What’s this? Weekly Weak Knees is a collection of the things that are making me happy this week. Some of these posts have been shared in my daily “currently loving” sidebar feature, but most is a new mix of design, great food, my favourite posts, positivity, handmade goods, DIY’s and a little fashion that I that can’t stand you not knowing about. Why not start the week off inspired, right?

◆ Is your home feeling drab? Why not use this yarn ball wall display to create a quirky, crafty feature wall!

◆ Boundaries are so crucial to having the life that you want, but they’re hard to set! Saying no makes room for possibility & rest in your life, so next time you don’t know what to say “How to say “no” to everything ever” gives you a simple, gracious script to follow.

Article: How to say “no” to everything ever + Image: Amanda Fuller

◆ Make your own no slip rug, care of a glue gun (or caulk) and Pinterest. This is one of those ideas that’s so simple and practical that it makes you shake your head. Also, is there a situation in which a slippy mat would be desirable? Because I would love it if the mat industry took this step for me.

◆ How does a full time blogger make their living? Having multiple income streams! Darren from ProBlogger shows you exactly how his income streams broke down last month.

◆ A new blog that I’m really excited about is How They Blog.com, where you go behind the scenes with fabulous, long time bloggers in detailed three part interviews. My favourite so far is with Tsh from Simple Mom. Read about who she is, her favourite gadgets & apps, and her approach to writing & social media. So practical and actionable!

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◆ Speaking of blogging, do you feel like you’re reading the same blog over and over again? Or are you feeling like your RSS reader doesn’t have the same pull that it used to? Sarah from Silly Grrl has some fabulous ideas that speak up for being yourself online.

◆ Before Victoria from A Subtle Revelry moved houses, she threw a moving party. Part of the party even took place in the moving truck! What a brilliant way to de-stress during a big life event, and make sure it’s positive for the whole family.

◆ Do you want to take a giant leap forward toward your goals and dreams this month? My sweet Ashley from Your Super Awesome Life made May a “Pay What You Want” month in her coaching business, for all of her packages! What a doll, right? I know that some of you ladies won’t be able to pass this up, so if you’ve been craving this go get yourself a batch of inspiration, direction and accountability.

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◆ Learn how Melanie from You Are My Fave dramatically improved her photography last year.

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◆ I’m pretty sure that this strawberry rhubarb crisp is going to haunt my dreams until the rhubarb in my back yard is ready to eat.

How are you starting today with extra inspiration in your back pocket?

And more importantly: Have you ever been been in a situation where a mat or rug that slipped around was exactly what you needed, or can we forward the above DIY to the mat industry and start the lobby for non-slip mats together?

What if your best life is out there looking for you, hoping to bump into you at the grocery story or after yoga class? What if it doesn’t care if you’re not wearing makeup, or if you said the wrong thing or should have replied to that email yesterday? What if it it was bring magnetically drawn to your unique you-ness and was hoping to coax you out of your shell and into you greatness?

Something about living in a small city makes it easier to see the connections between people. How when you make a positive connection with a like minded person, in the right place at the right time, you can propel yourself forward in the story line that you half imagined for your life by leaps and bounds. As all small towns do, it can also crystallize how relationships or situations that don’t serve you can slowly pull you into a life that doesn’t fit your heart, which can make linger on forever in the worst way.

This week is the anniversary of one of those small moments where it really felt like the life I was hoping for actively found its way to me. Eight years ago my husband and I had been dating for six months, and he was permanently relocating to Florida. We knew it was coming, that we would probably break up, and it made getting to know each other and fall for each other incredibly bittersweet. The day arrived and we got ready to say goodbye, but the trip was delayed by chance for a day. That evening, the job he was moving for fell through and suddenly his move became a road trip. Six months later we were living together, and this Christmas is our nine year anniversary.

I’m not trying to say that I have a dream life, or a perfect relationship, but this week I’m feeling grateful and it’s hard not to notice such a clear fork in the road. While most of the magic that underpins our lives is more subtle, it’s just as powerful. Like the decision to take one class instead of another, or following the instinct to speak up for yourself, even when it’s uncomfortable. I’m a profound believer that the little actions add up.

Maybe another way to look at it is that as ordinary acts of bravery inch you in the direction of your true values and deepest passions, you start to shine brighter and it’s easier for your dreams to find you.

