I WON I WON I WON!

If you follow me on Twitter, then you may already know that over the weekend I won a giveaway contest being hosted by Got Craft? Vancouver. My prize was a swag bag full of goodies from Got Craft? vendors. I was so excited that I won because I NEVER win anything. I rarely enter internet giveaways anyway, so this turn of luck came as a huge surprise to me.

I attended the Got Craft? show on Sunday and was blown away by the amazing stuff that people were selling. Seriously, I wanted to buy at least one thing from each vendor. Plus, I got to meet some Vancouverite Etsy sellers that up to this point I only interacted with virtually. It's so awesome that Vancouver has such a vibrant handmade community.


These are just a portion of my winnings. I picked my favourite ones to show off here.
From top left, clockwise :

 1. Thistle Town Studio
 2. Maked
 3. Banoo

 4. My Chocolate Tree

 5. Sadie Designs

 6. Owl + Pussycat

 7. Kukubee

 8. Abeego

 9. The Tiny Fig

10. The Pauhaus

11. Billy Would Designs

12. Hudsonny

13. Cynthia F

14. Mélanie Kimmett

Now I got to figure out what I'm going to do with all this stuff. I'm probably going to spread the love and give most of it away. 

THE SECRET TO CLEAR SKIN

This blog post will be relevant to those who deal with skin problems like I do.

I just wanted to share with you about my struggle with acne. It frustrates me to no end that even in my early 30's I still have to deal with pimples, zits, whiteheads, what have you. Acne has been the thorn on my side (or face, I suppose) since adolescence. I've tried everything: topical creams, special cleansers, antibiotics, vitamins, and birth control pills. Sometimes they're effective initially but then things go back to their usual state of acne pandemonium.

But a couple months ago I accidentally discovered a regimen that's helped my skin tremendously. The best thing about it is that it doesn't cost anything! In September, I underwent laser eye surgery and so I couldn't let water near my face for a week in order to protect my eyes. That's right, I had to go a whole week without washing my face! I was really worried that this would cause a breakout of apocalyptic proportions. Plus, I couldn't wear makeup. So I went around with a bare face, and the only thing I could do to clean my face was wash it with a damp, warm washcloth at night. In the morning I didn't bother cleaning my face. To my surprise, not using soap on my face and not wearing makeup improved the condition of my skin very visibly. I think gently scrubbing my face with a warm, damp washcloth every night would exfoliate the dead skin cells, which prevented my pores from getting clogged.

So that's what works for me! I'm not saying this is the solution to everyone's skin problems. But I think face wash in general, even a gentle one like the one I use, dries out your face and causes acne. I've read that dry skin causes your oil glands to overproduce to compensate for the dryness. Oil is good for your face, but too much of it can clog your pores, causing acne. Actually, I read a tip years ago from a girl who had dealt with acne suggesting that in the morning you should just wash your face with water and that's it, since your face is already clean from the previous night's washing. I implemented this tip earlier this year and saw some improvements. But avoiding soap altogether has been the best solution for my skin problems.

The downside is that I don't wear make-up as often as I used to since if I do put it on then that means I have to wash it off with a facial cleanser. Sadly, I look really haggard without make-up. But it's so nice not to have pimples and whiteheads dotting my face. I do have occasional breakouts of course depending on my menstrual cycle, but I've seen a 90% reduction. Seriously.

So this is my simple skin care regimen for reducing acne breakouts: 
:: Avoid wearing make-up or wear it as infrequently as possible
:: At night, gently scrub your face with a warm, damp washcloth (avoid soap or any facial cleanser!); follow with toner and moisturizer
:: In the morning, either don't wash your face or only use water

Last Thursday I completed a 6-week drawing course at Emily Carr. It was the first drawing class I ever took, and boy did it ever put me out of my comfort zone. I really suck at drawing, and guess what? I don't enjoy doing things I suck at. So this class was like squirming in a dentist chair the whole time. Nevertheless I learned a lot, and my drawing skills have improved a bit.

