urban garden.

In Canada, Victoria Day - the wonderful kick off to cottaging long holiday weekend in May - is also a great opportunity to get the garden growing. Although we live in a small apartment with only a few plants, in the spirit of outdoor gardening I want to share a great book I read a few weeks ago by Gayla Trail of the ten-year strong gardening project You Grow Girl. The book is Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces and while it specifically targets the challenges of growing food in small urban spaces, there are tips and tricks throughout the book that anyone interested in growing their own fruits and vegetables will benefit from.

inside cover

My favourite thing about the book is that it actually makes me feel like I have a chance of growing great food in my own small space. The book empowers you by providing lots of information about countering pest infestations in natural ways and also reviews a variety of different fruits and vegetables and what sort of environment they require in order to survive. She also includes lots of tips and tricks for container gardening (even growing upside down tomatoes!). Gayla also includes a few recipes and preserving techniques for your bountiful harverst. She makes gardening look like something that you are able to accomplish and enjoy the results of your hard work regardless of the space you are gardening in. Run to your local library or favourite bookstore to get your hands on a copy of this wonderful guide - you won't be disappointed.

find more previews of the book here

it's raining (cats) and dogs.

With springtime comes rain. Although it isn't raining here today I just had to share with you these photos of Twig & Thistle blogger Kathleen's dog Tula. Isn't she just adorable?

When I was younger and our dog Shadow was just a puppy he used to wear a little red and blue sweater outside in the winter... that is until my dad told him that he looked ridiculous one day and Shadow refused to ever put it on again.

Hope these pictures satiate your cuteness-meter for the day.

can you still feel the butterflies?

You might remember this post from a while back where you get to see the very boring 'apartment white' colour of our bedroom. Next, you might remember this post where I thought about making some lovely wall art to put above our bed to add a new dimension of colour and interest to our room. And finally, you might remember this post where I gave you a sneak peek of the butterflies in progress.

Today I bring you the finished result: a cacophony of butterflies above our bed.

The difference this makes in our bedroom is unbelievable. It feels more interesting and gives your eye something to look at when it first walks into the room. It is a great focal point I hope to compliment with some gallery style picture frames on the adjacent wall with similarly themed pieces. Maybe one frame will have some of our favourite butterfly-inspired lyrics from Jimmy Eat World that Caleb put on the first mix-CD he ever made me: "Can you still feel the butterflies?"

But, that's another project for another day. For this project the process was very simple and only required a little bit of time and some items I had around the house.

I searched 'butterfly silhouettes' online and found a set of them that I then shrunk to fit one print-out. I cut those out and used them as my templates.

Then I took card-stock I already had in the house and cut it out into about 3"-wide strips (make sure a whole butterfly will fit the width of the strip). I folded the card-stock vertically and then traced half a butterfly on it. Then I cut them out and stuck them on the wall using Scotch poster tape. Because we're currently renting, I needed to use an adhesive that would not remove the paint or damage the walls but would be strong enough to keep the butterflies on it. I chose the poster tape because it is removable and designed specifically for painted walls. Hopefully it lives up to its reputation and we're not surprised when we take them down.

That's all there is to it. Very simple and money-friendly project that has added some needed variety and interest to our otherwise plain bedroom.

fabric flower garland.

How much fun would it be to string these little flower pom poms all around your home to welcome spring? (Or to celebrate a birthday or any other special ocassion?) I love these little guys and have been saving up scrap fabric from craft projects and clothes that have too many holes to be really clothes anymore in the hope that one day I'll be able to sit down and make a beautiful garland. If you are equally inspired, you can find the instructions on Once Wed here.

spring into pink.

Today I'm feeling relatively uninspired - the creative juices are just not flowing. But, I know I'm in the mood for pink. Here is a little pink inspiration for you - it is very cheerful.

I found all of these beauties on etsy right here: 1. light pink czech beads 2. orange blossoms 3. red beads 4. sanctuary 5. pink bow 6. best friends

spotlight.

These past couple of weeks I have not been able to stop listening to Mutemath's album Armistice. It is a great album to crank up in the car when the windows are down and the sun is out. It is a perfect welcome to spring. "Spotlight" is probably my favourite song on the album right now. The music video is pretty neat too - I think Caleb told me they did it all in one take! (How did they not poke their eyes out?!)

Mutemath is no stranger to interesting music videos. For their song "Typical" they filmed in reverse (meaning they sang and played the song backwards). See the filming of it here for the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

children and planes.

Today is one of the first days where it really feels like springtime. The sun is out, the wind is cool but not cold, and there are people everywhere with big smiles on their faces. Literally, people everywhere. When I was driving home from Micah House this afternoon in downtown Hamilton there were at least a thousand people milling about Jackson Square and the park across from it. I couldn't believe my eyes.

And so in honour of the lovely weather, I want to share with you the picture above titled "Deaf Children Dancing to the Sound of Planes" by artist and printmaker Sanya Glisic in Chigaco. I found it on her Etsy shop Horse Drawn Carriage. I really like this print because of its whimsy, colour choices, and the silly name. It might just be the influential weather, but this print just makes me smile! Also, be sure to check out Sanya's other works at her Etsy shop, they are just as creative and inspiring - if not more so.