My Shabby Chic Bathroom

Craigslist has once again gifted me with some choice finds. I got this super-cute hand painted sink in an old desk and an old fashioned medicine cabinet to go with it. I think they will go perfect with this toilet I got last year and my steam shower unit.










I've never really pictured myself with a blue bathroom, so I have been looking at pictures of other blue bathrooms to see what I like and don't like. As all my fixtures are white other than the blue sink, I'm thinking either white beadboard on the bottom half of the wall with blue on top to match the sink, or keeping the room mainly white with touches of blue tile or trim.




I don't want to copy either of these rooms exactly, just looking at the difference of a lot of colour or touches of colour.

I would like to find a small crystal chandalier for this bathroom as well. I can't wait to have a home that I can decorate. I have so many great things hiding in storage. I find myself mentally going through my belongings wondering which would go best with what. I need it all sprawled out in front of me so I can rearrange and play with ideas.

I had to go to Squamish to pick my latest treasures up. I see the snow finally decided to make an appearance on the mountains. Too bad it's the week after the Olympics. The cruise ship in the distance was used to house volunteers or security during the games.


The lady I got the fixtures from told me to go check out this floathome that someone was building just down the road. I love the barge they are using, what a wonderful stable platform to build on. I guess the guy building it is a woodworker and is doing his best to build a one of a kind home. I would love to see it when it's finished.

All's Well That Ends Well

I think I held my breath for the last 17 days as the Olympic party unfolded in our town. Things started off rough with the sad death of the Georgian luger, a serious lack of snow on the mountains and a few glitches during the opening ceremonies but once we won our first gold medal, all that was set aside and the party started in earnest. I have to admit I'm not one for watching sports but I ended up glued to my TV as the days went on.

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the opening ceremonies. I didn't think we could come even remotely close to the spectacle that China presented at the last Olympics but I thought we did a fabulous job. The closing ceremonies were fairly hokey by contrast but we have always been good at poking fun at ourselves. We were so happy at winning the gold in hockey that a humerous light-hearted show was perfect for the giddy crowd.

And speaking of crowds, I have never seen so many people on the streets.I kept thinking the thrill would wear off and things would slow down, but neither work, nor rain, nor mile-long lineups stopped the people from pouring into the downtown core day after day. It was literally a sea of elbow-to-elbow red and white patrism. I've never felt prouder to be a Canadian.

Welcome to the First Ever Spring Olympics

Well tonight is the kickoff for the "Winter" Olympics here in Vancouver BC. It's kind of wierd to know the whole world is going to be tuned into our city for the next few weeks.

The weather has not been co-operating at all. I can't think of two completly different winters than the last two we have had here. Last year was a record breaker for snow and bad weather. This year winter never really happened, other than a few days of cold snap. The temperatures have remained in the 5-10 celcius degree range for most of the time. For the first time since I can remember, the local ski hill Cypress has had no snow at all to speak of since Christmas. It definately does not feel winter-like here in the least, as a matter of fact, we have flowers blooming in the garden and when the sun comes out it is down right hot.

I'm torn between wanting the Olympics to be a huge success and proud to show off my beautiful city to the world but scared we are going to make fools of ourselves in front of the international community. We have alot of issues in our city that desparately need attention, such as a huge homeless population, rampant drug and alcohol abuse problems,underfunded or nonexistant care for mentally ill patients and so on. We could have used the money to address these issues and made this city a better place for those that already live here rather than trying to entice yet more people to come and raise the property values even more. I forsee lots of demonstrations as our city hangs out it's dirty laundry at the biggest party ever. I just pray it doesn't get ugly.

I don't know if it's a foreshadowing of things to come but an athelete has already died while practicing for a sledding competition on a track that has already seen other injuries.Not a great way to start things off. Thirty atheletes have just been banned from competing due to doping charges. That one I just don't get at all. They know it's illegal, they know they will be tested, so why not just get in the spirit of the game and just be your personal best without trying to cheat. Mano a mano, may the best one win.

