Splurge Friday

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Anna wears flats too!

Seems I'm not the only one trading my sky-high stilettos for flats. Anna Wintour was recently spotted wearing flats at the Hampton Designer Showcase. The Huffington Post reports;

"each of Anna's sartorial decisions are deliberate as she decides which trends to promote. And she could be pushing Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley's agenda, as last month he declared the high, high heel to be over. Talley called stilettos "towering torture chambers" and said designers need a "reality check." In fact, Talley might be favoring a new style icon, in particular: Can't anyone take a cue from First Lady Michelle Obama, in the elegant low-heeled shoes she always wears? A flat would be nice. Talley confessed his confusion over why women choose to wear such painful shoes. He pointed to Diana Vreeland, Katharine Hepburn and C.Z. Guest as women who owned all of the grace in the world and lacked any precarious pairs of heels. He ended with an appeal to today's couture cobblers: Can you stop the madness and dream up a new way to define your silhouette without a needle heel
that defies not only gravity but elegance?"

What's your opinion? Can you still be elegant in flats or do you prefer a sensible 3" heel?

Happy Birthday Wilma

Phew… I’m not the only one who throws my dog a birthday party! Read all about little Wilma’s party right here.
{Originally spotted here}

 

Scrap Award

Lindsey tagged me for the Scrap Award... It's my first award and I'm super excited. The rules are as follows:

• List ten honest things about yourself that your blogging friends do not know about you.
• Give the award away to seven (or 10?) bloggers.
• Let the seven (or 10?) bloggers know they have received the award.
• Link back to the person who awarded you.
  
  Here goes...
  
  1. I make a "mew" sound in my sleep. No joke
  2. My left eye changes colour (from brown to green) when I have a headache
  3. I grew up on a farm and my parents grew the tomatoes that went to the International Space Station.
  4. I am a harbourer of lost pets. I like to play with them for a bit before I call their owner or try to return them. Please don't think I'm a bad person.
  5. I was my high school's mascot. Go Lions!
  6. I celebrate my birthanukkah - the 7 wonderful days of wonderfulness before my birthday! It involves a little present every night leading up to my actual birthday + present.
  7. I constantly botch catch phrases... i.e. pooched the dog (screwed the pooch), six of a dozen - half of another (six of one - half dozen of another), that really burns my bridges (burns my britches)... You get the idea.
  8. Carrots instantly give me the hiccups
  9. I can make the Cindy-Lou-Who face from Dr Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
  10. I used to keep a blog called 'The Daily Receipt' where I posted the items on purchase receipts I found while waiting at the supermarket self scan check-out. Here is my favorite receipt ever;
• 3 boxes of bandaids,
• 1 bag of Bic razors
• 1 bag Doritos
• 1 litre Häagen-Dazs
• Ear plugs
• 1 child size swimming pool
• 1 Cat Fancy magazine
• Midol
• 3 jars of marshmallow Fluff
• 1 box Tampax Tampons
• 1 Telescoping shovel
Clearly this person was having a bad(?) day...

I am sending the Scrap Award to - Anne at The City Sage , Dottie at dottie angel and Michelle at M.A.Belle. If you are reading and would like to participate, please do but be sure to follow the rules.

Good Ideas

After spying this kitchen in the September edition of House and Home magazine, I am on the lookout for a vintage pie rack to store all of my beautifully mismatched china.

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Kitty's Picks

After pouring over the August JCrew catalogue, these are my picks for the transition into fall.  According to Jenna Lyon, “fall is about mastering the mix.  pretty pale hues amped up with bold brights and feminine flourishes offset with tomboy touches” and jewellery! 
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Comforts of Home

Spaetzle is a dish of tiny noodles similar to Gnocchi or dumplings that originates from Europe.  You can buy spaetzle in the pasta aisle of your local gourmet grocery store, or you can follow my directions below and make your own.

