lotus events

vintage by colour

lotus events — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:39:51 +0000

This was originally suppose to be a post about a collection of pretty yellow pictures that I had come across on pinterest, but then I saw this post by bird + birch, and many hours later, I stumbled across Hilda Grahnat. A photographer and graphic design student based in Malmö, Sweden, she photographs weddings, among other things, as well as run an online shop. I am in love with her vintage by color (above) collection, but you can see all of her work on her website here.

all photos by hilda grahnat

LHR :: things to do ::

lotus events — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:09:23 +0000

The East London Craft Guerrilla has set up shop in the Wood Street Indoor Market in Walthamstow, and we are so excited for their grand opening this Saturday! Debbie has been posting a few sneak peeks on twitter of the work in progress, and trust me, you won’t want to miss checking out her shop of handmade loveliness! That’s not all either. Craft Guerrilla has been super busy producing their first event of 2012 – the Valentine’s Fair at the Vestry House Museum. Pick up a love themed handmade item, or join one of the Etsy UK workshops (starting at noon) and make your own plush boy / girlfriend!

Grand Opening:
Saturday, February 11th, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Regular Business Hours:
Wednesday to Saturday
10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wood Street Indoor Market Unit 37, Walthamstow E17 3HX

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♥ love ♥ hand ♥ made ♥ – Valentine’s Fair:
Saturday, February 11th, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road, Walthamstow Village, E17 9NH

i love :: handmade romance

lotus events — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:09:10 +0000

Handmade Romance by Evie B. is just too cute. I love the detail she puts into making each bearded boy badge and plush doll. Just in time for Valentine’s Day? Just kidding! Here is her story in her own words (from her etsy profile) …

To this day I carry a permanent indent on my index finger from hours spent clutching pencils while drawing as a child. During these years I spent equal time in both the city and the country. Currently I live in the city of Melbourne, Australia.

During the time I lived in the country (which was well before the wonders of the internet — yep, I’m that old) I had very limited access to the latest clothing stores and outside inspiration. I would dream up outfits to wear to the end of year school dances, and along with the help of my mum we’d create something individual, unique and handmade. It was during this time I also learned the basics of knitting, sewing and crocheting. Thus my romance with all things handmade begun.

Find her here: etsy | blog | facebook | flickr

a cup full of coffee

lotus events — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:16:57 +0000

We ♥ coffee. My grandma used to enjoy a cup of coffee each morning with sugar and milk. When I stayed over, she would let me bring out this teeny tiny cup that I had and let me have two sips. Over time, our taste and appreciation for coffee has developed to what started out with Tim Hortons to seeking out indepedent coffee shops. Now, don’t be calling us snobs or anything. Neither one of us have had formal training, and we do still drink coffee from various chains on occasion such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee, but we try to limit those visits. We also like a good place to drink coffee. Atmosphere is key, and really, there isn’t anything better than popping into a nice place during teatime for a nice cup of coffee and a slice of cake!

After some research, Robert signed up for a basic two-day session with the London School of Coffee. Led by Robert Henry from Another Cup, the course combined the business side of things with an introduction of practical barista training (how to prepare drinks). Robert got to experience what goes on behind the counter from business skills focused on the coffee industry to learning about the equipment used to being hands on and learning how to make assorted beverages. Neither one of us have any barista experience, so it was quite fun for him to “pull a shot” and “texture milk”, and learn all the “barista” lingo!

Our last few days in London has been seeking out independent coffee shops and tasting their coffee and cake. For educational purposes of course! Robert likes to peer behind the counter and judge them which has earned him the title of being a coffee snob. In a good way of course! Some of our favourite places in London include TomTom, Prufrock Coffee, Nude Espresso, Federation Coffee, and I have to mention that Luxe sure makes a good mocha for cheap! Do you have a favourite place that we should try? Drop us a note and let us know! Interested in checking out a coffee session in London, UK? Visit both Prufrock and London School of Coffee for details.

parlour coffee (winnipeg, mb), photo credit: 26 merton road

i heart you

lotus events — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:59:44 +0000

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? We aren’t usually ones to make special plans for Valentine’s Day since you really should be loving your significant other / pet / friend / family / yourself / “insert here” everyday! However, no matter how you may feel about it, Valentine’s Day is coming up next week, and if you know me, I always love a good “heart”!

I remember in elementary school, our teacher would send us all home with a list of classmate names. My mom would then take me to the store and I could pick out a pack of Valentine’s that I wanted to hand out. We would then spend time at school making special Valentine folders where everybody could drop off your cards and small presents. Ah, those were the days!

photo credit: (1) Geronimo Balloons (font was added), (2) BleuBird Vintage, (3) martha stewart, (4) Mignon Kitchen Co., (5) via pinterest, (6) flickr Thomas Hawk, (7) via the sweetest occassion | photo credit Emily Steffen, (8) Owly Shadow Puppets, (9) instagram – kierstenpaige01, (10) Keith Davis Young, (11) design*sponge, styling by Ashley Meaders of Dolci Odille

photo template via pugly pixel

in the city ::

lotus events — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:55:02 +0000

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster the last few days while we prepare for our move back to Vancouver. We have been busy playing “weigh the suitcase”, organizing boxes, cleaning, and listing things for sale. We had guests over on the weekend, and I forgot to leave extra towels and mugs for them – oops! It was all good though. Our last week here was spent enjoying London’s first snow fall, getting caught in a nightmare traffic jam enroute to the best burgers ever at Brixton Village (4.5 hour round trip from East Putney to Brixton!!), trying out new-to-us coffee shops in Chancery Lane + Shoreditch, seeing the London Summer Olympics 2012 medals at the British Museum, researching future shop tours, and rediscovering macarons (pistachio + vanilla are my fav!).

