A Good Weekend

Working on that work/life balance these days.  Work is stressful and busy, but I had a wonderful weekend in Parksville staying with a houseful of friends.  We did a bunch of outdoor excursions to celebrate the fact that there was actually sunshine: a walk at Cathedral Grove amongst the huge trees, a walk on the beach, a walk at Little Qualicum Falls, and lunch on the patio at Coombs, being watched by the famous goats on the roof.  But what was really most wonderful was just sitting in the sun, sipping tea, playing with my some wonderful little kids and gossiping with my best friends.  

I wish that we could have stayed for a week, but we have to have something to look forward to when we retire I guess...  Now I'm just trying to think happy thoughts and not get too bogged down by my heavy work load.  I've still got a friend's wedding to look forward to later in the summer, and hopeful a long weekend visit to my parents at some point.  If only the sun would come out on a more regular basis, I'm sure I'd find that extra bit of energy that I need!

Lace Love

There are some beautiful things going on here with lace overlays.  I'm always looking for lace inspiration because we have a giant box full of lace scraps at work that has some lovely pieces, smaller than a dress, but can't be thrown away.  All images Erdem Resort 2013 from Vogue.com.

Exhibit B Bowties - Update

Busy days in the bowtie factory!  We're really excited by all of the attenion they are getting.  I did a little interview with the newspaper today, and we've had more interest for a few different local stores.  The moment I'm waiting for is when I spot a guy on the street wearing one of our ties!  Gotta keep my eyes peeled for that.

One of our retailers, Much and Little, featured us on their blog this week.  Check it out.  Have a look at the rest of their website as well, or better yet, swing by the adorable shop on Main St. They carry a wonderful selection of housewares and wearables, and the whole vibe of the place just makes you want to move right in.  When I went by on Sunday, I picked out a birthday gift for a lucky friend, and I have a feeling that it might be my go-to shop for perfect gifts.

Braided Rugs in Moonrise Kingdom

Last night Karl and I went to see Moonrise Kingdom, and of course I loved it.  I know that Wes Anderson movies are not everyone's cup of tea, but I just adore being wrapped up in the sweet, elaborate world that he creates.  I can only imagine what fun it must be to work on the costumes and sets of his movies. 

In Moonrise Kingdom, I kept noticing all of the braided rugs.  They were in almost every room of the house, as well as the well-appointed tent belonging to the Khaki Scouts.  All of a sudden what was an invisible staple of every house I was ever in as a child looks like a fresh, charming decorating option!  Maybe we need a rug in our bedroom...  I'll add that to the thrifting list!

Below are just a few nice images from the webs...

Kid Acne in Elle Belgium

Oh, I love this editorial shot by Hicham Riad for Elle Belgium featuring model Robin Holzkem.  The artwork is by graffiti artist Kid Acne.  He's based in the UK, and has done artwork for some other folks including Prada and Levis.  It figures that this would be for Elle Belgium; when Karl and I were there we came to understand that Belgians really do celebrate cartoons and graffiti. 

What a fantastic collection of beasts!

moody monday

Sigh, the end of another weekend.  First bike ride of the season today, but the weather was so unstable, alternating between rain and not-quite-sun hourly, so we kept the ride pretty short.  I can't believe it's the last week of May already, and I'm starting my usual work refrain: I feel like the next two weeks will be the busiest of the season, and then things will relax.  Maybe this time I'm actually right!

All of the pictures I loved this weekend had kind of a moody, dark feel to them.  Seasonally wrong, but still pretty.  Oh, I get to go to a fashion show on Friday!  My friend Carlie Wong is an amazing designer, so I've got high hopes.

Country Charm

This pretty floral cotton skirt is my current favorite.  It's Ralph Lauren, but thrifted of course, and has a sweet little pleating detail near the hem.  It's definitely just a March to August garment, so I'll be making the most of it this summer.

When I was growing up, the little gift store on the island was called Country Charm Boutique, so whenever I hear that phrase I think of the hours I spent admiring shiny stickers and mugs with kittens on them, trying to decide what to spend my allowance on.

