What now?

Mid February is an odd time to write about new years resolutions. Especially when I've only vaguely started figuring out what they might be.

Maybe they should be called something else?

The term itself has a temporary vibe to them. Sort of half-assed if you will. The kind where you're determined to lose weight but start secretly eating cinnamon rolls half way through January. Or sneak a smoke when out with your buddies, because it's just once and Saturday nights don't really count anyway.

"Making Changes in ones life" sounds too serious. Saying that "things need to change" imply that you're extremely unhappy or have just made some grave life decision. Don't get me even started about "decisions". Just writing things like this sounds a whole lot more serious that it really needs to be.

I'm making improvements. Things are good, but need a little tweaking.

There's not a whole lot of big things in the works, just many little ones. I spent new years eve moving furniture. It took three days into 2015 to get them where they needed to be. For now at least. I've been tossing things. There are a whole lot of things.

I've talked about it before, I like to keep stuff. I am a DIYer, so everything is raw material. Everything could be something else. I know, however, that when I have too many potential projects, nothing gets done. So, I've been going through my possessions.

I love fashion but hate shopping for clothes. So I have a lot of clothing that is almost what I wanted. Over the years I have fixed my habit of buying a lot of things for cheap and have started buying better quality. Unfortunately even if the quality is great, if the piece of clothing doesn't serve it's purpose, it's basically a waste of space.

I dream of a wardrobe where everything fits and a home where everything has it's place. I miss the ease of writing I enjoyed a few years ago with this blog. I over-think and under-perform on daily basis. I've talked about all this before, yet I'm still working on it.

I don't quite know where all of this is heading, but I'm quite interested to see. I'm really tempted to make promises about this blog. Things I'll write about and how often and what my goals are. Instead, let's just see if I can get the enjoyment back without setting too many deadlines and goals and milestones I have to reach.

That'll do for now. 

Mail Love - a letter from a hotel

I was recently in Montreal and stayed at the Marriott Château Champlain hotel downtown. I was traveling light, so I only brought with me a pared down craft kit. I also wanted to try out making something with the limited supplies available, just to see what I can come up with.

I scoured the room for things I could use* and this is what I found:

Montreal guide book, a hotel notepad, some brochures and paper coasters.

Many hotels still provide paper and a few envelopes, so those are often available as well. I wanted to be creative and was genuinely curious what I could come up with without resorting to the hotel stationery.

The letter part was pretty straightforward, I just wrote the letter on the pad. I flipped through the guide book and found a few pages I liked. I folded one to make the band around the letter.

I used a folded map from a brochure to make the envelope. (There are a few ways I've used smaller pieces of paper to make envelopes in a pinch. I can write a tutorial if anyone's interested)


The page I chose for the band around the letter was just long enough to barely touch on the other side, so I had to improvise a bit. I folded a paper coaster and glued it on the back of the decorative band.

The back of the envelope is secured with a bit of the tape I brought with me.

I tried a few different things for the address label. The coasters had a plastic coating on one side, so I wasn't sure the glue would stick on it. I also tried to find a page from the guide book to use, but in the end I felt i might as well go with the simplest solution. I ended up ripping a sheet from the notepad and using that for the address. At least that would be securely glued on the envelope.

Here's the final look at the envelope:


Pretty simple DIY letter, but it's genuinely made from what I had at hand. It was actually pretty fun! This definitely started a whole train of thought on what kind of other things I could make. I think I'll try them out soon...

I challenge you to try it out, just try using simple things you have at home like flyers or ads you get in the mail. Please let me know if you try it out. I'd love to see what you come up with!

*) Remember, don't be a dick. Just use things that are legitimately there for your use or would be tossed after you leave. Brochures and disposable paper products such paper coasters or cardboard packaging are ok, anything in the hotel binder is probably not. Use your best judgement.

Travelling crafter - the bare essentials

When I travel I like to have the option to do a little bit of crafting if the creative mood strikes me. I use my daily planner as a scrapbook alternative and I try to send at least a few postcards, maybe even a short letter if I get the chance. Because of the potential for little crafting, I like to be prepared whenever I'm on the road, so to say.

I have written about a more extensive traveling mail art/craft kit before HERE

This time I'm only in Montreal, a city I lived in for 8 years, so I don't really feel like I'm *really* traveling. I am, however, away from my regular masses of craft supplies, so I put together a few essentials. I only packed a carry-on for my flight, so this means there is no extra room for things I might not absolutely need. This also means I had to  really figure out what are the absolute necessities. This is what I came up with:

Two pens (2 for pen related catastrophes or various writing surfaces, of course)
A pencil
Glue roller
Two rolls of thin washi tape
Scissors (which I realized later I couldn't bring after all. You know, because flying)

And, as before, everything is packed in the highly professional, not to mention adult-y, panda pouch. For street cred, obviously.

