Luminence

That famous soft golden light of Provence that inspired so many artists. Sweet lavender air. Softy chirping cicadas. And a view towards an ancient chateau.

I spent one week in heaven just outside the small village of Ansouis. We stayed in a little farmhouse paradise called Ferme de La Platane, nestled in the valleys of the Luberon mountains, surrounded by vineyards.

Our 18th century stone mas was absolutely perfect with our own terrace that looked onto the chateau, full kitchen and the use of the BBQ, boules pitch, and of course a sparkling pool. The hosts Rosemary and Peter were extremely helpful and generous, making bookings to local restaurants and attending to our needs. One night we even did a communal BBQ with another couple (hello Catrin and Andy!) and shared our feast of goodies we had each gathered earlier that day from the local market. Marinated herb chicken, mixed sausages of pork and lapin (sorry bunnies), ratatouille, mashed potatoes, goat cheese salad, fresh baguettes, more cheese to finish. We ate and drank in merriment until Van Gogh's starry night came to life.

You can just see the chateau off to the right of hubby from the terrace. Magnificent.

Wearing:
Printed maxi dress picked up from a Provencal town
Crochet sandals, Elizabeth and James
Custom sunnies by Fox Optical

Did you miss me?

Hope you're having a good Labour day long weekend. Are you all ready for Fall yet? Back from Europe now, trying to sort out my pictures so I can get blogging again. In all I visited Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Provence, and Paris - a whirlwind of a trip. I loved spending time in the museums and seeing the art by the Dutch masters and my favourite, the French impressionists. Walking into the Musee D'Orsay, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet all in one place? Squee!

I wish I could say I drew these but I cheated and used SketchMe, which I'm completely obsessed with right now. The sketches are from some pics of me poolside in Provence at the wonderful place we stayed at. I wrote a short post about the pleasures of Provence at The Unreserved if you want a sneak peak, but there'll be more on that to come here.

Some more inspiring illustrations for you then until I finish the photo upload. By Caroline Andrieu, an art director for Vogue and GQ. I completely love the details on the shoes. Visit her blog, Tight Sweater, for her latest.

I'll be back soon so hopefully so will you!

See you in September

Hi friends! Hope you are all enjoying your summer. Wanted to post a quick note to say I will be taking the month of August off and away from blogging until September. There will be more new outfit posts, good food and travel updates, and of course Hump Day Hunks back in the fall. Plus I finally found a new lease to horse - you'll be meeting him soon.

See you all in the fall and have yourself an lovely rest of the summer.

xoxo

A Beautiful Life

Fave Photos from Salt Spring Island

Happy Sunday! What are you all up to today? I attended a wedding by myself last night for the first time in a long time because hubby was not available. It was definitely a strange feeling being there without a date! Slightly awkward but fortunately for me, there were a few people I knew there from my high school days that made it a little bit easier.

I put together some of my fave photos from my recent weekend in Salt Spring. The above picture is probably one of my faves - it was taken on the resort property that we stayed at, Hastings House. You can read my review of Hastings House over at The Unreserved.

This picture was taken on a the Sculptural Trail hike near our cottage at Hastings House.

Some more shots below of the Hastings House property.



There's something about old wooden farm gates that I just love.

One of the friendly resident sheep at Hastings House getting up close and personal.

A pretty tree-framed window into the cove.

The small village of Ganges across the water.

I love wild daisies.

Colour Block in Pastel

I love grey and pink, and I pulled this outfit together as inspired by the resort collections and their use of colour blocking. Only in soft pastels instead of brights.

This little black crop top, which I had completely forgotten about, acts as a nice division between the sorbet-like shades and cuts an interesting shape at the top.

I found so many treasures on my Salt Spring Island weekend, including the adorable little owl I found in a little hippie shop by the ferry - look at his amber eyes! I also picked up a few silver hammered stacked rings from the market.

Some of you asked for a better picture of my new rose-petal bead bracelet - so here it is! I'm pairing it with another of my Salt Spring Island treasure finds - a custom made hammered cuff.

Wearing:
Pink braided strap tank, Fine Finds
Black crop top and grey bandage high waisted skirt, Aritzia
White mules and stretchy white and gold bucklet belt, from Hong Kong
Black pearl and diamond heart necklace, prezzie from hubby

Treasure Trove at Salt Spring Island Market

I'm back!! Spent a wonderful long weekend at Salt Spring Island which is a couple of hours by ferry away from Vancouver. It was very relaxing and felt like a world away, yet we were always busy in the sense that there was always something to see or do. I'll do another post with some of my fave pics on the trip, which was full of hiking, checking out arts and craft studios, visiting organic farms, swimming, and of course culinary delights!

