Flakes Paperie Blog

Mid-century Home Stationery

As mentioned in one of my travel posts, these designs were inspired by the historic Alexander homes in our favourite Palm Springs neighbourhoods.  And heck, if I can't live in one (perhaps a nice A Frame Swiss Miss style?) then I might as well illustrate them.  All four card designs are available in the Etsy shop and are carried by many FP stockists, which will soon include the Palm Springs Art Museum's new Architecture and Design Center. 

Palm Springs Pt. 4

On our second last day in Palm Springs we decided on a hike in the Indian Canyons, which is made up of Palm, Andreas, Murray and Tahquitz Canyons, each with unique landscapes.  You could easily spend days exploring the area - our hike through Palm Canyon barely scratched the surface of the incredibly vast trails.  Palm Canyon is essentially a huge palm grove in the midst of a barren gorge, filled with towering California Fan Palms, streams and mammoth rocks that felt prehistoric (very Land-Before-Time-ish). There are beautiful cacti plants jutting out from the rocks and lizards a plenty.  Though we ran out of time, the trail eventually winds upwards to provide an incredible view of the canyon below. 

On a drive later that evening, ever the sophisticated couple, we stopped to oogle the Cabazon dinosaurs, which beckoned us from the highway.  That's right, these are the same dinosaurs featured in the 1985 movie, Pee Wee's Big Adventure (how could you forget that gem?).  

We made it back to town in time to wander Villagefest, which happens every Thursday night on Palm Canyon Drive. The road closes, the shops stay open late and the streets are packed with vendors and food trucks.  I'll admit the crafty wares aren't exactly up our alley but you can score some pretty tasty street meat.  

As Cory is never one to miss out on a brewery tour, after a final bike ride on our last morning, we drove to Thousand Palms for a beerlicious tasting at the relatively new Coachella Valley Brewing Company. We finished our time in PS with a late lunch at Tyler's Burgers for, you guessed it, burgers.  This place is just as good, if not better, than the reviews suggest. Heck I'm still thinking about that coleslaw (now there's something I've never said before).  Next we made a quick stop to the uptown design district on North Palm Canyon Drive (where fantastic new and vintage, non-touristy, tchotchke-free shops lie) for some last minute shopping.  One of my favourite stops is of course a card store called Just Fabulous.  Then it was on to the Palm Springs airport (which wins for most relaxed, best looking airport) for our flight home.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post highlighting a few PS inspired products I launched at the National Stationery Show in May!  

Desert Getaway: Part 3

Having dreamt of our room at The Orbit In since our trip last year, it was clear we couldn't go to Palm Springs and not return.  The amenities were just as great as we remembered; we loaded up our in-room player with complimentary records from the front desk, filled up the mini fridge with drinks, unwound in the hot-tub and had the most refreshing rinses in the fabulous outdoor shower (which was reason alone to return).  Located on a quiet residential street sprinkled with a few boutique hotels, The Orbit is just a short walk away from Palm Canyon Drive, the downtown street which is loaded with shops and restaurants (and unfortunately a plethora of tacky souvenir stores). Our friends joined us one evening for the complimentary happy hour, where we chatted with Jinny, one of the owners, and learned the scoop about the hotel and the city.  After indulging in several bowls of popcorn (popcorn at a happy hour. genius) and 'Orbitinis' we returned to Birba once more for an incredible al fresco meal.  The weather was uncharacteristically cool in the evenings and despite the heat lamps (and the wine) we were pretty chilly and so the waiter provided us with blankets.  Truly, a restaurant that hands out blankets is my kind of place...what with me being the annoying, perpetually cold type.

Another nice thing about The Orbit is its proximity to the mountain backed, mid-century neighbourhoods like Old Las Palmas and Vista Las Palmas that we fell in love with last year.  We went for an evening drive through the dimly lit streets and for a bike ride on our last morning in town to admire the incredible Alexander Houses. Some of my photos have already served as inspiration for card illustrations, but that's a post all it's own (coming soon).  We admired the spectacular Bob Hope house from afar, built by John Lautner and stopped to see the Palm Springs Visitor Center, which lies at the foot of the Aerial Tramway Road. Originally built in 1965 as a gas station by noted architect, and the inspiration for our favourite Orbit In hotel room, Albert Frey, the building is a great example of mid-century architecture.   

