tell me one thing you would never do

I recently decided to spend some of the iTunes gift certificates I had been holding onto since xmas (don't ask me how that happened - usually I spurge on things right away) and figured the newest Metric album was a great place to start my spending!  I've been listening to Metric since about 2003 (which is an awfully long time when I think about it) and always enjoy their pop-y up beat tunes. Their album "Synthetica" is no exception and I have been listening to "Lost Kitten" on repeat for days now. You may think I've exaggerating, but after listening to the song 8 or 9 times during a trip to Langford Fraser actually told me, "I think it's time to switch to the next song."  *Sigh* I guess I'm a little obsessed. If you feel like getting hooked here's an online version to enjoy:

I actually looked at a few videos with the song on you tube and figured the stagnant image of the album cover was best. There was one with a shirtless dude dancing at night on a street but that one sort of disturbed me too much to link to.  I prefer skin covered up thanks! Ah well. I also didn't realize how terrible the lyrics are - but I seem to go for melody so I'll blame that for my addiction. I also really like singing along to songs and find listening to them on repeat for days is a great way to ingrain them in there. I'm sure by the end of the week I'll be over my little song crush and be on to something new - if not, consider this my formal apology Fraser - I hope this doesn't change your mind on our engagement.  How about you? Do you ever go nuts over a certain song or album?

In other news - I'm off to the Bastion Square Sunday Market yet again today! The forecast calls for lots of sun and sales so I'm stoked! Okay...climatologists aren't very good at predicting my craft sales...yet...we'll see how it goes...

February!

Why happy February lovely blog readers! With January flying by at record speed, I am ready for this month to the start with loads of fun and productivity! It is also a month for....asparagus!:


Oh I really like this months vintage food poster (and I love any excuse to eat more asparagus!) Nummers! Since we're on the vintage (and February) topic anyways - check out the amazing downloadable valentines Kate of Scathingly Brilliant shared:


Yup! Vintage cuteness and kittens! Double win! Plus although I am not a strong supporter of singles awareness day (a.k.a. Valentine's), I do like the excuse to make heart themed crafts! Hooray!

I'm happy to announce a new February playlist on the right side bar. I completely skipped updating it last month (if anyone noticed...) since I didn't seem to spend any time in my craft (and thus computer) room. I guess all my visiting and healing means all lap top time for me and since Fraser's lovely portable computer is ancient, it isn't up to date with my current music crushes. I also feel that this month is all about singing with your eyes closed so I selected a few favourites for just such circumstances. Mind you...I rarely need an excuse for that...

As far as other things going on this month, it's my mom's birthday, reading break for Fraser, and (extra exciting!!!) a car load of lovely ladies coming to visit me on the 23rd! Yipee! Friends! I can't wait! What about you? What do you have planned for February?

Pen Down

I listen to BBC Radio 1 all day at work, and there is a presenter by the name of Zane Lowe. He takes time from his chatty ways to stop talking and just play songs in a feature called 'mic down'. It is a lovely way to get lost in the music without the DJ popping in between each song.

Since I don't have a microphone, Lets call this Pen Down:

Lucy Rose.

Pat LePoidevin.

Emily and The Woods.

Have a lovely Thursday.

Blogerado

Hello there blog friends! Guess what? I've been having the most magical weekend with the wonderful Lindsay and Rifflandia has been fabulous! Yesterday we did some discount shopping followed by a day in the park with Glosettes, yellow benches, and sweet tunes! After watching Hollerado's set Linds told me we'd have to go home and watch the video. So we did...and it is everything you could ever ask for in a music video. So I thought I'd share it with you. In fact, I even think my mom will enjoy it:

Do do do do do do! Isn't it fun? I loved it! Happy Sunday! How's your weekend going?

what i wore: elliott brood

So in case you hadn't already noticed - I am ridiculously bad at blogging about outfit posts right after I wear them. I'm new to the realm of fashion blogging and although I have a whole closet (that is still not fully unpacked) of budget finds and fabulous accessories I struggle with actually remembering to take pictures of myself and usually have to bribe someone into trying to catch a shot of my with my eyes open. Perhaps that will be a bit easier with my new tripod my parents got me for my bday (thanks Mom and Dad!), but we'll see if I will get any faster at showing you my outfits. I often wonder how daily (or at least bi weekly) bloggers manage to keep up with all their images and I do wonder if they preschedule posts and just lie about when they wore them...any insight? As for me, I'm not someone who is very good at smudging the truth so I fully admit that this outfit is from the beginning of August. Let's go:

