31.12.13

pregnancy 0.8

over the past few days my husband and i have been moving apartments (right across the street!). which means that for two days i have been working really hard holding doors open and directing people as to where to put things down. it was tough work!

jokes aside, i actually felt pretty guilty. watching people move is actually quite painful when you convince yourself that they are wishing you would/could help. even last night when jon and i went back to the old apartment to clean - i swept and mopped all the floors and then said "i gotta get out of here!" the chemicals in the cleaning materials were just too strong. with my superhuman pregnancy nose coupled with concern for the baby, i really felt i had to stop. and so again, i felt guilty.

and the funniest thing is that even after basically doing nothing yesterday morning when the move was complete, i was totally exhausted! i laid down on the bed and promptly fell into a two hour nap (and of course i woke up still tired, and also went to bed early).

i used to be go go go and always doing twenty things at one time. but despite feeling guilty about this (i'm not doing anything! how can i lack so much energy?), i've decided not to anymore. people use the cliche line "you are working hard, you're growing a human!" and i've finally decided to accept that as truth. this little sniff has to be the one responsible.

p.s. i finally got to see the baby move for the first time this week. jon got to see him and feel him too which is kind of a big deal because i've been able to feel him kick for awhile now. whether it's my extra weight, or anterior placenta who knows, (28 weeks is pretty far along to only be seeing him kick now) but i'm glad it finally happened. even if it does kind hurt.

27.12.13

wrap | merry christmas

these photos aren't very good but i wanted to share a few pics of my wrapped gifts that i handed out this year. the deer/antlers silhouette image seemed to be well liked so i did a version of it on both kraft brown and white.

we are moving to a new apartment this weekend so i have to run and start packing (which includes taking down my beloved christmas tree - so sad!).

i hope you had a wonderful holiday, if you celebrated, and had lots of fun wrapping and giving/getting gifts!





18.12.13

snail mail | christmas card + isavirtue etiquette

i love these few weeks before christmas when every day my mailbox seems to have a surprise for me! i've been receiving christmas cards from friends and family, and i just love snipping open the envelope to reveal something joyful inside (i always snip, never rip). below i am going to natter on about how i feel about christmas cards. these are one hundred percent my opinions and describe the way in which i go about the yearly tradition. no inferences should be made as to how anyone else should do things.

snail mail 1, technology 0
comparatively, not many people mail christmas cards to others anymore. to young people, the tradition feels antiquated, and technology makes sending a holiday hello or e-greeting that much easier. therefore, going the distance to actually send a physical piece of mail makes you seem like the coolest person in the world! (or so i like to imagine :). as with sending snail mail any other time of year, the sheer act of doing so makes it look like you've gone above and beyond.

enjoy the process
personally, i love to send christmas cards, as evidenced here, here and here. as with everything else i do, it's more about the process than the actual task or item itself. i put time aside, craft with friends, and draw up ideas of what my cards will look like. that way it remains full of enjoyment and doesn't become a chore.

obligation
i don't really feel any sense of obligation when it comes to who i send christmas cards to. i don't think there needs to be any hurt feelings based on whether someone does or doesn't send/receive a greeting. this is probably easier to avoid nowadays since the act itself is rare. but honestly, i just send cards to people i've felt close to that year - and my list changes every christmas!
there does seem to be a connection between marriage, and family that adds you to other's christmas card lists. which seems funny to me.
when i send cards, i am still trying to train myself to address it to both parts of a couple. i don't know why but i have trouble remembering that even though the woman may have been my friend originally, her husband or partner is important too! though for anyone sending me mail - i can pass on the "mr. and mrs. jonathan webb" addressing. my husband is important...but i am too! i've taken to signing our own return address as "the patient webbs" - a fun play on our last names.

the message
the word "message" really speaks for itself here. maybe it's just me but i think that if i'm going to go through the effort of choosing or making a card, paying for postage and walking to the post office...i might as well take the time to write a couple sentences before i sign my name. i love getting cards but i must admit it's somewhat disappointing to open them up and not have anything to read besides the canned "season's greetings" message. whenever possible i try to personalize my message to the person i'm sending the card to.

the card itself
okay, this one might be up for debate. i really do believe that sending a card at all is awesome sauce. but some cards seem so generic that they barely hide the fact they were purchased at a bulk foods store half off the year before. they don't have any charm or pizazz or thought at all. i'm just saying i like when a card is beautiful, unique, handmade and even comes with a jazzy envelope! below are some of the cards i've received this year - and what a great lot indeed!





