happy long weekend!

Just like most other crafty vixens out there, I've fallen in love with the iphone photo editing app that the lovely ladies at A Beautiful Mess brought us! I've been playing around with it and thought it would be a great transition to share one of my creations with you while I'm away this happy long weekend visiting with family and friends and being spoiled in my bridal shower! How wonderful! Just look how excited little thumbs up yeti is for the mini vacation:

Hooray! Here's to hoping my little break is as wonderful as I hope it will be and that at very least I get a bit of rest in there... What are you up to this weekend? 

Vacation Recap! part III

Onto the last installment of my cruise vacation recap with days 8-11! Let's get to it:

Day 8 - After our day at sea on day 7, we made it to Astroia, Oregon. This was a super cute charming little town with a port that I fell in love with! I also really enjoyed all the crafty little shops they had (and giant Joann's Fabrics!) and their no sales tax! Ahhh! I went on quite the spree buying a few items for my shop/craft booth and really liked all the friendly small town people.

It was, however, a torrential downpour that day so our visit was a wee bit short. Fraser and I spent quite a while catching up on internet in a book store/espresso shop where we devoured some delicious chai lattes for $1.50 each! Ah! Add in the lack of taxes and you've got me sold. I was convinced that if the US had public health care I'd want to move to Oregon. It also really made me want to go to Portland and continue down the coast to see the red wood forests. *Sigh* Next time. I only managed to take one picture while we were there:


Yup - looks like your typical rainy town. The rain picked up quite a bit as we went back to the ship and got completely soaked running back. Luckily my craft supplies and fabrics were double bagged for safety! What fun!

Day 9 - The sun decided to join us again as we landed in Seattle. The ship was right by the Pike Place Market so a quick 10 minute walk and hike up some stairs and we were there:


It was a super neat place to check out and I loved looking at all the artisans and fresh tulips:


Aren't they pretty? We split up from the crew so I could stop by the first sbux and then further into downtown for some bargain shopping. I made my first trip into an Anthropologie (which, was very much, not a bargain store) but also stopped by another Forever 21, H & M, Old Navy, and Lush. I'm not sure why the US stores have way better prices on everything but they certainly do! I picked up a few things to get rid of the rest of my US funds and enjoyed our walk around the downtown area.

We met up with the crew for dinner at The Crab Pot, where you order massive amounts of crab and they plunk it on the table in front of you! It was hilarious! I enjoyed my giant mango cocktail and fish plate while laughing at everyone demolish their piles of food. What a good time! Then back to the boat to figure out how much we spend and prepare for customs!

Day 1o - Finally back in Canada we went to one of my favourite cities (and soon to be home come September) - Victoria! It was really nice to not have to worry about exchange rates and customs anymore and be able to wonder around a city without getting lost. I went to my favourite craft/wool shops with Fraser's mom at the start of our trip and then split up from everyone to do a little solo shopping. Fraser grabbed a book and read while I got to peruse chinatown and the local artisan shops:


I met back up with Fraser for lunch and we checked out a few of my favourite stops together. Fraser also bought me a wonderful (and sort of ridiculous) hat from Roberta's Hat Shop after he fell in love with it when the sales clerk and I were trying hats on. I figured I'd have to take a picture it in front of the Empress and look forward to sporting this at a few weddings this summer:


Okay, so that picture doensn't do the hat (or me) much justice but I assure you it is wonderful. Heather and I have decided to have a high tea party before I move this fall so we can dress up and give me another excuse to wear my hat! What fun!

After a long day we walked back to the boat to spend our last night and say a fond farewell to the Sapphire Princess:


Day 11 - Probably the longest day of the trip, we landed in Vancouver quite early in the morning. We had to be out our rooms by 8, then done with breaky by 9, and shuffled to our assigned meeting places by 10:15. Next we breezed through customs (woo hoo!) and ended in a mass pileup of crowds in Canada Place! Ack! I think it took us until at least 12 to find everyone and get out of the building (not at all as organized and smooth as the rest of the cruise) and finally Fraser and I took a skytrain to pick up the car. Then a few quick stops on 4th and wham! Time to head back home!

Man was that ever a fun vacation! I totally recommend cruises to anyone who dislikes packing and unpacking their suitcase since it gives you a great way to travel and see lots of places fairly quickly. I was pretty drugged up on anti-motion-sickness meds the whole time and never managed to get ill once (go me) but, as you all probably know, I've been suffering quite severely from my vertigo ever since! Eep! It was still well worth the trip! So, what do you think? Anyone else cruise before? Any recommendations for my next vacation?

