Fun Five is a monthly email I send out on the 5th. Each edition is a short list of five things I’ve been enjoying lately. Things like inspiration, design, music, food, small curiosities, and more.
August is here, and it has been a very special month. My girlfriend celebrated her birthday recently, so you will notice she heavily influenced this month's list. Here is what we have been enjoying lately.
1. Summer makers markets on Verdun's Wellington Street
During the summer, Wellington Street in Verdun closes down to cars and becomes a vibrant pedestrian street. They often host makers markets on the weekends, which was the perfect excuse to pick up a birthday gift. I had been following Kaz Crafts Co on Instagram for a while and knew she would be at one of the markets. She makes these incredibly cool, lightweight, and colourful earrings out of authentic Japanese origami paper. I knew my partner would absolutely love them. Plus, it always feels incredibly rewarding to support other local artists and see their amazing work thriving in the community.
2. Newfoundland souvenirs and hospitality
Speaking of my partner, she recently accomplished the Long Range Traverse in Newfoundland. It is an incredibly challenging backcountry hike, and I highly recommend looking up photos of the route because the views are spectacular. She had an amazing time and could not stop talking about how genuinely nice and welcoming everyone was. She picked up a couple of beautiful souvenir mugs for us from her favourite hangout spot, Galliott Studios. It is this amazing seasonal espresso bar, pottery studio, and craft shop housed in an old fishing shed stilted right over the waters of Bonne Bay, where you can literally whale watch from the back wharf. She even told me a great detail about the cafe: they host live music sessions, and the local regulars actually have their own custom mugs hanging up on the wall just for them to use whenever they visit.
3. Biking Montreal's smooth Gilles Villeneuve track
If you are in Montreal and looking for a really awesome bike ride, I highly recommend hitting the Gilles Villeneuve track. The pavement is incredibly smooth, making it so much fun to ride on. From there, you can take the path that goes right under the Champlain Bridge. It is a fantastic spot to take a break, and the view looking at the pillars over the water supporting the bridge is really cool. They all form a winding line to the other side, and it is just so visually satisfying. It is definitely a spot I want to revisit for a golden hour ride before the season ends.
4. Travelling the world via watercolour postcards
I have really been loving the Mar Sketcher Postcard Club. It is a monthly art print subscription where you receive a beautiful, original watercolour postcard from somewhere around the world straight to your mailbox. I absolutely love their watercolour style. What makes it even better is that each month includes a little story, some stickers, and exclusive access to step-by-step tutorials so you can learn to paint the scene yourself. It is such an awesome way to collect art and learn a new skill at the same time.
5. The ultimate gluten-free vegetarian food tour in Montreal
My girlfriend had been dropping hints that she wanted to go on a food tour for her birthday. The goal was to visit several restaurants in one day, splitting a dish at each spot to try a bunch of different cuisines. Finding places with solid gluten-free vegetarian options for her adds an extra layer of challenge, but I managed to put together an amazing rotation. I will likely do a full blog post with the exact route details in the future, but I could not gatekeep the spots: Crêperie du Marché, Alphabet Café, Vegâteau, La Bolo à Lolo Sans Gluten, Krapow, and Satu Lagi. The food was absolutely bomb at all of them. If you attempt this route, I highly recommend stopping by Librairie Drawn & Quarterly to break up the eating. It is a cute little bookstore and an internationally renowned publisher of the world's best cartoonists. They have so many interesting graphic novels and book selections, making it the perfect place to grab some creative inspiration and digest a bit before heading to the next restaurant.
Thanks for reading the Fun Five. If there's a favourite local spot you love to hit up during the summer, feel free to reach out and share it!