For the love of Lykke Li

K x

Moving Day

Bags are packed!

I have been reluctant to post about my big move... but it is FINALLY here and the keys are now officially in my possession. This is the seventh time I've moved in the three years since moving back to Toronto. (Lucky #7, that must count for something!) Moving seven times in such a short period of time teaches you A LOT... a lot about yourself, your attachments and your ability to adapt to change.
(and it's super fun!)

The top five things I learned living my gypsy life (in no particular order): 

1. Home can be just about anywhere you choose it to be. The feeling of home lives in your heart, and the last time I checked, everywhere YOU go, your heart goes with you. 

2. Letting go of your attachment to material things reminds you of how little you actually need... to be happy. After seven moves I can now conveniently fit my entire life into a few suitcases. Simple. 

3. Friends are the best (most affordable) 'moving company'

4. Ready, fire, aim

5. Freedom... that nothing is permanent. It's not that I have a deep rooted fear of commitment, it's just that I'm more comfortable knowing that everything is temporary and that change can happen at any moment! And every time change comes knocking, new opportunity awaits! 

The top five reason I CANNOT WAIT to move into my new home:

1. Decorating! I can't wait to go to flea markets, vintage shops and antique stores and create! And finally having my own little yoga/meditation space.

2. Dinner Parties

3. Having all my 'stuff' in one place! Clothes in closets and books on shelves ;)

4. A quiet place of refuge. 

5. My own GARDEN... sigh. 

I could go on forever with my reasons for being so excited. After all, being grounded will really help calm some of my current angst. I plan on blogging the whole interior design process so I hope you enjoy and if you have input send me an e-mail! 

 Happy weekend loves... 

K x

Phenomenal Spaces, Beautiful photos... Dimly Lit & Inspiring



All that's missing is a Christmas Tree.
Photographer: Martin Cederblad

Dreamy
Martin Cederblad

This couch from Restoration Hardware could ONLY be in a space this GRAND & luxurious. Love.

Holiday Jewelery Display from Anthropologie

Brilliant DIY Candle Solutions, can't wait to try this in rich coloured bottles... (at my candle warming party!)

 Today's Inspirations have me dreaming of dimly lit spaces, holiday jewels, and DIY projects!
(psst...Tomorrow's Friday...)
K x

White obsessions...

I love this space. The Botanical Prints, the Candles Sticks, the stack of old books... Obsessed.
Image & Inspiration: Bright.Bazaar



This Kitchen.



Also from Bright.Bazaar - The White Company makes me dream of living in the UK so I can shop there endlessly! ... without the shipping costs. (ps I want to be at this beach house right now)

Spotted: Presents at the end of the bed wrapped in Vintage Lace Wrapping Paper, Christmas Ornaments hanging above the bed and my favourite Candle Sticks (below) perched on the tables. This is my White Christmas!

I want these.  

K x

Erykah Badu

Sunday night quickly slipped into Monday morning... thanks (KWC) for reminding me of how unbelievable Erykah Badu is, and for the long Sunday catch up. Nothing better than a long conversation with an amazing friend.
Have a great week lovelies! Big news coming on friday... sit tight ;)
K x

"... baby don't worry, you know that you got me..."

Saturdays dreams, wants and inspirations

Images from: Lovely Clusters, Wit&Delight

Happy Birthday Weekend Wishes to my Beautiful Soul Sister Chantal Russell, The Always Charming Gilly and the Most Amazing Maman (next to mine of course) Francine Asselin. 

Stay Inspired Lovelies! 

K x

Treats & Snoozin', Snoozin' & Treats... That's it.

After warming the hearts of millions in his first Stop Motion animated short film in 2010, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is back. Created by the collaborative efforts of writer/director Dean Fleischer-Camp and writer/actress Jenny Slate (SNL Alum), Marcel, an anthropomorphic shell responds to off camera questions about his hobbies, like, dislikes, activities and disappointments in his soft-spoken irresistible little voice. The film premiered theatrically at AFI FEST 2010 where it was awarded Best Animated Short and was an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.