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final trip recap...

Desert Getaway: Pt. 2

On our third day in Palm Springs, we spent the afternoon at the drool-inducing, Jonathan Adler designed, Parker Hotel.

We had brunch at Norma's, their upscale diner, which absolutely wins for ambiance but was surprisingly second to Cheeky's for our favourite breakfast in Palm Springs.  We spent the rest of our time at the Parker getting lost in the labyrinth-like grounds while feeling generally inferior in the presence of such perfection. Feelings of inadequacy aside, it made for a lovely escape with a charming Alice in Wonderland vibe (complete with giant chess set).  The landscaping is endless and immaculate with cacti, succulents and pampas grass, butterfly chairs and beautiful pools, each one unique, around every corner.  And though I'm still dreaming of that lobby chandelier and I would be thrilled to return any time, as far as accommodation goes, it helped solidify our love for the small mid-century boutique hotels so unique to the area, like The Horizon, The Hideaway and The Orbit with their history and authentic architecture...not to mention the ease with which one can locate their room (I'm pretty sure I'd still be wandering The Parker grounds if Cory wasn't there).     

More to come in part 3/4...

Desert Getaway: Part 1

Because our trip was oh so perfect last year and because I've since named it my happy place (and my favourite source of design inspiration - but I'll get to that later) and because our winter was so long and painful, in early April Cory and I headed back to Palm Springs to veg in the heat of the California desert.  This time around we spent our first few nights at the Horizon Hotel, a 24 room hotel that was a celebrity destination in the 50s (even Marilyn herself stayed here) built by famed architect William F. Cody. The angles and architecture of the building are incredible - the primarily glass walls of our room faced the pool area which had ample loungers and, despite the hotel being nearly full, was always quiet (if I was the type of person to use the word 'chill' I'd use it here).  

Each morning our breakfast was delivered to our patio - I mean really, how better to start the day?  Let me say, coffee and bagels just taste better while one is amongst gargantuan cacti, desert flora and hummingbirds galore...in fact it actually made it difficult to eat what with my psychotic picture-taking. 

In short our time at the Horizon was fantastic.  We floated in the hot tub and sat by the fire when it cooled in the evenings and spent hours flopped by the pool where we made some great friends and overindulged in many a cocktail.  We took the big pink cruiser bikes for a spin, where I once again shocked Cory with my lack of coordination  (those wide handlebars and retro brakes ain't no joke).  Although the Horizon is somewhat far from the downtown strip, there are still a lot of great restaurants you can access on foot, such as:  El Jefe which is the Mexican restaurant in the colourful Saguaro Hotel.  The tacos are incredible (tip: Taco Tuesday includes live music and $5 margaritas. Hello!).  The Ace Hotel is a two minute walk away and although we didn't stop by this time, we would recommend the Kings Highway.  Once you look past the plethora of ironic mustaches, the food is delicious with a great retro-diner ambiance and nightly events like bingo and karaoke.  Directly across from The Ace is the relatively new, Appetito which we also really enjoyed (the fresh pea, prosciutto and mint tagliatelle I had was incredible). 

More to come in part 2 /4 of the desert recap (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Days in the California desert

As I mentioned a few posts ago, Cory and I were fortunate to plan a short trip following the One of a Kind Show.  It was last minute (as are all trips when your husband's in the military) and exactly what we needed (ok, wanted).  Having both been absorbed with work the last few months it was great to finally spend quality time together...and it was oh so easy to leave behind the dreary, cold Ontario weather to bask in California's 30 degree dry desert heat. 

Our first few nights were spent at The Orbit In (and it's sister property The Hideaway), which were incredibly authentic in their mid-century architecture and decor, an era of design we both love which is abundant in PS and was a big part of our decision to travel there.  Our first room was outfitted with fantastic retro furniture including a record player and even had an outdoor shower with mountain views.  I repeat outdoor shower with mountain views.  Biking through the quiet desert modern neighbourhoods was definitely a highlight - bungalows, each one our dream home, with clean, modern simplicity, walls made of glass and perfectly manicured lawns.  I could go on all day. I've already started working on a stationery collection inspired by the trip and these houses in particular, which I'm pretty darn excited about.  

