New Year's Eve

Wishing you a very happy New Year's Eve—have a great night.

(photo via pinterest)

The Listening Booth

If you're around Ottawa, Ontario on December 15 and are looking for something fun to do, check out the Petits Fours show at Kaffe 1870 in Wakefield, Quebec, for an evening of cool, sophisticated 60's French pop music. Also my brother Greg is in the band, so even more reason to go!

(photo by anna núñez via pinterest)

Simple Pleasures

Music. Through happy times, through dark times and everything in between, it soothes, energizes, commiserates, inspires and uplifts.

(photo: sara woodrow via here)

Smile

Wishing you a fun Easter weekend.

(vintage 1946 photo of a barnum and bailey showgirl via flavorwire)

Sponsored Post: Uncommon Goods

Shortly before Christmas the lovely online shop Uncommon Goods was kind enough to invite me to choose an item to review over the holiday season. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Uncommon Goods features unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment, made without harm to animals or people. They're also committed supporters of non-profits, recycle as much as possible and believe in giving back to their community — all admirable goals that I definitely agree with. 

When it came to choosing an item from Uncommon Goods, I ended up picking Colorku, a board game that's a clever variation of sudoku, using coloured balls instead of numbers. Andrew and I have been playing ever since it arrived — it's an excellent game, both absorbing and addictive. It's also so beautiful to look at, as it's made of rubber tree wood with brightly painted wood balls — I'm happy to leave it out on a side table when it's not being played. Highly recommended. This would definitely be a fun Valentine's Day idea out of the many offered on the site (either for your significant other or for your family) — or, if games aren't your thing, choose from the many other wonderful products at Uncommon Goods, ranging from home decor to bed and bath items, wall art and more. But I think we'll be enjoying another round of Colorku this evening!

(photos by me on instagram)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

Top Christmas Installations of 2013
Wallpaper magazine rounds up the most spectacular Christmas installations from around the world, from Rei Kawakubo's Tweedledum and Tweedledee to the Rijksmuseum's hologram light tree by Droog.

Let It Snow: Behind the Scenes of It's A Wonderful Life
Have a look at these rare photos taken during the filming of Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life. Fun fact: movie sets in the 1940s used white-coated cornflakes for snow; the crunching was so loud underfoot that dialogue had to be overdubbed. (via the morning news)

Designer's Cookbook: Louise Fili
Legendary designer Louise Fili shares the moment of epiphany that set her on the path to becoming a designer, and a recipe for Pasta al cartoccio (Pasta Baked in Parchment), too.

Architectural Cabinets of Curiosities
Co.Design review of Wunderkammer, a wonderful new book by Todd Williams and Billie Tsien, who took the fascinating concept of personal curiosity cabinets and invited architects and designers from around the world to create one of their own for the book.

The Inventor of Karaoke
Fascinating article about how Daisuke Inoue, an underemployed Japanese drummer, invented karaoke — all the way back in 1968.

Magnificent McQueen
W magazine has a great mood board feature on their site where you can check out photos of various designers, such as this one for Alexander McQueen. Lovely way to take a little fashion inspiration break.

A Century Later, a Female Architect Gets Her Due
Louise Bethune, the first woman to work as a professional architect in the USA, was honoured this week with a memorial grave marker. An overdue tribute to a pioneer.

Christmas Recipes From Around the World
Looking to add a little international flavour to your Christmas menu? Have a look at this collection of sweet and savoury holiday recipes from Saveur, ranging from Bûche de Noël to Viennese Christmas Goose.

(photo by suvi viitanen)

Sweetness and Light

We're going to see The Nutcracker ballet, performed this year by The Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I am so excited — this is when Christmas really begins for me.

(photo by mark olich)