I’m currently sitting on the floor of the living room waiting for the internet people to disconnect our service. It may be a little quiet the next few days while we travel and settle in, but we will check in soon! In the meantime, feel free to stay in touch via twitter! See you soon ~~sushi~~ Vancouver!

kinfolk magazine

lotus events — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:39:04 +0000

“Kinfolk is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings. We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love. Every element of Kinfolk—the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends.” – kinfolk magazine manifesto

Sounds absolutely perfect! You can purchase volume 1+2 here to add to your collection. Thanks Emily for the heads up!

photo credit: daniella marie, FUSE , amanda jane

one year in london, uk

lotus events — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:41:59 +0000

If you had told me 5 years ago that we would spend a year living in London, UK, I would have thought you were crazy! One year! We’ve been here one year as of today! Despite the stress of moving (x10 when moving to another country!), this has been an amazing experience which has given us the opportunity to meet new friends, travel, explore London from a different perspective, and of course, produce Got Craft? UK! I’ve been a rollercoaster of emotions lately as our time here is coming to an end. The movers arrived today to pack everything up (due to insurance purposes, they have to pack), and it feels so odd to be sitting in a house with no furniture (I’m using a cardboard box as a table while I sit on the floor). I’m super excited to return to Vancouver (sushi!), and I know that we will be back to London in just a few months for work, but it still marks the end of a chapter.

5 things I’m going to miss the most:

The markets – Whomever told me that British Food wasn’t good, obviously had not tried the independent food stalls at the local markets and at Brixton Village. It’s affordable, fresh, and absolutely delicious! Oh, and there is nothing in Vancouver that even comes close to the vintage / antique / boot sales they have here. We are coming home with 7x more furniture / items then we arrived with – eek!

There is so much to do – We took the bus (passing Parliament, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey) to Trafalgar Square for Malaysian Nights. After a quick snack, we popped into the National Gallery for some Van Gogh, and then walked to Chinatown for supper. That’s something that I can get used to! We have spent an entire year here, and haven’t even scratched the surface.

Small fridges + Grocery Shopping – I was a bit surprised when our kitchen fridge was no bigger than a bar fridge, but we quickly adapted to going grocery shopping on an almost daily basis. We only buy for 2 or 3 meals at a time which helps us save money by throwing less food out, and eating fresh. Eggs are not kept in the refrigerator section here, and groceries are cheaper than in Vancouver. I can’t buy a box of name brand cereal or 5 chocolate bars at home for $1.57 with tax! And, don’t even get me started on the cheese here! $2 for a slice of brie and some of the best croissants you have ever had just from the local grocery store for $1!

Our home – Two days after landing in London, our estate agent took us to see 23 flats before we chose our current place. There were many headaches during the process and some more during our stay, but overall, we love our maisonette. Yes, we do have a washer / dryer combo, but the dryer part is a lie.

Weather – Why do people complain about British weather? It rains a lot less here than in Vancouver, and when it does rain, it blows over quickly. This can be tricky to dress for though as we don’t have a vehicle and rely on public transportation, so it could be freezing cold outside and a sauna when you arrive at the tube station or hot and sunny in the morning and raining later in the afternoon.

in the city ::

lotus events — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:01:54 +0000

Portobello Road in Notting Hill is one of the most famous street markets in the world with their busiest day being Saturday where you can visit approx. 1500 stalls + shops in one day (antiques, clothing, homewares, fruit + veg, etc.). This area is beautiful with it’s tree lined streets and colourful houses, but we rarely visit due to the number of people that come through on the weekends. I’m just not a fan of walking in a crowd of people for blocks upon blocks nor tripping over luggage! This was until I saw a message on Twitter recommending people visit Portobello on a Friday to enjoy the street without the crowds. Bingo!

Much like the Columbia Road Flower Market, if you want to experience the same place from a different perspective, head there on a “non typical market day”. With the sun shining, we walked from end to end exploring side streets, enjoying a cup of coffee from the Coffee Plant, and then visited the Museum of Brands.

#FEBphotoaday

lotus events — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:52:40 +0000

I found out about the January challenge created by fatmumslim too late, so I am super excited to participate this month! (thanks to paperpastries for the reminder!). You can follow me on instagram (username lotusevents), and twitter (@lotusevents) to see my daily pictures (day one is posted above – a view from my roof terrace)!

Here’s how to play (from fatmumslim):
1. Use the list above as inspiration and take a photo everyday. For example for number one on the list, ‘your view today’ you’d take a shot of whatever it is that you can see today. This would be a wider shot of your office space, where you went for a walk, or whatever it is that you can see!
2. Share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, your blog or where ever it is you want to share. If you’re sharing on Instagram or Twitter use the hashtag #FEBphotoaday so everyone can find them. There’s a great community around the photo sharing, so do share!
3. Check out everyone else’s pictures. I do it before I go to bed each night and it’s so fun to see how different everyone’s photos are. There are people from every corner of the world playing.