happy friday!

Have a fantastic and creative weekend everyone! I'm off to spend a tech-free couple of days in a cabin in the snowy woods. Leaving you with an image from ffffound, my new favorite inspiration haunt.

creative headboards

My friend Melody sent me a message this week telling me how stoked she was about her new self-created headboard for her bed. She was shopping at a department store and found this 4-panelled image in the clearance section. She liked the look of it and the price of it and figured it looked about as wide as her queen sized bed, so she bought it, took it home and voila! I don't have a 'before' photo, but it's not hard to imagine how much oomph has been added to her room by this framed image of trees. Sleeping beneath a forest - love it! Nice work Melody! To see more photos of her wall art turned headboard, check out her flickr stream.

pretty much perfect

I love this image. I don't remember where I found it - probably on flickr somewhere. I tucked it away on my computer and just found it now. It's pretty much perfect to me. The feelings it conveys - romance, drama, stillness, emotion, closeness - and that sexiness that a cigarette always adds - no matter how 'bad for you' it is. I just really love this right now.

i have a crush...

...on this COUCH! Oooooooo...Aaaaaaaaa...so yummy.

thrifting

"I have a path of vintage shops in the East Village that I walk around to. The dress is from one them — Atomic Passion, I think. It was really long, like most Edwardian and Victorian dresses, and I cut off one of the tiers. The cardigan is part of my fall collection for Opening Ceremony. It has wool elbow patches and nice, big pockets to shove your hands into when you’re feeling awkward or insecure. My Chanel purse was a Christmas present to myself. It’s like playing Tetris trying to fit all my stuff in it. The boots are an old pair of Prada’s, and the tights are from the Sock Man. I love that place, but the guy’s the grumpiest man on earth. He’s like the Soup Nazi, but he sells socks."

Saw this photo and Chloe's interview about she's wearing in today's New York Times and it reminded me that 1) sometimes this girl can create the most perfect ensembles, and 2) I need to start hitting up thrift stores again. I used to be a thrift store regular and while I was, I took a lot of fashion risks and really embraced my own style. Since moving to Ottawa and taking on a job that requires office/ professional attire, my style has gotten really conservative (I said my style, not my political leanings!). I love how Chloe chopped her vintage dress up to turn it into a short, pixie-ish look. That's the great thing about thrift store shopping (or having TONS of money - her idea of vintage is probably way different than my idea of vintage :) - you can chop and adjust and manipulate to your heart's content because your clothes didn't cost half a paycheque. Thrift store shopping inspires creativity and demands vision. So, another one of my 'living lightly and saving money' practices this year will be thrift stores over glitz stores. I just wish that Ottawa had more in the downtown area - a bit tough to get around to them when you're car-less and there's a bus strike. Oh yeah...what was that I said about winter biking? Right.

no, nothing

shape

Wow - LOVE the silhouette of this coat! Seen on The Sartorialist.

time for another step?

For all my 'green' talk about living lightly, setting up my own compost (indoors because I don't have another option) is something I haven't gotten around to doing yet. Shameful, I know! Part of it grosses me out - decomposing food in my tiny living space. But I think I need to give it a go - especially since I'll have a garden plot to dump it on in a few months. this easy start-up guide on planet green is going to walk me through it. I'll keep you posted!

living small

I love this AT post about learning to live with less! It's so refreshing and inspiring. Last year I downsized from a two level luxury loft to my current small, but character-filled studio and it's been great. Sure, sometimes I miss the luxury of the last place, but my studio has charm and warmth and I'm happy in it (I'll be even happier when my landlord gets around to replacing my disgusting bathroom floor! but I digress...). The rent is HALF the price which makes a big difference while I'm paying off school debt and the move forced me to downsize my wardrobe and my belongings which I'm always open to. I always feel lighter with less. Life feels less cluttered and complicated when you get rid of the unneccessary stuff. Just learning how to discern between what is really special to you and what is just 'stuff' taking up space and money and energy in your life is a really great feeling.

This year is about learing to live even 'smaller' so that I can actually live a 'bigger and better' life (the kind of life that includes attaining my dreams, being able to travel more, etc). I've finally started budgeting and keeping track of money stuff (to the joyous delight of my mother I'm sure). It's amazing how much less you spend, how much more you save, and how much faster you pay off debt when you get organized. I can't believe how many personal financial accomplishments I've made in three weeks already! GREAT feeling. I have a lot of dreams and lot of desires of how I want my next 5 years to look and my 'learning to live with less' plan is going to get me there. (Hint: I'm reading this book - sounds cheesy, but it's SO good and has been SO helpful at getting me started).

I'll also be living with less once the snow melts and I can finally get at my new community garden plot - yipeee! The plan is to grow my own produce in such a way that I'll be able to live without purchasing much produce for a year at a grocery store - living locally! This will be the summer that I learn how to preserve food :)

Anyway, all that to say that you should read this AT post. It's encouraging to see so many people taking the step to live on less and hearing about how much happier the change makes them.

it's a new day!

I am SO excited about today's inauguration and and SO hopeful about Obama's presidency! To all my American friends, congratulations and well done! Enjoy celebrating this day!

morning dreaming

It's 6:44am and as soon as I finish posting this I have to get ready for work which involves leaving my cold apartment for the even colder world outside my apartment. Ottawa is cold right now. Really cold. And so this post is dedicated to all those early morning, cold country people who wish they were somewhere warmer. Somewhere like this year-round outdoor dining room in Buenos Aires. Really - what needs to be said other than, "Who wants to pack up and move south with me to make really pretty things in a really inspiring (and warm!) space?!" I'm totally serious.

cycle chic

I LOVE that you can find any kind of blog you can imagine online. Like the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog - fashionistas on bicycles! According to the Guardian (apparently), the blog is "The Sartorialist on two wheels." Yip-ee! Seriously loving this. And maybe it will inspire me to keep riding through the snow and -36 degree Ottawa weather (haven't been brave enough to pull the bike out in '09 yet...). Must do this. And must do it while making fashion statements. Enough of this winter slush and salt beating me to an old jeans/ ugly boots/ could-care-less-about-fashion pulp!