Spaetzle
475g (1 tub) light ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour

Sauce
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can Heinz Maple Beans
1 can Campbells condensed tomato soup
Chicken Broth
Basil

Sauce - Brown beef in pan.  Add beans, tomato soup and a generous amount of basil.  Stir.  When mixture starts to bubble, add chicken broth until mixture reaches desired consistency (we like our sauce thick, but you may prefer the sauce to be thinner).
Pasta - Boil a large pot of salted water. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Blend well, then slowly stir in the flour until the mixture becomes a stiff batter. Using a flat metal grater (or colander) with large holes, fill with ¼ of batter and hold over the pot.  With a metal spatula, press small amounts of the batter through the holes directly into the water [the dough will be thick but the steam from the pot helps to thin the noodle as it falls through the holes]. As the spaetzle gradually rise to the surface of the boiling water, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a colander.  Add spaetzle to sauce and serve.
Yield:   8 * 1 cup servings.  367 cal, 9g fat, 4g fibre per serving.
{photo: Cookie magazine}

After a few days of solid deliberation, I splurged on these cuties.  I’m in the process of replacing all of my favourite sky-high heels with more sensible options and it’s been  really tough because a) I love my heels and b) I’m incredibly picky when it comes to shoes.  I chose these because they are patent, they have a solid rubber sole, and the patent & gold bow adds a touch of whimsy to an otherwise boring shoe.  My wallet is looking emptier, but my hip is much happier!

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Currently Loving...

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Bummer Summer

I originally flagged this outfit as inspiration for the fall however, with the weather we are experiencing, it is completely appropriate for today. After getting 100mm of rain over the weekend, it’s raining again today, and the forecast is calling for another 5 days of rain. I’m beginning to feel as though we live in England.

Anyone know where I can find her scarf? 

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Splurge Friday

I can’t decide between the wallpaper and the dress…

Have a great weekend!

D'oh!

I’m sitting at my desk working away and Disturbia by Rhianna starts playing in the background.  At first I thought it was my neighbour’s cell-phone, but the song just keeps playing – 3 times to be exact.  My neighbour is singing along in her office, I’m starting to go mental, and for some reason it seems to be getting louder.  As I stand up to go check things out I realize that Rhianna is coming from MY office – I left my iPod on my desk and must have accidentally turned it on.  D’oh!  It’s going to be one of those days.

Significant Objects

I spotted this over at ApartmentTherapy this afternoon and couldn’t resist sharing.

“For Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn’s latest project, Significant Objects, they find inexpensive collectibles at thrift stores and garage sales and match them with writers who write a fictional story about each object. The item and the story are then posted on eBay for anyone to bid on, sometimes fetching 10 times what was originally paid… The story about the spotted dogs above by Curtis Sittenfeld actually made our heart skip a beat”

The part of the story about Larry and Bernadette reminds me of myself and the Dr – minus 40 years, alfalfa sprout pantyhose and said hefty-ness. We are those people who hold hands when we walk down the street, kiss goodbye in the elevator every morning, and can’t wait to see each other at the end of the day. I like to believe that 40 years down the road, like Larry and Bernadette, we will still be as smitten as the day we met.

Teacups

I ♥ vintage teacups.  I see them everywhere but I've always struggled with how to properly display them.  After discovering Emily's Wide Open Spaces, I will be on the hunt for some to mount on a picture rail.  Also, check out the floor in this photo… Can you believe it was hand stencilled by Emily's husband???  I am so inspired. 

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Marcenstock

I love designers with a sense of humour.  Check out Marc Jacob’s newest creation – the Marcenstock sandal {above}.   

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Kate Towers :: Sauvie Island

Some of you may recognize Kate’s designs from Seaplane in Portland.  If you live outside the area you can find her online or through her Etsy shop. 

In his shoes

I’m loving the classic menswear vibe for Fall.

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Yumi Kim

This blouse would be gorgeous with a straight black skirt, a vintage-y heel and gold accessories.  Thanks Anthropologie for moving away from the sack-blouse, and towards more office appropriate alternatives.

