Crafting Birthday Conversation

This is Stephen, Shelley, Laura, Ginger, Martha and Ramona tending to the Ukranian Easter Egg decorating burn on Stephen's middle finger. Captured with my new flip.

Vintage Shoes, Easter Eggs and the Vacation's Over

It's pouring and will probably be for most of the day. It has that kind of feeling. The thickness of the cloud cover combined with my quick appraisal of the weather network confirm that today is an indoor activity day. My vacation comes to an end in a few short hours so here's the recap: I had a relaxing time where I did things I didn't know I would do and didn't do many of the things that I really wanted to do (like tackle that sewing room-sigh). The highlights were definitely in the last three days. I walked to a doctor's appointment and took my time along College Street and tried on a trench coat. I've been thinking a lot about trenches recently and the one I tried on at Girl Friday was lovely but expensive ($260.00). My own vintage trench feels perfect and like it needs replacing simultaneously. I continued on my walk to Ewanika. I hadn't been there in some time and was as impressed as ever with Trisha's commitment to excellence and her devotion to being in the store creating magic. I carried on and finally checked out Good Egg Industries. It was great. Lovely store, beautiful merchandising and friendly shop keep. All of the best elements of retail. Lunch was a curry bowl at Herbivore while reading Twilight (which I finally finished and got fully engrossed by the end-am now going to buy New Moon today). I bought some great vintage 80's pumps.

Friday I ate lunch at Swan. I had Prosecco and the yummiest huevos rancheros I've ever eaten. We made nests out of wood wool that provided good lunch time entertainment and practice for Saturday night's activities. Birthday festivities were held at Ramona's and we ate Sushi and decorated Easter Eggs, Ukranian style. Wax and dipping and dremelling. I wore my new yellow vintage shoes and we sat in darkness during Earth hour, crafting by candlelight.
Thank you to my mom and Robin for hosting me and my clan, thanks to my friends for the thoughtful gifts and well wishes, an amazing lemon meringue, and many laughs and thanks to Rich for helping to make the vacation as pleasant as possible and for the fantastic flip. I had a nice week and a lovely celebration.
Thank you Stephen for enduring a wax burn in the name of crafting. There is a video of him receiving medical attention, once I get my youtube account working, I will post the link.

Also, take a minute and read about the lovely Shelley and her brilliant buttons here.

It's back to work tomorrow. It's my actual birthday. It might still feel a little like vacation.

Vacation Wisdom

The vacation is still in motion and in an effort to try to accomplish some of things that I had hoped, I'm going to keep this post short. Here's some things that I have taken away from my time off of work:

1. Most activities take longer than you think.

2. Being in the country is good for the soul.

3. Deer (all 12 of them) feed every afternoon at 5:00 pm in the field across from my mother's house.

4. If the sap doesn't run immediately after you've drilled the hole, don't write off the sap potential.

5. With 3 1/2 year olds, keep the expectations to a minimum and keep the camera with the adult.

6. Jigsaw puzzles with outbuildings, bridges and creeks come together faster than those with too much blue sky and trees.

7. The sound of coyotes is unsettling no matter how many times you hear it.

8. Deer poo is smaller than goose poo and just larger than rabbit poo.

9. It takes a lot of sap to make even the smallest amount of syrup (Ginger says 40:1.

10. Being away from facebook for a week was no great tragedy.

Greg's List

The third weekly list of favourites comes from Greg. He likes his privacy and so found this exercise rather exposing but in his usual "can't say no to a friend" fashion, this photographer, artist, urban dalai lama of a guy, offers the following:

1. I feel a heightened sense of my environment when I carry my Widelux camera with me. It captures 140 degrees, which is about the same as the human field of vision. The only camera that will keep me exposing film (while it is still available) http://www.gregpacek.com/widelux_webgallery/index.html

2. Comfortable footwear. I endured much ridicule when I started wearing Birkenstocks. Upon seeing me wearing my first pair, many summers ago, my brother, without hesitation cracked…’ I see you're wearing a natural form of birth control’.

