My Beautiful Disaster

Road Trip 2012 & Call for Guest Posts!

2012-03-07T08:00:00.003-07:00

Yup, Raimund and I are going on a road trip! What can I say, I love exploring our "backyard". This year Raimund and I bought a Living Social Escapes deal for a Bed and Breakfast on Vancouver Island. Pretty awesome if you ask me! We're both stoked as we love the coast. It'll be my second time seeing the ocean, and hopefully I'll be able to meet this awesome dame.

Seems like the "thing" to do on the island is whale watch. "So many motherfucking whales in this motherfucking ocean." - quote by yours truly.

I got all these pamphlets from this site. I honestly didn't expect to get this many, but it was a nice surprise getting the package in the mail. Also if you have any suggestions on places to check out on Vancouver Island, let us know! We have 10 days to explore.

Seeing as I'll be mostly offline for 10 days, I'm turning to you for guest posts! Have a fun story to share? A recipe, an outfit post, photography tips or a thrifted treasure? I'd love to feature you! Drop me an e-mail at eeegadserin AT gmail DOT com and let's get something set up.

Has anyone else started planning their summer vacations? I'm taking my vacation early this year as I'm lower on the totem pole at work, which means others with seniority get first pick with their vacation time (mostly summer). Hopefully I can take a week off in the summer too to take Ben to Drumheller. The boy likes dinosaurs!

Later gators!

~E

Ben and the Lambs

2012-03-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to Raimund's family farm. Their sheep were lambing, or already had lambs, and of course Ben wanted to help feed them! Too stinking cute.

I forgot to bring my camera with me (again!) so all I have from the weekend are these Instagram photos.

One of the lambs had to stay inside as it has issues with its legs. Ben thought that was the greatest thing ever. Raimund's family also has a TON of farm cats, and at the moment they have 9 kitties in their possession. Ben had to pack them around the living room and let us know they were "MY kitties." Maybe one day he'll have his own!

How was your weekend? We had flurries and lots of tea and movies. Believe it or not I watched "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Eternal Sunshine" for the first time ever on Saturday. Can't believe I waited that long to watch them.

That's it for now, later gators!

~E

Best Critter EVER

2012-02-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted a photo of Murderface, my axolotl. I thought it'd be fun to post some more from my Instagram account. Hurrah!

Damn, I love this little guy!

Quit Slackin'!

2012-02-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

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Words to live by this year definitely! I've always been a procrastinator in some regards...waiting for the "right moment" to get something done. Even with my personal life I procrastinated. "Maybe one day I'll just wake up and my blues will be gone."

Well, instead of slacking this year I'm all about being proactive. Instead of feeling crappy for myself, I'm now more positive. Project needs to get finished? Get on it! (Time allowing of course!)

Is there anything you're being proactive about this year, or want to be proactive about? Just take a moment and think about it.

Later gators!

CAT FOUND

2012-02-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share this! I have no idea where this originated from, so if you do, link me!

Later gators,

I Gotta Ask You...

2012-02-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm in awe of the comments I received from my last post! It looks like some of you are or have been in the same stormy boat I've been in. It can be brutal, but it can also be manageable.

When I was first writing up that post, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to publish it. I was worried it may sound negative (hell, I'm iffy about publishing this!). My life is far from perfect, and sometimes in the blogging community we never see a blogger's real life, if that makes sense. All we get is a window view of their perfect photos, perfect outfits, and so forth. Now, for all we know their lives could be far from absolutely amazing, and maybe they chose not to share personal details for many different reasons. That's fine and absolutely a-ok! But in my case, it was something I wanted to write about for a while. I know there's a social stigma regarding depression and mental illness, and I for one don't want to feel hindered by it. It was an absolute release being able to be upfront about what I've been feeling the past little while.

Eventually I want to write more about my experiences in an abusive relationship. I've written about it before, but that post is almost a year old. My outlook has changed, and I've gotten my laughter back for the most part (yay!). But I guarantee there are women out there who've been in abusive relationships and are afraid to open up. You may even know someone right now in that predicament. I hope by me writing my experiences down, it may help someone out in some way.

Ah, but I digress.

Back to the main issue of depression -- I want to reach out to you all and ask a question: When the blues hits you, what do you do to stop it in its tracks? What are some positive actions you take? I'd love to hear how you cope when the storm cloud strikes. I know others would like to as well, as no one is immune to depression.

Hope you all had a great weekend! I'll share some photos from mine later.

Later gators,

Radical Self Love

2012-02-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Something I haven't really talked about too in depth on my blog is my battle with depression. Well, I'm not even sure if it can be classified as depression, to be honest. It's a feeling I've had for ages that comes and goes, like a looming dark cloud that follows me around. It's a feeling of being down and of being hopeless. Sounds bad, right? The thing is, it's not all the time. I'm usually pretty peachy and then out of nowhere this feeling creeps up.

A lot of this stems from previous relationships. I went from being in an abusive relationship to one of the most loving I've ever had, then BAM -- he dumped me. I felt so abandoned when he left, and I felt like I was worthless. He didn't want to work things out, and was out the door. Any of you who've been blind-sided and dumped know this feeling. Nowadays I only view him as a friend, I wouldn't even consider Round 3 with him (we dated in high school too).

That feeling of worthlessness has extended into other areas of my life, including when it comes to my diet and exercise. I won't go into detail at the moment, but it's been a rough road. Again, it's not all the time, but when it hits it's bad.

Fast forward a few months: I'm seeing a great guy with whom I have so much in common, I have an amazing job at my dream company, my own place (with ridiculously noisy neighbours -.- ), a beautiful smart son, and yet periodically I still have this shitty, depressed feeling. What the fuck?!

So, I've decided to do something. I've decided to focus on myself and learn to love myself again. This sounds like it should just be natural, but sometimes it isn't. We live in a society where feeling shitty about ourselves is very commonplace.

I'm done with that.

About a month ago I started getting into Gala Darling's blog. I started downloading chapters of her Love & Sequins e-book, and you know what? This girl has hit the nail on the head. She knows what she's talking about when it comes to learning to love and accept yourself, and I find that pretty damn encouraging.

Since then I've enrolled in her Radical Self Love Bootcamp, and everyday it challenges you to do something positive in your life. One thing I do now is write a Gratitude List daily of the things I'm grateful for. They're small measures, but they add up.

And you know what?

It's helping me disperse this dark cloud. I won't go into the details just yet. Give me another 30 days to let you know how much RSLB has changed my outlook, but I can predict sunshine in the forecast.

So, I just wanted to reach out to anyone out there who has a similar dark cloud -- YOU'RE NOT ALONE. Trust me on that. I'm still struggling with mine some days. It takes time, it takes a lot of positive thinking, but you can beat it. It's a daily struggle for me some days, but I know I have the power to kick it, and so can you.

Later gators,

Valentines

2012-02-14T09:32:00.002-07:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Ah, Dress Dilemma...

2012-02-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be one of *those* girls...you know, the ones who are slow getting out of the fitting room? The ones who have to debate what clothing item they want to possibly buy but can't decide which one?

Yeah, I never thought I'd be that girl either. But I was yesterday. For good reason too.

You see, there's this store I walk by in the mall every couple days with a display dress I've been drooling over. I finally had the chance to go in and try it on. Here it is:

Don't mind my face. But it's a cute dress, right? A bit out of my price range, but fit like a dream.

As I went back to put it on the rack, I walked past this dress and was immediately in love:

Oh yeah, white lace. I've seriously been lusting over having a white lacey dress that actually FIT me for some time.

I ended up buying the white dress, and then I started to doubt my purchase. I HATE THAT MIND GAME. Was it the right one? What if I can't get the other dress later? BLAH BLAH BLAH...

