Category: Decor

Do you remember your first place at University or College?

Decor

Do you remember your first place at University or College?

September brings back memories of Back to School, now that I no longer go to school! Do you remember your freshman year in University? I can vividly remember it. I distinctly remember it being the longest summer of my life. It couldn’t end quickly enough for me. It would be the first time I would be away from home and on my own. Away with no parents to tell me what to do, when to do things or what time I needed to come home.

I was going to have my own apartment. Well, not my own because I would be sharing it with 5 other girls. Three of us were high school friends and the other two were friends of friends. We were going to live the off-campus life.

Student Decor

The place came furnished with living room furniture and dining room furniture. We didn’t think to ask how old those couches were – we just didn’t care. The chipped coffee table didn’t seem to bother us either. Don’t get me started on the curtains which totally clashed with the couches. We didn’t care – we were in university.

We did have a dining table with 6 chairs. It could have been the one my grandmother had in her basement. It was that old. It actually was a matching set, but not a very nice looking one. Once again, we didn’t care. It was great to have a place we could “dine” even though we mostly ate our meals on the ugly couches in the living room.

Back then, no one seemed to care much about “decor”. Student apartments were exactly that. We would take anything from anyone who would offer it to us. My aunt gave us her old coat stand. One of my friends brought the television. Lamps were provided by one of the new girls. The other roommates brought extra chairs so that we would have seating for “guests”. Nothing matched of course. Once again, it didn’t bother us.

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The Kitchen

I don’t think we had any small, fancy appliances. I think our work was as gourmet as we had back then. That was a gift from my mother. My hair dresser provided us with most of our dishes, cookware and kitchen utensils. We did have a coffee maker. But that was all about it.

No More Second Hand Junk for my cousin

Now it seems that everything has changed. As my cousin heads off to university, she is getting almost everything new – AND MATCHING!  She cannot believe that we would live with mismatched furniture and old used furniture. Have times changed?

Some great options from Canadian Tire include this gorgeous CANVAS Oslo Console Desk. The contemporary design features durable construction with solid wood legs and two large white storage drawers.

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This Sauder white desk has a great compact design that includes a slide-out keyboard tray neatly contained behind Flip-down molding and an easy glide drawer. Featuring wood construction with a soft white finish.

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This Sauder Salted Oak Desk will be the apple of your eye with its rustic elegance and contemporary flair. With a warm yet sophisticated salt oak finish, two smooth running drawers for storage, and ample surface space. I love the matching book case as well!

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So did you have a well decorated dorm or apartment when you were away at University? Tell us, we would love to know!

 

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Get Ready for Back to School with Canadian Tire

Be Inspired and Celebrate Summer with the #CTWOWGuide

Decor Lifestyle Shopping Twitter Party

Be Inspired and Celebrate Summer with the #CTWOWGuide

I love catalogues! Are you a catalogue addict like me? As a little girl, I loved when a new one would come into the house. They would always inspire me, and I would dream big while my mom shopped till she could drop. This year I was so excited when Canadian Tire brought back its catalogue. Now this a catalogue that keeps up with technology and gives me tips and tricks and so much inspiration!

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First of all, I love that the catalogue is back. I missed it.  I have been loving having the catalogue at home and flipping through the pages gaining inspiration and ideas page by page. I also love the fact that I can take it with me anywhere. Yes, I have even had a bath with my catalogue. It was great to relax and plan my new backyard patio!

 

Back in April Canadian Tire sent out a 200 page catalogue for the first time in 10 years. As I said, I have been loving having mine with me here at home. Did the Wow Guide arrive in your mailbox? It had over 1000 products that are perfect for spring and summer! These pages are different, though. It is not your typical catalogue! You can engage with your catalogue to learn more and do more!

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Canadian Tire brought the catalogue into this century age giving us so many exciting ways to engage with the catalogue!  I love my ability to ” hover and discover”. Did you know you can hover your phone over the catalogue and get digital content? Genius right!?  It matches up the image you are hovering over with all the content you need right at that moment. There are so many things for you to find when you hover! I love that all I have to do is hover, and I get so much amazing content. The app lets you find everything you may want to know! If you have not hovered with the Canadian Tire app, you are missing out! From videos that allow you to see a product in action, to inspiration pages to grilling tips and tricks Canadian Tire has thought about everything! They have brought the wow factor!

So you want to be wowed! Here is what will WOW you:

  • You will find even more products, Yes there are 1200 in the catalogue, but there are even more online. Make sure you check them all out!
  • You get amazing how-tos! There is so much you can learn about the products and even see them in action.
  • You can not only find out how much the product is but if it is in stock at your store and even which aisle it is in making shopping an easy trip.
  • You can check out the latest in designer trends.
  • Browse the galleries of photos and get inspired. This is one of my favourite things to do.

