The Kingsway Theatre

I work in an incredible historic Toronto neighbourhood called the Kingsway. The centre medians along the main street in the Kingsway are truly unique with lighted trees, distinctive flags and beautiful summer blooms. Wrought iron benches and coach lanterns create a feeling of olde.

The Kingsway theatre opened in 1939 and it still stands, with it’s art deco style and original signage. I walk past it everyday. I took a photo of it….then, I decided to give it the Instagram treatment using Photoshop – to age and stylize it.

Here is the original photo….

….and here is the cropped and retouched image. I followed a tutorial I found on abduzeedo. Then I roughed up the edge of the image a little by deleting using a rough brush and varying the opacity. I like the vintage effect this gives the image – it could have been taken in the 60s or 70s, not today. So, there you have it – my own original material. It’s not perfect, but it’s just my style!

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My post on not posting

I’ve been stuck in a rut for a while when it comes to posting/ideas. And I think I finally figured out why… here’s the deal…

– I was working at a job that I hated. I know it’s bad to say that but every second I was there, the negative energy sucked my spirit away

– I switched jobs and since I am resistant to change, it took me almost 2 months to start to feel like myself again

– It’s difficult to come up with new ideas on a daily basis, so I will post sporadically, when I’m inspired

– Using my own photos. I was insistent on waiting until I could get a DSLR, but maybe the photos don’t have to be professional quite yet. I’ll edit my digital photos – duh, I know Photoshop so I can edit them my way and they don’t have to be perfect – lightbulb!!

– I’d like to continue to inspire by curating the lovely things – instead of being so hard on myself – sometimes I’ll just post one or two lovely photos instead of ten

Now for the fun! Here are some lovely summer pics – enjoy each day!

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la tartine gourmande

smallest office space ever?

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ambient lighting, budget decor, work spaces

anyone who knows me will tell you how much i love pretty pictures and luxe home decor. so, while this post might not be about “pretty”, it is about good design, on a budget and for one of the smallest work spaces i have encountered!

Ross Knight designed his own compact shelf/desk solution complete with…. a barstool chair. How clever. He also added some ambient lighting behind his monitor! duh, wish i thought this up!

images and sources: apartment therapy

Fashion rocks

social media is beginning to fascinate me. i subscribe to GUESS newsletters & promotions. i found the coolest blog named Natalie Off Duty through one of their email blasts. i visited the blog and saw this picture of Natalie. she rocks boho style, doesn’t she? that T-shirt caught my eye immediately. it looks vintage. it’s not.

it’s for sale at Guess! imagine my surprise when i discovered they are launching their guess rocks music festival line of duds. hell yeahhhhh. now i can rock this t-shirt too! I am so excited. i’m medium height, so i’ll pair this with slim leg black jeans, high heals and some of the jewels i also spotted in this über fab collection. images via Natalie Off Duty and GUESS.

good news for the postman

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gadgets, Printic, share memories, share photos, technology

Printic. here’s the deal. it is an app that enables you to share cherished photos the old fashioned way. yes, via snail mail. what? you mean it gets delivered in an envelope? yes! new technology meet traditional mail service. what a great way to personalize your photos and share them! i personally miss real mail. get thee the Printic app here.

images by sfgirlbybay

 

spring colour

i just found the coolest website called Light Locations to satisfy my voyeuristic tendency to peer into other peoples’ homes. i get inspiration from beautifully styled interiors. this house is bright and has traditional architectural details – look at that ceiling! the use of colour is brilliant. bright pops of turquoise and pink mingled with shabby chic neutrals and pastels. i really love this unexpected mix of cozy vintage with kinda modern. love it all!

white walled

remember when white walls were so bo-ring? i’ve been staring at the ceiling in my apartment lately. it’s looking dingy. maybe that’s because of the huge Scandinavian influence in interior design right now. i’m browsing Pinterest and my eye is drawn to crisp white walls for some reason. i’m seriously thinking of painting my ceiling, walls and baseboards white. and white window treatments. but, what if i hate it? white is a neutral for frigs sake. but i feel like i need super high ceilings, a sexy fireplace or a gorgeous herring bone floor to pull it off. i need to think about it. does anyone out there have white walls?

images via

Hand lettering

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fashion, illustration, style, style of lettering

dontcha just love the vintage lettering that is currently all the design rage? i do. i’ve always loved this style of lettering. this print really caught my eye. the typography and hand lettering are fabulous. the phrase is oh so adorable!

instagram love

first of all, i would like to introduce my new writing style. i’m not using caps anymore. i’m on the computer like all day so it saves me time. and i need time to get back to the real tactile world where i kick it ol’ school and use a paintbrush and a camera instead of my keyboard. i’m rebelling against the shift key to save milliseconds off my typing time. hey, it all adds up.

just like the canadian penny which is no longer considered currency and when we pay cash we have to round up sometimes so we’ll lose out. it adds up and i’m a little pissed off about it. so i’m boycotting cash and using my debit card. but i digress…

i will also use the occasional slang/swearword, so don’t be shocked. it’s the way i talk so why shouldn’t i write that way too? i’ll try to not use the f word. maybe “friggin” instead. cuz my mom reads this.

so, i found out about this photographer on instagram and her photos are amaze-balls. totes. her name is irene finn and i am smitten with her style, composition, subject matter, editing – everything! it’s instagram love. oh and she blogs too.

Summer Dreaming

It’s so cold outside in Toronto and it’s snowing. I’m getting cabin fever,  so here’s something to warm my heart. This dreamy painting by Catrin Welz-Stein, is entitled Summer Dreaming! Happy Weekend!