April 30, 2014

Jamie

It was great to get together for stART yesterday! I can't believe what a joy these books, pens and drawing has been for me recently! With so much on my mind and my plate, drawing leaves and flowers and mushrooms and circles, LOL, has been just the meditation I need.

Shannon
I could have saved this for a Random pic but I couldn't wait! I was trying to take a pic of something on my compute, but this one was when...well, when nothing was on the screen yet! I think it's a fun one and I hope it isn't too creepy!

Suzie

Here are the cupcakes I was talking about in stART and how I used my crocheted placemat as part of the photo. Oh and how I am adding text and a watermark to my images. I love using my own crochet in the photo and am going to keep doing that if I can.

April 29, 2014

Jamie 

Yesterday I wrapped up the new dreamboard workshop for the Full Flower Moon. I was suddenly inspired to make these tissue paper flowers. I just love them! They totally look like peonies. I haven't made them since I was a girl and they were just as much fun as I remember!

Shannon
I really enjoyed watching Cold Water Cowboys, a non fiction show on Discovery that followed fishermen out of Newfoundland. The first season wrapped up on the weekend, and I looked forward to each episode. The people were so real, they worked really hard and it gave it their all. And the scenery was so beautiful, be it of the water, the lad or the sky! I've never seen as many stars as they could show in a night shot. Wow. And of course there was tons of fish! I really hope it gets renewed, would love to see how everyone does next season.

April 28, 2014

Jamie  

It was great to see Dad this weekend. He took us through his wonderful Greece trip and then took us out to dinner. I love how Shannon and Dad's plaid matches! And the smile too!

 

Shannon
With my recent book-research obsession, it's really odd that the book I just finished wasn't on any of my own lists and I can't say I enjoyed and would be hard pressed to recommend. And then when I did look it up, I found out it has received high acclaim, multiple awards and short listed for others. I'm totally at odds with the book, and it feels very strange.

Suzie

Well we both did it. Reg and I overdid it. By the time I finished putting the last coat on the outdoor furniture (I had to, it's going to rain for days) I could barely stand, my legs and back were so bad. Reg threw out his back helping a friend move and then move stuff around the house. I feel like the house is only half done but we're meeting with the real estate agent. This is so much harder than just moving, I can't believe it. Now I know why people refuse to stage their home.

Random Pic: April 27, 2014

Jamie 

Back in 2008 Justin and I had a great time exploring Montreal. I'm really excited that we've very spontaneously decided to have a new adventure in Quebec City next month! I hope the weather will be kind to us!

Shannon
This one is a random pic as I took it for a screen cap for a vlog that won't likely go up. For ages I've wanted to do some wrap up stuff with TV shows that had finale'd. It's been on my to do list for ages and I finally recorded them but the audio didn't work on one and the other was really long so neither really worked. Not sure where to go from here, as I don't want to re-record them. I do think I wanted to close up my thoughts on them, so perhaps doing that another way would be better.

April 26, 2014

Shannon
Homemade soup time! It's been a while since I've made it but it was a treat to put together the yummy goodness :)

Suzie

Reg and I went yet again with a car full of donations to the thrift store and this time it was actually open! It usually closes at 2 pm so we have never been there when it's open. I really wanted to go inside and finally see it and there was a nutcracker Sponge Bob waiting to say hello. It was also the first day that we had major progress with getting the house ready. It's finally starting to come together!

April 25, 2014

Jamie

It's too bad this picture turned out so fuzzy! I snapped it before stepping into guitar class last night. I just loved this picture that someone used to decorate their locker at the conservatory.

Shannon
Bad Kitty! So relaxed, and on top of not only the computer but my headset too! Meh!

Suzie

It wasn't until I finished painting the wall and it started to dry that I realized the colour dried darker than when it goes up. Ended up having to paint the whole lower half of the den which was hell.