Vacation Recap! part II

Yesterday I spilled the beans about days 1-3 of my mini break down south including watch buying, getting lost in the ghetto of LA, and loads of old bones! Today I'll continue my recap with days 4 - 7 of my trip!

Day 4 - Cruise time! Saturday we packed our bags yet again and headed off to the docks to board our cruise! We made a quick stop by Target before heading out (I've never been and loads of budget fashion blogs I read always buy stuff there) which was a treat! I love how inexpensive everything in the US is and since our dollar is stronger than theirs at the moment it makes the deals even more of a steal! Hooray!

It was only about a half hour shuttle to the docks and the Princess Cruise line people were immaculately organized! It seemed like a flawless boarding as we floated from the parking lot and baggage check, to check in, to finding out rooms (with our bags already there for us!). Our floor room taker (ok, so I don't know where they are called) even knew our names when we first met him! Wow! I was impressed! I apparently didn't take any pictures of our room or the ship when we arrived but it was lovely. It was a 15 floor giant and once we unpacked we met up with the other 18 people from our crew for drinks on the deck! What a day! Then it was off to an an amazing 5-course meal before and early bed. So much fun!

Day 5 - Sunday we made it to Santa Barbara where I was absolutely thrilled about visiting a new place without having to pack and unpack my bag anymore! We had to get to shore by boat but the cruise was still wonderfully organized and the trip was smooth. I also got to take a shot of our giant cruise ship on the way:


Yay! It was a glorious sunny warm day (with quite a breeze) and Fraser and I got to sit on the top of the little trolly boat and enjoy the sun! What a wonderful guy!


Once we got ashore there was a huge Sunday art market lining the lovely white beaches so we wandered along that for quite a while to check out the artisans! Oh the greenery of Santa Barbara! Just look at the gorgeous palm trees:


After a quick lunch, we walked our way downtown to check out the great shopping. I was thrilled to visit a Forever 21 and a few neat kitchen stores! I continues to gawk at the huge foliage everywhere (you should have seen the size of their succulents!) and fell in love with the birds of paradise flowers:


I also got to see a fig tree for the first time and quite a few pelicans too! What fun! The wind picked up quite a bit so we headed back to the ship and just about beat the rain! Day 5 was a success!

Day 6 - We got up extra early on Tuesday to stand on the deck as we arrived in San Francisco. Fraser's dad went on about going under the Golden Gate bridge so I figured it must be worth checking out. The decks were packed but I took a few pictures to capture the amazing moment:


Aha! Was that ever a neat bridge to go under! Oh and apparently I snapped a pic of one of the outdoor pools too:


You could even see Alcatraz from where we docked:


Oh what a great day that was! We walked our way down to Fisherman's Wharf and peeked in loads of the cute little shops. I got a few gifts here for my family and I really enjoyed the succulent crab structure they had:


The sea lions at Pier 39 were adorable too! A few of them were playing and trying to knock each other off the docks. Boy they were cute (and stinky):


Oh and look! Another crab:


Oh dear I'm a sucker for animals. We took a cab to delve a bit deeper into the city but unfortunately the shop I was hoping to hit up was closed (boo for being closed on a Monday!). Not all hope was lost since we found an amazing art supply store and got to see a bit of the hilly city! The architecture in San Fransisco was quite interesting and I'd love to come back here one day to spend a little more time (and going to Sausalito!). Take a peek at one of the pictures I took of Fraser's favourite tower:


It was such a wonderful day and after two days of walking I was ready to head back to the ship and call it a day!

Day 7 - Tuesday was a day at sea! It was pretty choppy water so even though I brought a crochet project I've been dying to start I wasn't really up for trying to figure out the new stitches it required. Instead Fraser and I spend the day (like most of our afternoons) lazing about on the upper decks of the indoor pool. It was super humid and warm - perfect for a cold person like me! Take a peek:


We also bought quite a few buckets of Dos Equis and played a ton of crib:


Oh it was so much fun! It also gave us a day for Fraser's skin to heal from his wicked sunburn he got in Santa Barbara:


Aww - poor guy. If only he had listened to me nag him about sunscreen! We also dressed up a bit for another dinner with the 18 other cruise takers and got super cheesy portraits taken. I think they turned out awful but Fraser's parents ended up buying a few (oh dear - I bet they will haunt me for many years to come).

