rick mereki's thoughts on the lives we live.

i often have dreams of grand adventures - a life of trotting the globe, eating new foods, trying fun and scary things, and meeting new people at every corner.
rick mereki has done it. with the help of 2 other dashing young men, he scoured the globe to turn over a month of experiences abroad, into 3 films based on 3 concepts based on things we all know well. as he says, "3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage". that's what 44 days of travel gets you.
but explore, they did.
honestly, these videos are simply moving (ha! not just because the first one's called 'move'. sorry. that wasn't even on purpose). they get you where it counts, and remind you that you need to do it all, in every way possible... or you're missing what's important. 

so. on that note - move, eat and learn, because the world is too large to do it all. get what you can, when you can. i know i will.
rick's tumblr  //  rick's twitter  //  rick's vimeo channel

colour boards - it's all gold

i've been grouping lately - things in colours, shapes, sizes, textures, and so on. and it always comes back to one thing - every day items around us can continue to be inspiring if we give them a chance - rearrange them, group them, allow them to share the spotlight with new items, or old things reimagined.
i try to rearrange my apt every now and then - i find it helps me to become continuously inspired by the things around me... things like my books, my clothes - even my dishes. moving things into new spaces and configurations makes them feel new again (which also helps when i'm feeling like i want to clean sweep and buy all new stuff).... (which i clearly can't do).
pinterest is a god send for this. 
collecting, maintaining, collaborating, curating. so, i share small selections of my colour boards from pinterest. as well as a corresponding - and equally inspiring - print/photo from some of my faves.

clockwise from top left: kate spade clutch; kate spade 'get carried away' bracelet; christian louboutin heels; washi masking tape; brass elephant bookends.
more gold here....

my weekend in summary

so... this weekend i stuck by my word. and am coming to you with perhaps the most boring 'weekend in summary' ever. this weekend i relaxed.
working with leather, and designs for various things; making chickpea curry, and other goodies for the week; catching up on magazine reading (whaaaat?? i know, so exciting); the moving aparatus (photo by jeff)
friday: i arrived home from work (on time - it's a new thing i'm trying), and settled into whipping up a slow cooker full of chick pea curry. i made some dinner, and put on mad men while i finally got through some of the magazines that have been sitting on my counter. and, while i promised myself i wasn't going out, i found myself wandering to my landlords place, where him, his friend and i had a drink, listened to music, while they successfully convinced me to accompany them to the bar. we headed to the yukon (for my first time), and had some drinks - great bar with good bartenders, and great music playing the whole night. no crowd, and certainly no pre-teen fake id'ers. it was perfect. pat and i walked home, and after a quick late night phone call (which a friday night would not be complete without) i slept like a rock.
saturday: woke up before my alarm, and after a quick shower and tidy, met jeff and his dad at his toronto home (country mouse, city mouse) where he was moving the last of his stuff back home - no more toronto city lifestyle for him! we drove back with the trailer, to drop stuff of, and then shuttle some things to his parent's new place. then, after a brief nap and chat, we headed back to toronto for the night - and with grand plans for a movie, going out, etc. we ended up with dinner at spoon and fork, and then home to just hang out - with no energy left at 11pm.
sunday: woke up, and left my place for a morning walk - to tim hortons for breakfast. then, wandered around parkdale for a bit, before heading back. with plans to make spaghetti for dinner, my slow cooker got workout #2 for the weekend with some sauce cooking for the day while we ventured out. we went for a long high park walk (only my first real high park exploration - where have i BEEN all this time??), and along the water front (highlight: a small white dog humping a large black dog who was napping. and yes - to confirm - i do have a 10 year old boy's maturity level. we laughed for about a km). then, after a quick stop to pick up some last minute things, headed home to prep the rest of dinner. a good solid sunday night spaghetti dinner with fresh bread (freezer to oven people - the best invention ever), and some salad. then, went for another walk to ossington before coming back home to just spend the rest of the evening lounging around before jeff headed back home.
i found myself really enjoying the small, and easily overlooked areas of my city this weekend... perhaps in anticipated nostalgia - with conversations about what 'home' was, and what it meant.... and it was great. such a nice feeling to really get to enjoy a place you can call home.
hope everyone enjoyed the sunny weather - seems as though fall is coming slowly but surely (my fave time of year!)
happy monday everyone :)

a weekend to relax

this weekend is going to be one to recollect. hopefully get my voice back - i'm going on 6 days without one - maybe some movie watching, maybe some good home cooked food, and some sangria. it's the first weekend in a LONG time that i don't have an event to get to, or a birthday party to be at, or a trip to be on. so i'll be in toronto, reminding myself why i love it here.
have a wonderful weekend!
image from bunnnay

a house is but a home

lately the topic of moving has been at the forefront of my mind - not in the near future, but for a variety of reasons, it's been something consuming a lot of space in my head... and while the thought of moving makes me squirm at the amount of work (and cleaning - booooo) required, it also means a new chance. a new home to make my own. a blank canvas to problem solve with. to mix and match existing belongings, and new spaces.
so, i look to inspiring spaces, for not only new beginnings, but also acknowledging what i own that is worth keeping, worth moving, worth playing with. the internet is a wonderful thing - there is inspiration everywhere you turn. these are some of my favourites... 
these will serve as inspiration for my next home... white palettes; lots of personalization of artwork; memories (collected reminders of people and places); handmade bedding and pillows, throws and other comfy makers; lots and LOTS of shelving (which i don't have enough of in my current space); and baskets and other spaces for magazines, books and other storage needs (for example, my out of control beading and other 'making' supplies).
my go to's for home inspiration: sf girl by bay; emma's design blogstadshem (though it's a real estate site, based out of sweden - they kill interiors!); lily's home sectiondesign for mankind's 'places' section... and, of course, pinterest... where i pin ideas and inspiration into home organization, and simple design ideas.
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