Better with Joy

Better with Joy A sprinkle of joy with every slice of life. Dispatches from Vancouver and beyond—food, dining, travel, art and just living to the funnest.

Apple galette. Our rustic apple pie for yesterday’s Apple Pie Day.Baked with some of our backyard apples from the previo...
05/15/2026

Apple galette. Our rustic apple pie for yesterday’s Apple Pie Day.

Baked with some of our backyard apples from the previous fall harvest. 🍎 Those frozen Spencer apples sure come in handy for baking. And they’re are incredibly delicious in pies.

Finally picked up a tube of Potter’s Pink watercolour, plus the .3mm sepia fineliner after seeing it on the website. P...
05/09/2026

Finally picked up a tube of Potter’s Pink watercolour, plus the .3mm sepia fineliner after seeing it on the website.

Potter’s Pink: Plays well with others. Such a nice mingler of a colour! Looking forward to experimenting with it more.

Fineliner: Love the fine line that doesn’t stand out as much as black. Waiting for Opus to stock the grey fineliner because I think that would give a pencil look, but permanent.

Do you send yourself a postcard while you’re away on vacation?I started sending postcards to myself during trips, at the...
05/08/2026

Do you send yourself a postcard while you’re away on vacation?

I started sending postcards to myself during trips, at the same time I send mail to friends and family, to see how long they take to arrive. Over the years, across different cities and countries, they’ve become one of my favourite souvenirs. Not only do I get stamps and postcards from different places, but I also get to revisit the trip weeks later when the postcard finally shows up in my mailbox.

I painted this postcard on my trusty travel watercolour block to try out the new paints I bought in Paris, then I just trimmed it to 4x6in. Easy.

What do I write to myself? Usually little highlights of the trip, thoughts from the day, or simply where I am in that moment — anything I’d like to remember later.

SnailMailStories EatPlayTravelSpark

Small—but still absolutely delicious—gluten-free canelé.Picked up more copper moulds from last month… same size 15cm si...
05/06/2026

Small—but still absolutely delicious—gluten-free canelé.

Picked up more copper moulds from last month… same size 15cm size as the ones I bought a decade ago, but somehow ~20g lighter. They bake a bit differently and even the flutes have a slightly different shape—ugh.

At least it’s easier to tell my GF from non-GF bakes now...I guess. But also… does this mean I need six more? I just want a matching dozen 😭

05/05/2026

In a washroom far far away…
We went all the way to Iceland to see this. I kid. 😆 in Reykjavik is a destination for some just for this, but we stayed for the soup and grilled cheese, chai latte and coffee. I even went back on Easter Sunday and met their resident cat, Shadow.

I’m drawn to colour, and I love them bold. So when we wandered into a park after leaving Petit Palais and saw this colou...
04/21/2026

I’m drawn to colour, and I love them bold. So when we wandered into a park after leaving Petit Palais and saw this colourful marshmallow-like monument, I turned to : “That looks like a Koons.”

“Bouquet of Tulips” | Jeff Koons, 2019
📍Jardin Charles Aznavour, Paris

Created to honour victims of the 2015 Paris attacks, it’s as meaningful as it is controversial—many good articles on this if you’re interested in (commemorative) public art and discussions about it.

3: Golden RatioAll this fictional envelope addressing reminded me that I need to get holiday cards printed stat. 🫣Ink:...
11/03/2024

3: Golden Ratio
All this fictional envelope addressing reminded me that I need to get holiday cards printed stat. 🫣

Ink: Iridescent Copperplate Gold
Paper: Vellum

Day 2 of prompt: MetamorphosisCallivember x Fictional Addressee
11/03/2024

Day 2 of prompt: Metamorphosis
Callivember x Fictional Addressee

A day late for , but doing it. To practice for my envelope exchanges and the holidays, I’m doing a twist on this month l...
11/02/2024

A day late for , but doing it. To practice for my envelope exchanges and the holidays, I’m doing a twist on this month long calligraphy challenge and write fictional addressees inspired by the daily word prompt. 💌✍️

November 1st: Flow
Ink: Irridescent Jade
Paper:

Thanks to jumping right into the calligraphy envelope exchange through the , I’ve found the perfect way to combine my lo...
10/30/2024

Thanks to jumping right into the calligraphy envelope exchange through the , I’ve found the perfect way to combine my love for letter writing and painting. Lately, I’ve been embracing Kraft envelopes—there’s something about the earthy tone that adds so much warmth to each piece!

White calligraphy ink just pops on the paper, and it can stand on its own with the shimmery paints from around it. The walnut ink outlines give a subtle depth that makes everything come together.

Happy National Cat Day from Chloe and Alex, our sweet rescues from ! 🐾 These two bring so much joy and mischief 🤣 into o...
10/30/2024

Happy National Cat Day from Chloe and Alex, our sweet rescues from ! 🐾 These two bring so much joy and mischief 🤣 into our lives. Grateful for each smurgle, bossy meow, mandated family couch time, cuddle time, and purr-fest! 💛

Adopt, don’t shop!

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