Street Scenes

As I was walking to work today, I spotted a heart on the pavement. As you may have surmised by now, hearts catch my eye--I can't help it! I spent some time bending over it trying to get my camera setting off a crazy colour switch mode and into regular mode. Should have had breakfast this morning, it took me longer than usual to set things up. As I'm clicking the shutter on the shot below (well hidden under my umbrella), I hear a concerned "Are you ok?" from behind me. Confusedly I straightened up and let the lovely women walking her dog know that, yes I was ok. She thought I was bending over with stomach pains, perhaps wretching up something from the night before. Hilarious! And nice to know that there are still Good Samaritans out there, concerned about a stranger's well being. Thanks Miss Samaritan.

So without recounting the myriad of thoughts flowing through my mind on the rest of the walk to work, here are some street photos I have taken in the last week, including the one from this morning.

Abandoned Heart

Granville Island Drainpipe

Liv Die

Shingled Seattle Church

Happy Manhole Cover

Studio Update:

I'm rushing around the studio getting last minute things done before I catch the Clipper to meet glenda in Seattle this evening and I realized it is my turn to do the blog update today. Ahhh! Here is the two minute blog (I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors up front).

Today is duvet day at the studio. They are looking great. My fave is ships with tentacles and should be in the shops by the weekend. I'll see if the gals have time to take some photos for you tomorrow.

Here is a video that made me smile this morning on Design Sponge. Enjoy!

diy valentine's cakes from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Where I Went on My Vacation: Seattle

This weekend Trish and Jan (our friend and Milkman's Daughter resident interior designer, of Modhaus) and I went to Seattle. W enjoyed the usual girls weekend activities - shopping, drinking and eating. We had a fantabulous time wandering and taking in the sights of a place that was "other" - not Victoria, not Vancouver, refreshingly other. Don't get me wrong, we looove where we live. It's just that a change of scenery is great for inspiration, for rejuvenating the imagination, and for the living in the moment experience of it all.

Trish was drawn across the middle of the street to check out this art work, which turned out to be a paper collage of a First Nations bust with a feather headdress and diamonds with diamonds. It is difficult to detect from the photo - and that's why we had to cross the street. It was really cool up close.

Love this view of the Camlin Hotel from the colourfully tiled I-5 overpass to Capitol Hill. Great ornate/concrete and glass juxtaposition.

I had been joking that my latest manicure looked like I went to an auto supply store, had them duct tape around my nails and spray them down with car paint. Then we passed by this car - hilarious!

This shop was under construction and must have had over 300 old Singer sewing machines in the windows and ready for other display.

A view from the central Seattle Public Library. It is an amazing place, designed in part by Rem Koolhaas. The ground floor wood flooring is completely covered in raised text of the first line of classic novels - amazing. It just gets more astoundingly interesting from there - the spatial design, the escalators, the carpeting, the sound scaping. Jan said it was so cool that she was still processing it the next day. Me too! It was so much to take in.