Merry Holiday!!

...merry christmas, guys! =) Alas, I'm not organized enough to have drawn a cute picture or animate a card..We got to Calgary yesterday and it was just nutty with the wrapping and packing and cleaning before we left! So we're here and it is so great to be back home with the family...ahh...So here's wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday! I'll be back after to post some of the crafts I made..sooo excited to share them!

Hope your days are filled with the ones you love, yummy food, and lots of smiles...=)

Happy christmas!

finally...

....the skull tree! Please excuse the colorful, competing background in the pics....lol..Apparantly it's hard to find an uncluttered space in 420 square feet of apartment....lol...
...we got the tree at Michaels...=) It's made of feathers and is actually pretty small! I made the lil ornaments, and I would've loved to give it more, but alas..not time. Maybe after christmas...he he. And here's the twig tree: we put a few branches into a vase and filled the bottom with sand to keep it stable....=) It was especially hard to get this sucker on film cuz there's an apartment building across the way with lights on and there's always cars driving by,a nd there's also a big streetlamp..so the lighting sucks!! ha ha....oh, and I especially love the gigantic extension cord on the ledge beside the vase...it's my favorite....lol (...not!...said a la Borat)

...and here is a Fancy Pants pages I finished up a few weeks ago....=) ...and this is my cute lil nephew...Mandy took the picture in September last time we were in Calgary =)

...And last but not least: Michelle was wonderfully awesome and sent me a lil package of goodies!! She's the best!...she knows me so well just from my blog..he he...=) This little dude is my favorite....(see his astrology books??) and the skull socks totally rock....

..Thanks Michelle!! =) And on the same day, I also got an ornament from the Red Velvet Swap from Jessica...her blog, funky finds, totally rocks!! She links up some yummy stuff! Anyways, the ornament is soo cute, had to share. =) Love happy mail days!! eek!
.....anyways, must get back to work...=) I am loving eggnog and christmas oranges right now..why can't they stay around all year? I'm also in love with Rum balls...hopefully I'll have one this year...yum! The pile of presents I've made is growing, and I just have the parents' (albeit, the most daunting one...) left to do and all the wrapping...fun, fun! Can't believe it's in 5 days!! Hope everyone is doing great!! It's oddly like a sunny day in early Spring here today...very weird! Thank god, though, cuz yesterdays gale-force winds almost ruined my lil polka-dotted umbrella...(sigh) happy day!!

and...

...why didn't order pictures for the Christmas presents I plan on making before the crazy Christmas rush?? ha ha....I went to order some pics online last night and the servers were too busy to even let me upload....argh!! At least there's other crazy last-minuters like me out there! Making headway in the list-of-stuff-to-make, though! yeaaah...and I even cleaned and managed to get groceries and make Z some yummy supper (well, to show him that I can, in fact, cook...I'm sooo bad at keeping up in the kitchen! He spoils me and does dishes and usually cooks cuz I just have no interest half the time!....he went to bed late, well, early the night before and felt crappy and had some dental work done so I was nice to him..he he) Really, I like cooking..it just takes up so much of the night, or so my mind seems to think. Dying to see this movie right now:

...I am loving Michael Cera after Superbad. awesome! Have lotsa errands to run tonight..a chiropractor to see...I am feeling rather Dt-less right now, due to Pink.Sugar.Pop closing and Fancy Pants almost being over and my new lack of Scrapmuse....and it's really, really a good thing, to have a break...but it just feels weird! My mind is trying to convince me to apply to a few calls and be Dt-ful once again, but I know I'll end up overloading myself like I did earlier this year and I just don't want that! I'm going to wait until I see a cool company that I really, really wanna be a part of...!! So until then, I force myself to wait patiently...lol...I'm also dying to scrap, which hasn't happened lately cuz ornaments took its place! ...I have some yummy KI lace paper and such that hasn't even been touched yet!! I watched some really funny "story of christmas" stop-motion animaton on the weekend...I'm hunting the tv channels for Rudolph, still! annnd..that's about it!

