From Seawheeze to the Seawall

I was never a runner. A dancer, yes. A reluctant runner, sure. But I was never big on it. And I now know why that is: I had never gotten over the hump. I had never done it regularly enough for it to feel like anything other than punishment. Until I started training for Seawheeze Half Marathon this summer. Then I had no choice but to run regularly. Out of pure fear. And that’s a powerful motivator.

I got over that hump and learned to love running. So much that I read Born to Run (thank you, Katie!) and haven’t stopped talking about the book since. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my experience — and my reading? Run far and run often.

P.S. Both these photos are from Instagram so follow @KelseyDundon

November 10, 2014 by

Get Involved | Dress for Success

They always say you should dress for the job you want. But what if you don’t have the means to? That’s where Dress for Success comes in. The Vancouver chapter alone served more than 2,000 disadvantaged women last year. And they did more than dress them for interviews; they provided career coaching, interview prep, resumé polishing — the works.

I stopped by the Vancouver chapter to meet with their marketing and sponsorship manager Christina Florencio and style a few mannequins for them. You know what kind of donations they need? Cash. ($30 a month will put one woman through the suite of Dress for Success programs.) And work-appropriate handbags.

A little while back The Anthology hosted a dinner in support of Dress for Success. It was such a fun night. Were you there?

November 8, 2014 by

Workspace | MEC’s New Vancouver Headquarters

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

My Pinterest feed is filled with beautiful architectural spaces. Light, bright, expansive. And most importantly, inspiring. Mountain Equipment Co-op’s new Vancouver HQ would fit right in.

I mean, is it a dance studio?

A climbing gym?

Or just a really inspiring workspace?

For a place that’s all about selling the outdoors, they sure do make the indoors look appealing.

P.S. Creep the creative spaces of some very creative people, like Erin Shaw of Shaw TV, Erica Lam of The Style Spy, and Anya Georgijevic of I’m the It Girl in The Anthology’s Workspace column.

P.P.S. Know someone whose Workspace should be featured? Send a note to KDundon@TheAnthology.ca

November 4, 2014 by

DIY | Spooktacular Halloween Party Pieces!

Happy Halloween, boys and ghouls! It’s time to put the Ghostbusters theme song on repeat and party like a six-year-old on a Twizzlers high! Or with a six-year-old with a Twizzlers high because these party ideas are fit for youngster Munsters.

I stopped by CTV Morning Live bright and early today to a) finally get to wear my Snow White costume on live television and b) share some of the coolest, ghoulest party ideas for the under six set. Here they are broken down for all you party fiends!

Pin the eye on the monster. All it takes? Some poster board rounded at the corners, a few gills made of tissue paper, and some paper eyes to hand out to the mini contestants.

Bonus? The finished monster is big enough to act as a photo booth backdrop.

Witch pitch! Don’t have a bunch of witch hats on hand? Make ’em! Grab some party hats, paper plates and construction paper. Cut the paper plates to size, glue them to the hats (I used tacky glue, but a glue gun would work just as nicely).

Then paint the heck out of them (I used Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint that I had from another project). Add construction paper buckles et voila!

Now all you need are glow stick bracelets to serve as rings and you’ve got yourself a spooktacular ring toss game.

Mummy juice! These are just plain cute. Or at least they are once they’re mummified. Take a juicebox, remove the straw and then wrap in white tape (I used tensor bandages because the texture is perfect). Bring them to life with googly eyes if you want to get all 3D or a marker if you don’t.

Bloody Shirley Temples! These would be cool as shots at a grownup party too. Fill a small clear glass with 7-Up, Sprite or the like. Then take a syringe filled with grenadine and place it inside. So gross! So good!

Spooky shadow puppets! Turn out the lights, break out the flashlights and put on a terrifying puppet show. I drew the bat, Frankenstein’s monster and ghost by hand, but you can download guides if you’re too, ahem, scared. Cut them out, tape them straws and you’re set!

Dracula doughnuts! Take fangs, stick ’em in doughnuts. So easy I can barely justify calling it a DIY.

Mystery jars! With a little imagination lasagna noodles and olive oil become brains, olives become eyeballs and popcorn kernels become monster fangs.

Party on, goblins! Thanks for having me, CTV Morning Live! Thank you, Larissa and Katie for all your help!

P.S. Watch the segment here.

October 30, 2014 by

Pinstagram | Fuchsia couches and blue mountains

The Anthology’s Pinstagram column marries the dream (Pinterest) and the reality (Kelsey Dundon’s Instagram photos of places and faces in and around Vancouver).

Talking trends on a big red couch at Global BC (watch my trend segment here) + a modern fuchsia couch I’d love in my living room.

Baby style. A leopard print look from a kids’ trend spread I styled + one very stylish young lady.

Party! A media dinner hosted at Oliver and Lilly’s and catered by Farmer’s Apprentice + a holiday-ready celebration.

Queen of hearts. A nightlight I found on Etsy + a lovely garland.

Mountain women. A walk to Lost Lake in Whistler + another picturesque mountain somewhere in BC.

P.S. There are more photos where these came from so add The Anthology on Facebook and follow @KelseyDundon on Instagram.

October 11, 2014 by

Giveaway | The Best of Me Advanced Screening and a Nicholas Sparks DVD Trio!

