nora jane pillows

I stumbled across these super colourful nora jane pillows by accident on etsy yesterday - one of those random perusals that resulted in some fun finds. I like decorative pillows - not too many, but just enough to add some punch to a room without overwhelming a couch or a chair. These would definitely add some charisma to a needy space.

one man's trash is another man's...

I've been thinking a lot about simplifying things in my life - starting with my consumer tendencies. I've been doing okay at spending less on unneccessary things and, more importantly, asking myself just how neccessary something is before I pull out the plastic to purchase it.

In an effort to challenge myself to live more simply and to wipe my debt slate clean faster, I've swallowed the 'bye bye in-suite washer and drier and everything else that is amazing and beautiful and comfortable about my posh loft' pill and given my notice to my landlord friend. I have the summer to take advantage of the rooftop patio and then I'm back on the hunt for a cheapo apartment full of character.

As sad as it will be to say goodbye to the loft, I'm actually really excited about hunting down somewhere new to live and taking on the new decorating projects and challenges that will come with it. My goal is to find the cheapest place I can in a neato neighbourhood and make it look fabulous on a tight budget - yay! (Seriously - I need to figure out how to apartment hop and decorate for a living. Anyone feel like spotting me a loan to apartment flip?)

Anyways, there will of course be more updates on this as my move out/ move in date approaches. In the meantime, let me get to the point of this post which is to highlight a super cool couple who have created a great space by recycling what others have thrown in the trash. 'Look what I found in the trash' is on design*sponge's guest blog and features Dave and Abi - junk collectors extraordinaire. Super inspiring! Talk about super creative, budget friendly living! Read about it and view more images here.

leah giberson

Despite conveying the sense of lonliness, boredom and mind-numbing sameness that is often present on the outskirts of suburbian sprawl, I'm finding Leah Giberson's paintings earily appealing. I'm presuming their enticement is a result of just that - their ability to mirror the often peaceful yet static stillness of a sunday afternoon in an environment that seems to welcome only power lines, concrete and unfortunate architecture.

In the artist's own words, "She dreams of owning her own house someday, but for now she makes paintings of them and imagines what it's like to call these places, 'home. She suspects it's not always what it appears to be. By simlifying these everyday scenes, she allows the encroaching shadows and ackward scale or placement that already exist to tell a more poignant story".

lyell

I'm really liking the spring 2008 catalogue shots of Lyell clothing line right now. And I love the couch in that shot above - it's got a kind of thrift-store, reused glamour feel about it - one of those pieces that gets better with age and looks better after it's removed from the kind of environment I imagine it was meant for (I'm thinking snooty, dusty, rennaissance home decor). Love it here. Would love it even more in my living room.

bailey doesn't bark

Love these delicate birdie porcelain pieces from bailey doesn't bark. They remind me of my sister for some reason...and her birthday was last week...and i still owe her a prezzie...hmm...

small cool 2008

Suzi's 557 sf place in Columbus

Apartment Therapy is hosting their annual 'small cool' contest - coolest homes under 850 square feet and there are some wicked decorating ideas. Makes me want to move to a tiny space to try some of them out! Gah - I get so bored so easily - I need a job that lets me tackle decorating challenges on a daily basis. Here are some shots of same of my favorites from the contest so far...

Kristen's 525 sq in West Village, NYC

Stephanie's 645 sq spot in St. Louis

Cooper & Ali's 502 sq pad in Oakland

Thuy's 465 sq rooftop cottage in San Diego

Okay - there are WAY too many to look at, so this is my 'haven't-seen-even-close-to-everything-yet' list. Warning: could easily spend hours looking at all the small cool spaces. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - perfect.

lily + jae

http://www.lilyandjae.com/

At last - spring has finally arrived!

At last - my closet is finally going through detox!

Goodbye winter and good riddance.

vote for zoe!

Shameless plug for artist extraordinaire and dear friend Zoe Pawlak. Her artwork has made into the second round of Art Interview's international online artist competition! Vote for her art and help a great up-and-coming Canadian artist stay in the competition!

In the online blogging world, you can see Zoe's art featured on desire to inspire and design*sponge.

more traceyj

Guess who just ordered her second traceyj print?

What can I say? It's gorgeous and the thought of it on my wall just brightened up my thursday morning.

cows grazing in the rumpus room

I LOVE this article. Seriously. Wouldn't it be AMAZING if our city streets were filled (and I mean full filled) with community gardens and herb planters and front-yard hobby farms? Our air would be cleaner, our meals would be healthier (and cheaper), our cities would be beautiful and I'm pretty sure people would be happier. Okay, so maybe that last bit is just because I know I'd be happier if I were playing in a garden all day instead of sitting inside in front of a computer, but I'm pretty sure that happiness would spread. Urban garden utopia! Who's with me?

