My Affair with Instagram

Hello dear Readers!

I've been feeling awfully guilty lately, as I've been cheating on you with a new beau.

Yes, I'm having an affair with Instagram.  I feel bad about it.

You would have seen this photo of Finn if you follow me on Instagram

About a month ago, I was suffering terribly from Fear of Missing Out.  Everyone seemed to be on Instagram, but I was holding out.  Suddenly, it felt like everyone was hanging with the new girl except me.  I had ignored her and now she was really popular.  Suddenly I was 15 and hanging with the wrong crowd.

My daily walk, also documented on Instagram

When I first started using Instagram, I was thoroughly confused.  

How does it work?

How do I find my friends?  How does this thing work?  What is a hashtag and how do I use it?  But being possessed of a working brain, I quickly figured it out.  And suddenly there was Loi from Tone on Tone saying hello and Steve from Urban Cottage, and Lauren Liess and Stefan from ArchitectDesign.  Hey, all my friends are here!  

Who do I follow?

Every designer you know and love is on Instagram.  Bunny Williams is there (although I think she has an intern do her posts).  And so is Charlotte Moss. I follow them both, and Windsor Smith, and Michael Smith and Mary McDonald and anyone else you can think of that you love.  I love Matthew Patrick Smyth and follow his great photography.  And Jeffrey Alan Marks posts a lot of photos of himself (which is okay by me).  And I've found amazing new designers to follow, like Amy Vermillion, whose work I already love.

I follow a lot of random people.  

The only criteria is that they *make me happy* - that I love their photos, or I admire their view of the world (who knew that looking at an Instagram feed was like staring into someone's soul?)

That means I mostly follow people who post photos of their cats, flowers, their travels, and a lot of interior design.  I also have a thing for coffee drinkers and readers and people who live in cottages in England and have a lot of cats and boxwood (my fantasy life also includes a Range Rover, rubber boots, a country estate, horses and dogs).  

I am a humble and easily-satisfied soul.  

Finn gets a lot of exposure on Instagram

The only celeb I really follow is Lena Dunham because she has a beautiful mind (but sadly a rather boring Instagram feed...I'm giving her a couple more days before I unfollow her). 

What do I post?

Posting a spontaneous photo says "here I am...I exist...here me roar!"  It feels fun and empowering to share your life, the little things that make you happy.  Let's face it, some days, it's important to have a witness to our lives, even if it is a bunch of strangers.  

Some people maintain a very tightly edited Instagram feed, while others see it as a place to let their hair down, a little "behind the scenes" look at their lives.  

I haven't quite decided which camp I fall into, but I know that I love the photography aspect, the little mini-project of composing a photo a day in my environment.  

Objets d'Easter.  What's on my coffee table might just make it onto Instagram.

Some days I take it seriously and try to post something eye-catching, while other days I post whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.

Stuff I might not post on the blog, like what I'm reading, finds its way onto Instagram!

Like?  No Like?

Instagram is spontaneous and liberating.  And it can be rather addictive.  You keep checking to see if anyone liked your photo.  

One of my favorite designers, the lovely and amazing Matthew Patrick Smyth, seems to know I exist and visits me regularly to like my photos.  I feel so loved (sadly, he still hasn't started to follow me).

And Windsor Smith even talks to me:

See how important I am?  

But as good as it feels to be acknowledged by our *heros*, Instagram can suck you into a black hole of liking and wanting to be liked.  

Thanks to being strong-willed and stubborn as an ox, I quickly decided that I would enjoy Instagram most if I stopped attaching to the outcome.  Thank you Buddha.  

I've decided to post whatever I feel like and follow people who make me happy and engage with me.  I've stopped following many of the hugely successful people who never comment back (unless I am simply engrossed by their photos and their work and don't mind stalking them in silence).

I am here for the beauty.  And the relationships.  

My Blog

Which brings me back to my blog.  I've been posting here for 9 years and I will continue.  After all, my 10th anniversary is next March!

I love the long form of a blog post.  I like the process of gathering and distilling my thoughts and composing a story to share with my readers.  I am so grateful that someone wants to read what I say, that there are kindred spirits out there who love some of the same things I do.

