ABOUT

This blog started out as a creative, fun and informative adjunct to my former websites but has since morphed into a more personal outlet involving a wide range of interests, inspirations & curiosities…fashion, art, food, photography, design, dogs, destinations, beauty product reviews, film festival reviews, healthy tidbits, personal posts and noteworthy quotes. A LifeStyle all-inclusive. I hope you find it interesting, useful, and at times, enlightening.

A not so little bit about me...in the past, I’ve been all over the map, literally.

I grew up in Montreal, moved to Vancouver, B.C., then Toronto then back to Vancouver. I’ve lived in Japan when I was on my own; then Jamaica and Brazil with my late husband Don, with visits to many other places in between. We traveled to Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and all over the United States and Canada. We started spending the winter in Palm Springs. I still do.

Some of my varied work experience included being hired as the first woman disc-jockey for Club Med. Music was, and still is, a big passion. I was hired while living in Montreal by a company located in Manhattan, New York City that sent me there to learn how to mix music while observing club life. I did a lot of partying observing. I moved to Vancouver because the NY company set me up at a 5* resort hotel by the water, complete with sound system, mixer, turntables and a stay at the hotel. From then on I knew I wanted to make Vancouver my home. They ended up sending me to DJ at Club Med in the Caribbean and Mexico. At Club Med I was also involved in the theatrical productions. When back to Vancouver, I DJ’d at a few popular clubs for fun. But it had its limits.

I traveled to Tokyo on a whim and ended up teaching English part time and doing some acting. I was called to work on”The Love Boat” series while there and made some interesting new friends. I had done some acting and extra work (after studying at the Actors Studio & Peter Breck Academy). I’d always been interested in film after working on many films that were shot in and around Montreal. That’s a separate résumé .

Freshly back from Tokyo, the then Japanese-owned Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver was about to open. I was hired to take care of the front desk. Located by Canada Place where people on cruiseship lines embark + disembark, it was a luxury hotel at that time. During that period, Princess Diana and Prince Charles were guests for a week during Expo ’86, and I was able to greet them on a couple of occasions during their stay. It was an exciting period. Funnily enough, in 2016 when Prince William & the Duchess of Cambridge were visiting Vancouver and on their way to reopen a Coast Guard station near my residence, I was out walking my dog when their motorcade passed by us. It was hard to see who was in any of the vehicles, however one of the back windows rolled down and it was unmistakably Kate and William with big smiles waving to us. Could’ve been my dog that got their attention, but maybe they knew that I was the Girl who would be KING. The experience made me feel like a very uncommon commoner.

But I was still interested in the film industry back then. So after that, I worked for a while selling advertising at Reel West Digest + Magazine which was considered the bible of the film industry on the West Coast. A co-worker and I talked the publisher into letting us cover the Genie Awards (often considered the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Awards) in Toronto once for the magazine as writer + photographer. We had a blast. From that job I met a lot of people and ended up working as a casting director on a movie shot on the outskirts of town. Then, while visiting a camera operator friend on a movie set, I met a famous actress who hired me as her assistant while in town.

Then back to Toronto where Don and I kept a condo/office. He had his own company & his line of work was in telecommunications which kept him very busy and travelling all over the place. I decided to find a job in Toronto. A short stint working for the Speaker of the House (at the legislative assembly of Ontario – Provincial Parliament), led me to my next job. Through word of mouth I had an interview at CBC. I was hired as admin assistant to the director of TV + Radio for all of Ontario at CBC Broadcast Center for five years. Part of the job involved helping to organize special events. But the longterm plan was to always move back to Vancouver so we kept a place there too.

After moving back to Vancouver, I became serious about my online business which kept evolving. Through travels I collected household goods that were unique and Intrigue Imports began selling. I also started a company called “WiP Productions” (Works in Progress), marketing independent producers’ TV series/documentaries/music videos. From working at CBC, I realized there was a niche to be filled and that I’d be capable of filling it. It worked out very well for a while until travel called again. From that, I invested in a few music videos that did well on the country music channels. I was credited as Associate Producer on a TV series about the automotive industry – as a team of automotive journalists and experts gave frank reviews and market comparisons by test driving what was hot and what was not. I learned a lot.

In 2016 I created and co-hosted a TV pilot project showcasing the little hidden gems revolving around style, food, art, design, music and such in and around Vancouver. We interviewed local entrepreneurs (mostly foreigners) who’ve made Vancouver their home and became successful by offering up something unique, unusual and wonderful. Off the beaten track. We created a pilot and several episodes. This project was put on hold when my co-host became ill.

My more exciting athletic endeavours include training and running three half marathons (two for Nike Women’s Marathon and half Marathon in San Francisco & the SeaWheeze sponsored by Lululemon in Vancouver), horseback riding and a professional scuba diving certificate (PADI).

INTRIGUE Imports was established in 2001 offering unique home & personal accessories from exotic locations around the globe. We sold in fine boutiques and also online. Then in 2009, on another visit to Buenos Aires we discovered an artisanal yet luxurious brand of lingerie, mixing quality with affordability. Intrigue immediately incorporated lingerie to the product line to provide women with haute couture quality for a fraction of the price.

We sold gorgeous limited edition sets online and in a few specialty boutiques on 4th Ave in Vancouver where I rented space to set up exclusive lingerie sections – a boutique inside a boutique. There was nothing lingerie in Kitsilano then. The particular line was inspired by the French corsetry made popular from the beginning of the last century. The designs used french embroidery and Italian silks & satin, with Italian & Swiss jacquard details. Exquisite!

Get Spoiled Now was another previous online venture selling small batch naturally wonderful skincare products + makeup. I made some myself under the label “Skin so Divine” including a jet-set travel package – “ready for take-off” for the makeup remover, “get rid of baggage” for the eye cream, etc.

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