hellooooooooooooo (after a long hiatus).

HELLOOOO DEAR READERS...

So this is extremely PATHETIC, but it's been over a year that I have even CHECKED this blog. So... I apologize profusely to the people who emailed me and I never got back to... and all the people who commented - you are all SO SWEET and AMAZINGGGGGGG.

SO MANY THINGS have happened since the last time I posted (wayyy back in 2013, when Mr. Potatohead and I had that fun little photoshoot). Well since then, I became a MARRIED WOMAN and have continually been working on my art in order to get better! Sadly, I don't really do many DIY craft projects anymore but I have been doing A LOT more painting & drawing, and since I got a job at an art studio, I have been steadily improving!

And that is why... I've decided this is going to be my last post on this blog. This blog has served me well in the awkward year between coming back from a foreign country and starting new and exciting adventures in life (aka. marriage and buying a home!!!) but it is time to move on. And I'm so grateful for all of you have been reading all along and leaving me little comments that totally make my day!

I always seem to launch a new blog in each huge stage of my life so this is also my official announcement that I actually started a new ART BLOG last month. This new one will focus specifically on my artwork (with maybe a few personal posts here and there), and chronicle my adventures in art! So if you are still interested in following me, head along to my new art website:

ART + SOUL

www.artandsoulcreativeco.blogspot.com

Hope we can keep in touch!

<3

Laura


P.S. below are some samples of some art that is on my new blog! ;) Enjoy!

Photoshoot with Vivid Moments Photographers

Helloooo everyone!

Yes, I am still alive. I have been super busy though so obviously I have not been updating this blog. But... I have been saying for a long while now that I would post some pictures of a photoshoot I took with Mr. Potatohead back in December. Even though I'm four months late, I stand true to my word so finally, here are some pictures!

Mr. Potatohead and I had actually been trying to schedule and reschedule with our wedding photographers back in September/October, but every day that we picked was rainy and depressing. By the time November rolled around, I had already started my new job and Mr. Potatohead didn't have any vacation days left so we didn't even have a single free morning or afternoon together until the Christmas holiday. We rescheduled with our wedding photographers for a shoot in April (which we actually did a few weeks ago!!!) but we still wanted some nice pictures earlier to put up on our wedding website and use for our invites.

Our dear friend Ray, who has known us for over 7 years, is a talented professional photographer (at Vivid Moments Photographers) so we decided to ask whether he was available to help us with a photoshoot. Luckily, we were able to get together on the only Sunday when I didn't have to work - December 30th - right before the new year (and right after we had both gained ten pounds from all our Christmas family dinners. Perfect timing for a photoshoot!!! hahaha).  It was ridiculously cold that day but we sucked it up and went prancing around Minoru Park (yes... PRANCING...). Personally I am super awkward in photographs but honestly Ray made us feel really comfortable and helped us "pose" for certain shots. For a person who hates posing, I really think he was able to capture some really natural moments, and Mr. Potatohead and I basically just laughed our way through the whole shoot (while shivering like mad). Some of those "smiling" pictures you see might actually be "my teeth are chattering so much I think they're starting to fall out" shots. But really, it was great fun and we're so happy that Ray was the one to do it!

For our last few shots, Mr. Potatohead and I had the idea of hanging mason jars and tealights from a tree. We decided to take these shots in his backyard and not a public place just in case anything caught on fire (being charged for arson would not be ideal). The night before, we wrapped twine around 13 mason jars and made little "handles" and loops so that the jars could hang semi-safely. These jars are actually going to be part of our reception centrepieces so I suppose they're coming in handy all over the place. Maybe we'll even make homemade jam in the jars after the wedding hahaha (UNLIKELY).

Side Note #2: This is just a random tip for all you people getting married soon too, although you probably know this already because you're not a doofus like me: Unless you're very skilled and confident in the makeup department, don't try to do your own. HAHA. Before this photoshoot I was thinking of doing my own hair and makeup for the wedding day because I was afraid a makeup artist would put wayyyy too much stuff on my face. Well, I did my own hair and makeup for these pictures but I think doing so also made me realize that on the day of the wedding I will probably want to get someone to do it for me so it's one less thing to think about. I'm glad that these pictures turned out well and I look like I usually do (I didn't want to look foreign or have so much makeup on I looked UNRECOGNIZABLE haha). But I was actually kind of rushed when getting ready so after curling my hair, the only makeup I had time to put on for these photos was some eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara and I didn't end up wearing any skin makeup or anything else. So basically, I really didn't know what I was doing because I'm not good with makeup in the first place and from this experience I learned that I should probably leave that kind of stuff to professionals instead of trying to DIY everything myself. HAHA. Sometimes, you just... can't... and shouldn't.  I just imagined myself on the wedding day ATTEMPTING to do my own makeup and dropping red lipstick on my dress or something horribly clumsy like that.

