.feeling folky.

so my birthday was yesterday. 

at this point i'm not sure if i should still be getting as excited as i do when my birthday rolls around, but i mean, what can i say? i quite enjoy the love and attention! ha! it was a busy week filled with dinners, drinks, bonfires, music and lovely conversations. i also got spoiled rotten! geez, i have some really beautiful people in my life who make me feel loved [and not just because they know how to pick a sweet gift out! ha ha! i mean that in attention and thoughtfulness too!].

as for my actual birthday yesterday, it was a gorgeous sunny day and we spent it at the edmonton folk fest with some equally gorgeous and sunny friends. it was also jack's first festival and i was perhaps, even more excited about the thought of that and showing him what a joy music can be.  after chels & her family treated us to some birthday tickets [and cupcakes! thank you! and yum!] we packed our bags and nabbed a spot on the hill to catch a few tunes and soak up some rays. as i said, it was a super sunny and hot day out where a little shade was appreciated. jack was slathered in sunscreen and we lounged around in the open air. it was just awesome. we also ate, drank, and people-watched till our hearts content. we soaked in some live music from the various 7 stages and walked the site numerous times. i seriously think my legs wanted to beat me up after walking up that hill a couple times.

the folk fest is one of my favourite events in the city, located in our gorgeous river valley and i am just so happy to share this day with our son. he loves music and his little bopping body was bouncing away once that beat was heard.

unfortunately, taking a 9 1/2 month old to a full day music festival turned out to be a little too much for the tired little fella, so we packed it in a little early and headed home to rest from the busy weekend. peter may have had a little pout about leaving earlier than when the avett brothers where to take the stage [bummer for us both, actually] but that's what you do when you're a parent. and in the end, we had a little family snuggle, which is actually just what this 31 year old wanted. and frankly, needed.

.welcome to our home, the front entrance to be exact.

it's no surprise that our front entrance [and house really] is in some serious need of an update. we've lived here for 5 years now and have hardly touched a thing since moving in. it's lacking the newer, cleaner, more modern 'me' and i am utterly dying for an entire house make-over. however since the funds lack an entire home redesign, i've decided to start tackling it room-by-room....starting with the front entrance.

let me start out by stating that our front entrance is small. and dark. and doesn't really have much to it. it's basically the bottom of the stair landing, however it is the first thing you see when we open the door.  so it needed something. something easy, small, and that didn't involve painting the entire house a new shade [although, that is something that i am seriously considering!].

and that's where paula scherr photography came in! i basically picked up a gold metal stand, some white frames, a couple succulents, printed some favourite pictures from paula and my new front entrance was born!

and i quite like it!

**i would also be remiss not to mention that the 'love you dad' artwork was made by jack[can you spot his teeny tiny hands?] and given to daddy on father's day, but it was totally inspired by andrea's artwork here! as usual, thanks for the inspiration lady!!

so what do you think? works for now, no?

sources: white frames, homesense || welcome to our home print, 5thirteendesigns || daddy artwork, handmade by jack || gold butlers tray, homesense [similar] || white & wood square tray, chapters [similar] || square pot, chapters [similar] || glass bottles, chapters [kinda similar and really cool]

.currently loving: children's things.

rounding up my summer editions of 'currently loving', i saved the best for last. or at least my favourite to shop for.....children!

there's just something about buying 'little people' anything that gets me so excited. could it be that my son looks so darn awesome in everything [bragging and biased mamma? completely and utterly yes!], or it could be because i can get a little more crazy with my combo choices, or it simply could be because everything 'mini' is sooooo much more adorable than anything regular-sized? well whatever it is, i simply enjoy it so darn much!

here are some things i am utterly dying to buy my little jack bugg.

1] stella mccartney kids owl sweater [just darn cute. my idea of a stick owl drawing]
2] stella mccartney belt [a baby belt has to be the best thing ever! and kinda hard to track down, actually. these colourful stripes would be perfect to jazz up an outfit and also, keep those pants in place. win win!]
3] stella mccartney kids baseball tee [this indian baseball tee has me just dying! how adorable, right? i think my jack bugg would look all sorts of cute in it too!]
4] converse chuck taylors [baby chucks. doesn't even need a desciption. just.plain.awesome. jack has white, but i just might need this black pair too!]
5] justice league underwear [when jack is potty-trained, these will be his big boy undies. fact.]
6] minnetonka moccasins [i think i have every other type of moccasin out there for toddlers, but i'm missing these! don't ask me how, because they really are the cutest.]
7] babar's birthday book [we have a thing for babar in this house. i used to watch it as a child. peter used to watch it as a child. and now jack watches it. he also has a great stuffed animal version and some amazing pyjamas [courtesy of aunt julie and holt renfrew - yes, one spoiled babe!]
8] stella mccartney horse sweatshirt [omg. horses on a sweatshirt. jack needs! this is a new fav for sure...did i mention that grandpa wayne has actual horses at his house? and now you know why jack needs this.]
9] giant colourful pencil crayons [just amazing. plain and simple. something every kid needs, no?]

*contains some affiliate links, however thank you for supporting my choices and helping to make fancy napkin possible!

.currently loving: home goods.

1] dwell studios gold horse [this brass horse is the perfect shade of gold and would make a lovely addition to a coffee table, perhaps as a paperweight on some decorative books?]
2] cowhide rug [my next purchase! i have had my eye on cowhide rugs for about a year now and have run out of excuses why i shouldn't buy one. need this. now]
3] bodie and fou black metal stool [i am simply adoring the industrial look of this stool, especially mixed in with some natural wood elements. modern done right!]
4] wire basket [this basket would be perfect for corralling all of jack's ever-growing toy collection!]
5] golden urchin sculptors [again, a perfect addition stacked on top of some decorative coffee table books]
6] bodie and fou rug [my kitchen needs this rug. i'm envisioning it directly by my sink for that added softness while scrubbing those dishes. who knows, it might even help to trick myself into enjoying washing and scrubbing!?]
7] homemade cookie jar [simply because we all need a fabulous cookie jar sitting on our counters!]
8] wood cutting board [i've had my eye on a wood cutting board for quite some time and just haven't found the right one....that is until now. this board is perfect and would be a damn beautiful background for food photos, don'tcha think?]
9] pyramid object, set of three [would look so lovely on a mantle, with a beautiful picture nestled directly behind these pyramids. simple + clean = the best way to decorate!]

also see my 'currently loving: clothing' & 'beauty and accessories' by clicking on the links :)

*contains some affiliate links, however thank you for helping make fancy napkin possible by supporting my picks.

.turntable: passenger.

this rendition of 'let her go' by passenger is out of this world good. what a voice. and even though it's nothing new, i can't seem to get enough of this song lately.

a favourite for sure.