This week I’ve spent lots of time with tiny animals. I’ve been wrangling, cuddling, bribing & generally annoying my feral little dogs which always involves equal parts eye rolling and laughter. And then…

A ladybug has turned up, awake and a little confused in my craft room at home. Because I’m an over thinker &  an animal lover (and yes, ladybugs count!) my first thought was that unless I put something out for her, this ladybug was going to die a terrible death from dehydration or starvation. Ignoring this would be like letting a ladybug version of the Saw films play out in the room where I knit & drink tea on the weekends! Obviously, I can’t let that happen.

After some online research I found that a water soaked paper towel would let her drink & a rasin soaked in warm water would help her keep up her nutrition. I placed them on a saucer on top of my typewriter by the window she’s been frequenting and very soon she found her way to it…

Baby bunny, needle felted, l… Ainigmati $74.00	Confetti, 100 Red Hearts – M… LBCpaper $2.25	Vintage Rosenthal Selb Handg… NifticVintage $77.00
Hand Knitting Socks Patterns… SockClub $45.00	box Bunny Rabbit linen Oatme… hoganfe $29.98	Embroidery Hoop Art, Sign. &… merriweatherco… $24.00
grey wolf – miniautre felt w… RoyalMint $32.00	white and red fingerless gl… fatoss $18.00	Wool badger, modern natural … needleandfelt $18.00
3″ Bunny Rabbit with Re… AdoraWools $30.00	Miniature Needle Felted Pock… alishaharms $9.00	Mushroom Love Heart Pincushi… FoxtailCreek $24.00
White Glitter Kitties in Flo… wishdaisy $34.00	Heart Magnet Valentines Day … PowersOfLove $3.00	Brass Kittens thewhitepepper $21.50

I’m happy to report that the ladybug has been resting on her new saucer home since yesterday afternoon, and being able to watch her while I’m at my computer has been making my days a lot sweeter. Here’s hoping the weather changes to Spring soon so I can let her outside!

In the mean time, I’m thinking of naming her Beatrice.

I have a not-so-secret to share with you: for the first part of this month I’ve been away from the prairies! You might have guessed because my twitter was quiet while I was gone (aside from sharing posts) but earlier this month Jesse and I slipped away down south to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We had an amazing time in the sun and it was the perfect break- and I have so many pictures to share next week!

Mexican embroidered bag Flor… AidaCoronado $148.00	Muertos Skull Rosary with La… ArtistaMuerta $48.00	Peace White vtg Ethnic embro… AidaCoronado $120.00
60s Mexican Dress Hippie Vin… neonthreadsdes… $36.00	Turquoise coral bracelet, be… MoonsafariBead… $108.00	Vintage Mexican Circle Skirt… TaraMiSioux $96.00
patchwork skirt kekebo $68.00	Red Sugar Skull Mug – hand p… FeistyOwlStudi… $19.95	amor y flores vintage chaqui… elizabethpalme… $350.00
VINTAGE mexican poncho. RunWithTheTrib… $65.00	Owl- Embroidered Felt- Mexic… calaverasYcora… $115.00	FIRE FOR LUNA block print wr… theroyal $75.00
Mexican Blanket Poncho Vinta… sopasse $40.00	Santuario Chimayo Shrine – V… quixole $25.00	Mexican VVARRIORHOOD cloak w… HAWKandBIRCH $75.00

Hurry back on Monday to see the sights with me, okay?

This time of year in the Canadian Prairies is usually terribly cold, but we’ve been lucky to have a warm winter so far, and I haven’t had to give up on skirts entirely! My favourite warm(ish) winter accessory is a pair of cozy leg warmers, giant warm socks or printed tights. I love bringing an unexpected pop of colour or pattern into the sea of snow, black coats, grey scarves and black boots that my city can become.

