A Little Bit of Heaven - June 9th, 2011

Image by Crystal Writer.

Hello my happy little hooligan! I hope that you have had an amazing week so far, and that you’re ready for a great big wonderful love list of amazing! Here we go!

More love in my life than I ever thought possible: I have a man-friend who trusts me, the two best friends I could wish for, and another circle of friends I know I can count on to be awesome! My female friendships are competition-free, which is totally amazing! My love for people is exploding faster and shinier than it ever has before. I am all a-twitter and a-glitter!

Emotional balance: I feel like I’ve finally gotten to an emotional place where my head screwed on straight enough that I can provide emotional support to those who need it. It makes me so happy to be able to be that friend and lover that I always knew I could be.

YOU GUYS my man friend can DO MAGIC WITH CARDS. This is incredible!

Summer: It’s here in all its glory! There’s amazing weather, all the bike rides, hot days, rainstorms, HAIL. What’s not to love about it? Summer is my favourite season, no question! I’ve been seeing flowers every single day! Some of them match my hair!

Shopping with J’aime Jaime: We got her all kitted out at Value Village for summer awesome goodness. Plus an autumn dress that almost made me not want to be friends with her anymore because she looked so good in it.

Co-hosting a yard sale with three of my favourite people. We sold some stuff, but more importantly we got to sit in the sun and play cards all afternoon, and get rid of a bunch of our unwanted things without having them go into a landfill. Plus afterwards I biked around my neighbourhood and found an old typewriter from another yard sale that was left at the curb! And a chandelier for my bedroom!

Dancing at weddings: Jeff and Lauren got married. They were lovely. Fun and dancing and drinks were had. Friends from forever ago were seen. What a time!

Giant Tiger! Their staff is adorable (Jessica, I’m looking at you, kid!). Also, I never want to spend all kinds of money on summer clothes (because I can only wear them for a couple of months), and they have crazy deals on cute things.

I finally got around to changing my wardrobe over and cleaning it out a bit! I am so lucky to have a closet full of things that I love, and I never need to worry about what to wear!

Positive response to my look: Little girls in particular love my hair (“Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. THAT LADY HAS PINK HAIR.”). Getting positive, happy words said about something that I’ve been cultivating and consciously evolving makes me want to work more on it!

Forgetting my phone at home: It’s kind of a nice feeling. I wouldn’t want to do it every day, but it’s nice to know that I can live without it.

Having a plan for decorating my bachelorette pad (tentative name: The Glitter Factory): I have been just existing in my apartment, it’s been a place to hang my hat, but my apartment is adorable and deserves a bit more of a loving touch. Plus, it’s in a neighbourhood that I love; Hintonburg has the most and the cutest puppies!

Changing my handwriting and my habits. My penmanship is getting nicer! I am making my bed every day!

SEAHORSES.

Books! Currently Emma and Memories of a Catholic Girlhood by Mary McCarthy. Reading and holding hands is quickly becoming one of my favourite activities.

This blog and YOU! Without you this blog would have no point! Thank you! And thank you so much for your kind donations! I am so lucky that you like what I’m doing so much! I also love it when you leave comments, because it gives me a bit of a chance to interact with you! More like this, please!

Ottawa! This city is pretty rad! I can pretty much get whatever I need here! The people that I love are here (although we’re losing three people I really, really like this year, and that makes me sad), and it’s close enough to Toronto or Montreal so that I can go there when I need to.

Writing: I’ve been falling back in love with the process and it feels wonderful.

Making things with my hands and having partners in craft. Fun++

Pictures and pictures and pictures. Being someone’s muse is pretty much amazing and is something I have always wanted. MANIFESTED.

PUPPIES. ALWAYS. Image by trialsanderrors.

Music music music: Ani DiFranco – Napoleon; Skee-Lo – I Wish; Colin Meloy – Cupid; Aesop Rock f. John Darnielle (SWOON) – Coffee; Great Lake Swimmers – Your Rocky Spine; Iron & Wine – Carousel; The Extra Glenns – Going to Marrakesh

Honourable Mentions: Spinning in my desk chair * Calling people “nutbag” * “A MILLION WATER” * Getting whistled at by the same parrot twice in one week * Boys who give good text * “What can I put between two quarters to make it look like a roll of quarters?” “Um... 38 more quarters.” * Planning travel with my favourite people * MAKING THIS LIST * Cake pops on the Starbucks patio while I work * Sally Hansen Salon Effects - five days and still going strong! * Getting amazing things in the mail from fantastic people

My little love bundle! What about you? What do you love? What are you thankful for?

