'Tis the Season

Hurray, it's the holidays (even in blog land...I'm taking a short posting break)! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a chance to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with those you love. Thank you so so much for continuing to read my little blog.

Happy holidays!

Jenna

Venice in Watercolour

Natural Curiosities offers such a sophisticated repertoire, I love browsing their website to see what's new. Since my brief tour of Venice a few years ago, I have fondly recalled this surreal city for its architecture and old-world charm. Natural Curiosities' interpretation of a 1920s watercolour (click HERE, I'm struggling to upload today) so softly depicts this. Here are a few of my other favourites:

Found here, unsure of artist.

St Mark's Square Venice By Tim Baynes

(absolutely love this) By Peter Ward

By Michael Felmingham (he's painted many gorgeous Venice landscapes)

A Victorian Christmas

On Monday night, I finally got around to making one of my favourite blogger's (www.stephmodo.com) recipe recommendation - Fettuccine with Shrimp and Creamy Lemon Sauce. It was delicious and easy to make!




I'm guilty of eating in front of the TV most nights, with a typical rotation of Slice, HGTV and Food Network. But instead, I stumbled across a Victorian Christmas special that was so charming I watched the whole thing. Something about this time has always fascinated me, and the Christmas traditions, crafts, remedies and lifestyle were so humbly embraced by these three fun-loving historians. Visit their website if you're interested in seeing more (I realize I sound like a real old soul by recommending this, but it's worth a browse)!

It made me think about simple, traditional ways to decorate the home that aren't necessarily about sparkles, gold or excess. Here are a few Victorian Christmas-inspired photos from Martha Stewart, Habitually Chic, This Is Glamorous and Little Book of Secrets.

Of course, it's a little late to be changing up the decor for this Christmas, but even a simple touch like gift tags can bring some old fashioned charm. I'm loving these handmade fabric gift tags by Mademoiselle Poirot, and highly recommend visiting her blog and Etsy shop!

Tile DIY

As a kid, I was quite the crafter. I bedazzled, knit, painted and podged my way from one project to another. But in recent years, I've become more hesitant to try DIY craft projects at the risk of things looking, well, tacky.

This is hardly a DIY project, and certainly a safe distance from being too Holly Hobby. DIY tile coasters. Just imagine these incredible Exquisite Surfaces tiles, in all of their hand painted and weathered glory, as a place to rest your glass. With just a few felt pads underneath, these colourful-but-too-scary-for-my-backsplash tiles will still have a stylish place in your home.

A New Year

With 2011 just around the corner, Architectural Digest's January issue has brought the New Year in with so much promise. Unfortunately these aren't the greatest quality scans, but hopefully these few beautiful images from their latest issue bring you inspiration for the year ahead!


It appears to me that Architectural Digest's outlook is slightly less traditional and instead more relaxed or "lived-in". Looking forward to seeing what else they have in store...

All images scanned from Architectural Digest, January 2011.

Zuny's

I really wish I had more little ones to buy for at Christmas (the day will come, I'm sure). I was out and about in the chilly weather today, skipping the malls and instead venturing inside charming shops for unique little items. Found an adorable stuffed toy for our one sweet baby this Christmas!

Then, as always, I finished off at big-box Chapters. I love browsing their design books, stationary and gift section (although I hear they have great novels?...sounds overrated to me...). Now, we can add baby section to that list. I felt like an expectant mother aw-ing at the toys, books, frames...Chapters has the best baby gift section!! I had to stop myself, I really did. My worst nightmare is to become one of those people who puts stuff away for their unborn babies before they're even married. So, I blog. I blog about the cutest children's room accessory around - Zuny's. These faux-leather animal bookends (mostly under $30) are just so darn cute.

Exquisite Surfaces

Many months ago, I came across a beautiful spread in Veranda magazine and wrote about it in post "Great Design is Good for the Soul". Well, great design doesn't leave the mind quickly either. Five months later, I can rehearse the flooring in that home faster than my last meal (and that's coming from a girl who loves food).

What stayed with me about Exquisite Surfaces' hardwood, tile, stone and fireplaces were the aged European finishes (I think classic is always best on hard surfaces, leave trendy for all the other spots!). I won't even attempt to describe their remarkable products further, as the installation photos say it best. The only thing I'll say is, I wish I was her.

Coolest Kid on the Block

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a rep from Caden Lane, a chic children's bedding line based in the US. As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention", and mom-preneur Katy Mimari wasted no time creating this bold bedding line upon the discovery of her pregnancy. Tired of the pale blues, pinks and yellows, Katy wanted something fun, hip and playful, and Caden Lane has certainly achieved that! Tagged the "celebrity nursery line", Caden Lane offers the most stylish bedding for newborns, pre-teens and all kids in between!