Mr. Handsomeface Blog Feed

Mini Gift Bags

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 UTC

Today I have a quick little crafty project for you. Using a couple stampers and 3 colours of paint, you can make a million adorable printed gift bags. I used fabric paint and mini canvas tote bags for mine, but you could use regular arcylic paint and paper bags too. It would be great for treat bags for a birthday party or for tucking a little gift into.

First up, the supplies. You'll need 3 colours of paint (red, yellow and blue) some stampers and some kind of bag. If you don't want to buy stampers, you can use things you already have around the house. The cap of a glue stick, the end of a thick marker or an old kids toy can make a great stamper too. For my triangles, I used a little square of Speedball Speedy Cut sliced into little triangles.

The reason I told to get only the primary colours is because you can mix any colour you want from those and only spend money on 3 tubes of paint. The first design I tried was using a round sponge stamper and the yellow and blue paints. I start with yellow for the first row, yellow with a bit of blue for the second row, blue with a bit of yellow for the third row and pure blue for the last row. Easy!

For the triangle design I used a bunch of Speedy Cut triangles, and the red and yellow paint. I just mixed up those 2 paints in a couple ratios to get a few shades of orange, pink and yellow. No need for rulers and measuring here, just go nuts with your triangle stamps until you like what you see.

May Freebie

Wed, 1 May 2013 04:00:00 UTC

Hooray! I'm finally back to blogging! And what better way to celebrate than with a new freebie. For those of you who didn't know, I've spent the last 2 months doing tax returns at a local accounting firm. Well, not really doing the whole tax return, just the boring repetitive bits like entering the..... Oh sorry, did you fall asleep there for a second? I don't blame ya. :)

April showers bring May flowers, right? This is certainly one huge mystery flower. Not sure that actual flowers really look like this, but I can imagine. Let me know if you see a monster flower like this in your yard! Speaking of flowers, I'm going to be giving my front garden a bit of a facelift this weekend. I'll be sure to take some before and after pics for you to see.

There are 4 sizes to choose from depending what kind of computer/lappy you have so there should be something for everyone's situation, plus a patterned iPhone background. Just click one of the buttons below to get the full size image. Then just save it and set it as your wallpaper.

Download the Backgrounds
1440 x 900 // 1366 x 768 // 1920 x 1080 // 2800 x 1880 // iPhone

BRB

Sat, 9 Mar 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Hey friends! You may have noticed that I haven't been around for a while. Well, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I've just been very busy working on other projects such as CourseCraft, painting my house, choir and my new job at an accountant's office for tax season. Even though I've been swamped, I haven't forgot about this little blog. Inspiration hasn't been coming easily to me for the past few months and I love this blog so much that I didn't want to keep posting stuff I felt blah about, so I decided this is a perfect time for a blog vacation. The blog will be back in full swing May 1st, and I think it will be better than ever. Feeling like I don't have to post something has already filled my head with so many ideas. I want to go back to the kind of posts that got me excited, ie: gluing stuff to other stuff and telling you about it! So get pumped for May 1st people!!

Here is a tiny list of just some of the blogs I love. It should keep you busy in the mean time!

February Freebie

Fri, 1 Feb 2013 05:00:00 UTC

You know that thing when you type a word so many times, it starts to look like giberish? That happens to me all the time with 'February'... it always looks like it's spelled wrong! It also doesn't help that I typed it roughly 12 million times getting this post together.

I hope you like the February Freebie. I think it's very February appropriate with all the hearts, pink and love. If you look closely, you'll see that some of the hearts are glittery too! Thanks for all the freebie suggestions last month, and please, keep 'em coming!

Download the Backgrounds
1440 x 900 // 1366 x 768 // 1920 x 1080 // 2800 x 1880 // iPhone

Weekly Sketchbook :: 4

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Hey there! I've been meaning to get this post up for days now, but we've been having such gloomy, rainy weather that I just couldn't get a good photo! I think I remember this point during my last 52 week project (The View from my Phone) where you're just a few weeks in so it's not quite a habit yet. Finding time to sit down and draw has been surprisingly difficult for me, and that's sad because being creative is so important to me. I think in a few more weeks, when drawing starts to become more of a habit and less of a chore I'll really start getting exciting about this project.

Come back tomorrow for the February Freebie!! Bye for now.

Weekly Sketchbook :: 3

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

After last week's mess, I decided to change things up with a bit of watercolour! Working from photos of flowers that I found on the internet, I filled my first page trying to make them look realistic. Quickly realising that wasn't working out I started a new page and went with what felt natural. Easy, loopy shapes and painting outside the lines was fun for me. I think I'll try more watercolours this week.

DIY: Confetti Card

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

It feels like it's been forEVER since I've done a little crafty DIY post, and I guess it has. I had a lot of fun making this confetti card. It's great to have cards like this laying around that you can use for just about anything. Leave the centre blank until you need it then just write (or stamp) in your own little message.

Materials

blank greeting card
thick cardstock for stencil
scissors
acrylic paints (any colours you want)
new pencils with erasers for stamping

1// Cut out a circle from your cardstock. I traced a roll of tape to get it perfect.

2// Tape the circle to the centre of a blank card using painters tape. Also, tape off the edge of the card so you don't get any paint on the back.

3// Start stamping with the eraser ends of the pencils. I used a different pencil for each colour so they didn't get muddy.

4// Concentrate more of the dots towards the circle and less near the edges of the card.

Now just wait for everything to dry, which won't take long, and peel off the stencil and the tape. The card is ready for your message in the centre, so say anything you want!

Weekly Sketchbook :: 2

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Aaaand this is why I don't usually show my sketchbook pages. That dragon with legs that look like they went through a meat grinder? Why? And the crown... Oh lord. Once I get drawing a couple ugly things, the next step is always to draw little cartoon people or animals to make fun of my ugly drawings. If you're anything like me I hope you'll identify with the feeling that you have a draw a ton of crap to come up with one tiny thing you like. But I find some comfort knowing that all this terrible doodling will help me in the long run. It can only get better from here, we've hit rock bottom with this one.

CourseCraft Update

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Hey guys, I've been so busy working on CourseCraft that I almost forgot about my first love Mr. Handsomeface. Here's a quick little CourseCraft update for those of you following along. Speaking of following...you should totally be following CourseCraft on Twitter! Then you'll be up on all the latest news.

The first little bit of news is that we started buying ads on some blogs to get our name out there. We're starting slow at first, but if you have a blog and you think your followers would be interested in us please let me know, we're always looking for new blogs to sponsor. Also, it would really help if you were using Passionfruit for your ad management. I mean, they're totally awesome people and they make selling ads on your blog stupid easy. Nice people, easy ads. What more can I say?

In other advertising news, we put together like 4 million (more like 100) of these cute little paint brushes with a Moo card attached. Who knows where they might pop up! Keep an eye out for the glittery ribbon. ;)

Ok, last little tidbit is that I've put together an example course. Not only will you be able to see what a finished course looks like, you can learn all you need to know about creating your own course. We had tons of people asking for this, so I really hope you find it useful. The course is free and open to anyone so you don't even need a CourseCraft account to check it out. That's all for now, have a great Monday everyone.

Weekly Sketchbook :: 1

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Hooray, it's the start of my new 52 week project! This year I'm filling a new sketchbook page every week. I don't draw nearly enough as I want to, I tend only pick up my sketchbook if I'm sketching out a specific project. I almost never draw just for fun anymore. My last 52 week project (The View from my Phone) was so much fun, I'm really looking forward to this one.

Are you working a 52 week project? I'd love to hear about it!

P.S. If you want to check out my last year long project, you can browse my photo posts using the categories on the sidebar.

January Freebie

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

I tried something a little different for this month's background, so I hope you like it. It started out as a little doodle and progressed into this...whatever it is! :P It's sort of kooky, but hey, you gotta love trianges!

Hey you know, I just had a thought. If you have any requests for the upcoming months, you should let me know! Glitter? Kitties? Polka Dots? I'm going to need your help to come up with 12 of these babies.

Download the Backgrounds
1440 x 900 // 1366 x 768 // 1920 x 1080 // 2800 x 1880 // iPhone

The Top Posts of 2012

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

I thought it would be fun to count down my top 5 most popular posts from 2012. This past year was really my first offical year of blogging and I learned alot about the kinds of posts I like to write. The kinds of posts people like to read... well that's still a bit of a mystery to me. What I tried to do was write things that felt right and genuine to me. Some of them didn't work out, but a few did. And here they are!

DIY Wall Art: Bubbles
This was my first blog post that really took off and I give it credit for getting me excited about blogging. These little bubbly canvases are the kind of thing I'm always working on and I usually just throw them in the closet or give them away. Publishing this and having it take off made me think "Hey, people actually want to see the little projects I'm working on. This could be fun!"

Hand Embroidered Cards
I actually had made these cards a couple years before I wrote this post and tried to sell them in my failed Etsy shop. I assumed people hated them because there was very little interest, so when I wrote this post it was totally on a whim. It was meant to be a bit of a filler post because I had nothing else to say. What I thought was just filler has turned out to the bread and butter of my blog posts. It's been pinned thousands of times, I've seen the post all over the internet and translated into several languages. So if you have any draft posts growing mold somewhere, maybe you should clean them up and hit publish because you just never know.

DIY Wall Art: Dreamy Letters
After the success of my Bubbles Art post, I decided to try my hand at DIY art again. I had a lot of fun dreaming this one up and believe it or not, took weeks to get it right. This post ended up being published on the Ruche blog and I became a proud member of the Ruche Blogger Family.

How Not to Paint Ikea Furniture
To this day, this post is by far my most commented on. People love to point out my obvious mistakes and laugh at me. I didn't really want to publish this one at first because it's so dorky, but I'm glad I did. I was planning on just destroying the evidence and never speaking of it again, but I decided to share the story hoping nobody else would make my mistakes. Maybe you'll even have a little chuckle at my expense.

Fall Freebie
This post was the first in what I hope to be a continuing trend on my blog- giving away free digital bits. I figured an iPhone background is something a lot of people could use, and I've since expanded these posts to include a desktop background too. I'm really glad these freebie posts turned out to be so popular because I really enjoy making them! Don't worry, the January background is coming very soon!!

My 2013 Goals

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 05:00:00 UTC

Read 8 books -- This might not seem like a huge reading goal, but I figured since I've got a lot planned for 2013 I'll set some attainable. There have been years when I've read closer to 30 books but I have a feeling I won't have a lot of time for reading this year. I'm really hoping to exceed 8 books, but we'll see.

Fill a sketchbook page per week -- This one is actually going to be my new 52 week project. I really want to draw more and I think one page per week is more than do-able. And I'll make sure and post a picture each week so you can see it too!

Knit a sweater -- I just learned to knit over the holidays (barely) and I would really like to knit myself a sweater this year. Knitting came pretty naturally to me, so I think with a little practice I could cross this one off in the next couple months.

Have CourseCraft break even -- As you probably know, my husband and I started a little business in December. CourseCraft is a simple way to create and sell e-courses. We both have high hopes and big plans for it and I would loooove to see it pay for itself by the end of the year.

Try 2 new recipes per month -- I've been cooking the same things every week for a while now and it's getting a little boring. Between Post Punk Kitchen and Chef Chloe, this should be a fun and delicious goal!

Grow a nice garden out front -- Never having gardened a day in my life, this might be a tough one. When we first moved into our house in August I got the urge to rip everything (and I mean everything) out of the front garden and plant 2 sad looking shrubs and about 50 bulbs. After that, the neighbourhood squirrels had a giant feast on all my newly planted bulbs so I have a feeling I'm working with a clean slate this spring.

Take more walks and bike rides -- This was something I started doing last fall and I really loved it. I borrowed a bike from my mother in law and took off on a fairly regular basis. I would really love to get my own bike this year. After living in Toronto for 4 years with only my 2 feet to get me places, I'm basically a professional walker. Now that we have a car I want to make sure I don't get too lazy.

Sing and play a song on my guitar -- You guys, I got a guitar for christmas!! I can play 3 chords now, so I'm pretty much ready to start my own band. :P I would be so happy if by the end of the year I could play a whole song somewhat competently and sing along too. Did I mention I also joined a choir? I'm so excited about it and it should help me with the singing part of this goal.

There you have it, my 2013 goals. Nothing too sappy like "Be a better human being" or vague like "Get creative". Just simple, straight forward, measurable goals I can start working on right away. What are your goals for the new year? Anyone else doing a 52 week or a 365 project? I would love to hear about it! Happy new year everyone.

The View from my Phone: Catch Up

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:00:00 UTC

This is my big "View from my Phone" catch up post. You know when you think things in your life are finally settling down and you sort-of, kind-of have stuff under control? And then a wrench gets thrown into all your plans and totally changes everything. Well that happened to me at the end of this year. It made it difficult to stay on track and on schedule with my blog. But even though I wasn't posting these updates I was still taking the pictures, so here's a big photo dump for you!

From top to bottom and left to right:

Marshall helps me paint and I try not to drip on him.
Beautiful, bright poinsettia from a friend. (ps. I never knew how to spell poinsettia until I just looked it up now for this post!)
I decided to learn to knit and even managed to struggle through a scarf!
Pretty flowers from the same lovely friend.
Marshall butt.
Drinking coffee and looking through knitting books. My friends need to start having kids so I have someone to knit for!

From top to bottom and left to right:

This guy has quite the face.
The most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in my life. No filter!
A certificate my mom received for completing a typing course in 1969.
Oooh racy matchbooks! The one on the right says "Short on sails" Ah jeeze...
The caption in my head for this photo has always been "Santa + Baby Jesus = BFF" but that's probably in poor taste. Much like this scene of Santa looking in on sleeping Jesus on a neighbour's front lawn.
My mom's first wedding photo. I love her crazy veil!

From top to bottom and left to right:

A small army of watercolour christmas cards.
Barney tucked away in his favourite cardboard box. I swear he has a real kitty bed, but much prefers a box.
Yummy, yummy blueberry pancakes.
A little peek in my sketchbook. I'm hoping to do much more of this in the new year. (There's a little hint at my next 52 week project!)
Holiday party apparel Canada-style. Gotta stay warm!
Things are coming along on my whale painting. Been at this one for a while now.

This was the week I went crazy and only talked to plants? Yes, it appears so. I don't have names for them all yet because they're still new and I don't want to get attached in case they die. I've only owned 1 plant before in my whole life so I'm very excited about keeping these ladies and gents alive. I think I might call the one on the top-left Spike. Also, I got a guitar for christmas!! Right now the sounds that I make don't resemble music at all, but I'm working hard on it. Got the sore fingers to prove it.

Thanks for following along with these posts all year. I actually finished all 52 weeks!! I have a completely new 52 week project planned for 2013, but I think I'll still occasionally post some phone pictures now that I'm in the habit of taking them. Thanks again for reading. Have a happy new year everyone.

My Big News

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Today I'm very excited to tell you about a project that's been in the works for many months. I've been working on an app with the help of my very talented husband and it's finally the day of the offical launch!

CourseCraft makes creating and selling e-courses easier than you could ever imagine. If you have a special skill (I know you do) and you've been dying to share it with the world, now is your chance. E-courses are quickly gaining popularity on the internet and for good reason.

Why are e-courses so awesome?

Make passive income off your skill or craft.
Develop a personal connection with your followers and fans.
It's fun to teach people something useful.
Reach a huge audience (ie: the whole darn internet).

You can start creating your e-courses right this very minute. Just sign up for CourseCraft by filling in a few fields and you can dive right into writing lessons. Format your text using the simple text editor, upload files to your lessons and add an eye-catching cover photo. Right now, the promotion part is up to you but we help by giving you a URL to spread around that links back to a professional and polished splash page. There are huge plans in the works to add more ways to help you promote your courses including a CourseCraft marketplace.

If you make a course with CourseCraft I would looooove to hear about it. Your feedback is what will help make CourseCraft great. Also, I want to feature some course creators on the blog so I'll be on the lookout for people like you.

In the End

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:00:00 UTC

On Friday my family lost a very special person. He had been sick for many years, but for some reason I never actually thought this day would come. He always seemed invincible to me.

"I was just entering my teenage years when Mike came into my life. I'm sure I didn't make it easy on him, but he stepped into his role like he had always been there. He was everything a girl could need or want in a dad. He was my scary authority figure, protector, giver of huge bear hugs, teller of disgusting jokes and most of all he made me feel so loved. I'll never feel like I had enough time with him or learned enough from him, but I'm thankful for what I did have."

Image Source: Society6 print In the End

The View from my Phone: Week 48

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 05:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

Been working on this painting off and on for a couple months, just added some new colours and a whale!
A snowy day.
This Casablanca poster was an odd departure from the Virgin Mary paintings that usually cover the hospital walls.
Out for a walk on a nice quiet and foggy night.
Best picture I've ever taken. I love nosy kitties.
I was trying to get this photo of the coffee we ordered from tonx.org

December Freebie

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Oh November, you certainly have not been my favourite month but December is going to totally kick your butt. I also can't wait for the best holiday of the year... New Year's! You thought I was gonna say Christmas didn't you? Well I'm actually not that into Christmas. I don't hate it or anything, I just don't like the stress of feeling like you need to buy really awesome presents for everyone you know. New Year's, however, is awesome. You can get dressed up fancy and go to a party, or stay in your jammies and watch movies. So cheesy, but I like to think about the past year and all the good in my life and sometimes think about the bad and how I'm going to change that. I also enjoy making goals for the coming year and pumping myself up to get started on them. The new year always feels like a fresh start and never fails to get me all emotional. Not that getting me to tear up is all that difficult!

I had a really great response to my November Freebie last month so I absolutely had to do it again. Making a new background every month is proving to be great design exercise for me. Sometimes frustrating, but definitely satisfying. I hope ya like it!

There are now 4 sizes to choose from depending what kind of computer/lappy you have so there should be something for everyone's situation. Plus a pretty sweet (if I do say so myself) patterned iPhone background. Just click one of the buttons below to get the full size image. Then just save it and set it as your wallpaper.

Download the Backgrounds
1440 x 900 // 1366 x 768 // 1920 x 1080 // 2800 x 1880 // iPhone

The View from my Phone: Week 47

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

This is the chair I sat in for almost 11 hours waiting for my dad during his surgery.
A pensive, thoughtful kitty enjoying a foggy morning.
The first accumulation of snow! It was very pretty... I'm already sick of though. :P
Scored some awesome knitting supplies from my mom's basement, including a few issues of Stitchcraft from 1968! Not pictured: An issue of Vogue Knitting from 1985. It's hilarious.
More hospital waiting rooms! I practically live there now.
Late nights.

So this week has definitely not been my most favourite week ever, but I made it through (mostly) sane. I don't have a lot of time for blogging, or really anything, lately but I'm trying. I can promise you this, I'll have a new desktop and iPhone background for you to download just in time for December! Thanks for hanging in there readers, sometimes I wonder who you are. I wonder what kind of people like to read what I have to say. Well, I'm thankful to every one of you for stopping by!

The View from my Phone: Week 46

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

The first snowfall of the year!
I was all cozied up in my cashmere robe that my huband got me for my birthday... best present ever!!
Found in my dad's apartment building, I think someone missed their calling as a graphic designer. Clip art FTW!
This is what it looks like behind the camera during a shoot for a blog post.
Recognize this? Probably not. I started hating hard on the painting I was working on a completely covered it up in new stuff. It's getting prettier now!
My fat friend in his favourite spot, the bean bag chair.

