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new specs

1 Feb

The first time I had my eyes examined I squinted painfully at the letter chart, getting each letter wrong while my Mom sat by, horrified that her daughter was clearly going blind and she never noticed. When finished, the doctor had me leave the room and explained to my Mom that I was a filthy little liar – OK not in those terms but I was totally faking my poor eyesight. I just really really wanted glasses.

Payback is a bitch because cut to twenty years later and I’m practically blind. A -7.0 in both eyes. I’d be the first one eaten on a desert island because, like Piggy, I’m screwed without my glasses.

So when ClearlyContacts.ca asked me to try out their Virtual Mirror to test out some frames, I was totally game. Can’t have too many backup pairs of glasses!

But then…then I got lost in the virtual mirror. I tried on pair after pair and just couldn’t make up my mind. Was the mirror accurate? Could I trust that the image of me in the glasses was how I’d look in the frames themselves? The answer was, pretty much.

Yep. Looking totally dorky in all of these. 

Some of the things I learned when testing out this feature on the ClearlyContacts.ca site:

  • Make sure you take the picture in good lighting – the quality of light will affect how the frames appear on your face
  • Get an accurate PD reading – you won’t know how the glasses will sit on your face without this
  • Look at the frame width in millimeters. Objects in mirror may be bigger than they appear.

I finally decided on a pair of frames from Vancouver designer Derek Cardigan:

I placed my order on a Sunday and got the glasses in the  mail on Wednesday  - easily the fastest services I’ve ever had for glasses, or even contacts!

Mad glare but you get the idea

I will say that they were a lot thicker than I had anticipated, which is why I suggest you take those measurements into consideration before placing an order. Of course, now I’m addicted and want to order a bunch more. Thanks for the nerd glasses ClearlyContacts!  Loves em.

get me away from here

30 Jan

We’re having a seriously mild winter here in Toronto. I’m not really complaining – I hate the cold – but I love snow and winter isn’t the same without it!  It’s also tough to find shit to do when you don’t really love winter sports.  All I want is perfect, snowy winter goodness– think: fireplace, wood beams, board games, knit socks, hearty stews, quiet music and endless piles of books. Kind of like the trip I took last October to Quebec. I need a getaway.

gifted

4 Dec

Santa doesn’t really come to my house anymore. Still, his name ends up on a few of my gifts and, while I love my comic books (Dad) and novelty socks (Mom), maybe it’s time I start making lists again, or take Santa-ing into my own hands. Here are some of the things I’ve got my eye on this year.

A juicer! This is the Omega Mega Mouth Juicer ($269) and from what I’ve read, it’s one of the best. I’m big on fruit and greens juices and I feel like if I owned this baby, I’d be mad nutritious.

This next one is also for the mornings: the Tivoli Audio Model One Radio ($179.99). Growing up, I’d wake up to the hourly chime of CBC Radio coming from the kitchen. It’s comforting to have the radio going in the morning, but it cannot be the alarm clock radio. I’d rather stick needles in my ears than listen to radio from an alarm clock. Traumatized, clearly.

As much as I try, I can’t go digital with my appointments. It’s so much better to have everything laid out, right in front of me. Nobody does organization better than Moleskin ($7).

I only just found out that Fieldguided designed a new tote for Summerland featuring lyrics from Stevie Nick’s Wild Heart (you know how much I love). This is coming my way, Santa or no Santa. Must. Have. (And pretty much everything else from the Summerland shop).

 

Books for Christmas are always welcome under my tree, although I usually get comics from my Pops (sweet). Diane Keaton is kind of the coolest and I want to read about her. Simps. ($30)

I’ve been on the hunt for a tea cozy ever since Kristen gave me my beautiful new teapot. Nothing beats a homemade knit, now I just need to find someone to make one for me (or a sweet vintage shop that sells them!). (Image via The Selby)

A new 2012 calendar from The Wild Unknown featuring KITTENS. Obviously. $30 from Catbird.

A Modern Friendship Bracelet from Biko ($85) would really add to my arm party, not to mention I’ve met the designer a couple of times now and she’s delightful. I love supporting local talent!

Is that too much? Am I super greedy?

I wasn’t joking about the comics.

Redecoration Phase I

3 Sep

Remember how bad I wanted an apartment makeover? Then it flooded and all I really wanted were walls and floors (you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone). Now that the major necessities are back in place, I’ve put a bit of effort into updating the space and I wanted to show you how it’s going so far!

