THEN, I just put the internets out of my mind. I focused on enjoying all the things I’ve had going on, our reno’s, my Mr. birthday, our out of town excursions, etc. And I began to feel much better.

UNTIL, I started thinking does my blog matter? There are so many amazing blogs out there, would anybody miss mine if I didn’t return?

FINALLY, I said, put away that tiny violin Nat!! That’s not your stylo.

So, here I am. I’ll be here for the rest of the week. And probably next week too. Because, I really do like it here. And I like you. xx

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Slow down and recharge. For a day, a week, an hour, you decide. Read some cheerful chick lit, go for a walk with your family (holding hands a MUST in my book), take a couple deep breaths. Ahhhh…

Happy Valentine’s Day Lover-loos! I hope you have a smashing day with lots of love in your heart! xx

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Make a tiny little ‘Love List’ to keep in your wallet. How do you make a love list? Easy peasy. Get a small piece of paper and write a huge run on sentence listing things that make your heart happy. Any time you need a pick me up read the list. Keeping it in your wallet means that it’s always close at hand. My list has everything from names of my family and friends, to lattes and nail polish, to places I’ve travel, to peanut butter and chocolate.

Outfit Details: thrifted red silk top, Wilfred cardi, Zara skirt, Forever 21 necklace, Aldo shoes, Ray Ban sunnies

After a few days of glorious sunshine, the fickle gods of weather have now dimmed the lights and turned on the water. Blerg. We’re off on a mini roady today. A little day trip adventure, we’re going to see a man about a sink. It’s funny how getting ready to spend a long day away from our house looks like I’m packing up my toddler for some sort of world tour.

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Send some Valentines! Wasn’t it a blast in elementary school to give out little cards to everyone in your class?! Kick it old school and pick up some silly kids Valentine’s, or check out the amazing offerings on Etsy, or make your own! Your friends, family, co-workers, bus driver, mail man, neighbour, barista etc. will be pleased as punch. xx

Outfit Details: James Perse tank, Winter Kate cardi, Joe Fresh pants, vintage necklace, Steve Madden shoes, Karen Walker, Cole Haan bag sunnies

Happy hearts! As soon as I saw this pin (yes, I’m Pinterest crazy, I know!), I knew that I had to make a bunch to include in my Valentine’s cards. Aren’t they so sweet?! They’re super easy and inexpensive to make. A perfect little DIY. Here’s some simple instructions just in case you’re wondering:

1. Determine the size of the heart you’d like and cut it out of paper to use as a template. (Base your heart off of the corner of a piece of paper. That way you’ll have the right angle needed to fit the book page.)

2. Trace a bunch of hearts onto felt. I made dark and light grey, cream, burgundy and bright red.

3. Stitch two pieces of felt together using complimentary thread. Again, think about keeping the corner angle for the page to slip into and stitch about half way down and around. (I choose a ‘back side’ and kept the tiny little knots of thread exposed.)

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Get complimentary! Yesterday, I thought my hair looked like a hot mess when I left the house. But then the wonderful Starbuck’s cashier told me that my hair looked awesome. Instant mood boost! What a sweetie. So, today I’m going to pay it forward and compliment people I cross paths with. xx

Omgoodness! A warm and sunny winter day is seriously the perfect excuse to take my pants off. Hmmm. Not sure that came out right. Oh well. Once I went outdoors, it was actually hard to tell which was brighter, the sun or my blindingly white legs?! Ba boom ching. Oh boy, it’s going to be one of those posts hey? Riegn. It. In.

Lately I’m really enjoying playing with the balance of casual (in this case, denim jacket & Toms) and dressy (lace & rhinestones). One of my favourite style bloggers Jules of Sincerely Jules has perfected the art of wearing sneakers with dresses and skirts (check out recent inspirational examples here & here).

I’m crossing my fingers for more sun shiny days. Check back tomorrow for a LOVEly DIY!