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging over the next week or so, my dad is having surgery on Wednesday. It's something that I haven't been looking forward to, but it has to be done. So send good vibes this way if you happen to be thinking of me on Wednesday!

I've been trying to get a tad more personal on my blog (telling you about the surgery is one step). I love to read blogs that not only have pretty posts but give you a chance to get to know the blogger. I'm not talking about mundane details like what your toddler ate for breakfast or that your cousins' friends' car broke down... I just like to be reminded that bloggers are human beings.

So I leave you with this, a reminder that I am human, five things you may not (probably don't) know about me:

I have the worst memory for tv shows and movies. As soon as I finish watching a movie, every detail flys out of my brain.
When I was about 7, I sang in a live show with Sharon, Lois and Bram. Are they Canadian? Probably nobody knows who that is. And nerd alert: I was in a girls choir for 11 years.
I have a sister who is 10 years less 1 week older than me. She's also a half sister, so when I'm with my dad it's like I'm an only child.
I got married when I was 22, which is young I guess? I didn't notice. We've been together for over 10 years now.
I wish I went to art school, but I wasted 4 years in college for Accounting. I guess it comes in handy running my own business, but I still have huge regrets about that. I worked as an Accountant for several years before one day it hit me, I totally hate this!

Free Printable: Watercolour Thanksgiving Placecards

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Canadian Thanksgiving was a while ago, but I completely forgot to do anything crafty for it. Luckily American Thanksgiving has given me a second chance to put together a little printable I've been planning.

Download the Printable Placecard

I painted these placecards with watercolours first then scanned it it, so it's basically the real deal! If you have paints of your own, you could also paint this design yourself since it's pretty simple.

The download is a printable PDF with 2 placecards per page, so just print as many you need, cut along the faint grey lines and fold them in half. If your printer can't handle thick paper (like mine, frown) then just print on regular paper and glue it to some cardstock.

I hope these placecards will add a little artsy style to your Thanksgiving table this year!!

Huesday: Viking Millionaire

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

What a great name for a painting, eh? This print I found on Society6 really caught my eye because of the striking colours, so I thought it would make a great Huesday. This is the kind of piece I could sit and stare at for a while. I know some people shy away from abstract art because they feel like they don't "get it" but I personally think that if you look at a piece and it makes you feel something, that's all that matters. Sometimes it's hard to put into words what a painting is making you feel. When that happens, maybe you should buy it!

The View from my Phone: Week 45

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

I've been having so much trouble staying focused and getting things done lately that I had to bust out my pretty notebook and make some lists! Hopefully that will motivate me to actually cross some things off that list and maybe ahem...write some blog posts.
Went to see a ballet with my mom and sister on the weekend, the theatre was beautiful.
The inside of the theatre as people were getting seating. I had a brief thought of "I should get a job here!" but then I realized I don't live in Toronto anymore. :(
We had front row seats!! My sister dared me to throw something into the tuba that was right below. She's clearly the bad sister.
FLUFFY SLEEPY FACE!!! AHH!
Ordered this print for my husband from Fab since one of his favourite movie's is Lost in Translation and everything is better with a kitty involved. It's such a cute print!

The View from my Phone: Week 44

Tue, 6 Nov 2012 05:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

Put some new layers on an old painting
Sweet little fluff ball
Only 250 more Christmas cards to cut, fold and package!
Hand cramp city
I think we can stop calling this guy 'Fat Barney' now
It's my responsibility to eat all the leftover Halloween candy

November Freebie

Thu, 1 Nov 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hello November! I know I think/say this every month, but where did the time go?? I feel like it was a just a couple weeks ago that we moved into our new house, but that was all the way back in August. I've been spending a lot of time working on a new project called CourseCraft with my husband. It's a tool to easily create e-courses and sell them. You heard it here first, it's going to be totally rad. It's not quite ready yet, but you can sign up for the mailing list and find out the minute we're done. Now on to the free stuff:

I had so much fun making my first iPhone wallpaper last month, I thought I would try it again. This time I also created a desktop wallpaper. Just a fun little calendar and leaf design in some pretty fall colours, I really hope you enjoy!

There are 3 sizes to choose from depending what kind of computer/lappy you have so there should be something for everyone's situation. Just click one of the buttons below to get the full size image. Then just save it and set it as your wallpaper.

Let me know how you like these! I would like to make this a monthly thing, it's great design exerscise for me too. On a semi-related note, I think I've figured out something to do for my next 52 week project. It involves putting my design skills to work every week. Start thinking about your own 52 week project because the end of the year will come up quicker than you think.

Huesday: Emerald and Navy

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I'm in love with this colour combo, emerald and navy together look so rich and beautiful together! Dark jewel tones look great on everybody, even me with my very fair skin. That emerald green wall look gorgeous too, it would make a very striking accent wall. Beautiful dark colours like this actually make me excited for cooler weather.

Sources: Room // Outfit

Free Printable: Halloween Tags

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Do you need a last minute Halloween decor DIY? Well you're in luck cause I'm a last minute kind of person too and I just made these cute little Halloween gift tags for you! Print them off and stick 'em on treat bags and you'll look like you've had this planned for weeks. There are two designs to choose from so take one or take them both.

My printer is wimpy and can't handle cardstock, so I printed them on regular paper, glued the whole sheet to a sheet of cardstock and then cut them out. If your printer can handle thicker paper... well, I'm jealous of you.

Download the printables: Haunted House // Spider Web

The View from my Phone: Weeks 42 & 43

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

Waking up to a little Marshall man at the end of the bed (best alarm clock ever)
Bird watching with Barney
Lots of planning in my kitty notebook. All the best plans are made in cute notebooks.
Opened a business bank account for CourseCraft... shit's gettin' real here!
Out for a walk to see the leaves changing.
This is right at the end of the my street! I forgot how beautiful autumn is.

From top to bottom and left to right:

Walked in on a kitty makeout session!
I think my painting is almost done. I've had it hanging over the fireplace so I can ponder it like I know what I'm talking about.
Yes, these chairs are still not reupholstered.
I really couldn't ask for a nicer view out my office window.
A cozy chair for me in front of the fire and blanket for the kitties. This is a great place to curl up with a book.
Installed a little shelf to hold all my paints. No excuse for not painting now!

Since I've been slacking on the blogging last week, I have a lot to fit into this post so here's something totally unrelated to the normal 'View From' post but just as cool!

If you live in or around Salt Lake City, you should hit up the first Passionfruit Mixer! I'm so bummed I can't go to this, I don't live anywhere near SLC. But since I can't go I guess that means there's an extra ticket for you! Oh and did I mention it's free? If you're in the area, get your bloggy butt over there!

The View from my Phone: Week 41

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

Marshall's new favourite spot: perched on the mantel
His second favourite spot: staring out the window in my office (for hours)
Not even half of the Christmas cards I just made
New haircut! A textured bob that's been super easy to manage
My birthday was on Saturday and a lovely friend baked me cupcakes....
and brought me flowers!

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Fall Freebie

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Oh boy is it ever chilly out there lately! I've been drinking lots of tea, piling on the layers and even designing Christmas cards. In between all that, I put together a cute little iPhone wallpaper to get my phone all ready for fall. It's like a cozy little sweater for your phone! So cheesy, I know. Since your phone will be so stylishly ready for fall, you should probably find a comfy sweater too. Then, click here to download my Fall Freebie iPhone wallpaper.

Instructions (while on your phone):

Tap and hold on the image
Choose 'Save Image'
Go to your Photos
Tap the arrow in the bottom left
Choose 'Use as Wallpaper'

Sources:
Cable Knit Sweater - Fox Sweater

Another Year Older

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Birthdays usually bum me out a lot, but for some reason this year I'm actually looking forward to it. A little bit. I've got a small get together planned with friends, my husband says he has a surprise for me and my grandma is taking me out for lunch. Can't complain about any of that! For reasons that can't be explained though, I just booked a haircut at a completely new salon days before my birthday party, so maybe I should add a hat to my birthday wishlist here. So after my hopefully-not-too-horrible but probably-not-very-good haircut, you can buy my happiness with any of these suggestions. Or just tell me I look pretty.

Sources:
Sweater - Bag - Camera - Earrings - Terrarium - Wallet - Coasters - Print

The View from my Phone: Week 40

Tue, 9 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

the kitties love to watch the leaves fall... so cute!
a tea towel given to us as a gift, displaying it ironically of course
a nice fall view out our back door, complete with new curtains
some cute prints I found while shopping
raspberry-peach crumbcake, Droooool...
this cat was born to be a model

Decisions, Decisions...

Thu, 4 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

The search for furniture for our new house has been a slow process. We've decided to mostly stick with whatever we have for now and save money for stuff we really like, even if that means using our old kitchen table as a desk for the time being. One thing we needed right away was dining room chairs and luckily we managed to snag these for free from some very nice people looking to get rid of some furniture.

I'm absolutely in love with the shape, but not in love at all with the fabric. Hey, they were free so I can't really complain. The chairs also go beautifully (sort of) with our vintage teak dining table... more on that in a later post.

My task now is to recover these chairs with a slightly less 'granny' fabric, but that's proving more difficult than I thought because there's too many great prints to choose from! Since we don't really have any other furniture I can pretty much go with whatever colours I want, so I've managed to narrow it down to a pattern in either blue, black or green. I chose blue and black because it's dark enough hide any potential stains and is easy to decorate around later, and I chose green because I think it would look nice with the slightly reddish tone of the wood.

What do you think? I'm leaning towards the triangles in the very first circle but late last night while I was browsing fabric I got this crazy idea that I wanted a skull print. I went to bed thinking I had it figured out. In the light of day, that idea is looking a little crazy... or is it? Ack! There's too many choices! This may come down to me closing my eyes and pointing at the screen.

Sources:
Blue 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- Black 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- Green 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- Skulls 1

Get Mugged

Tue, 2 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I'm pretty clever with that title aren't I? Haha, maybe not so much but I couldn't resist. With the weather cooling down, another thing I can't resist is a nice cup of tea. (Pretty good segue there, I'm on fire today!) We've got a huge collection mugs, more mugs than one house should ever hold. These are my two favourites. The blue one I got several years ago at Starbucks of all places. The brown one I found on Etsy and was part of a set of 6, but 5 of them broke in transit. That just makes the one survivor even more special!

And here are two mugs that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection. I might have to find room for these babies!

Cat Mug - Vintage Mug

The View from my Phone: Week 39

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

my backyard right now
the leaves are changing!
Marshall and his catnip pouch
walked around with 1 blue nail for 4 days cause I'm a put-together and organized person
found this gem at the grocery store, Tofurky I love you
leaves on my deck

Fall Favourites

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

When there's a change in the weather, you can always hear me saying those five famous words: "I have nothing to wear!". What is it about a season change that makes you look in your closet and only see crap. What the heck did I wear last fall exactly?? I don't even know. Here are a few fall essentials that will spruce up your autumn wardrobe and maybe even help you with the transition to winter!

Purse - Shirt - Dress - Tights - Boots - Jacket - Scarf - Polish

The View from my Phone: Week 38

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

messy painting stations are the best painting stations
light hiting some half-finished paintings
kitties make it hard to get things done
supplies for a Halloween DIY for the blog next week
my Barney
the paws, they kill me

DIY: Fall Wreath

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

My neighbours think they're living next to freakin' Martha Stewart now. I see them walking by looking at my new wreath with envy. Or maybe they're just weirded out that I'm camped out on my front lawn staring at it. Totally just kidding of course... or am I?

This is a really fun, easy project to get your front door looking a little more fall-like. The cost can basically be whatever your budget is. Expensive silk flowers from a craft store look beautiful and real and they'll stand up to the elements, but dollar store flowers are so much cheaper. I went with a mix of both for mine. I'm really happy with how it turned out and it looks so much nicer than anything I've found the stores, most of which were covered in glitter and had some sort of neon skull glued to it. Shudder.

Gather your supplies:

floral foam wreath form (mine was 14")
silk flowers, like a million of them (buy more than you think you'll need and return the un-used ones)
glue gun
wire cutters
something with which to hang your wreath (I used a big ribbon)

My first step (and this is optional for you) was to tie a wide black ribbon to the top of my wreath. I used this ribbon to hang my wreath by pulling it over the top of my door and tying it to the window treatment on the other side. You could also hammer a little nail at the top of your door on the inside and tie it to that. I like this much better than those store bought wreath hangers because it doesn't get in the way when you close the door.

After that, it's really as easy as it looks. Cut the heads off the flowers leaving about a 1/2 inch of stem and get gluing! I used a pencil to poke little holes into the foam to make it easier to stick the stems into the foam. The combination of hot glue and pushing the stem into the foam will ensure those flowers are going nowhere. Don't waste your time covering the back, nobody sees that anyways.

A note on colours: To give it a more modern look, I used a combo of "clashing" colours like bright pink, red, orange and purple. It's nice variation on the classic fall colours.

The View from my Phone: Week 37

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

a box of craft supplies for my niece designed to secure my spot as the cool aunt
Marshall doing his usual effortlessly handsome thing
all dressed up for a 20s theme birthday party, complete with faux bob!
a fall wreath for my door -- tutorial coming very soon on the blog
the first couple layers on one of my paintings
Marshall approves of the new (used) dining room chairs we got

Gettin' Schooled

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I am beyond excited to finally have my own workspace. Before we moved into this house, I mostly worked at the kitchen table and on the couch. It was fine when I motivated to get things done, but when my work didn't come easily it was very frustrating. It got hard to distinguish between casually checking Twitter on the couch and ok-it's-time-to-get-shit-done. Even in the short time we've been here, I've noticed a huge difference. When I want to work I go into my office and get it done, when I don't want to work I'm not in my office. Seems so simple when you say it like that!

So now that I have all this space, I want to start painting big. I've dreamed so long of having an easel in the corner, so the other day when I saw that an art store in the area had easels on sale for 60% off, you better believe I ran out and grabbed one.

Around the same time, I heard about a new e-course called Re:Connect that Mati McDonough is running with a whole bunch of other talented people. The course is about getting your creativity unstuck and features tons of amazing guest contributors. It didn't take me long to sign up since I had such a great time taking Get Your Paint On.

Image via Willo Toons

I also noticed that one of the guest contributors was Flora Bowley. I've been a fan of her colourful, layered work for quite some and when I saw that she has an e-course too, I instantly clicked the sign-up button. I love her style so much and I've often wondered what exactly goes into all those layers. The two courses overlap, so I'm sure I'll be kept busy over the next 5-6 weeks, but I'm really looking forward to both of them. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Image via Flora Bowley

The View from my Phone: Week 36

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

From top to bottom and left to right:

my new easel all set up for the e-course I'm taking (more on that tomorrow)
lovely sky on an evening walk
purdy pink flower
the view from my office, love seeing trees instead of another apartment building
my painting supplies just waiting for me
this is my fave print and the first to go up on the walls (still needs a frame!)

The View from my Phone: Weeks 34 & 35

Wed, 5 Sep 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Oh man, I don't think I've been so far behind on blog posts in my life! The days just seem to fly by lately and I'm working my butt off every day but nothing seems to get done! We are lo-ving the new house though. The kitties are too. We've never had this much space before. My office unfortunately still looks like it was hit by a tornado. I guess blog posts will have to be brought to you via the couch for now.

And now, it is with much shame and blog embarrrassment (emblogersment? blogbarassment?) that I present to you this week's photos and last week's photos. Now I'm all caught up! Stayed tuned for some chair re-upholstery goodness and some free stuff. See? I still love you.

Hello There

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Just wanted to say a quick hello from the new house! Going from the city to the suburbs has been a big change, but we are absolutely loving our new digs. Coming from a tiny 1 bedroom apartment, it's been a little strange having all this extra space. But good strange, obs! I have so many project ideas already and I can't wait to get started. More posts coming as soon as I get my office set up. Step one: Find a desk!

Neon Rivers and Talking Fish

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

There, I'm finally writing a post about my experience taking the Get Your Paint On course. The course is taught by the amazing Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough, who are both really beautiful artists. I'd been admiring their work for a while before deciding to take this class, so I felt like I was in good hands. It was also exciting to get encouragement and advice from artists I admired so much. The course spanned 5 weeks and you could work on just one painting the whole time, or up to three. I chose to focus on one since I don't really have a ton of experience and I didn't want to take on too much.

I'll spare you the details (because you should really take the course to find out!) but over the 5 weeks I learned to sloooow dooown and take my time with my painting. This was a real challenge for me since I'm such an impatient person. While I didn't end up with a masterpiece, I'm really, really happy with how the painting came out. I worked very hard on it, and I think it's pretty good for my first time. Or maybe it really is a masterpiece and I'm just too humble to say so. :P

Here's the progress of my painting:

Now I'm so excited to get started on my next painting and put all that I learned to use. That'll have to wait a bit though, since all my painting stuff is packed away for the move.

Just a Note: At the time of writing this, the link to the course still goes to the registration page of the course that's over now. But there's a box on the right side where you can put your email address and get notifications about new courses. I highly encourage you to do that. Get Your Paint On: Beyond the Basics was a really great class. If you're an even bigger newbie than me, they also teach a beginner's course.

The View from my Phone: Week 33

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Moving day is getting closer and I'm so excited I basically haven't slept in weeks. My brain is contantly thinking of space, stairs, backyard, bike rides, new furniture, privacy and my own office! Packing began this week and I'm very glad we don't have a ton of stuff. I'm hoping for an easy move and getting settled in ASAP. Also, I'm probably way too excited to see how the kitties react. They've never had more than 600 sq ft. to roam in their whole lives, and they certainly have never seen things like stairs and squirrels! Bah! Excuse me while I run around the block a few times to work off this excitement!

And even though you're probs sick of hearing me say this, I'm putting up a post about my painting tomorrow! For realsies this time.

Books and Nooks

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I'm not usually the type of person to jump on the bandwagon with super popular books, but The Help is actually a pretty interesting read. It still has the fast-paced easy-read feel that you would expect from a book that goes this mainstream, but the story is very good. The writing is good. The pace is good. Heck, even the movie is good. Good? Normally, as an avid reader, I automatically dimiss the movie version of a book as extra fluff for the super fans but I would watch The Help (the movie) just for the clothes and decor. Gah, I could move right in to Hilly's house and be very comfortable. Expect for the whole bathroom situation (obs).

Chair - Book

The View from my Phone: Week 32

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Remember what I said last week about having a new DIY post for you? Well... about that... I may have kind of packed up all my craft supplies already. But I promise I will finish my painting this week and show you all the photos of it's progression. We move into our new house in just 2 short weeks, and I already have a lot of fun posts planned about decorating. I maaay (hopefully) have got my hands on a beautiful vintage teak dining room table. And for a great price too! Just waiting to hear back from the seller. Fingers crossed!

Also, did you notice the new kitty up there? Nope, we didn't get a third one. He's just a neighbourhood kitty I was saying hello to the other day. I nicknamed him 'Bill' and let him chew on my phone a little. He was very sweet.

Feel Good Mountains

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I made a new pattern/print today for my Society6 shop! I'm really pleased with how it came out, but can you tell I'm not that great at naming my designs? Feel Good Mountains? I thought they kind of looked like happy mountains with sweaters on, all ready for winter... feeling good! Well, it makes sense to me!

