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Feel good with products crafted with care by Phillip Adam!

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

I have a lot of hair so I’m always on the look out for the best shampoos and conditioners out there. Name a brand, trust me, I’ve tried it. However, looking at the vendor list for September got me kind of excited because I saw that Phillip Adam was going to be there. For those of you who haven’t heard of him, he’s the creator of the ever so famous apple cider vinegar shampoo. I haven’t tried it yet but I think purchasing a tube is going to be a must come the 26th!

That’s not all, Phillip Adam also offers a skin care line featuring a body wash and lotion. The body wash made of Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oils. This will softly cleanse and moisturize your skin leaving it feeling smooth, conditioned, and totally touchable.  For a night of extra relaxation and renewal, use it as a bubble bath :) . It’s lotion is made to compliment  the body wash containing rice bran oil, sweet almond oil and vitamin e.  These ingredients together are excellent moisturizing and occluding tools that made to leave your skin feeling soft in both hot, cold, and dry conditions!

Need a gift? Don’t worry, Phillip Adam has you covered. Going traveling? No need to fret, there are travel packages available! Wonderful isn’t it? :)

So, I’m exciting to indulge in some goodies, especially if they’ll leave me feeling good and looking great. Who doesn’t want to have great hair and touchable skin, right? It’s every girls dream :) .

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Vintage, say what?

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

First of all, thanks to those who came out to the market on Sunday to show your support to our monthly market. It was so great seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones who will hopefully be back for some more fashionable fun! That`s what this market is about, celebrating fashion in the heart of a growing community, right?

Something that I`ve always loved are vintage finds. They’re one-of-a-kind and add a bit of flare to every outfit, not to mention the fun that goes into the journey of finding it. But when you aren’t able to raid the vintage stores around the neighborhood, it’s always so refreshing to see that so many designers are putting a vintage edge on their pieces whether it may be creating an overall vintage aesthetic or finding vintage gems and making it new again. It saves us the work doesn’t it?

I’m excited to introduce or re-introduce you to two designers who will be at our September market who really take pride in making their items, vintage inspired. These two designers have grown to be some of my favorites: Vintage Creations and BuenoStyle.

The great thing about Portobello West is that it gives the community a chance to get to know great designers and it wasn’t until I found out about PW that I began to look into Vintage Creations. Vintage Creations offers recycled cashmere and other luxurious creations that was founded in 1998 by Beth Nielsen. Although Vintage Creations is based in Seattle, Nielsen’s line is offered in several boutiques across the US and Canada. Probably one of the things I love about this line is that it’s so effortless to pull off. Her pieces are something that you can easily throw on and walk out the door wearing but still look amazing. FYI, her sweaters and wraps are perfect for the fall! :)

I fell in love with jewelry by BuenoStyle the first time I walked into Barefoot Contessa on Commercial Drive. My jaw drops whenever I look at the pieces online but in person, you can see the high level of craftsmanship that goes into each piece. Her pieces range from $12-$90 USD which is a steal for something that no one else has. I love how everything has an antique feel- it’s not old but at the same time isn’t new so I think that in itself is kind of appealing when it comes to jewelry. It adds substance, you  know? I know the market is a month away but definitely make this vendor a MUST see when the time comes :)

Remember, $15 membership cards are still being sold at our market! Many people have picked one up already so make sure to give it a second thought. It gets you free admission for a year as well as 10-20% discounts from several vendors!

Posted in Accessories, Art, Artist, Clothing, Designer, Fashion, Fashionista, Innovative, Jewellery, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

It’s kind of sad that summer is coming to an end, especially with the weather staying consistently beautiful and hot but we all know that come September, that’s going to change drastically. So with summer transitioning into fall, there are several changes that need to be made to every fashionista’s wardrobe aka my favorite time of the year! Say goodbye to your tank tops, beach bags, and bare arms and hello to t-shirts, messenger bags, and fancy pullovers. Sounds kind of complicated and time consuming doesn’t it? Lucky for you, Portobello West has you covered in all areas by making it easy, fun, and convenient for you to find all of your fall essentials in one fabulous place.

Tank tops were so last month so instead, pick up a t-shirt to start your fall right. Street wear enthusiast Tykkun combines elements of bold and simple aesthetics to give their designs spunk and comfort for a laid back, rainy, September day.

