My art addiction.

I am a lover of art. Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo all seem to be calling me. I have books and books and books on their art and I love reading about the techniques they used to create such beautiful work. I know everyone knows about it but the Mona Lisa still takes my breath away. Not because it's famous but because of the amount of detail put into it. From the lace detailing on her dress, to the way the shadows fall on her face. I don't think I will be dissapointed when I see it for the first time. I know how small it is, and I know how many people are in the Louvre at once. I've taken all of that into consideration. I can't wait to be face to face with something that Leonardo Da Vinci painted.  A man I've spent hours reading about. A genius.

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.”
-Leonardo Da Vinci

And then there is Canadian art and of course my favorite group of canadian artists- the Group of Seven. I love their work. Almost every single piece captures how I feel about Canada. The water, the trees, the ice, everything is represented perfectly. Though he was never truly a memeber of the Group of Seven (he died before the group started up offically) Tom Thomson is my favorite. Jack Pine and Northern River capture canada perfectly.

".the best I can do does not do the place much justice in the way of beauty."
-Tom Thomson, letter to Dr. James MacCallum, Oct. 6, 1914, from Canoe Lake Station

But the renaissance and baroque are not the only periods that made beautiful art. People today are still creating things that take my breath away. The style has changed to something more obscure, difficult to understand, meaningful. Though I don't always love modern art (it can be plain werid) somethings artists today create are wonderful. I just hope that one day someone will love a peice of my art. I don't need to become famous or rich, I just want to make at least one person happy.

Places to go and things to do.

I want to travel. Right now. Well maybe once I'm done this post. There is so many places in the world that grab my attention. Havasu falls, Milan, Glastonbury, Dublin, anywhere in New Zealand. All these places make me want to pack my bags and go. I am very excited to travel, to see the world, to try new foods, to do things I have never dreamed of doing. But to get there we need money which can be a little tricky. With university, everyday needs, and christmas comming up I need to save a bit. Which means that Paris will have to wait. For now google images will keep me sane.

Say Yes to the Dress.

People always talk to me about addictive television. Jersey Shore, Breaking Bad, Survivor, are all shows people seem hooked on but for me, it's Say Yes to the Dress. I can honestly say I'm addicted to that show. I also love weddings. I think I should be a wedding planner, I just love them. Seeing the look in the grooms eyes when he first sees the bride, the smile on the brides face when everything comes together. It's just amazing. But at the end, it's the dress that gets me. No matter what the style if the bride feels good in it, she looks good too. A-line, sweetheart, mermaid, strapless, lace or satin, there are so many options for a bride today. And at the end of the wedding, it's all about if she felt beautiful.

Though the idea of buying a dress (especially in the store like Kleinfeld) sounds amazing, the idea of designing my own sounds even better. My mom designed her wedding dress and it is beautiful. A-line with a lace corset, and quater lenght sleeves, the dress now fits me perfectly. So yes I have tried it on countless times. And even though I don't want to get married for a long time, watching other people getting married it a fun way to pass the time.

DIY's

I love DIY's. I think that's what 95% of my time on the internet is spent looking them up. From bow back teeshirts, to Mr. Kate's belt shoes I can always find something amazing and creative to do. And yet I never seem to do them. Pinterest is the worst for this. I litterally have hundreds of pins about things I want to do or try and I can honestly say I've done a handful of them. I think I need to take a weekend and instead of spending it doing work I should dedicate it to DIY's. It would probably put me in a better mind frame anyways. Plus it's fun! There is honestly nothing better then finishing a DIY and being so proud of yourself for creating that. I will say even though it isn't a DIY I made muffins that I got off Pinterest. They were called French Breakfast Muffins, and they had a wonderful cinnamon sugar topping. If you don't have Pinterest I honestly recommend you get it! And follow me! It's KellyMadelaine!

The Bucket List.

I am of the firm belief that everyone should have a bucket list. So many people seem to think that they are morbid, or depressing but for me they are almost liberating. It's wonderful having a list of things I want to do, seeing the adventures I will one day do. I won't lie though, my bucket list is starting to become a tad bit out of control. With over 200 items that I want to do, almost none of them in the same country, I will either be broke or have a bucket list of things I've never done. I'm hoping it will be the first one. Almost each entry is something completly random, from being a part of the Tomatina (if you don't know what that is look it up) to attending a final Stanley Cup playoff game. Some of the things I will probably never do (meeting Julia Roberts, the Pope or the Dalai Lama) and yet many of the things I have already checked off (go on a roller coster, ride a camel, wear a designer dress). Who knows what I will manage to do with this list, where I will end up, or who I will meet, but I'm excited for every take-my-breath away moment.

nail art

Now this is going be one of those short but sweet blog entries that no one really cares about too much and yet I still really want to write it. Nail art has become a huge fahion trend over the past few years; caviar nails, nail stickers, glow in the dark polish, cracking polish, and so many other designs have really raised the bar in fashionable nails. I won't lie, I'm a nail polish addict. I love seeing the designs people come up with. You can spend hours on youtube just watching people doing their nails. I don't have the time to do all that though, so it's the fast and easy nail stickers for me. But honestly they can be so pretty!

