Saturday, December 11, 2010

GWK - my new video blog/silliness

Get to know the girl behind the necklace.


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Reflections on Pickle Sex Among Other Things...

I'm feeling sort of introspective today and felt like writing stuff out. Here are my reflections on certain shiz:

On boredom...
- Boredom is an illusion. If you're bored, make something up on the spot that's interesting to you.

For example, the other day at work, I had no work to do and I was feeling very bored. I'd caught up on all the blogs for the day, and spent some extensive time playing around with Google Analytics. Then, I looked at my coffee mug. The milk froth was all crusty on the inside of the mug, so I thought it'd be fun to scratch designs into the dried crusty froth residue. This kept me entertained for about one minute. While not very long, it made for one minute less of boredom in my workday.

Another way to cure boredom at work: chew loudly and drink your coffee with a straw while making sucking sounds. This will also get you attention if you're craving some. I've learned that I much prefer to work with others in a group, so I recommend this for times when you're stuck in a cubicle.

Lastly, to fight workplace boredom, it's always fun to arrange your desk supplies (or food, see below for a picture of sexy pickles) into sexy poses.

I call this one, "Pickles Making Luuuurve".

On love...
- I have yet to feel completely loved, safe and secure in any relationship outside of that with my - now dead, r.i.p. Honey - dog, and God.

- Vulnerability sucks the big one.

P.S.- Shipping is free all month on my Etsy shop.

Friday, December 3, 2010

New Items Listed! Free Shipping Dec 3-5!


Happy Friday! This week has gone by uber quick. I've been working on making new pieces, and today, am tackling some Google Analytics for the store. But aside from that, there are NEW ITEMS listed on my Etsy shop, and FREE SHIPPING on all purchases today through Sunday!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH!

Sometimes I have to battle with my craft. Lately, I've been a battlin' and battlin' hard to push through the crafter's block I've been experiencing. I wonder if this is how a baby feels when it's being born? You have to squeeze your way through this tight, dark, elastic-y tunnel and fight to take your first breath in the outside world. Or maybe like the mother? I've felt like a mother lately, I just want to give birth (not real live birth, you know, figuratively speaking of course), to birth out the creations in my mind, manifest my passion into pieces of sparkly eye-candy you can hang around your neck, off your ears and on your wrists. BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Gotta keep pushing and I wanna make it. I WILL DO this!

Are we not our own worst obstacle? Yes, I think we are.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

new online store

Gooood morning everyone and happy day before Thanskgiving!

A good friend of mine recently shared with me about BigCartel.com. The site is similar to Etsy.com in that it offers artists an easier way to sell and market their creations online. I feel that a lot gets lost in the mix on Etsy simply because the website is so big and there are so many vendors. If you don't post new items constantly, your shop gets. lost further and further down in the search results. The sheer volume of merch on there is massive. I want to try something new and so I'm going to be opening a new online shop, stay tuned! Coming verrrrry soon!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Be You, Stay True

This is hard for me to write about. I'm not always the greatest at writing out or explaining my feelings. If this blog post seems like it's only scratching the surface or kind of elementary in dealing with this subject, I apologize, but I'm going to try and write it out the best that I can. This post is for both women and men, but I think it's something that more women than men deal with.

This has been on my mind lately, an ongoing theme playing in my life and something I feel the need to write about. Sometimes things happen in our lives that make it impossible to ignore the fact that we need to learn something.

I feel that as women we are taught to "be nice". This starts out from when we're little girls. I've experienced that being "nice" no matter what happens though, can be detrimental too. I'm tired of being nice. I've been nice all my life. When I was bullied in grade school, I'd still be nice to the mean kids and try to make them like me. In a past relationship, in choosing to "be nice" regardless of how horribly the person treated me, I completely lost who I was for a few years, the ground fell out beneath me, I hit rock bottom and I hit it hard on many occasions before I got the strength to stand up for my self-worth - it was a dark dark time. Thank God for my friends and family though, they never gave up on me and their love and persistence in my life helped me emerge a butterfly, they got me to see the light on the other side of the tunnel. We've all been there in some way or other at one point in our lives.

Now, not all relationships are either healthy or extremely abusive, I don't believe things are that black and white. That said, I think it's important to check in with yourself when you're in a relationship to make sure the relationship you're in is healthy, and most importantly, healthy for you. Because who needs more crap in their lives right? Life is already tough enough without being with someone who makes things harder.

