Puppy power

I have always been a bit wary of dogs as I had a bad experience with one when I was younger, but in recent years I have started coming round to them thanks to an old colleague and friend’s infectious love and interest in them. After my trip to Vancouver last year where they all seem to be treated like little people in fur coats rather than dogs I became quite interested in this adornment for the animal (see link). In this advert by Pedigree, which I think is rather beautiful, you see slow motion Crufts standard dogs jumping for a treat. Although I’m warming to them, I still don’t like their dog breath of slobbery tongue.

(via Swissmiss)

This is quite funny too…

Lixa

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010

I want to pay homage to the beautiful work of StudioAKA, who have produced the new BBC Sport – 2010 Winter Olympics Animation in Vancouver. If you haven’t seen it or noticed it, shame on you (or you just have a life and don’t watch TV or live abroad) Watch the ad below and enjoy.

Directed by Marc Craste and Designed by John Klassen

Here’s a reminder of how good the BBC advert for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was.

Good job Beeb!

Lixa

Postcard

Those wee rascals made it all the way to Vancouver and sent me a lovely postcard of their travels today, ohh how it made me smile!

Hope to receive another one soon…!

Lady Lixa

New Dolls

Here are some new dolls I have just made…

They are off to Vancouver with my brother tomorrow , Bon voyage mes petits monstres!

Lady Lixa

Nouvelle Nouvelle

On my trip to Vancouver in Febuary I stumbled across a really sweet shop Nouvelle Nouvelle in Gas Town, by far my favorite district in Vancouver. The shop had a good mix of clothing, accessories and art work each laid out in an understated way. The atmosphere was casual, relaxed and creative and the woman behind the desk was browsing her computer with a lovable dog by her side. The bulldog, Lily, was very sweet wearing a funny wee knitted jumper, and in regards to my earlier post about dog clothing, Lily looked so very comfy in her trendy knit!

(if anything go check out the bulldog Lily!!)

American labels Dolce Vita, Quail, Yokoo, Vancouver designer Genevieve Graham and Swedish clothing group Perminant Vacation are all labels that the store carries. I loved finding new labels that aren’t in the shops over here and particularly liked Quail and Yokoo, the latter based in Atlanta has an Etsy page displaying her cool chunky knit designs.

Yokoo, sweet chunky scarf

Cute Permanent Vacation dress (for any of you Twilight fans out there, i reckon the model could totally be a Vampire!Victoria’s little sister maybe! Bit me, RAAHHH)

Quail, I tried on the blue dress, it was gourgeous…….ahhhh

Vancouver based Genevieve Graham

From the creative director behind Insight clothing Natalie Wood has created Something Else. (Sweet tattoos)

So if you are going to Vancouver get over to Gas Town pronto… I ended up visiting this shop a couple of times on my visit and will definetly be back. Recently I recieved a lovely necklace from my brother in the post which he bought at Nouvelle Nouvelle, what a nice surprise, so thankyou again for it! Their blog based website always a pleasure to browse so have a peek, also, I was assured by the owner that they ship overseas. Yipee!

So pleased I found this wee gem of a shop!

Lady Lixa

Edinburgh

On my recent trip to Vancouver to see my mum and brother I did a lot of wondering around, visiting shops and generally absorbing the city. However, being back in the rather dreich city of Edinburgh has made me wish I could see the town through a fresh set of eyes. It is a beautiful city, it’s just so familiar. So I am setting myself a task to go to parts of the city I have never been and rekindle my enjoyment for the city again, whether its taking photos, discovering new shops or just aimlessly wondering around looking for something to grab me….easier said than done I think.

In the last few years a number of my favorite local shops have closed and hopefully that trend doesnt continue with the current economic climate. These included two of my favorite clothing shops that had been about since I was a teenager, Odd Ball Mall and Odd One Out. The Latter closed it’s clothing boutiques in Victoria Street a few months ago to concentrate on selling their independent label Oddities online. Vixy Rae designed the label Oddities using Susie Q’s illustrations of Scotland, wild life and urban scenes on the clothing and accessories. If you are in Glasgow they have opened a small concept store at the Ivy bar, I haven’t been through but i’m sure it’s well worth a look. Check out the website for clothing and their blog, I hope their site proves as succsessful as the shop was.

odditiesclothing

On the plus side an amazing shop called Goodstead has just relocated their store from Bread Street to the busier and more central location of Rose Street. I went to the shop yesterday and its amazing space, well worth a visit if you’re in Edinburgh. They also have an extensive online store with brands like Surface to Air, Sixpack France, Wood Wood and Gsus Sindustries to name a few. They also have an extensive collection of trainers with more brands on it’s way. Owners Graham Blakey and Ian Craigie have done a fantastic job with this stylish boutique in the heart of Edinburgh.

Goodstead Rose Street

Lady Lixa