American Shopping!

In just 3 short weeks, David and I will be travelling to the USA, land of the free and home of the best shopping ever.  In fact, I think Americans were born to shop.

While I generally prefer shopping at unique, one-of-a-kind boutiques, the fact is, I still love American chains stores.  We only have a few of them in Canada, and only in the big centres.  

We have Pottery Barn, but only a tiny store in Calgary, and they don't carry half the stock.  

We have Williams Sonoma for great kitchen things, but 

not Williams Sonoma Home:  

We are getting a Crate & Barrel in Calgary sometime late this year, and there's one Anthropologie in all of Western Canada, if you don't mind driving 4 hours to Edmonton.

And don't even talk to me about fashion.  Thankfully, we have my beloved Banana Republic here, but not J.Crew, where this season seems to be all about orange and pale green and grey!

And we don't have any of your department stores, like Neimann Marcus or Macy's or Bloomingdales or whatever the names are.  We have Walmart.  Thanks.  And Home Depot.  But no Lowe's anywhere else but in Toronto.

Oh, and we don't have Target!  There is no L.L. Bean, nor Ralph Lauren (there was one in Toronto, but I think it closed. You have to go to Holt Renfew for Ralph Lauren).   And I think Toronto has a Barnes & Noble, or maybe that's Borders.

But hey, Toronto is VERY far from here!  For a brief geography lesson, I am in Calgary, which is in the PINK province on the left and Toronto is in the ORANGE one, north of New York State. Not very convenient for shopping.  A four-hour flight, to be precise.

So....all this to say that I can't wait to hit the malls in the good old USA, or even better...the outlet stores!  American outlet stores are the best.  Ever since I was a kid and we travelled to the wonderful outlets in Maine, I've loved a good old American outlet shopping spree.  I still have Ralph Lauren towels I bought 20 years ago for $3 apiece and I still wear my LL Bean rubber boots.

What's your favorite American decor or fashion chain?  Any hot tips for me (we will be in the DC area)?

Photos:  All decor photos by Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma Home.  Clothing by J.Crew

Canada map from Google Images.

A few favorite things....

I haven't had much time to post lately and do apologize.  Work has been draining and my headaches and back pain have been exceptionally bad.  The cortisone shots in my neck, for which I missed 4 afternoons at work, have not helped.  And David's away for business this week, meaning that I am doubly busy after work, keeping up the garden, cooking a meal or two, reading for my book club, and trying to exercise more (which isn't easy when you have a very bad back and come home from work every day with a blistering headache).  Ahhh...my woes!  

So to drown my sorrows and string you along, I'm posting a collection of somewhat disparate images I've collected over the past few weeks that seem to sum up my current "style" crushes.  

This little hare (above), by Renaissance painter Albrecht Durer, will soon be mine.  I plan to buy and frame this print for my front hall (of course, it will end up elsewhere). 

He is particularly fitting since our neighborhood is full of wild hares...you see a dozen if you go for a walk in the evening!  

I also love these fabrics (below) from Designers Guild, one of my favorite drool-worthy English fabric sites.  They have a wonderful historical look:

Or you can buy these beautiful fabrics, made up into charming pillows.  These are in my favorite shade of brown (which reminds me of milk chocolate), a colour on which I am currently fixated!:

I am also fond of this Gustavian chair, from Country Living.  I've been writing a post on neo-classical furniture for some time now, but I can't wait any longer to post this handsome beast:

I also love this little shelf and candle holder from Tracy Porter:

And the pièce de résistance, my new dining room!  Just kidding - this room is by London's modern glamour decor goddess Helen Green who threw in some traditional elements just for me. Bless her timelessly sophisticated heart):

The chandelier!  Those slate drapes!  The architecture!  Those sconces!  The fireplace!  The chaise!  The table!  The chairs!  But you could remove all the furniture and I would still be happy to live in this room.

Have a great week!

