We Love You, Pan Chancho!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Typically, I live in a house (OK...apartment) where celebrations go hand-in-hand with a bottle (or two) of champagne.  So, when Valentine's Day rolled around and we found ourselves hand-in-hand with my darling fiancé's pager (read: no vino for us), we had to get a little creative. We decided to enjoy a romantic evening at home, pager permitting.

Instead of booking rezzies at one of our favourite local eateries, we booked "reservations to go" from one of Kingston's gems, Pan Chancho! And, oh my!! Did we ever spoil ourselves! We picked up a big paper bag of food, and came home right away to check out the goods. We were beyond impressed with the delicious feast before us!

First Course: a cheese platter with grapes, little miniature crab cakes, two generous triangles of yummy cheese, and baguettes. Next: two WHOLE lobsters, cooked and cracked; risotto cakes (yum) and grilled asparagus. The Grand Finale: a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake with fresh raspberry sauce accompanied by white angel cake and orchids. 

I already knew I loved Pan Chancho for their sandwiches to go, lattes, and patio brunches - but now I found a new love - fancy dinners to take home! What a wonderful Valentine's Day - with a fabulous at-home feast! One of the things I love about Kingston, Ontario is the delicious food - and today was no exception! Of course, the pager did go off (which explains why I am blogging on "Love Day") - but at least we got to enjoy a lovely dinner (and watch two movies back to back!).

Happy Love Day!

Say Cheese!

I recently completed ten blog post/articles for a photo booth rental company located in Napa, California. Well, I am officially a fountain of information about photo booths now! I remember cramming into these booths with my girlfriends and carefully ripping apart the set of four black and white images to share. I would love to find some of those pics, I'm sure they are around somewhere! Turns out, photo booths were invented in the 1920s by a Jewish immigrant named Anatol Josepho. Here's a quip from one of my articles:


"It all started in the roaring twenties, when a Siberian immigrant by the name of Anatol Josepho created the first small, curtained booth. It was able to take photos without the aid of a photographer, and became instantly popular. Like many things that became integral parts of pop-culture, it all started in New York City. Before long, photo booths began popping up and developing candid shots at train stations, department stores, and other public areas such as fairs, five-and-dimes, and arcades. The first photo booths produced a single strip of four black and white photos, which were processed using a chemical developing process known as the “dip n’ dunk.” After a few minutes, the excited recipient would watch their photos spit out from the machine, waving them in the air to dry before splitting up the goods with their friends." 


One of the most interesting things I learned? In the early days, some innovative photographers wanted to sell the services of a "photo booth" but didn't have the fully automated equipment, so they actually had attendants hiding in the "booth," developing the photos and then pushing them out of the slot - leaving the customer to believe he had just had a fully automated photo taken! Hilarious! 


Photo booths are increasingly popular at weddings and corporate events, as one of my articles explains:


"Trendy brides and grooms all over the country have been including photo booths at their weddings, and the results are unanimous. It is, quite simply, a fabulous addition to any wedding and a surefire way to keep a smile on the faces of your loved ones. In fact, wedding trend watchers have sited it as one of the top wedding trends of 2010! It’s easy to see why. The trend started at tradeshows, where organizers are anxious to find new and innovative ways to keep attendees entertained and happy. The instant gratification, team-building effects, and nostalgia of a photo booth has proven to be a recipe for success – and when it comes to planning a wedding, the goals are very similar. Guests having a great time with each other? Check. Guests keeping a little something to remember the day? Check. Guests laughing, chatting, and making new friends? Check, check, check! The added bonus? Most machines actually create two strips of photos – one for the guests to keep, and one for the bride and groom!

There’s more to the magic of the photo booth. Guests recognize a photo booth right off the bat as something fun and familiar. Would-be models of all ages, from Grandma to toddlers, will have fun grinning and saying “Cheese” in front of the camera.  And photo booths add a certain element of vintage glamour that will get guests talking to each other at the wedding – and talking about it for years after the last piece of cake is eaten!"

Hmmmm...maybe we should have a photo booth at our wedding! Uh-oh -  I think I've sold this concept to myself! 

Sophie Conran Dishes

I just had to share these gorgeous dishes that I registered for at The Bay in Kingston yesterday! The lady there was SO nice I nearly wept tears of happiness (as opposed to last time I tried to register, in Toronto - where a zapping gun was thrust into my hands with no direction while a bewildered David and I tried to navigate ourselves through the Saturday crowds - we lasted about ten minutes!).

