Anthropologie Archives - Page 3 of 6

New Christmas Traditions | Cutting Down Our Own Tree

I love good traditions. Not tradition for tradition’s sake {I kind of hate that}, but traditions that imbue meaning and memories to the special seasons of our lives. The truth is, the holidays can be tough for a lot of us as we recall some not-so-happy times gathered around the old family Christmas tree. But I believe that for those of us for whom that is true, we get to redeem the meaningful seasons on our calendars and in our lives and by making them special now.

So this year, we’ve started a new tradition, and I thought I’d share with you a few shots from our family adventure of cutting down our very own tree for ourselves for the very first time.

The day was in fact kind of magical to start in that we had the first frost the night before, so the morning had a misty-grey filter that had washed over everything: sky, earth, trees. I managed to get a few shots {above} of the incredible details of the frost. Truly winter wonderland kind of stuff.

Gratefully, the day warmed and the frost melted by the time we headed to Will’s Christmas Tree Farm.

Greeted by an open wagon filled with people in the front and trees in the back bumping along past us, we pulled into the lot and walked through to the fields of trees to begin our search.

Buckle & Bridle Cardigan via Anthropologie

We were looking for a tree that was not too big {so as to not swallow our living room whole}.

And not too small {though it was sweet to see the beginnings of Christmas Trees Future growing up out of the mossy earth}.

After perusing the rows with a critical eye, we spotted the Douglas Fir that would display our ornaments and shelter our gifts this year. With the saw provided by the farm, my guys set about cutting it down {to the delight of our 9 year old who felt like the embodiment of a lumberjack in that moment}.

It came down with surprising ease {says the girl behind the camera} and my strong and noble husband then decided to forgo waiting for the wagon in favour of carrying it back himself.

The last step in the process was the coolest. This giant, whirly Christmas-tree-bundler-upper packaged up the trees in the blink of an eye. So much easier to get them home like that, and so fun to watch!

And with that, we had successfully started a new tradition! What are you favourite and most meaningful Christmas traditions? I’d love to learn from you as we craft our own unique rhythm for this season.

Tomorrow watch for some special photos with inspiration on trimming the tree {and yourselves} for the season.

Happy Thursday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 6th, 2012|2 Comments

HOSTESS GIFT GUIDE 2012

‘Tis the season to be dining and dancing, party-going and prancing out in our finest frocks and dapper threads with our favourite friends in celebration of this festive season. When invited to attend a holiday dinner party, why not express your gratitude with a thoughtful gift to the hostess? Here are my picks for some delightful ways to say thanks.

1. Boxed set of 8 cards, Rifle Paper Co. 2. Silver-edged sliced agate Lumino Coasters, Rablabs 3. Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, McEvoy Ranch 4. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Terrain 5. Les Perles Large Red Candleholder, Horne 6. “Let Them Eat Cake” ceramic vase, Anthropologie

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 4th, 2012|1 Comment

Joy Cho | Blog, Inc!

Photo by Bonnie Tsang

In seven short years, Joy Cho has taken the blogging world by storm with her delightful blog Oh Joy! After working as a graphic designer with numerous fashion clients in New York, Joy brought together her passions for food, fashion and design with the launch of her blog and business in 2005. Her ensuing blogging and design success have led to collaborative opportunities to design stationary, textiles, wallpaper and even a line of children’s clothing. If that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, this lovely and talented lady has also amassed an impressive portfolio of brand development projects for clients in the fashion and food industries through her Rx program. Joy Cho is clearly a woman for whom the sky is the limit, and the launch of her latest book, Blog, Inc! is just further proof of her creative prowess.

Blog, Inc! really reads like an inspiring conversation with a great friend who is offering you her best advice over a good cup of coffee. Packed with insights for everyone from seasoned bloggers to those just starting out, Joy offers wisdom on how to create community while translating your passions into an inspiring online presence. Joy’s business savvy and strategic approach {along with the many features of other interesting and highly successful bloggers such as Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere} left me dog-earring countless pages! She also left me feeling like this little blogging adventure I’ve nicknamed “my sanity project” isn’t so crazy after all. In fact, it might just be a really wonderful way to knit together my life and work. Thanks for the encouragement, Joy!

Joy was kind enough to do a small interview with me as a part of her blog tour. I hope this little Q & A offers you a more personal glimpse into who Joy is and what she’s all about.

1. If you could express your blog’s mission statement in one sentence, what would it be?

A place to come and feel inspired and happy.

2. Your blog has evolved into a beautiful business, leading to several opportunities to create lovely product lines via collaborations with other creative individuals and companies. How many of these opportunities developed organically, and how many of them were as a result of strategic goals you set for yourself?

Thank you! I’d say it’s a mix. I certainly set goals for myself of things I want to accomplish. So, some opportunities came from me approaching various companies I wanted to work with and simply asking or pitching my ideas for a collaboration. And, in some instances they approached me with the opportunities. I’m all about being a go-getter, and believe in going after what you want. The worst thing that can happen is someone can say no. And the best thing that can happen is it works out, and you’re now working on your next big dream project!

3. How do you envision the next season of your creative life unfolding? Dreaming big, where would you like to take your blog and your business next?

I’d love to design more products. So far, I’ve done lots of smaller capsule collections, and I’d love to go into more in-depth collections where I can really showcase more of my ideas on home decor products.

4. In what ways does your blog enable you to live and work outside the boundaries of your physical location, and in what ways has it empowered you to nest and savour the sacredness of “home?”

My blog has made it so that I can do my job from anywhere. A few years ago, we had to move twice in two years for my husband’s job. While many of his colleague’s spouses stayed behind and had to have long-distance marriages during that time, I was in a unique position to be able to move with my husband since I have my own business that’s not dependent on being in a specific location. And in contrast, I’m even more of a homebody than ever. I love the fact that I can work from home, but I always try and make work time separate and stay in my office most of the day if I’m not out at meetings or running errands. I keep the non-working areas of my home (living room, dining room, etc.) separate from my work day so that they feel special and a place I come to unwind at the end of the day.

5. What are your best recommendations for creating meaningful community in the ever-changing, fast-paced world of social media?

Just be yourself. People love seeing your style, your creativity, and the things that make you special. But they also like knowing you’re a real person dealing with the same things as everyone else.

6. What is your favourite way to decompress from work and stay grounded?

It used to be exercise. I’d work out 4-5 times a week as my stress relief, and it was always an activity that totally distracted me from blogging or my design work since it’s so different from what I do for a living. But ever since I had my daughter last year, now my favorite thing to do is spend time with her. Nothing gets me away from the computer and living real life more than playing with a baby!

Photo by Bonnie Tsang

I’m with you, Joy! Time spent with my sweet family is truly my favourite way to decompress and get reconnected with what {or more importantly, who} matters to me most. As my little guy is getting older, working out has started to become a part of our family time together as well! Best of both worlds.

Wishing all of you, my lovely friends, the opportunity to just unplug today and get nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart with the ones you love. Happy Thursday!

P.S. Here is Joy’s outrageously adorable trailer for the book. {Warning: you may come away craving a slice of chocolate cream pie and a mint green Vespa!}