no.631

my friends made babies.

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

In the last year, three of my close friends had babies. I still find it odd that we are at that stage in our lives - to baby or not to baby. Sometimes, okay almost always, I feel like this particular decision is still so far away. But when I see my friends with the little humans they made, I am reminded that this is not the case and the time is now.

Here are the cutest babies of 2011, placed in order of age...

Curious Little J.

Lucy, the happy little bear.

Sweet as pie Mr.A

all I need now is a cow.

2012-02-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I was curious about homemade yogurt. I thought it would be a nice compliment to my handmade granola. I mentioned it to K, and lo & behold! he said his mom might have one because he remembers her making yogurt when he was a kid. Karim called up his mom and sure enough she still had it! Thank-goodness for big suburban homes where nothing gets thrown out! The yogurt-making kit is from the late 70's or early 80's and came with a very old, and very dangerous looking thermometer, which we have replaced. The machine works perfectly and is super easy to use. Plus, homemade yogurt is so much cheaper! We buy 2 litres of organic milk for 8 bucks which produces 2 litres of yogurt! I still want do some experimenting and throw in a vanilla bean at the boiling stage and see if I can make natural vanilla-flavoured yogurt.

The styling on the instruction book cover is VERY dated, which kind of makes it great. And look at all the recipes I can make with homemade yogurt! hah. Dip, anyone?

The dangerous thermometer came in this playfully-designed box.

Here is the yogurt chilling, the middle stage, before it goes into the machine for 4 hours.

ACE magic in Palm Springs.

2012-01-15T18:23:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure what it was that made our stay at the ACE so fun and memorable, but it was definitely a highlight of the trip. We only planned to stay for one night but I could have stayed five. We spent all day poolside - drinking cocktails, sunning ourselves and relaxing in the driest, hottest heat ever – which I, of course, loved. The hotel was pretty empty, 15 guests or so, and maybe this is what made our experience so sweet. The rooms were the perfect aesthetic, the food was simple and good, the staff was nice and it was affordable (but this could have been because it was 47 degrees and no one was insane enough to venture to the desert).

I have been looking at the cost of taking another little holiday out there, 3 days in LA, 3 days at the ACE, but I'm afraid it won't be as great the second time around...I honestly think the stars and the moon had something to do with it.

Checking in, and full-on happy!

I got up at 7am the next morning and went straight to the pool.

Our view from the pool loungers.

K fully relaxed.
Dinnertime at the King's Highway diner.

After the ACE we headed North East... through the Mojave desert, Vegas, Death Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains...and do you know how we made it all that way without a glitch? Because of Mr. Navigation (please see image above). We didn't have GPS or any detailed maps and we wanted to avoid major highways and take the smaller roads, so K made a point to spend 10 minutes on Google Maps each morning before leaving the hotels. He would jot down all the directions on his 'handy' clipboard, which he brought from home, and which I teased him about the whole trip! I thought he was being a buzz-kill, but after everything was said and done and we were back home I was very grateful for his navigating clipboard.

LA in 20 pictures or less.

2011-12-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

I have a tiny crush on LA. I like the sun, the vastness, the close proximity to the desert and the ocean, and that even among the pretty there is some grit. The driving is the only thing that gets me and stops this crush from being a full-on love affair.

We rented a sweet apartment in Silverlake from a very helpful stylist. It was the perfect location! It was close to all the places we wanted to check out, which cut down on driving across the city all the time. It was clean, quiet and there was always somewhere to park outside. oh and Intelligentsia was down the road... the most important thing - morning coffee!
(the image above was the view from the apartment)

Some of the things we did...
Explored a few areas in and around LA; Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Abbot-Kinney, Santa Monica. Visited the LACMA, a graffiti + street art exhibition at the MOCA, farmers markets, a flea market on Melrose and Griffith Observatory. Ate kick-ass vegan food at Sage, delicious pizza at Gjilena, a fancy dinner at Cliffs Edge and the best avocado sandwich ever at Trails Cafe (where we spotted Danny Pudi and Donald Glover from the show Community, who we both think are pretty cute and funny). Oh and of course shopped 'cause things are still, somehow, cooler and cheaper in the U.S. of A.

Taking a peek out the sun-roof before we got onto major LA roadways.

Arriving to our accommodations.

Our first breakfast in LA. I'm totally blanking on the name, but it was just down the road from the apartment. I would have to say this was the tastiest granola I had on the whole trip.

I was madly looking for a swap meet/flea market to check out in the LA area, and it seemed that we picked the wrong week to be there. Everything was happening the follow Sunday or already happened the previous weekend. But in my crazy Google research I found The Melrose Trading Post. I didn't think it was going to be very good, but I was pleasantly surprised. We bought two huge 1960's pull-down school maps for the stupid, low price of 65 dollars! I also found a strangely interesting, rusty metal, coffee-themed tray and some Gothic pendants.

Anchovy pizza at Gjilena.

Griffith Observatory.

The view from the observatory. All that dirt road needed was a cowboy riding a horse.

I crave these avocado sandwiches at least once a week!

We had to walk through this building to get to a photography exhibition and I thought it was pretty neat. It reminded me of the kind of stuff you would build with Lego as a kid, but just much bigger and with less colour.

Waiting on a bench for our tacos to be called.

We took a break from driving around and spent some time at a neighborhood park. Here we made fun of yoga poses, modelling poses, and each other... mostly of me tho, and my lack of cartwheel skill.

Santa Monica pier. I thought it would be gross and packed with tourists, but it wasn't so bad.

That's me on the right, riding back to Santa Monica.

I am sure I've mentioned a few times on this blog that I LOVE! lemonade. So when I saw this cafe on Abbott-Kinney, I was super excited. I had a cucumber-mint lemonade and it was incredibly tasty. So tasty that when I was back in LA in November, I made a point to have two lemonades here in the same day. Just to get my fill.

Inside the Viviver + Bentley shop – where beautiful handbags and jewelry live together. I wanted to buy the mini-sac, but couldn't decide on a colour so I left. I regret this.

The LACMA. Well worth the visit.

After LA, we decided to change our plans a little and head to the ACE in Palm Springs....

2011-12-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

So it's 5 days till 2012. How did this happen? Even though 2011 was a mix bag of the good, the bad and the ugly, I'm not sure if I'm ready for 2012. Mr. 2011! can you please SLOW down already!

As you can tell, I haven't updated the blog in a very, long time. I promised more California images, but as some of my family will attest to, I sometimes make promises I can't keep.

Here is a list of things I was planning to blog about, but didn't...

- more Californian tales & images
- painted the mantle – from wood to ultra white
- refinished all the door hardware to their original condition
- babies enter the friend circle
- painted the stairwell down to the scary basement
- torn down and rebuilt the front porch
- a rant about how I hate the line of work I do
- a spontaneous trip to LA
- a planned trip to Chicago
- granola...
- redecorated the guest room – from light to moody
- Christmas – decorated, baked, prepped for the families arrival.

I, of course, really wanted to write about the happenings above. But I didn't want to write about the new porch, when I never finished the California posts, and so on. See my problem?
So here I go...attempting to do a quick round-up of the list above...give or take some.

road trip > part 2 : pacific coast highway

2011-10-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

We bought an old fashioned map on the way out of SF. There's something so satisfying about using a paper map. Dragging my finger over my iPhone isn't nearly as fun, plus starring at the screen in a moving vehicle makes me want to barf. By the end of the trip, the poor map was battered & used - in a beautiful kind of way.

Taken with the Hipstamatic iPhone app equals pretty cool.

Same shot taken with a high-end camera equals just okay. Grrr! why is the iphone app cooler than my nice camera?

It was chilling and grey on the first day down the coast, but I still needed to run and see the ocean.

Can't have a messy mustache when greeting the sea!

A peach stop!

Karim looking into nothingness while in awe of a California peach.

We made a little picnic on the side of the road, literally the side of the road! Smoked salmon sammie anyone? Organic tomatoes? Perhaps, a paper cup of Cab? Thank goodness for Whole foods + Trader Joe's.

a regular camera...

and hipstamatic app.

I'm not sure if I am smiling here because we are close to the ocean or if the wine just hit me.

Is that blue skies under there?

hmm, guess not.

We had a little sleep on this beach.

I wasn't going to post these two pictures. They are tacky and awful. But here's the story and hopefully it will help you avoid our mistake. We stopped in Monterey, as two separate people suggested we do so. But once we pulled into town we realized it might have been a mistake. While driving around looking for a hotel, Karim asked if we were in Mississauga? Yup, that's what it felt like. Monterey was so beige, our motel was over-priced and there was no where to eat that wasn't glorified bar food. I'm not sure what possessed us but we found ourselves at "Bubba Gumps" (could have been the crazy hunger pains). Yes people, you heard me! A Forrest Gump themed restaurant. We ate the greasiest shrimp in the world, while getting served by the perkiest teenager in the world. I tried ordering something light and healthy but nope, it didn't exist. After consuming only a couple of shrimp I felt pretty gross. Karim thinks it was the decor that made me ill, haha. The next morning, we tried giving Monterey another chance but it was still beige. If someone can tell me what I missed? Did we not go to the right part of town? Tell me and I will take back all my negative words...

A cheesy picture of k and I doing a cheesy handshake through the sunroof. This is how happy we where with our driving adventure.

road trip > part 1 : san francisco

2011-09-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've been back home now 51 days, exactly 51 miserable days. I miss being on vacation. I miss California. I've always had this romantic notion of California - the sun, the cacti, the ocean. How is this NOT romantic?! ok, maybe it's just me...I guess not everyone collected cacti when they were kids...