Well, I slept on it, and I've decided...I'm keeping it. This summer I'm going to run through SO MANY fields in that dress and stuff.

Later gators!

Breakfast Downtown

2012-02-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I met up with Brendan for breakfast downtown. We went to a well known greasy spoon that I love...I mean, we could've just bought some breakfast food and cooked it at one of our apartments, but where's the fun in that? ;) I'd rather pay $7 for bacon, eggs, and toast, and be able to see the interesting folks hovering within. But that's just me.

You may be wondering about that billboard in the above photo...same here. They're around town, and lately they've become creepier. I hope it's just some shitty ad campaign and not an actual personals ad. If it is, someone is VERY lonely and should get some hobbies.

Taken with my Canon AE-1 Program.

Later gators!

Tea In The Mail Makes My Day

2012-02-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like getting snail mail, but it's even better when you know it'll be something delicious. Meag from Heart & Soul Pieces sent me this package for the tea swap, and I'm completely smitten!

I completely wasn't expecting to get a necklace as well, and I love it! I've already worn it to work a few times.

As you may have noticed in the photos, I've already ripped open the Cream of Earl Grey tea. All I have to say is that it's the BEST TEA I'VE EVER HAD. Hands down. No word of a lie. It's so flavorful, and has got to be the best taste in the world. Hell, if it was made into a perfume I'd probably be one of the first to line up for it.

All the teas Meag sent were from David's Teas, which is a Canadian company. I had no idea there were even shops here in Edmonton, so now I know where to go to get my tea fix!

THANK YOU MEAG!

Ciao bellas,

Tea Swap Success!

2012-01-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Remember how I organized a tea swap a while ago? Well, it looks like some of you have already received your teas, including Amy and Annika! It was so awesome to read their emails about their excitement for the packages, and it sounds like a friendship has been formed as well :D

Here are some of the goodies that Annika sent....

And here's what Amy sent...

I'm pretty stoked about this!! I'm thinking of organizing more swaps soon, including the Easter Candy swap that I organized last year.

Ciao bellas!

Downtown

2012-01-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

There's some parts of downtown where I live that I try to avoid, especially at night. One place in particular is east of the downtown area. It's a shame, really...it contains beautiful old architecture, but it seems that the city has decided to leave it on the wayside, and instead focus on ever expanding suburbs.

I think these old buildings have potential. And I hope that the writing on their walls never fades away.

Photos taken with my Canon AE-1 Program. Good Lawd, I love that camera.

Later gators!

Wisdom Tooth

2012-01-22T13:00:00.002-07:00

Someone had her wisdom tooth pulled out a few days ago. OUCH! It started last Saturday night with a throbbing in my head that wouldn't stop. I decided not to mess around with this one and get it pulled ASAP.

Six needles and hardly and freezing later this sucker came out and I'm now left with a sharp ache in my jaw. But is it stopping me from eating solid foods? Nope. I tried the liquid diet for a couple days and had enough of it. One can only eat so much soup before their palette tires of it. Am I right or am I right?

And yes, I kept the tooth. Initially I was creeped out by the idea, but then I thought it'd be pretty fantastic to be even creepier and freak out my boyfriend with it. Totally worked. He won't even look at it, mwahaha.

That's my story. I have 2 more wisdom teeth to get pulled, and I'm not looking forward to it :(

Later gators!

Mail Swaps

2012-01-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

As you may have noticed, I like designing blogs. I don't charge, but instead I do a mail swap with whomever I'm doing the blog design for. I think it's a pretty sweet trade off...a brand spankin' new design for some snail mail? Yes please!

You may remember the design I did for Toni of Lost Cabin a while back. She's a great lady from the land down under and sent me some Aussie goodies, along with a super sweet sweater and earrings from her Etsy shop. I'll post photos of the sweater at a later date...perhaps an outfit post? Oh yeah.

The chocolates above are VERY intriguing. I have no idea what animals these are. Australia is a pretty magical place. ;)

Toni also sent a turtle for Benji, but he's since hidden it amongst his other toys. I do have this one photo of him lying with it. He really didn't want his photo taken that day.

I'll post some more photos later of swaps that have happened. Viva la snail mail!

Later gators,

With Love, Jamie

2012-01-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by Jamie quite a while to do a blog design, and I was thrilled to! She's pretty awesome and I love reading what she has to say.

Jamie had requested purple, lace, and a tattoo-ey look to her blog. Initially I wanted to do a lace background, but thought the Victorian wallpaper was better suited for her blog. The header was pretty fun to make too...viva le vectors!

One problem I encountered with this design though...the new Blogger interface simply didn't want to accept the HTML code for the whole design. I kept getting this EXTREMELY frustrating error that was of no use. Seriously, I wasn't about to play the Blogger Support bastard runaround game.

It finally occurred to me that if we switched her back to the old Blogger interface, it may just take the HTML code. AND VOILA! So, if anyone out there is having trouble uploading a new template to Blogger, this may be your problem. An absolutely ridiculous problem that a large site like theirs shouldn't have, but what do I know? I'm just a blogger.

Anywho, this was a really fun layout to work on, and I hope Jamie is peachy with it! Thanks Jamie for letting me do this for you!

Later gators!

Murderface Says Hi

2012-01-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted a photo of Murderface, my axolotl, so I thought I'd share this one. I have him trained to take his food from chopsticks. It's adorable...periodically he'll "sit" on his little tush waiting for food to come down to him, like in this photo.

He's seriously the best and most intriguing pet I've ever owned, and I love him to bits. Sometimes I'll give his wee head a pat when I change his water and he seems to respond positively to it, so that's interesting.

My grandma, who's 74, often wonders how my "little lizard friend" is doing. When she was a child in the 1950s she had a pet salamander she found in her backyard and kept him for ages. Our love for lizard-esque critters runs in the family. ;)

I'll post some more photos of Murderface later.

Ciao bellas,

An Attempt At Making Chocolate

2012-01-15T16:22:00.001-07:00

A while ago Raimund and I had the "brilliant" idea of making our own chocolate with help from this video. I say "brilliant" because it didn't actually work out as we had expected. I'm not sure if any of you have ever made chocolate before, but trying to get the taste just right was tricky.

Like our make-shift scale? That was Raimund's doing. He's a computer nerd and has wires all over the place. It got the job done. Oh, and that's not butter. That's vegetable shortening. I've never baked with it before, and I quite frankly don't care for it.

The whole process was fun, but the results weren't what we wanted. I think instead of vegetable shortening we'll use coconut oil, and make some more minor adjustments. We're not going to give up though...chocolate tastes too good, even if these weren't what we desired. We'll figure it out eventually.

These were the ingredients that the recipe called for. Instructions are all in the video I linked above. Maybe you guys will have better luck with this recipe if you try it.

125g vegetable shortening (Copha or solidified coconut oil works fine)
125g confectioner's sugar (pure icing sugar)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (good quality)
4 tablespoons powdered milk (full cream)
Pinch of salt

PS...if you know of any chocolate making recipes, link me!

Later gators!

January Photo-A-Day: 7 Thru 12

2012-01-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share some more photos from the Photo-A-Day meme going around Instagram...

The Childhood photo is my favourite. In case you didn't guess, that's me on the left, and Ben on the right. Good genes!

Later gators!

And So It Begins....

2012-01-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like we have our first successful tea swap! Sara got this little surprise from Bonnie, including a tea strainer! VERY cool.

Those of you participating in the tea swap, send me photos of what you got! I'll gladly post them up on here.

Happy tea drinking!

The Goal Dress

2012-01-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

I keep mentioning on here that I have goals set for 2012. I've yet to reveal them all, but one is to lose some weight and tone my muscles. Cliche goal, right? Yeah, I know.