Does the person you're with...
- frequently question your sincerity?
- make you feel like you have to continually prove to them that you really care?
- shut you out emotionally?
- have very defined views about the roles men and women should play in a relationship?
- frequently gets upset (overtly or covertly) and you do not know what has happened to cause it?
- criticize things about you that nobody else ever has? (example: "It's annoying when you're so positive all the time" or they get upset that what upsets them does not upset you --> this is called Projection:
"Projection is the misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings or impulses onto another person who does not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses. Projection is used especially when the thoughts are considered unacceptable for the person to express, or they feel completely ill at ease with having them. For example, a spouse may be angry at their significant other for not listening, when in fact it is the angry spouse who does not listen. Projection is often the result of a lack of insight and acknowledgement of one’s own motivations and feelings.")
- ignore you? not include you in things?
- call the shots on when you're going to spend time together?

Do you find yourself...
- always agreeing with them to avoid conflict?
- not sharing your feelings/thoughts for fear of them being misunderstood or taken personally?
- making excuses for their bahaviour when it makes you uncomfortable or feel badly about something?
- thinking, "If I just did this differently..." or "Maybe if I do this it will finally show/prove to them how much I care for them"?

I know these lists just touch the tip of the iceberg on all this stuff, but if you experience many of these things above, you may be in an unhealthy relationship. I know myself that it's sometimes hard to articulate what and why you feel bad, but if in your gut, it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't. Please please please, don't suck up to someone who doesn't treat you well, ignores you, or shows any of the signs above! Know your worth, you deserve to be with a person who loves and accepts you, encourages and builds you up, someone who is secure enough in who they are to big up the beauty inside of you.

I found this diagram online and think it sums up clearly what a healthy relationship looks like, the essential ingredients that both people need to bring to make it good.

Remember, the most important person to be nice to is yourself.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Home

Just sat down in my seat, I'm excited to be flying home to T.O. for a few days. It feels like a lot longer since I first left for New York. The past month and three weeks have zipped by and I'm starting to kind of know where I'm going around the city which feels great. A lot has happened since September 1st. A lot is yet to happen in the future and I'm so excited.

One thing I've learned recently is that there's really no way to predict the future. What we imagine will be tomorrow, next week, a month down the road, often turns out entirely different from how our minds and hearts have planned. I'm learning to roll with the punches and take each day as it comes. Every day you are given is an opportunity for adventure.

I sign off with a quotation I saw on a mug in Barnes n Noble that goes something like this:

Life is not about finding yourself - it's about creating yourself.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Done Painting








Here are some pics of how my room is coming so far. The painting's all done now and I can't wait to hang my grandfather's paintings, I think they will give the walls the finishing touches they need. It's bright outside so the pictures look a little dark but the room is actually quite bright (it faces west). Stay tuned for more pics.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cork Board Jewellery Display



Are your walls feeling a little bare? Here are some pictures of how you can use a simple cork board to easily and beautifully display your jewellery. It's storage, organization and art. No more tangled up necklaces and twisted chains!

Sunday

Today New York feels lonely. To cheer myself up I put up the corkboards from Ikea to display my jewellery - two, one each on opposite walls, in exactly the same place, height and distance from the wall. Looks kinda neat. It was accidental since they didn't both fit where I was going to hang them initially.

It's a beautiful day so I'm going to walk to Park Slope to the flea market there just to look around.

Blah.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Working at Working

I'm feeling optimistic, meeting with recruiters and job stuff is starting to happen! I thoroughly believe that New York will give back what you put into her (yes, New York's a lady in my mind). If you're open to adventure and aren't afraid to work hard, I believe that anything is possible here. People are living out their dreams everyday here, and I'm determined to live out mine. When I'm feeling a bit lost or overwhelmed (which has happened quite often since I got here), I remind myself that hey, you're in NEW YORK, you've come this far, and you can do it!

I'll finish off this post with a verse from the Old Testament and two quotations from Oprah:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take."

- Proverbs 3:5-6 (New Living Translation)

 "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." - Oprah

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure." - Oprah

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Finding the Perfect Grey

Over the last few days me and Apartment Therapy, and a load of other decorating blogs, have bonded. I was in search of the perfect grey. I found it: Benjamin Moore "Chelsea Gray" and "Pelican Gray", (but I went with the first one). Love love love this and I think it will really make the bedding pop.

I painted the wall where my bedroom door is to test it out. Still love it, but the large white door and closet doors are an eyesore, and I wondered if painting them the same colour as the walls would look nicer. Then I was doing some more Apartment Therapy'ing and came across this article spotlighting rooms where the walls and trim are painted the same colour. Kapow! These rooms are stunning! My favourite example from the article was of this room. Look how those chartreuse pillows pop! Bam!


