Where would you leap if you could leap anywhere on Leap Day?

Leap years are an interesting thing. This morning we were trying to decide if we are actually working an extra day this year because we're on salary. On the radio they were discussing whether it would be more practical if nobody had to work on leap day, since its basically a "free day" and it would be a great opportunity to do something you'd never normally do on a week day. I think if that were the case, I'd probably do something CRAZY, like go bungee jumping, because I could probably convince myself that leap day is the only possible day I'd ever go bungee jumping. I mean...its LEAP day.

However. I do not have a free day off, so instead I channeled those positive ideas into some illustration fun. Happy Leap Day! Now that we've got family day, I vote we start pushing for leap day off. Its totally doable, i mean, we have four years to make it happen.

But what about you? Where would you leap if you could leap anywhere on leap day? (aka what would you do if you had today off?)

DIY Wreath

Its almost christmas! and I am definitely getting into the spirit of the season this year. I love the coziness of Christmas - just ask my Hubby, I go on and on about how I love being cozy. Blankets, fireplaces, candles, the smell of a real live Fir tree living in my house...Christmas is cozy!

As always, my DIY project had humble beginnings at a variety of second hand stores. I got the wreath and Styrofoam balls at MCC on two separate shopping trips. I got like 25 of the balls, and used most of them on my tree! I stole two for the wreath though, because they're just cute. I am starting to acquire a nice collection of neutral fabric bits which I used to transform the balls into cuteness!

The bells I got at the dollar store, which always makes me happy. I have a whole bunch hanging on my tree as well.

The star was the most involved part of the process since it involved hand-sewing! But still, it took me a max of 15 minutes to sew around the edges and stuff it with fabric bits.

I attached everything with string so that next year, if I so desire, I can re-use the wreath for an entirely new look! I know, very thrifty of me.

Soo, now all I need to do is have a Christmas party. Where we eat fancy cheese and admire my wreath. Kidding!

pillow fun

So, I made these pillow cases probably over a month ago (you see how the photos are sunny? Not exactly the weather we've had lately lol...), soon after we came back from "the honeymoon." I had two bare big pillows that I picked up cheap at a garage sale (gross? not when you make your own cases for them...lol!) and I wanted to get them covered and on our bare couches! So here they are...not super exciting, but the look great and they're pretty cushy. They make movie-watching better.

I staged them out on our back patio with the planter my mom gave me. The silver plants were planted for our wedding, we used them in our bouquets and had some extras! She spoiled me and gave them the left-overs. So far, they're still alive! Although the flowers have died, but I guess that's what happens when it gets cold...we all start to shrivel up...lol! Good thing I've got lots of pillows!

Wedding Details: Website!

One of my favourite details to work on was our wedding website. I haven't done much web design at all in the last year, especially coding (at work we have a web guy for that...lol! He implements all my designs for me). Anyways, I really do love coding, especially the simple stuff (html and css) so I was excited to build our wedding website! I went cheap, because I'm dutch to the core, and hosted it under my own portfolio website (why buy a domain for a temporary website?!).

I had to do some "soul searching" to decide what to include on the site. In the end, I just had fun building it and found it a good way to share our engagement photos and our "love story." It also seemed like a good place to share last minute details in case the weather didn't turn out how we planned...but of course it was a lovely day!

My first draft of the site had "Wednesday, august 8 2011" on the top of it...um oops! I guess I was thinking more about html tags than the actual date of my wedding...lol! thanks to sisters for calling me out on it before I went live! 

Click on the photo to view the site:

Pillow Perfection!

More creative fun! I love it when I get an idea, run with it, and then get to blog about it. Yeah...lame, but somehow it makes the excitement last! And I think you'll like this one. I felt the itch to dive back into mine and my moms fabric boxes again yesterday, and this is the result!

I'm starting to spend hours a day dreaming of the home I'll get to decorate in just over 4 months (!!!) with my fantastic fiance. Now, there is one thing I love that he's not so excited about: pillows. If I have my way, we'll have LOTS of pillows. If he has his way, we'll have a few pillows. So my compromising plan is: just keep making pillow covers!!

All of this to introduce my latest pillow project. I'm not sure what my long-term plans for this pillow are, because it looks great on my bed, chair, and on our lovely leather couches. And probably many other places (as demonstrated in my photos-it was sunny, so I used my favorite natural studio again-the yard). But for now, I will just look at it and love it! I love a sewing project gone right! (this is largely thanks to me actually taking the time to measure, pin, line up stripes, and change the bobbins so the thread is actually the right colour...half my sewing projects don't get as much attention to detail lol! And strangely enough they don't usually turn out well).

See? Lovely on the couch.

little birdies

Just for fun, a little illustration. I guess its a sneak peak of my latest painting project, which follows the same "little birdie" look. Maybe someday I'll make a series of cards.

Oh. and by the way...4 months, 16 days till i get MARRIED!!!