Anyway, ENOUGH RAMBLING. Here are the pictures. The one with the "better together" logo on it was the one we ended up using for part of our invites. Enjoy! 

flowers through the fence

Hellooooooooo dear readers!

It's been too long.

WOW. Seeing that my last post was back in JANUARY I have clearly slipped into oblivion for the past two months and severely neglected this poor little blog (and going on the computer in general). But thanks to all you new followers who decided to stop by! (Somehow I now have more than 200+ followers? random...) - I have a huge influx of super nice comments from you all that I will eventually get around to replying... at the speed of a tortoise... in... slow... motion. 

Bear with me.

Anyway, here is a condensed explanation of my prolonged blogging absence: work, wedding planning... annnddd pure procrastination. Hey, I'm just being honest. And while I may have been procrastinating on this blog in the "online world" (ew, that sounds creepy), I have definitely been trying to waste less time in REAL LIFE by taking advantage of my free time and enjoying the outdoors, playing music, and drawing more. So it's not that I don't have anything to post - sadly, I just don't make much time anymore to crazily document my art and DIY projects like I used to. But I shall try for the sake of keeping this blog alive! =) I haven't given up on it yet! My last excuse is that I misplaced my camera's SD card and would rather not give in to posting blurry low-quality cellphone pictures on this blog (that's what Instagram is for) haha.  

My personal goal in the past little while has actually been to waste less time doing unnecessary things and spend more time doing things that truly matter to me. It's an exciting goal but it's also an everyday challenge. I feel like I've spent a lot of my life hindered by my own lack of motivation so I'm trying to break out of those lazy habits I've acquired over the years. I believe that if I just try a little harder in certain areas of my life, I can accomplish so much more. The challenging part is to keep believing that all the time. And by the way, I'm not talking solely in terms of putting more effort into a career. For me, this attitude includes spending more time with family, deepening friendships, taking care of my health, and improving the talents I've been given. These are all areas in my life that I have neglected at one time or another so I want to consciously make time for these important things. Lately, I've been trying to break down that fence of fear and failure and learn to grow past it so that I can really flourish to my full potential (too many "F words" in that sentence for you? haha. What can I say... I love alliteration). It's like the photo below (which I took last summer) where the flowers are in sight but I just have to jump over the fence to get to them. I guess it's the same in life where we have to continually overcome hurdles to get to the good stuff... although I am in no way condoning trespassing into your neighbor's yard... =) but you get the point.

So, what do you think of all this? 

Am I rambling? Probably, yes. Do I make any sense? Hopefully so. Will you still read my blog after this random entry? Most likely, no. Haha... but if you do come back, I appreciate your lurky presence... and your comments! =)

6 months to go... DUN DUN DUN!!!

A huge thanks goes to our dear friend Raymond (who is the talented photographer behind the lens of these photos... and a huge apology goes to him as well for ruining his usual pristine and professional photography style with our weird poses and my token burger quote)... thanks for still being our friend after this. HAHA. As I continually promise, a few more of these photos will be coming soon but for now, why don't you head over to Raymond's site at Vivid Moments Photographers for some amazing shots of other couples =D. 

By the way, in my opinion the best part of this photoshoot was finding those two branches lying on the ground and putting them on my head as deer antlers... and my fiance being okay with that. Although he did veto the idea of me crouching over like a grandma and using the branch as a cane. Oh well, a relationship is all about compromise, and saving each other's dignity once in awhile. =P

In other wedding related news, I've been busy trying to design our invites lately... and it's been tough! I've realized I'm very indecisive about this sort of thing because when it comes to my own art, I'm very critical about all the minor details and it's never quite up to my ridiculously confused and ambiguous standards. haha. I don't even know what I want. Currently, I'm trying to hand-draw a sketch for our invites and I'm finding it hard to infuse all the different elements we like - "woodsy with a vintage flair with some cute cartoons but still professional and simple-looking" - without giving into the fact that realistically a perfectly harmonious blend of said elements does not exist.  In the midst of all this confusion, my tendencies for artistic perfectionism are kicking in. haha. HELP. 

