Gardening blogs

How was your weekend? I spent my weekend gardening in the backyard. Living downtown Toronto, I’m extremely lucky to have such a enormous green space to work in (I have two big vegetable gardens and a peach tree!!) I’m determined to become a gardening queen and so I’m currently on the hunt for some top-notch gardening blogs (I want a green thumb!) If you know of any, please send them my way.

Side note: Gardening is hard work! I spent both Saturday and Sunday pulling weeds and it honestly feels like I ran a marathon over the weekend – ha ha.

S.

A Solo Affair’s 1st birthday

It’s A Solo Affair’s 1st birthday — oh how we’ve grown! I remember writing my first post and then afterwards hoping that no one would read it!  HAHA. (I’m totally serious). I even contemplated deleting it… go ahead and laugh here.

I adore getting to know all of you and hearing your personal stories — it’s probably the best thing about having a blog. So if you haven’t contacted me yet, I urge you to make my day.

Much love,

Stephanie.

And I’m back!

Sometimes when I’m worried about something or feeling unanchored, I retreat into my own private world… the phone rings, the text messages come flooding in and instead of springing into action — I dive further into my own world. I become this daydreaming, overly caffeinated bookworm or a happy little recluse who just wants to eat cambozola cheese on the couch and watch TED talks — undisturbed.

I have been getting quite the flack from my lack of posting from a lot of you – Ha Ha. I even spoke to my aunt on the phone last night and she inquired if I was, “back to blogging yet?” And the answer is: yes, I believe so.

I’ve had my fill of cambozola.

Xo.

S.

I love blogs in a big way

I have a BIG fascination with blogs. I love how they are forever evolving, growing and changing day-to-day. I adore their organic nature and how there is really no such thing as a mistake (typos and errors can vanish on a whim). I love the connections you can make with readers and fellow bloggers from around the world – which when you stop and really think about it, that’s pretty incredible! I love how you can quietly observe someone else’s life, know their husband by name or can laugh along at something funny their child did from the stories that they openly share. I love how anyone can start a blog! I love how blogs are simply a living story that can be told through various mediums: music, pictures, words, videos that all fuse together to beautifully communicate your art.

I know A Solo Affair has a column, “I’m in love with your blog” but I thought I should keep it organized and tidy by starting a page where they can all neatly live. I’ll be adding to it as I go or whenever I come across a real gem – so be sure to stop by often.

And as always, send me any blogs that you’re currently having a relationship with, I’d love to check them out!

S.

Otherwordly, I’m in love with your blog

Aren’t odd words just the best? Otherwordly‘s Tumblr blog explores an abundance of unique and lovely words. Sometimes Otherwordly explores words that are from other languages which can’t be translated. Other times, the blog  gives us words for feelings that we’ve all felt before but were unable to articulate.

I just love these three:

Sigh… I’m so in love with this blog. Check it out and tell me your thoughts!!

Enjoy,

S.

U.N.Y.P.L., I’m in love with your blog

I’m so excited to share todays post with you! When I first came across the blog, Underground New York Public Library, I easily lost 3-hours of my day –  I became totally immersed in this never ending visual library. Photographer and blogger, Ourit Ben-Haim has a fabulous eye for capturing NYC’s underground library while beautifully highlighting how each of us are connected to the written story.

And the best part? When Ourit snaps a photo and the book title is illegible, her followers help her to hunt down the title of the book – how amazing is that?!

I always carry a book with me on my morning commute and can often be seen laughing quietly to myself or, (God, I can’t believe I’m admitting this) being a nosey bookworm and reading over my neighbours shoulder! While reading this book on the subway the other day, I actually laughed so hard that I started crying!

Be sure to check out U.N.Y.P.L. and tell me your thoughts! I’m betting it’ll turn into one of your favourite bookmarks.

S.

A look back

2012 has been a crazy year for me! After surviving a very painful breakup in the summer of 2011, while simultaneously starting a new career as a writer, I was so emotionally and physically depleted that I found myself bedridden with mono for the first three months of 2012. I know now that, those sleepy months of hibernating like a little bear while the rest of the world went on with their lives was vital for healing my heart. That 3-month pause gave me the strength I needed to discover how I wanted to live my new life. I remember the day, near the end of my recovery, I awoke early and popped out of bed with such urgency; I raced to my computer knowing that I was about to start a blog. Reflecting back, I can clearly see that 2011 was the year my life fell apart and 2012 was the year I put it all back together – solo.

During the next few weeks, I’m going to be re-posting my favourite blog posts of 2012. For those of you that have just joined, I’d love to hear your feedback! And for those loyal readers that have been around since the beginning, I promise to sneak away from a few drunken holiday parties to blog.

Xo,

S.

Holy Moley!

I’m so very excited to announce that A Solo Affair will now be featured on Paperblog! Featuring great blogs from around the world, Paperblog offers fabulous blog content and the most relevant articles – so get off my blog and check them out already!

Really, I’m just squealin’ with excitement,

S.

Cubicle Refugee, I’m in love with your blog

Pictures are a big component to my blog. I believe that the visual element to any written blog is just as important as the words on the screen, together creating a well-rounded story. In between breaks from writing, I often find myself unconsciously navigating to Cubicle Refugee. Each day visual blogger, Jen highlights a different tone and colour and somehow, without words, she depicts the essence of storytelling.

Check out Jen’s blog and tell me your thoughts! I think you’re gonna love it. Also, don’t ya think Cubicle Refugee is a bad-ass name for a blog?

S.

101 little solo stories

Today’s a big, big day! I’ve posted 101 blog posts on A Solo Affair and I can hardly believe it! What’s crazier is that people are actually reading what I write! Even though I make a living as a writer, this blog, however silly, means more to me in some ways. I have the freedom to write whatever I please without a dreaded deadline or content stipulations lurking over my head. It feels more like play, which is such a relief.

I’ve been writing my entire life. Journals, private blogs, stories, essays, and before I could write, I was telling elaborate lies — ah, the mark of a true storyteller.

As most of you know, I’m no stranger to blogs, as I’ve been privately blogging for close to 10 years now. A Solo Affair became my first taste of blogging out of the closet and at first, I was utterly terrified. It feels funny to write now, but when I first started this blog,  I didn’t want to tell anyone about it. Although I’m a fan of blogs, writing my own content felt silly for some reason.

I remember the day I first publicized a blog post to my Facebook account. Jazzed up on multiple cups of morning java, I discovered the publicized button and recklessly submitted my post. I felt the blood drain from my face at the very thought of my private words and feelings being exposed for all to see. I paced my living room, watching the stats on my blog go up and up, until I thought I was going to explode from embarrassment. Ha Ha. And that was that. There was just no turning back.

If you knew me in real life (and some of you do) you’d know that I’m drawn to genuine people like a magnet. I don’t think it’s possible to have any type of relationship, whether friendship or blogship (yep, I just made that word up) without honesty being front and centre. Authenticity is something that I deeply respect and value and will continue to explore it in my work.

I’m hoping that this blog will continue to evolve in that direction. A space where we can explore, talk, (please start talking to me) daydream and unravel life issues. But more than anything, I hope this blog will continue to be a space to just play.

Here’s to 101 little solo stories and all that have yet to be written,

S.