I'm thinking I probably could've managed without the tapes and maybe with one pen (but having only one pen is just madness..).

Anyhow, I'll report back how I did with this kit.
 
What do you think? Did I forgot something? Would you take more items? Less? What would you pack?

Check-up time

I took the cats to the vet yesterday, it was time to get their yearly check-up dome and vaccines up to date. Let me tell you, they were not happy.

Source: snapwidget.com via Katri on Pinterest

George, obviously the clever one of the two, hid from the vet in this ingenious spot. Certainly if he can't see the vet, the vet can't see him, which then leads him to escape getting his shots and whatever other unpleasant things the vet would have in store for him...


Everything went well, with only a fair amount of hissing (from the cats, I was good), and we got back home in a reasonable time. Obviously I did have to deal with some hurt feelings and accusatory looks...

I am trying to be funny, but in all honesty, the vet is amazing! If you live in Montreal and are looking for a vet for your cat, you need to go to Clinique Vétérinaire Féline. They specialize and only treat cats and the entire staff is phenomenal. They are so nice and they all absolutely love cats. You know you're pet is in good hands there. I just can't express how amazing these ladies are! If you are looking for a vet, give them a call and ask for Dr. Farley. I'm not sure if Dr. Trudel is still there, but she's lovely as well. You can't go wrong here.

Tell them George and Gossamer sent you!

May 1st!

Hauskaa Vappua!

May 1st is a pretty big celebration in Finland! It's considered the start of spring, although universally it tends to be really, really cold then. It has even known to snow on May 1st.

When I was a little kid, I remember waiting for May because I would get a balloon. That was a huge deal, since they weren't really a common party decoration like it seems to be now at least in North America. As I grew a little older, I started anticipating the fact that I could wear spring clothes. I realized I'd probably freeze, but still would be excited to getting rid of my winter gear. After graduating high school, you would wear your graduation cap, once a year, on May 1st.

I haven't celebrated in years, but I obviously reminisce a tad, not even sure why, since I was never a huge fan of vappu... I think it was the general festivity going and how everyone was in a good mood. Here's what I had to say about it last year.

We don't celebrate vappu here, yet the weather forecast makes me happy!

Does it feel like spring where you are?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Watch out for the snakes!


If you're interested, you might want to read some interesting details about St. Patrick (and what's the deal with the snakes) HERE

Have a great day everyone!

Time to catch up!

I'm fairly sure that time moves in clusters and not particularly evenly either. Sometimes I feel like there's nothing going on and all of a sudden things pile up like crazy. I had one of those weeks that started very slowly, but kept speeding up towards the end. Don't get me wrong though, I had an absolutely kickass week. It was like a big pile of awesomeness.

[Here's a look inside the Centre Bell to give you an idea. It seats over 20,000 people for a hockey game]

Chris and I had tickets to a Habs game (Habs = Montreal Canadiens (NHL hockey team)) and we had great tickets. Why was it so great? Free food! That's why. Well, the seats were good too, high enough to see properly, but not in the nosebleeds.

I got some really great stuff in the mail. Most awesomely a book from my sister. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I've been wanting to read that for a long time. This also proves that you all should have a GoodReads account (also, add me as a friend) as apparently that's where she checked that I haven't read it yet.

[I don't know how many of you really care about hockey. If you do, you can probably find better sites for that than mine. For the rest of you, here's a Zamboni]

I was presented with some interesting challenges this week, at work and otherwise as well. I met some interesting people I hope to see more of and got excited about new opportunities.

Tonight we're having people over to watch UFC. Georges St-Pierre is fighting so we're all gathering to our place to watch the fight. (Did I ever mention I'm a fan of mixed martial arts? I'll happily discuss K1 vs. UFC if you're interested. I'm still partial to K1, but warming up to UFC)

To top this all off, tomorrow is St. Patrick's day. That's a pretty big deal here in Montreal. So, good times ahead too! Yay!

Do you have fun plans for the weekend?

Montreal en Lumiere

Last night we went out to see what was going on for the 10th annual Nuit Blanche. There were a ton of events to go see and a whole lot of people milling around.

The events are free and there is a huge variety of different things to do. There are concerts and standup comedy, workshops and food. The metro runs all night and there are free shuttle buses that take you from one area to another.

The whole Place des Arts area was lit up. The buildings had different colored lights on them and there were light installations all over the place.


Everything was purple and pink.