Over the course of my youth, my dad ran off to work and wandered the great state a few times, so maybe my connection to it has something to do with my dad. As a teen, I dreamed of traveling the coast in a Westfalia, with my dog beside me. You know, "the dream" - sun-kissed skin, salt in the hair, living off the land! hah! Oh to dream like an adolescent again! Not sure why I didn't do it!? It was a mere 14 hour drive away. The nearest I got to that life was my move to SF. It wasn't exactly a Westfalia, and I left my dog in Vancouver, but it was good. I lived with a crazy, yet lovely, dutchman in an old, run-down Victorian. I got a job in a health food store and I loved it. But life played out in a different way...the dutchman didn't work out and I got into university in Toronto, so I left. I have no regrets about leaving but I always have a strong urge to go back and visit.

So here are a few pictures of our first stop in California...
(shout out to k-man's great images included here too)

Best pizza ever! If you are visiting SF go to Pizzeria Delfina. They have 2 locations so there is no excuse for missing out. Don't do what I did! I thought having one pizza each was too much so I made poor Karim split one with me. Big mistake! Note to all: do not listen to me.

We found a very cute store on Valenica called Voyager. I bought a blouse, Karim got a backpack.

La Taqueria, in the Mission, wins my vote for the best veggie taco (sadly, we ate them too quickly for a photo to be snapped). For amazing fish tacos, go to weird fish, a couple blocks away. Most days, at least one of our meals consisted of tacos, sometimes even 2 meals!

While we were eating at Gracias Madre we enjoyed some live entertainment. The food is amazing, super fresh and all veggie!

Our hotel in SF was right downtown and a tad too tourist for me, so to find a good, independent-style coffee shop to start our morning was hard. There are a million Starbucks around, but that is my only option when I'm at work and let's face it, it's not great coffee. So I was determined to find a coffee shop close to the hotel. After running it through the Googler, I found a Blue Bottle location close by our hotel. They also served a few super simple breakfast options and, of course, I ordered the granola (above). I must say it was pretty, pretty good.

See the shop behind me? The Nature Stop. Well, this is were I worked for a while. It's a health food store with a deli + juice bar. I worked the juice bar. I would create the daily 'special' smoothie, which meant using the over-ripe fruit of the day. I was also allowed to come up with the smoothie names. I liked making the names ridiculous to say, just so I can see if the customers would say them out loud. (Yes, this was bratty of me). I also OD-ed on this liquid, if I remember correctly, it was called "the Manchurian". Some man would drop it off in a label-less bottle and we added shots of it to drinks. I'm not sure what was in it, but I couldn't stop drinking it! One day I had so much that I got the shakes.
Anyways, Karim and I went in to take a look. I was impressed that I could find it again after so many years. It also made me realize that at 21 I was able to walk into so many shops and ask for work with out being shy and insecure or feeling terribly rejected when they found out I had no green card and snapped at me. I just walked up and down those hills until someone gave me a job. I need to remember that when I'm feeling defeated (as recently it's become a theme). The younger me never gave up!

I have to say that the SF MoMA is one of my favorite museums. I remember my first visit, a bunch of friends and I decided to fly down to SF for a few days. In between the happy hours we went to the MoMA and I loved everything about it. This time it was no different. Not to sound airy-fairy, but there's a nice vibe to the space.

This is Karim entertaining me.

The House of Nanking was a restaurant I use to eat at a lot. I only spotted it our last night in the city - I'm curious if it's still any good?

This sign was in the lobby of our hotel! We asked the front desk to explain exactly what it meant, but they didn't know what sign we were talking about!

Just before we hit the road towards LA, we picked up a bag of amazing peaches from the farmers market and bought Karim some flashy blue pants!

NEXT post...the pacific coast highway... (hopefully it won't take me another 50+ days to post them)

city camping anyone...?

2011-08-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a week now that we are back from our vacation and the holiday-buzz is slowly wearing off. To keep it going we went for a little camping adventure this weekend.

K was asked to shoot the ALL CAPS! music festival which was taking place on Toronto Island. This year Wavelength, the folks that put it all together with the help of Artscapse and Whippersapper, decided to make it a two-day camping event. Toronto Island is a charming piece of land just south of the city center, see the Island's history here. Camping is not usually permitted on the island, it has a small community of homes but is mostly for day-trippers. Karim wanted me to join him to help out with gear but I think he just wanted some company. A big part of me really didn't want to go. I was so exhausted after the first week back at work, my suitcase was still sitting there unpacked and laundry! goodness, there was lots of laundry to do. The crazy part of me that always has to be productive was not liking the idea of just hanging out and listening to music while I had things to clean and organize. But I resisted listening to THAT side of my brain and I packed a change of clothes, my camera & went for it.

I must say I had a fantastic time!

I listened to some amazing bands, ate BBQ-ed veggie burgers, went for a late night swim in my undergarments (completely forgot to pack the bathing suit!), saw a beautiful, full moon take shape and, most importantly, I forgot about the unpacked suitcase and laundry!

The ferry rides starts it all....

Half camp site, half art space...

Artists working beside the DJ booth-slash-mobile welding truck.

First band of the night, Moon King. A fun and high energy way to start the night!

People watching Jennifer Castle & Yuula Benivolski's music+visual art performance. Sadly, I missed half of the performance! But I saw what K shoot and it looked pretty cool.

K and I takes a much needed beer-break as it was so humid outside!

Monogrenade, from Montreal, were so great! I had one of those moments were I was kicking myself for not applying myself in high-school french class.

Evening Hymns on the beach under a full moon, absolutely lovely!

um, Julie Doiron is just awesome! so charming and talented.

So I'm not a huge fan of Rap, but More Or Les might change that...

After all the bands played we went for a magical swim in the dark. The moon was in full force and music was being played on the shore as we braced the cold, dark water. Sorry folks, no pictures of me in mismatched under-garments!

And then things got craZy! After drying off and warming up we could hear some Balkan-style music happening near the tents. As we get closer, I started getting really excited -- I love balkan-gypsy-folk music! Strangely, it's one of the only types of music I feel comfortable dancing to and generally it just makes me smile. Turns out, Lemon Bucket Orkestra is playing and it's sort of part of an art performance. Metal woks full of paint show up, people start to cover their bodies with paint, some strip down and we all follow the band and "and a woman draped in trapes" down past the lighthouse to the waters edge. Paint starts to get tossed every which way and everyone is covered. It looks like we're at some Pagan ritual!

Lemon Bucket Orkestra leads us back to camp and the fireworks and dance party starts. Sorry no photos of the dance party as it was pitch black out and I wasn't about to be that person with a flash!

The next day...everything is quiet and peaceful. Granolavic breakfast, a bike ride around the island to find coffee and my weekend adventure if over. (K stayed to shoot the next night of bands)

I have to hand it to K, he has done a lot of things this summer that he was never a fan of and as actually enjoyed them! It's not a long list but it's big in my books...he loves road trips now, he jumped into freezing cold water and he camped! Sure the camping was pretty darn easy but now he is curious and wants to do some real camping! (don't tell him, but I'm not digging the camping bit, HAH!) There have been a lot of 'firsts' this year! I hope I can squeeze in a few more before the year is over!

p.s. Californian road trip photos will be posted soon!

the promised land

2011-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

photo via my husband

For the last week we have been traveling the coastal hwy from San Francisco to LA and it has been amazing! I really don't want to come home.

hammam towels

2011-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have been loving the idea of owning some Turkish towels and with a west-coast road trip coming up I thought it was perfect timing to pick some up. They are light, quick drying towels that can double as a picnic blanket or a scarf when the sun is too hot. I think it's the perfect accessory for a trip through California.

Selecting a pattern and colour was a little difficult as there was so many nice styles at the Holy Cow Market. Karim gets the pale grey one, I get the blue-ish one.

happy canada.

2011-07-04T15:59:00.001-07:00

It was the War of Bellwoods, or at least that is what it looked like with all the red skies and smoke happening at Trinity Bellwoods on Friday night. I haven't watched fireworks in years. I'm just not a huge fan. As a very young adult, my friends and I used to attend the Celebration of Lights in Vancouver with healthy fruit smoothies mixed with the cheapest vodka money could buy (we obviously were going for the poor-drunk-hippie look - so embarrassing). But once I passed the age of mixing drinks in 24 oz plastic cups, I seemed to also have passed the age of enjoying fireworks. Much like sunsets, I couldn't stand those either. Can you see the pattern? I basically had an issue for colourful-looking skies. Must have been some bleak-angsty-Morrissey period. But then Australia made me like sunsets again and a Bjork concert made me appreciate fireworks a little. (I'm totally trailing off here). My point is I really enjoyed the fireworks on Canada day. Our firework's host was so into it that it really made it fun! It was great seeing everyone get so excited to set off fireworks called Dancing Queen, the Mence and 50 Shot Strobing Missiles. Apparently, Crackling Rain is the best one but it didn't make an appearance as it sold out in 57 mintues, or something like that.

I also learned a pretty awesome term from a visiting American...."Ham-jacked", it means One who is very intoxicated. I can't wait to use it! it's hilarious!

Another fun part of this weekend was seeing my friends. I've been so busy with work and life that I haven't seen them in what felt like a month. So brunch was in order. I really wanted to order the lox & bagel but I felt like I should taste-test the Drake granola as I don't commonly don't go to the Drake for breakfast. Firstly, the portion was so small! but this might be because I eat way too much of my own stuff. Second, it was bad. There I said it. It was not tasty at all! Every spoonful had more than 10 golden raisins, some cranberries and dried bananas! Too much! and I love dried fruit. And um, who mixes fresh melon with granola?! So I give the Drake granola a big thumbs down, or at least the batch they made this weekend. On the other hand their pancakes were YUM.

To end the weekend, a friend of ours threw a garage party that included bands, BBQ'd jerk chicken provided by a local resto, and a hell of a lot of people drinking on the street. It turned out to be more of a street party then garage. I forgot my camera so I only have these creepy-looking-hipstamatic shots for you.

the things that have kept me away...