After Brendan broke up with me in August (we're still good friends!) I got a gym membership and began seeing a trainer twice a week. It really helped with my depression, and made me feel so much better about everything after each session. But to be honest, I slacked a lot in October and November when it came to working out...I just didn't feel like it.

Now it's my goal to shed some weight. It's mostly stubborn baby weight around my belly, but I think it can be manageable. Ben was a huge baby, 10.5 lbs, so obviously quite a bit of weight was gained while carrying him (for the record I'm 5'1"). As well my core muscles are super weak. You know how most people can get up easily from lying on their back? Not me. It's a struggle since my stomach muscles were weakened and my hips/lower back have gone to shit.

Here's where the "goal dress" comes into play. While on one of my thrifting excursions, I came across a pretty cute vintage dress. Only problem was that it's a bit snug, mostly in the tummy area. Here's what it looks like on me now:

I *could* probably get away with wearing it out and about now with Spanx or some crap, but I don't want to. You can kinda see my tummy poking through and I'm a bit self-conscious about that sorta thing.

My goal: lose a couple inches. I'm not expecting to drop 30 lbs in a month or anything, but rather I want to lose the weight in a realistic amount of time while maintaining a healthy diet. And what could be more motivation than being able to fit into a cute dress? (Hopefully by summer!)

So, that's one of my goals for this year. We'll see if I can actually achieve it or not.

Later gators!

January Photo-A-Day: 1 Thru 6

2012-01-06T22:31:00.001-07:00

So, if you're not on Instagram, you may not be aware of this January Photo A Day meme started by Fat Mum Slim. It's actually pretty cool seeing all the thousands of photos that have been uploaded since it first started almost a week ago.

The list goes as follows:

Fun, right? It's become a normal part of my morning routine now and I'm really digging it. I wanted to share my first 6 days of this list. Nothing mind blowing, but still a fun peek into my life if you're at all curious.

Is anyone else playing along? Link me with your Instagram name and I'll come a-searching for you. Pinky promise I won't get all stalkerish.

Later gators!

New Look

2012-01-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've noticed the changes around here. I completely re-vamped the blog! New year, new look. Why not?

This time around I used Pugly Pixel's Lemon Meringue Blogger layout. I was using Strawberry Shortcake before, but I've always liked the simplicity of Lemon Meringue. Badda bing, badda boom, here it is. After a few hours in Photoshop I haz my new layout.

Here's how the blog looked before. I failed to take a proper screen shot before I implemented the new template....

And you can plainly see the after results. I miss the wood background, but all white gives it a cleaner look.

So there you have it! Also, I have a new layout for a friend almost ready to go...can't wait to see how it looks live!

Ciao bellas,

Tea Swap Partners!

2012-01-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

YOO HOO, TEA SWAPPERS!

I've finally had a moment to get all my emails organized and partner you all up! If anyone is missing from this list, email me! (click the name to link up to their blog.)

Chrissy & Jaza

Miss Lou & MaDonna

Bonnie & Sara

Tids & Jamie

Toni & Andrew

Amy & Gini

Kaili & Chelsea

Jenny & Danielle

Meag & Lizz

Jess & Madi

Alice & Daisy

Annika & Amy

I've already asked a few of you, but if you want to swap tea with me personally, let me know! In the excitement of organizing this I failed to partner myself up with someone. Wah wah waaaah! So email/tweet me and let's swap!

Drink up!

Christmas Recap

2012-01-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve was spent out at Raimund's family farm. It was the first time I ever tried tartare, and I'm not sure if I'll ever want to eat it again. Something about raw beef creeps me out...

Raimund's family is German, which means they have slightly different traditions from what I'm use to. For example they bring in their Christmas tree, set it up, and decorate it that night. Also, copious amounts of booze are consumed. I'm not much of a drinker, so I just stayed back and vegged out.

As well, one of their farm dogs had puppies, so I was cuddling the hell out of them.

The last photo was from Christmas Day at my Grandparent's house. I didn't take many photos that day, I was too busy enjoying myself. Ben made a haul of goodies. You see that power drill he's holding? He likes to put it up to my knee and pretend he's tickling me. That's my boy!

Ciao bellas,

2012, Y'all

2012-01-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Print from THIS Etsy shop...I just bought a copy!

I'd say Happy New Year, but I'm sure you're all sick of reading that. ;) Hope you're not nursing too bad of a hangover!

Like everyone else, I'm hoping 2012 will be stellar. I've been reflecting a lot on 2011 the past little while, and I'll share my thoughts soon enough, but not just yet.

One of my goals for this year is to blog more, as I've been rather sporadic with this in the past few months. So, be prepared to hear more from me, mwahaha.

I'll post more goals later, I have a little list going on. What are some of your goals for 2012?

Later gators!

(PS...tea swappers! I'm waiting on a couple more emails, and we'll all be good to go. YES!)

Tea Swap Almost Ready...

2011-12-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

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Hey guys!

The tea swap is almost ready to go! I've emailed most of you regarding your mailing addresses...if you haven't seen that email, check your spam folder, or else email me... eeegadserin at gmail dot com.

I'm hoping by next week we can all start sending out our goodies. As for the amount of tea you want to send, I'll let you discuss that with your partner.

Later gators!

Tea Swap Update

2011-12-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

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THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS! I didn't think I'd get this many responses for the tea swap.

There's still time to sign up! To do so, CLICK HERE. I'm going to make the cut-off date this Friday, December 23. I'm hoping by next week to email all of you who've left your contact info to exchange addresses and pair you up with a buddy. This is going to be a lot of fun, promise!

So, get the word out! Let's swap a crapload of tea and drink our little hearts out, m'kay?

Later gators!

Tea Swap, Y'all

2011-12-18T08:00:00.001-07:00

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I'm super stoked you guys are all for doing a tea swap! I think it'll be pretty awesome, and honestly who doesn't like a good cup of tea on a winter's night?

What I need to know from those interested in participating are the following things:

1) A way to contact you (blog link or whatnot...NO ADDRESSES IN THE COMMENTS PLZ.)

2) Teas you like as an example

3) Teas you hate

4) Can you ship internationally?

Either comment below or email me (eeegadserin at gmail dot com) and I'll start pairing you lovely folks up with partners! Oh, and if you want to swap tea with me too...I won't mind at all! ;)

Later gators!

Relaxing... and a Potential Swap Idea?

2011-12-15T09:17:00.001-07:00

Lately we've been getting into the habit of drinking a cup of tea at night before bed. It gives us a chance to unwind from the day, have conversation while the water boils/tea steeps, and figure out future plans for that week (or month.)

I love this part of the day, albeit usually it's between 10:30-11:30 at night. I can't go to bed without talking (or writing) what's on my mind. And there's a lot going on in my noggin lately.

One thing I've been thinking about: Maybe some of you would be interested in doing a tea swap? It's an idea I've been toying around with. A way to get more active with blogging and with you guys, because I love the blogosphere and all that jazz. (no, seriously, I do! I miss it!)

So, is anyone interested? Comment below and I'll set something up!

Later gators!

~E

Glasses

2011-12-11T16:48:00.001-07:00

Someone got herself some glasses! And she's in love with them. I had glasses 3 years ago, but after I gave birth I completely gave up wearing them. I basically needed a new prescription but kept putting it off. Plus the price of frames always makes me vomit in my mouth a bit. (Too much info? Meh.)

Finally I said fuck it, I need new specs. Half way through my shift at work I'd find myself leaning toward my computer and squinting at it while trying to edit. That's never a good sign. So, I got these babies. They're cat eye-esque and I really dig them. I feel like I'm from the 60s or something along those lines.

