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The Anthology

Pinstagram | Beachside, Poolside and Roadside Glamour

The Anthology’s Pinstagram column marries the dream (Pinterest) and the reality (Instagram).

Don’t look down. Kauai’s Waimea Canyon is stunningly beautiful (if you’re not afraid of heights) + so is this model, who looks like she’s contemplating her own fear of heights.

Branch out. Trees lining one of Maui’s beaches (those are surfers in the distance) + trees lining a winter road (without any surfers for miles).

Nice weave. A woven beach bag my mom brought back from Mexico in the 1970’s + a woven hairdo that makes me want to grow my hair out.

Deluxe accommodations. When I went to summer camp in Maui as a teenager this was my cabin (which you can now rent) + what I remember most about those nights isn’t the midnight scuba dives (though they were wild) it was how starry the night sky was.

It’s a jungle out there. This was the trail leading through a bamboo forest in Haleakala National Park in Maui + and this appropriately illustrates how dense the forest was.

Birds on a wire. The sugar cane fields in Maui are the coolest + so are these birds.

Cool blues. I spent a day on a catamaran when I was in Maui + this is what I wore. <—That was a complete lie. I wore the dorkiest snorkel gear ever.

P.S. Follow Kelsey Dundon on Pinterest and Instagram, or if you prefer a more traditional route, add The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter.

November 22, 2012 by

Thank you | WE Vancouver

Thank you, WE Vancouver, for featuring this gal as your latest It Girl.

Read the interview to find out how I smell (like heaven), what I consider to be my most sentimental wardrobe item (my Justin Bieber concert tee is a close second) and what I like to drink on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings (here’s a hint: they’ll look at you like you’re crazy if you order one south of the border).

You’re the best, Kelsey Klassen!

[I’m wearing a Prada shirt, vintage belt and pants, M0851 tote, Elizabeth and James shoes.]

Photo by Doug Shanks for WE Vancouver

November 22, 2012 by

You Asked | How To Make Your Blog Look Better?

Tara writes:

I am your biggest word-of-mouth fan, and tell everyone about how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog. It masterfully combines, passion with personal pursuit, and what I like to call, intellectual fashion — fashion made smart! Fashion that is displayed in a unique, untouchable and lovable way!

Any advice you can give me as a blogger, in regard to ways to make my blog look better, I would truly appreciate…

This weekend I’ll be speaking all about these sorts of things at Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies Social Media Boot Camp. But in case you’re, ya know, not in Vancouver, here are a few dead-simple ways to make your blog look slick, even if especially if you’re not a designer.

Be judgmental. And figure out what you like about the look of your favourite blogs. The blogs I love — whether they’re about fashion (Garance Dore), interior design (The Selby) or DIY ideas (Adore More)– all have one thing in common: big, beautiful images and very little writing. (And this coming from a writer!) Then again, I also love xojane.com and it’s filled with tons of text and lacklustre images so every rule has its exception. But my point is: when you’re not Jane Pratt and you don’t yet have a built-in fan base and scores of talented writers spilling their most intimate thoughts for you, you’ll need to grab readers with your blog’s stunning good looks.

Keep it simple. With all the themes WordPress offers (and I do recommend WordPress over the other blogging platforms) it’s tempting to pick a jazzy one, but I’d opt to keep things simple. Why? None of those fancy themes were crafted for your brand, which means other blogs will have them too and that can get distracting. I find it’s best to keep the framework clean so it doesn’t detract from your brilliant content.

A picture is worth… The web is a visual medium — people have no time and zero patience which means they need to be captivated immediately. That’s why visuals are even more important than copy. (And this coming, once again, from a writer!) Crisp, clean, original images will do wonders for you. And photography is fun. Difficult, time-consuming fun. But the more you do it, the better you’ll get.

Break up. Like to write a lot? Make your longer posts easier to read by dividing up long chunks of copy with subheads, bullet points, images, screen grabs of other sites that illustrate your points, or whatever your heart desires.

Keep it consistent. I didn’t pick up on this when I first started The Anthology, but one of the easiest ways to make your blog look clean and tidy is to keep your text and images all one width (if you’re using a traditional column blog format, that is). The same goes for your sidebar — the cleaner the widgets look, the better. Less is more here too.

If all else fails, befriend an interactive designer and pray that she’ll take pity on you and revamp your blog for you. Or wait until you’re big enough to hire a designer to customize the look of your blog for you.

Hope this helps, Tara!

[Screen grabs from Garance Dore, The Selby and Adore More]

P.S. Take a look at a few of the other reader-submitted questions like Emilie’s How Do You Gain Exposure and Shona’s How Do You Do It?

P.P.S. Have a question you’d like an answer to? Send it to KDundon@TheAnthology.ca

P.P.P.S. Register for SFU’s Continuing Studies Social Media Boot Camp and I’ll see you on Saturday!

November 21, 2012 by

Diary | Vancouver From My Driver’s Seat

A sponsored post. 

Just like Oprah, The Anthology and MINI Richmond have teamed up to give you a car. And not just any car, but your favourite MINI. (Click here to enter to win!) My favourite MINI is the little Roadster pictured above, which I’m test driving before it ends up in one of your hands.

