loving target

The world is definitely getting smaller and so many of my favourite stores from the US have made their way to Canada in the past year - Crate and Barrel {yum}, West Elm {double yum}, and soon Anthropologie {yummiest of all!}. But...for all of these lovely stores that have finally arrived, the one I wish would leap across the border the most is Target - or 'Tar-jay' as said with a snotty French accent. That place is unbelievable! It's a Walmart with soooo much more style. On the strange popcorn machine purchasing adventure in Buffalo with Shayna Bloomer last summer, we stopped into Target and I picked up a kick-ass cobalt blue sweater, some beautiful little white dishes, and some other cool houseware items...I just can't leave that place empty-handed.

Here are some funky finds from one of my favourite stores - seriously!



1. Orla Kiely Stoneware Canister
2. Abstract Print Upholstered Chair
3. Floral Print Chaise
4. Clybourn Loft Floral Print Chair

david rockwell does the oscars

I really liked the stage design for the Oscars on Sunday night. On the intro video to the Oscars, we learned that the architect David Rockwell tried to bring everything in closer and make it more intimate and "club-like", like the original swanky Oscars from 80 years ago, by using low-descended chandeliers and seating the nominees right up close and personal to the curved stage. No awkward long walk up stairs this time! And of course, we loved the combined Swarovski crystal curtain framing the rough, corregated cardboard set detail, as well as the awesome graphical pattern on the floor, inspired by Michaelangelo's Piazza di Campidoglio.

My favourite dress? Probably the off-white dress of Taraji P. Henson. Everything was very white this year.

I always feel like I shouldn't like Angelina too much (I am loyal to Jennifer), but I did enjoy her green earrings too.

miniature world!

I was tired tonight and feeling uninspired. I just didn't feel a good blog coming on and I was going to cop out with some half-assed post when I opened an email from my sweet friend entitled "somefin fer yer blog" and I thought she can't possibly be reading my mind can she?? And yes...yes she did...with the most adorable, inspiring tidbit of fun ever that completely made my night!

This couldn't be more up the Bloomers' alley! We LOVE mini things. Mini things are so great. We could look at mini things all day long. I think its because we Bloomers are mini things. We like to be at one with our own mini kind.

So thank you Lizzie Vickery, who likes to take pictures of mini things because they make her feel omnipotent {we all have our own valid reasons} and daydreaming and making messes. Lizzie took the most fabulously, delicious pictures of "Miniature World" which is a museum in Victoria, B.C. And it gets better!! She has an exhibit at Toronto Image Works Gallery from March 5th til 28th which is right around the corner from my condo! I am so going! In the meantime here is a little taste of her some of her amazing work - Miniature World!


Thank you Lizzie!

inspiration from scandinavia

There's so much to be said for simplicity in floral design, especially during these hard economic times. Check out these beautiful, delicate buketter (bouquets) from Scandinavia. They will definitely inspire our next designs...{pics from 59buketter via Saipua}

beachy keen

Maybe its the winter weather...maybe its my own upcoming beach wedding...maybe I just like to procrastinate when I'm supposed to be working...whatever it is, I keep finding myself looking for some inspiring beach wedding pictures that aren't hideously cheesy. You'd think it would be easy! Sandy beach, blue sky, gorgeous ocean...it really just stands on its own. But for some reason when you type 'beach wedding' in Google you are provided with a plethora of cheesiness. So here is my take on what I think is nice, natural, simple beach wedding decor. Maybe I'm the one in the wrong...but I'm going out on a modest limb here and I'm going to say that I'm right....this is what nice is supposed to look like!

