Almond is my favorite smell.

In case you're wondering where I am

2010-01-11T20:26:00.002-06:00

I've made myself a real blog!

I've been meaning to update my site for a while now and finally made the transition to Wordpress.

You can check out my new site at jessicapenner.com. I'm still getting the hang of it, so bear with me. I plan on adding some of the graphic design pieces that I'm proud of as well.

I'm also planning on starting up my own etsy shop in the next month or so, so keep your eye out on that!

Sewing a Curtain

2009-12-31T10:45:00.004-06:00

One last thing I needed for my bathroom was a curtain. I'm lucky enough to have a washer and dryer in suite in my apartment, but they're a bit of an eyesore in my bathroom so I decided to make a curtain to keep them out of view, but still in easy access.

I had this Ikea fabric I bought a few years ago (long before I sewed!) and this seemed like the perfect accent to the room.

I'd never made a curtain before but this seemed easy enough. A hemmed rectangle and loops at the top. Not too tricky.

And the finished product! I still need to get a hook so I can keep the curtain to the side when I'm using the machines but I'll wait a while to get that.

Contrary to what it looked like, I ironed the curtain twice before hanging it up. I blame lighting for pointing out all the wrinkles.

Bathroom Mini-Reno

2009-12-31T10:19:00.006-06:00

As I talked about in my last post, my bathroom in my apartment has been lacking.

It's a lot of shades of beige and didn't really have a lot of character.

I decided to paint my bathroom last week with having some free time (I took a week off work for the holidays! It's been amazing!).

I did have a hiccup along the way though. The first paint color I picked out was an utter flop. It was called Silver Drop and was a light grey. However, with the lack of windows and horrible lighting in my bathroom, it just looked like the walls were dirty rather than being a COLOR.

Thankfully, it only takes about 1/4 of a quart can of paint and an hour to do two coats of paint, so I didn't have a problem with buying another can of paint and trying out another color.

The color I ended up with is called Rain Washed by Behr. I like it! It's a light blue/slightly aqua/greyish color and it looks really clean and fresh.

I made the print on the wall based off of one I saw on Etsy. I still want to get a better frame for it yet.

I really wish I could do something with my sink/cupboard area! It's so hideous. If I get brave enough, maybe I'll paint it. I'd probably lose my damage deposit though.

I hung up my pretty petal hooks from Anthropologie! I got them in May while we were in Seattle and hadn't had a chance to use them yet. I didn't want to hang them up on a white wall because I thought a colored wall would add more contrast and help them stand out more. Either way, I think they add a cute feminine touch to the room!

Medicine Cabinet Makeover

2009-12-31T10:05:00.004-06:00

I live in an apartment and while I love it, there's a few things I've wanted to change. I don't think I'm legally allowed to do too much as far as renovating, but I figure if I'm going to live here a few years, I'm going to make it as comfortable for me as possible, right?

That said, I had this ugly medicine cabinet in my bathroom. My main problems with it were that the top was stained, and that the doors to it were glass so everything on the inside was visible at all times.

I didn't take a proper "before" picture, but I took this one once I had started blocking off the doors to redo.

I found this great product at Home Depot called Frosted Glass Finish, a specialty product by RustOleum. It's in a can like spray-paint and you just spray it on the glass surface you want. It shows up clear and then minutes later dries into a soft frosted finish! Very cool and so easy to do, and for less than $10 it's such a great quick fix.

In this picture I've already started frosting the glass (it took a few coats), but you can see the stains that I really didn't like on top of the cabinet.

I decided to paint the metal surfaces with a high gloss white paint to create a clean and modern surface.

Finished product! I think it looks a lot better than before and I'm happy with the results, considering what I had to work with (if it were my own house, I would have just ripped it out and done something else with the area).

Crocheted Cowl Scarf

2009-12-24T16:14:00.004-06:00

In the midst of knitting the orange scarf below, I had the urge to go back to my roots and do some crocheting. I saw these pretty cowl scarves by jenloveskev and thought they'd be pretty easy to make myself.

(this one's by jenloveskev)

Three evenings later I had myself a pretty blue cowl scarf. I'm super happy with the results.

I love that its warm enough that I can wear it with a jacket outside, and yet light and chic enough that I can wear it with a sweater to work inside.

It's also something that I can whip up and give as a gift. I'll probably end up making a few of these for friends yet too, and experiment with feathers and buttons like Jen does.

Knitting

2009-12-24T15:18:00.005-06:00

After several months, I've finally finished my first knitting project!

I started off easy and made a scarf, following a Purl Bee pattern called Easy Mistake Stitch Scarf (can't go wrong with a name like that, right?)

For knowing nothing of knitting before starting this project, I was surprised how easy it was, though it seemed a LOT more time consuming than crocheting. It ended up being big enough to easily wrap around my neck twice and used up two skeins of yarn. Plus, it stretches out a lot in width!

Jenloveskev

2009-12-24T14:56:00.006-06:00

I wrote a long time ago about a blog I've been following called Jenloveskev, about an art teacher Jen in New York who posts yummy recipes, daily fashion updates and neat homemade projects.

Every now and then Jen sells her goods on Etsy and I was lucky enough to pick up one of her beautiful homemade headbands!

My pictures don't do it justice, so I apologize for that ahead of time, especially for the close-ups.

The Most Beautiful Die

2009-12-08T21:33:00.002-06:00

I stumbled upon an absolutely gorgeous die cut piece today.

This die piece is done by Arjowiggins Creative Papers and is absolutely amazing.

From a blog entry about the piece:

Responsible forestry management can and will make a significant contribution to the preservation of the environment. Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place next week, Arjowiggins Creative Papers is launching an innovative and thought-provoking campaign to support the global summit.

Click here to see a full-size version of this piece.

DIY Light Fixture Facelift

2009-11-14T21:36:00.011-06:00

I live in an apartment and can't do too much for permanent redecorating but I wanted to give a light fixture in my entranceway a facelift. All the light fixtures in my place are pretty outdated - lots of tinted glass and brass and not the most beautiful.

I had to come up with something that was removable and decided to bring nature inside. Luckily, the glass cover of the fixture is easily detachable so I thought it would be a good idea to wrap something around it. I live next to a riverbank so I walked along the bank and gathered fallen branches (not too sure what kind, they have beautiful little knubs and seeds on them though!).

A few hours of twisting twigs and gluegunning later, I had a beautiful new cover that just slips over the glass part of the lamp.

I love the shadows it casts!

The best part is that it didn't cost me a penny and I can take it with me should I decide to leave this apartment.

Bean bags

2009-11-14T20:48:00.004-06:00

I have a sweet two year old nephew who I lived with first the first 14 months of his life. My sister recently asked me to make a few bean bags for him for her to keep in her purse. She's really big on homemade and wooden toys for Ben.

After a bit of delay from a jammed sewing machine, I finally got them done recently! I made a lining with a thick fabric and put the rice inside of that, so that even if Ben gets a hole in the beanbags, the rice still won't spill out.

I made three different bean bags - one with patches of Guatemalan handmade fabric, one of a ladybug (Ben's favorite animal) and one with the letter B on one side and Thomas the Train on the other.

The cutest thing was when I gave the beanbags to Benjamin, he thought they were tiny pillows and promptly put them on the floor and laid his head on them and snuggled with his blanket, his Curious George, and the beanbags.

Blog neglect :(

2009-11-14T20:41:00.004-06:00

Sorry for neglecting my blog here - I've missed it! I've had a crazy busy fall. Lots of overtime at work working on proposals and lots of freelance keeping me busy in the evenings.

Speaking of freelance, I have a shameless plug to make. Since June, I've been working on a freelance project for an independent book publisher. I've done the cover design and interior typesetting of a book about a local Winnipeg activist named Harry Lehotsky. Harry passed away of cancer in 2006 and was well known in Winnipeg for his inner-city work, confronting pimps, working to eliminate pawn shops and helping homeless people get into stable living situations. Harry renovated a few homes that were considered unlivable into low income rental properties and established the Ellice Cafe & Theatre and was a well known minister in the area.

