technology frazz and guest posting

This was originally a guest post over at The Hummingbird Girls while the lovely Annalise is off getting married... if you head over there you can read the heart warming story about this jacket and weddings....

what do nicole kidman, kosovan refugees, and my outfit have in common?

... Not that much, as it turns out, but if you do want to know the link, head over to Virginie's Cinema--head over anyway; I love her blog! Here you'll find me waxing semi-eloquent about cinema and so forth...

book, terrace, cat

This was originally a guest post for Chantilly's Songs, who's launching a kickstarter campaign to record an album of lovely songs. Check it out! I, meanwhile, was asked to share my experiences on the road less travelled by, basically, pursuing my own creative pursuits from a rooftop terrace in Barcelona.

I recently chose to move back to Barcelona, a city I lived in in my early twenties, ignoring more normal career paths for the time being at least, and working on my children's novel. In this pictures you can see me working, or at least attempting to work, on my terrace (I love Barcelona weather). Though I sometimes feel stressed under the weight of social expectations, I'm ultimately really happy with taking this time out to work on editing, improving, and hopefully someday publishing my novel. I also work part time at a job that doesn't excite me too much, but the satisfaction of pursuing a creative goal and living in such a beautiful city goes a long way towards soothing my frustrations....



Writing, editing... and I won't lie... a degree of this goes on too!



wearing a vintage dress and belt

Oh, and here's a few more gratuitous shots of life on my terrace, before it got cold and started raining. And Fraggle again!


A visiting Vancouverite, cat-lover, and thrifter extraordinaire!


Check out my old skool phone!

a musical evening

This was originally a guest post over at Melissa's blog, Sometimes Almost Always




photo by lucchi80 on flickr



Hi Sometimes Almost Always readers, I'm Emily from Ruby Slipper Journeys!

I think Melissa asked me for a guest post over two months ago, and I've been unbelievably flaky. At the beginning, I had a thesis to finish, but then I got a case of bloggers block. She said it should be food or music themed, and while I love food, no sooner did I promise something along those lines than I realized I wasn't eating out much any more, and that my home-cooking wasn't exactly photogenic. And music... well, I generally say I have no soul and don't really care about music too much...

However, I would really have no soul not to care about Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, perhaps the most beautiful building in the city. You can take guided tours of this modernist masterpiece, but it doesn't cost much more to actually see a concert there. So I went for a wonderful evening of classical guitar by Paraguayan guitarrist Berta Rojas. The music was perfect, and the surroundings even more perfect... I just wish I hadn't worked just before and could have brought my better camera. Oh, and that I could have arrived early enough to have a class of sparkling wine before the show!






My camera wasn't really up to the task, but the wall behind Rojas was beautiful... the heads are sculpted stone, but they fade into the wall and the bodies and gowns are mosaic...

Thanks for having me Melis! Sorry about the epic delay!

parasols and street festivals

This was originally a guest post over at Streets and Stripes. I'm reposting it here because I'm kind of OCD about keeping all my blog content together!

My family live in Hamilton, Ontario these days, and on a month-long visit this August I had fun being a tourist in my home country. The day these photos were taken, there was a street fair near to our house. There was live music, stalls selling many different items, and, judging by the atmosphere, free-flowing beer. My sister and I had a wander through it. I loved this outfit, but in retrospect the parasol probably wasn’t the best idea for such a crowded event: I lived in fear of taking somebody’s eye out. ; p







Photos by my sister and I

dress: See by Chloe via ebay, parasol: bought in Venice years ago, necklace: gift from my mother, shoes: Urban Outfitters, sunglasses: H&M

Also, for those of you living in the US or Canada, last chance to enter the $200 Kranich's Jewelry giveaway. It's dead easy, you've just got to choose your favourite piece from their website and leave a comment on my blog post. I'll be drawing the winner tomorrow night (or, more realistically, Tuesday morning). So get to it!

Last of the summer stories: guest post from Resplendent Tranquility!

It's definitely time this fun little summer series was wrapped up. Perhaps I've been hanging onto it as I hang on to summer. In any case, this entry, from my friend Emily of Resplendent Tranquility, is all about the end-of-summer nostalgia. I'm always left thumbing or clicking through photos of all the best times in my life again again... but how to capture them perfectly to begin with? I love Emily's blog because it is a truly resplendent and tranquil place, and it focuses on the little details to tell a whole bigger story. Much like these delightful film-captured snippets of summer she sent me. I think I can feel the sun and instinctively know the air temperature in every one of them...







