Runs on Coffee and Cream

Hello! How's your Christmas shopping going? I shared the first part of my Gift Guide a couple of days ago. Now today, I'm sharing the next part - Gifts for Her. My inspiration for these gifts were cozy, self-care, clean, and treats.

Women, especially if they're responsible for little ones or for taking care of other loved ones, have felt some extra stress this year because of the pandemic. I can't speak for everyone, but I know for myself and my close friends and family, we want comfort right now - a moment alone, comfortable clothes, quality skin care, and ways to relax and escape the crazy world. This is what I came up with:

Spring is always a short season here. It shows up late and then before you know it summer pops up in June with some scorching hot days. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and everything that comes with it. But spring is nice for walks and hikes and to work in the garden. I feel like May is already filling up with plans which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it means this month is going to fly by.

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After sitting down with Adam to discuss some things coming up, we realized there's a handful of things we'd like to do before the hot summer shows up.

Spring To Do List:

• Go for a hike or two! Summer brings mosquitoes which makes hiking trails difficult without being eaten alive. So we want to head to a couple of hiking areas before all the bugs show up.
• Work on the outside of our house - put down grass seed, plant flowers in the gardens, decide on what vegetables we want to plant and start picking up seeds and plants.
• Have a bonfire. Before we get too hot evenings, we figure we'll take advantage of the cooler evenings with a bonfire. 
• Get our bikes out of the shed! Fill up the tires and start going for regular rides.
• Start making iced tea regularly. Iced tea is definitely a summer thing, but with Davids Tea promoting all their iced tea products I'm ready to start making pitchers of it regularly. It's refreshing after a warm walk or bike ride.

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I'm not going to lie, I'm starting to freak out a bit about convention season starting. I feel like it snuck up on me. My first show is in about a month and I have sew (heh, see what I did there?) much to do!

This is my tentative convention schedule for 2017:

March 17-19 - Toronto ComiCon

This is a great comic convention to do because it's a bit smaller, but still in the heart of Toronto so talented artists and amazing people show up for the event. It's the perfect show to start the season with. It gets me pumped up for the rest of the convention season.

August 31 - September 3 - Fan Expo Canada

This is THE comic convention of the year. It's busy and crazy and so full of awesome! I go crazy prepping for this convention and need a small break afterwards. It's such a great show to be apart of though. I look forward to it every year.



October 15 - Northern Game Expo

This is another local show that focuses on video games and comics. It's a fun show to attend and it could easily be one of Adam's favourite shows because there's video games every where!

We were able to squeeze in a hike at Laurentian Conservation Area last week. It was a bit overcast out but the temperature was perfect. I love our yearly tradition of going for fall hikes here because the colours of the trees are just gorgeous.








Leaves are falling like crazy right now and I know the trees will be bare soon and then winter will be right around the corner. I find fall is super short here because winter tends to arrive early so we try to make the most out of the fall weather. We're hoping to squeeze in one more hike at a new park before snow shows up.... yes, snow because I know it's not far off.

xo Jen

October is easily one of my favourite months out of the year. It means fall is in full-swing, the weather has cooled off, the trees are gorgeous colours, and two great holidays are during the month: Thanksgiving and Halloween.

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I'm realizing the next major holiday (Christmas... shhhh...) is starting to creep into stores and in my mind. But I really, really want to enjoy October before getting into the next holiday. To do this I'm making a small to do list to get outside and enjoy all the best things about October.

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October To Do List:

• make all the pumpkin goodies (cookies, cake, loaves)
• go for a few walks; walks downtown, along the boardwalk, and a hike in the conservation area
• eat pumpkin pie and drink pumpkin spice lattes all month long
• carve pumpkins
• watch horror movies to get in the Halloween spirit
• have a bonfire

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Our treat this month was buying a can of coconut whipped cream. With Adam being lactose-intolerant, this is a super yummy alternative.


So when I had my friends up for the weekend I was introduced to the amazing world of Sprinkle Sandwiches made with Dutch sprinkles. By far, these are the most amazing sprinkles I've ever tasted in my life.


We also had fun with some face masks.


And pigged out on doughnuts from Mighty Canadian Doughnuts.


Oh, I also went for the first step of my hair process - lots and lots of blonde highlights to help grow the leftover red out. Hello semi-blonde hair!


Moonlight Beach has been exceptionally gorgeous this Summer.


And I finally got myself a donut float! It makes swimming even more fun!



How has July been treating you?
xo Jen

Last week we headed to Algonquin Park for a 5-day camping long weekend. We went back to Pog Lake Campground (where we camped last year). It was a great time and I fell even more in love with this area of Ontario. It's absolutely gorgeous there and pictures don't do it justice. We went on a couple of hikes, sat around the fire, looked at the night sky (the Milky Way was visible two of the nights), and played board games.

I apologize in advance for the amount of photos but it was hard to narrow down which ones I wanted to share.


We celebrated my birthday early there,so there was cake!


This view is a 10 minute walk from our campsite. It's incredible.


Dragonflies were everywhere!


Mr. Frog.


Cider and Pop 5!



Maple Cookie S'mores.


Reese Peanut Butter Cup S'mores.


Oreo S'mores.







Beaver Dam.


Mr. Beaver.




Mommy duck and baby.


More cider.



If you ever get the chance to visit any part of Algonquin Park, I cannot recommend it enough!! I'm already looking forward to next year's camping trip.

xo Jen

Comic convention season is upon us! I'm seeing pictures on social media of cons happening all over North America lately. My first comic convention of the year is in two weeks... eeek!

My convention schedule for 2016:

March 18-20 - Toronto ComiCon

This is Fan Expo's little brother of conventions. It's at the Toronto Convention Centre and I see a lot of repeat artists, vendors, and customers between this con and Fan Expo. I find it's the perfect first show to do of the year. It's not overwhelming but it's still filled with so much positive-geek energy.

June 11 - Graphic-Con (tentatively - still waiting on table confirmation)

This is the second year for the Sudbury comic convention and I'm pretty excited for it. Last year's was super busy and it was awesome to do a local convention. This year it's taking over the Sudbury Arena so it has room to expand.

September 1-4 - Fan Expo Canada

The biggest convention of the year for me and I'm always super pumped for it. The size of this convention is definitely overwhelming but I love it. I think it's because I've been selling at this convention for a good 10 years. After I get over the first day jitters, I just take everything in all weekend and allow myself to get excited and hyped up in the environment.


October 16 - Northern Game Expo

This is another local show that's heading into its second year. I sold at this show last year and it was fun. It will also be in a bigger venue so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
 

Over the last few years I've cut out some shows and focused on the ones that I did really well at and also local ones. It's made a huge difference in my productivity. Spacing out my big shows allows me to sew up an insane amount of stock and I can keep my Etsy shop udpated (which has increased in sales). But you never know, I might decide to squeeze in some other local craft shows if they look interesting. I did sell at a great one last December at the local YMCA here which I'd love to do again.

So as usual, be prepared for lots of craft and product pictures and updates!
xo Jen