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Let’s be huggers! Dole out some age/situationally appropriate hugs today, just for the sake of it. You’ll be happy. The hug-ee will be happy. Win win. Now, I realize that all this hugging might be easier for some than others, so if you’re feeling hug-adverse for whatever reason, why not dish out some epic high fives?! Good? Great. Go get ‘em. xx

Outfit Details: AE top, Gap jacket, Joe Fresh skirt, vintage and ASOS bracelets, Toms shoes, Ray Ban sunnies

TGIF my loves! I’ve been waiting rather impatiently for Friday to arrive. The little one is going to her Grandma’s and I’m going for a message!!! It’s the first time in 19 months that I’ve left her to go and pamper myself a bit. And my bestie recently gave my a gifty to a lovely wool shop, so if I remember how to function after my message I think I’ll go and pick out some swanky new knitting needles. F.U.N.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about Love. And this seriously cute heart garland! It was inspired by a lovely little knitting project I saw online awhile ago (don’t you hate it when you don’t bookmark things?!). Anyhoo, since I don’t have the ability to knit a heart (yet), I opted for the next best thing, a stack of sturdy red card stock. Throw in some rustic jute twine and simple supplies and you have yourself an easy (& awesome) DIY.

Once I decided on the size of heart I wanted, I made a template, traced and cut out about 30 (I used about 10 per garland).

I made a bow at the loose end of the spool of jute.

And then, taped on my paper hearts. So simple right?! I hung the first one in my daughter room (pic above) and I couldn’t be more pleased with the cheerful and whimsical result.

Not wanting to take off my crafty hat, my next stop was our bedroom where I planned on hanging the other garland. But then, a little idea seed sprouted in my mind and I decided to create this (pic below) instead. I used a piece of double sided tape to stick the jute to the wall, and also to attach the hearts to the jute. I totally adore how it turned out. The hubs was rather impressed as well and even suggested that after Love Month we swap out the hearts for photographs. And who says he’s just a pretty face.

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Make a date to watch your favourite LOVE-filled movie. Whether it’s with your patner, your bestie, your mom or yourself, make sure (insert your snack of choice here) is invited. I have a looooong list of favourite love movies but I think I’ll be watching Pretty Woman this weekend or The Notebook (if I want to sob my face off). What would you watch?? xx

Before having a baby I greatly enjoyed having an nap every once in a while. It felt relaxing and indulgent and oh so cozy. As a mom, I’m not a very good adult-napper. Even when I know I should probably catch up on some rest while my baby is sleeping, I shun naps. Why waste my time (the magical mother word) with rest when I could do this (blog), accomplish that (laundry), catch up with so-and-so (lovely friends), or simply stare into space and enjoy being alone. As a mom, baby naps = sanity. I love baby naps.

So, what’s it like when your little lovey stops napping? I fear that I’m on the brink of this scary unknown. For my fellow mommas out there, when did your wee one stop napping? How did you survive?

And for everyone, what do we all think about adult-naps? Yay or nay? Cuddly and awesome or unproductive and irresponsible?

TODAY’S LOVE TIP: Doodle some HEARTS my friends! Whether it’s your grocery list, your work, your bills, etc…attack it with hearts! It will make you smile, I promise. xx

Well my sweets, it’s February 1st today and what does that mean? Among many things such as Lauren Conrad’s Birthday and the 8th anniversary of Janet Jackson’s exposed boob, it’s the beginning of what I’m calling Love Month. A whole month of celebrating all things lovely, with Valentine’s Day conveniently smack-dab in the centre.

February is always such a happy time for me. The month holds a parade of Birthday celebrations for my family and very best friends and I always enjoy the 14th. Chocolate and an excuse to be nauseatingly lovey-dovey? I’m in. So, I was thinking (no, it didn’t hurt), why not really embrace a theme of love this month. No one ever said ‘Ugh, there’s too much LOVE in my life’!

So here’s my plan. Celebrate love. Give more hugs, give more kisses. Show my appreciation for the people that I love. Show myself some love (not in that way, gosh people!) by taking better care of my body and mind. Be light hearted, be big hearted, be soft hearted.

Now give yourself a hug from me. Seriously, wrap your arms around yourself and say this is from my friend Nat. And have a lovely day. xx

Well, that was a fun little January blogventure! Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my Pinspiration posts. It’s really lovely to receive positive feedback! xx

With my love of Pinterest and it’s wealth of style inspiration (browse my ever-growing pinboard here), I’m sure this type of post will be a recurring feature.

Anyone have a favourite one? I love all of the original pins, those are some stylin’ ladies! Of my looks, I might like the furry scarf one (it feels like being constantly hugged by a large stuffed animal) or maybe the stripes. We all know how I feel about stripes.

Hello Loves! How are all of my favourite bloggy friends? I hope your week is off to a fabulous start. Does anyone have anything exciting going on??

Outfit Pin

Outfit Details: Mexx top, Pure Alfred Sung jacket, Current and Elliot jeans, vintage charm and ASOS panther necklace, Forever 21 clutch, Ray Ban sunnies, thrifted boots