Showing posts with label road trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road trips. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

So long summer, hello autumn

Alright, I don't usually share pictures of anything other than weird shit and jewellery. To honour an awesome summer that felt too short, I thought I'd share some of my favourite pictures that my man and I took over the course of the last few months.



"The Spaghetti Incident" - Oh man, I was so excited to celebrate the last days of this past Spring by turning on the oven to bake delicious! chicken! meatballs! yum! In anticipation of d.c.m.y., I had had an early lunch and was ravenous. I was also suffering from Class A Butterfingers, which reached a comic/tragic/sudden end when I smashed my newly plated dish of food INTO EVERYTHING. Tears, laughter and more tears ensued; this level of clutzy-ness is not foreign to me.



Just one of many beautiful shots Ron and I took on our long drive around Central California and beyond with my family this summer. Trip of a lifetime.



A major discovery: leaving Lake Tahoe felt like abandoning a home before you've moved all your stuff in. A return visit ASAP is in order.



I don't even know where to start with the ridiculous setting of this picture. Curiosity, BBQ corn on the cob and too much sun led my man, my brother, his girlfriend and myself into a "Classic Films on Ice" performance starring none other than former Canadian figure skating champion/grannie heart throb/aspiring singer/karate enthusiast Elvis Stoijko. Together with some extremely theatric singers and a bunch of amateur skaters, this solid gold team paid homage to such classic films as Top Gun, Moulin Rouge, Slumdog Millionaire with seemingly random choices like Shrek, High School Musical and my personal favourites Ghostbusters and Kill Bill, in which Elvis sported Uma Thurman's yellow unitard and went through a karate routine on ice. It didn't seem crazy at the time to honour one of our favourite overdone movie moments: Blue Steel!



Meet Yma. She's our darling cat who too often enjoys curling up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee, the morning news and the remote. All I ask of her is that she washes a dish to earn her keep around here. Do you think she does it? Absolutely not.



I came home from a long day to a smiling owl on a steaming shepherds pie. Yet another reminder that I found my soul mate at a young age.



Ah! A mapless driving adventure led us to a beautiful and enormous flower garden on the lake. We decided to give our afternoon snack of muffins to the overfed and ungrateful squirrels who were clearly after something more decadent! I don't know how their tails remain so perfect when they're off doing squirrel things all day, my tail would end up all covered in tree sap.



Ron is the Tree Whisperer. He can negotiate the branches of any monstrocity, regardless of it's size.

It's been such an amazing summer, let's hope for an even better fall.

xoxo Amarina

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Back from California and in it to win it

Ron and I are back and recovering from our amazing road trip around central California. It ended up being an onslaught on the senses, with the diversity of gorgeous landscapes, temperatures, people and escapades inspiring us every step of the way. Here's a rather messy representation of where our travels brought us:



Swimming and rock climbing in Lake Tahoe, driving through the desert and losing our brakes in the Sequoia National Park mountains, this trip could never be duplicated. We're starting to think that maybe California is where we need to be for awhile.



I've been spending some time reorganizing my goods for the Fall and Holiday seasons. Tons and tons and tons to come!

xoxo Amarina

Friday, August 7, 2009

Kittens in Windows


Ron and I spotted these two darlings in Peterborough, ON and all I could think of was "Quick, let's document this wonder!" and "How has no one told us about this giant kitten breed? I want in, I want in!"

xoxo Amarina

Monday, July 20, 2009

Add another place to "Things I Must See Before I Croak" List



There are a million reasons why Etsy has become such a success and why artsy crafty people like me are so drawn to it. They've really managed to create a virtual environment that sucks you in and makes you feel like you are a valuable part of a community, and a community that cares about art and handmade things to boot!

This is one of their newest blog posts and I have to say that I'm really quite taken with all the locations they've featured so far in their "There's No Place Like Here" video series, and I'm especially seduced by this place in particular. It's an instant I must visit this place at least once in my life reaction. And so it will be, check it out.

xoxo
Amarina

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Mix Tape Madness



For the first time in a million years, I am taking some time off work. Three days. THREE WHOLE DAYS! I'll be going on a mini-road trip with my partner and two dear friends, which means that I must spend every waking minute before we leave creating the greatest road trip mix of all time.

Allow me to pursue a new level of honesty here: I have reached a new level of procrastination. I'm now not photoshopping pictures (which I love doing but I have to be in the right mood), or making the ultimate mix tape (original procrastination strategy), I am fantasy shopping on Etsy.
So this is the list I've compiled of darling goods from various Etsy sellers that I probably can't live without.

Able & Game make cards that I want to send to people, including this Hipster mix tape card which has this pretty perfect description:

So I got your mix tape, it kinda rocked my world. The fact that you included The Smiths, The Cure makes me all warm inside, however this may not show on my sullen, depressed face. Oh and I also love Kate Bush by the way, just don't tell any of my friends.





Next we have this ridiculously cute felt pouch from Brave Moonman's shop.

Now I don't need to discuss the dangers of a 90 minute mix tape, I've written of this embarassment before. But when the love song mix tape is actually an adorable zip pouch free of fear-inducing confessions, what can go wrong? That's right, nothing. Embarassment-free satisfaction and there's more where this came from. Check them out for some really awesome pieces.




Finally, we have this wicked converted cassette tape notebook from Bibliopegy. This particular book is made with a map of Istanbul, which I can fantasize about living in while scribbling down master plans and dirty little secrets. You can choose one of several cities in cassette book form or request a custom city; maybe I'll see about a Toronto edition!

I hope you all have a great long weekend!

xoxo
Amarina