Currently | the holiday homestretch

a pic from an october training session

Watching: Nothing right at the moment. I am very much looking forward to watching Dexter later on tonight though. I won't spoil it for you, but the past few episodes have been picking up. Shit is gonna go down very soon and I can't wait to see how it will play out.

I've also started watching the Mindy Project (Canadian friends can watch here!) and am hooked. Mindy Kaling (aka Kelly Kapoor from the Office) plays a bubbly, ditzy private-practice gyno living the single life. To be honest, the first few episodes are not so great. Stick it out though! Episode 4-6 are laugh-out-loud funny - this coming from a girl who rarely laughs during TV shows. I rewound the opening scene of episode 7 an embarrassing amount of times. Even D watched a few episodes with my friend, C & I.

Listening to: All Ellie Goulding, all the time. I can't help myself. Her new album, Halcyon, is really, really good. Figure 8 is the best song on the album, I think, with Hanging On (ft. Tinie Tempah) a close second. I like the tone of her voice and how she uses it as an instrument in many of her songs.

I'm also enjoying Nicki Minaj & Cassie's new collaboration Boys. It makes me want to get my ass back to hip-hop class.

Planning: Christmas gifts! I love shopping for other people, more than I like shopping for myself. Today I took advantage of my lunch break to pick up a few things for my sister downtown. I have my mom & brother left to buy for and then I'm done.

My favorite part of the gift-giving is wrapping. I miss working in retail for that very reason. I once wrapped 100 ornaments in one day - and loved every second of it. Anyone need help wrapping? Haha. This year I'm going to do kraft paper wrap with gold glitter tags & teal ribbon to tie in with my decorations. No one notices these things, but I do it just for myself!

Thinking about: Work stuff. There are some pretty big changes going on right now and I'm trying to tie up loose ends before our last day of 2012. Lots to do, but it makes the days go by quickly. I can't complain.
 
Reading: In The Falling Snow by Caryl Phillips, a novel on race, family and love set in Britain. I'm not quite a quarter of the way through but I'm invested in the main character already. In the most recent chapter, the protagonist is asked to take a leave of absence from his job in the public sector. He put an end to a romantic fling with one of his employees and as a result, she forwarded all of their personal (ie. explicit) emails to everyone in their department. I now realize that this makes it sound like a cheap romance novel, but it's not at all. The novel serves to examine the complexities of interracial relationships and how they can test familial loyalties.

Making me happy: Being cozy. Now is the time of year when I crave comfort. Give me a meatpie & some wool socks and I'm set. I spent last Saturday night curled up on the couch with my Christmas pajamas on, S'mores hot chocolate in a tree mug, a fluffy blanket, my dog at my feet and some candles. It was so relaxing, just what I needed.

There is nothing I love more than coming home on a rainy/snowy blustery night and putting on some warm sweats or leggings and cozying up on the couch. As much as I say summer is my favorite season, I love the Fall/Winter, before it gets too cold. Just chilly enough to make me appreciate my nice, warm bed and a hot drink.

What have you been up to lately? Have you been enjoying any snuggly nights at home?

Thanks to Danielle @ Sometimes Sweet & Megan @ meganislove for the post idea!

details : from a cozy home in the country

I'm in the country. Today is Remembrance Day and tomorrow is a holiday so we packed up and came to the Musqodoboit Valley for the long weekend. So far we've trudged through the swampy yard (thank goodness my "MIL"reminded me to bring rubber boots!), raked some leaves, watched a raptors game and ate chili.

Here are some details from around their home.

We'll be off soon to visit D's sister. His niece and nephew are so excited to see us that we are heading over around noon instead of supper-time as we originally planned. I've heard I've been promised to his niece to play Just Dance on the Wii. Should be interesting!

I hope you are all having a relaxing weekend. I'm off to let my whiny pup run around in the field.

 

I've noticed lately that designing or decorating a home is all about the details. More than that though, life is all about the details - the moments. Over the next few months I'm going to test out a series called details. Since I don't have instagram or a smartphone to capture my daily life, I'm going to rely on my trust Sony P&S and will share the photos here. I hope you like it!

Trick or Treat: Easy Halloween Craft DIY Gift Bag

Look what I made! I offered to make little gift bags for D's niece and nephew, since he wanted to send them some treats for Halloween in the mail. As I was making them, my friend C showed up, so the cute pumpkin treat bag was made by her.

 

 

 

These are so easy to make. Depending on the detail of your design, these could be ready to go in 15 minutes. I used a template on Homemade Gifts Made Easy for the gift bag and then decorated them with paint, construction paper & a micron pen for the spiderwebs.

 

To add an element of surprise to my bag I added a piece of folded construction paper to make the door moveable. A spooky silhouette, a cat in the window and a cracked window makes it look more like a haunted house. How sweet is that ribbon bow that C added to her pumpkin? I think it's adorable.

