Nov 19, 2012

10 Tips for a Roaring Good Time

Summer was all about the deck at our new place and winter is going to be about the fireplace. Lately, folks have been recommending I throw a few sprigs of lavender or a couple pine cones into the fire to add a little extra to the winter warmth. I'm a Smokey the Bear type and feel that these little extras cause a few too many sparks for my liking. Alternatively, I'm going to try adding a few drops of essential oils of pine, cypress, sandalwood or cedarwood onto the logs before the fire. I'll keep you posted.

So, before you burn the house down, here are a few tips for ensuring a safe fireside chat:
  1. Service your fireplace and chimney in the spring and summer months.
  2. Artificial logs are an easy alternative to wood burning. Most undergo laboratory testing for low emissions.
  3. Before you light your fire, make sure the flue is open otherwise the smoke won't escape, hence, leaving your room, and you, smelling like a campfire.
  4. Have a screen that completely covers the fireplace to prevent sparks from hitting the floor beyond the hearth.
  5. Burn clean, dry, seasoned (aged 6-12 months) firewood only.
  6. Use a mix of hard wood and soft wood where possible, depending on what’s available in your area.
  7. Avoid wet or green wood. The moisture in these can cause creosote build up in your system. Creosote is a highly flammable material.
  8. Never burn garbage, plastics, particle board, driftwood, painted or treated wood.
  9. Burn small and hot fires. This style of burning uses more fuel but doing so causes less smoke, pollution and soot deposits in your system. More reason for seasonal cleaning and inspection.
  10. Never leave a fire burning when you go to bed. Separate burning logs and place them in the fireplace corners to keep the fire from burning longer.

Nov 14, 2012

Last Weekend

Design After Hours
Friday night was a trip to Chinatown to visit, Night Riders - A Design Exhibition for After Hours.
I bought some gorgeous amethyst earrings from Rukus
Untitled
Rachel and Stacy Reynaud
Chinatown
The event was held at the Angelus Novus studio - a great space.
Saturday Morning Northern Flickr
Saturday, bright and early, we headed over to an estate sale at the Baker Residence (Peter Faulkner Smith architect - the home owner's brother) one of the outstanding homes noted in the West Vancouver Survey of Significant Architecture.
Baker Residence
I'll be heading over once everything is said and done to shoot the interior. Excited about this. It's a gorgeous home. You should see the kitchen - all original!


H Faulkner Smith
We picked up some H. Faulkner Smith water colours and Rachel and Eddie scored an oil and some amazing mid-century bent plywood dining chairs (which you can see in the dining room window in the photo above. H Faulkner Smith

buck a chair chairs
I picked these four chairs up two weekends ago at a church sale but forgot to share them with you. They were $1 each and will be used around my unstained pine deck table.
Belgian Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
Sunday was lazy. I was craving my favourite chocolates from my favourite chocolatier.
so we headed over to Lonsdale Quay grabbed a coffee and chowed down some Belgian dark chocolate peanut butter cups and dark chocolate salted caramel(the breakfast of champions).
  Belgian Salted Caramel
Belgian Chocolate Salted Caramel at Olde World Fudge, Lonsdale Quay (the best in the city)
mid-century bent plywood dining chairs before
Monday was spent on our deck restoring the six bent plywood chairs from the estate sale (Check out Fifty Chairs That Changed the World)).
restoring the chairs

restored chairs
The finished product.




Nov 13, 2012

Quote of the Week - Carl Jung

Pilsner Pup
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.




Nov 8, 2012

Sweatshirts are Cats

missing

Toques are crows, cardboard is dogs,and sweatshirts are cats. I've been known to turn around and drive/walk miles out of my way if I spot something that may be domestic animal roadkill, (I have a crow buddy that hangs out at my place so crows are included). However, like a deer stuck in headlights, I can't keep my eyes out of lost pet posters, lost pet classified ads and the obituary section of the newspaper. It pains me so.






Nov 7, 2012

Nov 5, 2012

Some Vintage Stuff I Left Behind

west van church sale coffee table
1970s Lane
sally ann west van danish stainless steel
Scandinavian stainless steel bowls
sally ann west van leather chair and ottoman
leather and oak recliner and ottoman
sally ann west van teak cutlery set
teak and stainless cutlery
sally ann west van record holder
teak record cabinet
west van in the end it was free but busted
lamp - it was free at the end of the church sale but it was broken
west van danish serving trays
Scandinavian stainless steel serving trays
west van paragon timer clock 

Paragon timer

Nov 2, 2012

Oct 31, 2012

A creepy little kid

Photobucket
  - who is actually me - wishes you a Happy Halloween







Oct 29, 2012

A favourite place for inspiration in Vancouver


check out that front door

chandelier bits

vintage doors - great for tables

army canteens and weather instruments
plant skeletons

Heritage Home Supplies - 3662 West 4th Ave.



Oct 27, 2012

Oct 24, 2012

Considering I do not own any

Source: bodieandfou.blogspot.com.au via Pinterest
Wallpaper by Melissa White

   
© style.com
Dolce and Gabbana FW 2012

© Melissa White

© Melissa White

© Frédérique Morrel
A piece by Frédérique Morrel
 
Back in high school I had a pair of pointy tapestry flats from Le Chateau. I found a pair at VV in Nanaimo on the weekend -  unfortunately, they were too small.
In the 90s I had a tapestry bag that the ex that wore the bandana hated. I didn't care.
At the current moment in time I have nothing tapestry but if I were to consider owning something tapestry it would be something from the selection above.






Oct 23, 2012

My Monday Was Spent on the Lawn












at the B.C. Legislature

Oct 19, 2012

The West Coast Vernacular Home


Built on steep slopes in wild landscapes West Coast Vernacular - with its sloped roofs and natural wood siding - was a natural fit for our Pacific Northwest rainforest.

Not to be left just for the privilege of the cliff dwellers, the 1970s saw toned down designs making their way into suburban neighbourhoods like West Vancouver, (not to mention an awful lot where I grew up - Langley or Brookswood more specifically).










The ultimate West Coast Vernacular home - Merrick House. Built 1974.
Currently in the draft stages of a conservation plan by the District of West Vancouver and Birmingham & Wood Architects.

 

The Granddaddy of West Coast Vernacular, Charles Moore's Sea Ranch - a movement referred to as Bay Area Modern.

Doused in Mud Soaked in Bleach