Today was a much needed day to just be with my thoughts, my bed, my snacks, and holiday movies. I took a much-needed ‘do nothing’ day to relax and recharge. I can’t even remember the last time I had SUCH a lazy day.
It was so nice. I made coffee & tucked myself into the couch for a holiday movie in the morning. Then I took a nap. In the late afternoon, I ordered McDonald’s on UberEats and ate it in IN MY BED. No shame! Selfcare!
It is more than ok to take a day or an afternoon to just BE. To do nothing. Actually, I highly recommend it. Take a personal day when you need it, it will revive your soul.
If you are looking for a little mini escape, play this song with headphones on and let your mind wander. It’s one of my favs.
New boots from L’Intervalle in Montreal arrived and I love them. Popped over to safely visit Michelle before she moved out of her apartment.
It was so nice out today, felt like spring at 7 degrees in the sun. In the afternoon Sean and I drove out to Oakville to visit Sean’s parents and pick up the treadmill. Can’t wait to set it up! Sean’s mum also gave me some fabric to work with. THANK YOU!
Looking forward to a few days up in the woods. I feel like my creativity is really popping these days, ready to bloom!
I might have a problem, it’s Instagram ads, they get me all the time! I saw these tracksuits on Instagram and they looked SO CUTE. It took a couple of weeks for them to arrive and, low and behold, they were not as cute as the photos. The top one is hilarious, Sean said it reminded him of a clown suit. I love the colours but the fabric is not great.
The suit below was so big. I might be able to make the pants or top work individually but as a set, I’m swimming. I washed them right away hoping they might shrink but no dice.
It’s totally crazy how well Instagram can sense what things we might like. Over the years, I’ve made some questionable purchases. ? I’m currently waiting on two more jumpsuits I saw from an Instagram ad. After seeing IG ads for local jewelry designer Jenny Bird, I ordered myself sold beautiful gold pieces as an early Christmas present. I also took advantage of L’Intervalle’s 50% off sale and ordered some gorgeous leather boots. They’re on their way from Montreal and should be here Monday! The 50% off sale is still on FYI!
Woke up to a winter wonderland! I reckon we got almost 10cm last night. Had a productive workday then Sean and I went to town around 6pm. Took it easy on the roads and made a date of going to Canadian Tire. Not a lot to do in these parts (or anywhere!) these days.
On the way home, Sean had to clear a tree off the cottage road so we could make it back. Crazy times! I think more snow is coming tonight. Good thing we got a good snow shovel!
I woke up this morning excited for work. I have talked about my love for Monday before. Monday is a day full of opportunity, who knows what emails you’ll get, how a call will change a plan, or who might pop into your day and brighten it up. I’ve worked freelance for years but before that, I’d been in full-time jobs where I dreaded Monday morning. If you think about it, Monday doesn’t suck, you just hate your job.
I baked some cookies during our all-staff meeting today, then dropped some to our lovely neighbour and my favourite postal lady, Judy, at Kilworthy Post Office. I rang Mum and we talked about little gifts we’ve made/are making for people and let me tell you, nothing like a handmade gift.
I loved sewing this weekend and I can’t wait to make more things. It’s taken some time to get familiar with my machine but I’m getting it. Each of my one-of-a-kind scrunchies has its own imperfections, making it unique. It gave me so much joy to make and style each one. A few people have asked how to get them, I’m thinking about making a shop and donating some of the proceeds. Tbh, kinda wanna keep and wear them all but I have enough scraps/ones that turned out bad ( ?) to have a piece of each floofy scrunch.
Doing things that don’t involve a phone or computer will inspire you in ways you don’t even know. I highly recommend it.
The agency I’ve been working with for the last few months is called FUNDAY. I love the people, the work, the hours, and it generally makes me happy to be on the team. If you are interested to learn more, check out funday.agency.
I spent hours this weekend sewing at the kitchen table making big floofy scrunchies. Each one is 100% unique and handmade with recycled fabric from my personal wardrobe.