Read this inspiring and realistic (yes, seriously) article in the New York Times here.

the greening of wal-mart

Intriguing. I read this article today and now I want to know more. Adam Werbach's got the right idea if you ask me.

pre-summer grilling

If you're like me and still stuck in waist-high snow drifts, you're probably craving summer and all things summerish - bbqs, flip flops, beaches, HEAT... My mind has been stuck in this day-dreamy state for at least a month already, so when I came across this little number, I immediately began day-dreaming up a winter indoor 'party like it's summertime' shindig that would be so complimentary to this cute little grill. And the best part: when the snow finally does disappear, the grill doesn't have to - it can be carried to the beach to use for a much-deserved 'party because it finally IS summer!' party :)

you are beautiful

"You Are Beautiful is a simple, powerful statement which is incorporated into the over absorption of mass media and lifestyles that are wrapped in consumer culture.

The intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. We're just attempting to make the world a little better.

Intention is the most important aspect of the You Are Beautiful project in its idea of purity. Nothing is sacred. Everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. We work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more."

www.you-are-beautiful.com

(photo by *Zara)

arte luise kunsthotel

The New York Times was referring to the Arte Luise Kunsthotel when it wrote, "Berlin is worth a visit for this art hotel experience alone". While I can think of many reasons for visiting Berlin, this certainly looks like a good one to add to the list. Each room is designed and decorated by an accomplished artist, resulting in a smorgasbord of bedroom experiences - from gorgeous to downright scary. Check them all out here.

clock girl kelly

Wow! These handcrafted clocks by kelly are too gorgeous to limit myself to one image. To quote her own bio, "For many designers, form follows function is a cardinal rule-never to be broken. While Kelly believes this a basic principle of dimensional design, she also sees functionality as the bridge to an expression of art, feeling, style and passion. It is from this perspective that Kelly's design interest moved from a whimsical illustration style to the exploration of dimensional design and creation of time pieces–an integral part of our daily lives". Nice. But seriously, whatever her creative motives, these clocks are probably some of the most enticing and darling time-pieces I've ever seen...

garnish home

Garnish (home) makes great jewelry recycled from off cuts of the furniture industry. Pretty! Garnish (home) was started by a Vancouver-based graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design whose jewelry can be found on etsy and whose furniture line can be found at www.garnishhome.com.

jenny hurth

Thanks to Dawn Marie for suggesting another recycled bagger: Jenny Hurth is a San Francisco-based, garbage-turned-goodies creative force who, like the Commercial Drive Business Society, has seen the eco-sense of recycling vinyl banners from trade shows and municipal advertising into reusable bags and more (like the notebook pictured above). To quote their website, 'It is our goal to make beautiful and practical items out of what has been discarded'.

from flags to bags

Coolio! And yet ANOTHER reason why I love Vancouver so much... the Commercial Drive district of Vancouver, BC beckons Vancouverites and out-of-towners to it's cool strip of fashion boutiques and yummy eateries by flying eye-catching flags and banners along the drive every year. Realizing the imcredible amount of waste this causes when it comes time to toss the old flags and bring in new ones, the Commercial Drive Business Society has decided to turn the used flags into reusable shopping bags - the sales of which go towards the creation of new green spaces in the area. Awesome! Love it! Love Vancouver! Go baby go! You rock! (Wow - that's a lot of enthusiasm for 7:45am - maybe it has something to do with the ice storm taking place outside my Ottawa windows right now). Yes Vancouver, I miss you. Find out more about the initiative and the ecological damage it's avoiding by the 'flags to bags' project here.

tamar mogendorff

In keeping with this week's unofficial DIY nature creations, I couldn't resist Tamar Mogendorff's lovely interpretations of wildlife for the indoors. Her dolls include everything from mushrooms to penguins, but my personal favorites are the birds (even their cages are adorable!)...found via unruly things.

more pebbles

Theme week? Man-made pebbles seem to be popping up everywhere lately. More than a little smaller than yesterday's pebbles, Reyaveltman's natural wool and silk pebbles are beautiful enough to stand alone as decorative pieces and heavy enough to act as naturally-inspired paperweights. And like yesterday, I still like real pebbles, but these are a pretty crafty and neato re-interpretation.