I have always loved Japanese design. There is a beautiful cleanness, artistic and functional element to it. I decided to visit Japan to check out the country's beautiful design in person and there is no better time to do this than during the spring Cherry Blossom Festival. This is a traditionally celebrated festival that [...]
It was tradition. Every year, we would drive out to the bush a few hours out of Calgary and find the best Canadian Christmas tree from the Boy Scouts Christmas tree lot. These were typically pine trees that grow pervasively in the area. The trees were naturally gown, not planted, so they were interspersed [...]
The warm sun was shining over the beautiful Australian morning in the suburbs of Sydney. It was the weekend and my sister and I were out in the backyard while my dad did some of the yard work. I was on the swing set when my dad called me over “Tania, come here a [...]
Travelers will often get a warm flush to the face when describing Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, but Laos, their landlocked neighbor, for some reason, gets left out. It is often overlooked, and then once you find it, your mind is completely blown and you get that same warm flush when describing its endless draws. Laos [...]
The lush greenery of the rolling landscape filled the air with a fresh clean scent that cascades over me as I ride my motorcycle along paved road in Laos. A few days earlier I had no idea that I would be experiencing some of the best waterfalls in the world and drinking some of the [...]
Contributed by Cathy My passion for fragrance comes from when I was a little girl, my grandmother would make me take a nap. We didn't have air conditioning so the windows were open. My bed was next to the window that had her garden below it. As I would lay there, with every breeze that came [...]
Neatly stacked rows of purple semicircles fill the horizon. The air is saturated with the minty floral fragrance of lavender. We walk hand in hand down the road gazing out at the beautiful lavender fields surrounding us as we take in the experience from all of our senses. The breeze lightly touches our skin [...]
Contributed by Amy Kauffman As I stepped out the door it is another fresh crisp morning in Ireland. The mist from the sea breeze hits my face and the air is thick. It fills my lungs to an intense level of fullness. It’s an unusual sensation I have never felt before; this thick heavy wet [...]
Contributed by Tara Howisey I arrived in New Orleans under a misty-grey sky. The essence of salt water from the nearby gulf twisted around the deep, slow, methodical dank river smell of Big Muddy (the Mississippi). The scent of water was everywhere - an old water smell. The kind that seeped out of a French [...]
It had been a whirlwind six weeks in Thailand full of adventure. There were plenty of new sounds and sights as we travelled across several Thai islands and through a few beach towns. Each place held its own unique beauty. But I was ready for a little rest and relaxation after all the exploring. As [...]