*Whew!* What a whirlwind few days! Tomorrow I'll complete my vacation recap with part III! What do you think so far?

Vacation Recap! part I

My vertigo is showing no signs of departure from my poor body right now but I've decided to spill all the fun details of my wonderful vacation despite my dizziness! After all, you have been very patient with my filler posts the last few days and it has been an entire week since I've been home! Clearly we're long overdue for a cruise recap so let's get to it!

I've decided to split my recaps into three parts to cover the whole 1.5 weeks I was gone so today part I is going to include the first three days of our trip! Hooray!

Day 1 - Fraser and I drove to Vancouver after work. I frantically packed that morning (so not a typical Kate move - but it seemed to work out) and decided to go for a wardrobe consisting entirely of 1) cardigans, 2) tshirts (with undershirts...I always wear undershirts), 3) jersey skirts (or dresses), 4) tights and flats, and 5) cute accessories! I also spent the last moments before leaving trying to upload all of my vacation craft pictures so you would have blog posts to read while I was away. We made it to the coast super late after a fun trip of Beatles music sing-a-long and dark chocolate peanut M&M's (so good!).

Day 2 - We got up super early to catch a shuttle to the airport and I got to meet the other 16 lovely ladies we were going on the cruise with (since it was a work outing for Fraser's Dad's dental office). I got my exciting first trip through customs and even though we were still technically in Vancouver I was pretty stoked about the huge "Welcome to the United States" sign I got to walk under! What fun! I then spent the wait time finishing up my blog posts for the week on my trusty iPad:


There I am! Did you notice the outfit formula? I am thinking this combination is my tried and tested clothing option for supreme comfort without looking frumpy. Bonus? No annoying metal belts or difficult shoes to go through security with! Oh don't I look like a prepared flyer!

Then it was a quick 2.5 hour flight to L.A and we made it! No more rain and just blue skies and palm trees:


We got to our hotel fairly early in the day giving us enough time to walk across the street (yes, very convenient hotel placement) to Disneyland:


Okay - so with my level of motion sickness and budgeting we didn't actually go into Disneyland...but we did explore the downtown Disney shopping. They had immaculate grounds and loads of neat stores like a Lego one with huge Lego structures:


Fraser and I also spend a ton of time in the Fossil store (I thought of you the whole time Sarra) where I was hoping to find a replacement for my sad broken Fossil watch from last May (link). As it turned out they had loads of fun stuff to look at and Fraser bought me and himself new watches! Take a looksie:


So much fun! While all the dental assistants and hygienists went to an outlet mall, Fraser and I spent a while lounging on the fun rooftop pool! Then off to bed for an early start on Friday (our entire day in LA)! Woo hoo!

Day 3 - Today we decided to split from the group (who was really interested in going to Disneyland) and head to the supposedly wonderful LA Science Center. We called a cab to take us from Anaheim to downtown LA and although our cab driver claimed he knew where he was going, he definitely did not. We somehow went from the insane 12 lane highway (where motorcyclists buzz down the dotted center lines without helmets and make me cringe) to a super sketch neighbourhood that pretty much ended in the ghetto. Not all hope was lost! We survived the trip once the driver phoned and asked for directions (for the 4th or 5th time) and finally arrived at the science center! The verdict? The LA Science Center is made for 10 year olds...but I did enjoy the biology section with the aquariums and animals. Just check out that DNA molecule!:


We spend the rest of our day at the Natural History Museum which was amazing! If you're ever in the area (and have a cab driver who doesn't try to get you killed) I totally recommend it. It was a blast! They had loads of neat exhibits on animals from all over the world, a bug zoo, a huge rock collection, and loads of bones! Here's Fraser and his new friend:


Or how about a wall of antlers?


The building itself was quite impressive too! It was enormous and in the center there was a neat statue and stained glass work:


Isn't that pretty? Or how about the massive fin whale skeleton:


Man was the museum ever neat! And to think that fin whales aren't even the biggest of the whales! Boy the world we live in is fascinating! Oh, and don't let me forget to tell you about the cool bird section! Do I ever have a long way to go on my bird watching skills! Ah! So much fun!

After the long day we headed back to the hotel for an early night (again, I know, I'm an old lady!) to get ready for the cruise ship the next day! Tune in tomorrow for part II of my vacation recap! What do you think of part I? Has anyone else seen any cool museums I should check out?

Howdy Pilgrims!

