Free Downloadables: Wallpapers #5

It has been a grueling year, and the closer the 1st of January gets, the more ready I am to see what the new year holds. With that being said, I'm going to need all the motivation I can muster up in order to get back into the swing of things. So in case you're in the same boat as I am, and in case you're in need of a little extra boost as well, there's three new wallpapers for you just in time for the transition to 2017. As always, if you do decide to download these, capture a screenshot, send us a message, comment on our socials, or just let us know! It genuinely makes us giddy inside!

Finally, since it's the last Wednesday of 2016, this will be the last time you'll hear from us until 2017, Til then, we'd love to take this time to wish you a Happy New Year. It has been so incredibly fulfilling to make and create for you, and we hope you're just as excited as we are to see what 2017 holds. 

Open Letter to Numbers

Dear Numbers,

Your family is rather large, branches stretching out to infinity, and each member unique to itself. So I’ve decided to address this letter to all of you in general, though I am only partial to some. It is interesting how in so many ways you all have the power to define me. 

5 Things To Do This Holiday Season

We are well and truly in the midst of the holiday season. The countdown to winter break is on. The clocks are ticking, the days are passing, and pretty soon, it'll be Christmas. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. I've got places to go, people to see, and of course, sleep to catch up on. With that being said, as an avid list-maker, I also have things to do -- things that are focused on growth and giving.

I'm pretty excited to get started on crossing these off and so I thought I'd share some with you.

Mixing the Basics With Something New

The style of this dress is the opposite of the more basic, versatile turtleneck it is paired with. The two however, compliment each other greatly and is perfect for battling cold winds that are picking up this time of year. The contents of my closet is made up of a mix of minimalist pieces as well as unique articles of clothing that I personally love for a variety of reasons. Finding a blend between the two is the first step in discovering your own personal style while at the same time creating a complete wardrobe.

Playlist #7 | What the Winter Brings

Awkward Tendencies

People could describe me more as a wallflower rather than a social butterfly. There's something about standing in a room with a massive sea of people that gives me a sense of panic. This is when the introvert in me gives way to all these 'Awkward Tendencies' as I like to call them while socializing.  I know I'm not the only flower glued to the wall out there and there's probably many of you reading this that identify the same way. So to my fellow wallflowers I hope you get a good laugh and to all you butterflies, here's an inside peek at an introvert's head. 

22nd at Redwood

I think I have found the exact formula for the best birthday. This is my second year following the same structure for my plans and I wholeheartedly intend to continue to do so for every birthday for as long as I possibly can. So for those of you looking to get some inspiration for your next birthday, let me recap for you how I spent the 11th of November celebrating my 22nd birthday.

Phenomenal Women

There is a combination of traits that make a truly great woman. As girls of this generation let’s strive to learn something from each icon: the rebels, the fighters, and the voices. Learn to go above and beyond society’s expectations of us, to fight for our rights, and not be afraid to use our voices. With all of those qualities in our arsenal, our generation can grow to be the best women in history.

Me, You, and the Internet #2

I recently realized that it's been a while since I last shared some of the things that made me smile on the Internet. I'm still surfing through the web (do people still say that?) constantly, so the reason for the long wait is by no means due to the lack of things to share. If anything, I always have an ongoing list dedicated to all the things I want to share with you all. In an effort finally clear off parts of that list, here's a few more corners of the internet for you to get lost in!

Playlist #6 | Out of Sight

Free Downloadables: Wallpapers #4

Well, it's been a minute hasn't it? Last I checked, it's been several months since we've put up new wallpapers to grace your screens. This time around, we're keeping it real simple with gray toned backgrounds and white text. All these wallpapers only have three words that you can set your sights on to hopefully encourage you, inspire you, and to remind you to keep on going. You can download all three below the jump. 

Lastly, we'd love to hear back from you if you do use it. Leave a comment on this post, on our Instagram, or even DM us a screenshot. It would make us ecstatic, trust me! 

