Mini craft project

ack in October we experienced a couple of blackouts where I live. Whenever we get severe rainstorms we tend to lose power. Usually we get power back right away, but the last few times we lost power for 4 hours. I realized then that I needed to have more candles in the house. I have a few Bath & Body Works scented candles, but I don't want to burn those for the sake of having light in the house as they are pretty expensive. I decided to stock up on a few cheap candles at the dollar store. 

I really don't like it when products are packaged unattractively. As a graphic design graduate I always want things to look pretty. I'm known for buying things just because the package is nice. Do you guys sometimes do that too?

So I had it down on my to-do list to make my own labels for the dollar store candles. Well, I've only had time now to work on them, but I'm finally crossing this off my to-do list!

Here is what the candle looked like with the original label on it. 

I measured the label size that I wanted and worked on a few mock-ups before settling
on this one. I always print out a sample on plain paper before printing it out on good
paper. That way I can change the size if I think it's too big/small. I also check the font size
and colour.

I chose a font that had a ribbon feel to it. So I used that same style on the label ends.
I thought the coral colour would go well with the green colour of the candle.

I have a 1.5" Xyron sticker maker and since my label was 1.25" high it was perfect
to run through it.

This sticker maker makes stickers out of anything you run through it as long as it is less
than 1.5" high.

Here are the labels after I peeled off the plastic top from the sicker maker.

Ta da!

Here are my completed candles.
I was planning on putting them in storage, but now I may display them because they
are so cute.

UPDATE I'm still very sick. It turns out that I got some sort of infection that's been making my throat really swollen and my eyes really red. I think I have a cold on top of that too. My voice is still totally gone and I'm very dizzy. I'm taking amoxicillin for my throat and a topical ointment for my eyes. It's made a huge difference in how I'm feeling today. I was so out of it that I almost hit a car while I was backing out of my driveway. 

Anyways, I'm planning a huge reveal in a few days. If you follow me on Instagram you will know what I'm talking about. 

A small treat

or those of you who follow me on Instagram (@cujo931), you'll know that I got a little something something at Louis Vuitton today. I've been wanting this item for a while now and I'll tell you why. For those new to my blog I'm a mother of 2 kids- a 3-year old and a 7-month old. Most of the time I'm carrying a diaper bag with me. However, when I go out on my own I like switching to a regular purse. Since I'm constantly switching back and forth from a diaper bag to my regular purse I'm tired of my huge Kate Spade wallet taking up so much room in both bags. And if I'm just dashing out the door to pick up my son from daycare I just want my keys and driver's license. Nothing else. So that's why I've been thinking about getting the Louis Vuitton Key Pouch. It can fit my driver's license and my most-used cards in the pouch and the keychain can hold my car keys and house keys. 

After watching PearlyThePug's review and Hollyannaeree talking about it on their respective YouTube channels I was sold. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get it before the Louis Vuitton price increase a couple of weeks ago, but the price increase for this particular key pouch was very minute.

And here she is. It doesn't go with my Miu Miu Bow Satchel that I wore today to the mall,
but it goes with a lot of my other purses in my collection.

I chose the Monogram print vs the Damier Azur (like the print on my Speedy 25 here)
because I don't like how dirty the Damier Azur print gets. Plus, I'm seriously thinking
about getting the Damier Ebene Speedy 30 Bandouliere as my next purse. I wanted a
key pouch that would go with both purses without it clashing. The sales person thought
I should also go with the Monogram print.
Here you can see it clipped onto the D-ring that is inside my Speedy.

For those of you who are wondering the price of the Key Pouch (or the Cles as it's
sometimes called), I bought it for $185CAD (not including tax). I'm a little bit surprised
because on the US Louis Vuitton website it is listed as $190. Usually prices in Canada are
much higher than in the States so I anticipated it being around $225CAD. I think before
the price increase it was listed on the US site at $180. So this item didn't increase in price
that much.

The key pouch comes with a dust bag and a pull-out box with a leather pull.
I never was a huge fan of Louis Vuitton because I thought it was too gaudy and loud.
However, the quality of their bags are great. After owning a Speedy 25 for a few years
now I'm more interested in the brand because of the craftsmanship.