And if you have never seen part one, watch on...

I love this little guy. He makes me smile.

K x

Highlight's from NOW Magazine's BEST of T.O. Edition and some of SavageOM's personal picks

This is a hard one for me considering how dear coffee is to my heart.
 S.O. Honourable Mentions go to:
 CRAFTED by te aro, LIT, Lost & Found and Saving Gigi



S.O. Pick: Blackbird Vintage Finds (Distillery), Red Canoe



Absolutely Agree. Shout out to my girl Charlotte :)

S.O. Honourable Mention: Terroni

 S.O. Honourable Mentions: Best Naturopathic Doctors;
Dr. Meghan Walker & Dr. Erin Wiley, The Integrative Health Institute (IHI)
Best Chiropractors; Dr. Caley Bell Pasht (Dr. Linder's Lady)
and of course don't forget best Osteopath; Dr. Mehran Tabrizi also found at IHI.

S.O. Honourable Mentions: AHIMSAYoga Centre, Tula, IHI,
Octopus Garden , Yoga Therapy Toronto

S.O. Honourable Mention: ChocoSol

Right now I'm loving...

Best Design Blog: Bright.Bazaar
Best Lifestyle Blog: Cupcakes & Cashmere
Best Yoga Blog: GoodYoga with my dear friend David Good  
The Best of what the WWW has to offer: Twisted Sifter
Best Jewellery Designer: Alex Fraga (I love my AF Black Onyx Ring so much it hurts... picture to come!)
Best Photographer: Dean West

Best Communications Agency: Knot PR

Best Real Italian Wine Bar: Enoteca Sociale

Best Yoga Mat: The Mat, lululemon

Best Incense: Juniper Ridge Douglas Fir (*Everything from this company smells AMAZING, we burnt the Juniper incense last night and it honestly made me believe I was in a log cabin in the mountains - perfect gift ideas and everything is sustainably harvested!)

10 more things that make me terribly happy ...
1. My Best Friends
2. Decorating for the Holidays with DIY projects (lots of posts to come!)
3. Style at Home: Holiday Edition (thanks JM xo)
4. The way it feels right NOW, when everyone is getting excited for the Holidays
5. The big Christmas tree in the Distillery
6. Hot Yoga on chilly nights
7. Holding hands
8. Snuggling under goose down duvets
9. Wine and chocolate make me TERRIBLY happy all the time
10. The Math Guru, she's just really special to me, and she makes unbelievable Tea Creations
That's all... for now

K x

Music Spotlight: YUNA

Yuna, Where have you been all my life. Sof posted this to my wall the other day and it's been on loop all weekend long. Absolutely beautiful; and as much as I would most likely be the fist person to say you can't cover Nirvana and do it justice, Yuna has done something that just feels so right.

Go visit her website and see what she is up to.



Malaysian Singer/Songwriter: YUNA



Music is one of the most powerful forces of unification. It has the power to heal, the power to help, the power to inspire, and the power to change.

Enjoy!
K x



The curse of indecision: The gift of non-attachment



Artwork by Luke Cheuh

 Have you ever been faced with a decision that is seemingly simple but is so hard you become utterly consumed by your inability to just commit? Recently I have been so incredibly indecisive and I thought I should say a little something about that... and non-attachment. Because decisions and attachments almost always come hand in hand.

Living in the grey area is not beneficial to anyone and can actually be really annoying to the people around you. Who doesn’t love the friend who when you say “hey wanna go for dinner” responds confidently with “ya for sure meet me at (set destination) at 8”. Or “hey Baby, wanna stay in and watch a movie tonight?” and you get a bold “Yes. That sounds amazing I’ll pick us up some brutal chick flick, be over at 8”... this is my heaven! Take the decision out of my hands and I am one happy hippie. *side note: please do not confuse indecisiveness with being flaky. Being easy going and generally down for whatever doesn't make you a flake. BUT with that being said, being indecisive is one of my most hated attributes in other people so when it shows up so evidently in my own life, I hate myself for not being more definitive. At a certain point you you just have to DECIDE. Pick something and avoid the ANGST that will inevitably take over the longer you mull 'it' over. One thing I do know for certain is that the glass is most definitely always half full ;)

