hapiness + spring (!!!)

today is a great day you guys! it's the first day of spring annnd the international day of happiness!

What a day! One I sure look forward to every year that;s for sure. I am more than ready for Spring this year after a long (very cold) winter. Sometimes it feels like Spring will never get here, and I was feeling all warm and fuzzy today as the sun was shining so bright and I could literally smell Spring in the air. I also smelled a BBQ which just means nice weather is coming!

I had this plan to write this long, emotional post about living a life filled with happiness, and the things in my life that have helped me live a life filled with joy. Buuut, to be honest, I just don't have it in me! Part of being happy is setting boundaries, and realistic expectations for myself. Not sure if you can tell but I tend to go a bit overboard in literally every facet of my life (lololol) I am slowly getting better at this, and a bit part of it is learning to say no and take more time to recharge, relax and be at home with Pete.

Buuut, one thing I was able to (somehow) get ready in time for today was a new podcast episode!!! -It's all about happiness and spring, of course. Check it out if you're looking for a sassy little pick me up. This one was fun, and I can't wait to record many more to come! ♥

Here are a few of my favourite blog posts I've written about happiness in the past //

looking for lykke
international day of happiness/first day of spring 2018 edition
what i've learned from the "happier" podcast
learnings from "happier", part two
omg, our wedding

Here are some books about happiness I've enjoyed //

the happiness project, the power of moments, you are a badass, the book of awesome, the little book of hygge, + little book of lykke.

And here are some little things making me happy lately //

cooking, flipping through magazines, reading good books, sunny moments in my craft room, counting my steps on my fitbit, watching workin' moms, writing out my daily happy moments, having no plans on week nights, getting new plants for our home, trying to learn about my gem stones, playing soccer on my work team, going for walks in our hood, chilling the f out.

Hope your day/week/month/year is magical. If it's been tough, it'll get better. Love the start of a new season and new dreams. Let's make it special.

tell me something good!

Oh heyyyyyy there! Happy Wednesday! Is it just me, or are the days and weeks flying by in literally seconds? It's insane. There's so much going on, and so many awesome things.

It's been a while since I've been able to give a little life update and just straight up chat about some great things, because why the heck not? The longer I've been blogging, the more I realize that it doesn't really matter what I post, as long as I'm happy with it. I think this kind of segment will be something I do more often, just sharing the love, ya know!?

And for that exact reason, I present to you some good f*cking things:

+ America by Childish Gambino - Ok, I just can't stop. I want to listen to this song all day everyday. I want to watch the video, I want to tweet at Childish Gambino, I want to shout from the rooftops "this song is everythingggg"

+ Toronto Flower Market - Ooooh baby. It's back, and there's even more than ever before. The Toronto Flower Market is honestly one of my favourite things about Spring/Summer in Toronto. Gimme all 'dem fresh flowers (and please let their be peonies!) I'm super excited to take my mom there this Saturday!

+ We're going to Montreal - I'm SO pumped for this. Pete and I are heading to Montreal for the long weekend and we couldn't be more excited. We've both never explored the city and we can't wait to wander around. We're taking the train there and then flying home, and will be eating a lot of bagels, poutine and drinking all of the coffee.

+ BBQ SZN - It's finally nice out in Toronto (knock on wood!) and Pete and I just filled the propane tank for the BBQ. It's only been a week and dinners have proven to be effing delicious and it feels like we have a world of options! I'm going to be sharing some fun recipes soon on the blog!

+ Buffalo + Hotel Henry - Pete and I headed to Buffalo for the day/night a few weeks ago for a little pick-me-up/Target run (lol) We found this super cool and trendy hotel to stay at there called "Hotel Henry" it was just gorgeous and had so much character and you should definitely stay there if and when you ever go to Buffalo.

+ Edit Seven - Tonight at the event I was at, I got to chat with the lovely Gracie Carroll for a long while. She's so awesome and I am so excited to follow along her new adventure at Edit Seven because my goodness is it ever a breath of fresh air and something we needed here in Toronto (and Canada!)

+ Last year my mom and I went on a little mother/daughter trip and it's becoming an annual thing because why the heck wouldn't it be? I am SO pumped because we're headed to The June Motel next month! (in June, how fitting!) I've wanted to check this gorgeous spot out since it opened and I am excited for a mini getaway with my #1 gal.

There you have it, life is good. SO GOOD! Hope you're having a lovely week!

there's so much to celebrate!

First off, I just want to say HAPPY Canada Day to my fellow Canadian bloggers and readers! I honestly love this country so much and could not be more proud of where I'm from. I will be celebrating this weekend at the cabin with 10 of my bestest pals! 

The last few months have been absolutely amazing, and I am just a walking smile. I cannot believe it's been almost two months since Pete proposed! Time most definitely flies when you're having fun and the most happy excited girl ever. 

I am really trying to take it all in and enjoy every moment right now. There's so much going on, and we always have a jam packed schedule but I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Here are some fun & exciting things that have been happening lately/are happening soon

+ we booked our wedding venue! (in love!) + set our date! May 28th, 2016

+ we ordered our save the dates, from my favourite place ever: Minted!

+ we asked our bridal party to be part of our special day (they all said yes!)

