Get stoked. I told you it was coming, and it’s here! Next Monday, the 29th, will be the very first one. Let me know if you can make it!!

P.S. I’m not exaggerating, I do have a huge bag of things to mend. Sometimes I wear things that I really shouldn’t without mending them first, like today; I’m wearing a vintage sweatshirt that my dad gave me. It was a piece of his high school phys ed uniform from the 60′s and the poor thing’s on its last legs. It will be among the first things I fix — although I have been fancying it as a throw pillow, too. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

And we’re back; our old friend, The Internet, is residing at the house again. Very exciting indeed. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, you may have had glorious, sunshiny days like we’ve been having in Vancouver. All the more reason to sing a little song, such as this lady above. What a doll, hey?

I’ve been keeping busy, as usual. Today I’m getting ready for Refashion Vancouver — doing a final clearing of the closet and then I have to ensure that I get everything tagged and steamed. We just got our event maps and I’m pretty pleased to find that I’m situated near the entrance and one of the bigger changing rooms. Don’t say I didn’t tell you this: the first 20 people through the doors get a bag full of swag!! Do it!! I’m hoping for a great turnout because I’m thinking this may possibly be the only event I’m able to do this summer, with going to Africa and all. Well, there will be some fund-raisers before we leave, and you bet a sale will be involved somehow! Check out this one happening next week:

Last weekend, we had our friends, Lucas and Rena over. They’ve been getting together with different friends, just about every Sunday and pulling a recipe from The Soup Sisters Cookbook, sharing ingredients and wine, having a great time in the kitchen. Our leftovers lasted a full week; luckily the soup was freaking amazing and I’ve enjoyed my bowl-a-day. The whole idea is just so fun and inspiring. I heart them and am so very excited that they’ll be getting married in July, just after we get back from Africa.

The weekend before that was Easter. Since all of our family is out of town we are so far away from our families, hubs and I went over to Sarah’s house for a potluck. I’m pretty sure this girl is still claiming that she can’t cook, but she made one mean roast beast and Yorkshire Pudding (which I’m a newfound fan of). Also, she’s on our Africa team, so I’m pretty stoked about that, as well.

So those are the haps; work, friends, and fun. I can’t promise that I will be posting more just because I have Internet now, but I certainly will try. I still love you though. Okay?

This is its second year in the city; I hadn’t heard about Refashion Van last year until it had passed and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since. I expect the crowd to be a bit different from what the flea markets are pulling in and so I’m going to be taking a lot of stuff from my closet that I wouldn’t normally take to a flea. The parameters for this sale are a bit different than what I’m used to; only clothing and shoes allowed (no other accessories) and they must be new or barely worn. That’s it. It will be interesting mostly because I’m usually such a mixed bag, that’s kinda my shtick, but I will have a focused audience of serious shoppers just looking for clothes. “Serious” because there’s a $5 entry fee. You don’t just throw away latte money if you aren’t about to get your serious shop on. So I’m excited.

Lucky for me, I can still stop by Beggars Banquet on the 19th. I just can’t bare to miss it, and I heard that this time around you get a free drink with your $2 entry and there will be appies, too. So I’ll see you there, right? Don’t forget to pop by Eastside Flea at Wise Hall for a $1 donation on the 20th — before or after you come see me in Yaletown at Refashion Vancouver.

I have been frequenting my local library lately for two reasons: free wifi (I’ve mentioned the need for this before) and free movies, a need which comes consequentially as a result of not having Internet — no Netflix; gasp!! The word “free” sings lovely love songs to me, just be careful not to rack up any late-fees. The library can be intimidating for some, I know, I’ve spoken to you. I promise, though, once you can find your way around yours, or it’s online catalog, it’s just as fun as shopping (if you’re the kind of person who likes shopping for media.) Every now and then, I’ll take a book recommendation from a friend, but generally I find my best picks just by browsing the shelves. There really is something romantic about thumbing through spines, getting caught up by intriguing cover art, and imagining all the other hands that have flipped through those pages.

My library branch is a small one; as if it were organized just for me, the crafting, fashion, and fine arts books are all in one aisle, and right across from the music and DVDs. I came across this book, The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, a few weeks ago as I was perusing. In life, I despise the word “hip” — I mean is it relevant anywhere outside of the 70s? Who uses that word anymore? Maybe it’s just me, my problem. However, I fully resign to the fact that I gravitate towards any title containing the word because the content usually speaks to me. Hip or not, this book is awesome. So awesome in fact, that throughout reading it, I kept thinking of all the friends that I wanted to buy it for. Whether your single or married, if you live somewhere — anywhere, Kate Payne won’t make you feel bad if you still have cinderblock shelving or shame you for picking up furniture from the side of the road.

