Do you take pride in your panache when it comes to entertaining? Are you a host or hostess extraordinaire? If you’re especially talented when it comes to throwing an unforgettable dinner party, listen up! Food Network Canada is looking for dinner party legends. Here’s the official casting call:
We’re looking for DINNER PARTY LEGENDS!
Do you and your partner:
- host INSPIRED dinner parties for your family and friends?
- love to share your passion for cooking and hosting?
- have a unique flair for dinner party decor?
- have an ADVENTUROUS palate that you share with friends?
- have the skills and charms to PROVE you’re the best?
If you think you can host a LEGENDARY evening that tops all others, then you should be a part of this exciting new Food Network Canada show!
Send an email to our casting team at dpasqua@cineflix.com for application information today.
Sometimes we could all use a little nudge in the etiquette department. Today’s find: linens that remind us to mind our manners. This set of six linens boast phrases like: Try it, you might like it, Take your dishes to the sink, Chew with your mouth closed and Elbows off the table. Chic and cheeky, these linens in a lovely willow green a sure to spark conversation at the dinner table!
Available at: etsy.com
Price: $36 for a set of 6
I don’t know about you but I’m not in a position to undertake a major renovation right now. Sure, I’d like to remodel my bathroom and turn it into a serene, spa-like sanctuary. I’d love to go to town on my kitchen and transform it into a space that’s not only a visual delight but a practical and efficient place to prepare meals. Alas, funds do not permit. And so I, like many, have to either a) learn to live with what I’ve got or b) save, save, save until I can afford to take on some large-scale projects. This week, we have a handy story on styleathome.com about how to save for around-the-house projects. We’re not talking full-scale renovations, here. Just small changes that can have a wow impact. By making minor adjustments to your spending habits, you can scrape together the money to make some of your decor dreams a reality. Want to find out how? Read the story: Easy around-the-house projects on a budget
For more great decorating and design inspiration, follow me on Twitter!
Image courtesy of Home Depot
Every now and then, you find a product that you never knew you needed. And then suddenly, there it is, in all its glory and you wonder how you ever lived without it. That’s sort of how I feel about Simple Human’s sensor soap pump. We’ve all used sensor pumps in public washrooms but it never occurred to me how brilliant it would be to have one at home. Well, now that I’ve used this, I realize just how great it is. Particularly in the kitchen, this soap pump makes a lot of sense. Let’s say you’re working with raw meat and you need to wash up frequently. With this pump, you don’t need to touch a soap dispenser with your contaminated hands. Just place your hand underneath the sensor and voila! Just enough soap comes out for you to wash up. So simple, so smart.
Available at: Home Outfitters or visit simplehuman.com for more information
Price: $49.99
Happy New Year! I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. I know I did. But it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it goes by. It seems like Christmas Eve was just yesterday and now it’s January 5 and I’m back at work. Boy, I hope this winter goes by fast!
So, I don’t know how many of you made new year’s resolutions this year – you know, those dirty little promises we tend to make and break? While personal resolutions are private, we asked the Style at Home staff about their around-the-house resolutions for 2009. You can read about them here.
My around-the-house resolution is to finally get around to updating the backsplash in my kitchen. I hate the one that’s there and I dream of something more striking like glass, which can be illuminated beautifully with under cabinetry lighting. I was originally thinking of one-inch by one-inch glass tiles but then I saw this backsplash (pictured here), which is also quite lovely. This is from New York-based Grayglass. Grayglass will custom-make glass backsplashes with coloured and patterned glass, according to their clients’ specifications. Ooh! The options! Now I can’t decide what I want to do. But it’s only January; I have time, right?
If you’re thinking of doing a kitchen renovation this year, check out our kitchen section; it’s full of helpful ideas for creating your dream kitchen.
I love the simplicity of Bodum’s designs. The YOHKI storage jar with chrome lid (featured left), is perfect for storing flour, sugar and pasta and is perfect for blending into any countertop. The CHAMBORD French press coffee maker with metal lid (pictured right) is so elegant. I can just smell the aroma in the air and it makes me think of sipping coffee at a patisserie in Paris. Except that I don’t drink coffee.
Bodum products can be found at Home Outfitters and select The Bay stores across Canada. Or at Bodum stores in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Australia … you know … if you’re going.
I love, love, love these fab, fun aprons from domistylegifts.com. Made in Canada (love that, too!), these trendy aprons add sass and style to time spent in the kitchen. With cute statements like: Will cook for shoes and Caution: Hot dish, these aprons are fresh, fun and fashionable. And who said that aprons had to be frumpy? These are well tailored and actually feel like a stylish accessory that you’ll want to wear. The pretty designs that adorn each apron are drawn by hand and then silk screened onto the aprons, which, by the way, are machine-washable and have adjustable neck straps. They make wonderful gifts; at their great prices, you can stock up on your Christmas gifts for the season! The aprons usually retail for $39 but their holiday sale starts today: Buy one, get the second at half price! It’s a great deal, so what are you waiting for? Get a head start and tick those names off of your Christmas shopping list!
For more information, visit domistylegifts.com. For a list of e-tailers, click here.
Happy shopping!
If you haven’t invested in a KitchenAid stand mixer, I really don’t know what you’re waiting for. And if you’re not going to, encourage your mom, sister or aunt to get one (and then go over to their house and use it!) I’ve always loved to bake but never more so than when my mother purchased her first KitchenAid stand mixer – suddenly, there was no need to make a mess in my own kitchen when I could do it in hers and get to use her mixer. It makes everything so much easier and I swear, makes things taste better, too. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are so many ways to help, to contribute, to stand up and say I care and I can help. Supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) by purchasing products from one of their many partners is just one of those ways. KitchenAid makes a $100 contribution to the CBCF for each pink stand mixer that is sold.
Available at: homeoutfitters.com
Price: $449.99
OK, yesterday, I had striped bowls on the brain. Strange, I know. But I was checking out this story on styleathome.com (Bargain beauty: Decorating for less) and I couldn’t stop admiring the striped bowls that caught my eye in the story’s photo. So, I started looking for stylish striped bowls to include in my blog. Alas, I couldn’t find the exact ones featured in the story but I did find another set of dishware that I quite liked. (You can check out that blog post here.)
But, thanks to the help of my colleague (Helen Racanelli, editor of canadianliving.com, who insisted I credit her for the elusive find) I was directed to the designer/manufacturer of the exact bowls I was marveling at. Alors, voila!
These cheerful and bold bowls by Scandinavian design company iittala can be found online at dinnerplates.com and the full product line ranges in price from $10 to $42. P.S. dinnerplates.com ships to Canada!
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
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