The Greek by Anatoli Restaurant: Vancouver

On my last night in Vancouver, Treasure Seeker Colleen and I visited the new The Greek by Anatoli restaurant in Yaletown. The restaurant very generously donated the special event hosted by Shelley Klassen (Blushing Boutique) and the Yaletown Rotary club and Colleen won the item in the silent auction. It is great to see a Greek restaurant in Yaletown. The food is delicious as is the atmosphere.  Here are a few photos from our beautiful lamb dinner and evening. Thanks for having us Anatoli!

Ambience

Hummus and pita

Beautiful Greek salad. It is traditionally served with the feta on top, like this!

Delicious lamb

Loved the atmosphere

View of Vancouver's Robson Street, later that evening

Outdoor Adventures in Vancouver

On my most recent trip to Vancouver, I found myself spending more time outdoors than ever. I've been working on staying active and I couldn't wait to get out and see all it has to offer! One of the reasons why so many people love Vancouver is its beautiful scenery and endless outdoor activity options. Toronto is home now, but it's nice to go back and "get my oxygen supply for the year" as I always say. If you love the outdoors then Vancouver truly is the place for you!

A few of the highlights on this trip were Whistler hiking and sightseeing, bike riding, swimming at Second Beach outdoor pool, oysters on Mahony and Sons Stamps Landing patio and evening reading seaside in Yaletown. It was a great opportunity to collect myself, visit with family and get ready for a very busy next few years. I'll be starting my MBA part-time in the Fall. Looking forward to bringing you new inspirations, a sharpened business sense and more great adventures! As we always say... more to come!

View from the top of Whistler Mountain

Gondola up Whistler Mountain

Jays come to Vancouver!

  Sitting on the top

Barren at the top. Not much lives here! 

Strange to see it without the snow and scary to take a gondola over it!

What a view! 

This reminded me of the top of Fuji Mountain in Japan

 There was a mountain biking competition on the day we were up on the mountain. 

Looked absolutely terrifying! I'll stick with my hiking, thank you very much :)

Glass bottom gondola from Whistler across to Blackcomb

 The view between the two mountains

 Walking across the Cambie Street Bridge with Treasure Seeker Colleen

 Oysters! Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived there was a ban on raw oysters 

due to the warm water.

 The view from Mahony and Sons Stamps Landing

Love these statues near Davie and Denman Street and 

loved this shot of Treasure Seeker Colleen with them!

English Bay Beauty

At Second Beach

Yaletown

THECloset YVR - Something for Everyone

Now officially open, THECloset YVR is an oasis of treasures, resources and overall luxury products and services at 360 Carrall Street in the Gastown Area of Vancouver.  Volunteers at MySister's Closet BWSS, we are keenly interested in store display, marketing, fundraising, community and business partnerships, promotion of local artisans and eco-friendly practises and THECloset YVR offers all of this and much, much more.

On the first day opening, Saturday, August 22nd, we were welcomed into the large, white, open space by summer gal, wearing an orange Missoni Maxi dress and an Armani Hat.  These are examples of unique finds, beautifully styled and in like new condition, that you will see in this jewel of a boutique.

Accessories, jewellery, leather belts (a rarity these days) and silk scarves are colorfully and conveniently displayed, not behind glass but right there for immediate try on with that perfect outfit you can buy now or even, in some cases, rent, for that one time special event.

That Mary Quant pink jacket, for Fall, I'm thinking....
And, those shoes, racks and racks of women's and men's shoes, well made, one of a kind and just right for spring dance floors, fashion weeks, Gastown walks....and more trips to THECloset YVR.

Photos by Dianna Drahanchuk and Colleen Tsoukalas

Slow Clothes Fashion Show - Harmony Arts Festival, West Vancouver

The Slow Clothes Fashion Show at the Harmony Arts Festival, in West Vancouver, is always worth attending, even in the rain. This year, we saw a fabulous array of hand made, one of a kind, clothing and jewellery that would make us all runway ready. Three Korean artists whose beautiful creations were made of the bark of the mulberry tree, Hanji paper, set the tone, for a truly remarkable show.
Anne Gundrun (see previous post here), with her vibrant scenic pieces, made the eye travel, for sure!

Other artists included:
Kathleen Aisncough, Daniella Amit, Ros Aylmer, Catherine Barr, Rene Corder Evans, Monica Gewurz, Beryl Hickenbottom, Lydia Hiebert, Anni Hunt, Patsy Kolesar, Anne Love, Doren Marlor, Nicole Marshall, Fariba Mirzaie (see previous post here), Freda Pagani, Susan Perkuhn, Susan Remnant, Dawn Michelle Russell, Wendy Van Riesen, Yvonne Wakabayashi, Joanne Waters, and Zula and Dawn Michelle Russell.(Collaboration) This is just a snapshot of the entire event, so I highly recommend seeing the fashion shows  at the Harmony Arts Festival, in August, every year!  These wonderful creations are available for sale after each show and, you know, they are snapped up, immediately!

Day Trip to Niagara Falls

Thinking about a day trip to Niagara this summer? It's a great escape from the city and there is a lot to see and do! A few weeks back, we rented a car with a group of friends and made the journey to Niagara Falls. We went on a Sunday and it definitely wasn't as busy as we expected. We spent a few hours at the falls and then visited the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. A gorgeous day and the falls always amazing, no matter how many times you've seen them! 

I am off to Vancouver this weekend and will be covering my adventures there, of course with Treasure Seeker Colleen. Stay tuned and happy weekend!

Basics are good for days like this

Banana Republic Shorts

Anthropologie jean shirt

Express tank 

Michael Kors watch

Roots Bag

Ballet flats

Sunnies from Tribal Rhythm Vintage