So your dream life might not be out there on a tropical island, waiting for you to RSVP but I bet it’s much closer than you think. It could be out there in the wild blue yonder, but it could also be tucked between pages at the library or tangled in a tub load of laundry at the laundromat until your decisions make you a beacon it just can’t miss.

Are there relationships or situations in your life that are draining you?
Is there something that’s especially charging you up & feeling aligned with your “dream life”?

Image: Patti Murphy Designs

This month felt: Spacious! It went by quickly but I usually felt like I had enough hours in the day to get things done, which qualifies as a superpower in my books. I had a positive month filled with trying new things and going out to new places. It felt so good and like a treat to be really present and enjoy my life as it is now. When I remembered not to get lost in thoughts, isn’t that always how it is?

The biggest surprise was: Booking a trip to Washington, DC in May. Jesse & I had considered it but because we haven’t taken much time off work in the past few years it felt extravagant to schedule a trip on a month’s notice. I can’t wait to finally meet Becky for the first time in six years of friendship, and to meet Freckled Nest’s customer service manager Kelsey in person, or to go exploring all the museums. And I’m sure there will be lots of good food had. I’m beyond excited!

My favourite discovery was: Exporting my blog subscriptions from Google Reader (RIP) to Feedly, and discovering that somehow I’d only been getting a fraction of my favourite blog’s updates! My full subscription list has been restored, and the internet doesn‘t suck, I just wasn’t getting all of the awesome I’d signed up for.

I was challenged by: blogging regularly. I love it, but I’ve realized that if I don’t do it on the weekend it doesn’t happen. Lesson learned!

I celebrated: finishing my first journal since I was 18 or 19

I read: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (started it at least!)

I was watching: Survivor & New Girl (aka. The Nick Miller Show)

How was your April? What would you like May to feel like?

I’d love a joyful, effortless May. Also warm! I’m tired of this fake spring nonsense, let’s get into real spring and early summer weather! Since I can’t control the weather I’m going to make May a month full of friends, dance parties, and being brave in lots of little ordinary ways.

Oh hi! Where did last week go? I’ve been in a design lock down, working on new client site launches and apparently if I don’t blog on the weekend, I don’t post during the week! Lesson learned, and this week of posts is already in the works. Thanks for checking back- I might be a rusty blogger, but I’m getting the hang of it :)

What’s this? Weekly Weak Knees is a collection of the things that are making me happy this week. Some of these posts have been shared in my daily “currently loving” sidebar feature, but most is a new mix of design, great food, my favourite posts, positivity, handmade goods, DIY’s and a little fashion that I that can’t stand you not knowing about. Why not start the week off inspired, right?

♠  Beautiful behind the scenes peek into Lotta Anderson’s (of Lotta Jansdotter) workspace

design*sponge

♠ Simple photography, simple framing & a gorgeous result! Love this etsy product image.

Evergreen Garden

♠  Such an interesting take on the benefits of slowing down- what are you putting time into right now that could bloom into roses you don’t love?

Interview with Jenna from Design For Mankind on Maven Circle

♠ These grey & yellow oxfords could make the day, every day, of anyone lucky enough to own them. Don’t you think?

Unique Flavor

♠ Blooming monograms for a window display would be high maintenance but fun for interior design!

Parcel Post

♠ Bunny yawns are completely adorable and wholly terrifying at the same time. Rabbits are even more my favourite animal now that I’ve seen this.

Buzzfeed

♠ Soviet design is so up my alley. Industrial, functional, colourful, and great typography? Yes please!

Cute Old Things

♠ Fabulous run down of cost effective, green, DIY-able spring cleaning supplies by And Then We Saved. Anna is a Freckled Nest Design client and her blog is ingenious. Definitely worth adding to your reader & I’m adding some of these to my shopping list this week.

And Then We Saved

♠ Cotton statement necklace for adding some spring energy to your wardrobe. It doesn’t matter if the flowers haven’t bloomed yet, you can rock your own sunshine.

Super Little Cute

♠ This butternut squash & coconut milk rice recipe looks tempting- I think this might be one of the last meals I make in my oven before it gets too hot outside. This & homemade pizza, of course.

