So long '13

I remember discovering the word epiphany in grade 6. It was in a book I was reading (I want to say Sarah Plain and Tall?) and after looking up the definition I thought the word sounded as wise as the act itself.  Epiphany: a moment of sudden revelation or insight. I think 2013 for me was a year of epiphanies. I thought I'd share a few:

Toronto is an odd, but amazing place.

I always thought Toronto would be a huge change but really life in some ways feel the same. But with more lights, more stores, more opportunities, more amazing food.  

mmm funnel cake. 

Apartment Life is Challenging

I always thought all my problems would be solved when Peter and I had our own place again, sometimes I'm a real idiot. I love our space, I love living together just the two of us but between hot water radiators leaking and warping the hardwood floors and the first two months with our screaming sex neighbours, finding places for all our crap... apartments still mean a heck of a lot of work.  

Still not okay with using the apartment building washing machines to wash my bra collection.  I call this hand washing technique the brabble bath.

I'm really a 65 year old woman at heart.

I wish I could always be asleep by 10, take bubble baths every day, cuddle on the couch rather than go out. I pretty much feel that way all the time unless I've bought new clothes. Someone get me some velcro rollers.

The one night I've gotten dolled up..in like September

Life is fragile

This Christmas my family definitely had an epiphany. While getting ready to open presents we got a phone call saying my Dad's best friend lost his battle with stomach cancer. He was more family than a friend, as soon as he retired he was at our house every day.

I was naive to the deep ache of true loss until this Christmas. 

To hug a friend I used to have tea parties with while our dads built a shed in the backyard and realize only one of us only still had father. To put into words that this man was like a half-father, always supporting myself and my mum whenever my own dad was in the hospital was a revelation on its own. 

but it gives and takes.

The same day as my family suffered a great loss, a dear friend of mine gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She's my first friend to get pregnant and I was so grateful to witness all the changes and for her to share her experiences with me. And even through my tears to see a photo of my friend's new baby couldn't help but make me smile. 

 

Rituals

I know I'm not alone in having rituals for watching the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show. Lots of my friends make cocktails, invite a friend over, share snacks and chat while they watch the show. Every year I usually do the same this year was a bit quieter as I was solo however that doesn't mean the ritual was less fun, me time is always good.

Kernel's Christmas Cheer popcorn with a touch of Pink.

I've wanted a souvenir from the show for years, got myself a cute nightgown 

Well and when at VS….buy pretty things.

Snow day!! Not really, I live in Toronto now

I always find whenever classes are cancelled my day goes one of two ways.

1.EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE.
I will do everything on the crafts and home decor DIY sections of my Pinterest page.
I will bake something just for the heck of it.
I get all of my homework done.
Shop.
Cook a kick-ass dinner and feel like Rachel Ray.

What this old thing? I just made the Barefoot Contessa's Shrimp Scampi and homemade molten brownies from scratch just cause. #NBD.

 2. Waste your life away in bed.
Sleep in till whenever o'clock.
Maybe eat cereal around 2 pm.
Watch videos of otters being adorable. (click the link, honestly, adorable.)
Don't even think about showering.
Watch 1000 episodes of TV I've already seen like Supernatural or Mad Men.



(new low point, all bowls are in dishwasher, use a small mixing bowl to eat cheerios.)

It's only 11:27 AM. My day could still go either way.

Little Steps Forward

Since moving for grad school I've learned sometimes I agree to take on too much. I've been trying to work 25 or more hours a week on top of all my coursework and I'm so burnt out already. Though I've always been a workaholic I feel like I need to put all my focus into my portfolio and stretching myself this thin isn't working out too well. That in mind I've handed in my first 2 weeks notice. It was not fun, definitely thought I was going to puke. But right after I felt fantastic. The idea that I can focus on my writing, my ads and actually experience more of the city life is thrilling. Also getting more sleep is a big plus. Wish me luck.

