Saturday, May 11, 2013

3

My girl turns 3 today.  I never had a pet growing up even though I desperately wanted one. My parents felt a dog would be too much work given everyone's busy schedules.  My mom was allergic to cats.  It wasn't until I was in my very first apartment without a roommate or boyfriend that I seriously considered adopting one.

Then one day, while on a break a work, I came across a picture of this tiny fuzzy creature standing on a pink blanket.  I knew she was meant to live with me.  She was the smallest and most timid of the litter.

So in thinking of names for her, I chose the smallest orphan in "Annie" as inspiration.  I named her Molly.

She was oh-so little when I bought her home.  Timid though? That trait disappeared the second she was away from her brothers and sisters. She's been running, jumping, playing and getting into mischief ever since. As bratty as she can be, she makes me laugh daily. I wouldn't trade my fuzzy girl for anything.

Happy Birthday Molly!


Saturday, May 4, 2013

Ha!

There's hasn't been too much going on over here to post about but I saw this over on Poppytalk and I had to repost! LOL


LOVE the chick in the background!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Balcony Makeover v2

Due to a myriad of circumstances since I moved in here, my balcony has never really looked the way I envisioned it.  Its pretty big as balconies go but its never been as comfortable or as much of the oasis that I wanted.

But 3 weeks ago, the demolition and renovation of the balconies on my building began and I think I should have access to it again by July!  So I'm daydreaming about finally making it the way I've always wanted.

Here's my wish list:

1. A colorful outdoor area rug (from Target but this pattern seems to have been discontinued)
2. Colorful throw pillows (from the Pillow Chix store on Etsy)
3. A grey outdoor sofa with chaise (from Maison Du Monde)
4. I've always wanted a Budda head statue. So beautiful!
5. Lots of flowers and plants
6. Strings of lights (I've seen these everywhere lately! Target has a great selection)

I'm not sure my balcony oasis will appear this season or if I'll have to wait until next summer but I enjoy daydreaming about it nonetheless.

Now that the warmer weather seems to be on its way, what's your plan for your outdoor space?

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Ombre

The term is EVERYWHERE.

In case you're not familiar with Ombre, it means:


om·bré

 adjective \ˈäm-ˌbrā\

Definition of OMBRÉ

: having colors or tones that shade into each other —used especially of fabrics in which the color is graduated from light to dark


You can have your hair ombre.


It's everywhere in fashion...


and home decor.


I like it! It's a very cool trend BUT up until today I had no idea how to pronounce it.  Several occasions have come up recently where I wanted to use the term but had no idea how to say it correctly.  So now I know! I can confidently use it in conversation and impress all of my friends. (ok, probably not).

Here are a few ombre project that have caught my eye on Pinterest lately:

The awesome crafty storage cart via IHeart Organizing


This pretty pendant lamp shade via Martha Stewart.


You don't see many of these anymore, but I love how they made this old radiator a work of art. (via furniturefashion.com)


So am I the only one who didn't know how to say it? Any ombre project on the horizon for you?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Balance



There are so many things I LOVE to do.  When I do them, I feel happy and energized.  You'd think it those would be these things I would fight to keep in my life but they're the things I constantly neglect.

In an attempt to develop healthy habits I participated in Oprah and Deepak Chopra's 21-Day Meditation Challenge and I'm happy to report I've continued well past the 21 days and haven't missed a day.  I enjoyed the challenge immensely and would like to kick it up a notch and start the day with some meditation as well.

So I think its time to try to develop some other healthy habits.  Blogging on here, reading my blogroll instead of mindless TV watching, crafting and exercise.

I don't know why its so easy to forget the things that bring more life to my life.  What sort of things do you do to achieve a healthy work/life balance?

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The little birdie told me to do it!

As things get back on track for me I've had a little bit of creative anxiety.  I come up with ideas and write them down but that's as far as anything has gone lately.  But reading through my blogroll has been inspiring and I thought giving some thrifted item a face-lift would be a good way to ease back in to things. Unfortunately my thrifting efforts have been disappointing so far.

But today at Dollarama inspiration struck with this little birdie!



I thought, "I bet he would look pretty cute painted all white".  At $2 for him, and $1 for a bottle of white craft paint, I figured it wouldn't be too disappointing if the idea didn't pan out.