2011-06-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

My day job has kept me away from the blog and other extra-curricular activities so I'm very grateful that I have a long weekend in front of me, woohoo! Luckily the project that has kept me away from it all isn't so bad. I've been able to work with some talented people and create some colourful & fun images. Who doesn't like to crush, smudge and smear make-up on plexi just to shoot it? Or make beautiful models look even more beautiful?! Come next week, I will again be deep in the world of beauty but until then I will enjoy walking in the sunshine.

The images above were shot by the super talented Tracy Shumate. Tracy is such a cool lady that when we had to extend our shooting an extra day, it didn't stress me out at all - it just meant I could hang out with her a bit longer!

Another brilliant photographer is Carlyle Routh, who shot the above beauty images. Carlyle is sweet as apple pie and really made these models shine.

west meets east for one day only.

2011-06-22T18:29:00.001-07:00

There are certain people that roll their eyes at my lack of enthusiasm for the east-end. It's not that I dislike the east-end! it's just that I don't have much reason to cross Broadview. The west-end kind of has it all. Although, I have to admit that this past weekend I did have a urge to change my scenery, so I headed east to explore.

Here are some images of a west-end girl going east.

We started out by enjoying delicious coffee at the Rooster cafe while planning our trip to Cali. It's such a lovely place that I could of just stayed there all day. Check out their bathrooms if you are in the neighborhood, there's something very charming about them. I also noticed they had lemonade! I love lemonade!

We then carried on to the Big Carrot, picked up a veggie picnic lunch for later, and rode our way down along the Don River. I have to say it was pretty and unexpected to have such a trail in Toronto, but it didn't blow me away. No, I'm not hating on the east-end but I just feel it was hard to enjoy the trail and greenery when you hear and, at times, see the highway!? Is it just me?

We carried along and realized that we missed the exit to the Brick Works. But this is when we had a bit of a bike breakdown. My pedal just fell off! It felt funny under foot and then BAM! It fell. I was pretty sad because this wasn't the day I planned and the thought of walking my bike all the way home was not appealing at all. So we crossed over to the Brick Works to have our picnic before dragging my broken bike home and lo & behold! a bike clinic was taking place!
They managed to fix my bent and unattached pedal and a few other things for almost nothing! Just a donation. AMAZING.

I saw Koi fish in this lily pond... there's no Koi in the west end.

I've been obsessed about joining a climbing gym. I found a place right by the house that offer lessons and is open late but I still haven't called (very me!) But when I saw this crazy climbing contraption at the Brick Works I got all excited again and will definitely be calling to book lessons.

buh-bye east end, it was a pleasure.

a lovely place called 'the Arthur'

2011-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a launch of a new shop called the Arthur. Years ago, Liz, the owner of the Arthur, and I worked together slinging tofu to vegans. Soon after we both got 9 to 5 jobs and left the resto world behind us. This meant I would only bump into her on occasion around the city. It was great to see her again because she's such a kind & lovely person but also seeing that she realized her dream of opening a business was truly inspiring to me. Everything in the shop is carefully selected and arranged and her sweet smile will make you feel at home while you shop.

I forgot my camera so you will have to go here to see pictures, or just walk your legs down to 550 College street and say Hello.

kraft Karavan!

2011-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

The lovely ladies of Kraft Karavan sold my wares last weekend at one of their events. All I had to do is drop off some granola and they took care of the rest. So great! thanks Michelle and Saskia!

in bloom

2011-05-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

prezzies.

2011-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Like the month of May has come and is soon to be gone, April disappeared on me, too. But I did get a year older in April and here are some of the prezzies I received from my dear friends.

I'm not sure if I've said this before but can I please work for Frankie magazine!? It's truly my favourite mag. Thanks, Andrea, for always remembering me when you're in Oz.

What's the chance of 3 friends all sending me pretty necklaces for my bday? ...hmm, I say pretty good! Necklace one: is from Mia - she hunts the Vancouver flea for old car insignias and makes them into pretty, typographic necklaces. Necklace two: is from Trisha, she has obviously recognized my love for stripes even though she is so far away. Necklace three: is from Jamila, who is a complete foodie, hence the cute silver fork.

I love receiving gifts at the office...a fedex package filled with lovely gifts from my sister and a basket of tulips from H&I. It made my 9-5 so much better!

mini maker faire

2011-05-17T20:29:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure where the month of May went. Somehow we are moving into June and I'm not ready. I haven't had a chance to update the blog all month, or finish off my website, or call friends back, or send out now very belated birthday gifts to 2 little girls overseas that must think their aunt doesn't like them. If I had a super power it would be to stop time, just so that I can catch up to life.

Earlier this month, I took part in the Toronto Mini Maker Faire. It took a lot of sleepless nights of baking and prepping to pull it off, and I would say it was only half worth it. I say 'half' because my sales were not as good as I hoped they would be. It was not the right kind of event for granola... it was mostly science geeks, hackers and techies. People didn't come out to buy granola but to see some cool robot.

Not to sound lame, but I do feel like I grew a little by the whole experience. The feeling that I had after the first day was horrible. I felt like I bombed and was personally rejected. Ironically, this is the feeling that is holding me back from leaving the corporate world - personal rejection. Of course, there's rejection in the corporate world but usually you don't feel true ownership of projects. But with something like a personal project or business it is all on you. I was feeling like crap for a couple hours and then I thought 'eff it', there's not much I can do about it now! Tomorrow is a new day and I have to change up my plan and attitude or I'll just fail. Lois helped me brainstorm ideas of how to move more product and we came up with selling individual granola cups with yogurt and berries. Since people there wanted food to consume on the spot, I decided to give it to them. It worked. I sold a bunch and it brought people back to buy a bag or 2 of granola. As my wise friend Katie said, "if you don't adapt to the market place, then your business will fail".

Above is a shot of my Sunday table with granola cups ready to be topped with organic yogurt and blueberries.

I changed up the pattern graphic from the last show, and these ones I'm sticking with. Plum pattern for the Cranberry, the blue pattern for the Coconut & Peach, and the lime pattern for the Dark chocolate & Cherry flavour.

This was my view for two whole days. I watched a robot (controlled by long-haired boys) hanging inflatable circles and triangles on a wall. Totally mesmerizing by hour 8!

This was my first time at the Brickworks. Even though I've been interested in seeing the buildings, they are just too far for me to trek on a Saturday morning. If I lived closer then I would be there every Saturday, as the space is interesting and nicely done.

This is Lois playing the Obama keyboard created by Ashley Lewis. Each key has Obama saying a word, so that you can make up your own Obama speech.

See the cookies in her hand....we were on our way to do a coffee barter with the coffee boy. Such good coffee!

I loved Cookie Friday's tags and watching Carlo sell. He is a natural. Lois and I would just stand back and watch him in action.

Granolavic @ the Toronto Mini Maker Faire / May 7-8

2011-05-02T08:25:00.001-07:00

Come get your granola fix this weekend at the Toronto Mini Maker Faire at the Evergreen Brickworks. I will be set up in the handmade market both Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Come say hello and try the two NEW flavours.

what the what?

2011-04-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Look! my shoe closet made it on apartment therapy! So fun.

p.s. you have to love the comments people write! apparently I'm a diva for having too many sunglasses and I also don't know how to take care of them. too funny.

crush

2011-04-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Kevin told me about the film Melancholia a couple weeks ago but I only got a chance to view the trailer today and to my delight my celeb crushes are in it! Charlotte Gainsbourg and Alexander Skarsgård. I actually can't stand actor-types, they scare me, but these two I adore.

Funny thing is that L walked by my desk this afternoon and slipped me a piece of paper and walked away. I flipped it over and it was a image of Charlotte Gainsbourg, how did she know about my crush or that I just watched the trailer for Melancholia?! bizarro.

new favourite.

2011-04-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

image: missmoss.co.za

Over the last four months, I have been working solely on ONE project but as of last week I'm happy to say it is OVER! I am extremely relieved -- and not because it was an unpleasant project (even though it was a shit-show at times) -- but because more than 4 months of my life were devoted to it. (Yes, I'm a wee bit commitment phobic.) During the project I needed a lot of creative breaks (did I mention the project was an annual report for a ultra-conservative client?), so, instead of turning my chair around and chatting with my awesome workmates as I do too much already, I explored the blog world. And what I found was my new blog crush. This blog is new to me, it might not be new to everyone else. Anyways, I love it! Just LOVE IT. And the best part of it, aside from the beautiful art, fashion and interiors, is the music! She posts playlists every so often that are always fun and unexpected. I think I have downloaded most of them and they have kept me sane during the last 4 months. Thank you Miss Moss.

a rainy day craft show.

2011-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Over the last year (or more) I've been looking into starting up a granola business called Granolavić. I wasn't moving very fast with it because there were a lot of logistics to figure out and well, life got in the way. But when my friends Lois and Sarah were telling me about the Creative Heart Collective craft show that they signed up for, I thought I would join them and sell granola. This gave me the push I needed to commit to branding, a website and basic production of my product.

The show happened this weekend and the weather turned out to be pretty horrible. Lots of text messages flew back and forth discussing the bad weather and how that might affect the turn out, but we were pleasantly surprised as it turned out to be a good day for all of us. I want to thank all our friends for coming out, supporting us and buying our goods. Shout outs to Erin and Kevin for manning the table with me and keeping me company. Poor Karim, who was very sick, still managed to help me get to the venue, sat with me and told me how to sell, as I'm the worst salesperson ever! And a special thanks to Lois and Sarah for listening to my endless indecision about branding and packaging.

Sarah and her beautifully designed stationary oh so good.

Lois, aka cookie friday co, restocking her delish cookies.

and here's me and my granola.

Sarah loaned me these awesome wood blocks which really completed my table.

Spring Must-Have: a new Bike

2011-04-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

all images: linusbikes.com

I've been dreaming about owning a Linus bikes since last summer. So this past weekend I went for a little test ride at a local bike shop and now I want it even more! The cream version is my fav, but any colour would be dreamy. My mission now is to find 600 dollars + tax...

