Cover up.

We had snow this weekend. SNOW!!! I'm not a fan of snow. Something happened when I turned 12 & snow was no longer cool. Therefore, winter is my least favorite season. We woke up to rain this morning though, which I can usually handle much better, except for the fact that a window in our living room seems to be leaking. ick.

I purchased a new duvet a few days ago [from PACIFIC COAST] & so I've been on the hunt for a new duvet cover. After spending quite a bit on the duvet & on other recent purchases, I wanted to pull back the reigns a bit & be a little more thrifty with this purchase. Seeing as a duvet cover gets lots of wear, gets washed often, will probably fade & shrink, I wasn't willing to spend a fortune but I still wanted something that fits our personalities & had style. I finally settled on the Andrea Kakel design from IKEA:


It's an older style, I think it's discontinued on the American site, but it's fresh, has a bit of a bohemian flare & isn't too white...which was something I wanted to stay away from. White looks super fresh & fluffy in the bedroom, but for us it's not very practical. I like the hint of white with the gorgeous orange. A lot of people don't dig orange, but it's actually one of my favorite colors. Ikea linens are surprisingly durable & you can't beat the price. I got the cover & two cases for under $30 CDN. Paired with our various colored pillow shams I think it's going to look great!

Besides the newly purchased duvet & cover, I'm waiting on a pair of UGGS to be delivered! My feet won't be toasty warm in a pair of KOOS, but new UGGS will certainly do!

Cold November.

I am still in shock that it's November. Like a lot of people, I held onto my sandals & light cardigans for as long as I could. October hit & I slowly but cautiously made the transition to flats & trench coats. Now I'm being forced to wear sweaters & socks with my converse, of all things! Soon it will be full on scarves & boots :/ In honor of this brief time period before the mind-numbing cold sets in, here are three of my favorite chilly weather wear must-haves:



KOOS boots are the new UGGS. Designed by Lucas Long, these fashionable leather boots come in a huge variety of styles & shades. Unfortunately, they only seem to be available in Japan at this time. Maybe that's a good thing since my favorite style, The Veronique [in Beuk or Merlot], sells for around $250 USD.


I'm not a huge hat person. Well, I should say that my head is too huge to fit a hat properly. But I'd surely be a hat person if I could find one large enough to suit me. I do adore hats. I like the look & ability to cover a bad hair day & they're the perfect accessory for autumn when it always seems to get a bit more windy. The Lil Kim & the Eva, both from GOORIN BROS have a traditional feel with a bit more oomph. You can't beat a good quality hat when the price tag is under $40 USD!


Scarves can be a wonderful accessory. Maybe the warmth factor is an afterthought, but even if it's the main concern a scarf can be both toasty & tasteful. I myself can never have too many pairs of shoes, too many handbags or too many scarves. Half of my collection is comprised of neutral colors...either solids or muted patterns. While the other half is a bit more flashy, with punches of color. AUTO has some really gorgeous scarves. A bit on the pricey side, but perfect as a splurge item or to hint at for a Christmas gift. A good scarf can be a good investment if you choose a color or pattern that you really love & feel will withstand changing trends. An expensive item should always be wearable, durable, something that you'll use on a regular basis [or at least seasonally] & never trendy.

For my fellow Canucks: Until November 14th Sears has a special CLINIQUE offer...if you purchase $26.50 CAD worth of Clinique product you'll recieve a free Clinique samples set with autumn/winter themed items which includes...

♥ Aromatics Elixir
♥ Deep Comfort Body Butter
♥ 7 Day Scrub Rinse-Off Formula
♥ Long Last Lipstick in Sugared Maple
♥ Different Lipstick in Raspberry Glace
♥ High Impac Mascara in Black
♥ Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion
♥ Sparkly Skin Body Exfoliating Cream
♥ LOULOU Magazine Subscription Card
[Get 60% off a full year of LOULOU magazine]

The Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion is currently saving my face! Free sample items [& these are actually really decently sized] are definitely a boost in keeping the winter blues at bay.

Print Machine.

We're in the wonderful midst of redecorating our living room. The walls have been painted, a new chair & sofa have been purchased, & I'm now in the process of deciding just what to hang on the walls. When I was a teenager I covered every square inch of wall space with pictures of my favorite teen heartthrobs. I'd like to believe my tastes are at least slightly more refined now, but who knows. Taste is so subjective. Figuring out what to put on our walls has always been an issue. Does everything have to match or should it be contrasting? What size pieces should go on what wall? Groupings or singular pieces? I'm fine with resituating furniture or organizing our knick knacks, but when it comes to the walls I'm pretty clueless. But even lacking the skills to properly decorate my walls, I still love a good print or piece of wall art. Here are my recent purchases, sure to spruce up our living space, no matter how imperfectly hung:

This reproduction of a British WWII poster is already hanging on walls all across the world. But no matter how popular it's gotten, I've always been tempted to buy my own. So I finally did. How can those words ever go out of style?


She's already somewhat famous amongst Etsy patrons, but it's taken me far too long to purchase once of ASHLEYG's darling prints. This one's called Lil Bandits & I just love the pop of yellow.


Last but not least, I stumbled upon this gig poster for one of my favorite bands, METRIC, & I just HAD to have it.

Beddy Buy.

One of my favorite feelings is sliding into cold sheets in the middle of summer, or snuggling under the covers with a cup of hot chocolate during a heavy snowstorm. I'm in love with nice bedding, even if it's ridiculously out of my price range. That doesn't stop me from parousing the delicious styles splashed across my favorite online shops.

This gorgeous chinois green duvet cover from DWELL [$264 USD for queen], would look amazing in our bedroom. It's pattern seems modern, but still classic & fresh enough to last for years.


URBAN OUTFITTERS also have some beautiful duvets & bedspreads. The Sketchbook Floral duvet [$60 USD for queen] & the Swedish Rose bedspread [$19.99 USD] are equally stylish & won't break the bank.



I'm particularly picky if I fall in love with a light colored fabric, as signs of wear, tear & staining will be much more visible & I'll readily admit that I can be a drooler ;) If going the lighter route, I try to stick to something durable but more inexpensive. I doubt anyone wants to be taking their bedding to the cleaners every couple of months...& by choosing something less expensive it won't feel so costly when you undoubtedly feel like changing it up with new bedding in 6 months time.

Angst at arms length.

In 1994 I was 15 years old, everything was seemingly complicated & I loved the show "My so-called life". For one hour a week I felt understood [if understanding could be emanated from a television screen]. A few years ago a DVD set of the series was released, but a black cloud hung overhead...folks that pre-ordered weren't receving the bonus items promised to them, some weren't receiving their orders at all...& then there was the little fact that not only did the packaging design suck, but there was no bonus material & the quality was pretty poor. Finally, after 13 years, a proper DVD set of the series was released this past October. New, shiny, pretty packaging. Loads of bonus material. Finally, the DVD release with all the bells & whistles that my favorite show truly deserves. & all is well with the world.

Old but new again.

I already have a place for personal stuff on Live Journal & therefore my last forray into the blogosphere ended when I didn't make the effort to keep it going. But I thought it'd be fun to devote a blog to design, art, fashion & media. Basically all that frivolous stuff that shouldn't really matter, but totally does. Same blog name, different blog purpose.

Bare with me, as the look & feel is a work in progress :)