[ getting inspired ]

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SO anyone who follows me on Pinterest has noticed that I've been pinning a lot of art and art studios lately. I've been tossing around the idea of getting out my artist brushes again and creating some art. My guy bought me a lovely easel for Christmas and now that I've got it all assembled and my studio taking shape, it's time to get painting!

There's nothing like an art fair to get your creative juices flowing and this weekend we decided to check out the Artist Project in Toronto. 250 artists from Canada and abroad were showcasing their work at Exhibition Place and what an amazing show. Browsing through galleries is fun but there's nothing like meeting the artists themselves and hearing about their inspirations and how they've adopted their particular technique.

Here are just a few of my faves from the show...

Gabriella Collier

Shannon Dickie

Samantha Sandbrook

Stephen Perry

Lori Klassen

Julie Hawkins

Mary Karavos

Rick Worthington

Janette Hayhoe

...and here are a few more whose cards I didn't get so I don't have their contact info but I'll show you their eye candy since they're so beautiful:

What a great way to spend a chilly Sunday afternoon! I left feeling totally uplifted and inspired to get cracking on creating some art. No point letting my art school/design degree go to waste!

lisa

[ happy new year! ]

IT'S 2015! {can you believe it?}. It's incredible how quickly the years fly by. New Year's Day is always a time to reflect back on last year and think about how things panned out ~ did you accomplish what you set out to? Did you live the best life possible? Were you happy?

When I think back to what I knew a year ago, I never would have expected some of the things that happened to happen ~ some great, some not so great. I'm not one to make many resolutions but I hope  to live 2015 as healthy as I can, as happy as I can and as kind as I can. If I can do that, 2015 will be a great year! Happy New Year and here's wishing you a wonderful 2015. I hope that everything you set out to accomplish will come true!

lisa

[ merry christmas! ]

FROM our home to yours...

have a wonderful Christmas filled with joy, laughter and holiday cheer!

lisa

[ hippity hoppity ]

WE ARE headed to Canada to see our folks and take a little break. I wonder if the Easter Bunny will find us there?

Have a wonderful Easter!

lisa

[ my weekend ]

WHILE much of North America is still digging out from under snow, we've had a dirty sandstorm weekend ~ beige skies, sand blowing, a bit of drizzle just to make the sand run slightly down the windows and then dry that way ~ yuck. This is my 3rd birthday in a row with a sandstorm. Gotta love waking up and checking the forecast on my iPhone and seeing this...

So needless to say, we didn't partake in the breakfast on a patio idea that I had originally planned. 

Instead, we chose a bit of Texas BBQ...

And we went to see this...

I hadn't heard of it ~ apparently it was at Cannes. Hmm... what can I say except it wasn't really my taste. I mean, how bad could it be with Ryan Gosling in it?? I guess I just didn't appreciate the artistry of it. 

But the best part was being surprised with these...

I can never have too many pairs of TOMS, especially here in Dubai. And this taupe colour is perfect to hide any dirt, even in a sandstorm!

Thanks for all your sweet birthday wishes! How was your weekend?

lisa

[ another year older ]

HAPPY weekend everyone!

As for me, I'm celebrating my birthday ~ yup, another year closer to old age! Luckily I still feel like a spring chicken and my guy tells me that I don't look any different than when we met at 16 ~ gotta love him!

Have a great weekend!

lisa

[ happy weekend! ]

AND happy valentine's day to you all! What have you got planned with your loved one?

Our day will include a movie date...

a romantic dinner at home followed by a bit of this...

and of course a few of these thrown in...

Have a wonderful lovey dovey day!

lisa

[ 4th blogiversary! ]

CAN YOU believe my blog is already 4 years old? Gosh, how time flies!

When I think back to when I started this blog 4 years ago, I can't believe how different blogland was back then ~ a buzzing, vibrant community filled with ideas, conversation and inspiration. With the explosion of Pinterest, blogs are no longer the main place to get inspiration for decor or DIY. Many of my regular stops have packed it in, in favour of Instagram to share up-to-the-minute goings on of everyday life ~ so much quicker than putting together a blog post when life gets busy.