Blundstones were a perfect fit from the start.I bought my third pair last year as a birthday present to myself, but still prefer wearing a pair that I bought ten years ago that have been resoled; twice.

3. The dioramas of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC because they are so beautiful and yet so sad. I took this photo of mountain Gorillas from Uganda standing very still, pressed against the glass with my Widelux camera. It probably looks exactly as it did when constructed sometime in the 1930’s.

http://www.gregpacek.com/AMNH_WebGallery/index.html

4. Road hockey for making me feel like a kid again every Sunday morning.

5. My often complimented black leather Rugby (Man) Bag, gifted to me by my favorite old girlfriend, has unburdened my pants pockets for close to a decade.

6. I adore my iphone for all the information it so elegantly brings to me. I love being able to look up and answer questions that arise in conversation with my friends, however trivial, in a matter of seconds.

7. The first sips of my morning coffee and evening cocktail(s). Two addictions which I can’t imagine giving up for longer than a 14 day cleanse (which I desperately need and have been putting off for some time now)

8. Hair clippers allow me the luxury of  weekly haircuts,  razor-less shaving and mostly perfect sideburns whilst liberating my talented friends in the beauty industry from the thankless burden of styling my once glorious locks. Sigh.

9.  Ginger and Sammy because they give me so much while asking for so little.

10. CBC Radio One as heard in my kitchen on my Henry Kloss Model 2 Radio.

They're Here!

You may have noticed that I added the "things I'm waiting on" list. I'm happy to say that as of today, for a few of those things, I am waiting no more. First, the Stylish Dress Books 0 & 1 have arrived. I bought them from an etsy vendor who can be found at http://pomadour24.etsy.com/ .

I don't know where to start. The books are beautiful. It almost feels like sacrilege to cut into them to get the great patterns out. I also wasn't expecting the complete absence of instructions in English but the instructional sketches are great so here's hoping.

Also, my vacation is here. I'm taking the next week off to recharge my batteries. I can't check out all together because that just wouldn't be relaxing but I'm going to get to some of those things on my list. Like, I'm going to enhance my sewing room (okay begin to do something with my sewing room), I'm going to read modern seamster here http://modernseamster.com/ and this afternoon I'm going to give Twilight a chance to hook me (although, I have to confess that the last time I picked it up, I was almost hooked when I had to put it down) and I may even try to factor in a lung-bleeding jog to force me into the land of the cardiac aware. It's going to be a great week.

Mo's 10

First things first. Thank you to my brother Frank for: a. reading my blog and b. making me covet the capelet no more.

And second, this is the second in the series of lists of "essentials" from the lives of my friends. This list comes from Ramona. She is a Mother, Vice-President, and a Trophy Wife who can drink you under the table. If you are one of her relatives, that was a joke.

She has beautiful taste, enjoys convenience and is a woman who confirms that you can have it all.

This is Ramona.

1. Crystal Beach

Crystal Beach has been around for a long long time. Some may say that it's hay day was mid last century. This makes me way behind the time or ahead of a new curve. I love everything about this amusement park mecca turned sleepy beach town. I especially love my cottage there.

2. Tiffany, Tag and Mani - oh my!

I like my left hand (and wrist)...mostly I enjoy looking at what adorns my left side. My beautiful tiffany celebration ring and my diamond speckled Tag Heuer watch. Both gifts from my husband at the birth of each of our boys. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they remind me of the generosity of my husband, how damn difficult it is to push a baby out and how I really need to get regular manicures!

3. Nummy

So what if my youngest son is going to be 3 and still loves his pacifier? My spirited, Gianluca, has found his first addiction and I'm okay with it. He needs it to fall asleep at night and takes several hits off it (like a chain smoker) before finally leaving it beside the front door in the morning. I know I will pay for my laissez faire parenting style in steep dental bills later but for now both he and I need it!

