10 Great Things

Hi there!
Sorry to have been so neglectful - again!
I really don't have a legitimate excuse, so there's no point in beating around the bush and pretending I have a good reason for being lazy...I'm sorry.
Anyway!
Here are 10 Great Things I want to share with you.

1. Hello! Lucky paper goods.
I don't know how to describe my obsession with these paper goods. Everything is just too amazing for words.

2. Cuppows.
What's a Cuppow? Just a genius invention that turns a mason jar into a travel mug!

3.  This YouTube video:



4. Peter Pan collar nails.

5. Ork Posters and their beautiful depictions of places we call home.

6. This 8tracks playlist - ignore JBiebs' face:

Indie covers pop. from jbear_4 on 8tracks.

 7. The Sketching Backpacker.

8. Christopher David Ryan's work.
I particularly love this gem:

9. Bake It In A Cake.
What's better than a cupcake? A cupcake with a surprise inside!

10. My dream bike!

I'm really going to try to keep up with this blogging business. I'm off on a mini-adventure this weekend. BUT, I will take lots of pictures and will write a witty recollection when I return!

Blogging for Lazy People

So...I have been very neglectful of my blog. I was off to such a good start, blogging just about every day, but then life got chaotic, I went to Philadelphia, my sister came to town, etc, etc.
Anyway, the point is, I haven't had the time to blog.
To make up for it, here's an Instagram version of what I've been up to.

I had an awesome day at work with swag bags and cupcakes!

I went to Philadelphia for an extra long weekend!

The reason I went to Philly.

We ate donuts for breakfast while in Philly.

Goodbye Philly :(

Food carts came to the office!

I made cornflake, marshmallow, chocolate chip cookies.

I won a raffle from Nester's Market!

I got new shoes!

My lovely sister got us donuts from Cartems Donuterie!

To celebrate the awesome weather, I got a
Whistler Brewery Travel Pack - mmm craft beer.

And, today I went to EPIC: Sustainable Living Expo!
So much eco-friendly goodness in one spot!

Aaand, I've literally been listening to the following 8tracks playlists non-stop:

For those days you need a pick-me-up from j2hua on 8tracks.

April 2012 Pop Mix from djohnson6004 on 8tracks.

A Sunny Sunday

It was far too nice to spend the day indoors, so I went for a walk along Broadway today.
I picked up some cute cards, as well as an awesome tote bag with bicycles printed on it!
My afternoon stroll ended at Baguette & Co, where I had tea with my mum and our homestay student. It was a sort of a birthday celebration (why yes, I had an entire birthday month) because our plans kept getting cancelled and things only ended up working out this weekend.
We managed to snag a seat on the patio and enjoyed chocolate hazelnut cake, a mille feuille, and an almond croissant.

Everything was so good. I felt like I was in France again.
My favourite was the almond croissant, which was filled with chocolate and some sort of coconut custard filling. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it was delicious.

PS: This photo is so hipster, it hurts.
PPS: I wore my new shoes, which is why I had to get them in the photo.

Hope you had a lovely Sunday as well!

"My Friend Jason"

I came across this video a few days ago, and I'm not going to lie, watching it made me tear up.
It was a sincere reminder to appreciate and actually tell the people you love that you love them.
I know I often take things for granted, so Jason's message really resonated with me.


My Friend Jason. from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.

10 Reasons Why Today Was Great

1. It was a gorgeous day.
2. I had a fairly productive day at work, which was extra good given the fact that I was feeling pretty overwhelmed on Monday and Tuesday.
3. I ventured to Tim Horton's during my lunch break and tried a jalapeno asiago mozzerella bagel - delicious.
4. I received a super cute thank you card :)
5. I went to Make It!, a super awesome craft fair full of beautiful handiwork, great live music, and delicious treats. I picked up a Mother's Day gift for my Ma, as well as a few things for myself.

My favourite purchase, hands down, was the envelope necklace.
And you know what's even better than an envelope necklace?
An envelope necklace with a surprise inside!

C'est la vie

I also picked up these treats for the famjam.

New goal: Learn how to make French macarons

6. I hung out by the Vancouver Sun building and enjoyed the view, tea, and awesome company.
7. I made a new friend.
8. I brought a smile to a far away friend when she checked her mailbox.
9. I had a glimpse into the life of a film production student. It seems like it involves numerous all-nighters, basically living at school (they have their own fridge and someone brought in a panini press), and spending copious amounts of time in a dark room in front of a computer screen.
10. It's FRIDAY!

My Love Affair with the Mailman

I love the Mailman.
He brings me postcards from across the World, handmade cards, letters on beautiful stationery, boxes of the best candy ever (Haribo Sour Strawbs), and birthday surprises.

The BEST birthday parcel EVER!

Birthday goodies from my lovely sister!

He also lets me send postcards, letters, and parcels to friends and family that are further away than I would like.
I think I like sending real letters because people only expect bills and junk mail in their mailbox, which means a proper, handwritten letter comes as a pleasant surprise.
And although Canada Post is sometimes a little unreliable (a handful of letters have gone undelivered and I'm still waiting on a birthday card or two), how can you not love something that enables you to wholeheartedly tell the ones you love that you care about them?

Enviro-chic envelopes made from old magazines

A little while ago I received a letter from a friend with this incredibly fitting quotation:

"the human art, which owes its origins

 in the love of friends"

- Virginia Woolf on letter writing

So take out your writing pad, grab an envelope, and pick up a stamp, and let a friend know that you're thinking about them.

Tea Time!

I recently celebrated my birthday, and rather than overindulge in alcohol, I decided to overindulge in cake and other baked goods.
I hosted a proper English tea party with floral dresses, facinators, and white lace gloves, and various cakes, cookies, and other treats.

I made homemade oreos, currant scones, cheese scones, and mini trifles.

I would post the recipe for the mini trifles, except I really have to credit my Mum on making the trifles.
We have a system, you see.
She makes the pound cake, custard, and whipped cream (the real deal, none of this Cool Whip from a plastic tub business).
And I assemble the ingredients into layers of pure deliciousness.
So I'm not really qualified to instruct one on how to make trifle...sorry!

The scones, which I do actually know how to make, were a big hit though, so here's the recipe.

Scones

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
2/3 to 1 cup milk

For sweet scones:
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup current (or raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, anything really!)

For cheese scones:
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar (and sugar for sweet scones or mustard powder for savoury scones).
3. Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture is uniform and resembles small peas.
4. Stir in currents or cheese, etc.
5. Add milk and quickly incorporate into mixture without overworking the dough. More milk may be needed if the dough isn't coming together.
6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle 3/4 of an inch thick.
7. Cut into desired shape.
8. Brush tops with milk (and sprinkle with sugar for sweet scones).
9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden on the edges.
10. Serve warm with butter, jam, and if you want to get real legit, clotted cream.