Lately

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm gearing down from a long week of sleepless nights. Family stress and Martin's relentless coughing (he's sick) have left me feeling so tired. The kind of tired where your eyes burn all day. But hey, it's Friday, and I'm off to enjoy Sabbath dinner with friends tonight. Thankfully, I still have some semblance of energy to appreciate the good things. So not all is lost, friends. There's light breaking through the clouds and I'm soaking it in.

This week, I dusted off my DSLR and spent some time taking photos. I even started a fun side project through Society 6. I'm now selling a small collection of prints, framed & unframed, and canvases of my artwork. It was so fun to put together, and each photo is incredibly special to me. I'm excited to fill our walls. Timely, as we're doing a bit of re-decorating. Um, again! I'm far too visual for my own good, and currently dreaming of a space like this!

When the creative tides pull me, I know no self control. I'll happily go where they take me, and will without resistance, settle on new shores. xo

Hello monday

(Bracelet: Stella & Dot, similar / Blouse: XO Veronika, find it here!)

So lovely to be back after a relaxing and refreshing weekend. This weekend, we decided to opt out of doing any outfit photos. We're attempting to use our weekends to rest and catch up on other life bits instead. Martin spent a part of the weekend marking assignments (he's a teacher), plus he's working on his masters. So, that's keeping him plenty busy. I spent the weekend puttering around our condo packaging shop orders, making jewelry, cuddling the fur fam and planning a fun giveaway for later this week (hint hint, it's for my shop)!!

Lately, I'm craving more time away from the computer too. Amazing how much time we can spend on here, hey?! My "computer free" plans include baking gluten free muffins (mmmm!), getting out for a mid-week hike with the dog, as well as wine + lots of bubble baths. We have a huge soaker tub and honestly it's the best thing ever! It's definitley my goal to take better care of myself and take time to unwind. I hope to stay more mindful, focused and on task with the things that bring me true joy & meaning. I'm excited to make these changes for myself!

I'm also trying, oh so much, to be less type A with the blog (as I mentioned in my 2014 goals). I'm working on finding a more lighthearted approach and reminding myself to have more fun with it. Yes, I love posting my daily outfits, but some weeks I'm busy and might only have time to post a recipe and do a quick "life lately" post. And. That is. Okay!! I'm not sure why I get so rigid and convince myself otherwise. Talk about kill joy. How do you guys keep your blog/life in balance? Spill please!

PS - I can't help but say I'm so overjoyed by your amazing support of the shop. It's keeping me mighty busy and I couldn't be more thrilled & thankful. Thank you!

Life lately... goodness it's been awhile

I've been so in the throes of my outfits posts [and enjoying them immensely, I might add] that I've sort of had a brain freeze on my lifestyle posts. Are you guys missing them? I've been feeling kind of guilty for just slamming you with outfit photos, but truth be told, sometimes it's just easier to snap photos of what I'm wearing. Especially when the lifestyle portion of my life is on the down low. These days, my life revolves around our pets, my store, sushi dates with Martin, and let us not forget quality time on the couch. Haha, not so blog worthy, you feel me?!

However, today I'm popping in with a few of my favourite iphone photos in celebration of my new iphone 5s. The camera is so fantastic and I'm fighting the urge to not be instagramming every two minutes. And... can I get a unanimous, whaaaat?! Is Christmas only a week-ish away? We've been pretty terrible this year as far as decorating our home, we didn't even put up our tree. Is that bad? Oh well, next year we'll get our act together. Haha, mind you we say that every year! ;)

Coffee dates at Starbucks. My favourite is the skinny peppermint mocha. Lately coffee is what gets me through my day. Bless its heart!

Where the magic happens! ;)

Gold polka dots, everywhere. All. The. Time!!

An overdue date with my love. We spent the day eating ice cream, grabbed pine tree branches for a DIY x-mas mantle, and napped, a lot!

As for my weekend uniform? I stuck to cozy dresses + my fave booties!

PS - last but not least, thank you to Melissa from Bubby and Bean for including me in her awesome holiday gift guide. Hop on over to see what Selective Potential, Orchid Grey, A Beautiful Mess and many more are putting on their x-mas list this year! ♥

bits of october

We've been enjoying one of the most beautiful Octobers that I've ever seen. It's been unbelievably warm and I don't think it's rained once. I have to admit though, now with November around the corner, I'm getting pretty excited to give our home a little holiday makeover. Anyone else? I'm eying the prettiest metallic pillows, a faux fur throw and mercury candle holders. Can't wait! Here are a few bits from our October...

The most perfect pumpkin. Wearing my beloved Cori Lynn burnt orange skirt - total fall perfection. Taking long scenic drives with my love and soaking in the sun. Entertaining friends for Canadian Thanksgiving. Fall leaves everywhere... don't you just love the red ones?! Wearing my Gap animal print flats (pssst, they're on sale) for my daily doggy walks. Spending time in my blog nook and working on a few fabulous collaborations for November. Making homemade gluten-free veggie pizza - oh man, I'm addicted! On that note, can't wait to see what lovely moments November brings!