I know some people are so picky with their Louis Vuitton being made in France (I believe
they are also made in Spain and the US). Some even going as far as making the sales
people exchange it to one that is. I was never one to care, but I'm lucky that both my
Louis Vuitton items are made in France :-)

Here's a close-up.

So while I was at the mall I picked a couple more basics to add to my closet. 

I don't know about you guys, but I've always had a wish list notebook with cut-outs from magazines. It would give me great pleasure crossing off stuff on my wish list. Now that I have Pinterest I can post my wish list online and access it anywhere I go. Lately, my wish list has consisted of basics. Today I was able to cross 2 things off my wish list- a boyfriend-style jean and a jean jacket.

I know the jeans look strange in this photo- almost like midget jeans, but it's because
I rolled it up when I tried it on to the length that I wanted. I got this pair at Zara.
I love the distressed detail on it. 

I'm not quite sure how I like this print showing through the hole. I wish it wasn't there, but
I loved the colour of the jeans and the fit so I couldn't pass up on it.

I could have gone with a smaller size. it's a little big at the waist and the crotch area
seems a little baggy, but this was the smallest size that they had. I know boyfriend-style
jeans are supposed to fit a little more relaxed so I'm not too worried about it being a bit
big. This was $59.90CAD. I think it's a decent price. I saw one at Gap that was around $80.

Next, I went to Old Navy. I love going to Old Navy because I can get great deals there. You guys know I love a good bargain!

I bought my sister-in-law a really cute jean jacket at Aritzia last year when I went to
visit my in-laws and I've been wanting one ever since. However, Aritzia isn't cheap.
I used to shop there all the time when I was in my early 20s, but I'm sort of over that
place. Every other girl here wears stuff from there and I can always find better deals
at places like Holt Renfrew Last Call for premium designer brands.

I was so surprised how cheap this jacket was. It was $34.94CAD. I think the Aritzia one that
I bought my sister-in-law was around $100CAD? Maybe even more?
The best part about the jacket was that I got a discount on it. I'm in Old Navy's mailing
list so I checked my email while I was in the changing room and found out that I could get
20% off the regular price. Score! I think with the 20% discount I got it for around $31 taxes in.

I took a quick snapshot of myself wearing the jacket in the changing room.

There's a lot of stretch to the jacket that I love. I also love how it looks with the collar
popped up.

Have you gotten anything on a deal lately? Please share!

What I've been up to…

een a busy little bee this month because I've been doing so many preparations for Christmas- making my own Advent Calendar for my son; shooting our family Christmas portrait; making our annual calendar and designing our family Christmas cards. I've also been doing a lot of shopping and going to parties.
If you don't follow me on Instagram yet please do- @Cujo931. I usually post what I'm up to there daily. I'm addicted to it!

Shopping at Old Navy. Was debating whether to get this leopard-print cardigan, but
passed on it. 

My OOTD last week.
Top is from Wilfred by Aritzia, jeans are from Paige Denim, bubble necklace is a
J Crew-inspired necklace from eBay.

I had a gift certificate from Club Monaco that I was saving until I lost my pregnancy
weight. I was eyeing this Reva coat…

I took the plunge and got it. I initially bought it on sale for 30% off the original
$299 sale price, down from $398. But the day after I got it I received an email
from the Club Monaco newsletter that they were having a 40% sale off the sale
price. I ended up returning it and repurchasing it for 40% off. Yes!
(FYI: Club Monaco has a policy of not doing price adjustments on sale items, but
the salesgirl I dealt with allowed me to do a return and repurchase)

The faux-fur collar is removable.

The coat is a bit wrinkled, but I adore it.

I'm loving my makeup here.

I happened to go in Gap to check out their sales and I came across this sequined
clutch. I missed out on the Zara sequined clutch that all the fashion bloggers have
been sporting so when I saw this I couldn't pass on it. The Zara clutch is a gold colour
and this is obviously not gold, but I still like it. I think it'll go with a lot of items in my
closet. It's hard to capture the true colour of the clutch. Here, the sequins are pointing
up and it gives it a completely different look than the shot below.

