light it up.

New lighting can be a fairly inexpensive way to breathe some life into a tired space. There are so many lighting opportunities in every room. Table lamps, floor lamps, hanging lamps, ceiling lights, wall scones, etc., there are endless lighting combinations. I recently got three new lights for my condo – two for the living room and one for the eating area. All three are from Ikea!

In my condo, the living room area doesn’t have the wiring for an ceiling light. To combat sitting in the dark in the room that I use the most, I decided to buy two different lights to help brighten the space. Keeping in mind that the room is fairly small, I aimed to get two lamps that didn’t take up a lot of space, but that still provided a good amount of light, while also contributing to the overall decor of the room.

floor lamp.

The floor lamp I chose has a very small base – it is a square base that is six inches by six inches. This made the lamp perfect for fitting in a corner behind a chair. This lamp came with a lamp shade (so great for the wallet!) but provides the option to switch the shade (which will be great in a few months when I get bored of the current one!).

table lamp.

The table lamp I choose for the living room is a little more fun. The lamp base is made of glass – I found this to be a great choice for a small space because you can see though it, almost like the lamp doesn’t actually exist. For the shade, I decided to get one that was a little different but one that I think is fun. The shade has a punched out pattern that allows light to shine through and leaves a neat light pattern on the wall behind it.

LED chandelier.

Finally, in the eating area, I decided to get an LED chandelier. With an LED light, I am saving energy (and money!), but when the lights burn out there is no option to replace them. This light has over 22,000 hours of light time so I am hoping it will last me a few years! I went with a chandelier that is a little fun and a lot different than what I have seen in other condos.

xx,

jamie.

hej, copenhagen.

The second destination on my quick Eurotrip was to Copenhagen, Denmark. I’d never been to Scandinavia before and wasn’t really sure what to expect when I walked off the plane. Although I knew where Denmark was on a map, I didn’t realize how much farther north it is than Toronto. Unlike Canada, Scandinavia doesn’t get the frigid winters and dumps of snow, but they lose daylight much earlier than we do. While I was there, the sun was setting around 4:30 p.m. – something we don’t see here until the beginning of December!

Copenhagen was like no city I had ever seen before. Everyone looked oddly the same – same style of clothes and manner of presenting themselves with little to no class distinction. I learned while I was there, that Denmark practices egalitarianism – which Dictionary.com describes as “belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life”. The country believes strongly in work-life balance, provides free education and health care for its citizens.

Copenhagen’s City Hall

Unlike London, Copenhagen doesn’t have as many tourist attractions. Of course there is the mermaid statue (which is much smaller than you think in real life, and Tivoli Gardens (which was crawling with little kids because it was Halloween while I was there), but the city itself is amazing to just explore. I really enjoyed just walking around the streets and stopping into shops and cafes that caught my eye. The city has a three main shopping streets that are pedestrian only – it was wonderful to be able to wonder the streets and not worry about cars zooming by.

Nyhavn Canal

The most breathtaking part of the city was Nyhavn – this is probably the most iconic picture when you think of Denmark. All these buildings were actually restaurants that lined the canal.  The food here was amazing, and even though it was late October, everyone sits outside to enjoy all the sunlight they can.

Finally, my favourite part of the Denmark was their interior design. Everywhere you turned, there were amazing light fixtures (like the one above), simplistic furniture, and candles. The Danish really love their candles. I came back with a new appreciation for Scandinavian design and have been trying to apply some of those elements to new things I buy for my condo.

xx,

jamie.

london calling.

I. Love. London.

Period. The End.

me being the biggest tourist.

The city was amazing. The day we landed, we explored around the hotel and then made the hour commute by Tube (their subway system is 90000x better than Toronto’s!) and train to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and had been looking forward to this for quite awhile. The studios themselves were way bigger than I thought and each studio had a ton of props and sets – we ended up being there for three hours!

Dumbledore’s Office.

We also did two walking tours of the city by the company Sandemans. The first one was free and focused on some of the big touristy attractions like Leicester Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Covent Gardens. Our tour guide was amazing and really made the tour fun and engaging.

Her Majesty’s house.

The second tour we did was at night, and showed us the east end of the city. It was really interesting to see the south bank of the Thames, as well as some of the more non-touristy parts of the city.

The final day, we walked around Chelsea and went to tea at Harrods! I had quite a few requests from friends and coworkers to bring home tea from London. We also walked through Hyde Park and did a little shopping on Oxford St.

My top three things to see/do if you go to London:

1. Harry Potter Studio Tour (if you are a Harry Potter fan)
2. Eat in a real, local pub (and obviously eat fish and chips with a British ale)
3. See the Tower Bridge by walking across the London Bridge.

tower bridge.

Have you been to London? What were your favourite things to do?

xx,
jamie

thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is less of a ‘holiday’, and more of a ‘time of year’ for me (although I do love having the day off work). It’s a time to see family, reconnect with friends, and a reminder to enjoy the little moments that otherwise get brushed under the rug. I love that Thanksgiving isn’t as commercialized as other national holidays – there are no presents, no pressure and no high expectations.

Historically, Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates the annual harvest and the good things that happened over the past year. While I’m not a farmer, I am thankful for the plentiful amounts of fresh food that is grown right here in Ontario. One of my favourite Thanksgiving activities is going to Farmer’s Markets – whether it be my staple St. Lawrence Market, or markets farther away like St. Jacobs. There is something satisfying about buying your food right from the farmer who grew it – and there is always great flowers at these markets.

A lovely reminder to be thankful everyday – taken on Queen St. W.

Below are a few (of the many) things I am thankful for this year.

Friends.

As you get older, making and keeping friends gets harder. The distances grow larger, lives get busier and priorities changes. I always try to prioritize making time for my friends – regardless of how busy other aspects of my life get. Knowing a solid support group is only a phone call or a text away is priceless.

Winston

This cat.

Right now, I am fostering this little bub. He was abandon outside of an animal services building in Toronto. Since moving downtown alone, I had been wanting to get a pet, but I had never had a cat before and felt my condo was too small for a puppy. So, I decided to foster a kitten through Toronto Cat Rescue. He has brought a lot of smiles to my day – I will be sad to see him eventually leave, but I know he will make a family really happy.

The Jays.

I love sports. While baseball isn’t my favourite sport (I am a Leafs girl through and through), having a Toronto team finally make the playoffs for something has been amazing. This team has united Toronto in a way that I haven’t seen in a long time.

What are you thankful for this year?

xx jamie.