Happy (Snowy) Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! This morning, I woke up to this scene outside my window. I couldn't help buy feel sense of excitement for the impending holiday season. The quiet, snowy morning really set the tone for a cozy and relaxing day in.

I roasted a chicken for dinner, and took the opportunity to prepare some homemade stock for a batch of soup to be made later in the week. I baked up a batch of brownies for my boy (one of his favorites), read a bit of my latest cookbook purchase and did some painting. Overall, it was a wonderful Halloween day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing weekend..

Cozy & Lovely

I want this throw in a very, very bad way. Oh Anthro, you sure know how to torture a girl with your beautiful, expensive wares. Hmm. Maybe I need to learn to crochet..

Sunny Disposition

Although the weather was a bit gloomy this Monday morning, I chose to ignore it and wear my brightest teal dress to work. It's amazing what a colorful outfit can do for your attitude! My spirits were noticeably lifted on this first day of the work week. And, call me crazy, but I honestly believe people were NICER as a result! I think my cheerful outfit actually affected those around me a positive way, too. Whether there is any truth to my theory I'm not sure, but I kind of love the idea of it.

My experiment today was most likely inspired by the latest piece I finished, Sunny Disposition. It's bright, cheerful and kind of fun. This is one of my first attempts painting with acrylic, and I have to say that I am loving the medium! The vibrancy of the color, the texture, everything.. I'm definitely going to keep playing with it and see where it takes my work.

I hope everyone had a lovely start to the week!

Rise & Shine

I just ordered these on a whim because, let's face it, I need them.

Bunting.

.. I NEED to make some of this. The bare brick wall in my apartment that is screaming for some fun.

Wardrobe Refresh: Making the Old New Again

This Fall I've trying to mix up the items in my wardrobe in new, refreshing ways. It's kind of a fun and creative exercise, I think! 

I particularly liked today's experiment. I was able to incorporate some favorite summer pieces (the blouse and skirt), while keeping the whole look weather-appropriate with layers. The result: A fun, comfortable outfit that's appropriate for work. 

Do you like to mix and match pieces of your wardrobe in order to freshen things up? You might be surprised by what you come up with!

Weekend DIY

I have had a little 5x5 inch canvas sitting among my crafting supplies for months. I had intentions to make a little painting, but most of my creative time lately has been devoted to drawing. This weekend I came up with an idea to use the little canvas along with a small self portrait I did several weeks ago.

I have been seeing Japanese Washi tape everywhere, it seems. I just can't seem to get enough of it! I decided to incorporate a similar, patterned ribbon tape into my little DIY project.

I simply cut several pieces of different patterns and used the strips to adhere the small illustration to the mini canvas - That's it! I really like how the canvas makes the picture three-dimensional, and the patterned tape adds additional visual interest. 

 The result is quite playful, I think. Such as simple project!

Friday at Last

Yay for Friday! I just got back from a nice relaxing dinner with my boy, and I'm looking forward to a nice evening in.

Last night I made two apple pies with the bounty from last weekend's adventure. We dropped one off to our good friends, and kept the other for ourselves. I had a piece this morning for breakfast - delicious!

What are you up to this weekend? Here's what's on my agenda:

- The second session of my beginner's yoga class
- Drawing
- Looking for a living room rug
- Relaxing
- Warm apple cider
- Whatever else tickles my fancy!

I'm really looking forward to the extra day off on Monday; it can really make a big difference, don't you think?

Have a lovely Fall weekend!

Wednesday Already?

Is it really Wednesday already? Things have been quite busy around here, but in a really good way. A few notable happenings from the past few days:

I took my first yoga class EVER on Saturday morning. I signed up for a five week session for beginners at a lovely little studio. The teacher is very warm and welcoming, and the class is wonderful. I felt so relaxed when I walked out the door. I can't wait to explore the practice a lot more in the coming weeks.

On Sunday A and I took a trip with friends to a farm in our area for some apple picking, warm cider, animal watching and corn maze racing. We were a bit like little kids (the maze was full of parents with their children), but we had a wonderful time. I have a pile of apples sitting in my kitchen just waiting to be made into a pie, apple sauce, apple cobbler, apple muffins... I could go on.

In the spirit of getting more active, my dear friend Brit and I took our first Zumba class on Monday evening! Seriously, why did I not try this years ago? The music is so energizing and the dance moves are really fun. We laughed and smiled for the entire 1.5 hours we were sweating it out. We went back for more tonight!

I hope everyone is having a fun, eventful week so far!