More Exploring with Miss H

A couple of weeks ago I shared the trip that Halle and I took to Blodel Conservatory here in Vancouver. We had so much fun, and with the nice weather happening more frequently, the two of us have been trying to get to discover new places more often. I thought now would be a good time to pop back in and share some more of our adventures. Here's some of what we've been up to.

A couple of weekends ago, we had the chance to go to a Seattle Sounders soccer game. We made a day trip out of it, and Halle enjoyed watching the players chase and kick the ball around the field. We did a bit of shopping and picked up ties for the guys for the wedding, and a little bow tie for our ring bearer. It was a great day despite the spotty weather...

The following week, we went for another Mommy and Halle outing and visited Maplewood Farm, in North Vancouver. My girl loves animals, so I knew that it would be a hit with her and boy was I right. It was hard to get that girl to leave...

Of course... there have been plenty of visits to the park as well...

They are calling for a lot more warm weather and sunshine around here in the coming days, so I know that there will be a lot more exploring and park visits in the coming days. What have you been doing to soak up these lovely summer days that have finally arrived?

Ready for Change

Happy Monday friends. I know I've fallen off the map again, and all I can say right now is that we have been BUSY. There is some really exciting stuff going on, aside from wedding planning and it really has me itching for change. One of the things I am most ready to change up is Halle's room. She's growing and changing and I'm so ready to start planning a big girl room for her. 

The thing is, as ready as I am to change her room - there are certain things I'd like to still incorporate - like her dresser that I still love. With that in mind, I need to come up with a colour scheme and design that will work well with the teal and yellow that we used on the dresser. I started looking for inspiration and came across this collage on Pinterest, which got me feeling very excited about my design direction:

{via pearls for paper}

It's exactly what I imagine for Halle's space, with more teal and coral and only hints of yellow.

{from top left to bottom right: 1. via perfectly imperfect blog; 2. via Tonic Living; 3. via US! Check out the project here; 4. via honeybee vintage; 5. via Pinterest; 6. via Design Sponge; 7. via Tonic Living; 8. via Shades of Light; 9. via Words of Williams;}

1 - If it were possible, I would love to still keep Halle's walls neutral, and add interest by putting mouldings on the wall. The above example from Perfectly Imperfect blog is the best example of what I would love to do. I think it would look fantastic in any room, and would be pretty easy and inexpensive to do.

2 & 7 - Tonic Living has to be one of my favourite places to go for fabric, especially considering it's a Canadian company and their pricing is fantastic. I think these two fabrics are the perfect way to inject some bright and feminine coral into Halle's big girl room. Maybe as some new curtains, throw pillows, or even a new slip cover for the headboard on her "big girl bed" that we bought a few months ago.

3 - Of course, Halle's dresser isn't going anywhere! It's still a great piece that we love and it provides us with so much storage!

4 - This idea for wall art is adorable and it would be perfect to use different papers in our teal, yellow and coral scheme!

5 - Just another example of how our colours will work together.

6 - Cute accessories for Halle's room. I love these jars with animals on the lid.

8 - I'd like to find a really sweet and feminine light fixture for Halle's new room. She's really a girly girl and loves shoes and clothes and HATES getting dirty. I want her room to reflect her and be a pretty place for her to be. 

9 - I've always loved this quote and have been thinking of creating some artwork with this quote on it for a while I think pulling her big girl room together is the perfect time to bring it in. 

So, there you have it - the plans for Halle's big girl room are churning in my head. No pulling it together is underway yet... there will be some other changes happening before that.

What projects are you starting to work on or plan? Has spring got you inspired to start working outdoors, or are you freshening up your interior for the warmer months? Spill!

New Addition to Halle Handmade

I'm so excited to share with you a brand new addition to Halle Handmade. I love creating my tags (even though there has been a bit of an unplanned break from my shop recently), but I felt that I had more to offer. I wanted to add something to the shop that was a bit more universal, and that is why I have started to create some hand lettered art work.

It's something I really enjoy doing and yesterday I released my very first piece of artwork in my Etsy shop! I'll be selling my art as a digital file - this way I can sell my work for less, and customers can also save on shipping. All you do is purchase the print in my shop and you will then be able to download the JPG file. You'll be able to print the artwork wherever you like - even at home if you are so inclined!

I hope you all love my latest addition and I hope to create some more art that I am really excited about!

So make sure to pop by Halle Handmade to check out my newest listings! I hope you love what you see, as much as I enjoy creating them!

Exploring with Little Miss H

Happy Monday friends. While we were busy over the weekend, today I wanted to share with you one of the adventures that Halle and I got up to last week. There have been some changes happening that have been making things a little crazy, so last Tuesday it was overcast and a little cool, so I decided to get us out of the house and see somewhere new. I loaded us into the car and we headed to Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver. While the gardens were already looking beautiful, it wasn't our main reason for visiting...