The book I worked on was the official biography of Harry and it was an honour to work on a project in his name. The book was launched last week and it's been great to see the support after working on it for several months now.

If you want to check out more about the Urban Saint: the Harry Lehotsky Story by Paul H. Boge, check out their website.

Sleepy City

2009-10-19T21:48:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned recently how much I love this city?

Click for a bigger picture.

Before and After - Telephone Bench

2009-10-19T21:36:00.005-05:00

I got this telephone bench a few months ago and absolutely fell in love with it.

But the upholstery was outdated and worn out, with a little hole on the seat.

I've been meaning to upholster it again since I bought it, but had been waiting around for just the right fabric. Well, I decided yesterday that I'll probably never find the perfect fabric, and decided to just use some leftover Amy Butler fabric I had from creating pillows in my living room.

I just did a quick hack upholstery job, without removing the old fabric, but I think it'll hold up fine until I find that perfect fabric!

(For a second, I was considering leaving it like this. I'm glad I didn't.)

I'm happy with the results, it looks cute and summery.

Before and After - Blinds

2009-10-19T21:26:00.005-05:00

This is a bit boring, but it's something I've been meaning to do for a long time!

When I moved into this apartment, it came with these bamboo-ish blinds in the bedroom. They aren't good for much, in fact, I think the sun shines through them more than is blocked out, but since I don't have anything to replace them with, they're staying up for now.

My problem with them is that A. there was an unnecessary curtain rod in front of them, B. the cord was perpetually tangled and had a twist tie wrapped up in it and was so long it dangled on the floor, and C. they were about 9 inches too long for the window. So I decided to hack my blinds and customize them to the window.

Scissors and a glue gun later, and my blinds now fit perfectly and have a neat, small cord! And no more unnecessary brass curtain rod! I'm proud.

l.o.v.e.

2009-10-08T21:43:00.003-05:00

Pure and simple.

Forgive me, Michael's picture was our first picture, the test shot. He "shook it like a Polaroid picture". Which resulted in his face being shaken. As for my picture, the camera doesn't have a flash and it was in my living room at night, so the lighting wasn't good so it's dark.

Linen Grocery Tote

2009-10-01T21:20:00.005-05:00

I recently finished another crocheting project. I made the linen grocery tote with a pattern from Purl Bee I had mentioned earlier. It was nice to do a knitting/crocheting project that only took a week or so opposed to a few months!

Anyways, I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I'm thinking these may be good to make for gifts. Yes.

I used the project's recommended linen, Louet's Euroflax linen, in Mustard. It's tough and incredibly strong, while still being gorgeous and soft when you wash it.

It's also really stretchy and fills out a lot so you can fit lots in it!

Lazy Dancer

2009-10-01T20:50:00.002-05:00

I've never really listened to Metric. They're one of those bands that I know is good, but I've never bothered to get into them.

Until the past two days. Their new album Fantasies is all I've been listening to at work. The song above is my favorite song from the album, called Collect Call. It's wonderful.

I also forgot to post a picture. My nephew Benjamin is almost two and a half, and comes over to my apartment every few weeks to go swimming in my building's pool. The last time he was over he did something for the very first time!

So what was this amazing feat?

He drew on my wall. Yes, for the very first time, Ben scribbled on a wall. I think it's cute though, and I don't want to remove it. So sweet.

Mr. Dan

2009-09-20T19:08:00.003-05:00

When Mike and I were in Seattle back in May, we met a really nice artist called Mr Dan. Mr Dan sells his art in the Pike Place farmer's market. Mike fell in love with Dan's graffiti style of art and purchased four original hats.

When it came time to buy Mike's birthday present the next month, my decision was pretty easy. I commissioned Dan to create a 36 by 18 inch custom painting of the Seattle skyline.

(click to see a big version!)

Though it took a lot longer to receive the painting than I'd anticipated, the wait was worth it! Dan did a great job of capturing Seattle's gorgeous skyline, music scene and even the train Mike and I took to get down to Seattle.

I love how he used the unraveling cassette tape to write out Seattle.

You can see more of Dan's work on his myspace story here.

Oh my love!

2009-09-20T17:59:00.008-05:00

Michael and I were at a camera mini convention yesterday that was essentially a big garage sale of all things cameras. Lots of lenses, tripods, funny old cameras...

Now, I have to say that I have wanted a Polaroid camera for YEARS. Literally. Years. So when Michael spotted one across the aisle from where we were standing, I had to check it out.

It was beautiful.

I debated getting it, but when the man selling it said it was only $10, and in working condition (provided being able to find film), I couldn't say no.

There have been many models of Polaroid cameras over this years, but this is the very first. It's a SX-70 Model 1, complete with a folding body in brushed chrome and real leather.

(Isn't it cute when it's collapsed? You can tuck it into a pocket or put it in your purse.)

SX-70 cameras are also neat because they use a different type of film than the newer ones which allow the image to be manipulated up to few days after the picture has been taken.

The only downside is that film for Polaroid cameras was stopped being made in 2006. Not only that, but different models of Polaroid cameras use different Polaroid film, and the film for the SX-70 model happens to be one of the more rare types of film.

According to Wikipedia, "Because the emulsion is gelatin-based and the Mylar covering does not allow water vapor to readily pass, the emulsion stays soft for several days, allowing artists to press and manipulate the emulsion to produce effects somewhat like impressionist paintings."

There is still film available on ebay, but one pack of film (containing eight exposures) costs between $20 and $30. Also, the film available all expires this month. I'm sure it would still be usable a few months after, but apparently if it's too much older, they don't work right and can wreck the camera.

I just think I might splurge and buy several packages of film.

My next crochet project

2009-09-18T21:30:00.003-05:00

Since I took up knitting this summer, I haven't done much crocheting at all.

The other day though, I saw the coolest project posted on Purl Bee.

It's a crocheted linen grocery tote, perfect for putting fruits and vegetables in.

When I go grocery shopping, I usually avoid putting my fruits and vegetables in plastic bags because it just seems like such a waste.

This seems like the perfect alternative! It's super stretchy, and when it isn't being used, can be squished down tiny enough to fit in my purse.

I can't do any crazy crocheting, but the pattern seems simple enough and has pretty pictures. You can check it out here.

Pretty Neon Colors

2009-08-31T20:45:00.002-05:00

I have a couple more pictures from fashionation to share.

These pictures are by photographer Paco Peregrin from Spain.

Paco originally studied drawing, painting, and communication before turning to photography and I love how he uses his traditional art skills in his photos!

I wish I could have hair and makeup like this everyday.

122 Days

2009-08-31T20:21:00.005-05:00

I don't think I ever posted any pictures of my "finished" living area. It'll always be a work in progress, but right now I'm satisfied with where it's at. I think it looks much cozier and homier than when I first moved in four months ago.

Antiques, Ikea, and So You Think You Can Dance.

I can't help it, they're my favorite...

2009-08-26T21:45:00.003-05:00

Coldplay has a new music video for their latest single Strawberry Swing. I'm not usually one to share music videos, but this one is really cute!

It features stop motion animation of a man (Chris maybe? You can never see his face) going through a sweet imaginary chalk drawing dream sequence.

Here's a screenshot.

The video isn't on youtube yet, but you can view it here on Coldplay's website.

DIY Antique Frame Update

2009-08-22T14:57:00.004-05:00

I bought this antique frame a few months ago with the plans of redoing it.

The frame has great shape and details, but the gold paint wasn't working for me. Plus, whoever painted it gold didn't do the best job and left a lot of big drips.

I finally spent a few hours an evening last week on the frame. I sanded it down (turns out before it was gold, it was a beige-pink-white-ish color) to get rid of the dents and paint drips. After many many coats of a glossy black paint, it's looking great!

I bought a vintage National Geographic map of Central America from the 1970s on etsy and fit it behind the frame. There isn't any glass (or way of putting in glass), so i just taped the map to the back of the frame.

I used some more of my favorite Command3 strips to hang it against the concrete wall in my apartment.

I'm really happy with how it turned out!

New treasures

2009-08-22T14:28:00.010-05:00

Thanks to a tip from my friend Denise, I found some great used furniture a couple days ago!

