UMMM WHY DO I NOT OWN THIS????

ps. i love you. and itunes, i will be paying you a visit very soon.

Keri Smith Would Be Proud

Before I get into anything else how amazing are these?

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Katie (of Color Me Katie fame) punched all of these hearts from pink masking tape and put them around her Brooklyn neighbourhood. This lovely guerrilla/street art installation is so beautiful/inspiring – one that Keri Smith would be proud of.

Ps – Katie’s blog is so amazing. If you haven’t checked it out before definitely definitely do that. It is highly recommended by me. She does a lot of similar things to the heart installation that are just amazing. One really sweet idea that I saw today is this:

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COMIC BOOK WALLPAPER!!!

This is so so so exciting to me. I love love love it. You can bet that I’ll be doing this to one wall in my room at the apartment when I move back in the fall. That is if I can find some sweet comic books – if you have any you’d like to donate to the cause or know where I can get any pretty cheaply let me know by shooting me an email (link in the left side bar) – I would really appreciate it :)

In other news, it was a great mail day today. First off I got some new buttons from London that I am really excited to play with. They are in some super fun summery colours. I’ve already got some fun ideas to try with them. Look for a sneak peek sometime next week and be sure to check out London’s blog for the big DT reveal on July 1.

If that wasn’t enough I got a fun little package from this lovely.

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At the birthday party she hosted for me on my blog (aka her blog party) I won a little giveaway and my prize arrived today. I knew I was getting her super cute sock monkey stationary kit – however also included were a few teeny tiny prints – one of them being one of my most favourite paintings of hers ever.

I love it – definitely in my top 5 paintings of hers. If you read this – thaaank youu!!! (I also got a teeny pink undies print – too cute!)

Also, a few days ago I sent out a little parcel to my happy mail partner – Mallory. Mallory if you’re reading this there’s a little gift on its way to you. Also if you’re reading this stop now because I’m going to share what is being sent haha. I made this cutie little journal for Mallory and I had a hard time sending it away – I wanted to keep it for myself. ha! Oh well, I suppose I will just have to make a few more for myself. I’m thinking a little series of notebooks like this little cutie???

OMG. Looking at this picture I just want to have one for myself. Maybe I’ll make another tonight. I just loove it. What do you think?? Its been a while since I’ve been really excited about something I’ve made – its an *amazing* feeling. Almost nothing like it. I think I will make some more tonight. Also I think I will get started on my IDSS pages.

Also I’m really excited about some changes going on around here. I’m trying to change things up – make them a little more exciting. The banner waay up there is just temporary. I thought I liked it but the more I look at it I don’t. So that is just a bigger motivation to get the changes done more quickly lol. So if things are going wrong here or there is something you can’t see – there’s a good chance its due to that. Just a head’s up.

What are you up to this lovely summer night?

xo Jer

Meet My Dad.

No, that’s not my dad – that’s me. I was just going to post a bunch of pics of my Dad in honour of fathers day, however, I was super inspired/moved by LA’s father’s day post that I decided to expand on my photos and tell you little bit about my pops. So, meet my dad:He likes to ruin almost every picture that he is in, including serious family photos. My mom is worried when her grandchildren are looking through the pictures they will think that my dad is a relative that we got out of the nursing or group home every time we got together. Seriously sometimes with the faces he makes you can’t help but wonder if that’s where he really belongs . . .

He used to take me on adventures in far off places (aka the bush like 15 minutes away) to hunt for salamanders and other woodland creatures.

He could be in a crowd of 100,000 people, but all he has to do is whistle and I know he’s there. He takes amazing photos (including this one of me and my younger brother). There are so many great photos of me and my siblings because my dad had his camera around a lot of the time when we were growing up. I have amazing photos to look through and to scrap with and at least 75% of those are because of him. I am so so grateful for that.

He is the reason I got a buzz-cut with a rat-tail in kindergarten – I wanted to be just like him. I had you braid mine just like you braided yours. Neither of us have our rat-tails anymore, although mom still has mine in a plastic baggy. He loves my mom with all of his heart and teaches me everyday how to treat women by setting an example with her.

He is an amazing gardener and knows a ton about flowers. His vegetable garden is the best and I know if he had more time our yard would be impeccable (its good now, but if he had more time it would be better).

He is forever correcting my grammar and he always helped me with my homework. He taught me to reply to “How are you?” with “I am well” not “I am good” and you distinguish between desert and dessert because with dessert you always want a second helping (referring to the extra ‘s’ of course).

He is insanely smart and I think sometimes he wishes he could have gone down a different career path (I personally think he would have made a great doctor so does my mom) but if he did he wouldn’t be where he is today, and maybe wouldn’t have been around as much as he was when we were growing up.

