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!

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! =)

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

 

thriftstore find: $5 bookshelf

Hello my dears! This is the first time I've gone on my computer in almost a WEEK! It's just been so busy and then right on Remembrance Day, I somehow got sick with a fever which left me bedridden for all of yesterday. But now I'm feeling well enough to drag my sickling-self those grueling two metres from my bed to my computer, so you shall get a blog post (or two?) today! =)

Last week I had a super awesome thriftstore find at the "thrift store with the red door" at Steveston Village. This place always has really unique furniture and it just so happened that all furniture was 50% off on the day that I went! I had been looking for a bookshelf (to put my shoes on, actually) and I found one that was deep enough to use as a shoe-shelf! It was an antique cream which perfectly matches my vintage dresser (acquired from another thrift store in Steveston). The best part was, the bookshelf was only $5!!!

So the next day, I borrowed Mr. Potatohead's SUV and then I borrowed my DAD to help me lug the ginormous thing back home. We got there and my dad started using his hand width in an attempt to measure the shelf. Consequently, I went over to the staff in the back and asked them for a measuring tape. In the end, after walking around the bookshelf for about half an hour hmm-ing and pondering about whether the massive thing would make it home, we shoved it into the back of the SUV and luckily, it JUST fit. We drove home with the entire trunk open, at the pace of a snail, until we safely arrived in our front yard with the bookshelf, me, and my dad still intact. =) Success!

good ol' BEAST was such a handy vehicle in our predicament...

(lurker below) not creepy at all... not creepy at all...

The turquoise shirt I'm wearing was also thrifted from a Value Village in Toronto for... $3.99? But really, nothing beats the $5 bookshelf. Except for those shady free couches on Craigslist...

Liebster Award

Hello everyone!!! Get ready for a long post haha. Some of you may have noticed that I didn't post at all this weekend like I usually do, and that's because I work every weekend now. So with that being said, I've decided that I'll probably have to stop attempting to post every Thursday and Sunday like before, and go back to posting sporadically whenever I have the time. Also, this past weekend I almost wanted to delete this blog because... I don't know... I have moments where I feel directionless and don't know why I keep posting, but anyway, hopefully that's a phase! It's not that I don't have things to blog about (I've actually got a whole backlog of projects that I never posted) but I'm still considering whether I really like being on the computer so much or whether I'd rather just do without and spend my time on other things. We shall see...

Anyway, on a totally unrelated note, my blog got nominated for a Liebster Award. Okay actually I was nominated three times last month but I was too lazy to post about it. I think basically this "award" is a chance for bloggers to connect with each other. Well anyway, even though this whole thing seems quite time-consuming, I thought it was super sweet for those three bloggers to nominate me and I'd feel like a criminal for not passing on the love, so here goes.



Here are the "rules":

List 11 random facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions asked by the person that nominated you

Choose some blogs (that have 200 or fewer followers) to nominate - don't forget to tell them!

Make 11 questions for the people you are nominating

Link the blog of the person that nominated you in your post and thank them!

**********************

Whoever made this whole blog award thing really had a lot of time on their hands (as... do... I....) but since today is my day off and I'm at home feeling a little sick, I shall get this thing done. Since Smiley Clara was the first one to nominate me, I shall answer her questions. It's weird because I tried to visit her blog a few weeks later and it seems like she took her site down. In any case, thanks for tagging me... and also a big thank you to Lola (Life of a 20something year old) and Calita (Still In Process) for nominating me too!

So here are 11 facts about me. For those of you who know me personally, see how many of these you actually knew! =)

1. I love ice-cream, burgers, and Japanese food. These things I crave on a daily basis.

2. My favourite animated film is The Lion King and the movie soundtrack was the first musical CD I ever owned. Hakuna Matata is such a good motto. hahaha.

3. I love vintage - and not just the pseudo-vintage things that seem to be all "trendy" right now - but I've always been fascinated with things that are old and evoke memories from a bygone era. Maybe that's why I always love listening to stories from my grandparents' lives.