For the most part, I just can't wait for it to all be over. I can't afford the exhorbitent prices to actually go see any of the events, the free ones sound fun but there is the issue of getting to the venues as a lot of the roads are closed down,so it's join the masses trying to vye for seats on public transportation,pray there are still seats available once you get there and deal with a military state while trying to enjoy the event. I just pray it all goes smoothly,no major incidents,and everyone goes away with a positive memory of Vancouver.I hope with all my heart that this party will leave a positive legacy for our city and that somehow the funds that we need to deal with our issues will be generated as a result of all the attention.

Go Canada Go!!!

Survived Another Year

Hi, everyone out there doing ok? Was this last year as tumulteous for you as it was for me? By the way if you read my blog and have never left a comment, I would love a hello from you and let me know if there is anything in particular you want to hear about.

So 2009 started with tons of good intentions
-quit smoking (lasted 6 months) :(
-work out ( lasted 1 month)
-finish my boat ( she went to her final resting place in March)
-start teaching some courses ( totally forgot about that one till I reread my posts) :|

Once the boat was gone I spent about 6 months trying to find somewhere to plant my feet.Lots of false moves and starts took all the energy and time I could muster.A pinched nerve in the heat of all heat waves to beat all set me back financially although my tan had a great summer.

I finally decided on building my own floathome. I got a float and spent the next 6months scouring craigslist for free material and appliances to furnish my floating dream. I eventually managed to fill a 40 foot container with my found treasures. At this point it is still but a dream in progress. I need a few things before I continue on. First , I need an architecht to help me put together a list of material and structural considerations. Then I need a sizeable chunk of change to purchase framing,siding and roofing materials. I not sure my float will be sturdy enough for what I want to do so am kind of holding back to see if anything better comes along. Then there is always the matter of where do I park it once it's built? I'm not sure how long I am willing to keep paying for storage but hopefully something comes together by this summer.

I finally moved from the marina in November. I spend about half the week here visiting with David and the other half at my new space in town. I'm enjoying this transition period alot. Being in town,surrounded by community, I have come out of my shell ( or escaped the Mitchell Island vortex) and started having a social life again. Whatever last year brought, it certainly brought lots of music and great parties. I've lived in Vancouver now for 20 years and finally feel like I belong to a community. I have the greatest friends in the world and live in an increadiably beautiful city.

The holiday festivities continued on. New Years Eve , I treated myself to a fascial, massage and a visit to my hairdresser goddess Dee.


I took the new me to a house party to celebrate and make music with my friends. The next day, a few of us treated ourselves to brunch at the Hyatt. A few days later it was my birthday and my dear friend Daryl had me and a few friends over for dinner,cake and music.

Yummy birthday cake with one discreet candle




The next day David got back from his trip home and we spent the weekend back at my friends cabin in the hills. Just what the Dr. ordered, peace and quiet, no phones or responsibilities.

Just in time for the boxing day sales, my refurbuished computer drew it's last breath. I got myself a great new computer on which this post is being written. I love it, it's very fast, Windows 7, lots of features. I've spent the last two weeks sorting it all out rebuilding my music library and finally going through 60 gigs of photos, deleting 8 gigs of bad ones and putting all the rest in indentifiable folders. Phew... huge job, but I feel better now with everything all organized.

So as always at the top of my resolution list is to get in shape again. Now that I'm reasonably settled in life, I'm hoping to have a better go at it this year.
My other goal is to just get out more. I live in a beautiful part of the world with all kinds of nature options to enjoy and music festivals to take in. I haven't done anything around here in years. I hope this changes this year. Going to the cabin was a good start, it's close by but feels a million miles from the city.

I wish for you all, smiles and sunshine,good health and fortune for this year.
xxoo Rhianna

Best Christmas EVER!!

Hidey ho ho ho folks,I hope this Yuletide season has treated you well.This Christmas was packed full of fun and friends for me.

It started with the annual Wreck Beach Preservation Society Christmas Dance held at the beautiful Heritage Hall just a few blocks from where I live. There were about 10 different bands playing, all friends of mine from the beach. I am very blessed to know so many talented people. It was a wonderful evening of great music and good times catching up with everyone I haven't seen since summertime.

