Easter Tulip & Teal Tea Party

Spring & Easter are such a beautiful time of year; for me it brings with it a feeling of renewal and freshness! The winter always feels a bit too long & then the spring comes in like a breath of fresh air!

While I may still be buried in boxes and stress from our recent move, it was really nice to escape from the constant nesting and enjoy our new space for a moment, 

There is always time for a little bit of Tea & a LOT of desserts! & it's just not a Party without cupcakes from Saima's Cake Parlour.

I don't think I have it in me to let a Holiday or any Festive event pass me by without marking it in some way! Of course there was a Tassel Garland {Tutorial HERE} & I also made a variation of the Recycled Paint Chip Banner {HERE} I made the very first year I started this whole blogging thing. 

The entire space isn't done yet, but with a little PosativiTea it will be & then I will have more time to share with you (from the comfort of Home & not a coffee shop with SCREAMING... Full Grown Adults.

Lemon Tulip & Teal Cupcakes

 Chocolate & Sprinkle Easter Mars-Mallows

 

Jamberry Nail Wraps - Vertical Garden

The Perfect Spoon

Arbonne Herbal Tea

The Process Of Art
The Practice Of Self Care
& An Attitude Of Gratitude - Upcygirl

Despite the forecast, live like IT IS SPRING

Welcoming Spring With Open Arms!
 this is the actual view this morning... 

#NoFilter

Depending on what the weather is like where you are, getting out & embracing the lovely weather may just be an option but if you're looking at surroundings a little closer to mine & further from spring  tackling some Spring Cleaning, or looking at pictures of pretty flowers may get your more in the mood to welcome the change in season! 

Every year Ottawa celebrates the Tulip Festival {as a gift after WW2 he Dutch Royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to the capital city of Ottawa to show their Gratitude for Canadians having sheltered Princess Juliana & her daughters during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands;} One of my absolute favourite things about living in Ottawa was this Festival! 
Below are a few photos Cody & I snapped there last Spring!

 

 

 

 

I did all the Spring cleaning I can do for the moment, we will be moving very soon so 75% of our stuff is currently in boxes, & I switched my capsule wardrobe to Spring a little pre-maturely last week with the change of the clocks... but if you are in the mood to tackle a Cleaning or Organization project today check below for 5 up-cycled & Budget Friendly projects!

1. 10 Min Spring Cleaning

2. Decorate for Spring by Bringing In Nature 

3. Living Organized in A Small Apartment

4. Upcycled Jewelry Organization

5. DIY Chalkboard Paint Recipe

&

15 Ideas To Help Beat The Winter Blues 

{since it doesn't necessarily look or feel like winter is as OVER as it actually is}

Beyond Beautiful Spring

DIY St. Patricks Day Photo Props Tutorial

'I Mustache you to Kiss Me'

When St. Patrick's Day falls on FriDIY it feels essential for me to craft up something Festive to mark the occasion! A great project to do with the kiddies, & you probably already have everything you need at home, which also makes this a GREAT last minute craft Idea!
 Not to mention once you get to taking pictures with them, it is sure to end in laugh!

Supplied Needed: 
~ Paper Straws
~ Cardstock (in a variety of colours)
~ Scissors
~ Tape
~ Glue (I used Rubber Cement)
~ A pencil

I got started on this project last week, during a Power Outage & so do not recommend this. When working under candle light, scissors cast quite the shadow! 

Step 1. Start by drawing your Photo Prop Shapes / Stencils - This will make creating multiples MUCH simpler!

I chose to do; ~ Gold & Green Kisses, The Pot of Gold

 A mix of (Red/Orange & Green) Mustaches / Beards, & Green Beer(s)

Think outside the box, & get Creative with your prop Ideas... it will make for some hilarious shots!
If your Prop requires different colours, this will require your to draw individual stencils for each piece of the Image, which will then be traced onto different coloured sheets of cardstock & glued together to create the Photo Prop
I.e. The Green Beer, Beard & Pot Of Gold shapes.
Step 2. Trace out Your Stencils onto your sheets of coloured cardstock
Step 3. Cut out the shapes
Step 4. Using glue / Rubber Cement piece together the multi-piece Prop Shapes mentioned in Step. 1.

I always use & strongly recommend Rubber Cement for paper projects like this, as once it is dry the excess 'glue' can be easily removed without causing any damage or mess to the cardstock.

Step 5. Adhere the Prop Shapes to the end of a Paper Straw using tape!

Boudoir Collaboration with KVPhotography 'Confidence, wear it like Makeup'

In late January I partnered with kvphotography  to do a series of Styled Boudoir sessions {providing the Makeup application & Hair for the shoots} 

{The owner, and photographer of kvphorography} Kaylee truly does have a beautiful eye behind the camera & brings stunning vision to her photos and shoots. I had so much fun working with her & look forward to future collaborations we have in the books for 2017!  

Kaylee was also so kind as to snap some photos of me as I 'worked'. I am always thankful for the opportunity to enhance someones natural beauty & give them a moment of Pampering, but there was something about the rawness of this experience, & the amount of grace & confidence these women showed during such an intimate shoot that truly magnified that feeling for me. I feel privledged to have been a part of it all; & I left overwhelmed with Gratitude over the chance to work with so many inspiring women!

Photos By: kvphotography
Makeup By: (Me) Jennifer Matthie using Arbonne

The Comfort of Tea & The Strength of Coffee ~ Bestie Photoshoot

Every year we are always so excited to take an updated version of our Winter 'Bestie Photoshoot'; we must black out how cold it is Every year is shocks us to our core! We have been snapping pictures together since we were in elementary school & Kristen got her first camera! So many of our memories exist forever now in the pictures we (she) have taken & I will never be able to thank her enough for that! Our ability to co-ordinate ourselves into so many different positions within a matter of moments is a testimony to our unspoken bond [ & her next level tripod // running into shot & slaying a pose before the shutter timer ].
photos by: KM Photography

 Two Best Friends Overcome Canadian Winter ... To Be Interested In The Changing Seasons...