+ we're heading to the cabin this weekend for a weekend of friendship + fun!

+ i booked an appointment for next week to try on wedding dresses (omg, i know)

+ i did the CN tower edge walk a few weekends ago, craziest thing i've ever done!

+ it's been one year since we moved in to our new cute-as-can-be apartment!

+ we've got a jam packed summer filled with so much fun stuff

Life is really really good, and I hope you agree!

& I will leave you with one of my favourite words ever:

cel·e·brate

ˈseləˌbrāt/

verb

1. 1.

   publicly acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.

   "they were celebrating their wedding anniversary at a restaurant"

   synonyms:

   commemorate, observe, mark, keep, honor, remember, memorialize "they were celebrating their wedding anniversary"

1. 
   

   
   

   

   
   

Celebrate Every Day - DIY Confetti Packets!

Well, Happy Sunday Beautiful! I hope your day was absolutely magical. I definitely had an awesome day (and weekend.) Over the past week I've realized a few things, and one of them is that every single day is a celebration. When it really comes down to it, not everything is ever going to be perfect, and maybe we don't always get everything that we want - but if you're healthy, and you've got a home, and a job, and people to love and people who love you...then you're truly lucky. Sometimes things need to happen for us to realize this, and it is always a good reminder.

Now, I am sure you've noticed that I really like celebrations! I like sparkles, and paper straws, pretty napkins, confetti, party hats, treats bags and any added touch to make a party special. I recently got a giant bag of sparkly confetti, and thought I really ought to make some confetti packets!

What you'll need:

• a giant bag of confetti
• mini clear goodie bags
• a stapler
• plain brown labels
• felt tip pen
• the will to cover your home in confetti

// took my giant bag of confetti, and stuffed each about three quarters full

// shake em off to get the confetti packed down and looking cute as can be

// fold bag in half and staple both sides down

// write a cute word or phrase on a label and stick it on!

// i usually add some washii tape over the top in the end too!

International Day of Happiness

Happy Friday // 

Happy International Day of Happiness // 

Happy Spring!

Wow, today was a really good day! So many good vibes and wonderful moments. Surprised one of my besties with birthday surprises at work, went for sushi lunch with awesome buds, made mimosas for everyone at the office, and it was so warm and sunny in Toronto that I walked home from work. I ran in to 2 of my favourite people on the way home, picked up some fresh flowers, and a gift for a friend and there we have it, HAPPINESS! Here's last years blog post on International Day of Happiness!

Some things making me happy lately:

Waking up to the most beautiful skies, and being about the see the CN tower from my balcony.

This story was so beautiful - this boy Odin is turning 13 today, and none of the kids he invited to his birthday party replied to his invite. His Mom made a Facebook page and thousands of people have been sending him happy birthday messages and showing up to go bowling for his party! It's so refreshing when things like this happen and we can all focus on the good things that still happen every single day.

My favourite girl sent me this blog post this morning with the most amazing quote - "When Spring came there were no problems except where to be happiest" 

The Google header for the first day of Spring made me really happy today.

Simply searching the #InternationalDayOfHappiness hashtag on social media. SO much happy!

Constantly remembering why I am so lucky and having absolutely nothing to complain about. This print makes for a perfect mantra and I think everyone would agree!

Speaking of a mantra, I had so much fun writing my mantra for my blog. It perfectly describes how I feel about life in general and this blog! :

live life to it's fullest, and do everything with a smile. radiate positivity. always stay inspired, and inspire others. read more books, take more trips and always keep learning. adventure is out there! spread happiness every day and do all things with love. never give up and never grow up. focus on the things in life that make you happy. always say i love you. create, celebrate and never forget how lucky you are. cherish every moment, life is what you make it! 

life is SO good. Today and every day I am so thankful to live my life in a positive way that constantly brings so much happiness. I am surrounded by so many incredible people who make me happy every single day. I hope you found some happy today, and continue to do so every day.

"don't feel deflated, you're so awesome"

// HAPPY MONDAY //

I wouldn't say I hate Monday's, but I have never necessarily loved them. Recently I've decided the change my view on the poor day that gets so much negativity from everyone. If any day of the week gets bullied, it's definitely Monday. So, here I am with my new found love for the day! Care to join the Monday movement with me?

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunny day in Toronto. I headed to the post office to pick up a parcel that had arrived for me, and then headed to Kensington Market. As soon as I got home, I put on some Etta James and opened the most perfect, sparkly package of all time.

You may of read a blog post I did a few months ago about my Girl Crush/Life Hero Tiffany Pratt and having the opportunity to meet her at an event in November. Well, in February Tiff lead an awesome DIY event for Forever 21, and we got to meet again, and well if I do say so myself - become besties a little bit (hehehe!) Tiff is one of the most beautiful, creative, dynamic people I've ever met and I am legit honoured to now be able to call her my friend. If I am ever feeling bummed or in need of some inspiration, I can alwayyyyys get it from her. Everything she touches turns to gold (or should I say, turns to glitter!)

Take a peak at this amazing sparkle explosion she sent me! It made my day (week)! and was a perfect way to start my week on the right foot. And, yes she has her own custom hot pink sharpies! Check out Tiffany if you want some to add some happiness in to your day (trust me, you do)