He is seriously a jack of all trades. For some it may disappear with age – but to this day I seriously doubt that there is something my dad can’t do. He had an afro in college and wanted to pierce his ear but didn’t because he probably would have been kicked out of Bible college. To this day he sometimes wears a clip on earring. (I don’t have a good picture of either of these. gaaah!)

He was and still is my ultimate superhero. One of my earliest memories of him is at a New Years family get together at my grandmas when one of my cousins fell through the ice on the pond and my dad went in after him.

He is an amazingly talented musician and he plays guitar so so well. He also sings and can play a little bit on the piano as well and he knows a ton about theory. I have some musical talent which I probably get from him, but I would give anything for even half of the talent and knowledge he has. He inspires me to play my guitar more, and sit down at the piano. This is probably one of my favourite things about him.

Me and my dad don’t always get along very well and we don’t have the closest father-son relationship ever. We are so similar to one another that we often butt heads on a variety of topics when we have opposing views but we are working on it everyday, and even so I would never ever replace my dad for anyone else.

Father’s day is always hard for him since he lost his dad (my poppa) 15 years ago. (that is him – and is also another amazing photo taken by my dad). I don’t remember a lot about him but what I do remember, I see in my dad. I am told by my mom and my aunts and uncles and grandma that my dad is so so similar to my poppa. My dad is forever telling stories about Poppa and I am grateful for that.

With that, I want to to say Happy Father’s Day to this sweet little boy who turned out to be an amazing husband, father, and man of God.

xo jer.

Just for Fun + A Recipe

I wasn’t technically tagged for this cutie little questionnaire, but there are a bunch of people doing it, so I decided that I would like to do it too. most recently though i read holly’s.

What is your current obsession?

at any given time I’m obsessed with a number of different things and they’re always changing. right now i love.love.love:

embroidery. (especially this lovely by katie) everything that maggie holmes touches.

spray inks – specifically glimmer mist

& mini books.

What is your current favourite memory?

i have fond fond memories of summer. especially at my mama’s house – since much of our summer time were spent. i remember exploring the bush with my cousins. climbing trees. seeing who could be the first one in the pond each year. kick the can. hide and seek. . i just have a lot of nostalgia about summers in my childhood. good good times.

Starbucks or Peet’s?

well i’ve never heard of Peet’s so . . . .

What’s for dinner?

homemade pizza. the dough is rising as we speak. or – as i type.

What would you eat for your last meal?

much like right now, at the time of my death i would not be able to choose one meal to have as my last – it would be unfair to the other meals and also i am very indecisive and i *love* food. i’m feeling like it might be chinese though. or mexican. or italian. see? – indecisive.

What’s the last thing you bought?

hmmm. i bought a spot in rachel’s class most recently i believe. oh. no. i bought gesso. i loove gesso. i’m obsessed with that too.

What are you listening to right now?

well itunes is on shuffle – but most recently, sufjan, keane, ron sexsmith and new kelly.

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What is your favorite ice cream flavour?

ummm i’m pretty boring. i’m generally a plain vanilla kinda guy. especially soft serve. its just so classic. and you can do sooo much with it. and its so pretty.

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What was your favorite toy growing up?

oooo i wasn’t really a toy guy. i was more of a hands on/make believe kid. so my favourite toys were like. my chalkboard, kitchen set, blankets for forts. cool things like that.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

ooo hard one. i would love to go to brazil or india. and recently a new travel obsession – morocco.

also, look here and here for two lovely images of morocco. so beautiful.

Which language do you want to learn?

html? ha. that would make life sooo much easier.

but maybe japanese?

What is your favourite colour?

hard. this too is always changing. i’m still in love with green but i’m quickly falling for orange again.

[all by elise]

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

i love my green cardigan, my american eagle clogs, my american apparel v-neck. yeah i don’t really have a favorite, i like to mix it up. also i really love my vests.

What is your dream job?

i always wanted to be a teacher. and just before i decided to go into nursing i thought of taking art and art history in university to become an art teacher. i still think about it sometimes but i’m so happy with nursing and i love it. i’m still young, but i hope that nursing will be my dream job – and i think it will be. it just feels right.

What is your worst habit?

i’m sooo unorganized both with my time and my stuff which leads to messiness. and i bite my fingers.

If you had $100 right now, what would you spend it on?

currently i’m saving for school. a pen tablet. a dslr. and a mac. not necessarily in that order.

Describe your personal style?

modern old man meets nerd. let me explain: cardigans, vests, suspenders, occasional nerd glasses, slip on shoes ie loafers and boat shoes, converse, houndstooth, plaid, etc.