So, that's my story! Oh, that guy in the above photo is a former co-worker. We all went out Friday night to our friend's gig. I'm not sure if he even remembers this photo. He was pretty drunk and we were trying to convince him to dress like Pee-Wee Herman one day. It better happen, dammit.

Later gators!

~E

Ooh Velocity Girl

2011-12-07T08:40:00.001-07:00

It took me a while, but I managed to get another blog design done! (For those waiting on me, forgiveness please! This lady is swamped with work and a busy toddler.)

Go over and say hello to Kelli! She's an awesome lady, and I'm so happy I was able to do her new design.

For this look, Kelli had mentioned she wanted something floral, as well as a simple header with a handwriting-style font. I thought the brownie camera by the title worked perfectly as Kelli is a photographer.

As for the navigation bar, I thought it'd be fun to put it at the top of the header, rather than underneath. That was slightly tricky and required help from my ex/now BFF (yes it is possible to still be friends after a break up!) Brendan. I also incorporated various aperture settings alongside the links. Fun, right?

Later gators!

~E

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I managed to gather all the Christmas ornaments I wanted for my tree. A mix of new and thrifted, I'm pretty happy with the end result.

Ready for a photo overload? WELL OKAY!

I think this is my most favourite tree EVER. I set up the tree by myself, and initially I thought I'd end up just getting frustrated and hating it. Instead, I found it oddly calming. Spreading out the branches, deciding the placement of ornaments...nothing that really needed over thinking. My mind needed that definitely!

Anyone else out there loving the cupcake ornament? I found it at a certain department store that's slowly taking over the world...oh yes. I went there. Glad I did too, those are freaking adorable.

And as for the thrifted guys...I kinda wanted to go for a creepy vintage Santa ornament theme, but I think I failed at it. The ones I picked up are kinda cute. It's ok though, I plan on having a tree at my work so I'll leave the creepy Santas for that one. I'm sure my co-workers will appreciate it greatly.

Later gators!

New Banner

2011-12-02T12:43:00.001-07:00

I thought for shits and giggles I'd make a Christmassy banner for the blog. I friggun love Christmas, so why not show some spirit around here?

I finally got my Christmas tree up and I pinky promise to take photos soon! Here's a sneak peek:

My iPhone doesn't do it justice. This weekend Raimund and I plan on hunting down some vintage ornaments. Should be pretty interesting to see what we come up with. Creepy Santas, anyone?

Again, I've been MIA on here. I feel like lately I'm a clusterfuck of emotions. One day I'm over the moon, the next day I'm depressed as hell. There's a lot of stressful factors in my life (including my son's father whom I rarely talk about on here), and whatever free time I have I want to actually step away from technology and get out and about. For example, in town here there's been craft fairs every weekend. It's always a blast to see what artisans live in my city. So far I've gotten Ben a crochet chameleon and myself some coloured 120 film (yeah, they were selling it there!) Next weekend is the mother of all craft fairs and I can't wait to check it out.

That's it for now kids. Later gators!

Getting Ready

2011-11-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

Here's just a sneak peek of the ornaments I bought recently. This past weekend I bought a white tree for Ben and I. Tonight I told myself I was going to set it up, all 5'1" of me versus a 6 foot tall tree. What the hell could go possibly wrong??

Instead, I'm being entranced by the time vampire that is the internet. I'm attempting to Christmas shop, upload photos, listen to Mumford and Sons on repeat, and scarf down some Lebanese take out. I am the epitome of A.D.D. right now.

I have some fun news and goals coming up for the new year, one main goal involving a long time friend and I. I can't wait to reveal it! I know it's not for another month and some, but I'm already beginning to make new year's resolutions. I'm normally cynical about these sorts of things, but there's a lot I want to accomplish in my 27th year of existence. Travel, pushing my creative limits, you know...all that kinda jazz. Oh, don't forget exercise...it's a bitch but necessary.

Anywho, I just thought I'd update you cats on what's happening here. I'm attempting to plan out some DIY's too when I have free time. It's tricky, but it'll get done.

So, that's my life! Busy little bee right here.

Later gators!

My Mind...She Won't Stop.

2011-11-23T21:08:00.005-07:00

A peek inside my edit suite. Tea is a must. As are the Onion postcards.

So...I kinda have this job where I work in TV. I edit news stories and features and all that jazz. I love my job, but I find that I can't shut off my brain once my day is over.

For those who don't know what is involved in video editing, let me sum it up for you. I basically take raw footage, choose which shots go to air, what audio would make a good sound up (they last 2-5 seconds long), and make it pretty. Audio sweetening, colour correcting...wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

After a long day of work, I just want to veg out, and that will sometimes include watching movies or TV.

This is where my problem begins.

I can't watch anything without analyzing the eff out of it.

"Why the hell is that audio so low?"

"Someone sure crapped the bed on that white balancing."

It's probably good to have an analytic eye in this field, but some days I just want to not think, if that makes sense. I want to relax. I don't want to think about the shaky camera work I'm watching or the jump cut I just saw live on air.

I'm kinda curious to hear about some of your relaxation techniques. How do you disassociate from work when you get home? I know for me watching less TV will help...but dammit, I need my HGTV fix!

So, that's what's on my mind today. Tune in tomorrow to see what I spout off.

Later gators!

Dreamy Holga

2011-11-22T10:05:00.001-07:00

If you haven't heard already, I'm giving away a Holga camera on Freckled Nest! I'm so excited for this give away. I already own a Holga and really didn't need another one, so I'm hoping to give it a good home to someone out there in the blogosphere! (Possibly a Christmas present idea?) Eeeep!

Out of all my Lomo cameras, the Holga is my favourite. It produces a sweet vignette and gives its images a really dreamy feeling. As well, I love being able to use 120 film.

I wanted to share with you guys some of the photos I took with my Holga. I freaking LOVE it! I'm considering getting a 35mm back for mine soon.

Fun, right? I carry mine in my purse on a regular basis.

To learn more on how to win this baby, click here. Good luck!

A Month & Some

2011-11-21T09:47:00.001-07:00

Just over a month ago I jumped ship to work for a national broadcaster. So far things are going great! The people are awesome and so professional to work with. I edit features on a daily basis and actually had one go to air nation wide which was a thrill to have happen.

So, if you've noticed my posting amount slowing down, that's why. I've become pretty busy lately, more busy than I had anticipated. Back at my old job I had a lot of down time to catch up on blogs, think up different posts...hell, I even learned Photoshop from all the free time. This whole blog design you're currently looking at was done with that free time. Now it's GO GO GO. News editing = tight deadlines. There's times I'm given a short story with minutes before it has to go to air. I absolutely love that rush though, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I thought I'd share some photos from my last day at my old job. I'm still friends with my former co-workers and try to visit them when I can. I miss the crew, they were fantastic to work with.

That's Dawn. She baked me the cake!

My bud Martin. We still need to get beer and pho.

My sweet lady friend Jess.

My friend Alice.

The guy in the above photo is my buddy Mike. He left the company a few weeks before me and was employed for 10 years. Insanity.

As for the underwear...it was there when I came back from Maternity Leave. It hasn't moved since.

I'm always curious about other people's work places...where do you work? Do you like your job? What's your dream job? Ultimately I want to work on documentaries and be the main videographer for them as well.

That's it for now. I promise I'll try to post more. I miss the blogosphere.

Later gators!

New Guy In Town.

2011-11-18T08:00:00.003-07:00

So, I've alluded in a few posts that I'm seeing a new guy. I should probably make it official on here.

His name is Raimund.

His family is from Germany. He moved to Canada when he was 5.

He's a talented drawer.

He loves digital photography. (I love film photography.)

He can quote any Futurama episode.

He loves spending time with my son and I.

I'll keep you guys posted on how things go. So far so good! He's a pretty awesome guy.

