Happy Kitty Bunny Pony

One of my favorite blogs, Print and Pattern, is doing an excellent series on pattern related books this week. Featured today was this book - Happy Kitty Bunny Pony. You have to love a book with a title like that! And, you have to love a blog like Print and Pattern that takes the most gorgeous prints, sometimes from unexpected sources, and brings them to us everyday. It's a wonderful resource, and it's reassuring to know that there's someone out there who's also obsessed with patterns!

Routine

Lately, I've been getting into a bit of a routine. I come home from work, have a shower, put on my trackies, eat dinner and then do at least an hour of work on my books. I like to listen to an episode of This American Life or Wiretap while I'm working. I overdosed a bit on work while preparing for Christmas, but now I find myself looking forward to coming home and doing my little routine. It's nice to be able to work slowly and methodically, without any pressures. Tonight, I folded and trimmed a bunch of accordions, and made a few books that are now happily squishing (sorry to use such a technical term) under weights. Happy and content, I'm now off to make a cup of tea and curl up on the sofa with my knitting. I just have to get better at working blogging into my daily routine!

This has nothing to do with my routine, but I just heard something really funny. A little Irish girl called Becky making a prank phone call to a wrecking company asking them to blow up her school. Listen here.

Host Hunt, anyone?

I've been reading all over the web about Top Design - that sounds like one cool show. Unfortunately, we will not be able to see this excellent program in my part of the world for about a zillion years! Fortunately, I've stumbled on CBC's Fashion File Host Hunt, and I've really been enjoying it. All the people above are competing to host CBC's Fashion File, and have to complete a number of challenges. This week, they had to look at models wearing outfits and identify the designer. Next week looks really cool - they have to do a fashion shoot using only items from Value Village. It's all really great - and 100% Canadian! So, be patriotic - join me in watching Fashion File Host Hunt, eh? (I know, that's so corny - but watch it anyway and support our national public broadcaster).

New from Paper Source

I did a biggish Paper Source order the other night. I was out of loads of flat paper, and also decided to treat myself to a teflon bone folder and a fancy paste brush from Germany. I was happy to see that they also had a number of new Japanese papers - pictured here - which of course, I could not resist. They also have a new paper colour - curry. Yum.

I have to hand it to Paper Source - they always have papers in the most trendy fashion colours and their customer service is really excellent. I wish we had a place like this locally, but I'm sure if I could walk into their shop and see everything, I would be even more tempted. Now, I just can't wait to turn these lovely papers into books!

Country Living - Women Entreprenuers Issue

I picked up the Country Living - Women Entrepreneurs issue today. It's really good, and chock full of inspiring ideas and resources for those who are running their own creative business, or aspire to do so. There are tips on setting up a craft room using found objects and repurposed items from the hardware store.

There are also images from Amy Butler's amazing studio, some of her bags are pictured above, and there are views inside the homes and businesses of creative women. My favorite story in the issue is about a potter called Joan Platt (sorry, can't find a website) who started her craft around age 40. She works in a gorgeous country studio, creating beautifully imperfect plates and bowls in shades of green and yellow. It's stories like these that keep me going when I'm questioning why I'm working so hard on my "hobby."

Anyhow, if you need an inspirational boost, you should check it out. All images above are from the Country Living site, which showcased last year's issue - which is also worth checking out, if you can still get your hands on it.

An Open Book

I've been working on editing and cropping photos for my website over the last few days. I find this work exhausting - I don't know how graphic designers cope! But, they are trained professionals and I am just fumbling around. I'd like to share a few of my favorite images from the shoot - the theme is "an open book..."

Red origami book - these always remind me of the Sydney Opera house when they're open like this...

Accordion book, featuring photos from our wedding...

Blank accordion book, waiting to be filled. Now, only about 100 more photos to edit. At this rate, I will launch the site in 2009! So, it's back to work...

Craft Booth Design for Bookbinders

There is a great post today over on the Rag & Bone blog all about setting up their display booth at the New York International Gift Fair. Rag & Bone are a bindery on Rhode Island, and their blog is a great resource for anyone interested in bookbinding and paper arts. Anyhow, this post goes into great detail about how they designed their booth - it's very beautiful, and they have some amazing ideas on attracting customers and positioning other items with your products. It really puts the double happiness booth, pictured above, to shame. I may have to put some of their ideas to work for my next show.