I especially like how it looks in the laptop and iPhone skins.

The Feel Good Mountains would make a great holiday card too! And remember, free shipping worldwide until August 12th... so hurry!!

Did You Know?

Thu, 9 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Did you know that I've been putting some of my work on Society6? You can get art prints, canvas prints, cards, iPhone cases, iPhone skins and laptop skins with my designs printed on them. I've been designing with iPhone cases or skins in mind though.

I would really appreciate it if you would stop by my shop and have a look. And if you really love me you'll set up a Society6 account (so easy) and click the little 'promote' button on a couple of your faves!

Since I think you're so awesome, I'll let you in on a little secret. If you click RIGHT HERE you will get FREE shipping! But remember, you have to visit my shop via that link if you want to be eligible for the discount.

The View from my Phone: Week 31

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I have a confession to make. Some of these photos are not actually from this week. I've been a bit of a lady-hermit this week and had to steal some old photos in order to complete this post! Can you tell which ones? But don't lose all faith in me yet; I have couple good posts coming up this week. Look out for a DIY, another Books and Nooks, and a post about my finished painting from the painting class I took.

Books and Nooks

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Could this be the start of a new series? Not sure yet. I am the queen of unfinished blog series. I can't even count how many times I've written a post with "part 1" in the title only to never speak of it again.

Here's a little Sara trivia tidbit for ya; I love to read. I always have at least one book on the go. I also read in kind of a strange way. If I'm not 100% engaged and loving the book, I drop it. You know when you're really not into a book but you keep going anyways cause you feel like it would be a waste to not finish it? Not me. I don't think reading should be a chore, so if I'm not in love, I toss it immediately. That might sound a little harsh or wasteful but it makes reading so enjoyable for me.

I recently finished We Need to Talk About Kevin and all I could say after it was over was "wow". It was such an intense book. Eva, who never really wanted to be a mother, ends up raising an evil little monster who grows up to murder 9 people at his high school. The book is written in the form of letters to Eva's estranged husband that she writes after the shooting. It left me pondering the question: Are people born evil or are they made that way by the people around them? Maybe this soothing rocking chair will help you make it through this book.

The View from my Phone: Week 30

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I've started writing a weekly post for the Passionfruit blog called Mondays are for Lovers. Every week I'll showcase a few blogs from the Passionfruit Family and show you what they've been up to! If you want to be considered for this post, please let me know.

Also, if you're new to Passionfruit and a TypePad user you'll want to check out my latest tutorial: How to Install Passionfruit on TypePad

Paris at Sixteen

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

At the age of 16 I was fortunate enough to go on an amazing trip to Paris. Without my parents. Did I mention that I was 16 years old? Ten years later, it still remains one of the best weeks of my life. I stuffed my face at every bakery I passed, I ordered a beer in restaurant, went to the Eiffel Tower at night, cruised down La Seine and saw some beautiful works of art. I just dug up some of these old photos, I hope you like them!

This is as close as you're going to get to seeing a photo of me! Back then I didn't own tweezers and I cut my own bangs. Also, my luggage got lost so my outfits were all ill-fitting pieces I borrowed from friends.

I don't know that red-headed lady. Isn't it weird to think that you could be in some stranger's vacation photos?

I even bought a roll of black and white film, ooh la la! Remember when you had to get entire roll of film just to take one photo in black and white? It would have been a lot easier if I had an iPhone back then.

One of the highlights was seeing the Picasso museum. I could have spent all day there.

I want to go back so bad, but I'm almost afraid it won't be as good as the memory! What about you? Traveled to any cool places?

My Weekend

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This past Saturday, we attended two weddings. As much as I love weddings, two in one day proved to be tiring even for me, especially since they were out of town. Well actually, I guess we were the ones who were out of town, either way it was a looong day. Here are a few shots from the weekend.

Did you see the church mouse I found? It was very quiet, as expected. The weddings were both very beautiful, but as the day went on I took fewer and fewer photos. I did end up with a couple nice ones though!

And on a totally unrelated note: Check out the Passionfruit Blog for my Mondays are for Lovers post. Contact me if you have something awesome happening on your blog, and I just might feature you too!

The View from my Phone: Week 29

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This past week, I tried to focus on being creative everyday. I drew until my hand almost fell off! I ended up designing a couple new iPhone cases for fun, all of which are available as prints too. I also spent a lot of time on my painting for Get Your Paint On: Beyond the Basics.

This class has been a lot of fun. I've played a lot with acrylics before and painted in other mediums, but I've never actually sat down and made a whole painting from beginning to end. It's turning out to be a little more challenging than I thought it would be. Also, I'm sort of nervous to show my work! I see the work some of the other students are doing and I'm a little intimidated. But I'll do it eventually, because putting your work out there is a great way to get better.

Match It or Clash It: Jewelry

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Ah, to match or to clash? Isn't that the age old question? Well maybe not, but it is fun. Matching, while a little safe, is sure to make you look put together. But if it's done right, adding a clashing item to your outfit can be very trendy and fun. Why not start with something easy like your jewelry? I've gathered up a few examples to get you started.

Purple dress, purple necklace right? I do this so often when shopping for an outfit and there's nothing wrong it, the purple looks great, but the coral one gives it a whole new look.

Sources

The View from my Phone: Week 28

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

You know what's weird? Trying to explain to your family what a blog is. My dad had questions like, "How do you have a blog?" and "Who owns all the blogs?". Ummm...I don't even know where to start with those. He also asked what I write about and just sort of stared at me when I said "Oh you know... pretty things that I like and also kitties. Lots of kitties." I think I broke his brain when I tried to tell him what I do as a Passionfruit Intern. For some reason he didn't understand the explanation that I blog about blogging! I've resigned myself to the fact that I will probably never have a job that can be fully explained to my family.

The View from my Phone: Week 27

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Well I think this is the first time I've been late with a 'View From' post. Some family things have come up that I need to deal with, so expect the blog to be a little sparse until I'm feeling better. The phrase I have been hearing a lot this past week is "hang in there". And I'm trying my best to do just that. Hug the people you love a little tighter today, ok?

Gold Digger

Fri, 6 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I love metallics. They make a great neutral either in your wardrobe or in your home.

Sources: Shirt | Lamp

Love/Hate

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

So it's only 54 days now until we get the keys to our new house. Not that I'm counting or anything! Moving to the new house also means leaving Toronto, which I have mixed feelings about. We've lived here for about 4 years now and it's definitely been a great experience. I thought I'd make a list of the things I'll miss about living here and the things I won't miss.

Five things I'll miss about Toronto:

It's really pretty.
The skyline is beautiful, it looks amazing lit up at night and there's never a shortage of interesting things to take photos of. I will definitely miss our amazing view. It's always the first thing people comment on when they walk into our apartment.
Being so close to theatres and concerts.
It's awesome being a local and going out to see a show. You can go on a random Wednesday night because it's a just short cab ride away. I could fill my calendar and empty my wallet with all the amazing theatre right in my backyard.
Walkability.
We don't own a car or a MetroPass, so walking is how we mostly get around. I love to walk! I love walking when the traffic is so heavy that you're going faster than the cars. It's free, good for you, and I don't have to worry about things like car repairs or parking.
Shopping.
You can find anything in Toronto. The shopping is amazing and I could go bankrupt easily. I'll miss you Anthropologie, West Elm, The Paper Place and Woolfits!
Living on the water.
I would never actually go in the lake, oh god no, but it's lovely to take a walk at the Harbourfront! It's fun to check out all the gorgeous yachts and watch the waves.

Five things I won't miss about Toronto:

Teeny tiny living spaces and sky high rent.
This is the number one reason we're moving. I guess it's the same issue with every big city and you're certainly paying a premium for reason, but when it comes to buying a place I just can't get over the thought of spending all that money for a tiny shoe box of an apartment with neighbours on every side.
The noise.
This didn't seem to bother us when we first moved, but after 4 years of never having a moment of silence I think I'm going a little crazy. We can constantly hear our neighbours, traffic, construction, screaming, dogs barking, horns honking and trains going by. I'm so looking forward to waking up to birds chirping instead of to a scuffle on the street.
The crowds.
There is just too many people everywhere you go. The little neighbourhood we live in now is pretty packed already, and construction is almost done on six new condo buildings all within 1 block of each other.
Having to rely on public transit.
When it's too far to walk, sometimes you're forced to take public transit. Anyone can imagine the terrible things that happen on a crowded streetcar in the middle of summer. I think this might be part of the reason I like walking so much.
The crime.
One night my husband woke up to gun shots right outside our bedroom window. I didn't wake up because I wear ear plugs at night for exactly that reason.

The View from my Phone: Week 26

Mon, 2 Jul 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This week consisted of graffiti spotting, constant summer construction, painting strange creatures, vegan diner food, coffee cups as big as my head, and city lights. It's also week 26, which means I'm officially half-way through this little project. Yay me!

Out for a Walk

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

The other day I went out for a long walk around the city. Nevermind that it was one of the hottest days of the year! My first stop was The Paper Place, which is such a fun store! I could easily spend hundreds of dollars in that store on notebooks, paper, books and pretty little paper treats. I restrained myself and left with a set of 3 beautiful notebooks.

Here are a few photos I snapped on my way.

Etsy Artists

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Updated: Now includes photo of the honeymoon art!

I have a fair amount of art up on my walls for someone in their 20s and I'm constantly on the lookout for new pieces. I think when I'm older I think my house won't have a bare wall in sight. My favourite time to buy art is on vacation. It gives the piece automatic history but can be hard to get home sometimes.

When my husband and I were on our honeymoon in NYC we picked up 2 paintings done by an artist we found there. I guess they're not actually paintings, they are oxidized metal on canvas. They remain one of my favourite things in our home. Every time I look at them I think about our amazing honeymoon and how fun it was to meet the artist. He even gave us a tour of his studio when we told him we were newlyweds. They weren't cheap, especially after framing, but it was totally worth it.

Since it's not always practical to buy only originals, prints are the obvious choice for adding art to your home. There are so many websites where you can buy directly from the artist, which I love. Supporting the artist directly gives you the same warm fuzzy feeling that buying an original does without the hit to your wallet. Here are a few of my faves from Etsy:

Sources:

The View from my Phone: Week 25

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Week 25 means that I'm almost half-way through this project! I'm actually pretty proud of myself for sticking with it this whole time. Anyone who's done any kind of 365 project knows that it's really hard to keep it in your head for an entire year. Even though I'm only (not quite) half-way through, I have noticed a few changes:

Daily creativity (even just a tiny teensy bit) feels good
Taking photos is more of a habit now
I'm less camera shy (behind and in front of the camera)
My photos are getting better--or at least I think so!

Are any of you working on a 365 project? Would you like to start one? You know, it doesn't have to be January 1st to start!

Blank Pages

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Lately I've feeling that I don't have a lot of creativity. Just this past week or so and it's been very frustrating. So yesterday, even though it was 42C (107F) outside, I decided to go for a walk. I took my camera with me and 2 hours later I came home feeling sweaty but much better. While I was out, I also picked up a much needed new sketchbook and 3 adorable notebooks. Now I have all these blank pages to fill! Does anybody ever get anxious about the first thing they draw in a new sketchbook or write in a new notebook? I do. I remember when I was younger I used to rip out the first few things I drew because I never thought it was good enough to be the first page. If you look at my old sketchbooks, you can see that the first few pages are gone. What a weirdo, right?

I'll work on my first drawing in the new book today. And I'll try my best not to tear it out!

On my walk I also took about 100 photos. Those will be in an upcoming post.

Ruche Summer 2012 Lookbook

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Last week I showed you one beautiful image the Summer 2012 Ruche lookbook titled The Tuscan Sun, and I know you're dying to see more. I've pulled together a few of my favourite images from the lookbook and let me tell you, it was hard just picking a few. Ruche is one of the those stores where I would literally wear anything and everything they sell. Hint, hint, to any family members who read my blog and need gift ideas!

I would wear this gorgeous pleated dress every day of my life.

Sheer maxi skirt? I need this.

Yes...this is exactly what I look like while cooking. Maybe that apron will help me be more careful with the tomato sauce.

All images via Ruche

The View from my Phone: Week 24

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

You know how we just bought a house, right? Well I was getting a little sick of just counting the days til we move in (we're at 70 now), so this week I tried to pack my schedule with so much crap I would forget what day it was. And... success! It totally worked. I not only forgot about my countdown, I forgot what day of the week it was. I spent Wednesday through Sunday at the Tanenbaum Opera Centre working for Luminato. Spades directed by Robert LePage was showing there. While I wasn't at the theatre, I tried to cram in a couple other events.

Here are my photos from that week:

Top Left: This was basically my uniform for the week. Black top, black scallop skirt, black tights and my flats with the leopard print bow.

Top Right: Friday night we went up to the top floor of the Sherton to see the Luminato Artist Lounge. The view was incredible and Rufus Wainwright was there, or so I'm told. I'm not a good celebrity spotter.

Middle Left: The inside of the Tanenbaum. So much exposed brick, yum.

Middle Right: This is part of the lovely neighbourhood around the theatre, called Old Toronto. Lots to look at.

Bottom Left: For some reason Old Toronto is packed with furniture shops. I walked by these neon orange chairs everyday and now I want want WANT!

Bottom Right: Here's a sneaky photo of the stage. I say sneaky because I'm not sure if I was allowed to take it. The whole stage was more elaborate and complex than I could have imagined. I mean, holy trap doors and moving pieces. If you ever get a chance to see Spades, I highly recommend it. Even if you're not a 'theatre' person, there are several scene changes that will make you think, "How the HECK did that happen?!?"

June Sponsors

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Let me introduce you to my amazing sponsors for June!

CalliopeKitten

First up is CalliopeKitten. Krystyn runs an adorable jewelry shop from right here in Toronto. Her shop is filled with colorful resin creations, some of which look so delicious you'll be tempted to take a bite! She makes everything from teeny tiny bottles filled with sprinkles, to resin animal pendants, and anything in between. Stop by her shop and take a look at all her wonderful jewelry.

Pearl Amour Jewels

Next I'd like you to meet Pearl Amour Jewels, a lovely little jewelry shop run by Asma. Using a wide variety of materials, Asma creates some very elegant pieces. Stop by her shop today and check it out. Right now, if you 'like' her Facebook page, you will receive a 10% discount on your order.

If you would like to sponsor my blog, please go to my sponsor page for details. I manage all my ads using Passionfruit Ads now, so the whole process is super easy. Ads can start at any time, not just the beginning of a month and run for 30 days. So you could buy your spot today and see it on the blog right away!

Huesday: Ruche Kind of Summer

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Ruche just released their Summer Lookbook called 'The Tuscan Sun' and it is so gorgeous. Every single page is beautiful. I basically want every outift, it's all so light and flowery! You should definitely head over to Ruche and check it out, but be warned you will want to just empty your wallet after you see it!

Image via Ruche

The View from my Phone: Week 23

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Did you know that we get the keys to our new house in 78 days? Not that I'm counting. I've tried to jam my schedule as full as I can lately, just so I'll stop thinking about what day it is. This coming week I'll be working at show during Luminato and I'm very excited about that. I have plans to help out a bit during Summerworks too, but that's not totally confirmed.

This week I tried mostly to focus on getting a few new designs out there. I also saw a beautiful rainbow over Toronto, and began learning to code! The week would obviously not be complete without a couple photos of sleeping kitties. I'll never get tired of that!

Dress Like a Flower

Fri, 8 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Wedding season is upon us and like most of you I've be searching the Internet for a new party dress or two. You can't be caught dead wearing the same dress to different weddings! Just kidding, I'm actually trying this year (as much as I can) to shop from my closet. But whether you're in the market for a brand new dress or just a couple accessories to brighten up an old one, why not take some fashion advice from nature!

This is the dress that started me on my quest to dress like a flower. The colours and the texture are so perfectly inspired by nature. You may also recognize this dress as one Amanda Seyfried wore during New York Fashion Week. Owning this gorgeous dress is a bit out of most people's price range at $2,100 but you can rent it from Rent the Runway for $275!

Dress- Nail Polish- Earrings

Pair this lovely lace number with a co-ordinating pink Diana. If you're into photography, a medium format camera can give you some interesting and unexpected photos that you won't get from digital.

Dress- Camera- Shoes

I know, this is a leaf not a flower. It still makes for great wardrobe inspiration. This leafy green dress would be great for an outdoor wedding and will look lovely in photos.

Dress- Earrings- Shoes

First Look

Wed, 6 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Boy, I've been busy designing lately. A lot of my new designs have been going to my Pingg Gallery, so I wanted to add some to my Etsy shop too. Btw, if you haven't heard of Pingg you need to check it out now. It's a super stylish way to send online invitations, especially if you choose one of my designs! How's that for shameless self-promotion? I don't know if I should be saying this, but when I explain to people what Pingg is I always tell them that it's like Evite but with designs you actually want to send to your friends!

Ok, now here's a look at the newest designs in my Etsy shop. They're all really different from each, so I think there's something for everyone.

Retro Airstream Camper

Classic Peacock

Minimalist Watercolour

Rainbow Confetti

All of the wedding sets in my Etsy shop are printable designs. Printable wedding invites are something that I really believe is going to become very popular. Nowadays, most people have a printer fancy enough to handle these designs. And if you don't, there are roughly 10 million places you can take the file to get it printed on the cheap. There are even online printers now, so you can get it done without leaving your couch. If you're interested in printing your own invites, but you have questions just let me know. I'd be happy to help!

Huesday: Splash of Colour

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This week's Huesday comes from my inspiration folder for the new house. What a great way to add some colour without doing a boring old cliché accent wall. I'm thinking about doing this in my office with a pink or fuscia to define a little reading nook.

Image via Better Homes and Gardens

The View from my Phone: Week 22

Sun, 3 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Tiring week. Can't write in full sentences. Rest of post will be bullet points.

Top Row:

Ended our lease in prep for moving to our new house!
Caught Marshall yawing during art time.

Middle Row:

Flowers like rain.
BABY GOOSE XING!!!

Bottom Row:

Rewarded myself for answering 10k billion emails.
Worked behind the bar at a cabaret today.

Sorry guys. Back to normal tomorrow. Promise.

DIY Wall Art: Sparkly Confetti

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I was so happy with the way this DIY wall art project turned out, I decided I needed to try another variation on it.

This project is super easy to do and so inexpensive. I think I spent under $10 for all the supplies. The canvas is really the most expensive part, but if you look around or aren't too picky about the size you can usually find a good deal.

The supplies you'll need:

canvas
tissue paper
glitter paper
Mod Podge
foam brush (or paint brush)
white paint (optional)

The optional prep-step is to paint your canvas with a coat of white arcylic paint first. I had to do that last time I did this project because I felt my canvas was a little grey, but this one was nice and white so I skipped that step. Side note: I've stopped trying to get all the kitties out of my DIY photos. They just love getting involved! Especially Marshall, he was all up my business during this one.

First, cut out a bunch of circles from the tissue paper and glittery paper. You should be able to find glittery paper in any craft supply store in the scrapbooking section. I used a penny and nickel as a template for my circles. If you fold the paper over on itself several times, one cut will give you a bunch of circles.

Next, arrange the confetti on your canvas to get an idea of where you want it to go. I liked how it looked when I concentrated more of the confetti in one corner and had it spread out across the canvas.

