A Creative Outlet

Hey all,
hope you're having a fabulous week.

Yesterday after work my friend asked for a drive to a city an hour away to the passport office. Instead of simply dropping off the paperwork and going back home, we decided to make a day of it. We thought it would be fun to do something we can't do at home, so we went to paint some pottery!

    

We both have a lot going on right now, so sitting down for three hours and focusing on painting was exactly the mental break needed to de-stress. She painted measuring cups and spoons, and I painted a chevron mug and measuring cups.

    

I will admit that I do not have very many skills in the slightest. I am a terrible cooker/baker, as you may have noticed from the lack of promised macaron recipe... They weren't exactly a roaring success. I am not a fabulous writer, and I'm not too artsy fartsy. But this skill level was perfect, and we managed to create some cute pieces! Once they are glazed and fired in a kiln, we will go to pick them up. It's amazing how the colors actually appear once fired! I will be sure to post some pictures on that day.

What do you do to de-stress? Are you artsy? A baker? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Liv xx

Sherlock // Obsessions

Hello everybody!
Happy Saturday.

I am currently buried underneath a mountain of tissues, and my sleeping companion is Vicks VapoRub. But something wonderful happened over the last three days of illness: I discovered Sherlock.



If you're like me, you probably search regularly through the depths of Netflix, searching for a new movie or TV series to enjoy. In my wonderful, feverish state, I finally gave in to the phenomenon known as 'Sherlock'. I've never been a fan of British TV. There's nothing wrong with it, I just never got into it. But when I saw this on Netflix, I just couldn't resist anymore. And let me tell you, I'm glad I gave in.

If you've never heard of it (which I sincerely hope is not the case), Sherlock is a show based on the Sherlock Holmes books. But the beauty of it is that it's reimagined in the modern day. In a few words, it's nothing short of genius.



It's clever, gripping, and so perfectly British. Not only that, but it cleverly interprets the classic Sherlock Holmes books and remains quite accurate. All of the actors are dang attractive, to boot. The only thing missing is Sherlock uttering those famous words "Elementary, my dear Watson".

In my experience, there's only one show that can release six episodes, take a two year hiatus, and still cause pandemonium upon its return. I will be forever grateful that I discovered it after that break, but now that I have finished I am having some serious withdrawal. How did you people do it for two years?!

In short, if you're looking to watch a new TV series, but don't want to take the next seventeen years to get through it, check Sherlock out. I promise you will not regret it!

Until next time,
Liv :)
Liv Loses Update: 8 pounds down!

Hotwire, How I Love Thee.

Hey everyone,
hope you're well! I have just emerged from a frenzy of trip planning. I have never gone on a trip that my mother or a travel agent didn't arrange, and I am now learning that is very stressful! However, today I wanted to drop a quick line to tell you about a gem I have found on the internet: Hotwire.com

I am sure you've seen the commercials on TV, with the catchy jingle. But I am here to tell you, it really works! You simply put in your dates and the area you'd like to stay, and Hotwire whizzes up a list of "secret" hotel deals. Here's the kicker: it doesn't give you the name of the hotel until you've booked. Yes, you take the chance of getting something you didn't want, but if you do a little bit of fiddling around on TripAdvisor you can usually determine what hotel it is before you book. Sometimes there aren't any great deals, but sometimes you strike gold! So as I haven't slept a full night in about a week due to the stress of this room-booking fiasco, I just thought I would share a bit of wisdom with you on this fine day.

Until next time,
Liv :)

PS - this is NOT a sponsored post!

The Beginning // Liv Loses

Hey all,
Happy hump day! We are eight days into 2014, and it's time to begin a new series: Liv Loses.

As I've mentioned before, I want to embark on a weight loss journey. So here goes nothing! I am perfectly happy with how I am, but I've decided that I'm tired of being out of breath for simple things and not always being able to wear the clothes I like. It's time for a change! Tomorrow I start a three-day juice cleanse as a kick start, and on Sunday I begin eating healthy. My gym membership starts on the 15th of this month, so I'm really excited to start the transformation!

However, I must admit something. When it comes to weight loss, I've pretty much tried it all. SlimFast, PINK Method, Weight Watchers, Curves, you name it. Sure, all of them work, but I can never seem to find the motivation to stick with it. When you think of losing thirty or forty pounds, it seems like a world a way, and doesn't seem like enough. But when you actually look at a picture of what that one pound of fat looks like, it's easy to see that every last bit makes a difference. Since I have the habit of giving up, I've decided to do not one, not two, but THREE things to keep me accountable in 2014.

First, I have joined the ShayLoss DietBet! I won't go into too much detail, but basically you put $30 into the pot, "betting" that you can lose 4% of your body weight in one month. If you succeed, you get your $30 back, along with a cut from the pot of people who didn't succeed. What a great idea! I encourage you to check it out here.