Other highlights include exploring Joshua Tree National Park in our rental jeep, drinking mexican hot chocolate, people watching at the Ace, buying cheap booze at Rite Aid (ok, this is my husband's favourite thing), sipping said cheap booze by the poolside fire in the evening while channeling Don Draper (...like a female Don Draper), swimming in salt water pools and drying off in the hot sun. Sigh...we are already dreaming of going back.

Hope you have a happy holiday...

Just two more days until Christmas!  Last year at this time Cory and I had just returned from a nice little trip to NYC. Here's a little video we took one afternoon while waiting for the subway. I think we let ours go by at least twice so we could keep enjoying the music. Sigh, one of the many reasons I love New York at Christmas...

NYC Subway Christmas from Flakes Paperie on Vimeo.

 

NE: Final stop, Cape Cod

After Boston we drove through to the tip of Cape Cod, to the fabulous Provincetown.  Immediately we loved it.  The town itself is full of quaint shops, galleries and restaurants and has a surprisingly lively nightlife. We spent one evening taking it all in at a karaoke bar hosted by a drag queen, in short - amazing. She described P-town as a "gay fishing village" which actually sums it up nicely. It's uber liberal with wonderful people, fresh seafood galore and of course, amazing beaches. What's not to love?! 

Our hotel was an old motel that had been recently renovated in a pretty hip style.  Cory somehow worked his magic and scored us an ocean view king room for $59 (score) and as an added bonus the room was turquoise. Double score.

Although the weather was pretty foggy at times we were still able to enjoy our time outside and explore the many beaches.  We saw lots of seals poke their heads out of the water but unfortunately due to the weather no whale watching tours were operating.  Just one more reason to go back I suppose!  After mowing down on fresh seafood one day we wandered along the Pier and looked at all the fishing boats, many old and rusted with layers of peeling paint (my favourite). The behemoth seagulls were super-sized and though I worried they might try to eat me, they mostly just picked out the lobster remnants from the netting.  

Provincetown is definitely on my 'must return to' list, preferably with some good friends in peak season when we can really enjoy the vast beaches and our experience can be more like this Vampire Weekend video, only with more hula hoops and keytars.

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa on MUZU.TV 

After Cape Cod we drove straight back to Ontario - stopping in Providence, Rhode Island for lunch, and for me to load up on supplies at the super awesome RISD art store. Not a bad little week I'd say! 

NE: Part III

Continuing on with our New England road trip - the next stop was Boston.  We didn't have much time,  but we wandered enough to get a feel for the city.  We stayed 2 nights in Cambridge, and went out to a few bars in Harvard Square at night. While during the day, we did the usual: eating, shopping, sightseeing and squirrel stalking. Not a bad little stopover.

NE: Part II

With fall drawing to a close and the chilly nights and bare trees of winter approaching, I thought what better time to show the second part of our New England road trip as I'm already reminiscing about the changing leaves of fall. After Maine, Cory and I drove to New Hampshire.  Now all I really knew about New Hampshire was that it is the setting of John Irving novels (that alone was a draw), you don't legally have to wear a seat-belt (huh?) and that there's no tax. And darn it, that was enough.  We absolutely loved it!  We ate delicious food (hello crab cakes and local beer), shopped and explored the area -starting with a drive up Mount Washington, which offered incredible above the clouds views.  On our last day we drove the Kancamagus Highway, which lived up to it's title as one of the most beautiful fall drives in the US.  

Our hotel was a beaut, built into the mountains with an outdoor heated pool, which we took advantage of in the evening. Faaantastic. Now normally I'm not into the whole outlet thing, especially when on holiday, but the fact that there was no tax coupled with the presence of both a Stonewall Kitchen and J.Crew outlet, I mean seriously. What choice did we have?  I could post a million more leaves and mountains photos, but I don't want you taking a nosedive into your keyboard, so instead I'll wrap it up by saying NH was a trip highlight and we hope to return, perhaps for a ski/snowboard trip?   

Up next, Cape Cod... 

NE: Part 1

As I mentioned, Cory and I recently returned from a New England road trip.  I flew out to meet him in New Brunswick and we began our drive through Maine, down roads lined with changing leaves until we reached the beautiful city of Portland (not to be confused with the 'Portlandia' Portland in Oregon). It was a beautiful seaside city with old cobblestone streets, loads of restaurants and historic buildings.  

