An Artist's Creative Space

I hope you had a lovely Christmas! This week just kind of flew by, didn't it?

Always, at this time of year, I get the urge to rip apart my office/studio and get organized. I was inspired by artist Zoe Pawlak's tidy studio where she creates her beautiful paintings, meets clients, and has the occasional get together. I shot her in her studio for Rue magazine, awhile back, for the December issue. Click here for the whole story.

Zoe recently launched her rug collection, with Burritt Brothers. Pictured above, is Zoe with one of her new creations. I loved them all. 

I love the spare look of her studio....I could move right on in. I'd just need one of her rugs to finish off the look ;) 

Have a great weekend!

janis

Joy to the Weekend

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend.  Cheers to a relaxing time with friends and family! 

janis

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A Little Melbourne for Monday

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I've been on vacation for the last few weeks, and slowly getting back into the swing of things. How did Christmas creep up so quickly? Yikes.

We were in Tahiti, then headed to Australia to visit family. I posted a number of pics on instagram, but thought I'd share a few more bits of Melbourne. I love it there....

Checked out the restaurant at Prahran Hotel. Incredible design. 

Stumbled upon Von Haus in Melbourne, early one morning. Tiny space inside, with room for up to 6 outside. Loved it. Wish we could have gone back for wine time ;) 

The National Gallery of Victoria had a fantastic exhibit on called Melbourne Now, showcasing design of all kinds. Pretty amazing. If you visit Melbourne, you have to visit the NGV. Such a stunning place.

Above is a designer from Spacecraft making screenprints in the "Community Hall".  

 I had the opportunity to check out the Big Design Market and did a post for Poppytalk. Over 200 incredible designers set up shop in the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building (a world heritage site).  Click here for the whole story.

If you'd like to see more of Melbourne, my home away from home, click here and here. 

Have a great day!

janis

x

Mixing it up with EQ3

Hello from Australia! Hope you all had a great weekend.

Last month, I was part of Canadian modern furniture store's, EQ3, blogger of the month series. My post was up the day we left for holidays, so I missed it. Each blogger chooses their favourite item(s) at EQ3, and talks about how they use it and why they love it, and takes a few pics in their own space. My fave is the Siirtolapuutarha dishware by Marimekko. I plan to take a small bowl and the plate along to a potluck Christmas party, and leave the set as a hostess gift. 'tis the season.

The small bowl works perfectly well as a vase too. 

For more on the story, and to see what other bloggers favourite things are, click here. 

By the way, if anyone knows how to, successfully, set a date/time for a post, on blogger, do tell. It's a mystery to me! 

Have a great day!

janis

x

Happy Friday

janis
x

Holiday Cocktail Party

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend.

I thought this post went up last week...I see it didn't! We shot this holiday party with the The Cascade Group (Charlie's, Union, Cascade Room, El Camino's), my family's restaurants, for the new BC Living magazine. Chef Lisa Henderson (aka my sister-in-law) of Union, and bar genius Nick Devine (co-owner), created party snacks and cocktails to start the holiday season off right. Let's just say, this was a fun shoot ;) Here's a sample...

"Boleripitas" and "Guasacaca" For recipe click here.

"The Snow Blower" For recipe click here.

"Whisky Galore" For recipe click here.

"Panabas" For recipe, click here. 

Heather Cameron was on hand for the party shoot as well, along with Amy and Felice of BC Living magazine. Thanks to Kate (sister-in-law) for hosting the shoot, and pulling some of her decorations. You can get all the recipes from the issue, on stands now, or on the iPad version. 

Do you like to entertain? If you do, do you make your own party food, or do you order out? Let me know! I tend to do a little of both. 

Have a great day! 

janis

x

Christmas "Spruce" Style

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're having a great week.

My last post was pretty festive, so I'm just going to carry on with that theme. 'Tis the season, yes?

I've had the pleasure of working with the women behind the fantastic shop, Spruce Collective, a number of times, but I think this shoot might be my favourite so far. They created a festive dining room, complete with DIY ornaments and decorations. They're featured in the current issue of Chatelaine magazine.

I love that they've created a festive setting without screaming 'it's Christmas'! If you're in Abbotsford B.C., definitely pop in and see what they've got happening for the holidays. I promise, you won't be disappointed. 

I'm off to Tahiti and Australia tomorrow, but I do have a couple of posts ready to go and will, no doubt, post something from my travels. If any of you have been to Tahiti, I'd love to know any secret spots that we shouldn't miss. Merci in advance!

Until then, take care!  

janis

x

T'is the Season

Happy Friday!

It may be a little early for Christmas, for some (is it?), but it's everywhere right now. Thought I'd share a festive story I shot for Style At Home along with editor-in-chief, Erin McLaughlin. Cheryl and Natasha, the mom and daughter team of Little White House, created a cozy, cabin-style Christmas with vintage papers, lace, and ribbons, along with linen and burlap.  This story is in the current issue of Style At Home. Here are some more pics from the shoot.....

When do you set up for Christmas? Are you a stickler for tradition, and keep your decor the same every year, or do you change it up? Do you make a lot of your own decorations, like in this story? I would love to know!   

For the entire story, the ladies of Little White House have put it up on their website. Click here to read more.

I Could Live Here

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I was able to get some pics of the new and improved The Cross, just before they re-opened, after a month of expansion and reno's. It's so beautiful. I could live in various parts of the shop. Since they're re-opening in time for the Christmas season, there's a little festive action going on here as well. Here's a peek...

If you're in the Vancouver area, this shop is a must-see. It's one of the many, independently owned, shops in town. Great to see, especially in the era of "big box" stores. If you can't get to The Cross, you can also shop online. 

Modern Warmth

Hello! How's your week going so far?

I wanted to share a home with you that I shot for Denise Ashmore,  a very talented interior designer. The home itself was designed by architect, Paul Phillips. It's also in the current issue of Western Living magazine.

Denise has created a beautiful mix of warm walnut, throughout the home, with mid-century furniture and pops of blues and greens.

Here's a peek...

Painting by Norah Borden.

Painting by Norah Borden.

Painting by Christine Breakell-Lee

For more images and the whole story, click here.

Are you a warm wood person, or do you prefer it a bit lighter? Would love to hear from you. 

Have a great day! 

janis

Give-away Winner for Wednesday

Congratulations, Victoria! I'll contact you for your address.

Thanks to all of you that took part, and for all your lovely comments! It means a lot. 

janis

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