Almost too late - but not quite

It's not too late to register for the TrendWatch event on March 4th at Jackryn France, my fave French-themed boutique in beautiful downtown Aurora. Find out from owner Rita Thiel what's hot for Spring 2010 and get a sneak peak at new lines for the store, which is chock full of the most gorgeous bed and table linens you ever saw. You must register for the two-hour seminars, which run at 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and can do so by calling 905 726 3451. But you'd better hurry because spaces are almost gone. Even if I don't make it to the event, I'm sure I'll pop into the store soon - the siren call of the Garnier Thiebault linens is just too much! Oh, how much do I want one in hot pinks, reds and orange? Never mind - that was a rhetorical question. Registered participants for the event will be served refreshments, and get a gift. Better still, part of the proceeds support girls' sports.

Vita, Virginia and Very Good Prices

Love high-end? Of course you do. Whom among us, I may ask, doesn't like a little luxe? Hate high prices? Also, natch. That's why I decided to tell you about OffTheFloorNow, which sells showroom models of furniture, discontinued textiles and papers product to average Joe’s like us, dear reader.

Just in are papers by luxury good firm Rose Cumming, whose Sackville-West paper normally sell for US$180 per five-yard roll and is now available for US$58. Smaller goods ship immediately via FedEx, while the furniture ships through a network of freight companies that specialize in high-end furniture delivery.

Even though I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Vita Sackville-West, who created the famous all-white garden at Sissinghurst and who had a tempestuous affair with Virginia Woolf (and a very, umn, unusual marriage with Sir Harold Nicholson), I’m not sure I want the paper at left – a bit too upper-upper country house for me. But I’ve definitely got my eye on the Sanford Corner Table by Nancy Corzine English walnut (and I do think both Vita and Virginia would approve.)