There have been small victories though - mainly, the mint-green website banner that I designed (above) with those quirky little birds. I'm also quite happy with that random font that I came up with for our names which was my take on "woodsy + cute". Anyway, if you have any ideas for wedding invites using kraft paper (you know, the woodsy brown paper that looks like glorified cardboard), send me some links! I'd really appreciate some design inspiration right now =D.

DIY sweater scarf & thrift-store treasures

I realize I haven't posted a DIY in a long time, so here's a quick and easy one. It doesn't even really require you to do anything. Hahaha. Those are the best kinds of projects, am I right?

Step 1: Go to the thrift store and find an OLD-MAN VEST in a pattern that you fancy.

Step 2: Throw the whole old-man vest over your neck and wear it as one of those circle scarves that still seem to be pretty popular this winter season (until people start shunning them a few seasons later, like UGGS). But when that happens, you can take it off your neck and start a new trend by wearing it like the old-man vest that it was always meant to be.

Optional (and recommended) Step: If you really don't care for the old-man sweater trend anyway and don't mind permanently ruining the vest, you can turn the thing inside out and hand-sew a line down each side of the vest to close the arm-holes and basically transform it into one long tube. This way, you can wear it as a circle scarf without people asking you why there are weird holes jutting out the sides. 

Speaking of thrift stores, I also have not blogged about my recent thrift finds in awhile. Well, actually I have not been shopping much lately (saving money for greater and more important things!) but here are a few items that I've accumulated over the past few months. 

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I found these gold & pearl earrings at a thrift store and even though I would totally just wear them like that, they are a bit heavy so I think I'm going to cut them and make a few separate pieces of jewelry instead. The gold chain necklace in the back was $1 and I like that I can wear it with both casual and formal outfits (versatility!).

 Sometimes, I also use jewelry for other purposes... haha...

 Another interesting piece I got was this white blouse that was only 50 cents. Although I will have to sew the sides to make it more slim fit, the collar of this blouse caught my eye and I could easily wear it under sweaters and cardigans. 

 The shirt below I actually got from Value Village awhile ago, but since I haven't worn it that many times I suppose it's still "new". I like the black and white chevron print and the material is super silky. I would probably pair this shirt with a cozy-grey cardigan, gold necklace + watch, a high-waisted large-floral print skirt, and bright teal shoes. Can you imagine that? Sounds random but I swear it would work. How would YOU style this shirt? 

I saved the cardigans for last because I always think they're the best finds and I definitely wear them the most often! I found this cute doily-looking scallop-edged grandma cardigan at Value Village and even though I have another similar cream-coloured cardigan, I justified my purchase because this one is 3/4 sleeves and the other is long-sleeve. Yes... help me validate my reasoning. haha... 

And finally, my favourite recent purchase: this was the only clothing item I bought in the month of December so I guess it was a Christmas present for myself. It was $5 and I found it at the Vancouver Salvation Army on Granville Street. I saw it and said, "this will make me look like GINGERBREAD!!!" and immediately pranced to the cashier. 

I actually decided to wear this sweater the very next week during an engagement photoshoot with Mr. Potatohead. As I said before, I will be posting those pictures soon... but for now, here's a preview:

Haha... that tagline was just to shock my parents. Hi Mom & Dad. =) But they probably didn't get shocked anyway since they're used to my jokes by now. 

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this random post! =)

-Laura

Happy New Year =)

Happy New Year everyone!!! 2012 was one of the most exciting years of my life to date - I traveled a whole lot, worked a whole lot, ATE a whole lot (of McDonalds, sadly) and generally kept life interesting with many random adventures. I also made many new friendships, and continued to strengthen old ones. For me, it was a good year and I hope 2013 continues to bring many new beginnings (Mr. Potatohead and I are getting married this year!). Speaking of that, I'm so excited about our engagement pictures that we shot a few days ago. I'll be posting about that NEXT time.

But first, here are a few pictures from January 1st when Mr. Potatohead and I decided to kick off the year with some... EXERCISE. And... (shocker!)... it was actually my idea. haha. Coming from the girl who loves burgers, fries, and apple pies, this was quite out of the ordinary. But although I don't exercise on a regular basis (or at all), I love camping, the outdoors, and extreme sports. In Grade 9 and 10 I went to a small school that focused on outdoor activities - I got to go camping, skiing, white water kayaking, sailing, scuba diving, windsurfing and a whole bunch of other fun things - and I realized I really missed those days. So this year, I decided to make an actual resolution of EXERCISING REGULARLY. Dun Dun Dun... for those of you who know me, this is a big challenge since exercise usually requires some sort of bribe like going for ice-cream afterwards. 

