diys i didn't: valentine edition

Clockwise from left: Idle Husband loves bread, so it would totally make sense to print up some of these baguette bread bags; this scandinavian inspired wooden heart would fit right into any room; sweetheart charms add a little cuteness to your keys; I would keep these copper arrows on the wall year round; With a he-man flower holder, you CAN get your man flowers (not a diy, but you can fioy = figure it out yourself); this tassel knife valentine is just a good excuse to buy proper spreading knives (you don't know how awesome they are until you have one); the I lava you pop-up card's cheesiness is perfectly charming.

february desktop

 Obviously, it's February which means only one thing (Valentine's day), so I thought I'd do something a little more romantic this month. (Although, I would use this one any time I'm in a pink mood.)

1920 x 1080

ipad

iphone lock screen

iphone homepage

Choose this wallpaper if chocolate's more your thing than flowers.

1920 x 1080

ipad

iphone 1

iphone 2

inspired by: budgies

We had to leave our little budgie in Canada, and we miss him terribly. So it's no wonder that lately I'm drawn to all things budgie or budgie-inspired. Clockwise from top left: teal polka dotted linen pouch, diy sugar scrub cubes, budgie iphone case, free printable modern valentine cards, SKEE wicker stool, budgie printed pillow, Finalyson duvet cover, bronze budgie head earrings, drop storage jar, edible green glitter

diy: love lock

This year, we had our anniversary in a new country. And, after getting rid of all our possessions, I didn't really want to start collecting things again unless they were things of need or importance. So naturally, I decided that an experience or memory gift would be in order.

While doing my research on Finland, I came across this concept of love locks. I'm sure you've heard of them before, but if you haven't, the basic idea behind them is this. Couples purchase a lock on which they can engrave something personal (usually their initials and the year). They then lock the lock onto a bridge (there are a lot of acceptable bridges in many different countries and cities) and throw the key into the water symbolizing that their bond is forever and unbreakable.

I immediately thought this would be the perfect gift. What better way to commemorate both our anniversary and our move to Finland? Especially since there's a bridge in Helsinki that already has locks on it. (When we decided to put the lock on one of the bridges close to our new apartment instead, we were pleasantly surprised to find it already had a few love locks on it, so it was almost like fate!)

Since I had to carry out this craft in a country where I had no idea what stores were for what things, I had to do this kind of ghetto. So I'm giving you palsy pictures from my iphone (I couldn't charge my proper camera at the beginning because I was worried about voltage issues) and I had no supplies or knowledge of where to get anything at the time (since I actually made and gifted my lock back in December, about 2 1/2 weeks after we first landed in Helsinki).

Had we been in Canada, I would have done one thing differently. I would have spent the time and money to get the lock professionally engraved (like that super sweet pink lock above). This requires only a simple trip to a jewelry store. As it was, I did the best I could scratching in the initials myself with a screw I found in our first apartment (I told you it was ghetto!). The scratching will definitely be there long after the ink rubs off, but it's just not as nice as I would have liked it to be (although what's on the lock and how it looks is completely minor in comparison to the sentiment involved, so it really doesn't matter in the long run). But if there's one thing I would suggest you do differently from me, it would be that one step.

The rest is pretty easy and mostly for presentation.

What you need:

One padlock

nail polish (optional)

ribbon, string, or pretty washi tape (optional)

What you need to do:

Engrave or scratch you and your loved one's initials into the lock along with anything else that's significant. First date, wedding date, anniversary date, etc. Pretty much whatever floats your heart boat.

I wanted to dress the key up, so I painted it red with a little nail polish. I didn't have a single stashed craft supply save for my sharpies and my washi tape (there's no way I was going to leave those behind!), so I wrote over my scratchings with a sharpie so they'd be easier to see (for presentation) and I pushed a piece of washi tape through the key's hole as a cute fob and I put another little flag on the lock shank. This is all completely optional. Remember, you're going to be locking the padlock on a public bridge and throwing the key into the water so it's really not necessary that you dress it up. I just thought it added a little bit of romance and colour to the present rather than giving my ghetto scratched padlock on its own.

Next is completely up to you and your loved one. Pick the bridge that's significant to you and go lock it on there (don't forget to throw away the key). Tears galore!

friday fixations

{the pretty one} This movie looks so interesting (plus it has my favourite New Girl guy). I really have to remember to see it! (Yes. I forget to see movies. It's a problem.)

{procatinator} You need another silly cat website. This one pairs gifs with music and some of the outcomes are really entertaining.

{tina} I love everything about this gif of one of my favourite cartoon characters.

{mushroom soup} Specifically, this recipe. It was easy and pretty much the best homemade mushroom soup I've ever had (which is saying a lot since I've only ever had MY attempts at homemade mushroom soup).

{wide leg pants} Currently, I can only dream about fashion, but I'm starting to really get into this vibe of wearing proper pants and button down shirts (and less jeans/t-shirts uniforms). I just extra love these wide leg pants right now, but I also had a pair of skinny maternity pants I was really sad to part with when I grew too large for them.