Gathers No Moss

downton abbey

2012-02-09T12:56:00.004-04:00

You guys, I have a new obsession and its name is Downton Abbey. As is the way with many things I become obsessed with, I kept hearing about this show and how great it is from everyone around me, so I decided I needed to check it out too. Gosford Park is one of my favourite movies and I knew the concept was similar so I figured I would like it. Well, needless to say I bulldozed

mad-derision

2012-02-06T12:59:00.000-04:00

Well, it seems the Material Girl (although she's far from being a Girl now) is who everyone is talking about this morning. See there was a little football game on last night called the Superbowl... The grand entrance of Her Royal Empress of the Roman Empire ...don't ask me! I only watched for the anthem (Kelly Clarkson KILLED it), the commercials and the halftime show - I really couldn't

pinteresting

2012-02-01T10:57:00.002-04:00

Ok, it's official - I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. It seems like everyone and their dog has been talking about this site lately and I am not normally one to jump on bandwagons right away, but I thought it couldn't hurt to check it out and see if I liked it. This is what happened with Twitter. I thought Twitter was so dumb, then eventually got so curious by all the talk about it that I

las vacaciones

2012-01-30T14:37:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, the boy and I attended a travel expo here in Halifax - we had heard about it from friends and had been thinking about booking a trip down south for March, so we thought we would check it out. We weren't expecting to find a deal, but you never know (that's pretty much my motto in life - I think I say it at least a few times every day)! Well, it turned out to be a great plan

getting hairy

2012-01-18T13:43:00.001-04:00

I am very moody when it comes to my hair (ok, so perhaps I am moody in general, but that's another blog post). I find I keep a style for a few months, then I get sick of it and want to change it up. I used to change up the colour a lot more too, until I decided I didn't want to fry my hair anymore. For the past couple of years I have been different variations on red/auburn - I know, I know,

golden year

2012-01-16T13:54:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I realize everyone and their dog (AND their grandma, I'm sure) is posting about the Golden Globes today and I'm not normally a bandwagon-jumper, but I can't help it - it's so easy to get sucked in by the glamour of it all. It was fun to live-tweet the red carpet arrivals and to read everyone's real-time reactions to the outfits - fashion is SO polarizing! For example, I sort of liked

wise americans

2012-01-12T14:27:00.004-04:00

Source Have you heard of The Legacy Project? It was a study started in 2004 by Karl Pillemer, a professor of Human Ecology at Cornell University, and aimed to collect practical life advice from America's elders. Basically the research team posed the question “What are the most important lessons you have learned over the course of your life?” and received 1,500 responses. The compiled

monkeyshow

2012-01-10T19:45:00.000-04:00

I remember having a stuffed monkey that I used to carry around with me when I was a kid. I called him Curious George (ya know, 'cause they are both monkeys). He looked kind of like this: Source I think it's safe to say that all of us have had a toy like that - one that was attached to your hip and gave you a lot of comfort. But we all eventually grow out of that toy playing business (and

damn words...you fine

2012-01-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

I was lied to. Or, I should say I was never given the whole story. Everything I was told, or that I read/heard, in high school basically implied that if I got a University degree that I would be all set. I would graduate, get a job and that would be that. They never told me that so much rides on your first job out of school. They never told me that sometimes that first job that you think is

One day you're in...

2012-01-06T12:54:00.001-04:00

I haven't had a chance to catch the first episode of Project Runway All-Stars yet, but I am ridiculously excited to watch it tonight when I get home from work (Friday, I'm in love). I don't recognize all the returning designers, so I can't speak much for their skills or whether I think they are strong competition or not, but a few of my past favs are back, thankfully. Source I think it's

papabubble

2012-01-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

Looking for a unique party/wedding favour idea or a fun personalized gift for a loved one? Why not design your own candy! Source I recently discovered Papabubble New York and besides having a cute, quirky name they also have one of the cutest sites and concepts I have seen. This candy company allows you to order customized candies in various incarnations, amounts, colours and styles. You can

Keeping Up With the NYRs

2012-01-03T15:35:00.000-04:00

Found here New Year's Resolutions (aka NYR's) are overrated. Lets be honest - the ones most of us set for ourselves are so lofty and unrealistic (both in general and in relation to our own lifestyles) that we are basically setting ourselves up to fail. When is the last time you set a NYR and actually stuck to it (for more than a week), let alone actually accomplished it fully? In addition to

It Was the Best of Years, It Was the Worst of Years

2011-12-30T15:51:00.003-04:00

In many ways this year was very tough - career frustrations and the loss of someone close to me gave me a lot of stress. However, many good things happened this year too, and when it comes right down to it, I think it's best to focus on the positive. So, I thought it would be great to make a list of the 'best of' moments from my year. I hope you all have a few fun and fabulous things to put on

