For the past year I have participated in a 365 photography project. This is where you take one photo a day for a whole year, and document it. I managed to get through the whole thing! August 31, 2013 marks my very last day. 

Some days were really hard, and sometimes I would forget until the end of the day. I tried to take the photos with thought and care, but some were really just awful, but I kept going. And I have accomplished getting through the whole project. To document the end, I have create a collage of all the photos! 

If you are interested in viewing this project, check it out over at: 
Three Hundred and Sixty Five

The other day I was in looking at magazines, in a store close to my house, and came across a design magazine I haven't read before simply called "Interior Design". I am really enjoying reading this one,  and it turns out that this is the go to magazine for interior designers. 

In this issue there is a spread on kitchen and bath, which are my favourite rooms when it comes to interior design. I can't wait to get my hands on our new house and get designing. 

There are also a ton of unique home tours and fun modern interiors to peruse in this magazine. 

Maybe this one will be added to my subscription list?

I also bought this guy. One of the special editions Dwell prints. I'm loving the new and improved take on pre-fabrication houses. Not so long ago prefab was regarded as cheap and untrendy when buying a house. But now prefab, still inexpensive, offers amazingly modern houses that can be plopped down anywhere. I'd love to be able to build a house in the future (once we find the perfect spot), and prefab seems like it could be a good option. In the meantime, I have a magazine all about prefab for me to start my research. 

Maybe one day we will live in a unique modern home. 

I have been wanting a fun cookie jar to sit on the kitchen counter for a long time now. I was having a really hard time finding one (of course now everywhere I look I see them, isn't that always the way?). My solution, buy a regular jar and make it a cookie jar. 

So I went to Ikea and bought a regular storage jar from the kitchen section. I wanted it to be glass so I could see what was inside, and big enough to hold the whole batch of cookies or baked goods. Then to make it stand out as an actual cookie jar, I added a large sticky chalkboard label. I found the chalkboard labels at staples, and was actually using them for another project, but they worked perfectly for my cookie jar. Now I can change the name of the jar to co-ordinate with whatever is inside.  

The design of the jar is simple, so looks great just sitting on the counter. Although having cookies in arms reach is a little bit dangerous, I guess I can't have it full all the time! But for now I think it needs some cookies. Hmm...How about chocolate chip pecan?

Recipe: Makes About 3 Dozen Cookies
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tbs. cinnamon 
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup pecans

Mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, and almond extract.
The add in the flours, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Then quickly mix in the dark chocolate chips and pecans.
Drop small balls of batter onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake at 375 F for about 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is our little condo in downtown Toronto. We have been living here for 3 years now, after waiting 3 years for it to be built. We still love it, and it's in a great location, but we are starting to itch for more space. Being able to have an actual dinning room table or a guest room would be such a luxury. However, to have these things it looks like we will have to give up city living, which means not being able to walk everywhere. 

We will be sad to leave our first home, but are very much looking forward to the next adventure. And think of all the design projects that will come with a new place!

For now we are still downtown, enjoying the summer patios and city life. Thought I would get you acquainted with our condo. Here a little tour of the homestead. 

When you first enter our place you are in the kitchen. One of the reasons we bought this condo was for the large kitchen. It has a ton of storage. The island gives us lots of extra counter space, which we use for everything from cooking, to eating, to playing games on. 

The main room is used for entertaining guests, watching TV/game playing, and my husband's desk lives here too. 

We added a large area rug to make it cosy. I have always lived in places with carpet, and missed laying out on the floor. I also have a big thing for pillows, so there are always lots of them around.

We spend most of our time in this room, when we are at home. It's a great place to curl up with a book or watch a good movie.

We love being able to get outside. Our balcony is very private. We spend a lot of time out here in the warmer months, as it really adds quite a bit of extra living space. I try to grow lots of plants, including eatable ones, like sweet peppers, oranges, and herbs.

Our bedroom is actually quite big for a condo this size, which was another reason we chose this floor plan. There is enough space in here for quite a few pieces of furniture, including a big chair, an ottoman, and a shelving unit. 

It has, also, become my office/studio, my desk and craft storage is just to the left by the window. The view from up here is quite amazing, I love just staring at the lake or watching the world hurry by down below.

We have showcased quite a few photos, some of us and some we have taken through the years, and lots of art in this room. I enjoy looking at it all while working or laying in bed.

We have one bathroom and it is a walk though style. So I guess it's sort of an ensuite and a main bathroom at the same time. It has a subtle nautical theme, as can be seen through the grey/blue paint, bamboo accessories, and various photos of seaside ports from our travels. 

And that's the end of the tour. When new people come over we give them the "grand tour" (that lasts all of 5 minutes), but it's home and we have been really happy here. Lots of amazing memories, like dinner party/BBQ nights, bringing in the new years with good friends, and my husband even proposed to me in our living room. Our little condo will be missed whenever moving comes, but we will remember all the wonderful experiences we have shared. 

Welcome! This is my very first post, so I thought I would just pick a few things that I love and show them off. In future posts I will get more into design ideas and projects, but to get things started I thought I would showcase my design style. 

I enjoy all things modern, and even a little bit on the quirky side. However, I also love to travel and learn about history and culture. Often my approach is a merge of old world antiques and the sleek lines of modern design. 

I actually have never been to Morocco, but it is high on my list of places to visit. For some reason I love all the intricate designs of Morocco. Here is one of my favourite lanterns. It's modern and white, but still displays those iconic patterns of Moroccan design. 

It's so nice to be surrounded by plants inside the house, especially since we live downtown. I like growing plants, inside and outside, although I do end up killing a lot of them. Despite my lack of a green thumb, there is just something about watching a plant grow that's so satisfying, especially the eatable ones! Here is my basil plant, it's doing quite well right now. Hopefully I can keep it up!

I enjoy creating artsy things, and working with paper is my favourite. From making greeting cards, to wall art, even adding paper as an embellishment to a piece of furniture. I can never resist a good paper shop.

Even though these "objects" disappear quickly, I do love food of all kinds! Creating your own meal or dessert and watching others savour your goodies is great to see. 

Of course there are so many other great things around my place I can't wait to talk about in the future. Check back soon, and I will have more design projects and inspiration to share.