Birthday Cards, Mais Oui!

Birthday cards are finally in the shop! French versions will be available soon.  You could say I was somewhat inspired by my parents' recent trip to Paris. Maybe someday, Matt and I will get to visit the famed City of Love.  Au revoir for now!

Duplo & Doubles

Ever since my sister gifted Whitney with 2 sets of Duplo, it has not only become part of her daily vocabulary, but also part of the daily routine for Whit.  Her day is not complete if she has not built a house or tower.  A lot of the time on her own, but usually there is a request that mommy or daddy play with her.  

On another note, the other day, while Whitney and her daddy were doing a google search for pictures of her Auntie Audrey, they found this beautiful painting (below, left).  It's entitled Audrey with Teddy Bear by an artist named Xi Pan.  I couldn't help but gasp when they showed me the image, as it bears a striking resemblance to Whitney.  That bear she's holding could be her beloved pink kitty cat.  Matt calls it the painting of Whit, but of course it's not her since it was done even before she was born.  There are a handful of other paintings with children by the artist, but mostly she paints women, either nude or clothed.  I recommend checking out her work.

What's new, Pussycat?

Things on the shop front have been pretty quiet this month, so I've been focused on organizing things around the home the past few weeks and working on some new designs. Here are some shots of my newly reorganized office. 

Matt took it upon himself to paint the basement a few weekends ago - from a pukey pink to clean white - so his home office and my studio space now look a whole lot better.  I have yet to get some pictures though.  

I also finally set up my facebook page.  Still not the best with social media, but I'm trying to make an effort to grow my business 

this year.

Speaking of which, I have a bit of press in the new issue of Modern Dog of all places.  My C is for Cat print is among some other great cat products.  I am so wanting to get the sleek Modkat litter box for Suki and Dex, but wonder if they will adjust well to it and if it will make a difference in how often we clean it. (um, yeah, we are pretty bad for a 2 cat household)

Anywho, I'll be back soon with a look at what I've been working on and more peeks around our home.

Slowly but Surely

I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace keeping up with things these days. Christmas is just over a month away and I only listed my first holiday item in the shop today.

More things are in the works and will hopefully be ready for listing by the weekend.

How other moms juggle their creative workload with their mothering duties without extra help, I don't know. Most days I don't get nearly as much work done as I'd like (or plan) to, either because a little someone wakes up early from her nap, or else because that little someone wants me to play with her. But that's life. Plus how can I resist this face?

Whitney is getting better at playing on her own these days though... five or ten minutes if I'm lucky, as opposed to her previous window of 1 or 2 minutes. Funnily enough, a mother I met while out last week said the solution for a less needy child was to have another! Ha!

And if all else fails, get daddy to help out :)

A Zoo (Birth)Day!

This year we spent my birthday (last Saturday) taking Whitney to the Toronto Zoo for the first time. As we don't own a car and neither Matt nor I like to drive in the city, we ttc'ed it there and back. One way was about 75 minutes by bus, subway and bus again, so it was quite a long haul. Thankfully we have been blessed with a pretty easygoing and chill little girl - she must take after her daddy :) - who despite skipping her nap, was in good spirits right up until her bedtime.

She got to see so many of her favourite animals…






And enjoy some cake too.



If you're able to count all the candles on the cake, you'll see I'm now 36.

If I've learned anything this past year, it's to not be so hard on myself and on the ones I love. Of course that's something I'm continually working on.

I'm also striving to appreciate living in the moment, to cherish these first few years of our daughter's life, when everything is new to her, and she is learning so much and becoming her own little person.

Whitney has recently started talking in short little sentences and surprised me the other day by saying "Thank you, Mommy" after I gave her some crayons. It was so sweet and unexpected.

In the evening we watched this documentary which had me shedding many a tear and got me thinking about some things that I haven't really thought about yet. When you're in the moments of overwhelm, it's sometime hard to appreciate time with your little one. Especially as a self-employed work-at-home mom. But this movie certainly reminded me that our kids are only young for a little while. So if it means shifting my focus for a few years, then so be it. Not always an easy thing to remember when my ego (and work) gets in the way.

Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. Bye for now!

Wedding Recap

Although I brought my camera on our trip out west, I didn't take a whole lot of photos at my sister's wedding.

I was too busy holding Whitney...

most of the time.

But I liked the photos I did take, most of them being candid shots. I think they always look so much nicer than the posed ones.

My sister (in one of her 5 outfits)

A proud papa looking on

Paparrazi :)

Paparazzi shot

The officially married happy couple (2 ceremonies later)

The whole wedding was beautiful and entertaining. My sister looked amazing in all her outfits and her husband must have felt like a king, getting to ride in on a horse as part of the traditional Indian Barat.

As with any wedding, there were a few hiccups, but my sister and her husband did a stellar job as they were their own wedding planners. They had a big wedding - about 200 people - compared to Matt's and mine. I only wished that I could have helped them out more beforehand. But at least I carried out the one responsibility my sister gave me - a sister of the bride speech - which was a daunting task for a very introverted individual like myself.

Thankfully all the hours I spent thinking of what to write paid off and the speech went over quite well, even though I was shaking like a leaf and fighting back tears through a lot of it. My sister said she was tearing up after the first line, so as long as she was touched, that's what mattered. A big thank you to my own husband for helping me tweak it and prompting me to put in directives, like "smile", lest I forget.

And another happy couple (& wee one)

And speaking of weddings, it's our 4th anniversary today. I think I'm going to wear my tutu skirt again tonight when we go out for dinner. Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

The Important Things

Things have been quiet on the shop front this past week, but I've been soaking in the sun and doing my best to focus on the important things in life.