This book is absolutely jam-packed with information, but here is a list of my single-most favorite take-aways from each chapter:

• Chapter 1 // Kitchen and Dining Rooms • The one thing I went out and did immediately was pick up a pack of wooden clothes pins from my local dollar store. She outlines a handful of good uses for these simple little tools, but as for me, I am happy just to have a solution for closing up bags instead of those obnoxious-looking plastic chip clips; why is it that you never seem to have enough!!? So for $1.25, I’ve now got 50 of them and have already put them to good use in the cabinets and fridge and all the extras are collected beautifully inside a clear growler on my pantry shelf.

  

• Chapter 2 // Living Areas • This chapter really focuses on decorating on a budget and utilizing things like Craigslist and flea markets to your advantage. I already fancy myself as a pro at these things, but there was one thing that Kate made a point about that really stuck out to me. It was about seating arrangements and having guests over. Josh and I have people over to our house every week so we have crammed as many seating apparatuses into our living room as possible without driving us both crazy. You’ve seen our living space before, right? The one piece I was obsessing over finding was the 70s hanging basket chair. I searched forever and thanks to Craigslist, finally got my hands on one. The issue? This is the one seat that no one ever takes on a Tuesday night — I think they’re all afraid of it. Being that its kind of tucked into the corner of the room and not adjacent to the TV, I rarely sit in it myself. Actually, the most fun we have with the chair is tossing a ball into it and watching the dog try to get it out. So I’m going to put it on the porch for the summer and then reassess the situation. I guess the moral of this short story is that form cannot be over functionality if you want your guests to have a good time.
• Chapter 3 // Bed, Bath, and Between • Sometimes you just need someone to say something out loud for it to sink in, amiright? Well obviously, it was not said, as i was reading, but you know what i mean. Anyway, my bed linens have been in transition for a while. I find prices for new, quality linens a bit obscene so I’m kind of refusing to shell out $100+ just because we have a king sized bed. So I’ve bought a sheet here, a sheet there, just kind of biding my time until I happen upon the right sale. The result of this has led to 4 different coloured linens on our bed, including a mis-matched flat and fitted sheet. We’ve long since squelched the idea that you need to match your bag with your shoes, I get that — but aren’t your sheets supposed to match? Isn’t that why they sell them in sets? No more, friends, no more. I’m so secure with my mismatched linens and I’m never turning back. There’s even an illustrated how-to for folding your fitted sheets. I’ve already YouTubed this long ago, but it’s still a good refresher.

  

• Chapter 4 // Outdoor Spaces • Our potted plants usually suffer from pest population in the warmer months. Kate helps you identify “good” bugs and “bad” bugs for your plants and has given a simple spray solution that I’ll be trying if it occurs for us again. Dilute a few drops of ordinary dish soap or Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap into a spray bottle filled with water and apply directly to foliage. Bonus points if you use Bronner’s peppermint or lavender variety, as these scents are known insect repellents. Bye-bye buggies!
• Chapter 5 // Cleaning and DIY Suds • Ok, here’s the weird thing about me that you might be hesitant to believe: I love cleaning. It’s true. Well it’s not like I get up in the morning and I’m all ready to go, but once I get motivated to clean, I get really into it. I’m that person scooping up all kinds of new cleaning miracles and handy tools. This chapter lays out all the good and bad things we’re putting into the planet with these potions and offers really simple ingredient to have one hand — and many that you probably already have. Check it out:
  White vinegar for killing mold, cleaning floors, mirrors and windows.
  Baking soda for stuck-on stuff from baked food to soap scum.
  Dish soap for stained concrete and granite countertops.
  Castile soap for pretreating laundry stains, hand and body wash, and the bug repellant I just told you about.
  Salt to help boost baking soda’s abrasive power and pour some down the drain as a deodorizer.
  Hydrogen peroxide is safer than chlorine bleach and can be used for whitening everything — everything.
  Borax for heavy-duty scrubbing projects.
  Essential oils to add to any of your solutions to leave a desirable scent in the room.
  Citrus solvent (I use Goo-Gone) can be used for anything from removing sticky gunk from glass jars to degreasing the stovetop.