An Unintended Break

I took an unintended blogging break this week. I'm not sure exactly what happened - things just seemed to get away from me, and suddenly, it's around a week since I last posted. It's been a good week - I celebrated my 35th birthday (!) yesterday by having a relaxing day, being waited on hand and foot, and then going out to dinner. I had Friday off work, and treated myself to a facial, massage and haircut - I've never had such a self-indulgent day, so it was really nice. I love my new haircut - it's really just a trim, but I love having my hair cut, it always feels so fresh and new.

Of course, I got lovely presents. My dad and stepmom came over for a visit with a giant basket filled with cheese, wine, grapes and a baguette - they know me so well! Martin gave me a book I've been wanting to read called "The Custodian of Paradise" by Wayne Johnston. It's a follow up to one of my favorite books "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams" and features my favorite character from that book, so I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Today, it's back to work, cleaning the house, trying to get my new website up and running, some reading and perhaps, knitting a bit on the scarf pictured above that I'm making for Martin. Just a lovely, puttery (not sure if that's a word), relaxing Sunday in my little house, looking at the snow falling outside.

Waterside Fiber Art

My good friend Denise, and her pal Norma, have started a craft business called "Waterside Fiber Art." They make gorgeous and whimsical textile art like the ice cream cone that you see above - which is my personal favorite. The business began as a way to use scraps from quilting and rag rug hooking, and has grown from there.

With Denise having her roots here in Nova Scotia, and Norma being from South Africa, many of the designs are inspired by the sea. All are absolutely lovely! Right now, their works are available at Pictou Lodge here in Nova Scotia, or by contacting watersidefiberart@yahoo.com. Welcome to the craft business club girls - I wish you much well deserved success!

Makeshift Photo Studio

I was sitting on the couch this morning, eating my brekkie when I noticed that it wasn't your typical grey Nova Scotia winter's day - there was actually some light coming through the window. I have been wanting to take some photos of my books for a website I'm creating, so I sprung into action. Well, sprung might not be the right word, I kind of waddled into action after eating a big fat cinnamon bun. Anyhow, I had a roll of paper upstairs in my studio that I rolled out over my dining room table and tucked behind some pictures hanging on the wall. I took a few snaps of some lemons lying around, and concluded that the shadows were too strong.

So, I waited an hour or two while working in my studio. When the noon day canon went off (yes, there really is a noon day canon - one of the advantages of living in Halifax is that you know the correct time at least once a day) I tried again. And, it was much better.

I have this vision of the website being very clean and simple, with my books and albums popping out from a white background. The background read as very white on my camera, but has a slight grey/blue tint on screen. I will have to research how to whiten the background in Photoshop. I have alot to learn about photograpy and digital imaging - but there are some great resources out there on the web. Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy wrote a great post a while back about how she takes her lovely photos.

I used her hint of putting my camera on a tripod, setting up the photo and then using the self timer to avoid any hint of camera shake. She also references this post over at the Switchboards on taking professional style photos which looks pretty good. I probably should have read that earlier.

I'd best get going. I took about 150 photos today that need to be colour corrected. I think that I'm going to be busy for a little while.

More links from the "Guest Blogger"

I have to hand it to Martin, he's been coming up with the links left, right and centre. First off, the beautiful Gharani Strok Filofax. Designed by Gharani Strok for the organized fashionista (which I am not - either organized or a fashionista - but I can dream) it comes with maps of Paris, London and New York, along with lists of great hangouts in those cities. What I love most though is the beautiful retro print. At 125 pounds, it's not cheap - but it's a lifetime investment, right? And do I need to mention to my guest blogger that my birthday is just around the corner?

The second link today is the flickr group Computers Behind Blogs, which offers a glimpse into the world of the blogger. From the photos posted right now, I would say that we could deduce that the blogger's world is well, a bit messy. I think that the blogs featured now are from the advertising/marketing bloggers. Perhaps a few crafters need to join the group and give the place an artistic touch.

Many thanks to my esteemed "guest blogger" and happy friday to you all!

Scarf in Progress

I've nearly finished my scarf. I did loads of knitting over the weekend, and I'm really impressed with how it's coming along. I think that I needed a simple project like this to rekindle my love of knitting. My grandmother how to knit when I was young, but I never made much progress with my skills beyond the basic knit and purl. She would just send me off with yarn and needles to keep me quiet - I'm sure that she's still got my little unfinished squares of garter stitch stowed away somewhere. I just love the quiet zen of knitting, it's really meditative for me - the sound of clicking needles and the mantra of knit, knit, purl, purl repeating in my head. So, now I'm off to make a cup of tea and finish off my scarf.

