Spring Break is on the horizon and I am opening the doors once again for your young creatives. I've got some fun ideas brewing and look forward to working hands-on with some like-minded artsy crafty kids!
Still Life
I started painting.
I put it out into the universe in January and just like that, the universe echoed "SO SHALL IT BE!", clapped it's hands, and I've been painting.
I'm happy. I'm really happy.
I've been wanting to paint and draw for a long time, the last time I did any amount of painting was just before Chloe was born in 2012.
Sadly, I haven't taken my camera out much to document all the pieces I've been working on, though you can find a tonne of them on my Instagram account. I started off with a fun mermaid + unicorn duo in shades of pink and red for Valentine's Day. That's all it took! Then along came orders for Family Portraits and this special Wedding Gift!
I'm really enjoying this medium. As a Jane of all Trades, my creativity thrives when my brain is able to exercise multiple areas of itself rather than repeatedly lighting up just one spot. I think it is also just my personality to want a little bit of everything, variety is truly the spice of life.
I'm really excited for this year as I juggle multiple mediums and projects and I look forward to new things and hopefully collaborations!
Thank you to everyone who has hit me up for painting in the last couple of months, I am so happy to be adding art to your life!
xo
Phanie
Halfmoon Bay
It was Sarah's Birthday 2 weeks ago and 15 of us joined her for a weekend Birthday Bash and Sisterhood Retreat on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. In addition to her Doula work (Any Day Now Birth Services), Sarah also holds retreats through Sacred Living Canada. This weekend was a great opportunity to experience first hand the services she offers those wanting to dig a little deeper, surrender to finding their truth, and to connect with others on a similar path. Her good friend, also Sara, drove in from Portand with her 6 month son, Indigo, to help in hosting the weekend retreat. The majority of the crowd were friends and locals from Tsawwassen with a few more ladies from the Lower Mainland, so for the most part I felt very comfortable.
It has been a year since Sarah decided to expand beyond her retreats and offer a safe space to her friends and locals in the form of the Full Moon Circle in the comfort of her home. We have been meeting every few months to connect with the friends/women in our community, set intentions, eat snacks, drink wine and pull some cards for guidance. I can not thank her enough for opening her home, love and services to us as we have all reaped the benefits in immeasurable ways. Creating a safe space to be vulnerable, to share our struggles, to speak our truths and take on the challenge of personal growth is greatly lacking in our society and communities. This circle has done wonders for myself and the women I have met over the past year. It was a no brainer for many of us when she announced she would be hosting this weekend birthday/retreat/getaway months in advance, we all wanted in.
The property is incredible. An expansive 3 storey home stands on the top of the bluff with stairs leading down to a cozy waterfront cabin. The peace and quiet was a perfect antidote to the constant noise of 3 children in 1500 square feet. The ocean and the surrounding nature was the perfect environment for reflection and resetting. Despite the cold weather we have been enduring this winter, the weekend was surprisingly mild; even the ocean itself wasn't as icy as I expected when I joined Fannie + Molly in an early morning skinny dip in celebration of Fannie's 40th.
With the majority of the group being mothers, the meals were impeccably pre-planned and outrageously deliciously healthy (and largely vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free). For 4 days, children's complaints were replaced with brimming adult gratitude and relief to sit down uninterrupted with hot food. Everyone happily contributed which made everything so quick and easy, from all the tidying and dishes to taking shifts playing with Indigo so Sara could get a few breaks. We were seriuosly nourished body, mind, heart and soul!
Each day began with a breakfast spread by Khara including (literally homemade everything) oatmeal, granola, almond or cashew milk, boiled eggs, and choice of fresh smoothie, switchel and cofee/tea. We would meet in the yurt for our first circle which was followed by a creative activity hosted by one of the attendees. Lunch would commence with some free time to walk/run the beach, hit the hot tub/sauna, do some journaling, or have a heart to heart in a beautiful corner of the property. Sometimes a second circle would be planned, but since this was also a time for many of us to decompress the schedule was flexible. Another delicious meal was communally prepared accompanied with many bottles of wine, including a wine tasting Saturday night hosted by Sarah's sister, Emily.
It was an unforgettable weekend and I think my favourite part was meeting new faces and connecting with others that have only been acquaintances up until this point. That and gorging myself on all the food and snacks...
There are so many more photos, I tried my best to keep it down... Enjoy!
Thank you Sarah + Sara for hosting this wonderful weekend retreat. You are making a huge difference with your work, inspiring openness and courage in all of us to strive to be our highest selves and to find meaningful connections with those around us.
Coral and Cloud
Trying to keep the momentum going with a few projects from 2016!
Last summer, I joined forces with local Vancouverite and Mompreneur Miko from Coral and Cloud to shoot her Fall Line of modern geometric handpainted jewellry. The afternoon session included portraits of kids with the new line for the store portion of her website, delicious carrot and cream cheese tea sammiches and some fun candid shots for good measure. Though the majority of customers are girls or on the behalf of girls, Miko mentioned that a handful of boys really loved her playful colourful pieces which obviously meant I had to pull in Momo to help showcase on behalf of the boys! Here are a few samples of our collaborative work from last Fall...
Endless colour combinations mean there is not just a necklace for everyone, but multiple necklaces to suit every outfit and outlook of the day! In addition to the her Doll series, Miko's also got some sweet chunky pieces for adults and some adorable AF pandas on the go right now... Current goodies brewing are for Valentine's Day which means if you are reading this, you are ahead of the game on finding a cute gift handmade for Valentine's Day and supporting one of the sweetest Mamas in Vancity! Head over to CORALANDCLOUD on Instagram and keep your eyes peeled for the latest news!
xo
Two Girls One Goa
Not to shabby of a timeline to get my India photos up here to share! Well done, Stephanie, well done.
A small collection to buzz through here...
after hours of flying, we land in Goa
with taxi windows down we take in our first breaths of Indian air on our way to Afonso House
Chapel of St Sebastian in the Fontainhas hood of Panjim
down the street from our guest house
friends who love and live for tea
quick stroll around the neighbourhood
we accidentally take a 5 hour nap and wake up to darkness, just in time to find dinner
headed south to Agonda Beach for a day trip
the drive was 1.5 hours and i was having a hard time breathing in all the pollution
Agonda Beach
Drove my first scooter about 30 minutes further south to take a peek at the recommended Palolem Beach
much busier and less quiet, happy that we booked our place in Agonda for the night
Our sweet little hut for the night at Agonda White Sand
early morning on the beach with the cows
this beach was so beautiful, I would absolutely recommend visiting Agonda
back in Panaji for one last night
Catholic shrines on every corner
Spice Farm on our way up North to Mandrem to meet the wedding party
henna from shopkeeper Kumari in Agonda
Feni
Native to Goa, India, this spirit is distilled from the Cashew Fruit
Basilica of Bom Jesus
St Francis Xavier has been in his coffin here since the 1500's
...or so they say....
Riva Beach Resort, Mandrem
after a day of sight-seeing and a lot of driving, we arrive in North Goa
group walk to the market
the beautiful bride and groom
fireworks and lantern releasing
i decided to not bring my camera along on what ended up being my favourite day in Goa
perhaps the universe meant for me to savour it instead of attempt to capture it
