Canada finally got Nordstrom earlier this year and I am going to make a trip down to the Eaton Centre location tomorrow. I am excited to see all of the things in person that I have heard Sheaffer talk about all of these years (and I'm hoping the Canadian stores have the same selection as the US stores do). Just a few things from their website that have caught my eye so far.
I have seen grey jeans on people and they look good, and something different than blue jeans or black leggings. I will have to try them on to see if they look okay on me, and I will also have to wait a couple of months before buying these jeans when I am back to my normal size.
Sheaffer has talked about the blardigan for years (part blanket, part cardigan), but I have never seriously considered it. Nordstrom has this smaller version, the baby blardigan that looks super cozy, and acceptable to wear out of the house (the original would be more for lounging).
When I looked under "gifts for her", I saw these slippers. I like a slipper that has a hard bottom so I can run outside with them on. I don't wear slippers often because my feet get hot in them, but the ones I do have could use updating.
I need another scarf like I need a hole in the head, but I love this infinity scarf! I looks so cozy and the colours are pretty.
I see they also have a lot of home goods and accessories, and I'm looking forward to seeing these things in person. I know you're not supposed to buy yourself gifts before Christmas, and I'll try not to, but if I can also get some shopping done for others, that would be ideal!!
Our guest suite in the basement is almost ready for some visitors (well it still needs a floor...and trim, window treatment and closet finishings, but you get the idea). I am not allowed to share photos yet, I will convince Dave to do a guest post at some point to show the work done on the basement. In the meantime, I am checking out some nice things we can decorate with.
I will probably try to get some things at Homesense, but I'll be looking for things like this:
Something simple for the side of the bed. Maybe some colour or maybe something neutral.
They probably won't sell these types of pillows at Homesense, but I'll see what I can find:
(Jane is our subway station)
I like the colourful duvet covers and quilts but I think a neutral design will be more long lasting. Anthropologie has beautiful things to look at for inspiration.
To make a welcoming guest room, I want to make sure I have provided the following:
Space in the closet and dresser for guests to unpack.
Lots of towels, an extra blanket and pillows. This will save them from having to ask for them.
The wifi password.
Magazines or books to browse through.
Extra toiletries, like lotion, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. in case they forgot anything. I'll also pick up an extra hair dryer for the guest bathroom.
Tray with water glasses, snacks, gum, and subway tokens.
We don't have a TV in our guest room, which is always nice, but since most people have an ipad now, then it should be fine.
There are three locations and they are all near me. They have beautiful things, but my favourite are the macarons. If you bring any of their treats to a dinner party, they will be appreciated.
These stores are starting to pop up all over the country, and you can buy online. Their Canadianity and Toronto-centric gifts are my favourite. E has a few t-shirts from there and we all have mugs.
Okay, so this isn't a locally owned shop, but they have so many lovely things. I love their housewares just as much as their clothes. It is always a treat to go into the store when I have the opportunity.
I haven't done one of these posts for awhile, but I was browsing online the other day and thought I'd put together some of the things I'm looking at right now.
People love Chip and Joanna Gains from Fixer Upper, and after watching a few of their shows, I love them too. They have this big store down in Texas and I like some of the home decor things from there.
Someone mentioned the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Game so I went back and watched the call on YouTube. It still gives me goosebumps! The Golden Goal.
What I'm loving...
My new glasses! They are from Bailey Nelson. I haven't had new glasses since before we moved to Toronto and they weren't a style that I wanted to wear anymore. So although I will probably still wear my contacts most days, I am glad I have a pair of glasses I can wear more often.
What we've been up to...
Trying to eat healthy and exercise. Dave has been doing much better at this than I have.
What I'm dreading...
Trying to figure out what to do with E for the summer. We have to cover 9 weeks of summer holidays, and we need to plan summer camps and our own holidays.
What I'm working on...
I'd like to go away for a weekend this winter so I'm starting to think of where we could go and whether E will come with us or if we will need some childcare.
Our basement is really going to start taking shape this month. The electricians come in the next couple of days and then the foam insulators and then Dave can do the drywall. Soon it will be time to pick out tiles, paint colours, flooring, etc.
What I'm watching/reading...
We are watching The Wire finally. We are in Season 2. We are also watching Downton Abbey and The X-Files. I am watching The Bachelor, of course!
Our book club meets tonight and this month we read All the Lights we Cannot See. This will definitely be one of my favourite books of the year. It is about World War II but it covers different aspects of it than I've read before - occupied France and a young German solider. It is written in a way that I like and keeps me engaged - short chapters that alternate between stories. Definitely recommended reading.
What I'm listening to...
There has been an absence of birds in our yard this year. I used to see a cardinal at least once a week, but I haven't seen any. I have heard some birds singing the past couple of mornings so they are out there somewhere. I'd love to put out some bird feeders but we have so many squirrels (and raccoons) that those critters steal all of the seeds.
The only birds I've seen this winter
What I'm wearing... A lot of grey and black, and that's okay. I add in my orange blazer and a colourful scarf every once in awhile.
What I'm doing this weekend...
Taking the day off on Friday to accompany E's class to the Royal Ontario Museum.
Skiing on Saturday and skating on Sunday; taking advantage of winter!
What I'm looking forward to next month...
Valentine's Day, Family Day holiday, the Oscars, more skiing.
What else is new...
I finally saw Star Wars and it was great. It was really well done, I liked all of the characters, I'm excited for the next one, and I caught onto most of the throwbacks that they threw in.
