All posts filed under: Gypset Files

I Really Wanted to Love the Hippie Outpost of Pushkar, But This…

From everything I had read, Pushkar sounded like my kind of place. A placid lake in a small desert outpost? Yes please. It was just the relief one needed from the mania of New Delhi and the traffic-choked streets of Jaipur. But what had me seriously travel-stoked on Pushkar was that it supposedly enjoyed some seriously boho vibes. My guidebook wrote: “Pushkar’s spiritual energy also attracted the hippy overlanders of the 1960s, and the budget hotels and cafes set up to cater for them have kept it firmly on the backpacker trail.” Complicit in this description was this travel blogger’s swoon-worthy review: 6 Reasons to Put Pushkar on Your Bucket List Perfect! I thought. Just my brand of gypset travel.   Except that it wasn’t, which I realized when my expectations confronted reality. You see, I had anticipated more of this…   but found more of this:   Err…that is not my brand of boho. Allow me to recount our visit. We arrived in Pushkar just before the golden hour, some 90 minutes before sunset. Sadly, our …

Gypset Digs: Ellerie’s River Cottages, Darrington WA (Review & Photos)

Location: 31420 365th Dr NE, Darrington Telephone: 206-362-9200 TripAdvisor: Click here Until we checked into Ellerie’s River Cottages, I thought cabin couture was flannel and wool socks. I was wrong. A Seattle transplant, interior and landscape designer Ellerie Cain has a knack for sniffing out antiques, which she uses to decorate (curate, really) her haute-rustic cabins. Admittedly, ‘cottage’ is a bit of a misnomer. Ellerie’s lodgings are spacious and elegant; a marriage of European flair and rustic charm. “I love texture, and obviously lamps and chairs. The glass is so old and it’s broken, but you know what? We’re kind of rusty.” In fact, the number of doors and windows Ellerie has salvaged would lead one to believe Seattle’s antiques suffer a major abandonment problem; I suspect it’s her well-trained eye. “That’s why I have a van. You should see how fast I can load up and toss into reverse” she laughs. There are three proper cottages for rent on her tree-lined, riverside property. Each comfortably accommodates five people on two double/queen-sized beds and a single. River …

Boho Boutique: Folk Art Interiors, Vancouver BC

This weekend was filled with firsts. For a person who has lived in Vancouver for four-and-a-half years, there are a remarkable number of things I haven’t done, places I haven’t been. On Saturday I went snowshoeing on Grouse Mountain and today I bopped on over to Spanish Banks for an easy-like-Sunday-morning walk. And what’s a basic betch going for walk without a coffee in hand? Queue another first: Grounds for Coffee – and their famous cinnamon buns. I didn’t even stop to take a picture before inhaling my sticky little bun. (Thanks for turning me onto Grounds, Jenn Lee!) Floating on a cozy sugar high, I am walking back to the Jeep when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a shop crowned with vintage antlers? With vibes like that, how could I not? And of course, what should I find but a dust-laden, rolled-up, hairy, disheveled carpet. I couldn’t have found that thing faster if it had been calling me by name. I didn’t stand a chance. So I just spent the last hour-and-a-half beating …

Why I Want to Pack My Bags and Move to Sayulita

Guys, I drank the Sayulita Kool-Aid and I don’t think there’s any going back. It was love at first sight…for me anyway. Sayulita probably wasn’t so enamored with us. In fact, she’d tell you we were a goddam hot mess when we first met. In our defence, it kind of, wasn’t, totally our fault. It was Booey’s fault. But blaming Booey is like blaming a chef for your food baby. Let me explain… 12/23/16 Greg, Peter, Laina and I started our day watching the sunrise over Marina La Cuz before setting out on a full-day excursion with Ally Cat Sailing Adventure. (I’ll review the fully Ally Cat experience in another post.) We cast off shortly after 9 a.m., setting sail for Las Marietas Islands. Shortly after 9 a.m. Booey brought us our first beers. And then our first margaritas. The rest of the sun (and tequila) soaked day involved snorkeling, swimming, whale watching, and plenty of quasi-awkward-awesome dancing. (I’m on a boat!) Sometime during the afternoon I went below deck for water, because hydration. The bartender was pouring a …

Where Can I Buy a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree in Vancouver, BC?

I’ve done it! I’ve finally found a fiddle leaf fig tree in Vancouver. Thanks to Instagram I’ve been coveting a fig tree. I’m happy to announce an addition to our family.  Take a look: Isn’t she a beaut? We bought our tree at Maple Leaf Garden Centre in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver. The last few times I’ve stopped in they’ve had one or two on hand. This visit, they had one fiddle leaf fig tree (which we bought) and one fiddle leaf fig bush. If you don’t live on the North Shore, it might be worth giving them a call in advance. Address: 1343 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver Telephone: 604-985-1784 Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Sunday and Holidays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. According to their website, there is a Maple Leaf Garden Centre in West Vancouver too. I’d wager a bet that they also carry fiddle leaf fig trees. Address: 2558 Haywood Avenue, West Vancouver Telephone: 604-922-2613 Hours: Open 7 days a week 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Here’s for hoping …

Gypset Home Must-Have: A Kilim Rug

  Hooray for the weekend! Well…secretly I’m excited beyond belief for the upcoming week. I’ve got two packages being delivered to the house and later in the week I’m heading (back) to Arizona. But right now I want to talk about my inbound kilim rug, because a) she’s a total beauty; b) it’s super gypset; and c) I’ve been craving a rug for our ‘dining’ space in the apartment for three years now. So without further adieu, here she is: What can I say? It was love at first sight. Bold design and pops of pink. It’s such a statement piece. Backing up, you might be thinking, what’s a kilim rug? Simply put, it’s a rug without piles. Look at the carpet in your home. Notice that it’s comprised of short strands? Those are piles. Kilim rugs are characterized by a flat weave, which is also how their patterns are formed. ‘Kilim’ is a Turkish word and most kilim rugs are produced in Turkey (Anatolia and Thrace), North Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, …

13 Vintage Posters Travel Junkies Will Swoon For

Isn’t the Golden Age of Travel a romantic notion? A time when railways wound through even the most distant corners of the earth. Transoceanic flights were plucking wealthy travellers from the capitals of Europe to exotic places; the likes of the ‘Orient’ (a term discouraged today) and far flung Pacific islands. Step back in time and imagine the world advertised through these colourful posters – a far cry from the hyper social world we live in now. All images are courtesy of the Boston Public Library Flickr account