Hi all! Just a head's up I've moved my blog to my new website: christinamariej.com. Please go there for the latest adventures! Happy weekend!

Happy New Years from the Crazy Dog Lady!

This year has been a tough one. While adjusting to countless life changes, I learned to enjoy the journey and stop racing towards the end game. The greatest happiness is the small triumphs along the way — and spending time with those who make you laugh really hard.

I lost some very important beings in 2014 — my grandfather, and my best furry friend Etnie.

I also met my marvellous man friend who has been an amazing support throughout the ups and downs. 

 Professionally I struggled too. I stopped believing in my capabilities and fell into a long creative funk. I think after enduring so many life changes, it took some time before I regained satisfaction in my work. 

I've spent the better half of my Christmas holiday surrounded with pets. I cat-sat for my coworker for 9 days, then I spent Christmas at my mum's with our dog Etnie before her passing. Two days later, my boyfriend gifted us our own pet — a 9-week old French Bulldog we called Frances Bixby.

The majority of our days together have been spent napping (or rather, her napping). I've documented the process of us getting to know each other and thought I would share those to send off the year.

May 2015 be full of laughter and adventure for all!

Sunday Funday!

This Sunday I was feeling restless and in need of an adventure. I've been curious about the Scarborough Bluffs for some time and decided it would be an opportune day to visit.

POSTER DESIGN

The best times at work is when I can sneak off and let my imagination run wild. 

We have the opportunity to come up with some branding for a new show called "Toronto of the Future." Which has been perpetually delayed due to our hectic schedules. 

The logo my colleague completed had been approved already, so we just needed some secondary graphics. After investigating what was happening with architecture and building in Toronto, I presented 3 concepts — irregular shapes, jigsaw puzzle & layering. I wish I had brought the PDF I presented home so I could include those in this post.

I received an email from my boss on Friday saying she hoped we had time to make progress (I hadn't) because the big boss was asked to present the new designs at a meeting he had scheduled for Monday. With permission, I ran home (to avoid interruption, which has been happening a lot) and cracked out a few designs. They require some refinement, but it's a step in the right direction. 

As you can see I've been kind of fixated on texture and gradients lately.

Happy weekend to you!

SO WE WENT ON A ROADTRIP — PART 5: PORTLAND!

Highlights: Amazing hallway smell, Crazy fresh sushi, Unfriendly Voodoo Donuts guy, Koi fish pond, OREGON TRAIL SUNDAE!!, Awesome murals, Homegrown Smoker vegan bbq, Vegan paradise. 

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Portland didn't get a chance to impress us. We were so tired after all our lengthy driving and bad sleeps, we just wanted to nap the entirety of our visit, hence the few photos. However, we managed to cram in a solid day of exploring, and I was extremely pleased! 

Travelling for me is mainly about the food, and my goodness Portland has INCREDIBLE vegan eats! Back to Eden Bakery knocked me off my rocker. I wanted EVERYTHING! I had THE BEST sandwich at Homegrown Smoker vegan bbq food truck. If I lived there I would eat one EVERY DAY! Sorry for the allcaps, I still dream of these delights.

Our Airbnb accommodation was awesome and Megan (the host) was incredibly sweet (see heritage brick building - 19th photo in) and Voodoo Donuts was a very short stroll away (see badly lit photo below) though not overly impressive.