'Jugendstil' Adrien Sahores & Thomas Bukovatz by Eric Nehr for Influence No. 10

I'm impressed by the work that has gone into these re-creations of Egon Schiele, brought into the modern day as a considerably more covered-up menswear editorial.  I wonder if the models were painted, or if all of that was done with photoshop afterwords.  See the rest of the images here.

Exhibit B - new cotton bowties!

Whee!  Fresh new cotton bowties, hot off the presses...  For more information about these fabulous locally hand-made bowties, visit our website: exhibitbties.com.  Between work, bowties, and gardening, life is just about busy enough.  A friend of Karl's was over last night, and he actually remarked that the house was looking kind of, um, messy.  Gosh, thanks!  No filter, obviously, but he was right.  It's not dirty, it's just busy: lots of surfaces covered with tie stuff.

More Smells of Spring

I know it doesn't look like much yet, but there are little green buds starting in my garden!  Some of my neighbours already have great displays of growth, but I'm always a little bit nervous to put seeds in before I know spring is really here.

Oh, and one way that I know that the warmer weather has arrived: smells.  Specifically, the smells we travel though on the bus ride home.  First, as we pass within a few blocks of the sugar refinery, we get a sweet whiff of burnt, caramel-y sugar.  Then a few minutes later we are downwind of Westcoast Reduction.  It's gross.  I won't get into the details, but it's a few hold-your-breath moments.  And today was the first smelly ride home of the year, so the warm weather has arrived!

Green glow

This time of year the view from our front porch is so soothing.  I know it's not a mountain view or an ocean view, it's just our little front yard, but I love the green glow that filters through the trees.  You can hardly see the sidewalk, and it even feels like the noise of passing cars is muffled.  It's perfect for sitting out with a cup of tea or a glass of something cool and a good book.

The weather has been lovely, and forecast is great for the rest of the week!  I spent most of the day working in the garden; the soil has finally warmed up, so most of my seeds are planted, with the exception of zucchini and cucumber, which I've started inside.  It's great to see everything coming to life!

Sweet smells and sunshine

The house is full of one of my favorite scents of the season: lilacs!  I'm so lucky to have two lilac bushes in the back yard.  There's a white one that was here when we bought the house, and a dark purple one that we planted a few years ago that is really starting to be impressive, and sooo fragrant!  This editorial in Plaza Kvinna makes me want to get dressed up and visit a botanical garden.  Maybe if the weather stays great I'll go for a walk at Queen Elizabeth Park and admire the blooms.  I noticed that several of the dresses featured are by Natalia Grsybowski, from that fantastic collection of botanically correct prints.

When in Russia...

...dress well and look a little crazy.  All the best photos I saw this week were in editorials from Interview Russia and Harpers Bazaar Russia.  Not your usual cheery spring shoots with pastels and florals, they caught my eye nonetheless.

Exhibit B - Spring Fresh

I sewed up a fresh batch of 100% cotton bowties today!  Crisp, clean, preppy and cool.  Check us out at exhibitbties.com for more information.  These bowties are not pre-tied; part of our philosophy is that being able to tie your own bowties is a great skill for a modern guy to have.  People will be impressed. However, that's not to say that you can't fake ignorance in order to get an attractive woman to tie it for you - see Roger Sterling in this week's episode of Mad Men!

Exhibit B Bowties

Exhibit B Bowties are open for business.  Visit our website, exhibitbties.com, for information on retailers.  OK, we don't have the information there yet, but visit anyway!!  They are handmade in Vancouver from reclaimed vintage neckties, as well as 100% cotton and 100% silk, and they are gorgeous!  As in, you might want to buy one, but then when you start trying to pick, they are all just so amazing that you try to narrow it down, but each one seems to be calling your name, so you end up with more than you bargained for.  At least that's what happened when we let our models and photographers pick out a tie as a thank-you for their awesome work.

And yes, below is their awesome work.  The guys from nordicaphotography.com did such a phenomenal job.  I love watching them work - so fast and intuitive, I wonder if they share some ESP-like connection.  And our models Thomas and Randy were perfect; they didn't even need a change room.  Now that's skill!

I'll keep you posted on retailers and bowtie-related goings-on.  Busy times ahead in the world of increasing the dapperness of Vancouver's menfolk!