Later gators!

Kodak Hawk-Eye

2011-11-15T11:15:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago while at my grandparent's house Raimund and I were given my grandma's Kodak Hawk Eye camera. It was hers as a child in the '50s and she said it was still in working condition. We decided to test it out.

We threw in a roll of 120 film and went on a photo walk. It was only after wards we realized we needed to get a 620 spool.....long story short, the Hawk Eye took 620 film. It's the exact same as 120 film, only with a slightly different spool. 120 spool = no no for camera. Derp. The secret is to re-spool the 120 film on the 620 spool. I'm now on eBay searching for a few spools.

Ok, enough spool talk. (such a weird word when you type it too many times, right?) Here's the outcome of those photos.

They almost have a dream-like quality to them. For a test roll, not bad! Raimund's going to attempt to take the camera apart to clean the lens. Hopefully the photos will come out crisper after that.

I'm completely in love with this camera! Hard to believe it was my grandma's and now it's mine. Maybe in a few years it'll be Ben's? Who knows!

Later gators!

Oh Instagram...I'm Addicted To Thee.

2011-11-12T16:34:00.001-07:00

Just some shots from my life, if you're interested. I love this app.

Pro-Tip: check out Doodle Booth if you have an iPhone. It's hours of entertainment.

I keep these at my work.

Ben and Great Grandpa!

Guitar cases = Good for sleeping.

And that's all she wrote. Oh, here's a secret: I'm doing another giveaway soon. It involves Freckled Nest. Oooh!

Later gators!

Fun Fact #10

2011-11-10T09:41:00.001-07:00

FUN FACT #10

Today is my birthday! The big 2-7. I was suppose to be born on Halloween, but I held out for a few more days. I was born in the evening, and right after my mom had me she had a burger. Way to do it, mom!

I'm techinically an only child but I have a half-sister who's 10 years younger than me. She's rather entertaining but we don't get to see each other too often.

Also, there's no snow outside here. I think that's the first time in a few years there wasn't snow on my birthday. HUZZAH!

Later gators!

Fun Fact #9

2011-11-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Thought I forgot about today's fun fact, eh? Nope! This morning was slightly hellish as my son didn't want to sleep through the night.

Speaking of my son, he's the subject of today's fact!

FUN FACT #9

I named my son after a teddy bear that I had growing up. YES, YOU READ RIGHT. You see, I had this bear I adored that I named Ben. I'd always liked that name, and to me it sounded like the type of name a friendly and loving bear/person would have. (I don't know many jerks named Benjamin.)

Low and behold I became pregnant in 2008/2009. I was stumped for a name and then it hit me out of nowhere -- Benjamin.

And that's how my boy got his name. I think it fits him perfect.

Later gators!

Fun Fact #8

2011-11-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

Fun Fact #8

I HATE ONIONS. To my core. I can't stand the taste of texture of them, and yet....I like onion rings. Go figure.

My mom is the exact same way. I think the reason is because my grandma tends to cook with onions a lot, and we just got burnt out.

via

So, yeah. If I ever coming knocking at your door to be fed, make sure there's no onions involved please.

Do any of you hate any veggie for any particular reason?

Later gators!

Fun Fact #7

2011-11-07T09:45:00.001-07:00

Fun Fact #7

I was raised by my mom and grandparents and I'm still extremely close to them. My grandparents acted as Mom #2 and Dad because my real dad didn't get involved in my life until I turned 18.

This was taken last spring. As you can tell we're all rather short. How delightful! My grandma is the reason why I love thrifting and crafting, and my mom got me into playing guitar. I miss the fact that I don't see them often enough.

My son and grandpa have a pretty special bond. Whenever we take a drive out to the country and I tell Ben he gets excited about seeing "Grandpa Papa." I love it and I hope there's many more years ahead of them to be together.

So that's my fact for today.

Later gators!

Fun Fact #6

2011-11-06T15:24:00.001-07:00

Fun Fact #6

I absolutely love swing music. In high school I use to play trumpet (very well I might add) and that was my favourite genre to play. My new guy and I plan on taking swing dancing lessons soon, so I'm pretty stoked about that.

via

Here's a few tunes you might enjoy and recognize.

Some pretty crazy beats, right daddy-o?

Later gators!

Fun Fact #5

2011-11-05T13:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday! It's sunny here and not a lick of snow yet, mwahaha! I LOVE IT!

Fun Fact #5

I love astronomy! Bet you didn't know that. I grew up in the country and there were many winter nights my grandma and I would walk the dogs and I would gaze up at the stars. I loved being able to see Orion and the Big Dipper, and attempt to identify the other constellations as well.

via

I'm sad that we didn't really get to learn about astronomy in school. We did one unit in Grade 6 but it was more like connect the dot worksheets and learning about constellations.

via

I'm kind of a nerd and love watching shows about the planets and stars and how they came to be. Wouldn't it be awesome to be the one to discover new solar systems? Maybe I should've gone into astronomy. Or archeology, but that's a whole other story.

via

Later gators!

Fun Fact #4

2011-11-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

FUN FACT #4

I have a thing for old Soviet Russian stuff. Old propaganda posters, the clothing, anything involving a red star symbol I love. That started back in high school when we learned about Russia. Needless to say I want to take a trip around eastern Europe and Russia one of these years.

When I spotted this Soviet hat on Etsy last winter I was sold immediately. Yet another knick knack to add to my ever growing collection of things and junk.

Are any of you into anything strange like my Commie fixation?

Later gators!

Fun Fact #3

2011-11-03T09:05:00.001-07:00

Fun Fact #3

I have a fear of elevators. It sucks. My fear first manifested itself when I was around 4 or so. We had to visit my grandma in the hospital and when leaving my mom took me into the elevator. I started freaking out. There's just something about being in a tiny closed in space going up in the air that freaks me out. I always think that I'm either going to get stuck or plummet to my death.

Like the picture I photoshopped? This is elevator hell. My friend Vanessa and I use to joke around that there were elevators gods that would either let you have a safe trip or be assholes and make you want to crap yourself. It was usually the latter for us. Keep in mind we were 15 when we came up with that one.

So...that's today's Erin Fun Fact. More to come!

Later gators!

Fun Fact #2

2011-11-02T07:19:00.001-07:00

Nine more days til my birthday, eeep! Here's today's fact.

FUN FACT #2

I have an addiction. TO NAIL POLISH. I feel like such a princess writing that, but I do. I never use to be this way. I use to be such a tom boy. Then I discovered the world of nail art and I fell in love. It's not something I talk about a lot, because it seems like most of my friends in real life are either guys or ladies who are more on the tom boy-ish side. I wonder if any of you cats out there are like me in this regard?

Yeah, you get the idea. I love this shiz. Anytime I go out shopping anywhere I automatically look for nail polish. It's my crack.

Oh, and if you know any good nail art sites, link me! I love seeing the talent some people have for this.

Later gators!

Birthday Countdown

2011-11-01T09:57:00.001-07:00

It's November! Can you believe it? I can't. And in 10 short days I'll be joining the 27 club...figuratively speaking. Most days I still feel like I'm a teenager, where the hell did the time go?

In the days leading up to my birthday, I thought I'd share 10 facts about myself. I've seen other bloggers do this in the past and I thought it was a pretty cool idea. So, without further ado...

FUN FACT #1

I'm a collector. I collect too many things...shoes, dresses, Buddhas, cameras, maneki nekos (good luck kitties)...if I have a weird fascination with it, chances are I have multiples of it. My apartment is a treasure trove of knick knacks. Some days I think I should stop collecting the things I love, and then I think...nuts to that!

How could you not collect these goodies?

Tomorrow I'll share fun fact #2. Exciting, right?