Once you're happy with the placement, start gluing them down with the Mod Podge. It works best if you spread some on the canvas first, lay the circle on top of it, then add another layer of Mod Podge on top of that. When all the confetti is glued down, add another quick coat of Mod Podge to even it out.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I even unknowingly matched my nail polish to the design! Guess I had pink dots on the mind this week. This would look great in just about any colours though. I'd love to do dark blue tissue paper with gold glittery paper.

But pink really goes with Barney's fur.

Like I said at the beginning, this was based on a previous art project of mine, so if you like this one be sure to check out DIY Wall Art: Bubbles.

Note: My husband read this post and he wants you to know that we are aware of Barney's "weight issue". He's on a special diet and we try to get him to run around but he's just a big boy. Soon he'll have a whole house to run around in. And Barney would like to point out that this is a very unflattering angle.

Neon Embroidered Card

Wed, 30 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Ever since this post I basically haven't stopped stitching cards. I have a stock pile for the next time a birthday, shower or wedding happens! I thought I would share with you one of my favourite patterns that I've come up with recently. Hope you like it!

The design is stitched on black cardstock to really make the colours pop. I also added a piece of white paper on the inside since writing on black paper is hard. It will also hide the back of the stitches.

If you're unsure about how to start stitching cards, click here to see full instructions that I outlined on a previous post. There are lots of photos to follow along with.

Wouldn't this make a great card for someone who just got engaged? Or maybe you want to tell someone you think they shine like a diamond.

Pair the card with a super-bright neon envelope and you have a really unique card. If you like this design, get the pattern and colour guide RIGHT HERE! Happy stitching!

Huesday: Day at the Beach

Tue, 29 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Wouldn't you love to have a van like this? Maybe not very practical for everyday, but absolutely perfect for a day at the beach.

Image via Flickr Commons

The View from my Phone: Week 21

Mon, 28 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This past week was very busy with all the paperwork to get our new house all sorted out. That's my excuse for slacking on the blog posts! But don't worry, I've got a good DIY art project coming up in a few days and another peek inside my sketchbook. Last night, I saw Rent with a couple friends at the little theatre I (sometimes) work at (middle right photo). They did a really fantastic job with it, and even though it was my fourth (!) time seeing it on stage I still cried during Without You and loved moo-ing along with Maureen during her performace. I think it'll always be one of my favourite musicals. Even though it probably sounds totally cheesy to you, I think it has such an energizing message.

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today

Ok, I promise less cheese from now on! Enjoy this week's photos.

Suit Yourself: Blox Dining Table 2

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I really meant to get to this earlier in the week but, no big deal or anything, we bought a house so I've been busy. The house is already decorated in very nice neutrals, so there's no need to bust in there on the first day with paint buckets. But anyone who knows me knows I'm not neutral, so I've already come up with a long list of projects to get started on.

I'm getting quite fixated on the dining room, probably because I've never really had one before. Right now we live in one room, so the living room is in the kitchen and the kitchen is in the dining room and the dining room is in the living room. Does that make sense? Basically, my 'dining room' is a tiny table and 2 chairs parked right behind the couch.

Last week, I showed you my first look with the Blox dining table. You can see this week, it looks like a totally different room. I went a little more subtle with lots of greys and browns, but too subtle is boring so I added a shiny yellow pendant light. Enjoy!

I love those vintage camera prints so much I think I might actually order a few of them. A photo of a camera, how meta!

Sources:

We Bought a House!

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Don't you love that part at the end of Property Virgins where the couple talks about losing their 'property virginity' and everything they say is so funny because it sounds like they're talking about their actual virginity? They say stuff like, "It was totally painless." or "I'm glad I had my dad there to help me." HAH! Well, my husband and I lost our propery virginity this weekend and it was awesome. We've been together almost 10 years now, so it was about time we do this! (hee hee hee!)

Here's a photo of the adorable little house we fell in love with.

It's the perfect starter home; it's small but not too small and really nicely maintained. We have a private fenced yard and it's on a quiet little dead-end road. The plan on the weekend was just to see what was out there in our price range and get a better idea of what we wanted, but this one was just too perfect to pass up. The closing date isn't until August 27th, so we have some waiting to do. But I'm sure it will go by so fast!

Huesday: Dreamy Beach

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Wow, that was one of the most beautiful Victoria Day long weekends I can remember. The weather was just amazing! We were very busy all weekend and in a couple days I may have some big news to tell you. Hint: If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know what we were up to this weekend.

Here's some beachy color inspiration for you today. That should hold you over until I can tell you the news. I know you're on the edge of your seat!

Image via Flickr Commons

The View from my Phone: Week 20

Sun, 20 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Well I think I got a few good shots this week! I found those cameras in the window of a pawn shop that was having a Closing Sale. I was tempted to go in a check them out but they were all covered in a thick coating of dust and the store looked really sketchy! One of my tissue paper flowers had to be sacrificed so that Marshall could chew on it. And I'm just totally in love with that photo of Barney. Would you look at him? Doesn't he look like a little kitty model there? He's such a handsomeface. Did you know that's where the name of this blog came from? Well now you do.

Caturday: Sunny Day

Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

If you live in Canada, you know it's the Victoria Day long weekend here. It's typical for Canadians to bust out shorts and sandals before the last snowflake has even melted. I'm guilty of this to some degree. But one Canadian tradition I've only been a part of once is camping on the May long weekend. It's always, always, always freezing cold and rainy. All the photos from that camping trip show us in winter jackets with the hoods up trying to look like we're having fun. But this weekend is the first one that I can remember that the weather is actually supposed to be beautiful. I thought this sunny photo of Marshall was appropriate.

Here are some links to brighten your weekend. Get it? Brighten?

This is why bears make terrible photographers. They keep eating the equipment!
I made these Flourless Zucchini Brownies from Delighted Momma this week and she wasn't kidding, they are the BEST brownies ever. I substituted 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce for the egg to make it vegan and then I literally ate the whole tray myself. Not kidding at all, the entire tray.
This tutorial from A Beautiful Mess will show you how to make a gorgeous lace and denim shirt.
And if you need more Caturday, head over to Michael Kloth's Etsy shop and check out his adorable kitty portraits.

May Sponsor

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I wanted to introduce you to the lovely CalliopeKitten, my blog sponsor for May. Krystyn runs an adorable jewelry shop from right here in Toronto. Her shop is filled with colorful resin creations, some of which look so delicious you'll be tempted to take a bite! Stop by her shop and take a look at all her wonderful jewelry. And you're in luck, right now when you buy any 3 bracelets you'll the 4th one for free. Just let her know in the checkout message which bracelet you want for free and she'll be sure to package it up with some Canadian love just for you.

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mr. Handsomeface blog, click here for details.

Peek in my Sketchbook

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Have you seen this video? I had heard people quote it and talk about it before, but never watched it until recently. I'm so glad I saw it. It perfectly sums up how I've been feeling about my work lately. Just blah. I see other designers and I know that I'm miles and miles behind them and it's hard not to compare myself to people who have been doing this a lot longer than me. I know what looks good and I know I have a good eye, but sometimes my own work just doesn't measure up to my tastes.

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

As soon as I finished watching it, I immediately picked up my favorite Sharpie and just started drawing. I drew until my hand cramped up, rested, then drew some more. Now I know I just need to pick up my sketchbook and go instead of poking around on blogs, reading about other artists and searching for 'inspiration'. An hour of drawing is much, much, much more valuable than an hour spent admiring someone else's work.

I know a lot of other artist's have trouble with this comparison game. When there is so much pretty on the internet it's really easy to fall into that trap. I even hesitate to call myself an artist simply because I don't feel I've put in the man-hours needed to deserve that title.

Here's a look at what I've been drawing lately. Some of it is good, some of it is terrible, but all of it is necessary in order to get better.

Suit Yourself: Blox Dining Table 1

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I've been completely obsessed with home decor lately. As you may know, my husband and I are planning on buying our first house this year. The thought of being able to decorate a house from top to bottom is so exciting since we've been renting for so long. There's only so much you can or want to do with a rental.

My focus has been going to solid, neutral basics that can be a good starting point for a room. I've been looking for pieces that look great on their own and can easily adapt to many different decors and color schemes, since I'm impulsive and love to change things up regularly.

I thought I'd put together a little series where I'll start with a basic piece of furniture, and show you 4 different looks you can get just by changing up the accessories.

I've decided to start with the Blox Dining Table from CB2 because it's a nice basic wood table but the inset legs add some interest.

Look #1 isn't for people who are afraid of color. I would paint the walls a crisp white to avoid going overboard. The walls, chairs, and white dinnerwear set provide a nice clean backdrop for the more colorful accessories to shine. Add some interest to the place settings by slipping in one of the bright bird plates. The 2 large abstract prints bring even more fun into the room and will really pop against a white wall. I think the beaded chandelier and herringbone curtains tie all the colors together.

Sources:

The View from my Phone: Week 19

Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day today. The kitties bought me a bottle of wine to thank me for all the poops I scoop. It was sweet of them. This week I was (apparently) amused by the little things like the sky, furry things and dishwasher tabs. It's getting a little hard to find new things to take pictures of at week 19. Maybe I need a change of scenery.

Caturday: Roar

Sat, 12 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Isn't it the best when you unintentionally snap a photo of a kitty with their mouth open? It makes Marshall look ferocious, but really he was just mid-meow.

Here are this week's links:

I'm just dying for a pretty floral dress, like this one from Anthropologie.
I'll never understand why one day I want to dress all in flowers like a girl and the next day all in triangles like some... iPhone case from Society6.
Speaking of Society6, I'm in love with this print by David Fleck. The sky is beautiful and the detail in the building is incredible.
When I found this tote bag the other day, I laughed because many years ago when I was really clueless (even more than today!) I ordered my first business cards with 'stationery' spelled wrong. Luckily I noticed before I gave them out to anyone.
If you have love/hate relationship with Pinterest like me, you'll get a kick out of the Pictureless Pinterest Twitter account. It's hilarious and you should follow them. While you're there, you should follow me too!

Have a great weekend everyone. Say hi to your Mother for me.

DIY Paper Flowers

Fri, 11 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Paper flowers are a fun little craft to decorate gifts, table tops, wedding favors, or make a whole bouquet. You can also string them up to make a garland.

There are tons of ways to make paper flowers, but this is my version. I used a slight variation of these on top of my wedding favors.

Supplies:

tissue paper
yellow or orange cardstock
scissors
tape
pencil

Cut a strip of tisse paper about 9" x 26" and fold it in half lengthwise.
Draw a wavy line on the paper starting with big waves and gradually getting smaller and closer together.
Cut a small strip of cardstock about 2.5" x 0.5".
Make a series of small cuts into the paper that go almost to the bottom.

Fold the cardstock in half, then in half again and place it on the end of the tissue paper starting at the small waves. The small waves will be in the center of your flower.

Start scrunching the tisse paper around the cardstock stamen. Don't just roll it, scrunch. (That's the technical term.) It helps to have a kitty sit on one end, but it's not required.

Secure the paper with a bit of tape and trim off the excess on the end to make it look pretty.

Cool Mom Gift Guide

Wed, 9 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Mother's Day is coming up fast and if you don't have a gift yet, you better get on it! I rounded up my picks for Mother's Day gifts. But beware, these are only for cool moms. When I think of cool moms, I automatically think of the ultimate cool mom - Mrs. George from Mean Girls.

Actually, she might be a little too cool.

Number one item on The Cool Mom Gift Guide is my 'Cool Mom' ecard from Pingg, because an ecard is perfect for your hip, Internet-savvy mom.

Now you need a gift to go with that card. Here are some modern Mother's Day gifts to show your mom she's not like the others.

Sources:

Photo from Mean Girls via Fan Pop.

Huesday: Red Hook

Tue, 8 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This week's color inspiration is based off a drawing by Tommy Kane. A few days ago, I saw a film by Danny Gregory that showed Kane creating this very drawing. I was absolutely fascinated. I just love seeing into an artist's studio and getting a glimpse into how they create. The film was very well done and it was neat seeing how this drawing came to life. In fact, it's encouraged me to get back into drawing. Most of my work is done on my laptop and I often forget about actually picking up a pencil and making something the old fashioned way. I'm hoping to share a peek into my sketchbook on the blog soon.

Image via Tommy Kane's Blog

Embroidery: Part 1

Mon, 7 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Embroidery is one of the first crafts I learned. Like most girls, my mom taught me and her mom taught her.

I've always found it very relaxing and fun even though I've had to deal with my friends laughing about how I'm a 26 year old granny! I think part of the problem is that there are very few modern embroidery patterns. Sure, there are definitely a few designers that are leading the way, but I thought I would offer up my designs for you too.

I've got 3 more designs planned, all within the same color family, that I will offer up on my blog as I finish them. So download this and collect them all. I've designed them so they'll look great hanging together.

Included with the PDF pattern, you will find color suggestions. I used a split stitch with 3 strands of floss for the whole design and I'm planning on using the same stitch for the other designs. A straight stitch, back stitch or stem stich would also work well. My fabric is a fairly heavy heather grey cotton with a bit of stretch. So click here to download the free pattern. Hope you enjoy!

The View from my Phone: Week 18

Sun, 6 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

No words, just sleeping kitties and Star Trek this week. :)

Caturday: Nap Time

Sat, 5 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

We have a bean bag chair and it's one of Barney's favorite places to sleep.

Here are this week's links:

I came across Gimme Bar this week and I'm loving it. It's the same concept as Pinterest except you can keep your items private. In addition to collecting images, you can grab tweets, videos and text. It's proving to be very valuable at keeping things organized (and private) for blog posts.
These little Vitriini glass boxes are so beautiful. Perfect for keeping jewelry.
Here are the perfect colorpop jeans from Madewell. I love them in purple...and red...and green. I'll just take them all.
You may have already seen this on another blog, but the Things I'm afraid to Tell you project that Creature Comforts started is just wonderful. Tons of bloggers have participated, and list keeps growing.

DIY Envelope Liners

Fri, 4 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

This quick and easy DIY is great for adding a little personality to greeting cards. I love this idea for wedding invitations because it's such a low cost way to add something extra to your invites.

All it takes is a few minutes and couple supplies you probably already have on hand.

Here's what you'll need:

envelopes (duh)
plain writing paper
pencil crayons, markers, pens, etc.
scissors
glue

If you're not into drawing your own patterns, you could use wrapping paper or any other decorative paper provided that it's thin. Cardstock does not work well. You could also use your computer to design a pattern and print it off. I have a free printable polka dot pattern here.

First, draw your design on the paper. I did some chevron stripes and scribbles with little hearts. You could get the kids involved in this part too.

Next, lay the evelope on top of the paper and mark off the sides and bottom with a pencil. Cut just inside the lines so you get a piece of paper that fits very snug inside the envelope.

Now fold the envelope flap closed to crease the liner. Then, fold the liner down again just below the glue on the envelope and cut that part off. Next, draw a line from the edge of the envelope glue to the fold and cut the sides off. Now just glue the liner down. There's no need to put any glue inside the envelope, just above the fold. I actually prefer to use rubber cement for this, but I didn't have any left.

If the envelope has a pointy flap, the steps are very similar except cut the sides off starting at the point in the center.

Other ideas for patterns: Repeat a phrase or words across the paper, or polka dots!

Pretty Feet

Thu, 3 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Well after pondering for a few weeks, I finally did it. I painted my couch legs! And boy, do I love how it turned out. Now this isn't just bright pink paint. It's straight up fluorescent and after the first coat I was a little worried that it would look like my couch was sitting on traffic cones. But, the legs are small and low to the ground so you just get a little color peeking out. Here's how I did it.

First, here's what my couch looked like before. It's a pretty typical big-box-store couch that we got on sale. I know about a million other people have the same one, which was exactly my motivation for this project. The couch is nice enough, but it was getting a little ratty looking (thanks kitties) and I was bored of it.

Screwing the feet off was pretty easy to do, just took a little muscle. Then I very carefully pried the felt pads off the bottom with a razor blade. I couldn't get all the glue off, but it doesn't really matter because I just stuck new ones on after I was done painting.

Next, I gave the feet a good sanding to remove the shiny finish.

I propped the feet up on pieces of a paper towel roll I cut up and got to work.

The paint I was used was Valspar interior/exterior fluorescent pink spray paint. From what I've been told, you don't want to go cheap with your spray paint. The nozzle will clog and you'll need more coats to cover what you're painting.

The last time I used spray paint was when I was a teenager. No, not what you're thinking! I helped my then-boyfriend/now-husband spray paint the dashboard of his car a glossy red. It actually looked pretty great, but we did it (for some reason) on a really windy day and ended up getting red paint everywhere. On the seats, the windshield, the doors, so it kind of lost it's effect. Anyways, aim for thin even coats. If your paint drips a little, just let it dry for about an hour, lightly sand the drip down and give it another coat.

Let the paint fully cure outside for at least 48 hours and you're done. Despite my worries, it was a very easy project. Regrets? I should have primed the feet. Since the wood was dark it took about 6 coats of paint to fully cover them. Could have cut that down to 2 or 3 had I primed.

Look at Barney posing there, what a cutie!

Huesday: Skyline

Tue, 1 May 2012 04:00:00 UTC

The photo for this week's Huesday is courtesy of my talented hubby. He took this picture from the bedroom window of our last apartment. The view was fantastic there. The place we live in now has a great view too, and a balcony where I can set up a tripod. I'm planning on getting out there this week to snap a few pictures. It'll be nice not having to shoot through a window.

Image via Ryan Funduk

The View from my Phone: Week 17

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Well this week was pretty typical: kitties, cookies and cranes. Yep, there's tons of construction going on around my building. Construction equipment and big piles of dirt are all I can take pictures of lately. Luckily the cats are always up for a photo shoot. We also took a little road trip home to see my parents. It was perfect weather.

Caturday: Furball

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Last week you saw a baby picture of Barney, so this week I thought I'd dig up one of Marshall. Wasn't he just the fluffiest little guy?

I'm going to do something slightly different this week. I wanted to tell you about some of favorite Etsy shops that I've been admiring lately.

If you follow me on Twitter, and you should, you may have seen me tweet about a dress I just bought from Jessalin Bueutler. They have some of the coolest minimalist patterns and all the clothes look so comfy!
I love the combo of collage and embroidery at Selflesh. The prices are fantastic for such unique art and when you buy a piece you're buying the original. Can't beat that.
Prunella Soap is no secret on Etsy, but I had to mention them anyways. They have a huge selection of handmade and organic soap in every scent imaginable. Bonus: it's all vegan! I love the little travel soap too, so convenient and great way for them to use up scraps.
Lastly, Old New House is an amazing vintage shop. Some of the items are not cheap, but if you're looking for an extra special piece you're sure to find it here. They also have a beautiful collection of antique rugs.

Mini Sprinkle Donuts

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

It's was my husband's 29th birthday this past weekend, so I made him a special treat. They're mini vegan sprinkle donuts! I got the recipe from Vegan Yum Yum. They were actually really easy to make too, which is odd since usually desserts this pretty are a pain to make. Even though she specifically warned against it in the instructions, I still managed to over-fill the pan a little so my donuts came out a little weirdly shaped. But you know what? Nobody noticed.