» Mixte 3 Model

» Basil Bottle Rear Basket

» The Pouch

» Brooks B72 Saddle

AHLAN! sister!

2011-04-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my sister complains about her job and where she lives — and sometimes I get it, because she is far from family, old friends, and craves a rain shower or two — BUT when she sends me pictures of cities and towns that I will never get a chance to visit in my lifetime... I just can't sympathize. Her most recent email was about her taking part in the party that is the Dubai World Cup (aka fancy horse races) and a link to the picture above. I'm building boring websites and she's going to fancy horse racing parties! Where did I go wrong? I obviously didn't make the right choices! Way to go Sista Dre! Sweet hat!

So long Vancouver...

2011-03-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been back just a week now but Vancouver seems like a distant memory. Work has been non-stop since returning. I am on a project that in theory should be fun but is quite the opposite. It's a never-ending gong-show.

Here's a bit of Vancouver...

Vancouver has a bunch of bridges connecting the city together. The first image is of the Burrard Street bridge (my fav), the second image is the Granville Street Bridge. Check out that healthy bike lane! Ahh, to have bike lanes.

It took awhile, but I've become used to Toronto's sub-par sushi. Nothing beats Vancouver sushi - it is delicious! I also had a Sunomono, since no one makes it properly in Toronto - it was refreshing.

I spent a day with one of my oldest friends, Jamila, and her little boy, Zak. The day started with their swimming lesson, which was too darn cute. Then we walked around her neighbourhood. She took me to a neat home decor store called The Cross, and for lunch to Commune cafe where we dreamed-up business ideas. This is something J and I have always done. When we were in elementary school, we "established" a company called Wacko Design. I cringe at that name but hey, we were 11! It was a magazine. Fashion and lifestyle, of course. We had one office in her basement and another on my balcony. We would steal my sister's clothes and do fashion shoots in my backyard, at the neighbourhood pool and the playground. Then we would sneak out to go develop the film at a 1-hour photo shop. Most of the pictures where pretty bad - all under exposed and grainy, but there were a few keepers! This went on for a while and kept us out of trouble over the summers. But once we hit high school we took a hiatus from the 'magazine business'. But still to this day we reference Wacko Design, Inc... Like when I get her voice mail, my message goes something like this, "Hello, Jamila. This is the East Coast office calling to schedule a conference call regarding a package we received...." And because I'm the WORST person for returning calls, her messages to me go something like this, "Hello, Tomislava. The West Coast office is very worried about the productivity of Wacko's East Coast branch, as no one seems to be answering calls or filling orders...". We both usually leave these kinds of messages in high-pitched, irritating voices that we can't keep up for the duration of the message and just start giggling, like the 11 year olds we are. I still have those 'wacko' pictures sitting in a box somewhere, maybe I should scan a few in and post them....?

Here's the pretty lady I came to see! We went for a walk along the Spanish Banks. The beaches in Kitsilano reminded me of the days that my mum and I would put the dog in the car, grab a muffin & coffee at Capers on 4th and then stroll along the beach chatting, while Nemo (our dog) raced around having the time of his life.

The picture above is of the longest walkway in the world! Or at least that is what it felt like when you're a teenager and are running the fastest you can just to catch the last Seabus over to the North Shore before your parents figure out that it's past your curfew and your stuck downtown.

Although Vancouver is gray and rainy most of the time, it's pretty awesome being among trees and close to the ocean.

hello vancity.

2011-03-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

above is a shot I took with my phone using the hipstamatic app.

I have a love and hate relationship with Vancouver. I spent the first part of my life here but since I left, 10 years ago, I don't have much desire to return. The only reason I make an effort to come back is to visit my mom, as she sends her winters here, and to visit the couple friends that moved back in recent years.

I could list a few things I hate about Vancouver but I'm trying to stay positive these days. So I'm going to tell you what I love and miss about Vancouver...the trails. I grew up on the North Shore and running up the mountain was just part of my day. But every time I've been back its been over Christmas and there's never time to run or explore. This trip is different, I've been for a few runs already and it has been amazing! I've totally forgotten what it feels like to run through the forest, to jump over roots & rock, to go uphill and the fun of descending down the trails with tons of speed. Oh and all the dogs! Real dogs! The kind that could take a coyote! I really miss having a dog. During yesterday's run, a couple beautiful big dogs ran with me and I pretended for that split second that they were mine...pathetic I know, but I'll take what I can.

Our House featured on covetgarden.com

2011-03-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

The lovely Lynda, Jess & Rhonda of covetgarden.com asked us to be part of their online decor magazine and here we are in Issue 8. Thanks ladies for making our house look so pretty.

p.s. I love that even Leo made it in, twice!

katie & philippe

2011-02-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Get ready people, this is going to be a picture-packed post!

My good friends Katie and Philippe threw a fun Mexican-inspired wedding party this past weekend. They actually got hitched on New Years Eve at City Hall, which was followed by a lovely dinner with family and friends. Katie's dad said it best during his speech... First they had a honeymoon in Mexico, then they went to City Hall to get married, and now they are throwing a party.... K + P are not the conventional or conservative types and that's why I love them. Why not do it backwards? Everyone still had heaps of fun!

The first few pictures are of the dinner that followed the civil ceremony on NYE.

Dinner took place at Mildred's Temple Kitchen, a restaurant that never disappoints. Their long harvest table was a perfect setting for an intimate wedding dinner.

The handsome groom in his mini NYE hat.

The lovely bride in gold & rouge.

A messy table is a sign of a good feast.

I wish I could tell you what was happening here, but I can't.

Before the wine hit me....and after...

Love this collar-style...

After ringing in 2011 we walked back to K+P's place for more fun.

Now for round two of K+P's wedding party held this past weekend. I can't take credit for these lovely images as the 'photo booth' was set up by the Philippe & Karim.

I am so glad that these two are moving back from New York. They have been missed!

white magic.

2011-02-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

how does one get out of the fog?
well, with new, white lightning hair, of course!

a bit of brightness in the fog.

2011-02-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

image: purlbee.com

As you can tell it has been a very, very long time since my last post. 2011 hasn't been the best start for me but I'm trying to remain hopeful that it can only get better...

A little cheer in my state of unhappiness are the leg warmers that my friend, L, is going to make for me! I've always loved legwarmers, so this will be a nice thing to look forward too! I'm not sure what colour to pick, but I'm sure a trip to the yarn store will provide me with plenty of beautiful options.

Running for baby Jesus.

2010-12-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

For the life of me I can't just sit around and do nothing. So instead I ran my heart out on Christmas day. In my typical space-cadet fashion I wasn't sure where I was going and since my legs kept moving I ended up running 15kms in -13 degrees weather. I have to say that even though it was super cold, it was quite beautiful running on a quiet country road by a lake.

I even stopped to take a quick shot with my phone.

Let's see if I have a boxing day run in me...

Sretan Božić. xo.

2010-12-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

christmas cards...check!

2010-12-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

I decided to make Christmas cards this year. Well, I decide to make cards every year, BUT this year I actually did! I'm not sure what it is about the symbol of a swirl but I get so intensely into it that it occupies me for days.

faux.

2010-12-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

photo: melvin sokolsky, 1963
I don't usually write about things that hurt or anger me on this blog. But lately, I've been feeling like I live in some kind of bubble compared to the rest of humanity. I need to know if I'm alone in this bubble?

Here what's troubling me... I just don't understand how people can be so false?

I tend to say it as it is, you can call it honesty or lack of a filter. I know this quality is holding me back in many respects; from climbing the career ladder to getting a deal at the store. But I just can't be fake to save my life. If I dislike someone I won't be a raging jerk about it, I'll just be polite and move on. I will not go out of my way to talk to them or help them. But recently, I've been observing a lot of fake behavior around me and I just can't digest it. I'm starting to doubt the relationships I have with these people. If they are nice to people they hate then how can your own relationship with them be real? I, personally, feel cheated. Cheated for letting another person in. Maybe I wear my heart on my sleeve? or I expect people to practice what they preach? I know that people think I'm too absolute about my feelings and opinions, but at least I hold true to these feelings. If you don't like someone or something don't waste your time with them or it.

Am I supposed to believe that this is the way the world works? Am I the only one that has trouble digesting fake-hood among friends and society at large? Please tell me I'm not...

home alone.

2010-11-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

When I have the place to myself, as I did this weekend, I tend to spend time catching up on projects at home because it's nice & quiet (and because I'm a bit of an introvert). Well, not this weekend, this weekend was social.

My weekend started with a zillion burpees in a basement with a trainer. I thought I was in shape, but apparently I'm not. He completely kicked my ass and I have pulled a ligament or two. Training was followed by a launch party for a Naturopathic clinic I did some design work for...here I scored some homeopathic drugs for my ass-kicked muscles (thank-you Amelia). Since it was work-training-launch, I never had a chance to slip in some dinner. So I went for my first and last Vesta Lunch experience, or at least my last sober one. Btw, NEVER order the poutine, my friends did and it looked horrible! And I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm a veg-head. My grilled cheese wasn't any better.

Saturday was spent hunting for vintage goods, fabric and some food at the Gladstone with N and little S. After whipping up some gift granola, I grabbed a cab to my friend's birthday dinner & drinks. At the end of the night I just wanted to crash but instead I stayed up for some skype time with a friend.

By Sunday I was tired, but I managed to get my sore body out of bed to catch-up with E as planned. Even though I never started on my projects, it was great to have a friends filled weekend.

If you get a craving for greasy food topped with feta (they love their feta) in the middle of the night, check out: Vesta Lunch

Sofia is my favourite baby. She loves broccoli and the camera!

Dinner at Delux was such a refreshing change from dinner at Vesta. Cava, oysters, mushroom tart, malbec, kale & ricotta ravioli, coffee crème brûlée and mini doughnuts with chantilly cream. so good.

preparing for the chill.