Later gators!

2011-10-31T11:43:00.002-07:00

I'm working tonight but hope that you all have a blast. Looking forward to reading your fun blog posts tomorrow!

Later gators!

Skeleton Hands Hair Clip DIY

2011-10-30T15:13:00.001-07:00

Whoa, another DIY? Yes. It's another easy one, because I'm all about that (I'm a busy lady with a F/T job and kid as you may recall!)...and again, perfect for Halloween. The last time I went to a big box department store (shall remain nameless) I saw that they sold skeleton hands and feet. Well...why not make another hair clip? Or pin? If you're anything like me you'll end up wearing this year round. I do love me some skeletons.

You need: lovely bones, alligator clip, felt (not shown), and glue.

So, basically all you really have to do is slap some glue on your alligator clip and stick it onto your skeleton hand. Then, cut out a little square of felt and glue it on the inside of the clip, so it sticks to the hand as further reinforcement. Remember how I attached the felt in the batty clip DIY? Same thing.

And there you have a lovely skeleton hair clip. I plan on wearing this to work on Halloween (I sadly didn't get a costume this year :/ )

Quick and easy. I want to say that should be my middle name, but no. That would be terrible.

Later gators!

Eyeball Nails DIY

2011-10-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

I was first inspired to try doing these nails when I saw my friend Monique post this photo on Facebook. She's hella talented at nail art and seeing as I like creepy eye balls, I thought I'd give this a whirl.

STEP 1: Prep your nails and slap on some white polish.

STEP 2: Paint a half circle above your cuticle. I chose blue for this, but feel free to chose whatever colour you want.

Step 3: Take some black nail polish and draw around the half circle, as well add some black to the middle for the "pupil". I didn't have a nail art pen for this, so I just cut a Q-Tip in half and used the pointy end to draw with.

Step 4: If you mess up with the black, go back and fill in the colour again. Now you're starting to see the eye!

Step 5: Add some red to the mix and draw some squiggly lines. The more blood shot looking, the better.

Step 6: Go back to your white polish and add 2 little dots to the "pupil" section of the eye. How kawaii, right? ;)

And there you have it! This is how mine turned out. Personally I love Monique's waaay more, but it was still a lot of fun to try. If you try this, link me with photos! I want to see your results.

Later gators!

Batty Hair Clip

2011-10-26T08:02:00.001-07:00

Well, hello!

If you remember yesterday, I showed you how to add a cute little bat to your cup of tea. Well, you've finished up your last drop, you're ready to chuck that bag of tea in the garbage...but wait! What about that cute little bat? Well, here's an idea for you.

BAT HAIR CLIP.

OH YES.

This is also a super easy DIY. The only things you need are the bat, glue, and an alligator clip. I buy my clips off Etsy, but you can easily check out a hair salon/supplier or eBay. Whatever floats your boat.

Basically what I did was glue the bat onto the outside of the clip. On the inside of the clip I glued the little black square you see above as further reinforcement. Make sure the square glues to the body of the bat so that it's not noticeable.

VOILA! And If hair clips aren't your thing, why not turn it into a pin and attach it to your cardigan or jacket? Oh, the options! The world is your oyster, my friends! SEIZE IT!

Ciao bellas!

Batty Tea DIY

2011-10-25T06:47:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!

I thought it'd be fun to do a spin on a DIY done by Leigh-Ann of Freckled Nest. Seeing as it's almost Halloween and brisk outside, who wouldn't want a cute cup of bat tea?

This was super easy to make. Like, insanely easy. I first started off by drawing a bat shape, then cut it out. I used sparkly black felt for the bat, but feel free to use whatever your wee heart desires.

Now that we have our lovely bat, we connect it to the tea bag. Initially I was going to use the yarn shown in the photo, but opted to stick with the string already attached to the tea. With yarn I'd say glue it to the bat, but in this case I used good ol' tape, mainly because I have plans for this little guy after and didn't want to possibly wreck him. Or her.

Oh yes, I almost forgot...the eyes. I glued these little gems on with felt glue. You don't have to add eyes, but I think it makes it rather kawaii, don't you?

WHAM BAM, THANK YOU MA'AM!

I told you it was easy! Now sit back and relax with a nice cup of tea. Tomorrow I'll show you another DIY with this cute bat one you're done your cup.

Later gators!

Autumn With Film Grain

2011-10-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

I managed to successfully get a roll of film developed from my Canon AE! I love that camera, it usually resides in my purse as you never know when the perfect shot might happen.

So, this is what's been happening in my world...

At my Grandparent's haus.

MURDERFACE!

In the alley.

The dumpster beside my car.

Raimund

So there you have it. Proof that I'm not dead, just busy.

Later gators,

A Tad Bit MIA

2011-10-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, hello! Sorry I've been a bit distant. I started my new job yesterday and it's going great! The people are pretty awesome there, and honestly if I can become a lifer there I think I'll be a happy camper.

The above photo was from one of my last days at my previous job. I brought my Canon and Instax to take some photos with co-workers. I miss these guys a lot. We were a tight-knit station and it was hard to go. On my last day I kept second guessing my decision. I'll get over it quickly though.

So, what's new with you guys? Anything fun or exciting? I'm hoping to get a couple of DIY's up here soon...for those who don't know, I'm ADDICTED to Halloween. Halloween shopping with me is a nightmare as I take too long picking out stuff. I'm the kind of girl who keeps skeleton lights up all year round. Yup. I still have some ghost garland up from last year, because that's how I roll.

See you around,

Autumn Walks

2011-10-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my friend Raimund and I took a drive out of the city to the country, close to where we grew up. We've been talking about doing a photo walk for ages and we finally had the time to get on that. The weather was perfect too. I seriously wish our winter could be just this...crisp and cool.

There's a boatload more photos where that came from. I'm hoping to get some more photos done this weekend as well before all the leaves blow away.

Later gators,

My Old School Might Be Haunted....

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's true! Recently a paranormal team came out to my home town to see if the old elementary school (now a museum) is haunted. My grandma showed me the article in the community newspaper and said "You always told us there was something there."

I remember being in Grade 5 and having to organize the basketballs in the gym's storage room. I had neatly put all the balls up on a shelf, turned my back for no more than 10 seconds, and when I looked over there were a couple of basketballs on the floor. No noise was made. How the hell did that happen?! That would creep out any 5th grader for sure. I also recall some classmates saying that they felt like they were being tripped in one area of the gym that was up a flight of stairs, and I heard this story on more than one occassion.

So, is my old elementary school haunted? Who knows. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

To read the write up by the paranormal team, click this link. There's a couple photos that include orbs on the site.

Spooky spooky!

Later gators,

Oh, Tattoo

2011-10-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a week or so since I got my tattoo and I love it. I can't wait to get another one soon. Right now it's at that itchy scabby phase...you know the one I'm talking about. All I want to do is scratch at it but I can't. It's Hell.

A few of you already thought I had tattoos. Well, I certainly fooled you! I've always wanted tattoos, but could never really find any designs that I could truly see myself sporting for the rest of my life. Maybe I was just too picky back then. Now I'm a little more open minded to ideas and I'm actually in the process of getting a piece done on my upper leg, above my knee. After that a friend of mine is starting work on drawing up a half sleeve for me, so that's pretty exciting.

Right now the only scabbing is on the medallion, but that'll be gone soon I'm sure. Overall it's healing nicely. I love those green eyes. I may have to get another.

Later gators!

Blog Design for Camille and a New Header!

2011-10-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

I finished up my 2nd blog design for the wonderful Camille this past weekend! Camille is a great gal and wanted to go for a natural, bohemian look. With her header I chose a font reminiscent to 60's gig posters, as well the sides feature a henna tattoo-esque design.