There was the massive slide with an even more massive lineup to get to it. Everyone seemed to have a great time though.

Even though I still don't consider myself as a "winter person", I did have a good time walking around and I really love that this much effort is put into events of this magnitude in the winter as well. Montreal is well-known for continuous events and festivals in the summer, so a winter happening is more than welcome.

What's up Montreal - Nuit Blanche

Tonight is the 10th year of Nuit Blanche. It's one night of activities all over the city, with the metro going on all night and a ton different locations you can access for free.

Source: snapwidget.com via Katri on Pinterest

I snapped this photo last night walking though the Place des Arts area. I'll hopefully get some better ones tonight. This is a giant slide built from the Opera house, right between the concert hall and the museum of modern art. And yes, it's open for everyone, not just kids!

"For one spectacular night, visual arts, music, film, theatre, dance, literature, flights of fancy, and many other surprises invite you to share experiences and discoveries."

If you get a chance, you should check it out! More details HERE

If the weather is decent, I'll take my camera and can share some of the sights with you guys after.

What's up Montreal - McGill Students for UNICEF

Today is the first Market Cooperative.

"Montreal’s Market Cooperative is a community market held on McGill’s downtown campus. We bring together the McGill and Montreal communities by showcasing local artists, musicians, and people with great ideas. Come to our very first Marketplace, on February 14th, in the SSMU ballroom. See you there!"

Source: marketcooperative.org via Katri on Pinterest

I'll be there with a whole lot of other amazing Montreal talent. If you get a chance, please drop by! Let's spread the love on Valentine's day!

What's up Montreal - Poutine Week

I am a convert! I wasn't impressed at first, but it just sneaks up on you. The second time I tried it, I was hooked. It's Poutine.

Source: poutineweekmtl.com via Katri on Pinterest

And what's better than poutine? An entire week of cheesy goodness. It's Montreal Semaine de la Poutine! Poutine week!

Going on right now, February 1st to the 7th. Check the website for full details and participating restaurants.

Gorgeous details - Old and worn

I don't keep my love for Montreal hidden, nor do I hide the fact how much I love old buildings. Sometimes I wonder if I should've listened to the 'choose a career' tests that have all, without a hitch, told me I should be an architect. Too bad I took those tests only after I had already (figuratively?) moved over to the dark side and chosen a life in business.

But, perhaps this is how it should be, I can spend my free time gushing over my favorite Montreal neighborhoods and snap away with my trusty (albeit in desperate need of an upgrade) camera. Looks like all I'm thinking and therefore noticing are old, worn out things right now. How beautiful is this door? Imagine coming home to this beauty every day...

I do love the colors that people are brave enough to use here. Admittedly, it's not the Caribbean up in this joint, but you can see the love for color when you take the time to look around. I found these beautiful reds just a few blocks from my home.

I also snapped a photo of a bright pink building. It seemed it was a match made in heaven with the lime green one I photographed last summer. I felt like they just had to be put together even though in reality they are about a ten minute walk away from each other.

So, I'm looking for confessions today... Any other architecture nerds out there? Show me your hands!

What can we do indoors?

Today is cold. Being born and raised in the north -5 Celsius is not cold, even if you're not a wintery kind of a person. The -26 Celsius we have today, however, could constitute as a 'tad nippy'. Just kidding, it's freezing cold out and I am not going to voluntarily go outside unless I absolutely have to.

Good news is, I have a ton of stuff to do today and luckily (or at least so far) seem to have everything I need to do those said things. I ran a ton of errands yesterday, which I deemed a stupid idea when I was outside with -21 degrees, but in hindsight might not have been such a bad idea after all.

The only thing though was that I wanted to go back to a thrift store I was in yesterday. I wasn't sleeping well last night, so while I was tossing and turning in bed, I came up with a brilliant idea for a small table I saw at the shop yesterday. I am tempted to go back, but haven't convinced myself yet. We'll see.

Anyhow, while I'm thinking about braving the arctic outside, I haven't been idle. I've been testing some new options for easy and cheap dinners/lunches and so far the results have been quite tasty. Assuming the rest goes to plan, I have a couple of nifty ideas for you lazy and stingy cooks (like myself) out there. See the photo; doesn't look half bad, right? (Tastes pretty good too)

Despite the ridiculously cold weather outside, it's absolutely beautiful. The sun is shining full force and the light is stunning. Which means I need to take as many photos as possible. And I have some other projects I'm trying out too, currently involving vintage ledger paper. Again, I'll post tutorials as I get things tried and tested.

How's your Wednesday going?