The Anatomy of Me

Humans are the same in their composition. All flesh and bone, carbon and phosphorus, cells and atoms, organs and systems -- whichever way one chooses to describe them. Where the bodies are made up of the same elements, the life it holds makes it function different from all the rest. All people live in similar shells that act as their host, though the life is what makes humans so different.

LANY and Transviolet | Vancouver

Let's just say life has been dragging me by the hairs on my head for the past couple weeks. September never fails to stomp on the pedal for me, and as the leaves begin to fall, my state of mind tends to take a dive. Swarmed with the need to keep up with readings, finish papers, and prepare for a critical presentation, the last week of the month was nothing short of busy, which is why it was the perfect time to head to a gig (ha!- note: heavy sarcasm).

I knew several months ago when tickets came out for The Kinda Tour that there were high chances that I'd be six feet under the piles of my to-do lists, but my stubbornness insisted. And now, after the show, I'm chuffed to say that despite the stress, I've got no regrets. The show was that good. 

Hello Autumn

Dresses are some of my favourite articles of clothing to wear. You can wear them casually and during formal events depending on the style. I love the femininity of it and the convenience of not having to choose other clothes or worry if they match. This outfit is perfect for bridging the weather between Summer and Autumn, for those days when the sun is out shining but the wind is cold and piercing.

Meet Winonah

I have always been an admirer of people. To say that I am persistently inspired by those that I surround myself with may even be an understatement, considering the gravity that the humans around me have influenced me. Chuck Palahniuk says it best in one of my all-time favorite quotes: "nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I have ever known."

I am blessed to be surrounded by the most interesting individuals. Left, right and all over, there's photographers, film-makers, singers, dancers, thinkers and doers in abundance. These people fuel my creativity and open my eyes to the world around me. Therefore, as an effort to share their impact in my life with the rest of the world, I've decided to interview them and share their stories and their work on this little space we call our home on the internet.

Conceptualizing this project has been a long time coming. I've been dreaming this up since early 2015 and have now finally actualized the idea into publishing. First up is Winonah Estranero, who is first and foremost an amazing faith-driven human, and secondary to that, she is also graciously skilled at the art of preserving memories in the form of pictures. Her Instagram, @winniestranero is on the top of the list of my favorite accounts, regardless of my personal connection to her. I was lucky enough to convince her to do this interview, and even more lucky to call her a friend. So grab a cup of your preferred warm beverage and keep reading to get to know her more.

On Heading Back to School

For students, the rolling in of September means there's a sudden onset of responsibilities that come rushing in. For me, this is my last year of September being synonymous to back-to-school. As such, being the university student on the brink of my last year before graduation, I thought I'd share some of the tips I have come to accumulate regarding getting through the school-year.

Playlist #5 | In The Way We Move

Downtown Adventure

Looking back on grade nine, both my English and Social Studies class had to do a project on family traditions. It was hard for me to think of anything specifically, but what came to mind both times was the adventure my sister would always take me to, in downtown Vancouver for my birthday. Though I didn't end up doing that for the project, I always think of it as our own tradition even though it's only been three years since it started. From turning twelve to now fifteen years old, the trip has been a constant one I always looked forward to. It was like a milestone I had to pass before the idea of me being another year older finally sunk in.

Minimalist Haul

For the lovers of lack of color and minimal style, this post is all for you.

Summer came late to Vancouver this year. For the longest time, I was pretty sure it was going to be a tame season. Boy, I was wrong. Temperatures have been reaching the thirties (Celsius) for the past couple weeks or so and though I love sunshine and the wonders that it does for my mood, I can't help wish for the cooler sunny days that we started off with. So it seems that my heart is yearning for colder weather, which is plain to see by the looks of what I've been buying lately.

