Category — Arts and culture

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.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Tonight I welcome friends in through my doors, into my heart. We join in creating — dream boards, calendars, paintings, poetry. Where will the evening take us? Into ice cream sandwiches and typewriters and onto balconies and into each other’s stories. 

Welcome friends, let’s be makers.

Since arriving home I have slowly been piecing our house together to make room for our new addition (due August 27, by the way.)

I’ve been purging, storing, cleaning and sorting every square inch of our home. I’m happy with the progress in all but our bedroom — the one room in our house that has always remained unfinished. Until now we’ve had two tall chests of drawers near the base of our bed, a set Michael inherited from his grandma’s deceased neighbour. (Grim, but true.) ;)

We’ve had our eyes open for a set of drawers for the past month or so, assured it is the piece to really complete the space.

I’ve had my eyes on some vintage sets, like this:

$250 at a vintage shop in New Westminster’s Antique Alley

and this:

But Michael and I differ in our affections (/repulsions) to retro furniture. (I love it, he hates it. Shocker.)

I’ve also been keeping my eye on Ikea, though our preference is for real wood. I’m particularly taken with the Engan collection.

Then, today, I popped into Value Village to pick up a VCR (I borrowed a prenatal yoga video from my sister-in-law and have also been dying to watch some of my old VHS favourites like Reality Bites and Fried Green Tomatoes) and I happened upon this find:

for only $35!

Sometimes a little determination and a little luck is all you need.

My suspicions have been confirmed thanks to an article in this week’s Georgia Straight. The house I have long adored on the shore of Deer Lake is an Arthur Erickson creation. It is named the Baldwin House and is available for rent!

I’m not sure if this is good or bad news… To know your own private oasis is there for the taking is a kind of sick torture. Perhaps my husband will surprise me with a stay?

Calling all poets: a poetry competition from our friends at Comment magazine.

Comment magazine (www.cardus.ca/comment) invites poets to submit contributions in the form of a rondeau suitable for publication in our September print issue. This will be our fourth annual “Making the Most of College” issue, and the submitted poems should in some way be connected with that theme, or with the beginning of the school year. Our poetry judges will select three of the submitted rondeaux for publication and offer pre-publication editorial advice to the poets. One of the selected rondeaux will be published on the first page of the September issue, and its poet awarded a prize of CDN $50. Two other winners will be published elsewhere in the magazine. Email submissions or questions to dpostma@cardus.ca by June 15, 2009.

The birthday calendar is something of a Dutch tradition. The world over you will find important dates like birthdays and anniversaries lovingly jotted in something called the perpetual calendar and hanging in the powder room. I got mine in Gouda, Netherlands two years ago and since then many a visitor has commented on its practicality. 

It seems this little traditional calendar is making a comeback. Consider these online finds:

The Sukie perpetual calendar by Chronicle (complete with moveable day, month and weather wheels)

The vintage gold brass flip on Etsy

And of course, the Dutch-themed Birthday calendar also on Etsy

A fine investment, I can attest.

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Make your own!

Here’s how you can make your own perpetual calendar by hand:

1.   First, cut your paper to size. (I used 8.5″ × 11″ card stock cut in half.) 

2.  Then, draw your lines for every day of the month. (You could always cheat here and do this on the computer.) 

3.  Number each line. I chose to use my typewriter.

4.  Next, choose your theme. (I’m a sucker for snail mail so I used stamps.) 

5.  Finally, punch a hole through the top of the calendar and feed through a ribbon or twine. 

6.  Hang and begin jotting in your loved ones’ special days. (I recommend using a pencil. Mistakes happen.) 

Published today in catapult magazine

It’s that time again. The Regional Assembly of Text hosts their monthly letter writing club the first Thursday of every month. No need to sign up ahead of time. Everyone welcome. No cost. Supplies (and yummy treats) provided.

I’ll be sad to miss it. Instead I’ll be accompanying my stepdad to a father & daughter dinner at the Vancouver Club.