sparkleshinylove - A lifestyle blog for girls who love a little sparkle!

Roxymandy December 20, 2013

Toronto’s Best Creative Play Cafe’s

Starbucks is one of my favourite places to stop for a drink or meet up with friends. Unfortunately it’s not what I would call kid friendly, or very relaxing to hang out at when I’ve got my son in tow.

There are a few cafe options in Toronto that not only promise to be a place where bringing your kids is encouraged, but they also offer good food and drink options for the parents hanging out there as well.

Red Fish Blue Fish Creative Cafe is located on Harbord Street in Toronto. They have a free craft table which kids can use for creative play.

It’s fully stocked with everything from sparkles to pipe cleaners. The main level has the craft area, a section with books, board games, high chairs, and spots to enjoy food or drinks. There is also an outdoor patio, and upstairs there is space for the different programs they run.

Vegan, lactose free and gluten free meals are available at the cafe, and there is plenty to choose from on the menu. They have everything from lattes, to cupcakes, to chipotle lime quinoa.

Their programs include yoga, drama classes, cooking classes, art, and language classes. They also have programs for parents and mothers to be.

They also offer birthday parties on Saturday’s and Sunday’s which could be as simple as using the upstairs space, or using entertainers and class instructors from the cafe.

They are open Monday – Friday 7:30am to 7:00pm, and Saturday – Sunday 8:00am to 5:00pm.

73 Harbord Street, Toronto
www.redfishbluefishcafe.com

Smock Cafe in Toronto has a similar craft room to Red Fish Blue Fish, but it also has someone on staff monitoring the room to help provide guidance and encouragement. The cost to use the craft room is $8 per child, but they can use the room for an unlimited amount of play time.

They offer classes for adults including learning how to knit, plus classes for childbirth prep, child Spanish and French classes, and they even run camps for kids.

They run different events as well which include storytelling, sing alongs and special guest performers. Birthday parties at Smock include a theme, a craft, drinks, snacks and balloons.

The food at Smock is local and organic whenever possible, and has choices for both adults and kids.

They are open Monday to Saturday, 9:00am – 6:00pm.

287 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto
www.smockcafe.com

Lil’ Bean N’ Green is located in Leslieville in Toronto, and offers pancakes in the shapes of animal faces and thin crust gourmet pizzas. They have a play area available for use when the cafe is open, and classes/events are held in a separate room.

They offer pop-up shops with relevant products for parents, and classes include yoga, sing alongs, sign language and French classes.

This month they even had a Daddy Day which included beer tastings, and a complementary photo with Santa event.

Lil’ Bean N’ Green is located at 1133 Queen Street East in Toronto.

They are open Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 6:00pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 9:00am – 6:00pm.

www.lilbeanandgreen.com

Photos #1 & 2 courtesy of Redfishbluefishecafe.com, photo #3 courtesy of smockcafe.com, photo #4 courtesy of lilbeanandgreen.com

Roxymandy December 16, 2013

Where to Shop – Lucian Matis Pop-Up at The Shops at Don Mills

The Lucian Matis Home Pop-Up Shop is now open at The Shops at Don Mills!

One of my favourite places to visit over the holidays is the Shops at Don Mills. There is ice skating in the square, the holiday train is running, and there are so many good restaurants to keep warm in after doing some shopping. I try to get out there at least a few times over the holiday because it’s such a pretty spot to hang out in and shop. Plus there’s a Starbucks, so The Shops have pretty much everything I need!

Ok, back to the Pop-Up shop! It’s open until January 5th so there is limited time to visit. The shop show’s off the Lucian Matis home décor collection, and they’ve even included a selection of clothing from his Black Label, and also Matis by Lucian Matis.

What I like about this Pop-Up is that you can go to find something for your home (which seems like very responsible shopping to me), and then since you are there you’d might as well find a dress for one of those holiday parties you have coming up! It’s not like it’s your fault the dresses were there (I’m talking to you husband), but since they were there you had to look…

The home collection includes throw, bedding, pillows, storage solutions, rugs, table linens and candles. There are discounts of up to 50% off the collection as well.

“Designed with an industrial feel, all the items in the Lucian Matis Home collection work well together, are gender neutral and mix and match to enhance any décor,” states Lucian Matis.

The Shops at Don Mills can be found at 1090 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Ontario. Visit www.shopsatdonmills.ca

Roxymandy December 11, 2013

My Christmas Holiday Gift Guide

I’m VERY close to being done all of my holiday shopping, but of course there are a few gifts that I completely procrastinated about because the receiver’s are very….particular! While looking for something fun for them I came up with a list of my favourite gifts I’ve found online and in stores.

Drake General Store, $38.00

For the kid who is going to get a gazillion toys this year, I thought this dinner set was fun, and definitely different than the average Elmo-embossed cutlery set!