Ever since I first saw Elliott Brood perform at the Roots and Blues Festival three summers ago I've been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to see them again! Not only do they play a wicked banjo, they have this raspy upbeat sound that has been described as both "death country" and "black grass." Sound interesting? I think so. I fully recommend listening to all of their amazing songs (for free! On CBC Radio 3!) and getting addicted to them too! I was certainly stoked when I heard they were coming to Kamloops in August so I wrestled up some friends (conveniently Jim, Lindsay, and Wendy were free and all attended that same roots and blues festival where they played)! Yay! Also the perfect opportunity for me to wear my new lacy shirt:


So that isn't the most flattering picture I've ever seen, but I did have fun playing around the old trains by the park. I also thought this was a noteworthy outfit since:

1) When I saw this shirt in the store, Jim told me it was hideous and that I shouldn't bother trying it on

2) After trying it on, loving it, and then buying it (for full price - which rarely ever happens for me), Fraser told me that, "that isn't a Kate shirt!" Aren't I allowed to branch out a bit?

3) Both Jim and Fraser told me I couldn't wear red shoes and a purple bag together in the same outfit. Too bad boy-os. I like to break the rules.

I also really enjoy the selection of random bangles I mixed up to go with the outfit. I love stacking bracelets. I need to wear them more often.


Even though this is (again) not the most fabulous picture, I was so in love with the dusk lighting that I had to show you how crazy my hair colour looked that night:


I'm not sure why, but I always imagine myself as a brunette and when I see images or reflections of myself I am often shocked at how light and red my natural hair colour is. No complaints though! I do enjoy my atypical thick tresses!

Outfit details: lace black tank = smart set, grey jersey skirt = plum (sale rack many years ago), flower studs = made by me, purple clutch = h&m, stacking bracelets = collected over the last nine years, red flats = aldo

Even though the opening band left much to be desired, Elliott Brood was just as lovely as they were a few years ago and surely enough I was hand clapping and dancing along with the crowd! I am so excited for their new album to come out next month and if you ever get a chance to see them - take it, it is well worth it.

June!

Looks like 2011 is flying by with the arrival of June! I'm super excited for the added sunshine and daylight this month promises and (hopefully) some nice summery weather! In anticipation for the smoldering heat wave we could potentially receive, I have 1) purchased beach towels and 2) added "Hot in Herre" (the Jenny Owen Youngs cover) to the new monthly playlist! Not only is the song a hilariously good version of Nelly's original, but it also discusses the June month trend of high temperatures, and has cool singing antlered puppet heads in the video! That's a triple threat if you ask me! Take a listen:

I've also added a nice sprinkle of some old and new favs to the playlist which I highly recommend checking out if you're in for a musical treat. I'm also quite excited for my dear Fraser's bday this month (eep 31!) and my (usual) frantic search for a suitable birthday present for the impossible to buy for Fraser.

I'm contemplating adding a few new post features to the blog this month and would love your help in the decision making! What would you like to see more of on here? What posts do you enjoy that I have right now? (ie. images, projects, subject matter?) I aim to please!

Hooray! May!

Holy crap. It's May. Not totally sure where the month of April disappeared to but time is sure flying! All those April showers we had (well more like snow falls) did bring at least one May flower to my yard:


I thought it was sort of funny how the only bloom in our yard was a rogue tulip on the side of the grass and not in one of the many flower beds. It sure is pretty though - just check out that pop of colour:


Woo hoo! I planted a few mystery bulbs my Mom was throwing out last fall and we have a few daffodils in the front garden/weed patch. I germinated and planted a whole slew of seeds too so I'll be sure to keep you all posted on my green thumb progress (if there is any).

Now for the exciting-ness of the month of May! This month get ready for:

1) A new May playlist! This month's music celebrates my new found love for Eliza Doolitte, Adele, Avalanche City, and Ingrid Michealson while reminiscing with some old favourites! Yay!

2) My use of capitalization. Even if I am quite fond of lowercase, I've decided to switch it up and start capitalizing proper nouns. I know, I'm a rebel. Also - this will make Leslie happy.

