The 10 Cent Educational Series: Arm Knitting

Posted by kait / October 22, 2014

Have you ever knitted with your arms before? No?! Maybe you should start now. Why spend endless dollars on multiple sizes of knitting needles when you’ve got two fantastic appendages already attached to your body that knit just fine!

My friend Lori Andrews (aka ) is kicking off her new 10 Cent Educational Series on November 5th with PuddingYarn and JuiceBecause for a course on arm knitting and creating an awesome, cozy and stylish infinity scarf using only your arms and some seriously chunky yarn. Registration just launched for this fun evening of DIY crafting, live music and delicious treats. The class is $90 which includes all instruction + the giant balls of yarn that you need to complete your project – coming in these two gorgeous colours!

PuddingYarn | 1516 6th Street SW

November 5th 6-8pm

BUGABOO X WARHOL COLLECTION

Posted by kait / October 21, 2014

Andy Warhol has been one of my favourite artists for as long as I can remember. As a child I had an immediate attraction to pop art and always loved his fun and playful style. My parents encouraged my love of his art through Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s Tomato Soup Can prints in our house. I still remember the first time I saw The Velvet Underground vinyl featuring the iconic yellow banana designed by Warhol.

As a young art student, Warhol informed my art practice and I employed his bright colours and witty ethos into my work. As the years passed, I picked up other Warhol-inspired items including everything from post-its to design collaborations with Campbell’s and Perrier.

When I first saw Bugaboo’s collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts announced not long ago, I was definitely not in the market for a stroller but I fell in love instantly. The insanely fun yellow Cameleon3 Banana stroller is an incredible eyecatcher – can you imagine pushing this baby down the street?! Of course, Warhol lovers all over the world have rendered nearly sold-out. However, Bugaboo wouldn’t leave us hanging in a banana-less world which is why I am SO excited about their brand-new Warhol collection debuting this November.

Featuring four super fun Warhol prints, you can now customize your Bugaboo stroller to fit your style personality. You can choose between the Globetrotter, Butterflies, Marilyn and the iconic Banana print.

I am so excited for the gorgeous Banana print – it is my top pick out of this collection because who doesn’t want to raise their child with references of Nico and the Velvet Underground? I know I sure do. It should practically come with a playlist of starter songs for baby! I recently bought a used Cameleon so I am planning on picking up this set for my little boy when it becomes available later this year. It looks like they will be available around the same time I am due!

The Warhol Marilyn print stroller set is also super amazing! I think this would be perfect for a little girl. And the cute coordinating tote is just perfect. So, as you can see Warhol’s designs are truly timeless and you can never start educating your children about art too young!

Watch for this fab new collection debuting soon online at Bugaboo and if you are in Calgary, keep your eye out at West Coast Kids for the collection.

I HEART YYC

Posted by kait / September 5, 2014

Here’s my list of amazing things happening in Calgary. Have fun + shop local! Also, spread the good word to your friends. [Painting above by Heather Buchanan who will be at Market Collective's 6th Anniversary Market.]

➔ I HEART YYC

♥ Friday Sept 5. 4-9PM + Saturday Sept 6. 10-6PM + Sunday Sept 7. 10-6pm. The beloved Market Collective is hosting their biggest market yet, this time in a beautiful venue in the East Village. Celebrating their 6th Anniversary with a massive three day market, MC has really outdone themselves this time curating some of the best artists in the city for this special event. You won’t want to miss – at 618 Confluence Way SE! MORE INFO.

♥ Monday Sept 8 + Tuesday Sept 9. CAMP Festival. CAMP in partnership with FITC, celebrates creative technology, art and design by bringing together like-minded professionals, artists, and students to share and shape experiences that educate, challenge and inspire. CAMP is hosted at the historical Theatre Junction GRAND in Calgary. Tickets here.

♥ Wednesday Sept 10 – Sunday Sept 14, Beakerhead. I am SO excited to be finally be in town for this year’s Beakerhead. With spectacles like LaserCat and El Pulpo, a giant fire breathing octopus, it is something that no Calgarian should miss if they can help it. Get the full scoop here and don’t miss a single pop-up party or performance.

♥ Friday Sept 12, 6pm – 12am, Inglewood Night Market. I am getting all prepped for the final Inglewood Night Market of the season. I’ll be setting up a booth at STASH Needle Art Lounge to flog some vintage wares + clothing, so definitely stop by if you are in the hood! Some awesome Beakerhead stuff is also popping up in Inglewood for the market which you do not want to miss.

