BC Observations

Happy BC Day to my fellow British Columbians! Hope you're enjoying your long weekend.

A few weeks ago I headed out on a road trip, with with my mom, 2 of my sisters and a nephew. We were taking my mom on a "sentimental journey" to Kitimat BC, about 1400km from Vancouver, and we only had a week to do it. She had lived there for a few years, as a teenager, when the town was brand new, and for one year "reigned" over the town as Miss Kitimat. Pretty cute. The town of Kitimat was created to support the aluminum smelting industry in the mid-50's. Before that, it was a tiny fishing village. Here are some pics of our road trip to northern BC....

An abandoned old church near Lytton BC. 

The Fraser River.

Barkerville is a national historic site of Canada located along Williams Creek. It's an old "gold rush" town built in the 1860's. Many of the original town's buildings still stand today. Incredible history. 

The old Canadian National train station. 

Kitimaat Village, just outside of Kitimat. 

What I really noticed is that since the town was born in 1954, the architecture is very much of the era. Loved it. Even the abandoned buildings still looked great. I'd love this one to be turned into some kind of accommodation. 

A-frame architecture for the First United Church.

This is Miss Kitimat (aka my mom) taking a look at what was the town centre, where she was "crowned". 

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

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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. 

My City

Happy hump day! Hope your week's going well.

I wanted to share a story I did for The Simple Things magazine, one of my favourite mags. Each issue they do a "My City" feature, and they asked me to do one on Vancouver. I love these features, so I was pretty happy to do one for my hometown. Click here for the whole story.

What do you love about your city? I'd love to hear about it.

Have a good day!

janis

Victoria BC Observations

I was in Victoria for most of the weekend, to shoot stories for a couple of magazines. Always nice to spend a few days there. It's so easy to get around, lots of great little cafes and restaurants, shops, and the scenery is stunning. Here's a little of what I checked out, when I wasn't working....

It was great to see that one of my favourite shops in Vancouver has opened up in Victoria. The Regional Assembly of Text has taken over the lobby of a beautiful heritage office building on Johnson Street. They just fold it up and tuck it all away at the end of the day. Stop by and use the vintage typewriters to create your own buttons, or pick up one of their fantastic notebooks, recipe boxes, or wrapping paper. Most of the products are the creation of shop owners, Rebecca and Brandy. 

The weather was perfect to have lunch on the wharf, at Red Fish Blue Fish, a water front restaurant made out of a cargo container. We had a bbq salmon tacone, salad, and a roasted rhubarb & vanilla creamsicle. Beyond delicious. 

After wrapping up a shoot, that had started at dawn, we lounged around at Saxe Point. Such a pretty spot to relax and hang out until the next shoot.

The Milkman's Daughter is a perfect mix of fashion, vintage, books and upcycled furniture by Janice of Modhaus Designs. It's owned by the women of Smoking Lily, another great shop in Victoria and Vancouver. I loved the stacking boxes with screen printed illustrations. The exterior of the shop is pretty spectacular too! 

Have you been to Victoria? A super short flight from Vancouver or Seattle, or take the ferry (I'm not too keen on flying in tiny planes). The bonus with the ferry is that it's not uncommon to spot a pod of orcas....pretty magical. 

Now to start editing the shoots....so much to sort through. Have a great day!

janis

Shop Love

I love my neighbourhood. Within about 10 blocks, there are heaps of cafes, restaurants and shops. One of those shops is one of my favourites, Nineteen Ten. Owners, Amy and Jenn, have created a very homey store, with a great mix of furniture, home wares, lighting and accessories. They've also started a line of their own. Talented women.

I've shot their shop a couple of times now. Most recently for House and Home magazine. Here's a peek...

The stool is one of Amy's and Jenn's creations. I'm also a fan of the serving utensils, and brightly coloured pendant light cords. 

If you find yourself in the Vancouver Main Street area, pop in and say hi. If you plan to visit Vancouver, add Nineteen Ten to your list of shops to check out.

What's your neighbourhood like? Are you in the middle of a busy city, suburb or the country? Would love to hear from you!

janis

Weekend Observations

I hope you had a nice weekend! I'm still in weekend mode, as it's Victoria Day today. I do love a holiday Monday.

Here's a bit of what went on around here this weekend...