Oh, and yesterday I found out that my contract here at work is being extended for at least another month...whew! So that's one giant thing to cross off of my list! Happy day and happy finishing-christmas-projects! =)

some randomness...

...first of all...I can't believe I forgot to say I finally saw "Across the Universe"!!! I've been dying to see it, and last weekend there was a double feature at our cheap movie theatre so we went...and oh my god...it rocked. Such eye candy! There were so many awesome shots and yummy goodness....( hope I don't spoil anything, here..) My favorite is a shot where you see tall grass, and hear the group humming, and the the camera pulls out and pans over the grass to reveal them in a circle..fave part! And also, the whole Strawberry Fields scene had amazing lighting and emotion and I loved the red splashes. The strawberries on the canvas rocked. More so, the door opening and spilling its light on Lucy and the brick wall was awesome. And the whole circus scene was amazing..the blue guys made me happy. And the cut-out style of the animated bits. And the army men with their cartoon masks. (sigh) Love. So happy you have tears at the ending, I tell ya...go see it if you like odd, lovey, catchy tune kinda movies!

Anyways, some shots that don't even do the movie justice (no good ones on the net):And also...it was a crafty weekend for me...

My table got so messy....there's a peek of some ornaments that are almost done now...I mod podged styrofoam balls with pink-watercolored book pages, and then covered them with a coat of glitter glue....I'm dying to post some of the goodies I made but I can't...argh!! lol..And I thought I got some great shots of my tress yesterday, but they look horrible! Bad lighting..etc. So I got some close-ups of the skull ornaments I made (I finally got to use the Martha Stewart skull tissue paper I've had forever!!) and the tree topper that I stitched out of felt...
....It's the cutest tree ever!! he he...I'll get more pics when I have a sec to breathe...what a crazy week, I say!! I have sooo much to make still, and so much to do..and the house is a mess...and ahhh! So sad that there's no more Hills to watch tonight....I was really hoping during the finale last week that Spencer and Heidi would break up and Heidi would call Laurn at the end...(sigh) lol..

On Friday we saw some awesome grad films, had some drinks, and caught up with some fellow VFS-ers. On Saturday we went to see "Die Fledermaus" (which translates from German to "The Bat")...the Opera performance at UBC here in town, and it was pretty cool...I'd never been to an opera, and this one was pretty funny; the singing was in german but the dialogue was in English. Our friend Choom plays in the symphony, so it was cool to hear her play again, too...

This picture, of course, is not from the student UBC performance....but it's pretty cool so I had to post it..lol..It's feels awesome to go to a symphony performance and an opera performance...I feel a little more cultured again..I used to go to ballets often with my mom, because I used to dance, and there's nothing like a live theatrical performance, I think..It makes me think about how everyone has their own art form, one way or another..and it's just great to soak it all in!

Anyways, at work...should go. Happy day everyone!! And, as always, thanks for the sweet comments...=)

oh, friday

Eeek! First off, I have to say....I ordered some presets from Pink Ink Studios, so I could attempt to learn more about editing/presets/photoshop...and I bought this set of Holly's and it totally rocks! I just did this little tests on my unch hour cuz I was so excited to finally be interested in something digital...he he

Plus, they were super easy to figure out - I managed to download, unzip, and figure out how to install/use them in less than 10 minutes...sweet! It was fun to poke around and make adjustments and figure out how they're set up...!! I also bought a few really cool grungy frames...awesome stuff...I can use em over and over super fast...=) You rock everyone at Pink Ink!

Secondly....Blogger is being weird with pictures today...oh my..I'm not being extra creative or anything, it's just deciding to stagger them oddly..hmm.

I also forgot to say a few weeks ago how cool it was to see Ali's trademark handwriting come in my mailbox! eeek! I got the "Life Artist" book she sent to me for winning the page contest at SIStv...it seriously is an amazing book, if you haven't seen it! Ali's style is a little different than my own, but she's so inspiring! The canvas pieces she did are so amazing, and the last chapter inspired me to just get my vacation albums done..focus on pictures instead of the "stuff" and just get em done! (One of my new years' resolutions, now...)

