Behind the Art: Keep Your Head in the Clouds

 

Keep Your Head in the Clouds art print

Originally designed as a card for a customer (back when I did custom work), I liked the sentiment behind this phrase that I decided to make it into an art print. I liked the idea of not being ashamed to daydream, and to have dreams for yourself that seem so far out of reach that they are up in the clouds. Sometimes it's nice to not have to worry about being grounded!

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Weekend DIY: Office Closet Makeover

The office closet has been a source of frustration for many years, so I decided to tackle a makeover back in January to make it exactly what we needed. The closet originally had the builder-grade wire rack at the top where you could hang clothes and store some items on a shelf, and we added a couple of shelves to make the space more usable for storage.

As the shop has evolved and required more space for storage, the closet hasn't been able to keep up, and so everything crept out into our working space. It became really hard to work in the office because it was starting to feel cramped. I won't get into how much stuff was actually shoved into the closet, but I was shocked after clearing it all out.

After the items were cleared out, the shelves removed from the wall, the holes patched, and the walls prepared for painting, I got to work painting the entire closet (including the ceiling) a lovely jewel-toned green -- it's the same colour as the footstool in our living room, and I am absolutely in love with it! 

We decided to use the white shelves that we had previously put into the closet, and bought a few more to maximize the storage. When we got the shelves home, we noticed that the ones we already had were a bit shorter, and thought that we must have had them cut to fit the space (we just didn't remember). Luckily, a friend of ours was able to help us out, and trimmed a few inches off of each shelf for us so that they would fit perfectly.

Once everything was hung up, I got to work going through all of the stuff that had been in the closet, and organizing the space (which is currently one of my favourite things to do!). I love the feeling that I get when I open up the closet. It's a secret pop of colour when you open the door, and it's nice to have everything for the shop in one place -- no longer scattered about the room. I am inspired for the next project!

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The Shop is 11

Rainbow Birthday card

I can't believe that I forgot the shop's birthday was at the beginning of this month! Maybe it's a testament to how busy I am (haha!), or maybe it's because the shop is 11 years old and I've just forgotten about it after this many years. 

Though I must not have truly forgotten, because I've been designing and preparing some new birthday cards these last couple of months (probably in anticipation for the shop's birthday), including this birthday card with a rainbow on it. 

I had a lot of fun playing with the thickness of each line of colour in the rainbow. Playing around with the design of the card is something that I've been having fun with recently. I can't wait to show you what else has been swimming around in my mind lately!

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Curly Hair: My Cleansing Products

I gave up on using shampoo to clarify my hair when I realised that it was causing my hair to dry out, and made it so I was having to start all over again to get moisture into my hair. For a while I was just washing with conditioner, but then my scalp started to get incredibly itchy and I knew that I needed something to clean up the build-up as cleaning the hair is not really the purpose of conditioner (it's just gentler on my hair).

I use a formula of 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (with the mother, of course) and 3/4 cup of warm water (water temperature doesn't really matter, I just like the feeling of warm water on my scalp). I work in sections and scrub it into my scalp as I pour it over my hair. Once it's all been used up, I give my scalp a good scrub, twirl my hair into a clip, and let rest for a few minutes as I prepare my shower.

Right now, I am doing this once a week as I am finding I have more buildup and dry scalp during the winter months. In the summer, I tend to do this once a month.

It took a long time for me to find a conditioner that didn't have coconut or aloe vera in it, and was simply a moisturizer (without proteins). This is the conditioner that I wash my hair with every time I'm in the shower. I apply it to my hair and then use the scalp massager below to really work it in and cleanse my scalp and roots.

Because I don't use products with cleansing agents, I have to do it all manually, and this scalp massager helps me to get deep into my roots and scalp without rubbing off my finger prints. Honestly, the scalp massager has been a game changer for me, and I don't think I could go back to cleansing my hair with just my fingertips.

 

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