3) Speaking of my sister - she's coming to visit and bringing my adorable one sock wearing niece Jean! Hooray! Auntie Kate time at last!

4) My first venture over the border! That's right! Fraser and I are going on a cruise with Fraser's work this month! We head to Vancouver this week, fly down to LA, and start up our cruise up the coast of the US this weekend! How exciting! We'll be stopping in San Fransisco, Astoria, Seattle, and Victoria then finishing up the trip when we return to Vancouver! I'm hoping some of you lovely readers can give me some tips so if you have any suggestions for things to see/do in any of those places please let me know! I'm pretty clueless when it comes to travel but I do have a selection of jersey cotton outfits ready for a comfortably airy trip.

5) I'm *hoping* to have 11 wonderful craft projects ready for all of you to read about while I am away on my 11 day vacation. I really loved the reaction from brooch week so I figure my wonderful readers might as well have a treat while I'm away! Fun!

6) May also means the arrival of the May long weekend and this year my whole family is getting together for a memorial celebrating my Grandma Jean! It will be the first time Fraser will get to meet many of my extended family and although memorials aren't the cheeriest of occasions, I'm sure it will be a great time!

7) May also = spring! and summer just around the corner! Hooray! Let's pack up the warm layers and replace them with airy ones! Also bring on the sunscreen and freckles!

8) Even though I've been saying this for a few months now...I'm also hoping to get around to tweaking the blog a bit and potentially bring in a few new types of posts! Exciting!

Whew! What a month I've got planned! What are you up to this month?

Friday Find: pool pony & april!

This week's find is etsy's pool pony design - a shop that makes super cute modern styled prints in amazingly fabulous colours. Just check out the chubby bird conversation going on in this print featured in an etsy success email:


Oh those colours! I just love the muted tons and gray tone neutrals! Plus since I've already predicted geometric prints to be all the rage for 2011 the conversation bubble fits in nicely to the crafty trends! Hooray - and if you like slightly more stylized images check out pool pony's fox, bird, cat prints:


How cute! At first I was a little shocked to see so few sales from such a charming shop - but they just opened for business a week ago! No wonder! Now I just need to get myself a house and an unlimited budget and I'll be all over these prints! In the meantime I'll stick to drooling over them. What do you think?

In other news! It's april! At last the month has arrived where the weather actually starts to take a turn for the warmer and the layers slowly peel off (well...not really...I'm usually cold no matter the temperature...). This month I plan to keep busy working on my own crafty projects, potentially playing around with blog design (I bet I'll be saying this often and then never get to it), and *exciting news* making a large crafty purchase! I'll be sure to keep you posted as the buying progresses! We even get to celebrate the new month with a new playlist! When I was compiling this month's soundtrack it was pretty much a direct copy of hey rosetta's new seeds album (which doesn't offer much variety now does it?), so I threw some old favourites on there for good measure! Happy april everyone! What are your big plans for the month?

March!

February is a deceivingly short month. The past 28 days seemed to just fly by and finally we're onto the month of spring! I'm hoping the old wives' tale doesn't come true this march and this month will come in and go out as a lamb - but I certainly enjoy the lamb/lion pairing on my calendar:


March promises to be a super awesome month with a whole slew of happenings including:

1) a new march soundtrack (featuring some new favourites)

2) mother mother's new album "eureka" comes out (which I may have a sneak copy of and absolutely love)

3) the first day of spring! (and not a moment too soon - goodbye winter)

4) my sister's 30th bday (what in the world am I going to get her/I hope you like belated presents les)

and

5) my fabulous finds craft show! hooray! take a peek at the fabulous poster:


Eee! I'm so excited (slash super stressed out about all the crafts I need to get done in time)! I'm aiming to have the majority of my preparations done by about the 18th leaving a week to do some final touch ups. That is a pretty bold goal (judging by how little I have done at this point) but I am always up for a challenge! What does march hold for you?

Hello February!

Another new month and another new playlist for the blog! So far 2011 has opened me up to a plethora of new albums to enjoy (very much needed after what seemed like a never ending musical slump) and hopefully this trend will continue! Hooray!

