May 30, 2008

Vodka The Zero Calorie Drink


I used to know a clever toast,
But now I cannot think it,
So fill your glass to anything,
And damn your souls, I'll drink it!
Moscow Mule
My week just isn't a week without some bubbly!  Vintage Baccart serves it up nicely...



Japanese cuisine all week!  At Kaide and Yoshi it was strictly Sapporo.  
Even better in a Villeroy and Boch crystal beer glass!

Vodka Perrier Lime - short and stiff 


Add ice cubes to a short rock glass (6 ounce) Joe Columbo 5 in Uno.  Pour in vodka.  Top with Lime Perrier.  Squeeze a big wedge of fresh cut lime in.  Garnish with lime and a glass stir stick - of course.
Last but not least, Award Winner,  Seven Stones Speaking Rock 2006 Chardonnay  Being an ex- wine schmoozer at Quail's Gate I have to say this wine is SPECTACULAR! 
Of course, served in Juliska - Harriet Goblet.

May 29, 2008

Witches' Kitchen


'Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.'.  Witches in Macbeth
Tord Boontje has teamed up with Artecnica - Designs with Conscience - to release Witches' Kitchen, a 15 piece handcrafted couture kitchenware collection.  Designed by Boontje and crafted by artisan communities in Brazil, Guatemala and Columbia.

For inspirational pieces try Ten Thousand Villages where I found the Kenyan kitchenware collection.
$7 USD for one

6 sofas for 620 sq ft

During a "mood" last week I sold all our living room furniture on Craigslist.
Thank goodness for oversized throw pillows and flokati rugs!
The old vintage couch 
bought in 1971 by the hubbie's stepdad
Strictly oversized cushions or tatami mats and low tables in the space could work. 

This is a great piece by Rossana Orlandi that's reminiscent of 1950s throw cushions.
 Mah-Jong by Roche Bobois is stunning and could be the answer!
We did go price out and choose our fabric for this fabulous tufted couch by Montauk - but unfortunately it wouldn't fit through our apartment door - it's very very deep!
A gorgeous piece by Moroso but too big as well.
 and this one is pretty but would be just too uncomfortable
Inge Sempe Satin Chantilly sofa for edra
Perhaps.
I'm starting to feel a touch like Goldilocks...
September 14th - update on the search for the couch - it's been found!  Click here to see.

May 27, 2008

Take A Seat in My Chairs

I have a penchant for chairs.  Whether they're Victorian, industrial, mid-century modern, 70s Italian or Louis XIV, I love them all.
To show off a collection of chairs it's best to place them in a grouping. Remember you never want your home to look like a charity shop!  If you place your collection around a raw reclaimed wood table like the one below the juxtaposition of the design elements becomes more apparent against the organic texture of the wood.
 blacksmith's table at Get Back Inc
mid-century industrial chair in bent plywood and steel
1960s Danish teak chairs
mid-century rosewood chair with oversized tweed cushion

When in Spain

buy a villa! 
The majority of my friends are expats now living abroad.  
In typical character, my good friend Dawn decided to go big or go home and is now the proud owner of a villa in the hills near Barcelona, Spain.
Dawn decided to do some renos on her new home - three years worth!  You can see photos of the project here.  For a woman who hates shopping, Dawn has blown me away with her design concept and material choices.  
Our washroom chronicles four different decades of bad, unmatched tile and 70s avocado green fixutres - help us, we're in a rental!
 the catalogue our fixtures must have come from...
Take a look at Dawn's washroom before and almost after pics.
before
almost complete!
For the "WOW!" effect she's used Roca fixtures and black and white Dune tiles. 

May 25, 2008

The Nose Knows


photo courtesy Le Labo
On a recent trip to San Francisco my husband introduced me to Le Labo (try Barney's in Seattle).  He was very excited because he thought it smelled like Scotch.  
I went on to have the Patchouli 24 (it's unisex) made up for him.  They blend the parfum right there and personalize the bottle for you.  It doesn't smell like patchouli at all - it's more approachable with scents like smoke, leather, birch, and vanilla. 
Le Labo describes the scent as:
A scent filled with danger for those of us who like to walk a tight rope...
Another scent I picked up was This Works: deep calm bath and shower oil .  
You smooth this oil on your body before the shower.  The heat from the water activates the essential oils and - voila - your own aromatherapy session.  The scent lingers all day and the coconut oil leaves your skin super soft.

Vancouver's Thomas Kakinuma and BC Pottery




Thomas Kakinuma
over 15" in height


John, the very knowledgeable proprietor of
DODA on Richards, has opened my eyes to Thomas Kakinuma, probably one of the greatest Canadian potters - and he was from BC. Kakinuma did some beautiful ceramic animals (birds in particular) that I know I'm going to keep my eyes open for.