On my tip-toes I’m close… AlexandraWysoc… $25.00	SALE White Tribe leggings QooQooFashion $55.00	1980s Yves Saint Laurent Hee… SpanoVintage $38.00
FLAM LEGS QooQooFashion $60.00	Mini Bow Shoe Clips – Mustar… No144 $20.00	womens wool leggings in inte… sandmaiden $98.00
Womens leggings pants leath… cuteandbroke $69.00	Crochet PATTERN for socks (p… monpetitviolon $3.99	Up-Cycled Black Glitter Peep… raggedandwreck… $50.00
Houndstooth Boot topper sweetlittlelux… $20.00	Black Leather Chain Ankle Cu… jdotdesigns $59.00	Upcycled Recycled Repurposed… Saxiib $22.00
Glow in the Dark Solar Syste… makeitgoodpdx $52.00	Tights / Leggings Extra Long… duende74 $49.00	NEW— Galaxy, gold on grey … galstern $39.00

Do you have a favourite way to keep cute & stay cozy in the winter time?

One of my favourites is to start the day with a bubble bath in our giant claw foot tub. Love!

Is it wintery where you are? This year it’s not very snowy here and I’m dreaming of snow topped trees, perfect icicles and dusting snow off my little dogs when they run in from the back yard. Though I do get to dust the snow off their sweet faces a little, because they love burrowing in the snow that is on the ground and crunching up pieces of ice with great enthusiasm.

This treasury is my glittery little ode to the winter, the holiday season & the snowy faces of my puppies- I hope that you take some time off to enjoy the things that make your winter relaxing & meaningful!

Bottle Brush Christmas Tree … CottonRidgeEmp… $10.00	The Book Kiss 5×7 signed pho… KClarkPhotogra… $10.00	the OVERSIZED EGO scarf / co… topherco $48.00
Vintage Modern Inspired Wood… EdiesLab $18.00	A Forest of Pines papertreats $1.85	Green Dress Office Holiday W… gogovintage $32.00
Pure handmade crochet surcoa… danzhao $50.00	Emma Knit Slouch Hat in Crea… tortillagirl $42.00	Nature Photography, White Ho… EyePoetryPhoto… $30.00
Flower Vase Test Tubes SKY: … redtilestudio $75.00	circa 1950 industrial stools goseek $95.00	Blue Feathers – 8×10. Fine A… MilesOfLight $30.00
White and translucent abstra… zsbekefi $15.00	Silver Grey Statement Neckla… tricotaria $25.00	Recycled Branch Twig Ring Bu… a1000kisses $65.00

One of my favourite things is getting organized, especially when I can partner that with having beautiful illustration to admire. Illustration ranks up there with super powers to me- I would much rather be able to draw whatever I have in my mind than leap tall buildings in a single bound. I’ve been getting so excited to get calendars and planners set up for new year that I can’t get them out of my head these days! These are some of the beautiful pieces that have been catching my eye…

2012 Calendar – Feather illu… MilesOfLight $15.00	2012 Calendar / A Little Col… dekanimal $20.00	2012 Calendar LaurenLemons $30.00
2012 Calendar blue PigeonPieDesig… $16.00	HOLIDAY SALE 2012 Calendar IrenaSophia $16.00	2012 Calendar – Anek Kitchen… anek $35.00
2012 Calendar – Fruit Silhou… lepapierstudio $18.00	2012 Calendar – Large Multi-… khristianahowe… $30.00	2012 Calendar Veggies For Yo… InkspotWorksho… $18.00
2012 Calendar – wall calenda… mademoiselleyo $15.00	2012 Calendar – fabric swatc… MadeMary $28.00	2012 Calendar – wall art, or… rethinkink $26.00
2012 Calendar – Anek Kitchen… anek $35.00	2012 Calendar – Modern Silho… SilhouetteBlue $18.00	2012 Calendar original anim… SparrowAvenue $12.50

Do you have any rituals that help you prepare for the new year?

