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the lowlight reel issue
finding beauty in grief, divorce and the growing pains of being an entrepreneur.
Featuring Carly Moir as seen in our Summer 2021 issue with special guest co-host, The MomBabes’ Carolyn Turkington
It’s the podcast that’s a magazine.
Keep up with all things I Like Her Style Vancouver and the inspirational women in our spotlight. Kyla is joined by guest co-hosts such as original co-founder Jody Belanger and media maven Nira Arora as we go deeper than ever with the magazine’s covergirls and featured women.
BARBARA AYLESWORTH
A look inside at decorating tips, a dream home transformation, and the heart of the woman who leads with ‘A Stroke of Genius’. This is Barbara Aylesworth’s story.
My life revolves around my family, my home and my work. Because my hobby turned into my work I really never feel as though work is a burden.
BARBARA AYLESWORTH’S LOVE FOR INTERIOR DESIGN AND HOME DÉCOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT HER CORE. DURING PREVIOUS YEARS WORKING IN A CORPORATE CAREER, SHE’D SPEND ALL HER SPARE TIME DECORATING HER HOME. IT WAS HER FORM OF RELAXATION.
Showcasing Barbara’s latest transformation–The Ruskin Project, a 60+ year old, split level family home in North Vancouver.
“I love to support our local artist community. In this particular project we featured the art of Dayna Longquist.”
“Back then, I would constantly paint – and repaint my home. I would move furniture around to create new spaces and sew up a storm to make my home into what I envisioned it could be. Every few months my kids would wake up to a different colour on the walls in the kitchen! There is nothing I enjoy more than transforming a space into something beautiful.”
Photo: PS Collective Studio Barbara originally launched A Stroke of Genius in the fall of 1997 as a platform to showcase her skills as a Decorative Paint Artist. At the time, she was a single mother of three. She specialized in faux finishes, murals, Italian plasters and gilding. But her true breakthrough came in 2002.
“I was walking through the PNE Fairgrounds and I saw a sign listing all the participants that helped to build and decorate the 2001 PNE Prize Home. I saw that sign as ‘my sign’, guiding me to my next chapter.
The next day I got on the phone, found out how to be a part of the project, and was given the ‘sponsorship’ opportunity to do the decorative painting for that year’s prize home.”
Barbara stayed on painting faux finishes in the PNE Prize Homes from 2002 – 2005, while building her client list from among the thousands of people who toured the homes each year. She supported herself and her family with her paint brush for many years, eventually returning to college to obtain her official Interior Design Certificate. In 2009 she was given the opportunity to oversee the Interior Design of the PNE Prize Home, continuing on in that role through 2011.
ON FALL DÉCOR
Q: How do you like to transition to fall decor? When fall arrives, I put all my summer accents and accessories away. No more brightly coloured table linens, glass dishes and plates. Summer flowers arranged in glass vases are replaced by branches and twigs in pottery vessels. I bring out the crockery, wood bowls, knit blankets and throws and turn on the fireplace in the evening. Q: What are your favourite touches to add for fall? For the front porch, I replace summer annuals with chrysanthemums in any of the variations of yellow or orange and add a seasonal door mat. Living room and family room toss cushions can be switched to ones that are textural in neutral colours or the rich jewel tones of fall. Place throw blankets on furniture, inviting a comfy spot to sit. I also love the glow of candlelight in the evening. It evokes a sense of comfort and warmth.
Favourite fall scent?
I am a big fan of anything Thymes Frasier Fir. Depending on my mood, I will either put a few drops of essential oil in my diffuser, or light a candle in this beautiful scent.
Q:
Q: Where do you like to shop for seasonal items? I like to visit the local nursery for inspiring ideas for seasonal décor. They always seem to have something that triggers my imagination. Throughout the year I collect odd pieces of crockery, brass and copper when I find them at flea markets and other favourite haunts. In the fall and winter I use these for potted plants, catch all bowls for keys, mail, etc, and as fruit bowls and serving dishes.
