magical

this weekend i was feeling very festive, so i made this red and green pendant garland! every time i went out and was walking around downtown it kept hitting me that christmas is coming. we didn't have any decoration or seasonal touches in the apartment and every time i was going to buy something i would stop myself because either it was expensive, tacky or both. instead i went to the best second hand store near my house and rummaged around the skirt section until i found a green and a red fabric i was happy with.
i cut them into triangles and then sewed them together. it was pretty easy and i think the result is really nice and festive without screaming christmas. when i was at the second hand store i found a bunch of really cute wooden ornaments that i huge from the garland with ribbon. we don't have a tree but i think this is better.
when i got home from a looooooong day at work today the president surprised me with the little reindeer on the top of the mantle! so cute.
also, this cd was free from starbucks because my bill was over 15$ and even though it only has four songs on it i really like it and am kind of addicted to it hehe.

also i thought that i would show off a little design piece i did for my mom. i signed her up for this amazing site called ravelry.com and it is the coolest place for knitters. you can have your own profile and keep track of your patterns. its a great resource for questions or finding new designs. i know she is going to love it, and i wanted to present her with something more then just the username and password written on a card at christmas so i designed this little 'gift card' and printed it out on this great thick brown recycled paper i had. i think it turned out well. oh and the account is free to get, you just have to wait until they email you back an invitation to the site.

we have a new client at my work and i spent the whole day today immersing myself in everything they need from us. its almost like i am starting a new job, since i am going into this without any knowledge about their business or how they operate. it was nice to work out of an office for the day though, i miss that feeling at 6pm when you finally get out the door and the rest of the night is yours to enjoy. when i work from home i never get that 'leaving the office' feeling of accomplishment.

also i just watched the last three episodes of project runway season 6! soo good! go to ninjavideo.com to watch it in perfect HD.

hope your monday was as productive as mine!

heres the munity i promised you and heres the party it turned into

hello darlings. yesterday was a a big day with work. i was helping to organize a networking event and it was a huge success. we had over 90 people come! and the food, ohhh goodness the food was amazing. i have plates of it in my fridge right now, so yummy and stuff i would never splurge on all at once.

im rather blue today. no particular reason...i don't know why i feel the way i do. something is just off, not quite right. i can't put my finger on it but its somewhere inside me and its hard to ignore. i can't, won't, say what.

part of me is shutting down, and as opposites cosmically attract, i am discovering things about myself that i didn't think possible. i don't know were in me to do. i know i am being so vague and pointing my finger in the air and trying to describe what it is that i'm touching. its just hard. its difficult to be honest with myself and with others and see both sides of the coin.

some days the future is right onfront of me. its the ground i'm about to step on, its waiting for the thumbs up without even needing to look back.

today is a day when the future is like looking through a paper tube. its there i can see it, i know i'll find it, its just beyond the next distance. the shaded curves on either side are rather hard to get though in the meantime. i'm already too far to look back now.

tomorrow will be a better day. xo.

bicept tricept liecept

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dearest carly, i found this photo and thought immediately of you. Happy monday! (and ps I am redoing/changing the etsy banner, i want it to be simpler)

today was super exhausting. i worked really hard all morning, then ran a bunch of errands, had a meeting with my boss, and then went to the gym for my personal fitness assesment. YIKES. they really push you like crazy and test you on your 'weaknesses'. its rather unfortunate that in order to sell you personal training they make you feel like crap and the only way you will improve is to spend tons of money to get one-on-one training. it was pretty horrible, they make you do all the exercises in the middle of the weightlifting part of the gym (read: testoterone central) and give you weights that are struggle just to pick up let alone do squats with! blarg. so many other things wrong with my experience, but i have ten days to cancel my personal trainer contract* and i will be doing just that.

* i was hardly given a choice to sign it anyway, i don't know how many times i asked if i could have the night to think about it and was pretty much told that i was to sign the contract before i left and if i decided i didn't want it then i could cancel it then. backwards logic.

