Typography Tray

A while back I posted about how i’ve been wanting some typographers/printers trays for quite some time now. Well guess what? My dream came true this Christmas, I got 3 of them from my wonderful boyfriend. I have yet to fill them up completely, but I have found a home for 2 of them on my walls.

I also got a cute little retro styled radio/alarm clock which works perfectly on my bedside table.
It’s available at urban outfitters and I love that it connects to my iPod too.

Fine Finds on a Budget

Here’s my find finds on a budget for January.
Floral Pattern Dress from Old Navy, Faux Leather Bag from Ardene, Gold Woven Gem Flats from Payless Shoes, Floral Applique Cardigan from Old Navy, Heart Ring from Etsy, Pocket Watch Necklace from Etsy, Belt from Ebay

Live. Dream. Love

Photo post:

I’m featured on Vancouverisawesome.com

I’ve been featured on Vancouverisawesome.com where I talk about my daily routine, life, what I like and where I work. It’s called THE PROOF.

Click on the image below for a link to the full story.

World’s Largest Mailbox

Over the Christmas holidays I discovered the World’s Largest Mailbox. So, naturally I decided to mail a letter!

Recipe Adventure: Poached Pears

By Nicole & Andrew

Holiday season is here and i’ve found the most beautifiul and delicious recipe that will wow your family and your guests. These look amazing on the plate with their deep red colour. The twist to this recipe is to use beets to achieve that deep red glow.

Ingredients:
4 firm, medium-size pears, such as Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc
2 medium beets, peeled and sliced
1 bottle robust (and cheap) red wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1 orange peel
1 lemon peel
2 whole cloves
1 star anise

Peel the pears and place in medium saucepan. (Leaving the pears whole will allow for dramatic presentation. If you cut them in half and core before poaching, they’re easier to eat and the color and spices saturate the center.)

Add wine, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, orange peel, lemon peel, sliced beets, cloves, star anise and just enough water to cover pears.

Set saucepan over high heat, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, occasionally stirring gently, over medium-low heat, until a paring knife easily pierces pears, about 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate. Remove the beets.(You can remove the spices at this point, but I left them in while reducing for extra flavor.) Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 45 minutes. Remove spices. Let cool; store pears in an airtight container until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, arrange pears on a platter or on individual plates, and drizzle with poaching liquid. They’re delicious on their own and would also be great topped with vanilla ice cream.

Vancouver in October

The other day I went downtown and made sure to snap a few photos of the progress along Granville Street. Luckily the street is still closed, so I could stand in the middle and get a good view. I really hope they bring back the trees, it’s sure looking concrete and bare.

Just about every other block in Vancouver is being redeveloped, but at Richards near Yaletown, where they’ve demolished Richards on Richards to make room for a new condo developement, there’s a few heritage houses that have been put up on blocks to either be moved or sent to heritage house heaven. I was able to photograph one, the other was blocked by signage.

Fall is here and I wanted to share some of the beautiful colours I spotted in Yaletown that contrast perfectly along side the old brick buildings.

Fabric to Faces

Do you love how magical origami can be? Well, i’ve just discovered something that takes it to the next level! Using clothing and textiles, Bela Borsodi creates animals, creatures and faces that seems to almost come to life.

You may also know Bela Borsodi for her magical Alphabet creation.

Toy Collection Display

So i’ve had to find a temporary solution to display my toy collection from when I was a kid, mixed with some current stuff. I was going to put it in a Printers Tray, as you saw I was hunting for in a previous post, but then I saw this shadow box frame on sale and thought it would work just perfectly until I find exactly what i’m looking for. All I had to do was open it up, throw in all the toys and I was done! It adds a fun colourful touch to a small nook area on my wall.

500 Pencils

I will always have fond memories from my childhood of reaching into my shoebox full of coloured pencils to create amazing works of art, or colour outside of the lines. I’d draw for hours on end. It’s really amazing how something so simple can be so entertaining for so long when you’re a child. The point of this memory is that the other day I came across this beautiful collection of 500 pencils and it blew me away.

Check out more from 500 Pencils: http://500pencils.socialdesigner.com/about