This is probably my favourite part of the year- the holidays are around the corner and if I find something perfect on Etsy I can still get it ordered in on time for Christmas! I’ve got a few pieces picked out for my family & friends, but my serious shopping has yet to begin. I’ve been trying to scheme but I’m still not sure what I’m going to get for Jesse…

Mens Hat Knit by Hand – Shea… gridjunky $72.00	Brown Leather Multi-Wrap Bra… terminy $29.00	Vintage US Military Wool Cam… ethanollie $65.00
Vintage Folding Stool PineandMain $38.00	Men’s Canvas and Leather… Forestbound $320.00	Saturn T Shirt – Black Ameri… darkcyclecloth… $21.00
Recycled Light Bulb Oil Lamp… RecycledLightC… $45.00	vintage paper shooting targe… LegalMissSunsh… $10.00	Black Market Men’s Shavi… DirtyDeedsSoap… $57.50
recycled skateboard stool – … deckstool $199.99	Vintage Necktie by Dot’s… labiblioteca $12.00	Pure Genuine 11 inches/Inch … GenuineGoods78… $59.00
Vintage CiroFlex Alphax Came… LauraAudacious… $68.00	Animal Totem – Le Nerdy Leop… leanimale $28.00	Mens Scarf Chunky Cowl Lumbe… piprobins $29.00

Every holiday I try to buy my gifts local or from handmade & vintage sellers- it’s one time of year when everyone has a bit of a budget, so I love supporting people who will really appreciate the sales. And etsy sellers are the best! You can usually request that your gift is wrapped & have a little note included, so it’s sent straight to your friends who are far and wide.

Would you consider making this year a local or handmade holiday?

My first week as a redhead is coming to an end and I have to say, I think I’m a convert! Everyone has been so sweet & complementary about the change, and since I’ve been wanting to do something fun for the fall I’ve decided to stick with this at least through the winter. Because of they’re also redheads & creatures of the winter I thought it would be fun to feature a foxy treasury today…

Fox Business Card Holder Ami… minibytes $18.00	MINI Fantastic Mr Fox kushkush $15.00	Copper Fox Napkins set of 4 … facesarefunny $18.00
FOX 14x18inch recycled felt … alexandrafergu… $89.00	Fantastic Fox Hat awberry $25.00	Fox Earrings – Sterling Silv… TheTinyFig $12.75
Fox Note Card Set Letterpres… sweetharvey $18.00	Le Red Fox Stud Earrings leanimale $36.00	Foxy Little Thing Baby Fox H… FoxyLittleThin… $39.00
FOX Mask Original Folk Art b… CaptainCat $350.00	Large Photo Locket, The Litt… ThisYearsGirl $65.00	Sweet Fox brooch – Cute gift… BeautySpot $19.50
Christmas Fox or Deer Silhou… monkeybeetle $16.50	crafty like a fox: pdf patte… penelopewaitss… $4.50	Fox Funny Coffee Mug Cozy Te… KnotworkShop $16.00

Foxy Treasury by Michelle Kreussel

Apparently this weekend is going to be our first snow fall. We’ve been enjoying a gorgeous extended fall complete with beautiful and warm weather, and I’m not ready to let go of it (or my dresses!) so I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that I won’t have to adapt quite yet! I hope you have the kind of weekend you’re wishing for too :)

Friday Finds are back- and just in time for me to post the 50th, how auspicious! Of all the things that I missed about blogging while I was on my break last month, making Etsy treasuries every week topped the list. I didn’t realize how much I love pouring through the listings and pulling the right listings for a certain mood, especially with all the beautiful fall listings that are out there. I hope you’re happy to see them back too, since they’ve been going on for nearly a year now :)

With that in mind, this week’s treasury is inspired warm fuzzy feelings, the beautiful fall weather and colours, and not the frost that’s been on my windshield in the mornings this week…