  Kate also lists a bunch of other great reference books and blogs after each chapter. One that made it to my library hold list is Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things.

• Chapter 6 // Managing Cloth • This one is packed full of laundry tips, and I already told you how much I like cleaning. Hubby came to me just aft I’d read this chapter with a big problem: he had unexpected car troubles that day, but luckily, being the handy man that he is, he was able to fix it himself. The problem was that he got engine grease on his best pair of blue jeans. I did just as was suggested and dabbed dish soap on the stain. Obviously, I’m stoked, and he’stoked. Win win. Also, she says that adding white vinegar to your rinse cycle will get rid of any static cling in the dryer. If you still want your laundry to smell prettier, just make up a sachet with lavender and a reusable linen tea bag; it’s good or up to 10 uses.
• Chapter 7 // Tapping the Tool Kit • I also fancy myself as a really handy lady. My dad always did his own home repairs and I usually was at hand to help him. My mom is also incredibly talented with a tool box, so maybe it’s in the blood? Most of my girlfriends wonder at the fact that I’ve aways had my own toolbox, but this chapter outlines all the essentials you’d need for home decorating needs so you can have one too. Here is one really good tip I’ve never thought about before: install an anchor into your wall and screw in a vintage or quirky Anthropologie drawer pull. You can use this method to organize your jewelry, hang towels or pictures with ribbon. Fancy that.
• Chapter 8 // Cooking at Home • This one offers a lot of tips, especially for those of us newer to cooking and maybe a bit intimidated by the kitchen. Kate offers tips on how to shop smarter, what to buy organic and what is safe to buy conventionally grown, where to spend money in the kitchen and what tools are useless, and she speaks much on baking your own bread. This task I always leave to the hubby. He really likes it and we love love bread, but do find that we need to go through a loaf very quickly so that we can enjoy it before it starts to go stale. She offers a tip that you should store homemade breads on the counter, tightly wrapped in wax paper and butcher’s cord. I want to attempt my own loaf, just so I can test this trick.
• Chapter 9 // Preserving Food at Home • I’m not really at the canning-level yet and there is tons of information here on how to get started. I seriously admire those that can, preserve,and jelly on their own, but I don’t know that it really interests me — until I saw her simple recipe for fridge pickles:

  

• Chapter 10 // Entertaining Projects • I’ve already mentioned how we have people to our house weekly. However, this did inspire me to do it even more. I’ve had an idea on the tip of my tongue for a while. A lovely girl at a Beggars Banquet I did in November said she was going to start a sewing circle. I got stoked for it, she took my name and said she’d be in touch, but no, indeed she hasn’t. So I’m going to start it myself, and since the very idea was here in the book, I no longer feel guilty about taking over the idea. See how that works? Once a month I’ll be hosting Mending Mondays in my living room. It will include munchies, dranks, and the incentive to finally knock out your huge to-do mending stash. I’m currently trying to get my friend to commit to coming also, as she’s the loveliest person I know that has a machine and knows how to use it and whom would benefit from some scheduled adult-time. Let me know if you want an invite!!

So that’s it. I didn’t get paid for this post, but I probably should have. Wink!! I just really, actually like this book. Go pick it up and also check out Kate’s blog and her house on Apartment Therapy.

Internet is still on hiatus at the house, which aids in my absence. I thought that maybe it would be a good sabbatical; some effort to get more spiritually-centered, especially in this season of Lent. Perhaps also, I would spend more time reading, being motivated to get some projects around the house done, making dates with friends — none of which ended up true, I’ve been doing those things at the same pace that I always have. So I have concluded that the internet is not evil, contrary to what a lot of people believe. Go figure.

Where was I? Oh yes, I was apologizing. Dear future self, I’m sorry that I’m not a very good documenter of this life. I assure you that any content missing and lapses of time were not purposefully left out, I was just living. Living offline. Here is some proof that I’ve been productive, at least:

This is our kitchen window. It didn’t come with a covering, not even gross mini blinds, so I’ve been dreaming up what to do with it since we moved in. It’s a fairly private area; I’ve never really felt the need to block the view in or out. Finally, I was inspired to make some bunting from privacy film. I just cut triangles and stuck them on the glass, creating the swag shape. I’m quite happy with it.