possible downsides
yes, sending christmas cards costs money. so does buying them, and even making them. but let's say you spend two or three dollars on a card and postage - maybe that few dollars can be taken off the cost gift you get the person? and if you don't plan to give a present to others, the card is like a gift in itself! (oh, and if we're going to spend money on postage, why not get the stickers with the holiday image! yay it's all so festive :)
if you don't have the address beforehand it can be a bit of a bummer. i always feel like it detracts from the surprise. but it's necessary. so i try to ask a couple months in advance, or just suck it up and ask the day before i mail out ;)

15.12.13

snail mail | advent calendar part two

these are the advent calendar snail mail pieces from december sixth to twelfth. i've done a house/home theme using images from a sketchbook by rebecca dolen of the regional assembly of text. jon and i pulled the pages we hope to frame for the baby's room, and i couldn't help but craft with the rest!

six | cathy, my aunt on my mother's side
seven | freyja, former colleague and friend in bc
eight | heather, to her parents place, though she lives in the uk
nine | heather, to her parents place, though she lives in the uk*
ten | hilary, a former university roommate out west
eleven | my friend holly, from the yukon
twelve | bela, my little neice










*different heather's, weird coincidence. this heather was also my university dorm mate.

11.12.13

art | sean lynch

these amazing photographs were posted on colossal this week and i couldn't help but repost them right away! i'm very much a sucker for pink, despite years of denying it was one of my favourite colours.

photographer sean lynch captured these pinkish red hues in nepal by taking infrared images. it's hard to believe that everything below with that gorgeous pink tint is actually a variation of green. 
let's just say that if nature looked more like this, i might actually be inclined to take part in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping etc.






10.12.13

musings | positive thinking


i was reading a post on maiedae blog about her bad day. i had a similar weekend. through this pregnancy i've cried less times than the fingers on my right hand*. but on friday, i cried five times! mostly all regarding the same issue, but then it got to the point where i was feeling so fragile that basically anything could make me cry! (i.e. i forgot not to put jon's new shirt in the drier. guess what happened when he pointed out to me that it had shrunk? yep, waterfalls from my eyeballs).

the downsides to that day culminated yesterday. we had some difficult meetings...but then on top of that i had to have a root canal, and jon's car got backed into (while we were in it! pressing on the horn!). needless to say, i was pretty tired and am crossing my fingers that everything will resolve itself.

someone spoke to me yesterday about the power of positive thinking. i don't know that i've exactly been "thinking positive" lately. but i have been trying to accept certain situations and/or find a solution. for example, i woke up the other night and i just felt so sick. usually when this happens i totally freak out and worry that i might have to throw up, which makes me stress out even more...which makes me feel sicker! but i told myself "do not worry about this. you are fine, just a bit nauseous. if you do have to throw up, no big deal! you are tired though, so go back to sleep." and it kind of worked.

and yesterday at the root canal appointment, i found myself starting to get anxious about everything. did i just swallow some of that numbing agent? have i been on my back too long? is the baby losing blood or oxygen? have they done too many xrays? am i super dizzy? but since it was such a long appointment i had to talk myself back to sanity. "do not worry about this. everything is fine and you know that so worrying won't do any good. just relax." and again, it worked. it was fine.

it will all be fine.

* not to imply i have a different amount of fingers on my other hand...

5.12.13

snail mail | advent calendar mail art

i wanted to do some sort of advent calendar this year, but i also wanted to share it with family and friends. so i decided to do a snail mail advent calendar! for each of the days leading up to christmas i am sending out a piece of mail art to a lady on my list. inside there is random ephemera, postcards, isavirtue stationery, magazine articles i've loved, a special note and a compliment.

one | alex, a former colleague and friend
two | amber, a great volunteer from the integrate arts festival
three | amy, a great volunteer from the integrate arts festival
four | anne-marie, a friend since grade nine
five | bonnie, a former stationery store co-worker







4.12.13

patience made | christmas cards!

i've been working on my 2013 holiday greetings for awhile. i always like to include something inside along with the card (i.e. last year i included 3d ornaments, and the year before a 1920's christmas cd).
this year i wanted to incorporate my sewing machine somehow. at first i had planned to make flat felt stuffed ornaments but canada post is intense this year about only including paper inside letter mail.

so i decided to make little holiday garlands that people can use to decorate their home or mantle! for some i used a deer/antler and snowflakes theme, but for most i stuck with this adorable little bunny. not exactly christmas related but i loved the look. instead of folded cards this year i did kraft coloured chipboard flat cards that say "have a holly jolly christmas" (and as usual i made the envelopes by hand). i hope all of my friends and family enjoy!








2.12.13

patience made | isavirtue photoshoot

remember this post where i had created all of my most favourite pieces of stationery? they were on their way to boulder colorado for their hollywood style photoshoot with hannah pobar of hannah truly photography. i'm so delighted to share the photos, and am so pleased that my isavirtue stationery can finally be envisioned in it's rightful place on your desk.

don't forget, 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%
ISAVIRTUEJINGLE 30%