puppy eyes

If you've ever visited my blog before then you've met Abby - the cutie on my header. And if you're a regular then you know she's the star around here. And while she is a rambunctious, tough, dirty, garbage-eating animal as she should be, she is also a certified Beyonce-level diva.

We'll be playing with the rope, tugging, having a good time, growling (yep, both of us) and then I look away for, like, a second and she hits me with one of these.

Or I'll be getting ready to catch the bus in the morning, scrambling to grab my purse and throw together a lunch when I'll look over and she's doing this.

And I fall for it every time.

How am I supposed to look this dog in the eyes and leave for work every morning? Two and a half years later and I still can't handle it. So, I don't. I call out "be good" and fly out the door with my head down.

My kids are definitely going to have attachment issues.

xx Janelle

details : the last 48 hrs

Forever a Metro transit rider.

The picture above was taken on Sunday when D & I were waiting for the bus home from the mall. I've been wanting to capture little moments of Spring, so I've been trying to start bringing my camera with me on a more regular basis.

This weekend I noticed how the rain changes things around me. I got caught walking on a drizzly morning and instead of being frustrated with how wet I was I distracted myself by focusing on the details. The whitewashed wood siding on one of the rowhouses darkened as the rain poured over the side of the roof. A car was painted with long, lines on it's surface that came together and then split apart as they gathered more weight. How each raindrop made waves of ripples in the puddles. I tried to listen closely to the sound of the cars driving on the wet pavement as they got closer and then faded to see how far I could hear them go.

This all may sound a bit weird, but it was so peaceful. Do you ever quiet your thoughts and listen to your surroundings? I'm always surprised by the things I see that I would have missed had I just been sauntering along with my iPod.

And then there was yesterday - the sunniest day we've seen in a week! I took Abby up to the park for an off-leash romp but a few minutes and then she decided to forget her name so our playtime was cut a bit short. By the time we got home I was as hungry as she was, so I whipped up this kale, egg thing that tasted a whole lot better than it looks.

While I was eating I got a surprise phonecall from D asking me if I wanted some soy gelato from HumaniT - my favorite cafe in Halifax. Ummmm, yes. I asked him to pick any flavour he thought I would like and so I got oreo! It was the perfect size for a little treat.

Later on last night when D was watching Game of Thrones, I snuck away to paint for a bit. I started this piece knowing I wanted to use little bits of orange. First I layered in purpley pinks, then yellows and finally some oranges and peach tones. It's not finished yet though, I'm planning to do some hand lettering in the circle at the bottom. I'll keep you posted!

How was your Monday night?
xx Janelle

The details series: 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!

see other details posts here.

brighten up a small apartment bathroom with $10

Apartments have the weirdest bathrooms. Especially, old houses converted into flats. Although our last apartment was in a tower, it still had it's fair share of design flaws. There was a grate in the ceiling (apparently for venting) but the bathroom had no fan or window and therefore, no airflow. As you can imagine, we had major mould issues. After a particularly hot shower, the condensation would actually drip down the walls leaving little slug lines. It was gross.

Guys, our new apartment has a fan. It's so luxurious! Oddly enough, it also has a window in the shower and a half-wall made of those see-through blocks, which I think are from the eighties. Do you know what ones I mean? The door is a sliding barn door, which I admit would be pretty cool, if it didn't leave a four inch gap on one side and had a working lock.

There's a point to all this, I promise! Keep reading...

The fact that I'm pointing out all of my bathroom quirks might make you think I don't like it, but I do! I really do. Despite the fact that it's tiny, there is a ton of storage and it has the perfect little nook for our plastic storage drawers which hold towels and toiletries and ten thousand bottles of shampoo. A wall-mounted sink also means no countertop clutter, since everything is hidden away in the mirrored cabinet. If I'm given a counter, I will clutter it, so this is a blessing. Thank you, apartment bathroom gods. 

Onto the upgrade! All you have to do for this one is shop. Zero handiwork and/or tools needed. 

Along with all of their weird features, apartment bathrooms can be a little blah. Our current beige bathroom desperately needed a little colour, so I bought a purple orchid, put it in a handmade clay dish and set it on the toilet tank. It's amazing how much of a difference it made. The blooms really pop against the white fixtures and shower curtain. This one was only ten bucks (!!) at Superstore, but I know they have them at Sobeys too.

 

I swear these flowers were made for people who can't keep a plant alive. I have somehow managed to kill every plant or flower given to me, so I can say this with certainty! This pretty lady is still kicking one month later. Not only is it still alive, but it's actually thriving. New blooms just keep popping up. I've also taken to excitedly announcing each new bloom to D. He's somewhat less enthusiastic about it than I am.

How to NOT kill a mini orchid: Stick it by a sunny window. Water it once a week with a tablespoon of cold water.

Never though I'd be dishing out plant advice, but here I am. One mini purple orchid makes a dingy apartment bathroom seem a bit brighter!  

Spring is here!
xx Janelle

PS - I'm sorry this post has my toilet in it. Just focus on the flower!
PPS - I have a long-awaited series of green cleaning posts coming up very soon. Made specially for lazygirls, like me!

currently : a long, long weekend.