Ok...so I'm recording losing on my blog posts these days. I'm usually all organized and pre-scheduled with cool projects and things to show you but this week apparently my mind is still on vacation because I am just not being productive enough and my to do list has run rampant! Eeps! I've decided (well Lindsay suggested) that I will reveal all the fun details of my week and a half vacation over the next few days so I can catch up on my sanity (while showing you loads of pictures from the trip!) Hooray for vicarious cruises for everyone! Here is my most "United States" looking picture of John Wayne and I in the airport in Orange County:


I really like how his hands look behind my head and of course the giant flag! What a warm welcome to the country to my south! Also - apparently I am ridiculously un-photogenic since most of our vacation pics have me with my eyes closed or a silly unattractive expression on my face so much sifting will be done before I share them with you. I also had a terrible rash all over my face for the first week of the trip which I conveniently photoshopped out of this image! Woo hoo for photo editing! Happy Thursday!

May Flower Studs

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers right? How about May flower stud earrings instead? Good - I'm glad you agree:


Yup, after a roaring success at my spring Fabulous Finds craft show in Kelowna I finally got around to making more flower stud earrings from a lovely selection of vintage cabochons! This time I went for more of the popular colours (pastels, pinks, red, black, and yellow) and am all set for the upcoming craft show summer season! I'm also hoping these little dears are consignment selling really well in Kelowna so I can drop a few more pairs off there once I'm back from the cruise (Leslie you wanted to go on a road trip right?)! Fun!

In other news, tomorrow is my departure with Fraser for our lovely May vacation! I've prepared 11 wonderful crafts for you to enjoy for the 11 days we'll be away so everyone will get a treat! When I decided to make all the crafts I certainly didn't realize what a huge amount of work it would be! I pretty much tapped out my creativity from brooch week not all too long ago and coming up with 11 original things to make and show you was a bit of a stretch (not to worry - I did manage to come up with something). It is also much harder to make 11 crafts in just a few days verses the 7 brooches in 7 days I did before (I know, go figure) but I'm hoping you will love seeing new projects while I am away on vacation! I've decided to keep my etsy shop open (as I may be posting some of my 11 vacation crafts up there if we have a reliable internet source) but won't be shipping out anything until we return on the 15th. Wish me luck on the cruise (motion sickness and all....) and I get ready for a week and a half of crafts by kate! Hooray! Are you excited?

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?

Road Trip: Vancouver

This past weekend I took a road trip to vancouver with fraser and his parents. We'd been planning this trip since before xmas but it ended up taking us until the end of january to find a time when we could all head down together! It seems that I failed to take my camera out of my suitcase for the entire trip (a much too common trend I seem to be keeping) so I don't have any pictures from the weekend (boo). And even if the stay was short, we certainly had a super great time and I even learned a few things (list time!):

1) It is awesome being a passenger rather than a driver. You get to enjoy the scenery a bit, take a nap if you want, and don't have to deal with the horrible snowy dark foggy mess that was the coquihalla highway on friday night!

2) It is even more awesome being a passenger when you're with someone who knows where they're going. Hooray for not getting lost on those busy (and confusing) one way streets of downtown vancouver.

3) The four seasons is a super great place to stay. They have delicious smelling l'occitane en provence soaps in each room, it is conveniently located right above pacific centre, and they have quite possibly the best pillows I have ever slept with. Seriously. I think I may need to go pillow shopping this week because the pillows on my bed at home just aren't cutting it! One downfall of the hotel = no free internet access! Ack! Good thing I only had to go 48 hours without it (I doubt I could last longer than that). The room also didn't have a coffee machine so the tea bags I brought remained unused. Does that seem odd to anyone else?

4) Fraser's mom knows all the good crafty shops to go to! Even if I didn't find a ton of sewing supplies while I was there I know where to go next time I'm there and looking!

5) The non stop rain we had on saturday reaffirms why I love living in the wonderful semi arid desert of kamloops. The sun did pop out on sunday making for a lovely trip to deep cove though!

and 6) I enjoy shopping so much more when I know that I am either (a) getting a wicked deal, (b) finding something handcrafted and one of a kind, or (c) spending crafty profits dedicated to spoiling myself (and not groceries and bills)!