Anyways....I'm at work. Playin on the computer....I can hardly believe there's like almost a week til Christmas! I have a week of work left, as far as I know...and all of my presents to make, and it literally looks like a craft factory exploded on my table...he he....but i can't wait to share all the fun stuff I've been making (I'll post after Christmas, as most of the people who are getting the crafty goodness read this blog..he he). I'm obsessed with flickr. excited about seeing films tonight. Wanting a minty candy cane right about now....happy day, everyone!

...at the park and other stuffs

We went for a lil photo shoot on the Sunday that just passed....but it was too freakin cold to hang out in the park for long! Here's some funny shots we got......and the tattoo, which I need pics of for a project I'm working on...this is the one I got on my 18th birthday: it's a tribal rose, I designed it myself...pretty simple. =)
Annnd....my camera batteries died last night, plus the tree won't look great in the dark lighting anyways with all the apartment windows across the street blaring, so I'll try to get some pics of the twig-tree soon! In lieu, a Christmas survey that I read on Silje's blog:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love wrapping paper...=)
2. Real tree or Artificial? I'm all for real trees..but we have a lil fake one this year
3. When do you put up the tree? a few days ago...=)
4. When do you take the tree down? They're so cutethis year I want to leave them up always!
5. Do you like eggnog? yum! love it! Specially with rum. =)
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Toys, toys, toys. They were all good!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No
8. Hardest person to buy for? Any guy, in general, gusy just suck to shop for!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Myself ;) lol...
10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? There are no bad presents, are there?
11. Mail or email Christmas card? Mail! I love mailing cards out!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I used to watch "The Santa Clause" non-stop. Does Nightmare count as a Christmas movie? cuz I love that. And the stop-motion Rudolph they play on tv....
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? ..December...but I make most of the presents I give away
14. Have you ever recycled/regifted a Christmas present? no!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? yumm...turkey dinner!
..where is 16?
17. Favorite Christmas song? I like em all..except the horrible Beyonce-like remixes they're coming out with nowadays
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I have to travel to home, but I love being with the parenst and family at Christmas!
19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen..and Rudolph...I think that's them!
20. Do you have an Angel on top of the tree or a star? I like stars...but there's a skull on top of my tree this year...=)
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We always got pj's on Christmas eve, and open all the presents on Christmas morning!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Wearing canvas shoes in the snow sucks. Malls in general. Working retail.
23. Best thing about Christmas? Hanging with the family..=) Seeing everyone! Eating chocolate and yummy goodies...Boxing day!

Feel free to do this if you want! I tag anyone who has spare time on their hands...he he
As for me....Christmas party at work today (it's sort of early..during the workday-ish...weird) and then making Christmas presents at home tonight....there's a VFS grad tommorrow (yay, films!) and then Z and i are off to see an Opera at UBc on Saturday night...he has lotsa freelance gigs to keep him busy this weekend, and I have waaay too many things to sew and cut and paste...lol....hope everybody is great! Happy night! =)

and...

I forgot my most favorite picture of them all..... ...not sure why. for too many reasons, I love this one. =) (sigh) My heart is just happy looking at it! Annnd....me and my best girl, Mandy....cuz, I love her...

Can't wait til Christmas til we get to hang out again!! yay!! Annnd....what else? Oh! We got the tree up last night (and when I say "tree", I mean we made some twigs look pretty...he he) I'll take pictures of it tonight....I can't wait to share it!! Which reminds me....I made a page on the weekend using my new favorite kit: The Dozens.....yum! it was so fun to just play with new goodies and be under no pressure....more pages coming soon ( I tend to start like 50 at once...lol) .....I came to terms with the fact that my Christmas cards are going to be late. And I must curb my need to clean and organize the house from top to bottom (I have this new year, new clean start itch goin on)...cuz there's just no time, man...Have I made any presents i have to make yet? Nope. ha ha...should be a fun but crazy week! I vastly underestimated my usage of felt and embroidery thread this holiday season...must stop by Michaels soon. Who can believe it's so close to Christmas?? Anyways...thank you all for the lovely comments and good wishes, again! You're the best blog-readers ever!! Happy day!