Thomas Kakinuma
all pieces from the writer's private collection

May 23, 2008

Earth Integrated Architecture

'Go, play outside!'; is what my mom used to tell us.
I grew up in Langley, BC surrounded by land, grasses, trees and wildlife. It's heartbreaking to see what's happened to Langley now. There's goes the habitat.
We built some of the best forts or, shall I so boldly say, earth integrated architecture, in Langley. My favourite was the 'Moss Fort'. The Moss Fort was a grouping of huge smooth granite boulders that formed somewhat of a circle - these were the walls. The roof comprised low hanging alder and cottonwood branches and we were the only kids to have a shag carpet of moss - you had to take your shoes off before you came in the Moss Fort. You couldn't stand up in the Moss Fort, but that was okay because the low roof, moss insulation, granite and body heat kept it warm. It emitted a quiet yet powerful energy. It was protected from the adults, of course, by salmonberries and thistles.
The Moss Fort was silent like a womb and a place to go for peace.


William Lishman - underground architect - has taken the Moss Fort concept further with his underground home in Ontario. Lishman, who is receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in June, has been living in his home for seventeen years with 'surprisingly few problems for a design so radical..'.



Malcolm Wells, a Cape Codder, is more than an 'activist' for earth sheltered architecture. After 10 years of spreading 'corporate asphalt on America in the name of architecture...' he woke up and realized the land was alive. Wells' gas station and parking lot concepts are something well worth looking at.


Although not known as an earth sheltered architect, Arthur Erickson did a stunning job on Robson Square in Vancouver. Having grown up carousing with skateboarders downtown, I'm quite familiar with the comfortable communal gathering space Robson Square evokes. From the street it is unnoticeable but when you're in it, it's a quiet green refuge - like my beloved Moss Fort.

Oldies But Goodies - Cocktails and Bubbly



Rye & Ginger short and stiff
Drink from 4-7pm during news hour
Ingredients:
2.5 ounce rye whiskey
4 ounce Diet (!) Ginger Ale
Add ice and rye to a rock glass top with Ginger Ale
Conversation topic over rye: Crown Royal was created in 1939 to commemorate the visit of the Queen Mum to Canada - thanks Mum!
Old Fashioned
2 0unce rye
1 sugar cube
dash of bitters
1 slice lemon
1 slice orange
1 cherry
Combine the sugar, bitters and 1 tsp water in a Carlo Moretti Ottagonale gold rimmed whiskey glass. Muddle well, add rye and stir. Add a twist of lemon peel and ice cubes. Add slices of orange and lemon and top with the cherry. Serve with a swizzle stick.
Always a fun beverage to get you started. Goes well with everything, particularly, Panago Primo Vegetarian Cracker Crust Pizza.

Jackson Triggs 2006 Proprietor's Chardonnay - again. Not as good as last week. Kind of tasted like Gala Keg (wine in a box) this week.
Speaking of wine. What are your thoughts on those stemless glasses from Reidel? I'm not sold on them. Just too many fingerprints all over the glass and I like to swirl. I prefer to use vintage colored glass goblets like the one to the left.





Sweet Charlotte (Gramercy Park Jade Bar, NYC)
2 1/2 ounce bourbon
fresh muddled ginger
1 cube sugar
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Shake with ice and strain over an iced rock glass. Garnish with lime wedge.



Grower's Extra Dry Apple Cider - excellent all year round!
Serve with a lime wedge in a pottery beer stein like this one from White Horse Pottery .
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May 22, 2008

Vintage Film and Fashion

'The count is back with an eye for London's hot pants.'

Kings Road, Chelsea, 1972.
Dracula A.D. 1972 is highly worth watching simply for the interior design and fashion. Although, I'm sure you won't be able to resist Johnny Alucard.
Favourite shots - the Cavern coffee bar, Johnny's pad, and the party featuring "Stoneground". Rosemary Burrows was in charge of wardrobe but I'm not sure of any exact designer (Thea Porter & Ossie Clark, perhaps).
You can check out a scene from the party here.


'Poor Nell, you look like Death.'.
Of course she does Theo, you're the one dressed in Mary Quant!
Quant did the costumes for one of my other film favourites, The Haunting (1963).

Smoking Design



Maarten Baas has teamed up with Dutch label Moooi to reproduce his iconic Baroque Smoke Chairs (try Inform Interiors).  Baas works a torch like a chisel and systematically burns each piece, after which they are preserved with a clear epoxy coating.

