Tiny In Toronto

As I’m writing this, I have officially been in self-isolation for 47 days. It seems like quite a long time to be stuck inside my apartment, but I feel like it’s gone by so fast! I’ve kept myself pretty busy this past month and I’ve discovered some fun new hobbies that I’m really excited to share. I’ve also found some new products that I feel like I can no longer live without. And with that being said, here are my favourite things for the month of April!

Yoga/exercise – My roommate Molly invited me to try yoga with her one day and I’ve been doing it with her 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) ever since! It feels really good to give my body this kind of routine. Before yoga, I don’t think I participated in any form of exercise since high school! I see some differences in my body. I feel a bit more flexible, and I do feel healthier especially since I went from never doing any exercise to having at least an hour of it almost every day. I’m going to be a little sad when life goes back to the way it was before. I wish there was some way for me to continue doing yoga without having to commute to a yoga studio. Maybe they’ll continue doing zoom calls for some people?

Crafts (earrings, bracelets, painting) – I have been a “craft queen” this past month! I have done so many arts and crafts and I have been loving it. I’ve made cards, bracelets, a painting, earrings, and more! I just feel like I have all this time now to test my creativity! I’ve been making beaded friendship bracelets that I’m really excited to wear this summer. I’ve made a few beaded necklaces as well. I’ve also started making my own earrings out of polymer clay! I make the shapes I want out of clay, bake them, and then I paint them once they’ve cooled down. It’s a bit of a process but I’ve been enjoying it a lot. I don’t think I would have been able to try making these with the time I had before so I’m kinda grateful. If you guys would like to see a blog post on how I make some of my earrings, let me know in the comment section! It’s a lot easier than you think!

Hair tool (idk what to call it) + hair oils – This tool by John Frieda is a combination of a round brush and a hair dryer, and it’s absolutely genius! I don’t know about you guys but I seriously struggle drying my hair with a hairdryer and a round brush. I’m just not coordinated to do it! This tool has made the process so much easier because it’s all-in-one. I literally just comb it through my hair like a normal round brush and the air that comes out of it dries my hair for me as well! It’s honestly perfect. It makes my hair smoother and less frizzy. I think my hair is also much softer than it was before. It’s really great and I picked it up for only $40 off Amazon! In combination with this hair tool, I’ve also been tackling my frizziness with some hair oil. I have two but I don’t use both at the same time. I rotate between them depending on how well I’ve dried my hair. One is heavier than the other. I like these oils because it calms the frizz and also gets rid of all those broken strands that tend to fly away. Do you know what I mean? Anyways, this has been a great combination for me and I can’t wait for everyone see my hair once we’re allowed outside again! If you would like to know more about the oils I use, I talk about them in an IGTV video on my Instagram page, @tinyintoronto!

Nintendo Switch/Animal Crossing & Child Of Light – I don’t even know where to begin! I was so scared that a Nintendo Switch was going to be a mistake and a huge waste of money, but it ended up being the most fun I’ve ever had in a while! I have no regrets about getting a Nintendo Switch because it’s definitely made staying a home for almost 50 days so much better. I’ve been playing two games this past month: “Animal Crossing” and “Child Of Light”. I’ve been playing Animal Crossing a lot more than Child Of Light because playing AC is like living another life! I have to make money (by selling fish, bugs, and chopping wood) to buy clothes and pay off my home loan. I have to make sure that I’m socializing with my fellow neighbours/island dwellers. I grow plants and fruit trees. I’m sure you guys have been hearing a lot about it online and trust me, it’s worth the hype. I just found out that Valentino created a virtual clothing line on Animal Crossing! Is that crazy or what?!! Child Of Light is a gam with more of a story line. The main focus of the game is to get a princess back to her father. She meets a lot of interesting characters along the way that join her and help her get there. There are bosses that you have to battle to get to different “chapters” of the game as well. It was super addicting before I bought Animal Crossing, and now it’s kind of been sitting on the back burner. I definitely plan on going back to it though!

“Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams – I wrote a blog post reviewing this book and basically just saying how great it is and how you have to read it! I say the exact same things in the video that I recorded for IGTV, but I can’t tell you guys enough about how much I enjoyed this book. I feel like I struggle when it comes to explaining it because I’m too worried about ruining it for you. But it’s great for women in their mid-late twenties because it’s super relatable. It’s also empowering. I just highly recommend it! You won’t regret it, I promise.

“Making The Cut” on Prime Video – Remember when I was hooked on “Next In Fashion” on Netflix? This show is so similar, just with a bigger budget! The winner gets one million dollars from Amazon!!! They also fly all the contestant around the world (New York, Japan, and Paris). Naomi Campbell and Nicole Richies are two of the judges. It’s amazing. It’s shot kind of like a movie. You can just tell that they had a lot of money to put towards this show. Amazon also made it possible for you to online purchase the piece(s) that the winning designer made that week! Basically, each week had a challenge (like “Next In Fashion“) and there was a winner for every challenge. If you won that challenge, you got to have your winning design featured on the “Making The Cut” store on Amazon. It’s such a great idea but every time Molly and I went to go purchase a piece, it was sold out!

Dua Lipa’s Album: Future Nostalgia – OBSESSED is an understatement for how I feel about this album. I love it so much! I’ve listened to it over a million times this past month, and I’m still listening to it. I just can’t get enough! Dua Lipa made a killer album that I’m going to be dancing to all summer long! When we get out of quarantine, I have a few birthdays that need celebrating and they give me the perfect excuse to dance to this album publicly and get all my friends loving it too. I’m always looking for music recommendations. If you know any amazing albums like this one that I should listen to, please let me know!

If you’d like to watch a video where I talk a little more about my “April Favourites”, follow me on Instagram! Check out my IGTV video @tinyintoronto!

That wraps up another month of favourites. I hope you’ll try some of the things I mentioned! If you end up loving anything I talked about here, please share with me what you think. I’d love to talk more about them!

I hope you’re all safe and doing well!

Until next time,

– Tiny ❤