Wednesday, May 30, 2012

moving tips


Okay Okay so I know that May is almost over but I wanted to talk about moving for a second and this seemed like a great photo. (Also available as a desktop background, along with a bagillion other great designs from the fox is black)

One year ago I moved into my apartment.

It was SUCH a crazy time. I had just broken it off with my boyfriend of 4 years and to be honest I was scared as shit. I had no idea how it would turn out.

The biggest risks often lead to the biggest rewards.

I'm not really known for staying in one place for very long. I think I've moved something like 8 times in the last 7 years so I consider myself a craigslist and viewit.ca expert.

As much work as moving is, it has so many rewards. I love going through everything you own, purging items you don't need and remembering items that are in the back of the cupboards. There is so much excitement around a new furniture arrangement, a new neighborhood to explore, and a fresh new start.

Moving excites me.

Here are some of the things I've learned in my many many moves

-Invest in uniform boxes. Yes the ones from the LCBO are free but they aren't all the same size and this can actually end up taking up more room in the moving van. and if your a visual person like me, a stack of five brown boxes in the corner is much less annoying then a bunch of muticoloured boxes that look like a jenga stack

-try to get your internet and cable hooked up before you move in. it will inevitably take them longer then you want, so you might was well get a head start

-Water/redbull/beer/pizza....happy energetic people are less likely to break your stuff
oh and research ahead of time where the nearest LCBO or beer store is to your new place. your internet might not be hooked up yet ^^^ and you'll be glad you did. Made that mistake once.

-put plants in your car..not the moving van. moving can take a toll on many plants and the excessive heat or darkness of a moving van won't help.
-part two of that point is, if you plants don't seem to be doing well in their new location don't fret. they take some adjusting. just try and match the same amount of sunlight and water they got in their last home.

-LABEL THE BOXES THOROUGHLY. you will, without a doubt, need one misc. item, you might as well know where you packed it. ie. KITCHEN vs. Cutlery drawer/magic bullet/salad bowls/tea towels

- pack a weeks worth of clothes and toiletries like your going on a vacation. it will save you from tearing open boxes to look for your deodorant

-if you know your new closet is around the same size as your old closet, keep your clothes on the hangers. it will save you a bunch of time taking them off the hangers, folding them, unfolding them and re putting them on hangers. they even have nifty boxes specifically for this.

-kind of an obvious one but try to eat as much of your pantry as possible before the move so your not lugging dry goods around.

-DEEP CLEAN before you move in. don't worry about the floors because they will get dirty anyway but everything else can and should be scrubbed down.

Oh and here are some things to look for/do before even signing the lease:
Check for bed bugs in the bedbug registry, check the water pressure of the shower, stop and listen to see if you can hear neighbors/loud streets/animals, make sure you know where the nearest laundry mat is if you don't have it included in the building, and subletting for a few months is a good idea if your new to the area and don't know exactly where the good neighborhoods are.

Let me know if you have any good moving tips, I'm always looking for more!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Blog Podium

I don't even know where to start with this! it was SUCH  a fun time!

Carly came Friday night and we spend the night sipping wine and catching up over yummy greek food. Love that girl so much! One of those people that months can go by and its like no time has even passed.







Saturday morning we headed downtown to Blog Podium and I have to admit I was pretty nervous about meeting all of the amazing women behind the blogs I read every day. The event was beautiful, they gave us notebooks to write in and lots of good information. The topic was monetizing your blog, so there was a ton of good advice about sponsors, advertising, giveaways and everything in between.

The number one thing I took away from it was there is no formula or right or wrong way to do things. you have to just go with your gut. Some things might be okay for some blogs, but if they don't feel right for you, thats okay!

I feel like blogs are such a new form of 'advertising' that many companies know even less about what to expect then the bloggers themselves. Go out on a limb, approach a company or etsy shop, the worst they can say is no.

Its more likely a company will give you a free product instead of money in your account. which makes total sense, and has my wheels turning about things that could be a good partnership.

after that we got to meet the great sponsors of the event and had some fun with the smilebooth!





Interested to know who these ladies are?

holly of holly knitlightly 
elycia (& ivan!) from love elycia
rachel from the paper hearts blog
chantilly from my girl thursday
kait from miss kait online
mel from smiles from mel




and after that we had TONS of fun going out for dinner and drinks and more drinks and more drinks and MORE DRINKS....it was a late night! 

It was soo cool to meet these people in real life, talk about blog people like they were our best friends, and have so many laughs. I had a feeling these bloggin gals would be awesome but I was totally blown away, it was honestly like we had known each other for ages! which, in a silly way, we have..just never in person. 

I can't wait for our next toronto blogger meet up and I'm so happy to have these awesome girls as new friends. (and happy that now I can say 'my friend' instead of 'this girl who's blog I read') 

xox

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sparkling Cranberry Iced Tea Vodka Drink


Peter made me this drink the other day and it is just SO good and SO easy that I had to share it. yum yum yum


Sparkling Cranberry with Raspberry Iced Tea Vodka Drink

In a cup with ice add:

About a shot of Raspberry Ice Tea Vodka (or a little more, ya know)  (I LOVE this one in raspberry, available at the LCBO)
A good glug of Sprite or Gingerale (Glug is a precise measurement for more then a splash/less then half the glass)
Fill the rest with Cranberry Juice

Garnish with a lemon/lime/berry and a straw.

Side note: I love drinking with a straw. it makes any drink feel more special and they also look pretty sitting on the counter.