4. And on that note, I've always wanted to live a simple life in the countryside. I'm one of those people who can live without any form of TV, Internet, or technology. I grew up mostly without it and find life more complicated with it (ironically, I blog. But honestly I could give it up in an instant. Just this weekend I was contemplating deleting my entire digital existence). I know this makes me sound like an Amish hippie grandma but it's honestly how I feel and I'm just an old soul trying to survive in this modern society.

5. I love playing music but have the worst memory for song lyrics. I play all my music by ear and in doing so I think I've seriously lost the ability to read sheet music. Or I just refuse to do so.

6. I have three guitars (a Yamaha named Jelly, a Baby Taylor named Potato, and my first guitar - a bass guitar who actually still remains nameless).

7. I like turquoise jewelry. Or maybe I just like the colour turquoise.

8. I dream of visiting New Zealand if not solely for the Lord of the Rings tour.

9.  I have a really big problem with procrastination. I have no problem doing things for work or for other people, but when it comes to doing things for myself, I always put it off as long as I can.

10. I have never gotten a manicure or pedicure in my life. Guys can survive without them, so can I.

11. I am an "ideas" person. I always have hundreds of ideas milling around in my head, but I rarely take the action to make those ideas a reality. I have many passions in life but that is also what often makes me unfocused - this is actually the main reason I started a blog in the first place - to try and make me "accountable" to keep creating and drawing. So all of you out there, you really need to keep encouraging me! hahaha...

11 questions from Smiley Clara:

1. Hey, how are you feeling today? I'm a little sick, but otherwise, I'm pretty good =)

2. What was the most inspiring thing you saw this morning? My face in the mirror. Seeing it inspired me to wash it. hahaha.

3. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would play you? Puumba from The Lion King. He's happy-go-lucky, is a big eater and lives a simple life. And he's in the greatest animated movie of all time.

4. And who would play your love interest(s)? Oh my goodness! Love interests PLURAL? Scandalous. But I definitely know the answer to this one. Mr. BEAN!!!!!!! Now imagine Mr. Bean and Puumba making out. (what!?!?!)

5. If you were a song, what song would you be? Probably "The Show" by Lenka or "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae.

6. What would be your drag queen name? Wait... does this mean I'm dressing up as a guy?!?! Well, I suppose the male equivalent of Laura would be Lawrence... who is my brother. I suppose that's fitting since we used to share clothes when we were younger. HAHAHAHA.

7. What is the best present you've ever been given? Probably my engagement ring because of what it symbolizes. That or the baggy clothes from the boys department my mom used to buy me. Or the sacks of raw potatoes I have gotten from friends over the years who know I love potatoes. I'm not even joking about that one.

8. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be? I would be a professional doodler, traveling the world, leaving my mark and doodling on random things.

9. What was the most romantic moment in your life? HA!!! I don't think I'm a very romantic person... I never watch chick flicks... or create expectations of hugely inconvenient romantic gestures... but I must say my heart melted a little when my fiance proposed. HAHAHA. Just a little ;)

10. What would you do with a million dollars? My real answer is very practical so I'm going to go with my fictitious answer of "flying around the world to eat amazing foods from every country and buying all the ice-cream and burgers that my beastly stomach can consume."

11. What do you want people to know about you? The only time I'm SUPERRRR CRANKYYY is when I'm hungry so remember to always keep me well-fed.

Now, here are the bloggers I am nominating:

jodie's junk
sara senpai
brightstar

wildflowerchild
the salted caramel
anna moore
coral charm
worry about it later

And here are the 11 questions you must all answer. I tried to mix things up with some normal and then some not...so...normal... questions. Remember, for my WOULD YOU RATHER questions, the answer "neither" is not an option (moiwhahhaa... evil laughter):

1. Do you prefer tea or coffee?

2. Would you rather be forced to have a date with a human cannibal OR a person who thinks and acts like he/she is a rabid hyena?