So where does all of this come from. Hard decisions are all around us. Where to live, what job to take, where to go for your next vacation, who to invite to your Christmas party, what carpet to buy, what outfit to wear to a big interview or a fancy event, red pumps or classic black booties? Where do you stop the worry, the doubt, the fears and just jump? I say JUMP! Life is too short. And sometimes our gut isn’t speaking loud enough, or our intuition is getting bad reception or you are simply just so 50/50 that flipping a coin and leaving it up to the Queen and the caribou is the best available option.

If you asked any of my yoga students they would (with love in their hearts) tell you I talk too much. I always eat up the first 10 min of class with some sort of story, message, or theme for class. This week, I was adamant about the theme and practise of non-attachment.

In the Yoga Sutras (1.12-1.16), Pantanjali explains the two core principles on which the entire system of Yoga rests: Practice (abhyasa, 1.13) and non-attachment (vairagya, 1.15) It is through the cultivation of these two principles that the other practices evolve, by which mastery over the mind allows the realization of the true Self (1.3).

Abhyasa/Practice: Abhyasa means having an attitude of persistent effort to attain and maintain a state of stability (1.13). This involves cultivating practices, actions, thoughts and intentions that serve this purpose. To become deeply rooted, this needs to be done for a quite some time. Through this consistency, the deeper practice continues to unfold, going ever deeper towards the direct experience of the eternal core of our being.

Vairagya/Non-attachment: The essential companion to practice is non-attachment (1.15), learning to let go of the many attachments, aversions, fears, and false identities that are clouding the true Self. This is where most of us come face to face with our own sense of suffering.

Practice and non-attachment work together. Practice leads you in the right direction, while non-attachment allows you to continue the inner journey without getting sidetracked into the pains and pleasures along the way. There are two directions that one can go in life as well as individual actions, speech, or thoughts. One direction is towards truth, reality, Self, or spiritual realization. The other direction is opposite, and involves those lifestyles, actions, speech, and thoughts that take one away from these higher experiences. Discrimination is key! To cultivate non-attachment, it is necessary to become better and better at discriminating between what actions, speech, and thoughts take you in the right direction, and those which are a diversion. No one ever said the inner journey was easy.

There will come a time in all of our lives when we have to let go of everything we've become accustomed to in order to accept who we truly are. Every time I set foot on my yoga mat I am reminded to follow my truth, to trust my intuition and to let go of those intimidating thoughts that tell me I can’t be, have or do what I really, truly want. Yoga has taught me many things, yes, but most importantly Yoga has taught me to slow down and breathe deeply into my heart and simply listen. Listen to the pauses between the breath and focus on what my heart needs in order to feel whole.

Practice every day and letting go will get easier. Practice every day and the layers of fog, dirt, muck, pain, sorrow – whatever your veils of indecision and attachment look like, will start to dissolve and all that will be left is what truly matters. Cherish the people you love, be true to yourself and nothing can ever disappoint you.

Love is what is left when you

let go of all the things you love.

Believe it.
K x

I believe in staggering beauty and the perfect song

Having never been a huge Feist fan I was surprised how beautifully crafted her new album METALS is. (Released October 4th, 2011- Interscope) I am pretty sure I would love this album regardless of how it sounded simply for the album art. I love this shot. Brings up all these muddled feelings of isolation, earthy connections, contemplation etc. etc. I had such a full weekend leaving little to no time to write. Seems like a lot of the things I truly love to do are sliding down my priority list. As great as it is to be busy, I miss true free time. Those times where there is absolutely no pressure, no deadlines, no one to show up for (or disappoint). Those moments where it's almost as if time doesn't exist (?).  (We) sometimes go up to my cottage and hide all the clocks (cell phones too!). It is liberating. I've got so much to say today. Hopefully i can find some time to share it. 

Happy Monday lovelies... What do you need to remember today? How about that your perfect, just the way you are....

K x

Feist