4. Vitamin V

A Vitamin V (aka - Vodka) elixir is usually what bridges my two lives...that of corporate business woman and mom of 2 hooligan boys. I sometimes pour myself a little something before I even take my coat off. It helps me unwind and stay enthusiastic. No judging!

5. auntie's and uncle's

My favourite weekend mornings spent in Toronto always include breakfast at Auntie's and Uncle's. Fortunately, it is a stone's throw from our house. It reminds me of why I love living where I do. My recommendation would be the breakfast tacos although Leo swears by the waffles. (and bacon)

6. Hermes Scarf

I sometimes secretly wish I would break my arm just so I could create a sling with one of my beautiful Hermes scarves (just like Grace Kelly). I have 3 - one was an incredible three dollar find at a Value Village in Peterborough. I wish I had 100!

7. Silver Bullet

My car stinks. I don't know why it stinks but it really stinks. It is a combination of rotten milk meets dead mouse. Regardless, I love my car. I especially love driving my BMW on the highway to Crystal Beach. After about 10 minutes you stop smelling the stench. It is a fast car. It is an expensive car. It looks great and it stinks.

8. Flowers

I love flowers. I love growing flowers. I love picking flowers. I love smelling flowers. I love arranging flowers. I love all types of flowers. Here is a picture of an arrangement I made for my cousin, Christy.

9. AVEDA

I am a beauty whore. I like shampoos, make-up, lotion and potions. Mostly though, I love AVEDA. Usually people can smell me before they can see me. If you haven't experienced AVEDA aroma then you are missing out. My favourite AVEDA aroma is Shampure.

10. Miu Miu

I am 5'7"...growing up I always wanted to be shorter...now I long to be taller (and skinnier, and smarter, and funnier). I can't walk in heels. Stilletos, slides and strappy heals drive me crazy. Oh but the wedge...the wedge heel has stolen my heart. My favourite are my old worn-in pair of Miu Miu's...they cost me a fortune but the miles we have travelled together are countless!

I tried wearing make-up

I work in the beauty/fashion industry. One of the things we do well is sell make-up. Nice make-up. We do beautiful hair and sell amazing shampoo and we do it with a fairly small carbon footprint and a full heart. I look around at the perky, beautiful, make-up wearing hotties in the office and notice that most of them wear make-up and most of them wear it well. I was talking to some colleagues about this recently and realized that I feel about make-up the way I feel about cleavage: while i'm wearing it, I giggle. I wear mascara and lip-something but that's where the enthusiasm ends. So today, disappointed with the temperature and feeling sleep-deprived, I decided to try out black eyeliner. Leah McLaren wrote a column last summer about how she couldn't believe the extraordinary difference between the lined vs. the un-lined eye. I 'sort of' accidently applied some black-black eyeliner to rim my eyes. It was wrong from the beginning. I kept trying to correct how extreme it looked without starting again and before I knew it, Stephen ( my ride/friend) arrived and I really had to go. When my 3 year old son kissed me good-bye, he was the first of many males to tilt their head and try to figure out just what it was that was "different" about me today?

I got in the car with Steve and I just didn't look at him.I sat down and looked straight ahead for a while trying to remember if my sunglasses were in my purse. When Stephen and I finally looked at each other he smiled and looked forward. He decided to spare me. That courtesy did not last all day.

Upon arriving at work (which involved a significant detour, an argument with a 15 year old police officer too delicate to stand in the cold to "serve and protect', 3 breakfast sandwiches, a free donut and bathroom near miss) the comments began.

