new year's comfy style: no hype, all pyjamas

Ever noticed how if you're coupled up and you say you're staying in on New Year's everyone is all "oh how nice!", but if you're single and you say it you get pitty face? Like, super duper pitty face? "Oh poor dear" those eyes are saying, "I hope she doesn't choke to death on bonbons and tears."  

Well, this girl has always stayed in before (it's all just too much hype/disappointment), and she's not about to change it up now for lack of a couch buddy. Cuz you know what's better than stilettos in the snow? Not stilettos in the snow.  

So here, in short, is exactly what you'll find me doing tonight. I promise you, if I choke on anything, it will be macarons and coziness. Exactly how I plan to go anyway.

Happy New Year beautifuls! Whatever you may be doing - be it at home in a sweater or out in skin tight sequins - I hope you love every minute of it. xoxoxo

{sweater // mini champagne // jama bottoms // macarons // slippers // throw}

brass obsessed: a hardware round-up of the prettiest kind

As promised, a little selection of some of the best brass hardware options going, in some of the most popular styles around - to bling your kitchen to the nines or just set your heart a-flutter:

Want to see how each style translates into real-life chic spaces? Check out Wednesday's post for a roundup of serious lookers that use each one! Honestly, I don't know how a person could possibly choose. I break out into a cold sweat just thinking about it . . . Do you have a fave or would you be just as torn?

(P.S. New here? So glad you stopped by! Be sure to click that Follow button for more inspiration, retail roundups and OCD inspired d.i.y!)

{Recessed: 1 // 2 // 3 | T-Bar: 1 // 2 | Knobs: 1 // 2 // 3 | Bin: 1 // 2 | Footed & Trad: 1 // 2 | Flat fronted: 1 // 2}

guest posting: wishing away

Today you'll find me over on Let it be Beautiful - Ashlyn's amazing diary of all things pretty - sharing my wishes for the days leading up to the big ho ho ho. Some are frivolous (pretty parties blinged out to the nines), some not so much (time to take pics of loved ones), but all are exactly what I'm craving to make this holiday season extra special. Hope you'll pop over to see what made the list! xoxoxo

because sometimes the snowbanks get higher than my head . . .

Hey there lovelies! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. We got 15cm of snow last night - straight outta the blue - and freezing rain this morning to top it all off. I would actually be overjoyed about this (the first snows just mean Christmas is coming to me!) but when I stepped out of the house my feet were soaking wet within seconds. Apparently the soles of the winter boots I dropped almost 300$ on last winter have cracked over the summer, and the things are now borderline useless.

No. Fun.

So the only thing I have on my mind today is boots that can stand up to anything. Not all-leather boots topped with cute buckles that say they're waterproof - no, I made that mistake last year. Right now all I'm craving is straight-up, Michelin Man, I-live-in-f-ing-Canada heavyweights.

Truth be told, I want these to come back in stock so badly it kills me:

But since I doubt that's going to be happening anytime soon, I'll settle for one of these ladies:

1. North Face Anna Purna 2. Sperry Albatross in black  3. Khombu Snowpuff (doubtful of quality) 4. Sperry Shearwater

Sperry seems to have the lockdown on utilitarian winter boots that are still cute. Anyone know if looks are deceiving or if these ladies can actually tough out a serious winter? Cuz really, at this point the quality matters more than the look. As long as I don't have to wring the water out of my socks or blow on my toes until they stop being purple, I figure I'm coming out on top.

Stay warm pretty ladies!

cheapie turkish rugs (without the trip)

In yesterday's guest post on A Newfound Treasure I listed Turkey as my next dream trip destination, in no small part because of my rug love. No obsession. No borderline addiction. Every time my poor mama travels to the states to visit my aunt she asks that the rug I order (to get around Canadian shipping restrictions) not be too big. At this point she just assumes. I have a problem, y'all. 

As much as I would love that trip to happen soon, finances mean it'll have to wait. In the interim, I've found a way to still get my Turkish kilim fix on the cheap: ebay. There may be a lot of duds to sort through, but there are also plenty of gems in every style imaginable, and they're usually much, much easier on the wallet than other sources I've found! Here are just a couple of the pretties available right now:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

All under $700, and most way less than that. Like those four minis at the end. Starting bid? $99. The one right before it? $9.99. That's crazy pants.

Want the Turkish vibe but on a smaller scale? They have that too folks:

1 // 2 // 3

The most consistent dealer I've found is definitely Turkish Kilim, the seller of the first three above and of my own kitchen kilim. I gotta' say, if there was ever a purchase I didn't regret that would be it. I love the pop it brings to the space - so happy!

