Things that Make Me Happy

The first thing making me happy right now is this feature Apartment Therapy did on Wren's room. The lovely Lauren Hufnagl has always been wonderful to me and when she asked to share Wren's room last fall I was so excited. It looks like our little interview is up now and I want to thank everyone for their sweet comments. Thanks Lauren!

This prayer candle stole my heart, literally. It is unscented like all prayer candles, but even so I adore it. I light candles daily around our house and every time I light this baby up it reminds me to show a little extra love to others in my busy day (you can find it, and others here)

My sister and I did a shopping afternoon which usually comprises a whole lot of trying on and a small amount of buying but when we found this dress on sale at Anthro for $39 we had troubles deciding who would get it because there was only one. In the end she said she felt too 'Angelina Jolie' in it (???) but I think it will be my go-to dress this spring, pairing it with a denim jacket or leather moto jacket. 

And last, but definitely not least! this beautiful blanket from Hudson's Bay from my sister in law Kate (you may remember the makeover we gave her condo last year which you can see here). She surprised me with it a couple weeks ago and I smile every time I walk past it and cuddle up with it. Seriously, I won the sister in law lottery guys!! Thank you Kate, you know me so well.

It's about that time! A little round up of the bits and bobs that are making me extra happy. 

I understand the concept of coffee table books, but I have never actually bought one until a couple weeks ago. Is this normal for a decor blogger?? Every book ever set on my coffee table was purchased foremost as a book I wanted to read, and while this one does look interesting ( you will see what I mean in the next photo. Thank me later), the bold, graphic text and size of the book are what actually caught my attention and swayed me to bring it home. 

[Lionel Andres Messi by Domenico Dolce]

Do we think this means I'm officially a grown up? I'm pretty sure coffee table books are one of the requirements.

[ a new bottle of olive oil ] 

Something about this bottle just makes me feel like a better chef. Although I must still be a pretty poor one because I can't remember the brand of it for the life of me.

We have a boat load of birthdays in February so I loaded up on cards at Plum Home a couple weeks ago. I am totally in love with these Egg Press cards. They are so cute you could frame one!

These little drinking glasses from Ikea are so freaking adorable that I threw a couple in my cart just to use around the house as pencil holders and little pots. The colors are so happy and the price is right at $2.

I hope my little roundup brings a smile to you as well!

What are the little things making you happy this week?

Things that Make Me Happy

I didn't really have a chance to scope out the after Christmas sales thanks to that flu I've endlessly mentioned, but last week I made a small trip into the mall while Wren was at school. It was during a Target run (my closest Target is actually in the mall, not a good combo for the bank account!!) so I picked up a handful of goodies. Here are those treats as well as a few little moments I've savored of late.

I finally got myself a disco ball! (on clearance for $2.64 at SuperStore) I decided I NEEDED one ever since I saw Ashley's. But disco balls don't just pop up all that often, so I had no idea when I would finally make the acquisition. Well, mission accomplished and I am thrilled with it!

 

{ a selection of fresh fudge always makes things better }

 

{ cute mouse slippers from Urban Outfitters (that I totally intend to wear outside when Spring debuts). Kind of cheesy for a 30 year old? maybe, but I am gonna rock them regardless. Bad pun intended folks }

 

{ beautiful hyacinth and daffodil bulbs, transplanted into a couple of leftover candle containers. I have a ton of them laying around thanks to my endless candle addiction so I have decided to give them a reincarnation this spring}

 

{ a perfectly slouchy sweater (found on sale at Gap here), complete with elbow patches that should carry me through the end of Winter }

I hope you are having a happy and fantastic day, and feel free to share some of the things making you happy right now!! Sharing is caring guys.

Things That Make Me Happy!

 

Are you in the mode for a dose of happy? I am! I always am.

And things are always better in pairs, so let's smile together, alrrrrrighty?

Here are the things making me cheery lately.

{ back to school clothes for Wren we scored while thrifting }

 

{ back to school clothes for Wren we scored at thrift store prices on sale at OshKosh }

 

{ some dollar store balloon glam for our Friday }

 

{ late, maybe even the last, Summer clippings }

 

{ a touching parcel from a very lovely reader: a sketch of me and my dearly missed baby }

Thank you so very much Casey!!!!

 

{ getting smothered in kisses }

 

{ Cake for Breakfast }

Tessa's awesome tee shirts will be a Fall staple! I can't wait to buy more.