24 candles

This past Saturday was my birthday and all I wanted after a crazy week of work (including a 4pm-6am shift) and school was to relax and spend time with my honey. Sleeping in a small luxury that to me is worth more than any presents so that was my first gift. Chocolate chip pancakes in bed, shopping and a wonderful dinner made having to work on my birthday not so tedious. My birthday toast consisted of hoping 24 would be the year I finally find a job where I can write. Here's hoping :) Cheers.

Birthday treats on my break.

Lovely birthday gifts some from myself others from Peter

Dot your eyes

Gold dots are everywhere. Decor, clothes, wedding cakes, Pinterest, my blog. I used to have this weird deep hatred for gold anything when I was a teenager. I thought it was tacky. My parents dining room used to be wallpapered with a white base with metallic gold feathers and I always used to want to peel the feathers off. Now I kind of wish I had some of the wallpaper for our bedroom. 

Perfect dress for holiday parties or date night with black tights and booties. Rickis

 

 The Pinterest famous tutorial from Lauren Conrad.

I would frame this if it was in my mailbox. Kate Spade

Feeling dotty yet? 

Big Closet, Tiny Apartment

One of the joys that came with post-grad was moving into an apartment in the city. The one we found has a lot of character but with our budget not a huge amount of a space. Since August I've been working on ways to make the most of our little spaces thanks to a lot of Pinterest inspiration.

This is my small workspace, very bland not very functional. I use a lot of art supplies and do a lot of linears. Mostly I just make a huge mess.

This is my space tweaked a bit so far twinkle lights make everything better. I'm looking for a small bulletin board to fit inside the lights now to pin up inspiration. I'm using a little mirrored box Peter got me to hide my random clutter, a tea light holder for my pens and some cheap ikea frames.

We'll see if I can make the next great VW ad from here. 

Macaron Mondays

Okay I'll be honest this blog should be called Macaron Saturdays but I really like alliteration. One of the best upsides of moving to the city is all the cool places I can explore on the rare occasions I have some free time (post-grad problems anyone?).
Saturday Peter and I went exploring around Kensington market and found all kinds of goodies.

First we went to Blue Banana which is the coolest place to get ideas for gifts and our apartment. I found my macaron apron I've been wanting for ages and it found its way into my basket.

It's made by Paper Source and it flares out like a cute 50's style dress and has nice deep pockets. Tempted?

Peter then commented that now that we live in Toronto we could just go and buy some macarons. Up North there wasn't anywhere to find them except when his mom kindly brought us some back from Paris after her trip. 

Google best macaroons in Toronto: Nadege. 

Beautiful store, friendly staff and little colourful clouds of heaven. I was going to try and make them last until Tuesday when my mum comes to visit, we failed. Worth it. 

End of Summer Project

It seems inappropriate that I'm writing this post when classes are about to start but I can't say I really saw much of summer. I spent the past few months working 2 jobs saving for grad school and on my rare days off I was usually applying for scholarships or going home to spend a few hours with family.
But this fall came with the biggest move I've done yet, my first move was only an hour away from home for my undergraduate degree from a little town to a small city in Northern Ontario. This year I'm moved from lakeside Northern Ontario to lakeside Toronto. I booked a few days off before transferring jobs to go home to Huntsville and relax and on my to do list was tackle my antique steamer trunk.

I found this piece almost 5 years ago at an antique shop at home that no longer is in business and instantly fell in love. It reminded me of Harry Potter and The Secret Garden and was in relatively good shape. My dad got it for me as a going away present for school and my first attempt to fix up the inside with contact paper was a huge fail. So after doing some research I decided I was finally going to tackle it the right way.

The interior was filled with an old wallpaper that had an awful musty smell and was peeled off already in a few spots.
Step 1) Wet down interior with mix of warm water, vinegar and a drop of dish soap
Step 2) Grab a paint scraper and get to work!
after a few hours the paper came off with time and some elbow grease

All my lovely paper scraps

Step 3) Use Dad's shop vac to get rid of all the small pieces 

Step 4) Let dry in sun 

Next time I'm home I'll tackle treating the inside with Murphy's oil and replacing the handles. 

Great sources I used for my info:

Brettuns Village

DIY network