The great leg debate

The women in my office are fashion savvy. They know whether your new shirt came from H and M or Zara or Club Monaco or Joe Fresh. They read fashion publications and fashion blogs and they are brave enough to try new things and  to showcase the part of their body that they like the most. They are an inspired group and I love the drive to stay current that is demonstrated on every floor of the the three story building that I call home for 8 hours everyday. So the debate has been heating up for the last couple of weeks: Is it too early for bare legs? I took some photos of the real legs, toes, leg covering and slinky bareness that was populating the office yesterday and the results are above. One of the fashionistas told me that there are no rules anymore and bare legs and open toes are legal anytime. Some chic conservatives told me that they just aren't ready to show their gams no matter how close it gets to 15 degrees. I was hiding behind the "my legs are too white for displaying" argument until Cheryl (whose beautiful legs are pretty alabaster-black strappy shoes, black skirt) blew that theory out of the water. What do you think? When is it time to show your stuff? 

Ginger and Spice and 10 or 11 things Nice

Ginger is interesting. This usually means mousy or unattractive but in this case, it does not. It means that she is an artist, architect, mother, step-mother and  student of the world. She has a heightened sense of justice and is sensitive to the point of handicap. She inspires me and all of those in her world and she is the only person that I know who loses her keys, cell phone and wallet as much as me.  When I asked her for a list, this is what she gave me:

1.Raindrops on roses

2.Whiskers on kittens

3.Bright copper kettles

4.Warm woolen mittens

5.Brown paper packages tied up with strings

6.Cream colored ponies

7.Crisp apple streudels

8.Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

9.Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

10.Silver white winters that melt into spring

Then I said "Seriously, can you give me a list?" And she gave me this: I'd like to introduce you to Ginger.

 1. Spring

 Every winter I turn into a troll, I take up residence under a bridge and terrorize innocent Billy goats looking for greener pastures. I occasionally venture onto the bridge only to consider jumping off. So now that March is behind us it’s time for me to shed my inner troll and embrace my number one favorite thing: Spring. Spring is the best makeover ever, it is the time we celebrate cute things like bunnies and little chicks, (code for baby making) it is when we celebrate Easter (Also one of my favorite things) and clean the random garbage out of our lives so that we can buy more. They say that Canada has only three major problems: January, February, and March, I endure them, reluctantly, because I know the pay off is coming.

2. Yard Sales

One harbinger of spring is the ubiquitous (the word ubiquitous is on my list of least favorite things) Toronto garage sale. What could be better than snooping through someone else’s stuff? I love the insane tradition of haggling over fractions of dollars, for things you neither need, nor really want. I love that some people will practically give all their old shit away, and others want you to remortgage your house to be the lucky new owners of great aunt Lily’s salt and pepper shakers. And what does one do with all of the random trinkets once bought from someone else’s front yard? Why have a garage sale of course, and the cycle continues. The truth is that I rarely ever buy anything, and I have never hosted my own garage sale, but I love that people are willing to set up their junk on the front lawn and expose it to the judgment of the world.

3. Photoshop

I am without words when it comes to the premier photo-processing program. It is by far the most complex and flawless program I have ever used. I am humbled by its greatness. Ironically I have no picture to accompany this.

4. Running

If I were asked to make a list of things I hate, running would be on it. It is the activity I feel most ambivalent about. It’s too hard; its lonely, it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter but, there is nothing like pushing through to the other side. Not only do I love the way it makes me feel, but also running is a survival skill…assailants eat my dust.  And finally, unlike most other sports there are no rackets, gloves or arenas, nothing needs to be frozen or groomed, it is just me against the world, and I find nothing more exhilarating or terrifying.   

5. Don Draper

6. Cake

Cake is wonderful in every way. You can fill them with cream, ice them, mold them into shapes, or stick your fingers in the batter.  One of my favorite recipes is the All in a Pan Chocolate Cake, my four year old can make it. The best thing about cake is that it makes people smile, especially if you put a candle in it.

7. My New House

I just bought a new house, by any western standards it can only be described as a shit hole. The idea of spring-cleaning was not one familiar to the previous owners; in fact, the idea of cleaning in any form was entirely foreign to the occupants. Harry and George, lived in the house for eighty-five years leaving an ungodly mess, but they also left their vibe of intellectual curiosity, their love of music, appreciation of art, and their community spirit, that has already become a thing of legend. We plan to take many things out of the house; those qualities are not among them.

 

8. Dragonette

My sister’s awesome rock band. I love my sister and I love this band, and I’m convinced these two statements are not interrelated.

9. My kitchen

There is nothing like having the right tool for the job. I love to cook, and this kitchen is the right tool for the job.

10. My bath

Bath time can be a harrowing time for some families, not so for us; let me set the scene. I am lying on the bed with a book as I watch the children splash around joyfully in the warm water and bubbles. While bathing, my children are indulging in their dvd obsession de jour. The French doors to the deck are open letting the late afternoon breeze in to freshen the air. And finally, just out of the corner of my eye, I can see my husband doing a load of laundry in the background. There is no greater luxury.

11. My husband

He made me write that. Also, I will be featured heavily on his list so I didn’t want the relationship to appear imbalanced.

p.s. Douglas asked if I was writing my memoirs or a list of my favorite things. I said I didn’t understand the question.