A Little Bit of Heaven - June 2nd, 2011

Image by kainet.

What is up, candy cup? I hope you're having an incredible week so far!

As I write this, I'm sitting on a balcony high above the city, with the sounds of children playing in a water park drifting up to me, enjoying some lovely sunshine...

But that doesn't matter, as much as I may love it. Here's what matters: it's time for the great big, long missed Thursday love list: A Little Bit of Heaven! Here's what's been turning my crank this week!

The Canadian Museum of Nature: I got taken there on a lovely date recently, and it was super-boss-awesome-fun-time to look at dinosaurs, bugs, plants, and especially rocks!

Being physically active - specifically taking long, long weekend walks and going for bike rides all the time. I find I resent time spent at the gym (although I love going), but doing fun stuff while getting exercise is just fine by me!

To that end, private underpants dance parties! There have been so many of these in my life lately and they are absolutely amazing!

Amazing friends who pick me up from surgery. Specifically, Justin, who is awesome and took time out of his work schedule to come and get me.

Taking photos with toy film cameras, especially my Lomo! I've also been playing with a Vivitar point-and-shoot and using Vignette for my phone when I want something digital. Also, my amazing Android phone, the LG500. Love++!

Dates with myself. Last week I took myself to Fil's, drank Perrier with lemon, ate a grilled cheese on rye bread, read Emma, and listened to my favourite Beatles songs. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing.

Photo by J B Hildebrand.

New vintage sunnies that I probably got gouged on but I love them so much that I don't care, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay pinker hair, and eating nectarines (which I like to call protectarines). Also of note, a polka dotted dress with pearls and wearing my non-shorn hair in a ponytail. (Since I only have hair on one side of my head and it`s crazy vibrant violet pink, I feel a bit like a My Little Pony!)

My dad and my gentleman friend have been e-mailing each other because my dad needs advice on a purchase in my friend's field, and it's been really cuting me out!

Honourable Mentions: Cinnabon surprises * Sleeping through the night * $5 food processors * Edward Scissorhands * Setting SMART goals! * Having a dream about jumping on a trampoline * OhMiBod Freestyle * Vintage jewelry picked up for a song at yard sales * Spinach + fruit in a salad * Perfect strangers telling me they love my hair * Especially when they're adorable little girls * Bonus points for being named Bella and being the sweetest girl in the world

Instead of just listing all the songs and music I've loved this week, here are some links to some YouTube clips of them! Un petit playlist, if you will!The Beta Band - Dry the Rain (seriously, kiss someone you really, really like while you're listening to this), Belle Orchestre - Throw It On a Fire (creepy video...), Frightened Rabbit - Backwards Walk, MIA - Fire Fire, Girl Talk - Let It Out, Fuad & the Feztones - Camel Walk (not the best quality, but trust me when I tell you that their record Beeramid is totally worth picking up and I crush on this band hard), oh man, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs YES STILL - Heads Will Roll and Handsome Furs - I'm Confused (the Bluesfest 2009 combo), Wax Mannequin - End of Me (one of the best shows I`ve seen in a while!), and finally, Mr. Oizo - Flat Beat!

I have no idea what this really is but I highly recommend you watch it. My
gentleman friend showed it to me on a night when we whiled away the
hours showing each other stuff we love on YouTube. This is what English
sounds like to a non-English speaker.

What about you, darling dear? What is making you happier than happy this week? What makes you feel rich? How are you loved? Tell us in the comments!

A Little Bit of Heaven - March 24th

Me and Katie texting and tweeting away in the front row at fashion week.
As she commented on Facebook, "What did people do at fashion week
before smartphones. Also, we are some pale, pale girls."
Truth.

Hello lovely!

It's Thursday! That means it's time for the great big love list for the week!

I had an amazing week, how about you? Here's what I love!

Katie Katie Katie. There isn't enough that I can say about how wonderful she is. She's a fantastic companion for fashion week (even though sometimes photographers think she is my girlfriend because I tell her I love her all the time and we hold hands so we don't get lost in crowds), she's beautiful, she's stylish… I'm so lucky to have her as a friend!

Roasted, salted peas. Oh my gosh you guys. These are so delicious. They seem like they'd be healthy but they're totally not! They are so good.

Munching on nori. I've started just snacking on nori (yes, the seaweed that you buy in sheets for sushi!), and wow. I love it. It's the right texture and saltiness that I need when I'm craving chips, while being vegetables! It's 10 calories a sheet! (Not that I'm a calorie counter, but still, it's nice to know that it's not going to make my clothes fit funny...)

