thankful | isavirtue

our thanksgiving in canada takes place during the first half of october. but in this online blogging world that is so populated with women from the states, it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement of it all. this year there have been a lot of changes, but i have so much to be thankful for - including my family, my husband and the little sniff.

i'm also thankful for your support of my stationery business. i mean, sometimes i can hardly call it that, but since i'm not working right now, every purchase is so greatly appreciated. i'm trying hard to save so that i can buy delightful things like onesies, pacifiers and if he's lucky...maybe a drawer for him to sleep in ;)

this weekend, everything in the shop is discounted for your shopping pleasure. 15% off of everything, or 30% off of orders over $20 that include a holiday/christmas product. enjoy and take advantage!
sale codes:

ISAVIRTUEHOLIDAY 15%

ISAVIRTUEJINGLE30%

see more stationery

pregnancy 0.7

this is a post about gripes. you might have thought this post was about gripes...but it wasn't really. just facts. so here's the real low down about what's grating on my nerves

sleep

i've never been a good sleeper. when my husband told me he sleeps right through the night most of the time - my mind was blown. i literally didn't know that was possible! so that being said, the bar for pregnancy sleep was not set very high. still, there is a distinct difference and it's the result of dreams + back aches + comfort + having to pee. i would say on average i wake up every two hours, but sometimes every hour. 

dreams

i'm always a bit disoriented because the dreams i'm having are non-stop, realistic and totally confusing. most of the time when i wake, the dreams are so persistant that in fact i don't feel as if i have been sleeping at all.

pee!

so then i go to the washroom. i usually really have to, and if i don't, i just go anyway in the inane hope that i can sleep for the next three hours. it's never more than a couple tablespoons and yet it feels incredibly urgent.

comfort

i bought a snoogle, and have explained in previous posts The Wonderfulness Of It All. but i am still human, which means i can't stay in the same position all night. so even if i've managed to stay half asleep during the awakening and the trip to the washroom, then certainly the repositioning/flipping of the pillow wakes me up fully. lying back down on the same side makes me feel really uncomfortable though so it's necessary. every once in awhile i question whether it would be easier just to flop back into bed and not do the body pillow thing. 

but 1. at 23 weeks i'm pretty sure my days of "flopping" are long gone. and 2. my back, without support will immediately go on strike and scream "bring back the snoogle!!" i can still manage to get into my favourite position of stomach down, one leg hitched up (with some creative positioning), but if i don't fall asleep within two minutes the pain in my lower back puts the kaibosh on the whole affair.

anxiety/insomnia

so once i've woken, oriented myself from my crazy dreams, peed, rearranged the pillows, and tucked myself in - i just have to get to sleep! but wait...what was that sharp pain? why does my belly feel so tight? do i feel nauseous?? maybe the hokey pokey really is what it's all about! and alas...the anxiety sets in. and then i can't get back to sleep.

body

up until a few weeks ago, i hadn't really noticed the changes in my body.

physical

i can definitely feel the fact that there is a growing baby inside me. maybe it's a first timer thing but i'm very conscious when leaning over and getting up from a seated position. partly it's just uncomfortable, and part of me is scared i'm going to squish the lil guy! i've started doing the whole "one arm push, one arm balance, groan and lean back while getting up" pregnant lady maneuver. also, things like putting on boots, getting in and out of cars, and climbing stairs have become whole 'events.'

visual
i'm not joking when i say that up until very recently i was convinced that my belly didn't look that different (chubby) than before. but now i see it! it really does look like a pregnant tummy. most things i wear though don't emphasize it very much however, which is fine with me. now that i see it so clearly, i'm thinking i must not have been as big as i thought before! (if that makes sense). 

everything else is pretty much the same size as far as i can tell.

aside from the issue of trying to get up, or balance, i'm more comfortable in my body then i have ever been. and that feels great!

