Inner Beauty
won·der noun a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. It is with great wonder for the…
Skagit’s Wellness Sanctuary | Quantum Health Pilates & Yoga Lounge
Quantum Health Pilates & Yoga Lounge has a natural way of drawing people in. With its relaxed environment, it offers visitors of every ability level a place to recharge and nurture their health. More than just a fitness studio, Quantum is a one-stop wellness destination,…
Stylish Clothes Shopping from Home
Personalized Wardrobe Delivered to Your Door Used to be that if you needed a cocktail dress for a wedding, or a new suit for a job interview, you…
Dog Fashion
We know what you’re thinking: Does a Dog Really Need a Second Coat? In some cases, yes— frail dogs, old ones, skinny, sick, tiny — all can get cold. But your standard Labrador retriever, the one who can’t pass a puddle without treating it like his own personal playground? In that case, maybe the coat’s more for you, not him. But that’s nothing new. We’ve humanized our dogs, and our pets in general, to create a multimillion dollar industry. Total U.S. pet industry…
5 Beauty Fixes for Northwest Weather
Like so many of you, it’s hard for me to imagine calling any other place than the Pacific Northwest my “home.” Its charm and beauty is hard to match, and the picturesque scenery is fulfilling in every sense of the word. But making yourself beautiful? Sometimes it can be a challenge. 1. Setting…
Bike Commuting
Sarah Guenther has heard it all. Even in Bellingham, one of the biggest bike-commuter cities of its size in the nation, people give excuses not to ride to work. But Bellingham made a huge commitment to its pedal-loving citizens with its 2014 Bellingham Biking Master Plan, committing…
Dressing for Northwest Weather
If You Like Craft Beers… and Getting Caught in the Rain! You wake up in the morning, sun’s out, birds chirping. It’s going to be a beautiful day. By lunch, it’s hailing. By the time you get off work, it’s nice and sunny again, so you decide to go out for happy hour. You take a seat on your favorite patio when an ominous cloud rolls in, then the telltale drip, drip, drop….
Workout Chic
Sweating with Style: What to Do and What to Have Sure, you love running or your 8 a.m. yoga class, but mixing up how you get your daily burn is a fun way to achieve a complete body transformation. Cross-training is in vogue and for good reason: changing up your workouts challenges different muscles in different ways and that…
Building a Stylish Bar
Inspired by the relaxed vibe of their favorite pub or intimate lounge, many of my clients are creating a place of their own to entertain. Basements, garages and even hall closets are being turned into trendy residential bars. We have converted larges rooms and small spaces. Here are a some of the key components we included in each design. Seating Bar stools, cozy chairs or a community bench are all necessities as…
How to Redo Your Closet with Style
One of the most personal, and hidden, spaces in your house, the closet is usually the last feature you consider when it comes to an upgrade. Since you’re really the only one going in there, it’s easy to put off. But in the name of self-improvement, and spring-cleaning, maybe it’s time. Sam Drake from Drake Closet Design in Bellingham is an expert on how to redesign your closet…
The Case for Porta Potties
Ken puts a few tongue-in-cheek suggestions in the Mt. Baker Theatre’s suggestion box When I attended the grand opening of the Mt. Baker Theatre in 1927, she was a thing of absolute beauty and the pride of the community—and she still is, perhaps even more so now. Ah, the childhood memories. But…
Behaving with Style: Etiquette
It seems life has become a lot more casual, but that’s no excuse for forgetting your manners. Arden Clise of Seattle’s Clise Etiquette, an etiquette school specializing in business and children’s etiquette classes, agrees. Clise said so much communication…
Grow Your Garden with Style
Tired of the same-old, same-old? Molly Maguire of Molly Maguire Landscape Architecture offers some tips on how to turn your garden and backyard into a thing of beauty — and make it helpful for the environment too: Marry form and function. Spend the extra time and dollars…
Backyard Entertaining
So you want to throw a stylish backyard party — something classier than a barbeque but not as fancy as a Gatsby bash. As founder of SKB Events (skbevent.com), Sarah Brand has seen her share of elegant outdoor shindigs in 11 years of producing domestic and international social functions. We asked Brand to give her advice on…
All Women, All In
Ski to Sea Team Advocates for Women―and a Mountain-Bike Leg Kirsten Jensen has been participating in the Ski to Sea relay race for four years…
Grande Dame
Mount Baker Theatre Celebrates 90th Birthday When you step inside the 90-year-old Mount Baker Theatre building, you are greeted by a Moorish-Spanishstyled interior. Lush red tones adorn the walls,…
How To Decorate Your Home with Art
Lori Hill In the street markets of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, Lori Hill started intensely collecting art, and has been building her collection ever since. Hill, residing in a home in Bellingham with perfect views of Mt. Baker and Lake Whatcom, is a local artist who works mostly with oil paintings. Her work…
Rustic & Reclaimed
Bath Renovation Antique wood and a sliding barn door in a bathroom? Say it isn’t so! Yes, that is exactly what we incorporated in this recent remodel and the trend has exploded. The juxtaposition of materials and finishes in homes today is exhilarating. As a designer and interior enthusiast, I am enjoying the risks my clients are willing to take while throwing…
Gem on the Water
Lake Samish Row House This distinctive home on the shores of Lake Samish was built in 2010 with rowers in mind. We want to say its curvy roof and contemporary, minimalist design evokes the smooth, effortless air of a rowing team in sync. But like…
A Mermaid’s Treasure
Mystical Mermaid THE SHOP The Mystical Mermaid gift shop in Friday Harbor has been around for more than 25 years, passing through the management of several owners. One thing that hasn’t changed in decades is the eclectic and rare treasures you’ll find inside, as well as the store’s loyal followers. “There are people who stop here first when visiting the island, with their luggage, before even going to their hotel rooms,” said current…
Eco-Friendly Fashions
Cotton, Cotton, Cotton When Gail and Randy Schnee came to the San Juan Islands for a kayaking trip, they weren’t expecting to stay for good. Originally from Orlando, Fla. and tired of hurricanes and bustling crowds, the couple found Washington’s mild climate and Friday Harbor’s small community ideal. They…
Chuckanut Ridge Trail (from Cleator Road Overlook)
Spring hikes can sometimes mean giving up those spectacular views we are spoiled with in the Pacific Northwest. It can also mean rain, snow, and mud: not the most appealing conditions for a hike….
