Sunday, September 30, 2012

IDS West | Woodn't You Know It

Table and headboard by Live Edge Design
This weekend I had a press pass for the Interior Design Show West (IDS West). Never one to pass up on any form of artistic innovation I hauled my camera to the Vancouver Convention Centre to discover what was happening in the world of interior design. Wood you like to know? It seems that it's not just everyone on Pinterest reclaiming old things and making them new. Specifically stumps and driftwood. The look of the finished wood is polished, but rough, allowing the grain and imperfections of the wood to show through. The quality of the workmanship was second to none and the organic appearance of the furniture was so very Vancouver.

Piece by mth woodworks
Desk by Jenna Dacyk
Rocking chair by Brendan Gallagher
The One of a Kind District at IDS West was my favourite place to visit. The horse is from The Found and The Freed, a shop that displays a carefully selected and quirky collection of vintage finds. I've decided to do two more posts on my IDS West experience. In the next one I'll tell you more about the amazing local crafters I discovered in the One of a Kind District.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Mommy Musings | Hey Baby, This is Crazy


I cried when Jethro turned one on Wednesday. It wasn't because my baby is growing up so fast (although he is). The reason I cried was because, "My baby's one and he still doesn't sleep through the night!" My honesty will inevitably result in a dozen e-mails from sleep experts wanting to help for a pretty penny. We're working on it.


Despite the sleep challenges, it is impossible not to be in love with Jet. First of all, just look at those eyes.  His personality is emerging every day. He loves to clown around with buckets, bowls and hats on his head. Today he started walking, not just a few steps but across the entire room. I'm stunned that I have a three year old and a one year old. When did this happen!? 





Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Shape of Things to Come

There is a new shape to fashion that appeals to the part of me that wants my body to be hidden and private. I'm not ashamed of the curves I have but I do have a difficult time dressing them. A post baby body is especially hard to dress. A fitness trainer friend told me it takes four years after having a child for your body to get back to "normal." Whatever your normal is when you exercise and eat healthy. I don't think this means your boobs perk back up, but perhaps your hips realign themselves. That would be nice.

As I've browsed through the Spring 2013 runway shows I've found the exaggerated, sometimes even boxy shapes aesthetically appealing. The way the clothes are designed put women on a more even playing field. It doesn't matter if you're a pole bean or a pear, these clothes are structured to have a shape whatever body the wearer may have.

Marni. I think the shape of these pieces are beautiful and feminine without being overtly sexy.  They're designed to hide curves, which is a powerful statement. A woman who wears these clothes demonstrates her confidence is not found in drawing attention to her TNA.




Dries Van Noten. If I could high five an entire collection it's this one. The mix of print, floral and plaid is exquisite and appeals to the feminine, lumberjane in me. The peplum waists, loose fit and layering of these clothes are created for postpartum women who want to be comfortable and pretty (Okay, I'm sure that's not what Dries had in mind but because he's a genius, he made his clothes work for all women).





Bouchra Jarrar. Do I need to say anything? These tops flounce out at the front. Baby belly be gone!




At the risk of posting a gazillion pictures to make my point I'll stop here. So what do you think? Are you ready to embrace the new shapelessness?

Monday, September 24, 2012

Faux Fashion | Starring Bunnies


Close by our house is a bunny habitat. I don't know how the park prevents the rabbits from over taking the world because they roam free with no fences, but they seem content to dwell in the bushes fed by the hands of eager children. Levi brought his stuffed bunnies to meet their animate brothers. And swimming goggles, because obviously. 


I recently picked up this black vintage dress and it's a wardrobe gem. It moves beautifully on the body and can easily be dressed up or down. 




Leather UO jacket, vintage dress, Aldo booties, Clearly Contacts clear frames

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Green Your Routine | Move Sustainably

A long commute can be soul-sucking. My husband and I had an hour long commute for several years but now Ben's work is a 10 minute bike ride from our house and my work is a roll-out-of-bed away. When we were commuting we owned two vehicles and have now downsized to one, which we try to use as little as possible. I wish I could say it's because we are intentional about living a green lifestyle, but a green lifestyle is more a byproduct of work, stores and parks being nearby. The boys and I walk most places and as a family we bike around the city with our toddler bike seat and bike trailer. Vancouver is fortunate to have designated bike paths all across the city. As for doing errands, I am the weirdo walking around the grocery store with a stroller full of groceries, but no child. I've had people peer over my shoulder and say, "Oh, I thought there was a baby in there." To which I respond, "He's under there some where." They chuckle nervously and walk away. What?


