One summer, I gave into my wanderlust and jetted off to British Columbia with one of my dearest childhood friends.  The thing that made the biggest impression on me out there on the West Coast? Those old-growth forests.  10 years later, I still think wistfully of those days with the mountains as my backdrop & the ocean my soundtrack.

Flavour Design's Alder vase is the perfect way to bring a little bit of the West Coast 'back east', without the use of brute force.  The fact that the wood used in the vases is left to age naturally on the forest floor gives it a magically unique quality and is a true showcase of the wonder of nature.

Flavour Design also has a Book Match Vase that can be used with either a tealight candle or to show off your favorite fragrant flower bud.
Check out Flavour's other ingenious housewares, including the udon noodlebowl & the zen-like Buddha Bowl (that I am definitely going to buy very, very soon!), which made Oprah's O List.  If you can't get enough of Flavour Design, you are not alone. I  couldn't resist writing up their equally ingenious (and totally adorable!) notecards - so read the full post HERE.

Photos: courtesy Flavour Design 

I may be a city girl, but some days I can't stop myself from thinking about ditching it all, packing up the car, and cutting loose to cottage country.

The only problem with living in a condo smack dab in the middle of the concrete jungle is sometimes even the call of the great outdoors isn't enough to make me want to sit in traffic for an hour.

At times like that, al I really need is a grab a Molson, pop on 'Bobcaygeon' by The Tragically Hip and get lost in this Muskoka Nights print by Pickering's budanART.

Truthfully, I could easily experience all 4 seasons in artist Mandy Budan's portfolio - from the shifting hues of Poppies to the flourishing Summer Birches; from the brilliant glow of November Sun to the aristocratic One Pine.

The use of color & shape here is simply breathtaking, and really, I would be happy with any of these prints hanging on my wall. 

Photo: courtesy budanART 

Remember that episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 when Brenda spilled everyone’s dirty little secrets to a seemingly legit reporter, only to have the network big-wigs turn her tales into a trashy tell-all?

In that same episode, Donna borrowed the anagram Steve had learned in his SAT cram course to totally ‘diss Brenda by coaxing everyone to “Scan, Discard, Select, and Move On” when Brenda - the poor, wounded bird - tried to explain.

Even though I’ve had to adopt this method myself when wading through the hundreds of potential directory members as editor of the Indie Collective, one Canadian shop put me in MY place with one little word – STALLION!

The Candi Factory’s cutesy-quaint underpants are undeniably adorable, with their two-toned hues, hand-sewn appliqués and felicitously named designs.  But it is their men’s briefs that got me all hot & bothered.

The equine-emblazoned microfibre Stallion boxer briefs made me hee-haw out loud, and their equally precocious Pirate Ship briefs are a bountiful blessing for all those guys out there who are hard pressed to find cool indie finds specifically geared toward the fashionable man-about-town.

The Candi Factory confectionary is located in Toronto’s King West, a mere stone’s throw from my house, meaning I can pop in, slow down, and spend some time picking out a gift for both myself and my beau at the same time. You’re jealous now, aren’t you?! Don’t hate!

Photos: courtesy The Candi Factory