Isn't this beautiful? I love anything mid-century modern, especially with Danish influences, and this buffet is perfect for me. There's a stamp on the back that says "Chestnut Walnut", which I'm guessing means a chestnut stain on walnut wood, though I'm not sure exactly how much of the buffet is real wood. Either way, it looks great.

I've wasted no time filling the buffet up! I decided to put all my textiles and supplies in it (before they were just in various plastic bags in my closet) as I've been meaning to find a neat way of organizing them for a while now. Inside the main doors is my fabrics.

The top drawer houses all my sewing, knitting and crocheting accessories. Needles, thread, measuring tapes, pins, etc.

The middle drawer is home to all my yarns. It's just the right size to hold them.

The bottom drawer holds a crocheting blanket project that's been in the works for a few years now.

While we were picking up the buffet, I noticed another piece behind it and couldn't help but ask if it was for sale also. To my delight, it was! And for only $20!

I'm not too sure what you call these... chair-phone tables? I have no idea. But I think it's really charming, and it fits in perfectly in my entryway. I may end up putting new fabric on the seat at some point, but for now I think it's fine as is.

Sewing again

2009-08-14T21:51:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago I braved a new world of sewing - clothing! Sewing clothes is a lot more noticable if you mess up than a pillowcase, so I was a bit nervous to try it out.

I found a really easy free "pattern" at this neat website called BurdaStyle where pretty much all you do is measure your waist, do some math about circles, and make a giant circle with a hole out of it in the middle the size of your waist and then sew on a waistband.

(excuse the crappy quality, they were taken with my iMac with the 3 second timer)

I'm really happy with the results. I changed up the "pattern" a little in that I made it shorter (the original pattern went just below the knee) and I didn't have the belt hardware they used in the waist, so I used a zipper and eyelet hook.

A minor problem I have with it is that any gust of wind makes it fly up. I heard that you can sew fishline into the hem to help weight it down, but at this point I'm fine with it as it is.

Having success with this has definitely made me more confident in sewing garments. Maybe I'll try a dress next if I can find a cute pattern!

Vintage Finds

2009-07-24T19:39:00.011-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for neat furniture or knick knacks to make into my own special project.

I've recently come across a few that I'm really excited for!

I found this piece at a thrift store for $3.99! I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with it yet... I'll probably leave the wood as is and make it into a bulletin board, or perhaps into a little wall shelf for knick knacks.

I recently moved the purple chair from my computer into the living room, and needed to get a new computer chair. I found this awesome chair at an antique store just north of Winnipeg in East St. Paul. I don't remember the name of the store, but the entire second floor of the creepy building was antique furniture - dozens and dozens of chairs for cheap, old dressers, old trunks. So cool! And way cheaper than anywhere I've found.

My favorite part of this chair is it's round arms. So gorgeous! I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing with this chair yet. I really love the wood, even though it's a bit dinged and dented, but that adds to the charm, right? The fabric has a few stains and isn't in the best of condition, so I'm thinking I'll probably end up recovering it.

I'm eyeing this pretty fabric by Joel Dewberry for recovering it. I love the deer and birds!

At the same antique store, they also had three crates full of old letterpress blocks for a dollar each! So cool! As a graphic designer, I'm always on the lookout for old tools of the trade.

They didn't have any which were solely letters, only pictures and text, which was cool as well, though I'm mainly into the typographic blocks.

Nevertheless, I did pick up several blocks and am that much closer to being able to make my own letterpress block wall like this one from JHID.

Birds Table Runner

2009-07-24T19:26:00.007-05:00

My second sewing project was making a table runner to match the pillows I made earlier.

I wanted to make one that looked a bit homemade, a little kitschy, with sweet birds stitched on top.

Blurry, I know, but it's the only one I took where you can see all 6 birds.

I drew the birds by hand on the fabric and then cut them out and stitched them on to the runner.

This bird is my favorite because it looks like he's still learning to stand.

I like this bird's skinny tail.

I'm happy with the results! (Other than the drop of chocolate milk spilled on it)

Secondhand fabric

2009-07-24T19:13:00.007-05:00

Ah, I've been terrible at updating this lately. Mainly because I've been waiting to borrow Mike'scamera. Posts without pictures aren't very fun.

Since I got my sewing machine for my birthday in June, I've taken up a new interest in textiles and fabrics. Buying new fabric can be costly though, and in an effort to save some money, I've taken to buying fabrics at my local thrift store. There are so many cool fabrics there! Plus, I like the thought of repurposing old fabric rather than buying new. I mainly stick to the bed linens section because the fabric is so large there, but I'm sure for a smaller project you could sift through some old men's shirts and get enough fabric.

Anyways, here's what I picked up on my last trip.

Isn't this dotted pattern sweet? I love it. The reverse with flowers was the trim on a pillowcase that matched the sheet.

Pretty pink paisley.

I love the delicate pattern on this one.

Big blue flowers make me happy. I'm making a skirt out of this one.

Living Room Mood Board

2009-06-28T19:39:00.006-05:00

I recently ordered new living room furniture from Ikea. Since my old roommate and I parted ways, she took her futon with her, and so my living room only has two old armchairs in it. I figured it was time for at least a sofa. I ended up ordering an Ektorp sofa, two Billy bookcases, and two Inreda lamps for the bookcases.

And, the dork that I am, I made up a quick mood board (ignore my crappy job cutting out the photos - I'm not at work) in photoshop to see how everything will fit together. I'm going with a white/greys/black color scheme with purples and yellows as accents.

(Click to see a bigger version)

Most of the things are things that I already have, or things that I had and have updated. I got that big frame at an antique store for $40! It's solid wood and probably 4 by 2.5 feet big. It doesn't have any glass though, but I'm fine with that. I'm thinking of either getting some wallpaper to put in it, or painting something myself.

I'm excited to see everything come together!

My first sew

2009-06-28T17:17:00.010-05:00

My lovely Michael bought me a sewing for my birthday a few weeks ago and I finally got a chance to use it this weekend!

I went to Mitchell Fabrics and picked up a few basic supplies and some fabric. Mitchell Fabrics is a huge fabric store in downtown Winnipeg. There are some good fabrics, but there's a LOT of tacky fabrics as well. But if you're willing to sift through hundreds, you might find what you're looking for!

Anyways, I picked up some fabric - two Amy Butler prints and two solids, with the plan of recovering some pillows. I am a pillow addict and have collected a lot throughout the years, but some of them had pretty awful patterns.

(Michael will make fun of my Christmas woolies.)

It's been nine years since I last touched a sewing machine in home ec class, so I read through the manual to re-learn how to load up a bobbin and how to thread the machine.

The color palette for my pillows (and living room - new Ikea furniture arrives in 9 days!!) comes from my grandma's vintage lamp she gave me (with a new shade from Ikea). I'm really loving the mellow greys and whites with a cheery yellow.

The larger pillow in the back is my shoddiest work - I had to work really hard to mush the pillow in to fit the amount of fabric I had, and I didn't have enough fabric to make a nice cover that's removable, so I sewed it completely shut. I still think it looks pretty good!

The grey pillow is my favorite and took me the longest to make. But I love the details on it!

Craft

2009-06-26T20:37:00.007-05:00

I've been meaning to post pictures of the latest craft I've finished last week.

I must admit, the project was not my idea. I stole it from Design Sponge, as per usual. They have so many good ideas!

First of all I gathered objects and arranged them into the shape of a key. I used vintage buttons, a few keys (hope they aren't for my parents' house, I couldn't remember what they were for), a clothes pin, a few jewelry charms, some key holes, and a few cut out shapes (butterflies and puzzle pieces) and other knick knacks.

Then I spraypainted all the objects a flat black. Note for future reference: do NOT spraypaint inside your apartment. The smell doesn't leave the air for hours.

Here's some of the objects. Don't they look cute? I love that they match.

Then I rearranged the items and used a glue gun to keep them in place. I took a picture when I arranged them earlier so I'd remember how they all fit together.

And it's on my wall! It's an easy craft that makes use of things you have lying around your place.

I didn't have any watercolor paper big enough to fit the frame I bought, so I used a thinner stock, which I now regret. The weight of the objects makes the paper bend at the bottom. Ah well, next time. I still like it.

