ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh....

ok, i know i said i wouldn't be back until dec. 5th, and i know that nobody will be checking in here until then but i just had to post my most exciting news ever...

one of my jewellery designs made it into the pages of BUST magazine!!!!!

eeekk!!!!

here's the cover: (it's the latest issue. i'm not even sure if it's on the newsstands yet!)


and my 'mixed tape' earrings!


hee! :)

hi...and bye.

i thought it would be a good idea to dust off this poor neglected blog of mine to pop in and say hi to everyone! thanks so much for the nice comments you've left while i've been away.

so i'm here to check in and say hi but...i also have to say bye-bye. don't worry, i'm not leaving the blog world. i'm just feeling really swamped with preparing for the big show that starts next week. i still have tonnes to do to get ready for it, plus report cards are due (at my morning job!) on monday. yikes! since the show runs for 11 days straight (nov 24 - dec 4) and 11 hours each day (11am - 10pm) i won't really have the time (or energy) to blog until it's over. but rest assured, i'll be back as soon as it's done!

in the meantime, here are some cute socks & tights i picked up today at "winners" (canadian outlet chain, i think similar to "ross" in the u.s.). i had to go to ikea to get some more stuff for my display and there was a winners right there. i had to run in and feed my obsession with kneehighs & tights.

kneehighs: black with felt applique & embroidery, rust & chocolate stripeys


tights: teal blue and heather grey


***
if you're in the t-dot and you come to the one of a kind show, come visit me!! i'll be in the "rising stars" section, booth RS 14....just look for the RATGIRL booth!
everyone else...meet you back here on december 5th!!! :)

i'm stuck in the 80's

on my way to the grocery store this afternoon, i got a bit sidetracked by the goodwill store conveniently located right next door (so dangerous!). i must have a 6th sense for sniffing out thrifting opportunity vibes from the sidewalk because i walked in and found lots of great stuff!

the 3 shirts are straight from the 80's. in fact, the peacock and striped shirts have authentic puffy sleeves! (squeals!)


both belts are stretchy (my favourite!) and the black one jingles a bit when i walk.


some cute pins i found for next to nothing.
***
on saturday paul & i went for dim sum with karina & jason and tania & paul (and their friend todd). it was so much fun! paul & i had never had dim sum before and now we can't stop thinking about it...it was so delicious! we were pleasantly surprised by the number of veggie options too. yum yum.

shhhh...

wanna know a little secret?

paul made me a cd to listen to in the car to and from work. it has a bunch of amazing stuff by arcade fire and some new death cab for cutie too. and then at the very end of the cd, he put on a song that i love more than anything...since u been gone by kelly clarkson. and i listen to that track the loudest! so if you see someone on the gardiner expressway singing in their car, it might be me...and now you know what song i'm probably singing to!

pss. you might also recall that my obsession with madonna goes waaayyy back to the early 80's. she's got a wicked new song & video out that i've been watching a lot on mtv.com. you can see it here if you're curious.

tired and stressed and tired

last night i could not fall asleep. not earth-shattering news, happens to everyone, right? but i can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, with any amount of noise around me. as tired as i felt, i just couldn't shut off my brain. even though i've been spending every spare minute chained to my studio desk, i still feel like i'm not going to be ready in time for the one of a kind show. and so i lay in bed last night with my mind racing over which designs i still need to do, how i should display everything, how much to make of each design, not to mention panicking over report cards which are due 3 days before the show! ACK! i think it was 1:00 when i finally drifted off. needless to say, i was grumpy when the alarm went off at 6am this morning. :(

paul talked me through my anxiety this morning and i'm feeling a bit better (and more focused) now.

on a lighter note, i took a break last night to make spicy banana bread (lots of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & a touch of cloves). i haven't made this since last november when i baked and brought some to paul and karina while they were at the one of a kind show. weird coincidence...

dog park

i took the camera when noah and i went to the dog park today. i got some great pictures but also took a little (silent) movie of him frolicking. check out his cutiepie ears flapping as he runs!

looking cute!


and in action:
click here to see noah the superdog!!

and another little video

on my way to carpal tunnel

been busy getting ready for the "one of a kind" show! here's a peek at what i've been doing...



each one is drawn & coloured by hand (hence, the title of this here post)

and ready to be assembled into jewellery.