My morning cocktail. I take a whole mess of supplements every day, everything from multivitamins to extra calcium and vitamin D at night, but I've recently added two capsules of bee pollen (which smell amazing), two capsules of maca root powder and three ginko bilobas. It totally jump-starts both my brain and my body, and it gives me more energy than I thought possible! I think this is maybe the first step in getting rid of my morning coffee, because when I take those I simply don't need it! It may be a caffeine-free 2011 yet!

Meeting Ashley Parsons of Sugarbum Designs! Katie introduced me to her on Saturday night, and I was completely starstruck! She is so beautiful and so sweet! She told me that I looked like a cupcake and that was pretty much the best thing anyone has ever said to me! She has also invited me to spend some time with her in her studio! When that happens I will totally tell you all about it!

Hiring new staff. I met incredible photographer Jesse Hildebrand on the weekend, and he has agreed to come on board as the official Your Sweet Bippy staff photographer! Keep your eyes out for guest post street style columns to come from him, as well as other pictures…

Making big plans. I am making big, big, big plans for this year. I have a huge goal for the end of the year and I am trying to figure out how to put it in motion. I have been talking about a lot of interesting collaborative projects… And lots more in store for the blog!

Scribbling in my Moleskine. I love the way the paper feels.

My fashion lookbook. I sometimes feel like my magazines are precious but lately I've been cutting them apart willy-nilly and have been pasting up the images I like in a sketchbook.

Honourable Mentions: Kissing * Exclamation points * Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig * Getting invited to clothing swaps * Anticipating tomorrow night's Girlie Night with my ladies * Foursquare! So dorky! You can totally add me if you want to see what I'm up to! * Curling or crimping my hair

I just remembered this song this morning! Boogie boogie!

They played this on the radio last week and it's been in my head non-stop. You're welcome.

What about you? What are you thankful for? What do you love? What makes your heart sing, you pretty little thing?

A Little Bit of Heaven - March 17th

Photo by mccheek.

Hello my wonderful little love minxes! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you are having a fantastic week! I've been making all kinds of fashion week plans, and I've loved reading all the entries on my Ottawa Fashion Week ticket giveaway post!

And guess what you guys? I'm giving them away today!

But first, to whet your appetite, here is un petit liste of all the things that have made me smile this week!

• “Britchy” - okay, so at work we have these spam filters, and you can't send a swear in an e-mail or it will not go through. Last week my friend Jaime was out sick and e-mailed me and said that she was feeling “britchy” to get around the spam filters. And I laughed and laughed and have been using it ever since!
• Listening to the Pink Mountaintops' record Axis of Evol while baking cupcakes - I had a relaxing day on Sunday which involved baking!
• Reconnecting with old friends at random stores - I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in nearly seven years at Home Outfitters on the weekend!
• My new phone - an LG Optimus named Ophelia!
• Getting taken for lunch dates while I'm at my office job!
• LCD Soundsystem in my ears on my way to work!
• Staying on top of taking my vitamins - I always feel so much better and have so much more energy when I take my vitamins regularly, although I have been accused of being an old lady when they are all dosed out in my little teacup every day!
• Trying out new supplements - I just got some maca powder in capsule form and I'm trying that out. It seems to give me boundless energy!
• Grocery shopping - not only is it super-fun for me (because really, let's face it, any shopping is fun for me, and justifiable shopping is even better), but I love the feeling of abundance I get when I come home and put away my groceries and I can open my fridge or cupboards and know that I have so many delicious, healthy things to eat!
• Eating breakfast - I used to hate eating breakfast, but I've been sucking it up lately and having a piece of toast with peanut butter, orange juice and tea, and I am always surprised by how awesome it is!

Honourable Mentions: “We're BFFs, Jes. Get it straight.” * 2+hour Sunday afternoon naps * Giving things away on the blog * I got new boots to sport at Ottawa Fashion Week! * Photobooths (again)

This video!

What about you? What is making you squeal with delight on this wonderful Thursday? Tell me in the comments!

And stay tuned later today for the announcement of my Ottawa Fashion Week ticket giveaway!

A Little Bit Of Heaven

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

One of the things I've missed the most about not doing any sort of regular posting is this feature! Compiling lists of all the things I've loved over the last week is such a good way to reflect and to be grateful for all the good in my life!

Let's dive right in!