diet
i'm definitely not eating as well as i did in the first trimester. but i'm making proper dinners for jon and myself way more than i ever have in the past. i'm pretty into sweets...though not chocolate so much. but whereas before i might have eaten a whole box of cookies in one sitting, now i can't manage more than one or two. it's the same with meals, i can barely finish a recommended portion of anything! but it goes without saying that i am hungry often. as in, every 30 minutes.

vitamins

i've finally started taking proper prenatal vitamins (rather than the mix and match plus flintstones vitamin). but the morning pill includes a ton of iron which means i have to take it with food (though an empty stomach is supposedly best) and a huge glass of orange juice (so that it doesn't make me feel sick) i can't have any calcium or eggs three hours before or after the iron. which, when you think about it, is a huge bummer because it cancels out most delicious breakfast options (scrambled eggs! french toast! cereal! chocolate milk!).

pregnancy | nursery inspiration

i'm so sick of this whole "blue for boys, pink for girls" thing. i'm even a little sick of "yellow and green for neutral." one might think this would encourage me to use All The Colours in my son's* room but instead i'm taking it back to the shades. there will be pops of something...maybe yellow or turquoise or mint but i don't know yet.

oh, and in all of these pretty nursery examples, take out the big beautiful window and main natural light source because our second bedroom is just a box - no windows or closets. note: i put the last picture in to represent the art on the walls. we already have over twenty-five pieces saved up that we want to frame and hang in the nursery. it's literally going to take up a full wall!

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*ahh! that is the first time the whole "son" thing really clicked for me!! i'm glad you could all be a part of it.

creators | advent calendars

i love advent calendars. i love the idea behind them and the creativitity and the surprise. i never had an advent calendar growing up - except for those milk chocolate ones with the little doors. and that's nice, but it's not as special as the types that i love. jon and i often leave little notes for each other, and sometimes share unexpected gifts. but to me, an advent calendar is for families. i love the idea of it being one person's turn each day, and them finding either a little trinket, or a sweet complimentary message.

so now i want to make one that will last through the years...but i can't decide which style! paper? boxes? sewn pockets? i really love the third to last image, but it would take a lot of work. and the first image is great, but not long lasting. needless to say, something like the second or third would be easiest.

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source unknown

art | yago hortal

sometimes i post art online and i say "you really have to see this in person." or i say "i really wish i could see this in person." because of course, to do so would clarify material use, and type of foundation. it also usually cements the awesomeness of artwork.

but i don't think i've ever really meant it until now. or at least, i mean it now more than ever. i want to see these in person. i discovered yago hortal on the jealous curator, and she too was blown away.

sometimes when my husband and i look at abstract art together he says "i don't get it, what is it supposed to be?" and i tell him "it's not supposed to be anything! sometimes it's just about the paint."

well this ladies (and gentlemen?), is JUST about the paint.

pregnancy 0.6

i'm just past twenty one weeks and this little guy is the size of a spaghetti squash (that's a bit hard to believe...they must mean that he could fit length to length inside a spaghetti squash). i've been working on cooking this little munchkin and he's finally one pound in weight.

but do i like being pregnant?

huh, that's a thinker isn't it? last week jon came home and asked me just that. he said that he'd been discussing it with some female coworkers and they asked if i liked being pregnant. and he wasn't exactly able to answer that so he brought the query straight to the source. my response went something like this:

"i'm not like, totally in love with the experience and feeling all maternal and spiritual and stuff. but i do realize that many woman have a much worse experience than i have. which means i don't hate it and i don't love it. so basically i'm like, sort of indifferent*, and somewhere in the middle."**

and he said "yes, that's exactly what i thought." he's not expecting me to turn into some sort of zen baby growing machine, and he'll also be understanding if the nausea and the anxiety and the sheer "uncomfortableness" of it all starts to get to me. and i guess that's why we are married, because we know each other so well!

i'm curious if anyone else has ever been...somewhere in the middle? on the fence? not quite sure how to feel? because from what i've heard, most woman either loooove it, or haaaate it.