In the next year or two, David and I are hoping to renovate our house a little and I can't wait to share that here.  I will need your help!  We are going to take it slow, and save the money first.  And I've been making a lot of small life changes I want to share too.  And my blog is going to get a face lift too (it needs it!).

So please stay tuned and consider joining me on Instagram.  

If you're already there, please come find me and say hello!!!  If you aren't, what are you waiting for?  You will love it (trust me, said the spider to the fly).

On Instagram, you can find me by searching for:

windlost1

See you there?!

Introducing Finn (our new kitty)

Hello all, I have happy news to share!

Last week we welcomed home a lovely little kitty who is 8 months old.  We named him Finn (although he is often called Finley):

When I saw this photo on ARF's website, it was love...!  He was called Peter but we have re-named him Finn.

I was feeling rather blue over Christmas as I missed having a cat in the house for the second Christmas in a row.  While I still miss my last wonderful cat (Biscuit) terribly, I realized I was finally ready to have a new kitty in the house.

Thank You ARF

Finn was adopted from ARF, the Animal Rescue Foundation, here in Calgary.  They rescue animals from rural areas around the city, in particular from the Tsuu T'ina Indian reserve (where Finn came from).  All their animals are fostered out to wonderful families, so we went to visit Finn at his foster home.  I knew he was our cat from the second I saw him.  He looked like a little fox and had such a sweet disposition!  We got to bring him home a week later.

Finn was the last of his litter to be adopted as he had a problem with his back legs that they were watching.  His back legs have shorter tendons and so he walks a little pigeon-toed, but he loves to run and jump and it hasn't slowed him down a bit!

Finn is such a wonderful cat.  He is loving and sweet and funny and never in a bad mood.  

He meowed a little bit the first day as he missed his foster sister kitty and dog.  Here he is meowing the first day:

But within the first hour he explored the whole house.  He is super friendly and confident.

But before we knew it, he was in love with us and we are now inseparable.  He follows me everywhere.  Here he is sleeping on me last night:

Ahhh happy!

Hope you are all well.  I still have to post the second half of our honeymoon and dying to get back to the blog.  I have so much to talk about, but I've been laid up with bad headaches and some house projects needing my attention, so I've been neglecting the blog.

 I hope you're all well and I miss you!

More very soon, xo Terri

Merry Christmas 2014

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas!

Banff Springs Hotel, December 2014

Wouldn't you know it, I've come down with the flu.  I was so achy and feverish in the night I was sure I was dying.  Just up for a bit today and wanted to wish you all a very happy Christmas.  

I think my Christmas Eve plans will involve a blanket, chicken soup and  perhaps a dose of Nyquil while David enjoys the festivities at his mother's house.  What impeccably bad timing these bugs have.  Hopefully I will feel a bit better tomorrow.  It seems to not be as bad as it first appeared.

A big hug to you!

xo Terri

An Update & Our Upcoming Trip to Charleston & Savannah

Hello dear friends,

As you may have noticed, post-wedding I took the rest of the summer off from blogging!  I am happy to report my indolence has been without equal.  

I have missed you.  But not enough to raise my head from the pillow to say hello.

I was truly exhausted after the wedding.  It took me a while to stop looking at wedding magazines and Pinterest boards, to be honest.  But once I gave up that, I felt completely spent.  I almost felt like I'd borne some sort of wedding baby and then given it up for adoption.  I longed for it daily.  

I'm sure plenty of brides feel like this post-wedding, when they are suddenly sans purpose.  There is so much energy and intellect invested in the planning.  I'm sure that others feel the same sort of void after any long project of passion, which culminates in a single day of celebration.  There's this existential "who am I" that creeps in after all that passion is laid down and your soul is poured out.  Or maybe only introverts feel like this...

I did visit my Mom briefly but kept the trip very quiet so I didn't have to visit all over town. I just needed mental space, privacy, and to turn completely off and be with my Mom.  I wanted no commitments, no plans.  

I did visit a charming little antique shop when I was home and found these divine dinner plates (Furnivals), a set of 11.  A few are quite dark while the rest are a lighter blue:

These will work great with all my white and gold Limoges china.