Huesday: On a Boat

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I've been toying with the idea of changing the color scheme on my blog for a while now and this combo of fuscia and peach caught my eye. This week's bright and summery color inspiration reminds me of cottage weekends and trips to the beach. The rest of the photos from this shoot are just as striking, so be sure to check them out.

Image via Fashion Gone Rogue

The View from my Phone: Week 16

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hi there, hope you had a good week! I've been busy planning a few new projects for the blog and there's a really good one coming up soon. Hint: I bought some neon pink spray paint. Can you guess what I'm doing?? And just a reminder, I still have some sponsor spots left for the month of May. Click here for details.

Caturday: Baby Picture

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Say it with me now, "Aaaawwwwwww!" This week for Caturday I decided to dig around in my old photos to find some baby pictures. Or should I say kitten pictures? This one was taken when Barney was about 5 weeks old. Don't you love it when kittens are right in the middle of playing and in an instant they're fast asleep?

Here are some things I found on the Internet this week that I thought you might like:

I made these mini vegan donuts this morning and it's taking all my will power not to scarf down the hole batch myself.
Make your own colorful string-tie envelopes with this great tutorial.
This is one of my favorite Photoshop tutorials. Add a pretty ombre effect to your photos.
Lastly, this cat serving tray is just killing me with cuteness. I need it now.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Accent Nail

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

My new manicure obession? The accent nail! It's a great way to incorporate some nail art or a crazy color into your manicure without doing it on every nail.

In order to get my stripey accent nail, I followed a tutorial on The Beauty Department on how to make your own nail stickers. It was fairly easy to do and I love how it turned out.

Here are a couple other great examples of accent nails.

Source

Camping Trip

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Want to know what I've been up to for the past few days? I've been a busy bee making new Pingg designs! If you haven't already seen my gallery on Pingg, please go check it out. I'm most proud of my new Camping Trip designs. I've had this design around for a while, but I gave it a major facelift and now it's one of my faves. It comes in 2 color schemes too!

It would be fun to invite the family to a cottage weekend with this one. A while back, I had someone use this design for their birthday party invites. She was having her party here. It's a trailer park and it's incredible, and this is coming from a city girl. I bet it was a great party.

Camping Trip in Red

Camping Trip in Yellow

Organize Your Noms

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

So it's been about 2 months since my husband and I have decided to go vegan. I won't get into the 'why' right now, but I will say that it's been going great. I feel very focused, I have more energy and I feel refuled after meals instead of sluggish. I needed to completely change the way I cook though, and that means discarding basically every recipe in my repitoire.

I have found the Internet (obs) to be a great resource for new recipes. My favourite sites, just to name a few, are:

Here's the tie-in you've been waiting for: I designed some printable recipe cards to keep all my new recipes organized. And you can have them too! Click here to download the free printable PDF. Just print, cut along the crop marks, and start writing. The size of the cards are 5" x 3".

You guys know how I love Sharpies right? Well I grabbed my Sharpie and went a little nuts on this box. Also, I guess I forgot how big recipe cards are and bought a GIANT BOX. I don't know what I was thinking.

But it actually turned out to be a good idea. I used some cardboard to section off the back of the box and now I have a place for a notebook, pen, my Sharpie, and magazine clippings.

I think I had a little too much fun decorating this box, but it was a steal for $1 at the Dollar Store.

I used an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie and drew diagonal lines down the sides. Then, I made a variation of a cross hatch pattern on the lid using short diagonal lines in alternating directions. Lastly, I finised off the lid by drawing triangles around the edges using a Fine Point Sharpie. Don't worry about getting super straight lines, I like the hand-drawn look.

Hope you enjoy the recipe cards! If you like printables, click here for a free thank you card I designed in February. Do you have any ideas for my next free printable?

Huesday: Patio Envy

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I love everything about this patio. The seating, the colors, the rug, the plants, the view. Is there a way I can just transport this whole thing onto my patio? This is our first Toronto apartment with outdoor space and there's not even a single chair out there yet. The problem is, it's huge. I know, that's not a legit problem to have, especially in Toronto and I should probably just shut my face. But I don't even know where to start! Also, holy moly outdoor furniture is expensive. Like stupid expensive. Has anyone else noticed that? Excuse me while I stare at this photo a bit longer.

Image via Rue Magazine

The View from my Phone: Week 15

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Happy Halfway-Through-April day! Is that not a real thing? I guess if you live in the US, it's not a very happy day for you since your tax returns are due. We get another 15 days. I'm proud to say I actually filed mine long ago! I worked in an Accountant's office for a few years doing tax returns and while I was there, I would always file mine on the very the last day. I guess now that I don't have to prepare hundreds of returns, doing just mine doesn't seem so hard.

This week, two of my photos are of my favorite pieces of art from my home. Top left is a reproduction of a classic The Music Man Broadway poster that I painted in high school. It sat rolled up in my closet for many, many years until my mom had it professionally framed as a gift. Now, it's really a reminder for me to not get intimidated by big projects. I feel like if someone asked me to recreate a Broadway poster now, I would panic a bit. But back when I was 16, I didn't even think twice, I just dove in. It's definitely not perfect, but I'm pretty impressed with my 16-year-old self for doing it with such confidence.

Caturday: Belly Rub

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Marshall wants a belly rub, and who are you to say no to that face?

Here are some things I found on the Internet this week that I thought you might like:

Before I know it, every piece of furniture I own is going to have colorful legs.
I could basically buy everything in this shop right now. You can never have too many office supplies right? Heads up: All my invoices will be covered in stickers and tape from now on.
I told my husband that I wanted this bike in yellow and he laughed at me! Can you believe that? I told him that I wouldn't carry anything for him in my little bike basket if he was going to act like that. He didn't seem to mind. Guys are so weird.
Lastly, the Theatre Clouds Etsy shop is blowing my mind. Her work is so beautiful and the prices are fantastic. There's really no reason not to buy a couple prints.

Have a great weekend everyone! Now, go give someone a belly rub.

Still Crosshatch Crazy

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I've always loved Friday the 13th, since I was born on the 13th and it's very exciting for me when my birthday lands on a Friday. Some people get very grumpy over Friday the 13th, but it's all in how you look at it. I always felt like everyone focuses on the bad on this day and I'm one of the few who looks for good things. So I always felt like Friday the 13th was a day where bad things happened to everyone but me, and it was my special day. How's that for schadenfreude?

Hey, remember that time I was crazy for crosshatch? Well, I'm still crazy. (In more ways than one.) The day after I published that post, I found an awesome orange ultra fine point Sharpie on the ground! I don't normally pick up things I find in the street, but this was special. So here's another card I made with my like-new street pen! Have a great weekend everyone. Come back tomorrow for an adorable Caturday.

DIY Anxiety

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I've got DIY anxiety! Ever since the terrible Ikea coffee table incident I fear that I've lost my knack for the bigger projects. But this painted-furniture-leg trend has me itching to try it myself. I desperately want to paint my sofa legs! There's tons of great inspiration on the internet that make it look so pretty and easy.

I'm bascially 90% sure I'm going to try this on my couch now, and I'm thinking either a bright yellow or blue. There's not a lot of color in our lives right now, since our walls are boring rental-white. Btw, we live in a teensy apartment. Basically in Toronto you have 2 choices: brand new shoe-box condo or large decrepit dump. That's my my experience at least. So that means that if the sofa is out of commission for a few days, we literally have nowhere else to sit. Did someone say... pillow fort??

While I'm on the subject of our apartment, have I mentioned that we're buying our first house this year? We'll probably start looking around August if all goes according to plan. I'm so pumped about this. I can't wait until we don't share walls with anyone and have a little more space to spread out. It's going to be great to have more than one room! It gets a little tedious eating, relaxing, working and doing bascially everything all in the same little space. First world problems, right? But seriously, I'm so proud of us for being able to save up our down payment so quickly. Once it was decided that we were ready to buy, we completely changed our spending habits. Now all we spend money on is the fixed expenses and groceries. No entertainment, no shopping, no eating out, no cable and no Metro passes. Well, we stick to this for the most part. We still rent movies sometimes, and ordered vegan pizza once. No eating out and walking everywhere has had a nice side-effect on our waistlines too!

This might seem really strict and boring to you but if you really want something, you'll make the sacrifices. How about you? Are you saving up for something special right now? Finding it difficult to keep your eye on the prize? Should I paint my sofa legs? (Wow, this post got completely off track!)

Photo Sources
1. Apartment Therapy 2. Martha Stewart 3. Traditional Home 4. 2Modern Blog

Huesday: Alabama Shakes

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hooray! It's Huesday and the first album by Alabama Shakes comes out! So that'll be on repeat all day. Here's a special Alabama Shakes insipired Huesday. Enjoy!

Image via Death & Taxes Mag

The View from my Phone: Week 14

Sun, 8 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I mentioned before about how I get embarassed taking photos of random things on the street, and I said I was almost over my irrational fear of photography. But I wasn't totally over it until this week.

Whenever I take out my phone to snap a photo in public, people always act strange. They look worried that they're going to be in the picture, or mumble something to their friend like "Why is that weird girl taking a picture of a squirrel?" Or even worse, "She must be a tourist." Ack! Well the self-consiousness I felt before is now totally gone.

A few days ago I took my camera out to take a photo of the construction site you can see below and some woman gave me the strangest look. What, like you never take pictures of empty construction sites? I felt really self-conscious and weird, but when I put my camera away and looked down the street at her, she was digging a huge wedgie out of her butt crack with both hands. Suddenly, I didn't feel like I was the weirdest person on the street. Thanks lady! You finally helped me overcome my totally irrational fear of taking photos in public!

Caturday: Easter Kitties

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Barney and Marshall don't know what Easter is, but they do love playing with plastic eggs and sitting in baskets, so it's fine by them!

I've been lazy this weekend, so I only have one link for you today, but it's all you need. I made these healthy baked onion rings a couple days ago and they were a huge hit!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Easter Party Nail Art

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hello everyone! Here's some special nail art for you today, I call it Easter Party! But it's so colorful and cute it would be suitable for any party, Easter or otherwise! There's a party on your nails and everyone's invited! ...Sorry, I'll never talk like that again.

Isn't this a nerdy picture? Oh hi, I'm just resting my hand on these plastic eggs. A totally natural and normal thing to do. But I included it in the post because you can see the dots really well on my thumb.

I started out with a couple coats of a pearly white polish. Next I added yellow, pastel blue, pink and mint green dots. A toothpick dipped in nail polish works great to get the polka dots. I found it was easier to start with one color and randomly place dots on all my nails, then move on the next color, filling in the gaps as I went.

Here's a list of nail polish colors I used:

Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Fog
Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Air
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet (my most favorite color ever!)
Essie Mod Square

My hair is pink!

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Well... mostly! I was too chicken to go for a full head of pink. I'm jealous of girls who can pull it off, though. I think I'm just way too shy to stand out like that. I hate attention, which is weird that I have a blog, so I was too afraid people would look at my hair. Or worse...ask me about it!! I know, I'm a freak.

I was terrified putting bleach in my hair, but I'm in love with how it turned out. First, I separated the hair I wanted to dye and pulled the rest of it tight on top of my head with many elastics and pins. Then came the scary part, the bleach! I used Manic Panic Flash Lightning Bleach Kit and left it on for almost an hour. The box said you could need anywhere between 20 minutes and 120 minutes, so I just kept doing a strand check to see when it was ready. Even though I left it on that long, I still didn't get my hair all 'lemon yellow' like they describe in the instructions. Probably cause I've dyed my hair about a million times and it's hard to bleach out years of dye.

Once the bleaching was done, I let my hair dry and went straight into the pink. I used Manic Panic Cotton Candy Pink The instructions said to leave the color on for 30 minutes, but numerous people online said it's best to leave it in as long as you can. The dye doesn't harm your hair, so there's no reason you can't leave it in longer. I wrapped my head in plastic wrap, you can see the lovely photo here, and left the pink in for about 3 hours. This turned out to be not quite enough and the next day I did it again for another 3 hours.

Now like any bright color, it will fade pretty fast. Especially since I wash my hair every day and I'm not interested in changing that. But as it fades, it's turning into this lovely pinky-peach color which I think looks pretty too!

And now for your viewing pleasure, here's a photo of a weird upside down girl! Oh wait, that's me...

Huesday: Heating Up

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I'm absolutely obsessed with color sites like Kuler and ColorHexa. I think a color scheme can make or break any project, so I'm constantly searching for inspiration. So here's what I hope will become a weekly series on the blog: Huesday!

Image via Fashion Gone Rogue

DIY Wall Art: Dreamy Letters

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Wall art featuring a special quote or song lyrics is a great DIY project. The words can be very personal like a line from your wedding song or just for fun like what I've done here.

In this DIY project, I'll show you how to make these dreamy watercolor letters to spell out anything you like.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

large canvas board like this
watercolor paints
large flat watercolor paint brush
watercolor paper
alphabet stencil
scissors
glue
water and paper towels

Think about the length of the quote when buying the canvas board and stencil. Otherwise, you might end up with not enough room on the board.

First, decide on a color scheme. It's best to go with 2 or 3 colors at the most that will blend into each other well. I went with some pretty sunset colors: orange, red and purple. Load the bursh up with your first color using lots of water, but not so much that it's dripping wet, and begin painting across the paper.

Add a second color starting on top of the first one to blend it in. Don't aim to cover the whole page with solid paint. It looks nice when there's a little bit of white space and places with less paint. Just have fun blending the colors into sunset-y goodness!

Now just wait for it to dry and flip it over to stencil your quote. Since you're using the backside of the paper, that means you need to make the letters backwards too! This may seem obvious to most of you, but my first attempt at this project left me with a bunch of backwards letters. Duh! As you can see, I had to paint 2 sheets of watercolor paper to fit all my letters.

Next, cut out the letters. You might need to use a utility knife for some parts. Arrange the letters on the canvas board to get the layout right before you start gluing. Once you're happy with how it looks, glue it down to the board. Be careful not to get any glue on your fingers because the paint will smudge.

I think this is a great way to fill a large space for little money and when you choose the quote, it will always mean something special to you.

The View from my Phone: Week 13

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 04:00:00 UTC

What the what? How is it April already? This past week I went to the One of a Kind Show. You can read about my top picks from the show here. I also dyed the underside of my hair pink! I was so worried it would turn out terrible and I'd have to sneak out at midnight to buy brown hair dye while wearing a hat. Not that I've done that before... Well maybe once. But that didn't happen! It turned out awesome and I'll have post about it this week. I can't even believe I'm posting this picture, but down there you'll see a photo of me with plastic wrap on my head waiting for the dye to set in.

Well I hope everyone has a great start to their April this week! I'm getting excited for spring. On a related note, why is patio furniture so darn expensive? We have this enormous patio now and it's totally empty. I have a feeling I'll be making a trip to Ikea soon. Hey, at least it'll match the rest of our furniture!

Caturday: Creep

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

You know when people say they wouldn't want a cat because cats creep them out? Well I totally get that.

Marshall is known for staring at things that don't exist. As in, staring with such intensity that you end up getting down on the ground and trying to see things from his perspective. Once or twice, he's sat facing a corner just staring at the wall. What a weirdo, right? But creepiness is one of the many things I love about kitties.

Here's some stuff I found on the internet this week:

This gorgeous embroidery makes me what to get my needle and thread out!
Give your photos an ombre effect. So pretty!
Ever want to make cookies but don't want to end up eating the whole batch yourself? No, me neither. But in case you did, here's how to make 3 little cookies.
A Beautiful Mess will show you how to get these lovely flat iron curls.

You're One of a Kind

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

I just came from the One of a Kind spring show here in Toronto. If you're not already planning on it, you should definitely check it out this weekend. The Direct Energy Centre was absolutely packed with 450 Canada artisans and designers. It's so fun to be able to chat with the person who actually made what you're about to buy! It makes that piece all the more special.

It was really hard to chose, but here are my favorite booths from the show. This is just a sampling though, there were so many amazing and beautiful artists, you should really go check it out yourself!

She Smiled and Ran

In a sea of jewellery designers, She Smiled and Ran managed to stand out with clean and contemporary pieces. By combining traditional materials like pearls with something more unexpected like acrylic, the designs strike the perfect balance between classic and modern.

bookhou

This booth has a small collection of beautifully simple tote bags, purses, and textiles for sale. It doesn't matter that the booth is small because each and every piece is a winner. All of the designs are handprinted with natural dyes and the care that is put into each piece is evident. I loved everything so much, I bought myself a new purse!

Avril Loreti

Bright colors and modern geometric patterns will lure you in this booth, and the quality of each piece with have you reaching for your wallet! The Watercolor Pillow is one of my favourites (obviously), as well as the Paint Chip Table Runners. What a unique take on the paint chip trend!

tealish fine teas

I'm always on the hunt for yummy new teas, so I was excited to come across this booth. There are a wide variety of unique flavours with great packaging to boot. I think I need to pick up a tin of Stress Buster.

Paste

I love a good silkscreened tee, and the ones at the Paste booth are really interesting. The shirts are enzyme-washed to give them a soft feel and to reduce shrinkage. I'm sure any of these could feel like your favourite comfy tee in minutes. My favourite, for obvious reasons, is Band Cat. But seriously, add a kitty to anything and I'll love it.

DIY: Mini Watercolor Paintings

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Have you ever wanted to paint something for your own house, but got intimidated by the canvas? Do you look at that big expanse of white and wonder how you'll fill that thing? Well, if you're a wannabe artist like me, all you need to do is scale down to get great results. Mini paintings are quick and easy to tackle and they let you practice your skills with a certain medium.

Watercolors are one of my favorite mediums to work with because they're so easy to use, they're affordable and you can get some great effects.

I guess this isn't really a step-by-step DIY, I just want to encourage you to experiment with the paints. I'll show you what I did to get you started! Here are the supplies you'll need.

Supples:

watercolor paints (just a cheap palette will do)
big fat watercolor paint brush
watercolor paper cut into small rectangles
lots of paper towels
water

Here, I used a wet-in-wet techinique, which means exactly what you think it means. Another color is dropped into an already wet surface. I started with some watered down red, and before it dried I dropped some purple right into the centre.

Next I took a pretty strong blue, with just a bit of water added, and basically slapped the brush onto the paper to get the splatter effect. Yep, slapping the paper with your brush... that's a pro tip for sure. Is this a real technique? Probably not. Do I care? No.

Got a little slap-happy with this one too, but I really started to like the splattery look I was getting.

Here, I added a little purple paint that I added a good amount of water to. Then, I used my fingers to flick paint at the paper. The more water you add, the easier it will be to flick the paint around. More pro tips... are you writing this down??

I used the same wet-on-wet technique with this one, but with different colors.

The point of this project is just to have fun and play around with the paint. Since they're just mini paintings, if you make something terrible just toss it and move on! And believe me, they won't all be keepers. I made about 10 mini paintings and only ended up keeping 4 of them.

Display your tiny works of art using mini clothes pins like me, or frame them all and hang them together. I hope this project took some of the intimidation out of making your own art. It can be really satisfying to hang your own art in your home. Tell me, are there any DIY art projects in your home that you're particularly proud of?

The View from my Phone: Week 12

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Wow March is going by crazy fast, which is awesome! This past week has been a lot of planning and waiting. I have some big plans for this blog next month and it's taking some work to get everything ready. I'm going to be accepting sponsors soon and I'm working on a more detailed About page so you can get to know me a little better. In other exciting news: I'm dying my hair pink and purple this week! Eeeek! Well just the underside, but I'm very pumped.

