The new job

ok, ok.

i will finally take the time to make a post about what it's all about since people seem to be highly intrigued.

so i got a job offer from one of my robert allen clients. The company is called "Costandi Designs" (google it if you want but they have a pretty lack-lustre website. maybe that will be my first task haha).

The position the offered me is as a designer/decorator. plus they are looking into making some of their own small runs of fabrics, in which case i would be designing/co-ordinating that.

now, you may be asking yourself "but craft money- you have don't have any interior design experience or education"

and to that my response is: I KNOW.

I said to them:

"listen, you realize I have a background in sales/textile design, not interior design, right?"

but they didn't care.
They said they really like me and have been discussing it for awhile and that they would train me. They said that there is so much they will learn from me too and they think it is the perfect fit. (similar to what robert allen said when they hired me.)

The way their business works is that they have a retail showroom with fabrics, home decor, furniture, etc, and they also offer design services, as well as having an in-house work room (seamstress) and upholstery shop. (its actually down the road...they bought this HUGE old building that they will be converting into the business within 2 years.) They have some staff now, but initially they will be training me for home consultations. (AWESOME!) They are offering me salary plus commission, benefits, vacation pay, and a company car to use for consultations. The shitty thing is that it is about a 45 min drive to get there, but i will be doing some stuff locally that they can't take on right now, and i don't have to work on snow days. I also have to work every other saturday but i really don't mind.

I am unbelievably excited to be designing something every single day and to actually get paid for it. i can't believe someone is basically paying me to get an education in interior design (something which isn't offered anywhere in the maritimes- most people have to go away to get that education and then come back for work). I am also really excited to actually use the gorgeous fabrics I have been selling all year in creative applications which i normally wouldn't have been able to experience.

I got a ton of books from the library and am cramming hard so I at least have a certain level of comfort with some of the terminology and processes I will be learning as I go.

The really exciting thing about this job is that i will actually have some sort of fulfillment from it. i will get to make a difference in people's lives, because creating a space is to create a mood and mood is everything when it comes to quality of living.

as far as resigning went, i was incredibly nervous because not only is quitting nerve-racking enough, but this was my first formal resignation from a "career" job. I had 3 bosses I had to tell (ugh) but luckily it wasn't face to face since they're all in central Canada. The first one was the president of the company, and it was fine. the second my eastern canada boss, who tried to talk me out of it, and the last was the national sales manager who was disappointed, but said she saw it coming one way or another.

anyways 2008 was an incredible year for me. i didn't think things could get much better but apparently 2009 might prove me wrong. i start january 2nd. wish me luck.

xo

I WON A COFFEE COMP

read about it here.

i got a new job.

designer.

january 1st.

wtf?

ohhh......

when i looked at this photo my heart stopped. something about this room seems nostalgic to me. maybe it is because i have dreamt of this sort of cozy utopia my entire life. i can't believe it exists in real life.

............sigh.

Crisp Kitchens

ah. like a breath of fresh air.


photos from here.

Beauty essentials

hey!

boys and girls- what are your beauty essentials? favorites??



Here are some of mine:



(don't laugh!) HIlary Duff's "with love" perfume



Smith's rosebud salve



Aveda Brilliant Humectant pomade



Cargo Beachblush in cable beach



Loreal Color Riche lipstick in british red



Lush flying fox bodywash



Diorshow Mascara in rich black.


you can buy my picks here, here, and here.

This woman really knows how to mix and match her chachkas. Check out the teak sideboard in the background of the last photo. day-um.

i found these pics here.

Christmas Card etiquette

Question: when do you think i should mail out my holiday cards?

I think December 1st.

is that too soon?

also, if you want a card and i don't already have your address, please leave it for me.

(sarah dennis- i'm talking to you!)

CAN'T STOP WONT STOP

The knowles sisters are gonna take over the world!

NEW SOLANGE



AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE VIDEO YET:



(*NOTE: thank god she released a club banger like this. That "If i were a boy" song makes me barf in my mouth it's so bad.)

FIERCE.

Boyfriend Jeans, etc.