...ta-da!

without further ado...here they are! (click on "here they are" to see the flickr collection of wedding pics)!!

...I don't know if I actually blogged about the wedding...uhh...lol..I'm thinking no, cuz it's been kind of a whirlwind month, but now I have the pics to explain along with me! yay!

Sooo...we got married in Whytecliff Park, out past West Vancouver...A cute little ceremony with the cutest little marriage lady. Ahh..such nice weather, we had...ha ha. It was rather grey, I think, in fact...we picked the coldest day Vancouver has seen in a while. It rained the whole time, and it was like shiver-in-your-shoes cold...but fun nontheless! =) Here's some of the ceremony:

...and then we all had a lil champagne toast (still in the freezing cold)...
....a few of our friendswho came with us up to the park:

...After the ceremony, lotsa pictures, and champagne, we hopped back home. Starving, we all went for some waffles at a lil restaurant across the street (there were grand plans of a giant yummy lunch, but we were just too hungry by this point!) And then we walked a few blocks over to feed the swans in stanley park...

...and then Tzanko and I went to a nice old house nearby (it was still raining, and these cool old houses have covered porches..) so Mandy could take more pictures...

...and then 5 seconds after we were done posing for pictures, it stopped raining. ha ha...and then last week, Tzanko pointed out that it hadn't rained in weeks since then. lol...silly weather! Anyways, there are way too many pictures to post all of my favorites here...so go check out the gallery! Thanks again to my girl Mandy for taking em! She's the bestest...

As for me, work was nutty...I need to look for the next job...I keep inventing more things for my already busy self to make...Christmas decorations are almost up..and...ahhh! I'm dying for it to be christmas already so I can chill with my family and sip rum and egg nog and have nothing urgent to do! lol...I'm sure everyone's with me on that...=) Happy day!

they're coming....

The pictures are almost all uploaded and ready to share!! eeek! There is a ton of em....I upgraded my flickr account yesterday and it took a few hours to upload em all, so now I just gotta go label em sometime soon and send out the message near and far...=) everyone wants to see em..he he...thanks for the patience, guys! and Mandy, you rock. =)

...Last night I felt the need to sew something out of felt and fabric and buttons....and I did, and it's super-cute! But I can't share til after Chsritmas, so I'm sure there will be a big ol post of handmade goodies after the holiday...cuz I'm making everything for my family this year! (I'm totally broke...lol..not just overachieving) & we finished the paperwork yesterday!! eeek! You have no idea how good it felt to shove that sucker in an envelope and be done with it! Ahh...work is busy, I haven't made a scrapbook page in what may be the longest time in a while...he he...gotta fix that this weekend...=) Anyways...all for now...Happy day everyone! Have a great one!

...Mojo numba 5!

Is up on the blog...check it out! =)

...I got to play with Fancy Pants' Designs yummy felt and Holly Jolly collection and I fell in love with this page..just an average Christmas at home in the picture, the challenge is to scrap using the 5 senses and how it relates to the holidays for you, and to use paint and stamp with something from around your home....go play! You have til the end of December to enter this guy! =) Also, check out the Fancy Pants Gallery, as it's always bursting full of yummy stuff at the beginning of the new month! Lotsa inspo there, such awesome girls! Annnnd...Pink Sugar Pop is selling out all of it's goodies (no international orders, though, for my Canadian buddies...) so check that out while it lasts! They won't be replenished, but there may be exciting news about the company coming soon..stay tuned!

