They decided to turn their passion into a profession and started looking for the perfect storefront, which the found in the Beach. "We found this really nice space, with high ceilings at an affordable rent," says Kim. The neighbourhood happily welcomed the new addition. Even though the store opened with little fanfare, the gorgeous gallery of unique tapestries has drawn in curious residents and savvy decorators alike.

As fans of the artform ourselves, we can't gush enough about the Persian and Middle Eastern weaving arts. We also know that these carpets have the reputation of being unaffordable and high maintenance. Which is another thing we love about Baloochi: Hamid and Kim will not only share their knowledge of the real value of a well-made carpet, but also how affordable and resilient they can be.

They also have a sharp eye for design. The store itself is uncluttered and clean to best show off the rich colours of the kilims and other rugs. There's also an amazing selection of patterns—from bright bold geometrics to complex Tree of Life designs. We were very tempted to curl up and have a little sleep on top of a pile of carpets, that's how cozy the space is.

If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by and say hi! If not, Hamid and Kim also post new arrivals and rug lore on their Facebook page.

Another fan of Persian rugs is Dennis Reid whose space we featured in Issue 3. Check it out for more inspiration!

While most classes are designed for beginners, you will leave with skills that you can apply right away. But you'll learn theory to help you understand how computers and the internet work so that you can feel in control of your website, blog or social media stream. Instruction is intensive—most classes are only one day long (and include a delicious lunch!)—making Camp Tech perfect for small business owners who can't invest the time and travel in going to a class once a week.

[Avery in action and the lovely classroom space at the Centre for Social Innovation at 215 Spadina Ave.]

Camp Tech classes are taught by working professionals who are up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in their fields. And, as the name suggests, it's not fluffy, but it's not a stuffy classroom setting either: Our Jessica attended a Camp Tech WordPress seminar last weekend and found the whole experience to be affordable, fun, friendly and very informative. Instructor Avery even scored discount coupons and free themes for some of the best WordPress theme sites out there and provided links to all kinds of amazing resources for the the attendees. It was also great meeting other students and learning about how they planned to harness the power of blogging.

Upcoming classes include Twitter, Email Marketing and Facebook for Small Business and the aforementioned WordPress for Beginners.

In order for us to grow creatively (and to hopefully reach even more readers), we need to channel our creative into some new projects. But because we have a limited amount of time, we need to cut back in other areas. Which is a long way of saying that we are reducing the number of blog posts to once a week. We will still be keeping the online conversation going via our Facebook page, at @CovetGarden on Twitter or on Pinterest boards.

What are our secret plans? We'll let you know here in a couple of weeks. So stay tuned!

[cover illustration by Alanna Cavanagh]

We've been asking readers to recommend cool spaces for Covet Garden to feature and Michelle and Glen's Leslieville home kept coming up in the conversation. It's easy to see why, what with the clean white palette, the wide open spaces and the sense of playfulness and colour that abounds throughout the rooms. Our only regret is that we didn't get a good picture of their bathroom. It was dreamy. The sink was literally the porcelain equivalent of a smile. Unfortunately, we ran out of light. But every cloud has a silver lining and capturing this wonder bathroom gives us an excuse to go back one day.

Of course, if we hadn't mentioned it, you wouldn't have noticed. That's just how jam-packed with wonder this issue is. Not only do we feature the couple's to-die-for space, Michelle has also provided a cool 3-D card making project and we've used duo's unique look (and outlook) to provide the point of view for our Style and Inspiration pages.

So come on in and enjoy the April issue of Covet Garden. And remember, if you like it, share it with your friends and sign up to subscribe to our free newsletter so you'll never miss an issue!