THE RUSKIN PROJECT
The Ruskin Project is an updated traditional home. At over 60 years old, even with the open floor plan and every modern convenience, the home oozes warmth and tradition. From the original oak hardwood floors to the extensive use of mouldings and custom millwork, the style of this home is timeless. The tile, wallpaper, fabrics, and carpeting were all intentionally kept within a white/warm neutral colour palette mixed with brushed gold and black light fixtures and door hardware. These selections allow for the introduction of different coloured accessories to be used throughout the year, as the seasons change. The only room where you will find chrome fixtures is in the main upper bathroom where they were inspired by the timeless, traditional look of an old CPR hotel.
5 key décor rules for this project:
1. Keep flooring consistent
throughout to make the rooms flow together and space feel larger.
2. Maintain a consistent wall
colour throughout, again to make rooms flow together.
3. Go big or go home as far as the moulding
goes! We added floor to ceiling wainscot in the entry hallway and wrap around master bedroom. Transoms were added above the doors and windows on the main floor to give the illusion of higher ceilings. 4. Use area carpets to define different areas in large open concept spaces.
5. Keep big investment furniture pieces
to a neutral colour palette and accent with colourful toss cushion, throws and accessories.
This was a large project as every room in the house was redone completely. What impressed us about Barb was how well she managed us throughout the project, helping us to make decisions in the right order so we weren’t overwhelmed and helping us envision how rooms would link together to make sure the design elements we chose all made sense within the bigger picture context of the house.
– Derek & Jacqueline Steven
Photos: PS Collective Studio The clients wanted an open concept living area that was light, bright and airy. As a young couple with a baby on the way, it was important to find fabrics, furniture and finishings that would not only be durable enough to withstand daily life with young children and pets, but also stand the test of time.
Barbara loves to work in thoughtful details like this clothing rod in the laundry room area.
ON LIFE, DÉCOR & MORE
Barbara greets each day with an open mind. She is the mother of 3 adult children (a son and 2 daughters) and the life partner to a very supportive man. She believes that every day is a blessing and tries to take at least one ‘lesson learned’ from every day. A lesson can be anything from learning a new skill to learning to bite your tongue when you can’t say what you want! As an entrepreneur, during the week she aims to make the most out of every minute of the day. She’s a proponent of structure and schedule, a mindset gleaned from her days of working for a large corporation. “I make lists, lots of lists!” She shares. Weekends are her time for self-care. During her downtime, you might find her getting her nails done, reading a book or enjoying a walk in the forest as she rests and re-energizes.
Q: What makes you come alive? The smallest details that make ‘everyday’ special. First sip of coffee in the morning, the fragrance of an iris, the gentle breeze on a warm day. Things like that. And, the prospect of getting to work with a new client to create something fantastic!
Q: What’s your personal décor style? My personal décor style is most definitely eclectic. I love finding a good ‘diamond in the rough’ at a flea market, fixing it up and finding a special spot for it in my home. I can count on one hand the pieces of furniture in my home that are purchased ‘new from the store’. Family heirlooms and second hand treasures have a special patina and time worn appearance you simply can’t buy new. If these pieces could speak, oh what stories they could tell!
Q: What’s your favourite room in your home? My favourite room has to be our front sitting room. When our neighbour took down some trees a few years ago, we were ecstatic to discover that we have a view of the water from the front of our house. So, we turned a front bedroom into a sitting room. We installed a large picture window to take in the view of Burrard Inlet. This is where I start my day with a cup of coffee and end my day with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine)!
@astrokeofgeniusinteriors astrokeofgenius.ca Q: Finish this sentence: Every well put together room needs these things: Fresh flowers or plants, a comfy chair and a place to set your glass.
Q: How do you hope that other women see you? I hope other women (and people in general) feel that I am friendly, approachable and trust worthy.
Do you feel like your creativity went dormant
over the Summer? I know that I do... but that’s okay! The natural rhythm of summer is to live in our BODIES and DO all of the things! Now that it’s fall, it’s a time to go back inside. Inside the home, office, studio... and inside the MIND as we begin to plan, organize and fall back into our need and desire for creativity.
