a mod entrance

This mid-century modern path is really fun! Check out the DIY here . {via Apartment Therapy }

pumpkins!

I have a pumpkin (from Mom's patch) and I have a power drill and I'm going to try to replicate the pretty pumpkin front and centre. {via House and Home }

hoarders

I have a rather bizarre sense of humour, but I find this hilarious. Since my dining table has been taken over by outdoor plants moved in for the winter, I can definitely relate. {via Away to Garden }

slug love

How cute is this little guy? {via cool hunting }

light and lovely

Ohmy! To live in these peaceful light-filled rooms... {via bliss }

bike art #2

Here's one more bike storage option as art!

Lawrence Halprin

Perhaps the most influential landscape architect of the last several decades died yesterday at the age of 93. Lawrence Halprin was innovative, inspiring and prolific until the end. I saw him speak in San Francisco 2 years ago and was really moved by his humour and insight. He was a designer who could marry beauty with ecological and social function. 

“My own way has been to design the outward forms of nature but emphasize the results of the processes of nature…This act of transmuting the experience of the natural landscape into human-made experience is, for me, the essence of the art of landscape design.”

He was responsible for the 'alternative' Sea Ranch community plan in the 1960's which was inspired by and responsive to the wind, ocean and cliffs. Its design manual  prohibited perimeter fences and non-native plants. Read his biography from The Natural Landscape Foundation.

DIY skinny jeans

Check out this post and tutorial on diy skinny jeans . It sounds super easy, can be done on an ordinary machine (not a serger) and allows you to adjust the skinny to your liking. I definitely have a few pairs of old jeans that could use a tune up. I'll let you know how it goes! {via Darling Dexter }

Also tips on a pro-look at-home jean hem that is simple and keeps the original cuff. {via freshly picked }

urine charge

I just stumbled across this post about using diluted human urine as fertilizer. Apparently with our excessive western diets urine is high in protein and nutrient rich. There seems to be a whole little counter-culture that uses human waste as fertilizer.

I am experimenting with ways to add nutrients to my community garden plot- I'm mixing in seaweed for the winter and have considered cover crops. I'm trying to stay open, but I think I'll have to do a little more research and allow some processing time before I consider this method. {via culiblog }

hippie chic

This is definitely not my usual style, but I love the quirky/hippie/prepiness of this outfit. {via Stockholm Street Style }

the city that never was

I don't have an iphone or live in NYC, but if I did I'd definitely check this out. Phantom City is an iphone application that allows you to walk through the city and see visionary designs of the same space on your phone. It engages the user by giving  the option  to rate the design. {via design under sky }

cairo communities

I just saw this photo over at Polis . How beautiful/creepy/intriguing is the built form of the suburbs against the desert?

friday fun

This is a whole lot of fun. I really want to work here! {via sfgbybay }

milk & cookies

What a fantastic idea for party food- milk shots and chocolate chip cookies. I'm planning a crafts & cocktails party to celebrate finishing Apartment Therapy's home cure and am adding this to the menu. Setting a date would probably give me just enough pressure to stay on track! {via lake jane}

visceral comfort

Love these chairs from aqua creations . They look snuggly and casual, yet perfectly styled. {via grijs}

rockin' it

A couple of street style pics from the Sartorialist and Stockholm Street Style .

City/Country

Lately I've been thinking a lot about where I would be most happy. Ideally I'd have a primary residence in the downtown of a big, busy city with a secondary residence, a farm in the middle of nowhere. I spent most of my childhood following around my retired grandfather in his fruit orchard and market garden. And I've always daydreamed about marrying a farmer. Then again, one of my favorite activities is wandering and getting lost in a neighbourhood of a city that I've never explored (and Halifax often feels much too small for that).

Literally

Sorry kids, that's it for today. {via Bliss }

         

Outdoor art

A Saturday post in honour of Nocturne . Can you imagine lifting up pavers and building a sand castle in the screenings? See the full post at Christian Barnard .

Genius

What else can I say about the work of Muriel Decailllet ? {via ID textile }

Where the Wild Things are

Are you as excited as I am to see this movie?! Check out the blog We Love You So for the movies inspiration and influences. {via Antler Magazine }

'Halifax Art Week'

I had a tour of the Sobey Art Award short list nominees last week and one of the speakers deemed this week 'Halifax Art Week'. The Sobey award will be presented tonight at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia followed by ArtRising , a late night secret-venue fundraiser for AGNS coordinated by local painter Mitchell Wiebe . I'm super excited for Nocturne , Halifax's art at night event, which takes place on Saturday night. Below are some pics of the Sobey award nominees, a great little exhibit of contemporary art that we don't see very often in this city. Be sure to check it out, it's on exhibit until Nov. 5th. See you at Nocturne!