And yesterday at work, I was so bored that I finally tried my hand at some photo-editing and tutorials and stuff...I really know nothing bout Photoshop, but love the vintage and acid wash colors these days....so here's the original:
And some of my color-wash tests:



And I learned how to do this, too:

Nothin special for you pros out there, I know..he he...but I was having fun! I was totally inspired by Pink Ink Studios' presets, cuz they rock! Annnd.....that about sums me up, today! I made 30 christmas cards in a few hours last night assembly-line style and had a really funny pic of my table all full of paint-splattered cards, but left it at home..he he...I kidn of just realized how much stuff I have to do/make before Christmas! eeek! And wedding pictures should be on their way to my home (thanks Mandy!!) so I'll try to get em up as soon as possible!! yay!! happy day!

...oh!

I forgot to mention how excited I am about Sweeney Todd!!! It comes out later this month, I think...Johnny Depp + Tim Burton + Helena Bonham Carter = (sigh)...so excited for the morbidnessof this one! he he...

...I think that's all to blog bout this morning....there is no work for me to do at work...so I've been catching up on the net to-do's and blogs (yay!) Z broke the couch accidently last night, so I'm thinking about how we will fix it....and wanting to make crafty things....and wondering what I did before the wonderful invention that is gmail...it seriously rocks! Why didn't I sign up sooner?? Happy that Jim got a blog up for our Beard of Moose team.....yay, Jim! Loving the pictures so far...Can't believe there's like 20 days til Christmas, which means less than 20 days of work left.....yikes! That's a lil scary....gotta get to the job search once again (I feel like I'm always posting about the job searching....lol) Umm...I'm beyond obsessed with Flickr and dying to test out some editing...so I might just go do that on my lunch hour. =) Happy day, all!!

oh my dude....

It was the best weekend ever...=) Good start to December, if that first day of the month counts for the rest of the days....he he. Z and I had a "date weekend", or so it turned into one..On Friday we went out for some Indian food on Robson, and then met some friends at a church downtown to see the West Coast Symphony perform Beethoven for a few hours (our friend Choom was playing violin in it, so a few other animators came to watch her, too)...it was such a beautiful performance!

Saturday morning looked like this: (note the gorgeous view from our apartment window..ha ha)
And there was no alarm clock (that alone makes weekend fab for me), which means sleeping til the afternoon..and we went to the Bulgarian cafe on Denman and had Bonitza (spelling?) and then hopped on the bus and went over to Michaels for the craft-stock-up trip (I try not to go there until I really really run out of stuff, or else it's dangerous...lol)...and we picked up the cutest lil tree ever! (pics soon....) and I had the bestest gingerbread latte....We were planning on going out for dinner, but weren't super-hungry, so we decided to go to a restaurant called "Zin" on Robson Street and just had dessert and wine...we're talking the yummiest banana cream pie and creme brulee and delicious port...=) ahh...and then we went to see "Dan in Real Life", which is my new fave movie...

To sum it up...Steve Carell reminded me a lot of the character he played in "Little Miss sunshine", and I loved it...and the idea that people who plan their life shouldn't plan, they should just plan to be surprised...love, love, love it! =) cuz that's what happens anyway! Story of my life, I say...I'm always surprised and I hope it stays that way! You should totally go see it if you haven't yet! It has great indie music, too...and is awesomely good though it's got depressing undertones, at first...

Sunday, we slept in super-late again, and took a trip out into the snow to grab a Chai Nog latte (I am loving the christmas coffee, man...) and to stop in at the library and grab some art books...( a la Edward Gorey..my fave!) and then we broke down and bought some cupcakes at a fancy shopped on the way home..they were the best cupcakes ever!

...and then we just hung out and watched some movies (Pulp Fiction, Little Miss Sunshine...) and made stuff...See what I made for the tree?
...annnnnd that about sums it up...So relaxing...no deadlines. =) ahh...wish I had scrapped a little, but it was cool to not do anything but hang out and eat good stuff and be with Z. Thanks to Volia (my new mum-in-law) and my grandma for the funds for the cool date Saturday night! Best wedding present ever!!! Hope everyone had a fab weekend!