FIRE UP YOUR CREATIVITY
BY KYLA GETTY
7 ways to get creative...
Let’s get back to basics... since it’s back to school time! I have had a lot of fun looking at the topic of creativity and exploring ways to dig into it! After all, my umbrella company’s name is Gett Creative Inc. and for as long as I can remember, I have valued creativity as my absolute favourite trait. Now, I’m fortunate to have a business and live a life that revolves around creativity.
I know just as well as anyone that creativity is like fitness. You have to stretch, push yourself, and continue to build that creative muscle. When I went to post secondary for graphic and interdisciplinary design, it was kind of like a creativity bootcamp! Then, when I worked in an advertising agency, my creativity was on a hamster wheel. If creativity was an Olympic sport, well... I would have been goin’ for the gold! lol
I believe that we are here to create... and thus, creativity is important to living and enjoying life. In this article, I’m sharing a list of ways stay in great creative shape this season and beyond.
Be a creative observer.
Start simply. Sit back, relax and enjoy what you see around you with an eye for creativity. Dip your toe into creative living by taking note of colour palettes, shapes, textures, and layouts that you see around you. See beauty and art in the simple things.
Get back in touch with yourself.
Begin a journaling practice to re-familiarize yourself with having an active inner dialogue. This need not be a literary masterpiece. At first, it might simply be for the
Rather than go to an art gallery, one of my favourite places to check out
act of writing itself, rather than anything specific to read later. Start off by jotting things down in point form. Feeling stuck? You can literally list what happened that day, then move into a lesson learned, and then – gratitude.
Take a picture, it’ll last longer.
Challenge yourself to take more photos with your phone or camera. If you see something that strikes your interest, snap a photo. Play with subject matter. Get out to shoot with friends, family, or even the dog. Play with angles and the way that natural light works with or against your shots. Look for unique spots to shoot at.
Try a new medium.
If you have a creative hobby or business, try a new medium that’s different than your normal go-to and explore flexing your creative muscle in new and exciting ways, completely pressure-free. Try creative writing, painting, paper craft, digital layouts using Canva, or decorating a space.
Pin it to win it.
Load up on plenty of inspiration on Pinterest. Create some new boards to help get you inspired and give shape to ideas that excite you. Whether it’s a board for fall fashion and styling ideas to try, organizational hacks, or a creative DIY... when you need to get the ball rolling, Pinterest is always there for the win.
Read a book to inspire you.
The book that I will specifically recommend is called Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear By Elizabeth Gilbert. This will forever by a sacred text of creativity for me. The very short sections make for a great daily ‘devotional’ to creativity. It’s pure permission to ‘do the thing’, from fellow creative geniuses.
Recognize when creativity strikes.
Most of us have a certain time of day or act that initiates our best, most creative thoughts. For me, it seems to be when I’m in the shower or driving. Neither are ideal times to act on the creative urges, but I make sure to jot down my ideas or type them in my phone’s notes for later! It has been said that the 3 o’clock am hour (if you happen to be awake) can be a power-packed time for thoughts and ideas. This might sound a bit like hocus pocus, but if I ever do awake around that time with an instantly busy mind, I don’t fight it. For me, it can be an ultra productive time to work things through at lightening speed. Again, write things down because there’s a good chance you won’t remember when you wake up – but it’s often worth the groggy day ahead! “Coffee?”
7 ways to get creative...
L to R: Carolyn Turkington poses with Publisher (CEO of The Self Publishing Agency) Megan Williams, and co-founding sister, Christina Walsh this Summer at the author’s celebration event.
The MomBabes
THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR YOUR STORY. LET’S WRITE IT TOGETHER!
In the previous issue you met sisters Christina and Carolyn who founded The MomBabes for women like themselves, who have the desire to create a legacy. In May 2021, along with 20 female co-authors from their community, their first book launched with amazing success: The MomBabes – A Motherhood Anthology. The book has not only provided these women with the accomplishment of a lifetime, it’s has connected them and so many more through the power of storytelling.
Together with the Self Publishing Agency, the book was published and is now available on Amazon. The women were led through the writing process virtually and had the opportunity to meet and celebrate their book’s success over the Summer.
