summer goals

last week, i stumbled upon this blog dedicated to summer goals by Anne Parker and Christie Maclean. after ooh-ing and ah-ing over the beautiful photos that so perfectly capture my nostalgia for summers gone by and my current daydreams for the summer ahead,  i realized the site had been turned into a book by the same name. so, of course, i ordered it. it has yet to arrive, but until then i hope these photos from their site make you as excited for summer as they made me. i plan to share photos of my own summer on here this year, including a little road trip to the painted hills (seen in the first photo below) and many happy, quiet moments in the sunshine.

what are your summer goals?

paper loves

  

 by Caitlin Keegan and found at Reform School

a battle cry for Reform School, and maybe for me, too.

 

by Andrew Lyons



lunar calendar from Shop Anaise



le petit prince moleskine



inspiration nation: Nadinoo and Herriott Grace

i'm finding myself in the process of working on several projects right now, which can be the toughest part of getting stuff done. the initial excitement of starting something has faded a bit, but that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when a project is completed is nowhere to be found either. this is when it's easy to give up, call it a day, and walk away from the whole thing, right? at a time like this, only the beautiful work of others can help, so here are a couple of my recent favourites. please feel free to swoon with me.

Nadinoo: ever since a friend introduced me to this clothing line a couple years ago, i haven't been able to get enough. i have saved up to buy a few of my favourite items, but it is so tough to choose because i basically want them all. please check out Nadinoo's gorgeous video "Sounds of the Woods" to enjoy some of her most recent collection. you're going to be hooked, don't say i didn't warn you.

Herriott Grace: not only does Herriott Grace make items out of wood and ceramics that will knock your socks off, but she has the prettiest blog, too. i mean, check out this post about ice cream clouds! i love the idea, now, and child me would've definitely flipped her lid over this one.

it is surely no coincidence that both of the blogs linked in this post have serene and beautiful pictures of their respective countrysides. i feel like i can smell the grass and mud in them! i think that means that i'll have to make my way to my own nearby countryside as soon as the ground begins to thaw, and maybe take pictures of my own.

looking for the sun

it's been a while since i've seen the sun, so i went looking for it. 

still from video for undertow by Warpaint



prints from satsuki shibuya

photos from Tec Petaja's beautiful blog

trees in Croatia, taken by me

getting cozy

 

a couple of months ago, myself and a few friends sort of accidentally started a learning annex of sorts. we called it CLA, which stood for Cabbagetown, Corrina, Cote de Nord, and Concord, respectively. each of these names represent the houses of CLA members, which is where we get together to teach each other skills or try new things together. it involves a lot of snacks, trying a new art or craft, and sometimes a recipe for something that we can't resist trying to make. to catch you up, at our first meeting we made this pretty insane crème brûlée french toast from Smitten Kitchen, and received a knitting lesson from our ever patient resident expert, Tallulah. this past Sunday we got together again, and made these equally insane (but DELICIOUS) cookies. marshmallows and chocolate have special powers over me and i live with a real life cookie monster, so i may have taken to hiding my share of our creation when i brought them home. no judgement, please.

aside from hoarding cookies and learning new stitches for knitting this weekend, i also made the best of these sunny winter afternoons by going for walks in the sun, cozying up with the latest beautiful issue of Kinfolk Magazine, and baking Chocolate Fondant and Mexican Wedding Cookies. i also started to work on the very beginnings of my fist woodworking project, which will be a toolbox, and this simple and amazing bench only has me dreaming of future projects.

starting at the beginning

my usual approach to dealing with the winter blues is to head indoors, re-watch my favourite tv shows, eat comfort food and wait for it to pass me by while cursing myself for yet again failing to plan a hot destination escape in February. i get a little lazier, a little less productive, but a little better at baking. in fact, my most recent attempt was at these chocolate macarons for a friend's wedding.

this year i'm doing things a little differently, and i'm keeping myself active while trying some new things. i've started taking a woodworking course, a ceramics class, and this last weekend i was even lucky enough to help out with falconwright's new online shop, that just so happened to open this week(!), by being in photos for their lookbook. Sandi, Danielle and Tim did such a great job at making everything look so warm and pretty. i love taking photos, so the idea of being in front of a camera was a little nerve wracking, but it really was a fun afternoon with some great friends and i got to wear other peoples' lovely clothes. who could complain?

the quiet after the end of the year storm: my winter holidays in snapshots

 

visiting peterborough.



somewhere between Chatham and Toronto.

my new meow tote, from the kind folks at fieldguided .



finally working on my first knitting project.



this guy was so tough.

2011 was very good to me. i went to a few places in Europe and saw things like this, this and this with some of my most favourite people, including my partner in adventure and relaxation, Matt. i joined a softball team and conquered my fear of getting hit in the face with a high flying ball. i went back to school for Linguistics and to finally get crackin' on that elusive university degree. i signed up for weaving, woodworking and ceramics classes. i got a new bicycle, which i proudly named Pepsi. and i only got one (!) haircut. 2012 has some big shoes to fill.