While I'm on the topic of hanging pictures, I have to mention this product I found. Living in an apartment, I have a really long concrete wall that I can't put nails or hooks into.

I found a really neat product that lets you hang things on the wall. It's called Command Strips by 3M. They're essentially really strong sticky velcro/tape which you can remove without leaving any damage or holes in the wall.

I think you can hang up to 15 pounds with 3 strips on one picture, so quite a bit! Anyways, these things have been a lifesaver! No more huge white empty wall!

Coldplay!

2009-06-20T22:05:00.011-05:00

Ahhh! My favorite band to see live ever.

I saw them in November in Minneapolis after hearing that they'd canceled their Winnipeg show last year and nearly died. I've never been so blown away by a concert.

So, when they announced they were coming to Winnipeg in June, I bought floor tickets as soon as the pre-sale started.

Here's a video from the show. The first time I saw them live, I didn't like this remix of the song, but now I love it! Notice at 3:14, Will and Guy look like their talking with their eyes and Will does this funny little smile. It makes me feel like I'm in their secret conversation.

Here's a few of my favorite shots from the evening.

Punch-kick-kaboosh!

Crowd on the screen during Fix You. Look how happy everyone is!

Viva la Vida. I die every time Will Champion hits that bell.

Chris with a japanese umbrella in the butterfly confetti during Lovers in Japan. I love how the crowd is all looking up at the confetti.

All true performers bow at the end of their show. What gentlemen.

Sigh. I'm in love.

This is how I spend my Saturdays

2009-06-20T21:25:00.003-05:00

As I wrote earlier, my mom, sisters and I go to a greenhouse every Mother's Day. I live in an apartment, so I can't plant outside like they can, but I got quite a few plants for pots inside.

I finally got nice pots today to plant my plants in! I spent the afternoon today moving my plants from their temporary plastic containers to new pretty pots.

I made a special mixture of soil, using two different kinds. My lovely's mother works in a greenhouse so I got tips from her.

The yellow and the silver pots are ones I already had. I decided I wanted a mixture of black and white pots, in a variety of sizes textures, so there's a few striped white, a solid gloss white, and two matte black pots. (on my lovely plant stand from Ikea. I wish I'd bought two!)

My apartment faces east, so I only get sun in the mornings, so I needed plants that would work well with a lot of shade.

Here's what I got:
(in the big white pot) Herbs! Cilantro, basil, oregano and parsley

(in the other white pot on the table) Goldilocks
(in the black pot on the table) Artillery Fern
(in the silver pot on the table) Christmas cactus I've had for probably 7 years. Every time I move, it seems to die a little. It looks a little sad.

(in the yellow pot on the floor) White begonias
(in the white pot on the floor) Oxalis
(in the black pot on the floor) Boston Fern

(The big leafy plant) Dieffenbachia

And while I'm talking about plants, I have to mention the huge put of chrysanthemums that Mike got me for my birthday! They're bright yellow and cheery and I love them!

You can't really see how big the flowers are, but they're probably a foot by a foot big! I love them. (Mike, do you like my use of depth of field here?)

Two things I found on Jen Loves Kev

2009-06-11T21:24:00.005-05:00

I found two of the most gorgeous things on Jen Loves Kev while poring over dozens of pages of her blog.

The first is two necklaces by Figs & Ginger. Figs & Ginger is a husband/wife team who make eco-friendly sterling silver jewelry.

This fawn necklace is so sweet. I want it. And it's only $40! I'm very tempted to order it.

Lovebirds necklace, also $40. All jewelry is made from at least 50% recycled metal and all are made by hand. So sweet.

The next thing I found was the most beautiful prints by Bryan Nash Gill, an artist from Connecticut. (descriptions taken from Ashes & Milk)

Through relief printing and a laborious rubbing technique Byran created the above piece Hemlock 82 (Bryan literally scratched his fingernails over every surface of the tree). At the grand size of 5 long x 38.5″wide the actual diameter, texture and pattern of this tree section is gorgeously translated onto paper.

Ink is rolled out and a piece of handcrafted washi paper is placed over the print block. Pressing little by little with his fingertips, Bryan imprints the texture of the wood on the surface of the paper.

If you want a print of this tree though, they don't come cheap. Prints cost a mere $4000. Yes, four thousand. But aren't they beautiful?

Ah! Exciting!

2009-06-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

I was reading Design Sponge this evening and from there I just stumbled upon the most fantastic blog! I'm always loving some good food/fashion/design, and Jen Loves Kev is perfect for me!

I'll share a bit of a post here to entice you a bit...

(image from Design Sponge) I LOVE the wall treatment... I seriously want to do it in my living room. I have this incredibly long concrete wall that I can't put pictures on, but this would be perfect! I love greys. And the little yellow heart on the pillow? Amazing.

Also this very sweet song. I need to re-learn french. I've forgotten so much in the past 5 years.

The Genius That is Frank Gehry

2009-06-07T15:36:00.013-05:00

While I was in Seattle last month, I got my first experience of Frank Gehry's architecture in person. Excuse my excitement as I post a lot of pictures.

Gehry, a Canadian-born architect now living in LA, studied at Los Angeles City College, University of Southern California's School of Architecture, and topped off his education by dropping out of Harvard's City Planning program.

I'm a huge architecture nerd, so I was so excited to visit the Experience Music Project. The building was completed in 2000 and is home to many exhibitions about Seattle's music scene, as well as music from all over the world.

As soon as the EMP was in sight as we walked there from our hotel, I couldn't contain my excitement. This building did not disappoint!

It's truly a work of art, combining organic shapes with metallic and glossy materials in baby blue, copper, red and pinks.

It's curves were so gorgeous, and I love how the public transit train runs right through the building.

In one end....

... and out the other.

(Is this a sphynx? Intentional or not?)

The interior of the building is nearly as impressive. It's a seemingly endless interior of curves, halls, metals, and shapes, all accented with bright colors.

The tourist picture, complete with the Space Needle in the EMP's reflection. I look cool and collected here, but I was dying on the inside.

I think I spent more time gawking at the architecture than I did at the exhibits inside the museum (a common criticism of Gehry's work).

The EMP is just one of Gehry's works, though one of his more famous.

Among his other notable pieces is Hotel Marqués De Riscal in Alava, Spain.

The hotel is built into the Spanish country, and is almost like a ribbon on the side of a hill.

Another notable piece is the Disney Concert Hall in LA, completed in 2003.

Another Gehry building I hope to visit one day is the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

A present for my bicycle

2009-06-03T21:22:00.004-05:00

I bought myself a basket for my bike last week! I'm not a huge cyclist, but I like biking to work ( 7 blocks away) and to the store to pick up small amounts of groceries.

I found I was really limited to only being able to get whatever I could squish in my purse while biking, and now I can fit my purse, my lunch, and whatever else I desire in my basket. I got it at MEC and so far I'm thrilled with it. It also has a release mechanism so the basket detaches and you can carry it in the store with you, eliminating the need for plastic bags.

I must admit though, it's a bit different to steer having the extra weight in the front. And having a full basket makes it a bit harder to maneuver around. I used to be able to pick up my bike and carry it up and down the stairs at my work, but it's a lot heavier now.

Mother's Day

2009-06-03T21:15:00.006-05:00

Every Mother's day, my mother, two sisters (one of whom is also a mother) and myself go to greenhouses, wander around and pick out flowers, herbs, vegetables and other foliage for the upcoming summer season.

While I'm the only one of us four who doesn't have a yard to plant in, I do like to keep plants in my apartment. I don't get too much sun in my living room, but I think that plants (real or fake) really brighten up a room.

This year I picked up two varieties of ferns, beautiful and leafy chartreuse goldilocks, sweet white begonias, as well as a plant I'd never heard of before called Oxalis, which has gorgeous purple triangle shaped flowers.

Right now my new plants sit on my coffee table while they wait for me to buy more pots to put them in.

It's amazing what plants can do to brighten a room, even if the room is a little bare and grungy like mine is. I'm getting new living room furniture next week, I promise!

I'm a terrible blogger.

