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Today, I wanted to share with you some of the stuff that is brightening my daily moments. The weather is meh here in the Fraser Valley, so for me, it’s all about what brings me joy in the everyday life.
You’ll see that it’s nothing fancy at all and all about what I call my nuggets of joy.

1. The “Fir-ever grateful” and “Palo Santo” candles from Bath & Body Works. I have always loved candles, and these two are my current favorite scents. I light them in my Studio when I work on the computer or on art.
2. Dresses and skirts from Hot Topic (they have pockets!!!). I usually prefer dresses over skirts for the simple reason than it requires less thinking: the top and the bottom are already coordinated for me 😉
3. Halsey newest album “If I can’t have Love, I want Power*”
4. My Frixion* pen in all the colours. They are erasable, so it makes it easier in my planner.
5. True crimes documentaries/fictionized stories. I binged the two seasons of “Dirty John” on Netflix (trigger warning though: lots of gaslighting in both stories). It is fiction but based on true stories. I really appreciate Connie Briton as an actress. I’ll take any recommendations (I have Netflix, Crave and Prime video) 😉
6. Loud Lacquer nail polishes. You can build your own bundle in order to receive discounts, which is really nice. The colors are stunning and the names are fucking funny!
7. The Ferris Wheel Press inks. I am waiting for my order to ship as I treated myself with other inks as well as one of their fountain pen and one of their newest rechargeable ball pen as well. Some of the inks are shimmery, others are flat. They can be use for writing and for art as well. Plus, this is a canadian company so it makes it even better to support them (in my mind).
8. New collections from About.Face. They have one all about glitters (for the eyes, the lips and even the brows!). And the Fall collection has all the colors I love. Give me grey and purple, and I’ll be happy…

What are you currently loving?

It’s been quite some time since I last shared with you what’s rocking my universe right now. And you know my love for discovering new-to-me anything.
I currently work two days a week so I have 5 days at home with the entire family (my daughters are on summer break for another full month and my husband is able to work remotely). I have been spending a lot of time watching Netflix (#sorrynotsorry) with my almost 15yo daughter Mae. I have been reading as well but not as much as I used to (thank you Goodreads for reminding me that I am about 6 books behind schedule for my 2020 reading goal)

…Watching…

• Never Have I ever. Absolutely devoured it. I loved the inclusion of characters of colour and their culture. And it’s been renewed for a second season so YAAAAAY
• Grey’s Anatomy. Okay, technically for me this is a re-watch as I have been watching this show for the past 15 years and it’s one that’s dear to me for several reasons. We also discovered Doctor Mike on Youtube, which is a great addition 😉 I love medical dramas, so, yea…
• Bailey Sarian’s “Mystery & Makeup” on Youtube. This girl is AMAZING. Honestly, the contrast between the gruesome true crimes she talks about and the stunning make up she is doing while telling us all these stories? I love her!!! Yes, she’s a new obsession. Let me be 😉
• Students’ organisation videos and vlogs, still on Youtube. Because I am fucking nervous about going back to school for 4 semesters and this makes me feel like I will have a better idea about what it will be like (I do know that of course, I know nothing).

… Listening to…

• Halsey. Forever and Always. I love her music since I discovered her with New Americana. I love the woman. She’s my wife (okay… I am ten years older than her but who cares?) ahah
• H.E.R. She brings me back to the music I loved when I was a teenager. Soulful, R&B, makes me wanna dance type of music. One that makes me feel like I belong to something.
• Taylor Swift‘s new surprise album, “Folklore“. I kind of started really liking her music five years ago, when I took my daughter to her concert in Vancouver, BC. You hate her or you love her, but there is something about how she tells stories through her music that makes me feel things. So yes, I waited for midnight to have a 2-person listening party with Mae 😉

…Enjoying…

• Vegetarian meals, mostly. We are trying to reduce our consumption of animal products as much as possible.
• Long walks in our neighbourhood. With our without our dog. I try to step up my walking goals on my Fitbit 😉 I need to go back to working out but my arm still hurts and I tend to go to an extreme or another so taking it slow.
• Looking for homes in our former city across the country. It’s a bit (a lot?) masochistic but eh… it brings hope.
• The perspective of getting rid of about 75% of our belongings. Freeing physical space as well as mental space… It’s crazy how much we gather to feel better or because we think we will need/love it. But it ends up stacked somewhere, unused and unloved… I will be taking care of my art studio but still don’t know what to do with all these supplies I don’t use/care for. Ideas?