Radishes: The Crown Jewel of Spring
Spring has officially sprung in the Pacific Northwest and that makes local food geeks like me giddy for several reasons: Spring Is My Favorite Season For Local Vegetables Fresh, spicy greens, beautiful French breakfast radishes, the…
Dance in Bellingham
Open Classes Encourage All-Comers A neighborhood cafe links, window to window, with a wide-open space — symbiotically, a dance studio. At the Firehouse Café, lattes are not the only treats on the menu. Open dance classes are offered in the next room over. Ballet, modern, and contemporary are taught throughout the week. An open…
Redlight Bar: Vanilla Bean Whiskey and MexiCoke
It is almost a cliché to describe whiskey as having a “smoky” flavor. But with the advent of infusion drinks, many different spirits seem to be getting new twists, and whiskey is no exception. Witness the concoction of vanilla bean-infused whiskey and Mexican Coke, which is Coke imported from Mexico that uses real cane sugar to give…
Top-Tier Winery
Goose Ridge Vineyard Since opening in 1999, Richland-based Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery has quietly and steadily become a major player in the state’s wine industry. Twenty-two hundred vineyard acres,…
Soy House
When Soy House opened a few years ago, you could count the number of Vietnamese restaurants in the area on one hand. Since it opened, it has amassed a reputation for being a solid low-to-mid-price Vietnamese restaurant. Perhaps Vietnamese-fusion would be more accurate. Of…
Encompassing Health at Your Doorstep
Achillea Natural Medicine Dr. Julia Hipp opened the doors of Achillea Natural Medicine in January to bring healthcare to her patients. Literally. Hipp’s clinic is no ordinary natural medicine center. She offers house calls, believing that each patient, no matter their schedule, deserves encompassing healthcare. Beyond providing accessible healthcare, Hipp believes in treating the…
Children’s Songwriter Dana Cohenour
As Dana Cohenour’s children’s music class let out, the smiles were in abundance. The students, about 4 to 5 years old, thanked their teacher and ran to their parents. Cohenour happily…
The Bastion of Brewing
Tucked behind a Shell gas station, right before Highway 20 splits south towards Whidbey Island, is Bastion Brewing Company. Weekday lunchtimes draw the local working crowds. Visit in the evening and you’ll find the barstools filled with patrons sipping well-deserved beers after long days or refilling their growler jugs to take home. The weekends can be a bit louder with bands performing, casual parties thrown by military members,…
Bellingham Escape Room Engages Minds
Rebecca Abdelbaki opened Bellingham Escape the first weekend of March with the hope of creating a space for friends, families, and co-workers to socialize while exercising their minds. Escape rooms are adventure games where a team of participants have a set time to “escape” a room by using…
Support When Your Teen Needs It
Oasis Daylight Center & Oasis Teen Shelter When asking for help is difficult, having a steadfast haven for teenagers to visit can be life-changing. “Every day at Oasis is supportive and affirming,” said Katie Lohman, the director of Oasis Daylight Center & Oasis Teen Shelter. Located in an unassuming home on a quiet Mount Vernon street, the Skagit Valley Family YMCA-operated house consists of two facilities: an after-school center called Oasis Daylight…
8 Great Mother’s Day Brunches
Wonder Woman
Noémi Ban Noémi Ban has a story to tell. And tell. And tell. She is a Holocaust survivor who has been sharing her story with audiences since 1995. If living well is the ultimate revenge, Ban has gotten the best of the Nazis. At 94, she is a great-grandmother and still has a twinkle. On a winter morning, she’s sitting…