(PonyChops) Portraits and Puppies

Happy Monday Everyone!

So if you read my blog, I'm sure you all know about the talented Chantal and her blog/etsy shop PonyChops.  If you read Chantal's blog (if you're not, you definitely should be) you may have seen the image preview she posted yesterday, found here.  You may also notice that it looks very simliar to my new blog header. 

I cannot begin to describe how much I adore the portrait she made of me and my little dude.  Arthur's little smiley face is adorable.

Here is the larger image:

You can order your very own customized digital PonyChops portrait from her etsy shop.  Here is the listing.  If you aren't in the market for a portrait, you should definitely still check out her shop and have a look at her hand painted shoes and Russian dolls.  I have two pairs of PonyChops shoes and get so many compliments every time I wear them.

In other news, Arthur turns 2 today!!! And, his mean mom dressed him up for daycare (I took this photo from the Instagram of one of the ladies who works at Spaw)

I hope he doesn't tucker himself out, because we're having a party later.

Alex & "Grown Up" Arthur

Coheed & Cambria

Do you have a favourite band that's stuck with you throughout the years?  I've had obsessions with bands but as I grow older my taste in music evolves.  When I was in high school I was very into Deftones, like crazy into Deftones.  I once made LoveElycia wait for seven hours at a radio station so I could get Chino's (the singer) autograph.  Thanks dude - you're a trooper! While I still listen to Deftones, they're definitely no longer my favourite.

Coheed & Cambria have been my favourite band for quite a while now.  I was really into the Second Stage Turbine Blade, Coheed's first album, when I met my boyfriend Dan.  I got him into the band and we've been together ever since (9 years).

I really enjoy watching them live, it's hard to explain how happy I am while at one of their concerts.  They're all extremely talented guys and you can tell they really enjoy playing.  I think I could honestly go to every single one of their concerts on a tour and never get tired of watching them.

I've seen them play live many times -- the show I went to last week was my 15th time seeing Coheed & Cambria.  (Also, if you've ever read my post Twenty Facts About Me -- fact #20 happened while Coheed & Cambria were playing)

I've met them several times, in fact at some of the early shows Claudio (singer) would be at the merchandise table. I bought my Second Stage Turbine Blade sweater from him.  They're nice dudes!

 I have their autographs -- Claudio has also signed several of my ticket stubs.

This is one of the videos that "I" took that's posted to my Youtube Channel.  I say that "I" took because the videos that usually end up on my youtube are ones that Dan has taken.  I can't stand still at concerts.


So there you have it, my favourite band.  I'd love to hear about bands that you've been into for along time or just stuff you're listening to at the moment.  I'm always looking for new music so if you're really digging something please let me know either by posting in the comments or by email :)

In other news I got my PonyChops button brogues in the mail last night and I am in love.  I've received so many complements today.  

They're super comfy, super cute, and arrived super speedy even though they came all the way from England.  I can't recommend PonyChops enough!  Arthur approves of my new shoes and knows that he's not allowed to touch them with his teeth.

Alex & Arthur

All Arthur...kind of

As I've posted before, Arthur attends Spaw Boutique daycare a few times during the week.  I love it for a number of reasons.   First, he comes home completely exhausted and secondly, they post pictures on their Facebook page.  

Here are a couple of Arthur that I found.

 I promise my dog's not a jerk

 Playing with his friends

 Cool guy pose

 Frenchie tug of war

 Attending a birthday party

I don't know what to call this...playing dead?

I love my little Art-man and I like the little glimpses I get into his time a daycare.  The staff there are wonderful.

So I named this post "All Arthur...kind of" because I also wanted to include information about PonyChops' awesome Halloween giveaway.  Visit the link for your chance to enter OR you can always purchase this cute Halloween themed Russian doll set from Ponychops' etsy store.

Good luck!!

Alex & Arthur

Take a Gander Tuesday

Oh my goodness it's been awhile since I've made a blog post.  I'm so exhausted from TIFF, I don't understand how people can go to tons of movies and still find the time to post about them-- they're troopers.   I'm going to do a final write-up of some of the highlights but I still need to decompress.

So this is a new thing I'm trying -- it's inspired by my Sponsor Swap post (re: Nicole's blog Happy Pretty Things).  I'm calling it "Take a Gander Tuesday" and I'm going to be writing about various blogs, twitter, or websites I think you should check out.  (Also, I wanted to use the word gander)

Will it happen every Tuesday? Given my track record of creating posts on the proper days, probably not.   

Will you only post recommendations on Tuesday? I'm going to try to stick to Tuesday but I can't make any promises. I'm one of those people who feels the need to give people gifts as soon as I purchase them regardless if his/her birthday is weeks away...so if I see something cool, I'm going to want to tell you right away.  In fact, the whole reason I decided to do this post was because I wanted to tell you all about PonyChops.

 So why should you take a gander at PonyChops? Two words: Zelda Shoes!

Aren't these amazing! This is only one example of PonyChops' awesome shoes.  You can see the rest of her work on her adorable blog or you can check out her etsy store.

I'm definitely hoping that I can get a pair of shoes.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Tuesday so far.

Alex & Arthur