I had planned to donate items at the start of the year, then lockdown happened. Instead of buying new fabric, I decided to make them into new things. Since I didn’t buy new fabric, I could work my way through learning to sew again after 20 years, without worrying about fucking up.
At the start of quarantine I shared my theme of ‘use what you got‘, I think that’s really carried through the rest of the year. Each tag on my floofy scrunchies says ‘Handmade by Casie w/ recycled fabric.‘ and has a little background story on the original item.
Today picked up some clear plastic packaging and thread (and glitter thread!) from Dollerama and I can’t wait to put everything together.
Put my wreath up on the front of the cottage. First time making one since I was a kid!
Today I had virtual lighting consultation with Luminaire Authentik. The meeting was set up by my friend & PR maven Kate Makinson, to create a custom light for my space. Started in 2015 by Maude Rondeau, Luminaire Authentik has become known for its Scandinavian aesthetic, made-in-Canada craftsmanship, and limitless customization options. I fell in love with their designs and started to visualize new lighting in our home using their 3D Creation Tool.
Love this style!
This colour!
Instead of physically going to their location in Leslieville, I opted to have an online consultation with Alana who was in the showroom. She was so helpful! Over Zoom, I took her on a tour of my space and shared what I was thinking. I fell in love with a large hanging light that’s white on the inside, with a large bulb, and BRIGHT yellow on the outside.
It’s going to hang so nice and be a focal point of the room. It takes a couple of weeks to make and will arrive at my door in early January. I’ve never had a custom light and after spending the last year transforming my space, it’s going to be a bright, beautiful, final touch.
This is the old light that is being replaced. Goodbye! ?
Here’s a preview of my new light using the Luminaire Authentik 3D Creator tool. I can’t WAIT!
Visit luminaireauthentik.com to browse their beautiful designs and play with the 3D Tool. They have so many customizable options depending on what you’re looking for. The Toronto showroom is located in Leslieville but you can also do an online consultation like me.
If you have any questions, LMK! I will share an update once it arrives and I set it up. Excited to bring this custom, Canadian-made sunshine to my room.
Well hello there! Spent the whole day inside, did not run today. Curled my hair with vintage hot rollers and I looked like a cherub. Decided to pop on a nice yellow jumper to brighten the day.
Tomorrow I’m meeting Talia in the morning for a socially distanced coffee date. I really miss seeing friends!
Usually, at this time of the year, I would be getting ready for a week away in New Orleans with some of my best friends. Seeing Facebook memories pop up makes me really miss travel. Seven years ago during this time, I was in Thailand with Contiki and 20 YouTubers. Such a great trip.
Today I was dreaming about going on vacation and the first place I would go back to is Costa Rica. If I was going to move to a tropical climate, I would love to live in CR.
In other news, remember how I mentioned wanting a treadmill? Well, ladies & gentlemen, the magic of the universe has shined its light in my direction! Sean’s dad emailed him to say they have one in their garage. AHHH! I am so thankful! It’s amazing how you can manifest great things in your life if you put positive messages out there.
Keith, if you are reading this I am sending you my love!!
My marketing professor in college used to say this to us. Each day we had her class, she expected us all to dress like we were going to work. I have always loved a good outfit and dressing nice for school was something I took pride in.
Even though I’m not going anywhere or seeing anyone, I like to dress up on Monday to start the week feeling good. Today I did my hair, put on makeup, and a dress. Each time I popped downstairs my dress fluttered around like I was flying. A simple pleasure. I felt great all day and had a wonderful burst of creativity in the afternoon before my last meeting.
I don’t dress up every day but in my experience, putting on a great outfit is usually a great way to make yourself feel better. By Friday, I’m usually in a cozy outfit with messy hair and no makeup, but it’s the end of the week. ?
I finally looked up the quote! Turns out, the full text is “no matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up.” It’s by NYT best-selling author Regina Brett and I am now following her on Twitter.
