February Mood '25

February is here and we don't know about you but to us it feels like January just flew by in an instant. Now, days are ever so slightly longer and it's no longer dark when heading home after work. The light slowly returning is a small everyday delight that we cherish. Speaking of light, A-N-D Light are celebrating 10 years in the making and we bet that you can experience the most glorious sunrises and sunsets on the property featured this month. While still being in the midst of winter, it's only appropriate to indulge in nurturing and uplifting "sunny" foods. As always, you find lots beauty, design, and inspiration below. Happy February.

Whistling Wind Island 
Surrounded by water and vast open skies, Whistling Wind island is a true sanctuary. Designed by Akb Architects, it's a cluster of weathered cedar buildings where the owners come to unwind, but also to harness the wind as avid windsurfers. Here, they can leave the busyness of day to day life behind and connect to themselves and the environment, be it a sunny day or one filled with whistling winds and white topped waves licking the edges of the island. The property consists of four pitch-roofed structures; the main cottage, a bunkie for guests, a sauna and the boat storage. They are all clad in silver weathered cedar shingles that blends in with the rocky ground on the island. The idea behind each design detail is to have the structures fuse with the surroundings which Akb Architects have executed beautifully.
Read more about it here

Peter Aspell
A private collection of Peter Aspell's work is currently exhibited at Gallery Jones in Vancouver. Aspell was born in Vancouver and studied at Vancouver school of art. He also developed his own art school which he ran from 1970-1978. Peter Aspell was a skilled colourist and strongly influenced by Jungian notions of archetypes. His work was also driven by his concern about issues of gender and culture, social justice and the abuse of power. He was mainly a portrait and figure painter and his work has been compared with 19th Century Impressionists in his treatment of colour.
View the exhibition pieces here

Tove Janson
Tove Janson was a Finish multi-disciplinary artist creating both paintings and illustrations as well as writing poems, children's books and fiction for adults.  Her work was influenced by her love of nature and specifically the sea where she spent her summers. Tove Janson is perhaps most famous for the Moomin comic strips and picture books - and for "The Summer Book", a novel considered a Nordic classic. 2025 marks 80 years of Moomin stories with the first one, "The Moomins and the Great Flood", published in 1945. In celebration hereof, the exhibition Paradise will take place at Helsinki Art Museum until April 6 and turned into a film, The Summer Book premiered in Finland last month. A beautiful film we are hoping will make its way to Canadian screens.
Read more about her here

A-N-D Light
10 years in the making, and what progress they've made during these years. A-N-D Light are currently celebrating this major milestone at Standard Shop in Toronto that showcase their 10 years in the industry. Azure Magazine have sat down with the 3 founders to talk about their experience running A-N-D Light so far, and this article makes us quite chuffed and proud. Both on a national but also on a local level. Proud that we as Canadians have a lighting company with such professionalism, forward thinking, and great values, but also that we as a retail store are part of their journey by carrying their products and offering them to you, our lovely clients. Please read the article with Azure Magazine to learn more about this fantastic Canadian company.
Read more about their journey here

The Poster Club
Another brand we are quite pleased about representing. If you haven't noticed them on our website yet, we are happy to announce that we now carry a curated collection of The Poster Club's prints. They are a Copenhagen based company offering high quality prints from both upcoming as well as established artists. The artworks are made exclusively for The Poster Club, meaning you only find them there and nowhere else. Their line of prints is rooted in the Scandinavian style which blends perfectly with the products we already carry.
Find the posters here

Stuffed Butternut Squash
Created by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who's also a co-creator behind River Cottage, a eat and stay location in Devon county, England, this stuffed butternut squash is a warming in-season dish. Twice baked and filled with leeks and hazelnuts, this dish can be the main with a salad for a vegetarian meal or accompany your favourite meat dish. Sautéing the leeks will add a sweetness to them that pairs well with the butternut squash and the hazelnuts add an earthy umami flavour to the dish. A lovely meal for February.
Find the recipe here

Immune Boosting Turmeric Lassi
We've made it through January and feel that a sunny treat is in place to celebrate the fact! High in protein, thanks to the yoghurt base, and with immune boosting properties from the turmeric, ginger and unpasteurized honey, this Lassi is just the perfect treat. The bright yellow colour also helps brighten the day, don't you think?
Find the recipe here

Beaded Anchor Chain Necklace
This is a sweet little project that you can easily customize by choosing glass beads in your preferred colour. Depending on colour choice, you can create a very sophisticated necklace or go all in on vibrant colours for a more playful design. It's so easy to make, you may not stop at one. And with valentines coming up, it's a lovely and personal gift to give your loved ones. If you are not a necklace type, we think that a shorter bracelet version would look equally stunning.
Find the tutorial here

Winnipeg Whiskey Festival
This event is a whiskey connoisseur's paradise featuring whiskies from around the globe, but the event also suits the curious who are just eager to try exquisite spirits. Enjoy a spectacular evening on either Feb 28 or Mar 1 with whisky and spirit tastings together with a buffet dinner crafted to pair with the said fine spirits.
Plan your visit here

Love Hurts
You can't break up with your past. A lesson that realtor Marvin (Ke Huy Quan) learns the hard way when he finds himself thrust back into ruthless violence and the criminal family business. Filmed in Winnipeg, locals can be sure to recognize a spot or two if watching the trailer, this is an entertaining action comedy premiering on Feb 7 right in time for valentines. We also have some fun insider facts regarding shatter proof pendants for this movie as the film crew reached out to us in hope of us being able to help out!
Watch the trailer here