[ getting inspired ]

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SO anyone who follows me on Pinterest has noticed that I've been pinning a lot of art and art studios lately. I've been tossing around the idea of getting out my artist brushes again and creating some art. My guy bought me a lovely easel for Christmas and now that I've got it all assembled and my studio taking shape, it's time to get painting!

There's nothing like an art fair to get your creative juices flowing and this weekend we decided to check out the Artist Project in Toronto. 250 artists from Canada and abroad were showcasing their work at Exhibition Place and what an amazing show. Browsing through galleries is fun but there's nothing like meeting the artists themselves and hearing about their inspirations and how they've adopted their particular technique.

Here are just a few of my faves from the show...

Gabriella Collier

Shannon Dickie

Samantha Sandbrook

Stephen Perry

Lori Klassen

Julie Hawkins

Mary Karavos

Rick Worthington

Janette Hayhoe

...and here are a few more whose cards I didn't get so I don't have their contact info but I'll show you their eye candy since they're so beautiful:

What a great way to spend a chilly Sunday afternoon! I left feeling totally uplifted and inspired to get cracking on creating some art. No point letting my art school/design degree go to waste!

lisa

[ wanna buy a camel? ]

ONE THING I hadn't done in Dubai was get up close and personal to a camel. I knew that before I left, I would need to cross this off my list. I mean, you can't come to the Middle East and not see a camel. But I wasn't about to go on a camel ride {like the girls in Sex and the City did} so I thought I'd try to at least snap a pic of one somewhere.

We've passed by so many camel farms on our drives around the area...

There's a famous camel market in Al Ain where camels are sold with intense haggling for meat, racing or milking {the majority for meat ~ apparently serving a whole camel for a wedding feast is a long time tradition}. Anyone can own a camel in Dubai ~ though I'm assuming they expect you to have a farm and not keep it in your villa's backyard. 

Since I wasn't really in the market to buy myself a new pet, we didn't drive all the way to the Al Ain market but instead stopped at a tiny market on the outskirts of Dubai and I managed to snap a couple of pics. There was a small tent selling camel milk, etc...

and a small pen of camels waiting to be sold. The camel handler didn't seem to mind me stopping to take a peek...

I got mostly rear views, but a couple of them posed for their mugshot...

Another thing crossed off my Dubai bucket list! {And with the MERS virus floating out there right now, I thought it best to use the zoom on my camera and keep my distance ~ just in case!}

lisa

[ road trip to al ain ]

I ALWAYS love a road trip and yesterday we decided to take a drive out to Al Ain, about 120 km south of Dubai. Also known as The Garden City for it's lush greenery, it's the birthplace of the first president of the UAE and has the highest number of Emirati nationals. Weather in Al Ain is less humid making it a popular destination for many people escaping the coastal cities in the summer.

With its tree-lined streets and many opulent villas, it's a very pretty place to visit...

It's always interesting to see the traditional bits...

and the new Tim Hortons was a welcome sight!

One of the main attractions of Al Ain is Jebel Hafeet mountain so we decided to drive up it to see what all the fuss was about...

It didn't seem very big from below but driving up the 8 degree winding road was quite fun...

There are a few lookout points along the way so you can stop and admire the view...

The mountain straddles part of the border with Oman. At the foothills is the Green Mubazarrah, where hot springs gush up in little streams and form a lake ~ a popular tourist attraction.

We continued our drive up past various signs ~ not sure if they were warnings or welcomes...

... and finally reached the top.

At the top is a hotel, a private palace, a snack bar and a parking area with 360 degree views...

There were a lot of people there and some got into the weekend spirit by cranking their car stereo and dancing in the parking lot...

After admiring the endless view, we grabbed some snacks and headed back down...

We had a great day and now that the temps are hovering around the 40C range, a road trip in air conditioned comfort is a great way to still enjoy the sights.

lisa

[ arrggh! this place! ]

EVERY expat in Dubai knows that this place is an exercise in patience. Sure the sunshine is great, but it definitely comes at a price! I'm constantly encountering things that just don't make sense and are guaranteed to hike your blood pressure up a few notches. My latest encounter was this...

This is where we live ~ villa 57 on street 2 of our gated community...

Over the course of this year, the developer has filled in an open area just up the street from us with a few new villas. The boards have just come down to reveal this...