2010-11-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Winter came out of nowhere this weekend. When I was getting ready for my run
yesterday, I thought I should wear gloves and a thick hoodie, as I swear I
saw wet snow falling outside. After I got home I was still cold, even
though I sprinted the last mile. So I decided that I had to stop
procrastinating on some of my winter projects. I'm happy to say that I checked
three of those projects off my list!

The winter coat I bought less than 2 years hasn't really aged well. At the time, I was okay with spending a bit more as it was a good brand, and I felt it would last longer than a coat from H&M. Well, it hasn't. But right now I can't justify spending a few hundred dollars on another coat and I really want to stay away from buying H&M. So, to get me through this winter, I decided to give it a little face-lift with new military style, Italy-made buttons. Pretty, no?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

My friend Nadia and I talked about making a river-rock boot tray last year — not sure where we got the idea, maybe Martha or apartment therapy — but we never got around to it. This year I decided the only way to not have ugly plastic boot trays in the hall was to finish this project. I found the copper-looking metal tray at Target (I think it was supposed to be a gardening tool tray) and I picked up 2 bags of rocks from Fiesta Gardens. I'm happy with it, but I might coat the rocks with some kind of varnish so they look darker and wet.

I put away all my summer planters but there is one that is just too huge to lift. So instead of just having a planter full of dirt greeting me every time I come home, I created a winter arrangement. I did find it weird paying for cedar and berry branches. When I was little my mom would just walk outside and gather branches from our backyard -- ahhh, to be on the west coast.

11.16.

2010-11-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

today i am happy to be alive & well.

click, click, click for AIDS

2010-11-09T08:25:00.001-08:00

You might not know Hannah, but she is a smart, ambitious, kind, creative, supportive, enthusiastic, hilarious and lovely human being, and also my dear friend. She has signed herself up to write a zillion words to raise money for AIDS in Africa, as part of the 'A Dare to Remember' campaign, and I'm here to ask you all to donate. Think of her sore, little fingers typing like crazy and how all her fantastic words will help support the AIDS situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Check out Hannah's page to donate. Helping makes you feel good, so DO it.

hello november.

2010-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

I had one of those weekends where I felt completely scattered because
my head was full of things I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to start
an art project that has been on my mind for a while, go shopping,
clean the house, connect with friends, get my hair cut, work on some
house projects, run, finish a freelance gig and oh ya, think about my
future! I managed to do some of the above...the house is clean, my
hair is shorter, I ran 4 miles, birthday gifts were bought, friends
were called, freelance is in good shape, and some spur of the moment
things were created.

The future-thinking-thing also happened, just not the way I envisioned
it. I had a career hiccup that spilled over from the week into my
weekend, and although it wasn’t a huge issue it had to be dealt with.
Surprisingly, in the process I realized what I wanted in life, or
better yet, what I didn't want. I was presented with something that
most people would consider 'good' or 'exciting', but I realized it's
not the path for me. It feels good knowing what I want, although I'm a
little scared about the future. I'm going to trust the universe, oh
and myself, of course.

Whenever I have some large life thoughts, I tend to want to cut, sew,
glue or mess around with wires & pliers. My first random weekend
project started with the sweat-shirt above. I bought it in the 'boys' section at
Walmart during the weekend of the half-marathon. It was supposed to be
my "keep-warm-at-the-start-line-then-throw-away-within-the-first-mile"
sweat-shirt, but at the last moment I decided not to bring it. Then I
figured I had enough hoodies sitting in my closet, so I decided to
transform it into something a little more wearable. I made some cuts
and added some vintage buttons and -- look! -- a NEW top.

The second random project was this necklace. I'm not sure how much I
will wear it, but it was fun + therapeutic to make.

And as my Rosehips slowly wilt and my mini-pumpkin starts to rot..I think it's time to say good-bye to October and hello to November.

twin bells

2010-11-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

I finally set up my twin-bell clocks in the guest room.

House Dream

2010-11-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

image credit: mocca.ca
After sleeping in on Saturday, and enjoying a late brunch at the Henhouse, we decided to continue our lazy day and check out David Hoffos - Scenes from a House Dream show at the MOCCA. I have to say, it is one of the best shows I've seem in Toronto, and maybe my life. I'm not going to try to explain it, as you really need to see the work to appreciate it. So go! Before it's over.

a taco, yard waste & tom

2010-10-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

I think Halloween is a pretty great day. Like most people, I like having an excuse to dress up and be someone/something else for a night. Last year I wasn't into it at all, which is very unlike me. This year I was on the fence. If there was a party to go to, I would make an effort. If not, it didn't really matter.

As you can see, there was a party...

I have realized that Karim has a theme going on... he's been a clothes-line, a laundry basket and now 'yard waste'. I'm the one with the cleaning OCD, not him, it really makes no sense.

K and P are everything Latin American, well, except for actually being Latin American. They speak Spanish, spent time working in the region, can make a mean taco (tortilla, and all), and so much more. So when I heard they were going as a taco - it was perfect. BTW, they made the costume, by hand, in less than 4 hours!

I had two costume options...
Option one, was to rip apart a 10 year-old black boa and be a blackbird. Or option two, waste expensive mascara and go as a man. I decided to flip genders with mascara.

I knew I made a convincing man when I came around the corner and Karim blurted, 'dear Jesus!' But maybe too convincing, 'cause people didn't really know what to say or do with me. All I know is, that it was WAY too easy to dress like a boy using my own wardrobe. It might be time to buy some pink.

full-on fall.

2010-10-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Summer and fall are my favorite seasons. Since moving into the house, I have been appreciating the fall season a lot more. I'm not sure why, maybe it's seeing the light in the house change, or seeing my garden go from green to shades of red, whatever it is, I'm trying to savory every minute of it.

Instead of going for the Sunflowers at the market I went for this unusual bunch, which, by the way, lasted forever!

When I got back from Croatia I found two ripe golden queens waiting for me.

H and I called these my 'Fall shoes'. I picked up these at MadeWell when I was in New York this summer. I really like them, but I really wish people would stop calling them 'golf shoes'.

2:00:51

2010-10-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

For the last 3 months or so, I've been training for the Toronto half marathon. I've never really liked running in public. I much rather tear up a mountain trail. But since I'm far from Vancouver now and can't stand gym-culture, I decided to set a goal for myself and overcome my silly dislike for the open, public road. I must say I'm a little addicted to this running thing now.

The goal I had was to finish without injuries or tears. But last night it sunk in that it is indeed a race with heaps of 'real' runners, so I got a little nervous. I also felt a flu coming on, which didn't help matters either. So, after downing way too many Cold-FX, ODing on vitamin C, and telling myself that it's just like any training day - just extra long, I tried going to sleep. Thankfully, I woke up feeling better and I ran the race.

My friend Eli and I getting dropped off at the start line. Can you see the fear in my eyes?

Here we are post-race, drinking our chocolate milks, and feeling pretty good considering we just ran for 2 hours. Oh, and showing off are matching Dinamo-power wristbands.

With all the crowds and excitement, I have a feeling I didn't stretch enough and I'm going to pay for it this week.

My friend Nadia and baby Sofia came to see me at the finish line, and we all went out for a brunch. Sofia's cuteness helped me forget about my sore knees.

Refueling the body at Mitzi's.

Muzej suvremene umjetnosti / zagreb

2010-10-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

The city of Zagreb recently built a new space for their museum of contemporary art. It use to be right in the center of town and pretty small, but now it's huge, modern and holds some great work. I think my favourite part of the new space is the crazy slide that connects to the 3rd and 4th floor and spits you outside the building on the ground floor. Worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Zagreb.

buh-bye hrvatska : part 1

2010-10-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

The vacation is definitely over. After my last blog post, my days in Croatia got a little busy and before I knew it I was back in Toronto. I must say that this trip was one of the most relaxed trips I've had in years. My days were made up of running, consuming good food, drinking coffee, reading, visiting the beach and hanging out with family - a real vacation.

My mom's pretty house, aka Villa Hart.

The beach I've been going to since I've been a child.

While I laid lazily on the beach, I read about running.

The coast of Croatia is covered with figs trees, not only in people's yards but on the side of the road and in empty lots. But their abundance meant nothing to me as I've never liked them. On every trip, I would give them another chance 'cause they're so healthy and pretty looking, but nope, I still hated them. Well, guess who's taste buds matured? Yep, you got it, I love figs!

I love my mum's cooking! Three types of salads, a whole BBQ fish (just for me) and, of course, some wine.

My cousin and his family decided to drive down to their summer home, which happens to be on an island right across from my mum's place.

Some family lovin' happening here between my cousin Ivo, Anita (his wife) and mum.

Lea is a total ham.

Cutest swimsuit ever! If only I was 3 feet tall and 40 pounds.

The grilled squid in Croatia is a-MAZ-ing! You can order squid (done any way) at a high-end restaurant or truck stop and you will never be disappointed. Promise.

Driving over the 'Krčki most' (bridge) to get back to the mainland.

Imagine what you could do with a lot of money.

A peek inside.

Home-raised eggs at the local market. 10 eggs for 2 dollars.

This crazy cube building is a small hospital in Crikvenica.

Leaving Crikvenica and heading to Zagreb.

new espadrilles for me.

2010-09-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Tomi vs. Nika at air hockey...

2010-09-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

I scored the first goal and let out a big 'Sweeeet'! But then I remembered I was playing against a kid and thought of how K always lets his little niece win at games. I always thought it was silly of him to do that. First, it's boring playing a game you are trying to lose. And second, it's a harsh world and sometimes you lose in life -- in my eyes it builds character. Although, the second I scored that goal I felt a little bad, maybe Karim was right? Well it didn't matter, 'cause before I knew it Nika was up 5 points and I wasn't even trying to lose yet! An eleven-year-old kicked my ass last night and I reckon I should thank her for building my character.

run, tomi, run.