Okay I know this isn't a revolutionary drink but its amazing and so refreshing and I think you should try it!

First photo by me (follow my instagram @erynackerman and the pantone photo from here

ITS FRIDAY!

My most favorite day of the week!

and this friday is especially awesome because my amazing cousin Carly is coming to visit!!


We are going to Blog Podium tomorrow to meet up with a bunch of (legitimate) bloggers. This sort of scares the crap out of me (being more of a recreational blogger and all) but I'm super excited to meet these girls in real life that I know so much about from the blog world. I'm humbled by the amazing women that are going to be there and I can't wait to meet new people and hopefully learn a lot!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Gold Star



Today was a big day for me!


I created business cards for MYSELF. I've had a few work business cards, and I've designed a ton of cards for friends/work/family but this is the first time I've made my own cards to promote myself. EXCITING.

I bought redfoodcolouring.com  (I have no idea why I waited for so long, it took all of 15 minutes and cost $8)

I opened a tax free savings account and invested money in mutual funds. I was sort of hijacked by the bank teller today but she was really friendly ... I wasn't planning on doing either of those things but she made some really valid points and now I'm at least earning interest on my first house fund car downpayment.

I'm learning to express my point of view better and not to be persuaded by others so easily.

And I'm almost finished a huge project at work (our first magazine) that I will be really proud of when its finished.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

new beginnings




I've wanted a new start to this blog for a while.

I don't want a whole new blog though. too much trouble really. you already have it bookmarked (mom) and I'm not against showing the process. 

but I've come to a realization about what kind of blogs I like and what I am excited to read and I haven't been putting that forward on here. I FINALLY have a version of illustrator and photoshop that isn't going to crap out on me in 30 days and I'm excited to use it to show you the best parts of my life.

I cant' promise posts every day. 

But I do want to be better. I want my content to be fresh. original. genuine. well photographed. honest. 


I'm excited. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

crack



Alright! This recipe is for 'crack' which is an extremely accurate name on account of this stuff being impossible to stop eating. its SO good.

I can't take any credit for the recipe...I found it on smitten kitchen but I will add in my two cents below and maybe it will help you out when you make this for anyone you love as soon as possible. because thats seriously what you need to do. right now.

Ingredients:
approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 cup toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)(I used toasted coconut) 


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.
(Note: I didn't use the parchment because I had run out but the tin foil alone is enough to make it not stick and for easy clean up.) 

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with crackers, covering all parts.

In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.
(Note: I would advise you to under cook the caramel slightly because in the next step the caramel goes into the oven for 15 minutes.)

Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.
(Note: Watch it closely, my oven isn't very hot and it started to cook around the edges faster then I would have liked)

Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. A spatula works great here. If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts or whatever topping your using.

Once completely cool — I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crack(ers) — break it into pieces and store it in a container. It should keep for a week but I’ve never seen it last that long.
(Note: I put mine in the fridge and it made pulling the tin foil off very easy.) 

this looks like much more work then it really is. you really only need to lay out the crackers, make the caramel, bake the caramel on the crackers and then melt the chocolate chips on the top once it comes out of the oven. easy peasy. 

oh and we didn't have any left after our party to try this but I can guarantee this would be ammmmmazing sprinkled over vanilla ice cream. 

Friday, May 11, 2012

recently pinned....

Hi hi hi.... so today is FRIDAY, which is awesome because its beautiful outside right now and I'm itching to get this weekend started. (3:01..tick tick tick)

In the meantime, here are some of the images I have pinned lately on my pinterest

This weekend is going to awesome because we actually have ZERO plans tonight (other then Peter just texted me that he is making my 'favorite meal' so I'm not too sure what to expect) and tomorrow I will spend baking and getting ready to host a mothers day brunch on sunday. Then sunday night we have tickets to see Edward Sharpe at the Kool Haus, which I am sure will be ammmmmmmazing. 

any new music your really into right now? or live music you know about that is coming up in toronto? 





Tuesday, May 1, 2012




Isn't this photo all kinds of dreamy and wonderful? I am actually quite in love with the idea of getting married in a cable knit sweater. okay maybe not, but maybe afterwards? and have a big bonfire?

I just love the colours and feeling of this photos. its no secret I'm in love with mountains, and water. add in boats and big wooden stumps? done and done.

++++++

I'm starting to plan my garden for the summer. I want low maintenance plants and ivy that will creep all over my fence. I'm not going to try vegetables again...its too hard to keep them well watered (roof top patio) and I have plenty of travel plans this summer that I won't be able to take care of them properly.

I'm limiting myself to small herb garden and some baby greens/spinach.

++++++

also, when is summer starting? like WTF right? its so rainy and cold and ugly out!

++++++

big week at work. (re) launching a development in Mississauga. publishing a magazine. moving our sales center to a new location. still working on the new website. kind of love being this busy though, honestly.

++++++

Peter and I went running on sunday (i know!!) and it wasn't actually that bad. he found a hill in high park (wow first time I typed that I said 'kill' instead of 'hill' ....which is pretty accurate) and its seriously soooooo steep and intense. we just jogged a bit to warm up in the way there and then took turns going up and down the hill. it drains you! this is not a tiny hill, this is more like a steep mountain trail with parts that are actually 90 degrees.
I am better at working out if its short bursts of energy that I can push myself through.

We've made a pact to run the hill every sunday for the next four weekends. wish us (me) luck.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...