Found: My New "French" Dining Room Chandelier!

After searching high and low, deliberating for days, and bringing two imperfect fixtures home, I've finally settled on this fixture for my dining room:

I love that this fixture is pretty and elegant, but still simple and not too uber-chandelier, if you know what I mean.  This traditional beauty, named Adagio, is from Schonbek and it is made with real crystals.  It comes in at 50% over my original budget, but the quality is very high and the fixture is beautiful, classic and looks great up close.

Despite the Italian moniker, this chandelier looks very French to me and I've decided to think of it as my French chandelier (which adds a certain je ne sais quoi!).  It's reminiscent of French style because it has the same low-slung look as an Empire chandelier, which I have always loved but simply don't have the house to accomodate!:

Plus, the little laurel leaves decorating my chandelier are very Napoleon (see crown below), and you can't get more French than Napoleon Himself:

The fixture comes in several finishes but my preliminary pick is Gilded Silver (as shown), which is a soft pale champagne gold colour.  My second choice is Antique Silver, which is more of a true silver colour.  I think the pale gold looks more classic and sophisticated, but the silver would look better with the various silver and nickel accents around my house.

The tiny crystals which decorate the fixture are mostly done in "clear" (uncoloured) crystal, but there are a a number of accent colours available. You can choose accent crystals in amethyst (so pretty), smokey gray (glamorous), topaz (classic), and so on.  The accent colours sound tacky, but they are actually quite pretty.  For now, I will stick with clear, as shown!

I didn't plan to spend so much on a fixture, but my favorite lighting store, Carrington, is having a big 20% off sale, and the price seems very fair for a crystal chandelier, which I shall take with me when I move!  Luckily, I only have to buy the mid-size (24" wide, 27" tall) and not the larger, saving a few bucks.  My room height simply cannot accomodate a larger fixture.

I recently took order of a contemporary drum-style fixture by Quiozel (this one), which I loved for its classic lines and blogged about here.  But when I brought it home, it seemed too big, stark, and imposing for our small dining room. So back it went and I reverted to the traditional look.  While I really wanted the clean look of a contemporary fixture, the one I chose (after a ton of searching) just looked too modern and dominant once it was in the house. 

I want this fixture to harmonize and I don't think I'll tire as quickly of a classic traditional look.

I haven't ordered it yet. Before I do....any thoughts?

Hired Help: Who do You Hire?

Some folks wouldn't think twice about catering a party of eight.  Others spend days cooking for their own wedding (along with their Mum and all available aunts, and willing grooms). 

I am always curious to know what hired help people are willing to fork over their hard-earned cash to acquire.

Some people haven't cleaned a toilet in years, whilst others are fundamentally opposed to anyone else cleaning their house.  But not their gutters.  And don't get me started on the topic of nannies.  My best friend is a nanny and she's amazing, but some would rather die self-righteous than farm out their kids to hired help or a day care.  

So, I would like to confess who I hire and who I don't.  It isn't a very sexy list, but then again, I'm hoping you'll share your secrets with me too!

Some Hired Help Facts about Me:

1. I clean my own house.  All of it, routinely.
2. I don't do windows.  Twice a year I hire a crew to clean my windows inside and out.  Clean windows make our world beautiful.
3. We do all our own cooking and eat out about once a month.  I miss fancy restaurants, but I have my own Take Home Chef, so I can't complain.  Most days I eat better at home! We buy some prepared foods, like sushi and deli salads, but not much else.  We both go for business lunches, so don't miss it too much.
4. I do all my own baking and buy a bakery cake only once or twice a year if I really don't have time to bake.
   A cake I made for dinner guests last week, using this amazing recipe, which I've made again and again (recipe from New York "Baked" bakery owner Matt Lewis).  I know, I need a cake stand!
   
   
   
5. We live in Canada and gets lots of snow. We shovel it all (or rather David does!).
6. I haven't cleaned my car in a couple of years.  I now have it professionally cleaned twice a year.   I always did it myself but after moving to the house, it suffered neglect.  Now it looks good as new!
   
