Where basically no magic happens these days...

...my home office. We have a small-ish walk-in closet in our bedroom that I somehow talked Ryan into giving me to use as an office, Peggy Hill style. It is really great, but lately I've just been chucking things in there and using it as storage space as though it's, you know, a closet rather than a place for me to go and work/create things.

I'm going to take it back! Step one: clean it out. Step two: use it. Sounds easy enough, right? And so I shall do it. Soon. One day. When I feel like it.

For now, would you like to see some teeny vignettes taken around 'the office' that conveniently do not show you any of the mess, and only all my cool toys and pictures?

You see that blue 'Snap Sights' camera? That's the only camera I brought with me when we went to Cuba last year, it took some really beautiful photos. (click here to see some)  I've tried to find more cameras like it online, but it seems that the only thing that company is making now is underwater disposables. So that one is kind of a treasure in my collection of toy plastic cameras.

And that's not even all the books. I ain't called a word nerd for nothin'. But come on guys, how could a person NOT be inspired to create when she's surrounded by tiny butcher knives and rainbow brite pins? I mean, really. 

I'd like to see your work spaces too! Definitely leave me a link here if you post about your own little space. But not if it's all neat and tidy and well-lit, because I'll feel bad about myself.

My thumb warrior. And like me on FB please!

 Everybody out there, I started a Facebook page for this here blog last night! Please go like it because if you don't it'll just be my mom and my boyfriend and two nice people who found out about it from Twitter. And that is kind of sad and lame. 

Click pretty much anywhere on this post to go there. Try it. You might like it.

Things I Love Thursday

 I love bright colors, both on my hair and on my walls. But I do not love being mistaken for a teenager, so I dyed that beautiful red hair back to brown. Which did not work and now I have copper-y hair instead. Close enough.

I also love...

Wood tape. What a cute story!

A day in the life of a Lonely Planet author...not glamorous but still sounds really interesting.

Amazing composite photos of NYC.

This mega cool tattoo my friend Roberto did last week.  

The Lomography La Sardina cameras are now available in a metal body! I LOVE the beluga one.

Funny kids test answers.

A human's potential. 

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Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison photography.

For much much more coolness, click here.

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Gigantic camera beanbag and other beanbags. 

Steep and cheap. One item at a discount at a time. How exciting. I like watching the countdown.

The charmed life challenge.

The story of teenagers who were lost at sea for 51 days.

Fiverr - what people will do for five dollars. 

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Pierrette Diaz paintings - a look into the mind of a child?  

Click here for more. 

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This crazy panoramic drawing this guy did from memory of NYC after a 20 minute helicopter ride.

This before and after 'the scream' series of paintings.

This matchbook art.

The creepiest lego houses you've ever seen. Probably. 

Frankenstein money!

And last but not least...

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Repurposing old books - I love the wall hanging one, is that a mirror? Amazing! 

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Tattoo Age - and prizes you could win

How on earth did I forget about Tattoo Age?  And now I accidentally posted this now instead of later...that's three in one day. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? hahaha Yikes.


Tattoo Age is now on Twitter, and if you follow them there's a chance you could win prizes like a signed copy of Grime's Iron Will book, which we have at my work and has some darn cool mind blowing pictures in it and a lot of school-girl-esque diary entries. Click here to follow them!

chest tattoo - FINISHED! Also, bonus bloody boobs pictures.

Welp, if you are one of the new followers I have around these parts maybe you don't know about all the awesomeness that is my chest tattoo. Yesterday at work Colin had a cancellation, and so we actually had time to finish the thing! There was only about an hour's worth of work left to be done since the last session, so it was really no big deal for me to sit for it and then go back to work/answer the phone while getting tattooed (haha)...until I got up and looked in the mirror and saw this.

The pic

Yep, that is a big deal, actually. I am in love with my own chest right now. The pictures don't even do it justice, it's so striking, and the colors are so bright, it's crazy!

I swear it felt like Colin was tattooing my neck when he was coloring in the top of the poppy and the leaf on my collarbone. The body does weird things with pain sometimes.

I like how it goes with the mummy on my arm. (Mummy tattoo by Bryan J. Turnbull) They just kind of fit together naturally. And really, why wouldn't a giant bee attend a mummy/my little pony tea party?