I'm going to focus this post on one of my favourite things to do on Salt Spring - the weekly Saturday market. The market brings together all of the artists, craftspeople, farmers and other entrepreneurs on Salt Spring to hawk their goods. Here you'll find delicious home made tarts, organic produce, local smoked salmon, jewelry, hand-thrown pottery, soap, and just about anything else that might be artsy, hippy, whimsical and even wacky. It's a chaotic few hours when the market is on, and it's the place to be on a sunny Saturday. Shoppers jockey for space amongst the booths, and visitors and locals alike are eager to fill their reusable shopping bags with organic goodies like heirloom tomatoes, cheese, and spring greens.

Delectable tarts...

Giant heads of purple garlic...

Colourful Provence-inspired fabric...

Pendants featuring wild daisies...

Natural, hand-made soaps...

I came away with some fantastic treasures: a custom hammered silver cuff by Salt Spring Silversmith, stackable silver rings by Mint Jewellery Design, olive-oil lavender soaps from Bare With Me, and something I had never heard of before: Rose Petal Bead jewelry.

Creator Marcus Knox takes rose petals and cooks them down into a moldable mash, from which he hand rolls each bead. The colour of the bead is black no matter what colour the rose was in its former incarnation. The beads retain a faint rose scent for the duration of their life.. The sweet fragrance is enhanced when warmed by the wearer's body.

The history of the beads is fascinating. The origins trace back to 15th century India where monks made them as prayer beads for counting during meditation. It was adopted by the Catholics and rose petal beads were commonly used in the Rosary.

I couldn't resist picking up a bracelet with an uneven pearl, and a rosary with a mother-of-pearl cross. Not only do I love the romantic symbolism of the rose, but I feel connected to the spiritual origins. Stylistically, I'm digging the dark, edgy feel of the black beads, yet the pearly accents sweeten it up. I put the bracelet on at the market and have worn it ever since.

I'm sorry I don't have better pictures of my sundress dress, which is new from Fine Finds. I'll post my outfit properly soon but these are the pictures I had on hand for now. Here are a couple of pics of my cousins though enjoying the market.

Cecile smiling in her embroidered number

Tracy sparkling in a glittery dress with the shades of the ocean

Style Challenge: What to Wear to the Stampede?

I have been stumped lately with blogging, partly because I haven't had time to take pictures of all my new purchases with mom being in town and partly because I haven't been all that inspired. Last night, my sister in law, who happens to be one of my best friends, inspired me to write some sartorial advice for her. She is going to the Calgary Stampede this weekend and needs something to wear that is cute but classy. Now I've never been to the Calgary Stampede, but having seen some fashion disasters from the Cloverdale Rodeo, I've provided some alternatives.

The key is to mix things up and borrow from themes that are related to, but not limited to, just the western look. Try broadening to an overall more country look, or the related Americana/Prairie look, and you 'll have a lot more options. Or, consider trends which may have western influences but are updated in a modern way (think fringing, studding, destroyed denim, plaid, suede). Top it off with a cowboy hat or a straw fedora if you feel like it but I don't think it's required to create the vibe.

Vintage Cowgirl: This look is inspired by the cool cowgirls of times past. A classy silk western shirt with denim shorts or maybe a eyelet tiered skirt and tank with cowboy boots. Accessories should be kept simple. Horsey motifs (horseshoes, bridle/bit inspired jewelry) would work nicely.

Below: Young Fabulous and Broke Eyelet Tiered Skirt; Equipment Silk Western Blouse; BE&D Cowboy Mini Bag


Country Floral: With florals everywhere this spring/summer, they are an easy trend to incorporate into a western look. Small flowers, against a backdrop of a pastel colour, has a country look to it that makes it suitable for the Stampede. I love these itty bitty high-waisted shorts. Pair with an off-the-shoulder white blouse and sky-high clogs.

Below: Kettle Black High Waisted Floral Shorts; Rachel Pally Senorita Top; Jeffrey Campbell Clogs


City Slicker: For the city girl, a black dress with fringe details will give you a western look without going too down country. Wear the cowboy boots if you dare. A studded wristlet gussies it up.

Below: Haute Hippe Suede Dress; Golden Goose Star Booties; Elizabeth and James Suede booties; BE&D Studded Wristlet



Prairie Princess: I'm crazy about the prairie look of denim and colourful prints like gingham, plaid, and it's an easy look to throw together that's cute but not too dressy.

Below: Thakoon Denim Dress; Joie Rock Steady Fringe Booties; Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent Wrap; Joie Cece Dress



Double Denim (aka Canadian Tuxedo): It wasn't too long ago that double denim was a big no-no. But this summer, the Canadian Tuxedo has hit the mainstream big time. So mix up your blue and white and whatever other colour of denim you have, and get ready to line dance in your mini cowboy boots.

Below: Current/Elliot Denim Shirt; 7 for All Mankind White Shorts; Joie Elvis Suede Booties; Kettle Black Romper


Yeehaw. Are you going to the Stampede or a rodeo this summer? What are you wearing?
All images from Shopbop.com.