My Mom was in the midst of a little renovation work when I was home, installing some new windows in her little 1940's house.  Four new windows went in on the west side along with two new front dormers in front (not shown).  

All the new windows are double-hung which means both the top and bottom panes are moveable (up and down) and also can be tilted into the room (hinged at the bottom) for easy cleaning.  Gorgeous windows with lovely trim work and nice sills inside.

The bathroom window (the horizontal one) is an awning style (opens out like an awning, so you can leave it open in the rain).  They have a very heavy winter out east, and the windows will really help with energy efficiency this winter.  She burns wood mostly, but also oil. You can see the spot awaiting her new (beige) oil tank, with its new cement pad.  I didn't think of it, but oil tanks need to be replaced every 10-15 years as they can corrode inside and then you have an environmental mess on your hands (not to mention no heating oil!)

Shortly after returning to Calgary, this happened on September 10th:  

We may be winter-hardy Canadians but we were all utterly appalled to have snow in September.  Since all our trees were still covered in leaves, the soft wet snow weighed the trees down heavily and caused mass destruction around the city.  People lost power for hours, and there were numerous small fires and damage to homes as trees weighed down with snow fell atop hydro wires and homes:

Our apple tree.  Not impressed.  After this photo I went out and knocked snow off branches for half an hour, saving our tree from damage as many trees lost branches from the weight of snow.  Our power was out for 9 hours.  The house was 15C (60F) when the power came back on as the furnace was off all day.  It was around freezing outside.  Some people were without power for days.

After the snow debacle, it warmed up to summertime temperatures again, thank heaven.

For our next adventure, we will soon leave for our honeymoon in South Carolina!

If you have any suggestions for decor, dining and sightseeing in Charleston, Savannah, Fripp Island, or neighboring towns, please send them!  It looks like foodie heaven, and we already have home and plantation tours planned for Charleston, as well as some historic sites (Fort Sumter) and a list of shops to visit in historic downtown Charleston and Savannah.

Please send your suggestions!

xo Terri

The Best Shoes Ever (Eileen Fisher Linen)

We interrupt my series of wedding posts to bring you...

The Best Shoes Ever!

While photographing some of my remaining wedding flowers (which are all on their last legs), I noticed my new favorite shoes sitting there on one of my fabric props.

They looked so handsome, I decided to make a shoe portrait:

I bought these shoes about a month ago, after first deciding they were too expensive (over $200).  I adore Eileen Fisher clothes, but they can be expensive here (especially with the Canadian exchange and customs - we pay much more than Americans, as usual).  Her clothes are so versatile and last forever, but the initial investment can be a bit high. 

Hello lovely shoes...

Usually I go straight to the sale rack at the back of the store, but this time, I spied the shoes and they had me at hello.  But I couldn't justify spending over $200 for fabric shoes.  So I walked away.

Later in the week, after getting a 15% sale flyer by email, I went back and discovered they were marked down (I'm never this lucky).  They were $165 with 15% off, so I bit the bullet and bought them.

I am in (shoe) love:

I don't consider myself to be a shoe person, but I've been trying to streamline and simplify my wardrobe, and these just seemed to fit in with the new aesthetic.

The uppers are done in a gorgeous greige linen fabric with a slight sheen/sparkle, while the sole is leather (not good for rain, as I was advised by an Italian shoe salesman in Paris!) with rubber heel and foot grips.  

Here they are with a pair of my favorite Eileen Fisher slim ankle pant/leggings:

The shoes have a little leather contrasting detail in the back, which seems to give them a homemade quality.  And they also have a hidden 1/2" wedge, which gives the look of a flat with a bit of support.  They are only lightly cushioned.

Here they are again, comically styled with a remaining rose from my wedding bouquet.  I think they look great together (like a fabulous pair of children's shoes or perhaps bedroom slippers - feel free to give me a call Eileen, if you need help designing shoes):

I noticed that these shoes are no longer for sale online (sorry), but there is a similar black pair (here) that I'm coveting.  If you haven't sent me a wedding gift, feel free to send me these (size 8) - (only sorta joking).  Haha.  ;)

Happy happy weekend!

