Category — Arts and culture

A couple of sneaky sneakers (namely, my dear friend Aurora and the hubby) arranged for me to get a facial at Vida Spa this morning. I thought I was going to hit up the lovely Christmassy stalls at Granville Island, sip JJ Bean java, and peruse Paper-Ya (and we did, afterward.) But instead, Ms. Aurora carted me on a convoluted route through downtown, arriving at the Wall Centre Hotel to meet another friend, the inimitable Sara! — for a delectable hour of pampering. Bliss. 

The day was made complete with the purchase of Julie Morstad’s ABC flash cards which I’ve been eyeing for years (Madeleine’s first Christmas was the perfect excuse!)

as well as…

A family outing to the library where Michael cleaned out the Soups, Thai and Indian cooking section and I brought home John Carey’s “What Good are the Arts?” 

And, finally, a dinner of pesto linguine and avocado-topped greens. 

A delightful day, indeed.

“One Voice” by Calgary artist Connie Gibbens. Read her artist’s statement, where she describes her Circles theme, here. 

“We love wherever we can love, and the power of that love spreads until the circumference of the circle of love grows wider and wider. At least that has been my own experience, even though I know to my rue that the circumference of my love is still much too small.” 

- Madeleine L’Engle, The Irrational Season

First, pick your outfit:

Then find a date:

Secure your front row seats:

Sit back and enjoy the show:

And afterwards hop backstage for some face time with the man of the hour:

My latest column exploring fashion and theology is up in Comment Magazine. Madeleine was my inspiration as I considered ‘The advent of personal style.’ Enjoy!

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Also, speaking of fashion, the following invite arrived in the ‘ol inbox this morning. Paul Hardy presents at Vancouver Fashion Week tomorrow. I can’t wait! Paul’s shows never disappoint. 

I hope to bring you back pictures…

I’ve found my Christmas crafting inspiration! Ornaments! Thank you, Anthropologie.

Brilliance from the Wooster Collective.

In the artist’s own words:

“these days it seems shoes and clothes just aren’t enough anymore.

i’ve always loved working in different mediums on the street - stencils, pastes, stickers, cardboard, wood, etc.. over the years you watch your works disappear no matter what the medium - from weather, other artists, property owners, etc.. anyone that does this for a while starts to realize that with more thought out placement, things can last a long ass time, a lot longer than pieces placed haphazardly. so lately i’ve not only been choosing my locations more wisely but have been doing things that attempt to blend in with the existing surroundings. i’m sure these alterations go mainly unnoticed for the most part but for me it offers the same satisfaction as the other things i do on the street - it’s all about altering the outside world no matter how subtle”

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P.S. We decided not to move. It’s a faith thing.

I’m going. Who’s in?

I just love this:

http://yarnbombing.com/, also known as textile graffiti. c/o Brian.

I devoured this incredible book by Jodi Picoult while we were away in Victoria a couple weekends ago and Michael and I went to the movie last week. Just the 1-minute trailer made me cry.

This story of two sisters, one dying, one living to prolong the other’s life, is all together gripping, beautiful, provocative and entirely unmissable. I encourage you to read the book (the film I could take or leave, though it did get good reviews).

I remember the day I first encountered dawn, willingly. The slow turning of midnight to charcoal, lavender then cherry red, blood orange and, finally, the blaze of morning’s first light: pineapple gold.

God made dawn, with its flurry of colour, to welcome us. I feel the same way about summer.

Right now, from urban mainstay Anthropologie to the handmade clothing of Adhesif, the radish reds and saltwater turquoise of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s are spilling onto sunny boardwalks and into the streets once again.

Spring/Summer 2009 at Anthropologie

Old is in. This summer, the used and discarded are making a comeback. Call it recession-proofing, call it what you like, but the second-hand clothing scene is booming.

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Read the entire article here. Published today in Comment.