Living Room before:

I loved the clean, lean look of this room but after a while it felt too modern. I wanted to make the room feel a bit more feminine and comfortable.

After:

A new sectional (reminiscent of my grandparents couch when I was little) gives the room some colour and creates a cozy nook for reading, blogging and watching movies (from Design Republic). Sheer curtains give the illusion of privacy and antique wall hangings bring it all together. I felt like before I was making a home other people could be comfortable in. This time around, I’m making it for me.

My favourite dumpster salvage item of all time – the flamingo mirror. On the other side is a framed painting of Paris’ Left Bank.

Antique framed paintings from Lia’s secret antique market.

My Philippe Starck for Kartell gnome is my prized possession. Kristen and I have matching ones.

A dedicated ‘work’ area. The wall alongside is bare but I’m working on an inspiration board to fill the space.

Lia, I need more flowers. Can we go back soon?

The enormous mirror that used to hang above my old couch goes vertical to open up the kitchen.

A shelf for holding scents and rings underneath my nudie girls

I’m still working on the front porch, kitchen and bedroom and there are a few more things I’d like to do with the living space, but I’m really happy with how it’s turned out so far.

Oh, one last thing:

I couldn’t part with the peacocks.

the Bambi effect

19 Aug

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to visit SweetGrass Spa for Eyelash Extensions. I know. You’re dying right? Lash extensions, because I’m worth it. Anywho:

Located below the Verity Club and next to George restaurant on Queen Street East, SweetGrass is entirely underground. There’s something about the hidden-away cavernous space that’s extremely serene. Even the pool feels a bit like a grotto (chlorine-free!). The décor is up my ally too, with overstuffed arm chairs and big, wooden tables  adorned with flickering candles. Guests who aren’t members of Verity (like me) are invited to use the amenities which include the aforementioned oxygenated pool, hot tub and infrared sauna. Or you can do like I did and just lay on a comfy chair and go zen until your appointment.

Dying for this chair. Pink fish! I’m not kidding, you come to this place and you just want to curl up in beauty heaven forever.

OK so I’ll stop gushing about how much I loved the spa styling and tell you guys about my treatment – Bambi Lashes!

Laura Hippensteel was my Eyelash Extension Artist.  Artist really is the word for it. She looked at what I was working with, asked me about the kind of look I was hoping to achieve (natural, not too dramatic) and then explained how she was going to make it happen. The entire process takes roughly 90 minutes and you lay on your back with your eyes closed the entire time. I was told most people tend to fall asleep during the process and while I didn’t, I can totally see how that would be possible. Nothing hurts. It feels like someone gently touching the tips of your lashes so, essentially, you feel nothing.

Me  before. Apologies for the super close-up.

The Application: Laura chose a mix of J and B lashes for my extensions. J being a straighter lash and B having a bit more curl. If you’re going for a big, dramatic lash, those would be the D lashes. She also did a mix of dark brown and black since my natural lashes aren’t as dark as most. Each lash is affixed, by hand, to an existing eyelash. It’s glued to the lash so at no point is anything coming in contact with your skin.

The Result:

Mascara-free!

Do you love it? I reeeeeally loved. Still am loving it. Every time a lash falls out it’s like a little death (our eyelashes fall out on the regular at different times which is why you need to go back for a fill as early as two weeks after the initial application).

The Verdict: Getting and maintaining the extensions isn’t cheap. It’s a delicate process and you want to make sure you go to a pro (like Laura) who applies lashes individually (if you ever go to a place that applies more than one lash at time – RUN). The result, however, is so worth it. I feel like I have a full face of makeup on when I wake up in the morning (in a good way not in a I-drank-too-much-and-didn’t-wash-my-face-last-night way) and my lashes look totally natural, not fake. Interested? For more information about the SweetGrass lash extension experience, click here.

So what do you think of my Bambi eyes? And would you ever consider getting lash extensions?

amateur hour

28 Jul

Dear Best Buy – thank you for price matching this beauty with the Sears.ca sale and beating their price by an extra 20 bucks. I feel like a big girl blogger with my fancy new camera!

Love, TVB

‘E’ is even more than anyone that you adore can

12 Feb

When I was home from University one summer I babysat a six-month old girl and when she would fuss I’d put on this song and we’d twirl around the room together. I got a lot of exercise doing that.

Last installment of Valentine’s Day gifts!