My green challenge is to be conscious of the bags we carry while on the go. We have a gazillion reusable grocery bags but I'm constantly forgetting to bring them along for the ride. As a result, I guiltily grab my loaded plastic bags and suffer the stink-eye from my green-friendly co-shoppers. Quite frankly I deserved it. There is no reason to use plastic for carrying our groceries other than my own forgetfulness. As part of the Seventh Generation Green Your Routine Challenge I'm determined to carry around my reusable bags like a third child.

*It's not too late to enter to win the Seventh Generation Starter Kit.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Indoor Day and Clearly Contacts Winner!


I had envisioned we would change the decor of our kitchen nook every season but it ended up being Spring and more specifically Easter, for a long time. Finally Levi and I went to work and transformed our nook into Fall with a felt leaf garland. One day my children will grow up and I might feel inclined to have more mature interior design details. I think I'll miss felt... and my kids wanting to do crafts with me. 

This morning Jethro came into the kitchen and the first thing he did was look up and gaze at the colourful leaves. If there is one thing I want to engrain into Levi and Jethro (actually the list is long) it is to learn to look up when they're down. I've always struggled to fix my eyes on God when I'm depressed. I naval gaze and let my emotions carry me. My hope for my boys is they will be quick to learn that even when circumstances are dire (Okay, I'm not dying, I'm just really, really tired), God will carry them through. 

Fortunately a great thing to lift my spirits today is to announce a giveaway winner for the Clearly Contacts Kid's frames! Susie, little Destiny gets some new frames! Please email me at elasticpantcity@gmail.com with all your contact info. and I'll arrange the deets with Clearly Contacts! Make sure to include Destiny's prescription in the message.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

It's Not a Cult

Everyone has heard of Montessori preschool but no one seems to know what it means. I've had people say to me, "isn't that a cult?" or "don't they believe in having a completely colour free environment so kids don't get distracted?"

Up until a couple weeks ago I didn't know much about Montessori either. What sparked my interest was that a couple of moms I have tremendous respect for are homeschooling, and using the Montessori method.

I started researching about Montessori and I realized this method of schooling had already chosen us (okay, that does sound cultish).

I'm going to attempt to sum up the Montessori method based on the research I've done thus far. Essentially the teacher (me) is an observer, there to guide Levi's learning without interfering with his attempt to teach himself. The teaching is divided into three parts: motor education, sensory education and language. Levi can choose the activity he's interested in and I come alongside and help him until he wants to move on to some thing new.

One of the reasons I'm attracted to the Montessori method is it's focus on engaging the five senses. Levi has always been a tactile learner, he loves beauty, spicy food, and pausing to smell the flowers when we're out on walks. When I started doing crafts and learning activities with him (this was before looking into Montessori) he loved using his hands to create and learn. An example would be the moon activity we did together. As I explained craters to him he was able to "feel" what the moon's surface is like. A key thing to note is Levi was constantly asking me about the moon. I harnessed that interest and we learned more about the moon together. Currently, Levi's very interested in the changing seasons and so we're discovering what happens in the Fall. Now as I'm researching I realized we were already using the Montessori approach to learning.

It has been amazing to discover what Levi's learning style is and all the creative ways there are to engage his senses. The other morning He came into our bedroom and told us he was awake and "learning." Not playing, learning. Levi's as excited as I am about this adventure we're on together!

This is just a brief (yet long : ) ) explanation of the Montessori method. I highly recommend, Teaching Montessori in the Home by Elizabeth Hainstock for more detail.

P.S. You may have noticed no pictures and a different format. My laptop broke down and I've written this whole post on my phone, with autocorrect torturing me the whole way.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

My Favorites | Instagratification

 I don't plan to regularly highlight Instagram photos in a blog post but it is a quick and easy way to give you a window into the life of Elasticpantcity; especially when things around here are super busy, babies are sick, and laundry is my Everest.  These a few of my favorite things (I always have Julie Andrews in my head when I think/write that line) through the lens of Instagram.
 My favorite meditation spot, my favorite cupcake recipe
My favorite way to drink coffee, my favorite outfit
 
 My favorite architect, my favorite helpers
 My favorite tree, my favorite funny face
My favorite pair, my favorite stairs
 My favorite beanbags, my favorite book of the moment.
 My favorite season, my favorite endeavor.