Special Delivery

2011-12-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the boy and I took a little trip to Bide Awhile animal shelter. No, we didn't go to pick out a new pet (although I would love to adopt every cat in the place - alas, I can only handle one cat at this stage in my life), but to make a special delivery. I decided, since there really isn't anything I need or want (and I don't like my friends and family feeling pressure to find

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils

2011-12-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

Remember when I entered this contest to win $500 in books from Chronicle? Weeeeeell, alas I did not win. Again. What can I say - I'm not very lucky I guess. Ah well, there's always next year! And congrats to the winner! Besides, that's not all they wrote because - as a thank you for participating in the promotion - Chronicle is giving a great discount on book orders: up to 35% off + Free

Happy Haulidays (take two)

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite gifts to get for Christmas (well, anytime really) is new books. I especially like books that teach me about quirky things I didn't know before. Chronicle Books publishes a lot of books like this - I love perusing their site and checking out their new fun books. There are so many of their books that speak to my passions and interests, I could EASILY spend $500 in

Christmas Kiss

2011-11-17T19:59:00.001-04:00

I admit it, I'm a bit of a Christmas freak. I'm one of those dorks that gets really excited about silly things like parades, peppermint treats and holiday drinks at Starbucks. And it's hitting me hard this year - as soon as November 1st rolled around, the sugarplums started dancing through my brain and they only spin faster with every passing week. One of my favourite things about the

Stay Crafty, My Friends

2011-11-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Found here I have always been a creative person. When I was a kid, I spent an inordinate amount of time in my basement making things - drawing cartoons and fashion sketches, painting rocks, making crafts (don't worry, I did have friends). I was always one of the "artsy" girls in school - always first in line for any artistic extracurriculars like art clubs and fashion shows. I do not have

Permission to Suck

2011-11-08T20:26:00.000-04:00

Damn, did I ever need to read this post yesterday. I had pretty much the worst day ever at work (being yelled at over the phone by a rude and conceited professor is super-fun), and was feeling pretty down on myself when I noticed this article linked to my friend's Facebook wall. It came at the perfect time, and contains a whole lotta truth - truth that we do not acknowledge enough. We are all so

Mo Money, Less Cancer

2011-11-03T19:53:00.000-03:00

I never used to like mustaches. Or any facial hair for that matter. That was until I started dating someone with a beard and 'stache. I never thought I would date someone with facial hair honestly, but I guess people change. Finding the perfect match for you will do that to a person, I guess (cue either "aw"'s or barfing). And if I wanna stay with my guy, I pretty much have to be ok with facial

Hidden Gems: Blackboard Poems

2011-10-12T12:41:00.000-03:00

I am starting a fun new post series here on the blog and I'm calling it "Hidden Gems": See, I have started to notice lots of neat but barely noticeable things around my home city and I want to share these with others so that they can enjoy them, too. It's so easy to focus on the big, popular, shiny things and celebrate those, but sometimes it is the small, unknown things that are the most

Yelping It Up

2011-10-04T12:56:00.000-03:00

One of the many places on the Internet that I attempt to compose my regurgitated thoughts into (semi)coherent posts is Yelp. Have you heard of it? Of course, "yelp" is the sound a puppy makes when you step on its tail. It is not to be confused with "yep" (ok, Dave?). But Yelp is also a website - one where anyone can post reviews of pretty much any business they like so that they can either

Piano Man

2011-09-29T19:27:00.003-03:00

I think everybody has a list of concerts in their mind - you know, the bands or performers that you just HAVE to see live before you die (or in the case of many bands that I love, before THEY die). I am no different, and I recently was lucky enough to be able to cross one of mine off my list! On September 15th, my mom, sister and I drove to Prince Edward Island to see... ELTON JOHN! He

TeamBuy + American Apparel = Happy Canadian Fashionistas

2011-09-26T13:39:00.001-03:00

Two things that I love very much in this world are deals and fashion. So, you can imagine how excited I was to see TeamBuy's latest offer: And HOW cute is this outfit, I ask you?! That's right, fashion-forward Canucks; TeamBuy is offering an exclusive coast-to-coast coupon for $25 off at American Apparel. If you purchase the deal between Monday, Sept 26th (TODAY!) and Sunday, Oct 2nd you will

Big Day Downtown, Part 2: Try Something 'Moo'

2011-09-20T14:11:00.000-03:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge. So, when the Downtown Halifax Business Commission invited me to participate in their 2nd Big Day Downtown promotion, I couldn't wait to jump on board since I had so much fun last year. I was particularly intrigued by the special twist in this year's theme - Try Something New. As someone who is always trying new things, I thought it was going to