3. What is your favourite quote?

4. If it was the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, what would be your weapon of choice?

5. What is your favourite colour?

6. Would you rather have to sleep a full night with a whole ceiling full of black tarantulas above you (they will not fall down or touch you... they're just "hanging out") OR put your feet in a bathtub full of wriggling worms for one minute? 

7. What is your favourite dessert food?

8. Would you rather have one eye on your forehead (on top of the two you already have) or have a cluster of five eyes on your back?

9. Do you prefer silver or gold jewelry?

10. Would you rather have Telletubbies following you everywhere for a day or be locked in a room with Barney re-runs for three days?

11. What is your favourite post from my blog, Up in the Clouds? =)

If I didn't nominate you but would like to answer some of these questions for the fun of it, leave me your answers in a comment below! I'd love to know what you would do in the case of a zombie apocalypse!!! ;) My weapon of choice would probably be a sharp double-edged sword.

-Laura

I'm thankful for... songs on my travelling guitar

When I made the biggest decision of my life last summer to live by myself and work in Hong Kong for one year, the first thing I did after getting settled in was BUY A GUITAR. I had been looking for something portable and I had been eyeing all the mini-guitars in the store windows. But when I tried playing on the cheap ones, they would go out of tune after a few strums. So I made a slightly more expensive purchase, bought a Baby Taylor (which played MUCH better), and named it POTATO. I had Potato with me the whole year and he kept me company through the good and bad. (Did you notice I started referring to the guitar as "he"? Creepy...) haha! Potato accompanied me on many random adventures - on the bus, in cafes, in grassy fields - he even had a little cameo appearance in my friends' engagement shoot. Some of the greatest memories were made when my cousin and I would go out to the Tsim Sha Tsui area to look at the gorgeous harbour view at night and play on the guitar for hours. When I was with Potato, I pretty much looked like one of those travelling musicians lurking around public places without a busking license. While looking at my Hong Kong pictures, it turns out my cousin did document some of these little adventures...

*side note: Seeing these pictures of Hong Kong makes me miss the place so much. Isn't Hong Kong just gorgeous in the daytime and at night as well? 

 Then... one day... something happened to Potato!! =O

When I left Hong Kong, I didn't have enough carry-on space to bring back Potato so I asked my cousin to help me bring the guitar with him when he came back this October. But when my cousin got to the airport, he was told that he couldn't bring the guitar on the plane as a carry-on and that it would have to go into the cargo hold (even though my cousin didn't feel comfortable with that). The airline assured him that the guitar would be "safe" and put a fragile sticker on the guitar case. Well unfortunately, Potato did not survive the plane ride because obviously, the fragile sticker meant nothing and he arrived at Vancouver International Airport all cracked and bruised.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Even though Potato was damaged, he still works! The day that I got my guitar back, I went to my friend's house later that evening and we were able to sing together and still have an awesome time. I figured I could probably duct-tape Potato but I decided not to, since I was thinking it would turn into that Mr. Bean episode where he ruins a painting and tries to fix it, but makes it worse (any Mr. Bean fans??? He's my hero).The best part is, my cousin happened to report the broken guitar to a SUPER NICE airport employee who did an awesome job following up on the case. Even though some of his other coworkers told us that "it was our fault" and were adamant that we couldn't get any compensation for the accident, this one employee made the decision to give us back the full amount that I paid for the guitar! So now, I could technically go out and buy a brand new Baby Taylor... but that would be cheating on my old one. Besides, Potato's a tough one and this little scar is just a battle wound. So I think I'm going to look up a luthier and see how much it costs to fix him up, and after that, hopefully there's a bit of leftover money to buy some ICE-CREAM or something. =) Thank God for understanding airline workers!! Now I can have many more adventures with Potato in the years to come. And now I will stop weirding you all out with my constant references to my guitar as "Potato".

The End.