2010-09-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping up with my running schedule since I arrived and it has definitely been a lot of fun running in a different city. The sea air is so refreshing and visually it's way more interesting than the Annex or High Park. On my first run, an old man started to clap and shout "Bravo, Bravo, you can do it". On another run, my mom and her friend were at the cafe in front of the house and as I got closer my mom's friend started to clap & shout, "bravo, you finished first". So embarrassing! But I'll take the embarrassing comments over all the looks! And I'm not talking about just little, quick looks, but long, hard looks. The folks do a full 180! And it's not just creepy men, but older ladies and tourists too. I'm slowly getting a complex that I run funny! or maybe I'm breathing insanely heavy and I can't hear myself over the music!? I really hope the stares stop as they're throwing me off my game!

The best part of running on vacation is that when I'm done I don't have to rush to work. I can sit down, relax and drink my morning coffee in peace.

granolavić.

2010-09-08T23:20:00.001-07:00

I made some granola a couple nights ago but I sort of forgot I was in Europe and set the oven to 300C not 300F--oops. It's still tasty but not as good as it can be. I've been adding some home-grown figs & plums to it which makes up for the less than perfect batch.

this week's harvest.

2010-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Aside from all the flowers, succulents and palm trees growing in my mom's garden, there's also fruit trees and vegetables. This week we picked figs, grapes, peaches, ground cherries, peppers, arugula, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes and celery.

a morning at Britanski Trg.

2010-09-08T03:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago my Dad introduced me the Sunday antique market on the Britanski Trg (British Square) and the last time I was in Croatia I didn't get a chance to visit because of all the wedding business we had to do. So this time I made it a must. I found some really great stuff for sale. But I had to be realistic, I only have one piece of luggage and the plane ticket here already did some damage to my pocket book. But, of course, I did buy a couple things!... a vintage linen table runner and two twin-bell alarm clocks, both from defunct countries -- Jugoslavia & Czechoslovakia. I'll be posting a picture of those soon.

After the market, my Mom and I met up with my cousin, Ivo & family for coffee at a place called, Café Velvet. There are two parts to Velvet, one storefront is a stylish café and next door there is sort of a curated, design/home store (locals refer to it as an art-gallery). The "gallery" is lofty and minimal and it looked like most of the items was locally made or from France. Oh, and it looks like everything was on sale! On the way back through Zagreb I might need to pick up a big letter M.

bok motherland.

2010-09-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

After sitting beside the two most annoying people in the world for 8.5 hours (thank goodness for iPods) I finally made it to Croatia. The Zagreb airport is very tiny so I instantly saw my family behind the security glass. It was amazing to see how my cousin's kids; Lea and Iva have grown. It really made me realize how long it has been since I last came to visit. The girls ask if I would ride with them instead of going in my Mom's car, so I did, how can I say no to their little faces. They also wanted me to sit in the back seat with them so they could both get a good look at me. And did they ever! For 30 minutes, I had two sets of eyes on either side of me (yep, I sat in the middle) following my every move. They touched my hair, poked at my leg and looked a little puzzled when I spoke -- I butcher the Croatian language with my 'Canadian' accent and my slowly, vanishing vocabulary. Once at the house I gave them the little gifts I brought and they were so happy! Every couple minutes one of them would run by me and give me a big hug and say, "thank you Tomislava for the wonderful gifts". Too cute.

Being back in Croatia really feels like home. I know it's not suppose to feel this way since I wasn't born here, didn't study here, nor did I live here for any extensive length of time, but it does. Driving through Zagreb brings back a flood of amazing memories. From being a little kid and spending whole summers here when it was still Jugoslavia, to being a teenager and going to clubs, sitting for hours in cafes and behaving silly on trips to coast. I guess in a way my most formative years where spent in Croatia. The people that cared for me so deeply were here. It's funny how once you get older and have some distance from the past you realize the importance of certain experiences. Who I am now, as a person, is largely based on my time spent in Croatia.

Meet the 8 Golden Queens

2010-08-29T18:51:00.001-07:00

I almost gave up on my tomato-growing venture. With all the "you have no flowers yet?" and "I'm already eating my harvest" comments, I thought there was no hope for my three, tall plants. But as you can see there's some hope. Eight to be exact. They are still not ripe -- nor any where close -- but I'm satisfied. The only ironic part of all my tomato heartache is that I most likely won't be in town when these kids become ripe enough to eat...boohoo.

4 days, 5 nights in NY

2010-08-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

K and I went to NY this past long weekend (yes, almost a month ago). I've obviously been slow at posting this one. But here it is. A lot of pictures and very few words.

We managed to rent a nice apartment in the upper east side that was well-priced. Aside from the huge cockroach that fell out of the bed sheets, the place was clean and quiet.

After coffee in the lovely Bryant Park, we decided to check out the New York Public Library at 5th Avenue & 42nd Street. Incredible.

I read about Eleven Heavy Things, a public art piece by Miranda July, but I didn't think I was going to get a chance to see it. Well I saw it twice, the first time was sort of by accident as we were meeting friends around there, and the second time was on purpose - early in the morning when things were quieter.

Karim really wanted to see the water fountain from 'Friends'. Kidding!

I'm still dreaming about the grilled corn at Habana Cafe.

We didn't visit the New Museum as we ran out of time. Next time...

I thought I missed H's birthday by a week, but I was so happy to find out I didn't! (Lately, I've lost all concept of days) Here's H doing a little birthday rowing in Central Park. I love the magical, floaty hat in this picture.

And here are the two love birds. H's camera seemed to only have pictures of I & K, so the running joke the whole weekend was that they were on a romantic holiday for two.

The MoMA.

My workmates made me paranoid about the bedbugs in NY. One night I couldn't sleep because I was convinced that our mattress was covered in them.

I had the best iced coffee on The High Line.

For most of the summer, I've been craving a jam-filled doughnut. Since I'm basically sugar-free, I need to make sure that my sugar intake is worth it. When H & I told me about this well reviewed doughnut shop, I couldn't say no. The place was packed and we waited for 20 minutes to find out they were sold out of jam-filled doughnuts. Total bummer.

I went for a simple, glazed variety. It was okay. If anyone knows of a killer jam-filled doughnut in the city, do tell, 'cause I still got the cravin'....

I'm very aware that I look a little crazy here.

Brunch at Egg.

I was so sad to hear that these three little peewees were not for sale.

K had only two things on his agenda for this trip...visiting the The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company and seeing a Moth show. We managed to do both.

Breakfast is truly my favourite meal. If I was on death row I would definitely order breakfast food as my last meal.

H & I showed us their regular workout regime: push-ups & chin-ups.

I had a really great time. H & I, you were wonderful hosts/tour operators.

cravings.

2010-07-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Watermelons are the best summertime fruit. They remind me of beach picnics as a kid and rooftop vodak infused parties. The fact that half the summer is over and I still haven't eaten any is just sad. So today I bought an organic icebox watermelon. It's chilling in the fridge as I write this....I'll let you know if it's any good.

what's small, yellow and makes me very happy?

2010-07-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

yep, that's right, I have flowers growing on all 3 tomato plants. This picture makes the plants look oddly miniature but they're about 3 1/2 feet tall! I guess all my feeding, watering and talking helped.

it's been awhile.

2010-07-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Every day, I tell myself to post the pictures I've shot but somehow I don't get around to it. It's partly because I've been busy with work/freelance, and partly 'cause I've been busy feeling sick. I don't mind being busy with work. If I'm idle for too long, all hell breaks out in my head, so I'm happy for the work. I'm not too happy about the sick part but I'm sure I will feel better soon. It can't get worse, right?

This morning I told myself no more excuses, just post something! So here I am letting you know what I've been up to for the last couple weeks. So get ready to scroll 'cause there's lots of pictures for one blog post...

The garden is one place where I've been losing a lot of time. With all the weeding, planting, feeding and watering, I can easily lose an afternoon or evening amongst the shrubs.

My tomato plants have been the most demanding. I have three Golden Queen plants that I grew from seed and they where growing really well until two plants got attacked by powdery mildew. I tried to heal them the natural way but nothing worked. Then I bought some smelly fungicide and so far, so good, no more mildew. But there's another problem, my plants are fruitless! One of my friends already has tomatoes growing and my Mom already harvested a few. What am I don't wrong? I've fed them kelp meal and Jobes fertilizing spikes, not sure what more I can do. If anyone has tomato growing suggestions, I welcome some advice.

I couldn't resist, he is just too cute lounging on the porch.

Karim bought some TOMS. He said I raved about them so much that he had to get a pair for himself. Hear that TOMS, maybe I should come work for you...?

I mailed off some colorful bunting I made for three very cute little girls in Croatia. The intense humidity made the bunting curl a little, I hope they flattened out in the post. I also hope Nika, Lea and Iva enjoy decorating their rooms with my bunting.

Even though I spend many hours and dollars in the garden, it's still not that great. Particularly the backyard. Karim calls it, "the apocalyptic garden", as most of the space is covered with cement. Saturday mornings I like sitting in the back reading or eating my breakfast, so to make it a little nicer I did some 'gorilla style' planting.

It's been too hot to cook so lately I've been living off corn chips, salsa and guacamole. Oh, and of course Mojitos.

Had a little visitor fly into the garden.

I bought this bird house in the states way back in March but couldn't find any bird seed.

I fell off the (no sugar) wagon a couple of weekends ago and treated myself to one really big scoop of coffee ice cream.

I'm Comic Sans, Asshole.

2010-07-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie just sent me this super funny Comic Sans rant on the McSweeney's site. It's a must read, even if you are not a type nerd. The best part is the last sentence, priceless.

unza, unza

2010-07-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

It was hot this weekend and if you are someone who knows me well, then you know I was loving every second of it. The only thing missing was the Adriatic.

