#WinterStations

This winter at the Toronto Beaches they hosted something really cool: art installations around the lifeguard stands, called Winter Stations. 2016's theme was Freeze/Thaw, which went very well with our very fake winter this year. Some weeks we were at -20 (almost never), and then shot up to 5. The installations

The theme of Freeze / Thaw asks designers and artists to respond to the changing climactic conditions and transitions of the Toronto winter. Designs may anticipate the coming spring or refuse to yield, reminding us December is only a few months behind and will return again. They may highlight a static moment or phase in our winter. Perhaps, most significantly, designs have the opportunity to observe, reflect or contrast the immediate waterfront landscape with its banks of snow and frozen ice. To this end, they should expect to be playful and provocative, creatively utilizing materials and site to inform concepts that echo the freeze / thaw narrative and will engage the public.

"Steam Canoe"

It was a lot of fun walking around the various pieces, climbing into them, looking at the crazy construction, and waiting for dogs to stop peeing on them so I could get a good shot.

This structure uses Grip metal to keep it all together. When the snow melts on it, the structure will create fog at -20*. Unfortunately it was about 0 for us, so we didn't get to experience that.

While it looks like the Death Star, it's not. You can climb inside and be nestled in layers of fur which has been attached to the sphere's inner walls. It's pretty warm.

"Flow"

When I saw this, I immediately thought of tiddlywinks. Turns out the stars are supposed to be snow crystals and are supposed to mimic the transition between freeze and thaw. People were taking the ice crystals and throwing them up on top, which served to depict how the structure would change during the thaw and then re-freeze.

"Ropes"

This structure is a floating cube of ropes. You can climb the guard chair inside to view the landscape.

After our walk we went to Sky Blue Sandwiches and I had a phenomenal pesto, cheese, pepper, and avocado sandwich.

DIY Valentine's Day Cards

One of my favourite things to do is to make my own cards. Whenever I run out of my packages of blank cards and envelopes from Michael's, and have to give someone a card, I feel disappointed. How can I find the exact words I want to say in a store-bought card? It's impossible. 

I'm just way better of an artist and writer. 

If you are in a pinch, you can always buy the packages that every store seems to sell, but there are always a bunch of duds in there. What you can do, is take a picture of it, or buy it and scan it, and recreate whichever card you liked most. 

In all seriousness, receiving a handmade card is a lot more heartfelt- even if you're terrible at drawing, and you just scribbled a heart on a piece of scrap paper and folded it in half, you cared enough to do so. 

There are many different routes you can go with Valentines, and my favourite is the funny way. Of course, I don't mind the cheesy ones, but it's way more fun to be sassy and unexpected, so most of the ideas posted above are humorous (hah, get it? with the skeleton?).

Looking for inspiration? Check out my Valentine's Day Pinterest board here, and you'll find some of the sources. Another great source for inspiration (other than wandering the aisles of card stores) is Etsy.

Once you have ideas that you like, practice them- or just free-hand it. I tried doing a cat for one of my friends, but it was her cat, so it actually had to look right. And she has a Persian, which I'd never drawn before. I'm still working on that one.

Michael's has lots of different options for packages of envelopes and blank cards (sizes, colours etc.) so check them out. If you're not mailing the card, you can always just use construction paper, or any other paper you find to draw on.

The cards I drew above are:

-Dinosaurs "I'm horny." "You always are."

-Dat Ass Tho

-You are the ketchup to my fries!

I drew the cards, wrote my messages, and popped them in the mail for my 3 bridesmaids because we don't live in the same city, and they're my best friends. 

Things to do in Toronto: Free Wednesdays at the Art Gallery of Ontario

This past Wednesday, Nic and I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario for a fun date to celebrate 7 months of marriage. Wednesdays from 6-9 the Gallery is free. (That is something I miss about Ottawa- all museums and galleries are free Thursday evenings, whereas the ROM here is only slightly cheaper on Friday nights.)

This was a really cool display: Benjamin Cheverton created this reduction machine to copy larger sculptures into smaller ones.

September Favourites

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - for my long days at GoodLife

Smashbox Hydrating Primer - my skin has gotten pretty dry with fall coming so this primer is perfect

Smashbox Studio Finish Foundation - My skin is pale again on my face, so this foundation works for me again. 

My current eye look

Maybelline's 24 Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
Crave from the Naked Basics pallette as the crease colour
Maybelline Collossal Volume

I've had a backup of Bad to the Bronze for months

Creatures Great and Small

"Adult" colouring books are such a big thing right now, and I got this one to celebrate my new job as a Fitness Advisor for a GoodLife in downtown Toronto.

Each page of this book has different types of creatures, and I've really enjoyed the relaxation the colouring provides. They even suggest pulling the pages out and framing them afterward, and give information about each animal on the page, so you get to learn at the same time!

This month I started taking an adult ballet class at City Dance Corps. It is a beginner class, which is great for me since I haven't danced since I was 14. I'm loving it so far, it's a great way for me to increase some strength, and I've loved moving that way again. 

I absolutely wanted to have a wreath on our door to make the place more homey. Nic and I went into the ravine by our apartment to gather grapevines, which take over the rest of the plants. I twisted them up together, and with the help of some twine, held it together. It's getting an update for fall.