* i don't mean indifferent in the sense that i could care less if i was pregnant. this was totally planned and we are thrilled that it worked for us on the first try (we truly thought it might be our lot in life to struggle with it. but that doesn't mean i don't want it to be march already!

** for the record i also love the look of being pregnant. but alas that is not the whole experience.

creators | presentation / behind the scenes photos

as i wait anxiously to see new product photos of my stationery, i find myself drawn to designers that present their goodies in unique ways. below i have compiled a list of etsy sellers who show you more than just the finished product.

sketch.inc

i love how this artist has neatly placed all of the materials used to make the prints below. and the way she animates and titles her wooden brooches with the speech bubble is too cute for words!

my hideaway

 i think this is a brilliant way of presenting these brooches. it's cute, clean, neat and perfect in a pinch when a model is not available!

meghann rader 

oh this artist has such style. i love her newest presentation method - showing the finished necklace (and sometimes the before image!) next to the tiles used to complete it. it really makes the pieces and the process seem real.

wild thing studio

i love the additional illustration and costume that give these jewellery pieces a bit of character and story.

upper tiny

these photos may be some of my favourite! i love how upper tiny includes the used materials in these images. it's not unusual in stamp sales to include the stamp, and a piece of paper with the stamped image. but in this last image, it's actually the journal that is for sale!

art | jasper james

i believe these photography images by jasper james are from a few years ago but that doesn't make them any less beautiful (in the art world things become more so over time!). on saturday night i was driving home from toronto and after turning the bend of the highway, suddenly all of the city, the lights and the lanes were laid out before me in this really magnificent way. if you've never lived in a big city, or seen the way major highways intersect in ontario - it's kind of frightening and awe-inspiring at the same time. it's all so much bigger then you.

i feel the same way when i look at these photographs below. these silent silhouettes contrast boldly against the major cityscapes below. each image is different; proffering peace, longing, melancholy and amorous emotions.

pregnancy 0.6

this post is about pregnancy symptoms. or at least, they could be pregnancy symptoms. they could also just be things that i always experience. it's really hard fort me to tell. i never like to read into these things to be honest. sometimes i have a runny nose, or itchy eyes or a sore throat. but i never jump to conclusions and assume it's because i have a cold/allergies/strep.

some symptoms are bigger and totally suck like the nausea and vomiting. but others are smaller and not that big a deal. but i can see why pregnancy gets such a rep - because it's all the things all at once. here are mine...maybe:

stuffy nose
yup, it's never quite clear. the other day jon said to me "you know, there is really nothing better then a completely clear nose don't you think?" i told him i was glad to see such joy in his eyes but that lately, i had trouble remembering what that felt like.

tingly extremities
it doesn't take very long when laying down for my fingers, my hand and sometimes my whole arm to go numb. and even when i'm sitting on the couch with my legs up, suddenly i'll notice my heel is completely without feeling (without any pressure on it which is weird). this baby must be stealing my blood!

leg cramps
this one definitely happens most when laying in bed on my side. it's like a tightness and it reminds me of when i was younger and i could actually feel my legs growing (if only this pregnancy was making me taller!!). i do find stretching the foot back and forth, or switching sides is an easy fix.

tummy pain
i don't mean anything serious. but i'm definitely at a point where leaning has become something to think about. i.e. leaning for the television remote, leaning to pull the car door closed or bending down to unzip my boots. all of these movements make me very aware that there is something inside me. and even if it only hurts a little to lean over in my head i'm screaming "gaaah i'm squishing the baby!!"

acid reflux
i haven't had this too bad but let's just say i've definitely tasted lunch right before dinner. the tricky part is that i'm trying to get as much iron as i can from food and a flintstones vitamin that i take at night. which means no tums after dinner because science says calcium and iron cancel each other out. boo science!

trouble breathing
i sigh a lot...and i always have. it's usually because i feel a bit nauseous (pre and post baby), or i'm just a little anxious or blue. but regardless, it always makes me feel better. and as the little schmoolet/sniff* grows bigger and gives everything else less room, i find big long gulps of air still feel refreshing.

superhuman nose
i could totally do without this! as i've explained to people, the things i smell don't make me feel sick perse....i just don't want to smell them! and unfortunately these days i can smell everything and anything. when did humans start wearing so much perfume?? (or stop showering??). i'm always saying to jon "blech! do you smell that?" and he without fail always says "nope."

