fancy hands/the woodlands

remember that month where i updated on a semi-regular basis? and then there was that time where it was new year's eve and i though 'hey! my resolution is to update my blog at least twice a week!' and then, as is to be expected, i didn't follow through. it happens. i'm sorry! really, i am!

wanna know what i'm gonna do to make it up to you? first, i'm going to give you a fancy little post right below!

and the bestest part....

i'm going to bedeck you with gifts! real, tangible gifts! real, tangible, handmade with love GIFTS!

in the coming week, i will post exact details of the giveaway prizes and how to enter the contest but in the meantime i want you to be prepared. all you need to do is make sure you're a follower of 'share your love' so get your blogger account set up, click the little follow button, and wait in anticipation for free shit! yesss! and now, without further ado....

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two summers ago, when i was a religious sartorialist follower, i came upon this snap of hipster crowd-favourite, cc sheffield. yes, her hair is the best (that fringe!) and her romper is the perfect mix of sexy and cute, but that's all secondary. HER HAND! look how she uses an intricate henna (mehndi) design on her hand to jazz up an otherwise plain and simple outfit!

ever since seeing that picture i've been determined to make my way down to gerrard street and get my own little 'tattoo' in the heart of toronto's india bazaar. as with all my other exploits, i've delayed the event (right now i'm waiting for the warm weather to return, you see)! to bide myself over until then, i've been scouring the net for other fancy hands ideas. look what i found!

it's a handchain by the woodland and it rules! forget that its paired with that bad ass ring or killer fur (har har), that chain manages to be so rocker yet so dainty, all on its own. the woodland also makes full body chains - please and thank you!

but now as i patiently wait for the summer when the henna artists set up their booths along gerrard street, i'll be loading my fingers with rings instead.

what's the point in trying when a 13 year old is always there to put you to shame

oh, tavi! you tiny little thing, so excited by obscure garments, not yet disillusioned. i envy you. with a body 10 years younger than my own yet style and courage beyond your years, you put me to shame.

pop quiz time! above is a photo of Tavi...

a) taken by Autumn DeWilde
b) taken at the Rodarte studio in New York
c) taken the night of the Pop party during Fashion Week

trick question. all of the above. yea. i know.

check out tavi's blog here

advent calendar: caroling

everyone has a classic christmas song they deem their favourite but i tend to prefer new originals or reworked versions of the classics. below are five festive favourites:

my morning jacket - come closer
although this was not originally a christmas song, the band reworked some of the lyrics for a radio session in which 'soldier' is replaced with 'santa' and 'who told you that you left me amazed' with 'you told me that you'd bring me a gift'. a melancholy song, certainly, but with the right amount of bells jingling in the background its been transformed into a winter time favourite of mine.


belle and sebastian - 12 days of christmas
another live session, belle and sebastian play their version of the 12 days of christmas with a joyful bounce and playful sounds in the background.


sufjan stevens - come on! let's boogey to the elf dance!
his religious background only makes it fitting that his christmas songs collection ranges over 5 albums, all containing a mix of christmas classics and his own original songs. come on! let's boogey to the elf dance! is an upbeat charm of a song listing everything associated with christmas, from sleigh bells and elves to jesus and mary.

run dmc - christmas in hollis
the video says it all! pure merriment and mirth!

and my all time favourite is

...
...
...

badly drawn boy - donna and blitzen
i find something so infectious about this song i can't help but listen to it on repeat. it reminds me of all the warmth and happiness one can find in love and how magical it feels to be falling in love, maybe even more so than seeing reindeer fly through the night sky. sublime and romantic, will you be the blitzen to my donna?


ALSO SEE:

• a sadder sufjan, one we are more accustomed with, yes? did i make you cry on christmas (well you deserved it!) is heartbreaking but one of the most relatable christmas songs out there.
• fairytale of new york is a classic christmas tune for the punk rock set brought by the pogues with some unexpected lyrics which surely won't conjure up warm thoughts of christmas for most.
• the raveonettes set the scene of a winter wonderland in the fairytale of a song, simply titled the christmas song
  

advent calendar: decorating with martha

etc.

advent calendar: wish list item three

the museum of modern art (MoMA), in new york, currently has a series of workshops based on the bauhaus, an art movement of the early 20th century founded by architect walter gropius. an all encompassing school of art - the ideology being that all art should be seamlessly integrated with everyday life - it heavily influenced what we now know as industrial design. the schools output can be thought of as almost didactic in nature. the artists', which included mies van der rohe, wassily kandinsky, paul klee, and piet mondrian among others, created output ranging from works of architecture, to furniture, to paintings and beyond.

while reading the list of workshops offered at the MoMA(even though im not in new york, nor plan to be in the near future), i caught sight of the 'bauhaus bags: design your own tote' lab and was immediately intrigued. the idea of painting your own tote design may seem lacklustre, but on further thought one can see the immediate connection with the bauhaus movement. the tote bag itself is a simple design, a square carryall made of simple canvas but that's the very idea behind bauhaus:

take those everyday objects in your life and create art...
make them something above and beyond a stairwell, or a telephone...
create something in which the user can find joy and ease interacting with...

so for these reasons, my wish list item #3 is none other than a personalized tote. i dont think i like anything more than personalized and carefully thought out gifts, made from the heart and id love to find a bauhaus inspired tote bag under the christmas tree this year. what other personalized gift ideas do you have?

check out the MoMA video accompanying the workshops below:

advent calendar: candy cane hot chocolates

a canadian through and through, i wait patiently every year for two very important events: tim hortons rrroll up the rim, and candy cane hot chocolates. while the former generally leaves me cross (two cups of coffee a day for weeks on end and not a single prize won!), the latter never fails to make me smile. whats better, i've recently learned how to make it at home (no need to trek through meter high snow!)

there are many recipes out there - a quick google search will prove it - i like to make mine by adding a peppermint tea bag to a cup of hot cocoa and crushing up little candy canes into that mixture. garnish as you wish but i'd suggest a mound of whipped cream and generously sprinkled with crushed candy canes.

photo credit - ginnerobot

now grab your favourite book or turn on your favourite holiday movie, get the fireplace roaring, cuddle up in that snuggie, and enjoy!

advent calendar: wish list item two

nylon's garcon-célèbre du jour and the rightful holder of all little girls' hearts (take that robert pattinson), zac efron promises to make every day in 2010 a delight. Ring in a very sexy new year with the 2010 ZE calendar. my only complaint? not nearly enough topless snaps!

available at amazon for $12.19! who says love don't come cheap?