Going off the grid seems to be redefining itself, thanks to social media. Facebook updates wishing everyone a Merry Christmas with the add on, “Going off-line until the New Year!”
No more packing your backpack and heading off to the wilderness for some piece of mind. Just opt out of Twitter and Facebook for a few days and you might feel like a new person. Or at least, after week, you might feel like you have something worthwhile to share.
If you are up for a bit of walking, you can take the Woodward’s Window Walking Tour this holiday season until December 24th. Six window displays from the historic Woodward’s are scattered about downtown. Bring some egg nog, friends and some money to donate (proceeds go to the Strathcona Community Center).
At each display, you’ll find a ballot box for a chance to win the following from BC Ferries:
BC FERRIES VACATIONS PRIZE DETAILS
Contest winners will see some of the best sights and scenery that Coastal B.C. has to offer, from the Sunshine Coast’s seaside villages to Vancouver Island’s sandy beaches, on this easy-to navigate circle tour.
The trip will include*:
• Ferry travel from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale
• 2 nights accommodation at the Painted Boat Resort Spa & Marina located in Pender Harbour
• Ferry travel from Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay
• 1 night at the oceanfront Historic Lund Hotel
• Ferry travel from Powell River to Comox
• 3 nights accommodation at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort located in Parksville
• 2 nights accommodation at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel
• Whale Watching on a covered vessel with Orca Spirit
• Passes to the Royal BC Museum + Imax
• Passes to the Butterfly Gardens
• Ferry travel from Victoria to Tsawwassen
• Vacation is valid for 2 adults and 2 children
Very nice. To find out more and to download the map, please go to Canada Place – Woodward’s Windows.
You have until tomorrow 4pm to find Jolly and Holly, take a picture with them, upload the photo to Vancouver Christmas Market Facebook Wall for the chance to win 2 tickets to Germany! Oh and you have to write on the wall on why you want to go!
Done. Found them on W.Georgia and Granville the other day. I would show you the shots but something funny is up with IPhoto.
And remember you have until Christmas Eve to enjoy the Vancouver Christmas Market. Good beer can be found there.
These guys seem to be cropping up everywhere. I know many owners contemplating the benefits of laneway house dwelling. So the opportunity to tour six laneway homes on Saturday helped me gain a better perspective of what really is going on with laneway house development.
The spaces varied in size and design with the smallest living space at 500 sq ft to 1070 sq ft. Some used the space quite ingeniously where others failed to fully utilize the space.
Since LaneFab built their first one back in May 2010, there are now 100 active permits via the City of Vancouver. It seems like everyone wants a piece of this growing city project. At this time, the City of Vancouver passed a motion back in November 2010 to continue to monitor the impact of the first 100 laneway houses constructed. This makes sense.
It was clear to me, the two firms, LaneFab and Smallworks have a good hold of the market. And while some of the designs were unique, I still felt very boxed in.
And who knows what the future will hold. I do think a paradigm shift on how we use space needs to take place. I also think affordable housing is a priority in the City of Vancouver and I would love to think laneway housing is one way to accommodate this concern.
But as it stands, with numbers thrown out as large as $300,000 to build a home 500-1000 sq ft in size with potential monthly rental varying from $1700-$2200, nothing seems particularly affordable especially for the end-user.
As an owner with plenty space in my backyard to consider laneway housing, I wasn’t entirely pleased with what I saw. Renovating a basement suite still seems more enticing.
Andrew Brigg’s is this month’s artist. I wanted to post a gallery of his work so you get a better sense of what he does. Enjoy.
You can contact Andrew directly if you are interested in any of his work at flock.fad@gmail.com.
Did you know this is a circuit in 4 different North American cities? Is it a franchised craft fair? Not sure. But the One of the Kind Show happens in Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago and New York. Aren’t you lucky if you live in these cities?
And if you are Vancouverite, you’ll be happy to know the show is starting on December 9th to 12th with over 250 artists showcasing their work, including December Artist of the Month, Andrew Briggs. If you go on One of the Kind Show Vancouver site, you can print a card to receive $ 2 off the $10 admission.
So if you are in hot pursuit of original art, crafty and cool things and great clothing for this holiday season, you need to head over to the *NEW* Convention Centre this weekend.
It’s a small world, really. When you start talking to someone, you realize the six degrees of separation truly exists. So it came to no surprise to me when I finally met up with Andrew that we were connected in some weird and strange way.
Andrew knows Laurent. Laurent is Taz’ cousin. Taz is my partner. Okay, wait here’s another.
Andrew’s studio is in Southlands, the same studio complex where Gabrielle (an artist) resides, who I know, because Gabrielle knows Dana, and I know Dana.
Weird and strange…but still interesting.
Soooooooooo….Andrew is the December Artist of the Month. He’s a busy guy, seriously. And if he lost his phone, I think he’d be, well, lost. Don’t you agree, Andrew?
Andrew works in mixed media, basically whatever he can get his hands on. His work is colourful and very pop artish, so no surprise he states the likes of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollack as some guiding figures he admires.
As I mentioned, he’s busy so I can’t really jam everything in just one post. But I do want to share some pics of his work to give you a taste.
Look forward to my next post in a few days.