Easter Teaser

On vacation at my mom's recently I got obsessed with the idea of Easter. Nests specifically. We scoured the north country for nest making material and experimented with sticks and leaves and feathers and dirty, messy organic things from the ground and finally stumbled on some wood wool from Dollarama. It's a bit pale and we attempted to dye it in some tea but to little effect. I came to love the fair nests and as I am experimenting with my new Canon G9 and taking lots of macros. The colour and texture have turned into perfect. My family (all 29 of them) are going to descend on me this weekend. I'm going to show off my sewing room, take lots of photos, hide Easter Eggs and eat ham. We're going to make nests and eggs together. It's going to be great. I owe a great deal of my Easter enthusiasm to my friend Ginger who brightens at the mere mention of an occasion. She exposed me slowly to the art of Ukrainian Easter Egg decorating and this year I finally felt brave enough to deviate from the safety of my polka dot palette only to be met with obstacle of the great decorating supply store being shut down. Undaunted, I invested in nest making instead and the subtle tinting of quail eggs. Ginger will grace us with her list on Saturday. Our Easter weekend list of loves belongs to her.

Laura Loves

I thought Laura might say no when I asked her to cough up a list.  I was glad that she didn't. Here is her list of 10 things she loves right now. She is a discerning consumer who has style, a wicked sense of humor and a stay at home life that is rich in glamour and laughs. Few do it well and fewer make it look easy. She does both. Beautifully. Meet Laura.

1. Concealer

I love this! I don’t wear much make-up but this is an essential. It’s a little pricey but will make you look fresh (even when you’re not).

2. Le Creuset

I love to cook and I love food. So when I discovered this beautiful pot I was in heaven. I have it in 2 sizes and its perfect for pasta sauce, soups, braising etc.

3. Hudson Jeans

All I can say is that these jeans hide my 3 c-section belly and make my ass look good (well, pretty good).

4. Twilight

I read all the books in 2 weeks and saw the movie 3 times. If you are looking for an easy but captivating read . . . this is it! Robert Pattison is also my new boyfriend.

5. Guns

Some call them Guns n’ Roses but I call them Guns. I have loved their music since I was a teenager. A little embarrassing sometimes but Patience still gives me the goosebumps. Axel Rose used to be my boyfriend before the plastic surgery, weight gain and corn rows.

6. Terroni

I am Italian and I think this is the most authentic Italian food in the city. You may occasionally be treated poorly but the food is worth it. I always order the San Giorgio. Yummy!

7. J Crew

Okay so I wear a D-cup and I need to buy bathing suits that come as separates. J Crew makes really cute ones that hold em’ up nicely if you know what I mean.

8. Jura Coffee Maker

When we renovated a few years ago my husband insisted on this machine. I

thought it was silly. But every night when I lay in bed and think about how

mean I was to my kids all day I think " its okay, you'll have coffee in the

morning."

9. Manhattans

As most of my friends know and do themselves I love cocktail hour. Since ii have 3 kids that hour is anywhere between 4 and 5:30. I love Manhattans because they are all alcohol and kinda sweet. The maraschino cherry is also a bonus.

10.Ray Bans

A gift from my husband. As I mentioned, I have 3 children so these glasses make me feel super cool (even though I am not).

I took the liberty of inserting the picture of Laura in the Ray Bans. She would never have done that. I just wanted to show how cool she actually is. 

Happy Weekend Everyone.

I'm going to need a new goal

picture is courtesy http://wrenhandmade.typepad.com/wren_handmade/2009/03/finally-im-back.html click here to see her whole beautiful space.

Great things do happen. You find out that someone you've met is from your hometown. You win a raffle (prize doesn't even really matter). Someone you like, likes you back. You find a 20 in your coat pocket. You rediscover something great, like it was the first time. You have a breakthrough while learning to crochet. You get the idea. Save for the wee hours of this morning, I've been on a bit of a winning streak. Vacation, good vintage finds, egg decorating, Birthday etc. And then came yesterday afternoon....

It was my first day back to work after vacation and the day had a nice up-tempo pace plus it was the day when they post your name on the Birthday Board at work so that all day, people are nice to you and wish you nice things. You get tricked into a mysterious"meeting" in the boardroom only to give you a yummy cake in a group of the available people from the office that like you most. I was on a roll. I was feeling sufficiently celebrated as the day wound down and I was imagining a low key evening with my family and a few characters that I consider family.

I arrive home to find Ginger's car is in my driveway and conspicuous, recognizable bags of "yet to be sorted" items from my sewing room are piled on the sidewalk. Could this be happening? I approach my house nervously. If what I suspect is true, how will I properly convey my appreciation? I open the door and hear Ginger's excited voice welcome me from what used to be my yet-to-be-converted studio space. The other half of the dynamic duo is Greg. The two of them have been going to town organizing, culling and tidying the chaos that was my designated and disastrous space. To properly tell this story you need to understand that it would have absolutely taken 5 adults, 8 hours to scrape the surface of what needed doing. I could have cried. The joy of not having to face this alone. This task so much bigger than I. This unimaginable hill that I no longer had to climb. I was elated. Ginger and Greg did a beautiful job of enthusiastically touring me through the drawers and cupboards and all of the carefully considered places chosen for my glue and staple guns, tape, pinking shears, pins, trim, yarn, patterns and fabric. Shelf installed, holes masked. The works. The evening erupted in to my favourite feast of baby back ribs on a bed of garlic mash (thank you Rich!) with bottomless Prosecco for everyone. This whole blog started with wanting to have a space where I could explore the crafting part of me. Once finessed, I'll share the final outcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and hang out in the room that makes me feel like I found 20 bucks in a coat that I won at a raffle that I attended with some fantastic person who likes me back and is from my hometown.

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.