go! I just have a frying pan so far, but you can get complete sets of pots and pans if you like.
*polytetrafluoroethylene
Available at: The Bay, www.thebay.com; Home Outfitters, www.hbc.com for stores; Home Hardware, www.homehardware.ca
Price: $30 to $100
Separately, the words thrill and make my toes tingle. Beach. Cottage. Both are delightful. But combined, these two words evoke a feeling far more intense, conjuring up images of a summer by the sea, the smell of salt in the air. Not Hawaii or Jamaica. This is like Nantucket. Quaint. Historic. Rustic. Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages: At Home by the Sea (Random House, 2008) is a book of beautifully photographed beach cottages around America. Check out an excerpt here.
And if you`re lucky enough to be heading to a cottage this fine summer weekend, enjoy!
Book price: $37.95
Available at: randomhouse.ca
Hungry yet? How beautiful are these designs from The Cupcake Shoppe, based in Toronto? These cupcake creations are so pretty, they look good enough to eat … and luckily, you can do just that! Go ahead, devour a dozen! I won`t breathe a word.
Available at: The Cupcake Shoppe; visit thecupcakeshoppe.ca for more information
Price: depends how hungry you are
Someone told me recently that her favourite home decor find is pretty toss cushions. I agree. Pretty pillows and chic cushions in extravagant fabrics and vibrant colours just emanate luxury. Throw pillows on a sofa beckon you to join them, luxuriate in them, lounge a little longer. And pillows outside is an easy way to bring the comforts of inside, outside. The outdoor pillows pictured here feature an Asian-inspired design and are comfy but durable enough to withstand being left out in the sun.
Available at: Pottery Barn
Price: $32 to $38
House guests often get a bad rap. It`s not easy being one. While visiting friends and family can be wonderful and oftentimes, these visits are long overdue … staying over one or two nights might just remind you why you don`t do it more often. It can just be plain difficult to adapt to someone else`s life at home. But if you are going to be a house guest for a night or two, start things off right from the moment you step foot inside the house you`ll be calling home for a little while. Show up bearing gifts. Bribe your host or hostess with something that`s sure to delight. Pictured left to right: Happy Hour Carafe and Glasses ($32), Towering Espresso Set ($32) and Weighted Sphere Vase ($72), all from violet.com.
Worn and rustic-looking, these wheel thrown pottery bowls are just beautiful! I love the earthtone colours of this pottery. Use them for everyday food (rice seems right, but use them for everything from cereal to ice cream) or simply use them as pretty display pieces on the kitchen table.
Available at: etsy.com
Price: $15 each
I often find myself bemoaning the fact that rarely do we hand write personal letters or cards and send them out via postal service anymore. And if pretty paper and note cards (like the kind I blogged about here) aren`t enough to inspire you to put your computer away and communicate the old-fashioned way, maybe these jeweled pencils will do the trick. This simply but stylishly packaged slide box of five pencils is the perfect gift for yourself … or … fine, for someone else. With a Swarovski lead crystal at the head, these jeweled pencils are more than just writing tools. In the middle of the day, they might just come in handy as chopsticks to hold your hair up. They are jeweled, after all.
Available at: violet.com
Price: $15 for a box set of five
Médias Transcontinental
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