half-assed organization

I'm not that great at being organized. I have left the house without my keys, left my wallet at home only to realize that fact in line at the market, and my desk is a mess. I'm always jealous of those people who have organization coursing through their blood. Look at the lovely Pink Loves Brown and her beautiful office space. Am I jealous? Of course!


I grabbed the 2 photos above from the Pink Loves Brown flickr photostream, but you can read all about her home/office decorating projects on her blog, Making it Lovely.

As for our own home office, my side of the room has always been a bit disorganized. But last night I tidied up my desk (finally) and decided to take a photo since it's not going to last. We still have a lot to do with our space, but we did hang shelves last weekend and got rid of a lot of clutter. See evidence below. When we head down to Belling ham next weekend, I plan on picking up a shoe organizer (see above) to help me organize my cards that I sell on etsy. That purchase alone will make things so much better, I'm sure of it.

i heart weekends

It's been a lovely week with sunshine and crisp wintery weather every day. I wear scarves and striped gloves and I feel cozy and warm. It's perfect! As lovely as this past week was, the weekend is even better. On Friday (not quite the weekend, but so so close), I had a very successful thrifting outing and bought some very pretty plates and a couple of super vintage awesome cookbooks. I also went online and purchased a new 24" iMac cuz it was on sale! eek! The evening was spent eating a very simple boiled dinner and watching Superbad which was hilarious and kept us laughing pretty much non-stop.


On Saturday we walked to the VAG and saw the most amazing videos by Mark Lewis and some really great photography by Roy Arden and others. We skipped the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit because I can't look at her work without getting 80's flashbacks. In the evening, I hung out with friends and watched a great documentary, ate vegan cookies and drank tea. It was a quiet evening with a couple of girl friends and lots of chitchat.


Today I wandered about the neighbourhood and popped into the I heart Crafts bazaar. I didn't end up buying anything but ran into some friends who I haven't seen in a while. I did end up taking a few photos around the neighbourhood...because it's really nice to have sunny days in November. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way for a long, long time.

bellingham bound

Next weekend I'll be taking a little road trip with some friends into Bellingham, with the required stops at Casa Que Pasa, The Old Town Cafe, the antique mall, Value Village and of course, Target. And Trader Joe's. So what I'm looking here is for a little help! What are some must have Trader Joe's items? I've also had some let-down Trader Joe's items in the past, so I want some TJ sure things. Also how is the Boots No. 7 line at Target? Awesome or not worth it? Any other interesting Target items? I hate wandering around aimlessly and it's good to have a plan before I set into the scary lights of Target. Gimme gimme!

belgium love

On the weekend I took a trip to the Gourmet Warehouse and came back with a taste of Europe, liege waffles! I was so excited to find some frozen ones locally made from Patisserie LeBeau. I had heard about all the waffles available at the bakery, but haven't made time to cross town to visit. So when I saw these in the freezer case, I snapped them up and this morning, Cornelius and I had them for breakfast. No whipped cream, syrup or berries needed. The liege waffle is pure goodness, no additives required.

The only thing that would have been better is if they were fresh off a cart in Brussles. Yum.

hump day

My new holiday cards were featured over at one of my favorite blogs, Poppytalk as part of Jan's 2007 Holiday Card round-up! There's lots of great cards featured, including this rum & eggnog card over at pinecone + chickadee. Awesome.

It's a busy week. Not only do I have my own design work to attend to, I'm putting on my corporate graphic designer suit and working in a real office for somebody else. I'm covering for my old collegues since someone is out for vacation this week. I don't mind it too much. It means coffee breaks and socializing which is always okay by me. Luckily, my commute is pretty good...I've decided to walk to work rather than bike it. I turn up my iPod loud and I walk really speedy and make it to the center of the corporate office universe in about 25 minutes, door-to-door. And hey, it's almost Friday! Whoop.

new holiday cards

I've got new holiday cards in my shop...finally! I'm really happy with the design...just a little bit modern and a little bit retro. Perfect for the modern human!

Available in a set of 6 or in singles. Pick up a set today!

shopping finds

Hard-core shopping season is gearing down on us and I've decided to share some of my favorites!

Vintage chickens from Sidedish

Vintage tray from Day-Lab.com

Vintage bowling pin from HappyDashery

Deer Man by Melabo

Jointed paper doll from Wool and Water

amy sedaris

I ♥ Amy Sedaris. If you don't already have her amazing book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, then buy it now or put it on your Christmas wishlist already! Design Sponge had a great link this week to Amy's awesome apartment which will be featured in December's House & Garden magazine. I just love all her thrift store finds and how she's put everything together. I guess it's not wrong of me to want more things for our place afterall! More is more!

oh happy day!

Oh hey look, there are my O Basics clad legs! Yup, I've got calves of steel!!

I got my Sock Dreams order in a couple of days ago (such fast shipping!) and I couldn't be happier. Actually, I wasn't so happy with the Nubs tights I had ordered because when I tried them on, the crotch sat way too low to make them wearable. The site claimes that they should be good for those up to 6'...but I'm 5'9" and I'm thinking their recommendations are way too generous. 5'6" or 5'7" tops! But when I contacted the company, they let me do a refund since apparently a bunch of other shoppers were having the same problem I was. Phew! So not only does that mean, I'll be getting store credit, it also means because of the great customer service from Sock Dreams, I'll be ordering a lot more from them in the future. And hey look, the O Basics should be back in stock in all kinds of fun colours any day now. Hooray!


My mailbox was also happy today because in it was the new 2008 Nikki McClure calendar, Things to Make and Do. Lovely!!

Wow, shopping can really make me happy.

couch surfing

We're on the lookout for a new couch. Our couch above is sagging and losing springs and just turning into a pile of mush. I've been surfing craigslist every few days and today found this ad.


Oh my! Is this the couch and chair of my dreams? Is it too fancy be comfortable? It's also more than I'm willing to pay, but....it does include delivery! Hmmmm...

morning

It's chilly and overcast...rain may or may not happen. This morning required hot oatmeal. Cornelius likes to add bananas to his bowl. Besides, banana eating and working , Cornelius also got his hair cut at a new-ish salon in Strathcona called Mange. Yup, Mange. It makes me smile. His hair looks great, the cut was affordable and he was privy to all the local Strathcona gossip. Need a new do? Visit Mange on Princess between East Hastings and East Pender.

waiting for paint to dry

I just finished the 2nd and final coat of oil paint on my dresser. Yesterday I felt really woozy and I feel the same today. Even painting outdoors didn't help things. Oil paint reeks. Yesterday before I started painting, I was thinking of repainting some wooden chairs that I have as well with yellow paint. Now, after all this wooziness, I'm rethinking that plan.