Had a sneak peek at a house designed by Evoke International Design. Landscape design by Considered Design. Styling by McCarthy•Hinder. 

Popped down to Seattle for a whirlwind day trip, with a couple of good friends. Checked out the European Masters exhibit before it wrapped up, at the Seattle Art Museum. Found ourselves in Fremont, a cute neighbourhood filled with shops and restaurants. Picked up some Swedish clogs at Lambs Ear Shoe Boutique....had to have them. 

If you're in the Vancouver area, you have to check out the Grand Hotel exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. It's all about the evolution of the hotel. Love it! It's on until September, and I plan to visit several more times. So much to take in and absorb. 

A few links to some of favourite blogs...

• a beautiful modern home in Santa Barbara at Design Elements

• "roughing it" at SF Girl By Bay

• Nanaimo Bar Cupcake anyone? Recipe by Rosie, of Butter Baked Goods, over at Poppytalk. If you're in Vancouver on May 25th, stop by West Elm for the Etsy event and meet Rosie along with several Etsy sellers (I'll be one of them). 

Have a great day! 

janis

Marrakech and Essaouira

Happy hump day! Hope your week is going well so far. Thought I'd share some more of my recent trip. I have to say, it was all pretty fantastic but, to be honest, a little harrowing at times too. More on that soon ;)

While in Marrakech we checked out the souks and had a road trip to Essaouira, as part of our  Instant Love polaroid workshop. I have to admit, I'm not one for "bartering" or "haggling" when it comes to shopping, so I only dabbled in the shopping experience. Here are some of the colourful sights I saw and shot....

Shopping around the souks.

TGIF

Happy Friday! This week has been over-the-top busy. I've shot everything from a banana bread queen, to a festive cocktail party story, to pretty bed linens and a lovely home - an interesting variety. One thing I've realized....I need a helper/assistant to help with coordinating things. Yikes. More on that in the new year!

We're heading back to Australia for Christmas with my husband's family. Can't wait. To wrap up the week is a sample of some the festive decor I look forward to seeing on cute shops all over Melbourne and Sydney....

janis
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weekend observations

It was a busy weekend around here. A couple of shoots, and a best birthday present ever. My husband took me to see Paul McCartney for my day of all days. Sir Paul is still pretty amazing. Anyone else see him in Vancouver this weekend? 

Here's a little bit of the shoots I had...

Barefoot Contessa has a couple of locations in Vancouver. Have you been? Lots of great stuff for kids and men too! 

So many exciting things happening at Gallant & Jones! I've had the pleasure of shooting their beach chairs since the beginning, then onto trays and bags. These blankets are so soft and beautiful. Check them out here. 

What did you get up to this weekend? Did you venture into the "black Friday" shopping frenzy? If you did, was it all worth it? Let me know!

Have a good Monday!

janis

Store Tour: West Elm Vancouver

Happy Friday! How was your week?

I think it's safe to say that pretty much everyone knows the shop West Elm, right? I have to be honest, I wasn't overly familiar with what West Elm was all about.  I've always been a champion of the indie anything, and independent shops, and always will be. I had the opportunity, along with a dozen others in the biz, to be given a tour of the new Vancouver store by Creative Director, Vanessa Holden. I've been a huge fan of Vanessa's, since she co-founded Donna Hay magazine then onto editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living.  After that tour, I have a new appreciation of what they're all about, and it's all good.

Here are some of the things that stood out to me....

They have an Etsy section featuring local talent. This collection included Dahlhaus Ceramics and Walter Helena Photography, to name two.

I was told that each store is decorated to suit the city it's in. They gave the Vancouver store a woodsy, crafty theme. Loved the string pieces hanging behind the front counter. 

They have several products labeled "Discovered". One of a kind pieces. A great selection of throws, cushions and rugs. I bought the Kantha Throw in the bottom right corner. It's made of vintage saris hand-stitched by craftswomen in North India. It's beautiful and reversible too! 

Vanessa Holden, top left. I think I need the side table, top right...x2.

Part of the proceeds, from the opening night party, benefited Arts Umbrella. A fantastic place for kids to learn a variety of art forms: dance, photography, paint, etc. Definitely a new appreciation of West Elm.

Are you a fan of West Elm? What do you like best about them? I'd love hear your thoughts!

Have a great weekend! Back next week.

janis