I can't sew a stitch...

...but I must have this book! It's as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside.

I'm not worthy.

I'm not worthy is a phrase a friend of mine (hi Matt!) used to use when presented with something especially good, like a scrumptious creme brulee. He would look down balefully at said dessert and mutter "I'm not worthy" and then proceed to devour it. I feel kind of like that about the yarn I was knitting up my shrug with. It's really a really beautiful fine and silky alpaca but, unlike my friend and his creme brulee, I am not ready to devour it. I'm not worthy of this yarn. The shrug is a disaster. I've unravelled it so many times that the yarn is starting to split, and the results are so terrible, that I really wouldn't want to wear the finished product. I went down to Tangled Skeins yarn in Dartmouth this morning to pick out a new pattern to use up the yarn, and the lovely sales person said to me what I had been thinking for some time - maybe you are not ready to knit this yarn. She said that she had often saved up balls of yarn to knit in the future, when her skills matched her aspirations. So, I decided to do the same. She very kindly showed me through some pattern books, and I chose a very simple scarf and, after much deliberation, decided to knit it up in "Soho" yarn by Debbie Bliss. A lovely yarn too, but a much chunkier one that will be more forgiving of all my beginner mistakes.

I really can't say enough great things about Tangled Skeins - they were really kind and patient with me and they have a little dog in there - how I love a shop with a dog! Anyhow, I digress. I plan to spend this weekend with my Mom and Nan in Truro, blissfully (pun intended) knitting this beautiful yarn into a scarf that will see me through this frigid winter. Hope you have a nice weekend planned too!

If Etsy existed in 1938....

I have to take back what I said about my man yesterday, for the second day in a row he has emailed me interesting links. The picture above is from "Money Making Hobbies" written in 1938 by A. Frederick Collins (via Get Rich Slowly). Perhaps if Etsy existed back then, it would have been populated with chic crepe paper berets, woven cellophane belts and button trees. The link is worth checking out - it's a bit of a laugh, and the Get Rich Slowly site has some good budget hints - like how to save money on books. Hope you enjoy!

How to be Creative

My husband works for an ad agency, and he does a lot of research on the internet. Really, a lot. He often sends me links and says "this is fantastic, you'll love it." Rarely is this the case, until today. He sent me a manifesto (you know something called a manifesto has to be good) called "How to be Creative" by a guy called Hugh MacLeod who writes a blog called gapingvoid and draws cartoons on the back of business cards. He also works in marketing/advertising and while many of his points are coming from this perspective, they are applicable to pretty much any endeavor, be it art, craft or business. A lot of the things he talks about are common sense - like work really hard, don't compare yourself to other people (I'm paraphrasing here) but I think that we all need to be reminded of these things from time to time. And, there are a lot of great insights. So, check out the manifesto (it's long, but definitely worthwhile) and check out the blog. And, did I mention it's funny? Enjoy, and get inspired.

De-lurking

I've been reading some posts on a few other blogs about "de-lurking" - kind of introducing yourself to blog readers, so I thought that I might do the same. My profile isn't incredibly informative, and although I talk about snippets of my life on the blog, I think that someone reading it wouldn't really know much about, well...me. So, here goes.

As you might be aware, I work full-time for a University, but I have a part-time business creating hand made books. I've been doing this for a couple of years now, and I really enjoy it. I live in Nova Scotia, which is where I was born, and spent many of my young years. When I was a young teen, we lived in Toronto for a few years where I met my friend Mishka, and gained an appreciation of alternative music, especially the Cure. We then moved back to Nova Scotia, where I completed high school and University - a BA with a major in International Development Studies (don't ask). I worked for a bit to save money, and then spent some time travelling around Europe, and doing a working holiday in London. That's where I met my Aussie husband. I spent 8 years living in Sydney with him, and we came back to live here in Nova Scotia around 3 years ago. That's a brief history, but some other stats are - I have 3 half-brothers and a half-sister (I'm the only child that my parents had together) and many nieces and nephews. I'm going to be 35 next month, but a lot of people think that I'm younger. I really like those people. As discussed ad nauseum in this blog, I have many loves, including travel, art, movies, reading, daschunds and red shoes. And, that's it, in a nutshell.