PS: you can read my post “Currently” article following this link 😉

I told you before, I am a woman of obsessions… My mind is always in full swing going around the same stuff over and over. It is mostly annoying but I stopped trying to stop this. Acceptance is key 😉

Quinn Bouley

I discovered Quinn on Instagram. Her feed is one of the most beautiful that illuminates my Instagram.
Quinn has an online shop where she sells handmade stickers, journal stuff and printables.
Quinn is spiritual and very creative. She shares videos on Youtube about her process and I really like what she has to offer.

Billie Eilish

I feel like I am talking about her everywhere and apologize if it is too much for you 😉
Music is always playing around me, it started when I was a kid. My Mom had to work weird hours and so I was often home alone: silence scared the shit out of me (still today) so I always had music playing or the TV on.
Billie Eilish is currently 17 years old but she knows who she is, she loves what she creates and it is contagious. She is the perfect embodiment of UNAPOLOGETIC to me. Plus, I am jealous that she can get these amazing hair colors 😉
Her music is strange but addictive. And you have to check her music videos 😀 I can’t believe she recorded her first album with her brother (who produces it), in their Mom’s home, sitting on a bed. Yup.

Oil pastels

When I create, I put all my senses to play. That’s just how it is for me. If you know me a little, you know that one of my things is texture. I am always searching for new ways to create it, media to put together to come up with something different.
I use several brands of oil pastels, my favourites are: Sennelier and Caran D’Ache’s NeoPastels. Both are really creamy and come in so many colours. They are very pigmented, too. They are not on the cheap side of the spectrum but worth every dollar.

My 100 Days of Abstract Explorations project

After being part of several Design Teams and not being in one currently taught me some unexpected stuff. I need deadlines, I need structure in my routine, I need projects.
So when Elle Luna announced the current 100 Day Project, I decided to jump in. More on this in this blogpost, and this one. I need the end goal (painting an abstract painting every day for 100 days). And I accept this truth… maybe it’s finally my Virgo side showing? ahah! I am having a lot of fun, and that’s all that matters. I use all the supplies I love and I am doing my best not to run to the store not to buy more Pébéo markers and more Liquitex Gouache (I have two sample bottles of it only)…

Maybe 2019 will be the year I will consistently share bits of my life every month here. Maybe not. Who knows ? I don’t know if it is something you enjoy from me (do you?).

What are you listening to?

I am listening to a Charlotte Cardin on Google Play Music. Music is always playing in the background, no matter what I am actually doing. She is an artist from Québec who sings both in English and in French. Her voice has this something that makes me stop what I’m doing just to listen. She could sing about the weather, it would probably still be beautiful to hear… I often receive Oracle moments through random songs 😉

What are you currently wearing?

A leggin because I did my workout this morning and did not change out of it, and an orange oversized hoodie. I decided to just be comfortable today. If we did not have a needy dog that asks to go outside 4 times a day, trust me that would spend more time in pj’s all-day every day 😉 (taking advantage of working from home).

When I was a teen, my best friend’s go-to look was slim pants with an oversized sweater and for some reason, this past week is how I wanted to dress. And honoring the comeback of my hoops hearing, just because they make me feel good. I hate what I see in the mirror so I am back at better eating and daily workouts. Why tomorrow when it can be now, right?

What have you recently bought?

A few new clothes, it was a Christmas present from my husband. I found a leather jacket that I can’t wait to be able to wear (not the best when it is -18ºC outside). I am doing my best to stop my spending in 2019 as much as possible and only go for what is fully needed (yes, it means no more art supply for a while…).

What are you reading?

I am reading this book way too slowly for my own taste. The story is intriguing and I want to know what will happen next to the characters. However, I am not 200% captivated by the story…

Do you know the Pop Sugar reading challenge? It’s a list of prompt for books to read during the year. It helps me to look for books that would probably not have grabbed my attention otherwise.

I have reached my goal of reading 60 books in 2018, which makes me very happy! You can read more about it on my previous blogpost 😉

You may know if you follow me on social media that I am an avid reader. It is part of my Soul-Care routine and I do my best to carve time for reading every single day.

