the three f's

finished...
(the shocking pink coif from knitty.com, although my version is more of a demure grey...)


forgotten...
(two other amazing designers from the one of a kind show)
susan harris designs and sadie jewellery http://www.sadiejewels.com (which doesn't seem to be working at the moment)

and found!
(at loblaw's this afternoon)

3 cheers for creative gals!

today at the one of a kind show, i took some time to walk around and see some of the amazing artists who were there. it was so hard to go home without buying anything but i enjoyed just checking everything out.

my favourite designers/artists were:
hoi (great magnets and jewelry featuring her own illustrations)

candi factory (without a doubt, THE most comfortable underwear in the world)

viola blanca (interesting ties, chokers, brooches, hairpins all from beautiful fabric)

and frances felt (beautiful skirts with hand-felted appliques)

go check out these hard-working artists! they're making some quality stuff...

watch me screw up a $200 piece of art!

so today i was at the one of a kind show helping out my honey at his booth. what luck that his display just happens to be directly across from where artists are doing demonstrations of their work! last night i watched one artist show how he makes these colourful and multi-layered silkscreen prints. today an artist named qing (king) was demonstrating how he creates pictures using an ancient form of embroidery. i'm telling you, this guy takes embroidery to a whole new level! it's like he's painting a picture with silk thread. anyhow, he was a great guy and asked if anyone wanted to give it a try. i eagerly volunteered even though i was so nervous about making a mistake and ruining all of his hard work.

first i had to separate a string (made up of 16 individual threads) until i only had 4. this was really hard because the silk threads are sooooo fine! i couldn't believe i was able to thread the teeny tiny needle!


here is qing being really patient with me! i had no clue what i was doing. and people were watching me! eek!


this photo didn't turn out too well but it's the picture i did some embroidery on. i did about 5 stitches on the little green plant. (this is going to be a picture of a koi fish, i think).

i am amazed at how he uses about 4 different shades of each colour, like orange, to give the picture so much dimension. i wish i had a better picture to show how realistic his work is...

i was so excited to have participated and then he did the nicest thing...he gave me a beautiful framed picture of a bird that he embroidered! i was shocked! the only thing i would have expected he would have given me was a bill for a couple hundred dollars to pay for the piece of art i just destroyed.

i love birds...i think i'm going to hang the picture in my studio.

on the weekend i....

* took a break from blueberry pancakes (well, on sunday only)

* spent a good long time working in the studio on an order

* listened to some great music: julie doiron, heart and crime, franz ferdinand live in concert, and sarah harmer live

* scored some great stuff on sale at loomis and toles including some crafty-themed stickers and some scrapbooking paper i'm going to use for a summer-themed collage


* and ate waaaaayyyyy too many of these evil malted milk easter eggs!!


oh and i almost forgot...HAPPY SPRING!!!

march break: day 2

today i did the unthinkable. i got up at 8:30 on a saturday morning! i couldn't help myself...it was so sunny outside and the thought of the globe and mail sitting outside on the steps waiting to come inside and be read got me out of bed. there is nothing like starting off a saturday morning with blueberry pancakes, coffee, and the style section of the globe. woo hoo!

noah, our cute little doggy, got a big surprise when paul came home from running a bunch of errands. he brought home a new toy for noah. i think paul was feeling like a bad daddy because a couple of weekends ago we forgot noah's favourite toy (a plush duck that quacks when you squeeze his belly) at his dad's place. so today noah got the kitty cat version of the same toy. except this one MEWS when you squeeze his belly. noah loves it!


i had a nice lazy day of knitting. i've wanted to make the shocking pink coif from knitty all winter but finally got the courage to try it today. it's probably the most difficult pattern i've every attempted but i think i've almost got the hang of how to increase (aka: "make one"). if i'm doing it right, it's pretty tricky! anyhow, ever since i bought the fruits book i've wanted something like this to keep my ears warm in the winter.

so i tried knitting it in a fuzzy blue yarn (patons divine) but it was a mess! i couldn't see my stitches and i made lots and lots of mistakes. i've ripped that out and started again on some charcoal grey acrylic. i think it's going much better.

it doesn't look like i've done much but it's because i worked on the first one for hours! gah!

finally, here's a picture of the yummy tapas-type meal that paul and i had tonight. i didn't feel like cooking and this was quick and easy to whip up. we had pita and hummus, green & black olives, goat cheese, brie cheese, cucumber, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. i'm probably forgetting something but i'm sure you can figure it out from the picture.


time to get back to knitting! hope you're having a good weekend...

my latest obsession

for the past 2 weeks or so, all i've wanted to eat is blueberry pancakes! ever since my husband paul and i went out for brunch at "hello toast" a couple of weeks ago i've been trying to recreate the yumminess of that meal at home.

i decided i'd start my march break with a leisurely breakfast of....blueberry pancakes. and morning television.

frying up!


ready for eating!

candy? no, just buttons.

today after work i headed over to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. wouldn't you know, the goodwill is conveniently located right beside the grocery store! what luck! i put 2 quarters in the meter and proceded to spend 35 minutes sifting through a huge basket of buttons, most of which were nothing to write home about. (or on a blog, as the case may be...) but i did score some sweet ones. take a lookie!

pretty assorted white buttons


and four of my favourites from that set


i love these colours!


and up close...


some cutie-pie anchor buttons. i think they've seen better days but i couldn't resist!


any ideas what i should do with all of them? i would love to mount some of the white ones in a shadow box! they're so pretty that i want to look at them every day!

what sensible shoes mean to me

i am a sensible shoe wearing gal.

i know lots of people say they can't walk in heels, but they don't really mean it. i think that's their way of saying they find high heels awkward or uncomfortable or unnecessary. i think they are all of those things too. but i truly CAN'T walk in shoes with a heel that is raised more than 1.5 cm. over the last 3 decades, i've tried many times but my body rejects them.

a few months ago, in a daring mood, i tried on the cutest 80's-inspired kitten-heeled pumps. they were the shade of cherry popsicles and i so wanted them to like me. then i tried to walk. i took two steps and turned over on my ankle.

that was the last straw. i've come to accept that sensible shoes are my destiny.

here's a picture of my favourite mary janes. aren't they darling?!