We did a little bar hopping in the evening and during the day enjoyed lobster rolls while exploring the Old Port.  I took a million photos of the fishing boats and old back alley dilapidated buildings down by the water (check out the mossy roof!) and as with so many places we visited throughout our trip, I wished we'd had more time!  

Northern trek

Before our Muskoka holiday, Cory and drove up to visit his parents in Elliot Lake for a few days. We boated, over-indulged in some fantastic food and drink, relaxed and spent lots of time in the garden, mostly feeding this guy...

I also took the opportunity to snap lots of pictures of their expertly maintained, colourful crop of gorgeous flowers. I must to remember to steal some Lavender to plant next year...

p.s. Stay tuned for some beauty wedding invitation suites in the coming days!

Refreshed.

I'm back from a fantastic holiday cottaging in Muskoka and feeling refreshed! Of course I wish I was still lounging on the dock with Cory, nose-deep in a great book, drinking orange pressé (perhaps with a little vodka when the clock strikes noon) and strawberry daiquiris, yumm. We ate like kings and had lots of good ol' fashioned family bonding.

Along with copious amounts of dock-flopping and reading (I finished two fantastic books) I also spent loads of time with my hilarious niece and nephew. For my nephew this mostly involved him jumping bravely in the lake over and over and over again (fear not, his Dad was in the water in the photo below).  Meanwhile my niece, a veritable girly girl if ever there was one, enjoyed our watercolour painting sessions and insisted I give her a new hairstyle every single day (admittedly, some more successful than others).  She also loved using my face painting crayons to draw on the entire family. When I suggested we sport matching mustaches, I didn't realize that mine, as drawn by her, would include a full beard. Like Joaquin Phoenix circa 2009 full. And so that concluded the face painting.  

It was a fantastic holiday with amazing family.  I definitely suffered from a case of the post-holiday blahs, but now I'm feeling ready to delve into the huge heap of Christmas design/print work crowding my desk!  

nyc jaunt

As I mentioned in the last post, I've just returned from a few days off. It seems I'd been living in my studio lately and so I was very much looking forward to a short break - in NYC no less. My Dad and I booked our trip several months ago - he had meetings to attend and I love any excuse to go to New York and so I happily tagged along!

I had the mornings to myself to wander - scribbling design ideas in Bryant Park, drooling over the macaroon & cupcake trucks, strolling in the Flatiron district, shopping of course, over-indulging in baked goods - fabulous! 

The rest of the time was spent showing my Dad the sights and experiencing some new ones myself. We definitely kept busy (feet.hurt); had a leisurely paddle in the central park lake, discovered great restaurants, killed some rainy hours in the Museum of Natural History, explored different neighbourhoods on foot, took a tram ride, partook in quality people watching in Washington Square Park and finished it with a trip to the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene.  

Another great trip to NYC, this time with my super duper Dad (belated Father's day shout out)!  Now if only it had been longer...

Brief, self-indulgent travelogue: Morocco

Sharing the Moroccan pastilla recipe in yesterday's post made me want to dwell a little more on that beautiful country and so I have scanned some photos from our unforgettable shoestring trip. 

In Morocco, we were kings...or at least it felt that way as we could actually afford to buy food - no longer did we have to stuff baguettes in our backpacks and eat nutella from the jar - of course eating said food in Morocco perhaps wasn't always the right decision (details spared). Needless to say, Morocco was a visual delight; a veritable kaleidoscope of pattern and colour that continues to inspire me as an artist and designer.  

Our trip began in Tangiers, then it was on to Fès, Meknès and Marrakech.  From there we took a desert trip that consisted of a terrifying drive through the Atlas Mountains (the term 'hairpin turn' doesn't quite do it justice), stops in several picturesque Berber villages followed by an indescribably uncomfortable, yet visually stunning camel trek into the Sahara.  I tell ya, there's nothing quite like sleeping in a tent in the desert surrounded by nomadic Berbers urging you to sing Celine Dion. Definitely a trip I hope to do again some day...sigh.

Right then, back to work - thanks for indulging me!