For the past few years, I have participated in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Everyone who wants to participate set up a goal of books to read during the year, and we update with each book finished. It’s really cool to have a goal to reach and to know where I’m at. I wish I would carve time to actually write short reviews for each and every book I finish.

Love Letters To The Dead – Ava Dellaira | It all starts with a school assignment: write a letter to someone dead. The main character, Laurel, picks Kurt Cobain because her sister loved him. May is dead young, just as Kurt Cobain. Laurel continues to write to several dead people (Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger…..) and deals with her life without her sister and something that happened that she tries to forget but can’t. This book is really touching.

All your Perfects – Colleen Hoover | I love Young Adults books, but also like when a writer is doing books for different audiences, which is the case with this book by Colleen Hoover (she’s very funny, btw, if you follow her on Instagram). This story is intertwined between “now” and “then” so we can understand how a couple’s story ended up as it was. The hurt, the obsession, the secrets they both hold are told back and forth in the timeline. What if sometimes, love is not enough anymore ?

The Dangerous Art Of Blending In – Angelo Surmelis|This book tackles a tough subject as well: being different in a very strict immigrant family, and abuse. I was wrapped in this story, mad and sad and everything in between. It’s about discovering who you are when you’re a teen, it’s also about figuring yourself out and how you fit in inside others’ expectation of you. A really good first book from this author. My heart was in million pieces while reading Evan’s story.

The Miseducation Of Cameron Post – Emily M. Danforth | This story happens between the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s. Cameron has lost both her parents in an accident and now lives with her grandmother and her aunt in her old-fashioned and religious city in Montana. Cameron was first relieved to learn her parents die because that same day, she kissed her best friend and was afraid of this secret. Her aunt has abandoned her former glamorous life to take care of Cameron and believes she is doing her best, out of love. This is how Cameron ends up in a Christian conversion center to fight who she is and who she loves. She meets other teens battling the same fights.

The Light We Lost – Jill Sanpopo | This story is told over 13 years. It is a story of missed opportunities between two protagonists who met in college and fell in love. Gabe becomes a photo-journalist and travels in countries in war to tell what’s happening there; Lucy writes for tv in New-York. Will they eventually find themselves together ? It was a heartbreaking book.

In Search Of Us – Ava Dellaira | This is a story that touched my heart on a core level. Told by the mother and daughter’s points of view when both were 17 years old. We follow the quest of Angie, who is looking for her unknown father; and the life of her mother Marilyn when she was Angie’s age. Angie his bi-racial and know nothing about her father and her parents’ history. Marilyn is trying to live up to her mother’s expectation as a young actress and falls in love with James, who is African-American. As a bi-racial woman, raised by her White mother from unknown father, it deeply touched me.

You Know Me Well – Nina LaCour & David Levithan | I love these two authors separately, but they worked magic together in this book. This is the story of Mark and Kate, who are opposite but create an unexpected friendship during a wild night in the city. I love stories told in alternative points of view. It’s a story about love and deep friendship.

A List Of Cages – Robin Roe | Another heartbreaking story of abuse and love. Adam has ADHD and is happy to be assigned to help the school psychologist, as it gives him plenty of free time. However, when the doc asks him to track a student who deliberately misses all his appointments, Adam recognizes Julian: his former foster brother. What happened to them while separated ? Adam knows Julian is keeping secrets… and wants to help. 

Faithful – Alice Hoffman | As a pre-teen, I fell in love with the universe in the Practical Magic movie. I wanted to be Sally… So when I discovered it was an adaptation from a book, I decided to try and read it. Oh my, yes! (if you loved the movie as I did, you need to read the book as it goes way deeper. And by the way, the story of their aunts in The Rules of Magic is just as beautifully crafted). In Faithful, there is no magical world involved, but the story of Shelby, who survived an accident that left her best friend’s life changed forever is aching and you can’t help but feel all she feels while finding herself in New York City.

Dear Martin – Nic Stone | This book is part of my “Black lives” love list. Nic Stone tackles the subject of racial relations. Justyce, the main character, tries to do his best to succeed in school despite coming from a rough neighborhood. Then, come the day where everything changes because of a “misunderstanding”. Justyce has much on his mind and uses a journal to write to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, to share what is on his mind. It’s a must-read, in my opinion.

What were you favorite books in 2018 ? Are you an avid reader as me ? Let me know in the comments, I am open to new literary discoveries.