Links, Likes + Life – December ’20
We may never again live in a world that’s spelled out for us. And for that I am thankful—business as usual was never my forte anyhow. Instead of spending these years in worry or fear or anticipation, put the possibility of a beautiful future filled with abundance and peace in your thoughts. Don’t just sit
Music Mix ✶ 12.20
It’s already been a big month, and we’ve only just begun! I turned 30 on 12/01, we have a lunar eclipse on 12/14, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter on 12/21 and a full moon on 12/30! Plus the luck and synchronicities that 12/12 will bring. So let’s celebrate and enjoy each milestone with g
Savoury Herb and Cheese Potato Bread
What better way to welcome in cozy season than with Rosemary and Herb Parmesan Potato Bread, made with love from my kitchen to yours! This recipe dates back to 1992 from a baking book given to us by Michael’s mom, and while I made a few tweaks (more cheese, and the addition of potato flour), […]
Turning 30, a Must-Watch Amazon Series, Books I’m Reading, & Typographic House Numbers
Hello winter! Here in Whistler, we’ve already experienced a full week of snow on the boots, salt on the deck, and firewood crackling in the wood stove. Sooooo December is 14 days away, which means I turn 30 in two weeks. Wild stuff! This felt so far away in my mid twenties, and now here […]
Music Mix ✶ 11.20
Happy November everyone! Enjoy 1:10 of my most loved tracks of the month, including brand new tracks from Anderson .Paak, Aaron Taylor, Jacob Banks, Bahamas, Dave B., Dirty Art Club, and Jinsang!
Music Mix ✶ 10.20
I discovered a few new artists this month including Love Mansuy. I had heard a song or two of his before, but now it’s a name I remember, look for and love the sound of. Count on that for Caye, Mick Jenkins and Plusma. Add in new tracks from Tash Sultana (last month’s obsession), Jacob […]
Our Basement Bathroom Reveal
Our basement bathroom is the first room in our home to be totally complete. No missing tiles, grout, cabinets or corners. When the door is closed, there is nothing left in that room to touch up or install. And it feels oh so good. How fitting that the first room done after all the hard […]
Music Mix 9.20
I’m serving a very chill, easy-listening playlist this month. With new songs from Anna Sofia, Gallant, Remi Wolf, 6LACK, and good recent ones from Alina Baraz, A$AP ROCKY, Hippie Sabotage, cehryl and more. Enjoy on Apple Music or Spotify and follow me on Instagram for my top 5 faves right in your stories!
Our Overlanding Adventure through Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California
Last Labour Day Weekend, 2019, Mike, Piper and I hopped in our Jeep and headed South for California. Along the 1,800 mile drive, we camped throughout Oregon, drove the Rubicon Trail, ran along dunes with seals on California’s coastal beaches, and Piper even got a little high on opioids-by accident lol. And we
Links + Likes: August 2020
This month I am chock full of inspiration! It’s been a really fulfilling few weeks of work, both on our home and on various design projects (I just wrapped up a Branding Package for Kristen Sanger), and there’s been a nice rhythm to the past month. We’ve enjoyed some lake days and sunburns, an
CRAFT Floor’s Simple Tips for Installing Hardwood
Installing your own hardwood is not that difficult—but it does require a pal, a plan, proper tools and time! In our space, we installed a reclaimed Heart Pine product from CRAFT Floors called Hayloft which pairs perfectly with our cabin’s existing features and our vision for a cohesively cozy home. It t
Our Camp Essentials: Packing for a Sleep Under The Stars
Monday morning started as it does any other day: We snoozed our alarm until 7am, had coffees on the deck while supervising Piper’s morning peruse, and watered our newly planted cedars while chatting about the day ahead. But then Monday’s generic pattern broke when our truck didn’t start. Witho
Appearance Does Not = Worth
How your body looks has nothing to do with what it can do. And what you can do when you stop caring is going to make you love yourself so much. I used to care a lot about my image. I often stopped myself from doing things until I felt ready. But the thing is, feeling […]
Music Mix / 8.20
August 2020’s playlist is on one after discovering a slew of new artists I’m obsessed with: Tash Sultana, CJ Run, George Alice and Aquilo, I see you! This month’s mix has new tracks from George Alice & Nasaya, Blu & Exile, Nick Mulvey, Billy Lemos & Monsune, Alextbh, Spillage Villa
Swimsuits + Summer Vibes
Summer’s arrival was tardy here in British Columbia, but it did finally show up by August. Though night’s among the pines are cooler, daytime highs are in the 30s, and we are thriving! With access to two lakes within a block of home, we feel very very lucky and have been enjoying frequent swims and
The Best: Camo Clothes, Shoes and Accessories
Is there a more perfect pant than a camo cargo?! For whatever reason, I’ve always loved a good camo piece, so much so that I wore it thrice this week by accident. So I’ve scoured all my favourite brands for the best camo-print clothes, shoes and accessories available right now. And better yet, many are [&he
Our Exterior Envelope Details [and Siding Colour Reveal]!