It’s a convertible so I’ve been doing a lot of driving with the top down lately. Roofs are so overrated.

These are a few shots I grabbed of my very pretty city (Vancouver!) as I was cruising around town (don’t worry, mom, I pulled over before I started snapping away).

I might love the beach on sunny fall days even more than during the summer. Kits, at least, is calm — quiet, even. And oh so pretty.

And with a MINI Roadster convertible, you can sunbathe without even leaving your car.

Want to win your own MINI for a year plus a supersized MINI adventure from MINI Richmond? (Of course!) Click here to enter. Then up your chances by sharing your entry on Facebook and Twitter @MINIRichmond (#MINIadventure). Good luck!

November 20, 2012 by

Style | Rebecca Bree Boutique

Rebecca Rawlinson is a ray of sunshine. And not just because of her sunny blonde hair or her Reese Witherspoon-esque enthusiasm for just about everything. Scratch that. It’s entirely because of her Reese Witherspoon-esque enthusiasm for just about everything. Especially fashion.

After years of dreaming and planning and what felt like years of renovating, she opened the boutique Rebecca Bree, which is such a reflection of her personality and tastes, those close to her have said it is “like walking into her brain.” So I decided to pick that brain…

On her first thoughts

I wanted my own business for about a decade, since I started working retail. I’m never going to be happy working for someone else. I thought Okay, I’m going to start an online store. But that quickly changed because I thought about my daily life and it would be in a warehouse without one-on-one interaction with people and I was like That is not going to work for me. I love people. I love to be surrounded by people, I love to talk to people, I love to style them.

[The Sleep Shirt is by my friend and fellow Vitamin Daily editor Alexandra Suhner Isenberg.]

On darkness and light

I’ve been to a lot of store openings and the décor never really spoke to me. Too much cement, too much glass, not enough décor, not enough colour. I never felt comfortable and cozy, I always felt cold, like I was in a museum.

Vancouver’s a very dark city so I wanted a bright, inviting store when it’s raining. The lighting had to be bright, the paint had to be white.

On learning to let go

This was a huge risk because I’ve been in retail, I’ve been in management but I haven’t been in business.

Before I was like I have to do it all, no one’s going to do it the way I want it done. But now, if I communicate effectively then other people can help me build the store and help me get to where I am. I mean, I remember telling Cynthia how to fold the hand towels in the bathroom.

On Rebecca Bree’s tucked-away location on Fourth Avenue

After three months of searching my realtor sent me this place and I was like No. The windows are too small, I don’t like it. I was very negative about it at first.

But then my boyfriend and I came to visit it and we parked two blocks away and we walked past Aphrodites and Banyen Books and Bioethique, and saw La Quercia across the street. We walked in and it was a blank canvas. There was nothing in here.

My boyfriend and I looked at each other and we were like This is it.

P.S. Follow The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll be the first to see behind-the-scenes photos.

P.P.S. You’ll find all The Anthology’s interviews with the likes of designer Rachel Roy, J.Crew’s design directors Tom Mora and Frank Muytjens, and Topshop’s top people right here.

November 12, 2012 by

Bookmark | Miss Moss

In The Anthology’s Bookmark column we explore some of the most inspiring places on the wild, wild web.

Graphic designers always have the best blogs. They’re pure scroll-worthy eye candy.

Take Miss Moss, for example.

Edited by Cape Town-based graphic designer Diana Moss, it’s packed with her original photography, fashion picks and — my personal favourite — mood boards, all of which have a simple, yet colourful aesthetic.

Plus, her Cape Town City Guide lists so many cool boutiques it makes me want to go to there.

It’s a lovely glimpse at a creative life on the other side of the world. It’s worth scrolling through again and again. So bookmark Miss Moss  already and bookmark The Anthology while you’re at it.

[Images from Miss Moss of course.]

November 7, 2012 by

Pinstagram | Cher, Dionne and Violet

The Anthology’s Pinstagram column marries the dream (Pinterest) and the reality (Instagram).

La La Land. Two of my favourite things about Los Angeles? LAX and Beverly Hills.

Sweet tooth. A teeny, tiny, and very delicious coconut pudding at Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver + a teeny, tiny crystallized violet.

Living in textile. A few bright, colourful fabrics I found at my local sewing shop Spool of Thread + a bright, colourful carpet I’d love to have in my dining room.

Hello, halo. Hers is fake. And since mine is a trick of the camera, I suppose my halo is too. (That MINI, I’m driving? MINI Richmond wants to give it to you!)

Art attack. Opening night of Andrew Grassie’s exhibit at Rennie Collection + words worth walking on.

Taking it easy. My two office mates (on the left) are pretty lazy. I can only image how they’ve been slacking since I’ve been on the road for two weeks. Not in Paris and Roma, mind you, but in Kauai, Kona and Maui.

P.S. Follow Kelsey Dundon on Pinterest and Instagram, or if you prefer a more traditional route, add The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter.

November 4, 2012 by

After | The upcycled stools

It was a long road from the blah brown stools I found at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore to the stage at the Vancouver Home and Design Show.