♥ Friday Sept 19, 7:30am – 9:30am, Nordstrom Pre-Opening Beauty Bash: Bring your girlfriends and start shopping Nordstrom’s world of cosmetics while you wait for the new store to open. Get the inside scoop on new products and trends from the top names in beauty—and learn the latest tips and tricks from their team of beauty experts. Enjoy complimentary consultations and demonstrations, along with some beautiful surprises. Join in at the main Nordstrom entrance.

♥ Friday Sept 19, 9:30am, Nordstrom Grand Opening: The new Nordstrom opens! Come check it out, celebrate and shop the season’s best styles. We can’t wait to meet you and see your style.

♥ Saturday October 4, 7pm, . PARKLUXE is a fashion show and art exhibition initiative featuring local designers and professional artists who share a common, high-end target market. is designed to connect Calgary fashion and art lovers with sophisticated local designers and artists who are making an impact outside of our city limits, and throughout Canada and North America. This season’s show is proving to be an incredible one! So proud of our local designers.

♥ Friday October 17, 4pm – 9pm + Saturday October 18, 10am – 6pm. is back for their fall show. Their mission is to bring a carefully curated collection of independently produced, Canadian art, craft + design to the people of Calgary twice annually, with other plans unfolding all the time! I cannot wait to see the amazing products at this year’s show.

♥ ♥ ♥

A TOUCH OF GOLD

Posted by kait / September 3, 2014

I am SO in love with minted’s new foil-pressed stationary and business cards line. Just launched, this new product features gold-touched paper items that people will not be able to resist holding on to. Talk about the idea networking opportunity! Looking through the new collection, I found tons of seriously beautiful business card and stationary designs – all so different and beautiful in their own way. To save on your next order, check out the limited time only coupon codes that minted has to offer you!

My favourite find so far in the business cards collection has got to be the Hello New Friend Foil-Pressed Business Cards. The fun and playful design is definitely something I would buy for myself. I think it would look great with my existing branding.

I love the Icons Foil-Pressed Cards for their gorgeous simplicity. Available in five different colours you’ll be able to find one that works perfectly for your personal branding. I just love how sweet the little icons look in the gold foil.

The Desert Stripes Foil-Pressed Stationary is so so so good! Who wouldn’t want to receive some correspondence on a beautiful piece of stationary like this?! Such a fun way to send mail.

I love the vintage feel of the Bold Block Print Foil-Pressed Stationary. There is something just so sophisticated about it and the gold is really bright and bold on this one! I picture myself sending short sweet notes with this stationary to my best friends.

HOME & DESIGN SHOW GIVEAWAY!

Posted by kait / September 2, 2014

My favourite time of year for fashion and design has arrived once again. Fall. Oh hello brisk autumn winds and dark blue skies, I am so ready to start nesting under your steadily dropping temperatures. Along with the September issue of Vogue there are a couple of things I greatly look forward to each fall – one being the Calgary Home & Design Show. In the past, I have participated in fun DIY challenges, interviewed interior designers and toured the trade show for the coolest new products. This year I’ve teamed up with CHDS for a sweet giveaway just for you to win!

➔ YOU GET ALL OF THIS:

$25 Ikea giftcard
Marshmallows from Fiasco Gelato
$95 free class giftcard and spice tin from Ruby’s Kitchen
Paint can bundle from Interiors to Inspire
Peanut brittle and toffee from Sweet
T-shirt, belt buckle, stickers & bracelet from Anejo
2 CHDS14 tickets

➔ TO ENTER:

1. Tell us what your favourite design trend for Fall is! Leave a comment below and be sure to include your name and email. (For design trend ideas, check out !)

2. For an extra entry, follow both and on Twitter and leave an extra comment here saying that you did so.

I will be drawing the winner on Thursday September 4th at 8pm MST. To win you must have a Calgary mailing address. Thanks + good luck!

ANNIE WILLIAMS – LIMITED NATURAL

Posted by kait / August 18, 2014

I always love seeing what Nashville designer Annie Williams will come up with next. I’ve been a big fan of her work ever since her collaborator and my good friend Nicole Irene first introduced me to her beautiful leather goods. I’ve been following her work throughout the years and have always fallen in love with what ever she creates – from the home line to her early collections.

