Category Archives: Cool Stuff*

Ah, the holiday season.

I’ve been as busy as a bee trying to complete all my Christmas prezzies as my family is having our Christmas a little early this year. The Hubs, Ruby & I will be heading to the Great White North to spend the holidays with my 97 year old Grandmother, so my immediate family won’t all be together. We thought it would be fun to get together for a day before so that we could at least all see each other and hang out during our favourite season.

(And eat really, really ridiculous amounts of glorious food.)

So, because my siblings will be opening their gifts early, I’ll be able to show you what I’ve been up to before Christmas is here! If you’re stuck for an idea for someone, the gifts I made are cute, easy and I’m kind of in love with them. Maybe they’ll inspire you. :)

In between my Christmas crafting, I’ve been trying to get our yearly Christmas letters ready to mail. I finally completed our poem, now we just need to get our photos and envelopes organized. We send out over 50 letters so it’s a big job and I love doing it… but sometimes while I’m sealing my 47th envelope I fantasize about how easy it would be to just get photo cards printed to pop in the mail.

No muss, no fuss.

I was peeking at minted. and they just make Christmas card-ing look so… easy. I played around with some of their styles on their Holiday Cards page, and it’s easy as pie to upload your photos and try out their various layouts. The prices are actually quite reasonable, so you won’t have to break your bank just to wish your second cousin twice removed a Merry Christmas.

But that’s not even my favourite part.

They will print your recipient addresses on the envelopes. For free.

*swoon*

Addressing envelopes is my least favourite job in the world. (Well, after cutting Ruby’s nails. Ugh.) And for free? I am converted.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to send out Christmas cards or not this year, just go take a peek. I’m not even sure if I’d be able to choose… but I’m kind of in love with the “It’s a Wonderful Life” card!

Woo-wee!

Time is moving so quickly that I swear I’m losing a day or two here and there. Apparently it’s September already, but I’m not sure I believe it. It’s still a bajillion degrees outside during the day, and being on maternity leave is like being in a little bubble where time ceases to exist.

Anyway. Isn’t that a pretty title for a blog post?

I’ve been in a do-it-yourself / crafty mood lately, and google has become my good friend. I’ve been trying to find solutions to problems around my house, and so far I’ve had some huge successes!

Example #1: Wasps*

I think we have a wasp nest somewhere on our property, or there is at least one nearby at our neighbours. They love to fly around my deck, and it made sitting outside uncomfortable. We had the same issue in our front garden last year, and I went to Home Depot and bought and overpriced wasp trap. I didn’t find it worked terribly well, and it broke before the end of the summer.

Fail.

This year I decided to get crafty. I googled “Homemade wasp trap”, and a link came up with instructions on how to build your own. The wee-bean was napping and I had a few minutes to myself, so I decided to try it out. Tip Nut suggests a couple of methods, and I tried both the jar and inverted bottle top traps. I put them in spots where I have seen wasps, and left them for a few hours.

I really didn’t expect a lot–I’ve tried these DIY experiments before and don’t often find ones that work. So, I was shocked when I saw how many wasps I trapped in just a few hours! It’s not a permanent solution, but it has made a big difference for us. I found the bottle version was much more effective than the jar, and it continues to work. WIN.

Example #2: Soap Scum*

I hate soap scum. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a faint ring around my tub that I just couldn’t get off, no matter how hard I tried. I have a whole arsenal of cleaning products, and I haven’t been happy with the results from any of them.

So, I googled.

I came across a website that suggested using vinegar to remove the scum. I knew vinegar worked as a cleaner in some instances (I used to use a diluted vinegar solution to clean the ivory keys of my old piano) but I had never thought about it as a bathroom cleaner. I had an empty spray bottle, so I poured in some vinegar and off I went. I sprayed directly onto the areas that bothered me, then left the vinegar to work it’s magic. It didn’t smell pretty, but when I went back 5 minutes later, the scum simply wiped away. No scrubbing, no elbow grease. Just a quick wipe & rinse and my tub was white and sparkly. WIN.

I’ve been SO happy with these easy, simple solutions that didn’t cost me a penny!

So. Do you have any other little tricks to solve issues around your home? I’m on a roll here and am loving the results I’ve had so far!

I feel as though I haven’t shared a fabulous video with you in quite some time. My sister sent me a wonderful clip a few weeks ago, and I have to confess I’ve watched it about a billion times since I received it.

I adore everything about this–the era, style, music–and it’s just the best feel-good song when you need a little pick-me-up.

I hope you love it like I do. :)

What. a. day.

I just got home from a lovely wedding. My cousin got married today, and I made the long trek across the city to go and see her in her beautiful white dress.

I left here early so that I could stop and have brunch with two long-time friends on the way. I hadn’t seen either one in years–one since my wedding!–and it was so good to see them both. I know that our lives have taken us in different directions, but it was so good to sit down and catch up. Sometimes I really forget just how amazing my friends are, and I’m glad they are still willing to go out with me and remind me. :)

After brunch I met up with my darling brother Choppy and together we drove to Ancaster, Ontario. I have a confession: I rarely ever drive beyond Oakville.

(I like to be IN Toronto, okay? Okay.)

But, my cousin decided to have her wedding in Ancaster–right near Hamilton–so off we went.

I seriously couldn’t even handle how pretty it was. It’s situated on the side of a mountain and all the roads leading into the city are winding and green. Seriously. Trees EVERYWHERE.

And the view! If I hadn’t been driving I could have stared out at the view down over the city forever.

As it was, I decided to focus on the road. You know. To stay alive and stuff.

We made it to the wedding with seconds to spare, and my cousin looked gorgeous in her strapless white dress. From where I was sitting I couldn’t see the groom’s face, but I could definitely see the love in hers.

Weddings are just lovely, aren’t they? They always make me feel so happy and positive for the future. It’s really hard for me to believe that our big day was almost six years ago… someone once told me that time would fly, but I didn’t really believe them then.

…but they were right.

Days like today just make me want to pause time and hold on to a moment.

When did life start moving so quickly?