February 4th, 2012
We’ve Seen the Light
Being scared of the dark is no longer an excuse for putting off bedtime.
Meet the Glo Nightlight, a bedside lamp with removable glowing balls that act as portable nightlights. The phosphorescent balls aren’t electronic and don’t get hot, so they are safe to snuggle with when the room goes dark.
The balls’ light will fade 30 minutes after they’ve been removed from the base, and you can select one tone, or have a rotating array of colours. We suggest you choose the colour that will best ward off any monsters lurking in the closet.
Boon Glo Nightlight, $84.99 from Saf & Benjamin, 1081 Marinaside Cres., Vancouver, 778-328-8194 and online at www.safandbenjamin.com —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg
February 3rd, 2012
Best Case Scenario
From Jonathan Adler to Marc Jacobs to Rebecca Minkoff, it’s hard to find a designer who hasn’t gone tech. Digital accessories are de rigueur.
Now, Adler’s ‘happy chic’ case was a frontrunner for our prized iPhone 4S, but we just couldn’t resist the sheer variety and creativity over at Society 6. The Aztec-inspired prints ($35) are popular round here and we love this sparkly air balloon ($35).
For something equal parts cool and creepy, check out these cases ($20) and of course, there’s always a great selection over at Toronto’s own GelaSkins (from $14.95) —Athena Tsavliris
Want to update your iPhone case? Follow us on Twitter to find out more.
February 2nd, 2012
Want it, Knead it
Mere weeks into our New Year’s cleanse and we’ve fallen off the no-bread wagon.
One visit to Le Matin bakery and we were cruelly brought down by a sourdough boule. Chef Jean-Pierre Challet’s new Leslieville shop is also sinfully stocked with raspberry clafoutis, lemon tarts, quiches lorraine and pain au chocolat. Dense and delish, the soft-crusted baguettes ($2.75) are made with beer yeast giving them a certain je ne sais quoi. We guiltily slathered ours in butter and red fig jam.
Alas, there’s always next year. —Marianne Wisenthal
Le Matin, 5 Coady Ave., Toronto, 416-778-1509, www.lematinbakery.com
February 1st, 2012
All the Pretty Shoes
What girl doesn’t dream about boxes of Ferragamo wedges, spindly heeled Louboutins and peep-toed Chanels?
Well, this amazing site invites shoe addicts to create their own designer stilts (from $185) customized to the client’s style and specs. You choose the fabric, style and colour, et voilà, your perfect shoe appears.
I’m all about bespoke ballerinas, and if they introduce monogrammed velvet slippers, watch me snap up a pair in every hue. —Athena Tsavliris
January 31st, 2012
Light me up
“Lampshades are like the shoes and handbags of the home,” says doyenne of design, Nina Campbell. “The right shoes can make an outfit – but if you have the wrong shoes, you can feel old-fashioned in the smartest suit.”
This super-cool shade ($315) from Shana Anderson is up there with our favourite pumps and clutches. The local textile designer covers shades in Toronto skylines pulled from archival and current photos of the city.
Hang it the guest loo or above the dining room table. Just don’t let city politics be the only thing you talk about over dinner. —Athena Tsavliris
At Made, 867 Dundas St. W., Toronto, 416-607-6384, www.madedesign.ca
January 30th, 2012
butter me up
Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide takes a holistic approach to winter skin care. Here, the Toronto-born nutritionist and organic skincare creator shares a favourite homemade recipe for year-round moisture-rich skin.
Herbal Coconut Body Butter
This butter can be used on face, hair and body skin. You can load up the coconut butter with whatever herbal teas and infusions you happen to have in your kitchen.Ingredients
• 2 cups coconut oil
• 2-3 twigs fresh rosemary or a tablespoon dried leaves
• 2-3 stems fresh mint or 2-3 peppermint tea bags (preferably organic)
• 2-3 rosehip tea bags
• 2-3 nettle tea bags
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely slicedMethod
Melt coconut oil on very low heat in a metal saucepan. Add the rest of ingredients and allow simmering on very, very low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to allow ingredients to infuse evenly. Strain and pour the coconut butter into a pot and close tightly. Cool down and use as necessary.Application
Massage as necessary into hair, skin, even nails.Storage
Store in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
—Athena Tsavliris
January 28th, 2012
DOTE In Style
If Suri Cruise taught us anything in 2011, it’s that stylish pre-school attire is just as important as learning to tie your shoes.
Inspired by shopping trips to Paris and, of course, les chic petits enfants, Canada’s Dote Baby was born, a brand-new online baby boutique for fashionable parents with a discerning eye.
The store’s extensive international brand selection (shipping to: everywhere) includes adorable, trendy pieces from Sweden’s Cheap Monday, Bébé by Australia’s Minihaha, as well as the must-have, celebrity-adored Minnetonka Moccasins.
For those who appreciate the finer things in life, for the little ones in your life, yourdoting hours are about to go into overdrive. —Caroline Gault
January 27th, 2012
Race to the table
Culinary bells and whistles are a treat but sometimes simple and savory are all we need.
New from the team at Table 17, Ascari Enoteca 26 (named for the 1950s Formula One star) had everything we craved for our Friday night out: home made pasta, chatty tablemates, seamless service (even the waitress’s sequined sweater added cheer) and bottomless glasses of Piedirosso. Amid the locally sourced flavors (di rigore in Leslieville these days) are scrumptious imports like cured Bresaola, Marcona almonds and creamy La Tur cheese.
Finish things off with the banana Zeppole and do observe the speed limit on the way home. —Marianne Wisenthal
Ascari Enoteca 26, 1111 Queen Street E., Toronto, 416-792-4157, www.ascarienoteca.ca
January 26th, 2012
Here comes the bride
When not whiling away the hours between food blogs and artfully curated Tumblrs, weddings are our little indulgence. The frocks, the flowers, the tears and the tiaras—we love it all.
This new digital wedding magazine from the U.K. is utterly divine, and features everything from gorgeous letterpress to sumptuous cakes, plus baubles and dresses galore.
It wouldn’t be an English wedding without hats, and Reverie spotlights milliner Edwina Ibbotson in its debut issue. We’re swooning over Emma Franklin’s gorgeous rings and we too would like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to prepare our post-nuptial feast.
And don’t you just love that colour-drenched L.A. wedding? The bride looks happy enough to fly away with her red balloon. —Athena Tsavliris
January 25th, 2012
A Glove Story
According to fashion and costume auctioneer, Kerry Taylor, The Duchess of Windsor was the “Imelda Marcos of gloves” with well over 100-pairs.
If you too have a penchant for collecting gloves, you’ll want to stop by the new Sermoneta boutique in Yorkville. You won’t find an inventory of 100, 000 pairs, like at the original store in Rome, but what awaits is still a huge collection of handmade gloves (from $89) in masses of colours and skins. Pick from plain, elbow length and cashmere lined in plum, teal or canary yellow.
Don’t be shy; a bold pair of gloves can really fitz up an outfit. —Athena Tsavliris
Sermoneta, 131 Bloor St. W., Toronto, 416-551-4100, www.sermonetagloves.com