I've been showing lots of photos of my house lately, and this is one taken in my little storm porch. I guess I really should have included a photo of myself, but that's another thing about me - I hate having my photo taken. It was really tough for me to put a real photo in my profile. So, I'll leave you with a painting my mom gave me quite a few years ago when I was living in Australia to remind me of home. I don't really know much about the artist, but I love the colours and the way they look against the paint in the porch. Initially, I wanted to repaint this room, but it's begun to grow on me. A bit like this whole blogging thing...

A new addition

In keeping with my new year's resolution of making my house more comfortable, I'd like to introduce the newest addition to our living room - the TV cabinet. It replaces an old rickety cabinet that was twice the size and nearly falling down. The new cabinet was a bit of a bargain that I snapped up, and I think it's going to take some getting used to, but it does look much tidier than the old one. Not sure about the dark colour, but I'll live with it for a while and see. I could always paint it. And, I definitely need some prints or paintings behind it. All in all though, it will be great to have a cabinet that we can open without fear of it falling down!

In other news, I am very happy to report that I downloaded the first episode of the second season of Extras - currently offered for free on i tunes! Hurrah! I love Extras, and pretty much everything that Ricky Gervais does, although I'm not sure about those Flanimal things. It's great that the episodes will be available on i tunes, because we don't have HBO here in Nova Scotia. Anyhow, if you haven't seen any of Ricky Gervais' work, I would recommend that you check out the Office, or the podcasts, or Extras, which I am about to do right now!

My New Loves

I found some shoes tonight that I absolutely love. They are from a shop here in Halifax called "Fanatic Footwear" which is really great. They stock funky styles that you can't find anywhere else around in town, and they only carry a few pairs of each, so that not everyone is walking around wearing "your" shoes. These are one of those things I saw that I just had to have - I love everything about them, the colour, the detailing, the heel - it's not too high, and the soles are rubber - not that horrible slippery stuff. And, as you can see from the photo above, they blend in nicely with my decor. This means, I can swan around the house in them without fear of clashing!


This closeup shows a bit of the cute stiching detail and the little flower, sigh. They are made by a company called Biviel, who don't seem to have a website, but I think you can find them here and there. Now, I must be off to get better aquainted with my new loves. Cheerio!

Let them eat (fried) cake

Maybe it's because I'm reading a Marie Antoinette biography, but last night I stumbled on a great, quick dessert - fried cake. I know that it sounds like one of those white trash, Elvis kind of dishes, but it's really, really good. We had a guest for dinner, and I didn't have time to bake a dessert from scratch, so I picked up a plain, un-iced pound cake at the grocery store. They also had some organic raspberries on special, so I got those as well. When it came time for dessert, I cut the cake into slices, buttered it on both sides and fried it in a non-stick pan. When the butter melts, the cake browns and all the sugars kind of caramelize. Yum. I served the cake with the organic raspberries (to which I had added a bit of sugar, so they would be all lovely and macerated), and just to be extra decadent, whipped cream and ice cream. Double yum.

Sorry there are no photos, but we all ate it too fast!

Day of Rest?

Today officially marks the end of my bookmaking holiday. It's been great, but now it's time to get back to work and my first task is tackling this messy studio. Over Christmas, I was just chucking everything book/craft related in here on the floor and it's created quite a mess. I think that I've actually now outgrown this studio. The big new cutter I got a few months ago is stored in the guest bedroom next door, and everytime I need to do some cutting I have to run over there. So, I've decided to move the whole studio over to the guest room. I've come up with some ideas for simple and economical paper storage and worktables and enlisted Martin to build them.

I'm looking forward to a new beginning in the new room. It signifies the fact that my business is growing, and that's a good thing. But for now, I've got a day of cleaning, tidying and taking stock ahead of me.

Great Bookbinding & Letterpress Blogs

I kind of always lament the fact that there don't seem to be many bookbinding blogs out there - it's always great to read and see what other people who do your craft are up to - but tonight, I stumbled on some great ones:

Kirin Notebook - bookbinding, pattern design and jewellery making - amazing work by Lara from Melbourne.
Freshly Blended - a talented bookbinder shares her work and inspiration. The list of links in her sidebar is amazing - look forward to exploring them all!
Rag & Bone - blog of a bindery in Rhode Island that explores printing and book arts. Lovely jubbley!
lala dex press - last but definitely not least, Shona does great bookbinding work using vintage fabrics in gorgeous colours. She also produces a range of "hand made letterpress delights" - wonderful and whimsical cards and stationery. I especially like the Sparkle Monkey. (: I also love reading her blog because we share many other interests including a love of Cary Grant, flea markets and food!