{I think this is simple and wonderful. Unfortunately I have no idea where I got this picture!}

{Oh Rebecca Thuss...you really do know how to make things yummy!}

{Mmmm....lanterns lining a deck overlooking the ocean}

{ Maybe a bit more 'typical' for a beach wedding but beautiful nonetheless...I love the cluster of lanterns...maybe the same wedding as above?}

{Not so much beachy as much as cottagey I suppose but a great simple, casual cottage wedding idea! All three images above are from Love, Luck and Angels}

wearing a larry

Last week Joelle Bloomer posted these super cool "larry" scarves on her blog. She saw it on Project Runway Canada - a beautiful chunky knit shawl worn by Kim Cathers. Apparently, a 'larry' is an over-sized hand-knit scarf, made in Vancouver using alpaca fleece. I don't care if they are called "larry" or "steve", I think they sure are divine, and would definitely wear one to keep my neck warm and fashionable on this cold blizzard-y day. A funky and casual winter bride might really look cool with a 'larry' - we're always scoping cool ways to warm up the brides we work with up on their wedding days!

i wanna be a modern flapper!

I've got the 20's and Flappers on my mind of late. I've been researching the whole roaring 20's and Prohibition for an event I am working on. The more I research, the more I'm obsessed with the fashion of the era. If I were born 85 years earlier I totally would have been a flapper. Loving the bob and the hats and the dresses and the dancing! Here are a few modern twists on flapper hats to keep you cozy and cute now that fake spring seems to be over. If we gotta have snow then we might as well wear a modern flapper hat!!

{I'm so loving 'The Robin' by piperandpaisley}

{Oh so cute Modern Twist Flapper by tallib}

{Cozy and stylish Button Band Flapper Hat on croshay's photostream}

Why do buttons make everything look better?

Lost about Lost - inBloom's Theory

I’m a huge Lost fan, and while watching last week, I couldn’t help but think that even though it’s one messed up place, it certainly is beautiful. Perfect for a wedding (minus the smoke monsters and death-inducing time shifts).

a wedding on the Lost beach would be purty...{pic}

In actuality, the location would be paradise. Paradise…I say to myself. My nerdy English Literature brain kicks in 5 years after I graduate (finally!), and a theory is born. I’m sure anyone who has taken English in University knows about Paradise Lost – a book written by John Milton, a political activist in the 1600s, who attacked the ways of the church despite his own religious upbringing and desire to be a priest, even facing imprisonment in 1663 for his controversial essays. It was there, in jail, that Milton wrote Paradise Lost, and now I can’t help, in all my nerdy glory, but see the relation from Milton's book to our favourite TV show, LOST.

this would be a pretty wedding spot too - remember when Jack and Kate kissed at this waterfall? {pic from this website}

In a very short summary, so as not to bore you, Paradise Lost is almost like a bad ass bible dealing with predominant themes of repentance, hope and redemption. Basically, Milton re-tells the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace his own way - all caused by an evil "fallen" angel named Satan. But in the story, it all comes out in the wash that God, knowing how sorry they are for succumbing to Satan's trickery, is able to forgive them. And although sentencing Adam and Eve to an imperfect world, he forgives them, knowing that Christ (his son) has agreed to redeem them by dying for their sins. Heavy, eh? So, here’s where I see the parallels in a nutshell:

Kate and Jack going at it. Kinda like Adam and Eve in "Paradise Lost" ? Funny enough, Jack is the son of "Christian"

1st and foremost" Paradise Lost tells the story of Satan, and how he waged a war with his “rebel angels” against God. God then sentences Satan to fiery pits of hell as the leader of his “fallen angels”. Satan learns about Adam and Eve - the first humans - and decides to trick them into sinning, just to mess up God’s plan to start the human race. He fancies this his revenge on God. So, to do this, Satan disguises himself as a serpent and manipulates Adam and Eve to sin and fucks up God’s plan. Hello, does this sound not sound like Ben and all the people on the island? Not only is Ben psycho, and trying to mess with human lives, cloning babies, master minding all these elaborate schemes to keep everyone from going home, but also, his “rebel” angels (Jack, Kate, Sawyer, John – all who are certainly rebels with their own vices to a certain degree) literally “fell” from the sky, and have landed on this chaotic island, almost as punishment for every crime or sin they've committed.