Of course, finding out that she has a new collection just in time for autumn featuring the natural essex hide. This leather wears well and she even gives her own testimonial of using the tin cloth tote as a diaper bag for the past couple of months, which gets me pretty excited about picking out my own diaper bag in the near future. This new collection looks soft, timeless and understated; totes and clutches that can effortlessly become season-less in your wardrobe.

collection by annie williams

photography by nicole irene

POPPY BARLEY X #YYC

Posted by kait / June 17, 2014

Since our awesome party with Poppy Barley last month at Phil & Sebastian, I have been absolutely loving my blue jean baby flats and my city boots. Completely custom to my feet and legs, these are such a dream! Since it is still such a fabulous and somewhat new product to most Canadian gals, I thought I would let you know about two upcoming opportunities to get your hands on some sweet Poppy Barley gear!

This weekend is going to be pretty incredible with fantastic rock shows all over the city as part of Sled Island. There will also be some pretty epic shopping opportunities – namely Parksale over in Haultain Park. Poppy Barley is setting up their booth there from 10am til 8pm on Saturday June 21st. You can check out their brand-new product, ask questions about these amazing custom-made shoes and also get your feet/legs measured for a custom pair of boots or shoes! All of the vendors and more .

ALSO! My lovely friend Ania from the amazing Ania.B blog is hosting a Stampede-themede giveaway with Poppy Barley and ATB Financial! You can win $500 in custom shoes made just for you. Just pin 2 win! More details over at Ania’s blog.

I HEART PROJECTEO + GIVEAWAY

Posted by kait / April 17, 2014

I love miniatures. I’ve always been fascinated by tiny things and imagining tiny worlds. In another life I think I would have been one of those people with the elaborate train sets, building amazing to-scale landscapes and getting lost in it all. So, of course, when I discovered Projecteo last year, I instantly fell in love.

Projecteo is a tiny analog projector that displays your Instagram photos in a whole new way. It is so much fun to go through old travel photos this way. I love choosing my favourite nine images to add to a reel. Below I chose photos from my trips last year to Austin, Texas; Okanagan, BC; and Palm Springs, California. It is pretty magical when you turn on your Projecteo for the first time. This is also a super fun gift idea for kids – it is actually perfect size for the IKEA furniture set or for playing with Barbies!

Enter to win your own by visiting Projecteo and commenting on this post! I would love to hear about what photos you would put on your reel! Giveaway ends on Wednesday April 23rd at 12MST. This giveaway is open for residents world-wide!

If you can’t wait to win, use my friends code to order your own: FRIEND07L3. Oh, and they have free shipping worldwide. A win-win, no?

GET 10 CENT TO SHOOT YOUR PHOTO!

Posted by kait / April 16, 2014

My good friend Lori Andrews aka The 10 Cent Designer is offering up a sweet iPhonography session right now. Yes, that means she does a professional shoot with you – using her iPhone! The deal is pretty sweet – $125.00! You get a full hour of her time (including in-phone editing) at her home studio. The photos are emailed or texted the same day. These are great photos perfect for personal use or for your professional work like a LinkedIn profile pic. Makeup artist is available for an extra free with notice. And Lori will give you wardrobe, set design and props advice in advance of the session at no charge. She can also upgrade you to professionally photoshopped images for a small fee (i.e. pimple be gone!).

She is starting to book up but still has room for more shoots. At only $125.00, you’ll get amazing photos – check out mine above! Send her a note and get shot by the 10 Cent too!

SPRING DREAMS

Posted by kait / April 16, 2014

I am currently looking out the window at April flurries and I am not impressed. I am so ready for warm springy weather and I wish it was here by now – we could all use some green grass and a day spent on a patio. I know it is just around the corner so I’m looking for pretty things to get me more excited for this upcoming season. I am really looking forward to the long Easter weekend and can’t wait to spend it with my family indulging in eggs benny and hopefully some delicious chocolate treats!

I found so many beautiful things on --> today that just SCREAM spring! That soft pink rucksack is my dream bag for spring and summer adventures – I think it needs to be mine, no? And that little linen bunny definitely has a fun personality to it – a friend for my collection of sock monkeys perhaps. Those custom patterned bras are just stunning. Talk about spring dream lingerie. I’d love to lounge around in those on a warm day, curled up with a good book. And anything green is very good in my books, that is for certain. I am trying to stock up our home with as many succulent plants as possible and picking up fresh flowers whenever I remember. What is getting you inspired for spring? Are you planning something big for Easter weekend?

shop these spring finds:

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