What is your favourite Valentine's Day treat...
Anything with pink and red heart sprinkles and icing. I'm definitely going to make these cookies again, and maybe some cupcakes.
It has been a heavy week over here with Paris and thinking about those less fortunate so I'm going with a pretty light topic, shopping! There is no theme here, just a random assortment of things I have been looking at online lately.
We are slowly replacing things in our living room. We repaired the ceiling and painted the walls. Now we want to get a rug, a new couch and maybe another armchair. I went to Crate & Barrel the other day and saw this set up:
Our walls are a very light blue, so we want a blue and yellow colour scheme for the room with a very neutral couch. Something similar to the cabinet in the back left would be good for our dining room too.
I also like this rug:
I feel like E is growing out of his carseat and now I'm wondering what to get for him. When he was a baby and toddler, it was fairly easy to figure out what he needed. Now that he is bigger and doesn't need the full fledged carseat, I'm trying to figure out what sort of booster seat is appropriate and safest. I decided I would first look at the Britax options since that is the brand of his current carseat.
I like this one but I see it is for kids 40 lbs and over. Since E is only just 40 lbs now, then maybe we should wait until he's a bit bigger. I need to do some more research.
I am always in need of more work clothes. I bought a blouse at Loft last year that I really liked (their utility blouse) and I see they make it in other patterns. This red one is nice, although I see it comes in other colours too.
When we were in Barcelona, I found a pair of sneakers that I loved. I was going to buy them but they didn't have my size. I looked in a few other places but couldn't find them. when I got home I scoured the Nike website to figure out the style. They were Pegasus '83 in a blue shade, indigo I think. I don't think they are available anymore, but I am keeping my eye out for something similar. Sneakers are more popular than they were a few years ago. I noticed so many people wearing sneakers when we were away, people from different countries.
Whenever I put on my sneakers I always think of Yuri Testikov on Seinfeld (the Russian writer whose book Elaine was editing) when he says (in his Russian accent) "You Americans and your sneakers, always running running running". (This was the Marine Biologist episode by the way.)
I thought instead of writing about what I want this week, I wanted to write about my favourite gifts to give for housewarmings and new babies. Housewarming gifts can be tricky because everyone has their own style for furnishings and decorations, but there are still some nice items to buy people, especially if they are close friends and you know their personality. For baby gifts, even though I buy off the registry where possible, I still like to make sure I get things that I liked when I was a new mom.
Housewarming Gifts
I love tea towels, and the ones from Anthropologie are adorable. Bonus points for this one because it has birds on it.
Little plates. It won't matter if they don't match their other plates because these are just for fun, like cake.
A monogrammed mug is nice too. Who doesn't love a monogram?
Speaking of monograms, a letter for their wall, with their first initials or last initial. The letters mix well with framed photos, clocks, and artwork. We just got our own "M".
And you can never go wrong with a bouquet of flowers (no pressure to keep them alive in case your friend doesn't have a green thumb), and a gift card to a local restaurant or store. And as any new homeowner knows, at least $500 per weekend is spent buying all kinds of new things for the home, so the gift card could be for Home Depot or Ikea and it will definitely be put to good use.
Baby Gifts
I actually didn't get any of these blankets, but I love them. They feel nice and seem really good for swaddling.
I love this brand of blankets. They are a little smaller so they quickly become too small for swaddling but they are great for burping. The package we got came with E's Cuddly Pal. It said "three receiving blankets and a cuddly pal" so that's why we called him that.
I love Robeez. This pair would be good for any little monkey.
If I know the mom is planning to breastfeed, I usually throw in a package of these nursing pads. I tried several different brands and these were hands down the best. Some people find the reusable ones work well but I needed the ones that were disposable - too much going on!
I have been giving items from the Arbonne ABC line. There is a body/hair wash, lotion, diaper cream, and sunscreen. We used the diaper cream exclusively with E and his cloth diapers.
Anyway, hope you found some gift ideas. And for those of you who are pregnant or who just bought a house, try to act surprised when you get my gift.
For Easter I usually put up an Easter tree (a twig tree with wooden eggs and other little ornaments) and that's about it. Last year I expanded a bit with an egg garland. I don't want to get too many ornaments, but there are a few things I want.
Egg Cups to show some decorated eggs. Our neighbourhood has a large Polish and Ukrainian population and many of the stores are selling wooden Ukrainian style eggs. I will probably get a few and stick them in these egg cups.
I have this already but I can use it to hold eggs too.
I always love some new tea towels, and these ones are so cute with the pompoms for bunny tails.
I love Beatrix Potter and these darling bowls would be great for candy and for eating out of.
I'll probably also stop by Dollarama to pick up a few things too.
And for a fun craft Martha Stewart has this one for kids to make a cherry blossom tree out of a branch and tissue paper.
I haven't done a Want it Wednesday in a few weeks. If you are buried in snow, or layers of clothing, then here is some spring motivation. Spring will come again, we must persevere!
I have this blouse from Loft in a black and white pattern. This one looks more fun for spring and summer. It washes well (I hang it to dry), doesn't need to be ironed, and works well with skirt or pants.
I went to Old Navy last week to get E a Valentine's shirt and I wanted so many of their new clothes, I had to force myself to walk away. I had my eye on these items:
Striped Tunic (not sure if this style would look good of me but I like the pattern)
Sweater (again the style may not work for me but I love mint green and navy together)
And a clothing post would not be complete without Anthropologie. I get daily emails from them which mostly serve to remind me I never get to shop at this store.