It looks possible that by unifying the distribution of colour in a space will result in a more open, larger feeling.

Click here for the original post.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Easy and Inexpensive Ikea table hack

Happy Monday everybody!

I measured the dimensions of my room the other day and to my great surprise, it measures 12.4 ft long and 8 ft. wide - so that's why it's feeling a little cramped in here! It all makes sense now, and in my great haste to have it furnished immediately upon move-in, I made a few hasty decisions on furniture where I now wish I'd just bought a bed and taken my time to find the other things - but Ikea was offering $69 delivery within 100 miles...gosh, I really am a sucker sometimes.

Since space is limited, I'm working on how I can creatively and inexpensively make the most of mine. How many jutty-outty things I can limit and keep close to the walls, and off the floor entirely. So I'm thinking, floating shelves, yes! Some kind of wire hiding box because wires are ugly (thank goodness Ikea has one here for $10)! Would it be possible to convert my Vika Amon desk into fold-up retractable desk? I dare do say it's possible (see how one guy made a retractable side table using the Lack coffee table on the Ikea Hacker blog).

The walls are white and kinda bad looking, for the first time I wasn't going to paint - but it's getting to me, this room NEEDS some wall lurrrve.

Stay tuned for before and after pics! Coming soon. 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

These Are Things - Sweet Maps!

...make me happy. I came across These Are Things because the couple who own/make these maps have their apartment featured on Apartment Therapy (click here for the house tour). The couple hand silkscreen each and every map they sell and I'm loving the retro look. This would look fab in a bedroom or home office don'tcha think? The aqua one is my favourite.




TheseAreThings.com

Brooklyn Flea

Yesterday afternoon I visited the famous Brooklyn Flea market. The Fort Green one happens every Saturday from 10am - 5pm, rain or shine. I had a great time strolling through all the vintage clothing, jewellery and antique vendors' goods and wares! The vendors were all so friendly and below are some photos of my favourite eye-spies!

John Murphy Prints and Photographs
shopjohnmurphy.com

John says customers tend to pick the frame that matches the colour they're wearing first! Guess which frame I picked?

Yosara Duran of Yoshie Art & Design
I especially loved her multi-strand necklaces made of vintage chain and other delightful materials! She stressed the importance of having a diverse product offering when applying to markets/shows since there is often a surplus of jewellery vendors already. Vintage and repurposed materials are always good!
Read her blog here.
Monkey of Wrecords by Monkey
They make jewellery, accessories and home accents using reclaimed vinyl records while keeping their carbon-footprint to the minimum.

Cityscape Cuff by Wrecords by Monkey

Chandelier Pendant by Wrecords by Monkey
One of my faves.

Oh my goodness, I LOVE this display! It's Wilhemina!
My super sweet score of the afternoon!


I didn't know what an egg cream was, but they looked good so I got one and yum! It was good! Think vanilla-flavoured milk soda, like an ice cream float but not thick.


All in all it was a super way to spend a Saturday afternoon on such a beautiful Fall day. I'll definitely be back!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

In the grocery...

Whenever I'm out and about, and see something that grabs my attention (usually in the grocery store), I make a point of taking a picture. Below are a few of those pictures. Oh America, how I love your artificially flavoured delights...

Really?
Because bacon is delicious.

Friday, September 24, 2010

New (york city) Hair



New season, new city, new hair. I've had a bob since about April though I have been seriously admiring Carey Mulligan's short pixie cut for a while now. I went online the other day to see what other short haircuts I could find and saw that Michelle Williams also chose to go short again back in the spring (see this Huffington Post article). I love short hair for its no fuss, wash-and-go'ness and decided that why not make another change and go short again? So I did.

How do I feel? Not that different, I was in the kitchen this morning and bumped into one of my roommates and forgot I had gotten a haircut until she said something. Lol, I guess that's a good thing.

I am, for once, at peace with my hair.

Haircut by Leah at the Sam Brocato Salon in NYC.




Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's been 3 weeks

...since I landed in the Big Apple. Don't know what to write about today. Oh, I moved into my apartment last Saturday. I've worked hard the last few days to get my bedroom feeling homey and decorated. The walls are painted white, I was thinking of having them painted but with the bright pink and orange bedding from IKEA, the white walls are kind of okay.

