WEEK 13 FEELS

Spring is here! Spring is here! Officially but not weather wise. Fingers crossed we get some real Spring weather soon. So with spring on my mind, I’m feeling: flowers (and lots of them), brighter colours, and some fun personal projects. So here are some of my WEEK 13 FEELS:

What I’m Pinning - Visual Inspiration:
Flowers and more flowers. Look at all these ladies holding oversized bouquets of flowers… what a dream. 

Props I need in my life:
All these colours are so fresh. Love the pattern play and colour combos. I'd like the tumbler to sit on my desk permanently.

1+1 = My Fave Combos: 
Flowers + black and white graphic patterns. This combo fave began awhile back when brainstorming for my wedding. I love the way flowers pop against the black and white dots and stripes.

What's On My Coffee Table: 
I have so many beautiful “coffee table” books (that I started to collect even before I had my own coffee table) from amazingly talented creatives. Unfortunately, most just sit on my shelves collecting dust). So I’ve started something new… Each week I am going to place a different book front and centre on my coffee table and make a point to flip through and take in the pages.

So here is what is currently on my coffee table: Beaches by Gray Malin.

I am OBSESSED with BEACHES by Gray Malin. Everything about this book is SO mesmerizing and inspiring. I just get in happy mode when I open this book. Nevermind Spring...  I’m SO ready for summer and to hit the beach!  

What are some of your all-time fave coffee table books? #rmreads

Words I’ll Leave You With: 
Spring is a time of plans and projects - Leo Tolstoy. So get busy and enjoy the weather!

xo -
rayna marlee

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WEEK 12 FEELS

St. Patrick’s Day or St. Patty’s Day (or as we used to call it St. Party’s Day) just passed (and no I did not dress in green and go out this year… yes it was even on a Friday!)… I’ve had a few things on my mind: parties, luck, and rainbows (specifically pastel rainbows). 

So here are some of my WEEK 12 FEELS: 

What I’m Pinning - Visual Inspiration:
Pastel rainbows in all shapes and forms: rock candy, lucky charms, and amazing rainbow texture (what even is this?) 

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Party Time: 
If I were to have thrown a St. Patty’s party this year I would have done a rainbow theme (over the traditional green everything theme). Pastel rainbow partyware (how great is this collection from Oh Happy Day), candy necklaces (doubled as napkin holders or I would probably use them as drink identifiers and loop them around the cups), and oversized lucky charm shaped pinatas.

What’s Cookin’:
How good do these Breakfast Cereal Fudge squares from Paper & Stitch look?
Recipe by Linda Jednaszewski for Paper & Stitch and can be found on their website.

Mini Style:
YouAreSmall shop based out of London, UK “handmade apparel for small people” 

Their colour selection is on point and it’s all hand dyed. Can you believe these are baby tights? The Cotton Muslin clothes are so good.

Who you should be following:
@fluffegram - An Australian who makes fairy floss (aka. cotton candy as we Canadians call it). Basically all of your cotton candy dreams will come true in this feed. Here’s some rainbow magical toast for your week! Images from Fluffegram Instagram

CREATIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS (go catch it). Words and art by Brittany Luiz

See you next week. Same time. Same place.

XO
-rayna marlee

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BACK TO BLOGGING AND SHARING MY FEELS

I used to blog - did you know that? I started blogging when I was in the middle of switching careers and wasn’t completely sure what was next … “What am I doing with my life?” was definitely a frequent statement at this point. Have you been there before? I like to think the best of us have been.

Let me start a little further back to what brought me to my mid-career crisis.

Back in the mid 00s I went to design school, well schools (it was a joint program where I split my time between York University and Sheridan College) in Toronto, Ontario. I lived, breathed, and studied everything design for four long years. I loved design school but did not LOVE sitting behind the computer doing graphic design until all hours of the night. I loved researching, and brainstorming, and making, and trying, but was never happy with my final product, which often exhausted me. Looking back, I think I was just really hard on myself (which I still often am) but all those years ago and being so “in” it I didn't really see it that way… I simply just thought that I wasn't good enough. 

Once I graduated and received my Honours Bachelor Degree in Design, I decided I needed to escape and remove myself from the computer (and design world). So I moved to Brisbane, Australia to study to become a teacher. Teaching was always a natural thing for me (probably because I have four younger sisters) and I loved kids and thought they were funny. The year I lived in Australia was the best year of my life. (Australia is my happy place). Not only did I escape the Canadian winters and (in a way) reality, I also met my now husband there (that will be another story but you can read a little bit about it here). 

A year later, I came back a lot more tanned, in love, and a certified teacher. I began teaching kindergarten in Toronto but that lasted only about three years. I loved doing arts and crafts with the kiddos and making the bulletin boards look pretty but my heart wasn't there. I needed out. I missed the design world but I was lost. I didn't want to become a graphic designer, so what else could I do? What now? This is what led me to begin blogging. I blogged for a couple years and then stopped when life got busy - I was now working as a full-time freelance prop and craft stylist and I was happy!

ANYWAYS - here I am now (still a full-time freelance prop and craft stylist), two years since I stopped blogging, ready to make time to share my world - my feels with all of you! (I hope it’s not just my sisters reading this). This is a wordy post and I am more a visual person so generally my posts will be more visual than word heavy. 

What to expect: each Monday I will post about what I am loving that week. Anything from an inspiring Instagram account (that you MUST follow), to what I’m pinning (follow me) and I am visually inspired by, some of my creative crushs, mini (kids) style - I LOVE children fashion, recipes (both healthy and definitely not healthy), DIYs (that I have created or ones that I wish I created) and much more. 

People often say I have such a cool job (and I do think it is pretty awesome) but it is not always as glamorous as it seems. I will also try to share some monthly recaps of what I’ve been up to (both the good and the crazy).

The organized-everything-has-a-place-me is a little bit bothered by starting in March (WEEK 12 of the year)… but I didn’t start WEEK 1 (I was still down under in my happy place in January)… so this is what it will have to be. Better to start now then never. Right? 

I hope you enjoy my visual rambles. Let me know what you want to see more of.

XO -
rayna marlee

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