Hello! This is Emily from Resplendent Tranquility happy to be participating in the Summer Stories series here at Ruby Slipper Journeys. When Emily asked me to share a few film photos with all of you I set out to capture some of the serene and idyllic moments that perhaps are summer at its best. The moments you're happy to witness whether you have a camera on you or not. The moments you wish would last just a bit longer - full of enveloping heat and unmistakeable summer colors. A multi-hued umbrella against a rain-saturated sky. Vibrant and delicate wildflowers reaching toward and reflecting the sun. A foggy-pink sky at dawn. Dry grasses rolled into hay bales. It's the little things that often bring out the best in each season. Take a look around you and soak them in. With that said, please enjoy some scenes from a countryside summer.

summer stories: the readers edition part 2!

Here's the rest of the great reader submissions to the Summer Stories series. These are all keeping me warm right now as the rain literally buckets down outside.

Right, got to run, thesis due tomorrow (or tonight if I'm organized)!


from Penny of Striped Socks Play Ping Pong

"Me and my best friend in Greece and represents all that's summer for me: blue sky, friends, sea, (anklets of course)! :)"


from Julia of La Belle Oiselle

"I guess you could say I was somewhat of a hermit this summer. It's just that instead of socializing with people, I socialized with my environment. This was taken at a petting zoo in a local park. I'd take goats any day of the week over a person small-talking my head off."


from Louise of For Sentimental Reasons

"On the sunniest weekend this August my long lost cousins and their ballet troupe from Canada made their way to my house in suburban London for a reunion (if you can call it such, we had never met before.) They were more silly, more funny and more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. We ate cake, drank tea and spoke until we were hoarse. There is nothing sweeter than meeting your own family for the first time, in any season, but to do so in the height of summer was particularly lovely."


from Jazzy Elizabeth of Hivenn

"This summer's been amazing."


from Rachel of Bats and Rags

"This photo may look familiar to Twin Peaks fans: it's Laura's Log! In June we took a trip to a little town in Washington state called Poulsbo, and I just about died when I discovered a pivotal scene for one of my favorite tv shows was filmed just down the road! We had to sneak through the closed grounds of the Kiana Lodge (shh!) to get to the log, where it sits by the Puget Sound, surrounded by lovely roses."


from Monique of Tipa Tipa

I spent four days on a New England getaway for a friend's bachelorette party. I climbed out of my tent and snapped this photo just before the sun came up.
Saco River, New Hampshire


from me!

Sadly that picture is probably most representative of my summer, as I battle with this paper in various cafés. I definitely prefer the gorgeous, sunny or foggy, human or animal accompanied shots the rest of you have submitted though. Obviously, due to summer being over, I'm no longer accepting submissions. Next year though!

summer stories: guest post from Waking Life!

So, I can't believe today is September 1st. What happened to summer? I don't feel it's really over until my sister goes back to school next week, but it's undeniable that things are winding down. Which means I really need to ramp it up on the Summer Stories. Today I have Caitlin, who is basically an American version of me (my middle name is even Caitlin), except more stylish. ; ) I found Caitlin's blog before I had one myself, lost it, and was so glad to find it again. Apart from her enviable hair and great way with dresses and ankle socks (and hats), she writes, she drinks wine, and she enjoys a good moan and neurotic breakdown of life from time to time. As anyone who has been around here knows, all these things float my boat. Make sure to head over to Waking Life!


waking to the cool breeze through a lace curtain


perhaps a leisurely morning bike ride down a country road


getting my feet wet (almost)


drying out in the sun


exploring new secret swimming holes


reading a good book by the river's edge


Hi all! My name is Caitlin (from WAKING LIFE) and I am delighted to be posting today as part of Emily's summer series! As I'm sure her loyal readers know, Emily is totally awesome, and I have long considered her to be quite the kindred spirit. I always get excited when I see one of her rants pop up in my Google Reader :p

Anyway, although Emily's world travels are enviable beyond belief, I've been rather enjoying my lazy summer here in rural Vermont. This post will focus on the pleasures of luxuriously languid summer days. In my mind, there is nothing better than an afternoon spent soaking up the sun, reading a good book, and cooling off in a refreshing body of water. And of course, an al fresco dinner with lover/friends/family is always in order, topped off with a drink (or two) on my makeshift stoop.


driving around with the windows down/strolling through the forest


gathering at the garden


bumblebees and green beans


a drink at dusk


sitting on the stoop


sunset at shelburne pond/scrabble at the drive-in

Thanks again Caitlin...Life's all about the little adventures, and I seriously hope one day we can murder a bottle of wine on a stoop together!