2009-06-03T21:00:00.007-05:00

I must apologize for my lack of blogging lately. May has been an incredibly busy month, with moving, vacationing in Seattle (I'll post about that later, once I get all the pictures) and a lot of work.

I finally managed to steal Mike's camera and take some pictures of some DIY projects I've been meaning to share.

First off, in addition to my beloved Pyrex butter dish, I've made another purchase on ebay. I bought a vintage kitchen scale in robin egg blue, which I got in the mail from England a few weeks ago.

(Sorry for the crappy picture, the lighting in my kitchen is terrible.) I use it as a fruit basket (did you know 1 lime + 1 tomato = 1/2 pound?). I also finished a DIY project in May. With the help of a coworker who cut scraps of wood to the correct size to me (I really need to get some more tools) I built, sanded and painted a spice rack for myself. I got the project from a lovely blog called Craftynest, but changed it in that I only have 4 shelves, not 5, to allow for more finger room when grabbing the tins of spices.

I also don't think I ever posted a full-size completed version of the afghan I made back in winter.

Here it is, on my bed. It's big and heavy and oh so cozy. The finished product ended up being about 6 by 6 feet after 120 hours of work and going through $120 of yarn. Now that I've been done for a few months, I've been craving crocheting some more. I'm thinking of making a smaller throw blanket with a zig zag pattern.

This project isn't so much DIY as just updating. I got this great vintage lamp base from my grandma over a year ago and had it sitting in a closet because I didn't have a lampshade for it.

While on our vacation, I stopped by Ikea in Vancouver and bought this shade. I love the grey with the yellow!

It's here!

2009-05-12T17:20:00.003-05:00

E-bay is addictive

2009-05-05T19:44:00.003-05:00

My second ebay purchase.

A vintage blue kitchen scale with an egg-shaped bowl. Isn't it sweet?

I must admit, though, that the scale wasn't 100% my idea.

Since building this DIY spice rack project, I've been feeling the need to have a scale to match the rack.

Now I just need to wait for it to arrive from England and find it's way into my kitchen.

My first ebay purchase!

2009-05-03T12:20:00.004-05:00

Isn't it the sweetest thing ever?? I'm completely thrilled. My butter is going to have the best home in all of Winnipeg.

Vintage Pyrex, from the Butterprint collection, circa 1960s.

Winnipeg and Awards

2009-04-27T19:51:00.004-05:00

Sorry for not writing sooner - I've been moving! I moved from my 2 bedroom suite in a house with a roommate in River Heights to a 1 bedroom apartment by myself in a highrise in downtown Winnipeg. It's quite the change, but I love it.

This is the view out my living room window - isn't it wonderful? I don't think I will ever close my blinds. At night, the whole city is light up and glowing. It's so beautiful.

Anyways, in other Winnipeg news, my work has just launched a new website for the City of Winnipeg. It's an initiative called SpeakUpWinnipeg.com and it's a chance for you as the citizens of Winnipeg to have a part in creating the city's 25 year plan. Essentially, the city is asking for our opinion on six main issues - Sustainability, City of the Arts, Communities, City Competitiveness, Safety & Security and City Building. Sign up to give your opinion on a number of topics in these issues. Believe me, this time they're listening.

Another feature of the website is called Scene in Winnipeg. We're asking citizens in Winnipeg to take one of our handheld video cameras the size of a digital camera and film what is their Winnipeg, their scene, the places they hang out, what truly makes Winnipeg home for them. We want the real Winnipeg, not what the businesspeople, investers, Aspers and Richardsons make it out to be. So go ahead and check out some of the videos already up, or use our camera or your own (it doesn't have to be high quality!) to make your own short film of what Winnipeg means to you. I'll be adding my own video at the end of this week.

And here's my final item of this blog entry. I'm nominated for my first graphic design award! A mere 11 months after graduating from college, I'm up for Best Website of 2008 for the Signature Awards. The Sig Awards are an annual Winnipeg design and media awards show. All the graphic design agencies, TV and radio stations and other media companies submit their best of the best work of the year and a panel of judges pick the top 3-5 entries of each category as nominees. My company is up for 2 awards, but the other one is one which was done before I started working there, so it's a bit less exciting for me.

Our nominated site is Decor Cabinet Company's corporate website (they have 10 sites.... at least half of which are also designed by myself). Graphic design and flash was by myself, art direction by Colin Whitney, photography by Brian Gould, and technical coding and all that was done by our lovely development department. I'm pretty proud. Even if we don't win, even being nominated is something good to have on my resume and portfolio.

You must watch this

2009-04-13T18:48:00.002-05:00

A truly unexpected performance. Watch the whole thing.

Just goes to show that you never know what you might get.

Spicy

2009-04-08T22:13:00.004-05:00

Ever since I finished my afghan last month, I've been itching to start another DIY project.

During my ongoing design blog readings, I came across a project that sounded relatively easy and very practical.

I have quite a few spices, and I've been on the look out for a decent spice rack for a while now. I haven't been able to find any that I like for less than $50 (I have expensive taste, what can I say??) and my drawer full of little ziplock bags and various containers of spices just isn't cutting it.

Check out this homemade spice rack by Craftynest. I love how it fits 25 different spices, in neat matching containers. The tins fit perfectly and are available to buy online for less than a dollar a tin, and the labels are just the spice name printed on adhesive address labels.

One of my coworkers is a middle-age, father figure type man named Patrick and he's got a big workshop in his garage. He's constantly building things - new desks for work and other various projects. Pat had some scrap wood in his garage and was kind enough to cut all the pieces to the right size for me. I don't have quite all the tools to do that myself just yet.

So this morning when I got to work, there was a lovely stack of wood and a sheet of sandpaper, and off I am! I'm borrowing Pat's air nail gun later to assemble it once it's painted. I'm very excited.

I've also been reading online about stores in downtown Seattle to visit when we go there next month, and came across this really cool store called World Spice Merchants. It's essentially a store where you can buy any kind of spice in the world, including ones you've never heard of before, and at a much cheaper rate than you can find here in Winnipeg.

I'm excited to buy new exotic spices and put them in my new spice rack! Whole vanilla beans for $3.50 (they go for $7 or $8 here), Moroccan saffron (pictured below, isn't it beautiful? I love the color), lavendar flowers (I want to make lavendar crême brulêe; pictured above), Hungarian paprika (I need to find a good vegetarian goulash recipe; also pictured below, isn't the color wonderful?), gorgeous yellow tumeric. I can hardly wait. My sister has a list of things to pick up for her as well!

The sweetest thing

2009-03-30T21:52:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine posted this on facebook the other day and while I'm not usually one to post videos, I can't resist this one.

Watch this little girl give a funeral for her goldfish Lucky.

Watch the whole thing.

The most amazing news

2009-03-29T22:20:00.005-05:00

I just have to share some wonderful news that I got on Friday.

My lovely Mike and I have been planning a trip to Seattle in May for a few months now. Plane tickets (Winnipeg to Vancouver) and train tickets (Vancouver to Seattle) have been purchased, as well as hotel rooms and Mariners vs. Red Sox tickets.

However, we only just had an amazing discovery on Friday.

While we're in Seattle, the most amazing thing is also occurring a mere 2.5 hours away.

Yes, Sasquatch! Music Festival is happening while we're there! I've wanted to go to the annual festival ever since I first heard of it three or four years ago. What amazing luck! What a beautiful coincidence! What great timing!

The line-up is amazing. Mike's less enthusiastic, there's none of his beloved classic rock on schedule (he doesn't quite share my love of indie music), so I'm trying to convince him that renting a car and driving down to the Gorge for a day would be worth it.

(The mainstage at Sasquatch. Such an amazing view! There's many other stages, as well as camping.)

The shows run Saturday to Monday, and our flight to Winnipeg leaves first thing Sunday morning, so we'd only get to see Saturday's shows (which is the best line up anyways, in my opinion).

