Dolled Up

As I mentioned before, I'm going up to Parksville this weekend -- so excited! 

Parksville is a little town up island where the swimming is absolutely amazing. It is the warmest waters north of California! It is extremely sandy, and the heat of the sand warms the super shallow water to make it toasty warm. Last year was my first time going up there, and I was so amazed! I had never swam in the ocean before (the waters of the Pacific Ocean are ice water all year round here) so I was delighted to spend the day floating along sand drifts and playing in the water. I decided to give this week's Dolled up a nautical, beachy theme. I wish I had a cute outfit like this for this weekend, but I did get two adorable tankinis, so I feel pretty set to soak up some sun!

Tuesday Treasures

There was twenty-four hours of periodic lightening in Victoria last week. I know lightening is super common in other parts of the country/world, but it is definitely not here. Growing up on the mainland, I occasionally saw some sheet lightning, but very rarely forked! It was really neat to see it zig-zagging through the sky. There was also a gorgeous double rainbow beside it. The thunder rumbling was also incredible. It's amazing how loud it can get! So because this is such a rare occurrence, this week's Tuesday Treasures is lightning! Enjoy!

Yarn Swatch DIY

Hello! This is a little DIY I put together.

I always end up at the yarn shop staring blankly at the acres of yarn. I know which brands I use, but sometimes the colours are quite similar and I want to make sure that I'm purchasing the right one. For instance, there are two very similar shades of orange in Vanna's Choice, and I didn't want a doll with un-matching pigtails (aka a bad dye job).

I decided to create a yarn swatch ring to keep in my purse so I can stock up on my favourite yarns during sales!

 To create the yarn swatch, buy a binder/ cue card ring. You can purchase these in a package at office supply stores like Staples

  1. First you get your yarn collection together, and cut snippets off the end. 
  2. Double knot the yarn to the ring so it doesn't untie.
  3. Don't worry too much if the yarn is uneven, you can trim it later. 
  4. Once all the yarn is tied on dampen, fix with hairspray, and smooth the yarn so all strands are facing the same direction (so it's easier to see each strand)
  5. Trim the edges and admire your handy-work!

So there you are! You can connect multiple rings together for different varieties (variegated, chunky, baby fine, etc)

Tuesday Treasures

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I really needed a break from my accounting class... not stoked about going back tomorrow to write three tests this week. (crawls into bed with head under covers). On a happier note, the weather did improve for Canada Day! I decided to just stay in this year and avoid the 25,000 people downtown (not kidding) but the pictures of the fireworks were awesome! If you 'like' I <3 Downtown Victoria on Facebook you can see the photos! 

I was excited to find Canada Day themed things on Etsy. It's surprising how many times I look for the Canadian flag in "Flags of the World" and don't find it. We're right next to the states and we're geographically kinda hard to miss! 

So, I'm taking this opportunity to celebrate the maple leaf as it properly deserves. Happy Canada Day to the 34,126,000 who call Canada Home!