Mornings

I will always be jealous of morning people. The fact that they can wake up and be ready to go, it drives me insane. Until I have a cup of tea, a hot shower, and a couple minutes complaining about how tired I am, I'm practically brain dead. That being said like most people who hate mornings, I probably stay up too late. But honestly who is that happy in the mornings! My younger sisters are both morning people and they get out of bed humming and prancing around, I, on the other hand, curse under my breath, ignore my alarm, and possibly yell for a few minutes. I wish I could be happy in the mornings. But apparently it's a blessing only some people deserve.

Canada

My wish right now? For someone to walk up to me and tell me I've won a trip to Europe. Maybe England, with it's beautiful castles and rich history, or Italy, for the wonderful food and culture, or maybe France, for the Louvre and the people. A girl can dream right? There is so many places I need to check off my bucket list, so many things that I want to try, but one thing comes first. Exploring my own country. Canada is an amazing place that is often forgotten by travellers. For thick dense forests, to the tundra, the prairies and the great lakes, Canada truly has a lot to offer. From the beautiful Lake Louise, known for its teal water and constantly being used as a computer background, to the Îles de la Madeleine, with their beautiful coast line. Every province or territory has something different to offer. Dogsledding, camp fires, skiing, zip lining or eating maple syrup fresh from the tree, as long as you look for it you'll find something amazing and breath taking to do. Wildlife is a huge part of Canadian living. Have you ever had a deer eat carrots out of your hand, or wild birds taking seeds off your hat? If not try it, because it is truly amazing. For those with imagination try geocaching, a global treasure hunt that brings you to some of the most amazing places in the world and in Canada. For those with a love of the city, just spend a few days in Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. There is something for everyone in this great nation. And for the food lovers there is the delicious (though not very nutritious)  poutine! So like Classified said in his hilarious yet extremely true song, Oh Canada, "I know where I'm from and I told ya before, North of American hard to ignore, every time I go away I tell em for sure, I'm from Canada" Cheesy? Yes. But true for most Canadians? Of course. So now it's time to enjoy my country because here in Canada you don't need to go across the ocean to do something great, you just need to walk out your front door. 

Elie Saab

Elie Saab. Sigh, now if only I could afford a belt he designed. Every item in his Fall Winter 2012-2013 collection was amazing. Though all his designs are simple cuts it's the detail that makes him impressive. From the flowing fabric, to the hand sewn beads that shimmer as the model walks, or the impressive lace detail, each of his designs show off the body of the model with a classic, elegant grace. His dresses are stunning enough for the runway yet could be worn to events with out looking strange. He would be the one of the few fashion designers I can say I truly respect. Every design in the Fall Winter 2012-2013 line was stunning. Beautiful dresses with intricate detail in beautiful colours. Starting with dark black dresses each model seems to be a piece of the sunrise. Peach, gold, blue, and cream, flow together perfectly. And the pièce de résistance? A beautiful wedding dress that literally took my breath away. If you're planing on going big with your dress that is the way to do it. Cream, with a full a-line skirt and beautiful, thin lace sleeves, the dress doesn't even look real but like something out of a fairy tale.  Elie Saab truly out did himself this year.

Elie Saab, Fall Winter 2012-2013

Passion

I've been thinking about words lately. The power they have over us. How they can mean so much and yet we use them like they mean nothing. Love, awesome, hero, depressed- we use these words everyday and yet do we truly know what they mean? 

I remember my grade eight teacher having this conversation with us. He told us how once he was walking across a dam behind a little girl. As he was walking, the little girl slipped and almost fell into the water. Now for those of you who have never seen a dam, it is a huge, powerful and extremely violent pool of water (just google it). If the young girl had fallen into the water she would of drown but luckily my english teacher had been there and caught her.

Now you are probably wondering how this all connects. My english teacher asked us, at this point if that meant he was a hero. I think every student in the class raised their hand to say yes. He told us that we were all wrong. But why? He saved the life of a young child, that must mean he is classified as a hero. But hero is defined as "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities." Courage and brave are two words used in that definition. So either you need to be afraid or be at risk to do a heroic deed. My english teacher had caught the girl. He was at no risk himself, he didn't dive in to the dam after her to pull her out. He just caught her. 

Of all the classes I've ever had that class sticks out the most. We as humans want to feel passion. Love and hate, sadness and joy. We all want to feel the same type of love that Paris felt for Helen, or the hate Hera felt for Zeus's lovers. We read fantastic stories and expect our lives to live up to them. We want to happy like Cinderella when she finds her prince or be sad like in the endings of our favourite romantic movies. So we use words to try and trick the world into thinking were passionate, instead of actually spending time finding something were passionate about.