@bl

test

i had big dreams about this weekend. planned for limitless energy and productive hours. its not how it panned out but that doesn't surprise me at all, in retrospect.

but to focus on the positive i did actually get a lot done. i will have a HUGE update for the shop ready very very soon. i sewed my little heart out saturday. allllllll day.

we have amazing food in the fridge, and the apartment is relatively clean. i secured a freelance client and finished more then half of the work tonight. i stayed up until 4am last night (oops!) and cooked a delicious hangover breakfast for champions.

lately i've been really touched by kindness in strangers. i think we unknowingly expect the worst from people and really, we are better then that, as a species. there were 4 times the maximum people that should ever be allowed on a single street car crammed into one car the other night and instead of scowling and pretending to be enthralled in the seat in front of her a lady told me i could rest my huge heavy gym bag on her lap instead of hovering it in the air because there was actually no place to put it. we started talking about the weather, about friends who live in better climates, about friends in general. i was sad to see my stop come up. i like moments like this and it makes me feel like there are actual humans living in toronto with me.

three great things i learned about the internet this weekend: ping.fm, tweetdeck, and ninjavideos.net

peace!

whip my head to the right

i'm pretty sure we found the apartment we are going to rent! yayyyyyyyyy! once we secure a place my stress level will drop 96%. secure home, secure job, secure boyfriend. i guess i'm growing up :)

im in a bit of a nesting faze right now and for some reason all i can think about is getting a puppy. i want a little cutie soooo bad. the president isn't home so he doesn't know it yet but i decided this is the puppy i want. so cute right? and just the perfect size. not to big, not to small, active, smart and kind. i hate mean nippy dogs. these beauties are called brittany spaniels and are so gentle looking. also some of them have blue eyes and i just adore dogs with blue eyes. i would definable wait for a litter with blue eyes.

this little guys name is tuna! i'm tripping over the cuteness.

full grown:

see, the president wants a dog he can take jogging, run around with at the park and is smart enough to learn commands. he hates little dog 'babies' and really if we wanted a baby.. well anyway we DONT want a baby we want a dog. i care more about cuteness, how gentle it is and that it doesn't bark all day. we live in the city and in an apartment (fingers crossed) so a big dog is out of the question. smaller dogs typically aren't as smart and don't have the stamina to go for long runs and be really active. we need a medium sized puppy that we can train to tell us when it needs to go outside and can keep up when we go biking or for long walks. i'm going to do more research but this breed seems like a super good fit for our lifestyle.


and if you haven't seen the 'literal version' series on youtube yet, i highly reccomend you devote an hour of your day to these videos because one you start watching them you won't want to stop. enjoy!

this weekend was fabulous!

a list...

-took friday afternoon off and loved every minute of it
-finished my 2010 calendar, printed it and cut it allllll out
-took pictures of everything for the etsy store
-uploaded just over half of the items, reveal will be soon!!
-purchased two wall decals off etsy, total spent: 11.95 (good deals, check it out!)


-cooked an amazing dinner last night
-bought apple strussel loaf at the market and it is beyond delicious
-finally got around to making a facebook album that encompasses the last four months of pictures
-took a nap! can't remember the last time i did that.


-poladroided some of my favorite pictures. image credits are all mine :)
-bought a LOT of new clothes at an outlet mall and didn't even spend that much money
-deep cleaned the apartment, it needed a good decluttering and wipedown
-got a call that we can be added to the list of potentials for a co-op we want to live in soooo bad. its about $300 less per month then the places we have been looking at and has everything we want!


-am looking forward to a productive week at work now that i've had such a relaxing weekend. now that i have all these home things done i can focus better on accomplishing things for work without feeling like i have a million other things to do. thats one thing about working from home, you don't get to leave the pile of dishes at home and forget about them. the clutter on the coffee table turns into clutter in your office and i'm not a clutter person.


i hope your weekend was fantastic and i want to hear all about it!

xoxo e

blarg, i've been inside work all day. not that i usually have the opportunity to work outside but traveling to meetings and to meet with clients usually gets me out of the house and into the sunshine.

