I don't like to quit.  Earlier this summer I set out on a "100 Days of Sunsets" project on our Instagram stories, and if I'm being honest, it has been one of the toughest assignments I've ever given myself since starting the blog back in 2005. The hardest part of this project (which I felt like quitting many times) and much like blogging, has been not getting bored with it, keeping it fresh, let alone putting content out day after day (one has to chase sunsets on the daily).

Attention all Field Notes collectors.  The latest collection in their arsenal of special edition notebooks is called the National Parks Series. After seeing the work from the artists of The Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series, and since their early days of wanting to create something acknowledging America's National Parks, they knew exactly what to do. They have just announced a collaboration on three 3-Packs of these American treasures with a few of the artists from The Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series. Fun fact too, is they are also donating five percent of retail and wholesale purchases to the National Parks Service to help preserve and expand their nation’s best idea. Let's check them out!

If you followed our stories this weekend, you may have saw us taking in a Paul McCartney concert while he was in Vancouver. Checking off one more bucket list item, seeing an actual Beatle was a highlight we won't soon forget.  Coincidentally, the launch of Stella McCartney's x The Beatles present ‘All Together Now’ collection popped into our inbox this morning and I'm all about it. It reminded me a bit of the graphics at the concert which were stunning by the way.

Vipp, a family-owned, independent, Danish design company has opened the doors to it's third outpost of the Vipp Hotel, ‘Vipp Chimney House’. Named after its towering chimney, the heritage building is reborn from ruins by Danish architect, David Thulstrup.

Near the harbour of Northern Copenhagen lies a former water pumping station built in 1902, with a remarkable 35-meter tall chimney. Vipp commissioned Studio David Thulstrup to convert the remnants into a guesthouse, joining the Vipp Shelter in Sweden and the Vipp Loft in Copenhagen as another Vipp-fitted-destination in the company’s hotel line.

Before there ever was an Etsy, Shopify or Amazon Handmade, there was a cool site called buyolympia.com. Started back in 1999 as a way to help their friends sell things online, Buy Olympia is still around and as punk rock as ever just with a lot more friends.

To celebrate their 20th year anniversary, they are doing a big group show where they invited over 600 of their favorite artists to participate, and in the first couple days over 200 agreed to join.  Each one sending in one or two postcards to fill the walls with their art.

Some of you may recall last fall I started my journey studying Functional Nutrition. I'm now happy to announce I have just completed the September to May course, and have graduated with a Functional Nutrition Practitioner Certification. As I have a huge interest in all things wellness, I am really excited for where this journey will continue to take me.  For those of you who may have missed that post, you can click here to catch up.  But in a nutshell, after much research, I have come to the realization that Functional Medicine and Nutrition is truly the future when it comes to optimal health. There is so much you can test these days from Vitamin D deficiencies to hormones, and with Functional Medicine and Nutrition at the forefront of this, I love the idea of being able to know exactly why or what is the root cause of chronic issues, as well as, how to obtain optimal health goals. By utilizing nutrition, supplementation and for lack of a better word "bio-hacking", like important information on how to sleep well, etc., and the knowledge also that everyone is different, I believe a customized strategy towards optimal health is so important.

@readmckendree

This past weekend we stopped by our local public library and on one of the floors in the staff picks section, I happened upon a book, Surf Shacks; An eclectic compilation of creative surfer's homes from coast to coast and overseas by Indoek, a surf-centric blog run through ITAL/C and published by the folks at Gestalten. Published back in 2017, the book covers apartments to bungalows from New York to Bondi Beach, visiting homes of some of Indoek's favorite people in the creative surf community.  Browsing through, I felt a pull, back to a simpler time in our life, and in this day and age of such pre-meditated and staged images, I sensed a spark of realness and freshness that I've so missed, and think perhaps some of you might too?  In many of the homes, the idea of living smaller and simpler was not only refreshing, like one of the surfers featured, Nick LaVecchia said, "it is the most liberating thing you can do".

With that in mind, one activity that I've always loved doing when browsing through books and interior magazines is looking for decorating tricks that I could adopt and in sharing a bit of a comradery with these surfers, it beckoned me back to what's important, just being happy wherever you hang your hat.  A novel idea? In fact, since we already live in quite a small space, this book has inspired me to accept all the little flaws our 70s townhome has, and maybe make the best of what we already have, rather than waiting to tile with that perfect tile, or cover the flooring with that perfect wood. I long for this realness again. How about you? Let's take a look!

(Above: Home of Mathew Olerio and Joanna Zamora \ Photo @readmckendree)

Earlier this May, we posted the above picture to our Instagram feed, of a new project by the folks at Everywhere® Inc. Being fans that we are of the beloved A-Frame, we wrote about this DIY design, mentioning plans for it were coming soon.  So we had to, of course, write about it this week, since the plans for it launch today.  Here's the inside scoop!

Inspired by the cabin his grandpa Fred, designed and built in the 1970s in Teton Valley, Idaho, Everywhere®, co-founder Brand Winnie always wanted to follow in his footsteps. After spending years researching the market on the various types of cabins that could be built, he decided on the classic A-Frame cabin or “vacation home” that grew in popularity in the 50s and 60s.

@saintgeorgetoronto

Situated in the heart of Toronto's Annex neighbourhood, the Saint George Hotel, Kimpton’s only property operating in Canada, is a 14-story hotel, integrating elements of Toronto's culture and personality. Communicating a narrative of local pride, diverse heritage and contemporary culture, the interior design by Mason Studios celebrates Toronto's layered history and sensibilities.

With 188 guest rooms (including 20 suites and a Presidential Suite), the experience of being a guest is to be in their own well-appointed apartment. The property provides unique guest accommodations within a neighbourhood setting.  Let's take a look!