Influencers; How Trends and Creativity Become Contagious

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Beautiful embroidery paintings by Kate Keara Pelan. 

Stunning.

Kelly Chandelier in Brass by Gabriel Scott.

I have loved the candles by Cire Trudon for ages, and I aim to return home with a wax bust by them this week. I have tried twice to get my hands on one, when in NY and Toronto, to no avail. So it is definitely a priority for my time in Paris this week.

Cire Trudon has been manufacturing candles in France since 1643, making them the oldest and most prestigious wax manufacturer in the world. Trudon came from humble beginnings as a grocer and wax producer but eventually became the suppliers of candles to the French Monarchy, and Napolean Bonaparte. It was these historical connections that maintained their business, despite the electric revolution at the turn of the century. In fact, Napoleon gifted his son with a custom Trudon candle when he was born, featuring three gold silhouettes of the Emperor.

While they have an extensive line of beautifully perfumed candles, their wax busts are my favorite. They are a true objet d'art. I can't wait to have a grumpy Napoleon greet me at the door every day.

About 5 weeks ago I received an excited message from a local supplier, asking me if I wanted to accompany them on their factory tour this year. Of course I was interested. I love seeing the manufacturing process that goes into all of the materials we specify, and it enables designers to speak better to the product as a whole. Little did I know the tour would involve a 10 day excursion to Switzerland and France. I was beside myself.

So today I embark on a 10 day tour of Zurich, Lucerne, and Paris with a group of designers from across Canada. I am thrilled to be included and am in awe of the opportunity I have been offered. In addition to the whole Europe thing, which is amazing in itself, we are also attending Maison & Objet, which is an incredible design trade show held in Paris every year. It's the cream of the crop as far as design goes, and my brain is on the brink of exploding every time I think about how many marvelous things I will be exposed to.

I promise to share all the beauty here.

Image from here. 

This signage graveyard is a vintage dream. So many beautiful treasures here. 

 

 

Photography by Pam Sattler.

Last weekend I got to knock another item off my life list. Looking back, I notice that my last life list item was done almost a year ago. That's really pathetic. Note taken to do more of this stuff. 

Anyway, so last weekend we ziplined! And not just any zipline, the fastest zipline in North America! Canada Olympic Park here in Calgary has a 500m long zipline, where you can achieve speeds between 120 and 140 km per hour. My friend offered us the opportunity to report on a few great things to do around Calgary, and this was one of them. If I wasn't being motivated by external forces, I'm not sure I would have done this. The morning before we went, I stayed in bed as long as possible, to prevent myself thinking about it. It didn't work, I had bad dreams about it instead.

On the way to the hill, I watched this video, knowing that Jann Arden would help to soothe my nerves.



Jann is my inspiration.

So we got suited up, and you have a little lesson on a short track to practise the flying and braking. That turned out to be not so bad, and helped me to feel better about the whole thing. Then you get in a van, and you drive to the top of the hill.

And then you take an elevator to the top of the ski jump tower, and area greeted with this view.

Really incredible. Scary, but incredible.

You climb down those stairs, and your harness is attached to the cable. You are basically sitting in a suspended sling that you zipline in. My biggest fear about the whole thing was actually jumping off. I kept envisioning this great drop off that you would have to jump off to get started. In actuality, you are suspended from the track, and then they pull the platform out from under you. Then they flip a lever and you are off. You just sit back and wait for the countdown.

And it was incredible. The first bit is the worst as it's the steepest part, and I could barely catch my breath. But then it evens out, and it's an amazing ride to the bottom of the hill. And while that view from the top looks intimidating, you are never that far from the ground, as the line follows the slope of the hill. All in all, it was a way better experience than I was expecting, and I would certainly do it again.

If you are interested, all the information for the COP Zipline can be found here. COP also offers summer rides down the bobsled track, as well as other great activities like wall climbing and mountain bike trails.

Thanks to my friend Alex for making it all happen.

Any down time this long weekend has been spent listening to Real Estate. Perfect for long, warm summer days.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran my first half marathon.

I don't really define myself as a runner. A few years ago I was running weekly with a women's group, and I raced a few 5 km's. I had no desire to go farther distances and that was it. Then last fall I decided to get back into running on the paths, as a weekly part of my exercise routine. One weekend I just kept running and ran about 12kms. I wasn't training for anything, or following any program. I was just running in 10-1 intervals, 10 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. And that 12 km didn't seem that hard to me. And it occurred to me that a half marathon was about double that distance, and that didn't seem too bad either.

So I signed up for the Scotiabank Half Marathon for the end of May. It was a goal to keep me motivated to keep running. Initially I wanted to run it in about 2 1/2 hours. I'm not into speed, I just wanted to finish, and have a good time doing it.

Lots of people have asked me how I did it. How can you run for over 2 hours? How can you not get bored? And here's the thing. You have to run for yourself. And running offers a few things for me. It offers me solitude and therapy. Getting away and just pounding the pavement for a bit. Being alone with your thoughts and figuring stuff out. Working out frustration. The other thing that's really important to me with running is music. I love music. When I was commuting to work for an hour or so each day, I loved just sitting in the car and blasting my music. But now I don't have that time. Running allows me time to get reconnected with that. It's not dancing in my living room, but it's constantly moving to the beat. Reacting to the sounds. Speeding up and slowing down. It is what keeps me going.

I trained using this program that I found online. There are lots online, and many local clinics you can sign up for to, but this one seemed right to me. And it worked great. My time was 2:17:38, which I am thrilled about.