I had bought some air plants from West Elm — as I’m in constant denial that I’m a serial plant-killer. They have had some very inspiring terrarium displays and I just couldn’t resist. I used this jumbo jar that I’ve had forever (it’s just an Anchor Hocking that you can find at any big box store, I’m sure). I went around the neighbourhood and collected moss, as the bagged stuff was obscenely-priced, as were decorative rocks; I picked mine up at the dollar store instead. I wanted them to have a little bit of sparkle, so I picked out the ones that had naturally looking breaks or jagged holes. I put a little white paint on the jagged area and then dipped them in glitter. Voilà! Homemade geodes.

Josh’s mom gave me this gorgeous handmade blue bowl during our last trip to Africa; it’s the perfect home for this spikey baby cactus. The bookend geode fit right into my little landscape too, don’t you think? Easy as pie. Hubs says he wants to live in there — the most perfect compliment and the only one I need. If I’m not creating a home for us then what’s the point?

In a couple weeks, there will be a new flea popping up in East Van and I am stoked for it. Being from L.A. where there’s a flea market in nearly every neighbourhood, ever since I moved to Vancouver, I’ve been seriously missing this culture. There’s the indoor one on Terminal, but it’s a bit hit or miss and you get the urge to promptly wash your hands after leaving (this was before the remodel, I actually haven’t been back in a while). Of course, I absolutely adore the Beggars Banquet, but I’d call it more of a boutique flea — where you can definitely expect a serious deal here and there, but you should anticipate paying for the quality and selection that you’re going to find there. The Eastside Flea has the hopes of being more of a mixed bag — perhaps the medium between these two and it’s being fashioned after the Brooklyn Flea in New York. Come check it out; I’ll have a spot where I’m going to offload some serious goods at just $5 a pop!!

I was also sick for a while, the house has been torn up due to the landlord’s “repairs” being done, and some other things — but not to worry, I’m still alive and we’re well. Actually, to be fair, some great things have been going on, too. The most prominent activity spanning over almost all of this time, has been the process of interviewing and choosing a team of fourteen people that will accompany us to Tanzania this summer as part of a short-term mission through Westside Church. If you are reading this, YOU are one of the wonderful people that can help through prayers and monetary donations toward our mission; anything and everything helps.

It’s that time again and I’m so excited!! Beggars Banquet is happening this weekend and we’re in a new building for 2013. I cant wait to get back into it since the last one in November, and I’m going to have my friend, Michelle, there with me all weekend since hubs is out-of-town. I just might have all kinds of new treasures to show you; better come see!!

I’ve said this before to people and they just throw a look of disbelief, but it’s true: I don’t own any sweatpants, no flannel bottoms, no “painting clothes”, no I-wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-that-outside-of-the-house clothes; it’s my fail-safe because I’m just as lazy as anyone can be, but if I don’t want to get out of my pyjamas to go walk the dog real quick or run to the store for some milk, I’m already ready already.

It’s not as hard as it might sound; I wear old sundresses and jersey maxis, oversized tees and sweatshirts with leggings, kimonos — always, and most recently I added this to the PJ drawer, a ginormous Dolce & Gabbana men’s shirt that I thrifted this past summer. I bought it with the intention of reselling it, but then realized it is quite large and surely would sit for a while before anyone would give it a chance. Cut to a montage of nearly every 90′s love story where the girl wears the boyfriend’s shirt to bed and I’m sold. Try it out, go thrift yourself a designer men’s shirt to wear to bed and see if you don’t feel like a 90′s Meg Ryan as well.

My love affair with photobooths started before I was old enough to drive; the magazine stand that I used to frequent in Burbank with my friends had — I think still has — a color machine there. Most of what I have left from those days got water damaged in storage… Oh. For. Shame. These photo strips of the hubs and I are pasted up in our hallway, amongst many other nostalgic pieces that remain from our collective pasts. They were taken around L.A. during our first year of marriage. I came across this website — well it’s more of an homage to the photobooth. Photobooth.net documents all things photobooth related: media, like film and television they pop up in, art exhibits, info on renting a machine for your event — but the best, absolute best part us that they have a locator. You can search any area to see if there’s a photobooth near you. I freaking love this and I know I said I don’t do resolutions, but I really want to try to get back into the habit of photoboothing it up whenever I see one. There are some booths right in my backyard; I have no excuses not to. I mean, obvs there are “apps for that” — I like the interface of Photoautomat — but there’s just nothing like the real thing.