Tartlette

♠ We might know on an intellectual level that self compassion isn’t the same thing as self care, but it’s rare that we really sit down and think about what that means, why it’s important and how to give it to ourselves. This video is has some thought provoking ideas about how we get high self esteem in north american culture (2:58) and what path that leads us down. Must watch.

Kristin Neff at TEDx

♠ Are you still tuckered out from Cinco de Mayo? I had a great family dinner & a google hangout knit night with Becky & Lisa, and on Saturday I went to a meet up at the Planetarium & museum and out to the Winnipeg Wine Festival. It was busy, but packed with fun & laughing. I could definitely go for an extra, secret weekend day spent in bed, but I think I can make Monday happen with the help of a little tea.

Maddie The Coonhound

Did you have a lazy weekend or a busy one?
How are you making Monday happen?

Weekly Weak Knees is a collection of the things that are making me happy this week. Some of these posts have been shared in my daily “currently loving” sidebar feature, but most is a new mix of design, great food, my favourite posts, positivity, handmade goods, DIY’s and a little fashion that I that can’t stand you not knowing about. Why not start the week off inspired, right?

⚬ You can never have too much typography, and this wall decal DIY is a great place to start your collection.

Paper & Stitch

⚬ Neons & naturals are one of my favourite combos, and this neon pink polka dot pouch does it perfectly

Indigo Bird Design

⚬ “It’s not about being the world’s greatest expert. It’s about being expert enough to accomplish your goals”. YES! There’s lots of truth packed into this one.

In Spaces Between

⚬ Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Fuel up with vegan rosemary lemon pasta, which looks light and springy. Never tried toasted panko crumbs on pasta before? Then you need to try this, STAT.

Love & Lemons

⚬ A beautiful art exhibit of 19th Century artist’s brushes, including these colourful versions that imagines them redesigned for today

“Remue-ménage” exhibition at Merci via What Made Me Look

⚬ It’s a universal truth that Katrina always has fabulous resources, and her 12 favorite plugins for WordPress are definitely worth exploring & installing

Pugly Pixel’s favourite wordpress plugins in 2013

⚬ Vintage melamine bowls in gorgeous, juicy colours that make me want to throw a party just to use them

that vintage piece

⚬ These teeny shoulder satchels are one of my favourite spring purchases. I have the pumpkin colour and it’s perfect for running around in warm weather.

shoulder satchel from Indie Darling

⚬ Hilarious, brilliant musical version of Downton Abbey with Colin Mochrie. My favourite part is 2:50 about how making sure a straight actor hit “the gay notes”- it’s flat out breathtaking ;)

⚬ Are you excited for Cinco de Mayo yet?? I can’t resist any excuse for Mexican food, so my countdown to the celebration has already started.

Maddie the Coonhound’s Party Nose

I’m in love with the idea of intentionally creating a unique life, and hearing the stories of people who are in the process of creating inspired lives for themselves (whatever that means to them)  is fascinating, and always a learning experience for me. Two years ago I started this as a series called the Creative Life interviews, and this year I’m bringing them back as a regular feature!

Today we’re talking with Meredith from the beautiful blog One Sheepish Girl. I was first drawn to Meredith’s blog because of her simple, beautiful photography style and was drawn in right away. Meredith is kind, warm, creative and quirky. She has a distinct gift for dreaming up unique projects and showcasing colourful pieces of her everyday life that give you a peek into her world. Her way of writing lets you in without sharing too much, which just makes her more fascinating.

Let’s go behind the scenes in her creative life, shall we?

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Please tell us about yourself and how blogging & knitting became part of your life.

Hello! My name is Meredith and I have a blog called One Sheepish Girl. I am writer, blogger, and yarn-crafter living in Dallas, TX. I taught myself to knit and crochet during my junior year of college. This new, creative skill came at a time when creative joy was lacking in my life. I knew something was missing I just had no idea that something was a colorful ball of yarn! As I began sharing my new love of yarn crafts with my friends they suggested I start a blog. At the time, I never read blogs or had any experience with blogging, but I decided to give it a try. My blog quickly became my sanctuary. It was (and is) my place of creative freedom. Blogging constantly pushes me to learn more about my crafts and, more importantly, myself.

How did you first start to recognize your passion knitting and photography, and realize that it could be something more? Was there a turning point or “Ah-Ha” moment for you?

