pulling for spring

here we go! post #200. i almost thought that i'd miss it, like i sorta-kinda missed my blog's 1-year birthday, and then had to hold the belated giveaway. but not for my 200th post.

for all you bloggers out there - remember that first seemingly giant step? that first-ever post? it feels kind of like you need something that's gonna set the tone for the whole blog, but little do you notice that it often takes on a life of it's own, growing and developing as you go. it's pretty sweet, the way things all end up working out in the end.

i've been in an introspective mood lately, what with my recent one-year blogiversary and this 200th post. i've been analyzing where i'd like to see wunderbug go in the next year. taking into consideration several of my ideas, along with the fact that i love getting feedback, i'm putting it out to you guys: what would you like to see more of? weekly features? more artist interviews? recipes? quotes and poems? how-to's and tutorials?

if there's something that i've done in the past that you'd like to see again, then please please let me know! (on the flip side, if there's something that i've never done but you think would be cool for me to include, then by all means, i'm open to suggestion!) now that i feel that i'm past those 'beginning' stages of blogging, i'm ready to try out + develop new things. help steer me in the right direction!

this weekend: i'm getting a little stir crazy for some greenery. bloggers in those warmer climates have begun to post pictures of things coming back into bloom... while, unfortunately, we're facing yet another super-cold weekend up here in canada. i'm going to combat it by planning my 2009 veggie garden... and looking into the indoor growing process to get the wheels in motion.

photos, clockwise from top left: martha's veggie garden, tea-tin vases via jenaD,
lily via unruly things and a gorgeous windowsill greenhouse.
below: another tea tin vase from jenaD

for the days when...

for the days when you have so many ideas of things you want to do, but you just can't seem to find the time nor energy but you feel like you're going to explode out of your skin:

breathe. deeply. you'll get there. rome wasn't built in a day. the sistene chapel wasn't painted in a week. turn your music down and lower your shoulders for a moment. or dance crazily to your favourite song. lean back in your chair, close your eyes. or go for a run. something. anything. whatever floats your boat. just don't stress yourself out too much, because there's only so many hours in a day. worrying about it won't extend it.

i know that it's easier said than done, so i find it helps to be a little proactive. keep a little memo pad to jot down your ideas as they come to you. don't focus on getting it to look pretty or about developing each idea fully - the key is to just get them down. once they're committed in ink, consider them to be out of your mind. they're safe on paper. you won't forget them. so write them down, and continue on with your day.

when you're feeling more settled, take a minute to flesh them out a bit more. some will work out; some won't. try not to worry so much about those ones. it's normal - but more importantly - it doesn't mean that you've failed. no no - not in the least.

(if anything, it could be considered a sign of wisdom to know when to continue with a project and when it's better to stop spinning your wheels.)

in a time when people are sucked (or sometimes dragged kicking and screaming) into a 24/7 more-better-faster lifestyle, it's so important not to burn yourself out. there's a time to work, a time to play, and a time to give your brain a rest. you're an incredibly talented + busy person - remember that even the most productive people in this world need to take a moment or thirty to themselves to rejuvenate. your output will thank you.

so save all of those brilliant and unruly ideas for a time when you can truly+ fully immerse yourself in them. you'll come out with a better quality product - and (quite possibly more importantly) you'll be able to appreciate the process more.

in the meanwhile, if you're stuck in the middle of that kind of day... your first step is to just breathe.

speedy gonzales

buon giorno!

super quick post today since i'm hungry and have a billion things on my to-do list. however, a small item of housekeeping to mention, before i scamper off (and a few fun things, too!)

uno: want to add more wunderbug to your day? i've been on twitter for a while now, but am just now discovering new ways to use it beneficially. if you're on there, look me up and feel free to follow me!

sidenote: there's some awesome reading about twitter from yesterday's etsy success newsletter.. click here, here and here. check out the 'why bother?' section in that last link in particular. i'll be adding a link in my sidebar to my twitter page shortly - so stay tuned!

due: i forgot to extend my congratulations to julia from red otter, who was featured in monday's etsy finds. woot woot!

tres: shrove tuesday was something else i forgot to mention! i ate pancakes for dinner and they were absolutely delish. just thought you should know. (also - i heard on the radio that apparently if you use sparkling water in your pancake batter, it makes 'em more fluffy. i'm not so sure about that, but just thought i'd pass it along. hm.)

quattro: something i most definitely didn't forget was about ms kal's sweet sweet 'you are awesome' prints, which i received yesterday in the mail. so happy.

cinque: like typewriters, i'm developing a thing for watering cans. i think i'ma paint one.

'nuff said. back to work.

image by A is for Angie

it's a literary type of day

great things are blooming today. i can feel it.

the first thing that i meant to mention yesterday that i totally forgot to: marta's write club has begun! i'm excited to get rolling with the first week's assignment. ink, meet paper. woot. it also seemed highly appropriate (might i venture to say fateful?) that the ever-talented jennifer jeffrey has posted a super-insightful post about decoding what it means to be a writer, and how exactly one would get a professional triple-word-score if you were to be one of these types of individuals. the above photo is hers, too. i thought it fitting with today's theme.

special note: check out the links at the end, too. good times. particularly for this bookwormie-slash-former bookstore-employee girl who's biggest goal in life at one time was to be an author of a bestselling non-fiction book. more on that another day.

thing numba two: it was actually sunny out this morning when i was driving to the bus station. not just a lil bit, but brilliantly cloudless-day sunny with pastel coloured skies and crisp* air. awesomeness abounds.

thing numba three: roll up the rim at tim horton's. nuff said. it's a national phenomenon that really can't be explained. you've gotta live here to appreciate it.

it's a short post today, but sometimes things are like that. i've got a meeting with my boss right at 9:15 and a notebook full of ideas to pitch to him. in the words of kal barteski, go!

*crisp might be considered an understatement, considering the -22 celsius windchill.

sweet + tiny

hello monday!

today started out kind of crappy, i must admit. first i couldn't find my cell phone before leaving for work, which made me run late, and then to add insult to injury, i burnt my mouth on my vanilla earl grey tea. yowza. it was one of those mornings where i just had to sit back, relax my shoulders, and exhaaaale. *whooooooosh*

fyi: vanilla earl grey tea is my new favourite thing. my sister made me a cup last night and it was absolutely incredible. divine, even. there's a few things in this world that i find innately calming; the scent of lavender, mulled apple cider on a cold day, listening to india.arie on my ipod, reading a good book with a glass of wine and candles lit, yoga, and now vanilla earl grey tea. i've been drinking the tetley one, but if any of you happen to know another brand, let me know so that i can expand my repertoire.

on saturday, i finished up a two more paintings that had been in-process forever. i've been really loving the super-simple pieces lately, and i think that these two are about as simple as they get. they're available as both original and print in the wunderbug shop as of today.