Do you have any of those friends who you can always count on to be your cheerleader? Who always encourage you to stand taller and dream bigger? Hopefully you’re fortunate enough to have many of these people in your life. They always help me to feel happier, more empowered, and creatively inspired when we hang out.

Over the past month, I’ve been lucky to get in lots of face time with some truly awesome friends who always make life a little bit a lot more fun. 

So, as you’re reading by now you might’ve noticed that The Lifestyle Project has a brand new design! My friend Tracey, a photographer based in Ottawa who takes the most beautiful wedding and lifestyle photos, visited me last week. We inspire each other/work together really well and, as many good ideas tend to happen, we were halfway through our first bottle of wine when I mentioned to her that lately I’d been thinking about going through another blog redesign because I wasn’t feeling inspired by my site anymore.

While I was chatting away, Tracey opened up Photoshop and Illustrator and began to make the little watercolour splotches that I’d envisioned in my head come to life. Clean, modern, and fresh were words that kept getting repeated. Soon after we had a mockup for a new look, which led to creating all of the images, which led to numerous Google searches beginning with “how to…”, which inevitably led to a few “oh shit!” moments, but ended with a gorgeous and refreshed site I’m proud to call my own. (Granted, there are still a few tiny tweaks to be made, so please be patient. Sometimes done is better than perfect.)

The funny part is that undergoing a redesign wasn’t something I was expecting to tackle until later this year. That’s the thing, though, about connecting with fellow creatives – they challenge you, and inspire you, and sometimes when an idea pops up you just have to run with it even though the timing may not be perfect.

Lest you think all I did was force my friend into slave labour while she was here, we also indulged in a much-needed sushi date, pedicures, a movie night complete with pizza and wings, and went exploring with our cameras on some nature trails. 



Funny story – at one point we found ourselves lost in some hilly trails where, as fate would have it, right after I took the photo above I accidentally dropped my lens cap and watched helplessly as it tumbled down the hill beneath us. It got caught in some underbrush and Tracey wasted no time – she immediately slid down the muddy slope in a hilarious but successful attempt to rescue the cap. Here’s to friends that always have your back!

If you’re reading today’s post via email or my feed, hop on over to the site to see my updated design!