Winter Garden, Sickness, Films, Etc.

This Weekend

This weekend, I am sick.

I have a sinus infection, which explains why I've had an unrelenting sore throat for a month and a half.  My throat was so sore and raw yesterday, I could hardly swallow.  And I had a cough and such bad laryngitis, I thought I was dying.  My head hurt so bad, so I went to a clinic and was diagnosed with a sinus infection, which explains everything (I thought it was just a persistent virus).

Since then I've been on strong antibiotics, which doesn't make me too happy because I worry about super bugs.

When I was not worrying about super bugs, I did spend some time today styling my new old table.  David and I picked this up a week ago at a thrift shop, and it fits a corner of the living room which isn't very pretty (sort of the area behind an armchair that was too vacant).

This spot gets great light, which the chair blocks, so I am thinking of removing the chair so this space can be used for pretty little compositions, like this one:

On Thursday after work, when I was beginning to get very sick and unwell, we went to our venue to discuss the menu with our chef.  

The chef meeting went so well.  We are super excited about the food at our wedding which will be the icing on the cake after a lovely ceremony.

We also walked around the gardens where we will be married, and it was interesting to see it in the barren cold light of spring:

I liked seeing the bones of the garden, without greenery.

While looking at our ceremony location, I came across this little Andy Goldsworthy moment, high up in a tree.  David and I will be married in front of this tree:  

I hope the cones are still there in June

It was also cool to see the view from our hilltop garden towards the city before everything gets too grown in:

I hope you are having a nice weekend.  I am going to lay down now.  

I am half way through watching "Tiny Furniture", the Lena Dunham film that reminds me very much of her series "Girls", which I love.  That girl is brilliant and the whole thing just feels like episodes from my 20's.  I swear I have been at the same parties...

xo Terri

Wedding: Lots of Details

With our wedding only 7.5 weeks away, there are still so many details to finalize.

Recently, Monsieur and I went shopping for suits.

David chose to wear black for our special day.  He wears navy and grey dress pants and suits for work, so he thought a black suit felt more special-occasion to him. I love the crisp formality of black.

David just turned 50, but he keeps himself in tip-top shape, so all the suits they showed us looked *amazing* on him, thanks to their lean European styling:

We also shopped for wedding rings.  We both wanted simple wedding rings that look good on their own, but I needed mine to sorta match my engagement ring.  Here I am trying on a platinum band with many small stones.  I don't want something that will snag on things, so we didn't buy this one, but I liked the fineness of it:

I also needed to find shoes.  I didn't buy these in the end, but almost.  I wanted something simple, classic, and elegant that will work with my lace dress, and be stable for walking around a garden all afternoon.  And I didn't want anything too cheesy or *bridal*:

We looked for, and found, the most amazing silk ribbon for our favours.  

They will be stunning!  I'll leave you guessing as to which colour we chose:

My event stylist wanted brown wooden chairs for our outdoor ceremony (I would have chosen white!), so I can't wait to see how these will look in the garden.  I was surprised they were so comfortable as they sure don't look it.  

(But I won't be sitting down - unless I faint!)

We admired, but did not buy, these cufflinks.  Monsieur chose another set, as his groom gift, that he can wear forever.  I would have chosen these, but what do I know?  He selected something much more interesting.

We also measured the veranda (and interior rooms) at the venue, to make sure all our set-up will fit.  The interior rooms are small and oddly-shaped, but we've figured out a way to accomodate our small reception party.

The veranda will be used for our champagne & wedding cake celebration, right after the ceremony (the reception is a bit later)!  We've rented some charming vintage furniture pieces, to create some lovely seating areas for this space, which has lovely views over the city and garden (this is also the back-up rain location for our ceremony)!:

And last but not least:

I had a makeup trial!  

Generally I don't wear a lot of makeup (I prefer the "no makeup" look - a little foundation, some lip gloss and a dash of mascara).  But I got the full smoky eye for these photos.  She applied the makeup very heavily, and these photos were taken after I got her to remove 75% of it and the false eyelashes!!!!

This seems like the right amount of makeup for wedding photos, but still felt unnaturally heavy to me:

I have soooo much I'd like to share but don't want to spoil any surprises!

