Guest blog / Julia Black: Hot and dry

Julia Black: Summer may be coming to an end but as I’m sure you are well aware, mother nature isn’t submitting to the calendar. The heat is continuing, and I'm on the hunt for ways to cool off. So, in preparation for what may very well be one of our longest and warmest summers I have been looking for ways to shake up that beach/cottage/pool must-have - The beach towel! Fresco is an extraordinary towel company, and my current fave. The California family-run and family-crafted luxury towel firm offers more than simple beach towels, they are works of art that layer old-world textile motifs with trending patchwork, washed and boho colour blends. The designs illustrate the whole Gemini duality in design, mixing flashy fluoro colours and hippy tie-dye with some serious historical Damasks, Moroccan influences and Chinoiserie patterns. Their plush 100% Turkish cotton towels are available to order in a whole mess of fantastic colours in both bath or beach sizes (bags and pillows are also in the line). For me, a self-professed eclectic chick (and a Gemini!), I have a passion for both décor and fashion. I love to blend a mix of styles and periods and find myself always challenged in balancing contrasting styles, and having things look good! Thankfully, Fresco has answered my desire for always wanting a bit of both ;)

To read more posts from Julia click here, to check out her cool blog click here, and click here to see her new Get Fresh online videos for CTV!

Guest blog / Julia Black: Me & Minagraphy

Julia Black: Photographer Mina Georgescu first got hold of a plastic panoramic camera as a child growing up in Romania, and I'm very thankful she never let it go. Sure she has a nicer camera these days, but it is her youthful eye that's definitely behind her magically captured moments. Mina’s latest collection, Coney Island and Other Magical Places, is a series of nostalgic snapshots that romanticize our memories of hot summery trips to the beach and time spent munching candy corn while riding a ferris wheel. The sensational textures, saturated hues and softly blurred motion make her modern-vintage prints perfectly refreshing (kind of like a cool glass of old fashioned lemonade!). I’ve ordered a set for my cottage, and I’m pretty sure they’d make a wonderful gift for a summer wedding (or two) that I have pencilled in on my calendar. You can shop Mina’s prints here on Etsy, and be sure to check out her fabulous blog too!

To read more posts from Julia click here, to check out her cool blog click here, and click here to see her new Get Fresh online videos for CTV!