{ my new baby! }

I have started playing with her and I am in love. AND it has an awesome HD video feature I can't wait to use it for more bloggy videos here.

How big is your grin today? I'm hoping it's ear to ear. 

Things that make me HAPPY! Pink and white edition

 

In the summer I love an extra hit of girly-pink in my life. I think it's that I can finally rock all my dresses that stare at me so longingly in the closet all winter. Nothing screams feminine like dresses! So today's Things that make me Happy is all about pink, and my always favorite: white!

Speaking of dresses, I am so in love with this classic summer dress from Alberta-local Splurge & Co. White, light weight. It is my idea of the ideal Summer uniform.

 

There's a little blue in this mix, but I've been hoarding vintage sheets, fabric and craft supplies like there is no tomorrow. I can't give you all the details today but I have some fun news to share in the next week! I'm hoping a few of you local ladies will give me a hand in coming up with some creations involving these pretties.

 

My sister in law and I had a pretty successful thrift run a couple weeks ago. Latte bowls, a Crate & Barrel creamer and vintage sheets were a handful of my favs. 

Can we talk about hospital blankets for a moment? It sounds crazy but they are amazing for summer evenings (and those of us who don't have AC). We've put away the duvets and started a small collection of second hand hospital blankies. Weird? maybe.

But they all seem to have a perfect cream color with stripes in different patterns and colors that blend perfectly  into our color scheme. And they are super comfy. Sean was a little if-y on them at first. But he was suddenly on board the first night it was above 25 celsius LOL.

 

I added two old-school ikea floral shams to our bed and it's funny how fast they take it from classic tradtional to girly slumber-party-chic. It may annoy the Mister but I need a temporary dose of floral now and again. And summer feels like the right time to get my fill. 

even if it's just for a few weeks. What has been making you happy lately? Anything Pink???

Things that make me Happy

 

Happy short week everyone! Sorry I've been MIA this week. We had a MASSIVE snow storm here late last week which threw a wrench in some plans, and ParkView has been eating up my time pretty much everyday this week. It is like night and day in there from just a week ago, although I've had my share of struggles there this week (more on that in my next update), and it has been exhausting.

But instead of focusing on my frustration I thought it was about time we talk about what is making me forget my cares and sport a smile. 

{ Eggs }

Wren is thrilled with the Easter season this year. She had been begging me to dye eggs with her since February because it was the thing she remembered most from last year. I finally caved and we did some last week. She wanted to do shades of pink and purple and I have to say, she definitely has an eye for color. 

 

{ capes }

I found this one for Wren back in December and kind of thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I kept my eyes peeled for one while out thrifting. My persistence paid off when I scored this vintage wool cape for $14. The fact that it matched my new Joules boots perfectly was too awesome (yes, I still say awesome from time to time).

 

{ baking twine }

I'm new to the scene when it comes to wrapping food in twine. Seems kind of 'Martha' to me, but geez it's pretty and takes sharing snacks to a whole new level. Plus it makes me feel like a way more accomplished baker than I am. It's a win-win. 

 

{ lip balm} 

Proving I'm not the only person frequently using the term 'awesome', the Awesome Balm etsy store has me hooked. Cold, dry winters are not your friend when it comes to soft lips. Wren and Sean have already claimed most of my collection... so I will be restocking again soon. Now that I have my own etsy store I am more addicted to than ever to browsing and shopping all the amazing stores on there!

EDITED TO ADD: wow! Rose from Awesome Balm saw this post and just contacted me to give us all a 25% off coupon! Use FUNLANE25 
THANKS ROSE!!

 

{ chocolate }

Let's be honest, this would be in every Things that make me Happy post if I didn't keep reminding myself that swimsuit season is only a few months away. This is my biggest weakness and I am just thankful Sean and Wren got to these cute little chicks before I could. But the pile of Easter chocolate only seems to be getting bigger, so I plan on indulging just a little.

 

{ Forever 21 }

I bought Wren an adorable lunch bag for school back in August. It was from an uber popular, fairly expensive local children's boutique. After just over 7 months of use only 3 days a week I started to see mold growing under the oil cloth (which is weird because I only send dry snacks to school and wipe it down to clean it?!). So I took Wren over to Forever 21 and let her pick out on of their make up bags as a new lunch bag. I am kind of obsessed with the Cath Kidston-esque bag she picked, aaand it was only $10. Forever 21 saves the day, again. 

These are just a few of the things making me happy, what is floating your boat these days? 