Playlist #4 | Looking Up

An Extensive Guide to My Favorite Creatives / Content Creators

There's a tune by The Limousines called Internet Killed the Video Star (an allusion to The Buggles 'Video Killed the Radio Star') that comes to mind when I think about the evolution of media throughout the decades. As the titles of the songs point out, we truly have gone from radios to videos on television, to an explosion of content on the internet. And though radio was quickly overshadowed by the age of TVs, video content was surely not eclipsed by the dawn of the world wide web. If anything, the internet (namely, YouTube) has catapulted the circulation of videos throughout the globe. 

There has been an undoubted explosion of video content online. This surge in volume can be overwhelming, so much so that it's so notoriously easy to fall into the vortex of baby/animal videos and giggle-worthy vines. 

Now, I'm not one to complain about these videos. I enjoy a good viral video as much as the next person. However, watching a few too many can leave me feeling dazed and empty, and well, like I had just been sucked into a time-less blackhole only to emerge an hour later from a zombie-like trance. Therefore, I do prefer watching more creative content that leaves me feeling inspired and excited for life. So, here's my extensive list of favorite content creators, to help you navigate your way through the expanse of the world wide web. 

Free Downloadables: Wallpapers #3

Author Unknown

Sarah Kay

Psalm 112:7

Benjamin Francis Leftwich | Vancouver

The smaller the venue, the better the show. That's my opinion. That's not to say that larger venues make for terrible shows. However, I am forever impartial to a lesser capacity venue not just because of the more affordable ticket price, but also because of the incomparable intimacy you get in exchange.

July 22nd, 2016 was a day of firsts. It was my first time at The Media Club, my fist time getting to shoot a gig with a DSLR, and above all, my first time seeing Benjamin Francis Leftwich live. I'm telling you now, none of these first times disappointed in any way whatsoever. Especially, the part involving the musician from Yorkshire, England who proved to sound the same (if not better) live than on record.

Cold Summer Outfit

Some of you may be disappointed with the weather this summer and the dilemma of what to wear when it's cloudy, rainy, and the temperature is in the twenties. I have been in that position on many occasions, so this post talks about finding the right balance in your outfit to get through it, in particular finding the perfect jacket for that kind of weather. My perfect jacket is the one shown above. I've received so many compliments about it, I thought I'd share with all of you one of the more dressed up outfits I wear it in.

Tiny Poems from Once Before

For someone who feels a lot, and for someone who has built a home amidst words, it seems natural to bleed poetry. Though most days at present, it is not as common for me to write, the format of my thoughts remain akin to free verse. Sadly enough, it is rare for me to put pen to paper nowadays (a tendency I'm working to revert). However, there was a period of time in which I was consistently spewing out lines left and right. 

These words have always been profoundly personal; they ring true as an amalgamation of my thoughts and feelings during times when I felt the need for release. In truth, I never thought these would see the light of day, but in hopes of showing you more of myself, I am sharing a few tiny poems with you. From me in the past, and me right now, to you.  

Favorite Humans

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! I thought for this blog post I'd do something a little bit different and share with you some of my favorite humans. These three ladies (that I somewhat attempted to draw -- hopefully with no offense to any of them) are truly remarkable people coming from different generations, all of whom I adore. They have such unique stories, so different from one another, but are women that share so many similarities; one being that they have been, and still are such inspirations to many, including myself.

Playlist #3 | All In My Mind

Alternative Vests

A lot of coincidences fell into place the day my sister and I shot this post. I put on an outfit to wear to school without a second thought, but ended up getting a lot of unexpected compliments about it. I also tried out a new hairstyle at the same time, and had no homework to complete. Whether or not it was because I really liked my outfit or had no work to do, I was pretty content that day. So, I accepted my sister's call for adventure and wandered the neighborhood. We took pictures, appreciated nature, and ran away from bees (or should I say I ran away from bees). 

Light hikes, Light leaks, and Lighthouses

How is it June already? Time flies when I'm on summer break (and unfortunately drags on and on during school semesters). At the end of April, after a grueling fourth year of university, a few friends and I went on a much deserved little adventure to Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver.