JOIN US FOR BOOK 2
If you feel inspired to write, being a co-author with us is a great place to begin. A co-author project helps first time writers become authors at a much lower investment than if you were to do this all on your own. You don’t have to google what to do, you don’t have to write 50,000 words, no need to find an agent, a publisher or an editor.
Purchase Book 1 and join the Book 2 waitlist at: themombabes.com
Q: Why is this such a great opportunity for women to be part of? A lot goes into publishing and we do it all. You just write. ONE CHAPTER, that’s it! And... we’re here to help you do it! Q: What do writers need to expect about the process? We start October 20th with weekly zoom calls for 6 weeks to get us writing and sharing. You’ll have accountability, connection and friendship as you put your story on paper. Nothing has to be perfect, we are here to support you. At the end, you’ll be a published author with a book with your name on it – a piece of your legacy published in a book that will sit on so many shelves and in so many hearts of women.
@themombabes
MORE INFO
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE SHARE OUR STORIES. THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR THEM.
We need laughter, humour, courage, encouragement, bravery, triumph. We need to hear and read the struggles of others to know we are not alone. To read about REAL life. The messy, the mundane. The regular days. To know we are not alone in this, we’re not supposed to do this alone.
DESTINED FOR THE STARS CATHERINE TAYLOR
Ph.D. Candidate, MSS, BHK
Catherine Taylor feels that the skies and stars are in her blood.
She may have spent years of her life hindered by obstacles, but now this woman is ready to soar as she gains her Ph.D. in Aerospace Physiology and devotes her life to space, and her quest for knowledge.
As a young girl in the United Kingdom, Catherine Taylor dreamed of traversing the universe. “Although I never knew my father, my mother told me he was a Royal Air Force Pilot - so I guess the skies and stars are in my blood!” She shares. For as long as she can remember, she was drawn to the sky. She lived inside of books and wanted to become an astronaut. However her desire for education was met with much resistance to her empowerment. With an older brother who everyone considered to be ‘the intelligent one’, she was discouraged from academics - made to feel that she was ‘merely a girl’.
At 18, she married a man who further denied her access to higher education. Together, they moved to Canada, but by age 26 they divorced. She struggled for a number of years, following that, to find a career that would afford her more education.
By 30, Catherine successfully attended UBC studying physiology and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Human Kinetics. She was offered a scholarship at the International Space University, in France, with an opportunity to study for her master’s degree. “Alas, my soon-to-be second husband was diagnosed with Grade 4 cancer and I chose to stay in Canada.” After his passing, Catherine shares she felt as though her world collapsed. She no longer had her academic path, or her husband. She fought with fears about what would come next, and grieved her losses for many years. But in 2019, Catherine’s world changed in one single conversation. Her best friend Babak, who had been a constant supporter, encouraged her to resume her educational journey to obtain her master’s degree in Aerospace. She entered and recently graduated from the American Public University’s STEM Space Studies program in July, 2021. She also was Chairperson for a new aerospace student club that received an award as the most outstanding new club in the university in 2020.
This month, Catherine has began studies at Simon Fraser University to obtain her Ph.D. She is once again working ever-forward to realize her lifelong dream of being an impactful resource to the space community. Her mission is to assist humanity to become a space-faring species.
I want to encourage our youth (girls and boys) to strive ever onward and upward. For many years I struggled financially, emotionally and psychologically but never failed to keep my eye on the dream. I hope that one day, a youth will take courage from my journey and realize that success is an inward journey - intrinsic. It is so wonderful to have support such as I have from my friend Babak, but sometimes one has to support themselves.
– Catherine Taylor Ph.D. Candidate, MSS, BHK
A CONVERSATION WITH CATHERINE
Q: What drives you & what makes you come alive? My driving force is my dedication to living to my utmost potential as God intended, without giving up. What makes me come alive is positively influencing the lives of people I meet with love and gratitude.