Before I took the class, if you had asked me to sketch a human figure, I would have produced something by drawing sticks. Now I can actually sketch a somewhat realistic looking person, but only if he's nude (I don't know yet how to draw on clothes). While I was putting together my portfolio to present in the last class, I was like, "Did I really draw that?"

I attempted to draw a person sitting on the chair above and failed miserably. It quickly became apparent that not only are people difficult in life, they are even more difficult to draw.

Taking this drawing course really pushed me to use my imagination and made me realize that I really need to exercise that part of my brain.

You can see my drawing portfolio here.

Holly over at Decor8 is hosting a Stripe Mania Party. This was my submission (sporting my new vintage sunglasses!):





You can see all the participants showing off their stripes here. Very fun to see.

I love wearing stripes so I really enjoyed participating in this virtual endeavor.

I finally did it. I got a Twitter account. And I feel very lost in Twitter-land. The fact that it's supposed to be simple and yet I don't get it makes me feel very old.

Anyway, I can be found @laxtoyvr.

(via apartment therapy)

We have a loud neighbour problem. He blasts his music at random times during the day, like 5 a.m., 3:30 p.m., 2 a.m. It's been like that since we moved in more than a year ago. We've complained to the building manager, who's given him numerous warnings, but he doesn't seem to give a shit.

Now that he's acquired a girlfriend, who seems to have moved in with him, we're subject to her vocal theatrics when they have sex. And in the last couple days they've taken up the habit of having loud sex at 4:30 a.m. That's right. 4:30 A.M. Really, is that really necessary? You can't let the ol' cock just lie until at least sunrise?

I'm a light sleeper and being woken up by loud sex noise, which is coming from his bedroom that is separated from our bedroom by at least his living room and kitchen, sucks (yeah, she's really loud). Once I wake up, I can't go back to sleep. Needless to say, I've been very sleep deprived and feeling like a zombie during the day.

We're hoping he gets evicted real soon. Meanwhile, I'm debating if I should post a note similar to the one above.

By this time in November, I usually get into the swing of Christmas, but not this year. I'm not feeling it. I get annoyed when I hear Christmas music while I'm out and about - and I normally LOVE Christmas music. I guess I'm just not ready. It came too fast this year. And also I was super annoyed that some stores started putting up holiday decorations in October, way before Halloween. WTF?

Anyway, the Christmas season doesn't really kick off for me until Advent, which this year begins the last Sunday of November. Hopefully by then I'll be in a more Yuletide-ish mood.

I don't know which font I hate more: Papyrus or Comic Sans. Both offend my eyes whenever I see them. If a business uses either I will seriously reconsider being a customer.

My mother calls the Dude an angel, which I find very amusing because I thought hell-bound atheists aren't qualified to be angels.

In the beginning of our relationship, I was worried sick about what my conservative Christian parents would think about my being with a non-Christian guy. Well, it turns out I really had nothing to fret about because they absolutely adore him. I sometimes seriously think they love him more than me. Well, he's a lot nicer to them than I am so I guess I shouldn't be surprised if they fawn over him more than me. Ha!

Nevertheless, my mother still reminds me each time we talk on the phone to pray for my husband's salvation.

I wish I had more time to blog.

I've harboured a secret ambition to be a farmer since my university days, maybe even earlier than that. Alas, I only get to "play" farmer when I volunteer at the UBC Farm. The season is about to start and volunteers will get to work on the fields come May.

I don't know where my romantic notions of farming come from. Maybe it's from the books I read growing up. Who knows?

Living in an apartment limits my farming aspirations to the balcony. But it faces northeast so it only gets a wee bit of sun in the mornings. For the time being I've filled the planter box I made last summer with colourful little flowers that are thriving - to my utter surprise. In a couple months I may plant some herbs. And maybe even some lettuce! We shall see how they do.

I love that I can walk to the yoga studio.
I love that I can walk to my favourite hardware store.
I love that I can walk to my favourite cafe.
I love that I can walk to my church.
I love that I can walk to my favourite grocery store.
I love that I can walk to the thrift shop where I volunteer.
I love that I can walk to the public library.
I love that I can walk to the pub.
I love that I can walk to McDonald's whenever I crave their apple pie.
I love that I can walk to a bakery to get a fresh loaf of bread.