But I made it. How? A little paint and a lot of staple gun magic. If you’re into upcycling (so fun! so green!) and you want to reupholster a pair of square stools, you’ll find a step by step (ooooh baby!) guide below. And trust me, if I can do it, you can too.

Unscrew the stool’s top and set it aside.

Prep and paint the wooden part of the stool. And don’t believe your friend Justin when he tells you sanding will take two minutes. It will take much longer, but it’s worth it to ensure the paint won’t scratch off. Prime (if you like) and paint. You may need to do two coats.

Choose your fabric and buy way more than you think you’ll need to allow for accidents and overhang. Fabrics with straight lines and/or symmetrical prints (like the one I chose, which I found at  Spool of Thread) are the most difficult to use because you have to line them up carefully so they don’t get warped. Fabrics with random prints — or none at all — are much easier to work with.

Iron your fabric if it needs it and then lay it face down on a flat surface. Lay the stool top face down on the fabric. Fold the fabric over one edge, paying close attention to make sure lines in the fabric’s print don’t warp. Then, before stapling, tuck in the edge of the fabric to create a kind of hem so it won’t fray.

Pull out that staple gun and start stapling from the centre out to an inch or so from each corner. Don’t worry about completing the corners yet. Repeat this on the opposite side, pulling the fabric taught. Complete the other two sides.

Finish the corners by folding over the triangle of remaining fabric. Pull it tight toward the centre of the stool. You’ll end up with a few pleats, but that’s a-okay. Staple until they’re secure.

Screw the tops onto the legs once the paint has dried.

Et voila! New stools!

[Blouse c/o JNBY, pants by Lifetime Collective, socks from Gap, boots by Matisse, bag by Longchamp.]

P.S. I post photos to Instagram as I go so follow Kelsey Dundon there or on Twitter @TheAnthology.

November 1, 2012 by

Happy Halloween!

I love any holiday that has its own kitschy, catchy tunes. I can’t wait until it’s time to play Hanson’s Merry Christmas Baby again (who am I kidding — I’ll listen to Hanson any time).

Guess what, fiends! Today is the day I look forward to all year because I finally, shamelessly get to play the Ghostbusters theme song. Again and again. I’m not kidding — I’m goblin it up as I write. It’s all the treat I need. Well, that and this outfit.

But if the thought of putting that song on repeat for 24 hours straight frightens you and you’re wondering witch songs to haunt your neighbours with tonight, may I recommend these spooktacular tunes from the playlist I put together for Vitamin Daily?

It’s creepy and it’s kooky, mysterious and spooky and all together ooky. It’s frightfully ghould!

[First image found here, second image found here, third image found here, fourth image found here.]

P.S. Follow The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter so I can haunt you wherever you are…

October 31, 2012 by

Workspace | Melissa Knight of Miss Melissa

The Anthology’s Workspace column takes us inside the creative spaces of some very creative people.

She blogs, she vlogs, she bakes. Melissa Knight, better known as Miss Melissa, is the bubbly blonde behind the personal style site named, well, Miss Melissa.

In her own words she takes us through her closet/desk/vanity…

1. I had two options when deciding where to create a work space in my suite. Option one was in the kitchen where I would be arms length away from snacks and option two was in my closet. Taking into consideration my love for snacking and the fact that the room I turned into a closet was technically supposed to be a den to begin with, I opted to put my desk in my closet.

2. My brother framed one of the photos I took of our gorgeous city and gave it to my for Christmas. It’s really the only nice thing he’s ever done for me so I have it hanging above my desk as a reminder that miracles really do happen. No, I’m just kidding. I just really love how he framed the photo.

3. My desk moonlights as my vanity so it’s also where I keep my jewelry. I’m admittedly not huge on accessories so most of the time they are just sparkly decorations.

4. My laptop. The one place my work life and blog life unite. If someone ever steals my laptop they are going to be really confused as to what the heck I do.

5. I’m in a constant struggle over whether or not I want to fully embrace technology (no seriously, it took me years to switch from VHS to DVDs). I love my iphone and I use my laptop all the time but there is something about making to do lists or jotting ideas down in a notebook that just makes me so happy.

6. I always have work and blog business cards on me because I never know who I will run into. Sometimes I’ll bribe someone into taking one of my blog business cards by offering them a Big Mac card with it.

7. Caffeine in a pretty mug. Need I say more?

P.S. Click your way to Miss Melissa to see the fruits of her workspace.

P.P.S. Check out the first post in The Anthology’s Workspace column and find out how Niki Blasina of A Haute Mess smells when she blogs. Click through the second post to find out where Anya Georgijevic of I’m the It Girl started her footwear obsession. Find out how Kumiko Ide of Tribal DDB keeps her workspace fresh to death. Take a look at jewelry designer Justine Brooks’ works in progress and her favourite places to work very, very remotely. Take a look at Lisa Wong of Solo Lisa’s cat-decorated desk, Anna Cohen’s converted stable in Denmark, and Alicia Quan’s yellow suitcase desk storage is definitely an idea worth stealing. And peep the latest Workspace post: Erica Lam’s desk, where nail polishes outnumber books 2:1.

October 29, 2012 by