April 24, 2014

Jamie

I went out for blood tests yesterday and walked by this store with an amazing array of tulips! It's funny because Shannon and I were just talking about how tulips seem to offer an infinite array of beauty and colour! (And even more amazing now that I can see what she's posted for today too, hehe)

Shannon
This tulips make me smile so much, I love the colours and I love to watch them open a little bit more every day, Big thank you to Jamie for them :)

Suzie

Yesterday was a rough day.

April 23, 2014

Jamie 

After quite a long hiatus, I'm back to doing interviews for the podcast. I had a great time chatting with my friend Jennifer Lee about her new book, Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way. It was awesome because the book arrived just as I was about to chat with her! Great timing.

 

Shannon
Tuesdays feel like they are becoming vlogging days. It's so funny, because I used to feel pretty strongly about not recording more than 1 at a time, but now I really like having a few done so I can post them throughout the week. So odd how things like that can change!

Suzie

What a crazy day! Bought a slip cover for our old stained couch, the final touch (a small vase) for the basement bathroom and started sanding the deck furniture so I can paint it robin's egg blue-y green. Oh and removed stains for our carpets. Ugh! Can't wait to have a life again.

April 22, 2014

Jamie

And the drawing obsession continues! I had so much fun scanning this and then adding colour with Gimp. So many new things to explore!

Shannon
Monday still felt like the weekend a bit, and part of what I did this weekend was clean up a bit and get my VCR out, up and working. It's funny that I'm now already used to looking at it simply for the time, which of course is totally fuzzy in this picture!

Suzie

Reg has really gotten inspired about the house and we got him a new desk (see right) for such a deal at Staples to replace the monster desk (see left). It has already opened up the room in a huge way and I can almost get to painting it. If I didn't know better I would say that apartment hunting is going to be a vacation in comparison to all this. But I do know better.

April 21, 2014

Jamie 

A 30% off coupon had us searching for treasures this weekend. I had to laugh when I looked at my cart and saw so clearly my current palette. It reminds me of stones.

Shannon
VV time! These are the items I got that didn't require hemming, hehe. I am really happy to have a tree book version of Le Morte D'Arthur, even if it is HUGE. And the chapter/story titles are so long and descriptive I feel like I might understand it better if I just read those rather than get confused about the actual text of the stories!

Suzie

I added a light white wash to the top layer and then added some white to the edges and now the mirror is perfect. Reg thinks it might be a little too unusual for people coming into the house but he loves it now too. We needed something for this big spot, I just hope it isn't too much. It didn't even occur to me when I saw it, I loved it immediately so I am taking that as a good sign.

Random Pic: April 20, 2014

Jamie 

As I was looking at my photos, I saw the folder for "A Day in the Life" 2004! This is where I was ten years ago. I'm still drinking from the same coffee mug (tucked behind the reference books) and that picture of Jinx and the hanging picture are in our living room. Other than that, everything's changed. Omg, does this mean we've been blogging for 10 years?!

 

Shannon
Nothing says random like a cat pic, especially a sneaky one in between laundry loads on the bed one!

Suzie

Reg and I FINALLY found a piece for the front hall area to be a focal point. I am going to add highlights to it so it stands out a bit more. I just wanted a photo of Reg carrying it to the car door when it turned into an accidental self-portrait!

April 19, 2014

Jamie 

Taking Friday off was such a gift. It even gave Shannon and I time to do some art and complete our most recent Life Book class. I got a lot out of the class and am so pleased with the final result. Something to share for the next stART!

 

Shannon
Art Day goodness! I love taking pictures throughout the process, as sometimes after the fact it's hard to remember some of the stages - like this one, which I quite like. It's also really odd because I keep thinking that I'm not a super fan of doing backgrounds, but then when I do them... it's usually pretty fun!

Suzie

Another day hard at work on the house. Once the little library next door is ready, I'll be moving my office over there and turning this room into a bedroom. Every day a little bit closer.

April 18, 2014

Jamie

So that I could take the long weekend, I made an early start on the newsletter. This week I wrote about being vulnerable and so just had to share this book by Brene Brown, who speaks to the power and importance of vulnerability so well.

