Friday Favourites - Saltwater Sandals

The only reason I have these sandals is because of social media. Until a few years ago I'd never heard of Saltwater Sandals. But there I was checking out Flickr and Twitter and even blogs and I kept seeing photos of feet in these pretty sandals. A little bit old fashioned, but rather fashionable too. Well, in my opinion at least.

It took a year before I could buy them. And even when I did it was a convoluted process because they are practically impossible to get in Canada, at least in any functional size or a cool colour. I couldn't even order them off a US site because they all wanted US credit cards and shipping addresses. That's where the internet came in handy again. Because of this blog and my quilting I have friends all over the US now. And some of them are even willing to spend money on my behalf!

So thanks to

Jen

I started getting an annual order. Sandals for both me and the girls. We did skip this year though because my two pairs (I have yellow as well) are still in such good condition even with near daily wear for 3 months straight in the summer.

Saltwater sandals are so comfortable. They aren't for people with arch issues though as they have zero support. But I found there to be no breaking in.

They are leather, but they can get wet. Like, stepping in a lake wet. Or running through the splash park wet. The latter was why my girls liked them so much.

Me, I like them because they are so pretty. And frankly, it's pretty awesome that I don't see anyone else here in Calgary with them. I do like to be unique.

Friday Favourites - I'll Cut You Pillow

Isn't this an awesome pillow. So cheeky. (But also a deeply held sentiment by any a sewer who's had their scissors taken and, gasp! had paper cut with them.)

It was my first decorative purchase when I moved into my little basement studio. Frankly, it's one of the only decorative purchases. I think it was my sister-in-law who saw it first and sent me a link. I had to have it. Such a little treat!

Earth Cadets

is the name of the Etsy store where I purchased the pillow. They have a lot of sweet items, but this is definitely my favourite. Did I mention it comes in other colours?

Friday Favourites - Camping

It's far from glamorous, this camping thing. A tent in the woods, gravel and dirt creeping in despite the no shoes in the tent rule. Waking far too early because the summer sun arrives at an ungodly hour.  Packing and repacking everything for every meal because there are bears and you can't leave food out. Not showering for days. Camping.

And I love it.

No glamping here. Just an overstuffed car and lots of dirt. But there is fire and marshmallows and exploring shorelines and bugs and late nights. And fire, camp fire all the time.

I can't deny the stress of getting ready for the trip. We have all our gear organized and it is always ready to just grab out of the garage. But I still have to get all the food and everyone's clothes. That always takes a few hours. Then my Hubby plays a game of car tetris to get everything in the car. And we argue about snacks and how many extra things the girls try to bring.

Then we drive. And the drives are always gorgeous. We spend half the time stressing to the kids how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful and awesome country. I stitch in the car, we relish the silence when the kids all miraculously doze at the same time. We curse the tourists stopping to take pictures of wildlife because they are always too close to the animals.

And then we arrive. It takes longer to set up now because the kids help, but they enjoy making things just so. And we're dirty before we even can think about it. And the maniac behaviour begins as tree branches become everything but, fairies are discovered in the forest, and frisbees come out. Then the fire starts and the begging for marshmallows begins. And I give in, because why not.

I must admit, I was terrified when we geared up last year and committed to this family activity. I loathe sleeping with my kids. (I love them dearly, but not in my bedroom.) But in the woods it doesn't matter. They sleep hard and deep. And when they wake us up too early in the morning I enjoy their whispers, until they grow into tickles and shrieks. The whole experience has been amazing. It far exceeded my expectations.

When we camp we bring no crafts for the kids, only a few activity books and things like balls and frisbees. We encourage them to explore the area around us, when we aren't hiking or trying something else.

We talk and watch and listen. To the woods, to each other.

We sit so still so the butterflies land on our feet.

Friday Favourites - Soakbox

With two little girls in the house manicures are ever present. My nails always look horrible - I can barely make it out of a salon without wrecking a manicure. But that never stops me from buying pretty colours. So when a certain Monster was turning 8 last month we upped our game in terms of nail polish.

Soak, makers of the awesome laundry wash for knits and lingerie as well as the lovely Flatter pressing spray also has these curated collection of custom nail polish sets put together by fabric designers. Lizzy House, Denyse Schmidt, Sandi Henderson, and Fig Tree & Co each have a set. Four custom colours packed in a box created by the designer herself. And, on top of that, you could give yourself a custom manicure inspired by the fabric itself!

The one below was given to me for my book signing at Quilt Market last year.

I was away the week of The Monster's birthday and had the pleasure of teaching at The Workroom again. After my class Jacqueline Sava, the creator and creative drive behind Soak, came to visit. We hung out, chatted, picked fabric, drank champagne, and generally laughed away an afternoon. Aside from the fact that she's a pretty awesome person (and so funny and taller than me!) I adore that her company is Canadian. I always look to support businesses from home wherever possible.

Now, I have a few more choices when the girls ask to do my nails. And boy do they ask. Or they take to it themselves. Truth be told, they work so hard at perfecting their manicures that they've been known to paint and repaint their nails for hours!