Just check out the wonderful loot I picked up:


Woo! Looks like I'll be busy making lots of cards and toting around green accessories! And if you're thinking a few of those purchases seem a little odd (i.e. bushel of green sticks, giant rolls of pink rectangular stickers, more stolen paper doilies) not to worry - I have craft projects in mind for those! I also picked up some super bargain clothing basics that are currently in the wash (and not in the picture). My favourite purchase of the trip was the amazing purse I got on main street. I've been wanting to get myself a really nice matt and nat bag for a few years now but haven't actually managed to find one that fits me just right! They're always the wrong size or colour and I could never come to investing in one. Well the tables have finally turned. I spotted this wonderful piece from across the store and knew I'd have to take it home with me:


OoO! I am in love with this purse! When I showed my purchases to jim he asked me why I bought the same bag twice. Jim! They are entirely different bags! One was super duper cheap, has a long strap, a small size, and will be used for shows when I want something big enough to hold the cds I buy but not annoying to cart around while this bag while the matt and nat bag is the perfect size for day to day toting, can be dressed up or down in an adult way, and is the most dreamy shade of olive green perfectly matching my ginger haired ways. I should know better than to argue things with jim! *sigh*. Oh well, I can't wait to work all of my new purchases into my daily wardrobe! All in all the trip was a roaring success and I'm looking forward to more vacation weekends with fraser and his parents in the future! Next time I'll try harder to unpack my camera too...but we'll see...no promises...

Deep Cove

Oh the way home from my last trip to vancouver I had the great pleasure of stopping by the most wondrous little nook in north vancouver called deep cove. It was like walking into a tiny village tucked away from all the hustle and bustle with a charming park, some quaint homes, and a harbor. Even if it was rainy out it was still lovely, take a peek:


Deep cove also boasts an exclusive yacht club and some super ritzy shacks, but it is also the home of the most fantastic shop - room 6! I've come across room 6's awesome website before (hence the detour to deep cove) and it certainly didn't disapoint! In fact, I loved pretty much everything about room 6 and would be content just moving in and sleeping under the counter! Check out their entrance:


Oh my it was awesome! If I were ever to open a shop I would certainly want it to live up to room 6's standards! It was tempting to buy out the entire shop but a tight budget lingering over me that wasn't about to happen. I did manage to pick up a select few things which I am very content with. My favourite purchase is now hanging above my kitchen sink:


Isn't he cute? His name is earl the squirrel and he is made of felt! I bought a few felt acorns to hang out with him since he is a squirrel after all (and earl likes acorns). They had a whole bunch of the acorns hanging in the window display at the shop and I just had to give in! Plus I figure earl can help me do the dishes too! Here is a close up of him:


Oh earl! He is also really enjoying the white xmas lights I put up a few days ago too and I love how friendly he makes the kitchen of our place! What fun! It does sort of make me feel like I am becoming the most peculiar interior decorator (who decorates with hanging squirrels?) but that's ok. I love him! Maybe wool felted kitchen ornaments will be the new crafty trend of 2011? What do you think?

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...

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!

Road Trip: Prince Rupert

I'm not sure if anyone picked up on something I said yesterday in my road trip to smithers post (it was a speedy post and I didn't draw much attention to it...) - but I said how I saw seven sea otters during my trip. Well...if you know anything about the geography of british columbia this should seem a little fishy since smithers (noted by red dot) is not on the coast:


So how did I manage such a magical wildlife spotting you ask? I took a day trip to the lovely rainy (and I mean rainy) coastal town of prince rupert! Hooray! And even though I didn't manage to take too many pictures during the torrential downpour (again...seriously...so rainy) I did snap one of my most favourite part of rupert - the wonderfully cow themed sites of cowbay!:



Yay! So much fun! Leslie and I ferried over to rupert a few summers back when I was up visiting her in haida gwaii, and despite the awful ferry ride, I was stoked to make a return visit! Ooo! And after a little sight seeing with my parents, a tea at cowpuccinos, and some puttering around I got to go to the most fantastic shopping experience in the north of bc too! Woo! Homework (the focal point of that image above) is such a fun place to shop at. They have everything - from tea and spices to clothing and a fabulous selection of jewelery! Two floors of overloaded shopping senses - and a convenient excuse to get out of the rain! Double win! Check out that retail glory:


*Sigh* so good! If you're ever in the area I certainly recommend stopping by - it is worth your while. Oh and after you should go for lunch at breaker's pub! It's just down the road and looks out over the docks on the ocean, which (as I was hinting at back at the beginning of this post) is where we saw the cute little sea otters playing in the water! Hooray! But if you're not up for venturing all that way, not to worry, homework has a lovely website to check out...and as for the otters...maybe check out this cute video of two of them holding hands? Adorable! Internet for the win!