It’s not hard to imagine how our home looked the first time we visited it one snowy day last November—it’s the five or so stages it’s taken since that muddle the memory. This weekend I was looking back on old photos from when we got our place in March, and it was a shock to […]
Links + Likes ⋆ July 2020
Summer finally arrived here in Whistler! After a cold and rainy June and July start, we’re enjoying 30° sunny days and clear nights at long last. A few mosquitos this year, so copal incense is coming in handy (it’s a natural bug deterrent!), but working, resting and eating in the dappled sun on the
Music Mix ✶ Summer 2020
Heading up the summer 2020 playlist is a song called Tadow by Masego and FKJ. Not only is it catchy, it has some serious saxophone in it. And the live video of them performing it is equally fun to experience. It should be on your summer watch-and-playlist. Add on another 22 tracks and you have […]
✶ For Maximum Success, Feel Free to Change
I’ve reincarnated a lot in my life. I’ve tried on various blog pseudonyms, I’ve branded countless offshoots of my businesses, I’ve rewritten the same sentence countless times to find a more pleasing format. And every time I’ve explored new territory, I’ve found improvement. T
We Picked Our Floors — and They’ve Arrived!
One of the coolest days in any renovation is when finishes arrive—I live for delivery and box opening! And today was a day I’ve dreamed about for months: our CRAFT hardwood floors arrived. Hardwood flooring is a feature so prominent in a design that it’s often one of the first things you source. In our [&
The Best: Bathroom Vanities
With our bathrooms almost complete, the final thing to source and choose is a bathroom vanity. We’re pricing out a custom piece, but if you know me then you know that in the meantime I’ve scoured all of my favourite shops for the coolest vanities out there right now—and some are even on sale! Whethe
We’ve Moved In! (Just in The Knick of Time)
The last time I shared an update on our cabin (AKA Piper’s Peak), the world was a different place—as was our home. But then again, every week here has been eventful, marked by its own set of challenges and achievements. Day over day, this house has transformed, and capturing each moment has been an impossib
Our Bathroom Design Plans + Progress (+ Sources)!
