Tea Party

Happy Wednesday! 

I'm back, after a bit of a break, with some pictures from a shoot I did for Western Living magazine recently. We shot this Mother's Day Tea Party at The Cross. They kindly let us set up shop for the day, while we propped and primped some fabulous treats and flowers. It was pretty handy to have a shop full of the perfect props too. 

Naomi and Lawren set up the food, while Elizabeth and Sylvie get ready for their close-ups. 

This is just a sample of the food we shot that day. You can find all the recipes, of several tea party essentials, in the new issue of Western Living, or online here. 

Our "studio" for the shoot, in a pretty area of The Cross. They were very sweet to hang a light fixtures for us as well.

So much more, from this shoot, featured in the May issue of Western Living. Just in time for Mother's Day! 

Have a great day! 

janis

Warm Wintery Whites

While a good portion of Canada is in a deep freeze, here in Vancouver, it's winter as usual...sideways rain. To perk up a rainy Wednesday, I thought I'd share a little peek from a pretty story I shot with Joanna and Erin, of The Cross, for Chatelaine magazine, out now. 

Artwork by Zoe Pawlak

Pretty cozy place, considering it's a symphony of whites, isn't it? If you subscribe to Chatelaine, you can see heaps more on your tablet! 

If you haven't seen it already, I did a post with storage boxes and baskets from HomeSense the other day. Up for grabs is a HomeSense gift card worth $150 so click here, if you'd like to enter for a chance to win (open to Canadian residents only). I'll be making the random draw this Friday! 

janis

A Little Melbourne for Monday

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I've been on vacation for the last few weeks, and slowly getting back into the swing of things. How did Christmas creep up so quickly? Yikes.

We were in Tahiti, then headed to Australia to visit family. I posted a number of pics on instagram, but thought I'd share a few more bits of Melbourne. I love it there....

Checked out the restaurant at Prahran Hotel. Incredible design. 

Stumbled upon Von Haus in Melbourne, early one morning. Tiny space inside, with room for up to 6 outside. Loved it. Wish we could have gone back for wine time ;) 

The National Gallery of Victoria had a fantastic exhibit on called Melbourne Now, showcasing design of all kinds. Pretty amazing. If you visit Melbourne, you have to visit the NGV. Such a stunning place.

Above is a designer from Spacecraft making screenprints in the "Community Hall".  

 I had the opportunity to check out the Big Design Market and did a post for Poppytalk. Over 200 incredible designers set up shop in the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building (a world heritage site).  Click here for the whole story.

If you'd like to see more of Melbourne, my home away from home, click here and here. 

Have a great day!

janis

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Give-away Winner for Wednesday

Congratulations, Victoria! I'll contact you for your address.

Thanks to all of you that took part, and for all your lovely comments! It means a lot. 

janis

x

Kitchen Love

Hope you had a nice weekend! We're on day 32 of no rain here in Vancouver. Not the norm, but I'm quite enjoying it.

Thought I'd start off the week with a little kitchen love. I shot this beautiful space, designed by the team of The Cross, for Style At Home magazine.

I'm especially loving this dining area. Light, airy, with windows that open up to a forest.  "Love" prints by Jen Ramos. 

Could you hang out in this kitchen? I know I could. 

Have a great day! 

janis

x

Instant Love at Peacock Pavilions

As I mentioned in the last post, I just returned from Morocco (with a short stay in Paris). It was an amazing experience. I went with my sister, Wendy, and part of our trip was a polaroid workshop with Jen and Amanda of Instant Love. There were eight other woman at the workshop as well. Loved them all. It was so nice to hang out with such an inspiring group of people. I'll be sharing more of our adventure next week.

We stayed at the Peacock Pavilions, owned by Maryam, author of Marrakech by Design and blog My Marrakech, and her husband Chris, an architect. The best hosts ever.  Here's some of our week at Peacock Pavilions....

One of the suites in the Atlas pavilion. 

The communal living room in the Atlas Pavilion. I loved this fireplace, and the chairs covered in vintage blankets.

This is a sample of our breakfasts every morning. I miss them so much. ;)

The ladies.

Henna and cocktail night. 

The Medina Pavilion, and yet another crush on a fireplace. 

Beautiful painted ceiling and pendant lights in a suite in the Medina Pavilion. 

Tiger, one of the many stray cats roaming around the property. Chris and Maryam collect strays ;) 

Some of my polaroids taken with my SX-70. 

