friedasophie jewelry

Sorry for the absence you guys - this slight change in my life from working mom to stay-at-home mom is kicking my BUTT.  All you stay-at-home moms are smirking right now, and with reason - you have my undying respect.  But don't think that I don't still need an etsy fix from time to time!  Here is my latest temptation - gorgeous (and affordable) jewelry from San Fran-based friedasophie.  This one above is only $29!  A few more that caught my eye...

SICO - let's paint campaign

Sorry for the terrible iPhone photos, but I was so excited to see larger than life paint chips greet me in the subway this morning!  What a clever campaign by Quebec-based SICO paints to try to differentiate itself in the highly-competative paint industry. To quote from an article in Marketing Magazine,
The subway station environment makes it easy to demonstrate the power of colour. “With dull grey, a pop of colour here and there acts as a trigger… We want people to think, ‘Maybe I have something to paint,’ and we would like to be their paint partner,” [marketing manager Dominique Pépin] said.
They will also be handing out different-coloured flowers on Thursdays in TTC stations, with a card that sends them to their facebook page for $10 off their new Cashmere line of paint.  Apparently it is available in 22 locations in Toronto (looks like mostly RONA and Home Hardwares).  What do you think?  Would you consider using SICO paints?  I have never tried them, but this campaign sure made me take notice!

After the Rain

We had a dramatic thunder storm yesterday (a sure sign of summer!) and afterwards the hubster and I headed out for a walk.  Thank heavens I brought my camera, because the light was gorgeous and the flowers are in full show.  The air was humid and smelled divine from all the lilacs, lily of the valley, etc.  I was reminded how much I love this neighbourhood when we walked down into the ravine through the trees and down to the river.  We only passed 4 other people - it was like we were far from the city and had to whole place all to ourselves.  It was such a treat to have my mum watching the kids so we could go for a walk together...

Pretty Palette

I posted Emma's bedroom reveal a little while ago and am still thinking about it's beautiful soft palette.  It is so natural and light but also slightly feminine, and the Kilim pillows and woven basket lend an exotic touch.  I had so much fun doing my last Pinterest palette post, I thought I would do another!

My birthday with Adele

On Wednesday, I somehow realized that Adele was playing in Toronto that night - how could I have missed that?  I thought I would casually ask one of my ticketing "connections" if they knew of any last minute tickets being released to this sold-out show, on the off chance that I could snag a ticket and go.  I thought it would be a nice birthday gift to myself!  Well somehow this amazing lady worked a miracle and got me an AMAZING seat.  Even better, my colleagues all pitched in and covered the cost of the ticket as a birthday gift....and then the sun came out after weeks of rain.  True story.  I left work and got a beautiful manicure (Essie - Clam Bake), had a beer and some food by myself on a patio (first patio of the season!), and then walked down to an amazing concert.  It was the best solo birthday date ever! 
 
 
I took a few blurry photos and some video, but I will spare you most of it.  Instead, I leave you with the following link to give you an idea of how incredible this girl is.  Goosebumps!

Smallest apartment EVER

Spanish photographer Christian Schallert transformed this 258 square foot former pigeon coop into a completely functional, and even stylishly minimal apartment.  While I am getting panic attacks just contemplating being in this space (breathe Lisa, breathe), I do admire how well laid-out and clutter free his space is, and the imagination and vision required to go from the images above to the images below.
The video from which I took these screenshots can be found here - I highly recommend a viewing!  To live such a streamlined and minimal existence is kind of enviable - although clearly it would never work for any more than one person.  And his clever use of space and storage is inspiring even in larger places. It is no surprise to learn that he was inspired by boat design. I have always had a fascination with the genius use of space on boats - all those cubbies, dual purpose surfaces, and transformable spaces are fascinating to me.  However... this may be a bit extreme for me - you?  

Thanks to the amazing Brian Columbus for the link! :)

Get Growing Winner!

We have a winner - Maggie @ OK, now what? you are now the new owner of Frankie's book!  Thanks all for your comments. Maggie I hope this means a sunny summer full of gardening for you!

Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for more developments on the Bloggers Give Back front - we are planning a fun day of clean-up and sprucing up in time for summer (should it ever arrive) the beginning of June.  If you want to join us, please give me a shout!  You can follow our progress on Twitter using #bloggersgiveback.

Inaugural Giveaway - LAST CHANCE!

My very first give-away - Frankie Flower's new gardening book - ends tonight!  Click here to go to the post and leave a comment: Giveaway.  I will choose the winner after dinner. :)
Thanks for participating, and thank you to Frankie Ferragine for helping out with the George Herman House Project!

Life Decisions and Such...




After much deliberation, I have finally made the decision to leave my job at the symphony and join the prestigious ranks of stay-at-home moms.  I probably would have carried on working if our amazing nanny hadn't had to leave.  Even then, although I thought hard about staying home, the idea of change was scary (as were the financial implications), so we hired a new nanny.  However, that didn't end up working out, and after she left (6 days in), it seemed the universe might be telling me something!  So I screwed up my courage, followed my heart, and tendered my resignation.  

I will be very sad to leave the TSO.  I have made life-long friends there, learned an incredible amount from some brilliant people, and been lucky enough to spend each day promoting and marketing something I believe makes a difference to the people and the fabric of the society we live in.  However, as my boss wisely said, there will always be a symphony (hopefully) and it will always need marketing, but my little guys are only going to be little for so long, and I don't want to miss any more of it than I already have.

I have a feeling that my life is going to change in ways I haven't even considered yet - kind of like the feeling I had the night before my first son was born - but I am kind of excited by the idea.  (Or at least I am now - talk to me at 3 am...)  However, if you have ANY advice, recommendations, or ideas on how to entertain two toddlers through 3 solid weeks of rain, how to seek out adult company, how to make a few bucks on the side, or where to find the best play centres, I am all ears!  And also up for coffee-fueled play dates. :)

My last day at work is this Friday - yikes!  Here's to new adventures!  


Cheesy quotes from my Pinterest page - they ring true these days!