Well, enjoy what's left of the weekend everyone and don't forget to say hello to your squirrel friends.

Caturday: Soft Kitty

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Oh good, it's Caturday! The day where I show you a picture of one my kitties. I did this a long time ago on the blog once, but completely forgot about til now. I think it's time to bring back Caturday!

Here's a photo I snapped the other day of Barney in the dryer. He loves to explore. Do you ever put your pets in funny places to take photos, or is it just me?

To make Caturday even better, here are some links I've gathered this week:

Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough are running an e-course for 'beginning and returning painters' called Get Your Paint On.
I found a delicous recipe for a healthy dessert.
I'm 99% sure I'm going to dye my hair a crazy color this week! I loooove dip dyed ends like this.
And I gotta give credit where credit's due. Kitty Photo Friday on Miss Modish's Blog is what jogged my memory about Caturday. I can't get enough her adorable kitty cats.

Maxi Skirt Love

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

It usually takes me a while to jump on board with most trends. It took me years to finally buy a pair of skinny jeans. But maxi skirts are a trend I just can't pass up. I especially love the ones made of sheer chiffon with a shorter liner underneath. So pretty! Maxi skirts are so easy to wear for many body types and marries comfort with style. They're basically the stylish alternative to track pants. Just pair with flat sandles and a plain white tee for summer.

Left Side:

Right Side:

DIY: Crazy for Crosshatch

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Once you start with this crosshatch pattern, you won't be able to stop!

All it takes is a few minutes and a couple dollars worth of supplies. You probably have most of this stuff hanging around already.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

something to decorate (card, notebook, etc.)
cardstock, scissors, pencil OR a pre-made stencil
painters tape
ultra-fine point Sharpie

Start by drawing a simple shape on to the cardstock and cutting it out. Or, if you're using a pre-made stencil, just tape that bad boy on to whatever you're decorating.

Make sure you really secure your stencil with painter's tape and start drawing your lines. I'm a jittery person, so I think it looks good when the lines are little wavey. Gives it a hand-drawn look. Also, I can't draw a straight line without the aid of a ruler.

Once you're done filling in the lines in one direction, start on the other way! Btw, if you don't already own an ultra-fine point Sharpie, go get one now! You'll find so many uses for it.

Try not to be too heavy with your Sharpie around the edges of the stencil or you'll get little dots along the edge.

Now peel off the stencil and take a look at the pretty crosshatch pattern you just made.

Repeat the previous steps on everything you own. Just kidding! Well sorta...

I liked how this turned out so much, I immediately reached for a mini Moleskine notebook and stenciled an 'F' for my last name. Sharpies come in roughly ten million colors now, so pick up a couple shades and get going. Stenciling someone's named in multi-colored crosshatches on a card would be a really cool addition to a gift.

Fruity Ice Cubes

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Are you ready for spring yet? I know it's only March, but the weather has been amazing lately and since it's the first day of spring today I thought we needed a fun warm weather drink.

All you have to do is pick up a couple pints of berries at the grocery store, whatever is on sale or in season.

I love my heart shaped ice cube tray from Ikea!

Just toss the berries in the blender until they are completely puréed. I did each kind seperately, but a mix would be nice too.

Next I strained out the seeds, because I didn't want seedy ice cubes, and poured them into my ice cube trays.

After a few hours in the freezer, you'll have brightly colored fruity ice cubes. They taste great in simple, clear drinks like a Vodka Tonic. Or just add them to some soda water.

As they melt, they'll color your drink a bright pink and add a little sweetness.

Tip: The blueberry ice cubes didn't turn out as pretty as others. I thought they would be purple, but they were more of a burgundy.

The View from my Phone: Week 11

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hope everyone had a nice week. I know I did with all this crazy March sunshine. This past week was great for me too because this little blog here saw a record number of visits. I don't who you lovely people are, but thank you so much for stopping by! I really appreciate it.

My favourite photo from this week is definitely the one of Marshall in the middle left. While I was working on the DIY Bubble Art project, Marshall claimed the leftover tissue paper as his own and wouldn't let go.

If you want to see the first 10 week of this series, just click on the pink "Photos" tab at the top of the page.

Happy St. Catrick's Day

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Hey there everyone! The boys wanted to wish you a Happy St. Catrick's day... I mean Patrick's day.

Don't worry no beer for the kitties, just treats in that mug.

Bribery always works for kitty photo shoots.

I also bought a pair of glittery shamrock glasses, but completely failed in getting either of them to try them on. This is literally the best shot I got.

When I was paying for the glasses the lady at the check-out noticed that the lens was broken and insisted on getting me an undamaged pair. I wanted so badly to tell her "It's not a big deal, I only bought them for my cats to wear." but thought that might be crossing a little too far in to crazy cat lady territory.

DIY: Braided Bracelet

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Here's a quick jewelry DIY for you on this beautiful March day! It's the middle of March in Canada and I have the patio door wide open, how crazy is that? Although, as soon as it gets above the freezing mark you'll see Canadians 'oot and aboot' in shorts!

Do you have any old bracelets laying around that are maybe just a bit too plain or boring? I know I do! My husband's grandmother gave me a bunch of her old jewelry around the time we got married and while I love most of it, some of the pieces are just not my style. Today's DIY will spruce up a plain bracelet in just a few steps.

It's best to use a bracelet that is a tiny bit too big on you because once it's braided it will be a little smaller. If you have twig wrists like me and can never find bracelets small enough, you'll love this project because it will make your bracelet fit you better.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

embroidery floss (4 colors)
plain bracelet
scissors

One other supply I used that is not pictured above is hair wax. It's optional and you'll see where it comes in later.

Start by attaching 3 colors of embroidery floss to the end of the bracelet. Each bracelet is different so just try to find a good spot to add your floss and tie a tight knot.

The length of my floss was about 2 times the length of the bracelet. This allowed me some extra on the ends to play with. Now just start braiding the 3 colors together. This quickly caught the attention of Marshall and turned into an adorable game of tug o' war!

When you're done the braid don't tie it off, just add a little piece of tape on the end to keep it in place.

Now cut 3 lengths of the fourth color into pieces 2-3 inches longer than the bracelet. Separate all the strands and add a couple strands of another color if you want. I used one of the pinks in the first braid.

This is where the hair wax came in. I rubbed a bit on my hands and started twisting the threads together to make them one string. The wax will help them stick together a bit better.

Just tie your newly made string onto the end of the bracelet and start braiding them all together. You'll need to twist the waxed one as you braid to keep the strands from separating. Find a spot to tie your embroidery floss on the end of the bracelet and you're done! Easy as pie!

If you like my DIY projects, please subscribe to my RSS feed (button on the sidebar) or follow me on Twitter (below)! Thanks! See you soon! :)

DIY Wall Art: Bubbles

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

If you liked my DIY on triangle art, then you're going to love this one.

I saw something similar in a blog post about cool offices, and I thought 'Hey, I could make that!' This project is super fast, will cost you almost nothing and looks amazing. The holy trinity of DIY art projects if you ask me.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

a stretched canvas
big paint brush
scissors
white acrylic paint
Mod Podge
tissue paper in primary colors

Stretched canvases can be purchased in any arts & craft store. If you buy a cheap one, and why the hell not, they're not as expensive as you think. You can often find the store brand canvases are bundles in packages of 3 for a cheaper price. Since you're buying a cheap canvas, you'll want to paint the whole thing with a nice coat of white paint first. Even if the canvas looks nice and white, it will look even better with a coat of paint on it!

Ah, that's better. Set that aside to dry and now here comes the only hard part in the whole project. Cut out 3 circles from your tissue paper. Get creative and play around with different sizes. Here comes the 'cheap' thing again, buy the cheapest, crappiest tissue paper you can find. You don't want that thick, expensive stuff because it won't be translucent enough. I got mine from the dollar store where they had a huge selection of colors for $1 each. Try to get bright colors that will pop against the white background, the 'red' in this trio is really a bright magenta.

Before you make anything permament, play around with the positioning on your canvas. The secondary colors that the paper make when you lay them on top of each other will look different depending on who's on top. Also, I think it looks cool when some of the bubbles goes off the edge.

When you figure out your arrangement, spread a thin coat of Mod Podge where you want the first circle to lay. Carefully and slowly lay the circle down while smoothing the air bubbles and wrinkles with your brush. It's easier to start from one edge and work your way across.

Once the circle is smoothed out and most of the wrinkles are gone, put another coat of Mod Podge on top. BE CAREFUL with this step because the paper is wet and will easily tear at this point. And if the paper tears, your face will look like this.

Repeat the same steps for the other 2 circles.

If you're amazing and more patient than me, you'll take your time to smooth it out perfectly. I kid myself into thinking it looks better with wrinkles.

But seriously, it's not the end of the world if there are still some wrinkles.

After all the circles are in place, add another coat of Mod Podge to make it look uniform.

I really like how this project turned out and I hope you like it too. Some other ideas: cut little squares or circles for a confetti look or change up the shapes for some variety.

Paper Rage

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:00:00 UTC

Have you ever tried to make paper sculptures? Well, when these cute little paper gems were floating around the internet a few months ago I felt compelled to give them a try!

I envisioned a garland of little paper gems strung around my den.

Let me tell you, I've never had a craft project throw me into such a rage before. I guess I just don't have the patience for this kind of work. And there was something about how tiny and delicate the little gems were that made me want to CRUSH THEM INTO BITS every time the smallest thing went wrong.

Please visit Minieco, the creator of these gems because she is clearly a much better person than I am. Not only did she successfully assemble them, she made the freakin templates! It's an understatement to say I'm a bit jealous.

Speaking of jealously, here is the work someone I'm in complete awe of. Chloe Fleury.

Yes, that's all made of paper! Her work is so adorable and beautiful, I want to vomit with envy.

She also designed the gorgeous cover of the latest issue of Anthology.

So maybe I'll give paper sculpture another shot (after some therapy), or maybe I'll just stick to art projects I'm good at. Like.... gluing stuff to other stuff.

The View from my Phone: Week 10

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Well this is a first, this week there are more dog pictures than kitty pictures here! But this dog is special, he's a celebrity. The theatre I work at is running Legally Blonde: The Musical right now, and that handsome man plays Bruiser! The photo in the top right is from my DIY post on Hand Embroidered Cards and you should check it out! Hope you all had a good week, it's been beautiful weather here in Toronto and it's about to get even warmer. Next week will definitely be a lot of outdoor photos because I plan on getting as much sun as possible. Also, I'll be posting another art DIY project that you will totally love. See you soon!!

If you want to see the first 9 week of this series, just click on the pink "Photos" tab at the top of the page.

Hand Embroidered Cards

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Look what I found in my desk drawer!

I made these embroidered cards so long ago and then just tucked them away in a drawer to be forgotten about. What a shame!

I thought these cards would make a great DIY for the blog because they're easy and fun to make, and you probably have all the supplies on hand already. If you're anything like me you have waaaaay too many colors of embroidery floss tucked away somewhere.

What you'll need:

Pencil for drawing your design
Piece of thick cardboard
Embroidery floss
Sheets of blank paper
Embroidery needle and a pin with a head
Blank Card

Start by drawing out your design on a piece of thin blank paper. It's best to keep it simple unless you're super awesome at embroidery. Tape your design on to the card or secure it with a couple paper clips.

When I made my fruit cards, I actually used an iron-on transfer from Sublime Stitching, which is a really great book that you should all run out and buy right this very second. I transfered the design on to a sheet of card stock so I didn't put holes in the original.

Now you can start poking holes along the lines using the pin with a head. A push pin will also work, you just need something to hold on to. Put the piece of cardboard behind the card so you can poke the pin all the way trough. The holes will be your guide when you start the embroidery.

Now comes the fun part! Oh, did I say fun part? I meant painful part! Seriously though, I haven't done any embroidery in a while so my fingers got pretty sore. Be careful not to pull the thread too tight or you'll tear the paper. I used 4 strands of thread for my stitching. I found that the whole piece of floss was too hard to pull through and less than 4 strands showed the holes too much.

I just used a back stitch for my whole design, but you could get really creative here with different stitches. Just carefully tie knots in the back to secure your stitches.

Once you're done, admire your work!

The back didn't look too bad, but I wanted to cover it up anyways.

I just cut a piece of white paper just a bit smaller than the card and secured it using a bit of glue along the fold.

There are a million possibilities for this project, so let me know in the comments if you decide to give it a try. I'd love to see your work! You'll notice in the photo with the supplies, I also have a card made from black shimmery cardstock. I have plans for that guy, and I'll show you the photo when I'm done!

Also, I added a brand new RSS button on the side bar. So you if you like reading this blog I would LOVE it if you subscribed. Or you can follow me on Twitter! Or both! :)

EDIT: If you liked this post, check out this one. Stitch your own neon gem card, with a free pattern.

Little Miss Fancy Pants

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

A big trend for spring/summer this year is going to be colored denim, the brighter the better. I can't even tell you how much I want a pair of fuscia or red pants! I've put together 3 looks using the Rock Star Colored Skinny Jean from Old Navy to show you how you can wear this trend and make it your own.

If you're worried about standing out too much in bright jeans, just keep it monochromitic with neutral colors like white, cream, and gold.

This time I stepped it up by added a second color with the navy striped top and the aqua shoes. Keep it from looking like you're a teenager with adult accessories like the brown satchel and watch.

You can easily dress up bright jeans with a little black and some metallic accents. Hope this has given you some ideas on how to wear your new jeans, there are a million possibilites so just have fun with it.

Cookies and Milk

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Cookies are such a yummy snack, and these vegan chocolate chip cookies are probably the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted! I was worried because the batter seemed a little dry when I was mixing it up, but they turned out nice and soft.

Even Marshall got interested.

I got the recipe from a lovely blog called Kirsten's Kitchen. She has a bunch of really delicious vegan recipes, you should take a look!

Now I just need some cute dessert plates to serve them on! Like these adorable owl plates from West Elm.

Kitty measuring cups? ...How do I not already own these??? Now that I know these cuties exist, I don't think I can do any more baking til I get them. The adorably named Meow for Measuring Cups from ModCloth.

Edit: My perfectionist husband wanted me to add that it's not actually milk in that glass, it's soy milk. Which is technically not milk. :P

DIY Wall Art: Triangles

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

There aren't too many things in life more satisfying than hanging your own art in your living room. If you think you can't make your own art, you are WRONG! Making art is easy and fun and there is absolutely no wrong way to do it. I'll give you some tips to make sure all your art projects turn out great.

First, here are my top 3 tips to ensure your DIY art projects come out amazing:

Pay attention to color. It is the single most important part of your art project. You may think you have a good eye for color, and you probably do, but it's harder than you think to translate that into a painting. Either keep it simple with primary colors (like I have for this project) or really plan it out with a trip to Kuler.
Use simple shapes. You don't need to paint a true-to-life portrait of your entire family to call it art. Ever see a really beautiful peice of modern art and think, 'Hey I could have done that!'? Well you can! Stick to simple shapes you know and you're on the right track.
If you don't like it, play with the scale. This is something I want to put to use with this project actually. I love how it turned out, but I think it would be even better if it was GIANT. If you find yourself looking at your peice and there's something just not right about it, chances are it's the scale. Test it out on paper first and play around, make it smaller, make it bigger, make it even bigger. You'll find something that feels right if you trust your instincts.

Here are the supplies you'll need for this project.

sheet of acrylic canvas paper, or a stretched canvas
paint brush
pencil
ruler
painter's tape
acrylic paint in primary colors and white

Start by drawing the design in pencil onto your canvas. I divided my canvas up in 3 sections horizontally and then 4 sections vertically. These sections need to be exactly equal, so either cut your paper to a size that works or make sure you buy a canvas that divides up easily. Next I drew my diagonal lines, connecting corners along the way.

Next, plan out where you're colors are going. You can use my template here, but basically you just want to make sure that no triangles of the same color are touching. If they're touching, you won't be able to tape them off in a way that lets you do all triangles of the same color at once.

If you look closely, you'll notice I actually switched the colors on the last row of mine by accident. See, there's no right way to make art!

Now tape off all the 3's with painter's tape and start painting. You can use the blue as it comes in the jar. I added a little white to start off with.

Pull the tape off as soon as you're done painting. Don't let it dry.

Now just keep going! You'll be surprised how fast each color dries if you use a thin, even coat. To get the next color, just keep adding white.

Keep it up for the next 2 colors and before you know it, you're done! It's a great project to do while watching a good movie.

Well I hope you enjoyed this DIY. You can see how easy it is to create your own art. If you make some triangle art, I'd love to see it!

I have another geometric art project coming up soon, also using primary colors. I think you're really going to like it, so keep checking back!

The View from my Phone: Week 9

Sun, 4 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Week 9 was colorful! Easter candies are out, so I ate roughly 16 bags of chocolate eggies. I also learned that elephants are boss(y). If you look closely at the photo of my sketchbook, you can see 2 sneaks peeks of DIY projects I've got coming up for you on the blog. You are going to loooove them, I promise! So keep checking back.

In other exciting news: See those brand new navigation buttons at the top there? Isn't it fun how they slide around and stuff? Well they're not just for show, those buttons will hopefully help you navigate the site better. For instance, if you missed the first 8 weeks of this series or just want to see them again, click on the "Photos" tab and you'll be able to browse them all! I'd love to hear your feedback, so please drop me a line in the comments or email me at sara [at] mrhandsomeface [dot] com.

How (Not) To: Paint Ikea Furniture

Fri, 2 Mar 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I've been holding onto the shame of this failed DIY attempt for quite some time now. But let's face it, everyone makes mistakes and I think this is something the world needs to hear about. You can learn from my failures! I love doing How-To's on the blog but today I have something different for you: A How-Not-To! My hope is that you'll read this post, possibly laugh at me, and then go out into the world armed with your new found knowledge and do it right.

It all started here with my trusty Lack coffee table from Ikea.

The Backstory

We bought it for $49 for our first apartment and it had been through many years of abuse and served double duty as our dining room table. We're classy like that. The poor guy was all scratched up and really looked like he had seen better days. So I got the brilliant idea in my head that I was going to paint good old Lacky (from here on out I'll refer to the table as Lacky) and give him new life! HE'LL LOOK LIKE A BRAND NEW TABLE! I also got it in my head that he needed to be fuscia. I hesitantly brought this up to my husband one night when we were sitting cross legged eating dinner with Lacky, thinking there was no way he'd allow me to paint a piece of our furniture bright pink. Surprisingly, he said he didn't care at all what color Lacky was but he made sure to point out that he thought it was a bad idea in general to paint Ikea furniture. Whatever man, what do you know?

I began by ~~thoroughly reading~~ skimming a bunch of tutorials on painting Ikea furniture, spent a couple of minutes scrolling through Ikea Hackers and considered myself an expert on the subject. Most of the tutorials said it was very important to give the surface a good sand and use a primer that was meant for slippery surfaces. Some people said that it's best to paint a piece of furniture that doesn't get a lot of wear, because the paint job is prone to chipping. I assumed they did it wrong and my table would be perfect.

Gathering my Supplies

While at the hardware store, I found a primer that said on the label "Sticks to all surfaces without sanding" and the extremely knowledgeable hardware store ~~guy~~ teen assured me it would stick to anything. Well aren't I smart? This is going to save me so much time! I won't even have to sand Lacky! WRONG!