You Bring Light To The World… misterrob $38.00	Sunflower Chunky Knit Cowl tortillagirl $80.00	Design Your Own. This is My … merriweatherco… $68.00
Gigantor Mothra 9 MySelvagedLife $23.00	Papillion de Nuit – archival… reneeanne $10.00	Vintage Trophy havenvintage $20.00
Book – Renascimento – illust… gennebra $22.00	Mushroom Photograph 10X10 Mu… machelspencePH… $12.99	SALE-Screenprint – Palm Read… alyoisius $25.00
woodland animal brooch- racc… HandyMaiden $31.00	Tiny Cathrineholm Lotus Bowl… luola $65.00	Acorn Nut Oak Leaf Autumn Sc… sweetharvey $15.00
Autumn Beauty Geometric Tria… ThePolkadotMag… $38.00	Lot of 8 Vintage wood spools… IttyBittyBloss… $9.00	SRSLY felt pennant rankandfile $18.50

Want to explore more? See the treasury on etsy

What brought light to your world this week?

Yesterday at the end of a long week, LA and I picked up my friend (and our new Freckled Nester!) Amber from the airport. It was such a surreal experience- we took her to the studio, dropped her things off at the house and then went out for dinner at one of our favourite haunts. We’ve been talking about her moving here for month and have always dreamed about being able to be friends in the same city, and to know it’s finally here is exciting but still hard for me to really believe.

Amber’s moving into her new apartment at the start of September and is living with Jesse and I until then, so I’ll  have lots of time to start believing that she’s here to stay. In the mean time I’m incredibly excited to spend time with her, and a sunshiney Friday Finds  on a cloudy day seemed completely appropriate :)

Stewart Sunshine – The Woodl… sleepyking $36.00	Mid-Century Modern Aluminum … bonnbonn $19.00	Vintage Bright Yellow Enamel… Vintageby1980s… $22.00
Set of 2 Cushion cover 18&qu… lemidijapon $28.00	Womens Black Leather Biker J… eodwyer84 $185.00	Line Drawing of a Black and … sometimesiswir… $30.00
Kawaii Cute Japanese Ring- … SouZouCreation… $10.00	Turkish Market Scarf in Yell… PomegranateSee… $21.00	Great Vintage Tin Handled Ba… ElegantFarmhou… $48.00
Mini phaedra in Grey Leathe… milloo $78.00	Grey Slouchy Hat LoveandKnit $35.00	Vintage Silver Trophy Bowl vntagequeen $18.00
Knit Hat – Mustard Color Chu… SENNURSASA $29.00	vintage 80s faux wrap dress … RustBeltThread… $48.00	RESERVED – Cake Topper Set -… ReadyGo $30.00

One of the wonderful things about working with Leigh-Ann every day is that we’ve gotten to know each other very well- including each other’s idiosyncrasies. One of the big things we tease each other about is our favourite colours. I really like neutral colours paired with layers and texture and she likes bold and vivid colours- and we tend to play fight about it.

Over the past month she’s been bringing new thrift finds into the studio, and many of them have been two shades of blue. But the adorable thing is that whenever I complement her about any of them she says: “Thank you! It’s an emerging colour trend!”. I can never help myself from bursting out laughing and saying “In your head!” in response :)

Je T’aime Pillow in Ligh… HoneyPieDesign $46.00	Wrap Dress With Shawl Collar… Lirola $98.00	Mod vintage Robin’s Egg … SkinnyandBerni… $36.00
Royal Blue Flower Fabric Bob… coloureen $18.00	Vintage Blue Glass Insulator… WhiteWonder $18.00	Set of 5- Vintage Cobalt Blu… OctaviaBrown $40.00
Cloudy Hand Embroidered Wool… SeaPinks $22.00	Vintage Evening In Paris Cob… michellesantiq… $7.99	Sleepy Clouds Ladies T-Shirt… emandsprout $16.00
LETTER B No.5 8×10 Horizonta… alphabetcityph… $9.50	Magnetic Tray Memo Board SparklePower $14.00	Ultramarine Blue Powder Colo… countrysoapsha… $2.95

I’m dedicating this Friday Finds to my lovely business partner who is always
on the cutting edge of what’s new and cool… even if it’s just what’s new & cool to her.

In fact, when I think about it that might make me like her new favourite things even more ;)