This outfit

Is simple, chic and perfect for fall. It's also an outfit a lot of us could pull together out of our closets with little effort. 

{via the Sartorialist }

Beauty shots- my first pm job

I recently completed  a small design/project management job at one of the local universities here in Halifax. It includes a daycare and a couple of entry plazas as well as circulation and storm upgrades. The design was quite traditional, but it was my first project management job and I learned a lot. I was initially nervous about being a woman in a project management position having to check up on the contractors every morning. I once again had  my belief confirmed,  traditionally feminine characteristics such as receptivity, openness and inclusive decision making transfer well into male dominated professions.

Happy Market Day!

          {via sfgirlbybay }

Science of attraction

I've always been fascinated by what makes people attracted to one another. Maybe because I've always had friends who are great guys, attractive and would make awesome boyfriends but the thought off kissing them leaves me completely cold. A lot of girls seem to have a best guy friend who is completely into them, whose attention they adore, but who they are just not into romantically.

This study could explain why. I've seen several articles discussing it this week and was fascinated when I read about the basic premise years ago in Psychology Today : Woman are attracted to men with different immune systems than them for better gene selection. Pregnant women are attracted to men with similar immune systems, protective, brotherly types. The Pill stops ovulation and simulates pregnancy in woman, therefore women on the pill are attracted to different men than they ordinarily would be. 

 

This study suggests:

- Women on the pill are attracted to more feminine men with similar immune systems and weaker genes.

- When women go off the pill, women are often less attracted to their partners.

- Men are more attracted to ovulating females, therefore women on the pill may be less attractive to men.

When I read about this in Psychology Today, the author suggested  women who were engaged and on the pill, take a break from it before getting married to test the attraction response. I find this all fascinating. Make up your own mind- read the study or these articles by Dan Savage and the Globe and Mail .

Bike art

Okay so it's not exactly art, but architect/bike activist David Baker 's ceiling mounted bike storage is totally sculptural. I have ceilings similar to this in my place, and have been awkwardly parking my bike in my entryway since I had the air let out of my tires in the parking garage. This hook and pulley system might be a playful a practical answer to my parking dilemma.

Lunch break

Noon hour skating starts today at the Halifax Metro Centre and I can't think of a better way to spend lunch. I'm almost over a nasty, little cold, which had left me grumpy, tired and anti-social. I'm ready for some crisp air, good conversation and fluid exercise.

Fall colours

I can't think of a lovelier light meal than squash soup and beet salad (fresh from the garden!).

Site-specific studio

I think I was initially intrigued by this photo, not because of the converted Airstream, but because I so long for a backyard garden. I clicked my way through to the original article and actually read it (something I don't always do, as easy as it is to be seduced by pretty pictures). Mid-way through the article I discover the owner/author of the piece is a landscape architect searching for a little more meaning. Don't you love those moments of synchronicity? 

Andreas Stavropoulos, converted this 1959 Airstream trailor into his home and portable studio. He camps out at the site in the conceptual stage to get a feel for the place and its many variables. He's looking for a solution to what he feels is ...

'... the lack of connection between the LAND and the ARCHITECT. Whereas landscape architects once spent significant time on the site, the profession now finds some of the most creative minds shoehorned into cubicles. This seemed like a loss to me, and I wondered how it might be possible to create a space for real understanding within the profession—the kind of understanding that occurs from seeing a day of shadows move across a place, or listening to and observing people in a space.'


Read the full post here  . {via re-nest via dwell }

Thai Mussels

These are easily the best mussels I have ever had. I had always been too intimidated to cook mussels; my first attempt was just a few months ago. I used mussels from Indian Point , a local, sustainable mussel farm, using the following recipe from Donna Hay . I picked up a fresh bag of mussels at the Halifax Farmer's Market this weekend and whipped up a batch for a friend's house party. I won't take any of the credit for this recipe, but these are soooo good, both hot or cold.

Mussels with garlic, lime and coconut

I TBSP peanut oil

2 bulbs garlic, thinly sliced

2 long red chilies, seeds removed and thinly sliced

1 TBSP finely grated ginger

1 cup coconut milk

4 kaffir lime leaves

2 kg mussels, scrubbed

lime wedges and cilantro, as garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic, chile and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add the coconut milk and lime leaves and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves. Serves 4.

White shag

Victoria from sfgirlbybay gave us a peak of her newly rearranged apartment. Gorgeous! I have been looking for a white shag rug to add some much needed warmth to my living room and these are perfect. Imagine slipping your bare feet into this softness...