Pretty much anyone who knows me by name knows that though I love the thrill of going outdoors, I am the least athletic human being you will come across. After mandatory gym was over in high school, I said goodbye to prolonged physical activity and have not set foot in any sort of gym ever since. With that being said, I am lucky enough to live in a place where there is an abundance of trails that vary in length, and even more lucky that the lighthouse was at the foot of one of the easier trails.

The Travel Checklist

Ever since I was little, I've wanted to travel the world, to visit all these beautiful places filled with so much history, different from my everyday surroundings. Paris, France has always been at the top of my list, like most little girls. Since then however, my list has grown greatly and has expanded to places like Greece, Rome, Scotland, Britain, Russia, Switzerland, and tons more. So, until I can go on great escapes, I've created a list of things I want to do when I finally get to travel.

Handmade with love, fueled by passion

Early this year, I discovered a few things that I didn't know existed. It never ceases to amaze me how there are so many craft supplies out there beyond the standard things we're used to knowing. Sure, everyone knows about scissors and construction paper; everyone knows about watercolors and pencil crayons. However, polymer clay, embossing powders, and shrink plastic? Well, these are materials  that I've only picked up on fairly recently.

For quite some time now, I've been playing around with shrink plastic and with the idea of creating pins. Within the past while, I've seen pins come back in style once more. I've been loving the reinvented modern take on all the trendy pins and have wanted to try my hand at making my own.

It's safe to say that I'm fairly stoked on how the pins turned out. Each one is handmade with love and fueled by passion. Below the jump is a preview of all the ones that will be on sale in the store soon. 

Me, You, and the Internet

The beauty of the internet, in my perspective, lies in two key features; its vastness, and its ability to connect people to one another. There's undoubtedly no shortage of interesting finds on the web. So, because I can't tag every single one of you when I stumble into some kind of wonderful like I do for my friends and family, I thought I'd share some here. Think of this as some kind of mixtape sans the music, and with links instead.

Look'n and Feel'n a Little Better During Finals

Continuing the countdown till freedom, a lot of us are reaching the last days of imprisonment. However, with that comes the last few bits of obstacles we have to maneuver around and hurdles to jump over. In other words, final projects and final exams. The mere mention of those words strikes fear in the hearts of those still in school. A few of you like myself are probably already feeling stressed, but that is precisely why I wrote this blog post. A little bit of advice and some beauty tips to get you through this period before summer vacation.

Plaid Shirts + Backpacks

It is no secret that my closet is an array of neutral colours. It is no secret either that out of it all, the predominant of these is black. Seeing me not wearing an ounce of the shade outside the confines of my home is a sincere rarity. 

Naturally, when I was younger, it wasn't always this way. But in my late teens and into young adulthood, black has been a staple colour that I find myself always gravitating to. Perhaps its my lack of comfort in the spotlight that keeps me so attracted to it -- the very shade of the shadows. Or, maybe it's because of the simple truth that black goes with everything (especially itself, haha). Whichever reason underpinning its appeal in my eyes, I know I'm not the only one. So, here's an outfit post I'm sharing with all you lovers of black (with a pop of color).  

Counting Down the Days: Summer Bucket List

The long awaited two month vacation is near and it's all I can think about, talk about, and anxiously wait about. I often have this mentality during the school year while awaiting the holidays, always wanting to start this and finish that. It's all very exciting; some of you probably do the same. However, when I finally reach the point of no school, I get into this lazy (how should I word this?) slump. I tell myself I'll just rest for today, break for this week, and then next I realize it's almost the end of summer and I've barely done anything I wanted to do. So to fix that, I've made a plan. I have devised a Summer Bucket-list, a to-do list so to speak to share with all of you.

