Showing posts with label Montreal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montreal. Show all posts

Sunday, 25 November 2012

When life gets in the way...


I don't like the expression “When life gets in the way...” It makes no sense... of course life gets in the way... it IS the way... no? That being said, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed these past weeks (hence my sporadic posting). Things at work are crazy (in the best way!), Hubby and I are planning on buying our first home (major milestone, peeps!), we’ve also been running all over town catching up with friends and family... and while all of this is great – it’s also INTENSE. It is as though I have too many things on my plate and can’t seem to focus on any one in particular. Tell me I’m not the only one feeling this! ...Anyways, here are a few snapshots I haven’t had the time to share; hope you enjoy!
 
 

1. Walking into the bedroom to find that Hubby placed our watches one next to the other... it’s the small things that make us love our men so darn much. Am I right? / 2. Testing out BB creams and coming to the clear conclusion that Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Skin Perfector is the way to go. Read my review by clicking HERE / 3. Great quote: Aim for awesome! / 4. Beautiful Montreal / 5. My faithful Longchamp and Michael Kors shoes while traveling to San Diego a few weeks back / 6. Whatisadam’s Halloween wheat-paste spotted in Old Montreal with my friend MC after dinner at Gandhi.
 
 
 
 

Monday, 3 September 2012

Three weeks


Did you miss me, dear PartyMixTape readers? Oh, I missed you! But since my wonderful friend Dominique took over during my three weeks off, I know you were in good hands. That’s right: I’ve been traveling with my Hubby. We flew in to Amsterdam in early August, jetting off to Bremen for a crazy-fun German wedding, took a train to meet up with one of our good friends in Berlin, headed to Prague and finished in Munich. What a whirlwind trip! Here are a few pics:

 

1. Giving myself an orange pedi while packing (nail polish on your toes is a must!) / 2. View from Prague’s Old Town Hall. Meters below, we saw Prague’s famous Astronomical Clock. In the distance, here is The Church of Our Lady before Tyn, which dates back to the 14th century / 3. Hub’s epic burger at BARROCK / 4. Me, standing in front of the Berlinische Galerie, Berlin’s Modern art museum.

 

 

1. While in Berlin, our friend Isabeau decided to introduce us to the city’s “underground lifestyle.” To this effect, we visited numerous squat houses… my initial reaction was “Hum. Hello? I’m too cute for this!” But the memories of these eccentric graffiti-covered buildings are some of my favourite / 2. To enter the Reichstag building, Berlin’s parliament, you must go through more security than the airport! However, the breathtaking 360-degree view of Berlin’s cityscape is well worth it / 3. The Neuschwanstein Castle, two hours away from Munich / 4. Sausage. I’ve eaten enough for the next ten years. For obvious reasons, this picture is hilarious. Hubby says it would be rude to say why. Let me just say a *muffled haha.* 


 
After three weeks away, it’s good to be back! More posts to come soon!

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Interview with Jessica Di Pierro


Meet Jessica Di Pierro, an interior designer and project manager for de Man design & mobilier. The designer reveals images of her upcoming projects and shares with PartyMixTape readers her thoughts on buying her first home, working in the design industry and hanging art.

Interior designer Jessica Di Pierro

What is your passion?
Of course interior design is definitely one of my passions, but I have to say that everything having to do with beauty and aesthetics is in my range.  Not only have I studied fashion marketing, but I also took theater production where I would work on costumes, decors and lighting… that was such an incredible learning experience.  I even took makeup classes and worked on a few music videos and local movie sets.  Tinkering, painting, gardening, gift wrapping, you name it.  So if I really had to describe it, I guess you could say that my biggest passion is to work with my hands and enhance the hidden beauty in different elements.  It gives me a great sense of satisfaction.


How did you start in the interior design industry?
A few years back, I owned a furniture import and distribution company with my now husband and was really looking to get into interior design.  So I started taking night classes.  Unfortunately, the program got cancelled before I could finish. In the meantime, we sold the company, got married and became pregnant right away. I had nine months off, so I took that time to renovate our house and really enjoyed it. After giving birth, I was lucky enough to spend all my time at home with my wonderful daughter. When she started daycare, I decided I would finish what I had started. So I went back to school full time and graduated.  I worked for myself for awhile and am now happily employed at de Man design & mobilier. 


