Design & Decor Blog

Sometimes I shake my head in disbelief that any of us actually got suckered into buying bottled water. Expensive, bad for the environment and bad for your health. Hmmm …

I switched to filtered tap water ages ago and bought glass jugs for home. But the one thing bottled water did for us was get us used to the convenience of having water on the go. Lots of environmentally-friendly, health-conscious options are popping up to make your H2O portable. I love the sleek design of these bottles by Tap Water Bottle, a Toronto-based company that launched just last month.

The tap water bottle is available at the following Toronto locations: Simple Café (1303 Queen St. East), The Inspired Cook (1378 Queen St. East), Laide Lounge (138 Adelaide St. East), The Yoga Lounge (103 Church Street) and can be shipped across Canada by ordering online at tapwater-bottle.com.

Image by: GAP Photos/Mark Scott

I know, I know — it’s early. But I’m starting to feel Christmas fever. For me, it truly is the most wonderful time of year. It’s not the gifts, the shopping or anything to do with the chaos that Christmas has (sadly) become synonymous with. It’s about family and friends and the joy and peace of the season.

But — that doesn’t mean that the holidays aren’t a lot of work, as you prepare to throw the doors of your home open to welcome your nearest and dearest. But don’t stress. We’ve compiled a 50-day Holiday Countdown to help you get through with ease and elegance. Our no-muss, no-fuss approach means you can be the consummate host or hostess without losing your cool.

Check out:
50-day holiday countdown
For 50 days, we’re revealing an article a day to inspire you with decorating ideas and recipes — all with an eye to keeping things simple.

50-day gift guide
Each day for 50 days, we’ll offer you a new gift suggestion to help simplify gift buying. Whether you’re completely stuck  or just looking for an I-hadn’t-thought-of-that idea, we’re here to help.

Holiday countdown contest
So, how do you simplify the holidays? Enter our contest and share your best holiday decorating, organizing and entertaining tips. Psst! We’re giving away some fabulous prizes, too!

Interested in attending the Evergreen Festival? It’s on November 18 and 19 at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto’s Distillery District. If you’d like to attend to get some fabulous holiday decorating ideas, visit Tara Nolan’s Budding Gardener blog at canadiangardening.com for your chance to win tickets. She’s got five pairs to give away. Click here for your chance to win. Good luck!

Unique. Totally original. Truly one of a kind. That’s what I love about these utterly gorgeous blown glass pieces. Founded in 2005 by Eva Milinkovic and Kriston Gene, Canadian-based Tsunami Glassworks specializes in designing stunning glass objects for the home. Each piece is totally eye-catching, available in a broad range of shapes, sizes and colours. Standing solo or clustered together, each piece is a born attention seeker. But with style like this, can’t say I blame ‘em! Visit tsunamiglassworks.com for more information and a full list of retailers.

From finally clearing the clutter in your home office to getting a jumpstart on the holidays … what are you doing this month? Here are 10 things to do in November:

1 Check your gutters
Clean your gutters regularly during the fall to make sure they’re not blocked with fallen leaves and other debris. Also check that they’re solidly attached to the house and draining properly.

2 Try some new cheeses
A creative and delicious cheese plate anchors any selection of appetizers. Take the time now to visit your cheese store and test-taste the offerings so you can wow your guests when the party season arrives.

3 Get out your knitting basket
Nothing’s cosier than a hand-knitted gift, whether it be a simple scarf mittens or an item for the home. Get started on small handmade gifts for your loved ones now — you’ll have time to make something special for yourself, too. New to knitting? Pick up a beginners’ book such as Knitting Pretty by Kris Percival, or sign up for a knitting class at your local yarn store (LYS, in knitters’ lingo).

OK, that’s only three things … check out our full list of things to do in November!

I have a ton of personal pictures that I’ve always said I would do something creative with. Create digital scrapbooks with family photos. Frame travel photos and hang them in my apartment. Make personalized greeting cards with beautiful nature shots. Alas, I’ve never gotten around to any of this. (Well, I did make a personalized calendar once, using the images from my Apple iPhoto library and it was shockingly quick and easy; with the click of a button, I had ordered two copies and they were delivered in mere days.) Anyhow, when I stumbled upon this stunning calendar on etsy, it reminded me of all the ways I’ve thought of using my photographs.

This 2010 calendar features an assortment of beautiful botanical photographs and I love the display idea, clipped to a clothesline with clothespins. Simple. Beautiful. I love it. This makes a fabulous gift idea (and you may want to get one for yourself, while you’re at it … )

Available at: etsy.com
Price: $25

My desk is a disaster. As in … seriously … a disaster. I need some organizing help. So much mail crosses my desk each day that it’s nearly impossible to stay on top of it. That’s why I was thrilled to find these adorable office organizers from Susy Jack . From wall and desktop calendars to magnets, clips and pencil holders, these handy helpers for the office are big on style. Check out my favourites:

Pencil Cup and Pencils
$16.00
Work Reminder Magnet Sets
$9.95

2010 Deluxe Wall Calendar
$34.00

Day of the Week Clip Set
$8.50

More ideas for organizing your office
If you need some advice (like I clearly do) on organizing your office space, check these out:

5 tips for organizing a home office
Get your office clutter-free with these ideas.

Organizing 101: Organizing the home office
With a little creativity and home organizing, any space in your home can be designated as a functioning home office.

6 great office gadgets
A messy workspace can lead to distraction and frustration. Take your geek to chic with these fab organizing items for a clutter-free home office.

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

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.

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you live but where I live, it’s getting c-c-cold. I’ve officially traded in my spring/fall coat for something with a bit more heft and I’ve hauled out my scarves and gloves from their summertime hibernation. Brrrr! Some may call it crisp. I just call it cold. Some may call it brisk. I just call it blustery. There’s definitely a nip in the air but what I love most about the chill that chases me home is the comfort that can be found (or created!) indoors. Blankets, candles, pillows, a roaring fire and a hot cup of tea … these are just a few of the joys of winter.

I love these blankets from designer Ian Saude. Made from cashmere, the most luxurious fabric of all, these throws just ooze warmth and comfort. There’s something a little bit traditional, a little bit modern about them but either way, they look like the perfect thing to snuggle up with on a chilly night. For more information, visit iansaude.com.