Futhermore, in Paradise Lost, Milton makes Satan a sympathetic character, one we actually feel sorry for. Like Ben, whose mother dies and whose father was a jerk – we almost feel sorry for him and understand how he had no choice but to be a bad manipulative little seed.

Secondly, in Paradise Lost, although Adam and Eve have sinned, Christ (God's son) decides to re-incarnate himself in the future and sacrifice himself to repent their (and the rest of human race’s) sins. Adam and Eve genuinely feel sorry, and so God forgives them because Christ is willing to die on their behalf. HELLO? John Locke is totally the Christ figure – not only does he actually say the words “I think I can save us” in the last episode, but he willingly decides to die in order to save everyone on the Island, knowing he'll be resurrected.

And judging from last week's episode, Jack's dad Christian (the name says it all, no?) is playing God – he tells John what he has to do, and also lets John know that Ben is just a fool, much like God forsees all of Satan’s wicked plans, although Satan thinks he's extra sneaky. What a fool!

Desmond as Odysseus?

And the third reason why I think this makes sense? John Milton wrote his poem in the style of Homer’s Odyssey, a Greek epic poem about Odysseus, who spends 10 years lost at sea (including being enslaved on an island for 7 years), before he gets back home to his love, Penelope, marries her and has a son. Yep, just like Desmond, who gets lost at sea, becomes enslaved on the Island, but finally makes it home to his true love, Penelope, and has a son. They even used the same name in this situation!

Lastly – is the title not enough on it’s own? “Lost” is the second half of the title “Paradise Lost” and the first half, "paradise" seems to be depicted through the “paradise” island they live on – in all it’s natural beauty, it is actually hell – a perfect home for rebel angels, as they cannot enjoy the beauty of this place for what it is.

a shady kind of beautiful. sadly, this tree burned down in real {pic from this website}

So what does this mean? If I’m correct then, I predict that Ben will end like Satan who thinks he’s succeeded at fucking up God’s human race and arrives back to announce his triumph to his angels, but just as he announces it, God turns him into a real serpent ..deflated, humiliated, and with no more power – as good as death but probably better. So I think either Ben will die, or else he will be reduced to nothing, incapacitated, with no power at all, but living long enough to feel humiliated.

And the others? Like the fallen angels, I think some will truly learn from their mistakes, and be allowed back into the "human" world again, given a second chance. Those who don’t care will either stay on the island or die. Let’s see if I’m right!

modern bathtubs

Take a look at some of these cool modern bathtubs I found posted on the blog, Modest. As a new homebuyer, I can appreciate how awesome it would be to get a tub that's this funky - imagine splish splashing away in these? Now THAT's my idea of appreciating art . Definitely a good way to get inspired.

{Posted on Modest: Foster tub from Hoesch.}

{Posted on Modest}

{Posted on Modest: Wall strip bath by PSC }

My fav!!

{Posted on Modest: Annette Teak Tub}

{Posted on Modest: Waterfull tub by Mastella}

all the single ladies...and men!

Like the rest of the world out there I've gotten a little bit obsessed with the Beyonce "Single Ladies" dance. I started doing a bit of research to see what I could find....check out these great tidbits of fun!

First, its almost impossible to find now, but have you seen the SNL skit where Justin Timberlake is one of Beyonce's dancers for her video? It provided me with many a giggle! Here are some pics that give you pretty much the full idea and to watch video footage I've managed to find a link to it here.

I was also able to find two good videos for learning how to do the dance! In this video "Single Man Shane" teaches two women the steps to the dance. Its kind of like you are in his dance class with him - fun! And then once you have some of the steps down from Shane's class, you can follow along to this slowed down version of the real Single Ladies video for easier learning! I haven't actually tried these yet but it would be a fun thing to do with some friends one Friday night!

