Artist Island - Granville Island

Located under the south end of Granville Street Bridge, Granville Island was originally a industrial manufacturing area. Later when the factories started to move out from the area, the Canadian government invested $19 million and created exhibitions, theatres, parks, etc. Now Granville Island became Vancouver's top tourist attraction and earns $35 million per year!  My husband and I visited Granville Island a few days ago and I would like to share some stories and pictures I took.

I filmed a short video to properly capture the atmosphere from my visit. You can hear the street musician busking away and that really completes it all. More about my day in Granville Island after the jump! :-) 

Potion 9 Bath Salt

I am a ritualistic bath person. It is the time I devote for myself as a pat on the shoulder for the "hard work" of the long day. Whether it be fruity foam bath bombs from lush, or cheaper drugstore brands that I can wastefully pour into my tub, I love bath products. Vivian has been praising her l'occitane bath salt from her last trip to Seattle Premium Outlet thus far. And when I came across the pretty coloured coarse sea crystals from Watershed Naturals at Craft Circle Christmas Market, I knew this would be a well spent $18. For my posting about Craft Circle Christmas Market - please click the link Circle Craft Christmas Market 2014 to be redirected! :-)

Bath salts are developed to resemble the benefits of hot springs. Their specific benefits are the following: act as detergent, soften calloused skin, & aid in exfoliation. According to the Wikipedia page, research found positive correlation between bath salts & treatment to arthritis as well! 

Etsy: Custom Portrait

It is always hard to buy a gift for my mother. Since I am living so far away from her, want to give her something unusual and special. This year, I loved the custom painting I got for my anniversay so much so I thought I should give my mom a portrait as well.

My mom has lots of unique paintings decorating her wall already from contemporary artists. So instead of going with oil painting, giving her a classic water color painting with some wit would be a perfect addition to her collection. 

When I was hunting for my own, I have added "The Bazaar Studio" into my favorites list already, thinking I should get a portrait done from her in the future. 

Easy Recipe: DIY Lemon Tea

My husband recently caught a cold and I am not a believer of cold medicine. Don't get me wrong, I am not a cruel wife! ;-p There are more than hundreds of different kinds of viruses that cause cold so it is impossible to have a medicine that can actually cure the sickness. Rather than curing, cold medicines simply help you feel less painful/irritated while being Ill. That is why I think it is more important to eat well and drink lots in order to speed up recovery and there is nothing better than a cup of warm honey lemon tea.

Annecy Photo Journal

This Swiss city is located 1.5-2 hours away from Lyon. The clear crystal waters are always astonishing. You can look right through the water - I would think one could even drink it straight! Although it was in Summer that I was in Ansi for, the water was still quite cold. Obviously they are known for the beautiful lakes & delish ice cream! 

Paris Photo Journal

This post is literally to share random photos from Paris in Summer. Enjoy! <3 xx

 

I still remember the breeze against my cheeks from the park trail where used to be old train tracks. I long for the day I return to Paris!! 

Vancity Foodie: Tableau Bar & Bistro

Hope you enjoyed Natalie's Circle Craft posting yesterday. 

The Craft fair was certainly a pleasant surprise; we never knew we would be there for so long! Our unexpected excitement in craft hunting almost had us miss our reservation at "Tableau Bar & Bistro" and that would have been the end of the world for us. 

Tableau has been a "foodie's must" since their debut in 2011. From brunch to dinner, the restaurant is packed with people looking for casual french bistro.

Circle Craft Christmas Market Vancouver 2014

"Located on Granville Island in the Net Loft, Circle Craft Co-operative features the work of over 150 craftspeople from across British Columbia. As Canada's most successful craft co-operative, Circle Craft has been a major force in promoting craft in BC since 1972." 

Enjoying my day off in the middle of the week, Viv and I were delighted to see such variety of artisan goods! Today was exceptionally beautiful fall weather - getting somewhat chilly already but we are quite tolerable with anything as long as it doesn't rain here in Vancouver. We prejudged the market and thought couple hours into our parking meter would be plenty time to browse. But no no no! We ended up getting our hands stamped for re-entry. MANY MORE photos & vendors after the jump! ;-)

Label Maker!

Quite frankly, labels are tacky. They are definitely handy but unbelievably out of style - - except for this one style that I adore. I love using my DYMO label maker which gives the somewhat an edgy industrial look to whatever object I own. It is great way of labeling your homemade goods as well. More photos & product information can be found after the jump!

Watercolor Painting

We occasionally like to put our artists faces on for no particular reason. Ryan and I woke up super early this Sunday, both excited for our daily project of painting. Working in financial district, we were both feeling our creativity has lost its grip and the mundane routine was driving us crazy. Last inspiration was from Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Mesmerized in the unique pastel color tones and the brush strokes what almost seems too casual and not planned, we thought - why not? Here are the outcomes:

We used 2 x 2 canvases bought from Michaels. We had some brushes from our last art project (i.e. our DIY wedding props) and Ryan's Mom - who used to be a high school art teacher - donated us with the set of watercolors. More photos after the jump!