Combing her different passions; here is Di Pierro’s proposal for a local hair salon


What is the best purchase you ever made?
My best purchase is our house!  It’s not new, it’s not a palace, but it’s got great energy. It’s just the right size for our family and making it our home has been great so far.  It’s my own canvas and a constant work in progress, but as they say: “Your work is never done when you own a house.  There’s always something to do!”  


What are some of the common mistakes made by homeowners?
With all the decorating magazines and interior design shows on air these days, people have many tools to learn the basics and have also very much improved at creating balanced environments.  Still, the most common mistake, in my opinion, remains the positioning of furniture.  Some people seem to think that every piece of furniture needs to be against a wall.  Actually, bringing the furniture closer to the center of the room will make the room look bigger.  Another very common mistake is hanging art pieces too high.  Easy trick: eye level, when standing, is always a safe height.


Note the artwork by Karine Bassal on the far left!


Is design art or science?
Both, I guess!  The art part definitely comes in the conceptual phase.  That’s when the juices are flowing.  Everything after that is very technical. There is a whole set of plans that need to be made for each project and they do require a whole lot of precision.


What would be your recommendation for “what to do first” in a decorating project?
I think it’s important for the people living in a space to sit down and take some time to properly define the exact purpose of the room they wish to renovate or redecorate.  Make a list of the different functions you’ll use it for and define the different areas.  Don’t be afraid to list your priorities. That should usually define your starting point.


Which designers do you look up to?
In the fashion industry, Karl Lagerfeld has great style designing classic pieces with a modern touch.  But I also love the eclectic signature of Betsey Johnson.  She has a way of merging ideas, patterns and textures together and making them work.  I really admire that.  In interior design, I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s structured modern masterpieces.  With great architecture, airy interiors, functional furniture, they transcend the test of time.   


How amazing are these 3D renderings? This is one of the services offered by Jessica Di Pierro to help clients visualize the completion of a project. You may contact her by clicking HERE.

What songs are you listening to at the moment?
A lot of radio!
Some nights – FUN
Back in time – Pitbull
Fallout – Marianas Trench
Wide Awake – Katy Perry
Lullaby – Nickelback
Wild Ones – Flo Rida

Are there any trends you are excited about this spring?
I really love all the bright nail polish colors!!  It’s hard not to buy every single one of them.

What’s next for Jessica Di Pierro?
I’m grateful for what I’ve accomplished so far and feel very blessed for what I have.  I take life one day at a time.  So who knows what will come next!


Friday, 1 June 2012

Recap



1. Wearing my favourite green pants / 2. After Sue’s wedding / 3. H&M and Spike the Punch bling / 4. Isabelle May Jewelry / 5. Admiring Montreal after hiking up Mont-Royal with Hubby (The highlight was our GSP spotting! So cool! It definitely made Hubs want to take more walks with me...) / 6. My Zara dress and bright Cambon lips / 7. Feeding my addiction: Red Velvet cake... eaten before I had time to put the icing on it. BTW: it’s on a clear glass plate... no, I do not leave my food on the counter... / 8. Action or Turquoise and Caicos? / 9. Bejeweled for date night.

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Weekend Uniform & Stikki Peaches

I am a creature of habit. Since Hubby is often hard at work on the weekend, MC and I have begun a tradition of brunching on Saturdays. We have our routine: MC chooses an up and coming restaurant and after, we walk around the city. With time, we have come to realized that we both have a "weekend uniform." Hers involves several layers, always a gorgeous scarf, an oversized carry bag and recently, her favourite Orange Flip lipstick. Mine is the following: 


A striped top; this one is H&M / I am obsessed with this H&M necklace. I can’t believe I hesitated to purchase it / A pair of Ralph Lauren sunglasses / Dark skinny Miss Sixty jeans / My favourite floral scarf found at Zara’s / Smashbox’s Melondrama lipstick (last seen here) / Essie’s new colour Action / A pair of Michael Kors flats (because I’m cool but I also enjoy being comfortable) / A great purse. This one is Michael Kors’ Bedford textured-leather tote.

Last weekend, we brunched at Le Pourvoyeur, and I swear to you, they have the best latte I have ever tasted. We then walked through Montreal’s Little Italy, hunting for wheat paste graffiti by the anonymous street artist Stikki Peaches. Here are a few pics:








Word on the street is Station 16 will soon be working with Stikki Peaches to create a limited edition print – so stay tuned!