Not every day is as lovely as my second Mother's Day was.

And certainly not every moment...

But good or bad, I'm reminded on a daily basis that it's no longer all about me, and the type of day I'm having.

And I'm very thankful for that.

Year of the Rabbit

This is the new design I mentioned in the previous post. How could I not celebrate the year of the rabbit, when I myself am one? Even though 2011 has already begun, each year I love that there is also the Chinese New Year to ring in. I'm excited about all that's ahead; you can read about my latest news here.

Looks like I'll be ordering Chinese takeout tonight for Whitney and me, as Matt will be working late. But dim sum for all tomorrow. Hopefully our little one will be feeling better then. She got her first fever and has not been her usual cheery, energetic self.

Anyways, Happy Chinese New Year!

11 and 1

my awesome new planner

Before January turns into February, here are 11 Goals for 2011:

1. Update my blog at least once a week.

2. List a new item in my etsy shop at least once a month.

3. Get some printed press.

4. Drink more water.

5. Make at least one new painting/illustration/design a month.

6. Enroll in a mom and baby class and/or get Whitney into a playgroup.

7. Dress up at least once a week.

8. Date night with Matt once a week.

9. Reconnect with friends, meeting with at least one friend once a month.

10. More belly rubs and chin scratches for Suki and Dex.

11. Grow my business.

And Whitney turned 1 today.

(pardon the terrible blurry photo)

We enjoyed a low-key day together, skyping with family, and eating cake.

Yum!

Too Funny Not to Share

the picture we're referring to

Our conversation as we're getting Whitney ready for bed tonight (slightly paraphrased):

Matt: So we should hang the picture above the dresser.
Me: Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
Matt: There's definitely studs in this wall. I'm not sure about this one. (touching other wall)
Me: Did you already check that wall? I thought they (previous owner's) had a picture up on that wall.
Matt: Yeah, but that was pretty iffy. (banging on wall and the sound of falling rubble) I think it's hollow. Did you hear that?
Me: Yeah. (eyebrows frowning) Above the dresser is definitely the safest place for the picture.
Matt: Well, as long as you find where the studs are, that's the safest place to hang something... That's why you feel so safe with me, cuz I'm a stud.
Me: (on the floor, dying of laughter)

Whitney: waah!

Night night :)

Hello... December!

Wow! Is it December already? Where does the time go?

Office Sneak Peek

My mother-in-law recently reminded me that I haven't updated my website in a while... ahem, like since January. Or at least certain pages on it, like my bio, ie. not mentioning anything about Whitney.

Well, like Stacey, life (ie. looking after a little rugrat 12+ hours a day, running my business, screenprinting for others, cooking - on occasion, cleaning - ugh!, quality time with hubby, alone time for me - what's that?, tlc for the kitties - um, need to work on that!, moving, etc.) has got in the way of regular website and blog updates this year... there's always next year. I haven't really made or followed New Year's resolutions in some time, but I think 2011 deserves at least a few.

But I'm getting ahead of myself already. It's still 2010! And Christmas is still a few weeks away, so there's still time to pick up a few stocking stuffers from my shop.

Like these:

Bad Kitty Undies

Or these:

Owl and Pussycats Stickers

And these, added to the shop today:

Horoscope Girls Sticker Set

Check the shop tomorrow for a last-minute holiday item.

Off to bed now. Good night!

It's been a Whirlwind

Literally!
It was so windy one night last week that the neighbour's gazebo was picked up and dropped in our backyard.

And I spend much of my day picking up after Whitney.

I never really understood the whole "picking up after their kids" phrase... until now.

Our house is coming together, though. The boxes have all been moved to their respective locations. And I moved my office downstairs - even though I love the room originally designated as Matt's and my shared office space (pictured below in its former state) - as that is where Whitney and I are most of the day.

I will share photos of our personalized spaces in the coming weeks, as we complete each room. So crazy that Halloween has come and gone already this year and Christmas will be here soon! Best get my butt in gear for the holidays.

Oh, and if you're wanting to find out a little more about me and my business, here's an interview I did a while back, that was just posted last week on a cute site.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and your extra hour (for those with daylight savings ending)! Fingers crossed that Whitney does not wake early tomorrow, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Not Much Time for Sleeping or Blogging

It's hard to believe that it's only been 2 weeks since we moved into our new home. Feels like forever and a day ago, with all the non-stop work that we've been doing. Well, it was mostly Matt doing the majority of house-related work, while I looked after Whitney.

Moving day was a bit of a disaster. We were not prepared for it, as we had never moved with a baby before. Needless to say, it's a day we'd all like to forget about. And I don't think we will be moving anytime soon, unless we came into some big money and were able to hire all the help we needed.

We are still surrounded by boxes on the main floor, but a lot less than there were the first week or so. Matt's parents came up on Thanksgiving weekend and helped us out here and at our old place, as we had to finish moving stuff and do some major cleaning to stage it for selling. Even though we still managed to make time for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, I felt like it sort of came and went without a proper acknowledgment for all that I'm thankful for.

So a big, big thank you to my dear parents-in-law and to my dear, sweet, hard-working love!

We would not be where we are today, if not for all of your time and effort. Just take a look at some of the pictures of our sparkling clean and staged loft.





Pictures of the new home are coming. My camera was m.i.a. until a few days ago. And I've been busy running after an ever-curious and mobile 9 month old, so it's not easy to get much unpacking done, much less anything else.

Toodles for now.