What are you going to do after this?

make pizza!

What are your favourite movies?

i’m always bad at this question. i can never think of movies although i have like a thousand. here are a few off the top of my head: million dollar baby, across the universe, the holiday, little miss sunshine, how to lose a guy in ten days, the princess bride, . . .and the list goes on.

What is your favourite fruit?

grapefruit!! closely followed by pineapple.

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What inspires you?

where do i start? . . . everything?? well not everything but a lot of stuff inspires me. just take a look at my flickr faves. that inspires me.

Your favourite book?

hmmm. . . . i’ve read soooo many books. i love harry potter. and ted dekker. recently the secret life of cee cee wilkes by diane chamberlain and influence by mk and ashley are two faves.

Do you collect something?

well it could be argued that i collect many things such as scarves, sunglasses, paints, craft supplies. while i do have a number of these different things i do not technically collect any of them i just happen to keep buying them.

What is your go-to nail polish colour?

well i don’t wear nail polish so . . . .yellow. ha!

ok. in other news here is the recipe for the delicious cupcakes that i made for my birthday. they are super easy to make and so so delicious.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded sweetened coconut
4 tsp (20 mL) grated lemon rind
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk

Lemon cream cheese Icing:
2 tbsp (25 mL) cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, softened
1/2 tsp (2 mL) grated lemon rind
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) lemon juice
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded sweetened coconut

Prep

In bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each. In separate bowl, whisk flour, coconut, lemon rind, baking powder and salt ; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Spoon into 12 greased and floured or paper-lined muffin cups.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 20 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pan to rack; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Store in single layer in airtight container for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy; beat in lemon rind and juice. Beat in icing sugar until fluffy. Spread over each cupcake; dip icing into coconut. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

two posts in two days. i’m on a roll.

xo jer.

A Decade

Earlier this week, as many of you know, I turned 20. It wasn’t too exciting around here, I thought I had to work on my birthday, but then I didn’t so I didn’t have anything planned for it. My day was spent doing a few little projects around here – fun projects which I will share soon. And I had dinner with the family followed by amaaazing coconut lemon cupcakes (just fyi – i’m a huuuuge fan of anything lemon flavoured etc.)

While the real world goings on were nothing exciting – in blog there was a 24 hour celebration in honour of my birthday and also for the birthdays of my almost birthday twin –Margot; and my real birthday twin – Jamie (at least I tell myself it was for us). The party started on May 31 around 11pm when there were a number of us blog bffs online waiting for Elsie’s blog party to start. So we decided to have a pre-party. So we chatted it up and kept each other awake and pumped until the real party got started. During that chat probably laughed out loud –like a real throw your head back belly laugh- a good 76 times. So funny – it was a really good start to my birthday. Then Elsie conducted her blog party all day long and I was soo pleasantly surprised to find my inspiration wall on Elsie’s blog in Holly’s awesome challenge post.

To top off the blog party (which was a visual inspiration overload) I won one of the giveaways. I promptly (ok not promptly I just did it today) sent my shipping info off to Erin and now I am patiently waiting for my little prize. All through the party Margot was cracking me up with her party comments. “pass me the chips” then later “i said . . .PASS THE CHIPS”. haha too funny. The blog party was so fun. I told Elsie she should have one every June 1st so we’ll see. However if there is no blog party next year on my bday maybe I’ll have to host my own blog party. Who knows.

Aaaanyways I’m here chit chatting about the blog party and the majority of people reading this were probably there so I’m here preaching to the choir about how awesome it was. What I do want to say is a big *thank you* to all of my blog friends for making my not so exciting real world birthday a super exciting cyber world birthday. So thank you for leaving me blog messages, tweets and posts on my facebook wall. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Twenty is good so far. I feel like it is going to be a good year. Any advice from those of you who have already seen your twentieth year?

In other less paragraph-y, more point form-ish news:

- this kiddo had his senior prom on the weekend. whaaat? i can’t believe he will be finished highschool in less than a month. i’ll try to convince him to do a wee grad photo sesh. however if you know my brother you’ll know that will be nearly impossible.

- i have a huuuge craving to go to the beach. especially after Samantha’s beach adventure and this lovely pic by Vee

- yay for the good response to the vlog. i still haven’t watched it even with all the positive praise. i’m afraid it would be weird to watch myself talk. even weirder than it was filming the vlog. maybe i’ll make it a regular thing. . . like monthly or bi-monthly? or maybe you’ll get sick of watching me? ahh we’ll see.

-also i started a new creative project this week. i will share it later so stay tuned.

xo jer