In any case, I felt quite at home this time around! If you're thinking of registering in the Kingston area, I definitely recommend going to have a chat with Deb at The Bay! The dish set is called Sophie Conran for Portmeirion.

The dishes have a lovely modern, calmness about them with a bit of country charm (kind of like me, ha ha). And of course, after I finished registering I realized why they were so familiar - one of my best friends has the exact same set (and color - white). So, when we host posh affairs in the future, we can double up on our dishes! We can also say things like "Hey! That's my Round 11" Roasting Dish!"

Here are some images - the one with a woman in it is the designer. She's shown with plants in the cookware, how silly!

Sneak Peek - Kingston Whig Bridal Tab

I love Bridal Creations (Kingston, Ontario), so when I was asked to do the cover feature for the Kingston Whig-Standard's 2010 edition of "Brides," I practically shouted "YES!" before the words were out of my editor's mouth! I bought my own wedding dress there (still waiting for it to come in....the estimated arrival date is May 1!). So yesterday (and today) found me at Bridal Creations.

After I spoke to the owner, Pina, who is super sweet, I got to work whipping up an article which I'll show ya'll once its published. She's adding an exclusive boutique-style private room to the shop for brides who want a bit more of a luxurious experience - so of course I asked if it would be ready for when my dress comes in! And YES, it will! Yipppee! By the time our meeting was over, we were in the back trying to choose the perfect veil to match my gown.


...all in a day's work!!!

Body, Beauty & More

The Kingston Whig Standard recently published a little section called "Body, Beauty, and More" which I had the opportunity to coordinate. Between learning about botox injections and finding out where to go for the cheapest pedicure in Kingston (St. Lawrence College), I learned a thing or two.... I even got to experience my debut as a model for my story on Kingston Laser & Cosmetic Clinic (I think I'll stick to the writing end of things - and no, I did not get botox (yet)!). Here are a few highlights from the section...As usual click the pic to make it grow!

PS> I'm ready for that pedicure about now!

Hoot! Hoot! Cutest Owl Pillows Ever!

I was asked to write up an article about Kingston artist Hilary Cosgrove for Interiors Magazine. We met up at Sipps a couple of days ago (love the mocha latte with skim milk - that's healthy, right?). We had a great chat - it's always nice to catch up with someone else who works from home and understands the joys that come along with that (and the difficulties!). Hilary is a textile artist and she brought along some of her work to show me - Fab. U. Lous! They say a pic is worth a thousand words so here ya go:

Seriously...how cute are these pillows? I love the little "owelettes" - Can't you picture them in a nursery? But you don't need a baby to appreciate these little guys - they'd look so adorable in my living room, too! Looking for one in the Kingston area? Visit Dwell Boutique (it's that cute design shop near the Iron Duke on Wellington Street!).

19th Hole Magazine!

I just got back some spreads from The 19th Hole Mag - an awesome luxury golf publication I worked on not too long ago as assistant editor and contributor. They look amazing - the graphic arts team over there (in Georgia) really know what they're doing. Here's a few of my favourite layouts with articles by moi! Click on the pics to see 'em grow!

This next article was a real joy to write. It's about Hubert Prive, a fantastic artist based in Normandy, France. His work is so insightful and really shows a depth of appreciation for the game of golf. Here's a link to his website and a copy of the article - check out more about this artist at his site, www.golfenprive.com and watch for his new coffee table book - what a perfect gift for the golf+art enthusiast in your family!

Welcome, World!

Being a writer, it seemed only natural that eventually I would have my own blog. I knew the day would come - and here it is. So what will you find here? Well, I write. A lot. For a living. For fun. Lately, I've been writing a ton of articles about local businesses (and by local, I mean, in Kingston Ontario), so I plan to mention all the cool stuff I find in Kingston on here! What else do I write? Well, I am Associate Editor for Kingston Life's Interiors Magazine, so I'll be checking out some local designers this month. I'm also Assistant Editor for The 19th Hole Magazine, which is a golf & luxury lifestyle magazine geared towards women golfers and based in Georgia. Aside from that, I'm working on some neat stuff for the Kingston Whig Standard - specifically, just wrapped up the "Manage Your Money" section and now I'm finishing up our annual Bridal Tab (which I'm loving, since I am in the midst of planning my own wedding!).

So, there's a little glimpse! Check back for cool local finds!