Here's the line up (I bolded the bands that I really really like):

Saturday, May 23rd

Kings of Leon / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / The Decemberists / Animal Collective / Bon Iver / Devotchka / M. Ward / Doves / Sun Kil Moon / The Gaslight Anthem / King Khan & The Shrines / Ra Ra Riot / Shearwater / Passion Pit / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band / Vince Mira / Blind Pilot / AA Bondy / Owl City / Arthur & Yu / Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele / Death Vessel / People's Republic of Komedy / James Pants / Todd Barry / Tim and Eric / Crystal Castles / Nick Thune / Mos Def / Maria Bamford / Champagne Champagne

Sunday, May 24th

Jane's Addiction / Nine Inch Nails / TV On The Radio / The Murder City Devils / of Montreal / The Avett Brothers / Calexico / M83 / The Airborne Toxic Event / The Walkmen / The Wrens / St. Vincent / The Dodos / John Vanderslice / The Submarines / Viva Voce / The Builders And The Butchers / Fences / Point Juncture, WA / The Red Wine Boys / Hockey / Zach Galifianakis / Deadmau5 / Natalie Portman's Shaved Head / People's Republic of Komedy / Aziz Ansari / Japandroids / Mike Watt and The Missingmen / Mad Rad / Street Sweeper

Monday, May 25th

Ben Harper and Relentless7 / Erykah Badu / Silversun Pickups / Fleet Foxes / Gogol Bordello / Santigold / Grizzly Bear / Explosions In The Sky / Girl Talk / Blitzen Trapper / The Knux / Monotonix / Bishop Allen / Black Moth Super Rainbow / Beach House / Mugison / The Dutchess And The Duke / School Of Seven Bells / Horse Feathers / The Pica Beats / Loch Lomond / Heartless Bastards / The Whitest Kids U' Know / People's Republic of Komedy / Tobacco / Chromeo / God's Pottery / Demetri Martin / BLK JKS / Other Lives

Isn't this amazing? We can't NOT go.

The best ideas are the simplest.

2009-03-29T22:03:00.003-05:00

Since I work in advertising as a graphic designer, I'm always on the look out for trends in advertising.

I've seen a few examples lately of ads that are such simple ideas but that work so incredibly well at engaging the public. These two are projects without a huge budget, without TV spots or websites (I have to admit, I found them both on thecoolhunter). The concept is that imagery is placed large-scale on the floor, leaving interesting optical illusions.

This January 2009 ad is for a Skydiving company in Switzerland. The floor of an elevator is pasted with a sticker of an aerial view of their city. Their ad agency is a company called Wirz/BBDO Switzerland. So such a simple yet amazing concept! I love it (though I'd probably get dizzy in that elevator....).

I love this piece! Ad agency superstars Saatchi & Saatchi created this amazing ad in Jakarta, Indonesia, for pet emporium Jakpetz. As people walk through the shopping centre, the people become the fleas on the dog. I love how it isn't immediately noticed until you see it from the balconies above. Brilliant!

Movies and Afghans

2009-03-25T22:17:00.006-05:00

I saw this trailer today! It looks incredible! That may have to do with the fact that they use Arcade Fire.... how can you go wrong? I'm not one to enjoy fantasy/childrens movies, but I think I might have to make an exception for this one.

And here's another trailer I just had to post. The King and I (from 1956, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner was my favorite movie from about age 5 to age 10. I think I watched the entire 2+ hour long musical at at least 3 of my birthday parties (I'm surprised any of my friends came after the first time). It's such a charming movie! Anyways, the trailer is absolutely hilarious. They sure have changed in the past 50 years.

In some very good news, I finished my afghan last night! After about $110 of Vanna White yarn and 110 hours of crocheting, it's finally done. It only took me two months to finish (my last one was starting 5 years ago and still not complete...).

I don't have a camera to take nice pictures of it, so I just took a few with my iMac. You can't really see any detail or how big it is (queen size).

When I was a kid my parents had two big afghans in our family room. I liked to hang them across furniture and make forts, and I'd poke at the light coming in through the holes.

9 days until a new home, 54 days until Seattle, 84 days until Coldplay

2009-03-22T22:26:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine posted this on facebook the other day and I just had to share.

This awesome product is called walls notebook.

Its' pages are full of pictures of New York City buildings, walls, vehicles, and more.

The concept is that you can draw on these buildings all you want without getting in trouble with the law for graffiti.

Quite brilliant, I think. I'd like to see one of Winnipeg streetscapes and buildings.

These products are made by a company called the. in the States.

293

2009-03-13T21:27:00.017-05:00

So here I am, doing my Pyrex blog. I'm probably the hugest dork ever for blogging about Pyrex.

Before I get started on lovely pictures and such, here's a few facts about Pyrex. Pyrex was introduced by American company Corning Incorporated in 1915. It was originally made from thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass, but now it's made of tempered soda lime glass in Charleroi Pennsylvania. Because of it's low expansion properties, it's often used for reflective optics in astronomy applications, mainly telescopes.

While Pyrex products are now mainly all clear glass, they used to be really bold and colorful, with great graphic patterns.

Here are a few of my favorites. I got most of these images and information from a site called Pyrex Love. It's a great resource.

Of course, I have to start with this series called Woodland. My mother had the bowls on the left, as well as the lighter brown mixing bowl (which is now mine), so while these aren't really the most beautiful Pyrex pieces, they hold a sentimental value to me. The Woodland series came out in 1978.

I really really love this series. It's called Friendship and all pieces are so colorful, they make me want to cook something wonderful with them. They're distinctive mainly by red and orange leaf/chicken patterns on white, with bright red accent bowls. They first came out in 1971.

I love this piece! It's a special promotional piece. The pattern isn't known, but it's sometimes referred to as "Weave" by Pyrex fanatics. I love the solid casserole dish and the pattern on the lid is very cool, almost Escher-esque.

This beautiful baking dish is part of the Solid Colors family. The year it came out isn't listen, but it's 8 by 8 inches. I love the robin egg blue color! So cheery. It sells for about $15 on ebay.

I love these bowls! They're part of the Terra family, and these mixing bowls came out in 1964.

Look how sweet this butter dish is! I am on the lookout for a good butter dish and if I can find this one on ebay, I'll be thrilled. I love the farmer and wife details. The pattern is called Butterprint, but is often also referred to as "Amish". This piece came out in the 1960s.

This piece is a cake dish in the Desert Dawn series. The slight speckles are what characterize this dish, and it also came out in yellow. It was released in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It makes me want to bake a cherry chip cake in it.

These hard-to-find pieces are the promotional Balloons chip and dip set. I love the hot air balloon graphics! They came out in 1958 and are a very sought-after piece, running at around $90 on ebay.

I love this children's mug! It's a special promotional piece, date unknown (though probably the mid 1950s). Aren't the little train cars super cute?

This is another specialty piece. It's very rare and not a lot is known about it. It's a difficult one to find. I love the cross-stitch pattern!

Black Pyrex is something people don't usually see. As far as I can tell, the Snowflake series is the only one using black as the main color. This divided dish came out in 1957 and comes with a clear glass top.

These Red, Opal White, and Yellow ramekins are so cheery and colorful. However, these weren't particularly popular. Apparently the edges were a bit sharp and so it was difficult to get food out.

Here's a group shot of a bunch of "Refrigerator Sets". I'm trying to use less and less plastic, and this is a great way to reduce the amount of tupperware in the house and go more enviromentally friendly. Plus, they're super cute and will definitely last a lot longer than cheap plastic.

I'm sure you've all had enough of Pyrex by now (if you've even made it this far), so I'll leave you with one last piece. This 1972 casserole dish is from the Seville promotional pieces. I love love love the orange and pink color scheme, and the graphic on top is full of detail and embellishments. So gorgeous.

Stair Porn - sfw

2009-03-08T19:32:00.003-05:00

I absolutely love stairs, ever since I was a kid. There's something that speaks of elegance in a well-designed staircase. I also may or may not have had this dream of walking down a huge ornate staircase in a fancy dress, a la Belle in Beauty and the Beast...

I came across a really cool blog about stairs the other day, called stair porn. The only downside of stair porn is that the majority of them have no explanation or mention of the designer or the background.

Here's a few of my favorite stairs from stair porn.