February also seems to be the month where I get really tired of winter and snow and remind myself that spring is just around the corner (at least I hope so)! It also has a few landmarks including my mom's bday (only 20 shopping days left) and (of course) valentines day! I've decided to break out of my usual anti-valentines ways and embrace the fact that february 14th is, if nothing else, a really good excuse for some added craftiness in our lives. It also gives me the opportunity to stop failing as a pen pal and send out some belated snail mail replies! Perhaps even some science themed valentines? I'm loving the darwin card from the intersection blog:


Hehe! Ok chances are I'm more likely to buy valentines and spend that extra time I saved preparing for my next craft show! Yeah! What does february hold for you?

the grass is getting greener with you

Lately I've been in a music slump. With not much spare time to do much of anything I haven't had a chance to peruse the music scene or see any live shows. In fact (not that I think anyone noticed) I didn't even put up a january playlist until the 10th or so! (*gasp*)! Luckily my good friend grant lawrence (ok, he's more of an imaginary friend) and cbc radio 3 pulled me out of my slump with a lovely show anticipating the awesome new releases from some wonderful canadian bands (so excited for new mother mother and elliott brood by the way)! Hooray! New music for 2011! Grant also introduced me to the wonderful jenn grant, a halifax native whose pop folk wonderfullness is amazingly catchy (and much needed for my lull musical days)! The next day hannah georgas (another good/imaginary/"I wish I was that cool" friend) linked me to jenn's music video for "getcha good" and I was hooked. Talk about a deep down feel good fun video - take a moment and watch:

Doesn't it make you want to get all your friends and neighbours together for some homemade music video making? Well...maybe that's just me...but regardless I am totally swooning over jenn grant and her entire 2011 honeymoon punch album (parliment of owls is my second fav song)! Success! Musical slump no more! Now to go find some gum boots, a really loud stereo, and a corner to do choreographed dancing on! Who's in?

Eep!

After reading AJ the Purple's blog post yesterday morning I came to the a scary realization - there is less than a week before xmas! Eep! And with such little time left I also realized that I only really have one day off work where I can prepare for the big day! (Double eep!) So instead of breaking into panic I've decided I should just focus on all the awesome things that have been going on lately instead and worry about the preparations later. Sounds like the perfect plan right? Good! Let's go!

Awesome thing #1: I managed to wrap my gift exchange present! I certainly hoped I was going to pull that one off (especially since the exchange was last night) and I sort of drew inspiration from yesterday's blog post. Check out yarn and doily wrapped present:


A little bit of a doily overload under that tree of mine but who can say no to a good doily? (Answer = clearly not me) If I had a little more time to put it together I'm sure it would have been slightly more impressive (and probably include a few pom poms) but I am pleased with how it turned out! Hopefully it was a hit at the party too!

Awesome thing #2: Joel Plaskett is following me on twitter! This seriously made my day on friday! Next step? Sway him into purchasing something of mine from etsy and have celebrity exposure! Forget photoshopping Dan Mangan...Joel could do it for free!


Awesome thing #3: Xmas cards! One of the best things about this time of year is all the mail you get! I've acquired some xmas gems too, take a peek:


Awesome thing #4: Blooming xmas cactus! After a disappointing relocation of bob (my ficus - since apparently they can't handle cold bursts of air and shouldn't be by doors) I was so happy to see that my cactus is doing well! So pretty:


Hooray! Fun awesome things! Now to stay calm and frantically make it through the rest of the holiday alive! How is your xmas preparation coming along?

cute video for you!

Jim showed me this video he came across after watching a ton of Micheal Bernard Fitzgerald clips on you tube. Not sure how that linked him to M. Ward's "Chinese Translation", but it has been stuck in my head ever since! Enjoy:

So cute! I want to learn how to do animation so I can make music videos. I'm particularly inspired to make a video for The Burning Hell's "Last Winter" involving thumbs up yeti....but that does seem like an awful lot of work...maybe someday...

Road Trip: Vancouver

Just as I mentioned on saturday, lindsay and I made a return trip down to vancouver to see yet another concert! It turned into another amazing whirlwind one night stay with loads of laughs, memories, and (of course) the lovely music of dan mangan! Big highlights of the trip included:

1) Winter! Where did you come from? Oh right..the high elevation cold wet weather of the coquihalla! It was so pretty and the roads weren't even that bad! Woo!


