lolly pop shoes: bloch

Super cute shoes for the summer by Sydney, Australia based company, Bloch.  They come in all the cool lolly pop flavours and are two toned and candy coloured.  Love them.  They also look very comfy for the office or a night out.

via bloch shoes

kitchens

I am kitchen hunting.  Hunting for layouts, hunting for styles, hunting for colours, hunting for materials.  The kitchen, in my mind is the most important room in a house because of its importance when it comes to food, socializing, entertaining.  Here is a collection of photos that I am totally digging right now. 

Commune Design Via Plastolux

via bolig magazine

via Bolig

via nirmada

via designeriskane

via boligmagasinet

clutch

I love these wild looking vintage clutches I found on etsy.com by mother and daughter team behind the brand, Angee W.  These women are super talented and I belive are operating out of Toronto and Hong Kong.  Their online store is run on etsy which is why I have included the link.  You can also get to the link via the Angee W. website.

marimekko

I found the mecca of Marimekko in Toronto.  There is a little shop on Queen West called Paloranta Art and Furnishing and affable owner, Teemu Paloranta ,who is from Finland, carries a wide variety of my favourite Finnish brand. 

I was astounded to see so many SKUs of Marimekko.  Typically you may see a platter here or a bowl and some wallpaper there but not the whole kit and kaboodle!  Chez Paloranta, you could easily accessorize a kitchen and yourself.  Teemu is also and artist and paints.  He sells his work in the store and will customize a piece for you.  

A bit about Marimekko if you are not familiar: It was established in 1951, and soon became the leading Finnish textile and clothes design company, which is easily recognized by its bold floral prints. 

If you are looking for some hostess gifts for spring (Marimekko and flowers are synonymous = spring) or bridal shower gifts, go check out Paloranta.  I personally like the large platter as a gift idea,  either way, Teemu will help you choose, he is a wealth of knowledge.

via sweet potatoes inc

via homeworkshop

via superfuture

holiday serving trays via always mod

serving tray via casasugar

garter belts

One of my close girlfriends got engaged yesterday.  I have known her for 10 years and I am so happy for her.  Her and I even have a marriage pool together with two other girls that we made when we were 18 back in university!  So far, her pick is most accurate (scary how much foresight an 18 year old can have). 

Her engagement prompted me to browse etsy.com today to look for cute wedding related accessories when a company that makes garter belts caught my eye.  Does anyone wear these things at weddings or uphold the garter belt toss?  I think it would be slightly on the embarrassing side to partake in a gb toss and not something that would be missed should it be omitted from a celebration.

Nevertheless, if you are into garter belts and are thinking of incorporating the toss into your affair, then here is a sweet little design that I originally thought was a hair band (and secretly wish it still was) from Rosebud Lips on Etsy.com.   Thankfully the company also makes headbands (among other items) showcasing their beautiful flowers made of ribbon and lace.

joya candles

I went on a five hour walk today with my boyfriend to do some window shopping, take photographs and take in fresh air and sun.  It is the first nice day in Toronto in a long time.  Mother nature must have known that today was a civic holiday and that people would want good weather on their day off.  The streets were teaming with dogs, families, little bike riders, big bike riders, and friends all shopping, browsing and socializing on Good Friday.

A couple good finds today while we poked our head in and out of the stores on Queen Street West between Dovercourt and Bathurst.

One in particular is a candle brand I discovered called Joya candles.  Joya is a New York based candle and fragrance company, or “creative collective” as the company website totes named after the Spanish word for jewel.  Their candles are hand crafted and environmentally friendly and caught my attention for the candle holder’s design and amazing smelling jasmine flavoured candle.  They produce a line of candles and fragrances under their own brand as well as for other retailers.   The candle that I saw was part of their special collection that was released in 2007 called the Joya + Sarah Cihat limited edition candle.   Sarah Cihat is a Brooklyn based ceramic artist best known for her line of rehabilitated dishware and she co-designs the Perfume in Porcelain line for Joya.   The holder comes in six styles (three white/three black) with motifs like octopuses, skulls, peacocks and a moth.     These candles would make a great hostess gift. 

via delight

via sarah cihat