The Year in Review - part 2 of 2012

You can see the first half of 2012 in the post below. Here's the recap of the second half:

July

In July we had visitors staying with us and we were wandering around town all times of the day. We went to see fireworks and spent a lot of time at Jean Talon Market. Brinner made an appearance at the McGill university and I made some great finds at the thrift stores again.

July was a month of bridal showers, I attended one and helped organizing another. I made shower favors for the second one. I suffered an identity crisis and saw the Muppets live.

August

In August I spent a lot more time with wedding related activities. I was asked to photograph a Nikkah ceremony, I showed some details from the shower I helped organize, a few of us girls took the bride to be to a relaxing spa getaway in lieu of a bachelorette party and I went dress shopping, but came home with the most beautiful shoes in the world.

Chris and I spend a weekend in Quebec City, walking around and eating well. I fell in love with books (again!), learned how to make granola bars and went bonkers ordering Korean stickers from eBay.

September

September felt long and scattered. There were exciting things like being featured in 365 magazine and finally finding that one elusive item I've been looking for a long time. It was also the month were George got sick and I lost my creative groove. I tried different approaches to creating, starting from painting the bedroom and trying my hand at collages. I baked cookies, killed zombies, watched an amazing documentary and talked about books. A lot.

When September was coming to a close I geeked out with friends and finally started getting creative again.

October

October was a month of big days. It started right off the bat with my nephew Ryan being born on October 1st. Then the second of the weddings for this year got under way on Thanksgiving weekend, this is the one where both Chris and I were in the wedding party. And the party just continued on October 10th where Hipstercurious turned 1. I also discovered some ancient Egyptian artifacts and started employing complex vernacular to substantiate my intelligence.

As all the celebrations were done, I started preparing for Halloween. We carved a pumpkin that became Evil-Bob, I discussed costumes and made a bat card tutorial.

November

 [I think this is my favourite photo of the year]

I started November with a better plan for the blog, followed by an unsuccesful hunt for discounted Halloween candy. I was over the moon to be featured in the Discover Paper Holiday guide and that fueled my creative endeavors. I started making a ton of one of a kind ornaments for the December fairs. I found some beautiful vintage ornaments and made a DIY advent calendar tutorial that I know at least one person found inspiring.

I enjoyed the dark nights, said goodbye to fall and welcomed winter.

Chris and I set a new high score and celebrated the second anniversary of getting hitched in Vegas.

December

December was awesome in more ways than one. Obviously because of Christmas, but also because of two crafts fairs, Old Skool Crafts and Puces Pop. Besides that, my work was featured in two major places; Urban Expressions and my first print magazine feature, Koto Living.

We got a bit of snow first and then a whole lot more, which really allowed me to stay in and make some awesome DIY projects, such as a vintage ornament wreath, a winter scene complete with a plastic deer and of course some marshmallow chocolate pops, all with tutorials of course.  I shared some details about my tree and a peek at my home.

2012 was an awesome year. On a more personal note, it was unexpected in many ways, but definitely fulfilling in others. Thanks to my blog, I learned new skills and made some new friends in Laura, Jess and Mary. I had a successful year with Brinner and developed in leaps and bounds when it come to running my own business.

I'm still not quite done with finishing off this year and I have tons and tons of ideas and plan for the next. Stay tuned!

What were the highlights of your 2012?

The Year in Review - part 1 of 2012

As 2012 draws to a close, it's the perfect time to look back and see all the wonderful things that happened this year.

I wanted to make a top 10 list, but I then started reading through the blog... Top 10 is not going to work. There's just too many awesome things that happened this year. Looking back makes me so happy I started writing Hipstercurious! All those little things I forgot about. So, instead of a list, I decided to pick a few highlights from each month. I also decided to break this into two parts, so here's part one, January to June:

January

We rented a cabin and spent a long weekend doing all sorts of winter activities like snowshoeing, skiing and skating, not to forget soaking in the hot tub. After this weekend I decided that skating was the least offensive of the wintery activities and Chris and I started thinking about buying skates so we could do this again. It worked as I now have brand new skates! more on that later.

In January I also thought about perfectionism, I introduced the small notebooks as the newest product for Brinner and made some awesome vintage finds.

 February

In February I was finding my creative groove that had gone missing for a bit. I made one of my favourite tutorials, the DIY stamps from erasers. It was so much fun and I've used the same method so many times since then. In my creative mode I also talked about what to do with old magazines and tried my hand in the kitchen too, where I ended making a true crowd pleaser, the Cilantro pesto.

I also spent a weekend in the suburbs of Toronto for a long overdue girls weekend. The secret we found out about that weekend, was born this fall! I celebrated my 2 year Etsy Anniversary and thought my cats were being real brats.

