Tuesday Treasures

I spent yesterday cleaning and organizing our office at work. It was a great experience (besides losing a day off) because it felt so good to purge useless stuff, find useful things that were hiding, and get things that we use often into better places. I feel much more ready to take on the next week with a clean office, papers put properly away and files filed into their new homes. (I'm not so excited to try and figure out billing errors--- I could never be an accountant (waah!)

I've spent the last week reorganizing my home, and I'm almost finished. As I've been reorganizing, I've come across some my favourite vintages/thrift store/inherited/ Etsy finds. I'll be photographing them and sharing them with you in the next couple weeks. (as long as I have enough sunlight... this apartment is quite dark in the winter.) It's fun to remove all the clutter and enjoy your favourite and dearest things. 

This week's Tuesday Treasures is all vintage finds from Etsy.

Enjoy!

Love the shape and colours of these beautiful bowls

Such a fun print.. I love retro signs

While I'm definitely a dog person, these Siamese kitties are pretty sweet!

I wish this 1957 kids sweater came in my size! Isn't it lovely? 

Links:

• Lotus Bowls
• Vintage Sign Print
• Kitty Figurines 
• Swedish Sweater

Have a lovely week everyone! 

Thanks for reading dears,

Karen

Doll Number 2

I did it! I did it! It was one heck of a week, but I managed to knit up this little dollie for the second week of my 52 dolls project. If you didn't see the first one, you can view her under the tag "52 Project".

. I'm especially enthusiastic about this little one. I love her wintery collars, her boots with bows, her little scarf and vest, and her cute pigtails (am I strange that I really like the ones with grey hair? I think I might have mentioned this before... but each time I make one, I fall especially in love with it.)

 I definitely hope I don't feel too attached to my creations by the end of this project.... 52 extra dolls kicking around the apartment would lovely in the theory... but I hope to sell them at a craft fair/market sometime in the coming year. If no one buys them... then I'll guess I'll be the crazy doll lady... facepalm.

 This doll is also extra special because she is my SEVENTIETH. That's right. SEVENTIETH

doll... That's a lot of knitting!! (I started September 2011)  By the end of this year, if I keep on track with this 52 project, I will have made 190!

Due to my love of names, I have around 200 more to play with.... so I won't be in trouble for awhile yet! 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

I'm going to work tomorrow to spring clean the office (employee of the year right here, right?) It's going to be an awesome purge and is going to make things hopefully run more smoothly and reduce chaos (we can only hope.)

It's lovely and sunny this afternoon, and I plan on cleaning the heck out of my apartment. There's something about the sun that just energizes you. I don't usually feel super excited to do anything but veg after a long shift (I start at the ungodly hour of 7:15am) but I'm going to go get my vacuuming on!

Are you participating in a 365 or 52 project? What are your goals? 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for next weeks dollie-- #3!

Ps: Ivana is sitting on a lovely crocheted square courtesy of my mum. More on her crocheting adventures another time!

Tuesday Treasures

Hello! This is the first Tuesday Treasures of 2013! This week's theme is foxes! They always make foxes sly in fairy tales, but I think they are absolutely sweet. Maybe it's because my parent's dog Felix looks a little like one...with his copper face and a pointy nose! I also love forest creatures as a theme for a child's room. Owls, foxes, rabbits, deer etc...there's something comforting about a dense forest, a warm den, and meadow full of wild flowers. Here's this week's Tuesday Treasures!..

Cuddly Friend

Gorgeous Brooch

Fox Felt Friend

Lovely Glass Pendant

Sweetest Cowl

• Sleepy Fox 
• Fox Brooch
• Pocket Fox
• Arctic Fox Pendant  
• Fox Cowl

Have a lovely week!  

Thanks for reading dears,

Karen

Doll Number 1

Hello there! 

This is my first of (hopefully) 52 dollie instalments this year. This is Violet. I've always wanted to make a doll that has glasses... so here she is. She's a little alternative with her ink blue sparkly hair with pigtails and short bangs, silver cats eyes glasses, and sweet fuchsia and lavender coloured sweater.

**Sorry for the lighting in this picture. It rains here all winter. I leave for work in the pitch black, and get home when it's getting a bit dim... doesn't leave much time for spectacular photography. Living in an apartment (ie, having window on only one side of your house) doesn't help much either, haha** 

Thanks for reading dears,

Karen

Instagram 2012

While I don't have photographs of an entire 2012.. Here's a review of my Instagram posts for the year! I absolutely love Instagram (though I'm kind of excited for next year when I can get an iPhone with a bit better of a camera.. the 3Gs isn't the sharpest.) It's fun looking back on some everyday things that happened throughout the year... things that aren't posed or particularly significant at the time. Each photo is a little mile stone that brings back a memory. I hope to continue taking more photographs in 2013!

