goodbye, nana

Friday started off pretty good like any other day... but quickly went downhill. My great grandma (or Nana as I called her) passed away. Over the past few years her health had been slowly deteriorating, but her passing seemed to happen so suddenly.

I'm actually still in a bit of shock.

She was such an incredible person, and I loved her very, very much. I know that today (and everyday) she's looking down on me from Heaven, free of pain and rejoicing with her husband (my Papa) and her daughter (my grandma), who were also taken from us far to soon.

If you have a moment, please say a little prayer for our family today.

(image found here)

a few favorites

{I love starting off a summer day with a healthy berry smoothie.}

{I'm obsessed... it's like a little piece of chocolate hazelnut heaven!}

{Fresh flowers are a definite pick me up on these gloomy days.}

{I wish my room was always filled with white balloons!}

Happy Wednesday! We're half way through the week.... :-)


images: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

weekend review

Well, hello everyone and happy Tuesday! How was your weekend? Mine was filled with intense spring cleaning, a 50th birthday party for my Aunt and plenty of time outside!

So I thought I'd entertain you with a few shots from the party... And don't I look thrilled?! lol. I tried so hard to avoid the camera, but my cousin got me anyways. :-/

friday finds & favorites

I'm so happy it's Friday! It's been one of those weeks, ya know what I mean?? Nothing seemed to go right and the weather sucks. Plus, I really haven't done much cooking/baking recently. I've been a major slacker lately, and I don't like it one bit. :-/

I'm constantly bookmarking new dishes to try and these are just a handful that I've saved over the past few weeks:

Rosemary Herb Bread

Panko Pesto Mozzarella Bites

Greek Quinoa Salad

Chicken & Zucchini Fettuccini

Broccoli & White Cheddar Mac 'n Cheese

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Chicken Salad with Corn & Blueberries

Chocolate Chip Wontons

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Sweet Cinnamon Scones

Pineapple Strawberry Cooler

I really hope to make some of these soon!! Don't they sound delish?

What are some of your favorite dishes/recipes?
Know of any other good cooking blogs/sites I should check out?

(image found here)

simply smitten...

... with Confetti System! I'm sure you've already seen them before, but if not, you're in for a fun and sparkly treat! Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho are the creative talents behind Confetti System and describe what they do as "transforming simple materials such as tissue paper, cardboard, and silk into interactive objects that create a point of focus."

I love these gorgeous and festive installations. The thought of having a room filled with all that beautiful garland makes me smile and my heart beat faster! :-)


(images from confetti system)

today i'm at hearted girl...

...for my first guest post EVER!!! I was oh-so-honored (and excited) that Lynn asked me to guest post.
Here's a sneak peek of what I'm doing over there...

What are you waiting for?! Hop on over to Lynn's blog!

we have a winner!

Congrats Paloma! Thanks to all those who entered and thanks to Milk & Cookies Canada for offering such a fun giveaway!!

Didn't win? No worries, Milk & Cookies Canada still has all kinds of fun covers at really great prices! So make sure you check out their shop today! Alrighty, I'll be back later with another post! :- )

hello monday

Morning Dearies! Another weekends come and gone, now it's time to start a new week. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and not feel lazy this morning, which is kind of hard to do since the weather has been so darn crappy!

I discovered the work of Eloise Renouf over the weekend I fell head over heels for her prints. Are they not the cutest? I can't get enough of the patterns and soft muted colors....

The only problem is, I want all of them!

Visit Eloise's etsy shop and take a look at the rest of her beautiful designs.



(images from eloise renouf)

take two// color wheels and nail polish

This post was up for a few hours yesterday until Blogger decided to to be lame and do maintenance ALL DAY. The original post was DELETED along with all the comments. :-( Luckily, the entire post was still showing up in my reader! So, with a little copy and paste action, we're back in business. Let's try this again... and please feel free to comment again. :-)

----------------------

It's true—I'm a bit of of fanatic when it comes to polish. I found this awesome color wheel while browsing over at Refinery 29 yesterday, and I just had to share! "So, instead of opting for your usual hues, get ready to kick up your digit decoration with a broad spectrum of brights."

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!! I'm definitely into the bright pinks and corals right now... and I'm sorta loving turquoise too!

What hues are you opting for? And what's your favorite brand of polish??


PS: Also, Make sure you check out my current giveaway—an awesome pillow cover from Milk and Cookies Canada is up for grabs!!

(image from refinery 29)

simply smitten...