March

In March I thought a lot about my blog that I had been writing for 6 months or so. I realized it didn't look the right way and changed the look much closer to the current one. I turned 32 and continued my escapades in the kitchen. This was a successful month in that department as I came up with two successful recipes that are still in use, the tortilla soup and DIY "sun" dried tomatoes.

I also made mini notice boards and wrote a tutorial, expressed my true feelings about healthy living and finally observed the encounter of the great hunter George and his nemesis.

April

April was all about shoes. I bought a few (Marni) new pairs (glitter) and started my dream shoe closet project. I made some fantastic thrifty finds and talked about Batman. A lot (and even found a way to combine Batman and shoes).

In April I also finally bought a new lens for my camera and started learning how to use it. Friday the 13th happened in April and I was not superstitious.

May

May was a busy month for me. I started preparing for the first craft fair of the year, it took a lot of planning, crafting and I wasn't immune to craft-related injuries either. But, I was fueled well! Even though I was busy, I took the time to walk around my neighborhood and snap photos.

In May I also took the time to bake brownies, answer 10 random questions and finish the shoe closet. I found one of my all time favorite thrift store finds, a vintage globe. I also spent a weekend in Ottawa, where I ate well and started the journey toward my friends wedding by making prototypes of her invites.

June

June was very hot and humid. It was also the month of the Puces Pop craft show. I made a whole lot of products and tried to improve from the previous show. I even practiced my table setup at home. I really got into snail mail, even though I had been sending more mail earlier in the year as well. It was the transparent mail that really sparked the creativity with snail mail.

I really put a lot of thought and effort into my mini balcony and ended up extending my living room to the gorgeous outside. I was thinking about cultural differences and schedules, started working on my friends wedding invites and found a treasure in the thrift store that still results into purchase requests from strangers.

Part two of 2012 recap will follow soon!

Second anniversary

2 years ago today, my awesome husband Chris and I got married in Las Vegas.

I made my bouquet out of vintage jewelry and my shoes matched in style

Who would've thought this post would be this hard to write? I got the first sentence out and started looking for photos to use. I wanted to share a few snaps from the wedding, but somehow all of them seem too personal. I also can't seem to formulate this post properly.

It'll have to suffice to say it's been an amazing two years.

The most beautiful shoes in the world!

(or at least one of the most beautiful shoes in the world)

I've been feeling a little under the weather, nothing serious though, just general ickiness. It happens sometimes and hopefully it'll pass soon too.

So, I'm trying to focus on the good things, so let me share something exciting. I went shopping yesterday for a baby shower gift. I'm going to be an aunt as my sister-in-law is expecting, so I went to get something for the family. (I don't think she reads my blog, but if you do: Hi! I'm not going to tell you what it is! You just have to wait and see!!) I found something good and then went to look for a dress. I have a few weddings coming soon, so I was hoping to find something to wear.

No dress, but check these out:

I am in love

They are simply stunning. I couldn't help myself. My feet might fall off after wearing these all night, but it'll all be worth it. These are by Sam Edelman and called Scarlett.

Any other shoe-enthusiasts out there?

How to display your shoe love

Love shoes? You might want to check this out...

I've been thinking for a long while how to store and display my shoes at home. I finally came up with the perfect solution.

Isn't it gorgeous? I'm so incredibly happy with this! I wanted a way to have my shoes easily visible and accessible when I'm getting dressed. I also wanted the whole set up to look nice. Honestly, I look at this every day, so why not make it look nice. I wanted it to almost look like a shop. Shopping in your own closet! Isn't that like the best thing to do?

This whole thing was relatively simple. The closet is in our entryway and really a very basic closet. It's a nice size, but a little dark. So, I had a few different ideas, but the glass shelves worked out the best. They are from Ikea and called Linjal. I'm not excited every time I look into that closet. Some of the shoes are still looking for their places. I have to decide which ones to keep there and which ones to pack away. But this is really pretty fun.

Maybe I need to start shopping for more shoes to make sure I can keep changing it frequently... (this makes total sense. Right?)

Balancing act

Just because I would prefer to wear heels all the time, doesn't mean I don't understand the awesomeness of (some) sneakers. I'm definitely in favor of the old school sneakers, so I'm always happy to see some. As an added bonus, if you want to be (or appear to be) in the know in fashion, there are some sneakers you need to know about.

Photo from Jak & Jil

New Balance. You won't get anywhere without seeing them, they are going to be everywhere. Mark my words. The colours don't really matter, although this would be an excellent way to incorporate some colour into your wardrobe. Also, totally works for everyone.