You’re not going to need your summer beach bag for another year, so why not trade it in for a stylish messenger bag by Anuk Harvey. These bags are designed with a vintage flare in mind and will make any dreary fall outfit, look put together and stylish all year round.

Kdon’s 100% recycled ECO friendly line offers some amazing knit pullovers that are ideal for those chilly summer nights and perfect for the upcoming and unpredictable  fall weather. So don’t miss out on the chance to stay fashionable and warm with designs from Kdon!

Don’t forget that it’s our 4th birthday so make sure to come early and stay awhile. Remember that Portobello West is offering membership cards to save our valuable customers money every month for just $15.00. These cards will get you free admission for a year and will get you discounts and perks from all of our fabulous designers. It’s an amazing deal, you don’t want to miss out! You’ll thank us come the Holidays, trust me :) .

Posted in Accessories, Art, Artist, Clothing, Designer, Fashion, Fashionista, Innovative, Jewellery, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Get back to school ready with PW market finds by Herrohachi, Kukubee, and Sideline Designs!

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

Our monthly markets are all about providing you with unique and affordable finds and what better way to stand out in school this fall than with one-of-a-kind, standout products made by some of our talented designers? The first day of school is always a fashion show of some kind so make sure you come to our anniversary market on the 29th of this month to find everything you’re looking for, for this up-coming school year!

Herrohachi has this neeenja canvas tote that is super cute for the fall and very practical for all of your school essentials like your pencil case, notebooks, cell phone, lunch money, and of course my ultimate essential: chapstick! If you’re like me and you don’t like carrying a backpack because it never matches your outfit, then you’re definitely in luck with this tote. Best part of all? It’s $35, yeap, you heard me. While all of your friends are walking around sporting a tna or lululemon bag, you’ll stand out because you’ll be toting around this one-of-a-kind canvas bag!

As I mentioned earlier, it’s more than likely that you’ll have a pencil case in your school bag so it’s best to have all of your writing utensils stored away so you won’t lose anything. Is it just me or are school supplies a lot expensive now?  Anyways, Kukubee makes a ton of these cute little zipper pouches that will fit all of your pens, pencils, and erasers! They come in an assortment of designs and colors, all handmade with love btw,  and are only $12 a piece. I’d get like 5 of them if I were you because you’re friends are going to try and steal yours and I don’t blame them one bit.  It’s an amazing find at at an amazing price, you can’t go wrong!

If you’re feeling kind of depressed that summer is almost over, don’t worry you can still wear your tank tops, dresses, and shorts for just a little while longer if you have something layer over. These scarves by Sideline Designs are wearable art that are made using the Nuno felting method with a silk scarf center to provide durability and strength. Long story short, you’ll be warm in one of these guys. You can put one in your book bag if the weather is looking a little questionable or you can pull one out if you’re getting chilly in a lecture! See, pretty AND accessible! For $35, what more can you ask for? :)

Back to school is a lot more fun if you get excited about all of the new things you can buy for yourself without feeling guilty. I mean come on, you need all of this stuff for school! It’s totally justifiable, wouldn’t you say? Back to school never looked THIS good!

Oh, and remember to mark the 29th off on your calendars this month because it’s our anniversary market! It won’t be a par-tay without you all!

xoxo

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Posted in Accessories, Art, Artist, Designer, Fashion, Fashionista, Innovative, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Generation Next – Down to THREE

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

A couple of weeks ago we blogged about Generation Next, a new designer competition hosted by The Honey Mustard Fashion & Media Services, that some features some amazing, up-incoming talents. If you have no idea what I’m talking about click here to go back to our previous post to get updated on the must knows for this competition! Anywhoo,I have some developments that I’m excited to share: last week the contestants were narrowed down to just 3, to battle it out for the title of Generation Next.

And the finalists are…

Lede, Madame Wolf, and Sofia Clothing

These 3 finalists are extremely talented and all add a different component to the competition. Lede produces all of he clothes in Vancouver, combining both comfort and style. Who knew those two words could be used together in the same sentence because when I think comfort, i think uggs and sweat pants :) . Marla Lede, the mastermind behind these designs is able to infuse both elements that can any woman feel fashionably comfortable in her own skin. Alberta gal Jenna Etcheverry, the designer of Madame Wolf, takes a different approach combining elements of glam-rock, flirtatiousness, and modesty to her line. If you’re looking to turn a couple of heads, you’re in great company with Madame Wolf. Last but not least, Sofia Clothing, created by Mendez Scheone, celebrates femininity and confidence in her exquisite Fall2010 line. The perfect thing about her line you ask? Her pieces are versatile- you can dress up, dress down, and mix and match items for a night out or a night in with the gals. Talk about fun, right?

