We want treats!

I work as a copywriter in an ad agency here in Montreal. There are 7 of us in the space my desk is in, and since we are all girls and like our sweets, there is often a cake, some cookies or brownies on top of our low bookshelve to be shared by all. So I was thinking of taking this one step further and buying an Easy Bake Oven for the office. Did you have one when you were a kid? I sure did - until my brother baked tadpoles in the pan and the smell of burning future baby frogs could never be erased.



This commercial has a lesser video quality, but the jingle and whisper-soft voice of the announcer are mesmerizing.

A swell time

Last Saturday, I had abour 40 friends over for a fab shindig with a fifties mid-century cuisine theme. What a riot! Pat lend me some of his vintage dishes to add to my own and I bought a few more on eBay. I set up my Crosley turntable to play my old Hammond organ records and I invited the guests to participate by bringing a dish and wearing clothing that hinted to a fifties or ealry sixties style. Here are a few of the dishes my friends came up with and that made the night one for the books:

Cindy and Max's Flaming Cabbage Weiner roast. The fire comes from a fondue heater. They brought three, so it burned all night long.





Jessica's Mac & Cheese with snack cake "to go" packs. I had some leftovers (she made so many!) so I freezed the KD and will use it to make fried mac & cheese like I had at TGI Friday's in Chicago last summer..



Geneviève's savory "surprise bread", a layered miracle filled with hame, eggs and covered with cream cheese.




Julie and Christian's Rainbow Deviled Eggs, a fantasia of flavors!



Click on one of the pics above to see the full set!

Corners of my Home: Klaatu barada nikto

Hello, and welcome to The Metropolis Tourism Center. We will help you find all the travel information you need regarding cheap eats, oil change facilities, discount hotels, cybernetic landmark tours, tips and directions. Please enjoy a complementary charging at the station on your right. Have a nice stay! Bleep, blap, bloop, bloop.

Vintage AM radio: Hudson flea market
Vintage 1939 coloring book: gift from Patrickt
Gort figurine: Le valet de coeur

Places I'll never shop at - Pirate edition

"I want to see the manager about this here couch! Arrr! I demand a discount! PARLAY!"

Corners of my Home: When the Sun Darkens

"Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart "



Hang on little man! You'll find your Moon girl.

Lamp: flea market find
Lego man: childhood memento
Shelving unit: Expedit by Ikea

For the birds

"Hey, Blue Jay? Sparrow here. I got this super swell mid-century house built, wanna see it? Cool, cool. Ok, come around 3pm and we'll watch the game. Just bring your martini shaker, I'll start making the rumakis."

Apartment Therapy tour: Color my world

Apartment Therapyfeatured my loft for a House Tour last week. It was quite a ride! On the day of the publication, I kept hitting "refresh" on the AT Chicago main page, anxiously waiting for it to show up - until it finally did! I was nervous about the comments I would get, but the readers where all very generous and nice. So thank you AT, for a wonderful experience!

A few of the readers have been asking about the paint colors I've used, so I will post them all here instead of flooding the AT post with my answers. Enjoy!

Bedroom and dining room: "Pluie Glaciale" (the darker shade) and "Croquis" by Sico




Bathroom:"Ciel d'Équinoxe" by Sico



Kitchen and living room: "Via Roma" by Sico




Front door: "Scarlet" by CIL



Office door: "Brilliant" by C.I.L.

What to do with pomegranate?

Every week, my friendly online grocer gives out free items for every 50 bucks spent. So today, I found two free bags of pomegranate with my order. They're so red! So pretty! But what to do with them?



I don't really like them in fruit salads, but they tempt me in savory dishes. I remember Nigella once making a gorgeous yogourt sauce with mint, honey and the red seeds of the fruit. She drizzled it on grilled lamb chops and it looked delicious. That sounds good. Or maybe I could make my own pomegranate molasses? Hum...

It's not often that I am stumped by an ingredient. So for now, I guess I'll just use the pomegranates as fruity décor.

The Fog

Pictures taken on my way to work a few mornings ago. I love fog... It's like the city is getting all comfy and quiet in a blanket of silver moisture.

Corners of my Home: Jet-setter Monster

This monster clearly has a taste for travel: he's ready to learn all about italian cuisine AND learn a foreign language (I think he's from Dijon, France originally).

How do you say "I come in peace" in Japanese anyway?

Places I'll never shop at - part 4

Look, a tiny dancing logo! Aw!

Miss Scarlet

I love red as an accent - maybe a little too much. It just makes me happy! Besides the door, it can be found all over my house...



For example, this vintage Merlin electronic game and Tron figurine




My sweet squirrel





The awesome ACME sign on the laundry room door




That retro clock



What's your favorite accent color?

Inspired friends

Last year, my friends MC and Franky Gun left their Montreal life behind to rediscover the joys of living in a small town - and owning a big house! With one kid on the way and rooms aplenty for many more, the couple has started to make this huge three-story cottage (that they lovingly call "the mansion") their own, room by room. I went for a vist last week-end for a big Halloween bash and I was charmed by the old wooden floors and by the huge garden, but even more by the quirky decor and stylish revamps.

A few favorites:


Vintage chinese checkers board as wall art


Industrial light over the funky dinning room table with victorian chairs


Vintage tin sign held up by a corn pick - aww!


Reclaimed cabinet as bar

Like this house? Want to practice your French? Then head out to Blanc Mansion, MC and Franky Gun's blog.

My new favorite metro station

So I was going to go meet my friend Ellen at metro Villa-Maria when I realized that I'd never actually been there. What I discovered was the Most Awesome Station in the History of Ever.


Those colors!



Those groovy benches!




Those pac-man like sculptures!





I think I'm in love.