Favourite Things: Uppercase Mag

I have a bit of a problem with magazines.  I’m kind of obsessed.  I have subscriptions to 8 magazines that are delivered to the house (Oprah, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, Fashion, Wired, Spacing, Canadian House & Home, and Uppercase), and when I’m out, I’ll often pick up others on the newsstand (The New Yorker, Budget Travel, Vanity Fair, Ready Made, Dwell, Style at Home and New York Magazine are often found lying around here).  Oh, and don’t even get me started on the online magazines I read.

But without a doubt, my favourite magazine right now is Uppercase.  Uppercase is a gorgeous, award-winning, proudly Canadian magazine about design, illustration, and a bunch of other creative stuff.  I love the content of most magazines, but the design is also very important to me.  Uppercase is a perfect mix of gorgeous layout and design.  Even the paper it’s printed on is spectacular.

I used to get HOW magazine (subject: print design) for creative inspiration, but Uppercase inspires me more.  And I used to get Domino magazine (before it went under), and Uppercase has interviews and showcases of quirky people and their interiors, filling the void left by Domino.

Uppercase Issue 7 just came out (there are 4 annually) and I should get my copy in the mail any day now.  I’m really excited…

My New Table

Our plans for the kitchen renovation are well underway.  We have our cabinets and tile picked out for the back-splash and floors, and are now making all the other decisions.  We’re quite excited to get started on the reno in January, and it should all be done in 5-6 weeks.  If only I could just snap my fingers and have it done immediately… sigh.

The new design calls for a new kitchen table, and I am pumped for the one we picked out this weekend.  I’ve always wanted an Eeno Sarrinen-designed pedestal/tulip table, with a marble top.  But they’re tres expensive.  So when our designer said she found a good reproduction for a fraction of the cost at GH Johnson, I flipped. Who knew a table would thrill me so much?  It’s probably a bit warped, but whatever… I’m so excited for my new table.

Beach Dreaming: Postcard Inn

You know how sometimes you read about something, and then you keep seeing it over and over again, in weird places?  And after a few references to it, you almost think someone’s trying to tell you something?  That happened to me with The Spotted Pig restaurant in NYC’s West Village before our trip back in March, so I insisted we go.  And it was one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had!

Similarly, I keep hearing about the Postcard Inn lately.  It seems a lot like the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, except it’s in St Pete Beach, Florida (an area I know very well – it’s right next to Clearwater Beach, where I was born, basically raised, and where I had my beach wedding).  The Postcard Inn looks fresh and hip, and their website is really captivating.

I know, I know… I just took a holiday.  But I bet in mid-January, the Postcard Inn is going to look even more appealing.  Not convinced?  Watch this uber-hip promo video featuring Pheonix:

Welcome to Postcard Inn from Postcard Inn on Vimeo.

4 Great Years

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary.  Time sure flies when you’re having fun!  This morning I’m having happy memories of our gorgeous beach wedding at the Carlouel Yacht Club in Clearwater Beach, Florida (where I was born and basically raised).  I still can’t think of a better place for us to get hitched, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.  Ours was the best wedding I’ve ever been to (I’m a bit biased, of course).

It’s a gross, rainy day in Toronto, and we’re dog-sitting, so we’re kind of house-bound tonight.  But we’ll still have a nice dinner and celebrate.  And Ian, you know I’m still nuts for you, and I am thrilled and so lucky to be your wife.

Rock Out: Belle & Sebastian

Last night Ian and I saw Belle & Sebastian at Massey Hall.  What a great show – so full of energy.  They invited audience members onto the stage to dance with them, including a 6 or 7-year old girl, who rocked out.  Then they gave them prizes!  And the band (all 13 of them) sounded so good.

If you haven’t already heard the new album, Write About Love, I recommend it.  Watch the video above for a good taste of the album.  And if you’re in the mood for a kickback, listen to Dear Catastrophe Waitress, or my favourite Belle & Sebastian album, their debut Tigermilk.

Wallpaper Picks & Resources

The wallpaper trend in interior design is still going strong, and my desire to do a “feature wall” with wallpaper is pretty high.  But what room?  What wall?  What pattern?  What colour?  These wallpaper picks and resources from Canadian House and Home and Design*Sponge (plus this special roundup of wallpapers under $100) might help me pick…

[image above of Feather wallpaper from Fern Living]

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and most of us have Monday off work to celebrate.  It’s gorgeous autumn weather in Toronto – sunny and crisp.  Ian and I are dog-sitting for a week – Isabel’s best friend Tater is coming to stay with us.  We’re looking forward to taking the dogs for walks, enjoying the weather, and having a relaxing weekend.  On Saturday we’re going to see The Clockmaker at the Tarragon Theatre, and on Monday we’ll have a few friends over for Thanksgiving dinner.  Ian’s going to smoke a turkey on his Weber “Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker”!  I’ll make my garlic mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie, all while the dogs romp and play.

I hope you have a wonderful long weekend, and if you’re looking for things to do, read this great round-up of “Thanksgiving in Toronto” suggestions on blogTO.

[photo by Flickr user Gary J Wood]

Domino Archives Online

Do you miss Domino magazine as much as I do?  I read other quirky lifestyle/design magazines online and in print, but none of them seem to fill the void left by Domino.  I have a few issues that I saved, but definitely not all of them, so I was thrilled to read that you can find 25 great Domino articles archived online on the Brides.com website.  Click here to see the list of available articles.

Covet Garden

Covet Garden is a new Toronto-based online lifestyle magazine.   In their own words, “Covet Garden is for folks who are curious about real spaces. We take a peek into the homes and lives of some of the city’s most interesting people—spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators. Covet Garden is inspirational, not aspirational.”

I like it because it’s short – it’s more like a story book than a magazine, as it features one family/one dwelling in each issue.  And of course, because it’s Toronto-based, all of the sources are handy.  And I love that the first two issues feature families in the East End – proving once again that my neighbourhood is where it’s at.  Make a cup of tea, and spend 15 minutes reading Covet Garden – you won’t be disappointed.  Read the first issue online (for free) here, and the second issue here.

October Desktop Wallpaper

What wallpaper is on your computer desktop?  I like to change mine up at least once a month.  I usually check to see what’s available over at Smashing Magazine (their wallpapers for October can be found here) or the featured monthly wallpaper at Design*Sponge.  This month though, I’m going in a different direction, and trying to choose between:

1. A photo I took of Laguna Beach on our recent holiday

2. A hilarious and relevant tidbit from Good Fucking Design Advice

3. My friend and design-partner Kinnon Elliott’s original illustration for October (pictured above)

Maybe I’ll go with all three, and change ’em up when I feel like it…