I loved our stay. I definitely plan to go back, with my husband along next time. What do you think? Could this be a future destination for you? I'd love to know. 

As for the workshop, I highly recommend it, whether you're a pro photographer or newcomer. I thought it would be a fun way to introduce my sister to the world of polaroids, and photography for that matter, and it was. Jen and Amanda are great teachers and very easy to hang out with. No attitude, super helpful and hilarious. I miss them. 

I have so many images, so I'll post more on Flickr later this week. Back soon with another Morocco instalment!

janis

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An Early Taste of Thanksgiving

A couple of months ago, on a hot summer day, I shot a Thanksgiving story with Sarah & Murray Bancroft. Sarah is the editor-in-chief of VitaminDaily and Murray is a talented chef and food stylist.  Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October - right around the corner and I can't wait.

Thought I'd share some of the day with you...

Sarah and Murray's daughters, Emmanuelle and Charlotte, help with dinner by digging up potatoes from the garden.

The "kid's table" decorated in deep oranges and pinks. Plates and bed spread (used as a table cloth) from The Cross. 

Emerson digs into her Pear Tarte Tatin. 

The menu. 

Sarah sets the table for dinner. 

For Sarah's tips on entertaining with kids, and loads more pics, click here or pick up the October issue of Today's Parent. The recipes are fantastic!

Weekend Observations

It's nice to be back! I hope you had a great weekend.

Slowly getting back to normal around here. This weekend, I worked on the shoots I had last week, lounged around a pretty beach, and checked out some wall garden action.....

Check out Rose and Pistols here. 

Shot for Style at Home and Today's Parent.

These really are the last days of summer around here. The smashed sand pail sort of said it all, to me! Crescent Beach is about 45 minutes south of Vancouver. A beautiful spot. If you visit, don't miss Hooked Fish Bar. We had fish tacos and fish & chips. Yum. 

What did you get up to? If you're in the northern hemisphere, were you trying to enjoy the last bits of summer too? Fill me in. 

Have a great day!

janis

Hawaiian Observations

I'm back. That was one relaxing holiday! We did a lot of swimming and snorkelling, and even made a new friend (see above pic). Thanks for all your emails and comments with your tips and suggestions for what to do in Maui. Who else finds it hard to get back into the swing of things after a vacation? 

Here's a bit of what we got up to. It's kind of long, hope that's ok.....

We stayed in Kihei, just across from Kamaole Beach Park III. Kihei Caffe is a great place for breakfast. I loved their very organized chaos. Shave ice from Local Boys is a must as well!

Fruit stands are everywhere. This was my favourite. Such a sweet couple, and I loved the machete action.

Ho'okipa Beach is near the town of Paia (home of Mana, best grocery store). 

Lahaina is a very touristy spot, but fun. Really, I suppose most of Maui is pretty "touristy". A very pretty place. Spotted these dancers preparing for a luau near where we were having dinner. Heaps of shops and restaurants. Didn't really do much shopping, but did spend a fair bit of time in ABC. ;)

Maui is all about beaches, but I really loved the up country too. These pics are of Makawao. Cowboy country. We didn't have much time to spend there (it was a packed day), but we managed to try out Komodo Bakery. Please go there if you find yourself in Maui. It's a family run business that's been around for about 100 years. We loved the donut kabobs and cream puffs.  We also had lunch at Polli's, a Mexican restaurant which was also pretty great and good value too. 

The road to Hana, is a stunning drive, though a slightly daunting. You really do have to start out early, as it's a long jaunt, narrow, twisty roads, and lots to check out. The rainiest part of the island, and so lush. Loved it (even though I felt a touch car sick).

This was one of my favourite spots, and beaches, along the road to Hana. Black Sand Beach is amazing. The bright blue water against the black sand looked so beautiful. I have to say, I was happy to have my "native" shoes (a Vancouver company) on this trip. They're so comfy!

Ahh, Makena Beach. I have new respect for the ocean after I was smashed and dragged by the shore break (note sign). I was happy that, when I emerged, my bathing suit was still on me. Definitely one of the best beaches, in my books. I'd also have to add Slaughter House beach to the list too. Small, quiet and an fantastic spot to snorkel.  

Whew. That is just a tiny portion of the pics I took ;) Now I've got some catching up to do. So many blogs to read! 

Have a great day! 

janis