Follow via instagram: @girlandcloset

summer nights

i don't normally post on the weekend. but i'm trying to be a little more spontaneous with my posting. usually, i love schedules and having everything figured out down to the very last detail; however, that's been feeling a little too rigid for me lately. so, right, here i am posting on a saturday. these photos were taken earlier this month, right before i got my hair-cut. i plan to be back later next week with outfit photos so you can finally see this elusive haircut i keep nattering on about. 

martin & i have been spending as many of our summer evenings down by the ocean as we possibly can. our regular routine consists of: healthy smoothies (chocolate banana soy for me), a bench under our favourite tree, scout (our extra fluffy & happy go lucky pooch), camera, and most importantly... mushing our toes into the grass. oh summer, you've been so very good to us. i can't believe martin's back at work the following week (he's a teacher). nuts, this summer has been flying by. you can bet we'll be doing all that we can to live it up and end this one off with a bang!

lately

A few highlights, thoughts & happenings from my week:

Hitting the gym: I'm thrilled my health has stabilized enough for me to head back to the gym. It's been almost a year. Can you believe it? Martin & I are lucky to live in a condo with two gorgeous gyms and a pool + hot tub, which makes working out easy and convenient. Thank goodness! The plan is to work out every other day and either power walk or do yoga on non-gym days. I hope to get into killer shape this year... I've always admired girls that are super toned & fit, so why not make it a goal?!

Downtime: Yes, I'm a computer junkie and online far too often. Lately, I'm trying to scale back by scheduling more conscious pockets of time for myself as well as finding more meaningful things to do with that time. So, I've started reading, doing more photography and I'm working on a couple DIY home projects.

Writing: I used to be an avid writer and I'd love to get back into that groove. Several years ago, I did The Artists Way and one of their recommended daily exercises was to write out your unedited stream of thoughts first thing each morning. It's meant to help you get in touch with your artist as well as your creative process. I'd love to make that a part of my morning routine again.

Eating: My eating habits have been a little... meh. I'm eating at restaurants far too often and I'm missing my usual home cooked meals. So this week, I'm getting strict with myself and getting back on the healthy eating bandwagon. My favourite meals this week are: raw almond butter & gluten free toast for breakfast; lentil, quinoa + veggie soup for lunch; and gluten-free pasta with tomatoes, tofu & cheese for dinner. Mmmmm!

Working on: Several new necklaces for the shop. I'm introducing a few silver ones, long ones and a few beaded varieties too + I'm working on expanding the shop's bracelet collection. Can't wait to share the new styles with you guys! I'm also planning on hosting another Stella & Dot jewelry party at my home later this month and hoping to do an online one too. I'll keep you posted!

xo veronika

finding a bit of solitude

A few photos from our beach walk... I took these with my iphone and then edited them with Rad Lab - love how they turned out. This week has been much calmer, thank goodness. Last week was incredibly tough as Martin & I spent much of it feeling crazy stressed and frazzled. My mom has since stabilized (what a relief) but she's still in the hospital. At this point, there are quiet a few issues with her heart, and she's unable to fully stand or walk on her own without her heart going completely crazy. So the doctors are working to get that under control. 

In the midst of all this, Martin & I are trying to resume as much of our normal schedule as possible + we're trying to take care of ourselves as best as we can. Food and sleep have been non-existent at times and we both look beyond tired. However, I'm hoping to take a few days off this week: clean the condo, pay our bills, get to the hair salon and hopefully organize a few posts for the blog. Normal, is sounding so good & therapeutic right about now.

And lastly, thank you! For your prayers, tweets and emails. We're thrilled to know that so many of you are holding my mom in your thoughts & prayers and wishing her a speedy recovery! It's lightened our hearts, and put a smile on my face. We miss her terribly. Thank you for the love & support, everyone! 

xo veronika  

lately

Happy Friday, guys! Just popping in to share a few photos from our iphone. Lately, we've been trying to get off our butts and consciously plan out our evenings. We've noticed that no plans equals us having dinner at home and then zoning out in front of the TV. Terrible, I know. So instead, I've started planning fun things for us to do after work. Nothing too fancy, but still, it makes a world of difference. We've been taking our dinner to go and heading down to the beach, going for walks, going to our local coffee shop for dessert + hot chocolate, and my personal fave, sharing a glass of wine on our patio. I think it's officially time to ban ourselves from TV watching and get out and live a little. Am I right?... 

Other than that, May's been a fantastic month. Warm, sunny and just beautiful. I've spent most of it working on my Etsy shop... writing my business plan, shop policies, and I've taken a few jewelry classes to improve & hone my skills. I'm hoping to start selling my pieces to a few local boutiques and I'd love to sell at a craft fair this summer/fall too. It seems like it would be loads of fun. Speaking of jewelry, thanks so much for your lovely words & compliments yesterday - so nice to hear. What's your May been looking like?!

xo veronika

lately

Lately, I'm feeling liberated. Life is blooming, taking shape and my mind is racing with new adventures + artistic pursuits. I'm learning to create space and time for myself as well as making it a priority to start healing my health and nurture my spirit. I'm learning a lot about nutrition and the importance of eating a protein rich diet to heal the body. Since I'm a vegetarian, I'm relying on things like protein supplements, quinoa, beans, tofu, nut butters as well as Greek yogurt. This week, I've also started working out. I'm running, going for power walks, doing yoga and hitting the gym. It's been incredible. I hope to write a post on nutrition and exercise soon. 

On the home front, Martin & I have been having conversations about marriage, our goals, and how we can support one another in making our dreams a reality. We're also feeling family ready and are praying that my health returns so we can plan for that... which has me excited for buying a bigger home. Probably something a little bit older as I'd love to renovate and design our overall space. I'm dreaming of this kitchen... open shelving, white cupboards and white marble counter-tops. Plus, it'd be fantastic to have a big spacious yard with beautiful trees & garden. Perfect for our pooch and so lovely for summer BBQ's.
 

xo veronika