my vancouver.

second beach

burrard street bridge, from granville island

dundarave beach

grouse mountain

mosquito creek park

vancouver skyline, from my 'hood

panorama park, deep cove

cates park

capilano canyon

cleveland dam

vancouver skyline, from lonsdale quay

{my vancouver. my heart}

there's a reason i've been waxing poetic about vancouver of late. beyond the obvious, that is, that i absolutely love this city. in may, my little family will be moving to victoria. not too far, and very beautiful in its own right. but my heart will remain here, at least until i can give a piece of it to victoria. i will miss my city and all that it holds. but the time has come to move along, for now, for a while.
this will mean some slight changes around here. we have a mountain of stuff to accomplish before we go, with the house + with life itself. moving is tough! in so many ways. but i will keep myself attuned to the new doors and windows that will open for us, and i know there will be many.

vancouver will always be my home, and we will return, one day.

my city

vancouver.

british columbia love :: poppy & pinecone

my city

neighbourhoods.

vancouver, poster in stanley park green :: ork posters

my city

love this skyline.

vancouver, british columbia - city skyline series :: architette studios

my city

map pillow.

vancouver vintage map cushion cover :: my bearded pigeon

my city

my heart.

vancouver map art poster :: mr city printing

the rains are here

i love fall. even here in vancouver, when it is inevitable that it will rain, and rain, and rain. but when a crisp autumn day arrives, where the sun shines and the sky is brisk + blue, there is simply nothing like it. a perfect fall day.

you just need a great pair of cozy, lined rain boots.

a pop of bright colour helps when the rain seems like it will never end.

slip on my hands-down-favourite smoking lily shirt, comfy + stylish.

and at the end of the day, curl up with a cozy throw and read a book on the couch.

aren't you excited for fall?

{from top}

ilse jacobsen tall rain boots in grey

merrell urbaine rain jacket in lagoon

smoking lily mt. pleasant top

avoca sun salute throw :: via room6

proud of the boys in blue

image by elsa, via canucks.nhl.com multimedia

i know i very rarely write about anything sports related, but bear with me for a moment. i have been a canucks fan since i was a little kid, and the excitement in our fair city has been palpable this past few weeks, as we watched our team race towards the stanley cup. tonight i was proud of the canucks for playing their hearts out. even though they didn't win, they will forever be my faves. like the sign says, this is what we live for. thanks, boys. you did us proud.

{and please don't think that because of some poorly behaved miscreants that our whole city is full of sore losers. the riots downtown were caused by people looking out for trouble, not by true fans and loyal vancouverites}

i hope to be back to regular blogging next week. it's been a long haul, kitchen is still in progress, and work is still super busy, but i miss it here. thanks for sticking it out!

anthropologie, finally.

anthropologie is finally coming to vancouver, this saturday! i've been waiting for so long.

i browsed around {and drooled over} the website last night, dreaming of things i'd love to buy now that i can actually see them in person. here are just a few that caught my eye.

grey stripes, of course. pleated yoke tee.

a sweet summer blouse. heartsease habotai blouse.

for those breezy summer afternoons. orchard grove pullover.

for lazy days spent at the beach, a bit of shelter from the sun. painted layers cover-up.

all images via anthropologie.

lace for spring

very pretty vintage-inspired spring collection by vancouver fashion house dru's design. i love the tweed dress on the bottom right, very chic. visit dru's design to find out where to buy.

images via dru's design.

airey indeed.

pardon the tongue-in-cheek title to my post, but this vancouver residence by local firm airey homes is like a breath of fresh air. with the open space flooded by light from the many tall windows, this contemporary home is a pleasing juxtaposition of cold + warmth. the polished concrete floor and unfinished concrete walls are brightened by warm natural wood + a crisp white kitchen. there is a definite long, linear feel to the furnishings and fixtures. the low profile sofa and extra-long dining table add to the feeling of space. nothing is crowded, nothing is cluttered.

of course i had to share the stairs. you all know how much i love a great set of stairs, and these concrete steps does not disappoint. the open risers add to the airiness of the space by allowing the eye to be drawn up to the second level.

speaking of, i'd love to have seen some pics of the bedrooms in this house, i can only imagine they would be just as stunning. you can find the rest of the photos on the airey group website under projects, private residences, drummond drive.

all images via the airey group

:: edit, march 3 2011 ::

with big thanks to gaile guevara, i can provide a little more info about this amazing home! gaile worked on the interiors of drummond drive, alongside interior designer donna toppings. together, these talented ladies created an inspiring + gorgeous interior, including those smashing cantilevered concrete stairs. great work, ladies.

ps - you can see more pictures of this home on gaile's site, right here. thanks, gaile!

a saturday stroll

vancouver was showing off it's good side this weekend, and we made sure to get out and enjoy it as much as we could with two sick babes. they were feeling well enough for a leisurely stroll yesterday, so we headed to the harbour, just down the street. picture perfect, my city at it's best.

:: if you look closely, you can catch a teensy glimpse of mt baker in the top right photo, right in the middle. a perfectly clear day! ::

ceramic love

the gorgeous, simple shapes and smooth texture of local vancouver ceramist aja billas' stoneware. i adore beautifully shaped, no-frills pottery. this is right up my alley.

image by aja billas, via eastside culture crawl

somehow i hadn't seen aja's work before got craft this past weekend. not sure how i'd missed it, and also not sure why i didn't scoop some pieces up at the show. her website is under construction, but i can't wait for her shop to open. i will be the first in line.

:: this kicks off my 12 days of christmas wishlist posts on my blog. hope you pop in for more over the next couple weeks! ::

winter time

a winter's tale - snow gently falling at twilight :: irene suchocki {ISphotography}

snow. something we rarely see this early here in vancouver, softly falling from a crisp grey sky. winter is here.

and, gloomy.

have you noticed that a lot of my finds have to do with the weather? well, i guess you can figure out what's coming down here in vancouver today. it's funny how the weather can shape your mood, at times. but today, i will try really hard not to feel as gloomy as it is outside. maybe some shopping would help.

images via shops as listed below.

original watercolor cloud dark droplets :: draw gabby draw

silver raindrop outline lariat :: paperface studio

mini notecards - weather pattern :: anna ruby king

clouds and stars pendant in polka dot fabric and denim :: verte adélie

west coast lovelies

yesterday i happened across the gorgeous work of helliwell + smith blue sky architecture, a west vancouver firm whose work seamlessly integrates nature with interiors. the views seem to leap in the floor-to-ceiling windows, local wood is incorporated all over their designs, curves and beams repeated throughout the structures. and the stairs, oh, the stairs! these two have a knack for designing a pretty set of risers.

here is just a taste of the west coast style that helliwell + smith bring to their work. visit the project portfolio for more. i'll be there, swooning as i flip through the pics over and over again.

images via blue sky architecture

a bluebird afternoon

it was a picture perfect bluebird afternoon in vancouver yesterday, and like many other like-minded folks, we spent it at the beach. warm sun [cause we've been seriously lacking warmth here this spring], sand in our toes, family + friends. what more could a girl ask for, other than to do this every. single. day.

sand, picked up, poured out. over + over again.

shoes + hoody quickly discarded, boy heading off into the ocean.

bliss.

i had a great weekend, even though the sun waited until our holiday monday to make a really solid + lengthy appearance. how was yours?