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The WOW Guide is an amazing way for Canadians to see the best of what a physical store has to offer, and with the amazing new technology, also gives us lots of great add-ons! We can now shop in a whole new way. This “phyigtal” world is new and exciting as it allows us easy access to our local Canadian Tire store straight from the comfort of home.

I love shopping from home!

 

With over 1000 items in the Wow Guide, we can easily find fantastic new products and classic favourites to help us prepare for summer.  Whether it’s the stylish new wick furniture for the patio, lanterns to light up the night to a new grill to a booce game they have it all. This summer my backyard will be the place to hang out!

What is on your list for summer?

You know where to go if you need some inspiration. Grab your WOW Guide.

Join us on Thursday, June 22nd for to celebrate Summer with Canadian Tire and the summer inspiration that comes from the Wow Guide!

#CTWOWGUIDE

 

IKEA is partnering with the hottest fashion designers for new 2016 collections

Decor Lifestyle

IKEA is partnering with the hottest fashion designers for new 2016 collections

How much do you love IKEA? I first fell in love with IKEA when I was decorating my very first apartment. I loved the student-friendly prices! But the design? It didn’t look like student-priced pieces!

That’s why I got so excited when I found out about IKEA’s new collaboration with three European designers. I love going to IKEA – they always have the perfect additions to my home from picture frames to throw pillows.

This year, IKEA is collaborating with some groundbreaking  designers from across the globe. Menswear designer Katie Eary, fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck, and textiles designer Martin Bergstrom.  This is the first time the retailer giant has merged high-fashion with IKEA’s minimalist interior design.

Lucy Frechette, PR Manager for IKEA Canada says  “The Limited Edition Collections allow us to explore the unknown, try new things with fashion experts bringing excitement to homes across Canada”.

Giltig is Katie Eary’s collection. The London streetwear designers is bringing soft furnishings and dinnerware with fish, cat, and eyeball prints. I think Katie Eary is my favorite – I love the watercolored fish plates. They would be such a wonderful addition to a summer tabletop.

Glodande is a collab with Walter Van Beirendonck plays with fabrics and ceramics. It’s adorable illustrations imprinted on ceramics and throws. High-voltage colours and robot design are some of my favorite – it’s so whimsical.

 

Svartan is the collab with Martin Bergstrom, merges modern Indan and Swedish design. I love the monochrome nature of the collection – it’s very arthouse. I’m definitely going to pick up the paint-drip and marbled pillows. How adorable are the hand-crafted ceramic bowls?

 

“We can learn a lot from how fashion designers work with colours, prints, patterns and shapes. They constantly have to re-invent themselves and what they do – and are used to working in the forefront of pattern and colour development,” says Henrik Most, Creative Leader, IKEA of Sweden.

GILTIG will be on sale in all IKEA stores across Canada in April, with GLÖDANDE following in June and SVÄRTAN in September.

I’m Obsessed with the new #WOWGuide Catalog from Canadian Tire!

Decor

I’m Obsessed with the new #WOWGuide Catalog from Canadian Tire!

I LOVE catalog shopping. What’s easier than shopping from the comfort of your own couch?

Canadian Tire teamed up with some tech wizards to bring you the newest in catalog technology. Now, shopping from home is easy! All you need to do is download the Canadian Tire app, scan an item you have your eye on in the catalog, and a video telling you about all the great features that product has will pop up on your screen!

Now, I don’t even need to wait for the catalog to show up to my house. I just sit back, relax, and let my phone do the work!

Here are some of my favorite pieces from my local catalog

 

I am FREAKING out over this Louisiana Grill. Cooking up some burgers on this in my backyard all summer? Yes please!

This is probably a bit of a pipe dream, but growing up I always had a pool to dip in during the summer months! Now I’m a city slicker, I don’t have room in my backyard for a pool and putting in a real hot tub is just too pricey. How great is this blow-up option?

I LOVE a good city bike! Cruising around in style on a sunny day? Yes please! This CCM Lucerne bike is the thing of my dreams! Biking around the city is so much better than spending money on gas or the TTC.

I love these Adjustable bar stools – sleek and modern in design so they’ll match my monochrome interior!

What do you have your eye on in the new catalog? Let me know by tweeting at me here or commenting in the comments below!

