Lake Huron, I Love You

To combat my jealousy over Glenn spending 2 fabulous weeks eating his way through Italy, I thought I'd treat myself to a mini vacation of my own. Destination: my hometown.

Sarnia and I have had a somewhat tortured relationship over the years {especially the teen years}, but as I grow older my fondness for my hometown grows as well. And Lake Huron? The Greatest of the Lakes.

All of these photos below were taken on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app {love that vintage feel} in my dad's backyard, a.k.a. one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. My dad bought this house from my grandparents who had lived here for at least 25 years before moving to Toronto a few years ago, so I've been lucky enough to have access to this beautiful beach my entire life.

Purple Martin birdhouse. And that land on the horizon? AMERICA!

Ahhhhhh...the lush blues and greens of summer. I plan on many rolls down that hill on my next visit.

God, I love this place. T-minus 27 days until my return, gang in tow, to wreak some Bayfest havoc and I. Can't. Wait.

If I Had $1,000,000: Poster Cabaret

In an attempt to motivate myself to blog more often, I decided to start a new (and first) feature: If I Had $1,000,000. Kind of like the Barenaked Ladies song, but instead of wishing for Kraft Dinner and a monkey, I'll be focusing more on items of the art/design/fashion persuasion. This week: if I had $1,000,000 to spend at Poster Cabaret, here's what I'd get:

{all images courtesy of postercabaret.com}

Nothing like a healthy dose of materialism! But seriously, if you're looking to spruce up your space or just drool over their vast collection of posters, check this site out. And give me a million dollars so I can buy this stuff!

Birthday Bonanza

Guess what? I'm 28 now. Makes me feel kind of old {to anyone older than 28, I know how ridiculous that must seem}, but luckily there was lots of birthday fun this past weekend to distract me. First up: CONAN AT MASSEY HALL!!!!

Proudly displaying my ticket given to me by the best mom ever! Ever since I found out about the show I desperately wanted to go, but since it sold out in about 2 seconds I thought all hope was lost. Luckily my mom rules and she found a way to give me one of the best birthday presents in the universe.

My arm candy for the night. All he had to do for his ticket was look cute.

The man himself! My iPhone doesn't take the best indoor pics, but this is a pretty good representation of how close we were to the man himself. The show was awesome, of course, but ending with 10 minutes of Walker Texas Ranger clips {a Conan masterpiece} was worth the price of admission alone. SO SICK.

Aside from Conan, my birthday weekend was filled with big burgers {not pictured, but oh boy were they good}, hot sun, and cool pals. To celebrate Queen Victoria's birth, this holiday Monday a bunch of us decided to high-five this early summer and head to Toronto Island for some fun in the sun.

The landmark to our secluded spot.

The G Man catching some rays {new nickname, guys?}

Please excuse my terrifyingly white body. And the grapes.

Thumbs up from Speirs! That tiny spire in the distance is indeed the CN Tower. Whoa!

This group of Canadian geese hung out with us all day and entertained us with their territorial squabbles. Guess they weren't welcome on that fancy yacht over there.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh summertime. Save our spot for us, Toronto Island - we'll be seeing you again real soon!

A great end to a great birthday weekend. From me and my pal Andre Agassi:

Stay cool!

The Scene

I've been in a bit of a creative funk lately {hence the lack of posting in almost...wait, a month?! oh man}, but after recently re-visiting the amazing opening scene of I Am Cuba I feel like I'm getting my mojo back. This might just be the coolest party scene ever recorded:



This scene is INSANE! If I could hang out at fabulous pool parties in '60s Havana all summer {y'know, minus the political unrest and stuff}, I'd be one happy camper. I'd also settle for a whirlwind tour of Chicago's Art Institute:



Mmmmm... so dreamy. What are your go-tos for inspiration?

Shop 'Til I Drop

Why is it that I always end up spending the most money on myself right before my birthday (May 23, for anyone who wants to lavish me with gifts)? It seems to happen every year, and this one is certainly no exception. I usually consider myself a pretty thrifty gal, but the second I get spring fever I can't seem to control myself. I blame you, Etsy. And more specifically, you, Rebecca!


This hoodie will join the ever-growing collection of replicca designs I own and I have no doubt that it'll be as comfortable and flattering as the rest. Great stuff from a great lady! I highly suggest you check out her shop and snap up one of her one-of-a-kind pieces before they're gone.

My Etsy addiction doesn't stop there. Oh no. I'm also eagerly awaiting the delivery of these babies:


Etsy, you have waaaaaay too many options to fill my gigantic size 10 feet. To top off the madness, this past weekend I dropped {an undisclosed sum} on an impulse buy, which was both thrilling and a bit terrifying for a usual tightwad like me. But come on, check out these sick phones!

Turquoise!!!

If I keep this up I'll be broke by the fall - but I'll look so coooooooooooool.

On a less superficial note, I've been pretty slow to get started on my art journal for Tell Your Story. The self-doubt that usually plagues me when I first start a project is starting to get to me, but I really want to power through and get things moving. I feel like I'm bursting with ideas but I have to make sure I don't let my perfectionism bog me down. I'm hoping to dive into it this weekend and I plan on posting a lot of it here, so watch this space!

What's Your Favorite?

Another list, this time borrowed from the lovely Leigh-Ann at Freckled Nest. In other news, my Tell Your Story art journal course is fast approaching and I can already tell it's gonna be inspiring. Better get my pencils sharpened - class starts Monday!

1. Favorite hobby?


2. Favorite TV show?

3. Favorite restaurant food?


4. Favorite thing to shop for?

5. Favorite animal?

6. Favorite song?

{maybe not my all-time fave, but I sure am feeling this one right now}

7. Favorite word?

8. Recent favorite YouTube video?

9. Favorite movie?


{These are both the best!}

10. Favorite childhood memory?

Sleepovers!

Most images from weheartit. Anything else unaccounted for I stupidly forgot to source.

What are your faves?

Five Things

My pal Rachael recently posted a fun meme on her lovely blog, which I felt inspired to pass along. Here are five weird things you may not know (or want to know) about me...


There are definitely weirder things I could have added, especially involving my OCD-like food tendencies (they get a lot worst than Smarties!), but I suppose these will do. I'll be back later with more normal things, but until then why don't you head on over to Rachael's blog Hello Earth Art and check out her Green Thursday DIY. Great stuff!