moroccan rugs

i love the ben ourian rugs.  i see them pop up in lots of interiors.  they are so pretty and like that they are not usually perfectly geometric, giving them a great organic vibe.  they cost an arm and a leg but there are reproductions available out there which can be affordable.  they are amazing works of art and i think complement any decor.

they sure are gorgeous...

rug from here

image from here

image from here

image from here

image from here

image from here

i regret not picking one up when i was in marrakesh.  but i did pick up this rug (which is actually a blanket) when i was in tunisia.  i still haven't found the perfect spot for it.  but i do love it - most things can be made better with a bit of sequins.  and it seems perfect in this setting with the feathers (instead of flowers) and soft pink walls.

 

image from design sponge book

acquired

since my mindful consumption post last week i thought i would share some of the things i acquired prior to writing it.  thoughtful, worthwhile purchases?  i think some are.  

i am kind of obsessed with mugs of all kinds and had to buy these i love you mugs.  they are available here but i contacted the artist directly to to ask if she could make a dutch and italian version.  thank you ginny, they are awesome and my new favourite mug!

i just love all the new products inspired by the iconic striped blanket.  i picked up a gift for stefan, who loves candles, and a tote for me.  i use it daily and it gets a ridiculous amount of compliments.  i will need to buy their mittens for next season, too cute.

i have picked up a few things from aritzia last year and my favourite is this blazer.  i have worn it tons since purchasing it a few months ago.  it's perfect and am thinking about getting it in other colours for springtime!

i recently noticed that a handful of my blouses purchased over the last year all come from vero moda.  i love their prints.  i wear them under the above mentioned blazer, alot!

on the way home from whistler last december, i picked up a couple of home accessories, both definitely impulse purchases.  a cute love is all you need pillow for the bedroom was meant for kai's room but he doesn't want it (i wonder why?). and, a pretty hourglass, or more specifically a 20 minute timer.   i was thinking it would be perfect to time after school homework/reading (i have used it once for such a purpose).  i love the tassel on it, a perfect little detail.  

remember this necklace (i posted about it here).  as soon as the cute little package arrived i started wearing it immediately, and do so most days.  love it. 

another home accessory, this time from ikea.  a green vase providing much needed colour in the entrance way. not a long term purchase and probably will be replaced in the near future.

don't know where image is from, anyone?

free people is one of my favourite brands to shop at the bay.  this sweater is light-weight and loose, perfect with skinny jeans and boots.  it receives tons of compliments too. 

and finally, we did purchase the cat bed (posted here).  the cats love it and are sharing nicely.

weekend pics

it was a quiet weekend.  puttering about the house, saying good-bye to our australian family, attending a spin class (finally!), and watching the oscars.

the day arrived when we said our good-byes to erin, paul, and lucy.  after kai's soccer game saturday morning we stayed home so lucy and kai (and stefan!) could have one last play.  we also, along with some other lovely neighbours, drove our australian family to the airport.  tears were shed, last photos taken, and hugs given.  we miss them already!  we can't wait to start planning our australian get-away...

chasing and tickles provided by stefan

australian themed playmobile for kai from erin, paul, and lucy - super sweet, yes?

after months and months away from the gym, i attended a spinning class (instead of my weekly snowshoe grind).  i was reminded just how intense of a workout it is.  snowshoeing the grouse grind is an intense workout too but i also get to stop and catch my breath, slow my pace to ponder a picture i want to take, bum ride down the mountain.  in a spinning class, there is no coasting and i get a good workout quickly - in and out in an hour.  our instructor, anne-marie, instructs us to pedal while blasting her playlist tunes.  we sprint, we go uphill, we sprint some more.  my legs burn, my heart beats fast, i sweat, i continue to concentrate on pushing down and pulling up the pedals.  after class i feel good and can't wait to go back.

image from here

jude had an exciting weekend too.  we let him experience the outdoors - safely on a leash!  he was hesitant but still curious enough to want to explore the new smells and sights.  i would love for him to get used to the leash (loki and mikey never did) and take him for walks. 

other weekend scenes at home:

french toast, yum!

a chat with aunt mary always brings a smile

            

         reading time                                                                                                                                            craft time

and the oscar goes to... i loved jean dujardin's energy during his acceptance speech. and isn't meryl, well, just awesome?

images of meryl and jean from here

ryan and eames

ryan gosling and home decor.  two very pleasing subjects, in my humble opinion.  check out more photos by the clever folks at the apartment therapy blog.

have a lovely weekend!

