How I'm Celebrating Turning 22

Since I just celebrated my birthday on the 3rd, I'm really excited to share a project I'm working on. Inspired by this story and The Birthday Project, in honour of my 22nd birthday, I pledge to perform 22 acts of kindness, throughout this month and this year. Items that have been struck out have been completed.

Here's what I have planned:

1 Help cats at an animal shelter

2 Get involved with No More/Joyful Heart Foundation

3 Help my mom with her new business venture

4 Compliment a stranger

5 Create another freebie for The Selectively Silent Child

6 Get involved with the Trichotillomania Learning Foundation

7 Write for/about a cause I believe in

8 Donate to Scarleteen

9 Go out of my way to hold the door for someone

10 Buy and flaunt a Cat Tee Mission shirt

11 Send letters to friends I don't talk to often enough

12 Buy a stranger breakfast

13 Slip inspirational quotes written on post-its into library books

14 Sign the HAES pledge

15 Take part in Starbucks Come Together

16 Give a fellow Greyhound passenger reading material and snacks for her trip

17 Explain Health At Every Size to someone who is (unintentionally) not being body posi

18 Learn more (and speak up about) more intersectional feminist issues

19 Leave friendly comments on a bunch of other bloggers' Instagrams

20 Return all the carts at TJ Maxx

21 Contribute to The Birthday Project

22 Host a giveaway at Polish and Sparkle (keep an eye out for it!)

Have you done a similar project? What are your plans for your birthday?

(photo source: PhotosByKim on Etsy)

50 Bold & Brilliant Moves to Make This Year

As January comes to a close, I'm putting a lot of thought into making the rest of this year really count. Here are some ideas:

1 Give yourself 5 minutes to sit, breathe, and do nothing else.

2 Be polite.

3 Stand naked in front of a mirror for a long time, under unflattering light if possible. Trace the rises and falls of the little ripples on your skin — the scars, the dimples, the cellulite — and think about how much you try to hide these things in your day-to-day. Wonder why you hate them so much, and if this hate stems from somewhere within yourself, or as a result of being told all your life that it’s wrong to have physical flaws (source).

4 Start your own business.

5 Try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

6 Send care packages to friends far from home.

7 Set up scheduled payments on all your bills.

8 Meditate.

9 Write a list of things you like about yourself. Add one item to it every day for a month. Hang it somewhere you'll see it, like the fridge or bathroom mirror.

10 Host a dinner party.

11 Learn to walk in high heels.

12 Talk to someone you admire on Twitter, or write them a letter.

13 Try something new.

14 Get a tattoo or piercing, dye your hair or try a new shade of lipstick.

15 Visit the library (and get a library card, if you don't have one already!).

16 Support your favourite locally-owned business.

17 Get active! Dance, snowshoe, jog or rock-climb, perhaps?

18 Learn a new language.

19 Donate a large sum of money to charity.

20 Eat a fruit you've never tasted before.

21 Visit New York City, all by yourself.

22 Climb that mountain (literally or figuratively).

23 Start a savings account.

24 Start a weekly gratitude list.

25 Become more accepting of those who are different from you: Experience a different culture, volunteer at a homeless shelter or simply talk to people from different backgrounds.

26 Buy a lottery ticket.

27 Write a positive message on a helium balloon & set it free.

28 Go see a movie by yourself.

29 Exfoliate.

30 Pick your own fruit or plant a vegetable garden.

31 Buy your mom a treat that she'd never buy herself.

32 Make a new friend. Be brave and put yourself out there! You can do it.

33 Adopt a rescue dog or cat.

34 Colour code your agenda.

35 Tell a stranger she's beautiful.

36 Over-deliver on your promises.

37 Stretch.

38 Invest in yourself: Put time into doing what's important to you. Spend money on your education. Build an exquisite wardrobe. Become the best you, you can be.

39 Practice Intuitive Eating.

40 Forgive.

41 Take a free online class at Coursera.

42 Listen.

43 Be open about how you feel.

44 Start a journal or blog.

45 Tell him you love him.

46 Practice tzedakah.

47 Savour high-quality dark chocolate.

48 Put a small personal touch on everything you do. – Think of it as branding your work.  If you’re funny, add a little humor into it.  If you’re an artist, decorate it with illustrations.  Whatever you do, customize it with a little personal touch of ‘you.’ [Source].

49 Get organized.

50 Take a Greyhound across the country.

What do you have planned for 2013? Share your amazing ideas below!

75 Good Ideas for a Great Holiday

Here are some little things I recommend to make this winter holiday your best yet. Do them all or pick just a few, then tell me about them in the comments below!

