Life Plans

I’m happiest when my life plans are ‘cast in iron’. This harmony, has recently been interrupted. I know what my strong points are, yet I’m usually unwilling to share them. This post is to kick-start me into documenting my personal development and growth, as a graphic designer and writer. So, I’m accountable for me….right? Right then!

I’ve been painting, drawing and making all sorts of artsy projects since I was old enough to hold a crayon. My sister used to refer to my career as “colouring all day. I wish! Here’s the thing… after I finished art school and started working as a studio/layout/production artist, I stopped designing anything that wasn’t for work. Once I was in that mode, it was difficult for me to trust my judgment and create personal work without a client to approve, or critique it.

I’m very excited to present my first design after a long artistic drought. Rendered in Photoshop, I began by typing out my favourite quote from Confucius. I sourced the vintage botanical image from thegraphicsfairy.com. By implementing various painting, layering and masking techniques in Photoshop, I created an inspirational typography poster.

Creative iPhone Photos

Yeah, so I kinda thought I had to get this snazzy DSLR and take photography courses to take great photos. Right. Take a look at these super creative photos – taken with an iPhone by Brock Davis. Genius at large…

funeral for a week-old egg roll

grape dog

snowman noses

lint roller with lint mustache

  ninja knee

parsley on apple / tree on hill

sad shoe

chopstick pants

mint match

To 2014 and new beginnings

It’s been a while since my last post and I feel like it is time to wrap things up and move forward into 2014. So, this is the end of my blog for now and the beginning of new ventures. I want to create my own content and I’ll never be satisfied until I am able to do so. It’s time to pick up a camera and put my paintbrush to paper. Time to stop putting things on hold and put them in motion. I wish you all a happy, healthy and successful New Year!

source

Contemplation of a still life

I do so love these contemplative still life shots by Luisa Brimble, a Sydney based freelance photographer. Casual yet full of warmth, they capture the simplicity one feels within the home. Lovely.

Are “Docs” my new drug?

I bought my very first pair of Dr. Martens this weekend. The Orla Wingtip Mary Jane’s. I was walking around the Canadian National Exhibition and my feet were already sore when I tried these babies on. WOW. I’ve always heard how comfortable Docs are but of course I have size 10 D-width (platypus-sized) feet so… really, I never thought of them as an option. Wrong! Oh, they are wide and sturdy and slip resistant and there is a cushion-like sole inside and if I click my heels three times they just might take me home!

So, I tossed my sandals into my bag and walked in these for three hours! I don’t recommend wearing them for that long without socks because the leather on these shoes needs breaking in and I got a very small blister. BUT. My feet weren’t sore. My toes weren’t cramped. I still looked stylish. I might have a new addiction. Uh oh.

Dr. Marten street style at The Satorialist

Quella Collection | Vintage Treasures

Even though it feels like 35 degrees outside, I’ve been pondering my fall wardrobe. Do you ever open up your closet that is jam packed with clothes and think to yourself, “I have nothing to wear”. Yup. I feel like I need to get myself together and rethink what I purchase in the future. It’s time to wear grown up clothes!

These luxury statement pieces form the Quella Collection by designer Rebecca Tilley, are so stunning. The clothes are like the cake and the jewels are like the frosting – and who doesn’t love the frosting on cake…. really? I want them all!

I’m inspired to pare down my wardrobe with simple, classic pieces and accessorize more to make an impact. Bold jewellery like this is timeless and it can even be paired with a crisp, white shirt and jeans. Effortless style. Maybe if I lived in Tuscany… hmmmm.

images via

Enjoy the moment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s getting hot and humid again and even though it’s dark at 9 pm, I still feel like summer’s in full swing. These are the lazy, hazy days of late summer. A time to enjoy the moment. Take your cue from Man’s Best Friend.

 

Clockwise from top left: montanasweetpea.tumblr, wildexpeditions.tumblr.com,
handcraftedinvirginia.tumblr.com, pinterest.com

Summer work week

H&M Home

I just checked out the H&M Home collection. The previously online-in-Europe-only home collections became available online for the US market this spring.

I am a little hopeful because once something comes to the USA, it’s only a short matter of time before it comes across the border to Canada. Oh… why do we always have to wait so long?

I love a lot of the decor in the photos and the prices are reasonable. The textiles look gorgeous but I’m still old school, meaning I have to see and touch the actual product I want to purchase. I’m all about quality, and I can’t be bothered returning things so please H&M Home… come to a store near me soon! How long do I hafta wait???

OK, so really, how cute/ugly is that cat pillow? Soooo cute/ugly!

My fashion superhero

Yes, yes, yes!!! Look at my new fashion superhero – heroine?  Nicolette Mason.

I love little lacy white dresses but it is the one fashion piece that I also avoid like the plague. Why? Because I always assumed white dresses were for those size 0, small boned waif-like girls who eat Splenda for lunch. I on the other hand, am curvy like my new superhero, as shown here. And doesn’t she look lovely in this dress?

I’m also afraid that my big boned shoulders will make me look like a line backer packed into a baby doll’s dress! Yeah… gotta cover the shoulders in something this delicate, but that’s just my insecurity screaming at me. Or, that I would look kind of like a humungo wedding cake topper…. it’s not a good thing.

This look works for me because of the chunky jewellery, black jacket, boots and belt add a rocker chic vibe. The neon bag makes this ensemble less ho-hum – a fresh pop of colour – right on trend. And my shoulders would be hidden from sight! This look would transition nicely from summer to fall and now that there are so many sales…. well, I’ll just have to go shopping!