Sneak Peek...

Here's a sneak peek of a friend's blog re-design that I'm doing.  Hopefully I'll be done it soon!

I love designing blogs.  If I could do it as a side job I would.

After this design is done I have a few more to do, but if you need help with your blog or you want a face lift, contact me!  I'd be more than happy to help.

Ciao bellas!

~E

Hey lovelies!  It's Folklore Friday!  This week I wanted to flashback about 20 years or so.  I don't know about you, but growing up my family LOVED watching "Unsolved Mysteries".  I enjoyed it too, but something about the theme music and Robert Stack's voice creeped me out as a little girl.

I was browsing through old videos when I came across this from old story.  I remember watching this as a little girl too, which is kinda creepy in itself.  Take a peek, it's a pretty interesting story.

Yeah....weird.  What did you think?  Do you think it's possible the mother's spirit rescued her son from death?  I want to hear your thoughts.

Later gators!

~E

Because I Love Clogging Your Blog Feed....

Are you getting tired of these yet?  

NO, YOU SAY? 

Well, here's one more for shits and giggles!

The A-Z's of Erin, for all my internet stalkers :)

Age: 26 (27 in November!)

Bed Size: Queen, and it's even better now that I'm single.

Chore that you hate: Laundry.  I have a card system at my apartment and it's a pain in the ass to have to refill that thing.

Dogs: I want a French Bulldog AND an Irish Wolfhound.  I kid you not.

Essential start to your day: checking my emails and Facebook, because I'm addicted to the internet.

Favourite color: RED

Gold or Silver: How about white gold?

Height: 5'1" on a good day.

Instruments you play: guitar, trumpet, piano, and I use to play harmonica.

Job Title: Video Editor for a TV station

Kids: a 2 year old named Ben

Live: Edmonton, Alberta

Mother's name: Cheryl

Nicknames: "Hey, you with the hair..."

Overnight hospital stays: after I gave birth. I was in labor for 33 hours and stayed in the hospital 4 days.

Pet Peeves: Idiots and bad drivers

Quote from a movie: "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets." -- Taxi Driver

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: a half sister and half brother

Time you wake up in the morning: When Ben's over, 8 am.  When I'm alone, 11 am.  I work late and my neighbours above me are loud jerks, so I don't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.

Underwear...comfy and sassy

Vegetable you hate: Onions are the bane of my existence

What makes you run late: either sleeping in or my boy.

X-Rays: after falling down the stairs and injuring my back I had to get them.

Yummy food that you make: I can bake a mean red velvet cake.

Zoo Animal: Our zoo here in my town sucks so I'm not answering.

*  *  *  *  *

And there you have it!  Fun facts about Erin.  Now isn't your day a bit brighter?

Ciao!

~E

Eyelash Extensions Are Pretty Great

So last Friday my friend Dawn and I took the plunge and got eyelash extensions.  What are eyelash extensions, you ask?  Well, they're simply one of the greatest things EVER.

Basically, it's like a synthetic fibre that is glued onto your current eyelash to add fullness and length.  I know, I know, it sounds weird.  When I first heard about it I was kinda like "Who the hell would do that?!"  But y'know what?  I'm glad I did. 

I wake up in the morning now and barely wear any make up, as the eyelashes make it look like you're already wearing it.  They're not annoying in the least, which was my concern.  I thought they may feel weird or irritate my skin.  Nope!

The process of getting these babies put on is a bit tedious and, well, creepy feeling.  They start off by taping your upper lid and putting vaseline on your eyebrows.  Then they put vaseline on your lower lashes and tape them up too.  That part really bothered me.  You see, I have this weird fear of getting paper cuts by my eye.  That stems back from seeing the Jackass movie and they were paper cutting their eye lids...so, yeah.  But when you get past the tape, it's smooth sailing from there.

The glue that is used to bond the fake lashes is medical grade but it produces some fumes, so a bit of itchiness and irritation happened with me.  I was just given a fan to blow on my face and that stopped the feeling.  Afterwards for about 15 minutes my eye lids felt itchy but it went away quickly.

The whole process took about 45 minutes.  I was told the lashes would last up to a month or more, so I hope that's not a lie.

There are a few things I can't do with these lashes though....

*no water can contact them.  And yes, I still shower.

*no oil-based make up remover can be used.

*don't rub your eyes.

*don't play with or pull on the lashes.

*no mascara on the fake lashes.

*no curling them.

Also, be prepared to look like a jackass during the procedure.

Oh baby, I am a dreamboat.

So, that was my experience with eyelash extensions.  If you're considering them, I say try it.  I'm pretty happy with mine.  Questions?  Leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you.

Ciao bellas!

~E

The Camera Addiction Continues...

If you've been following me for a while you know I have an obsession with film cameras.  I love them more than my axolotl loves eating, and he's a porker. (Ok, obscure reference, but you get it.)  

