February 15, 2019

Valentine’s Day 2019

Nicole lifestyle, social saturday artwork, life lately, valentines

Happy belated Valentine’s Day everyone!

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, it will be no surprise to you that I love Valentine’s Day. Every year, on Valentines I send cards, bake a heart shaped cake, wear pink, and spend time with my family eating the aforementioned cake. This year was no different! I was originally planning on posting yesterday, sharing the cards that I made this year, but then I decided to include a picture of the card my sister got me, because it was too cute to not share!

These are the cards I made this year.

And this is the card my sister got me! So adorable- it’s definitely getting framed and hung on my wall! The artist is Jane Carkill of Lamb Little Illustration– she has the sweetest illustrations!

Can’t have a proper Valentine’s Day without chocolate and hearts!

And lastly- I bought myself some flowers on Wednesday, because it’s February and winter seems like it has no end, it was Valentine’s Day, and why not? They do cheer up the place and I smile every time I look at them.

Did you do anything special for Valentine’s Day?

December 24, 2018

Glory to the Newborn King!

Nicole social saturday

Merry Christmas everyone! (I can’t believe that it is already this time of year!)

Thank-you to all of you who have followed The Artyologist this year, and for those of you who are still around despite the fact that I dropped off in the second half of the year!

This year I have had the lyrics from the Christmas carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” stuck in my head since I heard it, back in October. When listening to the song again for the first time this year, I was struck anew with how powerful the well known words really are, so I thought I would end this blog year with this song.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year and I will see you all again in 2019!

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!

Christ, by highest heaven adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the virgin womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th’incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!

Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the son of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King !”

January 19, 2018

Life Lately: Photos, Thoughts and Links

Nicole social saturday

Happy Friday everyone! I can’t believe we are already more than halfway through the first month of 2018. Just thought I’d share a bit of a peek into what I’ve been doing lately, and some links to interesting things I’ve seen around the internet.

After too many days of freezing cold weather, hence why my last blog post was photographed indoors, it has finally warmed up! The past few days have been just above and below zero degrees, which was such a nice change. It was so nice to go outside! Also, my phone is now not dying every time I go out (it would get too cold, just from being in my purse, and then die)
I’ve been working on some artwork pieces, and preparing for another art show coming up in February. Some of it will be a repeat of what I had in my November show at the library, but it’s in a different town, so that’s OK.

After much too long (I bought the book in 2015, started reading it in 2016 and then put it aside after a few chapters) I have picked up Little Dorrit again, by Charles Dickens. I’m about halfway through- and I’m actually really enjoying it this time around! Dickens is my nemesis, as his stories are so good, but I find them difficult to get into. Do you enjoy reading Dickens? Have you read Little Dorrit, or watched the miniseries? The reason I started reading it in the first place is because I saw the trailer for the movie. . . but I can’t watch the movie until I’ve read the book. (That’s a self imposed rule. I don’t know why I can’t- I just can’t).
Fashion Revolution released their second zine Loved Clothes Last, and it is a really good one. They have a digital copy you can page through here, with lots of tips on making your clothes last, statistics about the fashion industry waste cycle (and secondhand industry) and how to make positive fashion choices. In my opinion, this zine is way better than their first one, as it just has a lot more practical information and is more in depth. Definitely worth the time to read it!

I went to the thrift store this week for the first time this month/year. It was so good to just dig around and find some treasures, one of which was a bag of vintage thread spools. I’ve added them to my collection, and now have them displayed in an apothecary jar on top of my bookshelf. Do you like vintage wooden spools? They are so much prettier than the plastic ones we have nowadays!
I’ve been doing better with my style resolution of “dressing up” even on stay-at-home days. There is something about putting on an outfit (not just clothes, but an outfit) and doing your hair and makeup, that makes your day so much more productive!
Speaking of my style resolutions (one of which was creating a more mix-and-matchable wardrobe), Suzanne Carillo recently posted about creating “style equations” with items in your closet. This is what I am talking about! Her post features some gorgeous mix-and-match outfits, so definitely go over and take a look.

I’ve added a new piece to my shop, “The Peacock” (you might have seen it in my post last week). This is a watercolour and ink illustration which is available as either a print, or as greeting cards.
I’ve been watching the show Jeeves and Wooster again (I watched it a few years ago). Not only is it hilarious (seriously one of my favourite shows) but the costumes are also superb! If you can, watch this show!
Emileigh of Flashback Summer just posted one of her latest sewing projects, a pair of overalls with an ingenious hidden detail. You’ll have to hop over to her post to see it, if you haven’t already.

So, that’s a bit of what I have been up to lately, and I think that’s all I have to share for now. I hope you have/ had a lovely and relaxing Friday (depending on which time zone you’re in!) and I hope you have a great weekend too!

