4 Beauty Tips for Spring

Springtime is here! I love watching the entire world start to come back to life after a long, cold winter! … Continue reading →

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Oak + Park – 3-Bedroom & Den Westside Pre-Construction Townhomes

At a Glance

• excellent Westside Vancouver location
• family-oriented living in the heart of the Westide
• 40 3-bedroom + den townhomes
• central to shopping, recreation, schools
• air-conditioning & heated ensuite flooring
• quartz countertops & premium stainless steel appliances

Classically-Inspired White & Black
A classic design by Ciccozzi Architecture that satisfies contemporary sensibilities, Oak + Park features a striking exterior with traditional white brick and black wrought iron detailing. For the interior, Occupy Design has created a rick, warm look with wide-plank hardwood floors quartz countertops, and premium stainless steel appliances. Climate controls feature air-conditioning and heated en suite flooring. All homes offer three bedrooms and den, plus a lower level flex room providing with direct access to parking.

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Location, location, location! Families, in particular, will appreciate Oak + Park’s exceptional location. David Lord Elementary and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary, an International Baccalaureate School, are within walking distance, as is Oak Park with its grass playing fields, tennis courts, baseball diamond, and walking trails. Choose from a wide variety of shopping and leisure options close at hand at Oakridge, Marine Gateway, Marpole Village, or Richmond. And to get away from it all, YVR and Highway 99 south to the border are outside your door!

Pricing for Oak + Park
Sales for these townhomes start in June 2016, priced from the low $900,000s.

Floor Plans for Oak + Park
With the quality you can expect from Alabaster Homes, we’re very excited to see what floor plan options will be available to buyers. Sign up for our VIP list above to ensure you’re one of the first to know when details are released.

Amenities at Oak + Park
We’re looking forward in anticipation to see what amenities will be available to residents.

Parking and Storage
Details are forthcoming.

Maintenance Fees at Oak + Park
These are yet to be announced.

Developer Team for Oak + Park
From the developer that brought you Osler Residences, Alabaster Homes is a boutique Vancouver developer inspired by the city’s neighbourhoods. From the classic beauty of Shaughnessy to the urban energy of Oakridge, their vision is to enhance communities and create new legacies.

This time, Alabaster has teamed up with Ciccozzi Architecture and Occupy Design to create Osler Residences. Located in Vancouver, Ciccozzi Architecture is an award-winning, full-service architecture firm specializing in residential and commercial design. Their aim is to integrate creative solutions throughout the entire design process to provide a balance of design excellence and economy. Similarly, Occupy Design seeks to achieve the best experience for those using these spaces.

Expected Completion for Oak + Park
We expect a completion date to be released shortly.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in the Cambie Corridor, Marpole, or South Vancouver?

Check out these great Marpole Presales!

The post Oak + Park – 3-Bedroom & Den Westside Pre-Construction Townhomes appeared first on Vancouver Real Estate by Mike Stewart 604-763-3136.

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This New Bike Helmet Makes Pour-Over Coffee

Coffee is the fuel of many cyclists. It’s what keeps the legs spinning and the heart pumping. Whether it’s before a ride or after, a coffee-loving cyclist will tell you that there’s no better drink (well, except for maybe a beer).

But the struggle for the coffee-loving cyclist has always been how to brew while on a ride. Some stash a hand grinder into their jersey pocket, and strap a stove and a brewing device to their rack, because enjoying coffee outside isn’t just a fun pastime; it’s a lifestyle.

Making it easier to live that lifestyle, partnering with fellow Portlanders Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Nutcase Helmets has released its latest helmet, the ‘POUR’tlander, a helmet adorned with the bold colors of the Portland flag. But unlike other helmets, this one isn’t just for protecting your brain; the ‘POUR’tlander doubles as a coffee brewer. 

“We’ve been riding bikes with the team over at Stumptown for a while now. We love what they do and had been looking for a way to collaborate. The ‘POUR’tlander™ seemed like such a natural fit. Honestly, I’m surprised we didn’t think of it sooner,” says Marketing Manager Tom Rousculp.

Working with Stumptown Coffee to develop the helmet, the ‘POUR’tlander is made to help coffee and cycling enthusiasts brew with precision. The result is a unique brewing experience and flavorful result. “The natural shape of the helmet creates some nice restriction in the grounds bed, creating a cup that not only has elements of a traditional pour over but also notes from emersion methods as well. The result is a cup that is sweet but also savory,” says Stumptown’s Head Coffee Roaster Steve Kirbach. “It’s such a personal experience, I feel like there is a little bit of me in every cup. Sometimes you just like to feel wild and unfettered.”

No matter where you are, you’ll always have your brewing device with you, allowing for the perfect cup of coffee, anytime. “It works so well,” says Rousculp, highlighting the practicality of the helmet for cyclists focused on only packing with the bare essentials. “With the ‘POUR’tlander there’s one less thing to pack on campouts from now on.”