With the first coat I knew it was a good gamble!



After with two coats of paint and a layer of Mod Podge to give him a bit of a shine, he was just what I wanted. He's now proudly strutting his stuff on the console table in my living room.  Isn't he cute? Not bad for $3, right?



So what crafty project did you do this weekend?  Any white ceramic animals living at your place?

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Adjustment Period


I just noticed that my last post was the day I started my new job.

Let's just say going from several months of unemployment to a regular schedule has taken its toll a bit.

But I'm hoping to back at it soon!  LOTS of projects I want to tackle!

Photo-A-Day Challenge

On my birthday last year I started my own photo-a-day challenge.  One picture.  Every day.

Let me tell you....it wasn't easy.

I think I may fall short by a few pictures when March 2nd rolls around this year...but just a few.  Some days were definitely better than others but all in all its pretty awesome to look back and remember where I was when I took that shot.  On the job hunt  for several months definitely made coming up with a pic a bit of a challenge (lots-o-cat pictures lol) but I'm happy I did it.

So I've been wondering how I should continue and then I came across this post on The Idea RoomPerfect timing!  I like the idea of joining a group and working on a project together.  I also like that I'll have daily prompts.


Care to join us?!  Check out all the details for the challenge here.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Subway Art

I've pinned a couple of tutorials on how to create subway art in Photoshop with every intention of creating some for myself but it wasn't until a friend asked for some help that I got down to it.

I had some great sayings to work with thanks to some Twitter quotes from her favorite actor.  The files I created are in high resolution so she should be able to print them at 16x20 and still have them look sharp.

She intends to frame and hang them in her office at work.  She has pink, grey and black accents so it was easy to decide what colors to use.


I'm by no means an expert, but I'm pretty happy with how they came out.  I think the grey one is my favorite.



Now to decide what I would like mine to say.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

I heart hearts and Valentines Day!

Maybe my single self isn't supposed to be into Valentines Day but I really do love it.

I think it started  when I was a kid and my mom would always give each of us something special. I often got a Valentines themed stuffed toy.  I fondly remember a white puppy holding a puffy red heart in its mouth.  I loved writing out cards for my classmates.  I loved making cards for my parents.

For me its also an excuse to decorate a little since the withdrawal from taking down the Christmas decorations had settled in and its a great excuse to be crafty.

Here are some of the Valentine's Day crafts I've pinned lately:


You can buy this garland over on Etsy but it would be super simple to make on your own.










I know it's a made-up commercialized holiday (which isn't really a holiday) but if one day of the year everyone expresses their love just a little more, then I'm all for it.

What Valentine's crafts have you been making?

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The light

Thankfully that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was not a fast-moving train after all.  It was a close call on several occasions but I survived two and a half years of temp work and soul-sucking unemployment.  Yesterday I was finally the top candidate for a position and got the job.  I start Monday.


Every few months I've wondered if I would have to give notice on my apartment and move out.  I worried about keeping my phone going.  I worried about buying groceries.  It was exhausting.

Yesterday, after getting the good news, every ounce of stress I've felt came leaking out of my eyes.  I just let the tears fall and even laughed a bit through them.  Laughter has always kept me sane.

So not too long from now I'll have enough in the budget for what I need, and a little in the budget for some fun...some crafts...and LOTS of bubble bars from Lush. I can't wait.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Well that's not good...

Due to some technical difficulties with my computer and my life :P my daily blog posts haven't been possible. But I'm hoping to be back up and running shortly.

So who's buried under blizzard Nemo right now??



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Pin all the things!!

Are you as addicted to Pinterest as I am?

I got an invite early on and told anyone who would listen about how amazing and inspiring it was.  Everyone that got an invite from me has cursed me for introducing it into their lives. ;)


Like most Pinners, I have dozens of projects I would like to try.

Here are a few I'm hoping to get to soon:

Over on Mom 4 Real she created some open shelving and painted the back of the cabinets.  I don't think I would have the discipline to keep it this neat and tidy but I like the idea of painting the insides, even if it means I only see it when I open the doors.


I'm dying to get out to do some thrifting and one thing I'm on the lookout for is an old globe.  I want to paint it with chalkboard paint like the one on UCreate.


And the second I saw the picture for this pleated tote on The Long Thread, I knew I wanted to find some fabulous fabric and give it a try.


