cabin fever

Lately, the more I confront the magnitude of school work I’ve got to accomplish (made worse by my hell-bent tendency to procrastinate) the more I want to ditch the grid and head to my Fantasy Cabin. In Fantasy Cabin World I go unplugged and unaccompanied. I have this enormous capacity to enjoy kicking around on my own. For me, each and every day must have a back door exit through which I escape to the land of alone. It’s vital to my ability to be nice mummy and not bat shit crazy mummy (which, in all fairness, can happen anyway.) Actually, it’s just plain vital to my survival—it’s joy rehab.

Having lived in the country before—growing food, heating with wood and freezing my ass off en route to the bathroom first thing on a winter morning—the fantasy is fairly evenly weighted with the screwball realities that make country living exactly what it is: not for the faint of heart. Or those who seek reassurance in urban buzz that never quits. Isolation can mess with your head, but in Fantasy Cabin land, despite the realities of snowed-in days, freezing pipes, wood-chopping, and needing a vehicle that isn’t ever allowed to die, that isolation is a refuge for me. I get to go to that place of solitude where gulps of fresh air cleanse me of anxiety. A day filled with winter walks, wood smoke-tinged clothes, heaps of books, crafty afternoons and a bottomless pot of soup. And always some music … and eventually, some most excellent company.

While we’re on the subject of fantastical spots of refuge, I get to own up to my absurd envy of each of these delicious photos. And speaking of fantasy: Cabin Porn. Go there!

Have a glorious, snow-crazed weekend. Unless, of course, the sun has other plans for you …

bliss ❤

photos by: keliy anderson-staley

photo by: david swales

photo by: lou murray

photo by: dave sinaguglia

photo by: jamie beck

photo by: robert rausch

photo by: trevor curtin

photo by: hans georg gaul

photo by: linda edwards

sip slowly

Chai latte at home. And toast. (Of course.)

Hope your day is grand  …  ❤

country comfort in my bones

My bedroom is in the attic and I’m slowly building a nest there, under the eaves. I’ll say this for being single: ain’t nobody else gonna mess with your decorating taste! You get to be Queen of The Veto. I went shopping this weekend for bedding, and being the ultra thrift store scavenger that I am, I was feeling that clawing sensation in my gut about buying anything brand-spanking new. But I began to notice a little giddiness pushing its way in as I lingered over colours and patterns, brushing fabrics against my cheek. I’m good with greys and earth tones—love ‘em, I do. But not in my nest. That’s where I want mossy greens and the palest of blues. I want pops of floral patterns, a hint of pink blush, and the odd stripe here and there. Give me my thrifted wool blanket paired with cotton-soft sheets, a quilt and a down pillow, and I’m not easily lured from bed. Those who know me well, know that I’m possibly the most ruthless bargain hunter you’ll ever spend an afternoon, or do a thrift store lap with. I’m selective about my finds, I don’t like harbouring junk, and I have a stay-sharp edge when it comes to working a deal in my favour. But I part with things easily. And sharing my bounty with someone who has that peculiar kind of love for vintage items gives me that same heady feeling as the hunt does.

So, in honour of my nest-building I’ve snapped some photos to welcome you in. My budget is scant and I have a taste for uncomplicated beauty. Not a bad combo at all. These photos capture just the kind of comfort that I crave. What makes your nest feel like home?

bliss  ❤

photos by: bliss {in images}

wrapped

Hope your weekend is unrolling in a warm and most delicious way. I’m off to soak up some winter sunshine and make the most of this frosty but dazzlingly bright day. But first, some goodies from Anna Ådén! Enjoy, friends …

bliss  ❤

photos by: Anna Ådén

the great white {and wallpapered} north

Baby, it’s flipping cold outside. Let’s hang out with the antler crew on the sofa.

prints by: jeff friesen who knows a thing or two about the cold, in nova scotia …

bliss at home

There’s been a fair bit of quiet lately in this place of blogging bliss. And there may be some more to come. You see, over the holidays, I squeezed in a house move! Which was only slightly shy of crazy. But crazy, sometimes, is what I do best. And while that’s held its own mixture of nerve-jangling emotions, we’re finally getting settled. You know, as much as you can be settled in two weeks. Enough to have sorted and cozied the kitchen, hung pictures, artwork, blazed clear paths to cupboards, beds and pantry, and banished all traces of boxes. The tweaking continues, and the work is on-going, but it finally feels as though my center of balance is less prone to upending itself. Is that possible after only two weeks? It better be—I’ve got optimism (and late-night decorating mojo) on my side big time! With classes and work kicking in again last week, I’m brimming with must-do lists that are nothing short of maniacal. All the more reason to get lost in a little bliss …

photos by: bliss {in images} ☆ overlays courtesy of : pugly pixel

full-to-bursting

bliss ❤

for us all

I’m excited about going forward together, Bliss readers!

dream big …

 ❤

photo by: yvette inufio

nuff said

print: hooper & shaw

the night before christmas

May your hearts be light …

sculpture by: su blackwell