November 14, 2017

Interviewed for Alive Magazine

Nicole social saturday, sustainable fashion

In July, I opened my email and found an email from the Canadian magazine “alive”, asking whether they could interview me for an article about vintage fashion, and “turning old into new”. Of course I was interested! Get me talking about vintage and responsible fashion, and I can talk your ear off 😉 The interview, titled “Vintage Revives Fashion”, finally came out in this month’s issue. It was such a long wait and the funny thing is that enough time has passed, I only vaguely remember saying all of the things I was quoted on- well at least that way the article was all new to me too!

It’s a very good write up, and I hope that the article will get some more people thinking about ways to be sustainable in their fashion choices. Who knows, maybe some more people will catch the vintage bug too! You can find it here in case you are interested in reading it!

November 5, 2017

Life Lately and an Everlasting Bouquet of Flowers

Nicole art + photography, social saturday lately, life, life lately, links, photography, thoughts

Well it’s been a busy month. October, I mean, not November. We’re only 5 days into November. Well, it’s been busy too, actually now that I think about it. . . Anyways, I am finding myself sitting in front of this computer screen, again, trying to write this blog post that has taken me far too long to write. And I have been reflecting on how the changing circumstances in my life have changed my presence here on the internet, and how I have been neglecting this little blog. (Being a responsible adult is cutting into my creative time. Seriously, why so many dishes?!?) So, just some point form thoughts, bits of updates on things, and some links to blog posts, or articles that I found interesting.

These flowers were given to me as a housewarming gift from my sister at the end of September. I just threw the last of them out last week- I couldn’t believe that the cut flowers lasted 4 weeks!
Part of my busyness in October was because I was preparing for an exhibit that I have up for the month of November, at a local library. It’s not really an “exhibit” as it doesn’t have a single theme or inspiration, as it is comprised of anything I had ready to show, which was a mixture of photography and watercolour. I have a few pictures of that display, here on my studio instagram. It was a bit difficult to take the photos, because of the poor lighting, but at least I got a few!
I haven’t been very good at keeping up with my studio and shop lately, but I was able to set aside some time this weekend to plan and prep some things for that, and I’m going to (hopefully) be better at keeping up! I have some new pieces in the works, and if you’d like to stay updated on what I am doing art-wise, I would love it if you follow me over at my instagram @theartyologist_studio!

This little quiz that Mariam of the Petite Bijou shared in her instagram story the other day is fun. It’s only three questions, but I took the quiz and was pleasantly surprised by the results. I have been trying to create a more defined and cohesive wardrobe, as I’ve talked about before, so finding out which colours look best on me, was rather helpful. I got: “Rich, earthy shades of red, orange, yellow, green, and brown, peach, coral, and red violet, warm grays (mushroom, taupe) and off-whites, periwinkle and teal”. Well, most of those just happen to be colours that I am drawn to anyways! Did you take the quiz? What colours did you get?
This post by Bianca of The Closet Historian is a great one, about blogging and how she grew and then shrank her blog. This is something I have struggled with along the way too, with my own blog. Trying to stay true to what I want to share, but also trying to juggle what people want to read. And not getting too obsessed with the numbers. If you have a blog, do you struggle with “the numbers” too?
I have been feeling a bit discombobulated lately, and I haven’t been doing many outfit photos lately or even any blogging. Since moving, I have had a hard time coordinating with my sister to do photos. That and it’s basically winter now, and so it gets dark so early. But, I am trying to get back in the swing of things, and post regularly again! I have some ideas for posts, so now I just have to do them.

This article about smartphones was completely eye opening. If you have 10 minutes, read this article. Seriously, do it. While I would not consider myself to be as addicted to my smartphone, as they talk about in the article, I do notice myself sometimes getting a little too attached to it, and am taking steps to reduce my screen time. (Hard to do when your job and your hobbies all involve computers!) Anyways, it is a great article, so I would definitely recommend it! Do you struggle with smartphone addiction- what do you do to reduce your time spent on your phone?
Fashion Revolution recently released a podcast about “Who Made My Clothes”. I actually have not found the time to listen to it yet, and I am planning to this week. If you’d also like to listen to it, you can find it here. UPDATE: I just listened to the podcast today, and it was a really great investigation into the garment industry. It kind of does a whole overview, then focusing on specific issues, and also gives some great examples of how we can enact change in the industry. I would definitely recommend listening to it! There are 3 episodes of about 25 minutes each.
Is it seriously only 50 days left until Christmas?!?! Not that I’m trying to jump things, but I am getting ready to do a couple of Christmas craft shows this month and next, and the Christmas season is just rushing at me! It’s a lot of work involved, doing Christmas sales, but it’s a lot of fun too, as I do them with my sister.

So, that’s a bit of what I have been up to, and I think that’s all I have to share for now. I hope you have had a lovely and relaxing weekend, and that this next week is a good one for you too!