I could go on and on with all the things I want to make but these three are at the forefront at the moment.

Have you made anything off of Pinterest lately?

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Best Medicine

One of my favorite boards to pin to on Pinterest is my LOL board.  Its my "go-to" when the only thing you can do, is laugh.


The "Hey Girl" meme with Ryan Gosling is a favorite.  
Especially when its craft related.




If you have a cat, you know this look well.




I love everything about this.

I hope your day has been filled with laughter!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Mondays

As much as I want to hop right out of bed during the week, excited about starting my day, I have yet to have a job where that was the case.

So I often felt as so many do...
But having worked contract and temp work over the last two years with spurts of no working at all, I long for the days when I dreaded Monday and really looked forward to Friday and weekend adventures.

Here's hoping I start to dread Mondays again with all of you. ;)

Sunday, January 20, 2013

"I'm possible!!"

I love to make things.  I always have.  I always will.  And about 99.9% of the time people have wonderful things to say about the things I have created.  So why can the odd negative comment bother me so much?  One in particular recently resurfaced in my memory.  This happened years ago.  It was one sentence.

"There's only one Martha Stewart."

At the time I laughed it off  like "don't be silly, I don't aspire to be Martha Stewart" but it really upset me and more recently angered me. How dare anyone put their own self doubt and insecurity on someone else.

The reality is, I don't aspire to be Martha Stewart. There are so many things she does extremely well that I'm not interested in. However, I do hope to carve out my own niche in the creative industry. I aspire to open my own Etsy shop to sell some of my creations and I love creating personal touches for my home.  I think these things are very Martha-esque.

So I need to keep in mind that there will be people along the way who try to squash my dreams in one way or another. (Note to self: these are the people I need to learn to ignore.) It's the people who believe in your abilities and support your dreams that you need to surround yourself with.  These are the people that push you back on track when some negative thought re-enters your mind.

But just in case your cheer-leading section is unavailable at a crucial moment...

This is one of my favorite posts from Marc & Angel Hack Life.


And a favorite quote from one of my all-time favorite actresses:


"Nothing is impossible, 
the word itself says I'm possible!"
 - Audrey Hepburn

How do you deal with the negative?

PS  To the person who gave me the unsolicited advice years ago: You're right, there is only one Martha Stewart but....there's only one me!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

The key to success


Though I love to read blog posts about crafts, DIY, home improvements etc., one of my favorite kind of blog posts are quick run-downs of cool & interesting things bloggers have come across.  Yesterday, Nicole from Making It Lovely linked to a piece about Tina Fey.

It's quite simple really.  Tina says the key her success is to just say yes (I love when things rhyme)...and figure the rest out later.  Given how her career has gone, I'd say saying "yes!" has really worked for her.

As someone who tends to over think things to death, this is really great advice.

What have you just said "YES!" to?

Friday, January 18, 2013

Color Change

I moved into my apartment 5-ish years ago and immediately painted the living room walls and kitchen cabinets.  The cabinets got a coat of creamy white, while the living room and hallway were painted a blue called "Lake Crest".

I liked the color once it was up, but I didn't love it.  In bright light it almost seemed too blue (if that makes sense).  But I lived with it and made it work.

I've been wanting to make a change for a while but wasn't sure what color palette I wanted to go with.  So I headed to Designer Fabrics to see what colors I was drawn to.  

It didn't take long before I picked out these fabrics.


And it wasn't long before I made these throw pillows.


So narrowing down my paint color became so much easier.  Painting hasn't happened yet but I'm going to go with a grey purple called "Magical Twilight".


There are SO many things I'd like to do to my apartment but for now I have to settle for planning things out...which is almost just as fun!

What projects are you working on? Dreaming about?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

City Explorer

One of my favorite things to do in my hometown of Toronto is to explore.  I've lived here all of my life and I still come across things I've never seen before.  I pick a subway stop not familiar to me, get off armed with my camera, and just walk.

To make things a little more fun, some good friends of mine got me this for Christmas.



There are lots of fun suggestions on what to do on your walk.  Everything from taking note of the colors you see along the way to the suggestion that you try the strangest thing on the menu at a new restaurant.


I can't wait to go on my next city walk!  But I may wait until temperature doesn't have a minus before it.