Link Love

Saturday morning - I awoke before 5:30 am in anticipation of a beautiful day. I wanted to get some research done before light. Now it's 9:00 am and it's a gorgeous, crisp, sunny morning in Vancouver with new snow on the mountains.  Today I will get a ton of good things accomplished. First on my list is a kind of pay it forward. I have so many things to honour gratitude with today.  

Let me begin with my friend Aubrey, a shining light, giving and loving, a superstar gal.  She's aptly in marketing for the transforming skin-care company Linacare.  It's a perfect fit for our beautiful "Aubergine" as Linacare is not just about a beauty care line, but making a difference in people's lives with therapeutic products to counteract severe effects of chemotherapy and other diseases which effect the skin.  


A few weeks ago while visiting Aubrey, she graciously packed up a stack of beautiful note cards from Vancouver-based stationery studio, The Pink Door Paper Company.  They are lovely and modern, just like Aubrey, and hard to part with! Thank you sweetie.   


Along the same note of style, Vancouver entrepreneurial divas Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte published a fabulous book, Style Statement, Live By Your Own Design. This is a must buy for the women on your Christmas list who have too much stuff - please, not another chochkey.  carrieanddanielle.com continues to revolutionize the mandate of defining your true self with authenticity.  Way to go gals! Thank you for inspiring us.

I have a plaque in my kitchen that looks like it's etched in old stone. It reads "Flowers Are The Keepers Of Our Joy". How true. I'm working on a project for my Auntie June. Auntie June is a floral designer extraordinaire. She's a celebrity in the floral industry and initiated the project Beginnings Flowers out of the Burnaby Women's Correctional Facility back in the early 1990s. Of course with a heartless conservative government, the program which gave hope and skills and instilled confidence for women without privilege, was cut. A few years ago, not to be left without purpose, my Aunt June began working with another project. The Phoenix Society in Surrey. Today she has opened another flower shop and school called Just Beginnings Flowers.

I don't know how to build a website, but I know that her current website is, well, not effective. I want to build something beautiful and one reflective of her and her great work. The purpose of Just Beginnings Flowers 'is to create a social enterprise dedicated to making a difference in the lives of individuals in less fortunate circumstances: single parents, women who have experienced violence in their lives, persons returning from prison and those recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.' The project is such a worthy one and I'm going to do what I can to bolster it's mission. Get ready for the best dang flower shop website in YVR!

Just Beginnings Flowers is located across from Surrey Memorial Hospital, 13686 94a Avenue, Surrey. The shop is delightful! Call them at 604-582-8298.