I could not be more excited to start seeing the design of Piper’s Peak come to life! And what better place to start sharing our design vision than in the first space to see completion: our main bathroom. More than even a kitchen, having a working bathroom by the time we move in was a […]
Stylish Side and Accent Chairs
Leather, lambskin, boucle, cane, velvet, you name it, it’s on these curated accent chairs! Relatively inexpensive and extremely useful, accent chairs are a great way to add a pop of visual interest, colour, pattern or eccentricity to any space. And this season, there’s no shortage of interesting ang
Music Mix / 5.20
I’ve had Amber Mark’s Heart-Shaped Box stuck in my head for weeks! I sing it cleaning, I sing it driving, I sing it to Piper. I just cannot get enough. Just like I can’t get enough of If This Is Love by Xavier Omär and One Night by Two Another. And I wish for all […]
@WitandDelight’s Coral Living Room, Ranch Dip, Your New Fave Typeface, a Photo that Will Make You Crave the Wilderness, a Superb Brand Mark + more
Hello and welcome to mid-May! (When did that happen?!) We’ve been busy working on Piper’s Peak, and outside of that, I’m keeping my creative muscles working to develop an ebook/system for people who want to discover, define and design their own brand. Between the two (home and career) I’
Ravishing Radishes: Recipes and Health Benefits
Radishes are the greatest underdog of the vegetable world. Over there last year, radishes have become a fridge staple. Not only are they super affordable, but they’re super healing, especially for anyone with thyroid or auto-immune diseases, like me! These tubers seem like an afterthought, or something yo
Getting to Know You… (Reno Update on Piper’s Peak)
Over the past month, in addition to intimately getting to know the inside of our home through the process of gutting it, we’ve also come to better know our new, quirky community… So today, in addition to a big renovation and design update on Piper’s Peak, I wanted to share some interesting fac
Creamy Mango Pie, Hasami Bowls, Abbey Lossing, Mike McQuade, a Cottage Kitchen, a New Script Font + Sales This Week
It’s a rainy, all-over-the-house kind of Monday—which is typical for me these days. I love putzing from floor to floor, making soup broth with leftover veggies, putting away laundry and cleaning dishes. It’s always quiet with Mike at work… I wish he could just be home with me to enjoy the go
Music Mix / 04.20
April has been on one, hey? What a strange month/year/time/season. And what better way to add to your joy or take you out of your rut than music?! Enjoy April’s mix of new 2020 tunes and some old goodies that just feel so right right now.
The Brass Lights We Bought, a Podcast about BioHacking, Art by Amber Vittoria, Ariele Alasko + a Fleece I’ll Be Wearing Year-Round
Boy oh boy, it’s the first time I’ve sat down in-front of my computer in a while! We’ve been happy keeping busy at our house, which we’ve been gutting and re-building since March 4, 2020. Even though it’s only been a month and a half, we’ve been there daily working hard and d
The Best: Free Art Prints, Downloadable Assets + Creative Resources
I have been sourcing the web for brushes, fonts, reference images and textures to use in my art since 2010, and then using digital programs like Photos and Illustrator to create my work. It’s safe to say that I’ve always thrived in the digital world—but it hasn’t always been available to me.
The Best: Brass Lighting
Brass is timeless, comes in a variety of finishes to suit a variety of looks, and is applicable to almost any style or look. It pairs beautifully with black, white, wood—and even other metals like steel and nickel—and within our own home, it was a natural choice. With pine ceilings, black fixtures and light
The Barn I’m Obsessed With, Supernatural Prints, the Riled Up Podcast Jacksons Scandi Products, Cast-Iron Chicken + Quarantine Fashion
Topping off this week’s Links + Likes is the coolest house I’ve seen in a while. This Brisbane Barn-style home has me scrolling for more. [Paul Uhlmann Architects] Studio of the week: A line of Scandinavian classics so cool you’ll keep clicking. [Jacksons] Poster of the week: I designed this p
My Favourite Interviews as a Design*Sponge Editor + Remembering Old Work
From 2016 through ‘18, I worked as an Editor at one of the world’s most popular design blogs, Design*Sponge. All about making the art and design world personal, D*S achieved through a focus on the creative community, and although the blog is now closed, Grace Bonney (the owner of D*S) continues to champ
Tiger King, Illustrations by Subin Yang, Novy Proster, Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies + The Perfect Rustic Kitchen
If you’ve been home and on Netflix, you’ve likely seen previews for Tiger King. Everyone’s talking about it right now, and so am I. The seven-part true-crime series follows Joe Exotic, an eccentric and likeable yet nutty zookeeper / big cat breeder, and his outspoken disdain for animal-rights
Music Mix 03.20
What a time to be alive! With everyone quarantined at home or socially isolating, there’s no better time to enjoy some music. Get lost in my March 2020 mix, and if you want more, there’s almost a decade of playlists curated by yours truly on here, so enjoy!