1 Cupcakes! Make some, buy some... Whatever you do, cupcakes are always a fun, delicious addition to any day.

2 Stock up on magazines and novels. When it gets cold out, there's nothing like curling up at home with a good read.

3 Plan a get-together with your best friends.

4 Go snowshoeing or tobogganing. Great exercise, and a fantastic way to spend time with friends or family.

5 Stay inside and indulge in DIY spa treatments-- mani-pedis, facials, the whole thing!

6 Treat yourself to your childhood favourite sweets.

7 Have a movie marathon. All the Harry Potter films? A Fred and Ginger double feature? 

8 Taste a whole bunch of teas. Peppermint is always delicious. David's Tea's holiday blends look amazing, too! And Tazo's passionfruit is yummy and fruity.

9 One word: limoncello.

10 Plan a getaway. 

11 Take an online course. Coursera offers free online courses from top universities worldwide.

12 Have a Channukah party, complete with dreidel games and sufganyot.

13 Try glögg. 

14 Go winter camping and stay in a yurt. My family did this a few times when I was little, and it was a very memorable experience.

15 Turn up the heat, mix some piña coladas and pretend you're in the Tropics.

16 Learn to make a classic holiday recipe from scratch.

17 Knit a scarf or sew embellishments to an old sweater.

18 Go thrifting.

19 Go for a drive in the countryside.

20 Call your friends or family back home. 

21 Send handwritten thank you cards to everyone who sent you a card or gift this season.

22 Decorate gingerbread men.

23 Dive into that book you've been meaning to read.

24 Avoid the cold and stay in to organize your closet.

25 Invest in warm, high-quality winter boots.

26 Go skating with your lover (and hold hands!).

27 Catch up on schoolwork (or paperwork, or bills) so there's less on your plate after the holidays.

28 Spend a day doing absolutely nothing.

29 Volunteer (or donate money) to an organization you care about.

30 Send care packages to friends far from home.

31 Make paper snowflakes.

32 Drink hot chocolate with marshmallows.

33 Build a snowman.

34 Go to the beach and marvel at the frozen lake. 

35 Catch up on a TV series you enjoy. I recommend Big Bang Theory or Mad Men.

36 Go to shul or church (or whatever your  place of worship may be).

37 Make holiday cards and send them out to loved ones.

38 Learn a new skill, like calligraphy, skiing or photo editing.

39 Start a journal, diary or blog.

40 Find a new favourite indoor sport. Bowling? Roller skating? Swimming?

41 Go to a burlesque show.

42 Go for a walk at sunrise.

43 Read about Seasonal Affective Disorder, just in case

44 Email someone you haven't spoken to in ages, just to say hi.

45 Create a LinkedIn profile and a twitter account so you'll be ready to network in the new year.

46 Make New Year's resolutions.

47 Knock a few items off your bucket list.

48 Make sugar cookies or decorate ornaments for your relatives or neighbours.

49 Eat peppermint everything!

50 Host a dinner party.

51 Redesign your website.

52 Get reacquainted with your old favourite holiday movies and music.

53 Get a massage

54 Wear something velvet or sequined

55 Stop dieting.

56 Explore Toronto's PATH for some indoor shopping and exercise.

57 Light a menorah

58 Decorate a Christmas tree

59 Learn about a holiday you don't celebrate, but others do, at this time of year. Kwanzaa? Yule?

60 Go to the theatre

61 If you're daring, try a polar bear dip. I want to, but I don't think I'm brave enough (yet!).

62 Learn to crochet, felt or sew, and make something cozy.

63 Discover what style of hat looks best on you, and wear it all winter long.

64 Look at pictures of dogs in sweaters, because they're soooo cute!

65 Buy some cozy pyjamas and fuzzy socks.

66 Make soup. 

67 Peruse a craft show.

68 Spend an afternoon people watching at a local cafe.

69 Bring some unworn mittens to a women's shelter.

70 Have a hot bubble bath.

71 Read the classics.

72 Snuggle with a kitten.

73 Treat a friend to coffee.

74 Look at pictures of palm trees and beaches.

75 Chill vodka in a snow bank and make martinis.

What are you going to do this holiday?

Image Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 Indispensable iPhone Apps for Bloggers & Creative Business Owners

1 PlainText. Type to do lists, notes or documents and they'll automatically be backed up to your Dropbox account, which can be accessed online, on your computer or in the Dropbox app.

2 Hootsuite. Schedule tweets and Facebook updates on the go. I found the app confusing at first, but it's easy to get used to and very useful for business trips or other times when you'll be away from the computer but still want to keep clients/readers abreast of what's happening.

3 Feedler. Keep up with your favourite sites via rss. This is a great way to find articles to link to on twitter, Facebook or in a link love post on your blog.
4 Skype. Communicate with friends, family and clients, no matter where you are.

5 Zinio. Flip through magazines (virtually!) to gather ideas and get inspired. The app is free and many subscriptions are free or affordable.

6 Scan Pages. Turns your iPhone into a scanner for free.

7 PayPal. Accept and send payments and invoices, no computer required.

What's your favourite app?