Kelly loves stop motion videos

This little video is awesome! Check it out:

So many flowers

On March 23rd I posted about my pink African violet that had just started flowering. It's now over a month later, and it's still blooming. Take a look:

I counted 45 blooms and buds! So beautiful. The only thing better would be if it looked like this year round!

Cute art

Every once in a while I like to look at art on Etsy's website (if you've never heard of it, check it out because there is so much amazing handmade stuff there). I have yet to order anything, but I'm really considering some digital art for my 'art wall' above my desk in my office. You could look for days through all the amazing art on Etsy...and I think at this point I'm only at about 3 or 4 hours! I really love the whimsical prints of Cosas Minimas by Blanca Gomez. These are two of my faves:

Cosas Minimas Smoke Print - Image from Etsy

Cosas Minimas Rainy Day Print - Image from Etsy

So cute! They just make me happy. I love the coloured and overlapping circles (which are also in other great prints) in the first one. As for the second, it's just adorable...the yellow dress...the cloud...the single yellow raindrop. Clearly cute! And I don't know why but I think there is something about raindrop shapes that I'm loving lately. I see them in art, on mugs, in fabric...and I like it, like it, yes I do!

Yellow for my kitchen

I decided on yellow as an accent colour for my kitchen! I feel some brightness is needed and what is brighter and sunnier than yellow? Now, I just decided that yellow must be my kitchen accent colour on Wednesday during the 8-hour drive to Winnipeg. Since I had a lot of time to think about this, I decided I need a yellow tea kettle, a small yellow tray for my kitchen table (which will hold a plant and candle holder...very specific, I know), as well as tea towels and napkins containing yellow. Yes, I have thoroughly thought this through!

My lovely friend (who I will continue to call Biker Chick) took me shopping to some very cool shops in Winnipeg and this is what I bought...a yellow oven mitt, a yellow tea towel, and 3 striped tea towels...ooooh I love stripes! Now all I need is some napkins and the elusive yellow tea kettle...although I have already found one that I can order online!

Happy earth day

Image from jenniferkaufman.com

A beautiful necklace of our beautiful earth. I hope everyone has a chance today to stop for a second and admire the beauty of spring - the blue sky, the fresh air, the green that is sprouting everywhere...

Hermes want list

So I've been enamoured with Hermes for quite some time. Visiting their shop in the Bellagio while in Vegas was very exciting for me...leaving with a little something was even more exciting! Now I'm not exactly a high roller who buys designer items on a regular or even semi-regular basis...but I do love to dream! So this is my most recent lust list from my online window shopping at hermes.com:

1. Breakfast cups and saucers - Seriously, this is what they are called on their site! I've previously discussed my love for teacups and these are absolutely gorgeous. I would love to drink out of these at breakfast...tea, orange juice, milk, whatever...I'd use them everyday!

2. Oran sandals - I love love love these sandals. The only problem about buying these would be deciding on the colour.

3. Tandem watch - Oh, this watch is stunning!!! The combination of black, white, and silver as well as the shape makes this an amazing watch...that would look so good on my wrist.

4. Jige clutch - This also comes in yellow and orange. Because of my recent love affair with yellow, I'd probably buy it in that colour if I could have it tomorrow.

5. Bearn wallet - Orange is their trademark colour and I would totally buy this wallet in this colour. I think it's fantastic.

6. Kelly Caleche perfume - Yes, I do like it because it has my name...but it also smells very pretty!

7. Kelly long wallet - I could never afford the Kelly bag or this wallet but how could I not want them when they have my name...and they are beyond gorgeous.

8. Chaine d'Ancre necklace with Kelly pendant - Seriously, I didn't just pick items with my name in them! I just love this necklace!

Since this list costs about as much as it will likely cost to finish and furnish my basement, owning these items will remain a dream. Except maybe the perfume??? Come on, it does have my name!

My new favourite mascara

Image from sephora.com

This mascara is called Dior Show...and it is awesome!!! I bought it at Sephora while in Winnipeg last weekend. I have tried many different brands of mascara in my day...drugstore and department store brands...and this is hands down the best I've tried! Most recently I've tried MAC, Clinique, and Lancome mascaras which are all good but this Dior one is my fave by far. I love make-up and I love finding great products.

