my (long and vacation-ish) weekend in summary

this weekend was a bit of a 'staycation' for me.... friday and today (monday) off work... so i finally got the chance to do a few things i'd been meaning to for a while - get a new couch (or shop for one anyways) reorganize my place, etc.
the plan for my living room - chaise and footstool (from last weekend); apparently 'movember' isn't as over as we thought!; wine... dear wine; lamb bacon pizza. so. delicious.; why i cheer for the patriots; my sister and i, and our cousin's 2 kidlets; playing with my sister's talking bird (she's a kid at heart); helping grandpa blow out birthday candles; my car going from 99,999 to 100,000.... right before i try to sell it (my next big project)
friday: woke up late (slept in - i barely remembered what that was like), and went to sadie's for brunch with a friend. enjoyed (as i always do) the choc peanut butter banana smoothie and some tofu scramble (drool).... then went to la merceria to look at all their home goods, and try to ignore their amazing smelling coffee.... before heading to ikea for my new sofa combo. i decided to get rid of my old pink/brown sofa that my parents have owned before i was born, and was hurting my back further i'm sure from sitting in it. after some careful consideration (and being talked out of building my own sofa.... tee hee - though i'm still very much enthralled with the idea of this.... so maybe shelves will suffice), i decided to go with a chaise lounge and footstool. picked up the footstool at ikea - one with storage underneath, which is perfect for my small place. went grocery shopping (which i haven't done in forever) and spent the rest of friday reorganizing, cleaning, tidying, and lo and behold - going to bed early. amazing.
saturday: woke up late (i love weekends with nothing to do), and had some breakfast, and then went to lit espresso bar for some coffee, reading, and relaxation. then, when i arrived back home, i watched some gossip girl (just got the new-to-me season 4), and did some work. then headed out to pizzeria libretto for dinner - put our names on the list, and went to the crooked star for my obligatory pre-dinner-drinks, and waited. worth. the. wait. (as always). enjoyed the proscuitto and arugula pizza, and the lamb bacon pizza. had a great bottle of wine, and some proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella for appetizers.... and, as always, they're amazing bread with my most FAVOURITE thing in the world - their chilli oil (they must add unicorn dust to it, because it's unbelievable). then headed home to bed. late. night.
sunday: woke up in time to meet Caitlin at the tampered press, to chat about the details for our event on saturday december 10th. it's a PERFECT space for our gathering, with tons of beautiful space, tables to move, and perfect tables for a bar setting (everyone should come!). had an amazing americano, and read the paper... while taking notes and drawing floor plans for saturday. then, headed to sneaky dee's for football, vegan food (nachos and vegan burro favorito), and football. oh. football sundays. got a last minute phone call from my mom and sister that my mom's side of the family were going to be at my parent's for dinner, so headed out to the west end for a huge turkey dinner. LOVE last minute family dinners. got to spend time with my aunt and uncle, cousin and her husband, and their little ones. plus, my sister, who i haven't seen forever. for any extended period of time. it was fantastic.
monday: woke up late (i LOVE how this works), cleaned more, watched more gossip girl, purged some old magazines, made some stuff for the show on saturday, and tried to catch up on emails... as well as planning events like crazy (trying to coordinate people's schedules over the holidays is SO challenging). planning on heading to fresh for dinner tonight, before i head back to work tomorrow.
this week's a crazy one - prep night for the show on saturday, bon iver concert, work year-end party, spending the day catching up and doing holiday get togethers with friends, then the show.... so having a weekend to just... be... was so worth it.
*sigh. and it all passes so quickly. hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.... and hope this inspires everyone to take a LONG weekend for no reason... more often!

wanting to share some exciting news...

... that my incredible friends caiter (my roommate in first year, turned enemy, turned one-of-my-best-friends) and matty welcomed their healthy son into the world just after 2am this morning.
i feel like it was such a short time ago that they told us they were expecting - and now they are a wonderful family of three.
i can't wait to be part of this baby's world... and i can't wait for him to be part of our university family.
much love.

home(made) for the holidays

ok.
handmade can mean 2 things.
1. making gifts yourself - potentially cheap and tacky, but also potentially fantastic.
2. buying handmade items from artists.
i'm going to help you do both.
1. making gifts yourself: if you're a DIY'er - like me - then you're going to exhaust energy in making things for friends and family. this is what i'm doing mostly this year. i've got a bag filling up with things i've handcrafted - card sets, jewelry, broaches, cookbooks, etc. and yet i'm still often lost for ideas.
luckily for me (and you - and us), the blogs I scour daily provide TONS of DIY ideas and instructions. my personal faves?
honestly wtf - for example, this necklace. c'mon. so. good. as well as ps: i made this. j'adore.
2. buying handmade items from artists: buying something that someone has handmade with painstaking care is the best option for many many many. this is one of MY preferred methods, as i am a handmade'er, and i love trading with friends who are also professional artists. knowing that you've supported their trade, and they've ended up with something you spent time and care on.... it's amazing.
so. if you're looking for places to shop.... then this is the right place to get there.
20 best twenty is my fave. 20 of the best 20 in various categories. special deals from the people who they feature. love love love everything on this site.
poppy talk handmade has market's that are FILLED to the brim with amazing, handmade pieces.
and then, the usual etsy and big cartel.
and if you felt so inclined.... re:claim jewelry is (as always) on sale for the holidays... special pricing for those blog readers who use the discount code INCONSISTANCY (inconsistancy with an 'a') in the shop - from today (December 1st) until December 14th, when all orders need to be in by, for shipping. think special pricing, like 25% off of fall items (using code INCONSISTANCYfall), 35% off the seattle series (using code INCONSISTANCYseattle), and 40% off spring items (using code INCONSISTANCYspring) sort of special pricing.... yea. i said it.
we should all buy handmade. it's better here.
so go now. because starting TODAY, most of my most favourite designers, photographers, jewelers, etc. have collaborated, and are having a 1 week, collaborative sale. check out their handmade holiday

no self respect - waiting for an email all day (refresh, refresh, refresh)

i'm so in love with this illustrated journal, started by lizzy stewart, from the UK.
lizzy's work is fantastic - she's an illustrator, based in London, who creates work partially inspired by folk culture, music, and places. combined with her motivation to portray things in a story, makes for great work.
now, this journal, is just amazing pieces of her own life. that seem to be true reflections of my own? maybe awkward is just cross cultural. nevertheless... her reflections on life are outstanding and hilarious.
i'm in love. maybe because she reminds me, of me, but either way. check her journal, and then website, out.