mindful consumption

do you ever buy something that you are on the fence about, and then it sits in your closet unworn for a long, long time?  i have done that more times than i care to remember. this usually happens for me when i buy mindlessly.  you know, on a whim, because i feel i deserve it, to update something that still looks fine, because buying is self-soothing. i don’t want to regret any of my purchases anymore. i guess the lesson for me is that if i am not completely in love with something, don’t buy it. 

there is much“muchness” out there and I try to be thoughtful – mostly I succeed but not always. every so often i go on a spending hiatus to help with my shopping habits. my goal this time is to buy a few things i love each year. and those things must last me a very long time – decades even. i want to be fully aware of the choices that i make. the result? less clutter, more joy, and more money in my wallet!

i love it when i purchase something, like these lovely boots, that i wore immediately after i purchased them and have many, many times since.  this tells me that i truly love them and well worth the price tag. no guilt.  i feel like i will have these boots forever - they are well made, they bring me joy, and i don't have to settle on another pair of black boots again.   no matter the cost of something, i think mindful consumption is the key and keeps us me from impulse purchases. 

i love this quote about how a french woman shops.  so true. “if she can’t afford it, she won’t buy it. if it doesn’t fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she’s got), she won’t wear it. if she can’t find it, she won’t compromise. if she loves it, she won’t toss it. she reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age.  when a french girl shops, it isn’t a solitary act of buying something new. it’s part of a lifelong process of editing her environment, making small but meaningful additions to her home, her closet, her life. when you shop like a french girl, you buy only one of anything – and make sure it’s the best quality you can afford.”

colour

these images immediately sweep me up. a lovely visual burst of color i'm craving in the dead of february.

image from here

image from here

image from here

image from here

sorry, don't know the source

17 years ago

stefan and i celebrate the day we met date.  we do so every year.  it was our 17th year together on february 18 (we are celebrating tonight here). 

we met in a hotel room only two weeks after stefan moved to canada (toronto) from holland.  a girlfriend and i planned on seeing a movie that evening but then she changed plans on me. a boy she liked (who worked with stefan) asked her to attend a party with him and she would only go if i went along.  i didn't want to get in the way of potential love, so i went. 

i met stefan at the after party in the hotel room.  he was the one that opened the door for us.  i remember the first thing i saw of him were his socks.  he was wearing sports socks which i thought were the most hideous socks ever (thankfully he no longer wears them).  the room was crowded and the only place to sit was next to him on a little bench.  the two of us remained there the rest of the night chatting, about what i don't recall (blame it on the vodka he was continually pouring for me).  when my girlfriend wanted to leave i didn't want to go, at least not until the dutch guy asked me for my number.  i was confident he would and he did.  only then was i ready to leave.

despite my initial judgment of his choice of socks, i was smitten.  he had an accent.  he had long hair.  he was cute.  did i mention, i was smitten?  i was.  thankfully, he called me a few (very long) days later.  

love you.  happy anniversary!

weekend pics (aching hearts and aching legs)

we hosted a party this weekend, it was a wonderful time with our neighbours but it was a little melancholy as we were saying good-bye to one of our most loveliest families on the block.  erin, paul, and lucy are returning back to their home in australia. 

they moved into the neighbourhood only a few years ago and i adored them immediately.  erin is this exuberant and loving woman - you can't help but be in a good mood when in her company.  she probably doesn't know it but she could make me smile on days that i didn't feel much like smiling.  kai describes paul as 'cool', i think because he loves lego as much as kai and would happily care for kai on more than one occasion! lucy is full of energy, fun, and super sweet.  although older than kai by a few years, and the other gender, they are such good friends.  if kai was home and lucy was home, they were inseparable.  sadly, it's going to be way too quiet at our house.   it seems unreal that they will be gone in just one week; my heart aches at the thought.

i also can't help but worry about kai - he has already had one loss with mikey in november and now he is going to lose lucy.  my heart aches for him too even though i have done my best to prepare him.  i love this quote (sorry, i don't know the author) and have shared it with him, 

"don’t be dismayed at good-byes. a farewell is necessary before we can meet again and meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends." 

erin, paul, and lucy, i know we'll be saying hello again. xoxo

 

other happenings this weekend included kai and i making a spy book, well the beginnings of one anyway.  once complete, i will post a 'how to'.  it's very cool.  stefan and kai had a boy's afternoon out here. they had fun with experiments, making dna, and looking through microscopes.

and guess what i was up to on a sunday afternoon? yup, on grouse mountain again. it was just like last week except with more snowfall and fog.  the powdery snow made for a more difficult climb!  please forgive me as i bore you with more photos of trees and snow - but just one or three, ok?

 

and one of kai :)