A mistake happened at work today that was a random communication mishap resulting in a landslide of questions directed largely toward my department and me. I met with a lot of people today to question, clarify and console various colleagues on several charged issues related to job security, compensation, benefits and the like. It was the wrong occasion to be wearing a new face. I found myself engaged in many conversations, heavily collaborating or debating relevant impactful issues only to be asked mid-session "Are you doing something different with your make-up?" It did look kinda slutty. One of my bosses (the one that told me my ass looked huge when I was pregnant) described it as "haggish". I'm sure he meant it as a compliment. The V.P. of finance said to me a the end of the day after we had had several meetings throughout the day which were serious in nature, "are you trying something different with your eye make-up?" Not a good sign.

In the car on the way home where the greatest catharsis of the day usually occurs. Stephen asked me if I'd ever worn eye-liner before. I told him yes, he just hadn't noticed and that it had all been a mistake and that I had to blog about the day's events. He offered "Racoon or Cougar" as a title. I don't think he liked my make-up. Note to self. When it comes to the economic downturn, in make-up, stay with what you know.

What's Suzy Wearing?

Sorry about this cheesy photo but it helps to illustrate the point. I've been looking at suits. Good to have a suit on the roster. Makes me feel more competent at my job. The suit I have in my closet now is from Banana Republic and is camel and wool. I've done the rounds to all of the usual places and took with me this outrageously low budget. It was like some fantastic challenge from a game show. "Buy a suit which doesn't look cheap, (okay doesn't look really cheap) and spend next to nothing." Go! 

Steve and I spent our lunch trying on bad, cheap looking clothes. Fail. Then when I got home I had promised to take Wyatt to get a "thanks for not biting kids and peeing your bed for several days" present and we headed to Dufferin Mall. On the trip between Walmart and ToysRUs to price compare the $14 Batman toy before I commit (it's an obsession-avoiding getting ripped off) I see it. There in the window of Suzy Shier was a great looking jacket with nice details (small covered buttons and puffed sleeves). I begged Wy's patience and headed in to find out how terrible the co-ordinate was and know what? The pants were lovely and fit well. PLUS it's the buy one get one at 1/2 off sale at Suzy's and I bought a whole suit for $60. I admit that I got a little carried away when she recommended the "prestige card" for additional savings on my purchase. The woman on the card has a great haircut. Maybe I'll need this card someday? Or not. What is Suzy wearing? A cheap suit that doesn't feel all that cheap. If you happen to see me wearing the suit can you pretend that you think it's from Holts? I will be.

And then I remembered what is frustrating about sewing.

I often fantasize about sewing when I haven't got a project on the go. I imagine it to be easy and fun and highly rewarding and not frustrating. In order to help with this fantasy I tend to stay away from patterns that seem time consuming and complicated. After all I do not wish to add to the abandoned, half finished line up that exists around this house.  This Sunday, I set out to produce a top from some fabric I bought at Value Village that I doubted but was encouraged to buy because of the vast quantity and the low price. I picked a vintage pattern that I had on hand and set about to dazzle myself with this simple task. There were only 3 pattern pieces so how hard could it possibly be?

This is a lovely vintage doll that looked nice in the late afternoon light of the sewing room. She deserved to have her photo taken. She was the spectator to the debacle.

This is the pattern (blue top on the left) and the fabric.

This was when things were going well. One of the mere 3 pattern pieces. 

So what went wrong? Well, in the span of just a few moments, the pattern revealed itself to be mis-sized. It claimed a finished bust size of 32 inches. This is simply not true. I stitched the shoulder seams together the wrong "right" sides together, then after tearing them out which was dreadful with this stretchy, nubby fabric, I promptly sewed the front and back together in the opposite fashion to the shoulders so the side seams now need to be torn out and even with an aggressively large seam down both sides to compensate for the oversize of the pattern, it's still way too big for the end result I'm looking for. Setting the sleeves in is a terrible idea when I haven't fixed the sizing obstacle. As you can tell from this photo, the light was still decent by the time I lost faith. This is the moment where I decided to capture the hideousness. You've just got to love the longer days. I commit to finishing this top sometime in the coming days. I hope I can post some redirection of this mishap. What is sometimes frustrating about sewing? Everything. Suggestions anyone?