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Strawberry Chicken Salad

I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!  Check out the link for the recipe courtesy of Craft Lovely.

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Speak into my good ear...

Kitty's first Prada shoes

On Friday the Dr surprised me with these gorgeous Prada shoes and I haven’t taken them off since!

Here’s the story about how they came to be. Friday afternoon we were browsing through the shop and I spotted them. They were absolutely perfect, they fit like a dream, but they were out of my price range. I didn’t have long to mew about them because the Dr had to go back to work, and I was desperately in need of coffee. {lapse one hour and one cup of coffee} As we were driving home, the Dr (playing it all smooth) asked me to get his phone out of his bag. After a teensy bit of playful grumbling about having to reach down for it, I opened the bag and there were the shoes! It turns out he had waited until we were apart just long enough that I wouldn't see him run back to the store to get them before anyone else had the chance to buy the very last size 36.5.

The shoes are absolutely perfect, but it is the gesture that makes me swoon. Prada shoes or no Prada shoes, I feel like the luckiest lady ever.

Before & After

Currently wishing I was as creative as Brooke of playing grown up
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Etsy :: You are my Kryptonite

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Splurge Friday

Judith Leiber {via}

Post script: This is no way a nod towards Judith Leiber or her terribly tacky taste. I just can't resist a good cupcake when I see one.

Sparkle

I’m obsessed with gold accessories. Here are just a few of my favorites…

{clockwise – Jonathan Adler, Anthropologie, Kate Spade}

J'adore Dior

A new twist on a romantic classic. The skirt on this stunning dress by John Galliano for Dior Haute Couture reminds me of a Spode teacup.

Holiday, Celebrate!

Hello everyone, kitty here. I'm taking a bit of a blog holiday but I'll be back tomorrow with new pretty things. See you soon!

Good Eats :: Chili Lime Flank Steak

From the June edition of Canadian House & Home.

Splurge Friday

Just to be clear... I want the dress, my house wants the china. DYK - Cath Kidston ships to North America?!? Suddenly my wallet is looking very empty...
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Chairs

I'm on a bit of a chair kick. After owning/selling 4 sets of dining chairs before finding the perfect set, we now have a chair policy - 1 chair in = 1 chair out. Sadly I really can't afford a set of those blue & purple lovelies, but I'll be keeping watch for something similar I can makeover for a future space.
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Pretty In Pink

Thank you Banana Republic for FINALLY making a Kitty dress. Now, please hurry up and send it to my local store so I can make this dream a reality.

It's a Snap

Great idea from H&H on displaying your favorite photos sans frame. Also, I'm really loving those chairs. They resemble a set I remember Eddie Ross recently making-over. I'm so tempted to buy something from him just so I can say we're friends.

Shoe Solution

Sometimes I need to remember to shop my closet(s). A week ago I was having a wardrobe dilemma and I almost bought a pair of Jimmy Choo's that I didn’t love just so I could be sure I wouldn’t go barefoot to the wedding. That was before I remembered I had these gold lovelies tucked away in the back of my closet [Kate Spade - circa 2007]. They are the perfect height to dance the night away. I ♥ reusing/repurposing!

Available here and here – but only in ivory/white. Gold version circa 2007.

Happy Canada Day!

Today we are celebrating Canada's 142 birthday. July 1 marks the day that Canada became a confederation under the British North America Act, which came into force on July 1, 1867. The Dr and I are spending our day with friends and family and just relaxing at home. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate.

Airstream Heaven

“It is the world's only collection of trailer park penthouse suites — a collection of seven beautifully polished aluminum Airstream travel trailers ready for your overnight stay… The gleaming fleet of seven Airstream travel trailers have been positioned on the rooftop of the Grand Daddy Hotel, overlooking Cape Town's Table Mountain and the city below. Each of the seven trailers has been customized and themed with "Capetonian soul," and features air-conditioning, insulation, hot and cold water, flushing toilets and showers.” {via}

I want to go to there!