Give me a reason to buy....

This playful Lines rug by photographer/stylist/designer Peggy Wong.

Clever birthday cards. And letterpress too!

And her photography is gorgeous and vibrant. Perfect for when the wallet says,
No.

An Open Mind

Source: Pinterest

We're back from our European adventure! It was nothing short of amazing, and I have far too many photos to look back on when I need a change of scenery. My mind feels refreshed and ready to embark on new challenges!

It's tough to get back to work after so much excitement and inspiration, so I'm up to no (blogging) good. In fact, I confessed to Matt just before we left that I was missing my daily blogging rounds.

It goes without saying that I took inspiration/blog-worthy/design photos like it was my job, and in a way it is. That's the best part of being a designer; you become a professional hunter and gatherer of all things fabulous. Personally, I thrive on architectural details, colourful landscapes and intricate patterns. Don't let my Birkenstocks fool you (speaking of shoes, I bought a cute pair of Ted Baker rain boots in London that I'm quite smitten with).

After photo-shopping these images into fine form, I'm going to share what I've been able to capture on film, city by city. London, Berlin, Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich. Hope you'll come back for a look!

This Is Bliss

I must say, there is a strange and wonderful connectedness in blogging; a chain of common interest with people you otherwise wouldn't know.  Even the smallest comment can open the doors to someone's world, and that was exactly the case with Bliss!

Michaela kindly left me a comment last week, and after perusing her adorable blog, I discovered that she is an amazing photographer based in Finland.  The story of how she discovered her hidden eye for photography (and an incredible one, at that) feels so serendipitous.  

Always an arts & crafts lover, Michaela clearly has an artistic streak.  In her early 20s, a friend lent her his pocket camera to photograph some of her work for sale.  Two days later, she had over 600 pictures of not just her work, but daily musings when she brought it along.  And there you have it!  She was hooked, purchased her own Nikon pocket, photographed 200+ photos a day for months and then decided this was a hobby worth investing in.  With a bigger and better camera and lens(es) in tow, Michaela's photography skills perfectly compliment her career as an events designer and manager.  Funny how things work out, isn't it?

The photographs that fascinate me the most are her shots of animals and the outdoors.  Her pieces seem to have a raw radiance to them.  I'm totally in awe of her talent!

To see more of Michaela's work, visit her blog Bliss! or her photography website Pfuipfui Photography.

New Age Inspiration

Is there anything in the world more inspiring than great photography? Please, tell me I'm not the only one overcome with jealousy when someone's Facebook album of Spot the dog comes out looking better than my pictures from Paris. I've been putting some serious thought into taking a few photography courses in order to get the most out of my pictures...

In any case, I find this craze of photographing understated objects in incredible ways to be so inspiring, particularly because it's often done by people who aren't professionally trained photographers. They're just ridiculously talented people. Suddenly a cup of coffee or a bookshelf becomes this larger than life expression.

Club Monaco has caught onto this and created a website called...
...where creative Club Monaco employees and "friends" share things that inspire them, like favourite places, objects and musings.

Who Needs Barbados?

Even on bitterly cold days like today, I still maintain that I love this time of year. Getting dressed up, then bundled up, to go out to parties and visit with family. Having a daily excuse for a nice warm Starbucks (loving the Caramel Brule Latte, I might add...). Beautiful, sparkly decorations, and lots of good food (and drinks!). Soon there will be snow, and with it, more things to enjoy - skating, skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing and snowmobiling. What's not to love?


I hope these gorgeous photos by Carrie Patterson help you to love this time of year (even more!). Her work is stunning, and these few wintry photos are only a little preview of her portfolio. She also has a very fun blog that's perfect if you're walking down the aisle soon!

Making an Entrance

Monaco

When I visited Italy and France over a year ago, I fell in love with the interesting doors (among other things) that marked the entrances of equally beautiful buildings. As our travels continued, I began photographing more and more of the doorways until I came to own a small photo collection of gorgeous entrances from these two amazing countries. Unsure what to do with them, they have sat quietly on my laptop...until today.

Venezia, Italy

One of my favourite bloggers is Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic, and she continually posts professional and innovative material about the interior design world from NYC (lucky girl). After her short trip to Paris a few months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that she had also taken interest in the beautiful craftsmanship of many a doorway and shared them on her blog. Great minds think alike?!

Aix-en-Provence, France

Here are a few of my favourites from that trip.

Vatican, Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

Venice, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Monaco

Cassis, France

Aix-en-Provence, France

Aix-en-Provence, France

Since I've started this small album already, I figure I'll keep adding to it throughout my future travels. It's a great point of reference for architecture, styles, colours and of course, memories.

All photos taken by Jenna @ the beautiful shelter.