Recently, I decided that I wanted to climb more trees, hike up more mountains, take up different forms of "fun" exercise, and do more outdoor activities. So on New Year's Eve, I turned to Mr. Potatohead and said, "I want to go snowshoeing tomorrow". So the next day, I put on my mom's dollar-store toque, and since I didn't own any ski pants that weren't full-on OVERALLS, NEON, and from the 90's, I wore.... jeans. It was pretty sad (as in pathetic) because they got soaked all the way up my legs so that it actually looked like I had peed in my pants. Needless to say, I got a few odd glances... haha. But aside from that minor awkwardness, the day was awesomely amazing!!! =) 

The Hollyburn Lodge (below) had the BEST hot chocolate ever!!!

Here I look like a poser but in reality I lost my balance and ended up on the ground with mangled legs.

(below)... awkwardly wet pants!

To all my overseas friends sweating away in tropical countries, this is what a Canadian winter looks like from the top of a snowy mountain. =) And below... this is about as Canadian as you can get: Exploring the outdoors in the freezing cold while wearing a Canucks toque and sporting red Olympic maple-leaf mittens haha. Now all we need is that stereotypical igloo...

I know for a fact that I can't bring myself to go on treadmills or work out at a gym, but I think when exercise is made into some sort of fun outdoor activity, then I'm much more motivated to do it. So, let me know - will you join me in exercising more this year? Or, if you are already an avid athlete, what are some motivational tips that you have to keep yourself going? Hopefully this resolution lasts longer than a week. Haha.

 

Help keep me accountable!! =P

 

burger blessings

The other day, my friends were trying to guess how many burgers I draw in a year... I said that I probably drew 15 this past year... they guessed I drew 50-70. In retrospect, I think they were probably right. I probably think of burgers so much that it has slowly become second nature to doodle them by default. Clearly, I'm obsessed. For Christmas this year my mom actually got me a burger-shaped chew toy meant for DOGS... (thanks? Or should I be taking offense? haha). 

So anyway, when I was supposed to prepare a Secret Santa present this week, not surprisingly the first thing I thought of drawing was a burger. In my defense, the present wasn't for anyone specific so that's why I decided to give the gift of art + burgers = two things that are very dear to my heart. haha. 

The verse on the burger is from the Bible and it's a good reminder for me of all that God has brought me through and all that I've accomplished through trusting in Him. When I rely on His great plan for my future instead of my own strength, I am constantly amazed at all the opportunities that He opens up for me - better than anything I could have ever imagined for myself. That being said, I think there's a misconception that if someone trusts in God, everything is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere but that's definitely not true. Relying on God is an ongoing learning process and obviously there have been times where I think, "Oh man... everything in my life is sliding into slug slime" (or something equally atrocious). Everyone goes through crummy times in life. But personally speaking, when I am able to reflect on all the blessings I've received I am reminded that God continually provides - from little luxuries like amazing burgers to bigger things like deeply-rooted relationships and moments of inexplicable joy and peace. 

I'm sure 2012 was full of ups and downs for everyone but whether you believe in God or not, I encourage you to think back over the events of this past year and reflect on all the blessings you've received. That way, when life smacks you in the face with a bucket of slugs (can you tell that I really dislike slugs?) you've got a batallion of blessings to remind you that you'll be okay.  

I'd love if you would comment with a few things that you're thankful for from this past year. It could be a momentous occasion or a little surprise that warmed your heart... like the one I received today! I had just ordered a drink in the Starbucks drive-thru line and I was pulling up to the second window, ready to pay. The cashier opened the little glass window and told me that the lady in front of me had already paid for my order and wanted to wish me a Happy New Year. That really made my day to receive such a simple, kind gesture from a complete stranger so I continued the chain and paid for the person in the car behind me... and hopefully it kept on going (until of course someone orders $100 worth of Starbucks... hahahaha). But really, I have to say that whoever started the chain of paying for a stranger's coffee is just awesome and deserves a burger and an awkward slow clap that turns into a standing ovation.

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Anyway, let me know in the comments below... what blessings have you received this year? 

=)

-Laura