Next came the paint. A second employee took it upon himself to help me with this. He was a large man and his uniform shirt was unbuttoned almost half-way with a thick mass of chest hair right at my eye level. It was all I could focus on. I showed the paint chip to Burt Reynolds and he told me I was looking at the wrong paint. I needed one with a clear base and they would have to tint my primer too. He grabbed a can off the shelf for me. He also warned me it would be a tricky color to use and I would need to do several coats, maybe even 3, and let each coat dry at least 24 hours before the next one.

Then he regaled me with a fascinating story about the time an episode of Restaurant Makeover was filmed down the street and they bought their paint in this very store. They wanted to do a red accent wall and he told them about the 24 hour rule but they didn't listen to him and THE WHOLE RESTAURANT WAS RUINED! Well I don't really remember how the story ended, I was too distracted by the chest hair. But it did get drilled into my head that I needed to wait 24 hours between coats. When I told him about Lacky, get this, he said it was a bad idea to paint him! Excuse me? Just give me my paint and shut up.

Hold up. Exterior paint? I went back to the store the next day and saw that Burt was working again. I asked him to please exchange my exterior paint for some interior paint because I didn't want to get light-headed and vomit while I was painting Lacky thank you very much. I can only assume that his chest hair had now grown into his brain because he tried to tell me that there was NO DIFFERENCE between interior and exterior paint and I should just use what he picked out for me. Being the DIY expert that I am I went on a rant about how there's a chemical in exterior paint, no I don't remember the name of it, but it's bad and it does bad things to people when used indoors like causes diziness, nausea, and probably even death. So if he didn't want me to die he would get me a new can of paint please and thank you. Oh, and you better believe I tweeted about it.

I'm gonna paint my Ikea coffee table! The hardware store guys think it's a bad idea and tried to talk me out of it...I'll prove them wrong!
— Sara Funduk (@mrhandsomeface) October 11, 2011

The Part Where I'm In Denial

By this time I had already started with my primer. It was tinted grey to deal with my "tricky" color choice and really did feel super sticky. No sanding required! Just to be safe, I let it dry 24 hours and then put a second coat of primer on. I let that coat dry another 24 hours and decided it was safe to start with the fun part.

I really loved this color. But apparently I didn't love it enough to spend a couple bucks on a decent roller! This turned out to be a very bad decision because it left a ton of fuzzy bitties behind as I painted and the coverage was really uneven. I picked out as many fuzzies as I could and decided it would look better after a second or third coat.

The next four days were all about Lacky. Set up Lacky in the den, open all the windows, do a coat while trying to keep the cats from walking in paint, drag Lacky (carefully) into the bedroom so the cats wouldn't rub up against him, wait all day, drag Lacky back out to the den so we could sleep, cover him with a sheet and hide him under a desk so the cats wouldn't claw him up, wake up the next day and repeat. I did this for FOUR DAYS! Did I mention the cats? Throughout this whole process, they would not leave Lacky alone. I have never seen them so focused on anything in my life. It was actually kinda creepy.

You Can Look, But Don't Touch

Lacky actually ended up looking great. Sure, the paint was a little bumpy in some spots because of the bits the roller left behind, but it added character! As long as you didn't get too close, he looked fantastic and I was very pleased.

Here's the part where I started to realize this wasn't working out. After I was done the last coat of paint, I let it cure for about a week. Lots of stuff I read online said you would need to wait for the paint to actually harden before it would be durable enough to use as a table again. Well I waited the week and I'm not a very patient person so it was very hard! And remember how I said Lacky was our coffee table/dining room table? That meant we were eating all our meals at a big plastic bin with a whiteboard on top. Even for us, that was not cool.

I probably should have been more patient and waited for the paint to fully cure, but I really believe I would have been waiting forever! Over the next 2 months or so, the paint never cured. Ever. If you set anything down on the table, it would leave a noticable mark right away and everything stuck to it. One time I put a magazine down and left it there for a couple days. When I picked it up again, the back cover stayed glued to the table and ripped right off!

Destroying the Evidence

I ended up leaving poor Lacky behind my apartment building and buying a brand new coffee table like the fraud I am. By the end the paint was chipping like crazy, the table top was covered in dents and marks, and dust and lint was completely imbedded into the paint.

Here's why you hopefully read this whole post, but mostly like just scrolled to the bottom for, my list of mistakes.

Don't be like me:

sand (even if your primer tells you not to)
pick a sane color that doesn't require 5 coats (the paint will probably cure faster)
buy a good quality roller
let it cure completely before using it
don't paint a piece that gets a lot of wear

I hope this whole thing was informative for you and now you can paint your Ikea furniture with success. I still believe it can be done! But I won't be trying it again any time soon. I will miss poor Lacky, but he gave my DIY ego a much needed reality check and I thank him for that.

Dressed to Impress

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

When I worked in an office I never wanted to spend money on clothes. I wouldn't buy clothes for work because I hated my job and I wouldn't buy casual clothes because I could only wear them on the weekends! I always thought that when I finally quit my job and didn't have to work in a stuffy office all day long, I would finally be able to build a wardrobe that was all my style that I could actually wear everyday.

Well now I'm in a bit of a catch-22 situation. I don't have that corporate paycheck coming in so I can't afford to buy many new clothes! I have to make each purchase count and dresses are great for that. You only have to buy one piece and you've got a whole new outfit! Accessorize it with stuff you already own and look at you... don't you look nice!

If I had the choice (and lived in the right climate) I would wear a dress every single freakin day of my life. I think they're so comfy and you barely have to think at all when you get dressed in the morning. I picked out a couple dresses that I could see myself wearing 24/7 when it gets warmer. Oh, and two of them are under $50 so I think even I can deal with that!

Pastel Party

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I've been seeing a ton of pastel colors around lately. Pastels are so lady-like and pretty, it's easy to see why these subtle shades are gaining popularity. I'm in LOVE with my mint green and light pink nail polish here.

Here are some items I picked out that will add some pastel to your wardrobe. You can find the sources at the bottom of the post.

Don't forget your home! Adding pastel items or even painting something you own already a pretty pastel shade can add an airy vintage feel to your home.

Pretty in Pastel:

Pastel Palace:

The View from my Phone: Week 8

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I see a theme this week: bricks! This photo challenge is actually getting easier and easier as the weeks go on. When I first started with it, I was weirdly embarassed to be taking photos of things I pass on the street. I have no idea why... it makes no sense. So I'm happy to say that by week 8, I'm almost completely over my irrational fear of public photography!

If you missed the first 7 weeks. Browse around in the thumbnails on the right side of the page to find them.

Birdwatching Photo Shoot

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

We had a nice kitty photo shoot here yesterday when not one, not two, but three birds showed up on our patio. These guys are such city kitties though, they didn't know what to do with themselves. But it gave me a chance to snap some good photos while they were frozen in awe.

Barney acts tough but he would have no idea what to do if he actually got his paws on a bird.

This guy's a different story. I've always thought that if Marshall ever got outside he'd instantly turn into a wild cat.

Barney: Hey would you mind grabbing one of those birds for me so I can sniff it?

Watercolor Gift Tags

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I put together a simple DIY project with beautiful results. I've always been a big fan of watercolors.

They're so versatile and easy to use. They give this project the dreamy, soft quality I was looking for.

I painted in 3 different color schemes; rainbow colors for one set, some warm colors and then then some cool colors. Choose colors that go with the gift wrap you have on hand or suit them to a particular holiday. Shades of red and green for Christmas, or lovely pastels for Easter.

Supplies you'll need:

watercolor paper, any size
small watercolor paint brush
set of watercolor paints
glass of water
lots of paper towels

Step 1
Get your paper, paints, paint brush, water and paper towels all ready in front of you. It doesn't matter what size of watercolor paper you use since you'll be cutting it into gift tag sizes anyways. My paper was 9" by 12" so my gift tags ended up being 3" wide and 1.5" tall. It also doesn't matter what kind of watercolor paints you use. I have the cheapest little palette I could find, I think it's actually meant for kids! As long as you have the primary colors, black and brown, it will be more than enough for most projects.

Step 2
Cut your paper into long strips. The size of these strips will depend on the size of the paper you chose. Like I said, my paper was 9" wide so I cut it into thirds that were 3". This will be the width of your tag.

Step 3
Now the fun part! I wanted rainbow tags, so I went with a classic ROY G. BIV color scheme. Grab a little of your first color and start mixing it with a bit of water in your lid or on a plate. Being light and watery is what watercolors do best, so don't just use the paint straight out of the palette. You can always add more color, but you can't take it away.

Step 4
Start painting onto the paper towel underneath your paper so the paint doesn't pool at the top of the page. Paint in one long, continuous motion all the way down the paper ending on the paper towel again. If the color is too light for you, carefully go over the stripe again before the paint dries. Do this again for all your colors.

Step 5
Once the paint dries completely (shouldn't take long), cut the strip of paper into gift tag sizes. Since my paper was 12" long, I made 8 tags per strip by cutting at 1.5".

And there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by!

Bonus! Here's a little stop-motion video I made while I was painting my tags. Hope you like it!

Watercolor Gift Tags Stop Motion from Sara Funduk on Vimeo.

Color Block Nail Tutorial

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

This has to be my favorite color combo I've done on my nails ever. And it's all thanks to this photo I saw on a Design Sponge Sneak Peek.

I've put together this short little how-to for you! I hope you like it!

Stuff you'll need:

2 colors of nail polish
painter's tape
top coat

FYI, I used Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow and Essie's Mod Square. It took me a really long time to find this color combo since yellow and pink are sort of a weird pair, but this technique looks great with basically any combo. Pick two different shades of pink for a more subtle look.

Step 1 Paint your nails with the first color. It's best to use the lighter color first since the darker one will cover it easier. Also, please excuse those cuticles. They need professional help.

Step 2 Let it dry completely. I'm bad at waiting, so I made a cocktail!

Step 3 Cut strips of painter's tape and place it diagonally accross your nail. You should only do one nail at a time. Some people use regular clear tape for this kind of thing, but I find it breaks a lot on me.

Step 4 Paint over the end of your nail with the second color and peel the tape off right away in one quick motion. Don't let it dry before taking the tape off, this is why you should do one nail at a time.

Step 5 Let your one hand dry before tackling the other. Then, apply a generous top coat to protect your hard work.

The View from my Phone: Week 7

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

This week was all about kitties. Wait, isn't every week like that? I had my watercolors out working on a DIY project I'll be posting this week. You have to watch Marshall around watercolors though cause he loves to eat them. He's so weird. He wants nothing to do with milk or peanut butter like normal cats, but give him some coffee grinds and a rye & coke and he'll go to town! Told ya he was weird. Check him out in the bottom right corner trying to munch on some Cadmium Red.

Missed the first 6 weeks? Here they are:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6

P.S. I don't actually let Marshall eat coffee grinds or coke. But he's a sneaky fellow, so he's definitely snuck a taste here and there!

Thank You Freebie

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Hey there! I made this free printable thank you card just for you! Click on the image to download a printable high resolution PDF. You can use the polka dot pattern for the reverse side of the card or print it on a seperate sheet of paper and use it as an envelope liner.

Here's what you'll get:

One 8.5"x11" PDF with 2 thank you cards (each card measures 5.5"x4.25")
One 8.5"x11" PDF with the polka dot pattern

Please let me know if you like this freebie! Want more? Tell me!

I Wish I Was a Ballerina

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

That is all.

All images via A Ballet Blog

The View from my Phone: Week 6

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Happy Valentine's Day! This week you get a triple dose of kitties! The orange one isn't mine, he just lives in my neighbourhood. I hope you like the photo, because I think I weirded out his owner when she caught me having a kitty photo shoot with him.

Missed the first 5 weeks? Here they are:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

The View from my Phone: Week 5

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Catching up here with week 5... And what a nice week it was. I got a little exercise and went for a walk at the waterfront!

Missed the first 4 weeks? Here they are:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

Wedding Collection Samples

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Printing Instructions and Tips

I recommend printing this test page on the printer you plan to use with the paper you plan to use.

Why?

the colours may not look as you expect them to
the size of the font/images/invite itself may not be what you expect
gives you practice cutting along the crop marks
the printer may not accept the paper you want to use
if you run into any problems, you can make adjustments to your plan before you commit to the invite

Make sure your printer settings are set to the maximum quality, correct paper size and weight.

depending on your printer you may find it cuts off a little of the crop marks, as long as you can see a bit of them, you'll be fine
if the printer cuts off a whole crop mark or part of the design, set your printer to print "borderless" so it prints right to the edge

Once the sample is printed cut along the crop marks. I recommend cutting along the centre one first. This is the line the separates the invite from the RSVP card, they share an edge. When you purchase your actual invite set, there will be 2 invites on one page and 2 RSVP cards on a different page. This will make cutting and assembly even faster and easier.

FAQ's about Printing Samples:
Q: Why does it look so weird?
A: The sample is just that; a sample of the artwork that will appear on your invite. It's there to give you an idea of size and color so you can make sure the design is perfect before you commit to your purchase. I chop up the design and artwork a bit so people can't use it for other things.

Q: Why does it look like the design runs over the edge of the invite?
A: Some designs do run over the edge of the invite. I do this so when you cut your invites, the color will go right to the edge and you don't have to be 100% accurate with your cuts.

Q: I love the invite and the sample was great, there's just one thing I want to change!
A: Just contact me at sara[at]mrhandsomeface[dot]com, I would be happy to help!

You will need adobe acrobat reader to open this PDF. If you don't have it, get it for free here.

Click on the picture of the invite set to download the sample PDF.

The View from my Phone: Week 4

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I'm a little late posting week 4, but it still counts! Week 4 will forever be known as the week I wandered around by myself taking photos at night. The brass deer, you ask? Well they are from The White Pepper and I love them more than words can say.

Missed the first 3 weeks? Here they are:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

Inviting Bedroom Mood Board

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

So I'm basically climbing the walls lately waiting to get into our own house and out of this rental. I literally Googled "how to speed up time" the other day. Jeez, saving money takes so long! To pass the time I decided to do up some mood boards for design inspiration. This is my feminine, luxurious, inviting bedroom. The breakdown is below.

I started with this soft, lovely duvet set from West Elm. It's a little more colorful than it looks in that photo when you spread out the duvet and matching shams, and it provides a nice color scheme to work off for the rest of the room.
Since I love to mix neutrals, I chose a light gray for the walls instead of cream which most people would expect. Mixing neutrals gives the room a more "money" look and less typical. White trim and crown molding would make this wall color stand out.
Next I went with these super lush, ruffled, velvet drapes in a bold teal. Nothing says luxury like nice heavy curtains and it's great for blocking out light in a bedroom.
This pretty lamp in a lighter teal brings more color into the room and it reminds me of a gem!
A classic shaped chair in the corner in a bold purple provides some seating. Toss a fluffy throw over the arm to make it even more cozy.
This beautuful dresser from Anthropologie uses some of the pinks and oranges in the linens so we don't get too bored with just purple and teal. Also, so pretty!!
I'm continuing the purple and teal theme in the art and shapes in this one echo the gem shaped lamp.
The other print ties in some of the girly florals and keeps with the color scheme. I would love to see these in matching ornate dark wood frames, maybe with a dark gray matte.
A thick, natural looking rug on the floor keeps bare feet from getting too cold and agains add luxury. This would look great over a dark hardwood floor.
This huge canopy bed fills some space and makes a statement. It also keeps the room from getting too frilly and girly with it's clean lines. Start with crisp white sheets on the bed.
I think mis-matched side tables add a fun detail. Make sure they have at least element in common, like the dark wood in this case, so it looks like you did it on purpose.

The View from my Phone: Week 3

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Well look at me, 3 weeks in and I'm still at it! And I think my photos might be improving too.

Missed the first 2 weeks? Here they are:
Week 1
Week 2

Winter Wedding

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Not enough of my friends are getting married in the winter. Come on people, I need an excuse to wear a faux fur wrap! Maybe I should just drape it over my hoodie on trips to the grocery store.

The View from my Phone: Week 2

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Apparently this week I had shaky hands, so most of the photos are blurry if you look close. Oh well, I have 50 more weeks to work on that! This week was spent cozied up with kitties, tea and pancakes because outside it was frosty!

Unsanitary but Adorable

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

The Barnacle likes to have breakfast with us... on the table. Look at that face. Could you kick him off? I don't mind a couple kitty hairs in my pancakes.

Etsy Banners and Graphics

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

I'm doing something new! I've started to sell Etsy Shop Graphics Kits. It all started because I was browsing around on Etsy and noticed shops that were selling graphics kits for other sellers. Wow, I didn't even know this existed! What a great idea! Except there was one problem...they're all sooooo ugly. I even found some free ones outside of Etsy, but holy crap those were even worse. I really hate to put down someone else's work but seriously, where are all the Etsy banners for stylish, modern sellers?

I have about 6 different designs in my shop right now. They all include a banner, an avatar and a Reserved Listing graphic. And they are all so stylish that your buyers won't even notice them. They will just browse around your shop thinking "Gee, this Etsy shop is so professional and beautiful. I think I'll buy something!"

I really do think that a cohesive, modern shop look can take you from "hobbyist" to "professional". If you are serious about making money off your Etsy shop, you need to look good. So I'm talking to you. All you jewellery makers, sewers, knitters, soap makers, potters, quilters, vintage sellers, needlecrafters, carpenters, and paper crafters...make an impression on your buyers with a new look for your shop!

I also plan on adding some Deluxe Kits that have even more great graphics to help build your brand, so keep checking on the shop.

The View from my Phone: Week 1

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Since one of my New Year's resolutions is to take more photos, I thought it would be easy to start with my iPhone. I use Camera+ to take all my photos. You can set the focus and the exposure with one tap which comes in real handy, and it has some cool effects.

Hoarder Barbie

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Photographer Carrie Becker has put together an amazing set of photos showcasing a Barbie-sized hoard. The detail is just incredible.

Please check out the entire set here and visit her Etsy shop to buy a print.

Becker says:

During the summer after completing graduate school I had some down time and decided to use my commercial photography skills to shoot my miniature collection as though it were "real". Also during that time, I also frequently watched shows like "Hoarders" and "How Clean Is Your House?" With that in mind, this past summer I began creating the images that are presented here, though I reflect their inspiration as a mirror and not a judgement. For me, this series is about creating a small, but perfect world where the viewer cannot distinguish between what is reality and what is fiction.

Lazy Monday

Mon, 2 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC

Just doing some bird watching today with Barney.

A Year in Photos: 2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC

Wow, so much has happened this past year! I'm sad to see it go, but at the same time I'm looking forward to bigger and better things in 2012. Here is my year in photos.

As usual, there were plenty of kitten make-out sessions.

I drank a Southern Gentleman.

We stayed in our dream apartment in NYC.

And saw Wicked!

We tracked a bike-painter through the streets of Toronto.

Got a dishwasher. (Kitten not included)

Saw some Pollocks.

I quit my shitty (but well paid) job in Insurance for a fun (but much less well paid) job at a theatre.

We saw Private Lives minus Paul Gross.

Went on a Bachelorette party boat cruise.

And saw two dear friends get married!

I ate cheesecake stuffed french toast. Yes, that's french toast with cheesecake inside.