After a quick walk through these beautiful flowers, we headed to Bloedel Conservatory. It was the perfect day for it, since it started drizzling as we arrived at the building. As soon as we stepped inside, we warmed right up. At $6.50 for my admission, and Halle being free it was the perfect budget friendly day trip for us. Of course, Halle just loved all of the beautiful birds.

{These were the first two birds we saw, and she was so captivated she didn't want to leave them. She had no idea what was to come...}

{She was very sweet and loved saying "Hello" to all of the birds. Some even had kisses blown to them}

{In the background is a silver pheasant. One of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen up close!}

It was such a wonderful day with my sweet girl. Her smiles and giggles brightened up the otherwise overcast day, and the way she slept the whole way home let me know she really enjoyed herself. I'm hoping as the weather continues to improve out here that I can find more fun day trips for the two of us that are budget friendly, and fun to explore.

What are some of your favourite things to do with an inquisitive toddler? What keeps you sane on rainy days and how do you get out when the sun is shining?

Spring is in the Air

Things come in three's right? We've had two pieces of huge news dropped on us last week... I'm hoping a third, equally as large, bomb doesn't drop to make it three. The two were enough, and we're trying to work as a team to battle through everything (like we always do). It's one of the best parts of being with your best friend... you know as long as you stick together you can get through anything. While B and I were chatting about it the other day I told him, at least we're all here together and we're all healthy (mostly... the exception of some little cold bugs floating around) and happy. It's true, and these photos I've snapped recently of Halle out enjoying LIFE, always reminds me of what's most important. As long as we are together, that is all that matters...

{She discovered that she DOES love to "PLASH!" in the puddles. I discovered that I love to watch her splash!}

While we do what we have to do, I have some new additions (as in, NOT tags) coming to Halle Handmade this week! I'm really excited about what's coming and I hope you love what I've done as much as I do!

What did you get up to this weekend? Some family time!? How do you deal with unpleasant news? What do you find is the best way to stay strong as a team and work together instead of letting it turn you against one another?

Fancy Friday Love

It's so nice slowly getting back into blogging. It was fun to share a couple posts this past week, and I hope to have a few more projects finished up around here soon that I can share. In the meantime, I tried to get some blog reading done this past week, and here is what I loved...

I am head over heels in love with this "Sparkle and Shine" themed birthday party from Kara's Party Ideas. I've been on the hunt for the perfect theme for Halle's 2nd Birthday (it's scary how quickly that is coming), so this will be saved away for future inspiration just incase...

We've been talking about what we plan to do now that we are past the year point in our rental. We're talking and going back and forth over a few options... but every time I see a place like this gorgeous kitchen from desire to inspire, I want to get back into the real estate game and start renovating a home again. I really want a space we can transform and make our own... is that too much to ask. (I have to say, in a real estate market like we have here in the Greater Vancouver Area... yes, yes it is).

I know first hand that small spaces can be hard to live in. It's not always easy to make them feel cozy, without feeling too cluttered. I think that Jordan's living room is the definition of 

"nailing it", when it comes to small space living - don't you agree?

Well, the weekend is here and I plan on sticking close to home with my two loves. Halle was feeling a little under the weather yesterday and just wanted to cuddle all night long with us. I've just been in spring cleaning mode, and I can't wait for a weekend of yummy food, cuddles and probably a few good movies. What do you have planned for this April weekend?

Fluttering Hearts

I'm finally ready to share one of the projects that I've been working on for the wedding. I'm currently right in the thick of planning and working on project after project. This is one of my favourites, and I'm not too worried about sharing it, since it's totally okay if my guests are familiar with my idea prior to the big day. It's our wedding guest book.

I knew from the start I didn't want to go the traditional route. I wasn't looking for a book that would end up on the shelf and we may never look at again. Instead, I wanted art; something that we could hang up in our home and look at every day to remind us not only of our wedding day, but also of the family and friends that were there to make it special. After hours spent browsing Pinterest, Wedding Blogs and Etsy, I finally found my inspiration in this lovely Etsy shop - Celadon Home.

From the moment I laid on these lovely creations, I knew it was perfect for our wedding. It fit perfectly with the whole look and feel of our wedding, and I was positive I could recreate this look myself. So late last week, I headed to Michael's to find everything I needed and begin working away.

I knew I wouldn't be able to recreate the lovely acrylic frame like Celadon Home offers, so instead decided to use a Shadow Box. Originally, I grabbed one from Michael's at 40% off, but later realized I had one at home that my father made, and him and my mother gifted to me one Christmas (they put a bunch of items from my High School prom it). This was an even better option, and it would still hold the right amount of hearts.

The first important step was to open up the box and take out all of the items. My Mom then stepped in to help and we measured the inside of the box and cut a new piece of foam core for the back, using and blade.

To create a soft background, we pulled some cream coloured linen from my Mom's wonderful collection of fabrics. We cut it slightly larger than our foam core, and used a glue gun to attach it. We started by gluing each corner over and then did each of the edges. To ensure sides were pushed down tightly, we used a bottle of vitamins and I rolled it along the glued down fabric as soon as we had pushed it into the glue - this also kept us from burning our fingers.

