Mexico, part 2
A cenote, which we swam in... those are roots from a tree hanging from an opening above.
‘Real’ Mexico. At least, as real as I prefer to get, as a tourist. 
Take a walk with me
Some shots during a walk I took recently. Actually it was an errand-running day, so I walked-drove-walked again.
Gone
A few of the pieces I sold at the craft sale. There’s a few left besides these though, and a couple more currently in the making. Stay tuned.
Small Profiles
"Bicycle in Peru", 8" x 8" mixed media on panel
"Bee", 8" x 8" mixed media on panel
"Townhouses", 8" x 8" mixed media on panel
"Tulle", 8" x 8" mixed media on panel
"Strombus Gibberulus", 10" x 10" mixed media on panel
"The Colour of November", 10" x 10" mixed media on panel
Just a taste of what I will be serving up at the Winter Wonders market this weekend. Each piece is handmade, one-of-a-kind, and very affordable, coming in 8″ x 8″ and 10″ x 10″ sizes. Watch my Etsy shop in the new year for similar listings if you can’t make it out this time around!
My first craft sale!
I’ve never been a part of a craft sale before, even though I’ve had fleeting intentions of doing so in the past. I’m really nervous about it, so please stop by and see me while I’m there!
All grown up
Upon returning to Saskatoon from southern Saskatchewan, I’ve gone through a lot of changes. All of them are somewhat based on consumerism and surface things, but still…. it’s how we present ourselves to the world. I don’t want to live surrounded by a bunch of poor-quality items that I used when I was a student. I think that sometimes, when we refuse to let go of things, they weigh us down until it gets harder and harder to move forward. So, the list of things I’ve improved upon:
* I no longer have a fat TV… I’ve joined the 21st century and now have a flat screen! And you know what the best thing about this is? No more high-pitched ringing in my ears whenever the TV is turned on! *happy dance*
* I’m leasing a car. No more lemons from back-alley deals… when I get sick of this model, I’ll take it back and get something newer. Cars are a money pit, and I don’t want to own one.
* A house! It took awhile, but I finally got out of the renting game. When decent, affordable rental units got more and more difficult to find after the ‘boom’, I couldn’t wait to put my money towards something that will actually increase in value over the years (and avoid all those crooked landlords).
* a stovetop range. It’s in anticipation of kitchen reno’s that will happen sometime before Christmas… it was a sale I couldn’t pass up, so now I have a slide-in range sitting 2 inches too high and 2 inches too deep for the miniature countertops I have in my current kitchen.
* Investments. I found a financial planner and now have RRSPs and stuff! Look at me, I might be able to retire someday!
Things I have yet to update (but always gets forgotten):
* towels. I have that big mess of mismatched towels for my bathroom that I think we all have or had sometime in our lives, and not only are the colours not in great shape, but the edges are starting to fray on a lot of them. Eep! Since we don’t get a lot of overnight guests, it’s been okay up until now, but I’m thinking I’d like to see some consistency sometime soon.
* bed linens. For that matter, a BED. We have mattresses on the floor right now, and even though it works and it’s okay, I’d like to have storage under the bed someday and maybe even (gasp) a headboard! It’s one of those expensive items that are put at the bottom of the list (including the linens) because it doesn’t see people that much, and it’s easy to ‘make do’. But I’d like my bedroom to be a wonderful, calming sanctuary, and not a dorm room. Someday.
I’m sure there are a bunch of other things I could mention, but honestly the blessings outweigh anything else right now. It’s fun to think of all the things you can do to improve your living space… especially when you can do them on a budget, or do them yourself. (it feels more like an accomplishment somehow than just going to the store and buying something.)
Here’s to becoming an adult!
Something new
I installed our firepit today, with some help from Wade. I love to sit around a campfire and roast marshmallows, talk with friends and just relax. Now that we have a firepit, I think I’ll do some of that. It’s the little things that make life more enjoyable, ya know?
One less worry
image credit: mint.com
Recently I’ve started using a financial planning application called Mint. It’s a bit scary at first, as it requires you to provide passwords and login information for your financial institutions and investments, but so far I haven’t had any problems, nor has anyone else that I know who is using it. It’s always a concern when using the internet, but you can’t let it run your life, you know? Just be cautious. Mint is created by the makers of Quicken (Intuit, Inc), so I was pretty sure I could trust it.
Being a creative with almost no capacity for organization or administration, keeping track of my finances was always a struggle for me. Mint makes it so much easier to see where my money is going and how I can utilize it more efficiently in my savings and investments. I would recommend this application to anyone… but particularly to my artist peers, who may struggle with the same organizational deficiencies as me! You can get it for your smartphone too, which is pretty handy.
*As a disclaimer, I am not paid by Mint to advertise for them. I just honestly love the app!
Designer’s Scrabble
I loves me some Scrabble. So when I saw this designer edition created by Andrew Capener as a student project, I fell in love. Typography and spelling! Two of my fave things! And on beautiful walnut too. If these ever go into production, I’m all over it.