Secondly, I'm going to stay accountable to you guys! Every week or two weeks, depending on how I progress, I plan to make an update post here on my blog. Whether you read it or not is up to you, it's more for my sake to keep motivated and truly see the difference!

Thirdly, I am going to be putting together a team to do the Run or Dye 5k colour run this June! If you don't know what this is, it's basically a 5k run, where volunteers throw coloured powder at you after each kilometre. It looks like so much fun, and this is going to be my six-month goal! I have downloaded an iPhone app called "Couch to 5k", which gives you a different running/walking schedule each day for 9 weeks. The idea is that you should be able to work your way from never running at all to running five kilometres in those 9 weeks! Of course, it all depends on how often you do it, so I am going to start at three days a week. My motivation will be completing the Run or Dye 5k with my best friends.



What are your big goals for 2014? Is this series something you would like to see more of? It's really more for me than anything else, but if it helps anyone else at all it's even more worth it!

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time,

Liv :)

PS: Starting weight and pictures coming soon! Let's do this!

New Year's News

HELLO!
Hope everyone is having a splendid weekend so far. Tonight I just wanted to share with you a few little blog-related tidbits that I thought would be best served all at once, rather than in separate little posts. For your sake, I'll keep the chatter to a minimum and get straight to it!

- Firstly, something I have wanted to do for quite some time is host a giveaway here on Liv Loves. So, I have decided to do a special treat for my readers. Over the next month, I will be doing a "Made in Canada" giveaway, where I will pick a few of my favourite, exclusively Canadian treats to give away. Shipping is expensive so it won't be anything major, but I thought it was a cute idea. Click "Giveaways" at the top of this page to find out how to enter!

- Second, you may have noticed that Liv Loves can be found at a new address! I've ditched the "blogspot.com" tag, and went for the simple ".net". Just wanted to clean things up in the new year, and as ".com" was already taken, I thought this one sounded just as cool. So, welcome to the new and slowly improving livloves.net!

- Finally, I have decided to feature a select few blogs on my page, by way of advertising. I am offering a couple of different options this year, and you can find out about those by clicking "Sponsor" at the top of this page. The prices are very reasonable, I think. By doing this, I hope to not only help you spread the word about your blog, but also start to build a community of like-minded bloggers, working together for the "greater good"!

Well, I do feel better now that all of that's out of the way. I hope you all have a lovely Sunday, and you are sure to hear from me soon!

Until next time!
Liv xoxo

This Is the New Year

Hey all,
Happy New Year! Sorry for the belated post, I had a beautiful post written while I was away for the holiday, but forgot about the auto-refresh function on my iPad... Bye-bye blog post!

Every year around this time, people resolve to do certain things over the next 365 days. I am one of these people, but rather than 365 days I tend to make it to around 36.5. This year, I want to do better. So to keep me going, I thought I would share my resolutions in an attempt to stick with it. Here we go!

- Love More - Relationship-wise, 2013 was not great for me. I wasted most of the year waiting for something that was not going to happen. Looking back, I think I'm glad it never did... I'm not convinced yet. But in 2014, I'm putting it all behind me. A fresh start, and a new outlook on life and love in the new year will do me some good.

- Eat Less, Exercise More - Well, I have officially joined the gym. I start on January 15th, and it's time to stick with it. And this time, I'm doing it totally for me. There are only a handful of occasions that I don't like how my body looks, however I often find myself unable to keep up with my friends (who walk freakishly fast) or find the clothes I really want in the right size. This year I would like to lose at least 60 pounds, by eating right and going to the gym every day if possible.

- Spend Less - I admit, I'm not great with money. I often buy things I don't need, when I don't really have the money. Don't get me wrong, a shopping spree every once in a while is wonderful, but when you're a student and only working part-time, things can get tight between paychecks. This year, I have made a separate savings account, where I will save enough for my trip to the UK, and then continue to pay off my student debt. By putting the money aside instead of directly into my chequing account, I'll be less likely to spend it on silly things.

- Blog More - Yowza! When I started this blog back in April, I never thought I would enjoy it so much. I have had such a great time thinking of ideas for posts, and sharing my little thoughts and ponderings with the world. I made the decision in September to invest a little chunk of change on this space, for advertising and design, and I honestly think it's the best decision I could have made. That being said, I kind of let the whole thing get away from me as it grew. This year I definitely hope to stay committed to this little project and keep it going. I have been so blessed this year by all of you followers who have joined the family, and I look forward to seeing where 2014 will take us!

So that's it! Those are my main New Years' resolutions. You may think it's silly of me to share these things publicly, but I just think of it as a way to stay accountable! Please feel free to leave a comment below, telling us what your resolutions are for 2014!

Until next time,
Liv <3