Of course, I have to start with this awesome stair "signage" by Paula Scherr. I work as a graphic designer in a creative building called Art Space, and one of my latest projects is to create new signage at each floor landing. I'm trying to pitch this as a concept for the project. Hopefully it'll fly.

A unique "cut-out" solution to a railing in Mondrian South Beach.

"Reverse" stairs by Michael Wilford, an architect from East Sussex.

Art deco stairs in a family residence in Brussels.

While the style of this one is a bit gaudy for my taste, I love how it twists within itself!

A unique self-contained spiral staircase in Almere, Netherlands.

I love how practical this is! Making beautiful use of an otherwise wasted space.

Once again, making use of space. Though I have a feeling I'd rather want to sit in the sun and read there, than walk on those stairs. I believe it's from a Flat in Vigo.

The minimalist in me LOVES this. Though if I were walking on it, I'd probably be grasping for something to hold on to as I got to the top, haha.

And last but not least is one of my all-time favorite staircases. Or rather series of staircases.

This is called Chand Baori, a series of stairs leading to a well in a village called Abhaneri in India. It was built in the 9th century, is 13 stories high, 100 feet deep, and has 3500 stairs. According to local legend, it was built by ghosts in one night. This is so remarkable, I love it!

Vintage Posters

2009-03-08T17:44:00.009-05:00

I was at St. Vital mall today with Mike and it turns out there was an antique show at the mall!

There was a lot of crap, but a lot of cool random things. I'm generally too impatient to pick through antiques too much, but one thing stood out to me (though I didn't get it).

A vintage pyrex mixing bowl from 1967!

Pyrex came out with some very cool designs with great graphics. I think I'll write a post about pyrex in the near future.

Anyways, on to what I bought. There was a booth selling old magazine ads. I found three that I figured would be cool to put in my kitchen or bathroom, in bright colorful red or yellow frames.

Here's all three, plus my toes.

The largest, probably 17 by 11 or so, it's for Eatons, from Weekend Magazine, 1963. All of these are not actually wrinkled, that's just the plastic sheet they're in.

I'm not entirely sure what this one is for. Some product called Bon Ami, I think it's some sort of powder cleaning detergent. I love the colors in the image on the left side of the ad. The copyright above the logo says it's from 1937.

Ogilvie Minute Oats ad from MacLeans magazine, November 1, 1944. This piece is advertising getting a free war-esque paper figure with a stand when you buy their oats. There are soldiers, sailors, airmen, airwomen, WRENs (not sure what that is) and CWACs.

before I write more

2009-02-20T21:02:00.004-06:00

I just want to say how much I advocate massage therapy.

I just got back from a massage. They're wonderful. I didn't really think I needed it too much, until I went for my first time in November. I think it's one of those things you don't notice until you see the improvement, and then you wonder how you ever managed without (okay, maybe that's a bit extreme). I'm so happy that I get massages covered through my work's insurance.

I had no idea where to go to get a massage before I started going, so I asked one of my coworkers where he goes and he recommended Down To Earth Massage. It's on Corydon Avenue, within walking distance from my house. I really didn't want to go anywhere pretentious, where I'd feel out of place or where people had bleached blonde hair and wore stilettos. Down to Earth Massage is perfect for me. I've only had massages by Meagan, but she's very sweet and very down to earth and helpful. She always gives me tips and exercises to do to help keep my muscles loose. I was scared of massages hurting too much or being really sore the next day, but they really work with the level you're comfortable with, which put me at ease.

So that's my advice for you - get a massage!

I definitely recommend Down to Earth. They don't have a website, but you can find out more about them here.

Louis Riel

2009-02-16T12:48:00.004-06:00

My beloved fashionation is back online with new content! I am so excited to once again be seeing high-fashion campaigns from around the world.

Natalia Vodianova photographed by Craig McDean for W Magazine. Beautiful.

I am always working on my afghan. After spending about 40 hours on it, I am currently done 27 of the required 64 squares. It is exciting to see it take shape.

I was watching one of my favorite movies last night while crocheting and was once again reminded why it's a favorite. Little Miss Sunshine is so clever and cute and honest, without trying too hard to be something different. It has an all-star cast, but you wouldn't know it. There's nothing pretentious about this film, and even Steve Carell manages to reign in the drama in his role as a suicidal uncle.

Here is my favorite shot from the film. I just had to include it. Aren't the colors wonderful?

And now I'll leave you with a picture of my (almost 2 year old) nephew Ben on Valentine's day.

He had gotten his mother tulips and was quite intrigued by them. He had also been quite mischievous earlier in the week, having built a tower of pillows on the bed and then promptly fell off of it and scratched his face up on the way down.

It's raining in February

2009-02-09T23:11:00.003-06:00

I've been working like crazy on my afghan! Here's an updated picture on how it's going.

Essentially I have to make 64 individual squares (called granny squares) and then stitch them all together to make a queen size bed blanket. Each square is about 9 by 9 inches and takes just under 1.5 hours. I've made 20 as of tonight, and I'm very proud of how fast I've been getting this thing done. Hopefully it won't take another 5 years like my last one!

It's a lot of fun, and I find it really soothing and relaxing to do when I get home from work. Probably because it's repetitive and you don't have to think to do it. It's quite therapeutic.

My goal is to be finished it by the end of March.

An Afghan update!

2009-02-01T22:44:00.005-06:00

So I found this super awesome tutorial on youtube about how to make granny squares, the foundation of the afghan I'm making (essentially you just make a lot of squares and then stitch them together). At first it's a little confusing, and I had to re-watch a few parts. But after following it for a few rounds in the pattern, it's so easy!

Within two hours (which I could do in much less time now, the first time is always the trickiest), I made an entire granny square! I think it's probably 9 by 9 inches.

There's one mistake, but I'm proud of it and I'm definitely on the way to completing this project in less than 5 years. Mine is a little bit "looser" than the Urban Outfitters one, but I think it's more home-y this way, and it'll be a lot faster. Plus I couldn't find a pattern for exactly how Urban Outfitters had it. I'm very happy with my results though.

Afghans

2009-02-01T20:09:00.006-06:00

I absolutely love afghans. There's nothing cozier than snuggling up with an old afghan.

So I recently found, while cleaning out my room at my parents' place, a crocheting project I started five years ago. My friend was having a baby, so I decided to take up crocheting and make her a baby blanket. I never did finish the blanket, but I've been working on it again the past few days and it's a lot of fun.

It's just white, with a simple pattern.

However, I decided to become a bit more ambitious. After looking at one of my favorite store's websites, I found a blanket for sale at Urban Outfitters that I decided to try to re-create.

I went to Michaels this afternoon and bought a ton of yarn. It's a much more complex project than the blanket I started so long ago, but I think it'll be fun. It'll probably take another five years to complete though, haha.

Old things.

2009-01-30T21:19:00.005-06:00

The other day I was at my parents' house, going through my old high school bedroom. I haven't lived there in years, but somehow my stuff is still lying in piles in my old room. So my mom has been asking me to clean out my things for quite some time, and I finally went through some of it a few weekends ago.

Here's a jewel that I found that I'd forgotten.

A Barbra Streisand album. Except mine is a record. I have no idea where I got this, or why. Barbra was pretty cute back in the day, though.

Check out the back album art. This is the only picture I could find online, but that's one tight little bum. I'm impressed. Go Barbra.

339

2009-01-26T22:03:00.004-06:00

I came across a cool idea for flooring this evening.

It might look like expensive hardwood with handcarved details, but it's actually flooring made out of recycled leather belts.

Artist Inghua Ting founded TING London in 2000, and all her products are refurbished and recycled. I think it's a super creative way of reusing something old and making it into a really unique, beautiful part of your home.

Tiles run at about $75 a square foot and are even held together with environmentally friendly water based glue.

I also came across a super cool company called Pedini, based out of Italy, that designs round kitchens.

As a graphic designer, one of the clients I work for the most is a cabinet company, so I'd consider myself to be pretty familiar with cabinets, but I've never seen anything like this other than the Jetsons. I love the curve at the end, it's a great use of space, which staying original and out of the typical modular fashion of kitchens.