Well guess what, we’re cordially inviting you to this fantabulous event, get ready cause here’s your evite:

There’s only two weeks until this event so the designers must be on pins and needles (literally), getting all their stuff together to put on a mouth watering fashion show for all of us to see.

Tickets can be purchased at Portobello West’s Anniversary Market on August 29th. Remember, we’re turning 4, we’ve got awesome new membership cards to save YOU money, and we’ll be at the Rocky Mountaineer Station from 12-6. It’s rude to miss a birthday party ;) !

XOXO

Posted in Art, Artist, Calgary, Clothing, Designer, Fashion, Fashionista, Innovative, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Things You May Not Know But Should

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

In case you’ve been living under a rock or have been busy having too much fun this summer, stay tuned because I have lots of exciting Portobello West news that you’d love to hear.

First of all, I’m sure you all know that our market is coming up in the last week of August (obviously). But some of you may not know that this months market marks out 4th anniversary in the bizz! Happy birthday us! It’s definitely some exciting stuff and I know what you’re thinking, what better way to celebrate than with some good ol’ shopping! We’ve got some amazing designers, some who have come back to us and who we’ve missed dearly, others who are always with us and new ones who we can’t wait for you to check out. Make sure you have a look at our vendor list if you haven’t already at Portobellowest.com.

Tune in fashion lovers: this one is for you! Say you’re a monthly market goer who has a bad (but understandable) habit of buying everything you can get your hands on at our market. Well, you’d be excited to learn that we’re now offering Portobello West membership cards for $15 dollars! These cards will be valid for a year and will get you free admission and 10-20 percent off items sold by our fabulous designers. Sounds intriguing doesnt it? Get this. At our anniversary market on the 29th, we will be giving away 50 cards to the first 50 attendees to show our appreciation to YOU.

Here’s another bit of information that you’ll be excited to hear: Carlie, the brains behind our fashionable exterior, has decided to turn Portobello West into a not-for-profit organization. Isn’t that exciting? By taking this initiative, Carlie believes that this will take PW along the right path to staying a monthly market to celebrate fashion and art and hopefully to become something that Vancouver is known for.

Keep coming back for more exciting news as it comes! :) xoxo

Posted in Art, Clothing, Fashion, Fashionista, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Our Social Fabric – Positive change for the textile industry

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I met Kim Cathers at Portobello a couple markets ago, fully intending to write a story about her cool draping style dresses. We were talking about her artistic style and she mentioned using 100% recycled fabrics to make her clothes. Intrigued by the idea, I asked her how she got recycled fabric from. That’s when we got talking about Our Social Fabric. Kim is one of the people that started it.

Our Social Fabric is a non-profit organization that not only takes in fabric to be recycled but also uses it as a means to provide the community of the downtown east side with employment.

You can help by donating anything made out of fabric. So that means your clothing, or cloth scraps and even bedding. The only condition is that it must be washed before you bring it in. They also accept sewing related items such as buttons and thread. Details for donating fabric here.

Take a look at their website here to read about all the good stuff going on at Our Social Fabric!

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Baby, It’s Hot Outside

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

I hope you all have been enjoying the wonderful weather outside because I sure have! I’ve managed to go to the beach twice this week and for some strange reason, I am still very very pale. I’ll probably be making a lot more trips down to English Bay, especially with the fireworks right around corner. So I thought hey, why not dedicate this blog to the beach!

Probably one of the biggest essentials for us gals is our makeup, or lack there of at the beach. I don’t know if this is kind of vain but even when I’m at the beach I put on a little bit of matte powder so my face doesn’t look greasy because of all of the sun and always some mascara because I can’t live without it! Other things I would take with me is sunscreen for my face, blotting papers, and some lip balm. Now all of this would have to go into a trusty makeup bag, just like this super cute girl neeenja one by herrohachi. The great thing about this pouch is that it’s affordable (15.00 USD), water proof, and it’s big enough to put all of your makeup essentials in but small enough to fit in your beach bag. It’s definitely perfect for summer!

