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Last year, we launched the Potted Farm with a lovely how-to video demonstrating just how easy it is to grow your own tomatoes with limited space. This year, we thought it would be fun to try to re-invent the “pot” in said “potted farm”. Don’t get any funny ideas, we mean the container.
Most of us have some wooden spoons lying in a drawer somewhere in the kitchen. So when we saw this simple DIY project online we couldn’t resist injecting fun into everyday objects and making them an accent piece both at the table and around the kitchen.
A glance around our office space is all it takes to see that we are huge fans of repurposed materials. We are located in an area of Montreal that was once known as the Fur and Diamond District and while there are still some jewelry and fur companies in the building (we prefer not to discuss the latter, it upsets Toni Brown, our office pooch), most of the spaces have been converted to working loft spaces much like our own.
It’s pretty well documented that many of us are re-thinking our relationship with the things we buy these days. We’re more enthusiastic about purchasing local goods, we rather willingly pay a premium for organic and asking about the provenance of items has become common practice.
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We all have a personal version of New York City. Its jumble of cultures, the diversity of its neighbourhoods and its rich history make it a place that is unique to every person who visits or lives there. So inevitably, if you were to ask someone what is THE quintessentially "New York" thing, you'd get an array of answers. For some, the essence of the city can be found at a neighbourhood restaurant on the corner of some back street, while others might choose a boutique, a walk, a park, an...
Saguenay is near Rimouski, right? No, wait, is it in Abitibi? I heard there are [insert any number of your choice over four] girls for every guy! Hey, I know [insert name], you must know her; she’s from the Lac! Your accent is so cute! (aka I didn’t understand a word of what you just said ...)
Do you know Simon Roy? The former Raker and current CloudFriend is not only the most fantastic guy, but has the most exquisite handwriting imaginable.
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Meet the man behind Daddy Mojo, the creator of custom cigar box guitars.
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As soon as the sun meets the clouds, Montreal comes to life and the hustle and bustle doesn't end until the sunlight disappears into the horizon line once again.
We are super pleased to announce that you can now purchase a High Five Poster of your own! Inspired by our unabashed love of mutual congratulation and all ‘round nerdiness, we wanted to share a little of the joy with you.
Twelve years ago, I left my hometown of Ottawa to move to Montreal, the city I now call home. Moving away from friends and family allowed me to keep close ties to the city I grew up in and, moreover, to experience it as a weekend visitor would. I always look forward to the short train/car ride to Ottawa – you’re about 2 episodes of Mad Men away from a completely different pace of life and scenery. Those who have accompanied me on these weekend getaways have also commented on how charmed they...
Manhattan is a million places in one. You can spend an afternoon on the Upper East Side, hitting up swank shops, doing the museum circuit, lunching amongst the ladies who, well, lunch and dreaming about what all those park-facing apartments look like on the inside. In that same day, you can find yourself trend spotting on the Lower East Side, trying to push past baby strollers on the Upper West, or watching fashion shoots in the streets of the Meatpacking District. When people ask me...
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Two weeks ago, the world's premier trade show for computer and video games, the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, closed its doors. This year's event offered a glimpse of how the industry is going to tackle the great challenges it faces due to recent gaming trends.
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We’ve noticed that, as of late, city dwellers are getting pretty garden savvy. You might say it’s a “growing trend” (get it? Haha). Sure, gardening can be daunting if you live in the middle of the city and only have a small balcony to call your own but this doesn’t mean you should feel left out. Even if you can’t squeeze a BBQ out there, you can certainly fit a tomato plant! In fact, tomatoes are a great place for amateur green thumbs to start.
I believe that I have an interesting – yet not uncommon – perspective on Hong Kong. Having been born there but moving to Canada when I was 6, visiting gives me simultaneous feelings of nostalgia and discovery. This was never more apparent than with my last visit. Being an independent "adult adult" now, I am truly able to appreciate the things that I once took for granted, most notably the availability of unbelievable food, fashion and the interesting mix of British influence with Chinese...
What started as a playful game fueled by the digital age quickly became a lesson in relative value and ended with a gesture of generosity and a man filled with insights. Kyle MacDonald...
This winter we were chatting casually with Bruno about how gorgeous Montreal looks under heavy snowfall. While this conversation may seem mundane to people who grew up here, it was enchanting to listen to a Parisian’s take on the phenomenon. So Bruno set out one morning, camera in hand, to capture the magic of our city being blanketed in the white stuff. What he came back with took our breath away, it wasn’t the snow he was watching, it was us.
When we look back at this era three themes will most certainly dominate our collective memory: the environment, the digital revolution and the global recession. Three issues so clear and omnipresent that one can't help but feel they are fundamentally connected and meant to teach us lessons about how we can be better.
We’re happy to announce we have a snazzy new feature on The Rake, The General Store. We will be filling it up with free downloadable goodies like our ‘desktop desktop’ series inspired by some of the folks we love around the office and custom Google map guides to cities we dig that you can send to your phone or copy into your travel itinerary. We will also be creating original pieces that you can purchase like...
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Paris is a city most of us have visited, if not in real life then at the very least in film, art and general culture and it certainly is a town reknown for its style. While Au Bon Marche, Printemps and Galleries Lafayette are wonderful, there is a vast network of smaller shops that are bringing new fashions into the fold. Bruno has put together his guide to the city he hails from, a real insider's tour to the spots you should hit up on your next visit. If street art, urban fashion and...