Tonight I am going to stay in. I bought a big beer and I am going to drink it and write some letters.
and by "write some letters" i might just mean word twist.

but anyways, Here I am with my big beer!! Look how big it is compared to my head!


Anyways, so today I inherited my first pair of boyfriend jeans!

Amir gave me his beloved nudies. LOOK AT MY CUTE NEW BOYFRIEND JEANS!



Amir broke them in perfectly. They are so comfy. Way better than any "boyfriend style" jean from urban outfitters. plus these are legit since me and ammer are teeny tiners.




It's actually winter out now. it snowed yesterday and i slid over a snowbank and came within inches of a telephone pole. The irony is, I was driving amir home after buying snow tires. Cue Alanis Morissette:



anyways, this caught me really off guard. I mean, duh, almost smashing into a phone pole will really throw you off, but I just mean Winter in general. I feel like I just wasn't even aware it was coming. Its weird. I have been really excited about Christmas, but the whole snow/weather thing just completely caught me by surprise.

I started compiling a list of winter pros/cons in my head. Here is what I've got so far:


PROS:

- Warm cozy nights inside
- Hot drinks (bonus: hot drinks out of mason jars!)
- ice skating
- tv marathons
- coming inside and pulling dry clothes on after getting snowy and wet and cold.
-CHRISTMAS
-Sledding
-Fireplaces
- comfort food
- warm lighting
-record players
- extra inbound and outbound mail- Christmas cards, parcels, etc.

CONS:

- Cold/wet/slushy days.
- The winter blues. Even if only for a minute. they are the bluest of all the blues.
- when your winter coat gets really wet and heavy
- forgetting your mittens. (or losing them ALL THE TIME in my case)
- being cold when you wear skirts
- being dormant and over-indulging during the holidays.
- Being broke in the new year
- NEW YEARS
- dry skin
- Dangerous driving conditions
- icy sidewalks
- flu season/colds

anyways that's what i've got so far. does anyone else have some suggestions?

I think I should get CAA before the weather gets really bad and I have to travel in it. That seems like the logical thing to do.

Here is a random photo that amir sent to me today. He really loved the shoe/pant combo. He says it is the nicest female shoe/pant combo he has ever seen. Then I reminded him of my favorite grey tights/honey-brown-braided-leather-oxford combo. We are so in sync. hahaha.



it's cropped but you get the idea.

anyways, it's time to spend some of my hard-earned money on all of your christmas presents. I love shopping from my own sofa.

xo

OMG CUTE CUTE QT

I am posting this with the ladies (and lachlan) in mind.

cuteeeeee.

OAK NYC

how has no one (pop culture included) informed me about OAKNYC yet?!

Rob Ryan

please click these to appreciate the actual beauty of these images.









These paper cuts actually bring tears to my eyes.

i mean that as sincerely as it gets.

Rob Ryan

I don't even know how i got off the track!

This is how I've been feeling lately.



I have been missing irresponsibility. and as a result, i haven't been paying the proper attention to my actual responsibilities.

sometimes a girl just can't win.

but i'll figure it out. meanwhile, this song rules.

whoever thought i would miss being a student!

FOR THOSE CHILLY WOODSMAN NIGHTS.

WHHHHAAAAATTT?????



I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!



MY NEW HAT....IT'S JUST TOO BIG.



WAIT...WAIT...OK. IT'S GOT THIS FOLD UP FEATURE.



OK. SORRY ABOUT THAT...GO AHEAD...

Craft Night

Raging success. Lindsay, Jenner and Alex stayed until 1 and i learned all about my new favorite trick- packing tape transfers. I made amir some spoke cards! (which he loves- pics coming soon.)


craft nights rule.
girls nights (plus one secret sister) rule.


i am feeling inspired, which is exactly what i needed.

Winter Whites/Brights/florals

Michael Kors



Luca Luca



Burberry Prorsum



Burberry Prorsum



Bill Blass



Bill Blass



Proenza Schouler



Chloe



Chloe



Dior

Soup and Salad

If you haven't tried the new president's choice deli soups (mmm mushroom bisque) then you are missing out.


also, i am a huge nerd.

that is all.