2) Amazingly fun shopping with quinn! Just check out those rows of sequins:


So good! I managed to contain my crafting excitement and just took home a pom pom maker (the 3rd one I've come across). I am definitely excited to see how quinn's sequin projects turn out too...

and
3) Concert! Amazingly fantastic dan mangan concert!!!


Dan was awesome as always and this performance was particularly exciting with an extra six person strings section to amp up the fun! It appears as though every time I see dan he keeps adding members to his band. First time in victoria he was solo, in kelowna he had a three member band, and then in vancouver there were ten of them!! Well eleven at one point...and fourteen come encore. So much to absorb! So much awesome! If you ever get a chance to see him live snap up that opportunity. You won't be disappointed. I promise...oh..and no sign of the buttons I gave him last year...but there is still time...

Robot Love

Robots are awesome. I especially enjoy love robots (being robots designed for love as demonstrated by the little hearts they have on them) and as such have created a wide range of love robot products over the years including:

1) tea cozies

2) pocket mirrors/buttons/magnets


3) coffee sleeves


4) cell phone charms

and
5) art/postcards!


Yup - quite the number of love robots! I am also very fond of music and especially fond of the "robots need love too" music of dan mangan! So much so that I even gave him a set of my love robot buttons when I saw him last february!


and here he is wearing them!:


Okay...so I photoshopped the buttons in there...but a girl can dream right? But hey! I'm not the only one with this obsession! Three separate ladies who attended my craft show last weekend asked me if my love robot items were inspired by dan mangan's music and I got the lovely pleasure to tell each one of them about how dan owns his very own set of my robot buttons! Okay, I guess that doesn't make them as obsessed as me..since they didn't alter photographs of him or anything...but they did put the two together which I thought was pretty cool...

Anyways - long robot rambling aside, lindsay and I are headed down to vancouver today to see dan perform again! And at the vogue even (where we saw the most wonderful mumford and sons a few weeks ago)! Maybe he'll have the button on then for me to photograph! Okay, probably not but he does put on one heck of a good show! And to get you in the robot mood - check out dan's robots video:

Admittedly that is the first time I've actually seen that video...and it is...odd. Pretty heartwarming at the end though - and bonus - the battle robot team is actually members of the other vancouver band said the whale (who I saw in september)! Fun! Wish me luck at the dan show!

November!

Hello November! A month full of my big craft show (so excited), crazy preparation for xmas, a trip back to vancouver to see Dan Mangan, another trip to vancouver with fraser & his mom, a new blog playlist, and (of course) a much anticipated new kittens inspired by kittens calendar page:


I think this might be my favourite of the whole calender - and is really making me sad that the year is almost over! Quinn - not sure how you'll top that one. I am really looking forward to a busy month and I'm even hoping to finally get around to taking you on a blogging tour of my new(ish) residence! At last! Oh! And throw a belated house warming in there and we'll be set! Busy times! Oh! And stay tuned - double blog posts today (this one and another at 7am)! Happy November!

Road Trip: Vancouver

Just as I mentioned on saturday, my friend lindsay and I made an overnight super fun trip down to vancouver this past weekend! Minus the slightly rough start (I scratched my cornea the night before and had a late night hospital trip), the trip was a success! We got to fit in a little shopping, a wonderful visit to our friend quinn's new 16th floor pad, and (of course) the most fantastic mumford & sons concert:


My goodness they were phenomenal! You could certainly feel the excitement from the crowd who sang and clapped along to every single moment of mumford's amazingness. Looks like British nu-folk is about to takeover the music scene! Even the vancouver sun's article on the show agrees! I'm sure I could go on and on about how awesome they were but I'm sure you don't need that much repetition from me...in fact, I ended up with 129 pictures from the show (I told you I wanted to bring my camera this time) and when I was going through them I originally had six pictures I was going to include. Perhaps a little overboard, but the vogue theatre was certainly the perfect venue. I really enjoyed their setup and the lighting changes were lovely. Check out the sweet stringed lights they had (just like their little lion man video):


So good! If you ever come across the chance to see this band do it! They don't disappoint! Now to go listen to mumford & sons on repeat for a few more hours and reminisce...*sigh*

More Banjo!