(Erin Fun Fact: I freaking love henna. There's something beautiful about the patterns and swirls...gah, I could go on and on.)

Aren't Camille and her man adorable?!!

As well, I managed to get around to making myself a new header. Nothing too over the top. This past weekend my friend Raimund and I took a photo walk out in the country and he managed to get some decent shots of me where I'm not making a jerk face. Whoa, right?! I'm currently editing those photos and will be sharing them with you soon.

And if that wasn't enough, I tweaked my About Me page. As you can see, I was clearly on a roll at 1 am this morning.

How's your Tuesday going? Hope all's well!

Questions about blog design? E-mail me. I'm not charging at the moment, so get it while it lasts!

Later gators,

Weekends

2011-10-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was filled with photowalks in the country with my shutter bug friend Raimund, a trip to my favourite burger joint in Spruce Grove, and making turkey for my co-workers! It's Thanksgiving up here this weekend and sadly we are required to work at the station :( But never fear, I went to work with a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberries! It was my first time making a turkey, so I'm pretty proud of it. Let's just hope no one gets sick from it later ;) And the mash potatoes.... *drool*

It's the beginning of my last week of work here. HOLY SHIT. I'm going to miss these folks a lot, they've gone from just co-workers to good friends. I'm definitely stopping by for visits in the future.

As well, I learned something fun with the Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips...See my nails above? They use to have a white undercoat to them. I tried removing them with nail polish remover last night and everything but the skulls came off. Kinda sweet, right? Not sure if this is a fluke, but I hope it lasts a while.

Later gators!

Homemade Orange Julius, Y'all

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

What's that, you say? Orange Julius...HOME MADE?! Well, huzzah huzzah!

I came across this recipe late one night last week and I've been addicted to it since. The website it comes from, Baking Bites, is fantastic and I high recommend you browse through the archives.

So, without further ado, How to Make an Orange Julius: A Picture Essay.

Basically, what you want to do with all these ingredients is put them all in the blender together and blend until it's frothy. JUST THAT EASY!

{And don't mind my hot rollers. It's part of my morning routine. Now you know the secret to my luxurious wavy hair. Shhh!}

Now slurp that stuff up. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Later gators!

Devil's Backbone

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It's Folklore Friday! This week I thought I'd share another clip from the wonderful show "Unsolved Mysteries". I was surprised by all the comments I received on the last post, it's so cool to see you guys were also into that show back in the day too! I'm currently on the hunt for DVDs because I've been planning an Unsolved Mysteries marathon with my friends for quite sometime now. Fun Friday night? You betcha!

This clip is all about a piece of land in Texas known as the Devil's Backbone. It's said to be extremely haunted, and what intrigues me a lot are the reports of Native spirits. As you know half my family is Native, so automatically my ears perk up when I hear anything regarding Native culture and the afterlife.

Enjoy!

Yeah, that's pretty creepy. Imagine living there? No thanks.

Later gators!

~E

My First Tattoo

2011-10-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

I finally made the commitment and got me a tattoo. It's not too big, about the size of a toonie (for all you non-Canadians, we have a $2 coin here) and I love the colouring of it! Maneki Nekos are something that I collect, so it just felt right to get one permanently etched onto my skin.

This photo doesn't do it justice. I'll get some macro shots this weekend so you can have a better look. Either way I'm madly in love with it. And for those curious about placement, it's on my neck behind my ear. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I had expected it to.

Later gators!

Back Alleys Are Magical Places

2011-10-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true! I know what you're thinking..."Erin, what the hell are you going on about now? Back alleys are creepy places full of free candy vans."

Not so! There's an alley in my city that was commisioned to have the actual ROAD painted. Oooh, classy, aren't we? I took a walk down here yesterday because I hadn't actually seen the painting in its entirety.

At first I was kinda cynical about the concept. What's the point? Couldn't these resources be better used elsewhere instead of an alley?

But now that I've been there, I really dig it. I love the fact that the city hasn't torn down these brick buildings as they're prone to do here, and I love the artistry of this.

Ah, jumping photos...where would the world be without them?

Edmonton Lovin'.

You gotta admit, it's a pretty quaint alley.

Ciao bellas!

Autumn Avery

2011-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I went out with my friend Vanessa and her 7-week old baby Avery to take some autumn photos. This is definitely my favourite season...if this could last longer than our crappy prairie winters, I'd be a pretty happy camper.

I *really* need to get my ass in gear and take more photos outdoors. I know the leaves aren't going to last very long and then we'll be thrown into the cold depths of winter. *shakes fist.*

Have you guys gotten around to taking many autumn photos? Do it! The colours are gorgeous right now.

Ciao bellas!

New Work Open Haus

2011-10-01T22:39:00.001-07:00

Today there was an open house at my new work for the public to come and see how a TV station operates. Pretty cool, right? I went down there with Brendan to meet some new co-workers and chit chat. I'm so stoked to start working here, it's a dream come true. (sorry for the low-quality photos...maybe one day iPhones will have better lenses and higher pixel resolutions ;)

On set.

Brendan doing a station ID. HA!

Newsroom.

Film!

They have a THERAMIN! WHA?! <3

I love everything about this.

I can't wait for what the future holds!!

New Job

2011-09-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

Today I got the phone call saying I have a new job! I'm now a camera woman/editor/graphics designer for a national broadcaster!!

EEEEEP!!

~E

Sneak Peek...

2011-09-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of a friend's blog re-design that I'm doing. Hopefully I'll be done it soon!

I love designing blogs. If I could do it as a side job I would.

After this design is done I have a few more to do, but if you need help with your blog or you want a face lift, contact me! I'd be more than happy to help.

Ciao bellas!

Instagram Dump

2011-09-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

OH HAI!

I thought I'd pop by today and just do a photo dump from my Instagram account. Who knew a photo app could get so addicting?

These are just some random snapshots from my life the past few weeks. Enjoy!

Pink and orange hot chocolate. Oh yes!

It's so quiet in the afternoons at work. :(

Cute kid.

He stole my sunglasses. PS...the hanging toy by my head is the abominable snowman dude from the Rudolph clay-mation. I collect them. (Hint hint.)

We're a bunch of weirdos.

Bacon band-aids and hair feathers.

Best Mexican in town and going to a Gala.

Faces and photography love.

And that's pretty much it. How's your weekend been so far?

Ciao bellas!

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey lovelies! It's Folklore Friday! This week I wanted to flashback about 20 years or so. I don't know about you, but growing up my family LOVED watching "Unsolved Mysteries". I enjoyed it too, but something about the theme music and Robert Stack's voice creeped me out as a little girl.

I was browsing through old videos when I came across this from old story. I remember watching this as a little girl too, which is kinda creepy in itself. Take a peek, it's a pretty interesting story.

Yeah....weird. What did you think? Do you think it's possible the mother's spirit rescued her son from death? I want to hear your thoughts.

Later gators!

Because I Love Clogging Your Blog Feed....

2011-09-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

Are you getting tired of these yet?

NO, YOU SAY?

Well, here's one more for shits and giggles!

The A-Z's of Erin, for all my internet stalkers :)

Age: 26 (27 in November!)

Bed Size: Queen, and it's even better now that I'm single.

Chore that you hate: Laundry. I have a card system at my apartment and it's a pain in the ass to have to refill that thing.

Dogs: I want a French Bulldog AND an Irish Wolfhound. I kid you not.

Essential start to your day: checking my emails and Facebook, because I'm addicted to the internet.

Favourite color: RED

Gold or Silver: How about white gold?

Height: 5'1" on a good day.

Instruments you play: guitar, trumpet, piano, and I use to play harmonica.