Speaking of Halloween, D & I are working on our costumes tonight and heading out to a party tomorrow. I will be sure to post a recap on Sunday for you to see. What are your plans for Halloween?

xoxo Janelle

I should have styled these photos, but it was nighttime and i was excited (and tired). I'll do better next time!

painted pumpkin craft

Guess what I did tonight?

Painted a pumpkin! I've never done this before... I've always been a jack-o-lantern kind of girl. I remember seeing a picture of me helping 'carve' one with my parents when I was about 2 years old. They plopped me right inside the hollowed pumpkin for a photo. So, I guess you can say I have years of experience.... Haha.

In university I carved everything from Lion King to Gaga.

2008 (D & my first pumpkin together..... awwwwwww, yuck. cuteness.)

2009

Yhis year's pumpkin was quite a change. It's after Halloween, so it didn't really feel right to carve, so we went with a fall scene with our girl dog Abby playing in the leaves. On our walk today we were talking about how fun it would be if we could rake up some piles and let her play in them, so I guess this was inspired by that. I also didn't have red or brown paint, but I think I made it work. Abs is looking a bit gray. See for yourself:

ignore the pen marks. ugh.

I love it. It is definitely not perfect in any way, but me and D made it together. He's not really into crafts so when he seems excited & uses the word 'cute' a few times... it's awesome. He also called me a "crazy craft lady" which reminded me too much of a crazy cat lady. Clearly, we had fun. 

How was your night? Did you ever paint a pumpkin?

Steppin Out: my surprisingly not-lazy Sunday

Hi, friends. I hope you are all having a beautiful day. After yesterday's post I was sure that we had seen our last summer day, the kind of day when just sitting leaves sweat on the back of your knees. Instead, I woke up this morning to a hot, humid day with sunshine streaming through my windows. I immediately knew I wanted to do something productive instead of lazing around in my usual Sunday slump.

The couch was in desperate need of a vacuum, as were the floors, so I got right to work. While I was at it I figured I would mop the living area, too. After my Molly Maid possession (seriously, I hate cleaning), I met up with my friend M and we took Abby-dog down to the waterfront. We walked along the boardwalk for a bit and ran into some friends. We eventually decided to head back up towards home and sit outside the Smiling Goat coffee shop in the shade. I usually only go there when I'm grabbing a coffee to go, but there was plenty of seating outside. Plus, I love that they leave out a big bowl of water for the dogs. I had a delicious Arthur's smoothie with ice and M had a coffee. Abby had some ice cubes and a few licks of my smoothie. So spoiled...

Here's what I wore on our lovely Fall adventure with Summer weather:

Abby will work her way into any photo

I was sold when I found it buttoned up the back.

Tank: "Mine", thrifted from Crimson & Clover (new store!)
Jean Shorts: Garage jeans, cut-off into shorts
Shoes w/ heart cut-outs: Forever 21
Bracelet: from Turkey, international market
Belt: H&M

 


This turned into the best day. I can't stop smiling. I hope you have a good night! Come back on Tuesday for a soup recipe.

 Love & sunshine,

Janelle

crunchy leaves, cozy sweaters & hot soup

 
For the first time in a while I am looking forward to the coming season. I usually dread the end of hot summer days and fear the first blast of cold wind, but not this year.

I think my newfound excitement for Fall stems from the particularly rainy, lukewarm summer we had. I am looking forward to moving on to weather that makes sense, weather I can prepare for. At least somewhat... This is Nova Scotia. Right now, I have a nice hot pot of soup waiting for me, a dog that needs a nice long walk and endless movies on Netflicks. So here's my invitation. I'm ready for you, Fall.

Love,

Janelle

Pssst: Pop in on Sunday for a Steppin Out Saturday post!

DIY Owl Wreath

Hi everyone! I hope your Sunday is off to a good start. Mine, unfortunately, didn't start off so well but it can only get better because I'm going to visit my Nanny this afternoon! It's been about a month since I've seen her last, which is a bit absurd because she only lives a 40 minute bus ride/15 minute drive from the apartment. I love spending time with her mostly because she's hilarious, but also partly (selfishly?) because she feeds me. Very, very well. It's a comfort thing.

Anyway, check out what I made yesterday:

A wreath! I was in the mood to make a fall craft and what's more fall-like than a wreath? I spent the day Saturday gathering what I needed and putting it together. I like how it's simple and can be used for different seasons. Add some white bows and some snowflakes for an instant winter wreath. The owls are meant to be me, D & B. I'm the one with the eyelashes, if you couldn't tell.

I put some music on and hijacked Darryl's desk for the afternoon. I had so much fun making it. It feels so good to be crafting again. I feel like I'm just happier when I create things... even if it's something small or a little gift for someone.

Enough rambling though, here are a few pictures from the process.

These oak buttons are handmade from a guy at the market. How cute would they be on a cozy sweater?

And more shots of the finished product:

A little modesty Brandon!

And now the reason my morning sucked. I woke up to find it was STOLEN last night. Hours after I put it up...

at least I have pictures though, right?

Thanks for looking,

xo Janelle