And, since printing and bookbinding go together like peanut butter and honey - here are some letterpress links:

Adventures in Letterpress - great blog for someone like me who is interested in letterpress, but doesn't know where to start. Erin is a beginner too, and it's great to see someone jumping straight in and learning from scratch.

i love letterpress - a list of letterpress studios and resources, along with posts on happenings in the printing world.

I'm sure that by checking out the links on some of these great blogs, I'll find many more talented bookbinders and spend another night in front of the computer that should have been productively spent in the studio, making books like the one above. But, it's all good - there's always tomorrow!

Just one more night...

Of kitty slippers....

Of knitting...

Of drinking tea and reading books. Just one more night, and then it's back to the studio - I promise...

A Smashing New Year's Eve

We had a quiet, but good, New Year's Eve. We stayed in, had dinner and watched "After the Thin Man." Actually, I didn't quite make it to the end of the movie, or midnight for that matter, but I still enjoyed our evening. Dinner was quite good, if I do say so myself - we had Portobella Mushrooms, roasted with garlic leek and thyme in a cream sauce, pear and rocket salad, "smashed" potatoes and for dessert there were lemon tarts with raspberries.

I think that my favorite part of the dinner was the "smashed" potatoes. I read the recipe somewhere years ago, so I can't recall the source, but it's so simple and good. It goes something like this - boil potatoes with the skins on until tender, put them on an oiled baking dish and squish down with potato masher (just enough to slightly flatten potato, but not mash it entirely), drizzle over olive oil, add salt, pepper and herbs of your choice and bake at 425 degrees for about 2o minutes. Remove from oven once crispy and delicious and scarf down immediately. Yum! I should have included some photos here, but the potatoes disappeared too quickly!

We have a nice New Year's day ahead, catching up with friends and some final "holiday" eating before all the resolutions begin. Happy 2007 to everyone!

Oh, and one last thing. The dinner last night was prepared using the flavour shaker, and it works! I think that even Martin, the skeptic, is coming around.

Feelin' Shaky

I bought the Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker. Martin called me a sucker. I hope it works.

A Walk in the Park

Today was sunny, but cold. We decided to bundle up and go for a walk in Point Pleasant Park.
A few years ago, there was a huge hurricane and we lost many of the trees in this park. I guess the bright side is that now you can see the sky....
...and this little guy still has a home. After this brisk and chilly walk, it was off to the pub for some refresing ale and an order of curry fries. Bye for now.

Resolve

I had a fantastic christmas. Great time with family, lots of food, and some wonderful presents. I got a few books - among them "The Time Travellers Wife" which I read from cover to cover yesterday and a Marie Antoinette biography, some gorgeous earrings, and a set of "Great Artists" fingerpuppets, complete with their own theatre. I am very happy and appreciative - thanks everyone!

Now that Christmas is over, I've been thinking about my New Year's resolutions. I know, it's terrible to make resolutions because it's like a jinx - none of them ever come true, but I like thinking about the fresh starts the New Year brings and dream about all the things that I will do. So, here are my resolutions, in no particular order:

- start cooking more. I love cooking, but it's kind of fallen by the wayside, so I hope to get more into it in the New Year.
- take better care of myself. Eat better, drink less, etc. I am planning to do another detox once the holiday season is over. I really felt so much better. And, I want to start taking either Yoga or Pilates classes.
- pay more attention to my house. I just want things to be tidy and organized, and beautiful. We did lots of improvements when we first moved in, but we've kind of slowed down a bit. I'm not talking big things - maybe just a bit more storage, and things that will make our life here more comfortable.
- do the things that I want to do with my business and art. I want to keep doing my books, but I'd like to take things a step further and create some designs that are more reflective of me. I think it's easy to get into a "trap" of producing things that are popular, but the real way to be sucessful and fulfilled is to make things that are truly a reflection of who you are.
-learn something new. I want to take a letterpress class this year, and also learn more about photography.
- and daschunds. More daschunds please.