...and back to the sweatshop, er...studio, i go!!

vintage beads

when i was up at my mom's last weekend, she gave me a small old chocolate box filled with vintage beads. apparently she got them free at a yard sale awhile back. even the old box is cool...smiles & chuckles chocolates from god-knows-when!


the red/pink/purple beads are plastic, the turquoise ones in the centre are also plastic and the white ones are beautiful faceted glass.


i've also started knitting a neckwarmer that i saw on craftster awhile back. i haven't gotten much done and don't expect to finish anytime soon because i don't have a lot of time to knit these days. still, it's good to have a project on the go to work away on slowly. the original on craftster is over here.


also: here's my most recent addition to wardrobe-remix over at flickr in case anyone is interested.

have a good weekend!

thanksgiving

i can barely believe another terrible tragedy has struck this planet yet again. my thoughts are with the people in south asia and those who have lost loved ones in the horrible earthquake over the weekend. it seems we are moving from one disaster to another these days. : (

some of the things i'm thankful for:



...just wish i could have visited my dad this weekend too. xo

good things

things that are making me happy this week...

1. finding out that my beloved cbc has finally settled and will be back on the air on tuesday! andy barrie, i missed you so!

2. doing little bits of shopping in anticipation of the cooler temps that are bound to push out the heat & humidity at some point. on tuesday i stopped at winners and stocked up on some cute (and CHEAP!) tights and kneehighs. today on queen west, just a couple of t-shirts (one emerald, one orange) that were on sale & i can't wait to layer.


3. spending hours hanging out & sipping lemony san pelagrino with tania on tuesday. it was so so so much fun to just chat and knit away the warm afternoon in a local coffeeshop. thanks so much, tania! : )

4. taking noah for longer than average walks in the dogpark and seeing some extra cute dogs, like a 13-week old golden retriever puppy frolicking with a teeny tiny terrier.

5. going to see my boy jump back into the indierawk world tonight. he and his friend andrew will be debuting their band (kilometre) at the art college downtown. it's been years since paul's played live!

6. counting down the sleeps until we head to orillia for thanksgiving, my favourite holiday of the year. all the good eating with no presents to buy. can't beat that!

7. receiving this adorable gift from one of my sweetest students this morning. he even put it in a little envelope and addressed it to me. (it's a dinosaur holding a flower!)


hope you're all having a good week, too!

***
ps. i started worrying some might think it was a bit self-indulgent to post my outfits every day. but i'm still trying to add them to the wardrobe-remix group on flickr. by all means, go check it out if you're at all curious! : )

linky link

i made good with my promise and added a bunch of new links to my sidebar yesterday. go check 'em out!

09-30-05

thank you so much everyone for the super nice things you've been saying in my comments! i can't tell you how happy it makes me to open it up and see so many kind words everyday! this whole blog world is just so crazy and cool and inspiring every single day. i've found many of your blogs through the comments you've left for me and i'm just constantly amazed by the wonderful things you're doing and talking about over in your part of the world. having such creative and interesting new friends comment on my blog is a little overwhelming sometimes, but i'm just happy if maybe i can return the inspiration or enjoyment your blogs bring me. so, thanks again guys! i'm a lucky girl indeed....

that said, i have been terribly delinquint in updating my links. (can you believe i have only done it once since i started this blog in the winter? shameful.). i am going to sit down and try to remember how to do that this weekend. promise!

and so here's what i left the house wearing this morning.


