Summer Light...

I love this time of year. Everything about it is wonderful. The days are still filled with sunshine but the nights are cooler and you can feel autumn just around corner. For me, the transitions of the seasons always feel so full of possibility. I especially love the way that light changes toward the end of summer. It shines through our massive windows at just the right angles. 
On my way to work I drive past a forest on a small section of road and a little while back I noticed the way that light was shining through the trees onto a patch of tall wild grass. It was making the grass and your regular ol' ugly weeds and thistle glow around the edges. It was beautiful and every morning for about a week I would curse myself for not having my camera. Then, just the other morning I had the camera, and surprise surprise, no light. The sun rises a little later now and sets a little earlier and that side of the road was still in complete shade. I had missed my photo-op but that didn’t stop me from going out to snap the photos above at sunset. And I’m glad I did; it was therapeutic to say the least! 
Hope you're having a light filled Wednesday!

Photos by: me, Kinga Subject

Adventures in baking...

I have always secretly envied people who bake effortlessly. Baking scares me. I feel like it requires insane amounts of skill and patience...seriously, have you ever cracked an egg? Skill. And. Patience. 

I guess my fear begins there; I love to cook but still get nervous cracking an egg, and as I write that I am imagining those ambidextrous chefs on t.v. who can crack an egg with one hand while the other hand stuffs a turkey or makes flambé. I however, feel like I look ridiculous and less than graceful handling a whisk. 

So this year I am turning a new leaf. I would actually like to start being a contributor to my mother-in-law’s goodie tray at Christmas (because it’s famous). I help as much as I can at the Christmas bake, but often find myself decorating gingerbread cookies with the kids instead (and despite my artistic abilities, I am a lame cookie decorator). So, I have a whisk and a good, fool proof, low-tech hand mixer. I am setting out to learn what caster sugar is, and since every recipe seems to call for it, I am on a mission to locate a vanilla bean.

 To ease my way in I decided to start with a chocolate mousse...now I know this doesn’t really require any “baking” and it didn’t call for a vanilla bean either so I’m not sure if it even qualifies as a dessert, but the fact that it calls for pure chocolate did it for me. How could I pass this up? And then I remembered these great tea cups I picked up at the antique market and immediately had some photo styling direction. It’s the perfect dessert to serve this way, in dainty, mix and match tea cups (It’s so good, I wish I had thought of it, but lots of people have been serving mousse this way). How fun would this be for a bridal shower or even a wedding though? 

Since the recipe for this is so simple, and it barely took any time at all, I definitely had more fun styling the photos. I love raspberries and red currants always remind of my childhood. I have this great memory of my grandma putting two tablespoons of sugar in the bottom of an enameled tin mug, a blue one, and sending me out to the garden to fill it with berries. She had raspberries and strawberries and bushes of goose berry and red and black currants. It was heaven. I would fill my mug with a balanced assortment and then mash it up with the sugar. Best. Dessert. Ever...


Photos by: me, Kinga Subject

H is for...

...H is for hello. I am Kinga, a full time graphic designer, part time photographer and some-of-the-time artist. I have a deep appreciation for chalkboard paint and spend most of my time in my studio. I love mid-century-modern furniture, great photography, fabulous food and my purse is always big enough to fit a sketchbook. 

I love anything hand made. This love comes from growing up in a house where people worked with their hands and creativity was strongly encouraged. My dad does carvings and makes beautiful objects out of wood. When I was twelve he commissioned me to draw a picture on the door of a cabinet he was making, so he could carve it, and it turned out beautiful. It’s a work of collaborative art and my most favorite commission to date. My mom sews. Amazingly well. I can only hope to someday have one-tenth of the knowledge and experience she has in sewing and pattern making. It’s awe inspiring what she can do with a needle and thread and the sound of a sewing machine always reminds me of home. 

My husband is a meticulous (obsessive compulsive) carpenter, and aspiring silk-screener who alphabetizes his DVD collection. When he was a kid his mom paid him to wear socks to school. Twenty-five cents for each day of the school-week, which he then traded in for a loonie (one dollar coin) at the end of the week. Do the math...It has made him the hardened business man he is today, and he always counts his money...twice. 
All joking aside, he also comes from a long line of master crafters and it's amazing for both of us to be always surrounded by such creative people. 

Suite 404 is where we live. It’s our first home. It is small and cozy filled with all the things  we love. It is the place where we began our journey in making our collective dreams come true so I knew it had to be the name of this little business adventure. 

So...Welcome. Here you’ll find letter-pressed stationery, silk-screened prints for your home (like the hummingbird prints above) and soft goods like pillows (also above) and tea towels. You will also find our two year old Boston Terrier, Molly, who will try to steal kisses. She is our resident snuggle-buddy and will be yours too if you promise to keep her warm. 

The suite 404 shop will officially launch in a few short weeks, but I will keep updating this blog regularly as things develop so make sure to check in from time to time. 

Thanks for stopping by and leave your kind comments too, I love hearing from people.


Photos by: Kinga Subject