Christmas Countdown

Number of packages to wrap – about a dozen.
Number of pillar candles glowing in the fireplace – six.
Number of cute pink eggs in my new Christmas tree nest – three.
Number of yummy things left to eat -lots, thank goodness!
Number of good friends back in town for a visit - two - yay!
Number of times that I want to listen to "Linus and Lucy" on the Charlie Brown Christmas album - about a zillion - I just love it! (I might not be saying that after a couple of days though!)
Number of days left at work – just one.
Number of books, projects or other crafty commitments left – zero! I am especially happy about this one. While I get so much satisfaction from my little book business and would be totally lost without it, it’s been a very hectic season for me. I am so looking forward to kicking back, reading, enjoying time with family and maybe even finishing up knitting the shrug I started about a year ago.

We are off in a couple of days to spend the holiday with my Mom and Grandmother in Truro. They live out in the country and don’t have access to high-speed internet. So, I will have a bit of a break from blogging and surfing the internet as well. I’m sure I will miss reading all your blogs and finding out what you’ve been up to, but I think that sometimes you need to get away from technology and just connect with the people around you. Sappy, huh?

Happy holidays to everyone!

The Sartorialist - Another blog to love

I’ve only got a few “blogs I love” in my sidebar, but I read about a zillion more. One that I’m particularly loving at the moment is “The Sartoralist.” It’s a blog all about fashion, with snaps taken on the streets of NYC. I love the way the author includes a number of looks and styles, but seems to focus on the type of fashion I adore – classic, with a bit of a twist. And black, of course, lots of black. I think the other reason I love the blog is the fact that it’s set in New York. Just looking at it takes me back to my (much too short) time there, and feeds my fantasies of living an artsy, bohemian life in the Big Apple. I would highly recommend that you check it out.

Ring-a-ding-ding

Thought I'd share a photo of another pretty bauble I aquired this week. I just love this ring. Even though it probably looks horrible on my squat white fingers and it slightly restricts my movements, I love wearing it. One of the customers at the craft show was wearing one, and I asked her where she got it. When I got out to the shop last week, there was only one left so I snapped it up. When I wear it to work at my office, I feel like one of those wacky secretary characters, like Joan Cusack in "Working Girl" or Annie Potts in "Ghostbusters." I've always loved those wacky secretaries - like me, they go to work in an office everyday, but you know they've got this secret fun life outside of work that their clothing, hair and accessories hint at, but never quite give away.

Well, maybe my life is not quite so secret and fun - I'm busy making another pile of books this weekend - the last little push before Christmas. I got up before the sun this morning to start work- but being Canada in winter, that was not so hard to do. The sun's up now, and it's looking beautiful out there. I'd better get at it so I can go out and enjoy it later. Happy Sunday!

Cary'ed Away

I love Cary Grant. Not in the romantic crush type of sense - although he's obviously handsome, I don't really find him attractive. I just love his hammy acting, his hilarious double takes, the fact that he didn't mind poking fun at himself (can you imagine Tom Cruise in "Arsenic and Old Lace - I think not!), the way that he was so sophisticated and classy and private (unlike the "stars" of today), and of course, his sense of style.

So, when I saw this book at my local bookstore, I was very excited. It has wonderful photos from many of Cary's films, and reminded me of why I love him so much. I know that it's one book on my Christmas wish list, and I'm sure that Shona would echo that sentiment. Cary Christmas everyone! (Like Cary, I cannot resist a corny pun!)

Beautiful Baubles

I received a wonderful package in the mail recently from my friend Mishka. She made me a necklace using some beads that my mom had bought for me ages ago, added beads and findings of her own, along with her amazing style, and created this beautiful piece. I really love it - it's beautifully chunky, yet somehow light. This picture doesn't do it justice - if you want to see more of Mishka's work, check out her blog or her etsy shop - Threaded Glass. Thanks Mishka!

I am just about to hunker down for the evening with a glass of wine and the latest issues of Martha Stewart Living and Marie Claire Idees. The movie Proof is on TV, and it promises to be a very enjoyable evening. Farewell!

All Wrapped Up

Last night, I baked some cookies and blondies, and whipped up a batch of homemade hot chocolate to deliver to some of my clients as a thank you for all their kindness and support over the last year that I've been selling my books.

It's still a thrill for me everytime someone likes a piece of my work enough to buy it, and I appreciate the space that shops have given to show my work. So, the least I can do is deliver some holiday treats. If you're interested, the cookie recipe that I made was from Chocolate and Zucchini, the blondies were from a recipe I found in the Martha Stewart holiday cookie magazine and the hot chocolate recipe is from Epicurious. Happy holidays!