And while I love the j-shaped kitchen, this c-kitchen is just a little too round for my taste. Unless you have a huge kitchen space to work with, it's a bit of an impractical use of the space. I do think it's really cool and innovative though, makes me think of something I would have seen on futuristic shows as a child.

Hair

2009-01-26T21:21:00.004-06:00

Some days, I wish my hair were like this.

Big hair is so sexy.

DIY Projects

2009-01-25T18:05:00.005-06:00

I love doing DIY projects! I love making things myself, exactly how I want them. I love putting time in and having a final result. I'm always so proud when I finish a project! It's very rewarding.

Yesterday I did a project. I made myself a upholstered headboard.

Here's a picture of the finished product, taking by my iMac. It's purple velvet, but it looks darker in this picture than it actually is.

This is a super easy project, and you don't even need any fancy tools for it other than a staple gun. I followed the directions on bejane's website. Pretty much all you have to do is sandwich fabric, batting, foam, and plywood, and then staple the fabric to the plywood.

The trickiest part of the project was mounting it to the wall. I bought these little mounts from Home Depot. I have no idea what they're called, but they're essentially two parts, and one slides in to the other. One is mounted to the wall, and one is mounted to the headboard. My recommendation, is to screw in the wall mount first (I used two, one on either side), and then the ones on the headboard and make sure that the headboard mounts properly BEFORE you staple the fabric/batting/foam to the headboard. It's a lot easier to make sure a piece of plywood mounts properly than a full headboard.

Another project I hope to do is this mini desk.

The directions are here. This project is pretty simple, but it'll take an electric drill (a treasure which I have not yet gotten). I love this desk, but it's something that I'll probably only get to do when I have somewhere more permanent to live. Such as my own house. I think it would also be cool to do a mini version of this for a minimalist bedside table, or a shelf for keeping keys and such in the entrance.

The best ad

2009-01-25T17:55:00.003-06:00

This ad ran in the Australian newspaper, The Daily Telegraph the day Obama was inaugurated. I think it's brilliant.

Ugh, also

2009-01-02T20:51:00.005-06:00

I must add, that when I add pictures that are larger than a certain size, it crops them here in the blog (a shame!) and so to get the full effect of the photo, click them to see the full version. The cropped ones don't do them justice! Half the photos are cut off! It's terrible.

Now, one last favorite shoot from Fashionation, for Stiletto Magazine. This is one of my absolute absolute favorites. It's such a brilliant and simple concept. The clothes are shot without any models at all, looking as though they're suspended in the air. The shapes and textures of the clothing themselves are gorgeous.

Quick!

2009-01-02T20:27:00.003-06:00

Ah! A quick moment in time when all of Fashionation is working for me!

I'll post a few of my favorite pictures from the site while it's working. I am giving you a warning, if you are offended or afraid of nipples. For some reason, photos with some sort of nudity have the most emotional tug. Perhaps it's the vulnerability the models must show? Who knows. Anyways, enjoy.

These images are from a spread that photographer Rui Faria did for Volt Magazine. The texture works so well in black and white.

Another one of my favorite shoots features photographer Enrique Badulescu for S Magazine.

The lighting is amazing! And the clothing works so well, with gorgeous shapes being created. Fashion by Aurelio Costarella (who has a beautiful website, by the way), Alessandro Dell’Acqua and Giuseppe Zanotti.

Here's another great black and white shoot. The minimalist design and bold edges are so gorgeous!

This piece ran in Clear Magazine and was photographed by Ishi, with clothing by Yohji Yamamoto, Aurelio Costarella (again) and Burberry.

I absolutely love this photograph for Stiletto Magazine. The dress is by Armani, and the entire spread of photos are amazing. I'd like to post each one, but instead I'll just direct you to the post on fashionation. Each photo is gorgeous.

And even if she may be a little strange, Naomi Campbell is absolutely brilliant in front of the camera, and knows how to use the angles of her face and her long legs to her advantage.

This is my favorite from a shoot with her for V Magazine, but you can see all the pictures here.

Bathrooms

2009-01-02T19:50:00.004-06:00

Bathrooms are one of my favorite rooms for design because sinks and bath tubs can have such cool design and be great focal features. I'm a huge sucker for unusual and beautiful sinks.

Kasch is a company from Munich that creates what they call "overflow" tubs. They're built into the floor of the bathroom, rather than above ground, and I think they're really cool.

And, as always, Kohler has some great sinks.

One of my favorite ideas for a bathtub comes from architects Pieter Peerlings and Silvia Mertens in Belgium. I'd say more about them, but their website is in some funny language I can't read.

They found a 7.5 foot wide space between two buildings and constructed their office/house in between, in four levels.

Each floor is carefully optimized to serve a purpose, without any space going to waste and nothing unnecessary inside.

From ground floor to fourth floor, they serve as office, dining, living, and bedroom.

I especially like this idea for a house/office because it's reusing what would have otherwise been wasted space and created something useful out of it, rather than building on a new lot in a suburb. It's an idea I've never seen before, and I always love design that mashes unconventional within classic.

363 days left

2009-01-02T19:21:00.012-06:00

I got the most wonderful Christmas present a few days ago (belated, I know, we blame the Postal Service).

I got four glycee prints by Stella Im Hultberg, from a limited edition run of 500, plus they're AUTOGRAPHED. I am the luckiest. They're beautiful, and I'll probably go get them framed, as in real and properly framed in a store.

Aren't they beautiful? Stella always paints women with stegasaurus backs, rosy cheeks, and big black hair. I've always wanted black hair. I love Stella's work.

Oh, before I forget, I must say CONGRATULATIONS to my old friend Kara and her husband Rob! Kara and I were very good friends in junior high, and she just happened to have the New Years Baby this year! I expect to see many more pictures of little Isaiah on facebook soon.

Here is the official picture on the news website of Kara, Rob and Isaiah. Look at his little toes poking out!

The Eve of Christmas

2008-12-24T19:29:00.005-06:00

I got the most lovely Christmas present today (among other lovely ones). I got a big Annie Liebowitz book.

This is not an Annie Liebowitz photograph, rather it is a photograph of her and her assistant, on top of the Chrysler building. I'm sure they had a good reason for being there. Anyways, I'm very excited to read this book.

I went for lunch to one of my all time favorite places in Winnipeg: Fresh Cafe. Fresh Cafe is on Corydon, right close to my house, and was named one of the Top 10 Best Canadian Restaurants of 2007.

They buy as much local and organic food as possible, and have a lot of healthy dishes, as well as a huge juice/smoothie bar, both of which they make on the spot, once you've ordered. I got my favorite dish - in-house smoked salmon eggs benedict (sans the eggs, of course, and extra hollandaise sauce, I could eat their hollandaise as soup) with hashbrowns, and a strawberry/orange/cranberry smoothie, with vanilla creme brulee for dessert. It was delicious.

Architecture designed for children is some of my favorite, because there are no rules and anything bright and crazy goes. One of the coolest stores for kids I've seen is The Kids Republic bookstore in Beijing.

I have a feeling that if more bookstores in Winnipeg were like this, there would be a lot more children reading here! The store was designed by architect Keiichiro Sako.

Sako, known for his strong attention to graphic shapes and crisp lines, has also designed subsequent The Kids Republic bookstores in Tianjin and Shanghai.

Snow is pretty on the trees outside

2008-12-23T14:37:00.002-06:00

I bought a new Rocky Moutain Soap product yesterday. It's their foot butter and it's delicious. It smells like honey and lemons and makes my feet feel like whipped cream.
I made a painting last night. I like it. It's red and blue. I used this Grumbacher spray varnish to seal and protect the painting this afternoon. I've never used a varnish before, so I hope it works okay. The package said I was supposed to not breathe in the fumes. They smell potent. I have one more canvas left. I was originally going to do another one to match the one I did last night so that I'd have two to hang together, but I don't think I'm going to do that anymore.

It looks better in real life. I promise.

I regret to say that my favorite fashion blog website Fashionation has not had a new post since November 24. It is up for sale, and someone needs to buy it soon. I need to see more pictures. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from Fashionation.

There is a lot more, but apparently the only page working is the homepage right now which is unfortunate. They have a beautiful archive of fashion photography.