Time to take a little break from my hectic crafting schedule and take a mini road trip down to vancouver to see the most banjo-tastic band - Mumford & Sons:


Hooray! Why yes you may recall a similar trip down to the coast I took in May to do pretty much the same thing - but this band is so fantastic I just couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity! Luckily lindsay was on the ball and got us some tickets before they sold out too! I'm looking forward to some hand-clapping good times as we sit in awe of mumford & sons pure awesomeness. I mean how many times do you see the lead singer belt out the tunes while playing guitar and kick drum? Probably not often enough...take a peek at one of my favourite songs of theirs (be warned - foul language involved! Not for the kiddies!):

Oh so good! And terribly exciting for me! I hope to also fit in a little shopping, visiting, and transportation of hazardous goods in there and be back tomorrow night to get back to crafting! That craft show is looming right around the corner after all...but since I somehow managed to sprain my left wrist cutting out felt, this weekend trip might be a nice little break from all the slave labor! Hey! Maybe I will even manage to take a few pictures of the band this time! Woo!

Banjo-tastic!

As you may recall, back in mid-july I did a post about the awesome webcomics/cut out strips of "my cardboard life" (if you don't remember - you can check it out here). Well I (obviously) still really enjoy the comics and they constantly make my day with their hilarity! (Especially since my most favourite webcomic "the unfeasible adventures of beaver and steve" has been on hiatus since 2008). When I came across my cardboard life's latest comic I just had to share it with all of you:


Yay! Successfully combining cardboard colin and an angry looking pink banjo playing polar bear! Priceless! And providing a convenient transition for me to chat about banjos for a while! Double win!

If you're an avid kate blog reader you may have noticed my obsession with banjos (perhaps in one of my previous eight posts I've mentioned them in...). Well yes. Banjos are pretty super rad in my eyes and learning to play one is part of my resolutions for the year! So since I've already been doing such a great job of blogging every day and breaking into the world of craft shows - it is time for the banjo!

First step of banjo playing wonder? Purchasing a banjo! Which...I did a few months ago. So far banjo really seems to enjoy chilling out in its case (by that back door we have never used):


Poor banjo. Unfortunately with the move and crazy hectic craft sale schedules I haven't had much spare time to get to the second step of banjo playing and actually learn it - but not to worry! There is still time before we hit 2011! I even bought some banjo playing books on amazon and have a musical genius of a friend who is willing to show me the ropes! Plus it is so pretty! Take a look at banjo out of its case:


Fun! I am totally destined to reach my goal of being the coolest 30 year old banjo playing crafty woman in kamloops! Heck! I've got 4 whole years to get there! And even if I haven't really gotten to playing the banjo yet, I do enjoy how gorgeous it is. Check out those charming flowery/heart details on the frets:


*Sigh* I figure once the xmas crazy craft selling season is over I will have a whole month to pick it up and awe the world with my plinking skills! But I do have quite the number of craft projects on my to do list...so...we'll see how that works for me...

i < 3 kate miller-heidke

As I hinted at a few days ago with my mini break recap - there was one performer I saw during my weekend at rifflandia that topped the rest! In fact, this artist was so magnificent that I could have only seen her and it would have made the entire trip worthwhile! Bold statement? Perhaps - but believe me, once you fall for australian singer/songwriter kate miller-heidke there is no turning back! In fact I'm so overwhelemed with kmh's awesomeness that I've dedicated this entire blog post to her so I can hopefully inspire you to check her out as well! Woo!

We first caught a listen of kate during friday afternoon's war child benefit unplugged show and she was so amazingly awesome (with her darling guitarist/husband keir nuttall) that 1) we felt it necessary to tackle her down after the performance to purchase her cd and 2) we rearranged our saturday night plans to see her perform at market square (and no, my pictures from the night weren't this rad - this one is from the rifflandia gallery):


Our festival guides described her as "australian regina spektor" and they didn't lie! She's catchy, quirky, and super talented with a range of "stick in your head for the next week" songs I certainly can't get enough of! Plus she works in opera vocals like no other...check out her singing "politics in space" a song she wrote about sadly missing out on the 60's:

*Sigh* So lovely! But don't stop there - see her (and her super odd colour changing pore strip) with "can't shake it", or some live performances of "are you f*cking kidding me" or the britany cover of "toxic". Yup. Amazing. Enjoy.