Shannon
It was great to get out and journal a bit, I really want to get back to this as a very regular habit. The nanimo bar ...well, that should done with less regularity! I think I'm still on a sugar high from it!

Suzie

It was a crazy-cold walk all the way to my thrift store but I did it! :) I only found one shirt but got a couple of house ware items I'm excited about. Took myself out for a bite too. I was exhausted when I got home, maybe pushed it too far, but it was worth it.

April 17, 2014

Jamie

Yesterday I went to my first every Kundalini yoga class. It was really interesting. It was a bit of a drag that I got there half an hour early though - ack! So I thought I'd go for a walk and thought, hey, I've got my camera. And then the batteries died - ack! But I still had my phone so I could capture the sad sight of a little monkey lost in the cold.

Shannon
Tea Time :)

Suzie

I took this photo right after stART. Even though my crafts is officially closed, I smiled because no matter where I am with my desk and laptop, it will be an artsy, craftsy and slightly weird space. Healing is awesome.

April 16, 2014

Jamie

After a 20-degree day it is really weird to wake up and see snow! I love what Tanya wrote on Facebook - Did you hear that? It's the sound of thousands of Torontonians muttering expletives this morning. You could just feel it! I hope the tender shoots of green I discovered in the garden this weekend will be okay.

Shannon
Just when we thought winter was done…..

Suzie

We are putting the finishing touches up in the bathroom. I really wanted to go for a spa feel, hence the "morning rain" grey paint and the stainless steel light plates. Make it more modern to boot. We are so close to having the upstairs bathroom finished. It would be nice to have one room completely done. Just have to figure out how to put up the cabinet back up!

April 15, 2014

Jamie 

What has that line drawing class done to me?! I have been obsessively interested in doodling, drawing, exploring. It's the  perfect meditative practice and draws on all the things I always found appealing about 2D. I'm officially hooked. (PS Sorry if this is a stART spoiler)

Shannon
After a few weeks of a lot of shows taking time off, this week it looks like EVERYTHING is back. Take that March Madness! And as such, I realized I'm watching almost ALL of the shows on The CW, including Star-Crossed (picture) which might be my favourite of the new shows this mid-season.

Suzie

I managed to get out for a walk with Reg yesterday despite wicket insomnia continuing to plague me. This photo is of a poster in a pet store window but you can also see the parking lot in the reflection. I thought the poster was adorable and had no idea that it would look like this when I took it.

April 14, 2014

Jamie 

Yesterday Justin and I spent some time cleaning up the backyard. It's still massively covered with leaves and we even have a big hunk of ice still holding ground! Amazingly, as we carried out twigs and swept away leaves there were little signs of life. This time of year always fills me with hope and delight! I'm worried though because apparently we have one more snow potentially coming! I hope these tender shoots will be okay.

Shannon
I'm starting to get back into some normalcy after a really draining week, and as part of that I recorded Before the Dawn with Marina - fun times!! We actually recorded via Google Hangouts and if it stays stable we will probably do a show live!

Suzie

This is what I did end up buying at Value Village. I have wanted a peach Old Navy sweatshirt for a long time. Also, I finally found a silver version of the wedding shoes I wore. I ended up donating my gold shoes a while ago. These are the shoes I wanted for that day and now I have them. I also bought the cutest little pot. It felt very French to me and I could have used it the other day when making Nutella ganache. Only $1! Overall, a pretty successful shop.

Random Pic: April 13, 2014

Jamie

With all of the painting that we've been doing, I've been paying attention to what I most need to complete my studio set up. I felt like palettes and water containers. I decided to get some simple reusable containers to serve that purpose and also made a video about this $10 art infusion. Lol, these days every time I do something I want to do a video about it :)

Shannon
Random pick is Netflix's random recommends. Although I do plan on watching this recommend of Red State, I didn't think it would be a recommend from watching the dark comedy The Guard (which I *highly* recommend). I wonder if after I see it, I'll understand the recommendation more.

Suzie

Was at Value Village with a friend yesterday and fell in love with this hoodie. It was too small! I thought thought it was funny. There were horns on the hoodie.