12/27/2012

'cause I'm in love, so old, put your flowers down it's too cold, with the sun on my back it's a nice day

North Vancouver, Capilano suspension bridge, British Columbia

Chelsea and me

Me, Victoria and Emily at the Foundation on my 22nd birthday

In the land of pink flamingos, at the Rumpus Room in Vancouver. Taken by my friend Amber

Nachos at The Foundation in Vancouver that look kind of gross but were spectacular

Me and Tylor on the beach in Stanley Park at night

Carousel at the Vancouver Christmas Market

Me and Chelsea at a party the night before my birthday

Fruit soaps at the Vancouver Christmas Market

Kim and Chelsea at the Legion

12/23/2012

well way up north where the air gets cold, there's a tale about Christmas that you've all been told, and a real famous cat all dressed up in red

Here are some of my favourite images I've collected online this year to get excited for Christmas and to give me some inspiration for decorating, presents, etc.



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Christmas has been all about vintage and kitsch: aluminium trees, white trees,
pink trees; brightly coloured ornaments, Polonaise ornaments especially;
bottlebrush trees, miniature trees, terraniums; miniature figurines, miniature
houses and churches, miniature animals; pastel and pink colour palettes;
wreaths made of anything but the classic pine (old ornaments, light bulbs)
and lots of DIY creations. This year I learned more about the classic German
Christmas and now I'm really into mushrooms ornaments and decorations,
as well as pickle ornaments. Another tradition I learned about is shelf elves
which is when you have an elf doll of some sort and the parents are to place
it in a different spot every day around the house, sometimes even setting it
up in funny positions or strange places. The whole point is that you tell the
kids the elf is reporting back to Santa and therefore is kind of watching them
at all times. Especially if you move it every day they really believe it's moving on
its own at night time or whatever and it encourages them to be on their best
behaviour. Some people think it's kind of mean, but really it's no different than
the whole story and theory of Santa Claus that all kids are taught "he sees you
when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake", really it's no more of a "lie"
than most traditions of Christmas and I think it's absolutely genius. I haven't
made too many crafts this season but I definitely have  a lot of ideas after
spending so much time on Pinterest and Google images.


Here are some pictures I've taken:



German nutcrackers at the Vancouver Christmas Market

Mushroom ornaments for good health and a reverence for nature

The pickle ornament origin



My first Polonaise cat ornament from the German Christmas Market in Vancouver

Second Polonaise cat ornament that my mom bought for me at Winners

Clothing store on Main with cute trees in their window displays



Knitted mushroom and other ornaments from the Christmas Market in Toronto

My dog Maddie wearing her snowflake "collar"

My dog Speck wearing his Christmas bandana

A Mickey ornament on our tree

Yum

Ice cream ornament on a white fluffy tree from the store Bowring

Banana split ornament

More ice cream ornaments that I really wanted but were all very expensive

12/12/2012

Just about everyone in my family has an obsession with collecting junk. Of course, to us it isn't junk- it's collectibles, figurines, decorations, antiques, and toys. My mom has a large collection of vintage tins, Coca-Cola products, cups/mugs/dishware/utensils/tea cups etc. (mostly vintage), as well as just about anything Mickey Mouse. My dad collects comic books and comic book paraphernalia (mostly if not all Marvel), he used to collect Toronto Blue Jays stuff (which is now nearly all vintage), and anything Budweiser (his favourite beer). My brother has always had impressive collections of books, cds, comics, graphic novels, movies, and more recently zines. My grandma collects bells and spoons, and my weaknesses are porcelain cats, glass pop bottles, and dream catchers.

Everyone has these kind of things around their homes, that really serve no purpose whatsoever. It's just nice to have "stuff". I love displaying it all out on shelves and table tops, and I don't have much order or organization. I've found that the kitschy look is usually what I'm going for. Depending on what you've got to showcase, though, there are ways to keep your things organized and displayed neatly. Afterall, what's the point in having all this crap if no one even sees it?

My whole life, we have always had printers drawers in our home. I think we've always had two, and they haven't changed much since I was little except we are always adding on to them. I haven't really seen too many other people who have them in their homes, and in case you aren't sure what a printers drawer is, here are some pictures!



Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68499916@N00/3571957418/

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbarnholtz/5528089350/






Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-vintage-cottage/4432632686/



All they are, is shelves for the walls with tiny compartments to fit all the smaller knick knacks and things that would probably get lost if they were placed anywhere else. Usually made out of wood, or at least the ones we own are, they just serve as a spot to showcase whatever you want to. Common things people place in them are; small toys, figurines, jewellery, buttons, ornaments etc. Any old Barbie clothes or props we had from when we were kids are now in the printers drawer as well as things from dollhouses. Basically anything miniature is perfect for a printers drawer. I really don't know why me and my mom especially have such a liking for tiny things, but we've accumulated a lot over the years and it's a good thing we have a proper spot for it all.


Printers drawer in our living room


Close ups; a miniature bow, little yellow thing for playing .45 records
eiffel tower charm, Much Music pin, little apple and old candy wrappers


Tiny diapers, Corn Flakes, milk, Tabasco sauce, bags of flour, apple juice,
ketchup bottles, rolling pins, eggs in a basket, Coca Cola, combs, spiders,
baby's bottle, ice cream erasers, Winnie the Pooh stamps and tiny gum



More Japanese fruit erasers, old candy wrappers, tiny paper bag of Budweiser beer,
small toy cars, tiny Brillo box, miniature tea set, tiny Tupperware and Barbie shoes


In our family room


A thimble, a tiny set of tools, a cool cigarette pack, Homer Simpson pez
dispenser, crystal rock, Harley Davidson cigarettes, small chinese checkers
set, tiny Monopoly game, a lantern, and more Simpsons figurines


Pieces from Monopoly, porcelain cats, small picture
frame with me my sis and bro, tiny Xmas fireplace scene, miniature
film roll, tiny dartboard, small Christmas present and you can hardly tell
in this picture but there is a small bundle of cat whiskers saved there too,
small boxing gloves, Spiderman and Pebbles Popeye candy sticks,
tiny tiny Beetlejuice doll, more porcelain cats, a wishbone, tiny old lady hat,
tiny cash register, rocking chair, and Budweiser beer bottle


Small wooden milk jugs, Paddington bear toys, troll doll, army man, Coleman lantern
keychain, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves matchboxes, bubblegum pin,
mini statue of liberty, tragedy and comedy masks, tiny books (some of which open)
a Womble from England, small can of motor oil, another little bubblegum figurine,
Charlie Brown, tiny wooden clock, tiny red bike, little wooden school desk,
and a wooden C block