Job Title: Video Editor for a TV station

Kids: a 2 year old named Ben

Live: Edmonton, Alberta

Mother's name: Cheryl

Nicknames: "Hey, you with the hair..."

Overnight hospital stays: after I gave birth. I was in labor for 33 hours and stayed in the hospital 4 days.

Pet Peeves: Idiots and bad drivers

Quote from a movie: "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets." -- Taxi Driver

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: a half sister and half brother

Time you wake up in the morning: When Ben's over, 8 am. When I'm alone, 11 am. I work late and my neighbours above me are loud jerks, so I don't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.

Underwear...comfy and sassy

Vegetable you hate: Onions are the bane of my existence

What makes you run late: either sleeping in or my boy.

X-Rays: after falling down the stairs and injuring my back I had to get them.

Yummy food that you make: I can bake a mean red velvet cake.

Zoo Animal: Our zoo here in my town sucks so I'm not answering.

* * * * *

And there you have it! Fun facts about Erin. Now isn't your day a bit brighter?

Ciao!

Eyelash Extensions Are Pretty Great

2011-09-20T15:05:00.002-07:00

So last Friday my friend Dawn and I took the plunge and got eyelash extensions. What are eyelash extensions, you ask? Well, they're simply one of the greatest things EVER.

Basically, it's like a synthetic fibre that is glued onto your current eyelash to add fullness and length. I know, I know, it sounds weird. When I first heard about it I was kinda like "Who the hell would do that?!" But y'know what? I'm glad I did.

I wake up in the morning now and barely wear any make up, as the eyelashes make it look like you're already wearing it. They're not annoying in the least, which was my concern. I thought they may feel weird or irritate my skin. Nope!

The process of getting these babies put on is a bit tedious and, well, creepy feeling. They start off by taping your upper lid and putting vaseline on your eyebrows. Then they put vaseline on your lower lashes and tape them up too. That part really bothered me. You see, I have this weird fear of getting paper cuts by my eye. That stems back from seeing the Jackass movie and they were paper cutting their eye lids...so, yeah. But when you get past the tape, it's smooth sailing from there.

The glue that is used to bond the fake lashes is medical grade but it produces some fumes, so a bit of itchiness and irritation happened with me. I was just given a fan to blow on my face and that stopped the feeling. Afterwards for about 15 minutes my eye lids felt itchy but it went away quickly.

The whole process took about 45 minutes. I was told the lashes would last up to a month or more, so I hope that's not a lie.

There are a few things I can't do with these lashes though....

*no water can contact them. And yes, I still shower.

*no oil-based make up remover can be used.

*don't rub your eyes.

*don't play with or pull on the lashes.

*no mascara on the fake lashes.

*no curling them.

Also, be prepared to look like a jackass during the procedure.

Oh baby, I am a dreamboat.

So, that was my experience with eyelash extensions. If you're considering them, I say try it. I'm pretty happy with mine. Questions? Leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you.

Ciao bellas!

The Camera Addiction Continues...

2011-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you've been following me for a while you know I have an obsession with film cameras. I love them more than my axolotl loves eating, and he's a porker. (Ok, obscure reference, but you get it.)

Last week I was wasting time on Kijiji when I found an ad for a Canon AE-1 with flash for $25. SAY WHAT?! The camera was in working order as well. Perfectly mint condition, clear lens, beautiful. Honestly, how can anyone say no to that?

So, meet the latest addition to my camera family!

The man I bought this from said it use to be his dad's, and that it was hardly ever used. I take it he never really knew the true value of this camera. With flash it could easily go for +$100. Sweet, sweet deal!

What I like about this camera so far is the auto setting. It can set the shutter speed and aperture automatically, which is the complete opposite of my manual Nikon FM from around the same era. I've already snapped a few photos with this baby so I'm looking forward to seeing how the film turns out.

So, the lesson for today kids: Don't just rely on thrift stores for finding sweet vintage cameras. If there's an online classified place for your area of the world, check it. I'm on Kijiji every week seeing what's all on there. Same with Craigslist, but I'm there mostly for the rants page. ;)

Later gators!

~E

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! It's Folklore Friday! This week I thought I'd share this "oddity"...it's not a ghost story or paranormal, but still fascinating!

Ok, I'm going to get gruesome. (If that's not your cup of tea, feel free to click somewhere else.) Generally when somebody dies, their corpse decomposes, right? Well, apparently not always the case! Meet Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.

link

In life, Saint Bernadette reportedly saw religious visions that eventually brought pilgrims from all over to spectate. Included in the visions was one that led to the building of a church on a specified piece of land.

Bernadette passed away April 16, 1879. In September of 1909 Bishop Gauthey of Nevers and the Church exhumed her body and were shocked to discover no traces of decomposition, despite the oxidization of the crucifix in her hand. The body was exhumed a second time in April 1919 and it was noted that "...the body is practically mummified, covered with patches of mildew and quite a notable layer of salts, which appear to be calcium salts. ... The skin has disappeared in some places, but it is still present on most parts of the body." *

Strange, right?

In 1925 Bernadette's body was again exhumed and relics sent to Rome. A mold was created of her face as well. Again, no decomposition had taken place.

To this day Saint Bernadette's body remains on display for pilgrims to view.

link

There's no real explanation for this, but you have to admit it is kinda spooky. I'm not sure how I would feel about seeing a body on display like this. It kind of creeps me out a bit. :/

Well then...Happy Friday!

Blog Design for lovely Tone!

2011-09-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

I bet you cats didn't know I do blog design. Well, surprise! I'm still learning, but so far it's become quite the hobby of mine! For example I designed my blog myself using Pugly Pixel's templates and it was a pretty fun task!

Tone of Lost Cabin asked me a couple weeks ago to re-vamp her blog, and of course I said YES YES! Here's the end result:

It's a nice, clean, simple look. I absolutely love making headers, navigation bars, and buttons!

Need help designing something? I'm your gal! Send me an email and I'll be more than happy to help you with any graphic related stuff. (pssst...it's free!) eeegadserin (at) gmail (dot) com.

Ciao bellas!

The Terrible Twos Kinda Suck But Are So Cute

2011-09-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Behind this adorable plump face is a conspiring 2 year old's brain at work.

"What will happen if I climb up the dishwasher?"
"I'm sure Mama won't mind if I hide my toys in the oven."
"What can I get into next?"

No one ever said motherhood would be easy, but I was also never informed how busy a little boy could be! I grew up an only child, never really had contact with small children, then WHAM! -- I'm a mommy.
These past few months Ben has been exerting his independence more and more, and I love it! At the same time he's also learning to protest and it's become almost impossible to take him out in public sometimes.

Case in point: Last Friday evening Brendan came over to see Ben, as it'd been almost a month since they spent time together. Everything was going great, until we decided to take Ben to a restaurant. That's when all hell broke lose. My child became possessed, rotating his head and spitting out pea soup -- ok, he wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't great either. He refused to sit anywhere, only Brendan's shoulders. Then he wanted down. Then he started screaming bloody murder. Finally we decided to pack it in and take him to a park so we could finish our supper picnic style.

I know as a parent we all have to go through with this, but why does it have to be so brutal? As soon as Ben starts acting up in public I feel like the worst parent in the world. I can feel everyone's gaze cutting right through me and I purposely do my best to not make eye contact. I try my best to calm Ben down but nothing seems to work than to leave the scene.

Maybe I'm just worrying too much and should let him have his tantrum and get over it? I don't know.

I'm reaching out to all the mothers out there who read my blog...is there any advice you can give a first time mommy with this? How did you discipline your children when they acted up in public? What worked for you and what didn't work?

I love my little man an incredible amount, and I feel lucky to have such an awesome son as him. At the same time I don't want every public outting to end with him melting down.

Mommy SOS!

~E