Cinder + Smoke giveaway winner!

The day has come! It's time to announce the winner of the beautiful Cinder + Smoke recycled leather bag! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and a big thank you to Janna, the lady behind Cinder + Smoke and fellow Edmontonian, for offering such a generous prize. Don't forget to check out all she has to offer through the following links:

website/blog/etsy/facebook

And now without further ado...

Woot! Congratulations, Marci!!! You will be contacted shortly:)

Wishing you all a healthy and happy week. Our littles are on the mend. This stomach flu was pretty atrocious. I think Jedi got hit with it the hardest. Poor little goober. We're hoping to make it to the beach again soon. Venturing out is a bit scary though, on account of all the puke. I'll post some more photos of the trip (not the puke, don't worry) in a few days. Hopefully my camera will be filled with a few more smiling faces before this vacation comes to an end. I'm certain it will be. It's so lovely here. I'm trying to soak it all in before I head back home to snowy Edmonton. Snowy Edmonton is where I left my husband though, so I'm actually pretty excited to get back. I miss him a lot.

Aloha!

Ah, the big island of Hawaii. Our home away from home. The days are flying by here. These sweet littles have had so much fun together making sand cakes and pizzas, drinking pink smoothies, running away up the  beach as the waves roll in... Yes. But, now they've all come down with something nasty. Linus was the first to get it a couple of days ago. He's on the BRAT diet now. I've been singing, "Bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast!", to the Yo Gabba Gabba beat about 10 times a day. Jedi came down with a fever not long ago and now it seems as though Sadie has been hit the hardest. She was up late last night puking. She's just sleeping on the couch next to me now. Poor babies... So, it looks like we'll be staying close to home today. Relaxing and reading on the lanai with a glass of iced coffee. The boys feel well enough to play and run around, so we might take them for a swim soon. Yes, I think we'll be alright. If Sadie Love has the same thing as the boys, she should be feeling better in no time. Hopefully all she needs is some sleep and cuddles. 

Aloha friends. Wishing you all a very beautiful day. 

Happy cozy weekend.

 I spent the week running errands, cleaning, visiting, and packing. Linus and I will be taking off to Hawaii this Sunday, so I'm looking forward to spending Saturday with Evan. He has to stay home because of work...big bummer.  I feel pretty terrible for leaving him, but my goodness am I ever looking forward to this getaway. I love the big island so much. This will be Linus' 4th time and I can't wait to see his reaction when we land. He has been asking me nearly every day for the last two weeks if it's time to go on the airplane and he's been packing his little bag for just as long. Every now and then I'll notice him grab a few cars or a granola bar and stuff them inside his fox shaped back pack. He's looking forward to going swimming, playing in the sand, spotting some whales and snacking on guava bread! I'm pretty excited about all of that as well. I hope to come back feeling refreshed and even more in love with my hubby.
I plan on taking a ton of photos while I'm away and I hope to find a bit of time to update this space. If you're interested in seeing the photos from our last Hawaiian vacation (because they are super crazy cute), you can do so by clicking here:) 
Happy weekend, friends! I hope you can spend it with someone you love.


p.s. Don't forget to enter the awesome Cinder + Smoke giveaway we have going on this month!
p.p.s. Be sure to check out the latest re:frame post. I'm really in love with this one.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A lovely morning!

Right now I'm...


• loving all the pretty painted hearts scattered across Linus' art table.


• loving the smell of fresh coffee and flowers this morning.


• loving how kind and mild this Winter has been. 


• loving maple syrup almost as much as Linus does. On heart shaped pancakes and drizzled over snow.


• loving that I'll be eating guava bread and pineapple in Hawaii with my family next week!


• loving the books I've been reading to Linus lately.


• loving and missing my family. 


• loving my beautiful friends who bake me delicious muffins and cookies when I'm feeling blue.


• loving life. I'm so happy to be alive. I have a lot to be thankful for and so much to look forward to.


• loving my sweet little boy. His chocolatey smile. His wet kisses. His bed head. His belly. His songs. 


• loving Evan. He's my wuv,  twoo wuv. He loves me for me and we've made a little family.


Happy Valentines day to you! I hope it's lovely.

A February stroll...

This week has been a difficult one. I'll get through it though. I have these guys by my side and with them, even the crappiest days are filled with laughter.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Happy Weekend! 

p.s. Don't forget to check out the latest re:frame post:)

Cinder + Smoke Giveaway!