• When my colleagues bring me chocolates - especially fruit creams!
• Big chunky platform boots + leggings + (summer) dress + blazer or cardigan - this has turned into my winter uniform! I hate wearing pants (I really, really do), and a skirt with tights is just too chilly to wear in the depths of winter in Ottawa!
• Reading the archives of recently discovered blogs!
• Pink hair! More to the point, Special Effects' Cupcake Pink!
• Ottawa Fashion Week! Plotting my outfits for, dreaming about, scheming about!
• Super awesome fun date nights!
• Making new friends! I recently became friends with a girl at work on whom I've had a “friend crush” for nearly five years! She bought a DVD and some fabric from me, and we started chatting, and we have so much in common! We are now planning all kinds of fun bike rides to the beach this summer.
• Getting set up to sell things on eBay! I'll let you lovelies know when I've stuff up for sale!
• Taking better control of my diet - I've once again gotten “nailed to the V” (as Michael refers to it). This means I've gotten back into veganism after definitely falling off the wagon over the Christmas holidays. I had a really hard time getting back into it! I blame cheese. But I'm there again, and it feels great!
• Quitting smoking! For good this time!
• Putting on my face - there's something to be said for the time you take in the morning to put your face on, no matter what your routine entails. Think about it - you're spending 5, 10, 15 minutes + caressing your own skin. It doesn't get much more radical self love than that!
• My Moleskin “book a month” planner! This is the first year I've had one, and I adore it! I love how small each notebook is, they fit perfectly in my handbag! Although only being able to plan a month at a time is pestering me, I've been decorating each month's book with little images I find that I love!
• Photobooths - such a super-fun date activity!
• Cleaning up the music drive on my laptop - when Michael gave it to me, it was all filled with music I had never heard, and I'm finally exposing myself to it all! I have found some real treats! Like Badly Drawn Boy, godspeed you! black emperor, Los Campesinos!, and all kinds of hip hop!
• Double dates! I am going on one on Saturday night!

“Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.”
                                                                 - Albert Einstein

Don't forget my Ottawa Fashion Week contest! You can win tickets! It closes next Wednesday (March 16th) at midnight! The winner will be announced on the 17th!

And what about you, my sweet little peach? What makes you happier than happy today?

A Little Bit of Heaven (Formerly Things I Love Thursday)

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

So, I changed the name of this little feature from Things I Love Thursday (which I cribbed from Gala Darling), to A Little Bit of Heaven. Little Bit of Heaven is a dessert that my mom used to make for church pot luck dinners, and although I can't seem to find the recipe anywhere online (nor could I eat it anymore, now that I'm a vegan), it was one of my favourite things in the world. It had a graham cracker base, and whipped mocha middle, and toasted almonds on top. It was light and fluffy and not too sweet, and it was absolutely delicious. Typing that out made me taste it all over again!

Anyway, I thought it was the perfect name for this feature! Things I adore, things that make my mouth water, things that make me happy. A Little Bit of Heaven indeed. On with the list!

• YOU GUYS IT IS MY OTHER BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! First of all, I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have TWO best friends! B) I am super-lucky that one of them is Jaime. Finally, it's her birthday! Some readers may remember Michael's birthday back in March, but I don't have a bunch of photos lying around of Jaime. So instead I submit for your approval this cover of the Dik Van Dykes "Birthday Song" (which was the only version I could find on YouTube). Happy birthday, buddy!

I kind of wish the audio was better on this, and maybe the lyrics aren't 100% work appropriate...

• Sticking up for myself. This is kind of a big deal to me right now, because I've never really done it before. But I started realizing how much people that I trust as my friends bring me down with negative comments and sometimes say downright insulting things to me (in public, no less), and how that's not OK. So I'm learning to say, "Don't treat me like that, I don't like it." Unfortunately, this means that if they continue to treat me that way they need to go from my life, which is a really hard decision to make. And sometimes they say things that are so mean that I have to have a little cry (that happened last Tuesday). But really, if people are mean to me, why should I want them in my life anyway? I don't. Everyone deserves to be treated kindly and with respect, especially by their friends. I demand to be treated the way I treat others.
• Lavender incense. It fills up my bedroom nearly every night with its lovely, smoky, relaxing goodness.



This photo of blog sponsor @renwest completely makes my day. He posted it on Twitter last week and I thought I was going to have a fit I squealed so loud! It totally reminds me of a picture I had pasted into one of my journals in the mid-1990s of a baby with its eyes all big and watery and sad.

• Making new friends. This has been a very exciting year for me! I have taken on the challenge of talking to new people, getting to know them, and learning from them. I try to give what I have to offer, and so far it's been absolutely amazing! My life has been completely enriched in incredible ways.
• Honourable Mentions: old men who call me dear, lemongrass curry tofu from Springroll House, going to the theatre, glittery eyeliner on rainy days, fairy lights woven around my bed frame, daydreaming about chandeliers to hang over my bed, plotting international living, discovering little girls and I have the same favourite colour (pink, of course), giving friends advice and them actually listening to me.