Sprucing the place up...

I spent yesterday sprucing the place up, literally. I finished decorating my tree - well, actually, I redecorated my tree after someone came home late after a work party and knocked half the ornaments off. Not naming any names, but this person was in the doghouse for quite a little bit. Anyhow, I decorated my sad little $10 bargain store tree, and I think it looks ok. The branches were a bit sparse, so I filled them in with red berry branches. I've gone for a bit of a "woodland" theme, but really, it's all over the place. I just took all the things I like - disco balls, little birds, butterflies, vintage glass ornaments and lots of pink and silver - and plunked them on the tree. Really, you can't go wrong with a Christmas tree, anything with lights on it looks so pretty. By the way, these are the first photos with my new camera - hurrah! Much better macro and low light functions. There are a couple more over on my Flickr, if you're interested.

The other sprucing came in the form of cleaning. Since the craft show, our house has been a real mess. I spent hours cleaning up, and also hanging some pictures and things that I've meant to do for a while. I finally got the print that Marieke gave me off the mantel and on the wall, and I think it looks quite sweet. Today, I tackle my studio and get back to work on my final pre-Christmas orders. Wish me productivity!

Blurry no more!

I've been looking, quite obsessively actually, for a camera for the last few weeks. I've had a Canon digital camera for years, one of the first in their "Elph" series, so old that it's only 2.1 megapixels. It's ok, the photos look all right online, but prints come out all pixel-y, with a lot of noise. I've been getting frustrated with my camera for a while, but the final straw for me was my craft show, when I took photos of my booth and products and they turned out, well...crappy. I was hoping to use these photos for future show applications and my upcoming website but they are just not good enough. Also, I'm really starting to enjoy taking photos, and I want the way that I'm setting up the shot in my head to be the final outcome, not the blurry mess that comes out now.

Initially, I thought that I possibly wanted to get a high-end SLR type camera, but I don't think I'm ready for that. There would be a steep learning curve for me, and I couldn't fit it in my pocket. So, in the end, I've decided to go for the little beauty above. It's got a decent number of megapixels (6), optical zoom (x4), image stabilization (good-bye blur!), macro and night shooting modes, and a few manual controls that I can play with. I may still get an SLR down the road, but even if I do, I would still like to have this as a second camera for everyday use. So, it's off to the shop tomorrow for an early Christmas gift. I would have gone tonight, but we're in the midst of the another snow storm. So, I bid you farewell and hit the couch for a film night - I've got a choice between "Friends with Money" and "A Prairie Home Companion." Full review tomorrow...

Weekend Away

We had a great weekend away, at a cottage just outside Lunenburg. I really love that area of Nova Scotia, it's so beautiful. Every time we visit, I want to move there and be close to the sea, but then I think of a million practical reasons not to. I have to stop doing that.

After all the stresses of the craft show, it was great to go to a place with absolutely nothing to do except sit in front of the fire, read, drink and of course, most importantly, eat. I finally finished reading my Alice Munro book (great, as usual) and read the whole of "Julie and Julia." I started on "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" which is pretty good so far, I'm looking forward to reading more of it this weekend.

We did venture out of the cottage for a little bit - on Saturday morning, we went to La Have Bakery. You have to take a little car ferry to get there, but it's worth it. Yummy food in a very funky type setting. We had lunch at the Knot Pub too, we love it there. It's like somewhere a hobbit would stop and have a drink. It looks especially cute now that it's decorated for Christmas. Sunday came all too soon, and we headed back home with heavy hearts. We are both looking forward to a week off at Christmas.

I wanted to add many more photos of the trip, but blogger seems to be acting up tonight. You can check them out over on my Flickr.

It was a dark and stormy night...

It's snowing up a storm here in Halifax. I had planned a productive evening of working, but after travelling over the horrible roads to pick up my husband - a harrowing 40 minute drive that would normally take about 5 minutes, a brief respite with dinner at the pub - and then another slightly less harrowing drive home in slightly less horrible traffic, I am exhausted. I am sure that sentence is also exhausting to read. So, although I've got lots to blog about, including a wonderful parcel in the mail from Mishka and a great trip to Lunenburg over the weekend, it's all going to have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, I'm just going to blob on the couch and watch Dexter.