Hey...Boo-bee. Get it? Just thought I'd make the joke first so you guys don't feel the need to in the comments section. And now for the aforementioned bloody boob pics...

I was on the bus like this, all shiny and leaky. Ew! Good thing my sweater was covering all the gore. Anyone else get any tattoos recently? I've been going nuts lately with them...remember this? and this?

Pets with disabilities. And more!

Get ready for your heart to explode, everybody. These pictures were taken by Carli Davidson and are the most heart warming cute-sad things you've ever seen. Ready?

Here we go:

OH MY GOD THAT PUG'S FACE! AAAGH I LOVE IT. For more, click here.

She's also got some amazing albums, like a horribly graphic one called Bison Butchering, a super cute one called Pride 2010 Pet Photo Booth, a hilarious one called Shake, and an amazing one called Elephant Painting. Oh, and this dog with only two legs named Ramen Noodle.

And uh....this. 

Did you see the nipple? Now you can't unsee it.

Silverfish

I do not know why they are called silverfish, but I do know that they are one of the very few bugs that make my hair stand on end when I see them run. Something about the way they move/look just creeps me right out. I've been told that in Toronto they grow to over two inches long. YUCK!

Diptych: apples and balloons

lately...

Reading: I just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants.  Ryan got it for me for my birthday...I read 80 pages in the hour or so between my bus stop and starting work the day after I got it. It's so funny. I love her writing style. I only wish it were like ten times as long, it was such a quick read! If you like the show 30 Rock, you will like this book.

I also got a Kobo e-reader for my birthday from my dad and step-mom. And I am loving it. It does everything it should. I only wish I was more of a jet-setter, because when you connect to the internet on it, it automatically knows where you are and tells you where all the restaurants and hotels and stuff are. But the BEST THING is I can borrow library books on it. Free. Books. Forever. I just finished a David Sedaris book and right now I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, AND I put myself on the list to read all the Game of Thrones books. Yay! :)

Watching: Breaking Bad every Sunday, and the first three seasons of The Wire. Don't tell me what happens in the season finale of Breaking Bad, we have it PVR-ed but the kids are around like, 24-7, and we've been to sick to stay up later than they do. But soon, my precious, soon. Update: WE JUST WATCHED IT AND AAAAAH to that one thing that happened with Gus, you all know what I'm talking about. AAAHHHH!

Listening:You know what? Tattoo shops KILL music. You listen to all the good albums all day long every day at work and eventually you are sick and tired of everything. I've started keeping albums for myself, and not debuting them at work until I'm already over the love stage because of this. I've also been venturing pretty far off my usual guitar-y metal music path into some...interesting world music choices. Chinese opera anyone?

Actually though, I am finally beginning to like ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. I hated them for so long because their name sounds SO METAL but their music does not. But I'm over it and they're actually a really great band.

Eating: Well we had Canadian Thanksgiving a week ago and let me tell you it was AMAZING. Ryan worked super hard all day, slaving over a hot Tofurky...we had the works. I love all-vegetarian Thanksgivings, it's so much easier and more delicious! Other than that we're doing a lot of pizza and hot dogs and macaroni. Not too exciting.

Loving: making friendship bracelets. I need to take up crochet or something because it turns out I am really into this whole 'craft' thing.

Looking forward to: Halloween! I'm gonna be papa smurf this year if I'm brave enough, can find any reason to actually dress up, and can find red pants that will fit me and a white beard that doesn't smell funny. Here is a strategically positioned photo of me in our back yard a couple years ago wearing the costume. I am standing so you can't see half my bum hanging out of the pants that were obviously made to fit a 12 year old boy:

Note the blue t-shirt hanging out the bottom of the smurf body? Because the costume is way too small, I have to wear extra clothes underneath. But still like, the best thrift store score on earth. That's right, we found this at a thrift store for like ten bucks. AMAZING.

Hahaha...Smurfs like mushrooms, right? I don't know. And this next one still makes me laugh. I didn't know how to pose, so I just pretended to pick up that rock?

So yeah, I need to get me a pair of red pants that fit, and soon. LOL. I'm already embarrassed, thinking about the bus ride to work.

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Enough about me, what's new with you?