I have been to several craft shows across Canada and the US and it was interesting to see the differences in trends from walking the aisles of this show. Animals and nature were visibly present and seemed to have inspired several of the exhibitors within their pieces.

Sophie Woodrow

Rebecca J Coles

Abigail Brown

Debbie Smythe

Sarah Morpeth

Rachel Eardley

Lisa Swerling’s Glass Cathedrals

Lost and Found Design

Lost and Found Design

We ended the day with dinner at the Conran headquarters in Sir Terrence Conran’s Penthouse. It was a fabulous evening and being in the space that he used to live in felt like a window into his world and I couldn’t have felt any more inspired by it.

After our meet-up, we all gathered at Tent London and it didn’t take me long to realise that in all the recent design shows that I have visited, this was by far my favourite. It had the perfect combination of experimental and commercial design without any corporate influence and I was inspired by virtually every single booth.

I was blown away by Tent London and should you ever find yourself in London during the London Design Festival, you must stop in.

Unfortunately, with such a busy BlogTour2011 schedule, I am unable to post each individual artist’s link so please visit the Tent London directory here.

Regardless of the jet lag that began to set in, my eyes were wide open to such inspiring people and design.

If you wish to follow more coverage of Blogtour 2011, click here. I will be posting about our second soon at Tent London, the Origin Craft Fair and dinner at Sir Terence Conran’s penthouse so please keep watch.

I’m not sure why I don’t often talk about or really let you in on what I do during the day. I think it might be mainly because of a fear or really putting myself out there. Well, I guess working on a national ad campaign and have it appear in nine different Canadian magazines, I’ve had to bite the bullet and just let go.

Thanks to a team of truly incredible professionals, we all came together and made a dream of mine happen.

And I promise over the next few weeks, I will show you more of what I have done and what I do because you’ve been there for me. I talk about design and how important it is to me yet never really share that part of my life with you. You can see the entire campaign by flipping through either your October issue of House & Home or Style at Home among others, but for now, here’s to new beginnings.

Veronika Miller of Modenus, which is a small firm built entirely on Social Media, in essence took the belief she had in the power of design bloggers and decided to create Blog Tour 2011 which would bridge the North American and UK gap and bring us all together during this incredible string of design events.

With her partners MyDeco and AD Home Design Show and alongside several distinguished sponsors such as Blanco, Samuel Heath, Victoria + Albert, Du Verre Hardware, Spirit of Sports and Wallunica, myself and 14 other design and lifestyle bloggers will head to London and attend events such as 100% Design, Tent London and Origin Contemporary Craft Fair.

I’ve stomped the grounds of several design conferences but the London Design Festival seems different in that it knows no boundaries and literally takes design to its city streets. I am extremely excited and honoured to be part of this all and with such a fabulously charged agenda, I will be sure to have so much to show and share with you.

Images from: vorwerk, nanagyei, mostaque, ktylerconk, marie-louise’s fashion pulse, confessions of a design geek, bird in the house

Go to Blogtour2011.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #blogtour2011 for more news and coverage.

For every issue I get involved with, I learn so much about who I am, how I work and what makes me happy. Pure Green is definitely a labour of love shared between such incredible people and with every page we add together, it just keeps getting better and better.

Researching and discovering so many inspiring manufacturers and artists for my eco style picks is definitely a highlight for me. And seeing some of my favorite spots in Montreal in the magazine puts a smile on my face.

Thank you Celine, Erin, Jonathan, Anile, Bess and so many others for working with me so wonderfully and for making this magazine what it is today: BEAUTIFUL.

I’ve added more information about myself and will also be adding a true portfolio section soon as well which I am really happy about. I would love to share with you all my design work and let you in on what it is I really do. Let me know what you think!

We took a walk in Old Montreal today. Once I started snapping photos, I began to feel the essence of Paris through my lens and my heart began to flutter. I think I’ve fallen for a part of Montreal that I hadn’t visited for a while and am now really beginning to appreciate it for its true character and history.

After our afternoon walk, we ended our journey at Le Cartet, a resto boutique on McGill avenue. We were able to pick up some fresh cheese, a cup of fruit and a lemon San Pellegrino.

I still plan on visiting Paris one day but after really opening my eyes up to our gorgeous home town today, I think it can wait (but not for too long).

I’ve come home with their mantras, philosophies and opinions and have found myself, on more than one occasion, thinking about how print magazines work and fight hard to relate to the online world while still remaining true to their original form. It is not easy and they’ve all declare this in their own way. Now that I’ve met the people behind them, I understand their struggles and believe that their passion for their work coupled with their dedicated teams will be what will pull them through.

What we were also privy to during Blogfest‘s intense but highly-structured schedule, was an up close and personal meeting with Barbara Barry, interior designer and creator of several exclusive Kravet collections. Her main discussion revolved around how design and inspiration lives all around us and how travel can let our minds explore and see new things. Being in New York at the time myself, I couldn’t have agreed more.

A special event hosted by Traditional home with Thomas O’Brien, Eric Cohler, Diamond & Baratta, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and David Easton all sharing their designs with us within the Heritage Collection by Kravet was also a highlight.


Breakfast at the Condé Nast building followed by a special appearance by Margaret Russell, Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest, was such a momentous occasion for me. Her stories are nothing but impressive. I am a true admirer of her fearless yet genuine attitude towards her career and her commitment to design.

The Lee Jofa and Kravet offices literally open their doors and let us all in on the design process of their fabrics and rugs. From the inspirations and initial sketches, to the mood boards and test swatches, all the way through to the placement of the final products on their showroom floors across the world, I was captivated the entire time.

My final stop during design week at Blogfest, was to peruse the entire floor of 1stdibs at the New York Design Center. I was elated, excited, inspired and in awe by every square inch of their space. My design mind was definitely tired and overwhelmed but very satisfied by the end of it all. Seeing as though this is the Kravet team’s first year at putting together such a successful conference and tour, I cannot wait to see what next year will bring.

With texture, contrast, pattern, shapes and colour everywhere, I couldn’t have been any more in my element.

Links: sweet bella, ink + wit, chewing the cud, carolyn suzuki, mineheart, lzf, jonathan adler, um project, tom dixon, aimée wilder, house of hackney, llàdro, jamie harris studio llc, lzf

And here is more photos of the National Stationery Show that I took for my guest post on Poppytalk: Part 1 & Part 2.