All in all, it was a pretty great year. Of course there were some tears, but they were outnumbered by smiles. I wonder what 2012 will bring. My New Year's resolution is to blog more and take more photos...and Barney's is to lose a few pounds!

Follow Your Heart

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC

This tutorial will teach you how to draw a perfect heart using Adobe Illustrator. If you're new to Illustrator, this is a good way to get acquainted with some basic skills that will hopefully inspire you to make some shapes of your own!

Skill Level: Beginner Tools We Will Use: Ellipse Tool, Direct Selection Tool, Pen Tool, Pathfinder

Step 1 Open up a new Illustrator document. Choose the Ellipse Tool by clicking and holding on the Rectangle Tool. This will bring up a little menu of all the shapes. Now change the Stroke and Fill of your shape to whatever your little heart (get it? heart?) desires. I chose predictable pink. Feel free to not use a stroke at all if you want.

Step 2 Draw a circle! Do this by using the Ellipse Tool while holding Shift. This keeps the shape as a perfect circle and not an oval.

Step 3 Now copy and paste your circle so you have two of them. The best way to do this is Edit>Copy then Edit>Paste in Front. That way the second circle shows up right on top of the first one and you can easily drag it to the side.

Step 4 Open up the Pathfinder Tool by selecting Window>Pathfinder. With both circles selected, click on Unite. This turns the 2 circles into one shape. Then find the Convert Anchor Point tool by clicking and holding the Pen Tool. Click on the bottom point in the dip between the shapes, as shown in the picture below.

Step 5 Go into the Pen Tool again and select the Delete Anchor Point Tool and delete the 2 points on the bottom of the shape. Look at the screen shot below to see what I mean.

Step 6 Remember that point you used the Convert Tool on? Well grab the Direct Selection Tool and drag that point down until what you have resembles a heart.

Step 7 Grab the handles of the points on either side of the heart and drag them down just a bit. This will round out your heart.

Step 8 There you have it, a perfect little heart! Oh and what's this? An expertly Photoshopped kitty in the corner congratulating you on a job well done!

Pantone Fall Colour Report

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:00:00 UTC

The Pantone fall colour report came out a while ago but I'm just getting around to blogging about it now. I've picked out some lovely items from Etsy to showcase the earthy, rich colours for fall! It looks like we'll continue to see a lot of mixing of neutrals, but with a punch of bright colour. I think my favourite colour has to be that beautiful Emberglow. Finding a flattering orange is so hard, but this one has the perfect little hint of pink.

Top Row	Shawl from Tickeled Pink Knits Leather Purse from Jenny N Design
Second Row	Ceramic Bowls from Claylicious Prehnite Ring from Rachel Pfeffer Designs
Third Row	Art Print from Donna Geissler Photography Leather Bracelets from LLG Designs San Francisco

Vintage Roundup

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Etsy has some incredible vintage finds, but sometimes it feels like there's a lot to sift through to find the gems. Today I've gathered up a few of my favourite vintage pieces from my favourite Etsy shops. You should know I'm slightly obsessed with finding something vintage to spray paint neon and I have my sights set on you, Mr. Bunny! I think you would look very handsome spray painted a crazy neon colour! Also, I have no idea what I would do with a cage lamp, but there it is and I want it.

Enjoy!

Little Black Dress Wedding

Sun, 7 Aug 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Am I the only one who feels a little weird about wearing a black dress to a wedding? Some people still (ahem, grandma) find it inappropriate to wear black to a wedding. There's a school of thought that black is worn to funerals, not happy occasions. But I think with the right accessories and at the right wedding, it can be not only totally appropriate but very chic! Adding touches like a playful nail polish and colourful jewelry can easily brighten your outfit up. I still probably wouldn't wear a black lace dress to conservation mid-day church service. But an evening cocktail reception? Go for it!

Here's my picks for getting your little black dress wedding-ready!

Etsy Ceramics

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I have it bad for ceramics. What? Is that weird? I just can't resist a pretty vase! Today's lovely finds are brought you by Esty.

Stripes? Polka dots? In rainbow colors?? I'll take 10. (zombie walks over to wallet)

By Owl Creek Ceramics.

Oh wow. This is when I fantasize about being a talented home maker and cooking up a gorgeous meal using these bowls. Oh everyone will be so impressed! I can dream can't I? I guess first I need to learn how to cook. Then the bowls.

By Utile Mud

These vases combine ceramics with another one of my obsessions: dip dye!

By Suite One Studio

Oh for crying out loud, would you look at this little guy! I would buy this right now if I didn't know for sure it would become a cat toy. Seriously, doesn't matter how high up I hide this thing one of them will find it.

By Lammie.

The Southern Gentleman

Sat, 2 Jul 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I had the most delicious and beautiful cocktail of my life the other night at a little place called Grace down the street. The food was amazing too, but this cocktail was so charming I can't stop thinking about it!

It's called The Southern Gentleman and while I don't think this is the official recipe, this is what I imagine it's made of:

muddled strawberries
muddled raspberries
club soda
magic!?!
bourbon
nectarine for garnish

It was served in a simple old fashioned lowball glass, resting in a pretty vintage dish. Behold!

Here's how you can get this look at home.

NYC 2011!

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I have many excuses for not blogging very much lately, but you don't want to hear that... you want to see my vacation pictures!! Right? Of course you do! Who doesn't love to see strangers' vacation photos?

A few weeks ago my husband and I took a quick 5 day trip to New York. We both have trouble with the concept of a "relaxing" vacation where you just lay on the beach or BBQ at the cottage. I mean, what else do you do? Is there wifi? We have issues clearly, so we both prefer a city vacation. We stayed with a colleague of my hubby's and his wife in their crazy beautiful apartment in NoHo. He had a couple meetings, I did a lot of shopping and we both did a ton of eating! It was a complete success!

We flew Porter Airlines for the first time too! It was great because the airport is literally a 10 minute drive form our apartment which made the whole process a breeze. And can I tell you, the nicest people work at Porter! You actually feel like a human being moving through the airport instead of part of a herd of cattle. Not to mention their adorable raccoon mascot!

Loving the bold artwork in this cafe. I would have bought this painting in heart beat if it hadn't been way too huge to fit in our luggage...and way out of my price range. Maybe I'll try to make something like it myself. Simple image, bold colors, lots of gloss. Probably sounds easier than it is. Might make a fun weekend project though! We had a great lunch at ilili and admired the cool design. Lots of mirrors!

I couldn't leave New York without seeing another Broadway show! This time it was Wicked. Did I mention I'm crazy for musicals? I had actually already seen Wicked when it came to Toronto last year but it was so awesome it called for another viewing. And I thought my husband might like it too. He's not normally into that sort of thing, but he actually really enjoyed Wicked! If you have any interest in The Wizard of Oz, then you'll appreciate the story. Oh and did I mention it's funny? SO funny! The photo on the left is when we first got to the theatre and I apparently turned into a ghost. I wish I was photogenic. I swear I'm not half mist in person!

Brooch Bouquets

Sat, 28 May 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I need a brooch bouquet. Like I need one so bad I'm considering having a second wedding just so I can walk down the isle with one of these beauties! I swear, cool stuff like this did not exist when I got married! The best part is, they last forever. I held onto my wedding bouquet for much longer than was probably acceptable. I've seen people hang theirs upside down and they look great, but let me tell you mine did not look like that. It was crusty and brown and every time you even looked at it, another leaf would fall off. I eventually dismantled it, kept all the beads and feathers and threw away the rest. Think of how special it would be to have a couple of your mother's or grandmother's brooches in there too. Yep, that's it. I'm having a second wedding.

So pretty and colorful!! By Fantasy Floral.

This Blue Petyl gorgeousness looks like a million bucks!

I think this The Ritzy Rose bouquet might be one of my favourites.

And lastly, a crazy elegant vintage crystal bouquet by Noaki.

Obsession: Ombre

Mon, 23 May 2011 04:00:00 UTC

My newest obsession is definitely ombre or dip-dyed. Whatever you call it, I'm in love! This trend is popping up everywhere from clothing to food! It gives everything a beautiful, bright summer vibe and is an interesting way to use a bold, saturated color without going all the way.

I need these curtains from Anthropologie.

This Marc by Marc Jacobs watch is great way to get a sophisticated pop of bright color.

I am crazy in love with this Maggie Austin cake. I've seen it on a few of the wedding blogs already, but it is just so eye-catching and beautiful I can't get enough of it!

Front and Centre!

Thu, 19 May 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Check out who's on the front page of Wedzu today! That's my 'In the City' invite right in the centre there!!

A Hint of Red

Mon, 2 May 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I like to make treasuries on Etsy!

Style Sunday: Rainy Day

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Hello again! It's been a raining few days here in Toronto, but I'm still dying to get into spring clothes. This week's Style Sunday is for those warm-ish rainy days that wash away the last of winter. P.S. I am DYING to get that Kate Spade bag. I've been talking myself into it for weeks. I think I might have to make the splurge soon!

1. Marilyn's Pink Timeless Coat by Nick & Mo - Ruche

2. Leopard Print Umbrella - Forever 21

3. Five Slim Fit Jeans - Esprit

4. Hunter Original, Violet High Gloss - Piper Lime

5. Essex Scout - Kate Spade

Caturday: Best Friends

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I need to remind myself that my cats actually do get along because I spent all day Thursday breaking up cat fights! All. Day. Barney went to the vet because he has a sore on his lip and when he came back Marshall would not stop hissing and growling at him! Apparently it's some scent thing. This led to a couple massive cat fights with hissing, screaming, fur flying, the whole nine yards! Yes, Marshall screams when he's upset. So here is a picture of my boys acting like the (almost) perfect little angels they are.

Happy Earth Day!

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I thought for Earth Day I would post the pictures I took of Toronto during Earth Hour this year. I've had these photos kickin around for a while now and just haven't got around to doing anything with them! I set up my tripod at the window and took a photo about every 5 minutes or so. I was really expecting more a change in the photos, but I guess realistically they can't shut off an entire city for an hour and they say every little bit counts! So here are the best 2.

Bright Toronto a few minutes before Earth Hour:

Not-so-bright Toronto during Earth Hour:

How-To Tuesday: Spirograph Birthday Card in Illustrator

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Well hello there! Welcome to the first ever How-To Tuesday! Lots of firsts this week, eh? For my first How-To I thought I'd do a quick little tutorial on how to make a cute Spirograph-inspired card. You remember Spirograph? It was a lot of fun as a kid, but you do you remember how hard it was to get right? That darn frame thing would always slip off the paper! Well this tutorial won't show you how to make a true Spirograph shape with all the math and stuff. Cause seriously, what. It will show you how to make a cute little swirly shape that you can use for all sorts of things.

Note: This is a basic Illustrator tutorial. It's for beginners, but you'll still need to know where the basic tools are.

First things first, open up Illustrator and create a new document. I like to make mine in inches, 8.5 by 11 for easy printing.

1. Grab the Elipse tool. Change the fill to nothing and stroke to whatever color you want.

2. Draw an oval. However big, small, skinny or fat you want it.

3. From the Edit menu, select Copy and then Paste in Front. This makes a copy of your oval and pastes it right on top the first one. The keyboard shortcuts are Command C and Command F if you're using a Mac. Or Control C and Control F if you're using Windows. (From here on out, I'll just use the Mac shortcuts.)

4. Right click on your oval, go to the Transform menu and select Rotate.

5. Now the rotate menu will pop up and you can select how many degrees you want to rotate your oval. You can choose any number as long as it's divisible by 360. I chose 12!

6. Now press Command C, Command F, Command D until you start to see a shape emerge. What you're doing is the same Copy, Paste in Front as before but we're adding Command D, which is Transform Again. In this case that means, copy my oval, paste it in front, then rotate it again by 12 degrees.

7. Keep doing your Command C, F, D thing until you've completed the circle, and you're done!

You can make a bunch of them, change the colors, line them up, scatter them around...whatever you want! For my card I made copies of the shape in 2 different colors and added a little "Happy Birthday!" at the bottom.

Next week I'll show you how to take this basic technique and start doing crazier things! And please let me know in the comments what you thought of this tutorial. Too easy? Too Hard? Didn't understand something? Think it's a stupid idea? I want to hear from you!

Style Sunday: Casual Spring Weekend

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

So I'm trying something new here. Welcome to Style Sunday! Where every Sunday I attempt to put together a stylish outfit. Just kidding...Sort of... But seriously, there are certain people out there who think that on occasion I can put myself together and not look half bad! This Style Sunday thing might end being a useful exercise for me too. I've been trying lately to look stylish 5 or 6 days a week instead of my usual 2 1/2.

And without further delay, I bring you the first Syle Sunday:

1. Kibera Tank, Flower - Anthropologie

2. Women's Bahama Deck Shoe - Sperry Top-Sider

3. Silicone Watch, Pink - Michael Kors

4. Boy Fit Linen Blend Pant - Esprit

5. Easy Rider Jacket - Anthropologie

Caturday: OMFG!

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

It's Caturday and you know what that means! You'll all be forced to look at a picture of one of my adorable kitten-men!

Here's one of Barney when he was just a little itty bitty baby! Now's a big a fat man and almost 2 years old.

Big Shop Update!

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Well, I'm very excited to finally gets these babies listed in the store! I've been thinking about expanding my paper goods line to include a few prints.

It took me a while to find the right paper to print them on! I also went all over town picking out a frame and mat! For the paper, I decided to go with the Epson Premium Matte Presentation. Paper makes all the difference and this paper is designed to work with my Epson printer and inks. It is seriously unbelievable how the right paper can just make your work pop off the page. They look so crisp and clear, I'm just so pleased with how they turned out!

But enough about what I think! Obviously I like them, hopefully you will too!! Click on the photo to go to the listing or click the links at the bottom of this post.

1. Love is at the Core

2. Destroy my Enemies

3. You Rock

4. Love What You Do

New Notecards in the Store!

Sat, 9 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

As promised, here are my notecards inspired by my Spring Ombre treasury that made it to the front page of Etsy. I think they would fit nicely in that treasury! The chevron stripes have a grungy texture to them. I hate using that word, it makes it seem like the cards are dirty or something. But it really is the best way to describe them! I assure you, the cards are very clean and not actually "grungy". Have a look in the store.

New Pingg Designs

Thu, 7 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Just in time for Earth Day! I've added a new Pingg design called "Love is at the Core". There's a light and dark version available. The light version will also be for sale as a print in my Etsy store very soon. It's framed beautifully and hanging in my bedroom right now, I just have to take some photos of it when we finally get some sun here!

While I Was Sleeping

Thu, 7 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

My second treasury ever made it to the front page of Etsy the other day! Too bad it happened minutes after I went to bed, so I didn't actually see it live. But it was still very exciting! Here it is for you to admire. I'm really liking the colour combo of purple, peach and turquoise. I think I'll have to work that into a new design.

Shop Update - New Stationery

Mon, 4 Apr 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I posted a new stationery design in the Etsy Store today. The design is inspired by paint chips and it comes in 5 color options! Get them in your wedding colors and I think they would make a great bridesmaid gift.

Interview on the TESTy Blog

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Emma from Landfill Designs interviewed me for the Toronto Etsy Street Team blog. Read all the way to end to see a picture of my adorable kitties!

Gelato!!

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

It was such a beautiful spring day in Little Italy that I decided to pick up some of my favourite gelato for a little treat! It's from Dolce and a half litre with 2 flavours goes for around $10, and there's tons of delicious flavours to choose from! We got chocolate and raspberry. They also have a great selection of cakes and little desserts. Spot a kitty paw in the first pic!

Yup, we eat it straight out of the container!

New Wedding Design

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

A new wedding invite design is up in the shop! It's pretty, colorful, airy and bright hearts! It would be nice for a spring or summer wedding and would look great with any color scheme. The background paper (which is bright blue right now) can be changed to suit your colors though. Check it out on Etsy or Wedzu!

Happy St. Patty's Day

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day (even though I'm feeling a little so-so about it this year), here are some green finds from Wedzu. I am not feeling so-so about these! Oh, and while you're there you can swing by my Wedzu Shop!

Peapod Cufflinks from Sudlow Jewelry

Apple Green Hairclip by FancieStrands

Small Green Cake Stand by A Fabulous Fete

Grown Up Rock

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

I recently read a question from someone on Offbeat Home about how to fit your old rock memorabilia into your grown-up apartment. If you were like me as a teenager you probably went to lots of concerts and came home with posters, ticket stubs, album art, t-shirts, etc. which you then plastered all over the walls of your bedroom. Over the years I've gotten rid of a lot of it, but I still have a few artifacts from my years as an angsty, black-haired, baggy jeans wearing teenager. Now I'm at the point in my life where I want my home to look like the home of an adult, but I still have a lot of the same taste in music and I don't think I'm quite ready for beige walls and prints of soothing landscapes!

So what do you do if you went a little Feng Shui crazy when you grew out of your teenage years and tossed all your fun stuff? Naturally, I turned to Etsy for the answer. And boy, did I find some great things.

Record Time sells clocks made from recycled records found in second hand stores, and they have everything from The Beatles to Whitney Houston. You know I love me a good clock and I think I might just have to snag this one for myself!

How can you not love this wall decal from Lewa's Designs?? It's like a tattoo for your walls! It looks great behind a bed like they show in the picture, but this would work well as artwork behind your couch too. Wall decals are also great because they take no time to install and you can change 'em out every season if you want!

See! You don't have to have that street sign you stole in 11th grade (shhh!) above your door and concert posters all over the walls to have a home that reflects the badass you really are!

I have news!

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:00:00 UTC

Yup, this is what I look like right now.

I may have some big news but I don't want to jinx it by telling too many people! Even if it doesn't work out, it's still great validation for what I've been working so hard on. Hopefully soon I'll know for sure!! Check back soon for updates...or a sad kitten face, depending on what happens.

Happy Belated March!

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 05:00:00 UTC

I know it's almost halfway through March, but I finally put up my March design on Pingg! Better late than never, right? I tried to make a calendar last year, but I got sick of the monotony of tweaking the same design 12 times. I figured it would easier to do it in small doses, so now I make a new design each month. Hopefully I'll have 12 by the end of the year and I can finally put together my calendar! Enjoy!

Get Lucky

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 05:00:00 UTC

You could win this entire Etsy treasury! You just need to send a Pingg invite from the St. Patrick's Day Collection between now and March 18, 2011. Get the full details over at the Pingg blog.

Hey, and while you're there you might as well check out my designs! You can even use my brand new St. Patrick's Day invite!

We're Gettin' Hitched!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:00:00 UTC

Every time I design a new invite, I want to go back in time and have the kind of wedding that goes with the invite! When I designed In the City, I wanted to have a swanky cocktail party. When I designed Robot Love, I wanted to have a nerd themed wedding. And the same thing happened when I recently designed the We're Gettin' Hitched invite! Wouldn't it be fun to have a summer wedding in a beautiful camp ground with all your friends and family sitting around the fire? That's why I was so excited when I was approached by a customer on Etsy who was doing just that.

Her colors are light pink and black and the couple's dogs are going to be in the wedding, so they wanted to incorporate them somehow into the invite!

Here' what I came up with:

You can see it's a chilly willy day outside my apartment! Hopefully you can't see how badly I need to clean my windows!

Next, I attached a Black Denim cardstock for a backing. I didn't have enough light to take pictures of that step before they were shipped off though. I think they turned out adorable if I do say so myself! It was a lot of fun to work with them.