... by these gorgeous photos by Chelsea Victoria. She's a fellow Buffalonian, obsessed with capturing every single special moment in life with her trusty camera. Aren't her photos are simple yet stunning... and the best part, she's having sale right now, 35% off, so make sure you check out her etsy shop!

website // etsy // blog

Happy Wednesday! We're half way through the week!! :- )



(images by chelsea victoria)

cool covers & another giveaway!

I can’t get enough of these cushion covers that I spotted on Etsy a few weeks back. Handmade in Toronto by Misty, I absolutely love all the fabrics in the Milk & Cookies Canada shop...

And if beautiful fabric isn't enough, how about the affordable prices! That's the icing on the cake!

Are you ready for another special treat?

Misty is giving away a pillow cover to one lucky reader! The winner gets to choose a $20 pillow cover of their choice!!

how to enter:
be a public follower of creative index AND visit the milk and cookies shop.
leave a comment with the cover you would pick (up to $20)!!

really, really want to win??

+ follow @creative_index on twitter
+ tweet / blog / fb about this giveaway (include a link)

that's 3 chances to win!!

*** make sure to leave SEPARATE COMMENTS for each entry!! ****

good luck!! :- )

giveaway ends on may 16th and one winner will be chosen
via random.org on may 17th

---------------------
Note: It looks like the great Blogger Crash of 2011 deleted some of the comments recently. :-(
I wanted to let everyone know that if you already entered, but don't see your comment, you will still be entered to win! Every comment is emailed directly to me, so I will be going through, double checking to making sure every vote is counted!! Thanks and good luck!!

drum-roll please...

Hey friends! I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend celebrating Mom's Day! Our was pretty low key, splitting the day between both families and eating lots of yummy food! And even though I was feeling under the weather, it was nice to spend the day with our Mom's!

Ok. Ok. I bet you're dying to know who won the Edie's Lab giveaway? Drum-roll please....

Congrats Nikki! Thanks to all those who entered and thanks to Edie's Lab for offering such an amazing giveaway!!

Didn't win? No worries, Edie's Lab still has all kinds of fun pieces at really great prices! So make sure you check out their shop today! Alrighty, hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. I'll be back later with another giveaway!! :- )

friday finds & favorites

Can you believe it's Friday already?? Am I the only one who thought this week flew by?
Anyways, I'm keepin' it short and sweet today, I'm off to run a few errands...

Here are a few great links from around the web...

+ A sweet idea for brownies.

+ 15 jobs you never knew existed.

+ How to paint furniture.

+ Cheesecake stuffed strawberries.

+ Super cute veggie flower bouquets.

+ Window herb garden.

+ Watercolor party cups!!

+ Great summer sandal guide.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother's Day too all the mommy's out there! xo


PS: You should enter my giveaway... I mean really, who doesn't like ampersands??

(illustration from jo clark)

artist love: anna emilia

These beautiful hand-painted illustrations by Anna Emilia are just so sweet and charming!
The colors and the details have me swooning... and I love the sweet little stories that accompany
each work.

Happy Wednesday, beauties! xo

(images from anna emilia)

it's giveaway time!!

I love anything related to typography, lettering, words.... So when I saw these darling pieces on Esty, I got a little excited! Can you really blame me??

Edie's Lab is a small workshop which focuses on rescuing materials from the waste stream. Most of their products are made with reclaimed or recycled materials and their paints and finishes are all water based, and low voc!

The awesome folks over at Edie's Lab are so graciously donating a walnut-finish ampersand to one lucky reader!! How cool is that?! I wish I could enter!! :- )

how to enter:
be a public follower of creative index AND
tell me your favorite font to use... or favorite color!!

really, really want to win??
(leave SEPARATE COMMENTS for each additional entry!!)

+ become an edie's lab follower
+ like creative index on facebook
+ follow @creative_index on twitter
+ tweet about this giveaway

that's 5 chances to win!!

*** make sure to leave SEPARATE COMMENTS for each entry!! ****

good luck!! :- )

giveaway ends on may 9th and one winner will be chosen
via random.org on may 10th

one year later

Back when I started this blog, I really didn't take it too seriously... I think I posted maybe 10 times in the first 4 months. It wasn't until I quit my job, that I decided to jump back. I quickly realized this was my creative outlet and source for motivation. It was my connection to amazing people who are passionate about everything in life. I love that every day I find another awesome blog to stalk, and another genuine person to get to know. : )

A big bear hug and thank you to all of you, for taking the time out of your day to stop by and write such sweet comments. Every single one warms my heart and it seriously makes my day!!

Here's to another (and maybe even better) year blogging along with you!!

(image found here)