Toys R Us has a clock called the Gro Clock which changes colour based on the time you set it to change. It teaches children that when they see a certain colour on the clock it’s time to get up, or time to go to bed. It retails for $49.99.

Mini Mioche, $40.00

These Kina Ballet Slippers were made in New Zealand and are 100% lambskin. If they came in my size I would own a pair!

On our last road trip we used a shoe lace to hang our iPad from the two headrests in our car so our son could watch it from the back seat. This Griffin CinemaSeat, which latches onto the head rest of your car, seems a bit more….polished then our MacGyver job. $39.95.

Love Necklace – Gold by Cara Accessories, $20.00

Lately Chapters has been my go-to spot for gifts! This Love necklace is only $20, and the XOXO pouch below is only $14.50.

XOXO Sequin Pouch $14.50

On my Christmas list this year I said I wanted anything from the Kate Spade Collection sold at Chapters. I love this Glasses Pencil Pouch Set which includes a gold metal sharpener, ruler, eraser and two pencils. When I was a kid I loved getting a new pencil case every school year, but they didn’t have ones like this! $28.00.

Drake General Store, $65

For the person who literally has everything, the Drake General Store has these Salt and Pepper Pencil Grinders. Because what are the odds someone already actually has these?

Drake General Store, $45.00

This RCAF toiletry bag is a good man gift. Men are really hard to shop for, but this seems to combine something they probably need (a toiletry bag) with the air force, so that seems like the perfect man-combo to me!

Danier, $19.00

I love this gift from Danier! It’s faux fur earmuff that has a speaker/earphones inside! Anything that is iPhone compatible AND looks cute at the same time is a win-win for me.

Sephora Philosophy Gingerbread House Set, $42.00

Finally, Philosophy is one of my favourite brands, and every Christmas I end up buying a gift set for someone. This is the best holiday one I have seen because there is so much included for only $42.00! There are 4 lip shine’s and 4 shower gel’s in holiday flavours.

Happy shopping!

Photo #1, 5, 6 & 7 courtesy of Chapters.Indigo.com, #2, 8, & 9 courtesy of Drakegeneralstore.ca, #3 courtesy of toysrus.com, #4 courtesy of minimioche.com, #5 courtesy of apple.com, #10 courtesy of danier.com, and #11 courtesy of sephora.com

Roxymandy December 10, 2013

Where to Shop – Target + Peter Pilotto 2014

In September Target announced it’s first clothing collaboration to launch in 2014 – it would be with London based brand Peter Pilotto. The first image for the line has finally been released, and the pricing has been announced as well.

The line will be available on February 9th, 2014 in Target stores in the U.S. and Canada, on their website, and for the first time this collaboration will also be available on Net-a-Porter.com. The luxury e-retailer Net-a-Porter will feature a select number of items – this way international buyers can have a piece of the line as well.

There are nearly 70 items in the collaboration, and items range in price from $14.99 to $70.00, which is much more affordable than the high end brand usually sells for on it’s own. Celebrities who favour Peter Pilotto include Kristen Stewart, Kerry Washington and Emma Watson.

The main launch photo features designers Pilotto and De Vos in their own clothing, and none of the items of clothing that the other models are wearing in the photo are more than $50!

Considering my favourite jacket from Peter Pilotto retails for $1,870.00, this collaboration will be my only way of getting my hands on something from the brand.

My favourite jacket that I will likely never own!

A video has also been launched to promote the collection, but it does not include any images of the actual pieces in the line. Instead it gives a hint of the digital prints that will be used in the collection.

I’m still excited – designer clothing at cheap prices makes me happy! My only complaint is that my local Target did not carry any of the 3.1 Phillip Lim line, so I will need to make the trek to another Target that is sure to have this collaboration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D58FRSvETzE

Photo #1 courtesy of Pierre Bailly, Photo #2 courtesy of net-a-porter.com

Roxymandy December 5, 2013

West Elm + Chatelaine Holiday Shopping Party

If you missed last night’s Holiday Party with West Elm and Chatelaine, you need to make sure you don’t miss the next one!

The event was guest list only so an RSVP was required, and it was well worth the effort on a Wednesday night to head to West Elm in Liberty Village.

Guests were greeted with champagne as they walked through the doors, and coat check was offered so you could shop in comfort.

There were food stations set up courtesy of neighbour Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, and a wine station with my FAVOURITE wine from Meglomaniac.

In attendance were Deputy Editor of Chatelaine Magazine Laurie Jennings, along with Home Editor Emma Reddington and Food Director Clair Tansley. They were helping shoppers with holiday tips and ideas.

All shoppers received 20% off everything in the store as well. As I said, if you didn’t attend you need to make sure you don’t miss out next time!

We all walked out the door with a coupon for our next shop at West Elm for 15% off our purchase, and the latest issue of Chatelaine.

Like West Elm on Facebook to keep up on future events. https://www.facebook.com/westelmtoronto

Here are some photos of last nights event!