Indigo #LiveinColor – Tabletop Decorating

Decor

Indigo #LiveinColor – Tabletop Decorating

Indigo

Hosting a party can be a joy! From testing out yummy new recipes to creating original cocktails to decorating, food-centric parties are a great way to bring all your friends together in one room. Indigo recently launched their Spring Live in Color line, and it’s full of wonderful ways to decorate your tabletop.

Pastel colored bowls, runners with dreamy sayings, and brushed utensils. Contemporary wooden cutting boards and hand-dyed tableclothes and aprons will make sure you entertain in style.

View the full collection here

 

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Indigo’s #LiveInColor Spring Collection – Home Office Decor

Decor

Indigo’s #LiveInColor Spring Collection – Home Office Decor

Indigo

For all you folks who work at home, you understand how important it is to have a work space that inspires productivity. Apart from stationary and the usual collection of books, Indigo’s new Spring arrivals also included stunning office decor!

From clean, minimal chairs to adorable desk toppers, Indigo has a wide selection of items that will spruce up your work space. There are even several different whiteboards and notepads to help you stay organized! And how adorable are those hand-painted globes? They may not be the most useful, but they would make the perfect addition to my desk!

One of my favorite pieces at all is the “Queen West” desk. I love the sleek wood finish mixed with the ultra-modern metal detailing.

View the full collection here

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Indigo’s New #LiveinColor Collection – Home Decor

Decor

Indigo’s New #LiveinColor Collection – Home Decor

Indigo

I’ve already mentioned how excited I am about Indigo’s new Live in Color collection, but I’m back to show you some more incredible items! Today I’m going to be talking about all the great home decor items they have to offer! They really though of everything with this collection – from beautifully printed laundry hampers to adorable ring trays with dreamy sayings. I love the vases that look like an aluminum can – how cute! They also offer great paper weights and other little decorations to add a little pizzaz to your home space. They also offer up both wicker baskets and geometrical metal baskets – perfect for hiding any clutter in a chic way!

Check out the rest of the home decor section here.

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Indigo #LiveInColour – Drinkware

Decor Recipes

Indigo #LiveInColour – Drinkware

Indigo

I thought I had enough glasses in my arsenal as summer approaches but boy was I wrong! I took a look at all the incredible pieces Indigo’s new Spring collection and I can’t wait to get my hands on all of it! From cute coolers perfect for punch on a warm summer day to cute canteens perfect for the girl on the go, Indigo has everything you need to host an adorable spring soiree!

My personal favorites are the wine glasses and beer stein with cheeky little labels. They’d be the perfect addition to a girl or guys night in! And how adorable are the pineapple shot glasses?

Check out the full catalog here

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Indigo’s #LiveInColor – Throws + Pillows

Decor

Indigo’s #LiveInColor – Throws + Pillows

Indigo

Throws and Pillows are one of my favorite ways to jazz up my living room and bedroom. If I’m ever feeling like I need a bit of a change and can’t afford new furniture, I just switch out my throws and throw pillow covers! It’s a great way to add a burst of life to a dated living room or bedroom. When I saw Indigo’s new spring offerings I got so excited! There new spring “Live in Color” collection has so many cheek throw pillows and luxurious throws at great prices! Plus, they have every color in the sun so you’re sure to find something no matter the color scheme in your home.

Check out the great selection of pillow covers and throws below or the online site here– you’re sure to find one that would be just perfect on your bed!

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Fun New #Spring Arrivals at #Indigo

Decor Uncategorized

Fun New #Spring Arrivals at #Indigo

Indigo

Indigo’s spring offerings have just landed in store, and my, do they put us in the sunshine-y spring mood! From books to home decore to tableware, there are so many colorful pieces to get you in that fresh spring spirit! I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite gems that just hit shelves across Canada!

What are you most excited for this Spring? Are you planning on picking some great new pieces after an annual Spring cleaning? Be sure to check out Indigo for some pieces that will put a spring in your step!

You can see the full ‘Live in Color” collection here

20-oz. Cold Cup – Lemon

Wouldn’t this 20oz Cold Cup be perfect for a iced lemonade in the backyard?

Le Creuset Pepper Mill - Soleil

How lovely is the sunny wooden ombre on this Le Creuset peppermill?

Mini Poured Candle – Pure Peony Blush

I’m such a sucker for a beautiful scented candle – they make a room so much more cozy! Indigo has a huge selection of candles, including their in house brand as well as fine candle makers from across the world.

Small Bound Journal - On My List Green

The travel bug has hit! Although I don’t have anywhere on my list right now, this journal is inspiring me to hop on a plane!

Super Soft Throw – Poppy Red

This is one of my favorite pieces Indigo has to offer – a sumptuous throw in a regal color is the perfect gift for anyone!