The following week my roomate decided to host a Christmas dinner here at her house. Somehow I got kitchen duty and ended up cooking a full on turkey dinner with all the trimmings for 20 people. Didn't know I had it in me as I usually get invited somewhere for Christmas dinner and have never been the host before. Luckily it all turned out awesome and no one got food poisoning, so I can add that to my resume. Martha Stewart would have been so proud of us,it's a gorgeous heritage home decorated to the hilt and the most beautifully set table I have ever seen, loaded with scrumptious food.

Christmas Eve I was invited to another friend of mine's cabin in the woods for a traditional Czech celebration. A group of 10 of us drove up to Cypress Mountain( a local ski resort in North Vancouver) and hiked into the forest to the rustic 100 year old cabin nestled in the snow covered pines. We chose a small tree behind the cabin, read a blessing to it then decorated it with all things edible for the local wildlife. There were pineapple and red pepper rings, bird seed bells, strings of cranberry berries ,a star made from an apple and carrot sticks and cooked noodles for tinsel. Candles were lit with a prayer for each one and sparklers were added on the tree. A small birdhouse nearby was also decorated as a tribute to the spirits of the woods. It was the most beautiful sight to see the tree twinkling in the snow covered forest. It didn't take long for the whiskyjacks( a kind of bird) to find us and they were soon eating right out of our hands.

Some of our crew at the rest stop at Cypress Mountain


Our Cabin in the woods


Getting the tree decorated


Decorated birdhouse


Our hosts posing with the tree


Proud tree decoraters


The tree all lit up with candles and sparklers


Feeding the whiskyjacks




My Turn


Feasting by candlelight

We then made our way indoors where a thoughtful caretaker had prelit a fire in the woodstove for us. The cabin has no electricity or running water so many candles were lit and we shared a potluck meal of foods that needed no preparing on-site. Eggnog was drunk, stories were shared, presents exchanged and smiles were shared by all.

I am admittedly not a big fan of snow but I do love to see it at Christmas. Living in the Wet Coast of Canada we often have no snow in December and wake up to Christmas drizzle and grey skies. Going to the cabin was perfect,there was snow all around us, decorating the trees and the ground, but the roads were dry all the way to the parking lot, so we didn't have to deal with the inconviences snow can bring.

The next day we cleaned up the cabin and made our way back to town. That evening I went to another friends house for a full on traditional turkey dinner. Shelley and Todd have had me over their home for Christmas dinner almost every year for the 13 years Ive known them. Bless their hearts for adopting me on a day when I can't be with my own family and giving me the perfect experience every time. Her home is gorgeous,filled with beautiful antiques,and its always decorated with all the holiday trimmings. A fire crackles in the fireplace and the dinner table looks right out of a foody magazine with yummy homemade wine to wash it all down with.

My gracious hosts, Todd and Shelley


The cheery fireplace


A closeup of the wonderful houses that Shelley made to deorate her mantle


The decorated dining room




A cool old radio that Todd refurbished into a hidden bar



Boxing Day I dragged myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 8 am and by 9 I was shopping for bargins at Homesense. I manged to spend over $200 (but saved $140) on all the gorgeous ornaments I would need to decorate my own home next year. It's incentive to me to actually manifest this home of mine. I dragged my booty home and spread it all out on the floor and just looked at it all with delight for a few hours before packing most of it away to join the rest of my stuff in storage.

My new Christmas treasures


















Later that afternoon I headed over to my friend Dee's house where she was hosting a Boxing Day jam for all her beach friends. It was a wonderful gathering, lots of good music, especially when they started to sing carols. It's so much better to sing them yourself , then be inudated with them as muzac at the mall.

Making beautiful music at Dee's


All in all it was the perfect storybook Christmas.The only pea in the mattress was that I couldn't be with my own family or David( he went home to Ontario for a long overdue visit with his own family). My brother has offered to buy me a ticket to visit them in Ottawa next year. I am so looking forward to that. The last time I spent Christmas with my whole family in one room was 30 years ago. I'm hoping my Dad can join us so we can be all together again. But until that happens , I have to thank my Wreck Beach family from the bottom of my heart for taking me into their hearts and homes and making this holiday a most amazing experience. Bless you all, each and every one of you!