Seriously! How can you have two villas on the same street with the same number?? They had assigned this chunk of new villas numbers 53-63, right between existing numbers 12 and 13! Why 53-63? Seems pretty random since the existing numbering already goes to about 100 at the bottom of our street! How does this even happen?

I hadn't noticed until I called for a taxi on Thursday. I was standing outside my villa waiting for what seemed to be much longer than usual when my phone rang.

Taxi: I am here ma'am

Me: Where?

Taxi: In front of villa

Me: No... I'm standing right in front of my villa and you are not here.

Taxi: Villa 57?

Me: Yes, villa 57. Are you on Street 2?

Taxi: Yes ma'am

Me: Are you sure?

Taxi: Yes ma'am. Street 2. Villa 57.

Me: Well I'm confused. I'm standing right in front and you are not here. Are you sure you are on Street 2? Did you turn right at the gate or left?

Taxi: I turn right ma'am. Street 2.

Me: Well, you are definitely not in front of my villa. I'm confused. You're SURE you turned right at the gate?

Taxi: Sigh. Yes ma'am. I turn right. I go back and turn left. 'click'

Me: Sigh.

I stood there waiting to see how this was going to play out when I saw him approaching from the bottom of my street instead. He had driven around, past the gate, down Street 1 to where it joins my street and come up. He looked at my villa number with a confused look on his face. I got in.

Taxi: This is villa 57?

Me: Yes. This is where I've been waiting. This is Street 2.

Taxi: Yes ma'am but I was Street 2. I show you.

We drove up the street and he stopped in front of the new villa.

Taxi: Here ma'am. Here I was waiting. Villa 57. Street 2.

I couldn't believe my eyes! I was looking at a villa on my street with the same number as mine! The fact that it was clearly still under construction and obviously not yet occupied hadn't dawned on him. He was waiting at villa 57 so I couldn't very well accuse him of being wrong. He was right ~ sort of. I can't even imagine the problems this is going to create.

Sigh. Only in Dubai.

lisa

[ sticker families ]

I'M SURE all of you are familiar with sticker families ~ those little stick people on the back windows of vehicles depicting everyone in the family including pets...

Well, did you know that there are also sticker families for people here in Dubai?

It really is a small world. Do you have a sticker family on your vehicle?

lisa

[ only in dubai ]

I MUST say that nothing ceases to amaze me in this city of glitz and glam where people think the more over-the-top, the classier. Today while walking through the parking garage at the mall, I saw this...

So what do you think? Would you bedazzle your Range Rover to add some class?

lisa

[ the aran sweater ]

MY GUY just returned from a business trip to Ireland and brought me back this lovely Aran sweater made from soft 100% merino wool...

so that I can look as cute as this {note the denim shirt underneath}...

It's funny because we lived there for 4 years and I never bought myself one!

Aran sweaters ~ aka fisherman sweaters {or jumpers as they're referred to in Ireland} have been around since the 19th century and originated on the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland at the mouth of Galway Bay. Originally they were handknit by the wives of fisherman from undyed, unscoured wool which retained its natural lanolin oil and made them water resistant. 

The sweaters are distinguished by their complex stitch patterns and each have a significance: the cable is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing, the honeycomb is the symbol of the hard-working bee, the basket stitch represents the hope for a plentiful catch, and the diamond a wish of success, wealth and treasure.

Eventually island women began producing these sweaters not just for their families but as a source of income.

These sweaters have seen a resurgence in popularity and have become a fashion must this year, a true wardrobe classic.

The Aran Sweater Market since 1892 on Inis Mor, the largest of the 

three Aran Islands

Looking for a genuine Aran sweater but no plans to be in Ireland anytime soon? Try the Aran Sweater Market online shop!

Of course you can always try to find an imitation at places like LLBean, JCrew, Brooks Brothers, ASOS.com. etc. Either way, you'll still look fashionable...

How about you? Do you own an Aran sweater? Will you be adding one to your fall/winter wardrobe this year?

lisa

[via aransweatermarket; LLBean; models.com; nichollvincent.blogspot; lolobu.com; chictopia.com; stylezen.net; swandiamondrose.tumblr; michaelkors; dailycrush.net; trendymadness.blogspot]