I think my “Ah-ha” moment came when I realized my dreams of doing something I love for a living might actually come true. However, I never expected the opportunity to come so soon! Also, the support and encouragement of readers, fellow bloggers, and other creative people in the publishing industry really pushed me to see that what I am doing is something unique. That realization caused me to look at my web presence in a whole new way.

Continue reading »

I love baking. Give me a hot oven and I’ll be entertained for hours- and then rewarded with something that’s usually chocolatey.

While I haven’t been posting recipes here recently, a quick glance through the archives is a testament to my prolific sweet tooth but since doing a dietary cleanse I’ve been loving the benefits of the weight I lost and what I learned about keeping my energy levels high without the crashes. So I’ve been peeling back the layers of my love of baking with the hope of reducing how much (delicious) butter & sugar is mandatory to my hobby.

I’ve discovered that my love of baking it’s really a love of being in the kitchen, working with my hands, making a giant mess while watching Netflix on my iPad. Perfect!

Knowing that I love all the above and that I’m an organization nut, I challenged myself to plan at least three meals for Jesse and I every week. I’ve shared how I turn my meal planning list into a grocery list before, but I wanted to share the recipe organization and meal planning method that’s working for me now.

1. Figure out what isn’t working & break up with it.

I often find that pin pointing what doesn’t work, or why a system isn’t fun or simple to use is usually much easier to discover than starting out with dreaming up solutions. When I looked at why I didn’t love cooking I realized that I had a system based on recipe cards that I hated. While recipe cards are adorable, they’re not practical for me so I finally ditched system I’ve been halfheartedly stuffing printed recipes into since university.

In practice I found that recipe cards were too labor intensive, cramped, didn’t leave room for revisions, and didn’t reflect how I find my recipes (online, then printed when I find a winner). Understanding the problem made the answer simple:  I needed a master recipe binder, preferable with page protectors to save my recipes from my stray sweet potato bits and spitting frying pans!

Now that I’m armed with my binder, I have a dedicated holding place for recipes and it’s tidy as soon as I grab a hold punch. I can make notes, include a small picture of the meal that reminds me why I wanted to make it in the first place & I’m immediately excited to start when I open it up.

Make your own recipe binder with what you have:

Grab a hole punch and a spare binder (or finally recycle your notes from school and reclaim a binder!) and you have your own ready to go. You don’t need fancy tabs if you make your own by stapling card stock to loose leaf, or if you make tabs with scrap paper and tape. If you’d like a tutorial, check out this DIY Binder Tab tutorial & this simple Pinterest tutorial.

2. Separate the tested from the tried and true

My binder is separated into tabs that work for our split kitchen (I’m vegetarian & my husband is allergic to everything), with the most important section right at the front: To Try Out.

My only rule is that I only file recipes into a section of the binder when I’ve tried the recipe.

This might sound obvious or odd, depending on how you do things, but when I make food at home when I’m in one of two moods: hungry & impatient (and snacking while I cook) or excited to cook  with enough time to take it slow. If I’m approaching a meal as a means to an end, the last thing I want to do is shuffle through recipes I’m not familiar with. Similarly, when I want to make something new & fun I don’t want to rifle through recipes I grew up with.

To re-shuffle my recipes into this system took 15 mins, and it doesn’t take any extra time to keep up. It’s also a big time saver when I reach to the binder for ideas.

3. Make weekly meal planning decisions in The Line Up

I print out recipes that I’d like to try as I find them & go on a recipe search few weeks, and add the results into the “To Try Out” section of my binder. Then every week I go through the binder, pull recipes I’d like to try, and make a small pile of main & side dishes for each day of the week across the kitchen counter. Sunday is on the far left and once I’ve finished that stack of recipes I’ll be making that day (usually 1 – 3) I move on to making the next stack that represents Tuesday.

It’s visual, simple, and very fast. (You can see last week’s line up in the photo above)

Once I’ve locked it in I’ll make a quick sticky note of the meal plan and add missing ingredients into the grocery list. The initial line up sorting takes me 10 – 15 minutes and breaking it down into my grocery list takes about the same amount of time.

Since this is the only step that I repeat each week, after 20 mins to a half hour I’m ready to face the week prepared!