I am very bad at keeping secrets, so it's a wonder I haven't shown you my wedding dress yet.

xo Terri

Wedding Details: Brass for Tablescapes

When my event stylist and I first started discussing wedding decor, we had to settle on a primary metal colour.

Since my wedding dress is ivory and has a vintage look, I decided that golden colours would be the best complement.  So we chose to use brass for our tablescapes!  

I was not yet a fan of brass, but after I started searching for pieces, I rapidly became an adoring fan of this warm, beautiful metal which is an alloy (blend) of copper and zinc.

Here are the first few pieces I got in March.  All but one are un-lacquered brass (my preference), and had amazing patina:

I've searched mainly in charity and thrift shops and got most of the pieces above for a song (99 cents to $3.99 each).  I did splurge for the etched Indian ones (with the white candles) at an antique store.  They were around $18 I think.

Here's a close up:

My next amazing find was this footed bowl, which was around $7.99 (from Value Village in Victoria).  I love its simple classical sophistication (which reminded me of the seashell in the Birth of Venus - yes, I have an overactive imagination):

We will use this on one of our Reception tables, full of garden roses and trailing foliage.

Another piece came from Etsy and will look great overflowing with flowers on a Reception table:

Then I made the mistake of leaving all my finds out on the dining room table.  

I came home one day only to discover that my cleaning lady had polished them all (she's  a saint, but I almost had a stroke as I hadn't planned to polish them!).  I had a really good laugh after I had a really good cry (well, almost...!)

I guess that helped us make the decision about patina vs. polish.  I think they're all still beautiful in their new shiny state:

I also found some amazing tiny vessels which we'll use to create vignettes, perhaps on the welcome table where our guest book will sit:

Cheap and dirty - how I like my vintage finds.  ;)

I've also started collecting crystal and cut glass salt and pepper shakers for the tables.  The two on the left were gifts in the last year or two.  The three on the right were new finds from a favorite thrift shop in Victoria:

Hope you like the finds.  And if you don't shop at thrift stores, you might be missing something charming which would love to come home with you!

Happy weekend...!

Wedding Details: The Cake

This weekend, we took care of one very *lovely* and highly-anticipated wedding detail:

Our wedding cake!

On Saturday we met with our baker at Crave Cupcakes to choose our wedding cake design and flavours.  

All cakes are made from scratch using quality ingredients (real flour, eggs and butter!), including butter made by a local creamery.  All cakes are frosted with either buttercream or cream cheese buttercream rather than the more elaborate fondant-covered wedding cakes people may be accustomed to.  So they are 100% delicious from start to finish...!

Our baker showed us a variety of beautiful icing styles to start.  

We really loved the rosette design on this cake:

I loved all the icing styles, from rosettes to little ruffles and dots:

And very smooth:

Sorry - I'm not showing you our final choice, but I will say we are getting a two-layer cake (we have a small guest list) in pure WHITE!

All the cakes shown above are ivory, but the vanilla buttercream comes in a bright white:

The wedding cake was an easy and delicious decision, especially since we got to bring home this sample pack of cupcakes (in various cake and icing flavours) to help us choose:

Chocolate and lemon cake scored highest on our taste test!  The chocolate and coconut icings were my favorite.  Regardless of what flavours we choose for cake and inter-layer fillings, the entire cake will be frosted in white vanilla buttercream.  Mmmmm...

Since each cake (top cake and bottom cake) actually consists of three stacked cakes each, we also got to choose filling flavours (between the layers).

I will tell you that David and I are going old school with the flavours.  

The larger bottom cake will be our favorite - chocolate (with chocolate buttercream filling) - while the top cake will be lemon with either vanilla (David's choice) or strawberry (my choice) buttercream filling.

The whole thing will be frosted in white vanilla buttercream on the outside.  Yum!

We plan to serve our cake right after the ceremony at our champagne toast, after hor d'oeuvres!  That way guests will be happy and smiling when we head out to do photos before our reception.  

And the cake gets to be enjoyed rather than neglected until the end of the evening.

I just hope someone saves a slice for me...