Go and take a gander - here's hoping you'll find some colourful kilim love without the sticker shock or jet lag ;)

kubus roundup for the commitment-phobe

Last week I posted a style three way about cubic illusions , like Pierre Frey's immensely popular and oh-so-luscious Kubus fabric, and y'all seemed to agree that the pattern can't be beat! So today I thought I'd bring you a little round-up of cubic illusion pretties that don't involve wallpaper paste or tile grout. Want the look but don't want to be smacked upside the head with it? Well then here you are my lovelies:

Clockwise from top left: Astier de Villatte notebooks & candles | Jonathan Adler throw | Infinite Cubes necklace | Mjolk Kubus candleholder | Deux Vie pillow 

Is that pillow not ridiculously good?! And Astier de Villatte candles are pretty much my definition of the perfect self-indulgence - there are no candles on this earth that smell better! Oh, decisions decisions . . .

fabric find 2 for 1: more robshaw and a little david hicks

Remember when I found John Robshaw's Danda for only 23$ a yard? Well I guess time was all that was needed for more of his Duralee collection to find it's way to the masses, because today I stumbled upon not one, not two, but 21 of his gorgeous offerings on housefabric.com. Better yet, every single option is under 25$. Booya.

I would very much like one of these puppies to make its way home to me:

Or maybe all three. Cuz I'm fancy like that.

Honestly though, I'm wondering if these might be good options for my living room dilemma? Thinking one of the first two could be in the running for covering my dining nook pendant light too (instead of the palm print), but worried that they could come off as too childish. Thoughts?

And just because I'm feelin' extra sweet today, I thought I'd throw another Fabric Find into the mix for you luvlies! Not sure I should do this, cuz it might mean less pretty for me, but here goes: ever heard of the Decorator's Backroom on Etsy? It's a great place to check for deals on top designer fabrics.

Like, um, this hotness:

Yep. That's David Hicks' La Fiorentina. And she's hawking three colourways folks.

The prices don't seem that great at first glance, but if you look closer they're actually for 2 yards instead of 1! Plus she often has extra yardage available. That beauty above is 80$ for two yards, and she's got 25 yards of it in stock. That's enough to cover a whole damn sofa if you're so inclined.

And let's be honest, who in their right mind would not be so inclined? All the cool kids are doing it . . .

{fiorentina pics: 1/2/3/4/5}

tile files: bringing back encaustic

While I love a good subway tile as much as the next girl (it's classic, inexpensive, and will NEVER go out of style), I'm downright obsessed with spaces that use something a bit more bold. From striking patterns to unexpected colours, there are few things that say "I am mother-effing confident in my sense of style and no one's the boss of me" like a great statement tile!

Lucky for me the design world has been using it more and more lately, and old-school techniques and materials have been making their way back onto the scene. One of the tile types seeing a modern day revival is encaustic. Commonly referred to simply as cement tile, encaustic tiles have been used for hundreds of years the world over (in countries like Morocco, France, and Spain), but stopped being popular here about a hundred years ago. Now that people are getting more daring with their tile choices, new companies are popping up and new patterns are being produced. From walls to floors, the results are stunning:

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Confused about what these actually are? A recent House and Home blog post describes encaustic tiles as "cement or clay tiles where the pattern on the surface is created with different colours of clay. The pattern is inlaid or moulded into the body of the tile millimetres thick so that the design remains as the tile is worn down." 

That means that if encaustic tiles chip or scuff, the pattern won't disappear, and they'll look lovingly worn rather than ruined. The process is also much greener than that of a lot of other tile options!

Need a visual? This video from Popham Design shows just how much work goes into each and every tile, and is really fascinating:

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If you're interested enough in these beauties that you'd like to add them to your home, I've put together a little roundup of sources that offer some fantastic options. Virtually every pattern featured above is made by one of these manufacturers!

Mosaic House

Granada Tile

Villa Lagoon

Tierra Y Fuego

Mosaic USA

Popham Design

P.S. If you like this post, be sure to follow me for more!

homemint. wtf.

When I first heard that Justin Timberlake was launching a home goods site, I scoffed a good scoff. I like a little JT as much as the next girl/gay (ok, maybe a little more), but that doesn't mean I wanted him hawking me table lamps. Unless he was literally selling a dick in a box, I wasn't buying.

Yesterday, though, the Remodelista published photos of the apartment of his business partner (and designer), Estee Stanley. And the woman has chops. Her home is well-curated, time-worn, globally-inspired and all around awesome. So not what I was expecting . . .

So I caved and checked out HomeMint, and I'll take my crow medium rare please. 

While there are a couple of kitschy/cliche items, for the most part the aesthetic matches that of Stanley's home, and everything is really reasonably priced! The pillows are especially cute, and super mix-and-matchable. 

Here are just a few of my faves:

You should definitely check it out.

I will warn you in advance, though, that there appears to have been an unfortunate oversight in the "dick in box" department. Don't worry, I'm already writing a helpful letter to let them know.

You're welcome.

{photos via Remodilista, products via HomeMint}