Race day was amazing. Slightly cool and overcast, which are the perfect conditions for me. The route was decent, although there was a stretch at about 15 kms that was pretty tough. By the end, I just wanted it to be over, but when I finally did finish, I felt great. I was tired for sure, but I was really proud too, not to mention the surge of adrenaline.

The jury is still out on when or if I will run another.

 I love the materiality of these Bradford Tile Tables from egg collective. Simple slabs of oiled wood with black bent wire bases. The shape options allow multiple configurations, to be used alone or in groups.

I wandered over to the Dwell Studio site the other day, in search for some new bedding options, and was happy to see that they have introduced some beautiful new things for Summer!

Dwell has a fantastic aesthetic, but what I love about this collection is the new mix of materials and finishes combined with their signature clean, modern style. Crewel work, shagreen, lacquer, brass, and glass. What's not to love?

And again, the bedding collection is superb. That hand drawn scalloped design will be perfect for my new bedroom, now that a sectional is no longer dominating the room. And that fat grey stripe! Might buy these to go in the guest bedroom. Just because.

Music Monday: Beach House has a new album out! With a beautiful debut single.

Isn't this lamp beautiful?

It's a DIY project from the Weekday Carnival blog. Simple brass piping bent to create the form. I'm such a big fan of simple materials used in a simple, yet sublime way. This is perfection.

Music Monday! Brand new music from Grizzly Bear. Their new album will be released in September.

I couldn't wait to share this amazing film.



Speaks to so many things that we are all going through, but often don't articulate.

instaweekend

 mornings reading in bed

lobster party

errands with my boy

back to the pathways

The results of my recent travels and reloading into our basement means that artwork is big on my mind these days. Art pieces are always something I pick up when I travel, as they are lightweight and usually not a big nuisance to get home with. Not to mention the pieces I have been hoarding in anticipation of the basement reoccupation. My current hoard features a vintage map, some David Shrigley cards, my Alanna Cavanagh print, a couple of Bad Portraits, and a few other little odds and ends. And... it's not enough. So I'm checking my favorite art websites in search of more!

Nervous Systems 28 by Ann Tarantino

20x200 is a great source for affordable prints in a variety of sizes. New art is released weekly, in limited editions in a variety of sizes. It's fabulous because you can purchase a print you love at your price point. 

Laura by Georgina Vinsun

Saatchi Gallery has a wide selection of originals and limited edition prints.

Walk on the Ocean by Chalermphol Harnchakkam

Society 6 is another great resource, and while there are prints available, the images are also available on a variety of surfaces including iphone cases, t-shirts, and laptop cases.

And once you have everything, you need to think about framing. My Cavanagh print will get the professional treatment, simply because it is worth it. But everything else will get a more budget friendly approach. My go to's for pre-fab frames are usually Ikea, Pottery Barn, Indigo, and West Elm. But I recently found this post by Emily Henderson, who outlines a ton of great offerings, many available online. I, for one, am very excited about the fineline frames, as those styles are definitely harder to find. 

Beautiful walls for all!

I seem to be spending less and less time around here. I'm not sure if I'm just really busy, or maybe re-prioritizing things at the moment. I've had a lot on the go. Since I last posted here I went on a wonderful vacation to England and Germany, ran my first half marathon, and I am in the final stages of getting the basement back in once piece. So there has been a lot on the go in the last little while.

And I have so much to share! I have posts planned about my favorite things from my travels, as well as lots of house updates as I pull our house back together. Just bear with me while I get back into the groove of things.

And for Music Monday? This is a favorite standby that I've been playing a lot lately.

I recently came across the website of designer Leah Singh, who creates home goods and jewellery based in the traditional craftmaship of India. She takes traditional techniques, and uses them to execute her modern, geometric designs. Her textile works features traditional wool crewel embroidery, while her jewellery utilized carved bone. 

You can see more of Leah's work on her website, as well as a list of retailers. 

I am not the biggest Beastie Boys fan, and I don't think that will come as a surprise to most of you. But I keep coming back to this tribute to Adam Yauch by Coldplay, which I think is pretty beautiful.

Here's a really incredible video for Music Monday this week! While the music for this track is okay, the visuals are super awesome. Who knew flour would ignite like that?

For this Music Monday, I give you Lianne La Havas, and her lovely soulful crooning. Enjoy!

After a couple of long days of work, this made me smile when I found this in my inbox tonight:

Find out more at Warby Barker.

I guess I took an unplanned month away from the blog. Maybe turning 30 was harder on me than I thought... haha.

Anyway, I'm back! and I have lots of great things to share.

First things first. For Music Monday this week, I have to credit my friend Brie for sharing this great video with me, of a cover of my favorite Arcade Fire song.

Happy Monday!

Bring it.

I've been terrible about keeping up with my Friday round up posts. So here I am trying to get back to it!

• I love these faceted drawings at the restlessthings etsy shop.

• The new Marni for H&M collection launches next week! I have to say that I'm not a devout fan of many fashion designers, but Marni is definately one of them. The accessories are perfection, as are all the silk prints.

• And these kitties might be the best thing I've ever seen on the internet.

I have completely fallen for all the stripes and chevron patterns that are all over, well, everything these days. I'm really trying to push myself away from them, since they are so trendy, and in a year we will all be over it, but then I found these lovely ceramics.

I saw this geometric gold and white ceramic tray on Coco & Kelley earlier this week and was completely taken by it. It's by artist Susan Dwyer who sells a variety of ceramic and paper vessels through her etsy shop, up in the air somewhere.

While I love the use of gold in her patterns, the soft grey, yellow, green, and blush shades are also perfect. My heart is torn.