The ‘POUR’tlander takes inspiration from the simplicity of other pour over devices, and you don’t need much more than water, ground coffee and your helmet to get started. If you’re new to coffee brewing in a bike helmet, Nutcase also has a detailed brewing guide that you can follow:

1. Get your gear together

Gather up your camp stove, coffee mill, filter, coffee beans, and favorite camp mug, and head out to your local park.

2.  Prepare your pour over helmet

Flip your helmet over with the top ventilation hole placed over your mug. Place your basket filter inside your helmet.

3. Rinse your filter

Boil water with your stove. Pour the hot water through the filter to rinse out any residual paper flavor.

4. Measure and grind your beans

Grind 23 grams of your best beans (about 3 tablespoons) with your coffee mill. Hand grinding can be hard work, but don’t worry, your sweat-equity will pay off.

5. Saturate the grounds

Pour just enough water, now about a minute off the boil, over your grounds to saturate, allowing the coffee to “bloom.” Wait about 20 seconds.

6. Pour up to mid-helmet

Once the coffee has bloomed, pour water up to mid helmet level, taking care not to wet your foam pads.You don’t want to get any off flavors from the built up sweat in your cup.

7. Remove helmet and enjoy

Once you’re satisfied with the amount of coffee you’ve brewed, remove your helmet and toss your filter. Take a step back, breathe deep from the steam rising off your cup, take an Instagram (#coffeeoutside, after all), and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

To get you started on a spring of #coffeoutside, Nutcase Helmets is also offering a 8-ounce bag of Stumptown’s Hair Bender with every purchase of the ‘POUR’tlander now through April 3.

Anna Brones is a staff writer at Sprudge.com. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge. 

The post This New Bike Helmet Makes Pour-Over Coffee appeared first on Sprudge.

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Washington State Adopts Coffee As Official State Drink

In what many are calling an overwhelming victory for coffee enthusiasts, Washington State legislators have approved a bill that will make coffee the state’s official state beverage.

The bill marks the first time a state has granted coffee the distinction of beverage statehood. The only state that comes close is Rhode Island’s “coffee milk“, which is a milk-forward coffee-flavored concoction that was given the title in 1993.

“Twenty-one out of the twenty-eight states before Washington have given the title to milk, but Washingtonians have made their voices heard,” said Governor Jay Inslee. In recent months, a grassroots campaign known as “#WA4JAVA” has built up its base and elected leaders took notice.

“It’s about time coffee is recognized,” says Washington resident Rosalie Bergman, who is also considered the “#WA4JAVA” campaign’s unofficial leader. “Coffee is the reason this whole dang country is even a country, and Washington State wouldn’t be nothing if it weren’t for the sound ground.”

Howard Schultz, the Starbucks CEO and skim cappuccino drinker, has yet to make an official comment.

“I think it’s great,” says Olympia Coffee Roasting Company co-owner Oliver Stormshak, who runs several cafes in Washington’s capitol city. Stormshak personally witnessed a significant stretch of Capitol Way traffic disrupted when a group of “#WA4JAVA” boosters stormed the campus lawn, dumped grounds in the Tivoli Fountain, and marched to the city’s Marathon Park. “People were fired up,” Stormshak added, “and I can see why. Coffee is an important part of Washington’s economy.”

Espresso Vivace founder David Schomer told Sprudge that while he’s happy about the news, he would have preferred the distinction to go toward espresso. “Coffee is too broad a term, and it’s really espresso that changed the hearts and minds of coffee drinkers in the 80s and 90s here on the streets of Seattle.”

Espresso or not, this is an historic day for coffee, and a special day for the founders of Sprudge, who started this little website in the busy cafes of Seattle. Long live #WA4JAVA

The post Washington State Adopts Coffee As Official State Drink appeared first on Sprudge.

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George Orwell Wasn’t A Fan Of This Graham Greene Novel

How would you like to have your novel—that novel you spent years working on—reviewed by George Orwell? This would be like making your best risotto and serving it up to Gordon Ramsay. No pressure, right? Well, Graham Greene, a famous author in his own right, experienced just that. When The Heart of the Matter was […]

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3 Tips in Choosing the Right Necklace Length

Figuring out how to choose a necklace length that worked with your body and wardrobe? Luckily, we’ll share some tips in choosing the right necklace length for you. Read on!

