In a Tall Man's World........

I'm short. I'm so short that I actually say I'm 5 foot 1 and a quarter. Yep, I count that quarter inch. Being vertically challenged, I rely on step stools to help me reach those high shelves in the kitchen (when the BF isn't around). When we moved I gave up my beloved neon green step stool (and the BF did a happy dance) since it took up too much room and we were constantly tripping over it. Lucky for me, the BF found the perfect replacement at Neat -space, edited., a storage-focused home furnishings store in Toronto. My fellow bloggers, I introduce you to the EZ Foldz step stools.

The best part? They collapse so you can tuck them away.

I know, I know, it doesn't take much to make me happy. :)

If you live in the Toronto area and are an organizational nut, be sure to visit Neat -space, edited.
Guaranteed you'll walk out of there with something 'neat.'

Jenny Yoo Bridesmaid Promotions

How did Jenny know I adore purple?

• If you live in Calgary or Vancouver, check out Frocks to see the latest from Jenny Yoo.
• If you live in Toronto, check out White Toronto.
  
• To find a location near you, click here.
  

Designer Spotlight: Lea-Ann Belter Bridal

Remember way back in April when I said I would start a new feature spotlighting Canadian bridal designers? Yeah, well, I kind of fell off the wagon there. Sorry!

Today I'm featuring Lea-Ann Belter. Some of you may already be familiar her clean lines and elegant details. Lea-Ann has been designing wedding gowns close to two decades. Since her start in 1989, Lea-Ann has gained many accolades including the 2007 Canadian Wedding Industry award for Bridal Wear Designer of the Year.

Living in Toronto, I'm lucky to pass by her flagship store on Queen St. East every so often and drool a little. Priding herself on quality textiles and workmanship, Lea-Ann manufactures all her gowns in Canada.


Here are some of my favourites from Lea-Ann's collection. What distinguishes Lea-Ann Belter gowns from other wedding gowns are their simplicity, elegance and they possess one standout feature (e.g. cap sleeves, low back, mermaid skirt) making them truly unique.

2009 Tess

2009 Bridget

2009 Suzette

2009 Paige

2008 Mallory

2009 Carolina

Lea-Ann Belter gowns are sold all over North America and the UK. To find a store carrying Lea- Ann Belter's collection, click here. To see more of the collection, visit Lea-Ann's website.

When Photographers Play....

Ewan and Brianna Phelan, the hard-working & talented husband and wife team behind The Last Forty Percent Photography, recently decided to turn the cameras on themselves and the results are stunning. Funny enough, Ewan and Brianna enlisted the talent of another husband and wife photography team, Justin and Michelle DeMers, for their amazing photo shoot.

This is my FAVOURITE photo!

Images by Justin & Michelle DeMers via The Last Forty Percent Photography

To see more of Brianna and Ewan's shoot, click here or here.

Brianna & Ewan - Thanks for sharing and introducing us to Justin & Michelle's work!

For those brides in Toronto (or Southern ON), you must check out these two photography teams!

Check out my previous post on The Last Forty Percent Photography.

Happy.....

source

To my friends to the south (and to the BF), hope you're enjoying the July 4th weekend! Happy Birthday to my friends Laurie & Stephanie.

Frugal Friday!

Bath and Body Works - US only

Future Shop Canada

The Fab Brunette is giving away cards entitling Toronto-area brides to 4 FREE Crystal Flute Champagne glasses when they register with William Ashley's. Click here for more details.

Hello Lovah...

Project Condo has taken me away from my regularly scheduled shopping trips (and depleted the shoe funds, majorly). These purple beauties may be exactly what puts me back on track. Aren't they lovely? Both cute and sexy. A little on the pricey side (US$312.33) but free shipping on endless.com. Must covet a little more. Yes, Sheila, they come in Fuchsia. :)

Coming Soon.............

..the movie adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife. Have you seen the trailer? I have to say I'm pretty excited (ok, maybe I teared up a little when I saw the trailer). The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my favourite books - a love story that isn't (too) cheesy. There are very few book adaptation movies that I have enjoyed watching. I hope this doesn't disappoint! Haven't read it? You MUST. The movie comes out August 14th.

I Heart West Elm.

Having a holiday in the middle of the week is mighty strange. I definitely feel out of sorts today. Hope those of you north of the border had a good Canada Day. To my friends to the south, hope you're lucky enough to get an early start to Independence Day festivities!

I'm happy to say that Phase I of Project Condo is complete. We're moved in, we have most of our furniture purchased, most items have found a home, we even have some decorative items up. I'll post some "Before" and "After" pictures soon.

The BF and I completed Phase I by visiting West Elm. West Elm is fairly new to Canada and the only location is in Toronto (lucky me!). The BF is a fan of the West Elm as our west coast home has many items from the modern store. I know many think it's another 'corporate' or 'big box' store, but that's exactly why I love it. Pardon me PB, you say? You see, for the last month or so, the BF and I have been pounding the pavement, visiting numerous 'independent', 'local' and 'one of a kind' furniture stores in Toronto. We've fallen in love with items that we later find out are completely out of our price range. Items within our price range are back-ordered with no confirmed date of restocking (hello? isn't that just called sold out?). Items within our price range, not back-ordered take at least 2 weeks (if you're lucky) to be delivered (once you pay the exorbitant delivery fees). I never knew it was this difficult to purchase furniture.

This is why I love West Elm. If you see an item you like, all you have to do is tell the lovely salesperson. They then check the stockroom to see if it's available. If it is, you pay, and you get to take the item home. The very same day. Novel isn't it?

We bought a coffee table and a rug from West Elm. Voila.


The best part of the coffee table.........the top slides open revealing more storage space!


Cool non? The perfect place for my nap blankets and pillows. The BF says the sliding top is really so I can slide his food closer to me (I steal his food a lot). Hmm. He may have point. ;)

What's your favourite furniture store? And am I too impatient....is it worth the wait for quality furniture?

Happy Canada Day!!