7. I love my dry cleaner, but now I launder and iron my own shirts and blouses and cotton pants.  I still dry clean dress pants and fine sweaters and blouses.  I send all winter coats out once a year for dry cleaning.  Duvets and wool blankets go about once a year as well.
8. I have never hired a caterer, but I would like to.  I have attended catered parties and loved the interesting food, the handsome waiters in white, and visiting the (relaxed) host and hostess.
9. I like to buy expensive shoes and have them re-soled or re-heeled as needed.  I have a good shoe guy.
   
10. I do my own painting, but did hire a company to paint my kitchen/living/dining rooms as the area was too large to do myself and David hates to paint.  Hey, I work full-time.
11. I do my own investing.  We have a financial advisor who we pay for occasional advice. Otherwise, I do it myself.  It can be exhausting doing this analysis and tracking, and I'm thinking of outsourcing this to someone really good (hey, I have a blog to write!).  I don't trust these guys and I know quite a lot about investing, so I will be a demanding client.
12. I can change a tire, if called upon, but I don't change my oil.
13. We do all our own gardening and landscaping.  Because we can.  And we like it.  We do hire people to prune our large trees but do the small stuff ourselves.  And we've hired a guy to power rake the front lawn.  David is good at this stuff and does most of it.  As far as gardening is concerned, I choose the plants and where they go and do most of the weeding. David waters them.
14. We don't have a GPS and don't want one.  I can read a map just fine.
    
15. I don't have an iPhone, nor a Blackberry, and rarely use my cell phone.  I hate paying for this technology and I prefer to be unreachable.  And since I am either at home or at the office, who needs more? Parents and popular people, I suppose.
16. But I have an expensive iMac and all the best computer gear.  I like computing to be low maintenance, so good gear helps.  But I will not hire Geek Squad if I can do it myself. Hence, I know more about computers than I ever wanted to. I hate them.
17. I have had my carpets professionally cleaned but have also rented a steam cleaner and did it myself. 
18. I have made jam and relish and pickles, but only made one pie crust in my life. It turned out pretty good, but why bother?  I can buy frozen crusts at a bakery nearby and you wouldn't know it wasn't homemade.
    What's your favorite Hired Help?
    
    
    
    Top photo:  Source unknown, Second photo by me, Bottom two photos:  Annabelle Breakey

Post No.2: Front Entrance Concept

Here is the blank canvas I discussed in the last post.  I am attempting to decorate around this antique light fixture, without going purple-crazy:  

The chocolate brown rug doesn't work, but I found this affordable wool rug (below) at Sears (yes, I was shocked too).  I really like the neutral grey-brown colour and think I will order it:  

I simply could not find a plum-coloured rug without doing custom, which is simply unaffordable for a rug this size (you need to buy the entire 12 ft roll width, unless you can find a decent remnant, which I could not...I looked at several carpet and end-of-the-roll type stores and saw tons of cheap neutrals but very little in nice brown or rose tones or nice materials). Plus, I prefer the look and feel of wool, so this rug fits the bill.

*

I am rather fond of mirrors and the space really needs one.  I admire this very affordable,  antique-looking one, which comes in either a silvery or gold finish from CSN Stores:

I also found this delightful wall shelf on-line (to go under the mirror).  The shelf is the perfect size, measuring 32" wide, about 10" tall, and only 5" deep, so it doesn't protrude too far into the room.  I ordered it yesterday!

And to top it off, I think this little print from Art.com that I blogged about yesterday really is the best choice.  It pulls together the browns from the wood shelf and the rug with the plum in the light fixture, and relates to the sage green and creams in my living room:

A few more elements (more art, something to sit on the shelf, a small sisal/jute boot mat) and I think I have a front entrance!

Any other suggestions?  Thanks for those that have already commented!