Fully Gutted and Full of Potential
Two weeks into owning #PipersPeak and we’ve officially taken it down to the studs and foundation. In all honesty, we did not anticipate gutting our place to this degree. We were simply going to do a “partial gut of necessary areas” over a few days, then move forward with the build. But once we
Glennon Doyle on Goop, New Script Fonts, a Food Substitute Guide, Vitamin A Swimwear, Jaffles and #PipersPeak
This week has been one of the most eventful weeks of our lives… It all started with getting the keys to our place on Tuesday, then proceeding to demo the upper floor. Around dinnertime we got a call from a friend of ours that her husband never came home after ski touring that day when […]
Finding the Right Light – 15 Lights and Lamps to Buy Right Now
One of the first things we’ll be ordering for our new place is lighting, which will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the overall design of the cabin. Lighting is not just an integral part of the build and functionality of a home, but of its design as well. It’s a permanent fixture, sure, but [&hell
House Plant Appreciation Day
As we usher in the weekend, I took some time this Friday morning to fuss over all of our houseplants, spritzing each plant with water and individually wiping each leaf with a damp towel, then lining them up at the window for a day of sun bathing. Our plants have been around for years and […]
Overland Camping (and Why We Love it So Much)
Outdoor exploration has become part of the fabric of our daily lives. Since making the move to British Columbia from Ontario, it’s not unusual for us to spend a few hours or days a week in nature, discovering new trails with Piper, new beaches to chill at, and new mountains to climb. Besides exploring by [&he
1 Winter White Salad, 2 Sherpa Polar Fleece Jackets I Love, and 3 Shows You Need To Watch on Netflix Now
As we come out of winter, I’m excited to bite into some fresher dishes like this winter white salad). I favour warmer meals over winter (an Ayurvedic practice I try to live by), but I’m kind of getting sick of rice and quinoa bowls… When you’re gluten-free, it’s almost a daily occu
Fall Camping in Tofino, B.C.
Since we made the move from Ontario to BC, getting lost in the great outdoors is a regular and sought out occurrence. You just can’t help the call of the wild—and after exploring a lot of our home by foot and bike (Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton), overlanding was the next best way to get deeper [&hell
Music Mix / 02.20
Some old favourites (I see you, Marvin Gaye, Meek Mill, Atmosphere), and some new hot tracks from Verzache, H.E.R., Allan Rayman, KIRBY, and Alina Baraz. Enjoy your February playlist, friends! B46G12pd3u12u52287A1
The Holistic Approach + Our Kitchen Design [Cabin Update!]
With just three weeks to go until we get the keys to our place, it’s just starting to sink in, and we are so excited!!! We’ve been busy preparing for the renovations as best we can, which means lots of drawing, planning, scheduling, inspiration-hunting, measuring and lots of good, old-fashioned talk
Packing, Hosting, Planning, Coasting
Hey everyone! Hope you’re doing well in your corner of the world. Things have been busy in our lives here in Squamish, so I’m on coffee #2 of the day, inspiring the above photo of Press (Magnolia’s coffee company). We had friends staying with us over the past few weeks, and then my dad arrived
Soul Mondays
Hey guys, what’s new? How are you enjoying the new site design? In my corner of the world, I’ve been enjoying the sun after a week of straight rain and taking advantage of it with lots of walks—sure, they’ve been quite wet and slushy, and getting caught in the rain or happening across a floo
The Renovation Plan and Design Vision for Our Home
From the day we bought our home (you can read about that here), we started planning the renovation and design of our space. We scribbled in notepads, drafted the home in SketchUp, hoarded inspiration on Pinterest , and created a massive excel Master List of SKUs and specs. Mike is not only a builder, but [&hell
Links + Likes / 01 / 20
I’m welcoming 2020 with open arms! After a year of transition and growth, I’m feeling really grounded, self-assured and ready to work on everything I’m passionate about. There’s so much to look forward to—restoring our chalet, learning how to ski, having friends and family visit, devel
We Bought a Chalet!!!
2019 was filled with life-changing moments, and in the final weeks before 2020, life introduced just one more: On December 23rd 2019, we became the proud new owners of an original 1980s chalet in Whistler—and we could not be more thrilled to finally share it! Our search for a place to call home on the [&helli
Music Mix / 01.20
January 2020 Playlist | Hits from Gang Starr, Blu & Exile, Odie, Jadu Heart, Honey Moon, Havelock, Cautious Clay and more.