Before we got to the fun part, we had to take care of some math. Looking at our guest list, we determined how many hearts we would need for every couple and every individual guest to be able to sign their names. I then allowed for a few extra hearts, and began punching using my new "Studded Heart"punch from Martha Stewart Crafts.

Once all of our hearts were punched, it was time to start laying them out. I started by just laying them in rows in a random pattern that looked good to me. Once everything was in place, we counted how many plain craft hearts were on the backing and then made adjustments were necessary to give us enough blank hearts. When I was sure it was all perfect, I started creasing my hearts and then sticking them onto the backing using my Elmer's Glue Spots. I opted for glue spots to keep the project neat and clean, and also be sure our hearts would be nice and flat and easy for guests to sign their names on. In the end,  our guest book is looking like this...

I still want to add our names and our wedding date to that blank piece in the middle, but I'm really pleased with how it all came together. It's exactly as I pictured, and I'm happy to know that after our big day has come and gone, we can hang this wherever we would like in our home and remember our special day and all of our loved one's that surrounded us.

I'm back in B.C. after a good trip back to Ontario, and I'm pleased to announce that I was able to cross A LOT off of my to do list for the wedding. I'm feeling really great about everything and should be able to enjoy a bit of down time before I jump into some more serious projects. 

Which route did you decide to go for a guest book? Did you go with a basic book for people to sign, or did you skip the whole tradition all together? I'd love to hear what others came up with to make their special day, special for them!

Truly One of a Kind

Happy April everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We got to spend a lot of family time together and eat some really delicious food. 

I'm a little late on this post, since I spent the latter half of last week nursing our little girl, but I wanted to share my visit to the One of Kind Show in Toronto last week. I hope you didn't miss the show because it was fantastic! The whole set up was beautiful (as always), and it really evoked the feeling of Spring... even when it was still cold outside...

We were served an absolutely delicious brunch by Chef Toben Kochman of Toben Food by Design. I decided to enjoy my breakfast with a tasty lemon meringue tea from Tealish - so tasty!

Each of the little bites we were treated to tasted fantastic. I tried one of each and could've gone back for more, but was itching to get out and see the show floor. Unfortunately, my time at the show was limited to just over an hour so I had to make quick work of my tour. I did manage to find a few really fabulous vendors, and even picked up a little something for Halle. Here's my love list from the show (I've included links so if you missed the show, you can visit them online).

bookhou

I was drawn in by her beautiful totes and bags, but fell in love with everything. If you are in Toronto, you can visit them at 798 dundas street west.

FLAKES PAPERIE

I wish I had, had a chance to go back to this booth. There were a few cards I adored, but I was especially in love with the idea of the Stationery Survival Kit they offered. Never be without a card for special occasion.

little BIG WORDS

This sweet set up was located in the new section of the show, which showcased a number of local Etsy sellers. I loved exploring it, and was happy to get to chat with the owner, Kelli. She actually quit her corporate job to start her business and is a completely self taught illustrator. Her work is fun and cute, and she has cards for every occasion. If you're looking for something cute and clever, make sure to pop by her Etsy shop!

babywrappers

This was the only booth on my adventure that I stopped to make a purchase at. We have one towel at home that we absolutely LOVE for Halle. It's really big and easy to wrap around her, even now that she's a toddler. After having a little chat, I realized that towel was a babywrapper towel (it had been passed onto us from a friend)! Knowing how much I already LOVED this product, I grabbed a second one for our baby girl. If you're looking for a great baby shower gift, or even a great towel for your own little one, this is a great option.

red thread

If I had more time, and a bigger shopping budget, I could've spent every second, and every penny, shopping here for Halle. The designs and fabrics were gorgeous and I know that Halle would look beautiful in these dresses. 

Other booths that I visited, but didn't have too much time to hang around are below. Pay them a visit - they deserve it!

baby magoo - I loved their handmade hooded towels

love at first blush - these stunning leather accessories caught my attention as soon as I saw them in the show books. They are just as beautiful in person, and I will be adding a few to my own wish list!

Handsome and Lace - Also located in the Etsy section, their ties caught my attention in the show book as well. With our wedding fast approaching, I was hoping I could find some ties for B and the groomsmen. These pieces are beautiful! I'll be paying a visit to her Etsy shop for sure.

Monster Lab - I adored these monsters, and was drawn in by how adorable they were. I would've loved to by one for Halle, however, I'm not too sure how she would react to them right now... but possibly in another year these may be the perfect toy for our little girl. (she's going through a phase where she is scared of very odd things - trust me, these adorable monsters are in no way frightening).

So there you have my morning at One of a Kind Show Toronto. It was a short trip but so great, and I do hope that I can come back to Toronto and visit the Christmas show this year as well. Did you attend the show this weekend? What were some of your favourite booths? Did you pick up anything fun? I'd love to hear from others who went!