On the crafting desk

I was having trouble falling asleep last night and when I finally did, an alarm went off in the building. It went on just long enough for me to jump out of bed and have a near heart attack. Then, it stopped. No idea what made it go off, but I wasn't really sleeping after that.

So, I hardly slept last night. I'm exhausted and a little grumpy.

 I figured I need to start the day by improving my mood, so I started making some envelopes. They are very simple to make which is great for my sleep deprived brain and the end results are always fun and useful.

I do have some mail to send anyway, so this worked out nicely. Working with pretty paper always puts me into a better mood.

Since I'm still feeling some residual grumpiness, these might get pretty decked out. We'll see.


Right now though this is what I see from my window. Blue skies, sunshine and, even though I can't see this from the window, my computer tells me it's +2 degrees out. I think a nice walk outside will do me good. I'll bring the camera and will hopefully get some good photos to show you guys.

What is your go-to mood picker-upper?

Dashing through the snow...

The only reason anyone ever goes out in the back balcony in the winter, is to take out the garbage. Most of the time we take it out through the front since it's much faster. However, there is a larger bin in the back which is used only on days where there's more trash to take out than usually. Like after a New Year's eve party.

The back balcony is also tucked away behind a corner, which means it won't get too much snow, unless the wind comes from an optimal angle. And when that happens, it looks like this:

Nice.

Friday Inspiration - Winter

I guess it's time to wrap up Christmas and realize winter has only just begun.

Source: youaretheloveofmylife.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

This used to be the tough time of the year, just when the holidays are finished and it's time to face the harsh cold and darkness.

Source: bloggingsimple5782.blogspot.com via Pat on Pinterest

As I've mentioned several times, I refuse to let this bring me down. I saw the complete uselessness of letting something as insignificant as the weather to bum me out. There's nothing you can do about it, so why should you let it effect you?

Source: etherealthoughts.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Even though I know we still have an entire weekend and New Year's to celebrate, I'm starting the positive thinking right now!

Source: imgfave.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Montreal got 45cm of snow in less than 24 hours just yesterday, so there's plenty to go around. Might as well enjoy it, right?

Source: livin-on-lovee.tumblr.com via Lydia on Pinterest

Do you have tricks to fight the mid-winter blues? Or, do you just love it?

Snow much?

Right now there's an epic blizzard outside. It's pretty crazy. I've seen this before in Montreal, but a little part of me is still surprised. And I'm Finnish, so snow shouldn't surprise me much.

I just took this photo outside.

The extra fun part about this is that the weather forecast says snow until Saturday. I wonder if we'll beat the record (well, record from what I've experienced)... Some years ago there was a crazy blizzard on my birthday. There was so much snow we walked in the middle of the street because we couldn't fit on the sidewalks. It was pretty crazy.

Chris and I are contemplating braving the storm. I'll report back once we get home again.

I'm really tempted to bring the camera with me so I can share this crazy snow, but I'm not sure it's a good idea... We'll see.

On a more positive note, if we brave this weather, we might as well go see a movie or something. I assume downtown will be quiet.

A trek through the snow

So, I ended up walking around yesterday. However, as it so happened, the storybook snowfall had turned a bit wet, so even though it looked pretty good still, I had to cross small rivers of melting snow to get to my destinations. It was still pretty and I did snap a few photos to show you guys.

I still love the little alleyways that litter this neighborhood.

I managed to pick up quite a few things we needed for the holidays, so it was definitely an effective day. Since I now have the time after finishing the craft shows, it's time for me to start the clean up for the holidays. We're hosting a few parties for the holidays, so I might as well get a head start.


In the spirit of winter and cozying up, I felt I should share George's new favorite spot. I have exactly one 100% wool scarf and naturally that's where he'll choose to nap...

How are you guys doing? Ready for the holidays?

What's up Montreal - Puces POP Holiday Fair

It's here, it's here, it's hereeeee!! Super excited for Puces POP!

Source: popmontreal.com via Katri on Pinterest

Starting tonight at 6pm at the corner of St. Dominique and St. Joseph. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. I'll be there for the entire weekend, with the exception of a few hours during the day on Sunday. I'll be at my nephew's baptism, but not to worry, you can come by then to meet my friend Sacha.

I hope to see you there!

One down, one to go

I wanted to drop by to let you know I have survived day one of craft fairs and am just about to head back to start day 2. I think it's great that these start at 11am, so I can actually rest a bit before the second day.

My table set up came together well and I'm very happy with how it looks.

All in all the fair has been pretty good, although a bit quiet. Yesterday the weather surely made people not feel like going out and wondering around craft fairs. Today should be nicer from a weather standpoint, so let's hope more people find their way to the fair.

If you're in town, please drop by. You can find all the details HERE