fashionable premiere dresses

I thought that the nude-coloured Grecian-style Donna Kara dress that Jennifer Aniston wore to her opening premiere was gorgeous. I like, I want. Enough already with the fake publicity romance though!

On the other hand, there has been controversy over Sarah Jessica Parker's choice of dresses at another premiere. Some people think it's intricately beautiful, some people think it's hideous. I don't personally think its the worst thing I've ever seen. It's a bit frilly, but I might even wear it myself! What do you think?

tiniest house in amsterdam

I totally forgot to show the picture of the tiniest house in Amsterdam!! Can't believe I forgot such an adorable mini-gem! Can you believe it is actually a house?? Can you even see it?!

cool photo styling

Look at how super neat these photos are! The kids are pretty cute too. I think my favourite one is the skiier. They are from photographer Tim MacPherson {via Designaside blog }. Check out the photographer's website; he has some interesting advertising campaign photos.

baby bloomer bump update + maternity clothes survival guide

Here we are already...another Baby Bloomer update! I'm six months this week. My 'crumb-catcher' is growing daily, and I keep asking myself: "How can I possibly get any bigger?"...only to get replies of "Just wait..."!

A while ago I posted about my quest to stay stylish while preggers on a budget, and I just wanted to follow up as I have become a bit of an expert since then. For those of you soon-to-be yummy mummies in the Toronto area, here is what I have found!

Maternity Clothes Survival Guide
I didn't really want to spend too much money on a maternity wardrobe, but I still wanted to look nice! I would recommend looking in your closet to see what you already have, as I've been able to use a lot of pre-peanut clothes - dresses that either have an empire waist, or are made of stretchy material. Long tank tops and t-shirts are great and I can't recommend leggings enough! So good to wear with dresses, tunics and long sweaters and very comfy too. Don't forget to pair them with boots! Boots always make an outfit look good. Or else, in the summer, a nice pair of flats would do quite well.

In addition to using what already existed in my closet, I did get quite a few maternity basics: jeans, some shirts and dresses as I've had a few fancy functions in the past little while. Here are some of my recommendations!

Some stores I've had luck with:
Thyme Maternity - They are ok, but I found their sizing doesn't fit me that well. I got a nice shirt there though.
Motherhood Maternity - Same as above; I got a simple black dress there but the sizes don't fit me too well for some reason.
H+M - I got some jeans there and some shirts. Their maternity section is pretty teeny, and you really have to go on a bit of a treasure hunt! But definitely reasonable in price.
Old Navy - Their maternity section is piddly, but with the advice of a friend, I found that their 'regular' line of clothing is roomy enough for a blossoming belly. Check out their sale racks for long shirts and dresses.
Bella Band (www.ingridandisabel.com) - I got one of these hoping I could just wear some of my older pants or jeans and 'close' them with the band. However I soon realized that my old pants didn't make it very far up my new heftier thighs and hips! I use it now to cover my belly if some of my old t-shirts or tank tops are too short! They can be purchased online, or at pretty much any maternity or baby store.
Bella Mom Maternity (www.bellamom.ca) - In the plaza just outside Vaughan Mills Mall, this store has some beautiful clothes! A bit out of my price range, however I did get a dress there for a wedding. They have designer jeans there too like Paige jeans, and Habituals that apparently you can wear post-peanut! I would recommend checking them out.
My Bump Maternity (www.mybumpmaternity.com) - Located in the Beaches, this store is much like the store above, a lot of really nice things! I got a light summer dress there.

Other stores that I haven't shopped at, but sound pretty good:
Belly (www.bellymaternity.ca) - This is in my old neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant, between Eglinton and Davisville. And I will admit that way before I was pregs, I would visit this store as it always had very cool clothes in the window. Not really in the 'economical' range, they carry high-end designer labels like Diane von Furstenberg, if you need some fancies.
Evy Mama (www.evymama.ca) - I haven't been there but it looks good!
Target (www.target.com) - I haven't made it down to Buffalo to check it out, but apparently they have a pretty good line of stylish maternity wear, and no doubt very affordable.

Some online stores:
There are tons of online stores out there, and I have to admit that I haven't bought anything online yet. But here are a couple that have been recommended, or that I have found:

A Pea in the Pod (www.apeainthepod.com)
Haute Mama (www.hautemama.ca)
Euphoria Maternity (www.euphoriamaternity.com)

I hope this helps! If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section. Have a wonderful weekend!

a 1950s tablescape

Hee, I wish I could still subscribe to this magazine. 50 cents is a steal! I kind of like the simplicity of the yellow and blue table setting...

tasteful pew decor

I am not going to lie: I don't like traditional pew bows (note that I have not spelled it "pugh" this time...haha). Not one little bit! But I do understand the bride's need for a bit of decor on the edge of a pew. So, here are a few pictures of pew decor that I can handle, gladly! Better than white drippy gauzy bows, no?

{pic 1 from b5studios, pic 2 from artfool; pic 3 from Brides Cafe; pic 4 from VintageGlam}

i amsterdam

On our way to Israel we had a mini-holiday in Amsterdam and the adorable Utrecht. I had never been to Utrecht before but it is the sweetest town...felt like a fairytale really. The cutest shops filled with chocolates, amazing furniture, art and then amazing homes made out of storefronts like the house of my dreams I blogged about not so long ago!

I was so taken with this home in Utrecht pictured below. Someone converted this building into a living space. It is situated right on the canal and you can see from the second picture that they also used the space under the sidewalks as part of the house. So amazing!

This is basically what all of Utrecht looks like - how quaint!! Lots of flowers and adorable vintage bikes everywhere.


The shopping centre is situated along a canal - like a mini Amsterdam! There are old spaces under the sidewalks that have been converted into living spaces, artist studios, bars and restaurants!

The "Beer Boat" brings the beer along the canal and drops it off at all the little bars and patios!


Funny chocolate treats in the window of a chocolate shop! These little chicks are poking out of a a candy egg shell that looked so real! Don't think I could actually eat this!


In Amsterdam we rented bikes and had so much fun flying along the little streets by the canals! I was obsessed with all the house boats that line the canals. It just seems like a whole new creative design opportunity to me! Not sure I'd like to live on one really but I would sure like to decorate one!! Most of these pictures are taken from a canal boat tour so it was hard to get nice shots through the glass.

gorgeous london loft

Happy Monday, Bloomers...if you can be happy on Monday getting back in the saddle! If you're feeling blue, just picture yourself living in this London Loft. I found it on the Remodelista blog (thanks Lynn!!!), and am so inspired. Want. New House. To look like this. Now.

turquoise

The weather has been amazing here in Toronto this past week...18°C and sunny for the past few days, which is putting me in quite a springy mood! It has me thinking of bright, fun colours and inspired for many design projects - the nursery of course, but also some gardening projects perhaps, and sprucing up of various areas in my home.

In case you haven't heard, Pantone has declared turquoise the colour of the year for 2010, which for me is a good sign! I have used this colour as an accent a lot throughout my home. As an ode to turquoise, here are some beautiful rooms that I love that make use of this awesome colour {or a shade of it} on the walls or in their decor. Enjoy and Happy Spring! The fleurs will be inBloom very soon...


photos 1, 2, 3 from Wish magazine, photo 4 from Nate Berkus, photo 5 unknown, photos 6 and 7 from Design*Sponge, photo 8 unknown, photo 9 :: Michael Penny of House and Home, photo 10 and 11 unknown, photos 12, 13, 14, 15 from Domino, photos 16 and 17 unknown.