 I've decided to start a series of "around town" posts to highlight and share some of our favorite spots, things to do, places to eat and talents in and around Edmonton. I love to support local business' and I hope to spread the word about what our city has to offer to those planning a visit as well as to my fellow Edmontonians. 

What better way to start the series off than to introduce you all to one of my favorite clothing lines- Cinder + Smoke. Janna, the woman behind the beautifully made vintage inspired line, is an Edmonton based designer who has gained a lot of recognition and well dressed loyal customers due to her creations. Take a look at a few of the pieces from her latest collection. The clothes fit like a dream and the fabrics are just so lovely. I own and love a number of her dresses and tops, including a couple from the photos below. Oh, how I would love to add that red dress and that jacket to my collection. Along with that pretty floral button up top. I guess you can probably figure out which ones I own now...

I asked Janna a few questions about starting up her business. She's an incredibly inspiring woman. She also sent me a few photos of her shiny new studio...

 I must say, I'm kinda jealous. It looks pretty amazing.

Here's the Q & A:

•Who or what do you draw your inspiration from?

For me, it's all about fabrics. I love prints and when I find a really
lovely print the design just kind of happens. I always have an idea of
where I want to go with a season but it really comes down to the
fabrics.
I also follow a lot of fashion blogs (some favourites are
Leibremarlene, LuluLetty, TickTockVintage) and a few magazines
(favourite right now is Lula).

•How did you decide on the name of your business?

It took a long, long time. I think I drove my boyfriend crazy with new
ideas for names everyday! I finally settled on cinder+smoke mainly
because I just liked the sound it. It's also the name of an Iron and
Wine song and the names of father and son Chimpanzees at the St.Louis
Zoo, which I thought was cute.

•Whats your favorite thing you've ever made?

Usually, it's whatever is most recent. But, if I had to pick one that
then I think it would have to be the 'Linda' jacket. I've made them in
a bunch of different coloured wools and I am almost always happy with
the results. It seems to fit super well too.
•What challenges did you encounter in the start up of your business, if any?
Fabric has always been a challenge. Designing in Edmonton is not the
most convenient when it comes to textiles and supplies. But on the
bright side, I do get to go on shopping trips to other cities!
Other then that, I guess it would be time. When I first started
cinder+smoke, I worked a full time job and then came home to my tiny
apartment and made clothes. There was never enough time in the day to
do everything I wanted to do. And there still isn't, actually.
I really lucked out though, with the timing of cinder+smoke. It was
almost 5 years ago and that was when, at least in Edmonton, there was
a real interest in local, independent designers. I started selling
clothes at the Downtown Farmers' Market during the summer months and
then at Nokomis, a really great clothing store that carried only
Canadian designs. Sadly, Nokomis closed it's doors in January of 2011.
I really owe a lot to Jessica, the owner. She helped me out so much
when I was first starting out.

•Do you have any advice for those hoping to start up their own small business?

I guess my advice would be to love what you do. Having your own
business is more work then I ever thought it would be but I love it,
so I don't mind putting in the crazy hours.

If you're in Edmonton, you can find a number of Cinder + Smoke items at The Beauty Parlour, Bamboo Ballroom, Meese, Ponytails and Horseshoes as well as at a number of local craft fairs. To find out more be sure to check out her blog/Facebook/website. Janna also has a little Etsy shop. It's usually stocked with her recycled leather bags and a few clothing items as well.

I'm super excited to let you all know that Janna is offering up one of her buttery soft recycled leather bags to a lucky Sappy Apple reader! I've had my eye on these luscious bags of hers for quite some time now. I just love the pretty vintage floral lining and the fact that each bag is made from vintage recycled leather jackets! They are hand sewn and completely unique. Good luck! I hope you win:)

How to enter:
1. Visit Cinder + Smoke online and look around.

2. Leave a comment below letting us know how badly you want this amazing bag.

3. 'Like' Cinder + Smoke on Facebook.

Earn extra entries by:
1. Blogging about this giveaway
2. Tweeting about this giveaway (If you are not on Twitter how about Facebook?)
3. Being a Sappy Apple blog follower:)

Leave a separate comment below letting me know in which ways you've entered. I will choose a winner on February 28th! Good Luck!