ZestForLiving

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Entertaining Essentials

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:09:03 +0000

Gifts that are decorative and useful are always a hit. A beautiful set of cheese tools ($35 and up) or clever cheese board with tools ($33). Gift a gift that is reminiscent of Port Credit’s nautical history with a sailboat or rowboat serving dish (beginning at $25 for small and $50 for large). CobiStyle set of 4 rice bowls ($28). Trays are always useful – metal, wood or decorated with decoupage (square $50).

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Stocking the Bar

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:03:49 +0000

The Holidays are always big entertaining times. Help stock the bar with cocktail shakers ($60 and up) wine decanters (from Umbra $110), Scotch decanters (from $87), bar tools ($100), wine bottle coasters (horse head coaster $50). Even sets of glasses are appreciated and come in a variety of styles and prices.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Girls

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:55:05 +0000

Beautiful candles – simply fragrant Votivo ($32) or decorative ceramic-boxed candles ($50) – are always welcome. Also consider T-Light holders or candlesticks in crystal or metal ($50 and up). Hand painted glasses ($22-$33) or paperweights ($12) can convey a warm sentiment. Cozy throws from Cobi Ladner ($75) come in a variety of colours. Simple hand-made crystal vases ($100) work in any decor – we have access to vases in a variety of styles and materials. For a more personal gift, consider something from the spectacular Lady Primrose line where every piece is a gift-within-a-gift.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Boys

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:48:46 +0000

Sports and planes, trains and automobiles – are a few of a guy’s favourite things and can include hand-painted Pilsner, martini or wine glasses ($22-$33) or bottle stoppers ($12 and up), aluminum bowls ($18) that are food safe or make great organizers for keys or change, or ultimate BBQ accessory – a baseball bat pepper mill ($64). Emma Bridgewater Bird Mugs ($39) are always popular with the guys. Bookends, such as the golf set ($104) also make memorable gifts.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Homebody

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:42:33 +0000

Give a gift that will be cherished in any home such as a preserved boxwood topiary beginning at $50, a monogrammed or decorative door knocker (Anchor $130), throw cushion (Snug $40), vase (Michel Design Butterfly vase $40) or amaryllis bulb kit ($57)

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Foodie

Zest for Living — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:35:28 +0000

At Zest for Living, you can choose from our selection of gourmet treats, combined simply with some paper napkins in a cello bag for as little as $20 or select a basket or Maxwell & Williams bowl and pile on the treats!

White Leather Bench as seen on Marilyn Denis Show

Zest for Living — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:42:27 +0000

On Thursday, September 15th, Marilyn covered her top 10 home fashion finds for fall. You can find the wonderful white leather bench here at Zest for Living.

Check out the segment!

The Must-Have Colour Trends for Fall 2011

Zest for Living — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:56:09 +0000

Everything Old Is New and Improved

Wondering which hues for shoes will be must-haves this fall?

According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, consumers will be looking to the past, present and future to get a sense of coming colour trends. “The big picture theme is a Mosaic of Colour and Style,” she says. “This reflects cultural, universal time frames and seemingly disconnected elements.”

The interest in making everything old, new again stems from the economy. What’s important today is to think in terms of practicality. Adding colourful home and fashion accessories is a great way to spruce things up without committing to a major purchase. For instance add some new throw cushions instead of purchasing a new sofa, paint the walls or even just a feature wall, hang a new picture or mirror (see below for a great source).

The Themes for Fall 2011 are:

Molecular: It embraces a lot of darker shades, which are typical for the season, but it includes a purpled wine, a very deep green and, of course, a navy black and a coffee brown. Brown will stay very, very important. But the introduction of yellow, orchid, a purplish blue and jade green will be accents.

Byzantine: A lot of the illustrations to convey this are stained glass church windows but with a modern twist. This theme includes metallics, shimmery gold, rich reds, vibrant blues and purples. There will be a wine colour, but it’s a truer wine colour. What this palette conveys is modernized nostalgia, in that it’s not duplicating a previous time period, but applying modern technology to it.

Deconstructing-Reconstructing: Focuses more on neutrals, grey, gunmetal and cream. Ochre, brown and black are accented with topiary greens and lipstick red. You could describe this as old school. Think Ralph Lauren, but with a reinvented look. It’s buffalo plaids, but not as it was in the 80s. It’s a bolder way of combining plaids and checks.

Multiple Identity: The blues, irises and browns we see in eye colour and the pink browns and roses we see in skin tone. It’s the mosaic of human colouring, and it makes for an unpredictable but interesting palette. It also has broad appeal.

Pantone is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate colour communication.

Late Summer Colours

Zest for Living — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:18:40 +0000

It’s that time of year again. The CNE is about to open, the back-to-school ads are out and my garden is looking a bit shaggy. But late summer flowers are abundant and the key to a great look. Raid your garden or the flower market for sunflowers, hydrangeas, dahlias and chrysanthemums. Or check out these great items:

1. Late summer flowers in Indaba vintage-inspired bowl 2. Chrysanthemum paper napkins 3. Chrysanthemum Bridge playing card set (coming soon) 4. Sunflower journal with jewelled clasp 5. Silk sunflower 6. Colourful cushions and throws from CobiStyle 7. April Cornell crewel-work sunflower cushion

Rustic Italian-inspired Tableware

Zest for Living — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:57:30 +0000

We still have a lot of summer to enjoy, but fall will be here before we know it. That’s when our thoughts turn to indoor entertaining, cozy dinners by the fire, and family get-togethers. At Zest for Living, we are pleased to introduce new tableware to our collections from Indaba of Vancouver.

Palermo Tableware

This rustic Italian-inspired tableware comes in a variety of patterns. For our table setting, done specifically for Mississauga News GoodLife Magazine, we feature a playful mix of: Palermo dinner plate, Ivy salad plate, and pedestal Bee bowl. Also from Indaba we have Versailles flatware in an espresso finish. All products are dishwasher safe.

Indaba Italian-Inspired Tableware