*when we didn't know the sex we were calling it a schmoolet (i am schmoo, therefore the mini one is a schmoolet). but that term does have a certain feminine vibe so when it's born it and it's gender becomes more obvious to us (lol), it will be a mini snoof (that's jon's nickname). and what is a mini snoof? why a sniff of course!

snail mail | i left my heart in victoria

before i left victoria i bought these beautifully simple postcards from my the regional assembly of text (god i wish i had a t-shirt with the same slogan!). within my first week here i had already started to write lists of things on the back and send them to friends in victoria. and in the time since, the list has only grown longer in my head. probably it can be summarized as "everything" but i'll write down some specifics...

things i miss about victoria:

how fresh the air smells
how fresh the air feels
spring from march to november
fudge from catawampus
the owners at bagels on broad
huge amount of art galleries
unique but unpretentious restaurants
patio culture
the view from the inner harbour
very little snow
mountain top 360 views
surrounded by the ocean
my friends
chorizo fondue at tapa bar
ted harrison
amazing transit system
knowing the arts scene
extended boot weather (but like, cute boots, not winter boots)
arbutus trees
cherry blossom season (like pink snow)
no real highways
oak bay people/neighbourhood
no pst on children's items
and so much more

patience made | diy holiday wrapping paper

ever wanted to make your own wrapping paper? me too. that's why when i was younger my mother would let us dip sliced potatoes into paint and apply it to brown parcel paper. i'm a bit beyond potatoes now (except when it comes to dinner, because they're my favourite dish!). i have such a fun collection of stamps - but if you don't, i encourage you to buy one special image, or carve a design into lino, an eraser, or even yes, a potato.

it's easy to pull out some paper and print images abstractly - but since i'm such a perfectionist, i've developed a more geometric way of imprinting my wrap. follow below to make your own "perfectly placed" holiday paper.

tools and supplies:
kraft paper
newsprint
masking tape
scissors
thick black marker
pen
ruler
stamp
ink or paint

step one: roll out some white or kraft parcel paper (these rolls are very inexpensive at office depot stores. i've had mine for years and it cost me twelve dollars). cut off a strip that is four inches wider then the width of the roll itself (scroll to look at the last images if this doesn't make sense).

step two: starting at the very edge of the paper, mark one inch measurements down both alternating sides.

step three: draw lines with a thick black marker from every fourth inch mark to the same mark on the other side (to clarify, this means the lines are four inches apart).

steps four and five: do the same one inch marks down the remaining alternating sides. do the same black marker lines at every fourth inch mark.

steps six and seven: to ensure my grid is straight, i fold one line over the edge of the table and tape both sides down using washi or masking tape (when pulled gently, both come off without harming your surface or your paper so you can use the grid again and again.)

step eight: lay your paper roll over the grid as straight as possible (i don't cut it off the roll until i'm done printing). now look closely to see your marker lines underneath. stamp your images like bricks. alternate between every other intersection on each row like below.

you can use the same image, or switch it up. the point it that when you are done, your images will be perfectly spaced and lined - like professionally printed paper, but with much more charm.

* you may have noticed that the one inch marks are not entirely necessary. you could totally just make one mark every four inches. but i don't because later i'm going to make lines with a thin sharpie marker and print my own tissue paper :) (go ahead and try! they sell rolls of sketchbook paper at art stores, or you can stamp on thick party tissue paper.

when moving on to a new section, pull your paper down just far enough that the last row of stamps lines up with the last row of intersecting lines.

seems like too much work? - that's okay, you can buy some right here.

another idea