Photo from April 2012 - Point Pleasant Park

I hope you're all enjoying your long weekend so far! D & I escaped to the country for a few days of relaxation at his parents' place. I slept in until 9 this morning (!!) - which is somewhat rare because I usually wake up at 8 on weekends for doggie business. 

I have a fun details post coming up for you tomorrow with the little hints of Spring I've been spotting around here. For now, here's what I've been up to lately...

CURRENTLY

Drinking: The most bitter coffee I've ever tasted. I was maybe a little too excited to try out D's mom's new Keurig machine and was let down hard with the first sip - swamp water. She said it has something to do with their water supply, since they have a well and a softener. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I am a diva and bring my own bottle of city water when I come here. Because of that, I probably should have used it to make the coffee. Oh well!

The rest of this post will be less whiny. I promise!

Thankful for: Scoring things I want to buy, for free. A series of coincidences yesterday resulted in me acquiring three new things - two of which I planned on buying soon. I noticed a bunch of pill cases in the living room and mentioned that it reminded me that I needed to buy one. Sure enough, D's mom had one stashed that she wasn't using and offered it to me. All it needs is a good scrubbing and it'll be just like new.

Later on that night as we were talking about coffee, I mentioned that I was going to buy a little french press, so I could have some on weekends. And what does D's mom pull out of her armoire but a perfect stainless steel and glass press with a black handle - the exact colour and size I would have bought. Although I refused to take it several times, she insisted. She actually had never used it before and it had just been hidden away for the past few years. So lucky!

Thinking about: Going on vacation. Everyone I know is going or has recently been on a trip. I'm sure some of you are experiencing the same thing! My parents just got back from Cuba, my sister is going in May and my co-workers seem to be on a never-ending, rotating vacation schedule. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but I am planning a trip with the ladies in my Dad's family in November. I haven't been down south in six years so I am very much looking forward to a fun, family trip. I can't even tell you how excited I am to be reunited with the Caribbean sea. I'm a mermaid at heart.

PS - I have a fun post of my bathing suit picks coming up soon!

Watching: The Killing. Once again we've been "binge-watching" a TV series on Netflix. Most nights we watch one or two episodes and we're now nearing the season finale of the first season. So much has happened this season and the last episode even had me tearing up, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out. Have you ever watched it?

Wearing: Jeans on Fridays! With my new job, comes a new dress code. At my workplace, we have casual Fridays which I love. Since I've only been there four weeks, it's still a novelty to be able to wear jeans to work. I usually pair mine with a breezy button up and a cardigan or blazer. I try to keep it professional, but I get to have a little bit of fun with it. Do you have casual Fridays too? What do you wear? I'd love some ideas!

xx Janelle

**Props to Megan & Danielle for the post inspiration.

just try : first attempts at collage art

When I was in grade six I made collages on old wine bottles. Did any of you guys do that too? I thought I was so sophisticated. 

I gave one of my "art bottles" to my Nanny as a gift with a burgundy ribbon tied around it's neck and she still has it! I couldn't believe it when I spotted it on top of her kitchen cupboards. The pictures give quite an insight into 90s trends with an NYSYNC CD and some glitter nailpolish. Oh, and alongside words like style, love and pretty shoes is a carefully cut out photo of a tub of Cool Whip. Yep, I was a pretty typical eleven year old.

Anyway, that was the last thing I remember collaging... until this:

Sometime in May 2011, I hatched the idea that I was going to make a world map out of recycled magazine pages punched into little circles. Two years later and I am still working away at it. I shouldn't say working - as if it were actually in progress. I do it for an hour one day and then don't touch it again for 3 months. If I sit down to work on it, I have to commit to at least an hour, otherwise I spend more time setting up the circles than pasting them.

Last fall, I wanted to branch out a bit and explore collage outside of my map project. This was around the same time I discovered the incredibly talented, Patrick Bremer. And so, without too much thought I churned out this piece:

© Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy, 2012

Yep, cereal. I tried to make all of the colours "normal" inside the bowl and a bit technicolour on the outside, including blue milk! I ripped pieces by hand from old magazines and pasted them down with Mod Podge. I kept it pretty one dimensional with an aerial view and didn't get into shading very much. Keeping it simple on the first second try was a great idea. It was finished in two sessions and was fairly easy to put together.

Soon to follow was this next one, inspired by an old travel photo my parents took. You already had a sneak peek of it here.

© Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy, 2013

I took more time to plan this second one. I chose a scene I loved, sketched out a basic outline and decided to keep the colors muted like in the photo. The triangles around the edge were an impulsive choice, but I actually like how they extend the borders of the scene and give it some continuation.

There are some mistakes in these that seem to glare at me (esp. in the last one), but I am learning to appreciate each piece for what it is. They're the result of a challenge. And I have to say, I'm a little proud of that last one. It's not terrible! Sometimes I surprise myself when I just try.
 
What's one creative thing you've always wanted to try but were a little intimidated? Crafty/artsy/DIY or whatever... Let me know in the comments!

xx Janelle