Vintage. Retro. Cocktail. 1940s. Check, check, check, check. Buy on Etsy

I don’t really do lingerie..especially not in February, but boys like it and they don’t notice when your skin is the colour/consistency of kneaded dough. I actually really like the selection from Faire Frou Frou.(via Rue)

 

Many a drunken time I have exclaimed that dark chocolate tastes like vanilla when you pair it with red wine. In fact, chocolate and wine might be my favourite desert (lush) so Gayle’s Chocolate’s wine pairing box is like a confirmation of what I knew all along: wine makes everything better.  Buy online at Uncommon Goods (via Design Blagh).

 

Don’t let the fact that this book was in the Sex and the City movie (massive disappointment, right?) deter you. Or do. Because this book has the capacity to topple relationships (“Why don’t YOU ever write me love letters?”). A gift for the non emotional cripples, then.

 

‘V’ is very, very extraordinary

11 Feb

Part three of the L.O.V.E. Valentine’s Day present series. Do I love gifts or what?

Morning surprise! I spotted this on A Cup of Jo but you can visit Twig & Thistle blog to download a pdf of various sweet fruit stickers. Free and adorable.

Another great DIY Valentine’s Day surprise is this little Sharpie trick with a Starbucks cup. It’s the little things, right? This is cute. Although, there are better ways to use a Sharpie on a Starbucks cup. (via)

I want a Jambox wireless speaker and if you get in in red then it could totally double for a V-Day gift (combined with a customized playlist, perhaps). It’s the new Say Anything boombox mixtape (ok not quite but still – cute!). (via Nerd Valentine)

What is this? Oh, it’s a bar in a box. Only! The Giorgio Cocktail Box by Phillipi is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Tucked inside the polished steel and jet-black leather box are two flasks, two retractable cocktail glasses, cork screw, tongs and drink stirrer. Picture it: Highway. Convertible. Light breeze. Perfect martini. (oh and also, your date is a young Humphrey Bogart)

Speaking of Humphrey Bogart, there’s really no more romantic a movie than Casablanca. There’s love, loss, betrayal, sacrifice, passion, beautiful costumes and (for the boys) war, espionage and murder.  Make a picnic and watch it projected onto your wall, sipping martini’s from you bar box, with the sound plugged into the Jambox! God, I’m good.

 

 

 

 

Best of the Internets: Holiday Gift Guide Part Two

21 Dec

OK I know this comes a little late with Christmas being on Friday and all. But if you’re like me, you still obsessively look for cool presents even after everyone on your list is bought for.

These “Full Of” journals from Montreal graphic designer Audrée Lapierre are wicked awesome. They include both official languages and are smartly sectioned. I would go for the Dream Journal since (and this is common knowledge among those who know me) my dreams are amazing/fucked. The Wine one is cool too. Buy online. About 30 bucks.

I love Sonja Ahler’s bunny creations. Made from repurposed sweaters, they sleep in egg cups and tiny socks. Just looking at them makes me want to curl up and close my eyes. You can also get beautiful prints of the resting rabbits that would look incred in a nursery – in case you have prego friends on your shopping list. Buy online or from a number of places in Toronto. I recently spotted them at Hawk Eyes on Roncey. The range in price but they ‘aint cheap.

This is a beautiful book of vintage cocktail recipes. The cover is waterproof too so you can keep it in your bar area without worrying about it getting wrecked. Love all the glassware too. Get at any good bookstore for 50 bucks.

I long for a drawer of perfect PJs and negligees. I’d have somewhere to put those pretty sachets of lavender, at least. But, alas, these long legs get shortchanged by most PJ bottoms and it’s hard to find classic lingerie that isn’t trashy and of good material for what I can afford. I love everything at Club Monaco right now (cashmere tanks, silky slips and gauzy shorts) and Anthropologie has some good comfy options too. All sorts of prices but this is a gift you give with intention. (wink)

I live and die for the kind of belly laughs David Cross gives me. Best. Gift. Ever.

 

santa, please

16 Dec

Etsy overwhelms me so when an item catches my eye enough for me to browse someone’s whole profile it means it’s either really good or really bizarre. The case with The Blue Balloon falls into the former. I want evvvverything…

Celtic Knot Ring

Sky and Water Locket

Pale Blue Eyes earrings

Nut Brown Hare locket (in honour of my Poppy)

Dreamy Citrine Necklace

Dollhouse Door Knocker ring

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