Last week I was wasting time on Kijiji when I found an ad for a Canon AE-1 with flash for $25.  SAY WHAT?!  The camera was in working order as well.  Perfectly mint condition, clear lens, beautiful.  Honestly, how can anyone say no to that?

So, meet the latest addition to my camera family!

The man I bought this from said it use to be his dad's, and that it was hardly ever used.  I take it he never really knew the true value of this camera.  With flash it could easily go for +$100.  Sweet, sweet deal!

What I like about this camera so far is the auto setting.  It can set the shutter speed and aperture automatically, which is the complete opposite of my manual Nikon FM from around the same era.  I've already snapped a few photos with this baby so I'm looking forward to seeing how the film turns out.

So, the lesson for today kids: Don't just rely on thrift stores for finding sweet vintage cameras.  If there's an online classified place for your area of the world, check it.  I'm on Kijiji every week seeing what's all on there.  Same with Craigslist, but I'm there mostly for the rants page. ;)

Later gators!

~E

Blog Design for lovely Tone!

I bet you cats didn't know I do blog design.  Well, surprise!  I'm still learning, but so far it's become quite the hobby of mine!  For example I designed my blog myself using Pugly Pixel's templates and it was a pretty fun task!

Tone of Lost Cabin asked me a couple weeks ago to re-vamp her blog, and of course I said YES YES!  Here's the end result:

It's a nice, clean, simple look.  I absolutely love making headers, navigation bars, and buttons!

Need help designing something?  I'm your gal!  Send me an email and I'll be more than happy to help you with any graphic related stuff. (pssst...it's free!)  eeegadserin (at) gmail (dot) com.

Ciao bellas!

~E

The Terrible Twos Kinda Suck But Are So Cute

Behind this adorable plump face is a conspiring 2 year old's brain at work.  

"What will happen if I climb up the dishwasher?"  
"I'm sure Mama won't mind if I hide my toys in the oven."
"What can I get into next?"  

No one ever said motherhood would be easy, but I was also never informed how busy a little boy could be!  I grew up an only child, never really had contact with small children, then WHAM! --  I'm a mommy.
These past few months Ben has been exerting his independence more and more, and I love it!  At the same time he's also learning to protest and it's become almost impossible to take him out in public sometimes.

Case in point:  Last Friday evening Brendan came over to see Ben, as it'd been almost a month since they spent time together.  Everything was going great, until we decided to take Ben to a restaurant.  That's when all hell broke lose.  My child became possessed, rotating his head and spitting out pea soup --  ok, he wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't great either.  He refused to sit anywhere, only Brendan's shoulders.  Then he wanted down.  Then he started screaming bloody murder.  Finally we decided to pack it in and take him to a park so we could finish our supper picnic style.

I know as a parent we all have to go through with this, but why does it have to be so brutal?  As soon as Ben starts acting up in public I feel like the worst parent in the world.  I can feel everyone's gaze cutting right through me and I purposely do my best to not make eye contact.  I try my best to calm Ben down but nothing seems to work than to leave the scene.  

Maybe I'm just worrying too much and should let him have his tantrum and get over it?  I don't know.

I'm reaching out to all the mothers out there who read my blog...is there any advice you can give a first time mommy with this?  How did you discipline your children when they acted up in public?  What worked for you and what didn't work?

I love my little man an incredible amount, and I feel lucky to have such an awesome son as him.  At the same time I don't want every public outting to end with him melting down.

 
Mommy SOS!

~E

Elk Island Hike

Over the weekend my ex Brendan, our friend Raimund and I decided to take a drive out of town to Elk Island, about 20 minutes east of Edmonton. (Yes, I'm still friends with Brendan in case you're wondering. :)  It was my first time ever going to the park and I was sad to see no elk there.  LIES!

Anyways, we went on a hike around the lake and I'm happy to report that I DID NOT feel out of breath at all on our journey!  Also, I was an idiot and decided to wear peep-toe shoes instead of hiking boots, just because I'm cool like that.  

I brought the lovely 5D Mark II with me and managed to snap a few photos along the way.  Raimund is a shutter bug as well and took some of the following photos too.  I can't wait to see this place when it's orange in a few weeks!

See that sweet bag Brendan's carrying? That's my camera bag!

Erin Fun-Fact:  I am a delicacy in the bug world.

Ukranian House. Lots immigrated and settled here in the late 1800/early 1900s.

Umm....fuck??! (click to read)

On the drive back to town we came across this gem. Welcome to Alberta.

All in all it was a pretty fun time.  We sang along to Steel Panther's "Community Property" in the car, got ice cream, and just let loose.  It's always pretty sweet getting out of Edmonton.  We're all from small towns so it's nice to get back to nature and all that jazz.

How was your weekend?  Do tell!

Ciao bellas!

~E

Hey kids!  It's time for Folklore Friday!  This week I wanted to share a website that I use to "haunt" many years ago.