Q: Tell us about a limiting belief and how you overcame it. That I was not good enough – because I mistook not always being encouraged as a measure of myself, rather than a measure of those not offering encouragement. However, even at a young age, when people told me I could not or should not do something, I chose to look within myself and live by the following mottos: ‘Be True To Thyself’ (Shakespeare) and ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’ (Eleanor Roosevelt).
What’s your number one value that you take with you?
Integrity. It’s not always easy to live honestly with trustworthiness and transparency, but it’s the one virtue I strive for daily. I can sleep each night peacefully, knowing I did my utmost each day and at least I did something helpful.
Q:
Q: Tell us one thing that would shock us about you! I have a chronic hip condition from studying martial arts for 12 years, earning a brown belt which ended my career with an injury. I also have a chronic shoulder condition from falling during lead-rock climbing. Both of these injuries are difficult to deal with, but I keep moving.
Q: How did you meet Babak? He’s had a profound influence
on you.
At Capilano University in Psychology class. We instantly became friends due to his calm composure, integrity, gentleness. He introduced me to my dearest spiritual family, brothers, and sisters. We are all Baha’is.
On Space:
Space is the ultimate frontier! I believe humanity was created to know itself, to explore the realms of possibilities, and the universe is the ultimate frontier… until we discover something new! Space is to me like the mountain is to the mountain climber. It’s there – so we should explore. My specific proclivity is aerospace physiology. Space is an inhospitable environment for human and animal kind… for now. With the extension outward to the universe, ultimately, our species will adapt and endure the effects of microgravity and extreme radiation exposure. Until such time, however, countermeasures to protect our astronauts are required. I am eager/passionate to find an easy solution to that end.
Q: What’s your career goal once done? When I complete my Ph.D., I seek to research the countermeasures necessary to allow our astronauts to delve deeper and deeper into our solar system and beyond. I will dedicate the rest of my life to this endeavor.
Q: How do you define success? Success is a relative term. I do not consider “success” in the general sense. Success to me is not about the amount of external “things” one has, but instead whether or not you live the life that is meant for you and that you live honestly; success is intrinsic. For years after my husband passed, I fought against accepting that marriage and a family were not meant for me. Once I embraced this realization, I spread my wings and took flight (no pun intended). I could not have known what that leap of faith was to do for me, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities that subsequently arose and for the clearing of the mind that allowed the realization.
HUMANITY
is born to strive for great things, and sometimes navigating the waters of life is hard, lonely, and challenging, but when you get to the other side, you’re a wholly evolved person – ready for the next challenge.
– CATHERINE TAYLOR
Ph.D. Candidate, MSS, BHK
Life is phenomenal, full of potential, just waiting to be realized.
My life is like a boat on a body of water. Sometimes people get on, and sometimes they get off. Sometimes the boat is on smooth sailing waters, and other times it hits rapids. As long as you have the goal, the destination, in mind, the path remains true. When obstacles get in the way, sometimes you have to veer to miss them or else collide.
THE I LIKE HER STYLE VANCOUVER
10 FALL TRENDS TO WATCH & WEAR
THE LOOK: CITY MEETS COUNTRY
THIS FALL THERE’S A TREND THAT EVERYONE CAN CONNECT WITH
... whether you’re a casual girl, a city girl, a country girl or a glamour girl. If you know me, I like to dabble in all of those personas depending on the day and the occasion! For my ‘city meets country’ fall look, I’m showcasing two trends that I’m loving...
NO.1 & NO.2
style
THE I LIKE HER STYLE VANCOUVER
10 FALL TRENDS TO WATCH & WEAR
NO.3
Bodysuits with cut-out detail
NO.4
Oval Solitaires
NO.5
Dainty Yellow Gold Bands
SHOP THESE ITEMS AT:
AMAZON.CA/SHOP/ILIKEHERSTYLEVANCOUVER
NO.6
Western Boots
NO.7
Round Vintage Sunnies
NO.8
Woven Leather Handbags
NO.9
Puffed Sleeves
NO.10
Turtleneck Sweater Mini Dresses
KYLA’S CURATED COLLECTION OF WANT-WORTHY ITEMS FOUND ON AMAZON.CA
shop keep give haunt style.