Things That Make Me Happy

It is still so hard to believe that 2012 is over and 2013 is already in full swing, isn't it? I like to think I am a pretty happy person, but this year I want to embrace the things that really really bring joy. Deep belly laughs, great friends and good memories are things we all love and cherish. We want our lives filled with them, but the daily grind often distracts us, drains our energy. It takes reminding that while it takes some initial energy output to make room for these moments they always pay out far more than you put in. So I am deciding that 2013 is the year I am going to fight for more friend time, more family time, more quality time. 

And I am glad to continue with my 2012 tradition of documenting little moments and things that bring happiness in this house of ours. I know I've already titled these post "things that make me happy" but I am going to make an effort to include every member of the family in these little salutes to smiles. I like to share these little snippets of happiness on instagram as well, so if any of these are familiar to you already my apologies. If they aren't, please come say Hi on there, we have quite a sweet little circle of friendship and inspiration happening on there.

{ my ten cent strand of mint beads }

I love pairing them with a fresh white blouse or a perfectly feminine pinky/peach bohemian style top for a little bit of drama.

 

{ an old stack of Bronte sister novels }

Wren always asks me why I like books without pictures. It is hard to answer her at this age with anything more in depth than "I make the pictures in my head". But I cannot wait to see her really catch the reading bug as she gets older and devour books at the rate I do.

 

{ weeks old birthday balloons that are clinging to life }

and a sassy face. love that too.

 

{ a fabulously pepperminty birthday gift from my better half }

This is true hot chocolate, right here. You literally have to melt chocolate, which makes me feel like a master chef without all the homework.

 

{ Stripe Spotting }

My family all got the memo that I am insanely obsessed with Hudson's Bay Company stripes and between them all I have miles of stripes to my name now. THANKS guys! And to top it all off I scored a HBC wool blanket at Value Village this week for a screaming deal at a whopping $6. "START THE CAR"

 

{ Ceramic Tumblers }

I think I am the last person to catch this trend, but I'd rather be late than never arrive! We have always used the glass version of these IKEA tumblers, but the pretty white ceramic version is super fresh and bright. It also comes in a dreamy pink which we scooped up to outfit our nearly finished revamp of my Sister in Law's condo.

 

{ Capes }

I think they are a highly under utilized wardrobe accessory, no?

 

Little Mint Riding Hood agrees whole heartedly.

For 2013, what are you looking forward to that is making you happy? Any good resolutions?

Things that make me happy

We have been so very very busy lately! over the past few weeks we've had our anniversary, some extended family flew out for a visit which meant wonderful, nightly family gatherings, ParkView is still going strong and I was the Duty Parent last week at Wren's co-op play school. Plus, I'm not gonna lie, I've been dreading getting on my computer lately because I know it is on it's last leg and I am sure it is just going to give in, most likely when I'm half way through a blog post. So I better be proactive and start looking around before catastrophe forces my hand. 

I have so much I am looking forward to blogging, because even when my blog is dormant, my camera is not! 

But for today, let's talk about why I'm smiling by summing up the things that are making me happy.

Even on my busiest days I remember that it truly is

{ garden greenery is long gone, but sparse berries on a bare branch add simple texture to a coffee table }

{ melty, saucy dinners }

SOOOO happy to have the slow cooker working on my behalf now that fall is here.

 { Ikea, I still love you }

We had a love/hate thing going on at Lexington, but their '20% back in gift cards' kitchen promo this month pushed the dial toward the LOVE end of the spectrum. I'll be putting the $1200 I got back into the bathroom cabinetry or laundry room cabinets.

{ red}

I am not a 'red' person, decor wise, but lately I've been loving red and white. I know it will probably be a Fall/Winter love affair so I am accessorizing with the color using fruit, flowers, coffee table books and maybe I'll work up to a couple pillows. Nothing permanent, but enough to get my fix.

{ Halloween }

We had an adorable party today at Wren's school. Pinterest is definitely stepping up parties compared to when I was little!! Juice boxes wrapped as mummies and ghosts, hand sewn goodie bags, it was insanely creative . And the kids were cute as buttons. 

Cue the orange and black outfit because I'm not dressing up this year.

{ Wren's Halloween Candy }

Cause I am totally sneaking some!!

{ snow }

It is WAYYYY too early (can't it wait until Halloween is at least over?) but it has got us feeling all cozy and homey lately. We spent the entire weekend playing board games in front of the fire place and that has to be one of the most relaxing, happy ways to spend a night.

Happy Fall Friend.