DIY Madness

Ok gang...the new blog has been suffering from neglect due to all kinds of crazy life happenings and other distractions including my latest obsession with lamp-shade making. Here are some of my latest creations. Stupidly I didn't take step-by-step photos when I worked on these but I'm thinking of starting a new project tomorrow so I promise to share all the gory details as I go along.

1rst lamp:

This seventies-inspired string lamp was a blast to make but very sticky business--lots of string and glue and lots of patience required. I made a few of these but I think this one was the first one.

Here it is lit up:

And finally, this is the shade I've finished most recently...no, those aren't condoms. They're plastic portion cups glued all over a round plain paper Chinese lantern. Unfortunately I got a bit impatient and started to glue too many cups at once, which meant a few slipped while they dried, but next time I'll glue in smaller batches and try different coloured cups to see what the effect is like.

Oh Skoah, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

My husband just sent me an email from Vancouver which included these magic words: "Do you want anything from Skoah?" Ummmmmm, yes, honey....I want EVERYTHING!!!!

For those of you who have not had the great fortune of visiting a Skoah in person and experiencing one of their incredible facials, you can do the next best thing....fill out on of their skinskription forms and one of their skincare experts will give you a list of product recommendations tailored just for you...and of course, all of those products can be ordered online. Your skin will thank you, trust me.

But don't just take my word on this...Skoah has been recommended by a ton of publications, including Teen Vogue, The Boston Globe (yes, it's not just Vancouver anymore...there's a Skoah in Boston, one in Burnaby, and two in Calgary....I'm dying for one in Victoria!) Esquire U.K. and Conde Naste Traveler.

Despite all the hype, Skoah's prices remain extremely reasonable and a little of their product always goes a long way. I have never felt as if I was out of place in a Skoah, no matter how frazzled and crazy I might be walking in....immediately one of their staff has offered me tea or water, chatted and made me feel comfortable and I've never had to wait long for a facial. Once you're in, relaxing is the name of the game, and I promise, your skin will feel and look fresher, rosier, and happier all around when you leave.

I have a Groupon GC that I'm supposed to use for a facial before it expires in 3 weeks and sadly, I don't think I'll be able to get over to Vancouver in that time so hopefully my sometimes better half will bring me a few items to tide me over.

I'm a big big fan of the Kalm Down Mask, above, since my skin is often irritated.
This smooths it right out, rids me of redness and leaves it feeling incredibly soft. My only trouble is I have a hard time hiding it from everyone else in my house!

A, B, C, D....

Cavallini and Co. make such beautiful products that it's impossible for me just to point out one thing. When my youngest son was born, I bought a tin of alphabet cards (you can see all of the images in this wrapping paper they sell, below).

Sadly, like most boys, he is far too rough and tumble to be trusted with these beautiful cards, and I know, I could put them on his walls, but he's now almost 4 and even I have to admit, they're probably a little frou-frou for a boy his age. But they're soooooo pretty. So, they have sat in this tin, unopened. I should give them to someone, I suppose, but I can't stand the thought of parting with them.

Recently I spotted these fantastic tapes by Cavallini...no idea what on earth I'd do with them, but I want!

Indigo, you got so cool!

Have you (Canucks) walked into a Chapters-Indigo  store lately? Forget the books--ever since Patrick Ramsey came onboard as Creative Director of Product Development, I have been LOVING their home/entertaining/lifestyle section. I only wish there was more....this stuff is nearly enough to stop me from ranting about not having an Ikea/West Elm/Anthropologie/Habitat store within driving reach. Lucky for onliners, you can order online...but I warn you, start looking, and you WILL start coveting =)


Check out this lamp....so simple, so pretty.

 Or these super cute bookends (Ok, I know the Owl thing is so done now it's not even funny, but these really are so cute!)

I'm just sayin!

Stationary Store Love

If there is one place, besides a book store, where I feel absolutely happy, it's gotta be a great stationary shop. Here in my home of Victoria, B.C. I am fortunate to have a number of great places where I can indulge my love of beautiful cards, papers and just generally cool stuff that I never knew I wanted until I laid eyes on it! Yesterday, while waiting for an appointment, I wandered around one of Victoria's coolest print stores, Island Blue which is technically more of an art/print store but has enough of an amazing stock of stationary items to keep me satisfied.

Anyhow, I'm walking through the aisles yesterday and after admiring product after product, I spotted this by Global Solutions, and I thought it would be a very cool stocking stuffer for my excellent and totally cool 12 year old niece--sure, no one needs a wax stamp for their mail (can you even send one through customs these days?) and yeah no one even mails things anymore but there's something just so cool about the idea of personalized stamp that makes me actually want to write real letters!