Break out the tissues, lovebirds! Nicholas Sparks, the man behind The Notebook and Dear John, is at it again with his soon-to-be-released film The Best of Me and we’re giving away free passes to the advanced screening in Vancouver next week!

Starring James Marsden (the man who stole Liz Lemon’s heart) and Michelle Monaghan (the woman who caught Rust Cohle’s eye), The Best of Me is based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks. It’s the story of two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of the beloved friend. Their reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago live on, posing even more threats today. Spanning decades, this love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances.

UPDATE: Ticket contest closed (have fun, Winnie, Monida, Bobby, Laura, Bonnie, Nayyer, Melika, Katie, Belinda, Keri, Abby, Elisa, Suzanne, Sel, and Ellen!).

To enter two win one of two DVD trios with Nicholas Sparks’ classics: The Notebook (Hey, Ryan, hey!), Dear John (Hello Channing Tatum!), and Safe Haven, email KDundon@TheAnthology.ca with subject: Nicholas Sparks DVD Trio. Contest closes Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at midnight. Contest open to BC residents only. Good luck!

October 10, 2014 by

Interview | TEDxVancouver Speaker: Treana Peake of Obakki

TEDxVancouver is one of those events where you leave feeling inspired, energized and just a little exhausted. It’s like a full day of school taught by your favourite professors; at the end of it your brain is buzzing. And this year it’s going to be bigger than ever.

Among the lineup of speakers are lululemon founder Chip Wilson, CTV news anchor Coleen Christie and the creative force behind Obakki: Treana Peake. I’ve long admired Treana’s design work — her collections are stunningly beautiful — but what I find even more inspiring is the work she does with the Obakki Foundation, which has drilled more than 600 water wells and built a dozen schools in South Sudan and Cameroon. In just five years.

On October 18th, she’ll speak to this at the largest TEDx event the city has seen. But I caught up with her first to give you a sneak peek.

What do you look forward to most about sharing your experience with TEDxVancouver?

TEDx is such an incredible platform and I am very honoured to be a part of it this year.  I look forward to sharing some of the guiding principles that drive me in my philanthropic work, as well as hopefully inspiring others to notice the incredible impact that their own acts of kindness play in the world.

In the five years you’ve been running the Obakki Foundation, have you noticed a shift in how people perceive the relationship between fashion and philanthropy?

I think people are starting to notice fashion, and other business platforms open up to involve charitable initiatives, but I also think the consumers are quick to notice when it is just a marketing pitch vs. something authentic. It is a constant job of ours to show how serious we are – and how much our humanitarian projects fundamentally drive us as a company. Over the last five years we have been able to create a growing community of like-minded citizens who are helping to make change in the world!

Does your experience as a designer make you a better philanthropist? 

My experience as a designer specifically doesn’t make me a better philanthropist – but my creativity certainly does. I believe it is our job in the development sector to bring awareness to these large global issues in a unique way. I think people are tired of seeing the same tired images and sad stories continually associated with places like Africa.

What about the other way around – does your experience as a philanthropist make you a better designer?

My experience as a philanthropist definitely makes me a better designer as I don’t have to chase inspiration – it lives inside me, and comes from that natural place. Everything we do at Obakki is fueled by passion and stems from a solid commitment and dedication to our philanthropic initiatives.

To hear more about Treana’s work with the Obakki Foundation, and to fill your brain with a million more ideas, get tickets to TEDxVancouver.

October 9, 2014 by

Bookmark | HealthFoodSnob

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

I’m cheating with this Bookmark pick. Because I’ve actually featured HealthFoodSnob before, back when it was just an Instagram feed.

But as of this week, it’s also a blog. So I figure it deserves a repeat feature. Besides, it’s run by my sister and she cooks and bakes for me a lot so I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that keeps happening.

With that, my friends, allow me to introduce you to HealthFoodSnob the blog (which my sister built in Squarespace and she’s been raving about that platform almost as much as she’s been raving about her Vitamix).

It’s stocked with recipes that are good for you, tasty and completely unpretentious. So bookmark HealthFoodSnob already and bookmark The Anthology while you’re at it.

[Images from HealthFoodSnob, naturally.]

P.S. Beef up your list of favourite links with The Anthology’s Bookmark picks.

October 7, 2014 by

Giveaway | The Ultimate Vancouver Home and Design Show Bundle!

Hey design lovers! Want to win your way into the Vancouver Home and Design Show? And want a bundle of exhibitor gear to go along with it? Heck yes! Then send me a note and you could win:

UPDATE: Contest Closed. Congratulations, Shevawn and Emma!
October 7, 2014 by

Style | The Earrings You Will Never Have and Some You Can

I love museums, but there’s one thing I hate about them: you can’t take anything with you. You find a painting that would look perfect in your living room? Too bad. A statue that would look swell in your jardin? Tough luck. It’s especially hard when you find a pair of earrings that you’d love to add to your jewelry collection, but they date back to the 2nd or 3rd Century BC and are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.

But I’ve found three consolation prizes. Are they identical? No. But they capture the essence of those millenia-old gems. And they’re actually attainable.

1. Elizabeth Cole with iridescent crystals.
2. Erickson Beamon with tooled metal accents.
3. Elizabeth Cole with Swarovski crystals.

September 25, 2014 by