Talk about having the hottest seat in the house - I just couldn't resist...

(smoking photo by Bas Princen)


Since we're onto smoking.  D.L. & Co's Modern Alchemy Salem candle is infused with scents of New England maple, hickory and walnut.  Nothing like the scent of a ravenous bonfire to set the imagination spinning.  My personal favourite is opium den (shown).

May 21, 2008

Luxury meets Laptop


For $4000 (basic model) you can set yourself up with a 2.6kg uber luxe laptop.

Kermodi - Whirly Girl


I fell in love with Kermodi's designs back at the 2007 IDS West. Kermodi believes that living art is the missing link in space design. Nice. Which one will balance the feng shui in your cubicle this season? Their site leads you through the selection from low light to bright light.

May 20, 2008

Wallpaper


I love vintage wall tapestries!
My favourite interior designer, Suzy Hoodless, has just released a Spring 2008 collection of wallpapers with Osborne and Little.  If only I would have kept all those vintage wallpapers I sold on eBay ten years ago...
Hothouse Collection by Suzy Hoodless

May 17, 2008

Grey Gardens

'Raccoons and cats become a little bit boring...'

About a year ago I came across Grey Gardens. A beautiful film that gave me nightmares. The Cult's song Ciao Baby is about Edie Sedgwick not Little Edie. It would be nice if Little Edie had a song.
There's a great fan site dedicated to Grey Gardens and you can view it here.

May 15, 2008

ABOUT

Stacy - Alouette Lake, British Columbia

Stacy Reynaud is a college writing instructor, former gifted kid, writer, and creative. 

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Stacy has lived in numerous small communities and islands around the province. Growing up on the coast of BC, she's influenced by the moody tones and vivid imagery of the landscape and the gritty, hard-living souls of the city streets and remote islands. 

Teaching 

Stacy has held faculty and curriculum development positions at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and Camosun College and has had numerous teaching contracts with Simon Fraser University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the Richmond School District. 

As of 2020, she teaches writing with Simon Fraser University's Editing program.

Stacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in History (political ideology) from the University of British Columbia and a teaching credential from the University of Cambridge (ESL.)

Spoken Word

Her journey with spoken word and underground literature began in the late 1990s with the encouragement of Vancouver poet and multimedia artist Gerry Gilbert

Gilbert praised her poetry, said it had a drive that would read well live, and invited her to read her work on his radio show, radiofreerainforest. 

She continued her live readings with Gilbert and at underground clubs and cafes around the city. 

Writing

In 2008, she established Bijou Living, a profitable design and architecture blog with over thirteen hundred unique posts, one million plus visitors, and links in T magazine - the New York Times Style Magazine. 

The Rag Trade 

Inspired by the new wave and punk scenes of the early 80s, she began shopping at thrift stores with the money earned at her part-time job at a local fashion retailer. 

At 14, she was taken under the wing of Kenny Spada, proprietor of Vancouver’s first vintage shop, deLuxe Junk. 

Spada purchased Stacy's first collection of vintage clothing - not once questioning her young age.  

Spada was a mentor and friend who encouraged her to branch out with her collections

Czarina Vintage 

In 1999, she designed and established one of the first online vintage stores, Czarina Vintage. Czarina was profiled on CBC's Venture TV program and in many national print publications. 
 
New York City and Los Angeles

During the early 2000s, Stacy moved her collections to the United States. In New York City, her collections were fixtures during fashion week with the prestigious Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. She also curated numerous vintage collections for Los Angeles exhibits with Caskey & Lees. 

Streetwear 

The idea for her next endeavour came to her at a vintage show in Manhattan. 

After constantly being asked if she had ‘another size’ in one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, she had her aha moment. 

Inspired by Joe Strummer’s Combat Rock era, her expertise in fashion history, and the political and social situation of the early 00s, she bought the entire attic supply of vintage apparel from a military shop. 

2006 saw the launch of edle - named after her Norwegian grandmother. 

Her restructured vintage military streetwear line was carried internationally in boutiques in Tokyo's Shibuya-ku, Chicago's Wicker Park, Los Angeles' Venice Beach, Portland's Pearl District, and New York's SoHo. 

Ceramics 

After her sixteen-year marriage ended, she changed direction, journeyed to La CaƱada Flintridge, California, and pursued a lifelong goal - to practice pottery. 

She continued her studies at the Shadbolt Centre For The Arts in Burnaby, BC, focusing on free-form hand-building. 

Her work is carried in shops in Vancouver and sits in many private collections throughout Canada. 

Contact
stacy@bijouliving.com


Old Fashioned Granola Recipe