2012: year in review.

i can say hands down that 2012 was one of my BEST years yet. maybe it was because i got to see my family (minus Gray, sadface) twice in one year!!!! or perhaps it's because i had a such a successful year taking leaps and making bounds with work related ventures?! i cannot deny that seeing so many new corners of the globe probably had A LOT to do with it. for me, those are the highlights- visiting the new and the old, with my favourite people in the whole wide world (i think i saw every last one of you this year (except brandon)!!!???). 2013 has got a lot to live up to!!

here's my year in review; it started in freezing cold western canada:

then i ended up in mexico city with my beautiful cousin:

and reunited with a very dear amigo:

i hung out at home for awhile; which is definitely not so bad:

i kept my myself busy with work and an incredibly fun, challenging and inspiring class at NIDA:

i opened up my etsy shop:

we went to fiji for some relaxation and world-class snorkelling during the australian winter:

then the world holiday began first with a stop in vancouver to see my momma and little sister in the summertime, then onto the Toronto International Film Festival where my bf's film- Storm Surfers 3D screened a number of times (and won runner-up in the people's choice awards for best documentary!! i like to think that makes my director man the ben affleck of the documentaries because he (affleck) came a close second in his category too ;):

then paris, of course i fell for it. hard:

then san sebastian, spain for another massive screening. this place was a gem for sure:

onto barcelona:

morocco, i don't even know where to start. my story is here, but i've got more to add. stay tuned:

something about hong kong got me too:

i was also really proud of my work this year, especially my tree:

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!  keep in touch in 2013 xo

Les Misérables.

i saw Les Misérables yesterday and it. was. stunning. mind-blowing. beautiful.  the performances were incredible, so emotional and enthralling (apart from maybe russell crowe). the costumes were perfect, the makeup was seamless, the sets were spectacular. this was my favourite movie of the year (favourite documentary goes to Storm Surfers 3D). you should all go see it, i may even go again.

style inspiration from the film:

some of my favourite characters below; this little boy will steal your heart:

i would like to thank the academy for giving anne hathaway the oscar (my prediction). i promise, her Fantine will have you at hello:

las cruces.

hola! this little interpretation of a cross ojo de dios creation is off to its new home today! *he has an amigo still hanging out at the shop: little nicki

happy holidays!!!

it is always so hard for me to get in the christmas spirit down under. i try by decorating the house a bit and wrapping little gifts early; i even made a stocking for the grinch chris this year. when the actual morning arrives, i put bailey's in my coffee just like at home...but it's usually super hot here, sunshiny (gasp!) and it's just not the same. this year was gloomy, dark, stormy, cold and wet- i could not have asked for more on the day really, unless snow was a possibility in Sydney. i hope you all had a very merry christmas. i am really looking forward to the new year- this past year was one of the best yet (more on that in a later post)- topping it is going to be tricky and so exciting!

hair update!

so, a little over a week ago i posted my hair inspiration for my latest chop. it was a big one as i had my chest length hair hacked, then permed, then cut into a little messy bob. it looked like this:

it was pretty cute for a couple of days, but it really wasn't nearly as curly as i had asked for. to top that off, some pieces of the perm had completely fallen and were totally straight. it took a lot of work to get it boppy and fun every morning, plus it was bumming me out that i just didn't get what i asked for at all (i can achieve this above look with my own natural hair; i wanted an afro!). after much debate with myself, i decided one week later (yesterday) to get it all cropped and start anew. i brought in some images of jean seberg and michelle williams as references and i feel pretty good about it now!

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et voilà, moi:

le sigh of relief. there are not a lot of ways to go from here, so i believe this case is closed until further notice.  

aloha!

i have to say goodbye to these adorable vintage surf duvet covers today as they were purchased from the shop just in time for christmas. they are headed to western australia where i'm sure they will look fab in the guest room of some great beach house; the one i was secretly hoping i'd have just for these cute covers someday ;)

at the moulin rouge.

i've been going through my photos of my my trip (it's about time i share them with you) and became distracted with a few from paris that looked perfect for an animated GIF (!). you're probably going to be sorry i ever learned these at blogshop, but you can't blame a girl for practicing her new skills. et voilà!

practice, practice.

we learned SO MUCH over the weekend at blogshop; with photoshop not being exactly user friendly (there are so many little rules you need to remember), i have to practice a bit every day to keep up my skills (or let's say to even just remember what i was taught). on my list over these holidays is to do a little blog revamp with what i've learned, but for now...it's all a game of playing around and seeing what happens. check out the seamlessness in these two photos- my proud achievement ;)
oh, and i re-sized it, say WHAT!?

photo credit: angela and ithyle

my baby jungalow.

the lovely justina blakeney has been cool enough to share our home with her readers today! she has coined a term for her own space and 'decorating' style- jungalow. in her description, a jungalow '...space is all about creative reuse, personalization, vivid colors, bold patterns, worldly and thrifted finds, and lots and lots of plants--Jungalow style is tropical and bohemian, very vintage and very cozy. Jungalow is about bringing the eclecticism of nature and the wild--indoors'. you can see her jungalow tour here to see what it's all about.

awhile ago now, photographer jeremy greive and i had a lot of fun one day shooting my place (i did the styling). these photos are some of what we came up with on the day. CHECK OUT THE FULL HOME TOUR HERE!

blogshop, success!!

this past weekend was a blast- i cannot believe all that i learned (that i now need to practice in order to retain). everyone involved was so lovely and angela & bri made the class so focused and user-friendly- i loved it!

last night we 'cheersed' to animated GIFs with text- because how cool are they?!

photo credit: angela

*the balloons are from the lovely heidi at bespoke balloonery- they were a big hit!

blogshop.

today is the first day of my weekend long photoshop for bloggers bootcamp, otherwise known as blogshop. i have been waiting a long time for this, since way before the girls coming to australia was confirmed...it felt as if my fingers were crossed for forever. i cannot wait to take in as much as i can, meet new creative people and have fun! hopefully, you'll notice some changes around here when i put my new photoshop skills into motion on the transcontinental affair. can't wait!

the teachers: angela & bri

the details.

i was invited to my first proper (meaning fun, full of people that i really enjoy with yummy food and drinks) christmas party today- a lovely lunch at stylist megan morton's studio (i teach workshops at her passion project- the school). it was especially exciting for me to get dressed up and start to look forward to christmas; getting all lovey dovey and festive. this is what i wore for the special occasion:

this is a look at the shoes and the lady herself (don't mind the planter i knocked down...):

vanessa bruno MOONLIGHT.

this had me at hello. simply stunning.

one of those days...

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