What I built since Saturday:
- put my bed together with the help of one of my roommates (thank you!)
- an Expedit bookshelf
- my Vika Amon desk (the whole desk with the legs and all only cost $19.99, they've got some great deals at Ikea in the US).
- a lamp
- sweet white faux leather office chair (only $59.99 but it's super chic - thanks Ikea!)
- my head, shoulders, knees and toes - and my legs and feet from the several trips made to Ikea and Bed Bath & Beyond

Still need to:
- hang the mirror, bulletin boards ($5.99 each at Ikea, great for displaying jewellery/necklaces especially), whiteboard
- get some favourite photos printed and pick up some inexpensive frames from Ikea to decorate the walls.

Here's what the room looks like so far, will keep you posted as it gets more Kristiina-ified. Still unsure about the layout of the furniture, I'm gonna play with it and see what works best.








Monday, September 13, 2010

random wanderings

I'm sitting in a park at Grand St and Chrystie St, listening to La Roux's "If by Magic", hoping the $3 salmon maki I got at the corner fish market sits well with me, not that it's a need-to-know, but so far I'm feeling fine. Lol. I got off at World Trade Center PATH stop and started making my way up Church St, then east on Canal St, then up some more and blocks and blocls later I'm here now drinking a taro bubble tea and watching kids play throw the ball against the wall.

New York, I'm starting to love you, though you scare me some since you're so large and I don't really know where I'm going yet. I have an interview at Aeropostale corporate tomorrow, and I'm still waiting to hear back about an apartment I found in Brooklyn (in a super pretty and quiet neighbourhood called Windsor Terrace). Please keep your fingers crossed, the place is PERfect!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Newbie in New York

I landed in Newark on Wednesday night, and thus my NYC journey/adventure has begun! It's been a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences over the last 5 days so far.

Day 1 - Scared shitless. What have I gotten myself into? Will I like it here in Ameeeeerica? WTF, I don't know where anything is or where I am, lol. I wondered if this is what it could feel like to be blind, not knowing where you are or where you're going... I missed my mom a lot that day. Mommy!

Day 2 - Feeling a little bit better. Phil and I went to see Inception at the movies in Battery Park City. Crazy film, I kept imagining what New York would look like if it folded over itself like Paris in the movie. We were crossing the street and saw the sweetest thing ever, a dog jumped up to kiss a police horse's nose and they were both sniffing eachother's noses. Cutest thing ever.

Day 3 - I think I can do this. Chug chug chug, I think I can, I think I can... Phil took me to the Sunset Park neighbourhood of Brooklyn. I think I could live here. Sunset Park is very latino and people were out and about with their families, men were playing cards and dominoes in the park, kids swinging on swings, Spanish being spoken everywhere, reggaeton blaring from car stereos. Sunset Park is on a hill, and from the top of the park in Sunset Park, you get a fantastic view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty off in the distance. We also explored the super-gentrified/baby stroller central of Park Slope. Lots of neat shops, great restaurants and lots of baby strollers.

Day 4 - We went to Jones Beach in Long Island (pronounced "Lawn-guylland") for the day with my cousin and her girlfriend. It was windy still from Hurricane Earl having passed through the day before and the water was quite wavy, a bit too cool to swim but it was plenty sunny, and my nose got plenty of sun. Later we got some "greazzy drippins" from Wendy's and then had Japanese ice cream in the East Village. Walked down St.Mark's Place and saw lots of neat vintage boutiques I'm definitely going to have to go back and check out.

Day 5 - It's Labour Day. No America, I will not give up my "u" in Labour Day :). Lol. Feeling really good about being here, excited to see some apartments, Craigslist can be a bore when people don't get back to you, but it's all good. I think it's gonna be good living here. Now, to find a place that is bedbug-free.

More to come...

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Indie Craft Fair, M.A.M.A. at Teranga

Hey!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, the weather sure did cooperate eh?

Yesterday I worked my first craft show - the Indie Craft Fair, held at the Garrison bar in Little Portugal. I've included some pics my Mom took - thanks Mom! My friend Julia helped me watch the table and we had a great time! That's my uncle in the third pic!



Last night, a couple of us girls went out to M.A.M.A. and danced the night away (this party happens at Teranga, in Kensington Market, every 2nd Saturday of the month and it's definitely worth checking out since the music is a breath of fresh air - not your Top40 - but cool sounds from all over the globe and sick beats, and my friend's sister DJ's!) Before we left to go out, we decided that my one friend needed a bracelet, so we made her one (brass with smokey quartz). Below are some pics.

This weekend rocked!