*generic black t: local store (chockey's)
*olive green cardi: canadian chain (winners)
*red sundress: thrifted
*orange skirt peeking underneath: urban outfitters
*stripey kneehighs
*black maryjanes: payless
*brown scarf: knit by me
*6 wood bead bracelets: me
*1" button on cardigan that says "crafty kid" (from a zine fair awhile back)

have a great weekend!!!
xo krissy

09-29-05

this was my post to the flickr group today:



sweater: thrifted (see pic of button detail on the neck & shoulder)
cropped pinstripe pants: urban outfitters
plaid tie (as belt): local crafter (demoiselle)
blue argyle kneehighs
black maryjanes: payless
6 wooden bracelets: made by me

button detail on sweater:


i got the sweater on saturday at the value village in the 'burbs but forgot to post a picture of it.

my latest obsession!

i cannot get enough of this new group over at flickr called wardrobe remix!! a couple of weeks ago, tricia from bits and bobbins started photographing her outfit everyday. i think someone suggested that she start up a "daily outfit" group at flickr. i can't begin to tell you how inspiring it is to see how people are putting together colours/textures and accessorizing...all that fashion-y jazz. it's better than a fashion magazine...i swear to you!

it's sooo hard to narrow it down but these are just a few of my favourite outfits so far.

cute wrap dress!

i like everything this girl wears.

i need to try this. i've had a cute striped tie sitting around for a year.

crazy layering makes everything look interesting.

and just one of the many wicked outfits from the girl who started the ball rolling...

(i finally mustered up the courage to participate---although it was a bit daunting at first with so many stylish people over there--here's one that i've posted to the group)

from yesterday:

taking a breather

i've had my nose to the grindstone (so to speak) making stock for the one of a kind show. i hate to say it, but expect abnormal delays between posts for the next little while. i have so. much. to do. wah!

i did take a break for some thrifting with the hubby on saturday and a bit more today. on saturday we hit a value village in the 'burbs that was a friggin' gold mine! paul actually bought more than i did. today i ventured into one of those church thriftstores and found some good stuff for DIRT CHEAP! (it was also a 50% off day i didn't even expect!)









(here's a couple of pages from the "pattern book" in the picture above. you may need to click it for a closer look)


wanna know my new theories about thrifting?
1. suburbs are good to hit because less competition from the downtown hipsters
2. church thrift stores are hot because little old religious ladies take their stuff there (or their families do, uh, if you know what i mean...) and there's tonnes of goodies they've been hoarding for DECADES!
3. the folks at the church stores maybe don't really know what they've got and price everything randomly (vs. goodwill/vintage clothing stores who've learned what's hip & coveted by the masses)

shhh...don't let those tips get out or else there won't be anything left for you! (*wink*)

bedroom gets a makeover

yesterday my hubby surprised me! he spent hours setting up a fun little area for me above my dresser in the bedroom. the cool thing is that he did it all ENTIRELY with things we already had around the house.
lookie!


here are some detail shots:








paul downloaded the pictures of madonna, cyndi lauper and scott baio from the internet. i think he was inspired by this room. i'm going to expand the wall with a bunch of pictures of my other idols from my childhood. either that or i might just put up a bunch of framed pics of early madonna. i'm usually all about the indierock except when it comes to her. that's when i revert back to a 12-year old all over again! : )

snazzy update

i have a whole bunch of new goodies up on snazzygirl! go take a peek....

when blog worlds collide

this afternoon paul & i took our doggy noah across town to the annex to check out a super cool craft show. all of the booths were jam-packed with eyecandy goodness. sparkley beads, colourful belts, sublime pottery, and bold patterns on everything from postcards to purses. i seriously could have gone crazy if i had brought more money with me.

there were some great people there too...some you probably know. karissa cove (of the classic "i'm foxy AND crafty aprons) was there with a whole new batch of accessories like purses with colourful hearts and girly clutch purses. i bought a birdy pouch i've had my eye on since her old "crackers and honey" website. yay!!!


a display that caught my eye straight away was from a local designer i'd never seen before named "smitten kitten". this woman is multi-talented creating a potpourri of lovely goodies like dangly earrings and delicate flower brooches which i think might be called kanzashi. she also makes the greatest stationery from vintage wallpaper and fabric. i snatched up 2 of the most adorable postcards...they're going to be framed and hung on the wall in the studio.