We ended our weekend by going to see Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra. Critics have described them as..."Gypsy techno-rock" or "gypsy brass band with folk-punk rock". Whatever the genre, they are pretty awesome. I've been wanting to see them play for a long time now and finally I got my chance. I'm sure my Croatian father is rolling over in his grave at the thought of me at a Serbian rock show, where Serb salutes were many and flags were being waved. But let's not get political here. It's about the music.

Perhaps my hopes for a crazy, dancing sweat bath (like this) were unreasonable, but I was kind of disappointed at the level of energy at the show. I was hoping they would top the Goran Bregovic show I saw last year (which was truly one of the best shows I've ever seen). I know there is a Serb somewhere cringing that I'm comparing Bregovic and TNSO, but I think I was just expecting the same kind of energy since the crowds were very, very similar. But that is not to say that I didn't enjoy the show, it was fun and definitely worth the trek to the Docks. Oh and I got to see my friend Vanja! who just moved back from the states, and told me about the show.

Part of my attraction to TNSO is Emir Kusturica, a guitarist in the band, but mostly known as a film director. I think he joined the band in the 90's, a decade after the band was formed. Yes, these guys are old. If you don't know Emir Kustrica's film, well then, you are missing out. His films are always beautifully art directed and at times surreal and dark humoured. I suggest watching some of his mid-career films first, such as Underground, White Cat/Black Cat, Time of the Gypsies, and then get into his older and newer films.

The funniest part of the show was when they sang the song "Fuck you MTV". The singer would say, "Do you agree?", and the crowd was supposed to respond, "Fuck you MTV!". Well, Karim's new job is at MTV, hah. So you can only guess that he wasn't chanting with the crowd. His reaction was more like, "don't bite the hand that feeds you".

bringing home the bacon (x2)

2010-07-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

What? flowers for me?

This week K (finally) got a full-time gig!
Since he was laid-off last year, which was just after we closed on the house, it has been tough. With the recession still on (yes, we our still experiencing a recession despite what the media says) and his industry being slow because of our strong dollar, he hasn't been able to find steady work. In the past, slow times like this were never a problem. I worked at cafes, we both freelanced, we needed very little to make rent and survive. But having a mortgage is a much bigger responsibility than rent (again, despite what people tell you). My salary alone just doesn't cut it. But once again we are a two income couple! It's time to build a new porch and fly to NYC...or maybe just save some money for future rainy days.

for the love of stripes.

2010-06-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

I met L early this morning at the Barns. She brought me some plant food for my dying Orchid, we both picked up some fresh strawberries and, after sharing a coffee in the rain, we decided to head home. Because of all the rain, I didn't feel like going outside again, so instead I painted some stripes on a bag. I love productive Saturday mornings.

planting my money.

2010-06-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have identified why I'm broke - it's the garden.
I partly blame my Mom. She is an avid gardener and over the years I have watched her create stunning gardens in Vancouver and now in Croatia. I loved helping her as a kid and was hoping that I would inherit her green thumb, but so far it doesn't seem to be the case. The love for plants is there, but the talent of creating and maintaining a garden seems to be lacking. Although, that hasn't stopped me from spending all my money at the local garden centre. Before leaving the house, I instruct myself to only buy the 'cheap' plants, but really, we all know there are no 'cheap' plants. The only reason I don't clear out my bank account completely in one visit is because I have to carry everything home on my bike. Tall plants go into the basket and small guys go in a bag on the handle bars. This weekend I got K involved, but unfortunately he has no basket on his bike so he walked the potting soil home. Maybe I need to get him a bike basket?

free Hosta, new Hair.

2010-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I found a beautiful Hosta on the sidewalk... no, I didn't just dig it up and call it mine. It had a little note attached, "free to take - plant in part shade/shade." And that's just what I did...well, to be fair Karim did the digging & planting.

Another exciting event this weekend was my new haircut at Barberella. Can you believe that the last time I had my hair cut there was snow on the ground and we were waiting for Christmas! The week before my appointment I decided to cut my hair boy short again. But, of course, the minute I sat in the chair I chickened out. So instead, I opted for a small change... just a little buzz on the left side. I love it, it's the perfect, little change that I needed.

green giant & sprout.

2010-06-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful friend named Trisha, also known as Master T.
We are old friends, we have seen each other through bad 90's hair, weird boyfriends and major life events. Sadly, we are never in the same city or even the same continent for that matter. But this doesn't seem to affect our friendship.
Lately, I've been lucky enough to receive a postcard from her almost every week! and some weeks it's a little package, filled with lovely things from her travels. The is a sample of her latest package. I'm not sure how she does it but she always seem to send a package when I need a little pick me up! Thank you, T.

good morning Aberfoyle

2010-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

A rainy, but successful day at the antique market...

's' to the 'h' to the 'e'

2010-06-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

I found these beautiful letters at a garage sale last weekend - best 60 cents spent all week.

afterwork bevy

2010-06-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

patient.

2010-06-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

K.z had a bike accident today. He's fine now. But look at his cute, little wristband.

happy lights.

2010-06-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

sunday night.
food on the grill.
cold drinks.
lights in the grapevines.
fun company.
two wonderful hosts.
a perfect way to end the weekend.

reasons why i love the city.

2010-06-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

I often complain about Toronto, but there is one thing I love about it - summer street festivals. On Saturday afternoon, Karim and I were walking around the west end drinking our coffees and running errands, when we happily stumbled upon the Portuguese street party/parade. Most of Dundas Street was taken over with BBQ-ed fish, colourful customs and loud music. I'm glad we turned north when we did! As karim put it, "this shit doesn't happen in the burbs."

got my toms.

2010-06-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

I read about Toms a couple years ago and remember thinking the shoes were pretty cool and the concept was even cooler. Well, today I got myself a pair!

stripes, sparkles & s'mores.

2010-06-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

The fire-pit at the Grove was a no-go due to the weather, but that didn't mean we couldn't have s'mores. Katie and Philippe made us some delicious ones using a little blow torch in their kitchen! These two have the best kitchen gadgets.

And before the evening was over, I had to get a shot of Katie's stripes & sparkles.

poor mans BBQ

2010-05-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

We don't have an exhaust fan over the stove (long story, don't ask) so frying fish makes the house stinky for days!! Here's our work around:
Panini grill, extension cord, backyard steps... equals yummy, salmon burgers!

i don't like roses.

2010-05-30T18:56:00.001-07:00

I'm not a rose kind of person. I enjoy less formal flowers, like poppies. But Joanne, the previous owner, obviously loved roses! 'cause there are about 5 or more rose bushes in the front yard. Last Fall, I brutally cut them down and I didn't think they would survive, okay, I secretly didn't want them to survive, but they did! I have to admit they are very pretty and I feel bad for trying to kill them.

summer love.

2010-05-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've recently become obsessed with two bands... Dead Weather and She&Him. Both totally different from each other, both perfect in their own way.

Start your love affair, listen here and here.

can't get her out of my mind.

2010-05-26T07:43:00.001-07:00

her name is Jennifer Sanchez.
She creates the prettiest things.
I can't remember where I found her work but it happened yesterday, while surfing.
Her paintings make me want to get up, leave work and enjoy life, really, truly, enjoy it.

all images by Jennifer Sanchez

dressing room: check!

2010-05-19T21:16:00.001-07:00

back + adjusting.

2010-05-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly sad to be back. The only thing that is keeping me going is planning my next trip outta here. Tonight, I wanted to put some pictures up on flickr, but for the life of me I couldn't get into my account and I'm too tried to figure it out, maybe tomorrow. Here are a couple fotos till I sort out flickr.

A morning shot of the famous, Al Khazneh building in Petra, also known as The Treasury. Absolutely breathtaking.

We did a spontaneous trip to Little Petra, which was lovely 'cause there were no tourists and a lot of fun climbing to do.

>
Back in dubai, we decided to check out the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and yes, I decided to wear my newly purchased floral jumper. And yes, it's a bit ridiculous looking, but I have a secret love for the ridiculous and I can't stop it.

ready, set, go.

2010-04-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm maybe going on a little trip to visit the middle east. I say, 'maybe' because I'm flying standby and you never know if you are the chosen one or if extra cargo gets the free ride. I'm trying to stay positive but positivity only makes me more excited about traveling, and what if I don't get on the flight? It would be tragic!

The plan is to fly to Dubai, grab my sister, fly to Jordan to do some Petra trekking and Dead Sea floating, and then back to Dubai for some genuine-fake shopping and beach time. I really hope it works out. Fingers-crossed, people!

Visiting the Arab world seems to be a bit of a trend the last couple years. Here are some pictures from my last two trips.

The first time I went to Dubai I had just quit my job and needed something to do ( 'cause looking for another job was just too boring).

Here's me in a tent in the desert just before a falcon pooped on me.

My next jaunt to the Arab world was to Morocco last spring (homeland to my father-in-law). Karim, the in-laws and I meet up in Madrid and made our way to Tangier and Tetuan. It was a nice introduction into the world of real Moroccans. Only bummer was I got sick, really sick. Karim's cousin Emir called it the Tangier Diet, 5 days of pain + lots of runs to the loo = 10 pounds lighter.

Here's me trying on Amti (aunt) Haffeda's beautiful silk caftans, the kind you don't find in the market!

spring collection

2010-04-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

I love tulips and look how many I have growing in the front yard. Thank you previous owners for planting these for me!

I get dressed in a whimsical forest.

2010-04-20T19:29:00.001-07:00

We finally did it! The dressing room now has one wall covered in beautiful marimekko wallpaper. It was a lot of work since our walls are uneven and old but it was well worth it. Here are some late night shots of us hanging the wallpaper.

High-five to karim for doing all the nerve-wracking slicing.

Another addition to the dressing room is this lovely Eames chair I picked up a couple weeks ago.

life is a banquet.