When my dad first moved into his house when I was in college, we were convinced his house was haunted.  There was always weird creaks around the house and the feeling of being watched in the kitchen.  He had the back of his couch in the living room facing the stairs to the front door, and every time I'd sit down in it I got the feeling that someone was going to come up behind me and bludgeon me in the back of the head.  I've NEVER had that feeling anywhere else.  Creepy, right?

Well, some days I'd be alone at his house and of course I would end up creeping myself out more by looking up different ghost and paranormal websites.  The main website I would always check out was Ghost Study.  It has a fantastic gallery of photos people submit in which they believe they caught a ghost on film/with digital cameras.  I LOVE LOOKING THROUGH THESE.  Some of them are so freaky.

Here's a sampling for your viewing pleasure.

The girl in the top left has no lower body.  Look closely.

I wanted to post more, but you'll just have to check out that site and see for yourself.  They also post fake ghost photos as well, which is kinda cool.  I'm somewhat skeptical with ghost photos, so it's neat to see them be upfront and say "Yeah, this is fake, but we'll post it anyways for the hell of it."

Find any photos that creeped you out?  Link me!

Later gators!

~E

How The Time Flies...

I was going through some old photos on my Mac when I came across this gem.  This was Ben and I last year!  Hard to believe, right? 

Look how young he looks!  Now Ben's two and he already looks like a four year old.  Have I mentioned to  you guys that he's half my height already??  Mind you, I'm 5'1", but still!

This shot is so candid, I don't even remember it being taken.  It's amazing how much Ben and I have grown this past  year...him into his own little person and me overcoming some difficult times.  It's fun to think that a year ago he was learning how to walk.  Now he repeats everything I say, can open and close the DVD player to take DVDs out (AND turns off the TV), do simple commands, and count to thirteen!  Smart kid!

I'm curious to see what next summer holds for us.  Will Ben be talking in full on sentences?  Will he start remembering the things we do?  

My earliest memory is from when I was 4.  I was sitting on a chair and was told my cousin Jenn was coming by, whom I adored.  I got excited and BAM -- fell off the chair.

Another early memory of mine involves riding a bike down a set of stairs because I thought it'd be fun.

See the pattern?  Yeah...

What are some of your earliest memories?  I'd love to hear them!

Ciao for now,

~E

My Best Friend's Baby

Over the month of August my best friend from high school, Vanessa, had her first baby!  She had a little girl named Avery.  It's hard to believe still we're all growing up and having kids...hell, most days when we hang out we act like we're still teenagers.

I managed to snap a couple shots of baby Avery while I was visiting about a week after she was born.  This is my first time ever photographing a newborn, so that was interesting!

Ahhh, babies.  Ten years ago I would've had no interest in them.  Now I get all mushy and motherly-like when I see a baby.  Funny how life works.

Ciao bellas!

~E

I LOVE TERA SUE!

Yes, it's true!  Tera Sue is such a talented artist and I quite enjoy how her mind works.  I'm pretty sure if we lived closer we'd get along great, seeing as we're both quirky and such. 

Tera did a custom portrait of Ben and I, and I LOVE IT!  It's pretty darn cute.

See the Metalocalypse logo?  That's because my axolotl is name Murderface.  Aaaand I really like that show.

I highly recommend getting a portrait from Tera.  I'm printing this out and putting it up at work...hell, I may even give my mom a copy.

Hope your Saturday is just as delightful as mine!

~E

What August Had In Store...

I thought it'd be fun to do a little post and let you guys know what I was up to last month.  Lots of changes.  I'm adjusting to single life ok and learning to embrace it.  As much as I miss being in a relationship, this freedom right now is nice.  Believe it or not, I'm actually helping Brendan move into his new loft this weekend.  Call me crazy, but I still consider that kid my best friend.

What else did I get up to?

I also:

*joined a gym.  Bye bye baby weight (forever...and ever...and ever...I hope.)

*got a letter saying that my grant application for a film project I'm helping out on was approved.

*had my tarot cards and tea leaves read.  VERY interesting results.

*lost my white axolotl. He passed last week and I'm still sad about it.

*have decided to work on improving myself...meaning focusing on me right now and becoming the person I want to be. Balanced, more confident, less stressed...you get the picture.

What have you guys been up to this past month?  What are your goals for September?  Some of my goals are taking loads of autumn photos and wearing lots of layers and dresses with my leather jacket.  It's the little things.

Ciao bellas!

~E

PS...If you're wondering where my Folklore Friday posts have gone, well...I need some help!  If you have a cool legend about your town, get in contact with me.  I'd love to feature you!  eeegadserin (at) gmail (dot) com

Camera Giveaway

In case you didn't know, I'm doing a camera giveaway on Lindsay's blog Scenic Glory.  When I spotted this camera, I fell head over heels.  It's completely DIY and VERY awesome.

Pretty cool, right?  I'm seriously considering buying one for myself now to add to my massive collection.

To find out how to enter, here's the link to Lindsay's post.

Good luck!  Oh, and happy September!  I can't believe it's that time already :/

~E