but without a doubt, the highlight of the day was finally meeting the lovely tania howells whose blog has been on my "daily read" list in my favourites for close to a year now. i'm sure a bunch of you know her from her little space on the web and you know what, she's as smiley and sweet as you would expect her to be.


anyhow, tania was at the craft show selling a mountain of stuff based on her clever illustrations. i swear i wanted one of everything. but i was bugging out with delight at being able to adopt her adorable little felt softie bird that i believe she said she made for a month of softies awhile back. "smitten kitten" saw that i had him with me and was a bit jealous that i snapped him up before she had a chance to go back. i promise wilbur will have a good home though!

also at the fair was another blogger whose journal i read ALL. THE. TIME...laural from thimble. it was cool to meet her in real life too. she had her wonderful knitting needle rolls for sale and i wanted one sooooooo badly but i had already bought 2 things and only had a bit of pocket change and lint left. boo.

but here's a picture of all the great handmade swag i did score on my very limited budget of $20.


more good news...noah was quite well behaved!

still here...just quiet

i haven't posted much this week (have i even posted at all? i'm not sure). a combination of reasons, really.

* i've been busy with my first week back to work (not sure if i've mentioned it here before but i'm a teacher at a public school during the morning). i'm teaching a few new things this year so i've been doing a bit of research so i can get things straight in my head while i plan out the year.

* i've been enjoying long walks at the beach with noah every afternoon. good exercise for both of us!

* i've also been busy getting another order together for a store. (can't seem to keep those mixed tape earrings in stock, it seems! yay!) i'm also working out a couple of new designs for the show i'm doing at christmas. (they're looking promising.)

* i've just been a bit overwhelmed with the whole situation in new orleans and the gulf coast. the news coverage is just so depressing. it makes me sick to see all of those people stranded with nothing, absolutely nothing. now every celebrity is down there and i don't know if it's a positive thing that they're there kissing babies and hugging mothers...the skeptic in me thinks they're there for press. i hope i'm wrong.

anyhow, just wanted to let everyone who's still reading that i'm still around.

lots of fun stuff happening this weekend...i'm sure i'll have a ton of pictures to post!

is it just me...

...or is everybody seeing little red x's where my (older) pictures should be? i haven't been posting for days because i've been trying to find out why i can't see any of my pictures all of a sudden. i hate little red x's. also, can you see my new avatar? i was getting x's for that too...

anyhow, the last little while has been pretty busy. i sent out 3 orders last week which was extremely exciting! i had so much fun packing everything up and making trips to my local post office. i've read so many comments on other blogs about how mean the folks are at their postal outlet but i love mine. they're always smiley and chatty.

paul & i went to two parties on saturday, which is two more than we homebodies usually attend. first we went to a bbq for the guys he plays hockey with. now ordinarily i wouldn't really be excited about hanging out with a bunch of hockey boys but they don't play for a typical hockey league. paul plays in the exclaim hockey league which is for local people in the music scene. we brought over veggie kebabs to put on the grill, just like my mom made for us when we went to visit her. they were delish. good food and fun times.

after the bbq, we went to party #2 at andrew & sabine's place. it worked out perfectly because that was a *desert* party! sabine made the most delicious cream puffs and tarts. we had such a great time there chatting and laughing for hours.

on sunday we went to see "the 40-year old virgin", mainly because we LOVE steve carrell. it was pretty good and had lots of funny parts but we both thought NOW magazine was a bit generous to give it 4 out of 5 N's.

last night we finally brought up all of our books that have been living in cardboard boxes in the basement since we moved in last year. the problem was that we wanted to paint our living room before investing in a bookshelf. a couple weeks ago we found the exact bookshelf we wanted in the "as is" department of ikea for $40!! now we finally have all of our books upstairs feeling loved again.



hope everyone's having a super labour day! (or "labor day" for my american friends....) i'm back to school tomorrow. wah!