How about you? What's on your list of things you adore this week, things that give you that little bit of heaven? Share with us in the comments!

Things I Love Thursday

Won't you be my love?

Here's a little list of things I've been loving this week!

• You guys! My little blog has its first sponsor, Texture Hair Salon!
• Walking arm-in-arm with The Boy!
• Going to used book sales! I picked up some excellent reads this week, including Peter Pan, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and Tuck Everlasting! My goal is to read a book every two weeks...
• The Boy's been reading me one of his favourite books (Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut). I absolutely love being read to! He is so amazing, I don't even need to ask, he's been saying, "Shall I read to you now?" Swoon.
• I got bunny ears at the drugstore. I've been pretending I'm a bunny. A lot. And I've been saying, "I'M THE EASTER BUNNY HOP HOP" with a Rochester accent, from the old Great House of Guitars commercial. And then I giggle like crazy. It amuses me to no end.
• To that end, getting back in touch with my whimsical, sparkly side!

Corgis!

• Thai food!
• I made a big decision this week to no longer seek approval from those who will never provide it. I don't need validation from anyone other than myself! As long as I'm doing what I love, I'm happy. And I am! So hooray!
• "Your legs and feet look like sexy swans."
• Ghost stories told in old houses. (The Turn of the Screw was so scary.)
• The (sometimes agonisingly) slow progression towards actually being a vegan, not just not eating animal products. I am really starting to get there!
• PAJAMA PARTIES.
• Crossing things of my to-do list. It's so satisfying.
• My new personalised address labels! Thanks Ren! 

The Boy's middle child has a reading response journal for school. Her mom
e-mailed me this on Monday. The song is "Oh Rainbow". The Girl's response
is "Oh Rambo". That's pretty much my favourite thing ever.

• Ottawa Fashion Week. Wow. Just, wow. It was my first one ever. What an incredible experience. I can't wait until next season! I am going to try to do Montreal next season, as well as Ottawa.
• Coming home from working late at Fashion Week to find a dinner of pasta with vegan mushroom cream sauce waiting for me. It's nurturing things like this that make my heart sing!
• Foggy, crisp autumn mornings like yesterday's.
• Winning contests! I used to never win contests! I guess my luck is changing, or I'm changing my own luck! Thanks, Miss SLY!
• "You look like a big, sexy kitty!"

These videos:

I've been watching this video a lot this week. Because Kurt's my favourite character on Glee, and Gypsy is one of my favourite musicals.

Here's the full version, with the lovely Bernadette Peters.

"He ejaculates in my wound." Brilliant.

This video's been making the rounds in the blog world for the last couple of weeks. Watch it, please.

If there's one thing I love more than anything in the world, it's men in drag with one thing off. Keeping a masculine aspect. Like his moustache.

Things I Love Thursday (TiLT)

My new Freecycled candles!

Following the advice of Gala Darling, I've decided to start showing gratitude in my life for all the little things that make my days brighter. I've started keeping a list in my DayRunner and whenever I think of something lovely that I like, I write it down. 

So, we've got ourselves a nice little new feature—every Thursday, I'm going to post a list of things I loved, found wonderful, and was thankful for this week!

Let's jump in!

Things I love to do: building outfits for Ottawa Fashion Week; getting caught singing in the elevator; bringing my lunch to work; feeling organised; ironing; cleaning; being a lady

Silly activities with The Boy: making up fake slam poetry; The Boy in my tiara

My amazing friends: drinking tea with and getting clothes from Mariel; Katie's amazing green tea and coconut vegan ice cream

Little luxuries: having my back washed in the tub; cream soda in champagne glasses; sandalwood incense; stickers on calendars denoting special days; red heart-shaped candles scored off Freecycle; people who are good sports; red shoes; socks with heels; animals with people names; heart-shaped accessories; maps; lavender linen spray; watercolours; sunset light on camera-turned faces; big sunglasses; teacups; flocking; The Boy being warm; opening new toys; new books; the art of Maurice Sendak; young adult literature; art supplies; field guides; tarot cards; puzzles

Food: sandwiches made with two potato patties and guacamole; cupcakes for dinner; cupcakes for breakfast; President's Choice Black Olive Tapenade (I am putting that sh*t on everything); sushi; Good & Plenty; tea; grenadine; root beer; Bottlecaps

Cosmetics: Avon Glazewear Shine Lip Gloss in Mauve Moment; Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

This great NFB short: The Egg