The One Where There's a Giveaway

It's been quite awhile since the last giveaway that we've done. Don't you think it's about time for another? We sure do. We're always grateful the love and support that has been shown to us ever since we started this journey. We say 'thanks' quite literally multiple times a day for this chance to share our creative side with the world. But often, saying thanks gets redundant, and this redundancy can dilute the meaning. As such, we always get unbelievably excited to do giveaways as a chance to tangibly show our gratitude beyond just saying thanks.

DETAILS:

1 | The giveaway starts today, Monday, May 9th and runs until next week at 11:59pm on Monday, May 16th.
2 | The giveaway is open worldwide.

PRIZES:

1 | 10 assorted 6x4 prints (including several out-of-stock favorites)
2 | Custom commissioned 6.5 x 5 inch black cardstock piece (with your choice of lyric, quote, or bible verse)

HOW TO ENTER:

1 | Follow us on Instagram
2 | Comment on the giveaway picture post with the @username of someone you'd give a 6x4 print to. You can comment to enter as many times as you want but make sure that each @username is on its own separate comment.

The winner of the giveaway will be contacted via direct message on Instagram on Tuesday, May 17th.

If you've got further questions about the giveaway details, leave em' in the comments below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Good luck!

Stay gold,

Kimberly + Anne

The 1975 | Vancouver

For as long as I can remember, music has always been a persistent and vital part of my life. Whether it be the early days of Britney and Backstreet, to the angsty punk rock tunes of my teenage years, all the way to the more eclectic mishmash of what it is today — music has been, and still now proves to be quite the constant.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that going to concerts and hearing the songs that have soundtracked every possible mood and moment in my life is one of the things that make me feel the most alive. Surely, feeling like this kind of limitlessness on this Earth is few and far between, and seeing The 1975 the second time in my life was no different.

On being an introvert

Art by: Kimberly Ibasco

Introverted is an adjective commonly used to describe nouns like people such as myself. When I came across the word, I knew immediately that it fit me perfectly. Even before I came to know what its opposite, extroverted was. 

Old and New | 6 x 4 Prints

Old favorites and new 6 x 4 prints will be going on sale starting Monday, April 25th, 2016. Keep on reading below the jump to see a preview of all the pieces, and stay tuned to see them all go live on our Instagram page. 

Redefining Beauty

Society’s ideals of beauty have changed increasingly around the world as it ages. There is plenty of evidence which proves beauty to be a highly regarded quality both valued and desired by humanity for the longest time. These standards of what is aesthetically pleasing have ranged from a large spectrum of ever-changing trends. Even now society has its own takes on what beautiful is and all this change makes it difficult for people to keep up with every new version of perfect. It makes it even harder for them to differentiate between looking beautiful and being beautiful and since we all look different, so many have chosen to rely on make-up to capture the unrealistic idea of perfect.

The City | Day and Night

Living over an hour and a half a way from the city means that I don't get to visit quite often. With hectic class, work, and volunteer schedules, I am often too buried under a dog-pile of responsibilities to make the trip down. Though I do wish that I lived closer, the distance and the small number of visits make each jaunt sweeter. As such, each time I find a hole in my calendar that can be filled with an excursion downtown, I make it a point to stay for as long as feasibly possible. With that being said, here's a recount of one of the times I spent roaming in the city that highlights the stark contrast of the undercurrents depending on the time of day.

Turtlenecks + Black Jeans

This outfit I put together is inspired by the minimalist trend I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with. The combination of a light turtle-neck that's not too thick, and the classic black jeans is perfect for a night out or by just throwing on a leather jacket, the cold weather. Plenty of times I have worn this outfit because of  how comfortable it is and the simplicity makes it an easy choice for going out to different places. Simple and easy are two words I can use to describe it. You can recreate it with any turtleneck and pair of jeans you have.

Cheap Thrills: Kim

There is no shopping thrill quite like the kind that does not induce mayhem on your bank statements. As much as I pine over expensive pieces from Aritzia, Madewell and the likes, there is no rush comparable to finding the right item in the right size in the right price.  With that being said, I'm quite stoked to share with you all some of my favorite deals that I've acquired over the last little while.