Photo from NAP

Another, more fashion-y option (and considerably more expensive, if you go for the real deal) comes from Isabel Marant. They look a bit like the 90s Nike Air hightops and have a hidden platform. Good news is that if you really like them, there will be cheaper options available. H&M already made their version and I believe Aldo as well.

So, which ones are your favourites?

Shoe love

Here they are, lined up and ready to go. I'm still not feeling 100% well, but getting better. I'm trying to at least get something off my massive to do list. So, this is it.

These are the ones I had upstairs. See, I did not include any flats. 

Ok, I didn't just take out my shoes and line them up. There's a purpose for this. I've been wanting to do some reorganizing in the entryway for a while, so we finally got a move on. This is step 1, so there's more to come. I'm really, really happy with the outcome already. I'll share more details later.

I'm going to go make some brunch and take it easy. Because that's what you're supposed to do on Sundays.

Batman in various Nordic languages

When I showed the Batman in Icelandic -thingy to Chris (see the post below if you missed the original), I was (once again) laughing too hard. He looks at me and the following conversation takes place:

C: "I see"

C: "so, what's Batman in Finnish then?"

Me: " ... "

Me: "... right..."

Me: *laughs even harder*

FIY: Batman in Finnish is "Lepakkomies"

These amazing shoes were found from Bat Blog (where else)

And as an added bonus, I do believe the Swedes call him "Läderlappen" Correct me if I'm wrong

Back to black

I actually started a wardrobe overhaul some time ago. I did have a lot of clothes, yet nothing to wear. I used to go by the "more is more" approach with my clothes, shoes and accessories for quite a while. And to afford that, I also went for quantity, not quality. I assume that's a very common approach and I still understand why it's so appealing. It's nice to have a extensive wardrobe.

Nonetheless, I did rethink this philosophy some time ago and have been slowly (painstakingly slowly) building a good collection of things to wear. I'm nowhere near finished, but at least I can see some progress.

I try periodically to review everything I have and try to figure out what I still need. I just came to a realization that was quite unexpected. I figured I was doing pretty well and then realized I'm missing some definite basics. Like black shoes. I have one pair of black shoes, they're square-toed with a gold buckle. Very basic and work appropriate. But that's it.

How is it possible for a self-proclaimed shoe-addict like myself to have ONE pair of black shoes? This should be remedied immediately! (What do you mean "looking for an excuse for shoe shopping"?)

Top row from here

bottom row here, here and here

These are some of the shoes I've been thinking about. The top row are all Christian Louboutins (From left Lady Lynch, Pigalle and Rolando) and the bottom row from Fendi, YSL and Brian Atwood. I haven't quite decided what I want yet, but I think I need to go try some of these on. I'm now leaning towards to CLs, just because they are very basic. The ones from Fendi and YSl are gorgeous, but to be honest, they are both on my all time favourite shoes list, so I might want to get them in a funkier colour or material... I love my blue suede Brian Atwood's, but for basic black pumps, I might skip the peeptoe.

I do think a really good pair of black shoes should be the next thing on my list... (notice the key word "should". There's always a good chance I fall for a pair that's not practical at all...)

If you are at all curious to other things on my "I wish" list, you can check out my board "the (imaginary) shopping list" on Pinterest.

Marni shoes

I'm so excited I finally got them. I have to confess that I've been wanting these shoes for a long while now... It's been close to a year soon since I first saw them. This is one of those pairs that I saw and knew belonged onto my shoe shelves (yes. I have shoe shelves). I mean, they are like made for me. The contrasting piping and the 5.5 inch heel... What's not to love!

*swoon*

I will absolutely wear these all day!

They're here!

Look what Mr. Postman brought me today!

What's in it?

(Sorry about the vagueness! I just had to share! I'll be back later with proper photos!)

Suede and glitter

I must've mentioned my love for shoes. I've been extremely good recently and haven't bought any in a while. In fact, the only ones I've bought this year were the ones I needed for winter outdoor activities (I bought a very basic pair of Sorels on sale, nothing interesting).

Until now, that is.

2 Pairs in the last two days. One pair is on their way to me and I'll show you once they get here. The other... well, here you go:

I don't know if I ever mentioned this but I have pretty big feet. In a world full of 7s and 8s, being a 10 can be tough (shoe size, not looks). But, the good news is that sometimes you can really find some treasures. Like Thursday.

I've been wanting a pair with some glitter, so these work perfectly. A (rather direct) reference to the Miu Miu glitter shoes from fall 2011 but with a fraction of the price. I figured this is definitely a pair that will make it's money's worth in number of wears. I paid 20 bucks... Last pair in the store. These guys are by Kimchi Blue and are perfect for the season.

Now, I'm just waiting for the other pair to arrive. Those ones are something I've been lusting after for quite a while...

So, found any good shoes recently? What do you think of mine?