2010-04-12T20:06:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how I managed it, but I grew up watching shows that were inappropriate for young eyes (i.e. Dallas, Knots Landing, Cujo). Maybe I sat so quietly on the sofa that my parents forgot I was still up? Thankfully, none of these shows tainted my mind. To be honest, I can't remember too much about any of them.

But one film that has always stuck with me is Auntie Mame, a 1958 film starring Rosalind Russell. It used to air once a year and I made sure I didn't miss it. It wasn't inappropriate for a child to watch, it just wasn't geared towards children but I loved it. I would dream endlessly about being Auntie Mame, wearing amazing outfits and decorating frequently to fit my current aesthetic. Sure, the film had some heartache, a dead husband and a small stop in Poorsville, but the production design, styling and Mame’s free-spirit were so over the top that my little head was in awe. Well, 20+ years later, in my now big head, I still want to be her. I want to re-decorate on a whim, wear head wraps and travel around collecting inspiration!

What if my neurotic tendencies are helping me find my inner Mame?

in flux.

2010-04-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

It’s exhausting being neurotic.
Sometimes, I feel myself spinning in circles, doing random projects, my mind filled with a million fleeting ideas and I wonder if I look or sound loopy...

The general theme to my neurosis these days (err, years) is cleaning.
Dust and ungrouped items are my enemy.
I could be walking a thin line to full-on OCD.
I imagine some of my friends think it, but they just don’t say it. “Hey! Friends! I’m cool if you call me Neuroticslava.”
I don’t mind. Hell, it might just be a phase, right?

I’ve gone through many phases of obsession.
I had my darkroom days, when I spent every waking hour for 4 years in a small, toxic room. I would process the same image for hours trying to get it right. Even when my peers couldn’t see a difference between each print and told me to stop, I couldn't.

Then there was the time when I kept making swirls with thin wire & long nose pliers. It started as part of an art project but became it's own thing. If I was pulled away from this task to be social it was heart breaking! I would just daydream of going home, to make more wire swirls, as friends continued to chat to me.

Now I’m house-obsessed. I set up little vignettes around the house only to take them down because something wasn’t quite right, I move furniture from room to room to see if it maybe works better somewhere else, I buy baskets, return baskets, re-organize baskets, I research online for the perfect chair or bowl till the wee-hours of the night, the list goes on and gets scarier.

My latest thought is to paint the wood floors. I know! Painting hardwood! Complete sacrilege! But if you saw our floors you would want to cover them up too.

I found these great fotos over on the Kitka blog. Now that I'm inspired, I need to convince Karim.

[images from kitkadesigntoronto.com]

hello frankie!

2010-04-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

I was very sad when I heard that Frankie magazine was no longer available in Canada. So I enlisted the help of my world traveling sister and her traveling friends and voilà! The hunt for Frankie was a success! From Australia (via Dubai) to Toronto, its changed many hands and survived a long journey. Thank-you to Andrea, Johnny & Salina!

my domestic easter weekend

2010-04-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were blessed with summertime weather. As much as I loved it, I knew it was wrong... 25 degrees, in early April, in Toronto! Something is messed up.

But aside from global warming, we managed to do a ton this weekend:

- paint the new baseboards
- paint the pew (my nod to easter mass, sorry mom)
- prune and clean up the front yard (look at all the tulips growing, not the neighbour's trash bin)
- do an ikea run and spent too much money on I'm not sure what...
- some indoor plant action
- acquire my first orchid
- make a button jar (post to come)
- build a small shelf in the kitchen
- hang some art
- made more granola

new house perks

2010-04-04T18:39:00.001-07:00

Friends Michael and Julie came to our very belated house-warming a few weeks back and gave us the coolest dish cloths.

Not pictured here but also amazing were the two cook books they gave us: The Gold Medal Blender Cookbook & Celebrity Cooking Capers, both circa 1970's. I can't wait to blend-up a sandwich!

slow-blogger*

2010-04-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

*I've been horrible at this blogging-thing lately. Here are some belated happenings.

Toronto has the strangest graffiti, I've seen fuck-soup and tofu marked on buildings and last weekend I found this one under a bridge on the way to shiatsu. If anyone has the slightest idea of what this could mean, please do enlighten me?! Thank goodness someone sprayed an arrow next to it, as where else would I place my coffee while I took a shot.

in a blah daze.

2010-03-22T06:58:00.001-07:00

image: designspongeonline.com

it's Monday. i hate Mondays.

I had an early start to the day, so I'm really tried now and it's only 10.15am
I want a coffee, but I'm doing a detox, so I can't have one. I also would love to see some sun. But I know it's only march and I need to be patient.

I saw this great post on design sponge, 'how to make a living wreath centerpiece'. It really makes me want to work in my garden and eat jelly-filled donuts (my fav). A lot of cities are experiencing mild, cherry blossom filled Springs, why can't I be in one of those cities? Do I need to move? or do I just need a vacation?

springtime = fun time

2010-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

I love seeing all the trees & plants change from ugly brown to lush green. I realize it's only March and things aren't exactly lush green but the last couple of weeks have been so mild and bright that one only hopes that the snow won't return till next year. I noticed some sprouting happening in the front yard, although I'm not sure what's actually growing I'm very excited to find out. I hope this sun and mild weather continues this weekend so I can enjoy a stroll and coffee while the sun shines it's warmth on me.

small additions

2010-03-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

I planted some herbs last week, seeds courtesy of Hello Girl Thursday, but they don't seem to be sprouting yet. I hope something comes up soon.

Our new bedside tables!

I finally refinished that chair and moved it to it's new home, our bedroom.

I drink my coffee black so I don't really need a creamer, but I just couldn't resist this pretty, little thing. I bought it at upside dive on Queen East, a store worth checking out for nice, vintage items.

This is why I love the Duff.

2010-03-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been posting about things that have nothing to do with the house (i.e. the camera, our vacation) and I told myself I have to stop and get back on track, but today is not that day. 'Cause I need to tell you about the giant colon. Yup, you heard right! I said Colon, and I'm not talking punctuation. While getting coffee this morning at The Common, a fellow customer told us about a giant colon at the Dufferin Mall. Both Karim and I were fascinated and decided to hit up the Duff to see this colon ourselves. And boy was it strange, not so much the actual colon structure but the amount of people it attracted. Apparently, it's on all weekend so if you have nothing to do on a sunny Sunday, go see the Colon.

p.s. if you miss it this weekend, you can always rent it!

operation washing machine

2010-03-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today, we got a new washing machine! Well, not really new, but new to us! Our dear friends were getting rid of their old machine and since ours sucks and is near death we are very grateful for the hand-me down.

It was hard making this new washer look good against our scary basement walls, but trust me it's a big improvement from our old one.

Here are the boys hauling out the old clunker.

i heart GF1 or heart i GF1

2010-02-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Camera shopping was a success! I looked at both the Leica and its Lumix equivalent and realized that I needed something more than what these 2 systems could give me. And that something more was the Lumix GF1!

My camera search took 2 trips to Henry's...
On my first visit I talked to a very nice man that informed me about the pros + cons of all 3 cameras. When I told him that I wanted a digital version of my old Pentax K1000, he laughed, pretty hard, but it helped him narrow it down to the GF1. I could of just bought it then and there but he threw me a curve ball! He told me that Olympus was coming out with a similar camera that will be selling for much less and that I should wait until it hits the market in March. I took his advice and went home to research this "Olympus EPL1". But after reading everything and anything I could find about this camera I figured out it wasn't for me.

The next morning, I made my way back to Henry's to buy the GF1.
Happy (early) Birthday to ME.

camera confusion

2010-02-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last 2 weeks reading camera reviews and agonizing whether I should buy a dSLR or a compact with manual controls. I love the idea of having a dSLR camera that I'll have for awhile and I can build on but I wasn't sure if I wanted the weight and bulk of dSLR. Well, my generous brother-in-law let me borrow his old dSLR so I could get an idea of working with a camera that size. I did some test shots around the house, the image to the right is one of them...and I have decided that I want a compact. So here is my short list: Lumix L-3, Leica D-Lux 4 or the Lumix GF-1. The Leica seems to be the one that's winning in my heart, the little red circle and the sexy marketing makes my heart skip a beat. But my head (any many user reviews)is telling me that the Lumix L-3 will be just fine and it's half the price. Well, today I have decided to go check out these cameras in person and let my heart and head battle it out.

when the cat's away, the mice will get high cholesterol

2010-02-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

When Karim left for Montreal he said two things to me, "I love you" & "eat properly." What he meant was, no popcorn & vodka dinners or eggs & toast dinners. My answer was "of course darling I promise to eat a balanced meal"... well, I lied! I honestly tried but work has been so busy these days that by the time I get home I have 3 options; eggs, popcorn, or nothing. I'm not totally irresponsible I add veggies when available and my energy permits! This week I've had eggs four days in a row and I'm getting pretty sick of them, so tomorrow I might move on to option two...Vodka & Popcorn! sorry darlin'...

no heat, no fun.

2010-02-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Last night our furnace broke down - again! So I made the call, got the typical 4 hour window appointment and waited patiently in my many sweaters. But I am happy to report that the problem is fixed and the layers are slowly coming off.

Bakelite Sunday

2010-02-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

At least once a month I like to check out Queen West Antique Centre to see what's new, so today was that day. I grabbed a coffee at Cherry Bomb and went for a stroll. My goal was to get some inspiration for the dressing room, which is still beige & boring, but I found nothing. What I did find was this psychedelic Bakelite tray. I was told they found 2 unopened boxes of these cafeteria trays in some old school. I'm not sure what to do with it yet...serving tray, make-up tray, jewelry tray...the possibilities are endless!

a thin slice of summer.

2010-01-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Karim and I decided to run away from life for seven tropical days.

Unfortunately, we had bad weather for part of the week. It was cold, windy and rainy. But it let us catch up on VH1 reality shows... Celebrity Rehab is pretty riveting.

All in all it is was relaxing and the beaches were truly spectacular. Check out turks + cacios islands.