All that's missing in our neighbourhood is a knitting shop! But maybe that's a good thing...

The other night in my knitting group, people started sharing birth stories. Now whenever this particular topic arises, it usually involves horrific tales of woe and pain. Hearing these stories only exacerbates my fear of giving birth. And when I heard one that involved 63 stitches my gut reaction was to exclaim, "I'm never having children!" Sheesh. Really, I don't know how I'm going to have the courage to go through being in labour. One thing's for sure, I don't want to experience it any time soon.

Valentine's Day isn't really a big deal for the Dude and me. Last year, we were planning to have a dinner romantique at Aphrodite's Cafe, but we got sidetracked by a fish and chips joint on Granville Island. And this year, we decided to make a tradition out of it, and so we had a greasy basket of fish and chips after our country 2-step lesson. The restaurant was loud with chatter and fussy babies, so it wasn't the greatest place to stare at each other with googly eyes and whisper sweet nothings to each other. We did plenty of that already while we were dating.

I heard on the CBC the other day that the Haitian kids that were being smuggled by the Baptists over to the Dominican Republic are now staying at the SOS Children's Village in Haiti. That's the international organization that the thrift shop where I volunteer is part of. The SOS Children's Village, that is, not the Baptists. I had a small proud moment.

And yes, I now officially listen to the CBC more than NPR. It took a while to get used to CBC Radio One though. Getting more Canadianized bit by bit...

The other day while volunteering at the thrift shop, I saw a little paperback called Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do. It's by James Thurber and E.B. White. Intrigued by the title, I had to get it. Having read the respective works of each author, I'm sure this one will be a good read.

There are many things I love about Vancouver and living here. However, there is one downfall...it crimps my style, fashion-wise. The constant rain and cool temperatures force me to choose clothes that protect me against the elements rather than wear clothes and shoes that reflect my true style. When I lived in L.A. I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted (which was mostly cute summer and fall clothes) because of the constant sunny weather. And when I had a car I could wear heels all the time. But now I can't wear any of my fun shoes (even flat ones!) because I walk everywhere, and I don't want them to get water-damaged.

I absolutely hate my wardrobe right now. The way I acquire clothes usually involves going on a big shopping spree every few years so that I get to redo my whole wardrobe. And I'm way overdue for a wardrobe makeover. But alas, poverty requires that I continue wearing ugly clothes. Any spare money we have I'd rather spend on beautifying our apartment. We recently bought a couch and an armchair because I got really sick of having an empty living room after 4 months. They're used so they definitely need fixing up. I'll post pictures once their makeover is complete.

It's been a good Christmas this year. A highlight was the Dude playing the role of Joseph at the Christmas pageant. When we arrived at church just minutes before the program was due to start, the priest organizing the pageant asked the Dude if he'd like to be Joseph because no one else had volunteered to do it. The Dude was a good sport and joined the kiddies up on stage. It was hilarious!

It's officially winter now. Hooray! Not because it's winter, but because the days will be getting longer from this day forward. I can already smell the summer coming...yeah, I'm hopeless.

Spent the morning with the Chancel Guild ladies decorating the church for Christmas. I mainly worked on flower arrangements. I've never really done flower arranging so I was a bit nervous, but to my relief my work was approved. And there was a lot of holly left over so I brought home a bunch to to fill our little apartment with some Christmas cheer.

It seems that every year I kinda get hyper during the Advent season, especially during the times I've lived in Vancouver. So I've been getting very sleep because I keep waking up super early. As Christmas approaches I just get more and more excited. Also, all the festivities distract me from the crappy weather so I generally feel really cheerful and upbeat. I regain the energy I normally have during the summer for a short month in the dead of winter. And then in January I usually crash. But I'm going to try to avoid that this year.

It just feels more Christmas-y here in Vancouver so I totally get into it. And I'm especially relieved that this year the snow won't paralyze the city as it did last year at this time.