Everything else including your makeup bag would go into your beach bag! This bag by Sideline Designs is more of a multi-use bag but that`s why I love it. The design of it is perfect for summer and it`s definitely big enough to carry all of your beach essentials and the things you can`t live without like your ipod and cell phone, I did a quick test to make sure at our last market :) ! When you`re not flaunting it at the beach, you can use it as a tote for a light school day or even as a purse when you`re going for lunch with a bunch of your girl friends. It`s super fun, flirty, and versatile- definitely a steal that you can find and get your hands on at our next market the coming Sunday!

I like to wear cute earring at the beach in my bikini, is that weird? My whole theory is if I`m not going to be able to wear rings, necklaces, and bracelets to avoid getting some weird jewelery tan, I should at least put on some cute earrings, right? These ones are by Menuet Designs.! Again, these are multi-purpose! You can easily wear this with just about anything but if you`re like me, you`ll wear them at the beach because you like to see them sparkle in the sun and perhaps, attract some male attention if you know what I mean ;) . But in all seriousness, picture this, you`re in your bathing suit with your hair in a loose bun, wearing some fabulous earrings, that`s perfection right there. I know it`s a little bit strange but think about it!

Our market is happening THIS SUNDAY from 12-6 at the Rocky Mountaineer Station.  Remember, if it’s sunny, we’ll be outside! So make sure you come by to check out all the vendors before you hit the beach ;) .

See you all then!

Girl Neeenja Pouch

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Elika Designs!

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

HAPPY CANADA DAY! - what better way to spend your day than to read this blog, right?!! :)

Alright, so before we get into Elika Designs, I just wanted to remind you of some excited news: Portobello West Market Event is on it’s way back  to Calgary this fall! The market will be held at an exciting new location, the Arrata Opera Centre, from September 10th-12th and will vary in times, so grab a pen and jot this down in your planners. On Friday the 10th, we will be there from 4:00pm- 9:00pm, on Saturday the 11th from 11:00am-6:00pm and lastly, on Sunday the market will begin at 11:00am and will last until 5:00pm! We will be featuring some amazing designs by some very talented designers (as usual) and OBVIOUSLY want you all to be there to take part in all the fashionable fun!

Alright, so Elika designs. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already heard of them because they have been in some very reputable fashion magazines such as FASHION and Elle Magazine! When I look at their line, some words that come to mind are classy and timeless. I think there is something so beautiful about the structure of their garments, it’s edgy yet very wearable, perfect for a date night with the girls or to show off for a new beau.

Elika designs instills elements of nature, Japanese design and contemporary architecture. It’s modern take on fashion combined with the perfectly crafted details each piece has, any girl would stand out wearing these clothes. The draping, especially, is definitely a WOW factor and one of my favorite things about this line. I’m just so happy that I get to be the one who gets to talk about them!

Make Elika designs one of you must see vendors! Our next market in Vancouver will be held on July 25th from 12-6 at the Rocky Mountaineer Station! Be sure to keep up with updates, because if it’s a nice day we’re doing it outside!

Have a wonderful Canada day! GO CANADA GO! xoxo

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Look into My Eyes and What Do You See?

Friday, June 25th, 2010

There’s something that needs to be said about beautiful photographs and some words that come to my mind are “what a wonderful world”. I think often times we take the simple things in life for granted by constantly flooding our minds with work, relationships, and things that shouldn’t be over analyzed and made complicated but are. We forget to recognize and take in the humidity of a warm summer’s day, appreciate the aroma of freshly cut grass and even see the authenticity and beauty of an old building that we walk by every single day. Photographs convey forgotten and under-appreciated moments that are timeless: My Eye Photography does that to perfection.

Tamara Lee, a local Vancouver artist, began her journey at a very young age with a toy camera. After taking various photography classes in high school, Langara College and Focal Point, Tamara developed her own process that enabled her to mold her craft into something beautiful and eye watering.

With digital media and photoshop taking photography by storm, Tamara still believes that there is something to be said about film. All of her work is shot on 35mm and medium format film, hand printed and uniquely perfected by herself. It takes a lot of patience, talent, and love for what you do to create an actual process that could have otherwise been done with technology. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

My Eye Photography will be at Portobello West Market this Sunday, so make sure you visit Tamara and tell her how amazing she is!

See you all on Sunday!

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