(Left to right) 

1. Inherited teacups and costume jewellery from my Nanna.

2. Adding my mum's teacup collection! Aren't they gorgeous?

3. Bought a set of scrubs after graduating with honours from Medical Office Assistant school (don't work in that kind of office, but it's kind of a right of passage!)

4. My first knitted cowl... I am now the proud owner of 3!

5. Modeling my cute peter-pan collar shirt (I was so tanned!) I'm also wearing shorts fyi.

6. My favourite teacup ever. It's so 1960s!

7. Lovely costume jewellery

8. My "medical" charm on my bracelet (see post here) for graduation!

9. My twenty-dollar mod dress! Good shopping day!

1. I love taking pictures of my feet. Sitting on a rock by the ocean this fall.

2. Sweetest little bun bun at the Saanich Fair (huge country fair I attend annually)

3. Glorious dahlias at the fair. Wonder which one "won" first prize?

4. More feets at the beach. Isn't it beautiful?

5. Candied apple from the fair... didn't pull a filling out!

6. Getting up ridiculously early for my shift. Definitely took awhile (still is) to get used to.

7. Decided to "treat" myself to a salted caramel hot chocolate. Definitely not a fan... it's so strong and sweet... but it looks pretty!

8. Starting to get cold out... time for cozy feets!

9. Raspberry Rhubarb jam on waffles.. yum!

1. Warm days in the autumn. Sketching at the beach.

2. Waay too early for work. 

3. Jeans I'm still hoping to fit into. 

4. Delicious fudge from Whippletree Junction in a lovely thrifted dish. 

5. My new haircut that looked awesome for one day. Probably why I cut off all my hair. Grr...

6. More lovely days at the beach. 

7. Being stood up by boys is no fun. Seem to have a bad track record....

8. Wee french bulldog I knitted for a lady's new niece. Isn't it sweet!?!

9. Movie and Borscht date with my Russian friend. I miss these dates! (So busy with school and work... we need to get these started again!)

1. White Rabbit Costume for Halloween at work

2. My (previous-*tear*) boss and I posing with our articulated physiotherapy skeleton  

3. Delicious sandwich from the Beacon Drive-In (and old 1950's diner by the ocean)

4. More feets and oceans. 

5. Super excited about finding this Kokeshi doll in Chinatown! 

6. Partly the inspiration for my new tattoo. Started to realize what was important to me. 

7. Frost on the windshield before work. Brr! (At least it was light out then!

8. Beautiful cliffs by the ocean

9. Being happy.  

1. Self portrait of me looking like a ghost. (I think the blue-ish filter was a bit much)

2. Morning sunlight

3. Felix helping me with my Christmas Stocking

4. A little drawing I did... soon to be framed over my desk.

5. Sweet little deer I found on Etsy!

6. My "family tree". My mum and I made paper decorations of old and new family photos to decorate the tree for my mother's annual Christmas party. This is my favourite. My aunt looks like a doll. (Maybe I'll do a post on this next holiday season)

7. View of the sky scrapers in Vancouver on my weekend over there.  I could just sit by the window all day and watch. I felt like such a small-town girl gaping wide-eyed at everything. Kind of fell in love with Vancouver.

8. Just a little sketch of a tea-drinking sweetie.

9. Organizational kick = sharpening 200 pencil crayons

1. The look on my face when my boss told me she was leaving, after each one of the office staff had already put in notice (random reasons, nothing to do with company-- just bad timing!)

2. Afghan my Nanna made, with my old bed cover and pillows--- my futon looks so pretty!

3. Sweetest little kitty ornament that I found at Whipple Tree Junction

4. My new tattoo! Carpe Diem.

5. My Kokeshi dolls. One thrifted, one found in Chinatown. Possibly the best things in my china cabinet.

6. Polarbear sweater from Forever 21. Super excited to have on 5 minutes from my house!

7. Sweet little dear. Trying to take some pretty pictures of things in my home.

8. Sometimes I like to try on wigs. I wish I could have hair like this.. it's almost this poofy and full in real life.

9. Organizational kick... all my yarn is in my bookshelf. Now I can actually see all the colours at once!

I'm getting super excited about my 52 doll project, working on my Dearest Doodles page, organizing my apartment, and taking lots and lots of photos! Happy New Year!