So glad there are computer saavy people out there to keep the rest of us thoroughly entertained!

chocolove

If there's one thing a bloomer loves {aside from cupcakes, So You Think You Can Dance, chalkboards, and flowy dresses} it's chocolate! Just wanted to share these pretty chocolate bars I got for my Valentines...I hear the chocolate itself is amazing, but I admit that I fell in love with the packaging. Maybe because it looks like an exotic postcard? We do seem to love postcards too...

Have a wonderful chocolate-filled weekend!

february bloomer newsletter!

Just released - our rivetting February newsletter, filled with all of the fun stuff we have been working on! If you aren't already on our newsletter list, then click here to take a peek. If you want to be added to our newsletter, just send us an email at hey@inbloomeventdesign.com. Happy Happy Heart Day!

my kind of wedding!

I've been meaning to blog about this forever...its kind of past due but with the new American Idol season underway I can't help but miss my favoritist reality show ever - So You Think You Can Dance! There was one dance in particular that was one of the biggest inspirations for my Practice Wedding theme {apparently inspiration can come from anywhere!} and I can't believe I haven't mentioned it yet! Shame shame!

Does anyone remember this dance that was Mia Michael's interpretation of a Tim Burton type wedding? I loved the whimsical, wild puffiness of it all! The big, messy beehive hairdo, the adorable puffy dress, the funny half tuxedo, the silly faces...I don't think I can convince Dan to wear the funny tuxedo {even though I've already sourced out a teal coloured cumberbund if he should somehow come around to my wishful thinking!!} but at least I totally scored on my vintage puffy wedding dress! Fingers crossed my hair will be long enough to make a big messy beehive!

Here are a few shots of some of my favorite moments thanks to Tortilla Chips and Milk blog! I wish I could find a pic of when he lifts her up and all you can see are her toes peeking out of a puff of fabric...so cute!

more house colour choices

We finally went to the Greenpark Decor Center to make some preliminary house colour choices. It was a tad bit overwhelming to have samples of carpets, countertops, tiles, cabinets and doorknobs thrust at us in a span of two hours, but alas, it is essentially what I love to do - decorate! Since it is a new townhome, some of the "standard" choices presented to us weren't necessarily the greatest options, so we had to do some real digging to get to the bottom of it all - there's only so many upgrades one can do before going absolutely broke! Here are some of the preliminary selections we've made to give us a start. I suspect many more of our own renovations and upgrades will be necessary in the next few years! We're definitely going for very clean, white, simple and uncluttered house with modern lines. Just like the inspiration pictures from Elizabeth Roberts' loft that I posted a few weeks ago!

We picked a very dark brown "Red Oak Java" semi-gloss hard wood floor, "Stone" - coloured countertops, taupe kitchen floor tiles, and espresso-coloured kitchen/bathroom cabinet doors called "Hampton."

Our Bloomin' Grandfather is a really awesome carpenter, who has offered to teach us all how to make our own kitchen tables. I had my heart set on a funky, but highly impractical, table made out of reclaimed barn wood, however, Shayna Bloomer sent us this table at West Elm which I'm really warming up to. I think the light wood will really go with our kitchen colour choices. Thanks Shayna Bloomer!

Our standard upstairs bathroom choices were REALLY limited, but in the end, we narrowed it down to these super neutral white-ish/gray bathroom tiles, dark wood cabinets (which I think we'll re-strip and paint a darker espresso brown ourselves later), and this "Jamocha Granite" coloured countertop. Most of the beige tiles looked too pink-y, and the grey tiles available looked too blue. Give us something as neutral and simple as possible please! I plan to experiment with the colours on the walls and some funky decor!

billowy dresses

I've also had my eye on a few favourite floaty dresses I've seen online. I would swish and swirl around in them all night long if I owned them ...

Aren't these fantastic?

Images from Dirk Rees via Daisy Chain Blog

These reminded me of Shayna Bloomer's practice wedding dress - cute! It's from an Australian designer named Mady Dooijes, spotted on BettyJoy blog.

From Wai-Ching Clothing. I have to say, we've ordered dresses from Wai-Ching before and they are as pretty as they look in the pictures!