4. Record the results!

On a whim (because I’m Type A & like marking my work?) I started making notes on how Jesse & I liked each recipe. This has been one of the most fun improvements of my new system. Most have an informal jot note like “J: 8/10 & K:6/10″ at the bottom, but on recent print outs I’ve added a scoring section.  This is mostly for my amusement, but I think it will also be helpful for reference when I have a big collection to go through :)

And it goes without saying, but if it’s not loved, it’s out of the binder! There are too many tasty meals to cook anything mediocre, and that’s just how I like it.

Are you doing any meal planning right now? How do you keep it organized & from eating up your time?

I feel like most of us fall in and out of it, but it’s a fun groove for me to enjoy now! Are you curious about what the “Effing fantastic” 10/10 meal was above? I’ll pop the link in the comments :)

Also, I just realized that I write a verdict on each recipe & decide on them in a line up. I really have watched a lot of Law & Order on Netflix recently, haven’t I…

Weekly Weak Knees is a collection of the things that are making me happy this week. After this last week, I think we all need to let a little beauty & happiness wash over us for a while. Some of these posts have been shared in my daily “currently loving” sidebar feature, but most is a new mix of design, great food, my favourite posts, positivity, handmade goods, DIY’s and a little fashion that I that can’t stand you not knowing about. Wanna see?

♦ Colourful blinds make for playful exteriors

matthias heiderich via whorange

♦ Zodiac charm necklaces

Amelia Presents ($45 USD)

♦ Painted flowers on photographs create a double exposure double take

Pakayal Rae Biehhns via PatternBank

♦ How watches are really made (I knew it!)

TRIWA via Cool Hunting

♦ Don’t run yourself ragged, crib from the work habits of talented people.

Lifehacker

♦ Scotch Tape Photography. Simple, messy and brilliant.

Wes Naman via Web Designer Depot

♦ A great motto for your working life

lespea

♦ Dyed mop heads as textile art

At Urban Outfitters, photographed by Justina Blakeney

♦ The logo design for a farmer’s market, and a tasty policy

Rustic Farmers Market Identity Work by Jake Dugard via Diana

♦ A wooden template so you can make your own envelopes

Back to Zero ($7 USD)

At the start of the year I had the idea to share my priorities for the year every month, along with some of the ways that I’m trying to live out those priorities each month. And then life happened and priorities shifted, and I haven’t been sticking with the posts.

At the same time I’ve been working on self compassion, and on trying to remember that each actual workout I get in is better than the perfect workout in my head that I never do. Just like every real blog post that I wrap up and send into the world is better than the perfectly managed editorial calendar that magical elves never turn into a final draft for me. (Do you think they would be more helpful if I printed it & left it out so they could see it was unfinished?)

So it’s April, and I’m talking resolutions. You’ve been warned.

These are the five priorities I set for this year:

1. Take care of myself emotionally & physically
2. Create meaningful, high quality work
3. Nourish my relationships with friends & family
4. Make space for opportunity and possibility
5. Have more fun, ease and rest in my way of being in the world

The way that I’m living these out in April are…

1. Take care of myself emotionally & physically: Waking up earlier than normal so I can take lots of time doing things I love before work. I’m talking reading in bed, yoga, meditation, bubble baths, walking my dogs, taking a long shower, picking a great outfit that I just love. It’s all possible!
2. Create meaningful, high quality work: Switch my schedule to working with one client per day so I can really immerse myself in each project when I’m working on it, and take it farther than I could otherwise.
3. Nourish my relationships with friends & family: I want to meet some new local friends! I’ve changed so much in the past five years, and I’d like to make some new friends who I can get to know as an adult. I’ve joined a few meetup groups online but haven’t gone to any yet. This month, I’m going to get out to one.
4. Make space for opportunity and possibility: After falling out of the habit, I’m sharing & connecting on twitter more regularly. I’m making a point of going out to explore new restaurants, coffee shops and stores in my city so I can go exploring on the weekends.
5. Have more fun, ease and rest in my way of being in the world: Taking breaks during the day, and getting back into my morning yoga practice! I tried this video for the tense upper back computer work gives me & I’m addicted. Be careful, they’re gateway poses.

How would you like the rest of April to feel? Is there an action you can take that would get you one step closer to that?