Here the sequins are pointing down. The clutch looks more silver here.
I love how this clutch has a strap. I don't think the Zara one did…
I got this for 20% off 39.99?

Here I am holding it. It kind of looks purple in certain lighting.

Surprisingly it fits a ton of stuff. I can fit my huge Kate Spade wallet plus many
more.

This will be great to carry around with me when I don't want to carry a huge purse.

Last Thursday I stopped by Indigo (one of my favourite stores) to kill some time
with the family. It is a bookstore, but they have a fantastic home/gift section.
I came across this Botanicals Labels and Stickers book by Rifle Paper Co. I have
one of their other labels and stickers book and I always use it when I gift wrap because
it really makes the package that much nicer. I ended up purchasing this and I can't
wait to gift wrap!

This is the Cath Kidston 2013 agenda.
Although I loved it I already have a Kate Spade agenda and I buy the refills every year.

The lovely frames and display cases at Indigo.

They also had a shelf with ombré book covers of classic titles. Such a pretty way
to display books, no?

Lots of stocking stuffers out too. They had colourful enamel bangles and other
knick knacks. 

Voluspa candles.
The packaging on Voluspa candles are exquisite. I had to stop
myself from getting these because I had already made several candle purchases
from Bath & Body Works.

One thing to note is that I rarely buy home goods from Indigo for full retail price.
They always have sales and if you wait you can get things for 30-50% off.

Indigo is holding a contest now on Instagram where if you hastag #MagicalHoliday
on one of your instagram pics with something relating to the theme "Christmas
Morning" you have a chance of winning a $100 gift card. This was my entry.
Fingers crossed!

Lastly, I'm starting to restock my Etsy store. It's just so time consuming to take photos
of all the pieces, but that is my New Year's resolution this year.

DIY: Advent Calendar

Instagram'd a photo of my finished Advent Calendar that I was working on this year for my 3-year old son and I got a few people asking me how I made it and what I was going to put in these boxes. So I thought I would share. I'm happy with how it turned out, but it was A LOT of work. I plan on using this again next year because I'm not sure if I would have the time to make something like this again…

Just an FYI that all the supplies were purchased at the dollar store.

I bought a pack of card stock paper that came in 5 different shades. I thought it would
be a neat idea to do an ombré effect for the boxes. 

I found several box templates online and tested them out by printing it out on plain
paper. I settled with this template and redrew it on Adobe InDesign to match my
paper size.

I scored all the dotted lines with a bone folder and then cut out the rest of the outline
with my exact-o knife. I started getting a blister after doing 25 of these cutouts :-S
I applied double-sided tape on the backside of where it is labeled on the photo before
putting the box together.

Here's what the complete box looks like. It's pretty small.

I found these cute rhinestone and glitter numbers at the dollar store and I thought
it would be the perfect way to add the numbers on the boxes.

All the boxes complete! Now to stick them onto my foam core…

I laid out all the boxes on the foam core before gluing it on so that they looked
symmetrical.

Because these boxes were too small to store all the activities that I wanted to do with
my son I decided to make tags with the activities printed on it. Again, I went back
to my design software and typed up all the activities. I made sure to space them
according to the size of the tag punch that I had.

Close-up of some of the activities.

I printed it out on one of the card stock paper that I had leftover and punched it
with my tag punch.

I punched a small hole near the top to thread the ribbon through.

All the tags complete!

And here's the finished product.

Another view.

Here are the tags inside the boxes.

You may wonder why I made boxes if I was just going to stuff flat tags inside, but
it's because in some of the boxes I had little toys (like the dinosaurs above)
and even candies inside.

I can't wait to start this on December 1!

I propped up the Advent Calendar on my dining room credenza. Earlier today I went
out and bought the mini tree (called Cupressus 'Goldcrest')

Here's a close-up of one of the tags.

I propped up one of my favourite ornament on the top of the boxes.

It doesn't look like a dollar store project, does it? I don't think so.

And here's a look at some of the activities that my son and I will be enjoying in the
coming days. We will also be doing some baking. I'm so excited!