bonne année!

it's time to reflect...it's time to get mushy and sentimental and probably shed a tear as i remember what happened this past year.

this past year was, hands down, the greatest challenge i've ever had! i've been through some shit in other eras that it seems strange to compare, but, damn! sometimes emotions are so consuming, that you can't believe you are literally still alive and breathing after having felt them.

twenty-eight, the hardest year, can also be labelled as the BEST year! i don't know if that's the truth, either one of those labels, but based on the way i'm feeling right now (for the past four months) ... i just can't get over how blessed i am! i'm too happy, i'm gonna bust, i'm freakin' me out. 

this post is really just for me, maybe to read next year on the day of my birth, but i want to remember some things i survived, some things i discovered, and the gifts that were sent to me.

twenty-eight things that happened in the twenty-eighth year 

 1. cried myself to sleep on my twenty-eighth birthday

 2. was in belle river for new years and went on a journey late at night in the snow

 3. did a crazy-ass ten day cleanse

 4. went to florida on a family vacation

 5. travelled to toronto almost every other weekend from feb - june 

 6. saw a naturopath, acupuncturist, and rmt regularly and learned a lot about health

 7. worked a 8-5 desk job for six months and saved a bunch of money

 8. paid off one of my student loans  

 9. went to the foundry series and had my mind blown by shed

10. recorded my first mix

11. went to movement alone and danced for three days straight

12. ended a romantic relationship with the one i loved most

13. biked my way around essex county

14. learned some detroit street smarts the hard way

15. started writing a new business plan

16. got a weiner dog (!!!)

17. got another tattoo 

18. went on a dream road trip with my mom

19. lost my mind in san francisco

20. biked the golden gate and all around portland

21. met an uncanny number of wonderful colombians

22. learned how to leave behind 90% of things i find in the thrift store

23. visited the farm my mom grew up on

24. learned that i prefer going dancing by myself 

25. fell in love with detroit

26. visited my grandmas house for the first time since she passed on

27. tried winter running and realized i love it/ran farther than i've ever run before   

28. became obsessed with techno

bon anniversaire!!

im getting older! 

 today i am twenty-seven & feeling grown-up

today i'm feeling quite reflective, but not in ways i feel ready to express in writing just yet

instead i will direct you to a beautiful birthday reflection of another blogger

Jessie from Sweet Thing

I read this post when she posted it in September

and felt very connected to her story

plus she's got a really really really nice blog   

photo source

all i want for christmas

is a gift certificate to Good Egg!

good egg is a beautiful shop in kensington market

267 Augusta, Toronto

it is a lifestyle shop, it is a kitchen boutique, 

it is a book store--a bookstore for people who dont think they like books!

plus so much more

 

i stopped in one day, as i always do when im in the market

& got hyper for nick-knacks--the effect that this shop has on me

instead of splurging, i started a visual list

  good egg is easily my favorite store in the GTA

and that's saying a lot!

this list is just the tip of the iceburg...

i thought of going to visit good egg again to expand it

but its already pretty big & beautiful

saying that, good egg is a one-stop-shop gift-shop for all ages

super cute kids stuff, amazing selection of gift cards, products in spectrums of colour

if you've stuck on what to get someone for christmas

go to good egg for inspiration or get them a gift certificate here!

one: citrus juicer (i own this product and use it EVERY day) 

two: Pantone postcard set (i got this for my birthday last night!!!)

three: pretty Poketo planner

four: David Shrigley Essentials (my favorite books)

five: Moleskine graphpaper (a must!)

six: ORK city neighbourhood maps (comes in all your favorite colours & cities)

seven: knit a bestfriend books! 

eight: the Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit (ok, the thesaurus is actually my favorite book)

nine: Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann (some inspiration when you need it)

ten: Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara

eleven: How To Design A Typeface by The Deign Museum 

                (for a rainy day when you're ready to start)

twelve: Best In Show card game by Polly Horner (super cute! learn the dog breeds)

thirteen: Baggu tri-pack bags (multi-colour & design options. LOVE!)

fourteen: THIS IS... books by Miroslav Sasek (warms your heart with beautiful illustrations, and memories of trips past. comes in many a city)

fifteen: Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya & Amy Hirschman (HOW hilarious)

 

vingt-neuf

happy birthday porpoise, you're my best friend

crêpe

here is my collection of DIY crêpe paper garlands 

that sit in the vault waiting for the perfect occasion to present itself

these DIYs come from:

  

'green wedding shoes'

'a beautiful mess'

'oh happy day'

'hank & hunt'

1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7

supercute

cutesy cake topper diy 

by say yes to hoboken

tinas pie

tina asked for an apple birthday pie even though she can't have gluten 

i cooked some of the filling separately so she could have some

and inserted it into the pie in a tinfoil package

bonbon

these bonbon balloons are delightful

 clear & glitter filled with a weird string

you can send a bonbon balloon as a gift for any occasion

on arrival it will float up out of the box and the strings will carry your own specially personalized message

how magical

champagne birthday

two very very special people were born on the same day 

(and i might be making this next part up) 

but i think they were also both born in 1986

the stars must be aligned...it doesn't surprise me that i am in love with both of them to the same extent

HBD anthony & maggie! you are two of the coolest people i know

happy birthday

to me

special day

today is erin's second annual 25th birthday!

that's the way she phrased it on her b-day invite

and it took me a while, but it finally made sense...how clever

finally i will see her again on friday to celebrate
i can't wait to shower her with gifts and
hang out with all her awesome friends

i will save the mushy birthday love for her birthday card ♥


1 / 2 / 3 / 4

 

saff's bday

saff's birthday was a while ago...
but i came across the pictures and really appreciated them

i made her a banana cake (from my collection of frozen bananas)

and found some brilliant gold candles

and some real french macarons!

bon anniversaire!

birthday girls

two very special friends of mine share the same birthday

 today my niece emry is four. 

the day she way born i remember hearing lots of cicada bugs buzzing in the trees. i went for a run on the dirt road by my parents house and was chased by dogs.  i ate a green apple from an orchard.

when i met her i cried.

today one of my besties, saffron, is thirty...lucky duck is in montréal with her sister léanne, celebrating with champagne. i can't wait for her return this weekend so i can celebrate with champagne. i made a special trip to get her a pile of macarons for her birthday cake. imported from france.