A beautiful house

Last weekend we went on a trip to Winnipeg. While we were there, we stayed at the home of Dave's cousin and his lovely wife. In case you have any inclinations of finding their home and robbing them of their beautiful possessions, I shall not use their real names. I will refer to Dave's cousin as Scooter and Scooter's wife will be Biker Chick (please imagine a pedal biker chick, not a motorcycle chick!). I snapped a few pics in their house one morning and want to share. Scooter and Biker Chick live in a 2-storey house. It has a lot in common with our house but it has a lot more character. This is a pic of the dining room and the doors to the bonus sunroom in the back of the house:

Biker Chick loves IKEA as much as I do, if you can believe it! We have the same table from there although theirs is bigger and a different colour. If you remember my post about how much I want a pendant lamp, this is my inspiration. Gorgeous! Biker Chick painted the Dr. Pepper can art a long time ago. She's a very talented lady! Also take note of the fabulous red chairs in the corner...I love them. The doors look so nice and they lead to a fabulous area with a yellow loveseat and blue chairs where Biker Chick likes to read.

Below is a pic of their sweet red couch and their even sweeter dog...who I shall call Frenchie. Frenchie is the best dog! She's so so cute, not at all annoying, bilingual, and Dave's not allergic to her! If we ever get a dog, we want a little Frenchie. Above the couch is more art by Biker Chick...also fantastic!

Now Biker Chick is not the only one with talent. Below is a picture of their new window seat that Scooter built:

It is awesome! Such a good use of space by the front bay window. They used to have a yellow loveseat here but then Scooter built this. It even has storage under the cushions. Scooter has built some really really nice furniture over the years like a coffee table and an entertainment shelving unit.

And the last piece of eye candy for you is this:

Hmm...so familiar...and really quite breath-taking! A relatively new addition to Scooter and Biker Chick's home, how could they not have bought this t.v. when this nook was clearly built just for it? No more squinting while we watch t.v. or play vids (just kidding guys!).

We love staying with Scooter and Biker Chick during our visits and feel very at home there! Except I leave all inspired and think I need more stuff in my house!

Seeds for my garden!

Well today was a big day. I bought the first seeds for my first garden! Okay so the garden doesn't even exist yet but it will very soon! I'm doing raised beds out beside our garage. You will be reading a lot more about that in the near future but right now I want to show you what I'm going to be growing:

Sugar peas, regular peas, green pole beans, yellow beans, 3 kinds of lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, carrots, sweet peas, marigolds, and cucumbers! If you don't know what swiss chard is, I can't help you. All I know is that my friend Alissa made me buy it and told me that if you cut it when it's small it's like spinach. I guess we'll see. It's my one adventurous vegetable! And if you're wondering, the sweet peas are just to add some colour (and I love love love how pretty they are) and the marigolds keep pests away and are good companions for tomato plants (who knew?...Alissa, actually!).

I also plan on planting potatoes, tomatoes, and red peppers. I'm super excited for my garden! I'm taking a workshop on raised bed organic gardening in the beginning of May with Alissa. I can't wait! So now that the snow is gone, our first jobs are to get out there and clean up the lumber scraps from building our fence, move the rock piles, and level the dirt. Not the funnest jobs, but I'm excited to get at it!

Visit home

So last weekend, we went home for a visit. Thought I'd show you what I brought home with me. My mom cut these pussy willows from a tree at the farm:

I think they are so neat. This tree has been at the farm for as long as I can remember and I have often brought some branches home with me. If I had a bigger yard, I would have one of these trees!

My mom also sent me home with some plants. These are purple-flowering African violets. I'll keep one at our house and take one to work for my windowsill. Unless anyone really would like one...because I can hook you up.

I also took my laptop and scanner home and scanned about 90 old pictures from my grandma's albums (although I only made it through about 3 or 4 albums...going to have to do more in a future trip!). Here's a pic of my great-grandma and my grandma cutting the lawn at their house in California:

It's amazing looking through those albums. I'm so grateful that my grandma has so many pictures from over her life. And quite a few from my great-grandparents' lives too. My plan is to compile all the scans in one of those bound picture books you can make. It will be such a great keepsake!

And speaking of keepsakes, my mom also sent me home with these teacups that my great-grandma and grandma gave me when I was younger:

The one had a card folded up inside saying 'Happy Valentine's Day' from my great-grandma in 1987. I find these teacups so so pretty! I saw an old photo about a month or two ago of people sitting at a table drinking tea from teacups and I think I felt a pang of jealousy. Teacups with saucers are so superior over the ridiculous industrial size mugs we drink from today. They're so delicate and fancy-looking. So if anyone wants to come over for a spot of tea (I also have a beautiful teapot), please do. Except I can only have one person at a time until I get more teacups!