I NEED AN APARTMENT WITH MORE WINDOWS!!

these cupcake wrappers are chearing me up though. :) from here

i think its time to take a walk to the post office and run some errands for work. tonight the president is going to see robin williams at casino rama and i will use tonight to get some extra work done since i am going to be finishing early tomorrow to drive to Orillia with him for a very special top secret interview. we are going to stay in a hotel (yay!) and i think it will be great to get out of the city, if only for one night.

edit: 45 minutes later...still here...have more work to do....damn.

my wishlist...

i honestly wish there were more hours in the day where i could stay focused enough to get all the things done i want. i have so many thoughts and things i want to create and yet, there always seem to be episodes of mad men or the office or house that are calling my name, saying i've done enough work today, take a break.

its a balance i haven't yet reached.

this christmas is special, its the first time the president and i have been living together and we have an opportunity to create our own traditions and holiday moments. i'm looking forward to it. we don't believe in consumerism and i want that to be reflected in the way we celebrate what has become the holiday to just buy, want, need, buy.

this christmas i would like to
-make a calendar for 2010 and give this as a gift to many loved ones
-design a holiday card and send it to as many people as i can
-bake, bake and bake! i love the smell of baking, it honestly warms my heart
-take more pictures
-purchase handmade gifts from etsy and severly limit my mall shopping
-take the time to thank family and friends for being a part of my life and being so supportive. they are honestly the best.
-january 1st we will be moving into our new apartment and i want to bring with us only what we love and need. there will be no extra baggage and all of the past clutter will be sorted through. this move isn't about minimalism, but increasing efficiency.
-get a puppy!! (if our new landlord approves it, fingers crossed!)

sunday before monday

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we are going to look at apartments today!!!! i feel like its christmas. i get way to excited about this kind of thing. like i didn't really even sleep last night excited.

this weekend is supposed to be the most beautiful weekend of the month, and its really living up to expectations. i would never tell you not to read my blog but honestly, go outside!! its gorgeous out there. go rake some leaves, jump in them, visit an outdoor farmers market, drink hot chocolate on the deck, take your little puppy for a walk through a park, walk without a destination.

have a beautiful and energized sunday!
xoxo

66 spadina

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i have this amazing (non-applicable) ability to hunt for apartments and find the BEST ones. really. its not a very useful day to day skill but damn if it was i would be so good at it. stupid one year leases, you really cramping my style.
tomorrow we are going to look at four (edit: five! see i really am this good) amazing places in the span of three hours. and we will gradually make our way from one end of the city to the other and god people should pay me to do this. this is a marketable skill. yes no maybe?

in other news, today i graduated. yep me. all finished school. i had a conversation with my friend if they purposely make the graduation like three months after you actually finish school so that students don't go through identity crises once they 'finish' school. graduation offers a lot of closure, you are finished with the school and the school is finished with you. but as okay as i am with that thought i am sure a lot of students are not ready to be spit out into the real world where no one gives a crap if your reaching your full potential or could achieve more. its a double edge sword. double edge diploma.
in a non related field i feel like i am getting flabbier. not fat really just easier to grab a hold of. easier to get me by the handfulls. eww i sound like an advertisement for milk duds. anyway, i have eyes so don't try and console me.

tomorrow among other things i will walk to the post office and pick up a brand new battery for my computer! a new battery, a new life. a new portable way of working. right now my computer sits at 99% and when i pull the plug out it will go from 99% to 3% bright red flashing BATTERY IS LOW in less then five minutes. but you know what, it still works like a charm and i can't give it up so a new battery it is. the president has been trying to switch me to a new pc for cost reasons. but. well. i'm being stuborn. and i love my mac and i will wait 6 months longer if it means getting a new one instead of a pc and hours of hunting for files and confusion. bleck.

do you ever re-discover something you have had for ages? i re-discovered chai tea with milk and sugar. so simple, so amazing. i'm in love again.

music my world

good evening lovelies. :)

i have a favour to ask you!

lately i have been in such a music slump, listening to the same old same old stuff i've listened to forever. and frankly, IM BORED!

so help me out, comment with bands you like, songs you listen to, playlists you made, whatever! i'm open to anything as long as you like it.

just to give you a little background, these are some of the artists that im constantly listening to..