The thing I have loved about blogs is the discussion, the support and the sharing ~ getting to know the person behind the pretty pictures, feeling a connection. Does Pinterest do that? No. Instagram? Not really ~ after all, you can only say so much with a pic and for that reason, I haven't joined in. I feel like the interaction has become disconnected in many ways and I have to say that I miss the good ol' days.

I've made some lovely connections through my blog and my heartfelt thanks to those of you who still visit me regularly ~ your comments and emails are what keep me going and I truly love the friends I've made, this blog bringing us together. And I'm grateful that many of my absolute faves are still around, those whose blogs were always on a more personal level than just a stop for a pretty picture fix. I wish more of them would come back.

So what will this year bring? Well, I can't be sure. But for now, I'll continue to be here ~ and I hope you'll continue to pop by and say 'hello'. Big hugs!

lisa

[ it's that time ]

WISHING you all a very warm and happy holiday full of love and laughter. I'm so grateful for all your comments and support this year. Big hugs! 

See you next year!

lisa

[via katiesbliss.tumblr]

[ someone's having a birthday! ]

HAPPY birthday to my guy today! Still as cute as ever ;)

lisa

[ vroom vroom ]

ONE OF my guy's favourite things is checking out cool cars so this weekend we went to the Dubai Motor Show. If money is no object and you're looking for the latest and greatest, Dubai is the place to see it…

Or if you can't afford to buy one of your own, why not join the Dubai Police and drive one of their fleet cars…

I saw a few things I wouldn't mind like these rugged wheels they don't sell in Canada {perfect for cottage country}…

…but my dream car would be something like this…

What would your dream car be?

lisa

[ happy weekend, Thanksgiving and Eid ]

TO ALL of my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving weekend! 

{aren't these Lily Pulitzer-inspired pumpkins cute?}

Here in Dubai, we're heading into Eid-al-Adha, otherwise known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

Eid-al-Adha also marks the end of Hajj - the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca {in Saudi Arabia}, a religious duty that must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in their lifetime. It is the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year. The Hajj is a solidarity of the Muslim people and their submission to Allah.

[Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca during Hajj]

The pilgrimage to Mecca {the holiest city in the religion of Islam} is considered to stretch back thousands of years. Processions of muslim people converge simultaneously on Mecca on the week of the Hajj to perform a series of rituals which end with the sacrifice of an animal, whose meat is then given to charity and shipped to poor people around the world. The celebration of Eid-al-Adha then begins.

~

So whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving, Eid or just the end of a week, have a wonderful one!

lisa

[pumpkins via ppeachyykkeenn.tumblr.com; mosque via flickr]

[ art in parks ]

ONE OF the highlights of our trip back was being able to visit a couple of outdoor art shows. Some of you might remember this back in 2010...

Yup, that was my booth at the Muskoka Arts & Crafts Summer Show {read about it here}. So much fun and I really hope I can do it again someday! 

So you can imagine how excited I was to learn that we would be in Muskoka on the weekend of this year's show...

It was fun to see some familiar faces and some new artists this time too. I find these events so inspiring and they make me want to get busy creating!

So what did I buy? Well, it was difficult not to go crazy but I decided to limit myself to a new painting {I've been trying to build up a bit of an art collection of original works and these art shows are an excellent place to do so. This cheerful original is by Marlene Bulas...

But as luck would have it, this wasn't the only outdoor art show we visited! We happened to be in Oakville, Ontario for their annual Art in the Park show as well. Much smaller in scale but so many beautiful works of art...

And you guessed it ~ I bought a painting! This one is by Robin Mitchell...

I'm so thrilled with my 2 new acquisitions {doesn't that sound fancy?} 

Have you been to any fun summer events this year?

lisa