Main Tabs

30.5.12

Fitz & Follwell Co.

Not too long ago some friends asked me to participate in a video to promote Fitz & Follwell's bike tours.  Sign me up! A guided bike tour is an awesome way for a tourist to see Montreal, as one of the best ways to get around in the summertime is on two wheels.  Our ride was a shortened version of the bike & yoga tour, but gave a good feel of the highlighted hidden corners of the plateau with a couple of sun salutations in Parc Lafontaine.

Above is a vintage sign in the store, Fitz & Follwell refer to the grandparents of founder Shea Mayer.

 More vintage vibes with the company's business cards.

Bikes for sale! Some colourful city cruisers on display.

Our yoga/bike tour guru Myriam unwraps a fresh mat.

A shot of the fleet bikes for the various tours or rental.

Robbie gets a close up shot of bike seat adjustment before we take off.

...and the result of our ride?  Check out this idyllic video by Robbie Purdon set to Beethoven's

28.5.12

Xavier Veilhan

The first time I saw Xavier Veilhan's work was at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal.  It was a lifesize black geometric steel horse.  From then on in, I was a total fan.  While I didn't see Veilhan's work at Versailles in person, the installations are nevertheless impressive via photographs.  I am of course in love with his mobiles, for their scale and simplicity.  Another piece that caught my eye was Veilhan's Xavier sculpture, which lives in the atrium of Aldo's offices.



A view from above.  Another Veilhan figure in black resides across the atrium.

19.5.12

Origami Mobile #5

This mini mobile goes out to a teeny-tiny baby with big feet!
Inspired by Mobile #4, this one has a square frame and four rabbits: pink, blue, green and brown.  In the center is a patterned balloon.





16.5.12

Time to Make the Donuts

Do you remember this commercial from the 80s?
Where Fred the Baker would repeat the catchphrase over and over again, so much so that "time to make the doughnuts" has entered our modern lexicon?

Apparently doughnuts are the new cupcake and yeast loving Mark has seen the dough rising on the west coast horizon, where gourmet doughnuts are all the rage.  Mark's upcoming birthday was an opportunity that several of us seized to give the homemade beigne a try.  When I mentioned this attempt, someone noted: "You're making doughnuts? You're like a corporation!" Indeed. Just like a corporation...

Ok, let's get some admissions out of the way:  while I have a bit of a french fry obsession, the thought of deep frying anything is a bit of a turn-off.  Let's say I don't think I could handle being at the Texas State Fair. But once things got started, I felt more like I was at a high-school science fair:  "OMG we are making doughnuts!"

Once these babies got into the the slightly crispy on the outside stage, all apprehensions were tossed aside and I was ready to pop one in my mouth.


Ummm, obviously we are not food stylists! Above Ashley is tossing some doughnuts in a cinnamon-sugar mix, while the chocolate-chili glaze doughnuts cool down.

Mark is an artist and make-up SFX guy who draws inspiration from the creatures of the ocean; that includes that crafted underwater man/monster.  For the birthday occasion Ashley whipped up an underwater guardian of the doughnuts (and carrot cupcakes) to present the desert:

And yes! The doughnuts were delicious!



9.5.12

Basement of Wolves

Acclaimed author Daniel Allen Cox wrapped up his book tour of his latest novel Basement of Wolves at Librarie Drawn & Quarterly last week.  The queer-lit author read witty and titillating excerpts of Hollywoodian film making, narcotics, rimming and skateboarding to the eager crowd.

A dapper patron matches with the signage.

Flowers bestowed to the author.

Daniel hopefully writing kind words into my copy of the book.  I have a new book to add to my reading pile!

5.5.12

Jewelry Jam

I'd been on the mailing list of Of A Kind for a short while, viewing the feed of (affordable!) images go by, waiting for inspiration to strike.  And then it happened. Bang! Impulse buy! What have I done?!

I found myself a week or two later eagerly waiting the postman.  Then came the Trikolori bracelets by Fay Andrada.
 
The set of copper, brass and silver bracelets make a variety of geometric shapes, depending on how they fall around your wrist.  They come with a delightful jingle-jangle sound.


While I was at it, I thought I should add to my Pearls Before Swine obsession collection, and as a variation of the theme, got two thin silver rings and a gold one for good measure.  I did not get the extra tiny silver ring on my upper ring finger (restraint!)...a rose gold version is surely for next time!