-rilo kiley
-new pornographers
-regina spektor
-tegan and sara
-MIA
-radiohead
-fleetwood mac

pretty girly stuff. actually very girly. speaking of tegan and sara, i have yet to hear their new album but there are posters EVERYWHERE advertising it. i hope it lives up to all the hype.

in other random news, i made another bag tonight. i'm trying to balance living and working in the same environment because sometimes it feels like i never 'go home'. work is constantly there, things i could be finishing. BUT i think its making me more creative because i know when i am in the middle of crafting a new purse or sewing on buttons, i am definitely not working. right now that distinction is something i crave.

nighty night!

i heart martha stewart

i got this amazing little tool yesterday. it is a hole punch in the shape of a HEART! it is so perfect for making little cards, decorating paper, and making anything that is paper cuter.
making note book pages cuter? check.
making thought bubbles cuter? check.
making box lids cuter? check!
this tool is making me think of everything i can make cuter. watch out!

smitten kitten

So as promised here is the post i am devoting to the delicious meal that was no trick and pure treat. we bought the lamb at the farmers market earlier in the day and it had a quick marinade with red wine and chopped rosemary. we started out with a mix green salad with a homemade dressing of olive oil, red wine, maybe some balsamic, i'm not sure what else but it was delish. i was starving at this point, no snacking all day trying to keep my appetite for the meal of a lifetime.

while the potatoes roasted i took the time to cut all the veggies for the week. will make it so much easier to whip up the 17 stir fry's we make a week. plus scrambled eggs and well i just love vegetables.
and......TA DAAA. roasted red potatoes with rosemary, garlic, olive oil and s&p. so tasty and they smell so good while cooking. steamed broccoli and the delicious lamb.
oh and then can't forget my honey boys. so cute and so tasty!
when we came home from our walk after dinner i could smell this amazing smell as i walked down the hallway. i didn't know what it was until, duh, it was coming from our apartment! so lucky to have meals like this at home.

honey boys

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good morning. how was your halloween?

this was the first year i didn't get a costume together for halloween. i didn't have plans made for the night or a party i was going to. it wasn't premeditated, it just never came together. but don't start feeling sorry for me now. i had the best halloween all cozy at home with a full belly of delicious food and our own mix of scares.

in the morning we woke up and walked over to the st.lawrence market for some veggies and meat. i just adore that place really. usually by the time we get there at 1-2pm the vendors are starting to pack their things up so it is a great time to score some deals. (and we all know how much i looooooove deals hehe) this week we bought..
-broccoli
-shallots
-mix peppers
-green beans
-mix greans salad
-red potatoes
-rosemary
-bagels
-sliced mild Genoa salami
-sliced honey maple ham
-lamb
-6 honey boys (little honey cookies that are so cute and delicious)

its such a fun experience, checking over the produce, deciding what to eat for the week, seeing who has the best prices. i'd like to think that the farmers grow everything they are selling on their own land with their own hands..i mean..with their tractors.

on the way home we decided that poutine was in order and got some from smokes poutine. so amazing. we just got the traditional poutine and were not disappointed. the gravy is what they got right, not to salty, not to dark, not to bland. just perfect.

after inhailing that we watched some house (still addicted) and cleaned the apartment. i vacuumed and the president did alllllll of the dishes. no small feat. i love when we can get everything cleaned up for the new week and start fresh on monday. its especially important since i work from home and a messy living room means a messy office come monday, means something to distract me while i should be working.

i will leave the feast that we prepared for the next post as it really does deserve it. it was amazing. i'd never had lamb before and it was super flavourful and tender. oh man i am salivating just thinking about it.

after letting that settle in our stomachs i started to crave something sweet and well, ITS HALLOWEEN so i felt justified in heading out in search of something chocolate and creamy. walking around looking at peoples costumes sort of justified either putting a lot of work into a costume or none because i really don't think just a hat or a wig is really a costume. there were a group of six guys who had really put a lot of work into their robot costumes though, spray painting their boxes silver, wearing tubes on their arms and legs, they even had lights attached to them. seeing them regained some magic of the night in me. anyway, i decided on a hot chocolate from starbucks and once my people watching quota was filled we came back to the apartment and watched the scary movie the president downloaded. the strangers. SOOOOO scary. have you seen it? i screamed a couple times and once the movie was over i had to turn on all the lights and check the apartment for people wearing masks.

it wasn't the traditional way to spend halloween but i really needed a night in and i'm glad the night happened the way it did.

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