Having A Little Fun

A while back, I had an exciting week where I got to be a part of a photo shoot then an appearance on Daytime Ottawa.  Honestly, doing these things was super tiring but fun.  My anxiety surrounding appearance and being a focus of attention was high.  But I survived. 

Image source: Ottawa Citizen

Looking at the photographs and video still brings up a mass of negative thoughts.  But that should change.  I have hope that it will change.  And I will continue to challenge myself with things that causes anxieties and low self confidence.

Image source: Ottawa Citizen

I want to say a special thanks to Marilou from Twenty York Street for giving me these opportunities.  She was the babe who hooked me up for both of these gigs and the talented, creative force behind 20YS.

Deaming of Beaches

With the hot and sunny weather, I've been craving a beach day.  What I need to do is 1) convince some of my friends to skip work and 2) find a nice sandy beach close by that we can go to.  Who's with me?!

All pictures from H&M

Side Note: I don't know how to go about this, but H&M needs to come to Ottawa.  

MIA Behaviour

I've been MIA in more than just blogging life. The last few days have been a crash for me, which means constant headaches, occasional migraines and extreme fatigue. I know the cause: stress but right now I have no idea what to do. A while ago, I mentioned that lately I've taken on way too much to prove that things are going well when they aren't. Since that post I haven't done anything to solve the issues. Instead I've cut down on my food intake, increased my acitivity level and continued with everything like before. Avoidance and denial is my coping strategy of choice.

Right now it feels like I'm heading into the croc pit, a.k.a. work.

It sounds so bad to feel like that when heading to work but its my reality. I adore the work I do but lately have felt that the environment is toxic. Part of me knows it's my emotions and stress level adding to the perception. But another part of me knows that the majority of my colleagues feel similar to myself about work. It's a hard situation to explain.

(Cocoa Beach, Florida 2009)

Chris and loved ones keep telling me to just relax. All these people know me well enough to know that I dont relax but I should try it. Things that make me feel happy and "relaxed" are: beaches, sunny days and warm weather. So maybe I'll try to channel these things today and deal with more stressful shit later. One step at a time, right? I'll just focus on relaxing.

Now, I want to hear from you! What do you do to relax? Maybe I'll steal an idea or two for this personal challenge.

Feathers & Sparkles Everywhere

Right now it looks like a bird filled with glitter, gems & everything pretty has exploded in my art room.  Jake is loving the mess and has already run off with a couple feathers in his mouth.  Chris thankfully hasn't seen it, and I'll be keeping the door shut to avert his judging eyes.  But, the craft day with Mo was a great success!

My visit to British Columbia has left me with an obsession for feathered hair pieces.  They are so pretty and paired with glitter, pearls, mirrors, gems and/or flowers can make them adaptable for any season.

My inspiration piece whenever I dive into making feathered hair accessories was bought in a little store outside of Victoria called Baja Rosi's. I love it! And any excuse to wear it, it's in my hair... no matter what the occasion. 

These pieces, I made with Jaclyn.  She has made some really pretty ones too. 

All of the  brown based, pearl & shell pieces I sent to my sister as a "back to school" gift.  Plus I felt bad that I couldn't help her with the move out to her school-time home. 

Today's hair pieces are going to be kept secret for a little while.  Mo & I have big plans on how we want to present them... and possibly make a lot more.  Our theme for this batch is "holiday cheer"... hence the sparkle explosion.  Some of the pieces will be gifts for some of the loved ones of Mo & me... the others we are still debating on what to do.  Hopefully they are liked by others as much as we adore them. xo

Mail for Sarah

It took two weeks but finally, the package for my sister arrived.  I was supposed to help her move some furniture to her new place, using my truck.  But, it's a short bed and couldn't even fit half of her stuff.  I felt bad.  So I made her gifts.  

Feathered hair accessories that are inspired by Victoria.  During the the girl's BC vacation we kept seeing these really neat feathered accessories but couldn't find any stores that sold them.  It was unfortunate. Krista, Jacklyn, Maggie and I had a craft night to make these feathered accessories that we saw and adored.  I thought of my sister, because she likes trendy hand-made things.  These are the gifts I gave to her.