Hey there, I'm Ariana!
You can also call me Air. Fun fact: every single person who knows me personally calls me Air, so much so that when I got a "real" job, I had to re-learn reacting to the name Ariana!
I do all the things: I lead the KW & Cambridge (and surrounding area!) chapter of the Rising Tide Society's #TuesdaysTogether, I am a TLC volunteer at the KW Humane Society, and I'm a full-time mama to my sweet boy, soon to be 2 under 2! All of this on top of being an artist and hand-letterer here at Booker & Tide. I also used to be a wedding planner at Hacienda Sarria for several years! I started this business after making the invitations and signage for my own wedding, and had so much fun that I wanted to do it for other people too.
Why Booker & Tide? The Mediterranean vibes and azulejo tiles speak to my soul, and feel so much more 'me' than the brand I had built as LoveWords Stationery & Signage. So I decided to rebrand! I created my tiled azulejo ampersand, and I knew immediately I wanted a name with an '&' in it. Booker is my son's middle name, so that was a no-brainer. Booker is a serious-sounding name (makes me think of a law firm!), so I wanted a lighter word to accompany, and Tide is perfect! Tide lends itself to the Mediterranean feel of my brand, and is also a nod to the Rising Tide Society and the community over competition quote "a rising tide lifts all boats". In short, Booker & Tide encompasses so much of what is important to me!
More about me:
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I have been married to my high school sweetheart since the summer of 2016, and we have been together since we were 14. He is sweet, so funny, and a kick-ass realtor! (Ethan Smith at Royal Lepage Crown Realty, shameless plug for my hubby!)
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Together we have a son named Everett Booker born in January of 2021 who is the sweetest little mama's boy there ever was! (definitely not biased) We also have a baby girl on the way in August 2022, and a little kitty named Ella who is a real life Disney princess, with huge eyes and the sass to boot.
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I went to school for Travel & Tourism, and aside from the people in my life, it is my biggest passion. My husband and I spent two full months road-tripping all the way across Europe!
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Another major passion of mine is coffee. When I started working at Starbucks in 2011, I absolutely hated coffee. Fast forward to today, and I am obsessed. I have taken two training courses at Pilot Coffee Roasters, apprenticed under Hacienda Roasting Company's in-house coffee roaster, am obsessed with creating the perfect cappuccino micro-foam, and my career actually seems to be heading towards coffee!
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My enneagram type is 2w3, which is so accurate it hurts.
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My ideal day is spent by the ocean or around a fire pit with all my friends and family around me and a cold hard seltzer in my hand!
My favs:
Place: Locally, anywhere on the Georgian Bay or Cape Cod. Internationally, either Santorini or Switzerland.
Book: Anything by Emily Giffin, Lisa Jackson, or Nicholas Sparks.
Movie: I looooove movies, so this is a hard one! Currently, it would be Encanto. But also any dance movie, Mamma Mia 1 & 2, and anything with Jason Statham, Gerard Butler or Ryan Reynolds.
Hobby: Cooking and baking! I could spend all day finding and making new Pinterest recipes.
Beverage: If we're talking alcohol, anything light and dry is where it's at. I am loving the No Boats On Sunday strawberry rhubarb seltzer! I also love a good rye & ginger with lime and red wine.
Food: Basically anything that's bad for you! Any kind of pasta, brie & baguette, enchiladas, mac and cheese, chicken parm.. and potatoes are definitely my favourite food group.
Music: Metal! No way, me?! I was the biggest scene kid in high school, and while the hair, makeup, and clothes didn't end up being "who I am, Mom", I never outgrew my love for metal music.
Season: Definitely summer. I am always cold, so I would way rather be too hot than too cold! I love to soak up all the sun I can.