a little facelift

so, today i decided to spend a bit of time giving my blog a wee facelift. basically, i liked the style [very simple] and the colours and all that, but i just wanted it wider. so i've chosen a new template and spruced it up a bit, just to tide me over until i finally make a switch to wordpress. this, of course, will require a whole lot more time than i've got at the moment, as i really need to learn how to use wordpress ;)

anyhow, it seems that the little facelift resulted in the removal of all my comments from disqus, which is basically every comment i've had since october 2010. this sucks pretty bad. however, i'm thinking i will keep it as such, since when i migrate to wordpress, i will lose those comments anyhow. might as well start now, so that the notes i get from now on from my lovely friends + readers will at least show up over at the new smidgebox blog...i always love hearing from you, so pop your head in and say hello!

you may also notice some spiffy tabs up along the top there. i'm not sure what took me so long, but there they are! thanks, linda, for your awesome video tutorial. have i mentioned that linda is my internet guru? she also helped me make my facebook page. linda is so generous with her knowledge and willingness to help, she is also a super talented designer, and amazingly kind friend.

{these are some pics i snapped of the kids on friday. otherwise, really not much going on with my camera other than kitchen pics!}

blog it forward :: inspiration

blog it forward. the seed was planted during a twitter conversation between victoria of sfgirbybay and ez of creature comforts, discussing how to create a community driven, feel-good event, something that would bring bloggers together to share the basis of why most people blog, anyways. inspiration. and so the blog it forward mashup was born.

what inspires me the most? i could go on all day long about my love + obsession for mid century modern design, furniture new and old, clean modern architecture, blueprints, paper, letterpress, photography, fashion, fabric, colours, magazines. i love it all, live it and breathe it. this is why i share my thoughts in this space. day after day i fill these pages with the things that i love. it's why i feel a connection to other who have the same interests and similar aesthetics.

so today, instead of all those things, i thought i would share the basis of my being. the pieces of my life that inspire me to create, design, make. it's pretty basic, really. something that we all have, but that for each one of us, it is unique. the people + the places. my family, my home, my favourite spots. childhood to adulthood. memories.

hands down the best trip ever :: iceland, 2001, with d.

beautiful bc, my favourite spots.

watch lake, 70 mile house :: the alders, merville

thormanby island :: savary island

my all-time favourite place, forever + always :: tofino, bc

my parents. thanks, mom + dad.

my siblings. [i'm the wee one]

my family.

o, february 2005 :: d, june 2008

derek, my partner in life since 1999

these kids. watching them grow, learn, love. as different as two people could be.

i love them more than i had ever thought possible. they are my very best inspiration.

i don't often post such personal images and topics on my blog. i have been hemming and hawing of late, wondering whether i'd like to share a bit more of myself in this space. it really came to me as i wrote this post. this is me, my life. i am not sure that i can separate my business, the things i love, and the people + places that i love, who inspire me. so there may be a little more 'me' showing up here in the future. not a lot, just enough.

in the spirit of the mashup, please be sure to visit sloe gin fizz, who posted her lovely inspirations yesterday. and on monday, i am blogging it forward to snippet and ink. head on over to have a look at what inspires her.

if this is your first time here, then welcome! i hope you will stay awhile, look around, and say hello. i am so happy to meet you.