 

Based on your Neck

But start with your neck. All necklaces actually touch your neck, so what’s going on there counts a lot. Necks have length and necks have width. And some necks have wrinkles. Long necks can wear just about anything. Short necks and wrinkly necks have issues to work out, so not every necklace will be a good fit. And do remember, as with any “general” advice, there are always exceptions so it’s best to try necklaces on, if possible. Source: JewelryWise

 

Based on Necklines

What types of necklines do you choose most in your wardrobe? You’ll want to choose a necklace length that flatters your neckline. A choker, for example, looks great with a scoop neck shirt but not so great with crew necks and turtlenecks. If you’re wearing a high neckline like a turtleneck, choose a necklace length that is long and doesn’t sit near the neck of the garment. Source: Craftsy

 

Based on your Height

If you have a large breast, you can choose necklaces that are more than 22' in length. It will be uncomfortable if you try to choose longer than this length.

If you are below 5'4' in height, collar or princess length necklaces look best. V-Shape styles or Matinee necklace length will make you look taller.

If you are from 5'4" - 5'7', you can wear necklaces of any length. 

If you are over 5'7" in height, you can wear longer necklaces any length. Source: StreetDirectory

 

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Big News for Northview

Yakushima Rain Duck, after deployment and subsequent molt

It is not terribly well-known, but Yakushima Island is one of the rainiest places in the world. It is said that it rains there "35 days a month."

Even less well-known is the reason for all that precipitation. However, thanks to negotiations that have been ongoing over the last 36 months, we are going to be in on the ground floor so to speak, of the special feature that makes the little island so damp. We will be selling these rain-making capabilities through the franchise to drought stricken areas all over the world. Under the auspices of No More Sahara.com, we will be sending little rain-producing rockets wherever they are needed.

That's right! We are getting......

Yakushima Rain Ducks! 

Yup. We had to jump through hoops you couldn't imagine, from background checks to year-long humidity monitors in all our buildings, including the house, (in case sick ducklings need to be brought indoors for extra nursing). There have been scientists here nearly every day since we sold the cows.

You know how it's rained so much here over the past few years? I wasn't allowed to tell you about it, but the company was testing flights of ducklings, to make sure this was the right kind of location for them. Habitat is everything you see. One worry I have had is escapees. It is hard enough to make hay here now.....

Anyhow, we were finally awarded a franchise. It isn't going to be easy.

You see, for their entire lives, right up until they are deployed, the ducklings must be kept damp. I can't reveal the exact percentage of moisture in their proper environment due to non-disclosure agreements we were required to sign, but as long as they are appropriately soggy, they will not deploy their special rain-making capabilities. However, let them dry out, even for a few minutes, and look out. They are very fast fliers too, and can fly within three weeks after hatching. They must be brooded, either under mother ducks, which must be allowed to swim in special, sterile water, at least 30 times per day (have you ever tried to keep water clean around ducks, let alone sterile?) in order to keep their feathers properly dampened

Or else they are hatched in special sponge-walled incubators, and brooded in imported terry-cloth lined bread boxes, with special wicking technology that keeps them just wet enough, while warming them to the correct temperature with hot water bottles, which must be refilled every hour, around the clock.

On their native island the ducks are raised in buildings that look a lot like greenhouses, with special green glass walls that protect them from excess sunlight (don't want them drying out) and keep them from flying too much as they fledge. The little white ducks ability to fly so fast and so early is part of what makes them so valuable.

Here at Northview, we will not be allowed to keep mother or father ducks. No More Sahara is afraid of losing control of the breeding stock.....remember Noah? Yeah, he had two of them and look what happened. Thus the kids have been setting up racks of the brooders and incubators, and sterile pens (with very tight roofs) for the ducklings after they are fledged. You see, the secret to their ability to cause it to rain, is their feathers.

Each duck has myriad curly feathers, covered with tiny comb-like cilia, which agitate the air when they fly, producing rain droplets 86.7% of the time. Two ducks flying over your house will result in a short shower, just enough to lay the dust. Two-hundred ducks will produce an all-day, all-night, steady rain, which is perfect for crop needs, or to help in postponing unpleasant social gatherings. When a couple of thousand escaped from a Chinese duckery back in 2004 the resulting monsoon was no joke.

Right now, the ducks, when fledged, will sell for about 160 dollars each, but as they become more readily available, that will probably go down. Maybe not though. This may be the next big thing, like llamas and emus and all.

The most elegant part of the rain duck equation is that once the ducklings have done their watery thing... and they can only do it once....they glide to the ground, molt the fuzzy white feathers, and quickly grow new ones that make them look like ordinary mallards....that huge flock that wintered down in front of McDonald's? Yup, they came from here. Thus the landscape will not be cluttered up with funny looking fluffy white ducks.

Meanwhile, Charles M. Hatfield, the founder of No More Sahara, believes that with proper use of duck technology, drought will be a thing of the past, and deserts optional landscaping features..

Anyhow, the kids are out in the barn right now, unpacking the special cases of rain duck eggs and setting them in the fancy brooders....I suppose that I had better go help them. 

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